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.

Actually yes, we kind of do. The thing about Microscope is that you always know what’s going to happen, you just fill in the blanks. We don’t exactly need to state specifics of super heroes’ disappearance but we need to set the tone of it.

Ok. Interesting. Well, then I suppose my gut says to end it Dark with the fall of superhero culture. Not that we have to keep going but then we have the opening for a triumphant return, like Incredibles 2 or Return of the Jedi.

I agree with you. Since aphelion suggested it, it's safe to assume he has no problem with it. I've updated the website and added the starting and ending periods. If you have a better idea for wording etc. please go along and change it. You should be able to edit the page but notify me if you can't, I'll look it up.

Now it's for the palette. For the palette, we will decide the things we'll ban from the game or allow in the game. These are divded into two categories: Yes and No. In the Yes category, we add things that is not usually expected in this kind of a setting and in the No category, we add things that are expected to exist but don't. For example, we can add "sorcerers" to Yes column in a sic-fi setup, but not to No column because in a sci-fi setup sorcerers are already expected to not exist. Likewise, if we are playing in a mediavel setting, we can write "knights" to No column but not to Yes column.

There is no certain limitations as to how many entries there should be in the palette but we are supposed to take turns and one person can at most add one more thing than the others.

And to that point, I was thinking yesterday how it doesn't have to mean, like... all superheroes end up murdered. That's the really fun part about the game, you sort of creatively discover how things end up the way they do. I remember a friend and I were doing one where a war took place between AI consciousnesses, but it took place entirely in subspace and there weren't actually any physical deaths or collateral damage. So the war happened, but it wasn't guns blazin', fleets of spaceships turned into a zero-G graveyard, etc. It's a game where things you come up with can kind of surprise you, which I obviously love!

In terms of the Palette, I have one I want to run by the group which ireneofunyes kind of brought up. Magic in a superhero universe a la Scarlet Witch, Wiccan, Dr. Strange, Tilda Swinton, etc. It used to really bug me that they plopped witches and wizards into superhero land, but the MCU stories (especially WandaVision) brought me around on it. I think I just need a little internal consistency, but wanted to bring that one to the group, I could go either way.

So... superhero magic, thoughts?

I don't mind superhero magic, but I prefer when it has a system. I dislike how Scarlet Witch (for example) can "alter luck" in one book, and rewrite all of reality in another.

Now if a character has a specific set of abilities that happen to be magic fueled, that's great. Like Cloak from Cloak & Dagger. He has teleportation, or dimensional travel, and in some versions summoning od Darkforce creatures. Loki has illusion magic and the writers do a pretty good job of limiting him to that power.

So I guess I'd rather leave magic as a power source but not a power in and of itself...if that makes sense?

I agree with dream. Magic having a system and internal consistency does not mean that it will just going to be an advanced science, though. I like, for example, when there is a source of the magic, something its wielders tap into to access those powers (think about Wheel of Time, I believe it was called the True Source?), rather than people just have those abilities by themselves or by bloodline. This can also pave the way for people who does not have an innate ability for magic to study and improve themselves. I’m thinking about Dresden universe now, where even though one can certainly innately be a talented wizard, the key to successful magic lies in the strength of a person’s will and knowledge, practice. What do you think?

So we’re adding "Magic" to the Yes category. How about something to put in No? Some kind of a ban? Do you have any suggestions?

I've been rolling ideas around in my head all day. There isn't a lot I would want to say No to...but maybe Time Travel? In the real world we obviously havent figured it out. And it always complicates things in fiction. Since we sort of have a story end in mind, perhaps locking out time travel would be a good thing. If there is any such attempt it can use the Alternate Timeline model where all you can do is travel to a dimension that reflects a change but you can't actually change your timeline.

That's actually an excellent idea. I agree with you, time travel is even hard to portray in an organized, well-thought fiction. Here we sort of make up things as we go and time travel can make things pretty complex without adding any fun. If aphelion has no objection I'll add these to the Palette.

Sorry for the slow response, work's kicking my ass this week.

Definitely agree wholeheartedly to the no on time travel, and the yes on alternate timelines. That will actually be SUPER fun to play with. And I can 100% get behind all the points on magic.

How do we feel about immortality and/or invincibility? That's the only other one that comes to mind for me. For me, I think similar to the points made on magic, if there's some internal consistency and narrative complications, and it's not just like, "SuperJoe can survive anything always."

Okay, actually one more thought of I think I'd like to discuss both in terms of palette and overall game. What kind of tone are we writing towards? Leaning towards the gritty, violent-type superhero stories? More campy comic book-type? Again, I think we can tackle either depending on the tone of the period/event/scene, but just curious what kind of superhero stories you gravitate towards.

Otherwise I don't have any other thoughts to palette, I like what we've come up with!

As much as I like the idea of Superman, I think we should ban that kind of invincibility. We have allowed for aliens, yes, but the idea that there is a race that looks exactly like us but also is super strong etc is a bit too simple.

The tone would change with periods, probably, but to my taste tackling with the potential effects of super heroes is a nice thought exercise. Not in a gritty, "what if Superman went mad and became a tyrant" kind of way but more like "how does it affect the society that there are some individuals with extraordinary powers? How would governments react to that? Would it increase the chaos in the world?". That can be light or dark, depending on what our answers are to those questions, but that's my take.

Okay I'm adding "magic" and "alternate timelines" to Yes and "time travel" to no for the moment.

I realized that I forgot to add the next step. Of course if you want you can still suggest additional Palette entries. The next step is individual now. Up until now we were discussing and deciding everything together. Now, we are on our own. Everybody will make their own suggestion and unless it is something the other two sees as utterly unreasonable (which I don't expect to happen), everybody will make their individual suggestion. The others can ask for clarification if there some blind spots.

Now, we will in turn add either one Period or one Event (no Scenes yet). Anybody can start if they have something in their mind. I don't have anything right now, I'll write when I think of something.

@aphelion, @Dreamblade are you still up for the game? Noticed you haven't posted for some days now.

Ridiculous week of work, settling down a little now so I'm going to post a period!

EDIT: YES! Sorry, I've been freelance running social media for a brand at a big event and basically been tweeting from dawn to dusk since last Monday, but I'm done now, just really ate away my brainpower.

Posted! Do either of you use Discord or Whatsapp? Might be nice to be able to chat things out off a message board? And the occasional poke would also be very much appreciated. Totally fine if you'd prefer to keep it on here, just thought I'd ask!

Discord is fine by me. I can open a server and invite you right away if Dream is okay with it.

I’m closing the game due to unreported inactivity. Thanks for your contribution thus far.