Genrenauts New Region follow-up (Patreon)

Over the weekend, I wrote up a partial dossier for Regency Romance and Superhero regions, then filled out the Superhero region on Monday. That means that the playtest packet going out will have 8-9 complete region dossiers and I can omit the Western region for the time being.

The Superhero region was one of the hardest for me to write, for a few reasons - Superhero is a weird genre, because it's more of a meta-genre, a genre that contains/utilizes genres. You can have Urban Fantasy superheroes (like Blade), Horror Superheroes (like Shadowman), Science Fiction superheroes (like Flash or the Fantastic Four) and so on. That plus a lifelong love of the genre means that I almost have too many ideas and feelings about the genre to limit the writeup to the normal set of abilities/characters/etc. 

But I got there. :)

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Here's the first draft of the Superhero region write-up:

Superhero

XP Trigger – You addressed a tough challenge related to protecting civilians.

Touchstones: Marvel and DC comics, Astro City, MCU tv/films

Specialist Abilities

“My Superpower is Money”
Your acquire asset actions can include buying a building, a business, a plane, or other ridiculous displays of wealth. Take +2 result level whenever you make an acquire asset action or try to influence someone with money. However, this also makes you a target for supervillains and you may get targeted for kidnapping/ransom/etc.

The Best at What I Do
You gain +1 to your Combat and Provoke actions while in this region.

Summer Event Crossover
You may use specialist abilities from other regions at no Ripple cost. You may use abilities from other Region Advances at a cost of 1 ripple per mission.

Master of the Mystic Arts
You may use Channel to do magic and treat the Superhero setting as a Fantasy setting for magic w/r/t Ripple. When you perform magic, it has greater scale or potency. Describe what your magic is like – is it ritual, is it innate, is it stolen from realms beyond human imagining?

The Mantle of Heroism
When you attempt to get a character to take responsibility for their actions or honor their obligations, take +1d and reduce ripple in this region by 1.

Productive Misunderstanding
When you intentionally or accidentally get into a fight with a hero, you can ask one gather information question of them as if you’d rolled a 6. Take +1 effect when acting on that information for the rest of the mission.

Specialist Gear

• Grappling Hook (1 load)
• Armored Costume (Counts as Armor) (2)
• +Heavy Armor (1 extra load)
• Super-science gadget (2 load)
• Fine incapacitating weapon (1 load)
• Cheesy Banter (0 load)

Supporting Cast

• Lane, an intrepid reporter
• JJ, a domineering boss
• Ahmad, an imam
• Elson, a plucky sidekick
• Wade, a complicated antihero
• Dee, a beleaguered hero
• The Weaver, a D-list villain

Region Advances

There’s No I in Team
When making a Group Action roll, you may count 6s from different characters as a critical. When you make a group action with at least 2 player characters, you may count your scale as one greater or one smaller.

Fastball Special
Your assist and set-up actions provide both +1d and either improved effect or position.

Heroes International
Once each mission, you may create a new member of the supporting cast and add them to the list. Take +1d to enlist their support this mission.

Breach Advances

Iron Age
Xtreme! All heroes are ultimately fascists, “insane”, or dead. Heroes have embraced permanent solutions for their problems, up to and including brainwashing and murder.

All Inspire actions suffer reduced position or effect. Any time you address a challenge with hope, collaboration, or compassion, mark XP (max 2 per session).

Super-Cops
Stand down, vigilante! You have to do things our way. We’re the only ones that get to wield violence in the name of the state. Err. I mean, justice!

Superhumans have voluntarily joined or been forced to become agents of the state. Once per mission, add a Breach+1 scale group of police or equivalent as an additional obstacle. Mark XP (max 2 per session) when you fight against agents of the state.

Crossover Fatigue
We were already facing a schism in the Heroic Guild and now the Crime Consortium has summoned their multiversal doppelgangers to take over the world. AND there’s a zombie virus?

All consequences from Plot Twists, related to surprises, or regarding new threats are one step worse. Whenever you roll to resist consequences related to adding new obstacles or worse position, mark XP (max 2 per session).