Wrapped up our first few issues of Worlds in Peril.
Our group brainstormed the following for play:
City:
Neutroplis, a US city on the Great Lakes that had the world’s only working fission reactor. Providing near limitless power to the city and the surrounding area. Also, no-one can work out how to turn it off.
The Team:
Affectionately known by locals as The Temps, this motley group of heroes stepped into the gap left when Neutroplis’ resident superteam, the Astounding Seven, mysteriously vanished. Moving into the Seven’s base inside the Statue of Futurity overlooking Neutropolis, the Temps do what they can to bring justice to the city.
Current Roster:
Graviton – (Origin: The Accident), a gravity manipulator who got his powers when caught in a section of the fission reactor when it came online. Chip on his shoulder and a bad attitude.
Volt – (Origin: A Death in the Family), an electrokinetic who got her powers thanks to nefarious experimentation carried out on her and her fellow orphans by the sinister Dr. Grey.
Hunter – (Origin: What I Know) Suffering from a rare condition that saw him suffering from permanent synesthesia, Hunter found a cure for his condition far from home in a hidden valley in the Himalayas. Trained to become the next avenger of the All Seeing Order, he uses his extraordinary senses and martial skills to bring justice.
Flicker (Origin: My Alien Heritage) – Teleporter. Last surviving lifeform from Reality B, an alternate Earth where the Neutropolis reactor was actually switched off. She tries to fit into a world, much like her own yet so different and remains vigilant that a similar catastrophe doesn’t destory her new home.
Issue 1:
We opened with a battle in Tomorrow Square, the city’s main shopping district. A trio of villains, L.A.S.E.R, Psychlone and the Waxwork, who despite their oddly dated attire still whipped up a mean amount of havoc.
The Temps leapt into action, either getting straight into it or ducking off from prying eyes for a quick costume change. The battle raged above and below Tomorrow Square, with Volt finally reducing the Waxwork back into its dormant liquid state. Flicker finally managed to pull the plug on L.A.S.E.R’s powered weapons. Hunter and Graviton managed to save the civilians in Tomorrow Square from the flaming debris Psychlone threw around but couldn’t prevent him from escaping.
(I rated each of the villains as punching bags, so they had a 4 Condition Threshold each. In retrospect, I found this a little high for what I wanted as an opening but not too challenging battle. Going foward, I used the recommended thresholds as a rough guideline but generally reduced them. For my group, I found this led to some smoother battles that were still fun. YMMV)
What followed was: secret government agencies, kidnapped loved ones,a missing hyperdimensional Cold War superprison, cities held hostage, the terrible, reality-burning genius of Dr. Cassius Bonaparte and a lonely security bot named Fluffy.
Definitely had fun with it, definitely haven’t mastered it to my satisfaction. Definitely going to be going back to the well for another go in the future.