Foreword

This is the campaign book for the Men and Supermen Super Hero Role-Playing Game. If you like this, you’ll love the game. Men and Supermen should be available where you found the Hero’s Guide.

Assumed Cosmology

These rules detail a fairly complete, if general, cosmology. There are fictional planets, civilizations, and organizations. There are other universes and multiverses, and the astral planes. There are other realities and higher dimensions. There are time lines, localized time lines, and there is time travel and time entropy, as well as the Astral, Universal, and the Dimensional Matrices.

I have included all of these because it is hard to create a game system without also making assumptions about the world surrounding the rules. At the same time, I have attempted to make it simple for you to change these assumptions. As I said in the introduction to the game, Men and Supermen is a modular game system. If you wish to detail a different cosmology, do so. You are the owner, publisher, editor, writers, and artists of your comic company.

Use whichever parts of this book you desire in your campaign. Replace everything else. Expand on it however you feel necessary. There will be two more supplements to expand on the framework given in the Editor’s section of the Hero’s Guide: The Brand X Travel Guide, and the Brand X Guide to Time.

Bibliography and Sources

If you want to know what we were thinking about during the playtesting of this game, here are some clues. The first list is a Role-Playing Bibliography, a list of adventures and articles that we found useful while playing and creating Men and Supermen. The second is a list of the comics, movies, and books that have influenced the things I want Men and Supermen to do.

Role-Playing Bibliography

Ancient and Modern: White Dwarf Magazine 80-81, August & September, Graeme Staplehurst. This is a wild first adventure for experienced players, if you wish to create a darker, mystical campaign.

Beyond the Rule Book: Dragon Magazine, July 1983, Lew Pulsipher. This article was written for the prospective fantasy game referee. Mr. Pulsipher’s tips apply to any game. If you’ve never refereed a role-playing game before, I recommend reading this article.

Creeks and Crawdads: Martin M. Costa, Crustacean Games. Just in case you’re taking yourself too seriously. The Beer and Pretzels Role-Playing Gameª. The most realistic post-holocaust game on the market. Nobody lives.

Heroes are Made Like This!: Dragon Magazine #135, August 1988, Jerold M. Stratton. Players need to remember that the game world differs from the real world in important ways. And sometimes, they also need to be reminded that their characters are not just collections of numbers.

One From the H.A.R.T: Space Gamer #70, July/August 1984, Gregg Sharp. This is an easy to run, low-powered introductory adventure. Give the characters their powers from the exploding truck. Use ROC as the major crime organization. Or, make up your own.

Square Pegs and Round Holes: Dragon Magazine #165, January 1991, Jerold M. Stratton. A good adventure is hard to find. Don’t throw one out just because it’s not written for your game system or your world.

Stayin’ Alive: Dragon Magazine, November 1986, John J. Terra. This article was written for Espionage game players, but the basic information is useful for any player who wants a surviving character.

United States v. the Lizard Thing: White Wolf Magazine #31, May/June 1992, Steven Long. This very informative article covers questions of constitutional law in a world of super powers. Highly recommonded.

Volturnus Series: TSR Inc., SF0-SF2. This is a well-crafted epic space adventure. With only a little work, you can use it to brilliant effect in your Men and Supermen campaign. See Square Pegs and Round Holes.

When GMs Go Bad: Dragon Magazine #134, July 1988, Sherri Gilbert. As a game referee, you have to remember to pace yourself. Of all the players, you alone have the power to make or break the night’s game. And the mistakes you make can carry over from night to night. Heavy load, eh?

What’s New: Dragon Magazine comic strip, Phil Foglio. This running strip gave a tongue-in-cheek representation of the failings and foibles of role-playing and role-players. See especially issue #75 for tips on role-playing superheroes. Still no Sex and D & D. Next issue, Scout’s Honor!

Wings of the Valkyrie: ICE adventure for the Hero System. Very easy to modify for use with Men and Supermen. If you want an adventure with heavy moral overtones, this one’s for you.

Fiction Bibliography

Action Comics Number 1: DC Comics, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster. This is the one that started it all. If you can’t locate a copy of Action Comics Number 1, DC has reprinted it a number of times. Look for an oversize comic called Famous First Edition. It features the entire issue. If you just want to look at the Superman part, it was reprinted in the Superman Anthology (see below).

All-Star Squadron, issues 17-33: DC Comics, Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. A good look at handling large super hero groups.

Brother from Another Planet: John Carpenter, A-Train Productions. An interesting twist on science fiction.

Doom Patrol, 1968-1971: DC Comics, Arnold Drake and Bruno Permiani. One of the first silver age superhero groups.

Doom Patrol, issues 19-?: DC Comics, Grant Morrison, various artists. Quintessential weirdness in the Doom Patrol style. If you’re looking for something different to flavor your superhero campaign, take a look at the new Doom Patrol.

The Greatest American Hero: Stephen J. Cannell Television series, Robert Culp, Connie Selleca, William Katt. Want to see the Percent Control roll in action? Ralph Hinckley receives an incredibly powerful superhero suit from strange aliens, but loses the instruction booklet...

Highlander: Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, Davis/Panzer production. I recommend checking out the European release. A very good look at the effects of immortality on a basically super-heroic character.

The Incredible Hulk: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno. Great soap-opera in the superhero tradition.

Justice League International: DC Comics, Giffen and DeMatteis. Super heroes behind the scenes. Take a look especially at the first couple of issues. DC has published a trade paperback, reprinting them.

Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday: Elliot S! Maggin, Warner Books. The author takes a good look at the most powerful hero of all, and how he views the world he protects.

The New Teen Titans, issues 1-18: DC Comics, George Perez and Marv Wolfman. The interactions between the DC Universe sidekicks and other young heroes was well-handled during this run of the New Teen Titans.

Nightstalker: Darrin Mcgavin, Carl Rigby. This television series looked at the darker side of a large city, in a world where the supernatural exists, and is commonplace.

Origins of Marvel Comics: Stan Lee, Simon and Schuster. This collection describes the classic origins of Marvel’s most famous heroes.

Remington Steele: Pierce Brosnan, Stephanie Zimbalist, Doris Roberts, Butler and Gleason production. This television show is a first-rate course in how to use ideas from other sources.

Sherlock Holmes, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Grenada Television. Sherlock Holmes would’ve made a great mad scientist, and Jeremy Brett plays the character wonderfully.

Six Million Dollar Man: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks. This television series mixed mystery, espionage, and science fiction. Find out what OSI would have done in a world without super heroes.

Son of Origins: Stan Lee, Simon and Schuster. This sequel to Origins of Marvel Comics describes the origins of more of Marvel’s early heroes.

Superman: From the 30s to the 80s: Crown Publishers. A collection of Superman stories from Action Comics Number 1 through the forties, fifties, sixties, and seventies. Watch the oldest superhero grow in characterization and power.

Superman, The Movie: Warner Bros., 1978, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman. This was the movie that really started putting super heroes on the screen again. It’s both kinds of movies: great special effects and great writing.

Watchmen: DC Comics limited series, Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons. Read it less for its strange plot devices than for its treatment of middle-aged super heroes.

Wonder Woman: DC Comics, George Perez. Perez re-unites Wonder Woman with her Greek origin. Many of these stories are classic examples of how a superhero campaign can be run without violence.

Players

Creating Your Character

It seems to take a lot of dice rolling to create a character in Men and Supermen. In the original rules, there was very little dice rolling. Players basically chose the powers that they wanted. I quickly discovered that this method did not work very well with inexperienced players, or even with experienced players who were not familiar with superheroes. But if you want to create a superhero without any dice rolling, do it. Create a concept, and put the concept into writing using these rules. The only limitations are the limitations that you and your Editor place on the character.

Remember, you’ll only need to create a character once. If that character dies, you may want to play a new character while waiting for the first character to come back to life (via Fate Points).

Why Are We Here?

In most role-playing games, the guiding force behind what the players have their characters do is survival. Besides role-playing and wandering about the world, there is a real possibility that the characters will simply not survive the game session.

In Men and Supermen, survival is no longer a problem. Unless the character does something really stupid or incredibly noble, the player may very well never need more than one character!

So take care when creating your character. Make sure you are going to have fun playing this character, because it may be the last character you ever play. Creating a character is time-consuming, but you won’t be doing it very often.

Also, you’ll need other crutches for your role-playing. Rather than worrying about survival, you’ll need to worry about other people’s survival. You’ll also want to worry about your character’s image to the public, (dark and dour, happy-go-lucky, noble) and you’ll want to make sure your character acts the way you want your character to be perceived. You’ll want to trade witty repartee with your partners, and more importantly, you’ll want to match wits with your enemies and thrill to the danger of life as a superhero.

Savor a good enemy! Without the villains, your character couldn’t be a hero. What good is an ultra-modern headquarters, a masterful character conception, and a spazzed-out costume if there’s nobody to fight?

Retcons

Role-playing and comics have a lot in common, and role-playing super heroes even more so. When you first play Men and Supermen, your main concern will be having fun, and that is as it should be. After a while, however, you may decide to take a more serious attitude towards your role-playing. What to do with all those merely fun characters you’ve been playing? Do what DC Comics did. Take them and update them. Retroactively change the continuity of your character. Modify the characters’ motivations, powers, and history. Make that campy crime-fighter darker. Take that female bombshell and turn her into a powerful statement on today’s society. Rewrite your entire history, or just parts of it.

Connections

Your character is not an island alone. Your character has friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors, most of whom are not super heroes. They have real jobs.

Your most important connections are your family. The game rules tell you whether your parents are still around, how many siblings you have, and how old they are. But they don’t tell you what your parents, sisters, brothers, actually do, where they live, and what their names are. That’s up to you.

You’ll also want to write down the names of your friends and coworkers at your workplace.

Maybe a few teachers, some extra-heroic organizations. You know. Are you a member of the PTA? Do you attend college? When you did attend college, what were you a member of? Who was your most influential professor? If you were a vegetable, what kind would want you be?

Sample Connections:

Mark Wattell (Father): Mark Wattell is a machinist at Westinghouse. He is a hard-working man who wants the best for his family. My decision to drive stock cars has strained our father-daughter relationship.

James Maxwell (Close Friend): James is a physicist at the University of Waterloo. His intellect often gets in the way of his emotions. We have dated occasionally, but I don’t like to go out with him. I think that sometimes he still wants to go out with me.

Obtuse Connections

The best connections are the obtuse connections between two or more heroes that may never be discovered. It has been shown that, on the average, every person in the United States is no more than 5 friends away from any other person in the United States.

When you read comics, you’ll see these obtuse connections all over the place. Fanboys thrive on them. Sometimes it’ll be a connection to a long-canceled comic. Sometimes it’ll be a connection to one of the writers of the comic, or to the main characters of another company’s comic!

When you decide to make a connection like this, be creative. Talk to some of the other players, and make connections between your character and their characters.

Personality

Your character is just a piece of paper. But it doesn’t have to be. You have the power to make your character live and breathe. On your list of connections, write down your character’s personality. There’s no need to make it too detailed. One paragraph will suffice. You’ll be expanding the description as you play the game.

When you create your character’s personality, keep in mind your character’s powers and origin.

Origin

How did your character gain super powers? Discuss this with your Editor. You might want to start the game without powers, playing through your origin in the first game session. If you do start the game with powers, figure out why, where, and how you received them. Your character may not know, but you should. Your origin should, somehow, take into account all of your powers.

Past

Your origin doesn’t just cover how your character’s powers were gained. It covers all the salient chapters in your character’s life. Think about your character’s personality. What kind of upbringing might have formed this person? Write down one specific event from your character’s childhood.

Look at your character’s skills and knowledge, and take these into account also. Does your character have a college degree? From what college? Does your character remain in touch with college friends and professors? If so, name one of each. Don’t worry about writing a description yet. You can do that later.

Present

What is your character’s occupation? Make sure you take your character’s income into account. Now, does your character like this occupation? Is it fulfilling? What kind of co-workers are there? Name one. What kind of superiors? Name a superior, also.

Name one influential relative, or friend of the family. Often, an aunt or uncle fits in best here.

Who is your character’s best friend? Who does your character hang out with when not adventuring or working? Name one person.

Now, how were your character’s powers received? At birth? How did this affect your character’s upbringing? If the powers were recently received, how did this affect your character’s life, relationship with family and friends, job, and leisure time?

Future

Finally, what are your character’s aspirations? What do you want to be doing in 5, 10, 20, or even 40 years?

When you know the answers to these questions, you will find it much easier to role-play and have even more fun. You will be much more involved with your character, and should even be able to give your Editor ideas for subplots to liven up the main adventures.

Theme Groups

Many superhero groups are simply random collections of super heroes. This is fun, and a good way of doing things. However, it isn’t the only way. Superhero groups can have a theme. You’ll need to discuss this with the rest of the players to construct a real theme.

Everyone might have to take a Knowledge Score in some form of music, and everyone in the group is in a band. You might decide that everyone should create heroes with Animal-based powers, Elemental powers, or Cosmic powers, and work that theme into your origin. Or, you might choose a religious pantheon of legend and play members of that pantheon.

What the Ability Scores Mean

The range of ability scores in the general population is 6 to 15 for the 3d6 abilities, and 8 to 20 for the 4d6 abilities/attributes. This gives you an idea of how horrible and great your 3d6 and 4d6 scores are. Without even having any powers or weaknesses, your abilities may be beyond human norms.

What Combat Means

This combat system was designed to simulate comic book combat. First, there is a random chance to hit your opponent, depending on your skill vs. their ability to dodge. Second, you have both Damage Points (real flesh) and Virtual Damage Points (no actual loss of flesh).

When your opponent’s Attack Score is greater than or equal to your Defense Score, you have been hit. However, if no actual Damage Points were lost, the attack didn’t really hit. Your opponent’s fist just grazed your stomach, or the sword just barely sliced your costume, or the fire blast singed the hair on your finely shaved face, but missed actually hitting you.

In the same way, when you lose DP, the attack hit, and it hurt. Even if you have 30 DP, and you only lose 1 point, you feel that point. Your opponent’s fist has left a nasty welt, or the sword has sliced into your flesh, or the fire blast has left burns on your body.

When you go below 0 DP, you’re really hurt. You may very well have broken bones or damaged organs. You don’t care, though, because unless you’re a real masochist, you’re unconscious.

4. The enemy invariable attacks on two occasions. When you’re ready for them. And when you’re not ready for them.

Exposure

Men and Supermen Editing Points are based on the concept that your character will grow more if more people read your comic. That’s why you get Editing Points for the amount of time you spend playing your character. A character who appears in two comic books, a couple of limited series, an animated cartoon on Saturdays, and a feature film will have more skills and background than a character who just appears once in the middle of another group’s comic. No matter what the characters actually do.

Characters can also receive Editing Points for game work their players do. A player can draw a group photo of the supergroup, or get together with other players and write a history of the group.

The Editor determines how many Editing Points are received. Divide by the number of characters who get Editing Points. Each character gets this many Editing Points. The character(s) of the player(s) who did the work will receive double the Editing Points. So, if all players worked on it, the effective Editing Points for the work is doubled.

Example: Exposing Professor Star

Professor Star’s player writes a book report on “The Penguin Abridged History of Time,” as if Professor Star had written it in 3rd grade. The book report is two pages. That makes 2 Editing Points. It was written by Professor Star, so that’s times 1.1, and the Editor accepts it as existing in the campaign world, so that’s times 1.4. The Editor gives it a usefulness multiplier of 1, the standard. So, the total Editing Points are 2.64. There are 4 players in the current game adventure, so the Training Points are divided by 4, for .76 Editing Points each. Because Professor Star’s player wrote it, she gets double that, or 1.52 Editing Points.

While Professor Star’s player was writing the book report, the players of the Rainbow Wizard, Seraph, and Michael Doolittle write a 10 page history of their group’s origin, complete with art and newspaper clippings, as written by Spy Magazine. It is 10 pages, making it 10 Editing Points. The Editor accepts it as existing in the world, so that’s times 1.4. The Editor gives it a usefulness rating of 1.2, bringing the total Editing Points to 16.8. Divide this by 4 (the number of players in the game), for 4.2 Editing Points each. The Rainbow Wizard, Seraph, and Michael Doolittle each get double that, since their players worked on it. They each get 8.4 Editing Points.

Using Your Editing Points

What do you do with Editing Points? You use them to build your character conception over time. Editing Points can be used to increase abilities, skills, and powers. Wizards can use them to make it easier to learn magic. And it can even be used for Knowledge at opportune moments, through the use of your Discretionary Knowledge points.

Editing Points can be used at any time. However, sometimes it takes a while for the Editing Points to take full effect. This will be most often true when editing an ability. When your character uses Editing Points to increase an ability, you should not do any calculations until the game session is over with. You can take advantage of the higher ability score when making saving throws vs. that ability, but your derived abilities will not increase until the game session is over. When you use Editing Points for a skill or a power, you will gain all benefits of the new skill level or power roll. However, if the new level/power roll indicates a change in Mass or a change in Damage Points, these changes will not take effect until the end of the game session.

You can also use Editing Points to directly affect an Action Roll. Each Editing Point gives you a bonus of 1 directly to the roll. Half of the Editing Points you use will be applied to Editing the skill for which the Action Roll was made. The other half are lost. (They still go to Experience, of course.)

Taking Control of Your Fate Points

The most common use of Fate Points is to bring a character back to life, or save a trapped character. But Fate Points aren’t limited to just that. They can be used as an escape from any situation the character is in. If you really feel you need to use a Fate Point to escape from a dinner party with your girlfriend’s parents, you can do it. You have to be careful, though. You start out with what seems like a lot of Fate Points, but you don’t get very many afterwards. Use your Fate Points as sparingly as possible, and only when the fate of your character hangs in the balance.

New Characters

What to Do When Your Character Dies

You mean, your character’s really dead? Give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve done something most people are unable to do. You’ve killed a superhero. Now it really is time to create a new character.

As you are creating this new character, think about the world. You know a lot more about this world now than you did for your first character. Make this character really count. Talk with some other players. Maybe you can start out as a sidekick of a more experienced character. Of course, you’ll eventually leave the nest, as you slowly accumulate as many press clippings as your mentor.

You can be related to another character. Get some concessions here. Every famous superhero has superhero relatives. It’s a true status symbol. Playing the nephew of one of their characters should be worth at least a slice of pizza. Maybe even two.

You might even be the long-lost son of your old character. Now, you’ve sworn to avenge your father’s death. Of course, you’ll need a costume first...

Trying Something Different

A lot of times we unconsciously limit ourselves when we create new characters. We ignore the possibilities in playing characters from other cultures, playing characters of the opposite sex, and characters of a different sexual preference.

Of course, it’s easy to fall into a stereotype when branching out like this. Use common sense, and if you have the time, do a little research at the library. Especially when playing a character from another culture, it helps to get a feel for the history of the culture.

Playing the Same Character in Different Worlds

In general, I don’t recommend using the same character in different campaigns, under different Editors. There is precedence for this in comics, however: alternate worlds and imaginary stories. These are tools for examining different aspects of a character’s personality and destiny.

If you do decide to use a character in more than one world, give the character a slightly (or greatly) different history, and examine how the character will have developed differently in a different world.

What is a Superhero?

Different people in the world will answer this question differently. As far as the public is concerned, a superhero is someone who runs around in a funny costume and isn’t a supervillain. Some people hate superheroes. Some people practically worship them. Many don’t even believe they exist. Make sure you ask your Editor how people in this world feel about super heroes.

In general, this is what makes someone a superhero, as far as the public is concerned:

Notice that a superhero doesn’t have to have superpowers. But anyone who has superpowers but isn’t a superhero is generally going to be considered a super villain. Boo. Hiss.

Sleepers

What people really worry about are the sleepers--those who hide their powers and use them in normal professions. If someone uses their ability to see the future as a way to do slightly better than average on the stock market, who’s going to know it’s not because of their superior knowledge? Who’s going to know if an Olympic runner is really super-powered? Who’s going to know if the guy next door could wake up one night and blow the neighborhood away with an energy blast?

Some people really resent the existence of super heroes. Many a fine super villain came into being because someone felt that super heroes were taking the spotlight away from the common person.

Experienced Superheroes

Are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced? Some of the following paragraphs discuss things that your character probably should do in order to be a successful superhero. But your character’s not necessarily going to know these things at first. Some are obvious, but others aren’t so obvious. You may want to make a few mistakes as you start out, until you gain the experience that comes with a few hard knocks.

Secret Identities

Why do you need a secret identity? Ask Mick Jagger. It’s nice to be able to get around without having people mob you. More importantly, you need to protect your friends. Many villains will have no compunction against taking revenge on those who are close to you. And, your secret identity gives you a chance to rest, and get away from a particularly nasty super villain.

Protecting Your Identity

In order to protect your identity, you need to change your appearance. The easiest way to do this is with a costume. Costumes serve two purposes. They hide your identity, and they make you easily recognizable. If you’re slugging it out with a costumed villain on the streets of New York City, the police are much less likely to arrest the both of you if you are wearing a flashy, superhero costume. If they recognize who you are, they may even help you. Costumes also identify you to other heroes, making it easier to get their cooperation as well. Finally, your costume identifies you to the public. Can you imagine the panic that would result if an anonymous stranger suddenly burst into flame in their midst?

Designing Your Costume

Okay, so you need a costume. What makes your costume both hip and functional? First, you need a mask. Preferably a full face mask. If you hide your face, you’ve hidden most of what people use to identify you. Make sure you can breathe, speak, see, and hear through the mask.

It’s probably best to stay away from capes, unless you can fly. Capes can be grabbed onto by villains. They get dirty. They’re hard to sit down in, and unless you happened to be posing when someone takes your picture, they look pretty stupid, too.

Hair is also important. If you have a distinctive hair style or color, hide this. Beards and mustaches can make masks nearly useless. If you use hair correctly, though, it can be invaluable in changing your appearance. Wigs, fake beards and mustaches can drastically change what you look like. Don’t wear these aids as a superhero: in an all-out battle they are far too easy to lose. Instead, wear them in your secret identity.

Glasses are great. If you wore glasses before you got your powers, keep them, even if you don’t need them anymore. If you do still need them, use contacts or goggles in your superhero identity, and glasses in your normal life. Because of the stereotypes surrounding glasses, wearing glasses will change your appearance drastically.

The basic idea is to look different as a superhero. Anything you can do to change your appearance will help. If you have a power that can do this, use it. The effect must be permanent, and not dependent on concentration. It will not do to return to normal every time you are knocked out or surprised.

If you can, disguise your voice. A face mask that covers the mouth can muffle your voice slightly. If you are a good actor or impressionist, change your voice when switching identities. It helps to be more dramatic as a hero, anyway. Make sure that your new voice sounds convincing, and make sure that you always use it as a hero, and never in your secret identity.

If you use uncommon expressions (such as “Wild, man!” or “Righteous Ducks!”) make it a point not to use these in your heroic identity. You may even want to make up some unique expressions to use as a hero. Not only does this help keep your secret identity, it makes the parents of all your little fans a lot happier when you don’t swear and cuss all the time.

Gloves, of course, are a necessary part of any costume. Fingerprints can identify almost anyone.

Remember, chance and human nature are on your side. Villains who know you as a hero will find it hard to connect you with your normal personality, unless you unwittingly help them. Likewise, the thought that you could be a superhero will never occur to your friends and relatives, unless you make them suspicious. It is up to you to make sure that others simply have no reason to make the connection between your two (or more) identities.

Be careful where you appear. You have one built in disadvantage. You cannot appear in both your secret identity and your heroic identity at the same time. Do not compound this problem by appearing as a hero everywhere you happen to be as a normal. You don’t always have to change into costume to combat crime. Many powers can be used quietly and quickly, without arousing suspicion. Use a little imagination.

When friends and relatives get into trouble, and you must save them, try to do so surreptitiously. Not only will extended contact with people you know tend to make them suspicious, others will recognize that you are paying too much attention to certain people. Villains will be able to get at your friends and relatives without even knowing who you are!

If you can mislead people who are searching for your identity, do so. If you can fly, or run at high speeds, choose one part of the city, and often appear from that part of the city. People will come to think you live in that area. If you usually swoop down from the northeast when confronting villains, people will eventually come to assume that you live in the northeast part of the city. Tricks such as these are not hard to develop, and can be tailored to your skills and powers.

Who To Tell

Occasionally, you’ll want to trust someone with your secret. Some people even have a right to know. Spouses should be told. So should your parents, if you are living at home. In both of these cases, even the decision to become a superhero should be made in consultation with those affected. These people will be strongly affected by the decision. They can be sources of support when times get tough.

If you don’t tell your husband/wife or parents, you’d better be good at making excuses. You’ll need to explain why you’re consistently late for work or school, why you must cancel engagements at a moment’s notice, and why you must disappear for hours at a time.

You will occasionally feel the need to tell a close friend, or a lover. You probably shouldn’t. Not only must they be implicitly trustworthy now, they must be trustworthy years from now. And even if they can be trusted, they can still get themselves and you in a lot of trouble. If they feel you can rescue them, they might take more chances doing stupid things. Anyone who knows your secret identity will also try to contact you when they think you’re needed. This can be useful, but when one of your enemies realizes that this person has the ability to contact you, both you and your friend will be in grave danger.

You might even feel it necessary to tell the secret to government agencies or other super heroes. Government agencies should never be told. Everything they know is on file somewhere, and anyone with the know-how can access that information. And, just because the agency is friendly now doesn’t mean it will always be friendly. Leadership changes, legislation changes, and public opinion changes. Any one of these could put you and your loved ones in danger.

Super heroes, now, are another story. If you end up working with the same hero or group for a long period, you’ll find it useful to be able to relax with these heroes as friends. You’ll be able to invite them to your parties, and they will understand when you have to leave. They can cover for you; they know what you’re going through.

Practice

Back in character, now, get to know your powers. Sure, as player you know exactly what powers you have. But your character doesn’t. And even you probably aren’t quite clear on the limits of these powers. Practice using your powers at maximum and at less than maximum potential. In the field, it is often best to use attacks at half-strength or less, depending on who is being fought. You are not going to make brownie points with anyone--press, public, or police--if everybody you fight ends up either dead or maimed for life. Real heroes rarely need to kill.

You’ll also want to practice tricks--special uses for your powers and abilities that may not be very obvious. A trick may involve more than one skill or power. Keep on the lookout for new and interesting tricks. When you want to do something, but don’t have the required power or skill, see if you can fake it with another skill or power.

Group Techniques

At some point in your career, you’ll become involved with a group of heroes. Groups should make a point of practicing together. This way, everyone is familiar with what everyone else’s powers do. Groups should develop tricks, also. These tricks can combine the powers and skills of multiple heroes.

Special maneuvers should also be developed. Maneuvers are general, nonspecific plans for the group to follow. They work in many situations. By calling for maneuver A, or maneuver B, the leader can give instructions without informing the opposition. For example, if the group has entered combat with some villains in the downtown area at rush hour, the leader might tell the group to execute maneuver A. The group then knows to perform a series of feints and retreats designed to move the fight to a less populated area. This works much better than just yelling, “We gotta move the fight away from all these people!” thus reminding the villains that there are dozens of possible diversions and hostages just walking around.

Maneuvers should be limited to easily remembered, generally applicable instructions. Useful maneuvers can often be found by recalling what happened in a fight after the action is over. If someone must often repeat a set of instructions, those instructions are a candidate for a maneuver. Likewise, if a simple plan failed because the villains heard the leader yelling it out, that plan is also a candidate for a maneuver.

Group Leader

Choosing a leader is a very important part of being in a group. Every group of more than three heroes should have a leader to make quick decisions when speed is necessary. The basic candidate for a leader must be able to think fast under stress, be able to command, and have a good public presence.

The ability to think fast is most important. It won’t hurt if your leader is also highly intelligent, but quick thinking comes first. The leader must be able to make important decisions at a moment’s notice. If plan A goes wrong, should the group switch to plan B? If the group is attacked unexpectedly, are they going to be able to deal with the threat? If not, the group must get out immediately, and the leader must find the best means of retreat.

Of course, all the intelligence and quick thinking in the world will do no good if no one follows the leader’s orders. The leader should be able to command, either through respect or friendship. The group must be willing to follow the leader’s orders.

Finally, the group will be interacting with the public, through innocents, officials, and the media. The leader will usually be the group member who communicates with the public, because people want to talk with the leader of a group more than they do the members. A leader with high charisma will greatly enhance these interactions. It is the leader who keeps the group on the good side of the local public, the media, and the government.

If you decide that you want to be leader, keep these things in mind. Do you want the responsibility of everyone’s lives on your shoulders? Can you handle that responsibility?

Getting Into Your Role

So you’ve described your character, you know how the character thinks, what the character looks like, and whether or not the character prefers pistachio over vanilla. But how do you really sink your teeth into the role you’ve created?

Some Cheap Tricks

There are a number of cheap tricks you can use to help immerse yourself into your role. All of these, by nature of being cheap, must be used with caution. They can become annoying and silly if used in excess.

One of the easiest, and closest to the genre, is the use of specific, generic sayings. In the old days (silver age), heroes and villains weren’t allowed to swear on panel. So the writers developed all sorts of now classic swear replacements. You can do the same thing.

You can also develop some special mannerisms (tics). Maybe you have a tendency to pace the floor when speaking to the group. Or you always take off your glasses when you’re worried, and wipe them clean. Any number of psychological mannerisms can be stolen for use with your character.

Accents can be used to differentiate your character from yourself. It doesn’t even really matter if you don’t get your accent right, though it helps to try. Go watch a movie that takes place in the area your character’s from. If your character is a complete alien, devise a strange accent.

Clothes and other props can help get your character description across. If you’re a generic detective, wear the generic detective hat. Maybe even a trench coat. If you’re playing a scientist, bring a calculator, and fiddle with it during the adventure. If your character is a graduate of Cornell University, see if you can get your hands on a Cornell T-Shirt, and wear that.

Tie it All Together

Write your character’s résumé. A résumé will give you a concise description of your character’s history. It’s a great thing to spring on an unsuspecting Editor, as well.

Plan Ahead

If you have time, try to think about what’s going to happen in the next game session. You should have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen, from what happened last time. Then, think about how your character will respond if any of those possible situations arise. What will you do, and what will you say? You won’t always be right about what’s going to happen, but you will gain practice getting into character.

Take a Step Back

After your first adventure, and every couple of months afterwards, describe your character from the viewpoint of a non-player character you’ve met during the adventure. Try to be honest--describe what this person saw in your character. Describe how this person probably reacted to your character. Put yourself in the place of this person, and see how you would have reacted to your character and your character’s actions.

Sniff the Game World Roses

When you start playing, find out about the campaign world. What other heroes and villains exist? Take special notice of the non-player character heroes and villains taken from comic books. They are likely to play a prominent role in the game world. Also, keep up-to-date on current events in the real world. Some of these may also occur in the game world, if your Editor is on the ball.

Also, find out about the differences between the real world and the game world. Are there lots of super-powered beings, or only a few? Is public opinion for super heroes favorable or unfavorable? Does the public even know that these beings exist? You will have much more fun and a greater chance of a surviving character, if you know what is going on around you.

The Real World

Most important of all, when you are playing the game, play as if it is real. If something seems strange to you, assume it truly is strange. Do not assume it’s just an Editorial error or an artifact of the game rules. And never take events in the real world as reasons for events in the game world.

If you think the Editor misspoke or the game system broke down, point this out immediately. The Editor will tell you whether or not the event actually occurred.

The tendency to take real-world needs and actions as causes for game-world events can be much more subtle. One of the most obvious is the assumption that players need characters. This is, of course, true. But that’s still no reason for you to accept a complete stranger into your group, immediately, and with no questions asked. Accept the new hero with caution. You won’t want to divulge secret identities right away, for example.

You Are Co-Writer

Remember, you are the co-writer of your character’s adventures. Your Editor has final say, but if you have ideas for something that should happen regarding your character or some of your connections, talk to your Editor about it.

Editors

Let There Be Fights!

Campaign World Possibilities

There are many possible worlds in which to base your campaign. The most common world is one that is like the real world in all ways except that super-powered beings exist. A variation on this makes the player characters the first (or the only) super-powered beings on Earth.

Dictatorship: The world is under the control of an oppressive government, and the characters are (or will be) part of the rebellion.

Future: The game is set in Earth’s future--a decade, a century, or even a millennium or two.

Literary Worlds: Your world can be based on the world(s) of another author, or a comic book company. The players might even play characters from that fiction.

Nuclear Holocaust: The world has been all but destroyed by a great world war. The characters might have actually lived through the holocaust, or the holocaust could have occurred sometime in the past.

Other Planets: The game is set on another planet, with different completely different cultures from Earth.

Paranoia: The world is similar to Earth’s, except that super-powered beings are viewed with suspicion and hate. They are subversive, dangerous, and undeserving of basic human rights.

Past: There are many interesting times in our history where a game can be set. You might set your game in the dark ages, in the Civil War, one of the World Wars, the roaring twenties, the Cold War, or the civil rights movements of the fifties or sixties.

Space Travelers: The game can be set in an area of the galaxy where space travel is fairly common, and the player characters are a roving band of adventurers. Or, the player characters could be part of an organization, or even on a mission for a galactic government.

Time Travelers: Time Travel is hard to do, but it can be enormously fun. The player characters don’t even have to have control over what times they end up in--it might be completely random, due to some freakish accident. Or, they might be minions of the Time Patrol.

Comic Books: The characters are all comic-book characters, and some even know it. This can be both serious or silly, though it most often is silly. When characters know they’re in a comic, they’ll turn to the fourth wall and talk to the readers. They may attempt to take advantage of or threaten the writers and artists. They will certainly complain if they aren’t drawn correctly.

Scripters don’t usually exist in these worlds. That is, the characters have control over what they say, and some control over what they do. You can certainly experiment with a world where that isn’t the case, of course.

Game World Scope

As you design your nations, worlds, solar systems, and galaxies, don’t lose sight of the neighborhood. If the players know the street names near their headquarters; if they know their neighbor in the apartment across the hall; if they know the cop who patrols their block, or the clerks at the corner convenience store, they’ll feel more satisfaction than knowing which alien races live within 350 light years.

Introduce next-door neighbors, police officers, mail deliverers, ice-cream truck and hot-truck operators, and twenty-four hour supermarkets to the characters. These non-player characters will do more to enhance your campaign than any government agencies or weirdo super villains.

Infixes

Heroes, villains, organizations, cities, and countries from other works of fiction that you steal to use in your campaign are infixes. You can choose infixes from comic book worlds, television shows, movies, and even reality.

Fictional cities and countries can cause even more problems. Especially in the main comic book worlds, even the writers have no exact idea where these made-up places exist. But your players are going to want to drive there from their base in Poughkeepsie.

How to Use Infixes

When combining heroes, villains, objects, and places from other sources, you can mold them into a cohesive whole using some very simple techniques. First, you need to ask yourself a few questions:

Does the Infix Fit? It is important to keep the style of the infix intact. If you are importing a comedic or serious infix, be sure not to lose the style that attracted you to the infix in the first place. Some campaigns will simply not be compatible with some infixes.

Also, some of the attractiveness of an infix is due to the world surrounding the infix. If Ultraman is the only super-powered creature in his world, will he be an interesting character in a world with dozens or hundreds of super-heroes?

How Should The Infix be Modified? You need to look at the totality of the infix. If you are importing a hero or villain, what is their origin? Does it include other heroes/villains? Do you include these in your campaign also? Some you will, some you won’t. What about the network of events, objects, and people surrounding the infix? Sounds like a lot of work. There are three important ways to simplify using infixes.

The Flow of Time in Comics: The major comic companies compress the passage of time in their worlds. So, you’ll probably need to update any origins involved with the infix. Especially if they involve major world events. World War II origins will need to be updated to Vietnam, and Vietnam will need to be updated to South America or even the Persian Gulf.

Incidentally, compressing time is fine for comic books. It’d probably be better if they didn’t, but since continuity isn’t continuous across writers, there’s no reason for it to be continuous across time. You, of course, are always going to be using the same players; and if you do use different players, you’ll also be using different characters. Your players will expect that their meeting with the then-President of the United States in 1984 actually happened as they remember it. When you change continuity, you’ll need to do so with the player’s cooperation and consent. Compressing time just isn’t going to be worth it.

Fictionalizations of the Infix: Another problem with playing in the real world are all the books, movies, and radio shows involving the infix. What to do? Well, there are a couple of easy ways of dealing with it. You can delete all offending fictionalizations from your campaign. The infix is real, and none of the movies or books were ever created. You can claim that the fictionalizations are really documentaries or docudramas based on the infix, or diaries created by the infix. You can replace the fictionalizations with another creation. You can make up the replacement yourself, or find something suitable from the real world, a creation that never became really successful here, but in the absence of its competition (the infix’s fictionalizations), became successful in your campaign world.

Recycle Your Infixes: Every infix has a built-in network of friends, events, and objects. If you keep all of your infixes separate, your campaign planet will eventually have so many extraneous people and things that it’ll reach critical density and implode into a black hole. You can prevent this by combining parts of the supporting cast surrounding different infixes. If two of your infixes are members of a different scientific research organization, combine the organizations into one, and the infixes are both members of the same one. After all, there’s hardly room in the world for two benevolent research groups with unlimited funds. Two infixes with similar parents might be related. Basically, any similarities can be combined.

Tying It All Together: Your Campaign

It’s a good idea to devote your first game session to a group pow-wow. You’ll want to discuss the world with the players before they make up their characters. You’ll want the players to discuss what kinds of characters they want to play.

Give the players fifteen to twenty minutes to scribble and discuss ideas for their characters, the world, and the campaign. If a player wants to play someone who can fly, they should write that down. If another player wants to play an Iraqi spy who’s defected to the west, they should write that down. If they think it might be fun to play in a post-holocaust world, hey, write that down as well.

Once you’ve gotten a bunch of random ideas down, it’s time to organize them. Start from the top and work down: the world, the group, and the characters.

The World: Remember that, as Editor, you’ll be doing the lion’s share of the work on the campaign world once the campaign starts. So don’t hesitate to make things easier for yourself here. If you’ve already got a world that you want to use, use it. Replace the ‘world creation’ part of the night with a ‘world description,’ and describe that world. If you have two or three worlds you’d like to run, give the players a choice.

The Group: Now, the players will start homing in on the kind of campaign they want to play. They’ll need to place limits on the kinds of powers the group will have, the kinds of skills, and the kinds of backgrounds. They might decide to play an all-animal group, or a group of spies.

The Characters: When the players start creating their characters, encourage them to work together. Encourage them to create characters that will interact in interesting ways. Encourage them to make connections (see the Players’ section) between their characters, and to insert plot hooks for future adventures.

Divergence from the Real World

If you set your game on Earth, in the past or the present, your history will eventually diverge from what’s really going on. Don’t worry about it. See the discussion of Time Travel for ways of dealing with this. Use this divergence as a source for new adventures--things will remain similar to, but not exactly the same as, the real world.

~~Stealing~~ Discovering Adventure Ideas

As Editor, you should be well-versed in comic books and heroic literature. Always be alert for new adventure ideas. Movies, comics, novels, and even real life, are all full of adventure ideas.

Keep current with what is happening in the fields of science. Many advancements provide marvelous opportunities for Mad Scientists.

Commercial Adventures

Don’t limit yourself just to the adventures published by FireBlade Publications. There are many other superhero role-playing games, and some of their adventures are very well written. A little work can easily fit them into your campaign.

You shouldn’t even limit yourself to the superhero genre. Horror, espionage, detective, and even fantasy adventures can all be used by the versatile Editor.

Brave New Worlds

Very few, if any, comic book companies have all of their work authored by the same individual. Likewise, there’s nothing wrong with having two or more Editors running campaigns within the same world. You’ll need to compare notes occasionally, just to keep things in sync, but it’s not really that hard.

In order to keep out of each other’s hair, you may want to assign a different part of the world to each Editor. One can run an adventure in space, another can run a group of Soviet super heroes, and you can run a group of Jamaican super heroes.

Occasionally, you will want to do team-ups, bringing the different teams together for a huge, limited series adventure. And, your players will want their characters to cross over into another campaign in the same world. Besides being fun, this will give players a different perspective on their own characters. Powers, skills, and knowledge will all act slightly differently under different Editors.

All the Universes in the World

First, there was this egg, see. It was as big as the universe, but that wasn’t very large, since the universe had barely formed...

First, there was this universe. It was an old universe, decrepit and dying. As it collapsed...

First, there was this egg, see. It was as big as the universe, but that wasn’t very large, since the universe had barely formed. It consisted of all the debris of the previous universe, which had collapsed in on itself. It is impossible to measure the age of that universe. All knowledge of that universe was lost in the primordial matter of the great, seething, egg.

The egg explodes, and as it expands, so does the new ultraverse. This ultraverse consists of universes within multiverses, and is a single time stream.

Which Universe?

There are many universes within this multiverse. All universes within the same multiverse have similar physical laws. The laws of nature may be slightly different, but each universe will be familiar to visitors from neighboring universes. Many times, the differences will be completely unnoticeable. In other universes within our multiverse for example, the speed of light might be retarded, or gravity may be a stronger force, but light and gravity still exist, and will be recognizable for what they are.

The universal interface is not as important as the multiversal interface (see below). Travelers who do not pass through the interface will probably not be in any danger. They’ll retain their native physicality, and will probably look slightly odd to natives of the new universe, perhaps gaining new powers or weaknesses while there.

Every universe has a Time Differential and a Space Differential. These Differentials determine the ratio between space and time between different universes. The Differentials are best explained with an example. The Dark Universe has a Space Differential of 65. The Cloud Universe has a Space Differential of .5. This means that 65 meters in the Dark Universe is equal to a half meter in the Cloud Universe. If a traveler from the Dark Universe goes to the Cloud Universe, walks 20 meters, and comes back, the traveler has moved 20 meters, times 65, divided by .5, or 2,600 meters in the Dark Universe.

The Time Differential works in the same way. The Dark Universe has a Time Differential of 57. The Cloud Universe has a Time Differential of 48. If a traveler from the Dark Universe goes to the Cloud Universe, waits 100 minutes, and returns, the traveler will discover that nearly 120 minutes has passed in the Dark Universe.

In general, universes in the same multiverse will have similar gross features. Where there is a large amount of mass in one universe, there will be a large amount of mass in the others. See Dr. von Windleband’s lecture, Physics and Us, following this section.

Multiverse

A multiverse is a group of universes with similar physical laws. Different multiverses have radically different physical laws. Most universes within one multiverse will have convergent physical (and magical) laws. You can have a lot of fun, sending the characters to another multiverse, and re-writing how their powers and magic work.

When characters travel to a different multiverse, they may take on a new aspect in the new multiverse. It depends on whether or not they traveled through the multiversal interface, or bypassed the interface. For example, if the new multiverse is based on anti-matter, characters must travel through the interface. This transforms their matter to anti-matter. Otherwise, their matter will interact with the anti-matter, and create a tremendous explosion.

Other multiverses might be energy-based, instead of matter-based. Passing through the multiversal interface, the characters and their equipment will be transformed to coherent energy, and will be returned to normal when they pass through the interface on the way back.

The Space Differential does not apply to two universes each in a different multiverse. There is no spatial interface between multiverses, so travel between multiverses must be to specific places.

Ultraverse

The Ultraverse is the collection of all multiverses. The multiverses of the Ultraverse are separated by true Void. Between the multiverses, there are no laws. That is, physical laws do not exist, except within a multiverse.

If matter travels into the Void, the physical laws of its universe will come with it. They quickly disperse into the Void and die away, and as the matter’s Uni-Point Code laws die away, the matter itself fades from existence.

There are civilizations within the Void. When the multiverses collapse into each other at the end of time, there are occasionally civilizations that have attained a level of technology and magic which allows them to escape their dying universe into the Void between the multiverses. They carry their physical laws with them, and bind them to their new, created world. From the Void, these civilizations can observe the end of time, and the beginning of a new time.

The Mickey Mouse Conjecture

Why is it possible to travel from one universe to another? Research in this area has evolved directly from Professor Einstein’s seminal work in Space and Time. As many of you no doubt know, from the popular space fiction movies and literature, space bends when it encounters mass. It has been assumed that mass causes space to warp, though there are those who claim that warped space causes energy/mass to take the form of mass.

During the problems of last December, I was able to conduct many experiments to confirm and modify our knowledge about other universes.

Whereas it was previously conjectured that multiple universes were a form of dimensions beyond height, width, and depth, this has not been born out. Separate universes are not separate dimensions, at least as we define dimensions in physics today.

There are other dimensions co-existing with our own. Because our concept of the laws of the universe is influenced by the dimensions we see, these worlds based on different dimensions seem quite foreign and strange.

Radius:	696,000,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	618,000 m/s
Rotation:	26 to 37 days	Revolution:	250 million years
Galactic Center:	9 Parsecs	Velocity:	250,000 m/s
Mass:	1.99 times 1030 kg	Gravity:	27.9 g
Surface Temperature:	5500¡	Center Temperature:	15 million¡
Pressure:	0 to 124,000 atms
Make-Up:	90% Hydrogen 10% Helium

Radius:	2,439,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	4,300 m/s
Day:	58.7 days	Year:	87.97 days
Distance to Sun:	57.9 X 109 meters	Velocity:	47,730 m/s
Mass:	3.32 X 1023 kg	Gravity:	.38 g
Day Temperature:	425¡	Night Temperature:	425¡-185¡
Air Pressure:	0 atmospheres
Atmosphere:	None

Radius:	6,052,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	10,300 m/s
Day:	243 days (reverse)	Year:	224.7 days
Distance to Sun:	108.2 X 109 meters	Velocity:	47,730 m/s
Mass:	4.89 X 1024 kg	Gravity:	.879 g
Avg. Temperature:	477¡
Air Pressure:	90 atmospheres
Atmosphere:	96% Carbon Dioxide 3.5% Nitrogen

Radius:	6,378,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	11,200 m/s
Day:	23 hours, 56 minutes	Year:	365.256 days
Distance to Sun:	149.6 X 109 meters	Velocity:	29,800 m/s
Mass:	6.04 X 1024 kg	Gravity:	1 g
Avg. Temperature:	13¡
Air Pressure:	1 atmosphere
Atmosphere:	78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen	Satellites:	Moon

Radius:	1,738,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	2,380 m/s
Day:	27.3 days	Year:	27.3 days
Distance to Earth:	384,500,000 meters	Velocity:	2,380 m/s
Mass:	7.35 X 1022 kg	Gravity:	.166 g
Day Temperature:	132¡	Night Temperature:	-156¡
Air Pressure:	0 atmospheres
Atmosphere:	None

Radius:	3,398,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	5,000 m/s
Day:	24 hours, 37 minutes	Year:	686.98 days
Distance to Sun:	227.9 X 109 meters	Velocity:	2,413 m/s
Mass:	6.42 X 1023 kg	Gravity:	.38 g
Day Temperature:	28¡	Night Temperature:	-68¡
Air Pressure:	.007 atmospheres
Atmosphere:	95% Carbon Dioxide 2.7% Nitrogen 1.6% Argon	Satellites:	Phobos Deimos

Radius:	71,398,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	595,000 m/s
Day:	9 hours, 50 minutes	Year:	4331.98 days
Distance to Sun:	778.7 X 109 meters	Velocity:	12,730 m/s
Mass:	1.92 X 1027 kg	Gravity:	2.34 g
Temperature:	0 to 25,000¡
Air Pressure:	0 to 80,000,000 atms
Atmosphere:	90% Hydrogen 10% Helium	Satellites:	Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and many others

Io		Europa
Radius:	1,816,000 meters	Radius:	1,563,000 meters
Distance to Jupiter:	412.6 X 106 meters	Distance to Jupiter:	670.9 X 106 meters
Mass:	8.92 X 1022 kg	Mass:	4.87 X 1022 kg
Revolution:	1.769 days	Revolution:	3.551 days
Ganymede		Callisto
Radius:	2,638,000 meters	Radius:	2,410,000 meters
Distance to Jupiter:	1,070 X 106 meters	Distance to Jupiter:	1,880 X 106 meters
Mass:	1.49 X 1023 kg	Mass:	1.064 X 1023 kg
Revolution:	7.155 days	Revolution:	16.689 days

Radius:	60,010,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	35,600 m/s
Day:	10 hours, 14 minutes	Year:	10760.56 days
Distance to Sun:	1427.7 X 109 meters	Velocity:	9,450 m/s
Mass:	5.75 X 1026 kg	Gravity:	1.32 g
Temperature:	0 to 20,000¡
Air Pressure:	0 to 50,000,000 atms
Atmosphere:	94% Hydrogen 6% Helium	Satellites:	Titan and many others

Radius:	2,570,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	3,800 m/s
Day:	20 hours, 3 minutes	Year:	15.9 days
Distance to Saturn:	1.22 X 109 meters	Velocity:	5,580 m/s
Mass:	1.35 X 1023 kg	Gravity:	.147 g
Avg. Temperature:	-180¡
Air Pressure:	1.6 atmospheres
Atmosphere:	80-95% Nitrogen Methane Argon

Radius:	25,450,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	21,200 m/s
Day:	10 hours, 49 minutes	Year:	30,685.49 days
Distance to Sun:	2870.5 X 109 meters	Velocity:	6,360 m/s
Mass:	8.82 X 1025 kg	Gravity:	.93 g
Temperature:	0 to 7,000¡
Air Pressure:	0 to 20,000,000 atms
		Satellites:	Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon

Radius:	24,300,000 meters	Escape Velocity:	23,600 m/s
Day:	15 hours, 48 minutes	Year:	60191.2 days
Distance to Sun:	4498.8 X 109 meters	Velocity:	5,430 m/s
Mass:	1.0389 X 1026 kg	Gravity:	1.23 g
Temperature:	0 to 7,000¡
Air Pressure:	0 to 20,000,000 atms
		Satellites:	Triton, Nereid