Sep 7, 2026 6:27 am
New here, and already intrigued by some of the games and discussions I've seen. I'm wondering whether this concept for an MCU game would catch anybody's interest.
The premise:
3–4 college students in New York, February 2012. They move into a new apartment between Manhattanville and Harlem. Eventually something goes wrong, after which they begin discovering that they can do things no human should be able to do.
The following months involve student life, neighborhood problems, relationships, investigation and trying to understand and control these emerging abilities... until the skies open in May and the Battle of New York changes the world. The PCs will be caught in the middle of it.
The style:
Grounded, RP-heavy gaming in a plausible, responsive world. PCs can have a major impact, but the world doesn't revolve around them. There are independent story spines that continue whether the PCs engage with them or not; they can alter them substantially, sometimes even derail them.
I research the setting heavily. Manhattan feels as much like real 2012 Manhattan as I can make it, with the MCU timeline running underneath. Even the PCs' apartment uses the actual layout of the real building. Ordinary college, home and neighborhood life remains part of the game rather than just filler between superhero events.
Character creation:
Players create the concepts, I build the initial stats from them, and then we tweak them together until we're both happy. A lot of leeway within the basic premise; college-age PCs are strongly recommended.
System:
Phoenix RPS, my own system, developed and used through about 35 years of tabletop play with 50+ people in total. Feedback has been excellent oer the past 10 years or so (when last tweaks were done). No previous familiarity required.
One other disclosure: I use LLM tools for secretarial/continuity work, bookkeeping, research assistance, and occasional NPC images or illustrations. The game itself is GM'd by me, not by an AI.
Me (since I'm new here):
New to RPoL, but I've been GMing TTRPGs for roughly 35 years. I tend to run long, character-heavy campaigns with fairly detailed worlds, and Phoenix is the system that's grown out of those games over the years. I like giving players substantial freedom and then letting the world respond rather than steering things to a predetermined plot. Also, wrote a scifi novel (self-published).
Any takers, or feedback?
The premise:
3–4 college students in New York, February 2012. They move into a new apartment between Manhattanville and Harlem. Eventually something goes wrong, after which they begin discovering that they can do things no human should be able to do.
The following months involve student life, neighborhood problems, relationships, investigation and trying to understand and control these emerging abilities... until the skies open in May and the Battle of New York changes the world. The PCs will be caught in the middle of it.
The style:
Grounded, RP-heavy gaming in a plausible, responsive world. PCs can have a major impact, but the world doesn't revolve around them. There are independent story spines that continue whether the PCs engage with them or not; they can alter them substantially, sometimes even derail them.
I research the setting heavily. Manhattan feels as much like real 2012 Manhattan as I can make it, with the MCU timeline running underneath. Even the PCs' apartment uses the actual layout of the real building. Ordinary college, home and neighborhood life remains part of the game rather than just filler between superhero events.
Character creation:
Players create the concepts, I build the initial stats from them, and then we tweak them together until we're both happy. A lot of leeway within the basic premise; college-age PCs are strongly recommended.
System:
Phoenix RPS, my own system, developed and used through about 35 years of tabletop play with 50+ people in total. Feedback has been excellent oer the past 10 years or so (when last tweaks were done). No previous familiarity required.
One other disclosure: I use LLM tools for secretarial/continuity work, bookkeeping, research assistance, and occasional NPC images or illustrations. The game itself is GM'd by me, not by an AI.
Me (since I'm new here):
New to RPoL, but I've been GMing TTRPGs for roughly 35 years. I tend to run long, character-heavy campaigns with fairly detailed worlds, and Phoenix is the system that's grown out of those games over the years. I like giving players substantial freedom and then letting the world respond rather than steering things to a predetermined plot. Also, wrote a scifi novel (self-published).
Any takers, or feedback?
