Mutant Star (A Space-Opera Cosmic Marvel Game; Recruiting)
Dec 26, 2015 13:13:31 GMT -5
OurLadyWar, Dhark, and 4 more like this
Post by dorkknight23 on Dec 26, 2015 13:13:31 GMT -5
After some initial stumbling in the 21st century, mankind has walked amongst the stars and joined a newfound fraternity of other sentient species, cosmic newborns taking their first steps in what was tread before by the likes of the Kree, the Skrulls, the Badoon, the Shi'ar. In 2250, the Solar System Alliance was founded, made up of ostensibly the human-settled planets of the solar system, a small but ambitious player in galactic politics. To the other races, the humans were upstarts, and centered on a vital intergalactic trade route. These led to the great Hyperspace Wars of the 2300's, the Alliance narrowly survived, largely in thanks to their disproportionately high population of superhumans.
This has led to problems. On Terra, the cradle of humankind, concerns were arrising about the number of humans who were changed during the colonization process. Survival of the fittest often led to the mutate or the mutant surviving where the human could not, and this fear never was fully assuaged, even as mutants helped them keep a foothold in the galaxy. The mutants were driven from Terra in 2399 in a massive starship they named after a famed and long-dead mutant, the Starship Charles Xavier.
On the Xavier, mutantkind has gone to the stars in search of a homeland of their own. To aliens, they are still humans, to be distrused for their ambitions and what was done to preserve them. Humans have become increasingly xenophobic of Homo Sapiens Superior, unwelcomed in the inner solar system, and only barely tolerated in the rough and tumble colonies. Moving from port to port, the Xavier's only line of defense is its ancestral defenders, the X-Men. They have gone from protecting a world that hates and fears them to a whole universe. Made up of small squads of four to seven members, distinguished by a color-coded system and a highly ritualized training system which instills and reinstills the values of the X-Men.
This story will focus on one particular squad of X-Men, the Silver Team, and their struggles with threats both without and within the Charles Xavier's hull and the various worlds they'll visit. Space opera spectacle and melodrama meets cosmic Marvel with a big dash of laser-blasting action.
Quick Overview of Human Space
The Inner Solar System
--Mercury: A communications hub, home to the quantum network that enables instantaneous communication throughout the solar system. Also, thus, home to the Alliance entertainment network, J^3 (J-Cubed) Entertainment, run by the latest in the Jameson media dynasty.
--Venus: Inside protective biodomes that shield its inhabitants to the toxic inhospitable environment, Venusian agriculture is the breadbasket that feeds the rest of the Alliance. Venusian power is centered amongst gigafarms that spread entire continents operated entirely by machines, overseen from space stations orbiting the planet (and creating a new level of clutter around the system like its own choking atmosphere).
--Terra: First amongst equals, birthplace of humanity, heavily defended as a deterrent against alien invasions, Terra is perhaps the brightest jewel in the Alliance crown, and the one that other races most desire to pluck. Home to the nerve centers of Alliance Military, and the legendary Avengers Academy, where any remaining alliance superhumans are trained to serve the Alliance.
--Mars: The primary military outpost, home to the major production centers on Phobos and Deimos, home to the Alliance Fleet and fueling station of the Iron Men mechsuits.
The Outer Solar System
--Jupiter: The moons of Jupiter are a chaotic and boisterous mix of bold personalities, often engaged in gas mining. This lucrative and volatile economy leads to a large undercurrent of organized crime, and the moons have a sort of 'wild west' atmosphere to them.
--Uranus: Transportation hub, home to Darkforce Stargates that the Alliance uses to expedite transport. Naturally this makes it a hub for space piracy as well, many of Uranus' sundry moons are still technically 'uninhabited,' making for great pirate dens.
--Neptune: Home to the displaced Atlantean peoples, the moons of icy and desolate gas giant are home to various Atlantean colonies, each feeling it to be the true legitimate heir to Atlantis.
--Pluto: Dwarf planetoid, ridge of the solar system, large (but also often isolated) Alliance military presence, the first and last line of defense. Its moon Charon is a prison for the most dangerous Alliance traitors.
Beyond the Solar System
Multiple spacefaring species. The three that humans make the most contact with are the Kree, Skrull, and the Shi'ar, who all fought against humanity to varying degrees in the times before and immediately during the Great Hyperspace War. Now there's a tentative peace with the three major galactic players, but for how long.
--The Skrull Empire: The Skrulls would want nothing more than to take Holy Terra as their new homeworld, as their faith dictates, but for now they bide their time.
--The Kree Empire: The Kree have been involved in human history for some time now, and most humans distrust them, but they vie with the Shi'ar for mercantile influence over the Alliance.
--The Shi'ar Empire: The Shi'ar failed to assimilate Earth into their own multi-species interplanetary alliance, which they believe to be only a temporary setback. For now, they play nice and keep the most active embassy of the three species on Terra.
What I'm looking for from submissions
40 stones + max 10 in challenges. Some new challenges are listed below. Most other actions and modifiers included as is. Magic exists, but is a limited facet of this setting; I'm not outright banning it, but keep the nine action limit in mind when building your characters, and remember the sci-fi/space opera tone of the setting. Mutant space wizards will just need to be that much more careful about their stone counts and action boxes (and if you can spin enough metaphorical plates to make a cyborg alien-hybrid mutant wizard or whatever work, I'm not one to stop you from trying, but I'd be concerned such a concept might be a bit unfocused...)
New Challenges
Mutant remains a 3 stone challenge due to widespread anti-mutant sentiments both in human and non-human space.
*Alien Hybrid: 2-stone challenge
Your lineage includes something decidedly non-human somewhere along the line. Xenophilia is unpopular, and many hybrids are discriminated against, but love (or political convenience, or what have you,) finds a way. Choose one of the following, and gain a discount to certain abilities, actions, or modifiers. Also includes a 'non-human appearance' challenge folded in that's appropriate to the alien species in question, and conflicting interests as well. Cannot stack them. I know Hulkling was a Kree/Skrull hybrid, but he's outside the scope of this game.
--Skrull Hybrid: -1 discount to Shapeshifting, Growth, Shrinking, Metamorphosis, Stretching, or other overtly 'biokinetic' actions (changes to the physical form of the body; Manipulate Body Density and Phase Shift explicitly not included; others may be allowed on a case-by-case basis).
--Kree Hybrid: You are descended from either blue-skinned Kree (granting a -1 discount to Strength and Speed) or to the pink-skinned Kree (-1 discount to Durability).
--Shi'ar Hybrid: -2 discount to Strength, max 5, or 6 if you take an additional atavistic avian traits (wings, feathers, talons, etc.) Treat durability at 1 higher for the purposes of cost (so Durability 3 would cost 6 white stones).
*Cyborg: 2 stone challenge. Being a cyborg means you can purchase certain actions or modifiers at the Powered Armor prices, but comes with vulnerabilities to both threats to hacking or AI attacks and also to EMP or Ion weaponry. On top of that, most people outside of the military or high-risk colonies are unaccustomed to being around cyborgs, and are often uncomfortable with known cyborgs in their presence.
*Techno-Organic Virus: available, but any challenge stones acquired over the ten stone cap at creation are 'lost,' so take at your own risk.
Will probably finalize submissions in the New Year, depending how quickly I get a good set of them. Looking for 4-7 players.
