BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Introduction
Let it be known, this is no ordinary superhero universe. Most of the bad guys here are not bound by codes of decency and honor. Corruption is the norm and journalists are quick to sell their secrets and spin their narratives. It is a rough and tumble, gritty place where no one gets away unscathed.

Character Requirements
To play in this rotten world, players must be working with characters who want a better world. It is highly recommended that game masters adopt these rules.

1. Characters must have neutralize-able powers (fire powers don't work against very cold, suit of armor has technical issues, hammer can be taken away, magic requires hand motion and/or incantations, ...) or they can be stopped by relatively common materials (weakness to silver, susceptible to chemicals, powerless out of water, gadgets can be lost, ...)
2. Characters must be of a good nature and have genuine weaknesses (saves people, has a secret identity, poor vision, ...)
3. Characters must be able to fit into a group of other superheroes.

The game master (GM) will help you create a character. Building characters will be done in one of two ways: 1) by you telling the GM what powers you want and the game master can build it with you, or 2) you can always build one yourself, if you are familiar with Champions (Hero Games) rules. The GM may take liberties to tweak a character to make it fit the universe.

All characters start with the following for free: cell phone, modes of transportation (car, boat, plane, ...), place to live, and employment. However, players must create a history for their characters. Histories must coordinate with character possessions. Keep in mind that characters can be anywhere on the spectrum from poor to wealthy, but all situations have their own pluses and minuses.

All characters and their histories will be approved by the GM before the game begins.

General Background
This campaign takes place in a parallel world. All the same physical laws hold and strangely identical current events take place. However, the game-verse contains aliens, super beings, people exposed to radiation, and all sorts of wacky and wild stuff.

This is an adult campaign, not the typical, cheesy, and made-for-kids stuff you see in old television episodes of Batman. This is a violent place where bad people kill, corrupt politicians abuse their power, and many police officers are as crooked as members of organized gangs. The world is in need of courageous people to restore order and allow its inhabitants to be free. There is a sort of survival-of-the-fittest mentality in this game-verse and certain good forces want to change this festering evil for the better.

Here is a sample of the heroes that exist. There is an interesting superhero in Chicago, called Grimfire. This black man, who is the leader of The Chicago Freedom Crew, dresses in black. His mode of transportation is a beefed up, black, 1970 Chevelle SS. He beats on his opponents using his own homebrew (street) martial talents. If that doesn't get the attention of his enemies, he uses a high powered handgun to stop them. He has shot many criminals in Chicago, having killed some of them!

Using gamespeak, he does not have a code against killing. Yet, he certainly does protect normals.

On the other hand, members of the group Farsight who operate in New Detroit, are very careful in not being violent and more closely resemble kid-friendly, television heroes. Different cities call for different approaches to crime, as will be seen during game play.

St. Odious
The campaign is set within a city named St. Odious (called St. Louis in our universe). This city holds a growing population. However, not all its recent citizens want to help make St. Odious a prosperous city for everyone.

There are greedy politicians, organized crime members, a heightening of pollution from unscrupulous businesses, and a general depravity of most of its inhabitants. At least, this is what Senator Charles Pride says. Despite being in charge of a commission to stamp out these flames that are torturing St. Odious, he has not made much progress since its commission.

Mark Vellon, Superintendent of Police, has made public of a growing crime problem in St. Odious and his vigilance to combat it. While calling for the cooperation of its citizens, Vellon has said he has "taken steps to identify the core problem, isolate it, and remove it like a cancer in order to restore St. Odious to its true, unbridled glory."

As far as news outlets go, there are two that are worthy of special attention. St. Odious' most popular newspaper is the St. Odious Clarion. Mike Plinko fields a hard-hitting column that is a city favorite. Its on-air news, Channel 4, hosts the colorful Joey Starling. He is a young, energetic personality who is vicious against criminals and routinely spotlights the heroics of citizens.

Game Play
Special note should be taken of the following:

1. What players say during the game may be comments made by their characters during the game. It is the GMs discretion so make it clear what players say versus what their characters say. Staying in character may prevent confusion.
2. In this super powered universe, there are normals, beings with super powers, and super powered beings. Be careful in figuring out which particular type is being is dealt with when confronting other characters in the game.
3. Players must play their characters and be cognizant of their disadvantages.

It is the GMs duty to create interesting plots, subplots, characters, and environments while also adhering to an impartial game system. The main goal is to have fun.