OVERVIEW
The players introduce themselves and their characters before starting a game of "Masks: A New Generation," a Powered by the Apocalypse game where they play as superheroes with narrative-based powers. The game focuses on themes of identity and storytelling rather than stats and combat.
ABOUT THE GAME
Players choose playbooks, which represent their character's "class" and the theme of their powers.
The game revolves around narrative Moves and relationship dynamics rather than traditional combat mechanics.
Characters have Labels that represent how they view themselves and how the world perceives them.
Players roll 2d6 and add their Label value to determine the outcome of their actions, ranging from failure (<7) to mixed success (7-9) to full success (10+).
Failing a roll grants Potential, which can be used to gain new abilities or modify existing ones.
The game follows comic book tropes, where heroes succeed with complications and villains often escape to fight another day.
The players collaboratively build parts of the game world, including their characters' powers and their relationships with team members and other characters in the world.
THE STORY
Our setting is Halcyon City, a modern metropolis located somewhere on the eastern seaboard of North America and home to a large population of superheroes. Think Superman's Metropolis or the New York City of the Marvel Universe.
We are introduced to five young heroes:
Impasse: Protege to Impact (an established Batman-like hero) and unofficial leader of the team.
Paradym: Secretly from the future, Paradym has come back to the past on a mission to stop the apocalypse.
Resonance: One of Halcyon City's most treasured TV and music stars and the face of the team. Resonance's name is Isla Isaacs but she is widely known as Lala.
TLDR: A newborn Tactical Light Defense Robot created by LighTech industries who is venturing into the real world for the first time. TLDR is alternately referred to as Till-dur or Tilly.
Specter: Daughter of known villain: Violet Scepter.
These heroes have worked with each other here and there before, but this is the first time their ability to work as a team will be put to the test.
CHAPTER ONE VIDEO:
The story begins one morning in the Impound, the team's underground base located near the docks in Halcyon City. TLDR is the first to realize that all of the technology in the Impound is malfunctioning. The fridge is spewing hot air, various other electronics are on the fritz, and - most important to Paradym - the coffee maker is behaving in a peculiar fashion.
The team investigates and learns that the problem originates outside the Impound. On arriving at the surface, the team discovers that the whole of Halcyon City is experiencing similar disruptions. Established heroes are busy dealing with big threats, like a potential overload of the city's fusion plant. It seems like everything is under control until TLDR picks up a report that one of the city's elevated maglev commuter trains seems to be out of control.
The team springs into action, flying/hardlight pogo-sticking toward the train. TLDR braces Resonance who uses her sonic powers to create a standing pressure wave to slow the train. Impasse copies Paradym's powers and together they slow the train further. Meanwhile, Specter makes her way into the train and saves a young man from falling out a faulty door, but is left dangling outside the train herself.
The train is brought to a halt just in time and Resonance is able to disable its engines. The team rescues the passengers and takes some time to pose for selfies and post videos. Everyone aboard the train is grateful and impressed with one notable exception (a local anti-supe blogger known as MFK).
Heroic rescue accomplished, the team further investigates the disturbance and discovers that the epicenter is located in downtown Halcyon City very close to the LighTech Industriesheadquarters. When the team arrives they are greeted by two revelations: 1) the massive TV screens in the square are broadcasting a news report showing grainy CCTV footage of Impact apparently murdering an unarmed civilian, and 2) a decent portion of the outer shell of the LighTech Industries has been vaporized or otherwise removed, centering on the 37th floor - which happens to be the location of the lab where TLDR was created.
CHAPTER TWO VIDEO:
Impasse races back to the Impound to contact Impact, followed by Paradym and Specter, while TLDR and Resonance investigate the goings on at LightTech Industries. Paradym is mostly concerned with ordering a new coffee maker.
Impasse is unable to contact Impact, but learns that the accusations against him are being taken seriously by the media. Specter and Impact engage in a sparring session to blow off steam and discuss what it's like to have a parent-figure who is less than ideal.
At LightTech Industries, TLDR and Resonance visit with Dr. Sarah Caulifer, TLDR's creator. They learned that there was an attack of some sort on the AI lab and that an artifact was stolen. When pressed as to the nature of the artifact, Dr. Caulifer reluctantly reveals that TLDR's AI was modeled on a device found in a crater in Oklahoma. TLDR assimilates the fact that she is the result of reverse engineering alien technology, then she and Resonance investigate the scene. Resonance uses her electrical powers to supercharge TLDR, enabling them to discover evidence that whatever attacked the LighTech building flew off into space. Hacking into a covert satellite network, TLDR determines that the trail ends on the far side of the Moon.
Returning to the Impound, TLDR and Resonance reveal their findings to the team, with the exception of the fact that TLDR's AI core is based on alien technology. It is clear that to investigate further the team will need to follow the trail into space. Resonance reveals that her godfather, a superhero known as Crooner, is, in fact, William Shatner. "Uncle Bill" has a spaceship and Resonance is sure he will loan it to the team.
The news comes in that Impact has surrendered to A.E.G.I.S., Halcyon City's metahuman law enforcement agency. Resonance scours the gossip blogs for information and also reaches out to her agency (the SCA or Superhero Creative Agency) to get guidance on how to best deal with the Impact situation. Word about town is that Impact is being held for questioning and that his alleged victim was one Robert Reynolds, a well-known philanthropist who was once the villain the Silver Shade. The Silver Shade was a known henchman of Violet Scepter, Specter's mother, and an enemy of Impact. But he went legit years ago, made a bunch of money writing books and selling his story, and turned his attention to improving the lives of Halcyon City's underserved youth.
Specter takes the unusual step of reaching out to her mother. After speaking to one of Violet Scepter's rotating population of boy toys, Specter grills her mother about the Silver Shade, Impact and whether Violet is involved in the current situation. Violet assures Specter that, while she isn't upset to see Impact twisting in the wind, there would be no profit in her orchestrating these events. Violet also expresses skepticism at the thought that Impact would outright murder an unarmed individual, suggesting that perhaps this is a distraction from something else. Something bigger. It seems unlikely to Violet that framing Impact is part of a plan that includes the disruption earlier in the day.
After some discussion, the team decides to visit A.E.G.I.S. headquarters, ostensibly so that Impasse can make a statement. A short Super-Uber (or Suber) ride later, Impasse enters A.E.G.I.S. headquarters first and is greeted by First Responder, a young superpowered agent. While the rest of the party waits, First Responder questions Impasse. First Responder is satisfied that Impasse is not involved and expresses some degree of doubt as to Impact's guilt. He offers to arrange for a short conversation between Impasse and Impact.
Meanwhile, Paradym unleashes her telepathic powers to contact Impact. She is successful but Impact is not having it. He reminds Paradym that A.E.G.I.S. has telepaths and technology to detect this sort of thing and that she is actively interfering with an A.E.G.I.S. investigation from within their headquarters. Paradym persists and Impact, whose mind is extraordinarily disciplined for a normal human, kicks her out of his head.
Impasse is allowed some time to speak with Impact, who demands that she report. The discussion is brief but Impact shares through a finger-drumming code that he wants Impasse to investigate. Impasse intuits that Impact wants her as far away from this situation as possible, but also thinks that the best way to protect her is to uncover whoever or whatever is behind his framing.
The team returns to the Impound and discusses the situation and possible explanations. After testing multiple hypotheses they arrive at the conclusion that the framing of Impact may indeed be a distraction from bigger events, specifically whatever group or individual was responsible for the attack on LighTech.
Before heading to space, the team has a home-cooked meal at JJ's house (where Specter has been living since leaving her mother's home). They are greeted at the spaceport by Nichelle Nichols, who hands over the keys to William Shatner's retro-futuristic spaceship.The team flies to the far side of the Moon where they follow the trail to a crater, in which rests a strange glowing sphere made of thousands or tens of thousands of tiny interlocked devices.
CHAPTER THREE VIDEO:
The ship lands close to the lip of the crater. The party suits up (with the exception of TLDR) and exits the craft to investigate. After some discussion, the team decides to attempt to communicate with the alien sphere. It responds by ejecting its outer shell of tiny drones and attempting to take control of the team's suits. TLDR takes a powerful blow as the sphere attempts to interface with her, but she stands strong, adapting to be able to interpret the powerful electromagnetic emanations of the sphere. With TLDR as a translator and amplifier, the team hears a voice in their helmets - "We are the Steel Swarm. Surrender."
The sphere and the swarm of small drones advances, transmitting to the team, "Serve us, or be destroyed." Impasse attempts to parlay and the swarm attacks. It is a pitched battle, with the Swarm taking the upper hand. Coordinated action by the team creates an opportunity for TLDR to interface with the central sphere to disrupt its ability to control the drones.
TLDR successfully interrupts the sphere's local communication mesh and the drones become quiescent. Resonance and Impact attempt to blast the sphere with electricity to shut it off but due to exhaustion are at first unable to do affect it. Resonance swallow her pride and expresses confidence in Impasse, giving her the extra boost needed to get a good hit on the sphere, frying the sphere's ability to regain control of the swarm.
What none of the team realized was that the sphere had a backup communication device. A two-foot-long spike shoots out of the sphere near Tilly's head and broadcasts a signal into deep space. This seems to have taken the last of the sphere's energy, and it goes dark.
The team gathers the sphere and a few armfuls of the drones and loads them into the ship. The team uses the trip back to attempt to comfort and support each other, and the icy relationship between Resonance and Impasse appears to thaw somewhat. Resonance writes "Supernova" - her next hit song, and comforts TLDR with a selection of music and pictures to help process the emotions from the battle.
As the team approaches Earth, they are passed by a number of superheroes and spaceships speeding out to meet the Steel Swarm force that has appeared and is moving to threaten the planet. These heroes engage and do battle with the Swarm.
Upon landing, the team take the sphere and drones to LighTech Industries where they hope Dr. Caulifer will be able to devise a defense against the Swarm. Paradym wants to protect her mother, Lucy Lawson, who is currently a teenager, from harm should the Swarm invade Earth. She asks Resonance for help, who recognizes the name as Lulu, her former co-star and rival on "Life With Lala," the hit Dalt Wisney show that made Resonance famous. After an awkward conversation, Lulu's survival is secured.
The lab techs at LighTech examine the samples the team provided as the battle rages in orbit. Earth's defenders are successful at destroying a number of the Swarm's spheres, but a four are able to break through the defenses and approach the planet. Three shut down, sending their drones to reinforce the remaining sphere which then enters the atmosphere on a direct course to Halcyon City.
TLDR analyzes the situation and determines that the Swarm's drones not only disrupt technology but also use complex sonic signals to interfere with, and potentially control, organic beings. A plan forms rapidly to amplify Resonance's electromagnetic and sonic abilities to defeat the remaining Swarm sphere, which has now descended to hover over the city.
The LighTech scientists cobble together a few improvised devices to protect the organic members of the team from the Swarm's sonic control. Specter raids a nearby secret weapons cache and retrieves an EMP gun. Resonance consults her memories of the future and receives a vision of Resonance atop a skyscraper singing at the city as people all over the city drop to the ground. Resonance has always thought that Resonance was responsible for bringing about the apocalyptic future, but her recent experience makes her doubt this belief. She resolves to protect Resonance and help her do what is needed to save the city.
The Sphere breaks through the clouds. It ejects its shell of drones which immediately seek out the residents of Halcyon City, attaching themselves and turning regular citizens into instruments of the Swarm. The city is soon overrun by techno-zombies who turn their attention to the LighTech building.
The team attempts to ascend to the top of the building. After a humorous mishap involving an ill-advised leap out a window on the 37th floor, the team meets TLDR on the roof (TLDR took the elevator). As Specter uses the EMP gun to distract the hordes of techno-zombies attempting to climb the LighTech building, the rest of the team prepares. TLDR puts up hardlight barriers to slow the techno-zombies climbing the building. Specter's batteries run out and she goes melee against overwhelming odds. Paradym protects resonance with a telekinetic sphere while Impasse stands ready to repel any techno-zombies who make it past TLDR's barriers. Resonance calls in an emergency air drop of a portable stage setup.
Resonance fully unleashes her electrical and sonic powers, belting out "Supernova" directly at the sphere. Waves of electromagnetic and sonic force rush out, shattering windows. Resonance weaves in the specific disruption frequencies TLDR had identified, eliminating the sphere's control of its drones - and therefore of the citizens of Halcyon City. As the echoes of Resonance's song fade, the sphere slowly crashes into the city.
Paradym realizes that her vision was of Resonance defending the city, not attacking it. She believes that if she had stopped Resonance this would have brought the apocalypse closer. Specter extracts herself from a pile of now-unconscious civilians. As the team gathers together outside the LighTech building to celebrate their victory, an old janitor starts sweeping up the broken glass, softly whistling the bridge to "Supernova" to himself. The team passes MFK who is struggling to her feet. They help her but she says "I still don't like you guys" and hobbles off.
In the days that follow, it is discovered that the Silver Shade had been taken over by the Swarm. The CCTV footage of his murder by Impact was fake, and the Swarm needed to keep the Silver Shade out of commission so the ruse would not be discovered.
Impact is fully exonerated and is present at City Hall as our heroes are given the keys to the city in honor of their pivotal role in defeating the Steel Swarm. In the crowd, Resonance's fans are playing "Supernova" out of various radios and boom boxes, and many are wearing commemorative TLDR light-up hats.
We think the issue is over until we turn the page. Specter notices a flash of violet light coming from a nearby alley. She disengages from the crowd and joins her mother to watch the reception from the shadows. Violet shares how proud she is of Specter and that, while there isn't a lot of money in being a hero, she understands that there are other rewards. Specter offers to have dinner sometime soon as long as Violet doesn't bring one of her age-inappropriate boyfriends. Violet agrees, and as she saunters away, turns back one last time as we see Impact and Impasse sharing a moment of victory. Seeing this, Violet comments, "besides, your father is looking especially tasty," and fades into the shadows.
The issue closes with a closeup on Specter's face as she realizes Impact is her father.
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