A Hometown Worth Protecting From Evil

So I've got a question for everyone. In your supers games, where do your characters hang their capes and cowls when they lay down for sleep? While it's not true of every hero, most heroes are defined by their cities. Seriously what would Spider-Man be like without NYC or Batman without Gotham? Speaking of Gotham, I've pre-ordered DC Adventures Universe and I'm pretty excited. I may actually run a game in the DCU. Though I own many, Mutants and Masterminds is the supers game I typically run. When I do I almost always use the same setting. Freedom City is my favorite published superhero setting. It's a wonderfully crafted loving tribute to DC and Marvel. It hasn't been mentioned much in the 3rd Edition of Mutants and Masterminds, but there is a new city book set in the same universe, Emerald City, that will be released (hopefully) soon. In addition to Freedom City and Emerald City, there are several other fictional US cities I use in my Freedomverse. They've all been placed on a blank US map and shown below.

Freedom City, Massachusetts (as featured in Freedom City)- This shining metropolis has been the center of American metahuman activity since colonial times. Freedom City was the home of Earth's champion, the Centurion, and it was here that he died repelling the Terminus Invasion in 1993. The city hosts Freedom Hall, the Earth HQ of the prestigious Freedom League. The metahuman prison Blackstone Federal Penitentiary is also located in the area.

Bedlam, New Jersey as featured in 2nd Ediition book Bedlam City) -Bedlam is a city of rust and decay. A medium sized city, it is a former industrial town. However, the greedy hands of the mob and corrupt leadership has caused the city to slowly die. Still it's residents are stubborn and cling to what they have (even if it's covered in graffiti and broken glass). The city has never had a large metahuman population.

I don't use the full version of Bedlam. It's just too dark and strange for my tastes. However, I really like the overall concept of the city and I've found that using the stripped down version of the city that's found in Bedlam City Basics works wonderfully in my games. It really makes Bedlam the Gotham to my Freedom City Metropolis.)

Summit City, Pennsylvania (as featured in The WatchGuard Sourcebook) - Summit City is a progressive city nestled in one of the valleys of the Appalachian Mountain range. While it started as a small mining town, the city is now an example of modern marvels. Thanks to Catalyst Technologies and Meridian Enterprises (two local corporations), the city is primarily green (and doesn't operate on standard power grids). The city is home to the heroic WatchGuard, which is based on the same mountain as the metahuman Adrian Heights Prison.

Summit City is only briefly described in the sourcebook, which fits easily into the Freedom City setting.

Monroeville, Oklahoma (original creation) - Monroeville is a small retirement community outside of Tulsa. What many people don't realize is that many of the citizens of the community are retired heroes and villains. AEGIS monitors the community closely.

Bunker Ridge, Colorado (as featured in the 2nd Edition book Lockdown) -Bunker Ridge was started as a small fundamentalist town in Colorado. The town grew into a small mining and industrial city. However, the can do attitude of its industrious residents couldn't stop the towns decline. Things changed the 90's when the town was chosen to be the home of a new (privately owned) metahuman prison. The town is now vibrant and growing once again. However, there are whispers that something sinister lies below the surface.

The community is actually Buckner Ridge in the sourcebook, but in my head I kept calling it Bunker Ridge, so I decided to change the name for my game.

Emerald City, Washington (will be featured in Emerald City, though some information can be found Emerald City Knights) - Emerald City is a quiet, trendy city in the Pacific Northwest. Once quiet, thanks to techno wizard Maximillian Mars, the city is a true boom town,. The city never had a large metahuman population, but soon the Silver Storm will change that.

Expect some sort of M&M post with stats later today...