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TEST DRIVE MEME: JANUARY EDITION
TEST DRIVE MEME
A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces.
This Confluence, rather unluckily, coincides with the New Year’s festivities of this world! The Guilds have already predicted your arrival, but their forces are stretched rather thin as they also try to prevent any supervillain attacks on the parties of the rich and famous - or, alternately, as they attempt to launch these attacks.
You find yourself falling from the sky amid the multicolored explosions of fireworks. You’re caught almost immediately, some of you in glowing fields of magical power and some by automated drones whizzing through the air. Care was needed to make sure no Starfallen got hurt amid the chaos…but once you’re dropped off on the ground, you may be on your own for a little while.
This Confluence, rather unluckily, coincides with the New Year’s festivities of this world! The Guilds have already predicted your arrival, but their forces are stretched rather thin as they also try to prevent any supervillain attacks on the parties of the rich and famous - or, alternately, as they attempt to launch these attacks.
You find yourself falling from the sky amid the multicolored explosions of fireworks. You’re caught almost immediately, some of you in glowing fields of magical power and some by automated drones whizzing through the air. Care was needed to make sure no Starfallen got hurt amid the chaos…but once you’re dropped off on the ground, you may be on your own for a little while.
I BROKE FREE ON A SATURDAY MORNING. CENTRAL CITY, MICHIGAN.
New Starfallen, once rescued by the automated systems set in place by the guilds, are safely placed on their feet somewhere on the streets below. As it happens, tonight is a bad night for it! Some new arrivals may be flown about for a few minutes before an open space can be found to sit them down, because tonight is New Year’s Eve and Central City is the place to be.
The streets here are absolutely packed with throngs of people, pushing and shoving in an effort to get from place to place, or find a better vantage point to watch the ball drop. In the central square of Central City, a massive stage has been set up for various bands to perform in the lead-up to the main event. Emceeing the event is the Alliance’s own Fantastic! Somehow, all of last year’s meta-related controversy has only launched this social media star to new heights! Some poor Alliance members may have been recruited to help with the special effects for his show, or work behind the scenes to keep Fantastic happy…good luck with that.
Unfortunately, the massive crowds and a Confluence are not the greatest combination. Some of the civilians on the scene have abruptly ceased to be civilians at all, sudden Confluence-generated powers manifesting amid the press and din of an often-intoxicated crowd. It’s something of a powderkeg. One man, upon being shoved one too many times, turns about and begins to shoot wild, uncontrolled flames from his hands. Another woman, desperate to see the shows, has begun to grow to a towering height. And there’s more people, partying hard or miserably stressed, manifesting various different kinds of powers in different ways across the city. These new metas are dangerous, but they are not malicious. What they really need is some help calming down, so that they can get their new abilities in check. Of course, those around them also need some protection from the random destruction being caused.
Then, of course, there’s those elements who are using the general activity of the city to cover up some shadier activities. Many of the fancier uptown parties being held at various rooftop lounges and hotel ballrooms will find themselves under attack by folks out to make a quick buck. Many of these high-profile robberies are being committed by metas, so anyone attempting to intervene will find themselves in for a good old-fashioned hero vs. villain smackdown...although, do you recognize these guys as Society members? Well, only one way to find out.
The streets here are absolutely packed with throngs of people, pushing and shoving in an effort to get from place to place, or find a better vantage point to watch the ball drop. In the central square of Central City, a massive stage has been set up for various bands to perform in the lead-up to the main event. Emceeing the event is the Alliance’s own Fantastic! Somehow, all of last year’s meta-related controversy has only launched this social media star to new heights! Some poor Alliance members may have been recruited to help with the special effects for his show, or work behind the scenes to keep Fantastic happy…good luck with that.
Unfortunately, the massive crowds and a Confluence are not the greatest combination. Some of the civilians on the scene have abruptly ceased to be civilians at all, sudden Confluence-generated powers manifesting amid the press and din of an often-intoxicated crowd. It’s something of a powderkeg. One man, upon being shoved one too many times, turns about and begins to shoot wild, uncontrolled flames from his hands. Another woman, desperate to see the shows, has begun to grow to a towering height. And there’s more people, partying hard or miserably stressed, manifesting various different kinds of powers in different ways across the city. These new metas are dangerous, but they are not malicious. What they really need is some help calming down, so that they can get their new abilities in check. Of course, those around them also need some protection from the random destruction being caused.
Then, of course, there’s those elements who are using the general activity of the city to cover up some shadier activities. Many of the fancier uptown parties being held at various rooftop lounges and hotel ballrooms will find themselves under attack by folks out to make a quick buck. Many of these high-profile robberies are being committed by metas, so anyone attempting to intervene will find themselves in for a good old-fashioned hero vs. villain smackdown...although, do you recognize these guys as Society members? Well, only one way to find out.
DIADEM HOTEL
Whether you've survived the chaos, or arrived after the trouble's over, you're not going home anytime soon. Hopefully, the LUXURY HOTEL they've put you up in will ease that sting.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the 11th sequel of a popular action racing franchise, BLASTS FROM THE CURIOUS: LAST OF THE NEFARIOUS, in which Hubcaps Nefarious tries to undo the Carmageddon caused by evil tech entrepreneur Jebs Robs. He uses the Large Hadron Collider to launch a Bugati into the past to save the world and the most important thing of all: family.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the 11th sequel of a popular action racing franchise, BLASTS FROM THE CURIOUS: LAST OF THE NEFARIOUS, in which Hubcaps Nefarious tries to undo the Carmageddon caused by evil tech entrepreneur Jebs Robs. He uses the Large Hadron Collider to launch a Bugati into the past to save the world and the most important thing of all: family.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
FUUUUUUUUTURE. LITTLE LOVE, KANSAS.
The holiday season is coming to a close, and in a much more sedate fashion in Little Love than in the larger cities throughout the country. The damage from the blizzard a few months back is mostly repaired now; a blanket of lovely white snow still covers the town, but power has been restored and most townspeople are safe and warm at home.
Outside, however, strange things are happening. Odd shimmering rifts in space-time are opening up around the little town. Some of these seem to move, and engulf anything in their path, leaving them unharmed but changed - seemingly, into futuristic versions of whatever they used to be. Simple farmhouses are replaced suddenly by gleaming silver towers, or on occasion by the burnt-out husks of said towers that abruptly begin - or continue - their crumbling. Cows are being replaced by robot cows with lasers for eyes, out to zap anyone who trespasses on their fields. Hope you weren’t too attached to having birds around and not weird spy drones! And, of course, a lot of things have spontaneously become chrome. Wow!
Some people may even find themselves running afoul of these rifts, and getting unusual upgrades to their outfits and powers. Were you always wearing these cool space goggles? Has your magic been replaced with sci-fi alternatives? Hopefully you can figure out how to handle these! Because while most of the future-ified plants and animals aren’t actively aggressive as long as you stay away, some of the rifts are also spitting things out. Robot footsoldiers from some distant war are beginning to wander accidentally into Little Love, and being separated from their operations base has left them without any direction. They’re just sort of shooting lasers at anyone they see, on the assumption that they’re probably enemy combatants.
Fixing any changes can be as simple as locating another rift and diving through it. Doing so will reset any changes that have occurred - though if you get caught by a third one, you’ll find the same thing happening all over again. You can, of course, also just wait it out; these things have a habit of wearing off eventually. The robots will also eventually disappear when the rifts stop, though any damage they cause will remain.
Outside, however, strange things are happening. Odd shimmering rifts in space-time are opening up around the little town. Some of these seem to move, and engulf anything in their path, leaving them unharmed but changed - seemingly, into futuristic versions of whatever they used to be. Simple farmhouses are replaced suddenly by gleaming silver towers, or on occasion by the burnt-out husks of said towers that abruptly begin - or continue - their crumbling. Cows are being replaced by robot cows with lasers for eyes, out to zap anyone who trespasses on their fields. Hope you weren’t too attached to having birds around and not weird spy drones! And, of course, a lot of things have spontaneously become chrome. Wow!
Some people may even find themselves running afoul of these rifts, and getting unusual upgrades to their outfits and powers. Were you always wearing these cool space goggles? Has your magic been replaced with sci-fi alternatives? Hopefully you can figure out how to handle these! Because while most of the future-ified plants and animals aren’t actively aggressive as long as you stay away, some of the rifts are also spitting things out. Robot footsoldiers from some distant war are beginning to wander accidentally into Little Love, and being separated from their operations base has left them without any direction. They’re just sort of shooting lasers at anyone they see, on the assumption that they’re probably enemy combatants.
Fixing any changes can be as simple as locating another rift and diving through it. Doing so will reset any changes that have occurred - though if you get caught by a third one, you’ll find the same thing happening all over again. You can, of course, also just wait it out; these things have a habit of wearing off eventually. The robots will also eventually disappear when the rifts stop, though any damage they cause will remain.
BLAST FROM THE PAST. EXCELSIOR
Meanwhile in Excelsior, similar rifts are popping up throughout the city! However, the results are entirely different. Excelsior seems to be getting thrown back into the past, piece by piece.
Some buildings have vanished entirely, replaced by open swathes of grassy field. Stepping into these areas is like entering a different climate; it's oddly cold there. The air smells different. It's like another world. You may even find that prehistoric creatures are wandering out into the alien world of Excelsior. Anything from dinosaurs to Ice Age megafauna can be seen running around, chasing people and rampaging in fear and confusion.
Metas who respond to the upheaval may find themselves affected by these changes as well. Science-based powers are likely to break down, or be replaced wholesale by old-fashioned alternatives. Magic? Steampunk contraptions? Rough tools from the Stone Age? Anything could happen - the past is a big place, too!
People here will find that the rifts work just like those that are cropping up in Little Love: passing through them again is enough to revert changes, or return any stray beasts to their proper time. However, Excelsior is facing additional issues in the sudden breakdown of much of their infrastructure. Power lines are being replaced with flowering vines, and pieces of the road are shifting suddenly into rocky ground. There'll probably be a lot more repairs needed here.
Some buildings have vanished entirely, replaced by open swathes of grassy field. Stepping into these areas is like entering a different climate; it's oddly cold there. The air smells different. It's like another world. You may even find that prehistoric creatures are wandering out into the alien world of Excelsior. Anything from dinosaurs to Ice Age megafauna can be seen running around, chasing people and rampaging in fear and confusion.
Metas who respond to the upheaval may find themselves affected by these changes as well. Science-based powers are likely to break down, or be replaced wholesale by old-fashioned alternatives. Magic? Steampunk contraptions? Rough tools from the Stone Age? Anything could happen - the past is a big place, too!
People here will find that the rifts work just like those that are cropping up in Little Love: passing through them again is enough to revert changes, or return any stray beasts to their proper time. However, Excelsior is facing additional issues in the sudden breakdown of much of their infrastructure. Power lines are being replaced with flowering vines, and pieces of the road are shifting suddenly into rocky ground. There'll probably be a lot more repairs needed here.
CLIFF NOTES.
➢ New arrivals will be appearing in Central City. They fall from the skies amid a fireworks display, but are caught and brought safely to the ground by magic users and machines from the Guilds.
➢ Partygoers in the cramped streets of Central City's New Year's Eve celebration are spontaneously gaining powers from the Confluence, leading to uncontrolled displays of magic in the streets!
➢ On the fancy, private party side of things, many upscale events in Central City are experiencing a rash of robberies and flashy meta-villain attacks!
➢ Elements of a far-distant future are bleeding into the rural town of Little Love! Places and people are receiving a futuristic overhaul, with occasionally dangerous results!
➢ Robotic soldiers from an unknown future war are appearing in Little Love as well! Try to destroy these stray machines, or else force them into another rift to send them home!
➢ Excelsior is experiencing a sudden paleo shift! People and places here are going Flintstones mode, and massive prehistoric beasts are claiming the streets as their own!
➢ The network of modern convenience in Excelsior is breaking down as pieces of the city alter! Metas will have to help make sure that everything stays functional!
➢ Current Players are welcome to treat this as a bonus event. These events are canonically happening within the game but can be largely ignored if you'd prefer to use the month for personal plots. You can tag into the TDM, reference these prompts in network posts, or use them in your own logs.
WILDCARD.
Metaheroes takes inspiration from all walks of comics. Take a look at the CITIES to get an idea as to what day to day life is like in the other cities. Perhaps you've encountered a supervillain (or hero) who needs to be thwarted, or a metahuman with unusual powers creating bizarre effects. You can also take a look at the MISSION BOARD to get your start as a professional hero, villain, or vigilante.