Campaign:Zero Day

Introduction

Hyperion City, the not too far future.

It's just another day in the bustling city, people going about their business, be it legit or otherwise. Millions of people swarming along the city's streets. Many others still at work or home. But all of a sudden, many of these people drop where they are in a collective grand mal seizure. People trip over those who fell on the sidewalk, cars with blacked-out people swerve into traffic, pedestrians, and store fronts, friends and family rush to help those who fell near them. The whole experience lasts about two or three minutes before most of those who fell came to and got back onto their feet as if nothing happened.

But something did happen.

These people who had just recovered from the seizure began to show the signs of superhuman abilities. One of them burst into flames, but did not feel pain from it. Another accidentally crushed a car's hood by grabbing it to get up. Yet another started to leave the ground without even thinking about it. All over the city, the emergence of these supers set the city into a panic. Days after what would be called the Zero Day, many of these supers would learn to better control their newly found powers, many of them starting to find a use for them. Naturally, there are those wanting to use their powers to fight the City's infamous forces of crime, others using them to commit crimes otherwise impossible. But there were also many who wanted to remain neutral and keep their powers out of the public eye. With the police barely able to deal with the more criminal supers and a tenuous trust of those willing to help, instability and war seemed to be just over the horizon.

The past can't be changed though. Zero Day has come and gone, and you are one of those who gained powers. What will you do?

Join us on IRC at #ZeroDay on irc.thisisnotatrueending.com:6667

Character Creation

Character Creation Sheet

There are three steps to creating a character for Zero Day, which are summarized on the picture to the right. Character creation is done in three steps.

Step 1: Roll 2d50 and use each rolled number based on the picture to the right to determine which two powers you get. As for the actual workings of the powers, they can either be separate, as they are described, or melded into one power in which both factors work at once in some way or fashion. Sometimes, one power can act as a limiter to the other power. Just bear in mind that this power list has not been balanced and may lead to very overpowered combinations. Also, if you get two 49s (Choose One Power), you get to choose two. A 49 and a 50 (Choose Two Powers) would let you choose three powers. And two 50s would let you choose four powers. Finally, if you get two of the same power, consider it a stronger version of the power.

Step 2: Create a backstory for your newly rolled character. Try to include what the character was before the Zero Day as well as afterwards. Include things such as what they did for a living beforehand, the kind of life they lived, as well as people they knew. Then write about the character's experience on the Zero Day, as well as how they discovered their powers, and what they started to do soon after the Zero Day (up to one or two months after). Even include what they want to do or be, to provide the character with some motivation other that "blowing shit up."

Step 3: From the list of previously made characters (from the link below), choose one that your characters wants to be an ally of, and another who the character will see as a nemesis. This will help the character find a place to join the action of the story, no matter how far it has gone.

The current characters can be found here.

Rules

Character creation and world building are done in separate threads before the beginning of the game. Afterwards, all following threads are for the game itself.

Scenarios

The game itself is to be played in a series of scenarios, progressing over a span of time. For this current game, it is to be played over four time periods: Six (6) months after Zero Day; one (1) year after; five (5) years after; and finally ten (10) years after. The first two time periods will be played in episodes, where the Game Master will present scenarios for the players to vote on.

The winning scenario will be played out for up to the first five (5) players to formally join in, each player choosing only one (1) of their characters to directly control. Other players may give suggestions to the active players, but the final decisions for their controlled characters are theirs alone. All other characters involved in the scenario will be played by the Game Master, again with suggestions from the other players.

The third scenario will be played by up to five (5) players, each with a team or two or three characters. As the story will likely be heading towards a major crisis, the conflict becomes centralized. Thus the Game Master shall create the scenario based on the actions of the story of the first two scenarios. Otherwise, the game will be played just like that of the first two scenarios.

Finally, the fourth scenario will be played as the crisis reaches its climax. Up to five (5) players will control teams of four to five characters each as the war rages on. These teams will be fighting over the districts of the city in an all-out brawl. Otherwise, the game will be played just like that of the first three scenarios.

Game Length

A scenario will last exactly the length of its thread. If the thread 404s or goes into autosage, the thread will be considered closed. If there are loose ends remaining in the story when the thread closes, the Game Master will have sole authority to close them as he or she sees fit, while trying to keep it in spirit with what has been played out thus far.

Rolling

Though this game is intended to be as freeform as possible, the Game Master may determine if a character's action requires a roll of the dice. It is furthermore up to the Game Master to determine which dice and what target number is required for the roll, based on the difficulty of the action. Usually, such rolls will use a d20.

Formatting

To keep things orderly during what can become a chaotic free-for-all, there are a few things which will help the Game Master sort things out.

Names

Players will need to namefag themselves for this thread, much like in other collective games such as Ironhearts. The recommended formatting is as follows:

Character Name [Affiliation or Team Leader's Name]

Affiliations are to be abbreviated for convenience. Current affiliations are as follows:

• [BI]: Bianchi Crime Family
• [BN]: Binary Industries
• [DS]: Dr. Smile
• [EM]: Emet Construction
• [GV]: Hyperion City Government
• [HS]: Horizon Solutions
• [MB]: Mama Bell
• [NR]: New Rome Mob
• [PO]: Hyperion City Police
• [PR]: Hyperion City Prison
• [ST]: Shining Stars
• [SU]: Sanderson University
• [UN]: Unaffiliated

Using this formatting, Shining Man's name for his posts would be Shining Man [ST], showing that he is with the Shining Stars faction (more on that later).

Posts

Normal text under the character's name will be considered as in-character. Green text and text in parentheses, brackets, or asterisks will be considered as out-of-character.

Hyperion City

The characters live, work, and fight in the fictional Hyperion City, an analogue of many of the United States' largest cities, such as New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and so on. To follow the stories of those who lived through Zero Day in this city, click here.

Districts

Hyperion City, like many other urban centers, is divided into districts. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

Boom Town

This was Hyperion's old business district before a spate of economic troubles. Though it hasn't recovered in that capacity, there are uses of the old buildings there. Some are used for renovated housing. A few new businesses are cropping up there. But it seems that organized crime takes up most of Boom Town these days. For the most part, there is peace in Boom Town, though the occasional upstart causes a ruckus here.

• The Bianchi Building: The tallest building in all of Boom Town, the Bianchi Building lets all know that the Bianchi crime family are in Hyperion City to stay. Though many legitimate businesses run their operations in the building, it still serves as a reminder to law enforcers of the Bianchi's defiance to the city's idea of order.

• The Midway: One of the main thoroughfares in the Boom Town, mostly run by the Bianchis and their cronies. It's said if you want something illegal, you go "Play with the Carnies on the Midway" With the prevalence in Supers and their penchant for cleaning up businesses like the Bianchis, there's been word of the mobsters hiring out super-powered muscle to man the Midway. The locals have nicknamed the enforcers The Freaks.

Computerville

It all started with a winning bid for a small computer company to come to Hyperion City. Over the years, more and more companies found their way to the city, many of them making a partnership with Sanderson University nearby. These companies, in a bid to win future employees from the University, also started to build housing in the vicinity to house their workers. The name for the neighborhood started out as a joke in the daily paper, but it seems to have stuck.

• Binary Industries: The original company to move to Computerville, it's one of the most popular tech providers in the world.

• Floppy's: A local computer store bent on destroying the arch rival, Mega-Mart. Located in the intersection of St. Clanahan, Southerton, and Computerville. Managed by Frank Meant. On the side sells odd and prohibited pieces of technology to the masked marauders of the city.

• The Giga-Bite: One of the small restaurants that opened in the Computerville neighborhood, right on Sanderson Boulevard, across the street from the University. A real hit with the student crowd, though once in a while one of the execs from the companies in Computerville will come by, sometimes scouting for talent.

• Horizon Solutions: A company based in Computerville known for it's less than scrupulous practices.

Cronus

In the early days of Hyperion City, there was actually another city growing alongside it. The two cities went into direct competition with each other, and then eventually a small-scale war in more lawless days. The other city would succumb in due time, its name stricken from the public record. These days, the core of this other city is now known as the neighborhood of Cronus, so named after the mythical brother of Hyperion. The people here have a very independent spirit, especially when it comes to opposition against city policies.

• Arnold Field: To the far north of the Cronus neighborhood lies a fenced off patch of land. Legend has it that the battle in which Hyperion City won its dominance in the past was fought here. Only accessible to anthropologists and archaeologists, the Field is highly secured for some reason.

Downtown

Welcome to the center of the universe, according to the citizens of Hyperion City. Here is where most of the city's business happens. Millions of tourists make their way through Hyperion's Downtown every year, sampling the city's finest entertainment, hospitality, and gastronomical venues. And for those who are impressed enough with the city to want to move here? There is plenty of high-rise housing available for the right price. However, it is prudent that tourists are careful along the west and north of Downtown, as criminals tend to come into those areas to make their living as well.

• Emet Construction: In the past couple months, this firm has gotten a reputation for modestly priced reconstruction after supers tussle. Rumors are they run by a group of civic and profit minded supers, but nothing's been proven as of yet...

• The Wet Lizard: A hole-in-the-wall bar in the Downtown area of Hyperion. Customers range from poor to rich, it's a real mixing pot for the people that know it's there. Has various trappings of any bar, along with an oddly large basement. The bar-tender is also the owner, and is always trying to rent the basement out.

Esnault Row

Quite possibly the cultural nexus of Hyperion City, the many shops, museums, theatres, galleries, and restaurants spreading from the famed Esnault Row win multinational awards every year. But if you thought Downtown was expensive, you would be stunned by how much things cost on Esnault. But there is still reason for those not rolling in dough to come - the Carnival Parade. Some would say it's almost like being in New Orleans during the parade.

• The Roman: A Theatre of the arts in Esnault row, which is almost certainly the prime location for any sort of reward ceremony, or declaration of control over the city.

• Babe's and Jonny's Inn: A small, but lively club. Mainly plays swing, jazz, blues, and classic rock, but has got something for just about anyone on Open-Mic Night. The place used to be heavily damaged, but with the resurgence of culture in Esnault Row and a steady stream of regular patrons who have come to love the place it was restored to its former glory and has since been booming with business and beats.

Fisherman's Wharf

The only part of city on the north bank of the river, the Fisherman's Wharf has been around almost as long as Hyperion City itself. Isolated from much of the hustle and bustle of the city, many think that the Wharf is possibly the cleanest place in the city. Such is this reputation that those who want to set up a business on the Wharf must abide by strict rules of environmental protection or pay a very large fee. As a result, the community of businessmen inside the Wharf tend to be rather insular, exempt from a number of city-wide regulations and laws.

• Selkirk's Pub: A Scottish pub out in Fisherman's Wharf that's the favored drinking of more than few dock workers, though you do also have a management types that sometimes show up to "slum it"

Hyperion City Prison

This is where the bad guys go. For a city prison, it has all the trappings of a federal super-max. Ever since the Zero Day however, the city's Department of Corrections have been at work trying to update the prison to hold the city's superpowered criminals. This has led to the prison shipping half of their normal population to a neighboring city and digging into the earth to make subterranean wards. Who knows what may be found along the way though...

• U-Block Construction Site: The underground containment facility currently being built at the Hyperion City Prison. Thus far, no one without direct authorization from the prison's warden has been able to go in beyond the first two levels to see the progress for themselves. How exactly do they plan to actually hold these supers?

Industrial District

Hyperion City has been a bastion of manufacturing almost ever since its founding. With manufacturing easing down however, many of the buildings have gone into disrepair. Only recently have companies tried to renovate the crumbling factories and warehouses, and such efforts have becomes seriously hampered after Zero Day. Many lesser-powered super-criminals live there among the non-powered criminals there, causing these companies to back out of their renovation efforts.

• Warehouse 42: One of the few warehouses still intact in the Industrial District, "old number 42" was once a storage facility for the Renham Automotive Company before it went bust. Unlike the rest of Renham's facilities, old number 42 seems to be maintained on a fairly regular basis, but free of occupation by anyone. It seems like someone's been using it, though there's never anyone around.

Marsden Heights

If you made a lot of money throughout your career, this is likely where you want to move when you finally retire. It has always been the home of businessmen, philanthropists, and those holding high positions in the government. As such, it has always been one of the most protected neighborhoods in town. When Zero Day came around, Marsden Heights suddenly became a gated community and a prolific employer of security forces. Makes sense since it would be a rich target for the less... scrupulous of the supers.

• Marsden Heights Preparatory School for Young Men: Grooming the next generation of governmental and business leaders, MH Prep has a reputation for insanely high standards for admission, as well as the staggering price tag attached to it. It has been under fire from the press for being too exclusive to boys, whereas the school has stated that since it is a private institution, it will remain as such.

Mid City

A historical district of the city, Mid City has been known for many things throughout its history. It originally started out as a center of small business once Boom Town started to fall into disrepair. It eventually became mixed-income housing once the city spread westward. Nowadays, it is a budding cultural area for those who cannot afford the prices of Downtown and Esnault Row. The cultural bend has been supported by nearby Sanderson University and its recruiting of international students, many of them living in Mid City and bringing their cultures with them.

• BL0CK: A cafe and venue for indie bands. There is a large group of people that think once you've performed at BL0CK, you're done as a band. There is also a group of people that think that that group are all goddamn hipsters.

• Little India: A growing enclave of Indians in Mid City not too far from Sanderson University, Little India is home to many of the school's rising stars of science. However, it has also recently become a hub for human trafficking in the city, especially among the elder members of the enclave's society.

Newberg

What was originally a suburb of Hyperion City has become a growing small business sector ever since the Mall of Hyperion was built in the middle of the neighborhood. Many of the business from Mid City migrated south to this neighborhood, supported by the near constant traffic to the mall. As a result of this influx of commerce, many of the old cottages and modest homes were torn down and rebuilt as larger houses and even the occasional mansion. Suffice it to say, Newberg became a center for the newly-rich, even if they are few and far in between.

• Brown Memorial Hospital: Located on the north end of Newberg, the hospital has become rather busy these days, especially with the ratcheting up of mafia activity to the north in Boom Town. It took in many of the victims of the Zero Day, many of whom either broke their way out or never woke up.

• In Tempore: A newly opened museum for both modern and historical art on Bagglewin Street, curated by the German collector Elisabeth Herms. Currently, they are running an exhibition about Medieval European art and history.

• Mall of Hyperion: Who would have thought that a 24-hour mall would work? In a city like Hyperion City, it makes more sense than you think. It may not be as large as, say, the Mall of America, its focus on the ultimate convenience for its customers have won the citizens over.

Old City

Here is where Hyperion City began. A small fishing village on the river which would wage a small war with the growing town next to it and win, and grow into the mighty city it is today. Signs of its past still exist in the Old Town neighborhood with its many museums dedicates to this subject or that. As a certified historical neighborhood, the residents of Old City have to pay higher taxes and fees than most, but also get much more protection, be it in the form of police or simply the attention of organizations that preserve their history.

• Old City Hall: Located on the river in Old Town, the Old City Hall is a registered historic landmark of Hyperion City. Today, it serves as a museum for the city's history, housing many relics from the city's raucous and prosperous past. However, the top two floors are always off limits, with even the highest city officials left without access to them.

P-Town

Originally a small neighborhood created to house the growing staff of the Hyperion City Prison, P-Town has grown to size, running into the nearby neighborhoods of Stansbury and Newberg. The sheer population of police and corrections officials in P-Town help keep the residents of their neighbors at east, though not without tension. The guards tend to be very intense and very alert due to their line of work, something that doesn't quite mesh well with the noveau-rich of Newberg and the laid back folks of Stansbury.

• The Warden's Farm: Despite the growth of P-Town and its inclusion into the city proper, the prison warden's home has been left largely untouched. This allowed him to hold the P-Town Harvest Festival without interruption during the neighborhood's integration into the city, where those willing to shell out lots of money for the prison's coffers can come and sample his crops.

Red Tape Shore

The seat of Hyperion City's government was moved out of the Old City to the western part of town in the middle of the twentieth century as the city's Downtown was growing against the deteriorating Industrial District. Interestingly enough, a neighborhood grew from the handful of government buildings housing the lower clerks and staff, eventually bridging the fledging Downtown and the upper-crust Uptown together.

• City Hall: Located on the river on the Red Tape Shore, the new City Hall is a building both of staggering proportions but also of bizarre styling. Made to show the push of progress forward, the new City Hall is still a very unique sight on the riverfront.

Roundingmarch

Though the name is peculiar, there is a very homey feeling to this neighborhood. Originally additional housing for the growing population after the little fishing village won its little war with the other town, Roundingmarchers kept many of the cultural details and dialect as the city's founders, even as the city would become more modernized and cosmopolitan. Though the march of progress had made Roundingmarch every bit as modern as the rest of the city, the people these still seem to hearken from an older time.

• Morningway House: Though much of Roundingmarch has modernized alongside the rest of Hyperion City, an old European-style house still remains in between high rise apartment buildings. The Morningway family - more like an elderly man, woman, and their dog - still reside there. City Hall has been trying to convince them to relinquish their land so that the modernization can be complete, but they won't budge.

Rusty Towers

Piggybacking on the meteoric growth of the Newberg neighborhood, officials decided to grow Hyperion City southwards. As people were starting to move into this area and construction continued further out, economic strife hit the city hard. Only two-thirds complete and with contractors backing out of the project, the neighborhood felt the hard times even harder than the rest of the city. While the rest of the city more or less came back to life, the residents of what has become known as Rusty Towers are an angry, destitute lot, often becoming residents of the prison next door.

• The Stacks: A mass of (mostly) abandoned warehouses in the Rusty Towers area. Street gangs have certainly claimed at least some of the space and fight turf wars over it. It's almost certain some enterprising super have moved in as well...

Saint Clanahan

Growing from the Marsden Heights and Esnault Row neighborhoods, Saint Clanahan was intended to be a playground for the rich and powerful. However, a national megachurch managed to get a permit to build in the new neighborhood and its influence grew as the inner-city neighborhood of West Town started to grow from its Downtown roots. With crime of all sorts soaring in West Town, what was once a dubious religious organization started work to make a difference, reinventing the megachurch's image.

• St. Clanahan Baptist Church: Who would have thought a Baptist church would have an Irish-sounding name? But it is what it is. After years of being hounded by the media for embezzling church-goers' donations for themselves, they seem to have cleaned up their image after opening a satellite church in Hyperion City.

Sanderson University

Quite possibly the crown jewel of Hyperion City, Sanderson University had humble beginnings as a community college. Over time, the University would become a major research institution for the region. Then came the arrival of a small computer company which pushed the University to use its research muscle to attract other computer companies which would lead to the establishment of Computerville. With the influx of international students, it also ended up breathing new life into Mid City culturally.

• aGniMals: A genetic modification lab located at Sanderson University, they are simply known as "the Lab" (everywhere except the more properly spoken of Marsden Heights). They build special animals to clients' specifications for the right price.

Southerton

Founded long after the founding of Hyperion City, Southerton was a small company town funded by a mining operation to the southwest. This all changed with the establishment of Marsden Heights right next to Southerton, bringing the influence of Hyperion to the company town. When the mining company couldn't sustain Southerton during economic hard times, the city took up the chance to annex the town into itself, laying the foundation for further growth, including Computerville, St. Clanahan, and even the failed Rusty Towers.

• The Colosseum: A fighting arena located in Southerton which pits pairs of supers against ten norms. Run by the New Rome mob.

• The Dead Canary: A seedy little bar deep inside of Southerton known for its... vivacious customer base comprising of the now-old men who have been laid off by the mining company after their operation failed. The bartender seems capable of picking out the true blue-collar workers against those who try too hard to fit in. If you're not blue-collar, then he'll kick you out, simple as that.

Stansbury

If any neighborhood has seen it all, it was Stansbury. It was set up as a rich neighborhood when Boom Town was the old financial district. As Boom Town feel to the hard times, retired members of the mafia moved into town. When the mafia started to concentrate back into Boom Town, only the non-involved family members remained. With increased protection from the growth of P-Town to the south and a mix of culture and money from Mid City and Newberg to the west, Stansbury became surprisingly secure and stable, its residents living surprisingly relaxedly, even after Zero Day.

• Spirelli's Restaurant: Once a feared name in the Stansbury area, much of the muscle of the Spirelli crime family have either died or have went to work for the Bianchi family of Boom Town. This allowed the more benign members to pursue more legitimate business, including this Michelin three-star Italian eatery.

Uptown

While the rich politicians and businessmen live in Marsden Heights, the rich celebrities and socialites make their home in Uptown. Known for its beautiful houses reminiscent of the Old City's former glory and its fantastic waterfront facing the Fisherman's Wharf, Uptown is certainly a place one can get lost in while looking for the occasional autograph or party.

• Hamilton's: A high class hotel located on water from property in Uptown. Extremely expensive and caters to non-supers exclusively. Ever since the owner's little boy was assaulted by supers, he has had a vendetta against them and their powers. Little is known how the hotel stays open since it rarely has visitors.

• Idle Hands Spa: Located in Uptown Hyperion, Idle Hands is an extravagant massage parlor that caters to the elite and powerful people of Hyperion. Owned by the Mafia. Many illegal things go on in the backrooms.

West Town

Built during the city's boom times which brought Downtown, the Red Tape Shore, and Esnault Row, West Town was an attempt to bring folks other than wealthy and powerful to this part of the city. With enforced mixed-income housing and a continuous police presence for safety, it seemed like the project would have worked. However with further growth and economic hardship, West Town became an inner-city nightmare. With the growth of the St. Clanahan neighborhood and the megachurch's efforts to quell the city though, it may be possible to bring it back from the brink.

• Deckard Avenue: Once promised to be the model for mixed-income housing, the projects on "the Deck" have not at all met that promise. Nowadays, it is a thoroughfare locked in the throes of war, echoing with persistent gunfire. Normal cops and supers alike have trouble conquering the crime here.

Undisclosed Locations

• Dr. Smile's Discount Dentistry: Many a homeless man or low income family owe doctor smiles a debt of gratitude thanks to his low, and in fact, sometimes free dental work. This is because doctor smiles is not a dentist, he's a surgeon and in his basement he'll patch up anyone for the right price. God help you if you have a bounty on your head.

• Mama Bell's: Mama Bell's looks like yet another blue collar bar. On the surface, yeah it is. Go into the basement how ever and you will find Junior, Junior is eight feet tall, weighs six hundred pounds and takes crap from no one. He's there because Mama Bell operates the only clinic for vigilante heroes in the city. If you're injured Mama can fix you, provided you're willing to owe, and do her a favor