The Halfpenny Marvels [Victorian Supers] [Interest Check/Recruitment Open]

[Foxy DeVille]

London, 1893... a city of wonders and dangers. The rule of Queen Victoria Von Doom has spawned an age of discovery in both science and sorcery . But there are some things man was not meant to know and while the sun never sets on the British Empire there are threats that watch from the shadows. Will you rise up to defend the realm or is yours a heart of darkness?

The Halfpenny Marvels  is a story set in a Marvel Universe that takes place in the waning days of the 19th century. The name comes from The Halfpenny Marvel, a British story paper aimed to provide wholesome entertainment for young lads, unlike that scourge on society known as the penny dreadful. It will be freeform and semi-sandbox, containing some overarching plots but plenty of opportunities for writers to create their own mischief. The rating will be Extreme, as this is the era that gave us Jack the Ripper and it can be a very unkind one. London will be the focal point but adventures and adventurers can hail from all parts of the globe... perhaps beyond. There is room for heroes, villains, and those that lay between, just as in the modern Marvel Universe. For now I am seeking interest and to hear what questions and ideas other might have.

For those who have expressed interest and got character ideas in your head, here's a handy dandy character sheet...

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[float=right][img height=200 padding=5]IMAGE LINK HERE[/img][/float]
[b]MARVEL NAME HERE[/b]
[b]Real Name: [/b]
[b]Also Known As: [/b]
[b]Place of Birth: [/b]
[b]Known Associations: [/b]
[b]Motivations: [/b]
[b]Quote: [/b]

[b]Origin and Background: [/b]

[b]Powers/Skills/Gadgets: [/b]

[b]Appearance: [/b]

[b]Personality: [/b]

[b]Vices: [/b]

Excelsior and may God save the Queen!

[Kadigan]

As stated before in a pm very interested in the concept, if the idea of a female piratical captain America would fit.  If not I can noodle other ideas.

[RedPhoenix]

*blink blink*

Is Victoria Von Doom an option to play as?

[Kadigan]

Woooo. A Phoenix.

[Mister Ugly]

Lord Reed Reginald Richards designed and built his Aether Ship to prove his theory about travel in between the planets. Various inventions from his quest helped pay for the ship and the expansion of Castle Richards just outside of London.

That fateful day the ship launched was bright and not a cloud in the sky. Two trips around the Earth was taken without a problem but on the third the crew was exposed to a cosmic wave. This brought the ship down on the Isle of Mann. All aboard somehow survived and were transformed. Lord Richards powerful intelligence helped he adapt to the gift. His body was now able to stretch. It was mallable and able to shape itself in various forms and sizes. From extending an arm 50 feet to grab a pistol from a man's hand. To lengthening himself to catch a shell from a ship's cannon to thinning a finger to slide under a door.

Lord Richards has dubbed himself 'Mister Fantastic' and stands ready to use his mind and new gifts to defend the country. Of course being a member of the House of Lords and a distance relative to the former royal house has put him at odds with Queen Von Doom!

[Mathim]

Captain Britain, anyone? I mean it’s practically a no-brainer. But how are we feeling about villains? I could see someone like Taskmaster being a good fit here. Also maybe one of the pre- Danny Rand versions of Iron Fist as an immigrant or foreign diplomat.

[Foxy DeVille]

BarbaraGordon: That would work quite well. Who knows what mysteries across... and under... the sea.

RedPhoenix: Alas, she is claimed by your humble narrator as she is a pivotal force behind the shaping of the world of the Halfpenny Marvels. And really cool so I call dibs. Neener neener neener. But all other manner of royalty, nobility, politicians etc are up for grabs for instance...

Mister Ugly: Very nice and I like how you made him a political rival of the Queen.

Mathim: Good ideas all. Villains are most certainly welcome, especially considering how much of the most well-known Victorian characters are ne'er-do-wells. Who knows who the Napoleon of Crime is in the world?

Thanks for the interest thus far!

[RedPhoenix]

Aw shucks. =(

Oh well thanks for answering! =)

[PurpleJesus]

I'm wholly interested in playing Killmonger as a 19th century rebel leader/pirateer, in the mold of Black Ceasar or Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

[Mathim]

Aw shucks. =(

Oh well thanks for answering! =)

Well, dear friend, there's always Loki. 

I can just see a steampunk Helicarrier stationed over the Atlantic for a fledgling SHIELD organization trying to get international support and being run by a Victorian era Nick Fury.

[Mister Ugly]

Mister Ugly: Very nice and I like how you made him a political rival of the Queen.

I mean anyone named Von Doom almost has to be a rival to Reed Richards!

Also I left the origin open enough for anyone to come up with the Invisible woman, Torch or the Thing!

>MU

[Mathim]

What are we looking at as far as the upper limit on technology? Specifically things like Iron Man's repulsor blasts and other such weapons capable of firing a beam such as Cyclops' optic blasts? I get that there will be magic to supplement where steampunk tech fails but I'm just wondering what can be cobbled together by geniuses with no magic proficiency.

[Mister Ugly]

When Reed is asked what is different between him and that Industrialist Stark.

"Stark builds Rocket Boots. I build rocket Ships!"



>MU

[Foxy DeVille]

I'm wholly interested in playing Killmonger as a 19th century rebel leader/pirateer, in the mold of Black Ceasar or Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

Sploosh.

I was hoping for something like this. British imperialism creates quite the interesting gray area for characters to operate in. One man's hero is another's villain.

What are we looking at as far as the upper limit on technology? Specifically things like Iron Man's repulsor blasts and other such weapons capable of firing a beam such as Cyclops' optic blasts? I get that there will be magic to supplement where steampunk tech fails but I'm just wondering what can be cobbled together by geniuses with no magic proficiency.

Honestly... go nuts. 1893 is only two years before HG introduced the world to the time machine. Silver Age geniuses managed to come up with all sorts of amazing devices in the 1960s that had little to no effect on the daily lives of people in their world so the same idea applies here other than some nifty steampunk touches in the background. If it works for the character then it works for me.

[Mathim]

Rockin'. There was a Game of Thrones-esque Marvel game from a few years ago where it was similar to this but the tech was largely magic-based for the most part, so this just gives it a little bit more creativity. It would be cool to dust off the old Nova armor but maybe for an actual medieval game.

It might be fun to have a budding World Council sort of thing trying to be established (even if only for the purposes of betrayal and conquest) where other nations are coming there so we have a very diverse cast from the various nations of the world to go along with Kilmonger representing Wakanda (or at least his breakaway faction from there). Like the Ancient One and/or Doctor Strange representing Tibet for example. Might be a fun pretext to bring in this timeline's version of SHIELD and the Helicarrier. Or even have Red Skull bringing Germany into an early World War II fervor. My imagination is bursting with all the potential this concept has!

[RedPhoenix]

Well if I can't be Von Doom, how about a Miss Sinister? :)

Woooo. A Phoenix.

<3

Well, dear friend, there's always Loki. 

Loki is occupied.

[Foxy DeVille]

Well if I can't be Von Doom, how about a Miss Sinister? :)

A sexy scientist that dresses like a dominatrix and perform experiments on living creatures a la Doctor Moreau? I guess we could squeeze her in if you twist my arm... 

[RedPhoenix]

A sexy scientist that dresses like a dominatrix and perform experiments on living creatures a la Doctor Moreau? I guess we could squeeze her in if you twist my arm... 

Woot! The Hellfire Club could be up and running in London if that works. :)

[Foxy DeVille]

Woot! The Hellfire Club could be up and running in London if that works. :)

Hee hee... I was hoping for a Hellfire Club.

[Mister Ugly]

Testing at the Hell fire Club?!

[CaptainErotica]

This looks like so much fun. Would a Steampunk Green Goblin be okay?

[Mathim]

Ooh, someone with a glider would be cool for this game. And another industrialist, to boot.

[Foxy DeVille]

This looks like so much fun. Would a Steampunk Green Goblin be okay?

Yes! His aesthetic fits very well in this setting.

Ooh, someone with a glider would be cool for this game. And another industrialist, to boot.

I like how the ideas thus seem like they could mesh well. Keep 'em coming!

[Mathim]

I wonder if an inflammatory incident like an assassination might spark an international incident and trigger the start of a war, or at least an arms race. Might be fun to start with everyone completely on edge rather than in the calm before the storm.

[Foxy DeVille]

I wonder if an inflammatory incident like an assassination might spark an international incident and trigger the start of a war, or at least an arms race. Might be fun to start with everyone completely on edge rather than in the calm before the storm.

Yeah, I wonder that too..