This is information on a game that I will run at Midwinter Gaming Convention. Click the link for info on when/where/how to register.

If you will be playing in one of the sessions and want to call dibs on one of the player characters that are listed below, you may do so by posting a comment. Include your name, which session you will be in, and which character you want. This is first come, first served, although if you don't show up for the session on time or close to it I might assume you aren't coming and give your character to someone else.

The Basics

You've been accepted as junior members of Bulwark, the area's premier superhero group. It looks like there's a crisis in the making, but oddly, the senior members of the group don't seem very interested in investigating.

This game will use Hero System Sixth Edition rules. All characters will be provided. Bring a pencil and some six-sided dice.

History of the Game World

Just after the start of the twenty-first century, an obscure health food company introduced a new health treatment named phrenaline, consisting of mild electrical stimulation along with bio-supplements, which purported to increase brain power and energy levels. This was widely dismissed as a scam until it was discovered that some phrenaline users developed super-powers.

At first there was uncertainty over whether phrenaline should be regulated or even illegal, as studies showed that excessive use could lead to side effects including violent mood swings and paranoia. Then a white supremacist attacked President Obama with a fire blast, nearly killing him and forcing him to step down for health reasons. Congress and the new Biden administration responded by making phrenaline use illegal except by authorized federal agents. A new agency, the Bulwark, was commissioned to deal with powered criminals. Any persons exhibiting powers were presumed to have gotten them from phrenaline arrested and imprisoned. One scientific theory that someone could gain powers without any treatment, which became known as STAR (Spontaneous Transformational Aphrenalinic Metamorphosis) was dismissed out of hand.

It was not until several years later that it became clear that the STAR theory was in fact correct. This revelation came from a number of sources, but most definitively from Rodney Fleszewski. The son of a technology mogul, Rodney had exhibited electrical powers. His father insisted that Rodney had never used phrenaline, and that he was willing to fight the case in court with an army of expensive lawyers. The Biden administration reversed its previous position, declaring that evidence of phrenaline use was necessary to convict someone, and that those who may have been wrongly convicted would have their cases reviewed.

The Player Characters

  • Starman: Arrested as a presumed phrenaline user, he refused to agree to a plea deal and went to prison until released a year later. His gravity-based powers create a mental force which can either increase his own strength or affect objects remotely (telekinesis).
  • Dynamo: He is capable of absorbing and channeling large amounts of energy. But is doing this having an effect on his personal health? He doesn't want to talk about it.
  • Dreamer: Able to manipulate perceptions to make people see what she wants them to see, she enjoys matching her wits against adversaries.
  • Madonna: This single mom has the ability to create powerful psychic manifestations based on the energies of certain specific emotions.
  • Whiz Kid: A tech prodigy who built himself a multi-function gun and force-field belt.
  • Suicide: One of a pair of daredevil sisters famous for attempting increasingly dangerous public stunts, she has agility and stamina well beyond the norm.
  • Nancy Duncan: This star investigative reporter has exposed many a secret, but she has secrets of her own.


Current Bulwark members

  • Powerhouse: The leader of the group since its inception. He originally was able to absorb kinetic energy and channel it into his physical strength; this power went away after he stopped phrenaline treatments, so he doesn't do field work any longer but still serves as Bulwark's administrative head. He is known as a no-nonsense leader who gets things done.
  • Dark Avenger: A businessman who got mugged after which he decided to become a crimefighter. His only actual power seems to be to influence a target's emotions, but he is a highly skilled martial artist.
  • Starlight: The only member whose real name has never been revealed, she developed powers early on and fought crime secretly until she could legally announce herself. She is able to store and manipulate light and other electromagnetic energy.
  • Flash: This wealthy son of a tech mogul has electrical powers and has been a useful addition to the group despite that he would clearly rather be partying.


Former members

  • Mento: Had telepathic powers which went away after all Bulwark members stopped phrenaline treatments. He is now a businessman but serves as an unofficial consultant to the group.
  • Patriot: This red, white, and blue clad hero had super-strength and stamina, but likewise lost those powers. After going into quiet retirement for a time, he surprised everyone by declaring himself a candidate for president in 2020, running on a platform of legalizing phrenaline.