GURPS Dark Jazz: OSI

Welcome to a very different America in the middle of the 1960s. The world has weathered major technological changes, including the realization of Tesla's broadcast power system, the horrors of the Atomic War, and the beginnings of the Space Age. Many of the occult undercurrents of the 1920s, which seemed ready to challenge the order of things in that tumultuous decade, have all but disappeared from existence. Magic is widely regarded as myth and foolish play where it once was more generally accepted and even respected by some. The truth of magic is now a dark secret held closely by a few surviving cults and occultists, who commonly promote the notion that "magic disappeared in 1925." Faith in technology continued to grow throughout the ensuing decades, resulting in both wonders and horrors as atomic energy was developed by the nations. War was unavoidable, and in the Soviet War (also known as the Atomic War) of 1951-1953 shook the world. The end of the conflict appeared to launch a new age of scientific exploration as the nations agreed to work together toward securing peace and expanding technological progress.

Basic Information

Campaign name: GURPS Dark Jazz: The New Prometheans

Starting year: 1965

Genre: Realistic or cinematic? Grittematic™

General theme of campaign: Weird Science Horror Conspiracy

Are there multiple planes of existence? Yes

Campaign Background

Campaign’s base city, nation, empire, or planet: Los Angeles, California

Society/government type: Libertarian Democracy

Control Rating: CR3

Exceptions to general CR: “Ray guns” and other advanced tech (TL8+) are controlled by the WSC, and are often only available for use by WSC agents. Some medical technology is available only to licensed practitioners.

Tech level: TL7+2

Exceptions to general TL: Weapons, up to TL(7+3); broadcast power, TL7^

Brief description of important neighboring powers, political/economic situation, etc.: See Gernsback-9 for more information.

Information for PCs

Characters are members of a team of private "secret agents" funded by the Promethean Foundation. The team is tasked with investigating claims of magic and supernatural events, collecting magical artifacts for the Foundation, and otherwise carrying out the Great Work.

Starting point value allowed for PCs: 200

Disadvantage limit (including Quirks): -75

PC races allowed: Human, Mutant*, Extraterrestrial*

*The existence of mutants and extraterrestrials is not known to the general public. If the character is visibly non-human, appropriate social disadvantages such as Appearance, Social Stigma, or Supernatural Feature(s) may be required.

Especially appropriate professions: Attorney. Circus performer. College professor. Experimental chemist. Fashion designer. Inventor. Mercenary. Newspaper reporter. Police officer. Private investigator. Security consultant. Stunt performer.

Starting wealth: $17,500

Starting Wealth levels allowed: Struggling, Poor, Average, Comfortable   (No Bruce Waynes or Tony Starks!)

Starting Status levels allowed: 0

Starting TLs allowed: Any appropriate to character and setting.

Languages available: Any appropriate to character and setting.

Cultural Familiarities available: Any appropriate to character and setting.

Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills

Required advantages, disadvantages, and skills: Unusual Background (Cost TBD).

Especially appropriate Advantages: Contact. Patron (Promethean Foundation).

Especially appropriate Disadvantages: Enemy. Obsession. Secret. Secret Identity. Trademark.

Especially appropriate Skills: Criminology. Streetwise. Urban Survival.

Disallowed advantages, disadvantages, and skills: None.

Appropriate Patrons, Allies or Contacts: Promethean Foundation

Special Abilities Allowed for PCs

Exotic/supernatural traits: Any are allowable, subject to final approval by GM.

Cinematic skills: Any are allowable, subject to final approval by GM.

Unusual Background cost(s) for these abilities: Unusual Background [10].

Legal or social restrictions on these abilities: Psionic individuals are rare and generally unaccepted in most social circles; most psis have Social Stigma as a result, unless they are keeping it a Secret (-10, Utter rejection).

Magic and Psionics

See Magic (Dark Jazz) for more details.

General mana level: Normal.

Do areas of higher/lower mana exist? Yes. Even moments of high mana exist, according to astrologers.

Are PC mages allowed? Yes.

Are any of the spells from Chapter 5 off limits? No.

Are PC psis allowed? Yes.

Are any of the powers from Chapter 6 off limits? No.

Are PC gadgeteers allowed? Yes.

Rulebooks and Resources

GURPS 4th edition Basic Set. (Required.) A very simple super could be constructed using only the Basic set.

GURPS 4th edition Powers. (Required.) The mechanics of constructing a super-powered character. Absolutely essential to constructing all but the most simple of supers.

GURPS 4th edition Supers. (Optional.) A guide to the supers genre. Stories and themes rather than mechanics. COntains some very useful and inspirational templates.

GURPS 4th edition Martial Arts. (Optional.) For those special super-moves in super-combat as well as martial-arts-themed supers.

The Doom Patrol. Published by DC Comics, this trio of outcast heroes is one of the primary inspirations for the New Prometheans. This series began publication in 1963, but of particular interest are "the Morrison years" (issues 19 through 63, published 2000-2008), which begin with a reboot of the team's origin story and eventually becomes a psychedelic super-trip as the anti-heroes face weird "villains" like the Scissormen and the Painting That Ate Paris.

The Invisibles. Published by Vertigo (DC Comics) after the successful confusion of Morrison's run on Doom Patrol, this is one of the most infamous and successful occult-based limited series ever published. A secret group of psychics and magicians do battle against evil forces of a decidedly Lovecraftian flavor. Mysteries wrapped up in enigmas contained within conspiracies shrouded in secrecy.