Both Needed The Posthuman League NEEDS YOU - Deconstructed Superhero Goodness!

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Both Needed The Posthuman League NEEDS YOU - Deconstructed Superhero Goodness!

The Cap't said that his character was "kept on the sidelines" because of his perceived lack of power. While I would never dream of arguing that the character feels that way, is it true?

Question! Does the Posthuman League have a de facto power ranking system where "more powerful" supers are considered socially superior to less powerful supers?

Discuss!
 
I think it would be true. If the League is above the law, then the only law is the law of the jungle. The law of the jungle is enforced by the strongest, like an organized crime group. The ranking may or may not be official, but it all comes down to 'what are you going to do about it?' Eventually the individuals or groups of individuals who have the power to 'do something about it' when people cross them are the ones who get their way.

Edit:

An equilibrium would eventually form as the strongest groups reach a consensus in which each of them is getting an acceptable cut of whatever they want. The consensus holds as long as the balance of power holds.

Weaker individuals would become followers or supporters of stronger individuals. Weaker individuals could also band together for strength in numbers or to have a 'seat at the table' so to speak. Stronger groups might do what it takes to prevent such groups from forming or being successful.

Another Edit:

Socially, i think there would be an unofficial ranking system in which more powerful supers would be respected more than weaker supers. Think of it this way. In a mixed martial arts league, a fighter might be able to beat anyone not in the league, but most of the fighters good enough to be in the league can kick his ass. Nobody would respect him, nobody would listen to him, he would become the target of abuse, because there wouldn't be anything he could do about it. A stronger super could kick sand in his face at the beach and there would be nothing he could do about it, because if he pushes the issue, he'll get his ass kicked. He knows it and everybody knows it.

There would be a social spectrum, with the weakest on one end and the strongest on the other. Weaker supers wouldn't be 'the cool kids' or the 'jet set'. Other supers wouldn't want to hang out with them or be seen with them. They wouldn't get invited to parties or get high profile missions. They wouldn't get corporate endorsements or comic lines made about them. When they are noticed it's probably not for very long, and they get treated like 'the help'.
 
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I agree with all this, there would definitely be ranks in the Super world, even if its not intended. As for Trent, he's got power, he can kill people with his abilities but in doing so, he drains a lot of his energy. He's more of a hands on fighter and prefers to use his powers to keep his own pub going and to protect himself. He's confident in himself and would stand up to "bullies", but he's definitely not the Superman of the Super world.

I definitely see there being "cool kids" in this world, those with powers who could beat others without barely lifting a finger, and I see these people automatically being able to overpower those who aren't as powerful. So I do believe that unofficial social rankings would take place, perhaps they even become richer and more successful because they are so powerful. And as you said, they'd possibly even gain followers.
 
By the way, for those of us who have never heard of Tonopah, it's an Area 51 type of place. I thought it was closer to Las Vegas, but it's about 100 miles away. I should have checked first. In reality it's an Air Force base where they operate secret high tech aircraft. For our story, I'm going with the idea that the base was decommissioned and purchased by the League shortly thereafter. It has underground facilities and former weapons ranges where supers can test their powers in the rocky desert. The town of Tonopah is a hardscrabble village populated by old people living on social security, small businesses, tourism businesses focused on outdoor sports, people who work at the base, and people who work at the big new solar power field. About 100 years ago it was a wild west type mining town, with numerous gold and silver mines which are now played out and abandoned.
 
I hate Tonapah. I had a car break down there, once. ;)
 
I stayed in a... clown-themed motel next to a fuckin' graveyard. I expected the Joker to bust in and kill me.
 
Tonapah made me yearn for the culture and sophistication of Rachel, Nevada.

LOOK, I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THE PLACE. :)
 
Captain Kincaid said:
So I do believe that unofficial social rankings would take place, perhaps they even become richer and more successful because they are so powerful. And as you said, they'd possibly even gain followers.
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But now here's the rub! The most powerful supers may not be the most intelligent or the most capable of managing an organization. They may not be all that great at resolving conflicts among their followers, or at finding new opportunities for their group to enrich itself. So there might be a lot of turbulence, a lot of changing allegiances, as individuals get disgruntled and look for new groups to hang out with.
 
I'm waiting for other people to respond before I post something more substantial.
 
exocat said:
But now here's the rub! The most powerful supers may not be the most intelligent or the most capable of managing an organization. They may not be all that great at resolving conflicts among their followers, or at finding new opportunities for their group to enrich itself. So there might be a lot of turbulence, a lot of changing allegiances, as individuals get disgruntled and look for new groups to hang out with.
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So it's not as smooth running as they would have liked. That's good, gives a bit of tension and disagreements to work with!

And that's cool, I'll write when a couple more responses are made too :)
 
Sorry I didn't write a lot in my post, I hopefully will do in my next one, I just didn't want to taker over it all haha! Also, do you think there could be another place for us to chat instead of this request thread? Or are we all ok here? :)
 
Love the idea. Big fan of 'The Boys.' Mind if I throw up a character? Wouldn't mind taking down some Supers.
 
@Stryk16 - You absolutely should if you like... though at the present time there are no other resisters. It could get lonely (and dangerous) with one resister and a horde of supers. ;)
 
I'd be happy to do the NPC thing, but sometimes players want to play with other players! :D
 
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