The Legacy Sourcebook

legacy.

What is Legacy, well it is a shared Universe setting for SQUK, it is all the old GH scenarios pulled together to create a coherent world. And it is here in this thread i will share some of my thoughts and some of the elements i am putting in.

Origins.
All Superhero universes need a reason why/how there are superheroes, and Legacy is no different in fact Legacy needs more, as it needs to explain why the supers are mostly from the UK.

How/Why
there are two main explanations as to why the UK.

1, The Celtic connection,
2, The hero Plague.

i will elaborate on these later.

As for the rest of the world, there are heroes just fewer. That said i do have a section on America.
I will cover Magic and where it comes from, and where that source is hidden also Psionics and its source.

Time Travel (natch) and otherworld’s and dimensions. There are three that i will touch upon,
The Eagleverse, this is the main universe.
The Kestrelverse, a parallel universe with no USA and new British Empire
And the Doomed Ospreyverse this Universe no longer exists.

if there is anything in the old stuff you liked or didn't please let me know.

So i here you say where is all this going, well once i have a proper draft i will be going for a Kickstarter project to get this baby off the ground. and if that goes well...

Legacy is a world book with a single "Origins" adventure. Beyond that there could be Hero/villain books, a Campaign book and a Quest book with all of "Grail quests" i have written.

More to come.

Sounds good to me!

The first method
The three Circles of Spiritual Evolution was originally thought to be a just a myth. A sweet idea, but not based on scientific fact, however, evidence was found in the strangest of places. On a series of carved stones (The Hu Stones), found in a lake on Ynys Mon (Anglesey) by iolo Morganwg. (There is in fact not 3 but 4 the 4th is known as Anwnn and relates to everything supernatural)

Manuscript
Despite iolo Morganwg having forged a number of his manuscripts, one stands out. The lost, or last manuscript. The document is a translation of an ancient set of stones carved with Oghams (Ancient Celtic writing).

The Stones were pulled from that most holy of holy's  Llyn Carreg Bach (The lake of small stones) in the 1700’s, by iolo himself. The stones are named the Hu Stones, after Hu the Mighty.  

The translation gives a more accurate interpretation of the 3 (4) circles of spiritual evolution, Ceugant, Gwynyd & Abred (Anwnn)

• The Innermost circle (Ceugant) relating to talented gentlemen and women who it calls the “Children of Artos”. Super-powered heroes (8 power rolls)
• The middle circle (Gwynyd) relates to the enlighten ones, which seems to mean clever, or naturally gifted ones. Heroes who have built a device to give them power etc.(6 to 8 power rolls, but all power is via created device)
• The third or outermost circle (Abred) relates to normal people

Hu The Mighty is not dead he exists and plays a part in the bigger picture. ill get to him at some point.


This is the other method of becoming a super.

The Hero Plague

Penimunda Research faculty.
Hans Kemmlar arrives to inspect the facility and its scientists, who had plans to gather together for his special projects team.

The Research  Team
· Heinrich
· Schmidt
· Bernhardt
· Spillane
· Atolli
· Hammoto
· Miebach

After a brief interview , and personal evaluation by Kemmler, each scientist was assigned a Project.

Hans Kemmler put Miebach to work on Dx-1, Whilst his contemporaries were sent to the Aerie, to Wellesburg, Castle Austria.
He was told Dx-1 was the main priority and he was the only one up to the job. Kemmler lied. Dx-1 and Meibach were patsy's. A false lead for the enemy, a red herring, a fake Super soldier program, Meibach, his ego massaged, accepted willingly. Leaving immediately, not even asking after the others.

The other scientist made there way to the Aerie, part of their story is covered in the Finest Hour book.

Some of the products of the Aeries Super Solder program
· Korrosion aka Dr Konrad Schmolhaus
· Blitzkrieg aka Unknown
· Leuchtkafer (Firefly) aka Arnold Schweissor
· Doppleganger aka Bernhardt Willhelm
· Nocturne aka Gustav Schiller
· Samurai Supreme aka Leo Halsinger
· Fulmineo aka Mario Estallino
· Feuerdrake aka johan Steinbeck
· Nachjager aka Gustav Stoller

The Dx-1 project far from being a Red Herring actually worked, to a point. It was an amphetamine based drug which temporally enhanced the five senses and increased the strength of the user. But before he could productionise the drug, a BLACKWATCH unit assaulted the research lab and extracted Menabach back to the UK, to Porton Down.

The ruse worked the Dx-1 project (despite actually working) drew attention away from the aerie’s supersoilder program. But not for long, a team of BLACKWATCH volunteers crashed landed near to Wellesburg. They were recovered and take to the Aerie where they were used as guinea pigs. That team later escaped and became the lost Shadow V team.

Meibach became a prisoner of the UK, he gave up most of his secrets to the DX program, however he developed a more deadly version, DX-10 this was designed to kill. an airborne pathogen which when he escaped Porton Down. he released on Londons bridges, only nothing happened, DX-10 did not kill it attached itself to the DNA of its victims and in a couple of generations created a Super Human.

Meibach escaped the UK but was captured by the Russians and sent to there top secret research lab hidden deep under
the mountain Kholat Syakhl, in the Ural mountains Russian. a place that would later become known as the Dyatlov pass.

DX-Project
DX-1 This is an amphetamine based version which gives Speed level one  to the victim.
DX-2 this version had extract of Mushroom and can give a temporary Psionic ability equating to 2 Power levels for 1d6 hours per dose
DX-3 this version can heal 2d20 Kill/Stun levels
DX-4 induces flight at ½ level
DX-5 victim explodes 30 seconds after swallowing
DX-6 victim can breath underwater for unto 4 hours at a time
DX-7 give the victims children strength at level 2
DX-8  thought to be useless, but actual gives the victim invisibility at will.
DX-9 Gives the Grandchild 6 Power level
DX-10 Gives the grandchild of the original victim 8 Power levels (this was the version released on London's Bridges)

there are the other types, Alien, Ancient magic artifact. but the above is the main ones

I want to make it very British. So what makes a British super hero game feel British?

That depends - Alan moore's run on Captain Britain, Zenith and Alan Davis' Clandestine and early Excalibur stuff some it up for me when set in a context that dominated by the american titles.

That said I think british hero stuff in comics is less costume orientated - like steel Claw, Janus stark, Adam Eterno, Billy and katie the cat etc. Albion takes that to a dark extreme.

Thinking about it it isn't the heroes themselves that define it but the reaction of the great british public - they tend to be far more practical and unphased by superheroes and less prone to hero worship. There's a great scene in alan's captain britain run where he visits a mother whose son has been acidently killed to apologise and she offers him tea and they just talk. Sums it up for me.

that is what i hope to try and capture

The multiverse
I reference 3/4 universes in the book these are
The Eagleverse the main one
The Eagleverse(collapsing timeline) a splinter verse of the Eaglesverse (1856 to 2013)
The Kestrelverse a parallel universe which split from the Eagleverse in 6,000BC
The Ospreyverse a destroyed universe from which a small number of refugees are from
The phoenixverse which is the world of SQUKX might need a new name.

In addition to these there are a number of other world's etc including the Shadow Plane

"So what makes a British super hero game feel British? " I think Britain's folklore is a rich source for scenarios, and background setting.

Absolutely.

"...it is all the old GH scenarios pulled together..." Will you be converting these to SQUK 2e?

Yes, the following will be referenced and updated

Articles
First Issues part 1&2
How to Save the Universe
Caped Crusaders
Spellbound
The Good, The Bad, And the Downright odd
Rationale Behaviour
Alternative Origins
Starlight Pact
Heroes & Villains – (articles)
• The Coven
• A Web in the Dark
• Solo Series
• Megavillains
• Scientific Method
Scenarios
Legacy of Eagles
Queen Victoria and the Holy Grail
STRIKEBACK
American Dream
Crossfire (an Alien Exchange)
Reunion
Peking Duck
Pilcomayo Project
Contagion, Coincidence & Confusion
[Slayground*]

Heroes and villains from main rules.
SQUK 1st and 2nd edition
and if we can locate some the original fanzine published by Simon Burley

* whilst not strictly part of the cannon, a version is used in the Legacy: Shadows out of time campaign

When will this be published?

Well. I am busy getting it into a position that I can put it up as a kickstarter. It needs a little work

So no date, as yet.

No not quite. But hopefully not too long either

Good luck in your project. I think you've got a job on your hands converting the powers in those scenarios.   

Some have been easy others less so. Hopefully the solution for each NPC will be to most people's taste

"Hopefully the solution for each NPC will be to most people's taste.." And with luck we'll get to see them one day.   

I will be putting the odd one up shortly

There is Energy Blast and Energy Sense there should be Energy manipulation.

The ability to use the energy. It could be Magnetism, it could be elemental energy. This new power would allow you to use the energy in some way

Will you be integrating all the scenarios that Simon Burley contributed to the Superhero UK/fantazia fanzines into Legacy?  

Yes all inspiration comes from the scenarios. My plan is for Pilcomayo Project to be in legacy, which is the prequel to Rise of the Overlord Campaign which has Peking Duck, lancelot Caper and Legacy of Eagles. With segues and a new Adventure "Ghosts in the Machine" which deals with the events directly after L.O.E.  It introduce a lost Eagle and links to an event in the expanded STRIKEBACK adventure which is part of the Queen Victoria and the Shadows out of time campaign, and so on.

American Dream and C, C&C have been combined and will sit between Crossfire (renamed an Alien Exchange as per Simon request). And Reunion. Another campaign call the shadow under the Stars (title may alter)

which leaves Queen Victoria and the Grail quests, which is a series of themed adventures. This has Hitler and the Holy Grail. Queen Victoria and the Holy Grail. And Something, Something Maltose Falcon (might not be the final name for that one).

With some odds and sods left over.

how's that...

For odds and sods I mean a Heroes/Villains roster book. Very much like the worst of British with stats and descriptions for everyone mentioned in the main book

When these works are finished and published where will I be able to buy them?

Rpgnow drivethru etc....