General Discussion

Hello! We're now three people and I think it's enough to begin. Microscope is not a game to be played by lots of people anyways. Let's first discuss a bit about ourselves, our hobbies etc. It'd be hard to play this game without knowing anything about each other. I'm not talking about personal information, obviously. More like what kinds of games, tv shows, movies, books etc you like, what are some of your favorite fictional works? Then we can start working on the setup. Also, I know aphelion is familiar with the system but how about you, dreamblade? Do you need any explanation?

Let me start first very briefly. I've been playing rpg games for about a year so I'm relatively new. I like D&D but systems like Fate offer more freedom to the player and I like them better to be honest. I like science fictions a lot, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica are among my favorite shows of all time :D For this game of Microscope, though, I don't have any preference right now. I'm down for everything.

Also we'll be using Utgar's Chronicles to keep track of our worldbuilding process. When we start building the game I'll open a new game and make it public so that you can access it as well. Hope we'll have fun together!

Well, first I've been playing rpgs for quite a while. More than half my life at this point. I have experience with a lot of systems. Fate and similar "story telling" games are my preferred style, but I do like D&D. 2nd Edition was my first true RPG. I've never found a system I didn't at least see some merit in.

As for Microscope though, I haven't ever played it but I have listened to 2 actual plays that used it for their podcast. The Adventure Zon with the McElroy Brothers was most recent, and a show called Fandible did it a few years back....though the specifics on that one elude me.

So I understand the concepts but the specific steps might need to be explained in the first few rounds.

I am also into all things nerdy. Sci-fi and fantasy both draw me in. Stat Trek over Star Wars. Firefly was really good. I was reading the Wheel of Time as it was published and devoured those books. I also love Urban Fantasy as a genre and would offer Dresden Files as a known example, but I am only four books into that series.

Oh...and super heroes. That was probably the first nerd thing I was ever into. X-Men mostly but all of Marvel and DC. Early Image books were known to me but I didn't follow them as closely.

Hello! Excited to get started, like I said, huge fan of the Microscope system.

I'm aphelion, or MJ, I'm a writer and game dev, and I've been playing TTRPGs for about a decade. I'm an oft forever-DM and a collector of systems. It's a running joke with my nerd friends that I have about a million systems I really want to run a game in... and I just keep buying more, but I like reading TTRPG books to relax, and love learning systems. I'm always excited to play or run a new system; love D&D, I'm running an IRL campaign and playing in a couple of others, but it's just one good system out of so many other fun ones! irene, have you checked out the Star Trek Adventures system? I've run a couple of sessions, it's fantastic! First ST game system I've seen that actually feels Star Trek-y!

Current obsessions are The Expanse, finished the show and now I'm starting the book series, as well as a couple of big empire builder video games. I'm typically big on action-adventure and narrative RPGs (your Dragon Ages and Mass Effects). I've actually been meaning to re-re-watch BSG. I'm super open to genre, both times I've tried Microscope were space epic or space opera-type games, which I'd be down for in a hot second, but it'd equally be fun to try another genre, or even mixed genre? (Like a space Western a la Firefly?)

dreamblade, there is a brief summary I’ve prepared, you can read it from here. I hope it’ll be of help. The other things you said, it looks like our hobbies are completely aligned, except that I haven’t watched Firefly. I’ve read all WoT books over the course of a month about 6-7 years ago. I really liked it then but nowadays some aspects seem a bit problematic to me. I also like Dresden books and read the first four like you. In fact, I recently re-read the first book with my girlfriend and it’s still good, except for some obvious but light sexism (which is not only Dresden’s old fashionness but also the author’s) which people say improve upon books. Superhero genre is always interesting. I always liked Superman, for example, not because he’s all too powerful and invulnerable, because there is a great dramatic aspect to him, a god trying to be human, trying to implant hope to people. These things are always fun to watch and think about.

aphelion, are you game developer? Great! What kind of a developer, may I ask? Video games, board games, card games etc? Are you more inclined towards the technical development or more like game design/story/narrative developer? I’ve been a video game enthusiast for some time and recently started learning Unity by myself. I don’t particularly have lots of "developable" ideas in that manner but I like telling stories, that’s also one of the reasons I adore ttrpgs as I can tell stories without having to completely think about it and write it by myself. I’ll also look at the Star Trek game you suggested, I like to be conservative about Star Trek as I like it so much that I don’t even want to finish it quickly (which is unheard from me as I devour the things I like in short periods). It’s been a year I started watching TNG and I’m only at the third season :D

For the game, I also think a sci-fiish setup would be easier for us to develop as we all seem to have a like for it, but what about a world where superheroes are a thing? It doesn’t necessarily have to be fantasy either, those superpowers can be tied to scientific (or pseudo-scientific) causes.

I agree with you about the sexism. It's not the worst but a little weird in the modern age. Jordan's main characters kind of comes off as a typical power fantasy.

And i love that take on Superman. He's not my favorite character but that is the best aspect.

As for the setting, I would love to work in a sci-fi/superhero sandbox. I think it's a great idea.

And maybe I should wait...but I had a moment.

A world of super-science and super-heroes preparing for an immaent alien invasion.

That's just a pitch. Anyone can say no. I just had to write it down somewhere.

I loooooooove the idea of a superhero game. Lots of places we can go with that and an alien invasion. I'm super down.

Genuinely think slow is the best way to enjoy Star Trek. I'm a lately in life fan, only started with TNG a few years ago, and now partway through DS9 and Voyager. Maybe after the Microscope game I'll run a short one off STA game on here. LOVE the system.

DS9 is the best. Love Voyager too. I never got I to Enterprise.

I really like the idea and the system of STA, but when I have tried to play it...well...it didn't go well. It may have been a rules misunderstanding or a difference in what Star Trek plots are about. We did a lot of fighting, not much exploring. I really want to check out the Conan version of that game too though.

My plan is to go TNG-TOS-DS9-Voyager so it looks like I'll gave my grandchildren by the time I finish the Voyager, at this speed :D
So in Microscope's terms, this is more an Event than a History. History should be a broad description of the world we will explore. I can send both of you the core book, if you don't have it already. There are some neat examples of everything we'll do.

Since all of us are hyped for it, let's go for a world filled with superheroes. What would be a general way to describe such a world? And to understand it better, would you like to play the world's transition to accepting super heroes (like most DC and Marvel movies explored recently) or is it better if we start from a time in which super heroes have been a thing for generations?

Right, we have to pick a start and end time. I'm a big fan of alternate history. Maybe something like:

(Light) Mid-20th century: The first superhero emerges and [ends WWII/saves JFK, etc.]

(Dark) Mid-24th century: The [Avengers/Justice League stand-in] falls

I love the idea of playing as superheroes emerge and become a thing. We pop it a ways into the future, we could do some interstellar superhero shenanigans in between a la MCU. Thoughts?

I'm struggling to make a decision. All of these concepts are fun ideas. I guess I would say I am drawn more toward an emerging hero world. Like...the first group is aging out and exists in such small numbers they are mostly unknown to the general public. The next generation is becoming more public with their existence.

Just a quick question. I remember an episode of Monty Python where everyone is superman and our "main guy" has a secret life as a bicycle repairman :D Likewise, how about (at least in some part of our timeline) superheroes become such a usual aspect of life that normal people are considered low, unworthy etc.

Super into all of the above!

I like this

I’m currently at my phone but I’ll open our history in Utgar’s Chronicles as soon as I find the time. In the mean time any suggestions on our History? Will be a one sentence description about our world.

Something along the lines of: "The rise of superheroes at humanity's darkest hour, and their inevitable fall"?

If we want to go the Light then Dark route, but not married to that idea, it's just where my mind goes.

I don't mind that. It could work.

Alright, here is the link to our Utgar's Chronicles page. You can open an account and join the game with it if you like but you don't have to. I liked aphelion's pitch. Let's go with that. Now, about starting and ending periods. How about "Humanity deals with the emergence of superheroes" as the starting period? It would allow us to play scenes before any superhero emerged but also play everyting happens after they are discovered. The tone would be Light, of course, as in all superhero origins.

I like that as a start point, love the flexibility of doing some pre-superhero age things.

Depending on if we want to go light or dark:

Light: "The end of the superhero age, as teams disband and enjoy a long lasting peace."

That might be a little too prescriptive, but something along those lines.

Dark: "The end of the superhero age, as the last remaining superheroes disappear from the public eye."

I figure that one's a little more flexible, doesn't mean they all get murdered or die, could mean they're either no longer wanted or needed, leaves it up to us to figure out how we get there.

Edit: Also DAMNIT, sorry, I joined as a guest, not realizing I wasn't signed in, so you can delete the guest version of me.

Do we need to know if it ends in dark or light style? Seems like we should play with that being open. I agree we can start light, having mostly positive debut, but seeing where it goes is more interesting than steering it before hand.