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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Date: 2015-10-19 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-20 07:00 pm (UTC)(The other hard part is just overcoming general inertia. But overcoming THAT is much easier if I can settle upon a particular goal. I'm just not the sort who works well with, "Well, just start writing whatever comes to mind, and see where it goes." All too often, it ends up a mess, or else it ends up retreading old ground, and neither end-point is something I'm anxious to share for show-'n'-tell to prove that I've actually written something. ;) )