Not sure if this has been addressed before, but...

What about the socio-legal stuff that happens in your universe?

1) What are powered beings called?  I've seen "super-heroes", "meta-humans" and maybe one or two others.  I call them "paranormals" because this includes all living beings (not just humans).

2) Do your paranormals require registration?  What are the general rules you have for paranormals that wish to operate as vigilantes?

3) Do you use jurisdiction with vigilantism?  County, state, federal?  International?  If you *do* use any kind of jurisdiction, what are the general rules for this?  Especially international.

4) How does the general public view paranormals?  Do your players simply stop by McD's when they get hungry?  Or are they viewed as a "menace"?

5) The Marvel universe considers a vigilante uniform to be equal to military dress during formal occasions (Avengers #332).  Just thought I'd throw this out.

6) What percentage of the population are paranormals?  This is getting pretty in depth, here, so I don't really expect much of an answer for this one.

also, there was a non-system-specific article called "one in a million" in Dragon circa 1985 about using population figures to judge superhuman density per capita. came w quite advanced plot seeds esp for 85

the other yahoo v&v group has a lot of em. but i will try to figure out what dragon issue it was in. I wanna say it was in one of the issues where Marvel-Phile was writing up either Omega Flight or the assorted AF villains (deadly earnest, scramble, etc)

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


Many names, most often "Paranormals", though on occasion superheroes or other names.

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


Yes, registration is required, at least in the U.S.  New supers are required to attend classes and learn the basics of being a first responder (things like First Aid, crowd control, etc.) and must be licensed to practice in the country.  This is overseen by MEDUSA, which is a division of the Department of Justice (just like the F.B.I.).

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


Yes, we've dealth with jurisdictional issues.  C.H.E.S.S. is the organization (for us) that deals with international matters, and superheroes in the U.S. report under MEDUSA (as above).  They are subject to federal regulations, just like an F.B.I. agent would be.

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


Generally they're seen as a good thing, though there are always exceptions.  Different characters might go to a McDonalds in costume/uniform; others might not.

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


We don't quite go that far, though a hero's costume/uniform is required to be distinctive and unique.

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


I've usually figured about a one per million ratio (since that Dragon magazine article, which I have if anyone needs it!) 

I'm not sure of the issue.  I'll take a look when I get home, but all I have is the article (cut from the magazine).  They usually show at the bottom, though.

Glad you like them.  Thanks! 

I can't figure out why, but that article no longer seems to be in my stack of "other, superhero related" articles!  I've got half a dozen, but that one is missing (and I can't figure out which it belongs in with a Google search).

Here's some interesting discussions on the matter I found when Googling it:

http://legendspbem.angelfire.com/beingsuperhuman.html

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?268896-Superhero-Idea-One-in-a-Million/page5

The "One in a Million" article is in Dragon #107.  There's another article entitled "The Crusading Life" in the same issue.  This article discusses what happens to players between adventures.  Looks pretty good.

Now all I need is the White Wolf issue.

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CHESS  breaks it down like this.  If you were born a normal person and got powers later on then you are a metahuman.  If you were born with powers ( mutant, hybrid) or are a non human ( alien, god, what have you) then you are a paranormal.  If you are magical  ( magician, vampire, ghost) then you are a supernatural.


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If you have powers and you don't work for CHESS you are a villain.

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See above.

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   They are super rockstars.  People dress like them,  people want to be them.

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CHESS has a smiliar view, plus they  think it has the psychological effect of making the metahuman less threatening to the public, and the its also easier to market them for profit.

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  CHESS would like to know this as well.

that relates to 5. wearing a colorful costume makes a guy who can dismember you with his toes seem less dangerous (and easier to make action figures of)

Bronze Age like '70s Marvel Comics, superheroes are called superheroes and may be reviled or admired depending on the character and the situation. Some superheroes get a lot of leeway with the authorities if they're known and trusted, others are wanted at least for questioning. See various issues of Spidey, pre-Miller Daredevil, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man from that era and you'll have a good feeling for my preferred setting.

Soul Blade sounds awesome. Iron Saint could be a teevee series, maybe he can befriend a troubled youth.

soul blade was his name, the sword was called something even soulbladey-er. I think it was Nekekami or something suitably generic. Iron Saint had a variety of Hulk-style sidekicks who rotated lol. some died hard. both were lotsa fun

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


Common names are Meta-beings, Meta-humans, Metas, Superheroes, Capes, and Masks.

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Yes they have to acquire a Superhero License from the DSA (Department of Superhero affairs). Registration requirements depend on whether the Superhero has a licensed Superhero as sponsor or a recognized Superhero trainer organization.

To operate as a vigilante means the Meta does not receive any of the protections that a licensed Superhero. Superheroes have protections similar to Good Samaritan laws provide to first responders.

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Yes, DSA is responsible for Superhero jurisdiction and their compliance with their rules and regs.  CHESS is responsible for Meta population compliance with the laws of the USA. Super Forces and MEDUSA are responsible for Metas which operate internationally as agents of foreign countries or foreign independent organizations.

Super Forces is an overt military force with works with U.S. Armed Forces

MEDUSA is the covert military force for dealing with International Metas. Think of the CIA if they were part of the U.S. Armed Forces

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Licensed Superheroes are celebrities with TV shows, Cable News Channels, Websites and Twitter accounts reporting on their activites.

Metas are viewed as menaces which can be infamous celebrities like gangsters enjoy

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There are no consistent view on them. One PC had to adopt one to help promote his image as benefit to society that most Licensed Superheroes are viewed as.

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Somewhere less than 5% of the population, but they tend to populate together so where they are found it is 10 to 20% range and there are areas without any at all.

Display Name wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 11:50pm:


1. "superhumans" is the generic term that encompasses everyone with powers.

2. There is no registration requirement.

3. Not sure if I'm understanding the question. My group does not work officially for the government so there is no predetermined jurisdiction in terms of which areas they can protect. If someone were to commit a crime, they'd be arrested and tried following whatever rules applied to anyone else, I suppose.

4. People who AREN'T superheroes go into McDonald's in costumes ... so it wouldn't matter if a hero did.

5. My group does not officially work for the government so their costumes do not equate to formalwear. But if their superpowered self was invited to a formal event, they'd wear their costume ... not because it's formal but because their costume is their disguise.

6. We say that people with superpowers are "one in a million." But there might be some posers out there!

Heston wrote on Jun 2^nd, 2012 at 5:25am:


Sounds like we enjoy a similar flavor of superhero game.

My VnV world fits more into a modern fantasy genre than strictly superhero I think. I'm not sure how unique that is with you guys, but if my answers seem different than normal that's probably why.


1) What are powered beings called?  If there had to be a blanket term for all beings above normal human ability it would probably be 'Supernaturals' maybe like 'Supes' for short. Paranormals would also probably fit. While many are heroic, they rarely fit the bill of Superheroes, most people would probably call them vigilantes.

2) Do your paranormals require registration?  What are the general rules you have for paranormals that wish to operate as vigilantes? There's a government institution called ESPER that tries to deal with all things paranormal like magic, extraterrestrials, or super-science. They often recruit various Supernaturals to work for them temporarily or permanent. Though they keep a rough form of registration it's far from accurate and it's very difficult for them to keep track of everything. There are plenty of heroic supernatural vigilantes who operate outside the government (like the players for instance).

3) Do you use jurisdiction with vigilantism?  County, state, federal?  International?  If you *do* use any kind of jurisdiction, what are the general rules for this?  Especially international. Since most vigilantes operate outside the law there is no clear cut rules on jurisdiction. Some might consider cities or regions their turf (similar to a street gang). ESPER probably has international ties, though to be honest I haven't thought much about it. The players have yet to leave America accept to visit other dimensions.

4) How does the general public view paranormals?  Do your players simply stop by McD's when they get hungry?  Or are they viewed as a "menace"? The existence of magic and all supernatural activity is rarely acknowledged by the general public. Even if most ordinary people see a paranormal in action they do their best to ignore it or soon forget. Roughly 20 percent (this is a rough estimate) of Earth's population know and accept magic's general existence, but most of these people are further divided into their own groups like different types of wizards, vampires, were-whatevers, etc. so there's no sense of solidarity and at best these groups become a kind of counter-culture. Each of the players can pass for human and they actually have stopped at a diner for a quick rest.

5) The Marvel universe considers a vigilante uniform to be equal to military dress during formal occasions (Avengers #332).  Just thought I'd throw this out. Most don't have a uniform or costume. I didn't let my players start with one. They have the option to try and find some or make them but they'd rather keep there actions somewhat in the shadows and not attract the attention that a lot of superheros do. There actions aren't always noble and though they can act heroic, overall they're probably morally grey.

6) What percentage of the population are paranormals?  This is getting pretty in depth, here, so I don't really expect much of an answer for this one. I guess I already answered this one with 20 percent, but really I'm not too interested in specifics. Really there's as much as I need for the plot of a given adventure and my players are fine with it.

I will say that more of Earth is starting to take notice of magic and the dark things that lurk at the corners of their vision. Paranormal activity is becoming more prevalent, magic more powerful (as it was in the old days), and recently the players fought off an enormous extra-dimensional entity that destroyed a lot of New York City. It's getting harder for the general public to turn the other way, ignore what's happening around them, and bury their heads in their mundane little lives.

I'd love to share more of my world. I'll try and do a post to give an overall sense of what it's like sometime.

I thought about doing play-by-play posts of the game but never really got around to it I suppose.

I do have a blog http://dnduniversity.blogspot.com/ (though i haven't been too consistent with updating it either). Not everything I post there is strictly related with my VnV game but it's all rpg material I've worked on.

The game's on a bit of a hiatus. Our group is all college students and were stranded for the summer, but hopefully I can post more info about while I wait.

I've been itching to play, but since I can't do that this might help.

Fantasy Games Unlimited has their own website.  The V&V products are listed here:
http://www.fantasygamesunlimited.net/category/Villains-and-Vigilantes-8

FGU also has some free downloads:
http://www.fantasygamesunlimited.net/page7.html

Be sure to check out the ENTIRE page on the free stuff so that you don't miss any.

Monkey House Games is owned by Jeff Dee & Jack Herman:
http://monkeyhousegames.com/

They have their own forum on that website, too.  They also offer some free downloads on that website:
http://monkeyhousegames.com/?page_id=268

MHG has their own products as well:
http://monkeyhousegames.com/?page_id=69

And finally, if you remember the magazine articles that were published about V&V, you'll probably be delighted to check out the link at the bottom of my post!