DC AU Game
I know Marvel Games tend to be more popular, but I can try and have hope...
Way, way long ago on GJ I'd tried opening a DC AU game called Bedlam, which sort of took on a Gotham By Gaslight quality in that it was a DC game placed in Victorian era London. Characters had the powers/abilities they had in regular DC canoon, but they'd been gifted said powers by a society of Masons, a group which had roots in The Guardians, who had been active in ancient Egypt for the purposes of Bedlam. London was a stand-in for Gotham and the Bethlem (Bedlam) Asylum stood in for Arkham. Ra's Al Ghul was one of the main villains of the game and I'd really wanted to fill out the cast so that a wide range of DC characters were represented.
We had people sign up and the game started, but! I'm not the best person at modding things alone, so it closed up relatively quickly. But it's a game that I've always thought could be interesting in the right hands. I suppose I come here wondering if there is anyone who'd like to help me pick this up, or simply pick it up themselves. I'm going to post two of the histories below (BOTH of which need rewriting, I think) and if they spark you interest, pleeeeease let me know! Whether you would just be interested in playing in such a game, or be interested in running/co-running it. I would love to hear your feedback. Please don't be afraid to link others here as well!
Thank you!
London, England: 1851- Times certainly are a'changin'.
It's the middle of the eighteenth century and England finds itself entering what will be an amazing industrial revolution. Photographs, the sewing machine, steamships, the typewriter… modern objects are quickly being invented and mass produced. The Napoleonic Wars are over and they're slowly easing into simple memories for the populace. Queen Victoria has reigned for fourteen years and though epidemics of all sorts plagued her rule to begin with, these things too have begun to pass. Even if those memories remained in mind, entertainment was available almost anywhere, most prominently at the first World's Fair in Hyde Park. A state of contentment has fallen over the British subjects, those wealthy enough to be content, at least.
Those rich enough, members of the societal upper class , take full advantage of all that the period has to offer, often not stopping to take note of those in the stations below them. Many have died from the cholera outbreaks and the food shortages. They live in squalor, working the jobs which do more to benefit those in the upper class than they do themselves. There's a resentment in the harsh class separation, but as such resentment comes from the poor it's hardly acknowledged by those in power. The aristocracy, working-middle class, and labourers rarely have any reason to interact or show any sort of concern for the other. They assume they have nothing in common.
Would it be too cliché to reveal that their assumption, at times, is quite mistaken? For things are happening to all different sorts of people, no matter their class, race or gender. There are those gifted with strength, some with great intelligence, and others with abilities that simply seem supernatural. While some have had these abilities since birth, others are only just discovering such, and some don't even realize they're special in any way. Finding out that you can read minds in Victorian England, even in a time considered Enlightened, is something that you keep to yourself. It's simply not prudent to let that kind of information spread, for in this time it's more likely that someone will take you for insane. And those judged insane? Well, they end up in Bedlam.
The choice of what people do with these gifts is theirs. Some do nothing, pretending to ignore them. Some choose to make an already difficult life harder for others. They don't know what they're meant to do with these gifts, but the fact remains that they have them and they must do what they can to survive and live with them.
Control was always something needed in the western world, because where there were people and capitalism there would be problems. It was an inescapable rule, recognized by various sects of a group known by some as the Guardians and others as the Masons.
Masonry eventually took on an entirely different spin, becoming a secret, almost cult-like society in England, but like many things it was an import, morphed from its original form in Egypt where the Guardians were seen as protectors and had been since the days of Ancient Egypt. The Guardians were a group imbued with gifts and foresight, revered in their time by the pharaohs whom they counseled, before Europe (Turkey first, then France, and finally England) left its mark on the country.
It was Europeans first appeared in Egypt that two groups of Guardians sat down with each other. Both the Order of the Nothern Star and the Daughters of the Nile saw different aspects of the future, the good and the bad, both of which would come with these people. It was argued, back and forth between the groups, which there would be more of. Already they were witnessing the decline of their society, their rulers had less power than they'd had in the past. Slowly they were becoming poorer and their lands war ravaged as they were used as launching grounds for European battles.
The bad was very obvious to both groups of Guardians, but the Order of the Northern Star swore up and down that there were benefits coming. While the Daughters of the Nile didn't share this confidence, they realized that there was little they could do about it in the immediate future. But they could do something about it. It would simply take time.
The two groups of Guardians gathered for a final time in the early fifteen hundreds in order to ensure that future generations of both Egyptians and Europeans would be safe, both in their dealings which intertwined and independently of one another. This safety would also ensure the Guardian's control over many dealings on both continents, for they would control this method of safe keeping
It was their intention to give one man every generation the power to help others. His would be the most powerful tool of justice in the world and it would be his job to protect all he could. One Guardian would find this man when he came of age and teach him to use his powers, show him his purpose in life, and watch over him, effectively keeping their progeny safe. When he died, another would be born and the cycle would start over. But always there would be someone to keep people safe and to keep Guardians in the loop and in a certain amount of power.
Of course, best laid plans… well, you know.
The Guardians weren't counting on the fact that eventually their kind would die out and that the French and British would adopt their secret society for their own, now calling it Masonry. Nor were they expecting their spell to go awry, that not just one man, but hundreds each generation would be imbued with special abilities and powers unheard of in the natural world. Too many for they, a dying breed now outlawed by their British colonisers, to keep up with and to watch. They appeared everywhere, not just in Europe and Egypt, but from the Americas to Asia and back.
Now, in 1851, it's been nearly three hundred and fifty years since the Guardians cast their spell and over one hundred years since the Guardian tradition was adopted into a European secret society. The modern Masons have no knowledge of their predecessor's doings, no knowledge that there is a sizeable population of super-powered individuals throughout the world created, some might argue, to do their bidding. It is information, though, that Masonic Leader Alexander Luthor would likely take very much to heart.
Why is this game called Bedlam? For two reasons: a) the asylum of the same name will be playing a role, and b) bedlam is a state of uproar and confusion, confusion which characters probably feel due to having odd abilities.
When exactly does this game take place? 1851 AD; London, England.
Does this mean my character has to be from England? No, it doesn't! I means that your character as to have a reason to be in London at game start and 1851 is a convienent time for that, because many were flocking to London to catch a glimpse of the first World's Fair.
Does this mean my character has to be from 1851? Yes it does. No time traveling humans and/or aliens.
Historically this is a bit skewed; is the mod aware of that? The mod is very aware that this game does not stick exactly to history as we know it, but let's remember that neither does DC. From the point of game start anything can happen and it's likely there will be events that deviate from the history books. We won't be starting any wars and we won't be purposely straying from history, but it's an AU comic book game, so it's bound to happen.
Masonry doesn't work like it's described here; is the mod aware of that? Yes, the mod is aware of this as well. Masonry is something that is often tweaked in pop culture to suit the needs of whoever is doing to tweaking. This game is simply following in the illustrious footsteps of graphic novels and movies such as From Hell.
Are the Free Masons going to come after us for using them? No. It's safe. Really.
What about characters who don't have traditional powers? Can we play them? Yes you may. For the purposes of this game someone like Bruce Wayne, for instance, would have been given the gift of immense intelligence and agility or something along those lines. Not an obvious gift, but one just the same. That goes for the rest of the Bat-Family as well and for those in the Arrow-Family.
Non-powered and non-hero characters like Lois Lane, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Olsen, etc. can be played as well and are actively encouraged!
What DC canon can I choose my characters from? The mod would prefer that characters came from comic!canon. Only few exceptions to this rule will be made. For instance, one would definitely not be able to app a Smallville!Clark over comic!Clark, but Smallville!Chloe might be allowed, simply because there is no other version of her.
Characters from the DC 'toon-verse aren't allowed (yes, that means Batman Beyond as well).
Just remember that DC comics have more than enough characters to choose from!
Can I play villains? Of course! Bedlam houses two main groups of villains: the Masons (the more 'civilized' ones, such as Lex Luthor and Ra's Al Ghul) and the Bedlams (the common and thieves criminals who are more often than not some sort of insane and have spent some time in Bedlam, such as the Joker and Bizzaro). Then there are the criminals who belong to neither group and exist simply to make people's lives difficult. Your character does not have to belong to either of the first two groups, but it does make things interesting.
Does my character know about their abilities at game start? That's mostly up to you. Just keep in mind that if you're playing, say, a forty-five year old Oliver Quinn, he's likely already discovered that he's got a special ability when it comes to aim. On the flip side, if you're playing a sixteen year old Dick Grayson, it's more plausible that he hasn't yet realized he's anything special. It really depends on what you want to you with your character.
Who's responsible for plotting here? Everyone is responsible for plotting. That means the mod and the players. Over arching game plots will happen, but certainly not every week. It's up to the players to create in-game interactions independently as well so that plot can come of those too.
I don't know that much about Victorian London, help! Expertise is not necessary, but effort to stick to the time period is appreciated. There's a guide section to help you pick out locations, see style of dress, see what has and has not been invented, etc. but as long as no one pulls out a palm pilot I think we're going to be alright.
This is just an initial list. Any other questions can be asked through comments and they will certainly be added and answered.