Heroes In Their Own Minds: Worldbuilding
Oct. 18th, 2015 01:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tuftearsOkay, found the perfect title for this RPGfic I have in mind. I'd had in mind soliciting superhero suggestions but it occurred to me that I should lay out the world first.
As I alluded to in my previous post, I wanted to tap into the Marvel X-men vibe rather than the DC 'oh hey, we have random superheroes running around the world with all kinds of different origin stories, boy, our universe is such a mess that we need to have multiple Earths to explain them all.' So, think 'mutants vs humans.'
The 'real world' is a near-future world that has seen disasters reshape the surface of the Earth and etch deep the divide between rich and poor. VR RPGs are the opiate of the masses, and until ten years ago, "Mu Factor" was a cult classic that featured mutants at war with one another for the fate of their world. Unfortunately the company producing "Mu Factor", Programmable Reality Inc., was bought out by a larger VR RPG company, then their game was shuttered and its code base absorbed to make their other games better. [*]
"Mu Factor" featured an Earth in which a few mutants had been born before the Ecoclysm, a real world disaster in which the sea level rose dramatically and acid storms dominated the earth, causing a massive population crash and destruction of societal infrastructure. In the fictional history of "Mu Factor", two leaders emerged among the mutants, splitting them into rival camps, and their secret struggle brought on the Ecoclysm. In the throes of the disaster, the nations of the world agreed that only 'licensed' mutants would be permitted to operate, and only with supervision; all other mutants would be detained and restricted to special enclaves for their own safety. Child mutants would be separated from their parents and raised in special schools.
Naturally, this plan did not fare well with all mutants. Mutant society stratified into two factions: the Licensed, who were rich and privileged, going to special schools like Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted, and the Rogues, who grew up in the ghettos that had sprung up around the arcology-cities, working for criminal elements or citizens who needed special services that needed to go unreported to the Powers That Be. The Licensed were ruled by $EVIL_LEADER who believed that mutants would, over time, take the reins of authority and become the new leaders of the world, and the Rogues looked up to $GOOD_LEADER who believed that sharing and equality were required to bring the world into balance, and that eventually the "Y Gene" would spread to everyone, so everyone would be a mutant, just to varying degrees.
From there... Well, there'd be about ten years of tumultuous struggles as "Programmable Realities Inc." entertained their players with successive content patches. The Civil War would go from secret to world-shaking. $EVIL_LEADER would unleash the Guardians that would turn on their master and shatter the solidarity of the Licensed, leading to the rise of the Disbarred and the Redeemed, which allowed members of both mutant factions to cross the line and serve on the other side. An alien invasion would occur that would unite both sides temporarily to fight it. Artifacts would be discovered that could empower mutants, allowing them to gain 'epic powers' so long as they possessed them.
And then "Mu Factor" was shut down and all the players' shared dreams and hopes were dumped into the Great Bit Bucket In The Sky.
Ten years later, one lone genius believes that he has worked out a way to recreate "The Mu Factor". With the help of dedicated fans, he has secured rights and permissions. Now he has sent a call to all its former players, inviting them to come back and participate in the game reborn. Old heroes will be brought back, new heroes will be born.
What could possibly go wrong with this plan?
So, want to make hero or villain suggestions? Major characters that played big roles in shaping the history of "Mu Factor", minor characters that might have shown up here and there and become fan favorites, or just random character ideas that might crop up as former and new players? Even $GOOD_LEADER and $EVIL_LEADER are up for grabs! Or maybe just tell me what superheroes and villains from comics and such were your favorite.
(Note: "The Y Factor" has been changed to "Mu Factor" per feedback)
As I alluded to in my previous post, I wanted to tap into the Marvel X-men vibe rather than the DC 'oh hey, we have random superheroes running around the world with all kinds of different origin stories, boy, our universe is such a mess that we need to have multiple Earths to explain them all.' So, think 'mutants vs humans.'
The 'real world' is a near-future world that has seen disasters reshape the surface of the Earth and etch deep the divide between rich and poor. VR RPGs are the opiate of the masses, and until ten years ago, "Mu Factor" was a cult classic that featured mutants at war with one another for the fate of their world. Unfortunately the company producing "Mu Factor", Programmable Reality Inc., was bought out by a larger VR RPG company, then their game was shuttered and its code base absorbed to make their other games better. [*]
"Mu Factor" featured an Earth in which a few mutants had been born before the Ecoclysm, a real world disaster in which the sea level rose dramatically and acid storms dominated the earth, causing a massive population crash and destruction of societal infrastructure. In the fictional history of "Mu Factor", two leaders emerged among the mutants, splitting them into rival camps, and their secret struggle brought on the Ecoclysm. In the throes of the disaster, the nations of the world agreed that only 'licensed' mutants would be permitted to operate, and only with supervision; all other mutants would be detained and restricted to special enclaves for their own safety. Child mutants would be separated from their parents and raised in special schools.
Naturally, this plan did not fare well with all mutants. Mutant society stratified into two factions: the Licensed, who were rich and privileged, going to special schools like Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted, and the Rogues, who grew up in the ghettos that had sprung up around the arcology-cities, working for criminal elements or citizens who needed special services that needed to go unreported to the Powers That Be. The Licensed were ruled by $EVIL_LEADER who believed that mutants would, over time, take the reins of authority and become the new leaders of the world, and the Rogues looked up to $GOOD_LEADER who believed that sharing and equality were required to bring the world into balance, and that eventually the "Y Gene" would spread to everyone, so everyone would be a mutant, just to varying degrees.
From there... Well, there'd be about ten years of tumultuous struggles as "Programmable Realities Inc." entertained their players with successive content patches. The Civil War would go from secret to world-shaking. $EVIL_LEADER would unleash the Guardians that would turn on their master and shatter the solidarity of the Licensed, leading to the rise of the Disbarred and the Redeemed, which allowed members of both mutant factions to cross the line and serve on the other side. An alien invasion would occur that would unite both sides temporarily to fight it. Artifacts would be discovered that could empower mutants, allowing them to gain 'epic powers' so long as they possessed them.
And then "Mu Factor" was shut down and all the players' shared dreams and hopes were dumped into the Great Bit Bucket In The Sky.
Ten years later, one lone genius believes that he has worked out a way to recreate "The Mu Factor". With the help of dedicated fans, he has secured rights and permissions. Now he has sent a call to all its former players, inviting them to come back and participate in the game reborn. Old heroes will be brought back, new heroes will be born.
What could possibly go wrong with this plan?
So, want to make hero or villain suggestions? Major characters that played big roles in shaping the history of "Mu Factor", minor characters that might have shown up here and there and become fan favorites, or just random character ideas that might crop up as former and new players? Even $GOOD_LEADER and $EVIL_LEADER are up for grabs! Or maybe just tell me what superheroes and villains from comics and such were your favorite.
(Note: "The Y Factor" has been changed to "Mu Factor" per feedback)
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no subject
Date: 2015-10-19 07:21 pm (UTC)I could see something like that happening further down the line, certainly. It could be something that starts with one industry (say, pharmaceuticals, or tech) and extends to others by example. If nothing else, it could be prompted by pressure from governments anxious to bolster "growth" (in the hopes of taxing revenues). Patents and copyrights are intended to encourage innovators by promising them the ability to reap profits from their investments in turning an idea into reality. But if something is copyrighted and NOTHING IS DONE WITH IT for a very long time, that might be a bad thing from a government's point of view, especially if there are other parties champing at the bit to do SOMETHING (presumably taxable!) with it.
Trademark I think might be a bit messier. As originally intended, that has to do with brand identity -- with the idea that if someone buys something with the GARBAGETECH logo on it, he can be certain that he is getting genuine, 100% GARBAGETECH, and not some bootleg (or at the very least that if it's bootleg, it's illegal). If a company establishes a brand, it establishes a reputation. In THAT sense, it is likely to be messy with something like -- let's say -- World of Steamcraft, because World of Steamcraft is likely registered as a trademark, and hence a brand.
I could envision a setup where someone could win the rights to revive the setting of World of Steamcraft, various IPs and such, and everyone would KNOW what this setting is supposed to be, but for branding purposes the new start-up would be required to call it "Steamcraft Reborn" or "Return to Steamcraft" or something that is allowed to acknowledge the original, but clearly marks "this is still a different brand, under new management."
But, hey, your original premise said that the new owner managed to buy the rights. So there are all sorts of reasons a brand that was once a big money-maker might be later on sold for a fraction of its old value.
no subject
Date: 2015-10-19 07:38 pm (UTC)I picture this as being a future in which corporations are quite powerful but there is nevertheless a thriving market for 'indies'-- small companies, studios, developers, etc. working in spaces that the megacorporations don't find it worthwhile to prospect. Thus there was a reference to Randall Cranston being an aficionado of an 'indie' SF series, 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' WayBackWhen (http://tuftears.livejournal.com/71804.html?nojs=1). This series was too small an audience to appear in mass-market theaters, so it was distributed directly to its fans, earning enough to keep going indefinitely.
As such, intellectual property laws need to be forgiving enough that big companies can't just lock up All The Ideas and sue small companies into extinction for using characters similar to some 30-year-ago minor character appearance, et cetera. Also, it seemed to me that governments might decide they needed to be recompensed more directly for enforcing intellectual property law, rather than receiving a very tiny up-front payment and no further money.
no subject
Date: 2015-10-20 01:53 pm (UTC)I look forward to seeing where you go with it, especially with the "VR stays VR" angle.
My favorite superhero from the comics was always Nightcrawler. Swashbuckling good guy ftw. n_n
no subject
Date: 2015-10-20 07:34 pm (UTC)