Masks: Capers! Everybody Wants 2 Rule The World

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A game of teenage superheroes using Magpie Games' Masks: a New Generation, and the Capers! hack for teenage super villains originally shared by Something Awful poster Tricky Dick Nixon. Thank you, Mr. President, for your services to the RPG industry.

MC is DannyK


Get into the car

We'll be the passenger

We'll ride through the city tonight

We'll see the city's ripped backsides

We'll see the bright and hollow sky

We'll see the stars that shine so bright

The sky was made for us tonight

—Iggy Pop, The Passenger


Index

Issue 1 "Welcome To Your Life" -- Posts 1-??

The Team


Team Backstory

  • From Mirrormask

Turns out one of those rent-a-cops was some mall-ninja, spec-ops-wannabe who runs one of the right-wing prepper channels on YT. In the middle of the media frenzy he made a video about the "terror the average citizen feels now that such violence is on the streets" and what kind of concealed weapons people should carry to protect themselves. Including mannequins made up as bad versions of, well, us! With name tags and everything!

Apparently the guy makes a couple grand a month on this videos. Maybe I should quit my job and just release frenzied rants on social media and charge people per keyword.

  • From Basher

A lot of medicine got destroyed in the Pharmageddon incident, and some of that expensive medicine came from Arcadia Pharmaceuticals. So now the head of Arcadia Pharmaceuticals, Lucas Hartwell, hates us. I know you're probably thinking "But didn't TACOS pin the blame on some of the most powerful supervillains in the entire city? So how would Mr. Hartwell know you were the real culprits?" Somehow, Hartwell found out that we were the ones who hit that pharmaceutical distribution center.

There's a rumor going around that this guy is offering a big money reward for finding us and bringing us in dead or alive.

  • From Gloom

We stuck around together because, in the wake of the Halcyon City Pharmapocalypse Pharmageddon (as the media still refers to it, when it comes up) the city's supers banded together to hunt down the guilty parties... that is, us. Lacking the connections and resources to actually give ourselves an airtight hideout (because someone would've given us up, eventually), we decided to get the hell out of Dodge. While every hero with any healing ability was busy aiding those left without insulin and blood pressure medicine (and getting the best coverage ever), we managed to get trapped in the baggage trasnport system of the airport all night long while all flights were grounded and a manhunt swept the place.

By the night's end, they still hadn't caught us when two things had happened.

The first was that a small time band of aging nobodies called TACOS (Team Against Coddling Of Supervillains)—burned-out superheroes who'd given up in rage at a system that lets super-villains live, despite their high recidivism rate, and who had decided the best thing they could do was to push things—decided to take credit for the Pharmapocalypse Pharmageddon and pin it on a handful of the city's most powerful supervillains. When the authorities showed up to take those supervillains into custody, TACOS boiled out of the background, heavily disguised, and attacked. Mr. Meta, one of the city's most powerful heroes, was instantly killed, and TACOS themselves were also slain in the ensuring battle. (Some of the details of their plan, and the general shape of it, were uncovered from hard drives and message accounts later on. They were universally decried across the city, but quietly, a few heroes in the city decided killing bad guys might not be such a horrible thing after all... for the "right" bad guy.)

The second thing was that somehow, sitting on a baggage carousel in a dark room under the airport, we realized we had more in common than we'd imagined. We'd all been wronged, we all just wanted things to be set right. We all had the stomach to do what we'd never seen "heroes" do.

One of us—nobody can remember who—suggested we set up accounts on that new, privacy-guaranteed, "unhackable" social network app that'd been in the news lately. A phone started ringing in someone's luggage, and we took that as a sign that it was a good idea, so we got the phone, signed up one by one in turn, and then smashed the phone into a million pieces.

A week later, once things had calmed down, we were joking about how we needed to find more old burnout guys to pin our next mission on, and plotting our next move.

  • From Mockingbird

Okay, so before you get mad at me, you have to understand...I didn't realize that the girl I'd been seeing was Lucas Hartwell's daughter. It hadn't really come up!

Anyways, the night of the job was supposed to be our 1-month anniversary, but then...well, the job came up and I really needed the scratch, right? Figured it'd be a quick job, in and out, back home in time for a late dinner and with a special gift in hand for her. All good, right?

Well, then the job went south, I was stuck hiding in a baggage terminal for the evening, and when the dust finally settled, I had a very pissed girlfriend to deal with. And so...maybe in my attempts to get back on her good side, I might have let slip a couple of details that might have put me at the scene of Pharmageddon.

I swear I didn't say a lot, but it turns out that Libby is much smarter than I gave her credit for...and I don't doubt that she'll put together the pieces.

So yeah. Uh...my bad?

  • From Spark

During our first caper, we were raiding a pharmaceutical distribution center. It should have been easy. Steal the insulin and antibiotics to distribute to people that need it. Steal the little blue date pills and some other happy pills to sell on the black market so the team gets paid. There were just two rent-a-cops. But then some lousy hero showed up and next thing you know the place is on fire and the entire city's supply of like ten vital medications are up in smoke.

  • From Want-Star

Civilians

Mrs. Sampson Basher's mom. Scared of what he has become.

Mr. Lentil Spark's dad, has been in prison for a while now. No powers.

Lucas Hartwell Arcadia Pharmaceuticals CEO, billionaire, very angry at the PCs.

Libby Hartwell Spark's gf who suspects the truth about who she is.

The Strong Arm of the Law

AEGIS The mostly-human agency that deals with alien warlords, immortal crime lords, etc. Try to stay off their radar.

The Paragons Halcyon City's foremost heroes, these guys didn't become household names by helping old ladies across the street, they're all tough as hell even if they seem nice on TV.

  • Mr. Meta (deceased) Mighty Silver Age hero, taken out by the TACOS in ambush. There have been unconfirmed Meta sightings ever since.
  • Mid-Knight Brutal protector of the little people of Oak Heights, has a lot of neat toys. Controversial Bronze Age hero.


The Akashic Army A lineage of super-powered world protectors, connected and supported by the Akashic Network, and led by Gloom's dad.

  • Alex (hero name unknown) Gloom's younger brother, inheritor of the Akashic lineage. Modern hero.
  • Sunbright Gloom's heroic alter ego. He thinks Gloom is the alter ego.

Golden Karos A space godling of some sort, maybe Mournlight's sibling? Really doesn't like Want-Star. Silver Age sort-of-hero.

Sidekicks and Minor Threats

Junior Paragons Halcyon Cities' leading young heroes. Some get promoted to the regular Paragons, a few make a heel turn and become villains, and there's a respectable mortality rate.

  • Golden Gideon Mirrormask's big brother, a probationary member of the Junior Paragons. Modern hero.
  • Spellmere a witchy girl who was linked with Gideon for a while, another Junior Paragon. Modern hero.

Son_Of_Colt Gun nut vigilante and sworn enemies of the PCs... former mall cop. Real name is Dwight. Makes a lot of YouTube videos, notable conspiracy theorist.

Glockmaester Gun nut vigilante and YouTube personality, hates Son_of_Colt with a passion.

Allies?

Teegan Queen The crime lord that runs most of neighborhoods down around the docks and warehouses. Mockingbird crashes at her lair. Silver Age villain.

Mad Magpie Avian alien resident in Halcyon City, runs a grey market shop for alien knickknacks and contraband. Friends with Mirrormask.

Other Villains

Crackerjack A cocky mercenary type with a sweet ride that Mirrormask is intimately familiar with from her day job as a valet. Bronze Age villain.

The Data Dancer has been cyber-stalking Mockingbird. Nothing is known about them.

TACOS (Deceased) Retired heroes turned vigilantes -- they didn't achieve much, but there have jokes and rumors about a "TACOS Nuevos" lately.

Criminal Organizations

The Cult of Mournlight The damaged and broken people who serve the Darkest Star, the Emperor of Emptiness, the Ruinous Giant of Shadereach on Earth.

La telaraña, AKA The Spiderweb, AKA La Tela, AKA the Spiders, AKA Los Bichos They rule Halcyon with a combination of bribes, superb intelligence, and extreme violence

  • Sebastian Ibanez, AKA the Spider Leader of the Spiderweb. No obvious powers, but...?

Locations

Lucky Roll Casino Where Sofia/Mirrormask works in her downtime

Oaktree Heights Where Spark grew up, area with high unemployment and crime.

Flying Freedom International Airport Halcyon City's main airport, where the PCs hid out with a lot of baggage after their first caper.

Doc Zeppelin 's Den of Iniquity A Villain-themed restaurant in Halcyon City where retired villains mingle with tourists and the waitstaff are dressed like minions. Named after Halcyon City's first supervillain. Most villains find the place vaguely embarassing.

Stats Reference

Mirrormask the Hood

Influenced By:

Curses: ooo

Labels: Danger: Freak: Trouble: Superior: Menace:

Conditions:

O Afraid; (-2 to Directly Engage or to Cow or Rebuke)

O Angry; (-2 to Abscond or Pierce the Mask)

O Doubting; (-2 to Unleash Your Powers or Exploit Weakness)

O Insecure; (-2 to Provoke Someone or Reject Other's Influence)

O Paranoid; (-2 to Distract Someone or Assess the Situation)

Basher the Monster

Influenced By:

Curses: ooo

Labels: Danger: Freak: Trouble: Superior: Menace:

Conditions:

O Afraid; (-2 to Directly Engage or to Cow or Rebuke)

O Angry; (-2 to Abscond or Pierce the Mask)

O Doubting; (-2 to Unleash Your Powers or Exploit Weakness)

O Insecure; (-2 to Provoke Someone or Reject Other's Influence)

O Paranoid; (-2 to Distract Someone or Assess the Situation)

Gloom the Scion

Influenced By:

Curses: ooo

Labels: Danger: Freak: Trouble: Superior: Menace:

Conditions:

O Afraid; (-2 to Directly Engage or to Cow or Rebuke)

O Angry; (-2 to Abscond or Pierce the Mask)

O Doubting; (-2 to Unleash Your Powers or Exploit Weakness)

O Insecure; (-2 to Provoke Someone or Reject Other's Influence)

O Paranoid; (-2 to Distract Someone or Assess the Situation)

Mockingbird the Rogue

Influenced By:

Curses: ooo

Labels: Danger: -1 Freak: 1 Trouble: 1 Superior: 0 Menace: 2

Conditions:

O Afraid; (-2 to Directly Engage or to Cow or Rebuke)

O Angry; (-2 to Abscond or Pierce the Mask)

O Doubting; (-2 to Unleash Your Powers or Exploit Weakness)

O Insecure; (-2 to Provoke Someone or Reject Other's Influence)

O Paranoid; (-2 to Distract Someone or Assess the Situation)

Spark the Radical

Influenced By:

Curses: ooo

Labels: Danger: Freak: Trouble: Superior: Menace:

Conditions:

O Afraid; (-2 to Directly Engage or to Cow or Rebuke)

O Angry; (-2 to Abscond or Pierce the Mask)

O Doubting; (-2 to Unleash Your Powers or Exploit Weakness)

O Insecure; (-2 to Provoke Someone or Reject Other's Influence)

O Paranoid; (-2 to Distract Someone or Assess the Situation)

Want-Star the Hellion

Influenced By:

Curses: ooo

Labels: Danger: Freak: Trouble: Superior: Menace:

Conditions:

O Afraid; (-2 to Directly Engage or to Cow or Rebuke)

O Angry; (-2 to Abscond or Pierce the Mask)

O Doubting; (-2 to Unleash Your Powers or Exploit Weakness)

O Insecure; (-2 to Provoke Someone or Reject Other's Influence)

O Paranoid; (-2 to Distract Someone or Assess the Situation)

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