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So... with my "Firefly" game essentially stuttering along (not that I'm giving up on it, it's just it's going a lot slower than expected), I got an itch to do another game. But I also want to give a try at using an actual game system. Namely, Fate Accelerated Edition. (Trimmed-down versions of the rulebook can be found at FATE-SRD.)
The game would be set in the world of the InFamous video games (InFamous, InFamous 2, and InFamous: Second Son), and take place about a year after the events of Second Son.
SPOILERS FOR "INFAMOUS: SECOND SON" BELOW!
==================================
Ten years ago, Empire City was devastated by an explosion, and the world as we knew it began to change. People known as Conduits began to manifest strange abilities to manipulate matter and energy. Two years later, a Conduit named John White-- aka "The Beast"-- destroyed Empire City, and unleashed a swath of destruction down the East Coast of the United States, culminating in a final confrontation in New Marais, where a Conduit named Cole MacGrath activated the Ray Field Inhibitor (RFI) to destroy The Beast and cure a deadly plague that had been claiming thousands of lives. In the aftermath of the RFI's usage, thousands more died as Conduits, or people with the Conduit gene, were killed by the device in order to save their lives.
Not all Conduits in the world died, however. There were still many of them out there. The Department of Unified Protection (DUP) was formed by the United States government to ensure that the Empire Event never happens again. Granted broad powers of authority, the DUP is tasked with apprehending, containing, and neutralizing the threat posed by "Bio-Terrorists." (The new term for Conduits created by the DUP.) In its first year of operation, several hundred Bio-Terrorists were contained in Curdun Cay, until the "Banner Man" Delsin Rowe brought about the downfall of the DUP's Director, Brooke Augustine, exposing her crimes, and freed the Conduits captured by her.
It's been a year since Curdun Cay's fall. The DUP hasn't been stopped, however. Under the direction of Seth Lindstrom, the DUP has enlarged its budget and its scope to contain the Bio-Terrorist threat. Making matters worse, some of the Conduits out there are starting to lash out for their long imprisonment, and there are some who wish to use their abilities to take control. The DUP has moved into Crown City, Illinois, tracking a significant number of Bio-Terrorists to the city, occupying the city and establishing martial law.
Are you a Conduit? Are you a soldier of the DUP? Are you just an ordinary person, caught up in all this? What sort of person will you be? Hero or Infamous?
==================================
Things To Know
Conduits are people with a genetic ability to manipulate forms of matter and energy. They can generally only manipulate one form of matter or energy at a time, and sometimes need to replenish their own energy reserves after major displays of power. Not all people with the Conduit gene can express their power. Those that have are referred to as "Prime Conduits." The DUP has contrived to replace the term 'Conduit' with 'Bio-Terrorist,' in an effort to sway public opinion against them.
Artificial Conduits (also known as Forced Conduits) are people who have had Conduit abilities artificially induced into their genetic structure. The first major group of Forced Conduits known are the Vermak 88, a private military company that became the Ice Soldiers, during the New Marais Crisis. (The Vermak 88 are now defunct.) Most DUP Troopers have been empowered, but it has not yet been publicly revealed what their new power set is following the death of Brooke Augustine.
It is important to note that creating Artificial Conduits is extremely dangerous and there is no guarantee of success. Artificial Conduits sometimes have experienced dangerous feedback from their new powers, which can sometimes go out of control. It is not known publicly how the DUP has avoided these problems with its soldiers.
The First Sons are a now-defunct secret society devoted to advancing human potential through transhuman means. Originally powerful and affluent families dedicated to mysticism and mentalism, their approach changed with the arrival of a man named Kessler, who took over the First Sons and turned their attention toward technology and oversaw the creation of the Ray Sphere, a device which could activate latent Conduit potential in its user, but at the cost of catastrophic devastation to its surroundings and the absorption of the life-force of any non-Conduit in its vicinity. It is now known that Kessler created the Ray Sphere in order to activate the abilities of a Prime Conduit named Cole MacGrath, and directly caused the Empire Event.
Following Kessler's death in Empire City, the First Sons' technological base fell into the hands of Joseph Bertrand III, who desired to activate his own latent Conduit gene out of a religious fervor and belief in his destiny for a higher purpose. Moving the technology to New Marais, Bertrand contrived to start an arms race, using Forced Conduits as the weapons, and also to turn humanity against Conduits. Although Bertrand did not live to see it, this legacy of his appears to have succeeded.
The Ray Field Inhibitor was a device created by the late scientist Dr. Sebastian Wolfe. At the time, Ray Field Radiation (first released on the world by the Ray Sphere) was causing a debilitating and incurable plague to spread throughout the United States, and Dr. Wolfe believed the RFI would neutralize the energy and cure the plague. The side-effect of the RFI, however, would be the deaths of all Conduits in the world. Cole McGrath used the RFI to not only cure the plague, but to stop an immensely powerful Conduit, John White (aka "The Beast") from destroying the country. The RFI's effects turned out to be not as total as expected, as several Conduits and Conduit-positives survived the device's activation.
Curdun Cay was the DUP's primary holding facility for all captured Bio-Terrorists. Prior to the events in Seattle, in which three Conduits-- Hank Daughtry, Abigail Walker, and Eugene Sims-- got loose during prison transport, no prisoner ever escaped until Delsin Rowe defeated Brooke Augustine in Seattle. It has been revealed that Augustine was guilty of many human rights violations surrounding illegal experimentation on the prisoners in her custody, as well as using "enhanced interrogation techniques" on civilians in order to coerce cooperation, particularly against the Akomish Native Americans in Salmon Bay.
==================================
Character Creation
A character application needs several things in Fate Accelerated Edition: a High Concept (your character in a nutshell), a Trouble (a flaw/nemesis/obligation that always gets you into trouble), and three more aspects (other important things about your character, that can both help or hinder them). There is also the matter of their Approaches (the way in which they handle tasks), and at least 3 Stunts (a special trait that changes the way an Approach works for your character). Any additional Stunts reduce your Refresh by 1, and we start at 3 Refresh.
Aspect and Stunt names are important. Remember this! When filling out your Approaches, you get one Good (+3), two Fair (+2), two Average (+2), and one Mediocre (+0). I recommend listing them in descending order.
If your character is a Conduit, one of your Aspects must reflect this (it does not have to be your High Concept, however), and I highly recommend at least one of your Stunts be related to their Conduit power.
==================================
Character App
Name:
Refresh: 3
Appearance:
High Concept:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Trouble:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Aspect:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Aspect:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Aspect:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Approaches:
+3:
+2:
+2:
+1:
+1:
+0:
Stunts:
==================================
I'll be using Orokos for my dice-rolls. Orokos does have a function to use Fudge dice in its dice roller, that being 4dF, with a modifier (+# or -# depending), and I'll link whatever rolls I make in my posts.
Once we have a few apps in, I'll be taking a page out of the Dresden RPG guidebook (which uses Fate) to work on filling in some of the districts and locales in Crown City, much as Dresden suggests. Antagonists will be both the DUP and villainous Conduits, so plan accordingly.
The game would be set in the world of the InFamous video games (InFamous, InFamous 2, and InFamous: Second Son), and take place about a year after the events of Second Son.
SPOILERS FOR "INFAMOUS: SECOND SON" BELOW!
==================================
Ten years ago, Empire City was devastated by an explosion, and the world as we knew it began to change. People known as Conduits began to manifest strange abilities to manipulate matter and energy. Two years later, a Conduit named John White-- aka "The Beast"-- destroyed Empire City, and unleashed a swath of destruction down the East Coast of the United States, culminating in a final confrontation in New Marais, where a Conduit named Cole MacGrath activated the Ray Field Inhibitor (RFI) to destroy The Beast and cure a deadly plague that had been claiming thousands of lives. In the aftermath of the RFI's usage, thousands more died as Conduits, or people with the Conduit gene, were killed by the device in order to save their lives.
Not all Conduits in the world died, however. There were still many of them out there. The Department of Unified Protection (DUP) was formed by the United States government to ensure that the Empire Event never happens again. Granted broad powers of authority, the DUP is tasked with apprehending, containing, and neutralizing the threat posed by "Bio-Terrorists." (The new term for Conduits created by the DUP.) In its first year of operation, several hundred Bio-Terrorists were contained in Curdun Cay, until the "Banner Man" Delsin Rowe brought about the downfall of the DUP's Director, Brooke Augustine, exposing her crimes, and freed the Conduits captured by her.
It's been a year since Curdun Cay's fall. The DUP hasn't been stopped, however. Under the direction of Seth Lindstrom, the DUP has enlarged its budget and its scope to contain the Bio-Terrorist threat. Making matters worse, some of the Conduits out there are starting to lash out for their long imprisonment, and there are some who wish to use their abilities to take control. The DUP has moved into Crown City, Illinois, tracking a significant number of Bio-Terrorists to the city, occupying the city and establishing martial law.
Are you a Conduit? Are you a soldier of the DUP? Are you just an ordinary person, caught up in all this? What sort of person will you be? Hero or Infamous?
==================================
Things To Know
Conduits are people with a genetic ability to manipulate forms of matter and energy. They can generally only manipulate one form of matter or energy at a time, and sometimes need to replenish their own energy reserves after major displays of power. Not all people with the Conduit gene can express their power. Those that have are referred to as "Prime Conduits." The DUP has contrived to replace the term 'Conduit' with 'Bio-Terrorist,' in an effort to sway public opinion against them.
Artificial Conduits (also known as Forced Conduits) are people who have had Conduit abilities artificially induced into their genetic structure. The first major group of Forced Conduits known are the Vermak 88, a private military company that became the Ice Soldiers, during the New Marais Crisis. (The Vermak 88 are now defunct.) Most DUP Troopers have been empowered, but it has not yet been publicly revealed what their new power set is following the death of Brooke Augustine.
It is important to note that creating Artificial Conduits is extremely dangerous and there is no guarantee of success. Artificial Conduits sometimes have experienced dangerous feedback from their new powers, which can sometimes go out of control. It is not known publicly how the DUP has avoided these problems with its soldiers.
The First Sons are a now-defunct secret society devoted to advancing human potential through transhuman means. Originally powerful and affluent families dedicated to mysticism and mentalism, their approach changed with the arrival of a man named Kessler, who took over the First Sons and turned their attention toward technology and oversaw the creation of the Ray Sphere, a device which could activate latent Conduit potential in its user, but at the cost of catastrophic devastation to its surroundings and the absorption of the life-force of any non-Conduit in its vicinity. It is now known that Kessler created the Ray Sphere in order to activate the abilities of a Prime Conduit named Cole MacGrath, and directly caused the Empire Event.
Following Kessler's death in Empire City, the First Sons' technological base fell into the hands of Joseph Bertrand III, who desired to activate his own latent Conduit gene out of a religious fervor and belief in his destiny for a higher purpose. Moving the technology to New Marais, Bertrand contrived to start an arms race, using Forced Conduits as the weapons, and also to turn humanity against Conduits. Although Bertrand did not live to see it, this legacy of his appears to have succeeded.
The Ray Field Inhibitor was a device created by the late scientist Dr. Sebastian Wolfe. At the time, Ray Field Radiation (first released on the world by the Ray Sphere) was causing a debilitating and incurable plague to spread throughout the United States, and Dr. Wolfe believed the RFI would neutralize the energy and cure the plague. The side-effect of the RFI, however, would be the deaths of all Conduits in the world. Cole McGrath used the RFI to not only cure the plague, but to stop an immensely powerful Conduit, John White (aka "The Beast") from destroying the country. The RFI's effects turned out to be not as total as expected, as several Conduits and Conduit-positives survived the device's activation.
Curdun Cay was the DUP's primary holding facility for all captured Bio-Terrorists. Prior to the events in Seattle, in which three Conduits-- Hank Daughtry, Abigail Walker, and Eugene Sims-- got loose during prison transport, no prisoner ever escaped until Delsin Rowe defeated Brooke Augustine in Seattle. It has been revealed that Augustine was guilty of many human rights violations surrounding illegal experimentation on the prisoners in her custody, as well as using "enhanced interrogation techniques" on civilians in order to coerce cooperation, particularly against the Akomish Native Americans in Salmon Bay.
==================================
Character Creation
A character application needs several things in Fate Accelerated Edition: a High Concept (your character in a nutshell), a Trouble (a flaw/nemesis/obligation that always gets you into trouble), and three more aspects (other important things about your character, that can both help or hinder them). There is also the matter of their Approaches (the way in which they handle tasks), and at least 3 Stunts (a special trait that changes the way an Approach works for your character). Any additional Stunts reduce your Refresh by 1, and we start at 3 Refresh.
Aspect and Stunt names are important. Remember this! When filling out your Approaches, you get one Good (+3), two Fair (+2), two Average (+2), and one Mediocre (+0). I recommend listing them in descending order.
If your character is a Conduit, one of your Aspects must reflect this (it does not have to be your High Concept, however), and I highly recommend at least one of your Stunts be related to their Conduit power.
==================================
Character App
Name:
Refresh: 3
Appearance:
High Concept:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Trouble:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Aspect:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Aspect:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Aspect:
Sample Invoke:
Sample Compel:
Approaches:
+3:
+2:
+2:
+1:
+1:
+0:
Stunts:
==================================
I'll be using Orokos for my dice-rolls. Orokos does have a function to use Fudge dice in its dice roller, that being 4dF, with a modifier (+# or -# depending), and I'll link whatever rolls I make in my posts.
Once we have a few apps in, I'll be taking a page out of the Dresden RPG guidebook (which uses Fate) to work on filling in some of the districts and locales in Crown City, much as Dresden suggests. Antagonists will be both the DUP and villainous Conduits, so plan accordingly.
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