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In reading Advanced FASERIP, I began thinking about the type of setting that I would set such a game in. The game notes that many superhero settings focus on the present day—and we see that in both comics and now in modern superhero films. There’s also the fun idea of playing in a given period, like the story we see in the Captain America: The First Avenger film. So I thought a bit about a time and place that would be interesting, more recent than the 1940s or 1970s, which are both eras I think of when I think of comic book heroes. I don’t feel like playing in the modern day—maybe I’ll feel different in ten years when it’s just a memory.
I landed on an alternative history version of 2009. Why that year? It’s one I remember. The 2000s were an interesting time, and the wake of the Recession a time of transition, even if we didn’t know it at the time. The forces of globalization and the resulting economic shifts still play an important role in our real world timeline. It’s also an interesting era for technology, where the iPhone and smartphone technologies, along with social media and the global internet were still emerging. Plenty of people were just getting their first cell phone, the flip phone was getting slimmer and sleeker—the US president had a BlackBerry he refused to get rid of upon entering office. Phone cameras were still developing, with images of low enough quality that in this timeline you could still perhaps not believe evidence of superheroes.
Why New York? Because it’s an easy, clique place to set a pulpy story about superheroes. There were a reported 19 million inhabitants that year. Lots of people and places to explore. Iconic backdrops to choose from. And of course, it’s easy to go on the road if you need to, whether across the US, or across the world.
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