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The Valorous X-Men: Setting And Character Information
The Valorous X-Men takes place in a world much like our own in many ways, but with some pretty significant differences. The nutshell take: the political and social situation of the early 1980s, but with modern technology. So you've got smartphones and the internet, but also the Soviet Union. Online services on the other side of the Iron Curtain are pretty heavily censored, but they do exist, especially in large urban centers like Moscow. Japan's economy is in the middle of a seemingly unstoppable boom. Rap music has not yet hit the mainstream, but is growing in popularity on YouTube. That sort of thing.
Thrown into the mix with this are mutants and other superpowered beings. This is a world in which superheroes and supervillains existed before mutants, but were fewer in number. The basic distinction is: mutants were born with their powers, while other superpowered beings were given their powers by circumstance. Non-mutant supers do not generally face the same kind of targeted discrimination as mutants do, although it's not uncommon for them to be mistaken for mutants. The rise of mutants, however, has meant that societies not only need to deal with greater numbers of super-powered individuals, but that these supers were now becoming a social class unto themselves, with all the upheavals that come with that.
Existing hate groups were quick to jump onto the anti-mutant bandwagon, of course, but whole new organizations have cropped up around the theme, the most prominent of which - at least in the United States - is the American Human Rights Fund, which has chapters in every state and what seems like bottomless pockets thanks to some very wealthy anonymous donors. On the other hand, mutant extremist groups such as the Mutant Revolutionary Army (led by Susanna Kunstler, an old associate of Professor DeGaulle) recruit disgruntled mutants and uses them to terrorize the civilian population, fighting for a mutant separatist agenda.
Most mutants, however, are normal people who simply want to live out their lives.
Significant Figures:
Professor Jules DeGaulle is a world-famous geneticist and advocate for mutant rights, who runs a private academy for gifted children out of his family's estate in upstate New York. Unbeknownst to most of the world, however, he is a mutant himself, with the power to see into the minds of others and influence them psychically, and his 'gifted children' are mutants...and not all of them children. The mansion serves as a safe haven where his students can be themselves while learning to control their powers, and also the base of operations for the X-Men. DeGaulle believes firmly in a future in which humans and mutants can coexist peacefully, and created the X-Men to fight for that future; fight against anti-mutant hate groups as well as those mutants who would misuse their powers.
Susanna Kunstler is the leader of the Mutant Revolutionary Army (the world's most prominent mutant terrorist group), and also the world's most wanted woman. Two years ago, she shot to the top of that list by attempting to use her powers over tectonic forces to publicly assassinate the President of the United States - a plot which the X-Men narrowly prevented. She's lain low since then, although her organization is as active as ever, and she pops up every now and then to cause trouble. She and Professor DeGaulle were friends and confidants a long time ago, but they went their separate ways when it became clear that she did not share his desire for peace, nor his scruples concerning human life. She believes that peaceful coexistence is impossible, and that the only solution is a separate nation just for mutants - created by force, if necessary. An incredibly powerful mutant, Kunstler has control over the inner workings of the earth itself, and uses them to great effect.
Player Characters
Given all of that, who are your characters? Well, for one thing, they should be new to the X-Men, and probably to the school in general. I'd like to have a maximum of one character who is already a member of the X-Men when the game starts. The player of this character will have a little extra to do, plotting-wise. If nobody wants to play a character in that role, that's fine too! Just, a maximum of one.
They should be a mutant, and in most cases relatively young - the school does work with adult mutants as well, but they're the exception rather than the rule. They can come from anywhere in the world, and in fact I'd like to have representation by a bunch of different nationalities if possible.
Outside of that, go nuts! I'd like for everyone to submit a character backstory and short questionnaire to me before the game begins; find the template for that here. You can share this with the other players if you want, but you can keep it secret too, just let me know if you do so I'll know to keep my big mouth shut.
Thrown into the mix with this are mutants and other superpowered beings. This is a world in which superheroes and supervillains existed before mutants, but were fewer in number. The basic distinction is: mutants were born with their powers, while other superpowered beings were given their powers by circumstance. Non-mutant supers do not generally face the same kind of targeted discrimination as mutants do, although it's not uncommon for them to be mistaken for mutants. The rise of mutants, however, has meant that societies not only need to deal with greater numbers of super-powered individuals, but that these supers were now becoming a social class unto themselves, with all the upheavals that come with that.
Existing hate groups were quick to jump onto the anti-mutant bandwagon, of course, but whole new organizations have cropped up around the theme, the most prominent of which - at least in the United States - is the American Human Rights Fund, which has chapters in every state and what seems like bottomless pockets thanks to some very wealthy anonymous donors. On the other hand, mutant extremist groups such as the Mutant Revolutionary Army (led by Susanna Kunstler, an old associate of Professor DeGaulle) recruit disgruntled mutants and uses them to terrorize the civilian population, fighting for a mutant separatist agenda.
Most mutants, however, are normal people who simply want to live out their lives.
Significant Figures:
Professor Jules DeGaulle is a world-famous geneticist and advocate for mutant rights, who runs a private academy for gifted children out of his family's estate in upstate New York. Unbeknownst to most of the world, however, he is a mutant himself, with the power to see into the minds of others and influence them psychically, and his 'gifted children' are mutants...and not all of them children. The mansion serves as a safe haven where his students can be themselves while learning to control their powers, and also the base of operations for the X-Men. DeGaulle believes firmly in a future in which humans and mutants can coexist peacefully, and created the X-Men to fight for that future; fight against anti-mutant hate groups as well as those mutants who would misuse their powers.
Susanna Kunstler is the leader of the Mutant Revolutionary Army (the world's most prominent mutant terrorist group), and also the world's most wanted woman. Two years ago, she shot to the top of that list by attempting to use her powers over tectonic forces to publicly assassinate the President of the United States - a plot which the X-Men narrowly prevented. She's lain low since then, although her organization is as active as ever, and she pops up every now and then to cause trouble. She and Professor DeGaulle were friends and confidants a long time ago, but they went their separate ways when it became clear that she did not share his desire for peace, nor his scruples concerning human life. She believes that peaceful coexistence is impossible, and that the only solution is a separate nation just for mutants - created by force, if necessary. An incredibly powerful mutant, Kunstler has control over the inner workings of the earth itself, and uses them to great effect.
Player Characters
Given all of that, who are your characters? Well, for one thing, they should be new to the X-Men, and probably to the school in general. I'd like to have a maximum of one character who is already a member of the X-Men when the game starts. The player of this character will have a little extra to do, plotting-wise. If nobody wants to play a character in that role, that's fine too! Just, a maximum of one.
They should be a mutant, and in most cases relatively young - the school does work with adult mutants as well, but they're the exception rather than the rule. They can come from anywhere in the world, and in fact I'd like to have representation by a bunch of different nationalities if possible.
Outside of that, go nuts! I'd like for everyone to submit a character backstory and short questionnaire to me before the game begins; find the template for that here. You can share this with the other players if you want, but you can keep it secret too, just let me know if you do so I'll know to keep my big mouth shut.