LSH
This is the page for the LSH PbEM (Earth 10 Legion of Superheroes) game as restarted in September 2019.
Introduction
This campaign’s central conceit a group of 30th century teenagers realize that their species (or origin event) abilities could be seen as super-powers, and inspired by the legends of Superboy/Superman, they start a super-hero club. They are earnest and steadfast and true, showing great courage, resourcefulness and loyalty to each other. Being teenagers, the team bristles with internal romances and conflicts built on a core of friendship and trust. One theme of the game is “when everyone has powers, some people are heroes.”
Over time the Legion proves to be effective. They go from being the local kids who sometimes help authorities (ala young adult fiction) to acting as an adjunct to law enforcement to becoming a linchpin of the United Planets defenses over the course of their career. We start at the beginning with the mid-century YA fiction vibe. The culture of the 2990’s (1000 years in the future of when Clark Kent was a teenager – Superman does not appear on Earth 10 until November 2008) grants the same maturity and autonomy to teenagers as the mid-century United States did: 15-year-old sapiens are make cross-planet treks unaccompanied, leaving depressed planets to look for work, and can to find a patron to fund their own super-hero club as a combined academy and profession requiring limited adult supervision. This is seen as praiseworthy behavior.
Campaign Setting Details
- What the Heck is Earth 10?
- Time Travel: Mostly about Earth
- The Earth 10 30th Century i.e. the campaign setting
Legion and Legionnaires
LEGAL STATUS
The law, built as it is on precedent, does not appreciate innovation. Like water, it will try to follow a path it cut before, even if not obvious.
For example, in Earth history the Justice Alliance legally became a sovereign nation. Impossible for a group of a dozen beings, but they could act – defensively, offensively, and if need be economically via their superior technology – with the power of a decent sized country. The law had no idea how to deal with individuals who could do that. But it did know how to deal with countries who could do that, so the Justice Alliance became, as far as the law was concerned, a country.
The Legion is in the same place. It is something never tried before. So they convinced the law, in advance, that they were something that has been tried before. The law nodded sagely and accepted this, because carving out something wholly new is too much work. It is, therefore, a Fraternal Service Organization
After the first Khund war two centuries ago there was a significant demobilization within the United Planets. Drafted sentients across all cultures had worked, fought and bled together and were now returning to civilian life. Many of these wanted a way to stay in touch with their friends in the military, to keep the comradery and sense of service without the actual danger and discipline. Taking a page from Earth culture they formed ‘clubs’ based on ‘ancient orders’ – Earth’s Masons, Wynathian Superman Societies, Rhyodyne Harvest Cycles – for symbols and ‘secret handshakes and lost lore.’ To earn public respectability, they collected funds to found hospitals, volunteered as emergency relief in disaster areas and otherwise made use of the experiences the war gave them in logistics and courage to improve the United Planets, in between their drinking and sporting excursions. The whole fad died out but laws had adapted to deal with them. the Legion is revivifying those laws.
By announcing that's what they are - and by living the same trappings of reverence for a past era, mysteries and secret handshakes, distinctive garb and so on – the Legion get to act with the same independence towards the general good.
This requires concrete rules for membership that you will absolutely have to adhere to. Likewise, an iron clad code of conduct. While remaining a private organization the old FSOs had enormous potential for insider trading and off books business dealing and so were under considerable scrutiny. The LSH must voluntarily abide by the same rules. Specifically, the membership rules must very clear and maintained
BUT THEY’RE TEENAGERS
Yes, but they’re teenagers in a culture that mirrors that of the mid-20th century United States in terms of teenage autonomy, where it was not uncommon for teens to travel long distances unaccompanied or adopt mantles of responsibility earlier in life. In the UP it is understood that people in their middle teens often go on distant internships or pre-collegiate reviews or just walkabouts. Given the relative safety of the UP’s core planets (where anecdotally a girl can carry a million-credit voucher across seven worlds without risk) this is perfectly reasonable.
THE LEGION CHARTER
Right now, what we know about the Legion charter is that all members must start at open calls for new members. I suspect the Legion will be doing these quarterly for the time being, to make sure there’s ample opportunities for new PCs to join.
I expect that it also has language limiting membership to teenagers. I don’t know if the rule for “everyone must have a unique power” was put in, but it was standard in the Earth 1 Legion (Kryptonians exempt) and fits the design of the setting.
The Founders
Later Members
The Substitutes
Failed Applicants
So far, we have seen the following people try out for the Legion but fail to get in, and not go on to found/join the Substitute Heroes.
- Gyroscope Lad (Super-Balancing): Twidd Davi hails from the colony of Malon, where they live on top of small plateaus in high wind.
- Lucy Skydiamond (psychotropic kaleidoscopic aura): after her father ascended to a higher plane when she was conceived, she was born able to project an aura that induces revelations and hallucinations.
- Ant Princess (ant control): a Wynathian girl of unknown origin, she can control her pet ant, Anty. Just that one ant. That’s it.
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Action Comics Back Ups
These stories represent the earliest days of the Earth 10 Legion, back when they were an 8-page backup feature in Action Comics. Action held the adventures of Superman in out space or in other times, so when fans requested the re-introduction of the Legion into the Earth 10 setting this was the logical book to hold them. After one year as backup players they would graduate to whole book status in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, the groundwork for the sprawling universe of the LSH having been laid out in these bite-sized stories.
Story 1: The Origin of the Legion!
Story 2: The Maiden and the Dragon
Story 3: Cranial Lightning Strikes Bat Island
Story 7: Be Careful What You Wish For 1
Story 8: Be Careful What You Wish For 2
Story 12: The 20th Century Caper
Legion of Super Heroes ongoing full issues
OK, from here on in the plots get more complicated as I'll have A, B and C plots going to fill up the 24 page issues with plots for the eventually 16 Legionnaires and 5 Substitutes.
1: The Witches of Salem-Zero
=Page 1: the Substitute Heroes
Inside the midtown park bower that is the unofficial HQ of the official Legion of Substitute Heroes, Twidd Davi, aka Gyroscope Lad, is balancing on a narrow branch of the one the nearby trees, looking on with amazement as K’kk’Kshhhh, aka Flora, aka Botany Girl, is playing with the small plant creature that just 15 minutes ago dropped from her body like a fruit falling from a tree. The creature was already gamboling around the bower, showing a speed that its Arcadian mother no longer possesses, if she ever did.
[BR: Diane, feel free to paraphrase below, and yes, Gyroscope Lad is at least temporarily part of the Substitutes to bolster their headcount, if not their actual effectiveness. Now is the chance for everyone who doesn't have a Substitute Hero to consider inserting one during the next couple scenes of recruitment.]
"It's a… Flower Child. We Arcadians… will produce them… occasionally. It means I met… my time to flower… but there were… no Arcadian men nearby… to provide. They are considered \to… be an excellent omen."
"Plus… they're very fun!"
[Myles, Diane, Josh, this scene serves two purposes: one it's to give exposition as Flora and Jandar try to convince Rubbermaid to go out for the Legion open call happening today, and two, because Diane's daughter Emily arranged for a birthday present for Diane in the form of a sidekick for one of her PCs. Happy Birthday, Diane!]
Page 2: Diskette, Earth Girl
Rules Changes
We started by using pretty standard V&V but everyone knows how I love to tinker
