This game is set a few centuries after the Star Force game. You are members of the Galactic Guardians, humanity’s most respected group of superheroes. You will travel to various planets, fighting powerful super-criminals and dealing with other threats.

History: (See the history for the Star Force game. This history picks up where that one left off.)

The Federation eventually persuaded all of the known human planets to join up. Government mismanagement left Star Force without enough funding to be effective, and the agency was eventually dissolved. At the same time, new technologies were developed, including cloning of replacement body parts. Superhumans became more numerous and more powerful. Time passed, and life for federation citizens improved steadily, with the average citizen (at least in the inner worlds) gaining more free time. Many super-humans continued to help people and/or fight crime in their spare time. However, there was no major organized group of super-heroes until the Galactic Guardians.

In the year 452 (Federation Calendar), the Kapteyn star system, whose leaders had been under the influence of the supervillainess Morphia, announced their intent to secede from the Federation. The President at the time, President Newfield, gathered a group of five heroes (Speed King, Powerhouse, Angel, Challenger, and Flash), and asked them to capture Morphia so that he might then be able to work out a diplomatic solution. He envisioned this as the start of a super-normal branch of the government's law enforcement branch, the Galactic Guardian Agency. The newly-appointed GGs went to Kapteyn, and soon located Morphia, in a satellite inside a strange area of space distortion. Powerhouse and Speed King confronted her, and she was accidentally killed by one of her henchmen.

The GGs got a surprise as they left the satellite’s time distortion field. They found that several months had passed outside, while only hours had passed for them. During this time, the President's diplomatic efforts had failed; a new challenger had won an election against Newfield, campaigning that Newfield had not been tough enough to handle the situation. President Lippert greatly increased spending on the government's military forces, and sent the military in to force the governments of Kapteyn to give up their idea of secession.

The Galactic Guardians decided they wanted to remain together as a group. The idea of being under either governmental or corporate control did not agree with them. So they became a private law-enforcement agency under license from the government, but not directly associated with them.

As time went on, the GGs built up a reputation of competence and reliability. They became very popular with the public, and have remained so even though their membership roster has changed several times.

Character Types: Characters must be types who would want to join the GGs and be acceptable candidates for membership, e.g. no psychotic killers allowed. The most common type of origin will be some sort of result of technology; powers through devices, or due to mutation, scientific accident, etc. Psionics are also common (among supers, anyway). Magic exists, but it is far less common than any of other type of powers. Those very few who learn the secrets of sorcery can become quite powerful and dangerous.

Campaign Tone: Same as the present-day superhero campaign.

Literature Equivalent: DC Comics’ Legion of Super-Heroes is somewhat similar. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy might be too, although I don’t know this series too well.

Specifics

  • Starting Points: 150
  • Maximum Disadvantage Points: 225, 75 max from any single category.
  • Automatic Normal Characteristic Maxima: No.
  • Can carry normal items for free: No (within reason).
  • Hit Locations: No.
  • Knockback or Knockdown: Knockback.
  • Long-term Endurance: No.
  • Pushing: As described in house rule.
  • Combat Value: 8-11 for beginning characters, maximum 14.
  • SPD: 4-6 for beginning characters, maximum 7.
  • Attack Powers: 50-60 active points for beginning characters, maximum 75 active points.
  • Defenses: 20-30 for beginning characters, maximum 40.
  • CON: 15-35 for beginning characters, no maximum.


Languages: As in Star Force game. Note that by this time almost everyone speaks Standard.

New Perks: Membership in the Galactic Guardians is a perk. The cost depends on your level of membership:

  • Junior (probationary) Member: 0 Points.
  • Regular Member: 5 Points.
  • Senior Member: 10 points.


Membership in the GGs gives you access to the group’s resources, which include their base, vehicles, and support staff (these points all go to pay for that stuff). To buy a particular level of membership, you must be accepted by a majority vote of the current members. The higher your membership, the greater authority you have within the group, and the greater your priority for use of group resources.

Money: The money point system is used. No character should have money disads, since the GGs pay an adequate salary.

Powers: No particular restrictions or recommendations. All special effects are available. Characters can buy FTL movement, at a maximum of 40 points (4 LY/Hour). FTL should not be put in Power Frameworks.

Disadvantages: Most characters will have Public ID, some sort of Reputation, and be Watched by Media (More Pow, NCI, mild, 11--) for 10 points. Secret IDs would be very hard to maintain in a world of future tech, and being in the GGs wouldn’t leave you much time for it anyway. All GGs are Hunted by an organization called FEAR, similar to Viper from the official Champions universe. This is (More Pow, 8--) a 15 point disad. Junior members might also take Watched by GGs regular members (More Pow, mild, 14--) for 10 points. They can buy this into something else when they are accepted to regular membership, perhaps a Watched by Federation Government (More Pow, NCI, 8--) = 10 points. The Hunted by Villain Group of the Week disad from the present day superhero campaign is also appropriate here. I also recommend several Psychological Limitations according to your character’s personality, and at least one Vulnerability. If you are going to try for the full 225 in disads, you’ll need all the help you can get.