Clearly we're in need of some real heroes...



I'm kidding I'm just going to be an annoying lurker until one day I'm talking to Bruce or Wraith and an idea pops into my fron that I can't ignore.

You don't talk to me unless you're in a game. I hadn't heard from you in weeks until this thread went up.

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You don't talk to me unless you're in a game. I hadn't heard from you in weeks until this thread went up.

This is how @Hillan treats me.

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You don't talk to me unless you're in a game. I hadn't heard from you in weeks until this thread went up.

I know I'm a bad friend. Don't need to tell everyone else.

I'll be working on a Thor sheet where he was sent to the future and raised as a human who believes he's a mutant/metahuman.

Ooh this looks exciting, no idea for a character yet but would be keen to collab on a backstory/shared history.

Friends/rivals/same super group ect

If anyone had any ideas shout out.

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Will original characters be more heavily scrutinized than re-imagined canons? And how much say does a player have over one submitting an OC if they're borrowing from 'shared continuity'? If an original character is simply a blatant expy of an existing one, would a player be encouraged to simply reimagine the canon one?

Sort of just trying to figure out if OCs take the same priority as reimagined canons or if canons are still the goal of the game.

Edit: Also how much transparency are you looking for in terms of 'dibs' on villains or supporting cast members?

Great question! I've been thinking this over and I would say yes to your first question. This is very much still focused around re-imaginings of existing Marvel and DC characters and OC's are going to be observed a bit more closely to ensure they would feel at home within this universe. Characters who feel a lot more anime/power ranger/etc would likely be rejected on tone alone.

If someone is applying using an original character the expectation from me would be that they would also have an original archnemesis, supporting cast, etc. This doesn't bar them from using established characters within their story, but I would probably have the same thoughts if someone made a version of Aquaman with a supporting cast including Aunt May and Alfred.

Initially to your last question it was a 'definitely yes they would be encouraged to reimagine a canon one', but after writing my reply I think I have a bit of a different thought process regarding this. I would encourage anyone who wants to use an iconic powerset, backstory, etc of another character to just reimagine the character this would be an expy of. Currently your application is a great example of what I mean, a very different version of Clark with a different moniker and a different goal than what is usual. People can go even further than this if they'd like, a main goal of mine is to give as much player agency to shape the world as possible.

However, in saying this I am reminded of just how many Spider-men there are in Marvel, not including the Spider-verse as well. I think if someone were to apply as Ben Reilly in a world where he didn't exist people would call him a blatant expy, but while similar he can express himself as a character in his own right. I think this issue would need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, especially with characters who feel like copies of current characters within the game, I don't feel it would be right to make a decision without involving the person with the character being copied in this instance. Primarily yes, I would encourage those making original characters to make these original and unrelated to any pre-existing characters, but if a strong case is made I could see exceptions.

Canons are very much still the goal of the game and take priority insofar as the overall story and makeup of the game. However this does not mean preferential treatment or story beats will just be given to canon characters.

In terms of dibs, as said previously arch-enemies are usually off limits unless this has been worked out between two players. In regards to other villains and supporting cast members I think there is a fine line to be walked here. If someone wanted to write for Jimmy Olsen I would expect them to contact whoever was playing Superman before they did, and if someone wanted to use a smaller Spider-man villain like Shocker I think it's only good etiquette to check with that player before writing them into a position where this character cannot be used or must be used in a certain way.

Ideally the whole group could be informed so as not to trample on anyone elses story, but I think the problem that can arise here is revealing story beats before they've been written. Stories are much less fun if you know all the twists, and I'm conscious that revealing OOC that Black Panther is about to fight Bane before it happens take a lot of the punch out of this being revealed diegetically.

This is something I would put to the group before we start on the IC, and I'm happy to go with what the majority rule on which they would prefer and go from there.

I'm open to suggestions on any and all of what I've said here, and any other rulings people feel could be improved.

I find it interesting you're doing this one size fits all/loosey goosey approach. I tend to prefer some rigidity, but maybe its time to try something radically different.

Distances aren't pinned down with real-world precision. Just like in the comics, cities feel as close or as far as the story requires. A vigilante from Gotham can end up in Hell's Kitchen without crossing half the globe, and a flight from Metropolis to New York might take an afternoon instead of hours. This 'comic book geography' keeps every character within reach of one another, while still allowing each city to retain its own identity and atmosphere.

This is the only thing my brain is having trouble coming to terms with (not to mention NYC is not that far from Jersey City which isn't far from when Gotham is generally placed).

I find it interesting you're doing this one size fits all/loosey goosey approach. I tend to prefer some rigidity, but maybe its time to try something radically different.

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This is the only thing my brain is having trouble coming to terms with (not to mention NYC is not that far from Jersey City which isn't far from when Gotham is generally placed).

Partly due to my inexperience as a GM and partly due to my trust of everyone I've roleplayed with previously! I'm confident we can bring all of our concepts together into a cohesive world within this sandbox.

In regards to the location question, I must confess I'm actually Scottish and didn't realise how close Gotham and Hell's Kitchen would be geographically when I gave that example

My logic behind this is that previously I've found it difficult to find a cohesive reason for my characters to show up in other people's stories for a collab without some shoe-horning or a post about them gearing up and then travelling, which for me felt like filler whenever I wrote it. When I think of a lot of stories within comics you have characters appearing for an issue then leaving the next after serving their purpose in the greater arc of the story. I'm hoping that offering a more 'squashed' version of the world and sort of hand-waving the need for these 'travel posts' it will encourage more interaction between players and more overlap in the greater story we're all telling.

On a map everything would be where you would expect it to be, I'm not proposing every city is in one area. Part of me wanted to offer the same with time frames, so one person could write a story taking place on halloween and another christmas without it affecting the chronology of everyone elses posts, but I'm worried this might make things too disjointed to follow at times.

If people would rather an alternative when it comes to the distance management I'm open to going back to a more traditional way of building the world. I may have not explained my thought process behind this clearly enough when I wrote that part!

I don't think it really matters either way. In my experience, as long as you state your character is travelling to wherever in a post, it's all relative. However much detail you put into how they get there is really up to you.

Exactly. When it comes to things I've always seen it as sudden transitions, I think the lack of inter-player interactivity is a problem but it is not a result of this.

That's fair! It may have just been a problem I personally was having and felt the need to clarify. If anyone has any suggestions for how to encourage player activity in a more direct way please let me know.

I'm wrestling with two concepts at the moment. I don't want to try and bring my Teth-Adam over because the concept I had was very much rooted in MB's Resistance plot (I'm just sorry we didn't get to the Mr. Atom plot that would have made that clear).

One would be a significant rework that would connect with Half's Bat (so I'd send you the sheet for review/approval of the concept in any case), but its a character that I've written previously so I've already got a solid story roadmap and rogues gallery.

The other is telling a classic A-lister different than I've seen before, which I like the idea of, but I'm asking myself if I have a story to go with the concept.

I'm asking myself if I have a story to go with the concept.

Many such cases of me not asking this to myself being a problem for posting for me.

That's fair! It may have just been a problem I personally was having and felt the need to clarify. If anyone has any suggestions for how to encourage player activity in a more direct way please let me know.

Be an active GM.

It's honestly that simple, if we look at the history of these games, they die when the GM loses interest or otherwise hits a roadblock. And this is near universal for any RP. An active GM makes or breaks a game, it's why a lot of people don't want to do it. It's a lot of work and is very hands on.

An active GM promotes player excitement, player excitement promotes engagement and engagement generally promotes posts. That said, the GM also needs to post regularly to lead by example, but from what I've seen from you, that shouldn't be a problem.

Honesty and transparency with your player base goes a long way too. If you don't like a sheet, don't be afraid to reject it. If you like a post, let the writer know. And if you're struggling, bounce some ideas off of a player because someone is likely to see an angle you don't.

EDIT: I should also add, if the aforementioned workload is too heavy, don't be afraid to ask people you work well with to assist in GMing. At times, I've had Co-GMs who just handle the OOC and player and engagement so I can focus on churning out posts, but other times I've had Co-GMs I've trusted enough to handle producing posts to move plots along. You'll find a system that works for you and go from there. Every game is a learning experience.

@Half Pint already failed the first GM test, which is the [in]ability to tell Bounce 'no.'

But, that gives me a back-up plan in case anyone would care to compete for the sushi platter.

Here's my rough draft for transparency and people to scheme/plot.

Fish Fry-days back on the menu, eh?

Fish Fry-days back on the menu, eh?

Basically yes.

Arthur has the benefit of me not having to write through an origin that gets him out of Atlantis, where I tend to fail. The action can come to him and the origin story can tell itself later.

Man, and I thought it was wild having a Zoomer Superman.

Now we have Gen Alpha Aquaman.

EDIT: I should note, if you remove approximately six '_' from the horizontal lines under Plot and Goals, you can eliminate that horizontal scroll bar.

@Lord Wraith is trying to corrupt me.

He's a bad bad man.

@Lord Wraith is a bad bad man.

The people know this.