Casting Shadows

This week’s seed is ostensibly being planted for Mutants and Masterminds, although ultimately, this seed could be planted in pretty much any sort of superheroes game with a certain level of reality behind it. This seed is another very basic one, and can be summed up in two short words: Moving Day.

Planting the seed:

I think this seed would work best if you allow a character’s normal paranoia about enemy plots to be completely unfounded, but let them find lots of conflicting information regardless, to keep them guessing. To use it, you will need a character with a closely guarded secret identity, and a lair with modifications or hidden areas within city limits that they do not want to be discovered, lest it lead to the revelation of their alter ego. The advent of this plot device can be heralded with a local election where a newcomer to the city’s political scene takes office, and begins to actively work to revitalize the area in which our hero’s or heroes’ sanctum resides. Later, zoning laws are changed, and then major political muscle is brought to bear convincing building owners and residents to sell their property to developers. Those who do not sell, find themselves on the receiving end of frequent inspections, constant persuasive tactics, endless visits and calls, and ultimately, an order to vacate. All of this can seem suspicious enough, even though it is purely rooted in misguided idealism, graft and greed, not super-villainy, but let your creativity and the players’ imaginations run wild with possibilities. The hero or heroes will be under constant pressure to move their “secret base” and thereby risk not only its discovery, but their identities as well. Even renovating the building to remove traces of secret baselikeness from the dwelling will prove a challenge due to all the zoning changes and the intention of the developers to raze everything and build anew.

What’s going on

The best part of this is that nothing sinister is going on on a heroic level, and people are being well remunerated for their property… those with nothing to hide, that is. Meanwhile, crime and other villainy are not on vacation, and with all the new money in town, and all the shifting power alliances in government, the heroes will be busier than ever… no time to fight this real life inconvenience as their alter egos and no way to fight it in hood and cloak.

Few options are open to them and time is running short…

What will they do?