In the late 80's the world began to experience a growth in what could only
be termed "Villainism."
Criminals, the insane, the devious, and the just plain lazy began to exhibit
previously unanticipated organization and abilities.
The global crime rate began to shoot up, egged on by self-styled supervillains,
mad scientists, and masterminds.
Police and military forces were swamped, barely keeping ahead of these villains,
fighting hard to just maintain sanity.
And then the heroes came.
Men and women, mysterious in their origins began to emerge.
They said they had felt to call to be heroes.
Across the world these heroes formed into teams, and began to fight.
The crime rate dropped, schemes were thwarted, and all hailed the heroes
as the saviors.
Vigilantism was made legal in nearly every free country.
The day of the superhero had come.
Yet things can change.
The heroes proved able to keep the villains in check, but just barely.
While new villains were showing up every day, there were no new heroes.
Each city found itself with teams of heroes barely staying ahead of the
curve.
Glutted on endorsements, bound in red tape, and adored by millions.
There were no heroes to spare.
Last winter, the Southern Shield, Atlanta's super team, disappeared.
Without a trace, they were gone, and the crime rate began to rise.
Atlanta once more was beset by villains, but without hope.
For there were no heroes to be spared from other cities.
But hope is not all gone.
In the past few months, new individuals have felt the call to Heroism.
They come from multitudinous backgrounds.
Few have demonstrable powers, or combat skills.
Yet still, they each feel an undeniable need to fight the forces of darkness.
You are one of these new heroes.
You are one of these untrained but necessary combatants.
You are an enigma.
You are a hero.
Enigmas is a superhero game intended to serve as light-hearted fare and inspired by Mystery Men. You will take on the role of an unlikely individual, likely without useful powers, but nonetheless called to fight the villains. This is meant to be a humorous game, and is also intended to be the much-waited-for playtest of the Facade system. Yes, I said that the low-powered supers game, if I ever ran it, would be inspired by Smallville. But hey, I got inspired by Mystery Men instead. What can you do? The game will feature shallow plots, goofy references, and rollicking action. Somewhere down the line, if things go well, it might turn into a semi-serious game, but for now it's just intended as playtest and humor. Come one, come all, and help me try out my homebrew system in a lighthearted environment.
Further Background