From: mfterman@dae.Princeton.EDU (Mutant for Hire)
Subject: Re: champ: What if...
Reply-To: mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Mutant for Hire)
Organization: Mutant for Hire, Inc.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 02:22:09 GMT

In article <Bu8A5z.F45@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v076jy2p@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Cosmo Of The Cosmos) writes:
>Setting:
>	Normal world, today.
>What's going on:
>	Normal people are waking up with funky new superpowers.
>(ie. The PCs)  Why?  I'd post that except some of people who might
>play might read this and find out.  Besides, it's not important.
>Question:
>	How would the world react to finding out that it had real,
>live superheroes?  Please try to keep your replies semi-serious,
>as this will be a semi-serious campain with a touch of black humor.
>However, if your idea is either way funny or way dark, feel free to
>post anyways.  All sugestions are welcome.

A lot depends on the number of paranormal beings and their general
power level. Keeping the number of paranormals in the two or three
digit range, and you can do simple perturbations of existing society.
If the number of paranormals starts becoming statistically
significant, then you're going to start seeing serious changes in the
way society behaves.

Also the power level makes a big deal of difference. Wild Cards
universe has fairly low power levels, Aces have some advantages, but
most of them can be brought down by normal people armed with
conventional weapondry such as guns and so forth. That has less of an
impact, as long as paranoramals are seen as dealable by common
people, there will be less fear. The government is going to try to
exploit all the useful powers they can on these people. The government
usually has the upper hand in applying pressure and knows it too.

The next rung has some of the seriously powerful people on teams like
the X-Men or Avengers  as examples. These people need the Army with
serious military weapondry to bring in. At that level, people are
going to start to be seriously worried. If people are uneasy about
lower power people, these people will be viewed like walking dynamite.
The government is going to tightly monitor these people, try to
control them and recruit them if possible. There'll be a serious
tension as these people are just about powerful enough to break loose
and function on their own. These people can start religions with
themselves as prophets with great powers.

Upper level deals with the Superman/Miracleman level of beings. These
are the people who are pretty much invulnerable to anything short of
nuclear weapons, or can beat a nuke too. The government doesn't stand
a chance of stopping these people, at this point is bribery and
whatever manipulation they can try. Religions can start forming about
these people as gods, and there's good reason for that too.
Incidentally, you only need a few beings at this level to serious warp
the future development of the world. Look at the comic book Miracleman
to see a possible case.

In any case, paranormals represent a new source of opportunity and
danger for established sources of power. If the power can be
controlled, they will do so. If not, they'll try to destroy it.
Especially for the really really powerful paranormals. Paranormals
will be heavily recruited by government and crime. No paranormal is
going to hold up banks unless they have a real lack of imagination and
too many comic books. Bricks would become enforcers in conventional
crime circuts, martial artists would become assassins, telepaths would
go blackmail happy and so on. The government would recruit them
similarly they would just be doing it on the side of Law and Order.

If paranormal powers can't be detected, there are tremendous
advantages to using paranormals. For example, a paranormal who can
fire plasma bolts out of her hands can beat any x-ray detector or body
search possible. Murder weapon? Where? Clairvoyants would be so
valuable in gathering intelligence they could be set for life just
searching through walls and locked doors.

Additionally, telepathy is the real kicker. Most powers have some sort
of mechanical analogue. Clairvoyance is just a fancy version of
binoculars or x-ray machines. Telekinesis just moves stuff, like a
forklift. Lasers and other blasting bolts we can pretty much
duplicate. Force fields are just a fancier form of armor. Telepathy
isn't something that can be duplicated at all, and would really freak
people out. Even more than the other powers, which can just be seen as
nicer versions of current technology.

Telepathy would seriously install a fear of paranormals of any sort.
I'm working on a world like you describe, and I've decided to allow a
telepathic jammer mechanically designed just so I can keep the panic
level down. Government released the blueprints for it and every
sensitive government official and major businessman is getting one
installed in the office. Expensive and portable only for planes,
trains and large trucks, keeps the telepaths marginally useful. Keeps
the mind controllers from just walking into the White House and taking
over. Unless that's the sort of campaign you want to run.

So my view? First skepticism. When the government finds out, the
Executive is going to leap into action. Form a special task force.
Recruit every paranormal they can get, by bribery or fear, keep them
under control. Make sure that rogue paranormals are neutralized as
threats. Work on countermeasures to paranormal powers. Work on
detectors as well, as well as ways to generate the powers. Especially
to install powers in deserving people, such as powerful government
officials. Pass laws forbidding paranormal powers without government
sanction. Yes, I'm being paranoid about this but then I read too much
about these things.

The general population will go through waves of envy, desire, fear and
fashion. Some people will love them, some will hate them. Most people
will be very wary of them. If some of these paranormals are smart,
they can make a fortune in the media, so long as they keep squeaky
clean. Religions will love them or hate them. The ones that stay
neutral are going to lose the spotlight.

See how fun it gets? And I haven't even mentioned the possibility of
alien contact. Also the above also assumes that powers aren't given in
some controlled (by human means anyway) method, but arise in some
random or unknown fashion....

-- 
    Martin Terman, Mutant for Hire, Mad Scientist, Priest of Shub-Internet
    Disclaimer: Nobody else takes me seriously, why should you be the first?
mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu mfterman@pucc.bitnet terman@pupgga.princeton.edu
"Sig quotes are like bumper stickers, only without the same sense of relevance"
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