Hello there, and welcome to The Boys: Secret Wars, the first ever role-playing game on this forum to take place in the widely-acclaimed universe of The Boys - specifically, that of the TV series on Amazon Prime. The playstyle of this RP has been largely inspired by the uber-popular True Sith Trials (and many of the details of this very opening post are taken from the opening post of TST, as I could often not say many of the game's details quite as well as @Darth Dreadwar.)
Rules & Guidelines
- OOC Chatter - This thread is dedicated to the IC posts of our players, and as such, OOC chatter must be reserved for private messages or small notes at the end of a post, indicated by parentheses or brackets.
- Godmoding & Autohits - This game is meant to be far more narrative based than anything else. Since this is the case, all forms of godmoding (such as being unreasonably powerful, trying to wrest control over the environment from the GM, taking possession of another person's character, etc.) and autohitting (writing attacks as if they've landed rather than as if they were attempted without GM approval) are strictly prohibited.
- Metagaming - The use of out-of-character knowledge as a means of influencing in-character knowledge and/or events is strictly prohibited.
- Powergaming - As said before, the goal of this game is to write a compelling story. This is not a power fantasy. Established characters like Homelander are still meant to be the epitome of power and indestructibility, so your character that no one has heard of is not going to be able to beat someone of his caliber through sheer power.
- GM Authority - As the sole GM of this game, I reserve the right to have the utmost authority regarding any decisions made in the game. And as GM I will also be playing all NPC's (unless I designate you some upon request). Challenging calls constantly may result in removal from the game.
- Character Sheet Approval - All character sheets must go through me before they're posted to this thread. The preferred method of receiving them would be via Messenger.
- One Last Thing - Don't be a cunt.
Setting
This game takes place in the timeline of The Boys TV Series on Amazon Prime, directly after the events of Season 2. Superheroes exist, but they are far from the righteous men and women from comic universes such as Marvel and DC. Set in a realistic, capitalistic world, these superheroes are little more than corporate mascots that are far more dedicated to maintaining their image and making money than they are dedicated to saving lives.
It is recommended that all players watch the first two seasons of The Boys so that they may have an in-depth understanding of each of the characters and the state of this world by the end of Season 2. Amazon Prime has both seasons fully uploaded, and new viewers can get a month's subscription free; so the only issue preventing one from seeing it should be time.
Orientation
Gameplay will take place in the form of text-based roleplaying, with each player advancing the story by posting updates in this thread, describing the thoughts, actions, and feelings of their characters as if writing a chapter of a collaborative novel from their character's perspective. Other players contribute their own characters' actions and perspectives with their own posts, and the Gamemaster, or GM, provides the overall environment, direction and moderation of the game, including non-player characters, like the level design and artificial intelligence of a video game.
Updates are expected to be at least two paragraphs in length, with a preference for detail and quality; many players write posts of considerable length, totalling thousands of words. Role-playing, accordingly, tends to be at a slower pace; an update is required every week by the customary deadline of Sunday night, responding to both your fellow players and the GM's weekly updates, which are typically posted at the start of the week.
This game will also be separated into multiple strands of storyline called “tagsets.” Each tagset is a group of different players, tagged separately from another grouping by the GM (although GM updates tend to include posts, and according tags, for multiple tagsets, each separated by a clear divider), usually correlating with a specific, separate location, adventure or quest. Each tagset is rather like a campaign in Dungeons & Dragons, or a chapter with a radically different point-of-view, location and characters within the same novel or film (such as The Lord of the Rings). However, tagsets are understood to be part of the same overall game, to be largely happening at the same time, and are flexible and fluid; most tagsets evolve and diverge from an initial, larger tagset, and many tagsets meet, combine, exchange players or collapse upon the completion of a quest or plotline.
Separating in-character (IC) gameplay from out-of-character (OOC) interaction is absolutely necessary to play this game. From a logistical standpoint, we do so by using different notations. At the top of every post, before the main body of your writing, you should write the following:
IC: Your character's name
Your character's location
All of your writing beneath this header should be entirely in-character; no OOC commentary or explanations, even in parentheses, should be embedded within the text.
You should finish your post by tagging the other players in your tagset (not all players within the entire game; look to the tags within the GM's own update to see which players are in your tagset), as well as the GM, beneath the main body of your post. You do this by typing the @ sign, and the username of the player you wish to tag; their username will appear in a drop-down menu, allowing you to click on the player. This will mean they will receive a notification when you tag them (and vice versa). Use the following format when writing your tags:
TAG: @Another Player, @Another Player, etc
You may write OOC commentary outside the main body of your post, either after the TAGs, or before the IC header. OOC commentary may include a list of abilities used during combat, a note of clarification, or simply a relevant comment. If you do write OOC commentary, use the format of the following example:
OOC: (Powers used: Flight, Heat Vision.) Okay, I think I may have made Maeve mad.
More importantly, however, in-character and out-of-character interactions must be wholly separated in terms of mindset. Aside from the aforementioned rule barring metagaming, it is important to remember this is just a game, and that all in-character interactions are purely and strictly for storytelling purposes. In-character immersion is absolute; players should play their characters entirely realistically and true-to-character, no matter where that takes them; given that this universe is renowned for its dark, gritty take on the superhero genre, it should not be unexpected for the characters within to be violent, dark individuals.
In-game death has no out-of-character meaning. A character might die because they got unlucky with a well-hidden trap, took the risk of fighting a player character of greater or equal power, treated a higher-powered player character with disrespect (which is not against the rules, merely suicidal) and that player chose to respond realistically and initiate combat, or simply because they encountered a particularly lethal non-player character or situation and did not flee.
Permanent death is one of the many realistic consequences within this game; the stakes are real, and if your character dies, you will have to reroll with a new character. That said, death is uncommon overall; particularly foolish or risky gameplay tends to be required to incur a lethal outcome, although any kind of combat, whether it be with a player character or a non-player character, does carry the risk of injury and death.
Tonally and stylistically, the game nurtures an atmosphere of brutal, grim maturity and gritty, true-to-life realism. The plot will not be tweaked to save you from death. Story is not prioritised above realism. Every action you take has a consequence; the GM will not metagame to spare you from the most utterly realistic consequences to your actions, no matter how much he likes you out-of-character. Again, the separation between in-character and out-of-character is absolute.
At the same time, the GM will not metagame in favour of being excessively sadistic, either; gameplay is not intrinsically set against you. Rather, the game strives to be as realistic as possible, as if the universe of The Boys was a real place, as if you had been whisked from this Earth and taken to that one, with every horrible thing that comes with it.
The rating of the game is equivalent to a film rating of R (Restricted), or a video game rating of M (Mature). Mature, dark and/or heavy themes and content, including but not limited to graphic violence, narcotic usage, profanity, sex, and disturbing encounters and backstories, are permitted within the writing, without use of content warnings or the like. That said, use of mature themes should be tasteful and literary in nature; X-rated smut is not the goal, nor is pointlessly offensive writing with the sole goal of being "edgy." We are not Garth Ennis.
Game Mechanics
This is meant to be a story that could reasonably fit within the universe of The Boys TV Show (though it will of course diverge from what Amazon has planned for Season 3).
If you decide to play as a human, there will be no powers for you to continuously master as there are in the Sith Trials games. Your ability to fight and survive will rely entirely on your attributes and overall guile, as the Boys have to when facing Supes.
If you decide to play as a Supe, you will be able to choose your superpowers in your character sheet, distributing a total of five points between them (you can have five different weak abilities, one strong ability, or anything in between). The abilities you have are limited by your imagination, but should coalesce together well. All powers must be approved by the GM before they can make it into a final CS.
Combat will largely be decided by the both the circumstances at hand and the writing ability of the combatting players. There's no option for dice rolls, as there should not be any instance of a weak Supe rolling a nat 20 being able to kill Homelander or something equally ridiculous.
Level Chart
Level 1 (Non-Supe - 50, Supe - 25)
Level 2 (Non-Supe - 60, Supe - 30)
Level 3 (Non-Supe - 70, Supe - 35)
Level 4 (Non-Supe - 80, Supe - 40)
Level 5 (Non-Supe - 100, Supe - 50)
Attributes
Non-Supe players will have 50 points to distribute to their attributes at Level 1. Supe players will have 25 points to distribute to their attributes at Level 1, as the attributes indicated as NON-SUPE are not required for Supes (as their powers can influence such attributes). Ten points in an attribute represents the average human ability in that trait. Less than ten represents a weaker ability in that trait (with 1 being the minimum), while more than ten represents a stronger ability (with 20 being the maximum). Attribute buffs and debuffs can also be acquired throughout the game at GM discretion.
Attributes cannot be increased to level 14 until character is Level 2.
Attributes may not be increased to 16 until character is Level 3.
Attributes may not be increased to 18 until character is Level 4.
Attributes may not be increased to 20 until character is Level 5.
STRENGTH (NON-SUPE)
Strength refers to one’s raw physical prowess. This results from intensive and strenuous daily training. A more martially oriented character stands the most to benefit from inculcating greater strength; the stronger a character is, the more powerful and effective their melee attacks are.
MEDIA LOVE
Media Love refers to one's presence in the public eye. This results from good press and usage of social media. Supes and politicians stand to gain the most from this attribute, as it directly correlates to their success in the world. Anyone with the intention of criminal activity will find it more difficult to do so with so much attention, however.
DEXTERITY (NON-SUPE)
Dexterity encompasses general deftness, nimbleness, agility, finesse, speed and adroitness of reflexes, and precision in performing tasks, especially with the hands. A clumsy character is likely to lack dexterity; a non-Supe who eschews melee or hand-to-hand combat in favour of becoming an expert sharpshooter, on the other hand, is likely to benefit from their dexterous use of a gun.
INTELLECT
Intellect encompasses all attributes of the mind, from raw intelligence to reasoning ability, knowledge, and familiarity with various academic disciplines and fields of interest. A brainy person is often the opposite of a brawny one, although there are exceptions who excel at both. Scholarly people often dedicate their time to reading books rather than physical training, honing their intellect as they pour over textbooks and articles on the Internet.
CONSTITUTION (NON-SUPE)
Constitution refers to one’s endurance, stamina, and overall vitality. Whether it be through the innate healthiness of their bodies, the intense physical exercise they have put themselves through, or a tough-as-nails habituation to injury, disease, hunger and thirst built up through years of rigorous experience and battle, a non-Supe with greater constitution than his enemies is a difficult one to kill.
PERSUASION
Persuasion refers to one’s skill in manipulating and persuading others, one’s guile, glib, charm, deceptive ability, acting ability, oratorical skill and other tools of the trade in navigating hierarchies, bending social situations to one’s will, and rising to the top of the pack. Whether one be a sly, oozing deceiver adept at knowing the time to treacherously strike, or an honourable nobleman swathed in natural charisma, a person with the ability to work the masses and one’s peers alike is a person with a weapon like no other. A person with potent persuasive ability is often more adept at seduction and the arts of psychological warfare.
PERCEPTION (NON-SUPE)
Perception refers to one’s general awareness of their surroundings, prescience, alertness, and ability to utilise mundane senses, from eyesight to hearing, to their maximum. A person more perceptive than another may be more likely to notice important details, whether it be a hidden bear trap in the woods, or notice potential danger creeping around the corner.
Character Sheet Template
Character Illustration (optional)
Theme Music (optional)
Audio Sample of Character Voice (optional)
Name/Title:
Nicknames/Aliases:
Age:
Sex:
Supe or Non-Supe:
Orientation (optional):
Hometown:
Occupation:
Height:
Weight:
Physical Description:
Clothing:
Weapons:
Equipment:
Vehicles:
Pets (if applicable):
Languages:
Combat Skills (brief summary of general combat strengths, including non-power-based skills):
Other Strengths (brief summary of general strengths):
Flaws (brief summary of general weaknesses):
Alignment (Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic, Good/Neutral/Evil):
Personality:
Fears:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Habits:
Relationships/Love Interests (if applicable):
Friendships (if applicable):
Biography:
Level:
Attributes
STR (Strength):
MDL (Media Love):
DEX (Dexterity):
INT (Intellect):
CON (Constitution):
PSN (Persuasion):
PCN (Perception):
Powers (if applicable)
*Example*
Telekinesis: 3
Telepathy: 1
Healing Factor: 1
This game takes place in the timeline of The Boys TV Series on Amazon Prime, directly after the events of Season 2. Superheroes exist, but they are far from the righteous men and women from comic universes such as Marvel and DC. Set in a realistic, capitalistic world, these superheroes are little more than corporate mascots that are far more dedicated to maintaining their image and making money than they are dedicated to saving lives.
It is recommended that all players watch the first two seasons of The Boys so that they may have an in-depth understanding of each of the characters and the state of this world by the end of Season 2. Amazon Prime has both seasons fully uploaded, and new viewers can get a month's subscription free; so the only issue preventing one from seeing it should be time.
Orientation
Gameplay will take place in the form of text-based roleplaying, with each player advancing the story by posting updates in this thread, describing the thoughts, actions, and feelings of their characters as if writing a chapter of a collaborative novel from their character's perspective. Other players contribute their own characters' actions and perspectives with their own posts, and the Gamemaster, or GM, provides the overall environment, direction and moderation of the game, including non-player characters, like the level design and artificial intelligence of a video game.
Updates are expected to be at least two paragraphs in length, with a preference for detail and quality; many players write posts of considerable length, totalling thousands of words. Role-playing, accordingly, tends to be at a slower pace; an update is required every week by the customary deadline of Sunday night, responding to both your fellow players and the GM's weekly updates, which are typically posted at the start of the week.
This game will also be separated into multiple strands of storyline called “tagsets.” Each tagset is a group of different players, tagged separately from another grouping by the GM (although GM updates tend to include posts, and according tags, for multiple tagsets, each separated by a clear divider), usually correlating with a specific, separate location, adventure or quest. Each tagset is rather like a campaign in Dungeons & Dragons, or a chapter with a radically different point-of-view, location and characters within the same novel or film (such as The Lord of the Rings). However, tagsets are understood to be part of the same overall game, to be largely happening at the same time, and are flexible and fluid; most tagsets evolve and diverge from an initial, larger tagset, and many tagsets meet, combine, exchange players or collapse upon the completion of a quest or plotline.
Separating in-character (IC) gameplay from out-of-character (OOC) interaction is absolutely necessary to play this game. From a logistical standpoint, we do so by using different notations. At the top of every post, before the main body of your writing, you should write the following:
IC: Your character's name
Your character's location
All of your writing beneath this header should be entirely in-character; no OOC commentary or explanations, even in parentheses, should be embedded within the text.
You should finish your post by tagging the other players in your tagset (not all players within the entire game; look to the tags within the GM's own update to see which players are in your tagset), as well as the GM, beneath the main body of your post. You do this by typing the @ sign, and the username of the player you wish to tag; their username will appear in a drop-down menu, allowing you to click on the player. This will mean they will receive a notification when you tag them (and vice versa). Use the following format when writing your tags:
TAG: @Another Player, @Another Player, etc
You may write OOC commentary outside the main body of your post, either after the TAGs, or before the IC header. OOC commentary may include a list of abilities used during combat, a note of clarification, or simply a relevant comment. If you do write OOC commentary, use the format of the following example:
OOC: (Powers used: Flight, Heat Vision.) Okay, I think I may have made Maeve mad.
More importantly, however, in-character and out-of-character interactions must be wholly separated in terms of mindset. Aside from the aforementioned rule barring metagaming, it is important to remember this is just a game, and that all in-character interactions are purely and strictly for storytelling purposes. In-character immersion is absolute; players should play their characters entirely realistically and true-to-character, no matter where that takes them; given that this universe is renowned for its dark, gritty take on the superhero genre, it should not be unexpected for the characters within to be violent, dark individuals.
In-game death has no out-of-character meaning. A character might die because they got unlucky with a well-hidden trap, took the risk of fighting a player character of greater or equal power, treated a higher-powered player character with disrespect (which is not against the rules, merely suicidal) and that player chose to respond realistically and initiate combat, or simply because they encountered a particularly lethal non-player character or situation and did not flee.
Permanent death is one of the many realistic consequences within this game; the stakes are real, and if your character dies, you will have to reroll with a new character. That said, death is uncommon overall; particularly foolish or risky gameplay tends to be required to incur a lethal outcome, although any kind of combat, whether it be with a player character or a non-player character, does carry the risk of injury and death.
Tonally and stylistically, the game nurtures an atmosphere of brutal, grim maturity and gritty, true-to-life realism. The plot will not be tweaked to save you from death. Story is not prioritised above realism. Every action you take has a consequence; the GM will not metagame to spare you from the most utterly realistic consequences to your actions, no matter how much he likes you out-of-character. Again, the separation between in-character and out-of-character is absolute.
At the same time, the GM will not metagame in favour of being excessively sadistic, either; gameplay is not intrinsically set against you. Rather, the game strives to be as realistic as possible, as if the universe of The Boys was a real place, as if you had been whisked from this Earth and taken to that one, with every horrible thing that comes with it.
The rating of the game is equivalent to a film rating of R (Restricted), or a video game rating of M (Mature). Mature, dark and/or heavy themes and content, including but not limited to graphic violence, narcotic usage, profanity, sex, and disturbing encounters and backstories, are permitted within the writing, without use of content warnings or the like. That said, use of mature themes should be tasteful and literary in nature; X-rated smut is not the goal, nor is pointlessly offensive writing with the sole goal of being "edgy." We are not Garth Ennis.
Game Mechanics
This is meant to be a story that could reasonably fit within the universe of The Boys TV Show (though it will of course diverge from what Amazon has planned for Season 3).
If you decide to play as a human, there will be no powers for you to continuously master as there are in the Sith Trials games. Your ability to fight and survive will rely entirely on your attributes and overall guile, as the Boys have to when facing Supes.
If you decide to play as a Supe, you will be able to choose your superpowers in your character sheet, distributing a total of five points between them (you can have five different weak abilities, one strong ability, or anything in between). The abilities you have are limited by your imagination, but should coalesce together well. All powers must be approved by the GM before they can make it into a final CS.
Combat will largely be decided by the both the circumstances at hand and the writing ability of the combatting players. There's no option for dice rolls, as there should not be any instance of a weak Supe rolling a nat 20 being able to kill Homelander or something equally ridiculous.
Level Chart
Level 1 (Non-Supe - 50, Supe - 25)
Level 2 (Non-Supe - 60, Supe - 30)
Level 3 (Non-Supe - 70, Supe - 35)
Level 4 (Non-Supe - 80, Supe - 40)
Level 5 (Non-Supe - 100, Supe - 50)
Attributes
Non-Supe players will have 50 points to distribute to their attributes at Level 1. Supe players will have 25 points to distribute to their attributes at Level 1, as the attributes indicated as NON-SUPE are not required for Supes (as their powers can influence such attributes). Ten points in an attribute represents the average human ability in that trait. Less than ten represents a weaker ability in that trait (with 1 being the minimum), while more than ten represents a stronger ability (with 20 being the maximum). Attribute buffs and debuffs can also be acquired throughout the game at GM discretion.
Attributes cannot be increased to level 14 until character is Level 2.
Attributes may not be increased to 16 until character is Level 3.
Attributes may not be increased to 18 until character is Level 4.
Attributes may not be increased to 20 until character is Level 5.
STRENGTH (NON-SUPE)
Strength refers to one’s raw physical prowess. This results from intensive and strenuous daily training. A more martially oriented character stands the most to benefit from inculcating greater strength; the stronger a character is, the more powerful and effective their melee attacks are.
MEDIA LOVE
Media Love refers to one's presence in the public eye. This results from good press and usage of social media. Supes and politicians stand to gain the most from this attribute, as it directly correlates to their success in the world. Anyone with the intention of criminal activity will find it more difficult to do so with so much attention, however.
DEXTERITY (NON-SUPE)
Dexterity encompasses general deftness, nimbleness, agility, finesse, speed and adroitness of reflexes, and precision in performing tasks, especially with the hands. A clumsy character is likely to lack dexterity; a non-Supe who eschews melee or hand-to-hand combat in favour of becoming an expert sharpshooter, on the other hand, is likely to benefit from their dexterous use of a gun.
INTELLECT
Intellect encompasses all attributes of the mind, from raw intelligence to reasoning ability, knowledge, and familiarity with various academic disciplines and fields of interest. A brainy person is often the opposite of a brawny one, although there are exceptions who excel at both. Scholarly people often dedicate their time to reading books rather than physical training, honing their intellect as they pour over textbooks and articles on the Internet.
CONSTITUTION (NON-SUPE)
Constitution refers to one’s endurance, stamina, and overall vitality. Whether it be through the innate healthiness of their bodies, the intense physical exercise they have put themselves through, or a tough-as-nails habituation to injury, disease, hunger and thirst built up through years of rigorous experience and battle, a non-Supe with greater constitution than his enemies is a difficult one to kill.
PERSUASION
Persuasion refers to one’s skill in manipulating and persuading others, one’s guile, glib, charm, deceptive ability, acting ability, oratorical skill and other tools of the trade in navigating hierarchies, bending social situations to one’s will, and rising to the top of the pack. Whether one be a sly, oozing deceiver adept at knowing the time to treacherously strike, or an honourable nobleman swathed in natural charisma, a person with the ability to work the masses and one’s peers alike is a person with a weapon like no other. A person with potent persuasive ability is often more adept at seduction and the arts of psychological warfare.
PERCEPTION (NON-SUPE)
Perception refers to one’s general awareness of their surroundings, prescience, alertness, and ability to utilise mundane senses, from eyesight to hearing, to their maximum. A person more perceptive than another may be more likely to notice important details, whether it be a hidden bear trap in the woods, or notice potential danger creeping around the corner.
Character Sheet Template
Character Illustration (optional)
Theme Music (optional)
Audio Sample of Character Voice (optional)
Name/Title:
Nicknames/Aliases:
Age:
Sex:
Supe or Non-Supe:
Orientation (optional):
Hometown:
Occupation:
Height:
Weight:
Physical Description:
Clothing:
Weapons:
Equipment:
Vehicles:
Pets (if applicable):
Languages:
Combat Skills (brief summary of general combat strengths, including non-power-based skills):
Other Strengths (brief summary of general strengths):
Flaws (brief summary of general weaknesses):
Alignment (Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic, Good/Neutral/Evil):
Personality:
Fears:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Habits:
Relationships/Love Interests (if applicable):
Friendships (if applicable):
Biography:
Level:
Attributes
STR (Strength):
MDL (Media Love):
DEX (Dexterity):
INT (Intellect):
CON (Constitution):
PSN (Persuasion):
PCN (Perception):
Powers (if applicable)
*Example*
Telekinesis: 3
Telepathy: 1
Healing Factor: 1
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