Delux City Campaign Set - Sourcebook

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DELUXE CITY
CAMPAIGN SET
CAMPAIGN SOURCEBOOK
TABLE OF CONTE NTS
Introduction
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Chapter 1: Greater New York City
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The Statue of Liberty
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Coney Island . . . .
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May Parker's Boarding House . . . . .
The Bronx Zoo
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The Brooklyn Bridge
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The Holland Tu nnel
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Ryker's Island . . . . . . . . . .
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Chapter 2: Manhattan: An Overview . . . .
A Map of M arvel Manhattan
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Chapter 3: Manhattan Hotspots . . .
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Central Park
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The Daily Bugle
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Doctor Strange's Sanctum
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The Empire State B uilding . .
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Em pire State U n iversity . . . .
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The Financial District
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Four Freedoms Plaza
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Hellfire Club Mansion . . . . .
Hell's Kitchen
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Marvel Comics . . . . .
Metropolitan M useum of Art .
SHIELD Headquarters . . .
Times Square . . .
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The U n ited Nations .
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Chapter 4: Forces of Good and Evil .
Damage Control . . . . .
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New York's Finest: The Police . .
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The M aggia .
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The Subways . . . . . .
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The Morlock Tu n nels and the Sewers . . .
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BIBLIOGRAPHY . . .
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Chapter 5: On the Sidewalks of New York:
The City Environment . .
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Chapter 6: U nderground Manhattan
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CREDITS
Author: Allen Varney
Editing: Jean Blashfield Bl ack
Graphic Design: Stephanie Tabat
Typography: Gaye O' Keefe
Cartography: Dennis T. Kauth, Diesel, Dave Sutherland,
Stephanie Tabat, Paul H anchette
Keylin ing: Roy Parker
Cover Art: Jeffrey B utler
Interior Art: The Marvel Bullpen
Thanks to Aaron Allston , Mark Bennett , Gloria Berulin , Bob
B udiansky, J eff Grubb, Dwayne McDuffie, and Don Webb.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork con­
tained herein is prohibited without the express written consent of TSR, Inc., and Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.
Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and
hobby trade by regional distributors.
All characters appearing in this gamebook and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. MARVEL SUPER
HEROES, MARVEL UNIVERSE, FANTASTIC FOUR and MARVEL SUPER VILLAINS are trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.
°1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.
Game Design «)1989 TSR, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION
In a wonderful city not far away, the
world's most bril liant scientist stands
on a rooftop, extends his body, and,
like a sail flapping in the wind, drifts
away on currents of air. Nearby, a
freelance photographer swi ngs over
co ncrete val leys h u n d reds of feet
deep, suspended by a thread .
In this city the supreme wizard of a
thousand worlds studies a scroll writ­
ten before the H imalayas rose from
the earth. Sun light strikes rai n bow
colors from the veined wings of a
woman half an inch high. A blind man
leaps across towers of glass, idly
eavesd ropping on conversations a
q uarter-mile away.
They live in a city of wonders, gigan­
tic, electric, as super h u m an as they
t hem selves. The greatest city on
Earth .
New York City, N ew York . . . in the
MARVEL U N IVERSETM.
The city is not far away-right i n this
box, in fact. With the Deluxe City Cam­
paign Set, a J udge can create a full­
scale MARVE L SUPER H E RO ESTM
campaign taking place in New York
City-the Big Apple!-Iocale of many
of M a rvel 's m ost popular com i c
books. This set explains the city's lay­
out, describes some important organi­
zations in d et a i l , visits m any
landmarks, and gives the "feel" of life
i n the m ajor city of the M arvel U n i­
verse. It also explains how Marvel's
New York differs from the real article.
But this set offers something more
i m portant t h an m e re i n fo r m ation .
From these pages J udges can learn
how to create or improve full-scale
campaigns set anywhere, and how to
generate adventures using interesting
background locations.
pendium
ABOUT THIS SET
whole set is meant for the Judge's
eyes only; players should not read it!
The Marvel Un iverse fascinates its
fans not only because of the heroes
themselves, but because of the world
in which the heroes live and the ad­
ventu res they have there. For in­
stance, thi n k of Spider-Man, and you
probably think of him swinging be­
tween the skyscrapers of Manhattan,
stopping crimes, and taunting J. Jo­
n ah Jameson at the Daily Bugle.
The Deluxe City Campaign Set sup­
plement is a new kind of product in the
Marvel game line. It focuses not on
the individual heroes but on the peo­
ple around them, their environment,
and the elements that make up the he­
roes' adventures. For descriptions of
the heroes themselves, see the Origi­
n al and Advanced Sets, or check out
the other MARVEL S U P E R H E­
ROESTM game supplements published
by TSR, Inc.:
M HAC6, New York, New York
M HAC7, Concrete Jungle
MA 1 , Children of the A tom
MA2, Avengers Coast-To-Coast
MA3, The Ultimate Powers Book
MA4, The FANTASTIC FOURTM Com2
M U 1 -5, the m assive five-vo l u m e
Gamer's Handbook of the MARVEL
UNIVERSE, the ultimate reference on
heroes and villains.
This supplement is designed for
use with the MARVEL SUPER H E­
ROES Advanced Set, but it can also
work with the Original Set rules. The
For a J udge who has never lived in
N ew York City, this set gives plenty of
information on the city, its layout, i nsti­
tutions, and "feel ." For the J udge who
has lived there, this set explains how
Marvel's New York differs from our
own New York.
You will find in the Deluxe City Cam­
paign Set:
( 1 ) This 96-page Campaign Source­
which describes New York City,
with emphasis on the borough of Man­
hattan . It depicts many of the city's
" H otspots," landmarks that m ake
good backdrops for adventures, such
as the Empire State Building and the
Morlock Tunnels. For more about the
" Hotspot" format, see below.
The So u rcebook also i n cl udes
write-ups of three organizations that
figure prominently in super-heroic ad­
ventures: the police, the Maggia crime
families, and the repair agency called
Damage Contro l . By learning how
these work and meeting the people
who run them , the J udge can lAse
them more effectively in a campaign .
book,
Then come sections that evoke the
atmosphere of life i n a big city, the
"feel" of the metropolis to those who
live there-both above grou nd (Chap­
ter 5) and below (Chapter 6).
(2) The 64-page Adventure Book de­
scribes the ingredients that make a
good adventure: the villai n , character
goals and motivat i o n s , adve n t u re
hooks, plot twists, and so on through
to the grand finale. It gives advice on
run n ing an ongoing campaign that
supplements the advice i n the
Advanced Set.
The book begins with a rundown of
a given year's major events in Man­
hattan . Any one of them can provide
the " hook" for an adventure.
The book also incl udes many small
scenarios tied to the Hotspot entries in
the Campaign Sourcebook, as well as
a large adventure, "Fun City," which
uses the locations described i n the
Sourcebook. Each brief adventure i l­
l u strates a way to use the Source­
book's locations in the campaig n . The
J udge can use these as spri ngboards
tor his or her own adventures, or as
lessons in how to turn locations i nto
scenario ideas .
Aga i n , the Adventure Book is for the
J udge's eyes only; read it after read­
ing this Sou rcebook.
(3) There are four large maps in this
box. Two of them fit together to show a
large section of midtown Man hattan ,
in ol udi n g Rockefeller Center, St. Pa­
trick's Cathed ral, the Roxxon Build­
ing, and Four Freedoms Plaza.
The th ird map shows selected New
York sites, including the United Na­
tions grounds and the Empire State
Building, as well as Central Park and a
typical subway car.
The fourth m ap depicts the Statue
of Liberty. The Statue is described i n
this book, a n d several o f t h e adven­
tures in the Adventure Book use it as a
setting.
THE "HOTSPOT"
FORMAT
The location descriptions follow a
standard format designed for maxi­
mum use and flexibility. Not every en­
try has all the following sections, but
most do. Here are the sections.
Overview: A brief description of the
Hotspot and its fu nction.
The Area: The part of New York
where the Hotspot is located .
Description: This lengthy section
gives the Hotspot's layout (where ap­
plicable) and appearance. Sometimes
the entry describes the materials the
location is made of, since com bat in­
volving PC heroes and villains often
produces heavy damage .
NPCs: Sometimes the description
includes statistics and backgrounds
for non-player characters (N PCs) as­
sociated with the Hotspot. These are
written so that the J udge can role-play
them well in appropriate encounters.
Crimes: The kind of cri m inal activity
associated with the location; also, ma­
jor schemes by super-powered villains
known to have been centered there
(where applicable).
Campai gn Use: This comes in two
subsections. First, the text describes
possible uses for the Hotspot in a
Man hattan or N ew York campaig n .
T h e second subsection gives
J udges ways to adapt the location to
other big-city campaigns set outside
New York. For instance, the Empire
State Building entry could apply to any
skyscraper in another city. Some
u n ique New York locations, such as
the Statue of Uberty, cannot easily be
adapted, and in these cases there is
no subsection.
I ndividual entries sometimes have
other, special subsections that deal
with particular topics. For instance,
the G reenwich Village write-up de­
scribes that neighborhood's history as
it relates to the Sorcerer Su preme,
Doctor Strange.
USING THIS SET
It's perfectly all right to use this
campaign set as a source of i nforma­
tion about Man hattan and a collection
of scenario plots. But this product also
describes the ideas behind adventure
design-and that education in how to
run a campaign can generate more
scenario ideas than a stack of supple­
ments.
For the J udge who wants to learn
about running a campaign from this
set, here is one way to�go about di­
gesti ng all this material:
1 . Give this Sourcebook a quick
once-through reading to get a general
idea of its contents. Read about the lo­
cations and organizations that look
3
most i nteresti ng, and get an idea of
the city's am bience or "feeL"
2. Look at the scenarios starting on
page 36 i n the Adventure Book that tie
in to the location description. Note the
design pri nciples used to turn the lo­
cation 's i nteresting features i nto a
worki ng adventure.
3. Read the first part of the Adven­
ture Book, especially the advice on
conducting a campaig n . The discus­
sion of story ing redients should sti m u­
late yo u r own creativity, provoking
good ideas and ways to customize ad­
ventures to you r own group of players.
4. Try designing a simple adventure.
If you aren 't al ready used to desig ning
adventures, you may want to look at
the story i n gredients, and try putting
one together. Go back to the locations
and organizations in this sourcebook
for settings and opposition, to the sce­
n arios a n d longer adve ntu res for
models, and to the Advanced Set or
other game products for useful ch ar­
acters. Desig ning adventures is chal­
lenging but also fascinating.
5 . Browse at leisure. With the expe­
rience gai n ed from desig ning the new
adventure, start at the top and read
through the whole set in greater detai l .
With the m aterial in this set, i t won't be
long before you r players are ready to
em bark on a ful l-fledged campaign in
the Big Apple, New York City!
It's a won derful town!
CHAPTER 1: Greater New York City
A VIEW FROM THE AIR
Descending over the north Atlantic
coast of the United States, whether
u nder their own power or in a handy
B l ackbird , Q u i nj et, or passenger
rocket, heroes can clearly see New
York City. The metropolis is part of the
u rban sprawl that stretches from Bos­
ton (to the north) to Washington, DC,
and farther south.
Centered between the N ew En­
gland and the Capital sprawls, New
York lies at the mouths of the H udson
and East Rivers. Miles of buildings
spread outward like a brown stain
along Long Island, the N ew Jersey
Coast, and u pstate New York. Yet sky­
scrapers in their midst of those mi les
of stain reflect the su nshine like dia­
monds. Diamonds amid the muck . . .
an image that may flit through the
minds of New York's visitors on many
occasions.
ITS SIZE
New York is the greatest city in the
United States, perhaps in the world. It
stands foremost in finance, culture,
the arts, commun ications, ethnic di­
versity, cuisine, and fashion . It has
been the largest city in the United
States for over 150 years.
The 304 square miles of New York
C ity proper are h o m e to about
7,000,000 people. The greater New
York City area, includin g nearby sub­
u rban areas in New York State, Con­
n ecticut, and New Jersey, has an
estimated population of n early
17,000,000 people, ranking it with
Mexico City and Tokyo as one of the
most populous areas in the world.
New York has been at the center of
the world of commerce since the Erie
Canal opened in 1825. More money
flows through Wal l Street and the Fi­
nancial D istrict than anywhere else­
$200 billion a day in banking alone.
The city's garment district is a leader
in textiles. The major television and
radio networks, publishers, some of
the cou ntry's largest newspapers (The
Wall Street Journal and The Daily Bu­
gle), and many gigantic corporations
(notably Roxxon Oil) make their head-
quarters here.
The city is famed for its culture.
Broadway, the Met, Times Square, the
N ew York Philharmonic, Lincoln Cen­
ter, the Metropolitan Opera-you can
hardly th row a villain without hitting a
m useum, theater, gallery, art cinema,
bookshop, or comic-book store.
New York's teams dominate (or try
to) in virtually every American sport:
the Mets, the Giants, the Knicks, the
Yankees, the Jets, and once upon a
time, the Dodgers . . . not to mention
boxers, horse racers, and teams dedi­
cated to soccer, hockey, and even
cricket.
New York was once the capital of
the United States. Now it is the politi­
cal capital of the world, for it hosts the
United N ations headquarters. And cit­
izens of every race, creed , origin ,
accent, and background live here in a
patchwork q uilt of neighborhoods:
C h in atow n , Litt le Italy, Yo rkvil l e ,
Harlem (both black a n d Spanish), and
many others.
Often these are immig rants, or the
descendants of immigrants. In the last
centu ry, and even today, New York
City has offered sanctuary or a better
life for millions of families from other
lands-the "tired , poor, and huddled
masses" commemorated in the city's
most famous mon ument, the Statue of
Liberty. This infusion of talent helps
give New York City its unique charac­
ter.
ITS SUPER-HUMAN
POPULATION
New York also boasts of, and some­
times complains of, the greatest con­
centration of super-human beings on
Eart h . New Yorkers who look up are as
likely as not to see Thor or the Human
Torch flyi ng across the sky. Spider­
M an, Daredevil, and other crimefig h­
ters swing through the steel-and-glass
canyons above the streets. Beneath
the gro u n d , m utants haunt the
Morlock Tunnels. And Doctor Stephen
Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of
Earth's di mension, makes his home in
Greenwich Village.
Super-powered individ uals in simi4
lar concentrations can be found only
on other planets, such as the Moon's
Blue Area (where the I n h umans live)
or the worlds of the Shi'ar Empire; or
in other dimensions, such as Asgard
and Olympus.
New Yorkers are lucky that so m any
costu med crimefighters dwell there,
because the city is among the most
crime- rid den in the wo r l d . Petty
crimes such as m uggings or purse­
snatchings happen on nearly every
street corner in some neighborhoods.
There are more drug addicts here
than anywhere else in Am erica.
Groundskeepers who plant trees in
the parks m ust handcuff them to the
ground to discourage tree thieves.
And many major criminal organiza­
tions, such as the Kingpin's apparatus
and the Maggia families, are based i n
N ew York.
This city keeps a hero busy!
ITS GEOGRAPHY
N ew York is built on the water, sepa­
rated from the United States by geog­
raphy as well as culture. Only one of
New York City's five districts, or " bor­
oughs," lies on the main land. The rest
are is lands, or parts of islands.
Though Manhattan Island is only 13. 4
miles long and the other boroughs not
much larger, the entire city embraces
nearly 600 miles of waterfront!
The boroughs, each once a city in
its own rig ht, united on N ew Year's
Day, 1898. The unification paved the
way for a steady transformation from
great city to metropolis . But even now
the boroughs hold distinct identities.
Manhattan, smallest (23 squ are
miles) but most powerful of the bor­
oughs, is what most tou rists think of
as "New York " -skyscrapers and
subways, taxis and neon, life lived at
the edge of frenzy. It lies in the center
of New York City geographically as
well as symbolically, bounded by the
H udson, East, and H arlem Rivers.
Many bridges and tunnels connect it
to the other boroughs. Population:
over 1,400,000.
Brooklyn (73 square m iles) l ie s
south-southeast, on t h e tip o f Long Is­
land. More people live in this borough
The Bronx
Queens
New
than any other: over 2,200,000. Some
of them occupy wealthy B rooklyn
Heig hts, but many more l ive in cookie­
box apartment buildings or housing
projects. Worse yet are the slums, full
of abandoned or burned-out buildi ngs
with residents to match. On the other
hand, Brooklyn also offers the Coney
Island am usement park.
Queens is the largest borough i n
area (110 square m iles), with about
1,900,000 people. It lies east of Man­
hattan, and is notable for ma ny
m i d d l e-class s u b u rban nei g h bor­
hoods, shopping centers, and a tradi­
tional way of life. (Peter Parker's Aunt
M ay lives here, if that says anything.)
Shea Stad ium is in Queens, along
with both major ai rports (La G uardia
and John F. Kennedy I nternational).
PC heroes taking a day off from crime­
fighti n g might visit the beautiful
beaches on Jamaica Bay.
The Bronx (43 square miles), the only
mainland borough, lies to the north of
Man hattan. Some of the most crime­
ridden slums in the country are spread­
ing rapidly in the South Bronx and
H unt's Point areas. But many residen­
tial neighborhoods rem ain prosperous.
The Bronx also houses no less than
ten universities, i ncluding Metro U . ,
whose attendees i n cl ude J o h n n y
Storm , Wyatt Wingfoot, and Jean
Grey. H ere also are the New York Bo­
tanical Gardens, Yan kee Stad i u m ,
and (of cou rse) the Bronx Zoo. Popu­
latio n : About 1,150,000 (the city, not
the zoo).
Staten Island, once called R ich­
mond, looks almost empty in compari­
son to the metropolitan congestion i n
t h e other boroughs. I t s 56 square
miles hold a mere 350,000 people.
But the population has i ncreased
si nce 1964, when a connecting bridge
to Brooklyn opened. And what a con­
nection: the Verrazano- Narrows, until
1981 the world's longest suspension
bridge!
The increasing population has set
off a real-estate boom and put a strain
on the famous Staten I sland Fe rry, sti l l
a popular way t o get t o Manhattan ­
and it still costs only a quarter.
ITS H I STORY
The bridge to Staten Island i s
named for the first European explorer
to reach the Hudson River, Florentine
navigator G iovan ni da Verrazano. He
saw it in 1524.
Verrazano claimed the territory for
France, but the fi rst European settlers
worked for the Dutch West India Com­
pany. They called the province New
Netherland. In 1626 the director gen­
eral, Peter Min uit, bought Man hattan
Island from the Manahatto I ndians for
60 g u i lders ($24) i n t r i n kets and
beads. It is said that if the natives had
i nvested that $24 at com pound i nter­
est, they could buy back Manhattan
today.
In 1653 the province's capital be­
cam e a city, called New Amsterdam .
But its wealth and strategic situation
worked agai n st the Dutc h . Eleven
years later the British, led by the Duke
of Yo rk, easily captured the city. The
D utch took it back in 1673, renaming
the city " New Orange." But a t reaty re­
turned the city to the British the next
year.
The merchants and sett l e rs
seemed unbothered by the changing
ownership. Even then they were inde­
pendent, businesslike, and tolerant.
New York was a pirate port in the
1600s, especially popular with the in­
famous Captain Kidd. The first Ameri­
can trial governing freedom of the
press took place in New York in 1735,
when publ isher John Peter Zenger
successfully defended the right to free
speech . Also at that time a colonial
version of England's Hellfi re Club ap­
peared in New York City, an organiza­
tion that su rvives (though changed in
pu rpose) to this day.
But sometimes the tolerance and
free- m i nded ness of New Yo rkers
could be pushed to the breaking point.
The fi rst bl ood of the American Revo­
l ution was shed here in 1775, when
British soldiers wounded or killed sev­
eral of the Sons of Liberty. After the
Revolution, the city became the new
nation's fi rst capital .
I n the 1800s and early 1900s, New
York City's prosperity and its rel igious
and political freedoms attracted m il­
l ions of i m migrants, mainly from Eu­
rope and Great Britai n. From 1892 to
1954, ten million i m m igrants were fun­
neled through the processing center
at Ellis Island, near the Statue of lib­
e rty. Som e found success in the new
wo rld. For i nstance, Howard Stark be­
came a millionaire industrialist and
6
founded Stark I ndustries. But many
imm igrants were exploited by the cor­
rupt politicians of America's "G ilded
Age," notably Boss Tweed and the
others in New York's Tam many Hal l .
In recent years a new phenomenon
has appeared in New York City: the
super-h uman. The group called the
Fantastic Fou r took up residence in
the Baxter Building, and the vigilante
called Spider-Man started swi nging
between Manhattan 's bui ldings. The
Ave ngers appeared and banded to­
gether in the Stark mansion facing
Central Park. Perhaps attracted by
these high-p rofile heroes, other su per
humans flocked to Manhattan. As
they have with other m i norities, New
Yo rkers took them in stride.
Others h e roes have come and
gone. The mysterious m utant group
called the X-Men has visited New York
from time to time, and a related g roup
cal l ed X-Factor had, at one t i m e,
headq uarters i n the Tri beca area.
Moon Knight, a costumed adventurer,
fought crime successfully in urban
New York, but more recently he has
been operating i nte rnationally.
Though greeted with scorn by
some, especially Daily Bugle p u b­
l i sher J . Jonah Jameson, s u p e r­
powered h e roes have garne red
adm iration from most New Yo rkers.
Residents regard most super- pow­
ered vil lains with more contempt than
fear; New Yo rkers are a tough lot.
Many citizens, jaded by the diversity
of the city, manage to ignore super h u­
mans altogether.
On the next several pages are de­
scriptions of some notable spots that
can lure player characters out of Man­
hattan and into the neighboring bor­
oughs.
TH E STAT U E OF LI B E RTY
OVERVIEW
It is fitting that this survey of New
York begins with a monument that was
for millions of im migrants their first
sight of New York and of the New
World .
The " Statue of Liberty Enlightening
the' World" stands on Liberty Island in
New York H arbor's Upper Bay. Details
of the Statue are shown on one of the
fold-up maps in this boxed set.
THE AREA
Liberty Island, once called Bedloe's
Isl'and, sits 1'/2 miles (60 areas) south­
west of the lower tip of Manhattan, j ust
half a mile (20 areas) off the coast of
N'ew Jersey's Liberty State Park. The
12-acre island is quite flat in terrain .
The Army built a post on Bedloe's
Island in 1800. The star-shaped Fort
Wood remained in service even after
the Statue's construction and dedica­
tion in 1886 and was not abandoned
until 1937 when the whole island was
given over to the mon ument. It was re­
named Liberty Island in 1956.
Half a dozen buildings, clustered on
t,he far end of the island from the
Statue, service visitors and staff. The
buildings include a restaurant and of­
fices for N ational Park Service per­
sonnel (the N PS is responsible for all
national monu ments).
At the far end of the island is a dock.
Ferries leave from Battery Park on
Man hattan Island once eac h hour.
The leisurely journey to the Statue, in­
cluding a full circle of the island, takes
about 10 or 15 min utes. Ferries hold
several h undred tourists and are al­
ways loaded to maxim um capacity.
Another dock, near the Statue's
base, is reserved strictly for use by
Park Service boats.
A mile north of Liberty Island lies El­
lis Island, once the processing station
for millions of European immigrants.
Now it, too, has become a national
mon ument . But in the intervening dec­
ades it saw other uses, which have left
mon uments of a far different kind.
The Maggia criminal organization
used Ellis Island as a testing area for a
short-lived program to synthesize new
addictive drugs. Its subjects were
teen-aged runaways whom no one
would m iss. All but two of the subjects
died. The surviving pair, their latent
m utant abilities activated by the
drugs, became the vigilantes Cloak
and Dagger.
Other minor isl ands in New York
Bay incl ude Governors Island, a N a­
tional Guard base (1'/2 m iles due west
of the Statue); and Avengers Island
(1/2 mile southwest of Liberty Island).
Avengers Island is actually a h uge,
mou ntainous barge, u ntil recently
called H yd ro-Base . Fo rmerly an­
chored in the Atlantic Ocean, the
Avengers used it to launch their air­
craft when the Federal Aviation Ad­
m in istration prohi bited use of
downtown Man hattan as an airport.
Since relations between the Avengers
and the government have warmed up,
however, the Avengers gained permis­
sion to anchor Hydro-Base in the bay.
They rechristened it "Avengers Is­
l a n d . " (For more info rmation o n
H yd ro-Base, s e e MA2, Avengers
Coast-To-Coast.)
DESCRIPTION
The Statue of Liberty depicts a clas­
sically garbed woman holding a torch
representing liberty aloft with her right
hand. In her left she bears a tablet in­
scribed with the date of America's
Declaration of I ndependence. Her left
foot stands on broken shackles repre­
senting tyranny.
History
The Statue of Liberty is a gift to
America from the people of France.
The idea for the gift originated in 1865
among a group of political activists led
by French historian Edouard-Rene de
Labo u l aye, who opposed then­
emperor N apoleon I I I . Laboulaye's
idea to com memorate the spirit of lib­
erty lay dormant u ntil after N apoleon's
fal l . In 1871 the historian enlisted
French sculptor Frede ric-Auguste
Bartholdi to design the Statue and
lead the project.
Bartholdi himself enth usiastically
promoted the idea in America and
France to raise funds begin ning in
7
1875. Construction began the next
year.
In the technique Bartholdi used,
known as copper repousse, thin cop­
per plates are bolted to an interior ar­
m ature or framework-so though it
would appear solid, the Statue would
actually be hollow. The armature was
bril liantly designed by Gustave Eiffel ,
t h e French engineer w h o would later
become famous for deSigning the Eif­
fel Tower.
Funding arrangements called for
the French public to fund the Statue it­
self and Americans to produce its ped­
estal. B ut public apathy delayed the
project for nine years. New York m il­
lionaires refused to fund a Statue of
Liberty, allegedly fearing that it would
inspire unrest among laborers.
F i n a l ly, when the e n ti re p roject
seemed doomed, Joseph Pulitzer, edi­
tor of the New York World stepped i n .
H i s ardent g rass-roots campaign for
the pedestal finally raised the needed
$102 ,000 (from 120,000 working men
and women and schoolchildren). De­
sig ned by American architect Richard
Morris H unt, the pedestal was fin­
ished in 1886.
President Grover Clevel and, who
had opposed the Statue of Liberty at
every step, had the glory of dedicating
the com pleted monu ment on October
28, 1886.
The Statue reigned supreme i n New
Yo rk H arbor for a century. B u t
weather, po llution, and to u rists dam­
aged it. A group of architects un der­
took a huge and expensive restoration
of the mon ument, co mpleted in time
for its centenn ial i n 1986. This time the
mill ionaires of New Yo rk were only too
glad to be associated with the Statue
of Liberty.
per side at its top . The foundation is 53
feet deep. The whole thing weighs
many thousands of tons.
Punching through the Statue's thin
copper plates takes Exce llent
strength. Lifting the Statue requires
Shift-X strength. Throwing it or tearing
it loose from its foundation calls for
Shift-Y strength . The Statue's struc­
ture is probably rigid enough to sur­
vive such an event intact . Noth ing
short of CL3000 strength could tear
the pedestal loose from its foundation ,
and the pedestal would certain ly be
destroyed.
Most of the year, long lines of tou r­
ists stretch across the island waiting
to enter the Statue. Inside the pedes­
tal is the American M useum of I m m i­
grat i o n . It i ncludes the origina l
Borg l u m torch, exhi bits about the
Statue's construction and restoration ,
and accounts of the history of immi­
gration in America. One wall bears a
plaque with Emma Lazarus's famous
poem, "The New Colossus" (" Give
me yo ur tired, yo ur poor, yo u r h uddled
masses yearn ing to breathe free . . . ) .
A glass-walled elevator goes 90 feet
up to the pedestal balcony. The eleva­
tor travels at a slow 200 feet per m in­
ute, to give tou rists time to appreciate
the view of the cavernous interior of
the pedestal. One of the largest hy­
draulic el evators on the continent, it
has no cables. The pedestal's interior
space is 126 feet 7 inches (8 areas)
high.
A long double-helix spiral staircase
with 142 steps leads to the head of the
Statue. Before the restorat ion the
stai rcases were s u rro u n ded by
prison-type screens of Good strength;
these have been removed to expose
the colossal interior of the stat ue. The
stai rcases once had rest platforms at
every turn, but the restoration team re­
moved most of these.
The stai rcases themselves are
metal of Excellent strength, and the
pil lar su pporting them is of Remark­
able strength . A successful FEAT roll
can rip out a six-foot length of one
stai rcase, a h u n k weig h i n g 200
po unds. This does not endanger the
Statue's armature.
The crown bears seven spikes,
sym bolizing the seven seas and
seven continents of the enlightened
world. From the crown, visitors look
out at a splendid view of the bay. A se"
Statistics
The Statue's height is usually given
as 151 feet 1 inch (10 areas) tall; the
1986 restoration team measured it at
152 feet 2 inches. The Statue's pedes­
tal is 154 feet tall (10 areas); the total
from foundation to torch, 305 or 306
feet (20 areas), dependi ng on the fig­
ures chosen.
The Statue is made of 310 copper
plates riveted on an armature of 1,830
iron girders, and weig hs 225 tons. The
Statue's green fil m , or patina, comes
fro m a natu ral tarn ishing process
called patinatio n . Scul ptor Bartholdi
intended this to happen, because the
patina is resistant to corrosion and
gives the Statue a classical look.
The torch's flame, once made of
copper l i ke the rest, was later re­
placed with a framework of glass win­
dows (prepared by G utzon Borglum,
scu l ptor of the great presidential mon­
um ents at Mount Rush more). The
flame was remade of copper and
plated with gold leaf in the 1986 resto­
ration. So thin is the leaf that no more
than a few ounces of gold were used .
The pedestal was the largest con­
crete mass i n the world when it was
built. Faced with stone, it measures
91 feet (1 area) on a side at the base,
and tapers gently to 65 feet (1/2 area)
8
cu rity camera, monitored by a Park
Service official on the entrance level ,
routinely surveys the cmwn platfo rm .
The restoration team installed a
two- by-live-foot emergency elevator
that leis Park Service ,employees go
d irectly from the pedestal base to the
crown . They also installed a ventila­
tion system i n the Statue i nterior, but
in summer it still gets hot and stuffy in­
side.
The torch is surrounded by a plat­
form, but this is not accessible inside
the Statue. A 54-rung ladder that once
led to the torch has been removed.
However, there is a short, narrow stair­
case with in the handle of the torch it­
self. A small door leads from these
stairs onto the torch's platfo rm. This is
just big enough to stand on comfort­
ably. The torch is not a self-contained
unit and cannot be detached from the
Statue.
(For reference, the parts of the
torch, from the top down , are called
the flame, drum and railing, soffit,
handle, and pendant . J udges are wel­
come to dazzle their players with this
trivia.)
N PC s
Josh and Mona Gawkman
Tourists
F
A
S
E
R
P
Pr Ty Ty Ty Pr
Pr Ty
Health: 22
Karm a: 14
Resources: Good (10)
Popul arity: 0
Appearance: Overweight, pasty com­
plexions, expressions d u l led by an ex­
hausting vacation. He is balding, she
wears a wig that needs clean ing. Ca­
sually dressed, cameras around their
necks, sunhats.
Talents: Photography.
Typical Dialogue: "Doh, Josh, look
at that! Get a snapshot for the folks."
Story Function: These in nocent peo­
ple can be menaced by collapsing
structures, held hostage by villains, or
just get in the way when the J udge
needs to delay the heroes. But if the
h e roes ne ed a lucky break, t h e
Gawkmans can distract a villain with
inane questio ns.
Perry Gawkman
�eir son
F
A
S
E
R
P
Fe ly Fe Fe Fe
Ty Fe
Karma: 10
Health: 12
Resources: Poor(4)
Popularity: 0
Perry has Feeble ranks in all abili­
'es except Agility and Intuition, which
are Typical. He's a little brat who is
oored stiff with the Statue, but in­
tensely curious about any super hu­
mans he sees on the island.
Appearance: S hort, pudgy seven­
year-old wearing a T-shirt , corduroy
slacks with holes in the knees, and
tennis shoes. The T-shirt bears the
l iken ess of a M a rvel character
\Judge's choice) .
Talents: Being obnoxious.
T ypical Dialogue: " I don't like you.
Wolverine could whip your hiney."
Story Function: As his parents. For
some reason Perry tends to follow he­
roes in their secret identities, m aking
a change i nto costume more difficult.
The Statue of Liberty as NPC
F EX (20)
A GO (10)
Health: 280
S ShY (200) Karma: 135
E AM (50)
Resources: N/A
R EX (20)
I IN (40)
P MN (75) Popularity: 100
The Statue of Liberty has been the
focus of an entire natio n's hopes and
beliefs for generations. Millions have
toured it. The intense psychic energy
gene rated t h e re h as i m bued t h e
Statue with a h i g h "potential spi rit."
Monstrous or U nearthly magic can
make the Statue's arm ature flexible,
strengthen its outer plates, and bring
the potential spi rit to consciousness.
However, the Statue will not react un­
less there is some grave threat to lib­
erty in the immed iate vici nity. Then the
Statue tears loose from its pedestal
and fights the threat. People in side
the Statue at the time are magically
paralyzed and protected from harm .
Alternatively, the Judge can have
each copper plate tear loose from the
armature, whisk away overhead, and
link up with the others. The hollow
Statue refo rms in mid- air, leaving the
armature and tourists safe on the
ground. Spooky!
The Statue's personality when ani­
mated is kind, deeply compassionate,
and understanding, but it i s con-
cerned only with preserving liberty
and defeating t hreats to freedom.
Once a threat is ended, the Statue
returns to its pedestal. No trace of its
ani mation remai ns. At the Judge's dis­
cretion, non-super on lookers' memo­
ries of the Statue's i ntervention may
magically vanish.
KNOWN POWERS:
Body Armor: The
animated Statue
has Excellent protection from physical
attacks and Unearthly protection from
magical damage.
Torch: The Statue's torch flames into
life when it is animated. The Statue
can strike wrongdoers up to one area
away with the torch, inflicting Remark­
able damage.
I nspiration: The Statue can inspire all
good-hearted citizens in a th ree-area
radius with the spirit of liberty and the
courage to overthrow their oppres­
sors. This is an U nearthly abil ity.
CRI M ES
The Orie ntal masterm ind known as
the Yellow Claw sent psychically en­
sl aved minions to occupy the Statue
several years back. From there he in­
tended to activate an "id paralyzer"
that would allegedly sap the wills of
everyone in America and allow him to
take over the country. However, Cap­
tain America and Col . N ick Fury of
S H I ELD foiled this plot, using tech nol­
ogy developed by Reed Richards of
the Fantastic Four.
Most crimes on Li berty Island are
less grandiose . A few pickpockets
work the tourist crowd . Con artists
m ight work a sucker or two in the res­
taurants. E m ployees in the Park Serv­
ice offices probably use the
p h otocopy m ac h i nes for personal
business.
Though no one has tried it, a sui­
cidal maniac with an urge for publicity
m ight climb to the Statue's crown, try
to break through the thick windows,
and leap to a showy death.
CAM PAIGN USE
The Statue of Li berty makes a
grand backdrop for a huge, villainous
scheme like the Ye llow Claw's ta­
keover attempt (described above).
Heroes can easily be on the scene as
9
tourists or can hear about the sc heme
on television or radio-anything so
conspicuous will be b roadcast in­
stantly.
The Statue, one of New York's ma­
jor attractions, cannot be relocated
elsewhere. But heroes based in other
cities might take a Man hattan vaca­
tion. Then the Statue becomes a " re­
gional encounter," a way to provide
flavor for a New York adventure.
BROOKLYN: Coney Island
OVERVI EW
From New Yo rk Bay the next Hot­
s pots of g reate r N ew Yo rk range
northward t h rough Brooklyn, then
Queens and the Bronx, Ryker's Is­
land, and finally the bridges and tun­
nels that lead to Manhattan Island.
Brooklyn's Coney Island is one of
the most po pular amusement parks in
the country. It features a boardwalk
with carn ival rides and other amuse­
ments, all facing a sandy beach. The
park draws many New Yorkers and
tourists, including heroes in their se­
cret identities.
T H E AREA
In recent decades, Brooklyn , most
populous borough of New Yo rk, has
suffered urban blight: crime, filth, un­
employment, and il legal aliens. Graf­
fiti covers every city wal l and subway
car. No parked car is safe .
How did it happen? Crooked land­
lords and real-estate spec u l ators
s h uffled welfare fami l i es rapidly
th rough apartments to collect "find­
er's fees'.' f� om the city, or they burned
down bUlldrngs for the insurance . Ex­
ce�t for the landowners in Brooklyn
Heights (New York's first suburb), the
upper classes deserted Brooklyn .
Some residents say that the trouble
started as far back as 1957, when the
B rooklyn Dodgers baseball team
moved to Los Angeles. Thi rty years
later, some Brooklynites (including
fans who weren't even born before the
move) still lament the loss and cu rse
the team. The Dodgers' stadium Eb­
bets Field, is now a generic mid dle­
class apartment complex.
Brooklyn is now showing signs of
�ecovery, and its ethnic diversity gives
It a strong international flavor. Over
�O% of its citizens belong to minori­
ties. One in t h ree Brooklynites is
black, one in five Hispanic. The bor­
ough is a patchwork of et hnic groups.
Notable Brooklynites include writ­
ers like Herman Melville, Norman
Mailer, and Truman Capote; composer
George G e rshwin; and Sig u rd
Jarlson , construction worker and se­
cret Identity of the thu nder god , Thor.
T� or keep� an apartment in the Bay
R i dge neighborhood, j u st behind
Shore Parkway and near the
Verrazano-N arrows Bridge. Steve
Rogers, Captain America, once lived
in Boerum Hill.
. Names a Judge can drop when run­
n i ng Brooklyn adventures i nclude
Flatbush Ave� ue and Ocean Parkway
(streets); neigh b or hoods such as
Canarsie, B rownsville, Be dford­
Stuyvesant (pronounced "STY-vess­
ant," often abbreviated " Bed-Stuy"),
Benso n h u rst (mai nly Itali an), and
Cobble Hill; and Jamaica Bay, Pros­
pect Park, and the G reen-Wood Cem­
etery.
And, of course, Coney Island.
DESCR I PTIO N
�oney Island really was an island
until �oney Island Creek silted up.
Now It is a five-mile-long pe ninsula
that sticks like an appendix off the
southern end of Brooklyn. In the mid1 800s it was a fashionable retreat for
the well-to-do. The subway route that
con nected it to urban areas in 1 920
made it a popular middle- and lower­
class resort, the "Riviera of the poor."
Coney Island's peak years came i n
t h e 1930s and '40s, when a mill ion
people wo uld visit the beaches on a
hot summer Sunday. The boardwalk
stretched for miles, offering hotels,
restaurants, theaters, and Dreamland
and Steeplechase amusement parks.
One hotel was built to look like an ele­
phant.
The most po pular ride for many
years was the parachute jump, built
for the Wo rld's Fair in 1939. The brave
customer sat in a chair suspended
from a high tower, then dropped gently
down through empty air-attached to
a parachute guided by cables. The
ride is now closed.
Coney Island was gaudy and glam­
orous, a touch of romance in the lives
of the working cl asses. Here Daily Bu­
g/e reporter Ben U rich met his wife-to­
be , Doris, who worked a concession
stand. They remai n happily married.
Coney Island has fallen on harder
times today. The amusement parks,
once huge, have given way to high10
rise apartments and condominiums.
Only a few attractions remain active.
But you can stil l get cotton candy and
"coney dogs," hot dogs covered with
corn bread (known i n some parts of
America as "corn dogs"). And the
beaches still attract 500,000 swim­
mers on hot days, and 25 million peo­
ple a year.
Names to drop: Sea Gate, a resi­
dential district on the western end of
the pen insula; the Luna Park housing
.
proJect; G ravesend Bay, to the north­
west.
The Boardwalk
This long promenade of fast-food
joints and arcades is made of thick
wooden beams (Typical strength). Its
ten-foot width is always crowded dur­
ing daylight hours with tou rists of
every eth nic background. They move
to and from booths that sell pizza
slices, ice cream, and-a Coney Is­
land origi nal-hot dogs. Wooden
benches stand on the boardwalk's
outer edge. Many garbage cans there
are emptied several times a day.
The boardwal k rests on t h i c k
wooden pili ngs about eight feet high
(also Typical stre ngth). The area u n­
der the boardwalk, commemorated in
a popular song of the 1 950s, is out of
the sun and relatively private. The
g round is the sandy beach , whose
.
shore lies
about 20 yards (1/ 2 area)
away.
At the end of the boardwalk is the
New York Aquarium, bu ilt in 1 957.
Over 300 varieties of aquatic l ife are
here, inc l u d i n g wh ite whales dol­
phi ns, sharks, pe nguins, and e lectric
eels.
Amusement Park Rides
Coney Island's rides i nclude roller
coaste rs, merry-go-ro u nds and a
Ferris wheel. Here are game �tatistics
for these rides.
Roller coaster: The fi rst custom­
built roller coaster in the U n ited States
opened at Coney Island in 1884. To­
day a typical rol ler coaster h e re
stands about 150 feet (10 areas) high
at the hig hest poi nt, and covers space
at least 44 yards (1 area) long and half
that wide.
Roller coaster frameworks consist
of thin steel girders called uprights
and bents. T h ese are of G ood
strength. Only massive damage could
realistically cause the roller coaster to
collapse, but the J udge can increase
ts fragility for dramatic effect du ring
an adventure.
The track, fou r feet wide and as
much as a mile long, includes hills,
straightaways, and sometimes loops.
Heavy wooden tie beams of Good
stren gth support the m etal trac k,
which is of Excellent strength. A mo­
torized c h ain ( Excel lent strength)
pulls the rol ler coaster trains up in­
clines, and gravity pulls them down.
Roller coasters are not the safest
form of transportation, but they do
have several safety features. If an in­
cline chain breaks or its motor stops,
ratchets keep a train from rolling back­
ward. Track brakes slow the train at
key points along the route and before
it ,retu rns to the station. A com puter at
the station uses electronic sensors
al'ong the track to determine the train 's
position and keep mu ltiple trains on
the same track from col liding.
Along one side of the track runs a
wal k
board
(woode n ,
Typical
strength), which is wide enough for
one attendant to walk on, and a main­
tenance safety rope of nylon (Good
strength). Occasion ally two tracks run
parallel; in this case, each has a track
and a rope.
Coaster trains are typically three or
four cars long, with eight people sit­
ting two abreast in each car. Three
sets of wheels-upstops, tractors,
alld guides-lock the cars of a train
onto the track. A car weighs about 500
pounds and is of Good strength . It
takes I ncredible strength to tear one
loose from its track, but only Excellent
strength to lift an em pty car or Re­
markable strength to lift a fu ll one.
Though the ill usion of speed is
breathtakin g , m ost coaster trains
never actually exceed about 35 mph
(Typical vehicle speed, 3 areas/turn).
Some, however, go faster than 60
mph-but not the ones at Coney Is­
land.
Ferris wheel: A wheel is about 40
feet in diameter, and thus is the equiv­
alent of about 3 stories tal l . If it looks
rickety, that's because it is. The steel
framework of a Ferris wheel-spokes,
axle, in ner wheel, outer rim , leg, and
"unistrut" (A-frame support)-is all
merely Excellent strength. A villain
can threaten one easily.
A typical wheel might have 16 cars
(also called seats or gondolas), each
holding three or fou r people. Cars are
steel (Good strength) and weigh about
200 pounds each. A Good-strength
iron s afety ladder runs from t h e
ground t o t h e axle.
Assume that the wheel weighs a
few tons, and so it can be lifted with In­
credible strength.
A Ferris wheel revolves so slowly
that for game purposes the J udge can
consider it practically immobile.
Merry-go-round: Also known as a
carousel, this ride is 30 feet in diame­
ter, weighs several tons, and is just as
fragile as the Ferris wheel. Its rotating
platform holds about 40 horses or
gondolas (also called chariots).
Horses that don't move are gallop­
ers; the ones that go up and down on
the horse rods are j umpers. Flying
horses tilt outward when the merry­
go-round picks up speed.
Like the Ferris wheel, the m erry-go­
round can be treated as im mobile for
game pu rposes. Any character can
reach any part of it in a turn .
There is hardly any ordinary way to
get h u rt on this ride. There is plenty of
clearance between the platform and
the ground, so falling under it does no
great harm . B ut if a magical villain
were to make the horses come to
life . . .
NPCs
Small business, observation ,
psychology.
T ypical Dialogue: " Call me Gander,
son. Yeh , I did see a kinda crotchety
old geezer come by this way ' bout an
hour ago. Why, you lookin' for him?
Why'zat now? Speak up, I'm a touch
deaf."
Story Function: Loomis can provide
exposition or cl ues to heroes who
h ave j ust arrived on the boardwalk.
Talents:
CRIMES
The usual petty thefts occur on Co­
ney Island, but they seldom draw the
notice of heroes. More to the point, the
Ring master and his Circus of Crime
used deserted am usement park rides
as h ideouts, and som e criminals fol­
low that example today. One in partic­
ular deserves mention.
A deserted am usement complex
has avoided u rban renewal for years.
Beneath its grounds lies one of the
M u rderworlds built by the eccentric
assassin Arcade!
Seagoing crim inals, such as At­
tuma or other renegade Atlanteans,
m ig ht emerge from the sea at Coney
Island and threaten " puny air breath­
ers . "
A rogue m utant, o r a young one
whose powers are just appearing and
not yet under control, could take over
the carnival rides. Whether by acci­
dent or on purpose, the mutant (per­
haps a telekinetic like Marvel Girl)
could endanger many lives and inflict
great damage-on both Coney Island
and on the heroes.
Anthony "Gander" Loomis
Restau rateu r
F
A
S
E
R
P
Pr
Pr
Ty Ty Gd Gd Ty
Karma: 26
Health: 20
Resources: Good(10)
Popularity: 2
Loomis has run a successful dough­
n ut shop on the boardwalk for 40
years. More accu rately, his large fam­
ily runs the store while he stands out­
side and watches everyone go by.
Very little happens on Coney Island
that Loomis does not know.
Appearance: Elderly black gentle­
man, scrubby white hair, broad mouth .
Wears hearing aid . 5']", 140 Ibs. Dur­
ing "the season " (sum mer) he wears
a stri ped short-sleeved s h i rt and
baggy slacks.
11
CAMPAIGN USE
New York: Coney Island, as a recre­
ation or diversion, serves the same
story function as the B ronx Zoo (see
entry below).
Other Cities: The description of Co­
ney Island can easily be adapted to
any large amusement park or beach in
another campaign city.
Q U E ENS : MAY PARKE R 'S BOAR DI N G H OUSE
OVERVI EW
One large home in the Forest Hills
neig hborhood is a boarding house for
senior citizens run by M ay Reilly
Parker, aunt of Peter Parker (alias
Spider-Man). Recently Peter and his
wife Mary Jane moved in with her, af­
ter be ing evicted from their apartment
on Man hattan's U pper West Side.
Address: Ingram Street near Pu ri­
tan Ave nue, Forest Hi lls.
THE AREA
Queens was named for Queen
Catherine of B raganza, wife of E n­
gland's King Charles I I . Settled by
Quaker refugees and other B ritish pio­
neers in the early 1600s, Queens has
become primarily residential and sub­
u rban . The borough remains strongly
segregated along racial lines, and ra­
cial tensions have escalated i n recent
years.
Garv i n 's Garage i n nort hwest
Queens (on 74th Street in Stei nway) is
home to the sentient construct known
as Machine Man. The robot works
with "Gears" Garvin under the alias of
Aaron Stack. Machine Man formerly
worked as an investigator for Queens'
Delmar Insurance Company.
Shea Stadium
Queens i s the home of the National
League's N ew York Mets baseball
team, headquartered in Shea Sta­
dium.
Built in 1964, Shea was the first sta­
dium to feature field sections that
could be moved around, changing the
st ruct u re from a baseball arrange­
ment to one for footbal l . Shea seats
55,300 people. Its su rface is natu ral
grass. From home base to the walls it
measures 338 feet (2'12 areas) down
the foul lines, and 410 feet (3 areas) to
straightaway center field.
Because of the large numbers of in­
nocent civil ians at every game, Shea
is a ready target for terrorists.
Forest Hills
This middle-class garden commu­
n ity was once known as Wh itepot,
from a legend that the Indians sold it
for three white pots. It was renamed
Forest Hills by a housing developer,
and it has retained the quiet character
of a housing development ever since.
Notable residents have included He­
len Keller and Dale Carn egie. The
West Side Tennis Club is nationally
known .
DESCRI PTI ON
May Parker's Boarding Ho use i s a
two-story Coloni al-style
house,
painted white with brown trim, in For­
est Hills. The wooden walls are Poor
strength . There is no outward sign
that it is a boarding house.
The house has five bedrooms, two
and a half baths, and a large front
yard . The basement has been remod­
eled to provide an additional bed room
and a photographic darkroom where
Peter Parker develops his news pho­
tos for the Daily Bugle. Peter uses
the darkroom to enter and leave the
house unseen, via a basement win­
dow at the back of the house. The
small back yard is fenced in and li ned
with large shrubs, so , with his super­
human speed , he has so far escaped
detection.
The Boarders
Six senior citizens are paying
boarders i n M ay Pa rke r's house,
though pay is often chancy on a senior
citizen's budget. They were formerly
residents at a N ew York n u rsing
home, but May and her friends real­
ized that they could take care of them­
selves if they all pitched in and shared
duties.
Peter and Mary Jane Parker re­
cently became boarders as well as a
result of the machinations of wealthy
Jonathon Caesar, who became so in­
fatuated with Mary Jane that he tried
to kidnap h e r. B ut Spider-Man
stopped him, Mary Jane spu rned him,
and Caesar has vindictively devoted
himself to ruining her l ife. As owner of
the Bedford Towers condominium i n
Man hattan where the Parkers lived,
Caesar had the co uple evicted-on
Ch ristmas Eve. Swell guy.
Peter and Mary Jane occupy one
u pstai rs bedroom of the boarding
12
house ; the sisters Sophie and Martha
use another; and boarders Victor and
Rose Palermo occupy the third. Na­
than Lu ben sky, who cannot use the
stairs, lives in one first-floor bed room
at the back of the house; May Parker
uses the other. Arthur Chekov lives in
the basement bedroom. Mary Jane's
cousi n Kristy sleeps on the sofabed in
the living room.
The large living room has a picture
window. The kitchen is not large but is
well-eq ui pped . There is also a small
dining room.
NPCs
May Reilly Parker
F
A
S
E
R
P
Fe Ty Fe Fe Ty Gd Ex
Karma: 36
Health: 12
Resources: Poor(4)
Popularity: 2
Appearance: 5'3" , 103 Ibs. Old, tiny,
frai l , with white hair worn in a bun.
We ars plain hig h-coll ared d resses
and the occasional knit sweater for
flash. Su pport hose and orthopedic
shoes.
Typical Dialogue: " Land sakes! If
you young folks are going out gadding
about, eat some more of these cook­
ies to build up your strength!"
Story Function: Aunt May is the pro­
totypical dependent N PC. She has of­
te n been endan gered and needed
rescuing. For many years she was the
only reason Peter Parker did not re­
veal his Spider-Man identity to the
world. "The shock would kill her," he
believed. Now, as a married man , Pe­
ter has other reasons to keep his se­
cret.
Mary Jane Watson-Parker
Model
F
A
S
E
R
P
Pr Ty Ty Gd Ty Gd Ty
Healt h: 26
Karma: 22
Resources: Poor(4)
Popularity: 4
Mary Jane is the niece of May's
former next-door neigh bor, Anna Wat­
son . She is one of the few people who
knows of Peter's other identity.
Mary Jane has not let marriage in­
terfere with her modeling career. But
u n fortunately she can not say the
same for Jonathon Caesar, who has
decided to ruin her l ife in any way he
can.
Appearance: A knockout! 5'8" , 115
los. Brilliant red h ai r, g reen eyes,
shapely figure, vivacious manner. Al­
ways attractively d ressed (but she'd
look good i n a burlap sack).
Talents: Obviously, a born model.
Mary J ane has also shown the ability
to think fast d u ring a crisis.
Story Function: As May Parker's, but
Mary J ane is m uch more capable.
MAY PARKER IS 5'PENOING A c;;uli; r AFTER­
NOON WITH h'£R PA VO/(I T£ NEPHEW, , , _--J
T�AT WA � A L O T OF
F"U I'L PET ER , WE
REA LL.Y MLJ�T 00
IT MO I<E O FTE N ,
I DON ' T K N OW I F I ' M
U P TO IT, A U N T M � Y,
I T' G BEEN A LONG TI M E
S I N CE r SU t L r A GNOW ­
M A N THAT 6'IG,
Nathan Lubensky
Retired vaudevi llian, gambler
E
R
I
P
F
A
S
Ty Fe Ty Gd Gd Gd Ty
Health: 2 4
Karma: 26
Resources: Poor( 4)
Popularity: 3
Nathan is a retired (and wheelchai r­
bo u fil d ) vaudevi l l i a n . H e met M ay
Par,ker at a retirement commun ity, be­
came one of her boarders, and now
helps her run the house. They are en­
gaged to be married.
Nathan has recently been strug­
gling to overcome his compulsion to
gamble. He has run up thousands of
do'llars i n d ebts to loan s h a rks.
Whether he can get out of debt and
Ollt of trouble remains to be seen. But
Nathan is a crusty and resourceful
man who has shown the abil ity to de­
fend hi mself despite his handicap.
Appearance: Skinny old guy with short
white hair and horn-rimmed glasses.
Solitary, with a gruff manner. Nathan's
wheelchair weighs 28 pounds and is
made of Typical material.
Talents : Theater. Not gam bling.
Story Function : PC heroes may try to
help Nathan out of his gambling prob­
lem, m uch as Peter Parker has.
K'"isty Watson
Mary J ane's cousin
F
A
S
E
R
P
Fe Ty Pr
Pr Ty Ty Ty
Karma: 18
Health : 16
Resources: Good(10)
Popularity: 0
Tee n aged Kristy has p rovo ked
some friction between Peter and M ary
Jane because of her overt fli rtations
with Peter. Peter has actively tried to
discourage Kristy's crush on h i m , but
to 1'10 visible effect. Recently her ob­
session with thinness has turned into
a case of anorexia/bulimia.
Appearance: Like a 13-year-old Mary
Jane, but now very skinny. Freckled,
tomboyish. Wears sweaters and jeans.
Eavesdropping, eating, talk­
ing on the phone. Flirting (Feeble).
Typical Dialogue: "Aw, gee! Do we
hafta leave? I wanted to hear the good
stuff."
Story Function: A snoopy kid who
may find out more than PCs want her
to.
Talents :
May Parker's other boarders
Victor and Rose Palermo have
been
married for 40 years and have been
q u arrel i n g for 39 years and 11
months.
Sophie and Martha , sisters (last
name unrevealed), find each other
better co m pany than anyone else.
They are "young-at-heart."
Arthur Chekov, who tries to be dap­
per on a tight budget, is a poet, gour­
met, and bon-vivant.
13
CAMPAIGN USE
New York: If the PC heroes associ­
ate with Peter Parker or the Daily Bu­
gle, or they have somehow discovered
Spider-Man 's secret identity, a visit to
Forest Hills may follow for many rea­
sons: to seek Parker's help, to get the
true story on a battle that was misre­
ported i n the press, or j ust to d rop off
some fi lm.
Other Cities: This is a generic sub­
u rban house. It fits anywhere. A group
of senior citizens makes an offbeat
collection of dependents for a group of
player character heroes.
TH E BRON X: The Bronx Zoo
OVERVIEW
Some say all of New York City is a
zoo, but for the real thing, head north
of Manhattan to the Bronx. The New
York Zool ogical G ard e n-better
known as the Bronx Zoo-has propor­
tionately more species of ani mals in
its 265 acres than any other zoo in the
cou ntry.
Address : 185th Street and South­
ern Boulevard, the Bronx.
THE AREA
The Bronx is more hilly, its streets
less regular than the other boroughs
of New York City. And its neigh bor­
hoods, especially in the South Bronx
(Hunt's Point, Morrisania, and Mott
H aven), are equally irregu lar, not to
say u nlivable .
The S o u t h B ronx i s sometimes
called , ironically, l ithe neighborhood
of Presidents," because it seems that
every US President comes here and
swears to bring the neig h borhood
back to civilization. B ut no one h as fig­
u red out how to make money from re­
building the South Bronx, and so it
remains a burned-out urban jungle.
The wind blowing cold through the
empty lots and arson-blackened build­
ings of C harlotte Street make it h ard to
believe that this area was first seen in
history as a h uge, pleasant farm , be­
longing to one Joseph Bronck. That
was 1639. From savage wilderness to
urban development and back to sav­
agery took 350 years.
This part of the Bronx is split into
east and west by a wide avenue called
the Grand Boulevard and Concourse.
The southern end of the street, in Mott
Haven, brings one near Yankee Sta­
dium (River Avenue and East 161st
Street). Even larger than Shea Sta­
dium, it serves the same story func­
tions as S h ea (see Queens e ntry
above).
The G rand Concou rse contin ues
north through University Heights and
Jerome Park, into the beautiful and
prosperous suburbs of the central
Bronx, and ends not far west of Bronx
Park, where the zoo is located.
Other names to drop in Bronx ad­
ventures include the neighborhoods
R iverdale, Edenwald, Baychester,
Westchester Heights, and three along
the East River: H u nt's Point, Clason's
Point, and the picturesquely n amed
Throg's N eck.
DESCRIPTION
The New York Zoolog ical Park,
founded in 1895, takes up the south­
ern half of Bronx Park. Other features
of this large park include Bronx Lake,
woodland walks, and the immense
New York Botanical Garden. The last,
fil ling the northern half of the park, has
nearly every imaginable kind of plant
from crocus to cactus.
14
The Bronx Zoo itself is about a mile
long, th ree-fifths of a mile wide, and
measu res over 250 acres i n area.
About 3,800 animals of 700 species
are on exhibit here. Attempts to list
them all would be foolis h ; j ust assume
that whatever exotic animal the player
characters are looking for is here.
Selected Features
Entering from the north, one fi rst
sees the Sea Lion Pool , and beyond it
the Lion and Monkey Houses. At the
other end of this quad rangle stands
the E lephant House. To the east, past
Lake Agassiz and the Bison Range, is
the outstanding World of Birds, made
up of five oval aviaries joined by
ramps. These enclosures simu late
swamps, savan nah, and tropical rain
forests . . . right down to the rain
storms.
To the west lies the Aquatic Bird
House (penguins, etc.), the DeJ u r Avi­
ary, and the Rare Animal Range. Be­
yond t h e E leph ant House is the
Children's Zoo, with three acres of
farm animals, a beehive, pony rides,
and even camel rides. Ad ults can not
enter u nless with a child.
Other highlights of this large area in­
clude the Reptile House-useful for
any adventure involving the Lizard­
the Great Ape House (lithe most dan­
gerous animals in the world! "), and the
World of Darkness, an almost lightless
building that displays nocturnal crea­
tures under dim red illumination.
The a n im a l enclos u res a re ar­
ranged according to the continents
the animals came from. Most enclo­
sures have a speaker box activated by
the turn of a plastic elephant-shaped
key. Visitors can buy these keys at the
zoo entrance. Turning the key starts a
pre-recorded message that tells about
the animal on display.
The B ronx Zoo originated the wide­
spread modern practice of displaying
zoo animals in re-creations of their
natural h abitats, rather than in cages.
Most animals are exhibited in operi ar­
eas, separated from the public by
wide moats and steep concrete walls.
Moat widths vary; assume that a spe­
cific moat is twice the animal's maxi­
m u m leap.
Buildings are generally quite low
(except for the Carter Giraffe House).
Assume 1 area as the height for most
buildings, 2 for l arge buildings. Cages
h ave concrete walls of Exce l lent
strength and iron bars of Remarkable
strength.
Vehicles
An aerial tram called the "Skyfari"
travels over the African Plains, G reat
Ape House, and Goat H ill. The steel
tram cars ride very slowly on cables of
Excellent strength, about 60 feet ( 4 ar­
eas) above the g ro u n d . E ac h car
holds four to six people, and there are
perhaps a dozen cars above the park
at any time. Cables are supported by
concrete pillars that weigh about six
tons a piece ( req u iring I ncredible
strength to lift) and are of Remarkable
material strength .
T h e Bengali Express Monorail cov­
ers 38 acres of hilly woods called
"Wild Asia," where over 200 rare ani­
mals dwell in natural habitats. The
train uses the Monorail statistics given
in the table on page 49 of the Players'
Book. Its weight and length vary ac­
cording to the n u m ber of cars at­
tached. Assume a typical length of 30
feet, load of 60 passe ngers, and
weig ht of several tons ( In credible
strength to lift). The J udge can alter
these figures at his discretion.
Monorail tracks are elevated about
30 feet (2 areas) above the g round on
the average. Both the tracks and their
supporting pillars have Remarkable
strength . A protected electric railing
on the track powers the monorail train.
Anything that touches this railing (a
difficult task, since it is accessible only
from the top of the track) takes Excel­
lent damage.
NPCs
For stats of representative animals,
consult pages 58-60 of the Judge s
Book i n the Advanced Set.
The zoo staff are all normal people
with Typical abilities. They are skilled
in zoology, animal handling, and at
least the rudiments of veterinary sci­
ence.
'
Hokkor and R'dall
" Papa the Chimp" and " E uell the Gib­
bon"
Skrulls
F
A
S
E
R
P
Gd Ty Ty Ty Gd Ty Ty
Health: 28
Karma: 22
Resources: Feeble(2)
Popularity: 0
These two aliens are low-placed
Skrull espionage agents. Like many
agents throughout the vast Skrull E �­
pire, they were trained to use th � lr
shape-changing ability to take on In­
conspicuous forms and scout out the
defenses of worlds targeted for inva­
sion.
These two agents were in central
Africa, where they had taken on ani­
mal form to investigate the priceless
vibran i u m deposits of Wakanda.
Then, on a distant asteroid, the Skrull
overlord Zabyk triggered a hyperwave
bomb that froze all Skrulls in the uni­
verse in the form they were in at that
moment. Two well-trained espionage
agents found themselves stuck as a
chimp and a gibbon. Then they were
captured and shipped to the Bronx
Zoo. What a fix!
B ut Hokkor (the male) and R'dall
(the female) have hopes of escape
from the zoo, and perhaps even of re­
gaining their original forms.
Appearance: An ordinary adult chim­
panzee and an ordinary adult gibbon .
Talents: Martial Arts E, Espionage,
spacecraft piloting, astrogation.
Typical Dia logue: " Oo k-ook-u rk­
urk."
Story Functio n : See the mini­
scenario for the Bronx Zoo on page 37
of the Adventure Book.
15
CRIMES
The Bronx Zoo, because of its size
and prestige, showcases the rarest
animals on Earth. These rare animals
can be a tempting lure for villains.
Suppose the zoo is loaned a rare al­
bino Siberian tiger. Kraven the H u nter
m ight try to steal this magnificent
beast so that he can stalk it on his own
African game preserve. Kraven would
never kill the beast in the zoo, since
this would not be honorable.
Reptiles with u niq ue poisons might
attract the attention of the Lizard , who
could use his control powers to make
them escape their cages. He would
send the entire reptile population of
the Zoo to attack innocent bystanders.
How can the heroes fight an army of
snakes?
Minor sorcerers seeking an exotic
ingredient (say, tarantula hair or leop­
ard's eye) could break into the Zoo to
procure the ingredient "on the hoof,"
as it were.
Masters of the mystic arts, such as
Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo,
have progressed beyond the need for
these ingredients. It would take a
whole group (coven?) of minor adepts
to challenge a g roup of PC heroes.
B ut maybe the ingredient they obtain
lets the adepts summon an entity
strong enough to challenge anything!
CAMPAIGN USE
New York : Heroes on a holiday from
Man h attan crim efig hting visit the
Bronx Zoo. Either they' re relaxing,
visiting friends, or m aybe they've
been invited to a charity event. It's no
trick to th row j ust as m uch action at
them as they'd find downtown . The
Zoo is an offbeat background for a
super-powered sl ugfest.
A hero's friends or relatives who
visit the Zoo could be kidnapped or
othe rwise t h reatened, forcing the
hero to rescue or ransom them.
Other Cities : No other zoo matches
the B ronx Zoo in size, but there is a
similar one within driving or flying dis­
tance of nearly any com m unity.
BROOKLYN : TH E BROOKLYN BRI DGE
As one m ight expect of a city built
on the water, New York City has 65
bridges. One, the Verrazano-Narrows,
was for many years the longest sus­
pension bridge in the world.
Eig hteen bridges connect Manhat­
tan Island with the outside world . One
is the most famous since London
Bridge fell down: the Brooklyn B ridge.
This section also describes other
important bridges in the Manhattan
area. The material i ncl uded here can
be used to deal with the way any
bridge functions in an adventure.
between the Bronx, New York state's
Long Island, and Connecticut. Stane
I nternational is headquarte red on
Long Island, and the villain known as
the Wizard m ai ntains a m ansion
there.
An uncharted underwater tunnel
once connected Avengers Mansion
with H yd ro-Base in the At lantic
Ocea n . Si nce the base h as been
moved to N ew York's h arbor (see
"The Statue of Li berty" above), the
Avengers no longer use the tunnel
and will no doubt fill it in eventual ly. (A
J udge who needs game statistics for
this tunnel should use the ones for the
Holland Tu n nel, in the next section .)
THE AREA
Staten Island
OVERVIEW
The largest of the New York rivers is
the H udson River. The Harlem River,
bou nding Manhattan to the north, is
essentially a tributary of the H udson.
To the east is the aptly named East
River.
All of these rivers are heavily pol­
l uted and (usual ly) quite cold. The
J udge should req u i re unprotected
swi m m ers to m ake an Endurance
FEAT roll for every ten minutes they
spend in these waters. Failure means
a temporary -1 CS drop in Endurance.
When Endurance reaches 0 the char­
acter will drown within a few turns
(Judge's discretion) u nless rescued.
Once out of the water, the character
recovers one Endurance rank per
turn . These rules do not apply to
trained swimmers or heroes with wa­
ter powers; they can rem ain i n water
almost indefi n itely.
The H udson River orig inates in up­
state New York and empties into New
York Bay. It separates Manhattan and
the Bronx from the New Jersey cities
of Hoboken, Weehawken, Jersey City,
and others.
At one time Doctor Octopus (in his
short-lived " M aster Plan ner" alias)
kept an underwater headquarters in
the H udson off the Greenwich Vil lage
waterfront, but this was destroyed in a
battle with Spider-Man.
The East River, which separates
Manhattan from Queens and Brook­
lyn, connects New York Bay with Long
Island Sound, a large body of water
Si nce the Verraza no-Narrows
Bridge con nects Brooklyn and Staten
Island, this is an appropriate time to
describe Staten Island . Once called
Rich mond, this borough derives its
current name from a D utch term,
" States-General," used in the Dutch
Republic.
Some of Staten Island remains resi­
dential and comparatively rural . Its
subu rbs include many old, wealthy
fam il ies. But there is plenty of ind us­
try, including man ufacturing, ship­
building, and oil refi ning. The most
famous feature of Staten Island is its
connecting link to Manhattan's Bat­
tery Park, the Staten Island Ferry. It
carries about 320 million passengers
a year.
A farm on the southern tip of the is­
land is the property of spice dealer
Wilson Fisk. The farm inCl udes a dirt
airstrip suitable for landing small pri­
vate planes. At this farm Fisk returned
to New York to resume his career as
the Kingpin of crime.
The hig hest pOi nt on Ame rica's
eastern seaboard is on Staten Island :
Todt Hill, a towering 410 feet above
sea level . Other names to drop in­
clude South Beach, the Gateway Na­
tional Recreation Area ( i n c l u d i n g
Great Kills Park a n d Miller Field), New
Dorp, and St. George, the business
center of the island .
16
-
DESCRIPTION
The Brooklyn Bridge was designed
by John Roebling, who died before it
was completed i n 1883. His son,
Washington, su pervised its construc­
tion . The bridge took 14 years to build,
cost 15 million dol lars, and took the
lives of at least 20 workers.
The 6-lane traffic deck, 85 feet
wide, carries 100,000 vehicles every
day. A walkway about 10 feet wide
runs down the m iddle of the bridge.
New Yorkers walk, jog, and bicycle
down this promenade, and there are
wood-and-iron benches (Typical
strength) for those who want to take a
breather on the way.
The Brooklyn Bridge remains an ar­
chitectural landmark, a masterpiece of
bridge design. Its towers project the
majesty of a Gothic cathedral, and its
criss- crossing wires, under the grace­
fully curving cables, belie the bridge's
colossal weight. Beautiful.
Statistics
The bridge is 1,595 feet (12 areas)
long, 135 feet (9 areas) tall at the road­
way, and 276 feet (18 areas) tall at the
two towers. Each of its four cables has
278 strands of 3/8" thick steel wire; the
whole bridge uses 3,515 m iles of wire.
For material strengths, see the next
section.
OTHER BRIDGES
The following table i ncl udes the
lengths of six of the major connecting
bridges in Manhattan, as well as the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge between
Brooklyn and Staten Island . Measure­
ments are given in both feet (before
the slash) and areas (after the slash).
The table also gives each bridge's
neighborhood of origin in Manhattan .
For descriptions of these neighbor­
hoods, see the next chapter.
Approaches to the bridges are not
given in the bridge lengths, but they
can sometimes be almost as long as
the bridges themselves. For instance,
the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge
from the New York side is 1,562 feet.
J udges can fudge the rest by using
this figure for the approaches to all of
these bridges .
All but the Queensboro are suspen­
sion bridges, with the cables bearing
the weight of the bridge and traffic.
The Queensboro is a cant i l ever
bridge, lower and less imposing th an
.
the suspension type. Encyclopedias
often have pictu res of these types of
bridge.
The Georg e Was h i ngton and
Verrazano-Narrows each has two traf­
fic decks, separated by 30 feet (the
equivalent of 2 stories). The other
bridges have one deck.
All bridges have pedestrian walk­
ways with chest-high rail ings. Traffic
lanes are also edged with rai lings.
Material Strengths
Modern bridges, bu ilt with high­
tensile steel a n d rei nforced pre­
stressed concrete, are astoundi ngly
strong. The cables for suspension
bridges have strengths on the order of
dozens of tons per square inch; they
a re anchored i n solid bed rock as
much as 200 feet deep. Foundations
are concrete monoliths sunk deep into
the earth. Large bridges can weigh
over 100,000 tons.
Going strictly by the ru les, bridges
are invu lnerable to any attack short of
CL5000 power. But if it would make a
dramatic threat, the J udge can reduce
the material strength ranks to more
frag ile levels. That way a m aster vil­
lain can th reaten the PC heroes with
catastrophe.
Recommended material strengths:
main cables-Monstrous; su pporting
cables-Amazing; traffic decks­
Amazing; railings-Incredible; towers
and foundations-Unearthly.
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Completed in 1964, the Verrazano­
Narrows carries twelve lanes of traffic
on two levels. Its fou r cables are 36
inches in diameter, with 142,000 m iles
of wire. The bridge weighs 1 44, 000
tons-and that's just the steel.
The Ve rrazano- N arrows fou n d a­
tions are concrete m asses measuring
130' x 230 ' . These two monoliths are
several hu ndred feet off the shores of
Brooklyn and Staten Island.
The bridge is so long that the tops of
the towers are 1.6 inches farther apart
than their bases-because of the cur­
vature of the Earth.
_
Bridge
Length
Origin
George Washington
Manhattan
Queensboro
Triborough
Verrazano- Narrows
Williamsburg
3500/27
1470/11
1182/9
1380/10
4260/32
1600/12
Washi ngton Heights
Lower East Side
Upper East Side
East Harlem
Brooklyn-Staten Island
Lower East Side
In 1981 a longer suspension bridge
was completed over the H u mber i n
England. That bridge i s 4,580 feet
long, 320 feet longer than t h e
Verrazano- Narrows.
these, and all can lead to larger ad­
ventures.
Vil lains sometimes try to destroy or
occupy bridges, for reasons given i n
t h e next section .
Rules
Fights on bridges almost inevitably
use the rules for falling. Consult pages
20-21 of the Players' Book in the
Advanced Set.
Traffic: Many thousands of cars use
the bridge at all hours. The traffic can
pose a th reat to a character who lands
on (or gets thrown onto) the deck.
Anyone who takes plenty of ti � e
and looks both ways before entering
traffic will not be hu rt. A character who
m ust leap out at a moment's notice (to
rescue someone, for example) m ust
make an Agility FEAT roll to avoid be­
ing hit. This roll takes - 1 CS during
rush-hour traffic (7:00-9:30 AM and
4:00-7:30 PM).
A character fal ling onto the deck
from above may make a sim ilar Agil ity
FEAT roll, if still conscious. Success
means the hero has guided his or her
fall to land between traffic l anes. Fail­
ure means the hero not only hits the
bridge but promptly gets hit by a car.
(See the rules for Crashes, pp. 50-51
in the Players' Book.)
If the falling hero is u nconscious,
the J udge makes the Agil ity FEAT rol l
on t h e Feeble col umn o f the Universal
Table. The u nconscious character
cannot spend Karma to alter this rol l .
CRIMES
" Psst! Wan n a buy the Brooklyn
Bridge?" Con men don't try to sell
bridges much any more, but they do
extort "tolls" from tou rists and the gul­
l ible.
Kidnappers often use bridges to
meet with the fam il ies of their victims,
to collect ransom money. Distressed
people leap from them in su icide at­
tempts. Others have leapt just for pub­
licity. PC heroes can prevent any of
17
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan:
J udges can use
bridges in two ways.
.
Fi rst, m i nor villains (who are trying
to become major) take bridges hos­
tage because of the publ icity in herent
in such an act. The heroes happen to
be in the vicin ity when the takeover
com mences-return ing from Coney
Island or one of the other places in this
sect i o n , perh aps? Then a bridge
makes nice background scenery for a
one-shot battle.
Second, major villains, the kind who
t ry to conquer whole cities, take
bridges (as well as tun nels) because
of their strategic i m portance. In a
h uge, well- coord i n ated plot, they
flood tunnels as diversions, or block
bridges to cut off the city from outside
aid.
I n such a case, the heroes are un­
likely to be present during the take­
over. Instead, they might hear about
the larger scheme, try to get to the city,
and m ust fight through the interdicted
bridge or tun nel to reach the scene of
the real action . Or they hear about the
bridge takeover, foi l that, then learn of
the master plan . "Oh no! This was just
a diversion ! "
I n any bridge battle, J udges can
easily jeopardize the l ives of hundreds
of innocent citizens, giving players a
choice between savi ng l ives and foil­
ing the bad guy.
Other Cities : M ajor bridges i n other
cities-though not so large as the
Verrazano-Narrows or so famous as
the Brooklyn-are j ust as vu lnerable
to villain takeover or similar shenani­
gans.
TH E HOLLAN D TUNN E L
OVE RVI EW
New York City is said to have almost
36,000 miles of tu nnels. This incredi­
ble fig ure incl udes not only su bways
but also sewers, accessways to el ec­
t rical wiring , an d-of course-the
Morlock Tu nnels.
Four huge automobile tu nnels run
from Man hattan Island to New Jersey,
Queens, and Brooklyn . These arteries
are likely scenes of vil lainous may­
hem. The most famous is the Holland
Tunnel.
Location: The Manhattan entrance
lies at Spring Street where it inter­
sects the West Street hig hway, in the
Lower Broadway district (see next
chapter). The tu n nel exits in Jersey
City, New Jersey, at Rademan Place
and Boyle Place.
Jerseyites enter the tunnel at 12th
Street and emerge in a confusing net­
work of streets around Canal in Man­
hattan .
DESCRIPTION
The tunnel is named i n memory of
its designer, Cl ifford M. Holland. A bril­
liant civil eng ineer, Holland worked
around the clock on the project from
ground-breaki ng i n 1920 u ntil 1925,
when exhaustion finally killed him j ust
days before the two tunnel ends met
under the H udson River.
Holland's successor, Milton Free­
man , also worked himself to death try­
i n g to complete t h e t u n n e l . The
M anhattan plaza entrance to the HoI­
land Tun nel is offici ally named Free­
man Sq uare, though this name is
seldom used by New Yorkers.
Another engineer, Ole Singstad, fi­
nally completed the tunnel in 1927.
Thirteen workers died during its con­
struction.
Today up to 2,400 cars an hour use
the tunnel to travel between the Lower
Broadway neighborhood and Jersey
City, New Je rsey. The trip, which took
half an hour before the tunnel was
built, now takes three minutes. The
tolls that drivers pay have recouped
the cost of the tunnel several times
over.
Statistics
The Holland Tu nnel is 8,557 feet (65
areas) long. Actually, there are two
tunnels, twin tubes separated by 60
feet of riverbed. Each tunnel is 291/2
feet in diameter and has two automo­
bile lanes.
Ordi narily one tube handles east­
bound traffic, the other westbound.
B ut d u ring rush hours (7:00-9:30 AM
and 4:00-7:30 PM), one tube is divided
to take the overflow. Three lanes han­
dle traffic in one di rection-into Man­
hattan in the morning, away in the
evening-and one lane takes the re­
verse traffic.
Each tube has two-foot-wide cat­
walks on either side, about two feet
above the traffic lanes. Only one cat�
walk has a railing. The railing is steel
pipe (Exce ll ent strength) mou nted
about t h ree feet high. Tu nnel police
t ravel the catwalk using cu stom­
made motorized carts.
The tu bes lie about 20 feet beneath
the bottom of the Hudson river (and
100 feet below the surface) . The earth
above them is thick black silt. Silt is
Feeble material at best, but there is a
whole lot of it, and it's very heavy.
So tunnel walls are built to be virtu­
ally indestructible. The tile on the
walls is only Typical, and the asphalt
on the roads is Good, but the tem­
pered steel of the tun nel casing is at
least Shift Z.
Agai n , though, the J udge is advised
to reduce the wall's material strength
ran k below " realistic" levels, perhaps
to Monstrous level. Why have a battle
i n a tunnel if there's no danger of
breaking through a wall and flooding
everything?
Ventilation
Ve hicular tunnels are ventilated to
prevent the build up of dangerous ex­
haust gases. The Hol land Tu nnel pio­
n eered the modern venti lation
tech nique.
Huge fans at both ends of the tunnel
blow fresh air into ducts beneath the
road . Vents at curbside blow this air
i nto the tunnel, and exhaust fans at
the top of the tunnel pull poll uted air
out. The poll uted air is piped to the
su rface through a separate network of
18
ducts. The t u nnel's air is completely
changed every 40 seconds.
The giant tunnel fans are housed i n
four ten-story buildings. Two fans, one
at each end of the tun nel , pump fresh
air to the center. The other two, on
piers 1000 feet into the H udson River
on each side, pump air down to the
tunnel , then out the nearest entrance.
The system works so well that it's
said that the air in the Holland Tun nel
is cleaner than that of M idtown Man­
hattan.
OTH ER TU N N E LS
This table gives statistics for the
other three tunnels i nto Manhattan.
Lengths are given first in feet, then i n
areas. " R iver" means , of course, the
river that tunnel runs under.
Tu nnel
BrklynBattery
Lincoln
QueensM idtown
Length
River
9,117/69
8,216/62
East
H udson
6,414/48.5
East
TU N NE L RU LES
Thousands of cars per hour use a
. tunnel during rush periods. Often the
traffic is slow and presents no hazard.
But for less congested times, see the
traffic rules u n der "The B rooklyn
Bridge" in the previous section. The
same rules apply to tunnel t raffic.
Page 22 of the Players' Book deals
with swimming and drowning, topics
that may arise during tunnel battles
under a river. The following optional
rules expand on the underwater envi­
ronment.
Ruptu res
Damage to a t un nel wall creates a
rupture, exposing the riverbed silt be­
yond. Ordinarily this silt is packed very
hard, and no water leaks through from
the river 20 feet above. But that's no
fun.
During construction of the Holland
Tu nnel , workers hit a weak spot in the
silt. Water began leaking i n , then
pouring i n . Lucki ly, no one was injured
in that instance.
The J udge can decide that any
breach in the tunnel wall made d u ring
a battle hits a similar weak spots. I n
t h e first turn after t h e breach, water
begins tricking in. On the second turn,
it increases to a gushing stream . On
the third , it becomes a waterfall of
S h ift-O st rength . H e roes can use
these three turns to carry bystanders
to safety.
On each turn thereafter u ntil the
hole is patched, the water increases
one rank in strength: Feeble, Poor,
and so on, to a maximum of Incredi­
ble. At Poor, it breaks through and im­
merses that entire area of the tunnel.
The water floods toward both ends of
the tunnel. To determine its velocity,
see the next subsection.
Meanwhile, on the river su rface, a
geyser erupts, caused by air escaping
the tunnel below. The disturbance
m ay endanger any small boats that
happen to be passing. (The J udge
should endanger a boat only if a hero
is nearby to rescue it.)
Blocking a Rupture: U n like the little
Dutch boy, heroes can 't stick their
thumbs in the rupture to hold back the
water. But any Power that works over
an area can delay the flood until the
water pressure increases beyond the
Power's strength ran k . Then it all
breaks through at that intensity.
Swimming Against the Current
The J udge decides the velocity of
the cu rrent-that is, how fast the wa­
ter is flowing-to determine the cur­
rent's strength. Use the LandIWater
col u m n of the Long-Distance Move­
ment Table (Players' Book, p. 23) to
determine speed, but then reduce the
strength to the next lower rank. For in­
stance, a 30-mph current would ordi­
narily be Poor strength, but reduce it
to Feeble instead.
A character swimming with the cur­
rent adds its movement rate to his or
her own to fig ure velocity. A character
swim ming against the current sub­
tracts the current's movement rate
from his or her own . Note that by these
rules, any current up to 15 mph has no
effect on a hero's movement.
For exam ple, the Sub-Mariner, who
can swim fou r areas per turn, swims
against a Feeble cu rrent (one area per
turn). S ubtracting the cu rrent's move­
ment rate from h is own, Prince Namor
can swim only three areas a turn
against the current.
If the current's rate is faster than the
character's own, the character cannot
swim in any direction and is swept
along. See the next subsection .
Staying above Water
To avoid damage in a rushing cur­
rent, a character m ust make an Agility
FEAT roll each turn . The roll takes -1
CS for each area of difference be­
tween the water's speed and the char­
acter's swim ming speed.
For example, P rince N amor is
caught in an I ncredible riptide. After
the one-ran k speed red uction de­
scribed above, the water moves at the
Remarkable speed of six areas per
turn. N amor, swept along, takes -2 CS
to his Agility FEAT roll each turn .
A white roll means that the charac­
ter hits some obstacle, such as a tun­
nel wall or (in a river) a rock, and takes
the cu rrent's strength ran k in damage.
The character's breath is knocked
out. The character starts d rowning
next turn un less he or she can get air.
A green roll means that the charac­
ter doesn't hit anything, but can't get
air this turn . Consult the rules for hold­
ing one's breath or drowning. The
character is swept forward at the wa­
ter's speed.
A yellow or red FEAT roll means that
the character doesn't hit anything,
m anages to keep his or her head
above water, and can breathe this
turn. The character is swept forward
at the water's speed if desired , but he
or she can grab a railing, rock, or other
obstacle to stay in one spot.
Getting Out of the Water: In a tunnel
the water stops when it reaches the
river level or the nearest exit (usually
the same thing). Velocity d rops to
zero. Su rvivors can get out at wil l .
Heroes trapped in a tunnel can also
try to launch themselves out of the wa­
ter, swim out the breach, or throw oth­
ers out. This req uires a Strength FEAT
modified -1 CS per strength rank of
the cu rrent. O utside the tunnel, the
cu rrent's velocity drops one rank per
area of distance from the breach.
CRIMES
The Holland Tu nnel has trapped n u­
merous criminals who flee into it from
Manhattan, only to find the tunnel po­
lice waiting to catch them before they
reach Jersey. For statistics of the po­
lice, see " New York's Finest" in Chap­
ter 4. Note that tunnel police are
trained in auto mechanics in order to
deal with the 25 breakdowns that hap­
pen every day in the tunnel.
Saboteurs planning to attack the
Holland Tu n nel would likely target, not
the tunnel, but the h uge fans that keep
its air fresh. Without them, exhaust
gases would soon render the tunnel's
air unbreathable. But while they oper­
ate, even the worst calamity, such as
the 1949 explosion of a chemical
truck, would not turn into a m ajor di­
saster.
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan: See the discussion un­
der "The Brooklyn Bridge" in the pre­
vious section . All the same ideas
apply to the Holland Tun nel and the
rest.
Other Cities: N ot m any ot her
pl aces are so thoroughly supplied
with tunnels as New York, but some
major cities built along wide rivers can
plausibly host a duplicate of the HoI­
land Tu nnel.
, , ' IMAGINE,
l��g00���
I f: YOU WIL L , THe ..."ONOI
IN TI.INNeLS >'UOOeNL Y ':;PENeO TO
RiVERS ABOVE
19
RYKE R'S I S LAN D
OVE RVI EW
OEseRI PTION
Ryker's Island Correctional Fa?ility,
one of New York's largest state prison,
once held many famous villains. Now
its inmates are ordinary humans, but it
remains an interesting stop on any he­
ro's patrol.
This i s Ryker's Island i n the
Marvel U n iverse. The description has
no relation to the real Riker's Island
prison complex in our world. (Note the
different spel li ngs of the two .)
The most dramatic way to beg in de­
scribing this maximum-security prison
is to list some material strengths. The
outer wal l , of sol id stone 3 feet thick
and 45 feet (3 stori es) tal l , has
Amazing strength.
The fou r machi ne-g u n towers at the
corners of the outer wall rest on bases
of concrete rei nforced with i ron
girders (Remarkable strength). They
are 4 stories tall , and guns from at
least two towers can be trained on any
point in the prison . For more about the
towers, see below.
Building walls, 18 inches of rein­
forced concrete , are Remarkab le
strengt h . Wi ndows, n atu rally, are
bul let-proof (Excellent strength). .
Doors are s h eet steel (AmaZing
strength) with gun ports and bullet­
proof glass peepholes; these are Ex­
cellent strength.
The bars on the cells, windows, hall­
ways, storm drains, laundry, g � ra�es,
and the prison library are titanium
steel, with cores of steel cable to de­
feat files and hacksaws (Remarkable
strength).
About the only thi ngs on Ryker's of
less than Excellent strength are the
guards' wooden desks and plastic tel­
ephones (Poor) and the searchlight
lenses i n the exercise compo u n d
(Feeble).
T H E AREA
Ryker's Island lies i n the East River
between the Bronx and Queens, j ust
off the shore near Queens' LaGuardia
Airport. Less t h an 200 yards of pol­
l uted water separates them at their
narrowest point. The heavily guarded
Ryker's Island Bridge runs about 4/5 of
a mile to Bowery Bay and into the
Steinway neighborhood of Queens.
The island's size is classified, but it
is approximately 150 acres of barren
rock sur ro u n ded by dangero u s
shoals. A swimmer would need Re­
markable ability to navigate these
safely; fail ure means the swimm� r is
washed against a rocky outcropping,
taking Good damage. Keep maki ng
FEAT rolls u ntil the swimmer suc­
ceeds or falls u nconscious.
Swimmers who survive the rocks
also have to brave the icy waters of
the river. See " Bridges and Tu n nels"
in this section for rules on end uring
cold water.
On every side of the island signs are
posted i n English and Spanish:
KEEP OFF!
O N LY GOVER N M ENT BOATS
WITH I N 200 YA RDS!
TRESPASS AT YOU R OWN RISK!
Those who approach more closely are
hailed by megaphone, then fi red u pon
with machine guns.
The terrain on Ryker's Island is
fairly eve n . There are no caves to hide
i n but the island's edges are pocked
w(th erosion gullies that can provide
temporary shelter from searchlights.
The interior, however, is a flat expanse
where any movi ng figu re stands out.
The prison compound lies at the
western tip of the island, on a bl uff
above pounding surf. At the other end
of the island is the only safe beach,
where prisoner ships landed before
the bridge was bu ilt . An old wooden
wharf still stands here.
Note:
Layout
Almost the entire Ryker's complex
lies within the four outer wal ls, which
mark out a square 396 feet (3 areas)
on a side. Only three structures stand
outside the walls. Two of them are an
alumin um-can recycling machine and
a trash i nci nerator. These dumpster­
sized metal structures are of Excellent
strength and lie east (downwind) of
the compound.
The t h i rd struct u re outside the
prison walls is the motor pool, a brick
garage (Good strength walls) big
enough to hold 18 vehicles. The ones
most often present are guards' per20
sonal cars one o r two armored police
paddy-wa ons, and the war? en's pri­
vate I imO' usine. By regulation there
are to be no tools left out here , but ,i n
practice one can often find a j �Ck or
tire i ron. There is a wall phone Wired to
the prison admi nistrative offices , and
a flare gun to be fired in the event of
trouble. (See tower description be­
low.)
On a concrete pad north of the ga­
rage is a batt le helicopter. A g uard­
pilot is on d uty at all times, and the
chopper lifts off at any alarm.
In the center of the compound stand
11 large cell blocks, labeled A through
K' a service building; and a small two­
st� ry admi nistrative building. Smal ler
bu ildings, the s hops where convicts
work, lie along the north wall . The only
gate is i n the center of the south wal l .
The gate i s 2 0 teet wide a n d bloc �ed
by foot-t hick steel doors of Amazing
strength .
.
The compo u n d 's open exercise
yard is hard-packed earth, not sand ;
convicts might try to take some and
throw it in a g uard 's eyes. Apart from
the build ings, the yard is empty.
The yard is big enough to land the
helicopter i n , and all oe'll-block ro �fs
are sturdy enough to s u pport Its
weight. No other building can do so .
g
Towers
At the top of each four-story tower is
a platform made like 8 she.et-metal
.
cube eight feet on a Side,
With large
windows of bullet-proof glass (Excel­
lent strength). Each is manned at all
ti mes by two prison g u ards. The
guards have their personal equipment
as well as the weaponry in the tower.
The only access to a tower is by. an
iron ladder. In the floor of the tower IS a
locked entry door. The guards inside
the tower can see through the bullet­
proof window in the entry door to con­
firm the identity of anyone who wants
to get inside.
Each tower has two machine guns,
two hand-held g renade launc hers,
and one searchlight. Equipment in­
cl udes spare bulbs for the light, 20
tear-gas grernad es , and p lenty of
ammo for the guns. Searchlight and
guns revolve on u niversal mounts. At
Ryke� 's Island M axi m ,:� m Sect. rity Cor �ectio n a Fac i l it�
Tower #3
Tower 94
-
-
h
l,J- [ D D D D D D
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0 D [� D D [D O 0
t
Machine Shops
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--.t:l.
-.c:l
---I:1.
----D.
A
B
C
D
E
I
---'=1
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Trash Incinerator
0.......-
-
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'"'ell Sleek
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f--Cl
c:
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u ::J
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H .Iin::trl
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Ga age
co
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Aluminum Recycler
�
'1:::r-
Exercise Yard
'\
Admin stration
�
Tower 9 2
least one gun can train in any direc­
tion, and both can train on any one
spot in that tower's part of the com­
pound. The searchlig ht can train in
any di rection and any altitude.
Atop each tower is an alarm klaxon.
This can be activated from inside the
tower or from any g uard office within
the prison .
A guard tower also h as a first-aid kit,
a telephone linked to the prison of­
fices and other towers, a two-way ra­
dio lin ked the same way, and a flare
g u n . The flare pistol is used for emer­
gencies when both phone and radio
are knocked out.
If a disturbance breaks out, g uards
sound the alarm if necessary, then try
to break it up with tear-gas grenades.
If that doesn't work, they switch to ma­
chine guns and shoot to kil l .
Cell Blocks
Cell blocks measure 1 1 0 feet (1
area) by 66 feet (1/2 area) and are 45
<:ate
.-- 20'--"
feet (3 stories) tal l . These windowless
buildings hold 90 cel ls apiece. In each
block the cel ls are arranged in two
banks , three stories tal l, around a cen­
tral atri u m . From the concrete floor a
guard can look up at a bank of cells
and see all the inmates in the three 1 5cell rows . Concrete wal kways 5 feet
wide, with steel railings 3 feet high,
service the cells in upper stories;
these are Excel lent strength.
Each cell measures 6 feet wide by 8
feet deep. It contains one metal bunk
(Remarkable strength) that folds out
from the wal l ; a porcelain washbasin
and a toilet without a lid or seat (Good
strength); two thin plywood shelves
over the sin k (Poor strength) for shav­
ing equipment and such; one wooden
peg to hang clothes; and, across from
the bunk, one sheet steel (Excellent
strength) folding shelf bolted to the
wal l , which serves as a seat or desk.
Each cell has a ventilator grille, 6
inches square, of Rem arkable
21
I
"r�:.1"
'
<
........
Tower # 1
strength. A n d that's all . Note that no
plumbing is exposed to the inmates,
and no cell has a light.
Cell doors do not open outward but
slide back. Electrically operated, they
can not be opened at the cell itself. A
g uard at the end of a row operates
concealed controls to open any or all
cells in the row. The prison has its own
power supply; but in the event of a
power interruption, the doors are me­
chanically designed to slide shut un­
der their own weight instead of staying
open. The banks do not touch the
block's outer walls at any point. Be­
hind each bank is a 5-foot-wide utility
corridor with wiring and pl umbing.
The central atrium , or " broadway,"
between the cell banks is 40 feet wide.
It is lit by fl uorescent lights along the
ceiling.
Cells are painted an obnoxious light
aquamarine color. The wal kways and
broadway are un painted concrete.
The whole cell block smells like a
locker room, an odor m asked by a
h eavy layer of disinfectant. Every
sound echoes up and down the block.
The block entrance is protected by
a steel door with a gunport and peep­
hole. Beyond the door is a one-story
"office" with a si ngle wooden desk,
an enclosed restroom, and a wall tele­
phone. The office measures 10 feet by
12 feet and is otherwise empty.
There is a 10-foot gap between the
cell banks and the block entrance.
This is for the barred "gun gal leries"
from which guards can fire from cover
on any cell or any point in the broad­
way. One cannot enter a gun gallery
from inside the block; they are acces­
sible only by separate entrances out­
side the bui lding.
Air conditioners fill the smal l sub­
base ments ben eath each block.
These, too, are inaccessible from in­
side. With the touch of a button, prison
officials can, in emergencies, release
tear gas or smoke through the ventila­
tion system.
Ben eath Cell Block A is "the
dungeon "-the group of cel ls for soli­
tary confinement. Each of these eight
cells measures 5 by 8 feet and holds a
bunk and a toi let. There are no bars;
instead, each cell has a steel door. In­
side, it is pitch dark. Prisoners are
punished for various infractions by
stays in the solitary cells. By law, no
prisoner may be confined to solitary
for more than 15 days at a stretch .
The Service Building
This is the same size as a cell block,
but has only one story and a base­
ment. The main floor contains the
laundry, prison library, kitchen , and
mess hall. I n the basement are the
power generator, tools, and other util­
ity equipment.
The single entrance to this building
holds a built-in metal detector, or
"snitch box " in the inmates' jargon .
The Administrative Building
Measu ring 45 feet long by 28 feet
wide, this simple two-story building
holds a receiving area for visitors, a
small infirmary, the guards' lounge,
and the warden's office. The second
story is taken up by the guards' uni­
form lockers and the storage lockers
for the prisoners' effects. The admin
building ils the only one in the prison
with windows.
The ad min bui lding has two sepa­
rate basements. One, reached by a
staircase off the main hal lway, has
three temporary holding cells. The
other, accessible only by a gangway in
the wa rden 's offi ce, leads to the
prison armory. This holds 80 wooden
batons (truncheons), 80 assault rifles,
40 tear-gas g renades, 40 smoke
bom bs, 40 flak jackets, and plenty of
ammo. The armory is protected by
steel walls of Amazing strength . The
lock is exceptionally difficult to pick (-1
CS to attempts). Only the warden and
two senior guards have keys .
Shops
The shops, all one story tal l , are of
various sizes-generally around 60
feet long by 20 feet wide. Here the
convicts make brooms, twine, and,
yes, l icense plates. They earn 19
cents an hour, payable when their sen­
tence is fi nished. (Departing convicts
also get a new suit and a stern lecture
from the warden).
Each building has machi nery ap­
propriate to its function. In general,
machi nes weigh 1000 pounds and are
of Excellent material, but take only
Typical damage before they stop func­
tioning.
Each shop has one door with a
metal detector. Most have loading
bays, but these are always locked ex­
cept when actually in use-and then
they are carefully g uarded. Convicts
often try to sneak aboard the trucks
and hide amid the supplies. The ones
who are caught earn a stretch in soli­
tary. The ones who aren 't get outside
the complex, but are usually found by
searches at the island bridge.
The Prison Routine
At any time there are 40 guards on
duty-2 per cell block, plus 8 on the
walls and 10 in the yard or the admin
22
building. There are also 2 guards at the
motor pool and 4 at each end of the
bridge. During busi ness hours another
two dozen support staffers are in the
prison's kitchens, shops, and offices.
A convict's day begins at 6 AM,
when wake-up bel ls rouse him. After
20 min utes to clean up, he stands at
the cell front for morning head count.
Then down to the mess hall, breakfast
(20 min utes), check in the flatware,
down into the yard and into the shops,
work u ntil 1 1 :20 AM, another trip to
the mess hall and 20 min utes for
lunch, work in the "Shops unHI 4:30
PM, dinner, evening head cOllnt, back
to the cel l . Lights out at 9:30 P M . Re­
peat endlessly.
On Sundays convicts get an hour in
chapel and an hour in the exercise
yard. On Christmas and N ew Year's,
an extra hour-when it's so cold one
can hardly stand it No other holidays.
This is the prison routine. No won­
der everyone wants out. B ut only cer­
tain convicts have had the power to
fulfill their dreams.
SUPER VILLAINS AT
RYKER'S
Cell Block K was once the "Special
Security " block. S hortly after the mod­
ern age of super h u mans began, this
block was hastily upgraded to contain
super-powered villains, notably Elec­
tro, the Vu i t u re , t h e S a n d m a n ,
Bullseye, a n d Paste-Pot Pete (before
he renamed himself the Trapster).
The Special Security block also
served as a temporary holding faci lity
for villains of other states or nations
while they were awaiting extradition.
Among these were Diablo, Kraven tile
Hunter, and Mysterio.
For various reasons, many villains
have never stayed at Ryker's. Those
who commit federal crimes are sen­
tenced to feder.al penitentiaries. Mad­
men such as the Scorpion and Doctor
Octopus go to asyl ums upstate. Doc­
tor Doom, as monarch of latveria, has
diplomatic imm u n ity from prosecu­
tion . And then there are the ones flO
prison can hold, l ike the H u l k and tile
Sub-Mariner.
Special Security
Prison officials retrofitted the cells
in Block K with special modules.
These ce ll-sized "coffi ns" slid into the
existing cel l compartments . Designed
by Stark Enterprises (now Stane I nter­
national), these mod ules were meant
to hold the toughest super villains.
The mod ules had thick titan ium
steel alloy walls of Monstrous
strength. G uards passed food and wa­
ter inside through double-chambered
"airlock" slots in the doors. Sanitary
arrangements are not recorded, but
may have used the same system.
Individual modules could be tai­
lored for thei r inhabitants. The Sand­
man 's mod ul e , for i n stance, was
completely airtight, so he could not
flow out the cracks. Electro's was well­
g rou nded and insulated; it was lit only
by chemical luminescence, not el ec­
tricity.
Obviously t h e mod u les did n ot
work. Jailbreaks from Ryker's were
scandalously frequent, and wardens
were changed almost with the sea­
sons. Something had to give.
Villains on the Move
Ryke r's no longer holds super­
h uman criminals, due to the difficulty
of restraining them. Also, fami lies of
ord i n a ry inmates complained that
they were endan gered by close prox­
imity to super-human villains. After
n u merous j a i l b reaks did massive
damage, Ryker's "Special Security"
block was shut down .
Ryke r's sent its super-human in­
mates to several other facilities, nota­
bly the semi-secret energy research
facility in the Ad irondack Mountains
called Project : Pegasus. When that
too proved incapable of holding vil­
lains without damage, the federal gov­
ernment constructed the Maximum
Secu rity Installation for the Incarcera­
tion of Super-human Crimi nals, nick­
named "The Vault."
N PC s
Bennett B . " Big Ben " Stanford
Warden
F
A
E
R
I
P
S
Ty Ty Ty Ty Gd Gd Ty
Karma: 26
Healt h : 24
Resources: Good(10)
Popularity: 4
Stanford is the latest in a long line of
Ryker's wardens and is wel l aware of
the high tu rnover. But with the super­
h uman villains gone, he hopes to
achieve job sec urity.
Ward en Stanford achieved this post
through talent and tact, after a long
career i n a small min imum-security fa­
cil ity in California. It must be said that
the transition to Ryker's, where the
prisoners cal l the warden names and
there are no tennis courts, has taken
him aback. Stil l , he's coping so far.
Appearance: 5'11/1 , 190 I bs . Stout,
black hair (bald on top), well- d ressed.
Quiet manner, given to long piercing
stares. Dry sense of humor. Stanford
has quit smoking and lives in misery
because of it-he sucks pencils,
chews gum, and eats too much .
Talents: Administration, police proce­
dures, criminology, diplomacy.
Typical Dialogue: " Out i n Sacra­
mento we 'd punish this man by cut­
ting his weekend furloughs. I imagine
that wo n't work here. Recommenda­
tions?"
Prison guards
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Gd Gd Ty Gd Ty Ty Ty
Karma: 18
Health: 36
Resources: Good(10)
Popularity: 0
Appearance: Black long-sleeved shirt
and slacks; police-style black cap;
black boots. Gu ards do not wear neck­
ties, because convicts may try to use
them as garrotes.
Talents: Law enfo rcement.
Equipment: Pistol, nightstick (treat as
club), halogen flashlight, mace canis­
ter, two-way radio. G u ards in cell
blocks also carry handcuffs. I n emer­
gencies guards and other staffers
wear flak jackets.
Typical inmate
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Gd Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Pr
Health: 28
Karma: 16
Resources: Good(10) Popularity: -1
Appearance: Male (Ryker's has no fa­
cil ities for female prisoners), gray-b lue
denim shirt and trousers, hau nted or
sullen look.
EqU ipment: All of a prisoner's pos­
sessions are taken and stored when
he reaches Ryker's. The prisoner is is­
sued two sets of clothing and six pairs
of socks; toiletries such as a tooth­
brush, toothpaste, safety-razor holder,
and shaving mug; a handkerchief,
towel, mattress, and bed linens; a tin
cup; a hand mirror and nail clippers;
and one pair of shoes. And that's all.
23
CRI M ES
The inmates here have committed
every conceivable crime short of gen­
ocide. Conti nuing these habits, the
prisoners get accomp lices or bribed
guards to smuggle in drugs, weapons,
and contraband. Leaders of highly or­
ganized operations, such as M aggia
chiefs, often continue to run thi ngs
while i n jail.
Obviously the central crime in a
prison is the escape attempt. No con­
vict thinks of anything else.
The showiest escape from Ryke r's
was actually broadcast live on na­
tional TV. Talk show host Tom Snyde
presented an exclusive i nterview with
Bullseye, shown from the assassi n 's
own cell . Bul lseye stole a guard's gun,
took Snyde hostage, made his way
into the yard, and shot out the towe r
search lights. I n the darkness the bat­
tle chopper came down for a good
shot; Bul lseye grabbed it, climbed up,
killed everyone inside, and flew away.
Snyde was fired , and so was yet an­
other Ryker's warden .
In another case a convict did n't
even have to escape. A C IA official got
covert permission to take Frank Cas­
tle, the vigil ante called the Punisher,
outside the walls to capture a drug
gang . The Pun isher killed the gang
members, and then, of course, es­
caped the CIA to conti nue his one­
man , il legal war on crime.
CAM PAIG N USE
Man hattan: I f heroes want t o follow
through after a particularly tough bat­
tle and say, " I'm hauling this bozo to
prison myself! " -send the prisoner to
Ryker's.
The prison also provides a dramatic
backdrop for a jailbreak scenario, or a
hostage situation. A villai n takes a few
guards hostage and demands that his
old enemy (a PC he ro) come in un­
armed and helpless . Does the hero
comply? If not, the guards die, and the
Karma loss is the hero's!
CHAPTE R 2: Ma n hatta n
Given the upheaval Man hattan has
endured in the Marvel U niverse, one
wonders how it stil l stands, let alone
thrives.
Su per-human villains knock over
banks and jewelry stores with monoto­
nous regularity. The villain Graviton
raised an entire Fifth Avenue depart­
ment store into the air and tried to hold
it for ransom. Another villai n , Light­
master, blacked out the city at one
time , and the Shocker th reatened to
do the same unless the city govern­
ment paid him a mill ion dollars. The
American government super soldier
cal led N u ke devastated part of the
Hell's Kitchen neighborhood before
Daredevil defeated him.
Ot her villains based in Manhattan
i n c l u d e D read n o u g h t , t h e Hellfi re
Club, Killer S h r i ke, M adcap, M ad
Dog, selected Morlocks, the Rose, the
Tin kerer, the n ewest Yellowj acket ,
White Dragon , and many more. (For
these villains' descriptions and statis­
tics, see the Gamer's Handbook of the
Marvel Universe, Concrete Jungle,
New York, New York, and other
SUPER
H E RO ES™
MARVEL
products. )
The Kingpi n's criminal organ ization
g rows in power. The Maggia famili es
are on the ru n , but still make misch ief.
The amoral corporation Roxxon is
based in Manhattan, and the villains it
empl oys sometimes wind up operat­
ing closer to home than board execu­
tives l i ke. V i g i lan tes such as the
Punisher and Nimrod are based here
as wel l .
Over t h e years , Atlantis has in­
vaded the island of Manhattan three
times. The evolutionary offshoot of hu­
manity called the Deviants has re­
cently attacked i t . T h e villainous
organization known as Zodiac erected
a force field around Man hattan and
demanded ransom. In his numerous
attempts to devour the Earth, Galac­
tus has always tried to start in Man hat­
tan . And when the fire demon S urtur
tried to conquer Asgard, home of Thor
and the other Norse gods , Manhattan
was hit by b lizzards of snow in the
heat of summer.
During the second so-called " Se­
c ret Wa r," an omni potent ot her-
dime nsional
being called the
Beyonder roamed all over Man hattan,
experimental ly creating chaos an d
then wiping memo ries of the events
from the minds of witnesses.
The recent crisis called " I nferno"
plu nged Man hattan in to chaos, as
waves of heat and col d struck the city;
telephones, fi replugs, and other in ani­
mate objects came to l ife and at­
tacked passersby; minor demons
roamed the streets; and the Empire
State Building grew a mile high. How­
ever, when the X-Men and X-Factor re­
solved the crisis, New Yo rk was
magically restored to normality and,
again , inhabitants retained no mem­
ory of its events.
Most spectacular of the disasters
striking Manhattan came from Galac­
tus's onetime herald, Terrax. He sur­
rounded the island with a force field,
as Zodiac had, but then levitated the
whole works high i nto space, above
the Earth's atmos phere. Terrax meant
to coerce the Fantastic Fo ur into fight­
i ng Gal actus. Though his scheme
failed dismally, he created havoc with
the city's bridge and tun nel systems.
Manhattanites certainly live excit­
ing lives.
OVERVI EW
Smallest of N ew York City's bor­
oughs, Manhattan Island measures
13. 4 miles long by 2.3 miles at its wid­
est poi nt. For the hero plugging num­
bers into a spaceship or hel icarrier
computer, Manhattan's coordinates
are 40 degrees north latitude and 74
deg rees west longitude.
The n ame " M a nhatt an" comes
from an Algonqu ian Indian word
mean ing " island of the hil ls." Today
the hills are concrete and steel sky­
scrapers, and the borough is the cen­
ter of finance, commerce, art, and
society for New York City and the en­
tire Un ited States.
Climate
The climate is typically New En­
gland: hot summers, cold and snowy
winters, beautiful autumns, and short
and uncertain spri ngtimes. The fol­
lowing chart gives typical tempera24
tures for the seasons, rounded off to
the nearest degree Fah renheit. With
this chart, Man hattan's heroes have a
standard for comparison when man­
made or supernatural phenomena al­
ter the weather.
Month
High
Low
Avg .
Jan uary
April
J uly
October
39
61
85
67
26
44
68
51
32
52
77
59
H umidity remains fairly constant at
60-67% year rou nd, winds are seldom
strong in the city, rainfall is moderate,
and about th ree feet of snow fall in a
normal winter.
Geology
It is frequently observed that Man­
hattan is bu i lt on solid bed rock­
usually by incred u lous n atives when
some villain creates an earthquake.
But in fact northern Manhattan is cut
by several geologic faults, the longest
bisecting the island from northwest to
southeast above Centra'l Park. This
fault, deep benealh the surface, pro­
vides an avenue down to the un dis­
covered city of the Lava M e n , miles
beneath Manhattan .
St i l l , Man hattan's geology is re­
markably stable. Some of the rock
types found here are named for the
city: M a n h attan schist, Brooklyn
gneiss. Only CL 1000 power could cre­
ate significant seismic disturbances
along the fau lts, or CL3000 force el se­
where .
Layout
Visitors are always told not to drive
in Man hattan. This is excellent advice,
but not necessarily because of a con­
fusing layout. The sfreets are hazard­
ous to the visitor because tlhey are
crowded, parking is either expensive
or nonexistent, and tlraffic jams are
frequent. But for most of its length
Manhattan's layollt is s·t if'ikilngly regu­
lar.
Blocks stretch in a neat rectang ular
grid from the northernmost tip 'of the
island (" uptown") to about five-sixths
of the way downtown . There they give
way to the labyrinths of G reenwich Vil-
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Randall's
Island
Colleen Wing's
Apartment
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_
_
_
_
_
_
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(Home of
Vision and
Scarlet Witch)
To
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Forest Hills,
Queens
U n iversity
(Home of
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Daniel Rand ' s
Board ing House)
Former
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Maria Stark Park
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Matt Murdock's
Former Townhouse
Holy Ghost
C hurch
Latverian Embassy
Four Freedoms Plaza
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Nick Fury's
Apart me n t
Empire State
U n iversity
The Coffee Bean
Yancy Street
W i l l iamsburg Bridge
DA Tower's
Offices
Manhattan Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Steve Rogers'
Former
Apartment
To Bay Ridge,
Brooklyn
(Home of
......
......
Sigurd Jarlson)
lage (in the west) and Chinatown and
the Financial District (near Battery
Park , the southern most point of Man­
hattan). These are the oldest parts of
the city, built before its layout was
planned.
New York's streets are generally
wide and well designed, but also
crowded, di rty, and in poor repai r. For
more about life on the streets, see
Chapter 5. This section describes the
street layout for heroes who need to
get around town.
The nort h-south verticals in the
Manhattan grid are the avenues, n u m­
bered from east to west , Fi rst through
Twelfth. Fourth Avenue turns into Park
Aven ue above 1 4th Street; Lexington
Avenue lies between Third and Park;
and Madison Avenue, home of the na­
tion's advertising in dustry, lies be­
tween Park and Fifth .
Fifth Avenue is the ritziest avenue in
New York. Cross-street add resses in­
crease east or west from Fifth. The av­
enu e's name stays resolutely Fifth all
the way up to the Harlem River.
" Si xth" Avenue is more accurately
known as the Avenue of the Americas,
and banners of all t h e nations i n
North, South, and Central America
hang along its length. Above Central
Park this avenue becomes Lenox Ave­
nue. Several other n u m bered ave­
n u es also change n a m es as one
moves uptown.
In the Lower East Side, four addi­
tional avenues run parallel to First Av­
enue, lettered A through D toward the
East River.
The horizontal bars in the grid are
the streets, nu mbered from 1 st to
2 1 5th (and even higher in the Bronx).
These form rectangular blocks that
are sometimes much longer than they
are wide. In general, ass u m e 20
blocks per mile heading north-south,
but as few as five or six movi ng east­
west.
R u n n i ng d i agon a l l y across t h e
whole length o f Man hattan i s Broad­
way, a legend in theatrical history and,
around Ti mes Square, a breeding
ground for cri me and vice. Broadway
runs north from Battery Park and
South Ferry to 1 0th Street, then an­
gles left to run in a diagonal streak
across the island. Above 77th Street it
turns north again and eve ntually
merges with Eleventh (West End) Ave­
nue. It conti nues over the 225th Street
Bridge and i nto the Bronx.
Al most all streets and avenues in
Man hattan are on e-way to traffic. The
two-way streets, twice as wide as the
others, are Canal, Housto n, 1 4t h ,
23rd , 34th, 42nd, 57th, 72nd, 79th,
86t h , 96th, 1 06th, 1 1 6th, 1 25th, 1 35th ,
and 1 45th . Traffic on Broadway is two­
way above 59th Street, on e-way
southbound below it.
Street Address Finder
With over 200 streets cross ing the
aven ues, how do the Judge and play­
ers know where to find a given avenue
add ress? Use this handy locator.
Take the avenue address, drop the
last figure (for instance, 460 Park Ave­
nue becomes 46), divide this number
in half (46 becomes 23), and add the
key number for the appropriate ave­
nue from the following table (in this ex­
ample, 34) . Subt ract n u m bers
preceded by mi nus signs. The res ult
is approximately the nearest cross
street. (In the example, 23 + 34
57th Street.)
=
Key Numbers
Avenues A, B, C, and D: 3
Fi rst Avenue: 3
Second: 3
Third: 1 0
Lexi ngton: 22
Park: 34
Madison: 27
Fourth: 8
Fifth:
Up to 200: 1 3
201 -400: 1 6
40 1 -600: 1 8
601 -775 : 20
776- 1 286: See exceptions
below
1 287-1 500: 45
1 501 -2000: 24
Sixth (Ave. of Americas): -1 2
Lenox (Sixth above Cent. Park):
1 10
Seventh: 1 2 / 1 801 + : 20
Eighth: 9
N i nth: 1 3
Col umbus (Ninth above Broad­
way): 59
Tenth: 1 3
Amsterdam (Tenth above 57th):
59
Eleventh: 1 5
26
West End (Eleventh above 57th):
59
Broadway:
1 -754: below 8th Street (do not
make a change)
755-858: -29
859-958: -25
Above 959: -3 1
Exceptions: For the following
streets, drop the last di git of the ad­
dress but don 't divide the result.
Add or subtract this key n u mber:
Fifth Avenue, 776-1 286: -1 8
Central Park West : 60
Riverside Drive:
1 -567: 73
568 + : 78
To try an example: Su ppose you
know that the Hellfire Club Mansion is
located at 840 Fifth Avenue. Take the
street nu mber (840), and drop the last
digit (84); because it falls in an " ex­
ception" area (see above), do not di­
vide by 2. Then look up the key
number listed above-for this section
of Fifth Avenue, it's - 1 8. Adding that
to what we had before, we get 66. So
the mansion is located near the corner
of Fifth Avenue and 66th St.
The Highways
Manhattan's coast is bou nded by
two giant hig hways. The Elevated
Highway runs along the East River
waterfront, tunneling under the United
Nations complex at 42nd Street and
emerging as t h e Fran k l i n D .
Roosevelt Drive, also known (very de­
scriptively) as the East River D rive.
On the western waterfront, a single
highway starts in the south as West
Street, then becomes i n succession
Eleventh Avenue, Twelfth Avenue, the
West Side El evated Highway, and the
Henry Hudso n Parkway. This is one
street! Yes, Man hattan's avenues are
strikingly regular, but there are excep­
tions.
In the Marvel U niverse, part of the
West Side Highway is abandoned. A
forty-five block (21/2 mile) stretch ex­
tends north from the World Trade Cen­
ter. Joggers run on the e m pty
h i g hway, and Daredevil has been
seen using it as a shortcut over traffic
below.
The highway's underside is high,
dark, and unexplored-a perfect hid­
ing place. For years the Casket of An­
Cient Winters, a powe rful mag ical
artifact, lay hidden there. It was re­
trieved and opened as part of the fire
demon Surtu r's scheme to destroy the
un iverse. The casket contained " the
fury of N iffleheim," the frozen realm of
the dishonored dead in Norse mythol­
ogy. When it was ope ned, New York
City was plunged into winter in J uly.
The thunder god, Tho� led the forces
that defeated S u rtur's plan and re­
stored Manhattan's weather to nor­
mal.
The Casket of Ancient Winters was
hidden under the West Side Highway.
Who knows what else may lie there?
The Waterfront
New York's bay is one of the great
natural harbors of the world. However,
the city itself sees comparatively little
water traffic nowadays . M ost freight
traffic, now handled in containe rized
shipping, goes through the container
terminal across the bay at Port Eliza­
beth, New Jersey.
Passenger vessels i n M an hattan
dock at a few H u dson River piers on
the Lower West Side, between 45th
and 54th Streets. These are almost all
luxury ships headed for or returning
from Caribbean cruises. In the old
days, gambling sh ips fu ll of rich folks
would sail into the Atlantic beyond US
territorial waters and set up water­
borne casin os. Now gamblers j u st
drive down the coast to the casinos of
Atlantic City.
H udson River piers are numbered
from 25 to 99, south to north, though
many n umbers are skipped. Pier 25
extends from the Tribeca area of south
Manhattan, and the rest are li ned up
northward at regular intervals about
300 feet (2 areas) apart. To locate
Piers 64 through 99, subtract 40 from
the pier n umber to find the n umber of
the nearest street. For instance, Pier
69 is right by 29th Street.
East River piers are fewer in num­
ber than those in the H udson River.
They start with the Mu nicipal Ferry
Terminal j ust east of Battery Park,
where the Staten Island Ferry docks.
Five piers (6, 9, 1 1 , 1 3, and 1 4 south to
north) stretch out from the Financial
District; Pier 6 is a heliport. Three
more piers, just south of the Brooklyn
Bridge, make up the South Street
Seaport M useum. All of these extend
off South Street, which runs along the
waterfront by the Elevated Hig hway.
Above the Brooklyn and Man hattan
Bridges on the Lower East Side lie
Piers 34-44. There is no easy numeri­
cal way to locate these piers.
A typical pier is about 500-600 feet
(4 to 5 areas) long. Width and materi­
als vary widely, but in general assume
a pier 20 feet wide and made of wood
boards of Good strength. Dock sup­
ports, or pilings, are thick oak of Ex­
cellent strength.
Transport
If the characters don't want to drive
on the crowded, pothole-ridden, un­
nerving streets, New York also offers
crowded buses, crime-ridden sub­
ways, and u n nerving taxicabs. Or they
can walk.
27
Buses: Routes run on all avenues,
maj or crosstown streets, and a few
weird zigzag patterns. There is usu­
ally a bus stop every couple of blocks.
The system is completely bewildering,
and good l uck getting the drivers to
te ll you anything.
Fare is one doll ar, exact change re­
quired (no bills), with free Add-A-Ride
transfers. As often as not, though, he­
roes hitch free rides atop the bus.
For a physical description of a typi­
cal bus, see C hapter 4.
The Subway: Slightly less complex
than the bus system, the subway sys­
tem is also more crowded in the day­
time and more dangerous at night. Its
three main lines are abbreviated IRT,
I N D , and BMT. Each line has four to
six train routes. In general, these run
north-south across Manhattan and
into neighboring boroughs. But a few
lines take a sharp rig ht at Central Park
i nto Queens.
Subway stops can be found every
few blocks downtown, and every four
to six blocks uptown. Fare is one dol­
lar, in the form of a token bought in the
station .
For more about s u bways, see
Chapter 5: U nderground Man hattan
and the system maps on the cover to
the Adventure Book.
Ta xicabs: Heroes seldom take cabs,
but it is not u nknown . Even the FF had
to flag one down to go to the Baxter
Building when their aircraft crashed in
Central Park.
By law, drivers cannot refuse "or­
derly" passengers transport any­
where in t h e five borou g h s . I n
practice, good luck if you want t o go to
Brooklyn or Queens, or the jungle of
the south Bronx.
Fare is $1.10 for the fi rst ninth of a
mile, a dime per additional ninth; driv­
ers expect a tip of 15 to 20 percent,
and woe betide the fares who stiff
them. Passengers pay highway tolls.
M ost cabs carry no more than four
passengers.
Several competing cab fleets troll
the streets downtown. It is usually a
routine matter to flag one down . . . ex­
cept d u ri n g rush h o u rs and bad
weather-and when you really need
one.
I n addition to the cab companies,
"gypsy cabs" roam the streets. These
private entrepreneurs, meter less and
unlicensed by the city's Taxi and Lim­
ousine Commission , can be seen as
romantic freelancers or extortionists,
depe nding on one's viewpoint.
Physical description of taxicabs and
typical drivers are in Chapter 5.
Air Travel: The city has four heli­
ports, not to mention landing facilities
for various exotic spacecraft atop
Four Freedoms Plaza.
The two airports that service Man­
hattan are both in Queens. See the
entry for " M ay Parker's Boarding
House" on page 1 2.
Government
Si nce Manhattan hosts New York
City's City Hall, a brief mention of the
city's government is in order here.
The chief political figure is t h e
Mayor, who is elected t o a fo ur-year
term. In Marvel Man hattan, as in our
world, the Mayor is currently EdWard
Koch. However, in the Marvel Uni­
verse Koch did not win the last elec­
tion ; he lost to Randolph Winston
Cherryh, a career politician with orga­
n ized crime connections. Cherryh
was a puppet of the Kingpin, but Dare­
devil forced the crime lord to give up
Cherryh. Though he won the election ,
Cherryh followed the Kingpi n's orders
to the end, admitted his crime connec­
tions, and resigned before taking of­
fice. Koch became Mayor i n stead,
and C herryh's current whereabouts
are unknown .
N ew Yo rkers also e lect a 39member City Council every fo ur
years. The third major governing body
is the Board of Estimate, which has
the vital task of preparing the city
budget. The Mayor, the City Council
president, and the comptroller (trea­
surer) each have three votes on the
Board, and the presidents of the five
boroughs have two votes apiece.
New York's government seldom fig­
ures in Marvel adventures, but there
has been widespread corruption in its
upper reaches since the 19th-century
days of Boss Tweed and Tammany
Hal l, if not before. This political g raft is
white-collar crime, not in the usual run
of villainous schemes-but any crime
can be the springboard for a role­
playing scenario.
MAN HATTAN'S
N EI G H BORHOODS
As mentioned earlier, New York City
is a huge conglomeration of neighbor­
hoods, each with its own character,
popu lation, history, and atmosphere.
Such rich diversity is impossible to
summarize, but here is a naive at­
tempt, confined to Man hattan alon e.
The districts are described in rough
geograp h i cal order, mov i n g from
south to north.
White Hall, Wall Street, and Lower
Broadway
Area: White Hall and Wall Street be­
gin at the southern tip of Man hattan
above Battery Park. Fulton Street is
their northern boundary. Lower Broad­
way lies j ust above both , between the
Lower East Side (bou ndary: Park
Row) and Tribeca to the west (bound­
ary: West Broadway).
28
Description: These towe ring sky­
scrapers are part of what is usually
called the Financial D istrict. This is
what people around the world t h i n k of
when they think Of New York City­
and, to a certain extent, of America.
B ut there is a patch of g reen here,
too, at the extreme tip of the island.
Battery Park, SO named because it
once held a fort with an artillery bat­
te ry, is I:aden with commemorative
monuments. Castle Clinton is a re­
stored cirCular building with red sand­
stone wal ls eight feet t h i c k
(Remarkable strength). T h e Staten Is­
land Ferry docks here.
Landmarks: The twin skyscrapers
of the World Trade Center; the New
York Stock Exchange; Chase Manhat­
tan Bank, Citibank, and nearly every
other national bank; the AT&T Bui ld­
ing; and City Hall, including the May­
or's offices.
Notable Residents: Ve ry tew peo­
ple live in the Financial D istriCt. A rare
residential site includes the studio of
blind sculptress Alicia M asters Storm,
wife of the Human Torch .
Notes: For more information, see
"The Financial District" list1n.9 in the
next chapter.
Tribeca
Area:
Southwest Manhattan, west
of Lower Broadway. A triangu'lar area
bounded by Canal Street (north), West
Broadway (east), and West Street
(west).
Description: Tribeca Is a,.. abbrevi­
ation for the "TRiangle B Elow CAnal
Street." Thi$ is one of the current ref­
uges for artists, nonconformists, and
other bohemians in Manhattan, pre­
vious domainS like G reenwich Village
having grown too fashionable and ex­
pensive. Warehouses and factories
have become living qu arters and stu­
dios, and now restaurants, cl'ubs, and
bars have begun to follow the artists.
There's some industry here, too.
Landmarks: Exit from the Holland
Tu n nel (see :page 1 8) on Canal Street.
Former headquarters of X-Factor, now
demolished.
Lower East Side and the Bowery
Area: Southwest Manhattan water­
front. Sou1h boundary, Fulton above
the Wall Street district. The neighbor­
hood stretches north along the East
River waterfront like a cance.r. Inland it
is stopped only by the Bowery and
Chinatown , and farther north by First
and Second Aven ues.
Descriptio n : This area was built in
the last century to house a melange of
poor ethnic immigrants, and it has re­
mai ned poor and diverse ever si nce­
old buildings, shops that display their
goods on the sidewal k, ethnic restau­
rants. Heavy crime, espec ially at
night.
Landmarks: Josie's, a bar for low­
lifes Uust off South Street on the wa­
terfront) .
Notable Residents: Hoodlum Tu rk
Barrett and his buddy Grotto. A shack
beneath a pier is the hideout for the
smal l-ti me Slaughter assassination
ring, which does some work for the
Kingpin .
Notes: For more information, see
the "Yancy Street" Hotspot listing in
the next chapter.
Chi natown
Area: Baxter
Street east to Park
Row and the Bowery, south of Bayard
Street.
Descri ptio n : Home to m uc h of
Manhattan's Oriental popu lation, this
area is a major tourist attraction. It fea­
tures many souvenir shops and terrific
Chi nese restau rants. Visitors notice
narrow streets, tenement buildings,
newsstands loaded with C h i n ese
newspapers and magaz i n e s , u n­
friendly shopkeepers, and lots of
lights and neon.
In the Marvel Un iverse, gang war­
fare has been a problem here. The
Kingpin supports attempts by the vil­
lain Wh ite D ragon to co nsoli date
these gangs; the Kingpin himself has
remarkably little influence in China­
town. Wh ite Dragon's gang, the Drag­
on lords, clashes with another gang
called the Tiger's Claw, dedicated to
peaceful protection of the Chinatown
area.
Landmarks: Criminal Courts Build­
ing; District Attorney Tower'S offices.
Little Italy
Area: Northwest
of Chinatown in
lower central Man hattan , bounded by
Houston (north), Lafayette Street
(west), the Bowery (east), and Canal
(south).
Description: This neighborhood is
said to be the most crime-free in New
Yo rk. The residents are of predomi-
nantly Ital ian descent, and the district
offers some of the best Italian restau­
rants and street cafes in the country.
Little Italy was the site of a rampage
by the super-powered villain Vermin
d u ring a recent San Gennaro Festival
(held each year in early September).
Spider-Man and Captai n America
stopped the rat-like predator. For
more about Vermin, see Chapter 5.
Landmarks: The main streets in lit­
tle Italy are Grand and Broome, which
run east-west, and Mulberry and Mott
(north-south) .
SoHo
Area:
The district "SOuth of HOus­
ton Street," and also west of Broad­
way, east of West Broadway, and
north of Canal .
Description: No connection to Lon­
don 's Soho district. Lots of century-old
cast-iron buildings, and at one time
plenty of cast-iron artists who endured
the conditions of windy lofts and stu­
dios. Once the area became fashion­
able, rents d rove the artists out (see
Greenwich Village). Trendy galleries,
rock clubs, fash ionable shops and
restau rants. All of SoHo is protected
as a national landmark.
Landmarks: Ukifuni Oddities (Ca­
nal Street and W. Broadway) , a shop
selling Japanese weaponry and trin­
kets, once a base for the Oriental as­
sassins' g uild called The Hand.
Notable Residents: Sersi , an Eter­
nal who specializes in transformation
powers, keeps a loft on Grand Street
off Broadway.
Notes: Houston Street i s pro­
nounced " HOUSE-ton."
East Village
Area: Bou nded
by Houston (south),
14th Street (nort h ) , Fi rst Avenue
(east), and Broadway (west).
Description: So called because it is
the eastern part of Greenwich Village
(see below), the East Village enjoyed a
brief vogue as a psychedelic hippie
hangout in the 1960s. Today there is
light business activity, but most of the
East Village is given over to tenements.
There is an active Ukrainian commu­
nity. Also, like Tri beca, the East Village
is getting more artists, students, and in­
tellectuals fleeing the high rents of
Greenwich Village and SoHo.
Landmarks: Em pire State U n iver­
sity.
29
The Coffee Bean (2nd Street off
Second Aven ue) is a small coffee
shop and cafe that caters to the col­
lege and teen crowd (including, in
times past, Peter Parker and the origi­
nal X-Men).
Owned by two old men who have n 't
been teenagers since the Hoover ad­
ministration , "the Bean" has always
been about a year late in joi ning any
given fad . It has been a beatnik hang­
out, a go-go psychedelic joint, a disco,
and a fern bar. Now it's trying to cash
in on breakdancing. No fad is dead
until it appears at the Coffee Bean .
Notable Residents: The poet W. H .
Auden once lived here . Ni ck Fury has
an apartment on 1 0th Street between
Fi rst and Second Avenue.
Notes: For more i nformation, see
the "Empire State U n iversity" Hot­
spot listing in the next chapter.
Greenwich Village
Area: An irregularly
shaped collec­
tion of i rreg ular n e i g h borhoods i n
lower west Manhattan, bounded by
Broadway (east), the Hudson (west),
H o u ston (so uth) , and 14th Street
(north).
Description: Once nonconformist,
unfashionable, and cheap, the area is
now posh but still nonconformist. The­
aters, coffehouses, art galleries, jazz
cl ubs. See " Doctor Strange's Sanc­
tum" in the next chapter.
Landmarks: Washington Squ are
Park at the foot of Fifth Avenue; New
York University, above and below the
park; Bleecker Street; C h ristopher
Street.
The site of the former Triangle Waist
Factory is at 22 Washi ngton Place. In
1911 the historic fire here took the
lives of 150 workers. The in cident be­
came a ral lying poi nt i n the labor
movement, and led to laws im proving
factory work conditions.
Residents:
Doctor
Notable
Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme;
M isty Knight, half of N ightwing Resto­
rations.
Mu rray Hill and Gramercy Park
Area: Gramercy is a wide rectangle
just above the East Village, bounded
by 18th and 23rd Streets and by Third
and Fifth Aven ues. M u rray H i l l , above
Gramercy, is boun ded by the same av­
e n u e s between 23rd and 42nd
Streets.
Descri ption: Mostly low-rise office
buildi ngs, light manufacturing, artists'
and photog raphers' lofts , some very
good residential housing. Not much
night life.
These districts used to be quite the
fashionable spots in the days of gas­
light. Now "faded elegance" best de­
scribes some sections. The Vanderbilt
Hotel became Four Park Aven ue,
hig h-class apartment su ites. An old J .
P. Morgan carriage house (211 Madi­
son) is now a cosmetics school. And
so it goes.
A few skyscrapers and major firms
do business here. On Fifth Avenue at
39th Street, on the border between
Murray Hill and the Garment District,
stands an attractive office building,
headquarters for the Kingpi n.
Landmarks: Gramercy Park, Mad i­
son Square Park; several insurance
company skyscrape rs ; the Police
Acad emy; the J . P. Morgan Lib rary.
Notes: The Kingpin's building is
briefly described in "The Financial
D istrict" in the next chapter.
Chelsea
Area: On
the west side of Manhat­
tan above Greenwich Vil lage. From
14th Street north to 28th Street (Fifth
to Eighth Ave nues) and to 30th Street
(from Eighth to the H udson River).
Description: Restaurants , small
bars, ren ovated brownstones, and a
quiet style of l ife have made this area
traditionally attractive to writers.
Landmarks: Thomas Wolfe, Dylan
Thomas, and Brendan Behan lived at
the Chelsea Hotel (222 West 23rd
Street).
Notable
Lowell
Residents:
Thomas, Arthur Godfrey, James M i­
chener, and Dale Carnegie all lived
here at one time. Maxine Lavender,
assistant district attorney (London Ter­
race Towers, N i nth Avenue and 23rd
Street). Peter and Mary Jane Parker
lived at 410 Chelsea Street, but were
recently evicted and now reside with
Peter's Aunt May in Queens.
Notes: For more information, see
the "SH IELD Headquarters" Hotspot
listing in the next chapter.
Garment District
Area: A rectangle
in south central
Manhattan bounded by 28th and 38th
Streets (south and north) and by Fifth
and N inth Aven ues (east and west).
Description : Between a fifth and a
third of all the clothing worn in Amer­
ica is made i n this congested patch of
Man hattan. Hundreds of showrooms
line the walks, and above them hun­
dreds more workshops, factories, and
storage rooms hold dresses, hats,
j umpers, overcoats, and the special­
ized high-teCh equipment that makes
them.
By day 150,000 people work here .
union " push boys" wheel open racks
along its narrow, crowded sidewalks.
Trucks jam the streets. At rush hour
the district becomes a mad house.
Then at night it's deserted.
From 25th to 30th Streets between
Sixth and Eighth Avenues is the Fur
District, which manufactures 90% of
all furs sold in this co untry.
Landmarks: Macy's (34th Street
and Seventh) ; Gimbel's (B roadway
and 33rd); Pe n n sylvania Stat i o n ,
where trains enter and leave v i a un­
derground tun nels (31st Street West
and Seventh Aven ue) ; General Post
Office (31st Street West and Eighth
Avenue) . Herald Square (Broadway
and Avenue of the Americas) figures
prominently in George M . Cohan's
song "Give My Regards to Broad­
way."
M idtown, Sutton, and Tudor City
Area: The eastern half of central
Man hattan , from the Lower West Side
and Theater District (see below) to the
East River. Bounded by 42nd Street
(south), 59th Street (north), Avenue of
the Americas up to 53rd, Eighth Ave­
n ue up to 59th.
Description : Midtown is the elite
busi ness district in Manhattan
(though property values are not qu ite
as high as those around Wall Street).
Expensive restaurants, n i g ht l i fe .
Posh Fifth Avenue department stores,
i ncluding Farmingdale's (47th Street),
Tiffany jewelers (57th), Gucci fashions
(54th), furriers, hig h-priced art gal­
leries, and other tempting targets for
villains who need money. M idtown
West and East are shown on two of the
fold-up maps incl uded in this set.
Sutton is the district immediately
surrou nding the United Nations, and
includes little private housi ng.
Tudor City, immediately below the
Un ited Nations, is a self-contained 12building apartment comp1ex with its
own park, hotel, stores , and 3,000
30
apartments. Rather h i g h-class, it
dates from the 1 920s.
Lal1dmarkS: Fou r freedoms Plaza,
forme r site of the Baxter Building and
home of Fantastic Fou r I n c . ; the
U n ited Nations; the Empire State
Building; Marvel Comics; Rockefeller
Center; St. Patric'k's Cathedral . Mid­
town is headquarters for the biggest
companies in ,the Marvel U n iverse, in­
cluding Roxxon Oil . SHIELD's public
headq uarters once occupied M id­
town's Citicorp Buildi�ng. T he Daily Bu­
g/e Buildin.g is at '39th Street and
Second Avenue.
Bellevue Hospital, the oldest gen­
eral hospital in North America, occu­
pies about 1 2 square blocks on the
East River between 25th and 30th
Streets. It has a reputation, as a mental
hospital, but in fact it treats every con­
ceivable i llness. 11 pioneered the fi rst
ambu lance service (1 863), n u rsing
school (1873), and women medical
students in New York ,(1888). 11 devel­
oped open-heart surgery and today
leads the world in advanced micro­
surgery for the reattachment of sev­
ered l imbs. Its morgue, processes tens
of thousands of bodies each year. Bel­
levue's new building , opened hi! 1973,
is 25 stories tall .
Also in Midtown stands the New
York Public Library (Fifth Avenue at
42nd Street), the second larges.t in the
U nited States after fhe Library of Con­
gress in Washington , DC. This superb
library holds over five million volumes .
Its large reference l ibrary could help
heroes in an i nvestigatio n . For in­
stance, it includes telephone di recto­
ries for every city 'in the Un ited States,
a help i n deci phering clues.
Notable Residents: T he Fantastic
Fou r.
Notes: For more information, see
the Hotspot list,ings in the next chapter
for many of the landmarks listed
above and the Financial District.
T imes Square & T heater District
Area: Broadway from 4 1 st to 53rd
Streets, and cross streets west to
Eighth Avenue; a few t heaters and
many associated restaurants east to
the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Av­
enue).
Description:, Center of New York's
night life, this district i ncludes, both so­
phisticated theaters and the sleaziest,
most corrupt streets in Manhattan .
The main ave n ues are lined with
cheap movie houses, souvenir shops,
and burlesque joints; side streets offer
beautilul Art Deco architecture from
the days of vaudeville. It is a study in
contrasts.
Land marks: Times Square ; the
Gem Theater, once headquarters for
Power Man and Iron Fist, Heroes for
Hire (234 West 42nd Street).
Notable Residents: Josie, some­
time i nformant for Daredevil (no per­
manent address). Her "boyfriends"
include some of the city's top criminal
figures.
Notes: For more i nformation, see
the "Times Square" Hotspot l isti ng in
the next chapter.
Lower West Side
Area: From 34th
Street (south) to
72nd Street (north), and from Eighth
Avenue west to the H udson River.
Description:
See the " He l l 's
Kitchen " entry i n the next chapter.
Landmarks: Holy Ghost Cathedral,
base of operations for Cloak and Dag­
ger (42nd Street off Eighth Aven ue).
The Kingpin owns a no ndescript build­
ing on 50th Street and Eleventh Ave­
n ue , where he h i d out i n a
su b-basement when he fi rst returned
to N ew York to resurrect his criminal
organ ization .
Notable Residents: M att M u rdock
and Karen Page; Melvin Potter, once a
minor villain called Gladiator, now re­
formed and owner of a costume shop
on 44th Street off Ninth Avenue.
U pper East Side
Area: East of
Central Park, from
59th Street (south) up to 79th (east of
Lexin gton) and 96th (west of Lex­
ington).
Description: The most expensive
residential area in the U n ited States.
In the western part, doctors, lawyers,
and bankers live in slick condos on the
ave nues, and in elite, soli dly built row
houses on the side streets. The east­
ern half, where the rents are slightly
less stratospheric, houses yu ppies
and singles. Lots of fine restau rants
and night life here.
Land marks: Hellfire Club Mansion
(475 Third Avenue); Latverian Em­
bassy (61st Street and Lexington Ave­
nue); Wakandan Embassy (Madison
Avenue at 76th Street); Rockefeller
U niversity (on the river between 63rd
and 70th) .
The Symkarian Embassy (Madison
at 80th) rep resents the Bal kan
postage-stamp country of Symkaria,
original home of the mercenary ad­
venturess Si lver Sable.
Maria Stark Park (formerly Aveng­
ers Mansion, 890 Fifth Avenue) is a
beautifully landscaped park, created
when the latest i ncarnation of the
Masters of Evil super-human villain
group demolished much of Avengers
Mansion . The Avengers relocated to
Hydro-Base (now Avengers Isl and)
and tu rned the mansion site i n to
parkland. The park is named for the
mother of Tony Stark, patron of the
Avengers and secretly Iron Man.
M aria Stark Park meas u res 88
yards (2 areas) on a side. Its cobble­
stone pavement is of Good strength.
In the park stand several large mar­
ble statues of the founding members
of the Avengers. Each of these statues
is of Excellent material strength. Each
weighs about a ton, req uiring Remark­
able strength to lift and I ncredible
strength to throw. A large central
statue of all five orig inal Avengers
weighs three tons and is + 1 CS to lift
or throw.
Notable Residents: Many of New
York's most prosperous citizens live
here, including, before he was dis­
barred from law practice, Matt Mur­
dock. J. Jonah Jameson, pu blisher of
the Daily Bugle , has a luxu rious pent­
house on Lexington Avenue at 74th
Street, not far from the Whitney Mu­
seum of American Art.
The Century C l u b, a five-story
brownstone (Park Ave nue near 81st)
is an exclusive men's dinner club.
Members i n clu de Jameson and
Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. Fisk comes
here occasionally to play bill iards.
N otes: For more information , see
the " Hellfire Club Mansion" Hotspot
l isting in the next chapter.
Yorkville
Area: From
59th Street (south) to
96th Street (north); from Lexington Av­
enue east to the East River.
Description: Once known as "Ger­
mantown," the popu lation in this de­
East
s i rable
Side
U p per
neighborhood is now more diverse.
High-rise apartments have begun to
replace old brownstones.
Landmarks: G racie Mansion (Carl
31
Schurz Park, East End Aven ue at 88th
Street), home of New York's Mayor.
This clapboard structure was the first
house buil t facing the East R iver
(1770, rebuilt 1798).
Notable Residents: The Mayor.
Central Park
Area: A thin
vertical rectangle in
central Manhattan between Fifth and
Eighth Avenues, bounded to the south
by 59th Street and to the north by
110th . To the east lie the Upper East
Side and East Harlem ; to the west are
the Upper and Lower West Sides.
Descri ptio n : New Yo rk C ity's
"green lung," this h uge park is beauti­
fully landscaped. It includes lakes and
a great reservoir, as well as sculp­
tures, footpaths, gardens, and a small
zoo.
Landmarks:Metropolitan M useum
of Art, Receiving Reservoir.
Notable Residents: Frogs and rats
have been warring here for several
years, a struggle that involved Thor
and Doctor Strange at different times.
Notes: For more information, see
the Hotspot listi ngs for "Central Park"
and the "Metropolitan Museum" in
the next chapter.
Upper West Side
Area: West of
Central Park from
72nd Street (south) to 110th Street
(north).
Description: On its western and
eastern sides, a posh residential and
retail district, also known for some
elite ni ght spots. In the center, along
Broadway and Amsterdam, the area is
seedier; this was the original setting of
the Broadway play and movie West
Side Story.
Prosperous professionals, artists,
and middle-cl ass fa mil ies passing
through from their co-ops and condos
do a good job of ignoring the bag
ladies that sleep on B roadway's grat­
ings.
Many of New York's best Chinese
restauarants are concentrated in this
area, earning it the nickname "Sze­
chuan Valley" among diners.
Landmarks: Li ncoln Center, virtu­
ally a neighborhood by itself (Broad­
way and 65th Street); Riverside Park,
along the waterfront by the Henry
Hudson Parkway, stretching north into
Morn ingside Heights;
The D akota Apartments (1 West
72nd Street at Central Park West),
fi rst l uxury apartment house in Man­
hattan (1884) , is still h ighly fashion­
able. It is a beautfu l N eo­
Romanesque brownston e, now best
known as the last home of rock star
John Lennon. The film Rosemary 's
Baby was made here .
The American Museum of Natural
History and H ayden P l anetarium
(79th Street and Central Park West)
was the site of a pitched battle be­
tween the forces of the Owl and Doc­
tor Octopus. It caused considerable
damage that closed parts of the mu­
seum for weeks.
The Upper West Side area holds
P.S . 42 and f.S. 44, the schools at­
tended by the Power children (Power
Pack).
N umero Uno (Columbus and 74th),
once one of New York's most exclu­
sive nightclubs d u ri n g the disco
craze, has hosted at least one per­
formance by the Dazzler. The club is
less popular now but remains the
best-known of its type in the su per­
human commun ity.
The Magical Chifd, the most com­
plete occult bookstore in the western
hemisphere, is on the Upper West
Side.
N otable Residents: N i g htwing
Restorations keeps offices here (68th
Street, half a block west of Central
Park). The Eternal Sersi l ives on
Eighth Avenue at 74th Street opposite
Central Park.
Mary Jane Watson-Parker l ived on
79t h Street near Broadway before
marrying Peter Parker. Clint Barton
(H awkeye) lived on Eighth Ave nue
and 86th Street, facing Central Park,
before leaving N ew Yo rk to form the
West Coast Avengers. The Asgardian
enchantress Lorelei once lived in a
penthouse facing Central Park, not far
from Barton 's residence. Lorelei has
since ret urned to Asgard. Franklin
"Foggy" Nelson lives on Columbus
and West 70th (Apartment 5E).
Morningside Heights
Area: From 11Oth Street
(south) to
125th (north), and from St. N icholas
Avenue (a block west of Eighth above
Central Park) to the Hudson River.
Description: This area and those
north are residential d istricts of pro­
gressively lower class.
Landmarks: Col umbia University
(Broadway and 116th) , an Ivy Leag ue
campus with 23, 000 students;
Barnard College, nearby, the alumnus
of M rs. Haag of Damage Control; Riv­
erside Park, Morni ngside Park.
The Cathedral of St . John the Di­
vine (Amsterdam Avenue and 112th
Street) is intended to be the largest i n
the world when completed-some
time in the late 21st century!
General G rant National Memorial,
popularly known as G rant's Tomb
(123rd Street i n Riverside Park), is im­
mortalized in an idiot trivia question
("Who's b u ried there? "). The
mausoleum-like monument is made of
white granite (Excellent material) and
stands 150 feet (10 areas) tall. Inside,
surrounded by white marble walls and
windows of golden glass, sits the open
crypt bearing the sarcophagi of Presi­
dent Ulysses S. G rant and his wife,
Julia Dent G rant .
Notable Residents: The late Daniel
Rand, otherwise known as Iron Fist,
lived in an apartment on 104th Street
off Broadway.
Harlem and East Harlem
Area: East Harlem, from 95th
Street
north to the Harlem River. Harlem,
from Fifth Avenue above Central Park
(east) west to the H udson R iver, out­
side Morningside Heights; and north
to 151st Street.
Description: Home of many of New
Yo rk's multitudes of black residents,
who make up a quarter of the popula­
tion , Harlem has seen better times. It
had a vogue in the 1920s, when well­
to-do whites went "slumming" there
to see Duke Ellington and other jazz
greats at the Cotton Club. But the Cot­
ton Club was razed to make way for a
housing development, and Harlem is
a rotting ghetto of filthy streets and
closed storefronts.
One lively street is West 125th. I n
t h e wake of t h e 1960s civil rights
movement, t h i s street has been
renamed-not King, not M. L. King,
not even Martin Luther King, but, sat­
isfyi ng the most exacting standards of
the politically correct, Martin Luther
King Junior Boulevard. Though resi­
dents mean no disrespect toward the
great man, they pragmatically abbre­
viate the jawbreaking name to " M LK."
It is full of fast food restaurants, gro­
ceries, bars, boutiques, and discount
stores, and the noise of ghetto blast32
ers is constant.
Land marks: Mount Morris Park,
Jefferson Park. The Theresa Hotel
(125th at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd),
no longer a hotel, was o nce the home
of F'idel Castro. The $chombur Library
(51 5 Lenox Ave nue at 1 35th Street) is
the world's largest collection devoted
to black culture and history.
Notab1e Residents: Colleen Wing,
one half of N ightwing Restorations,
lives i n an apartment in East Harlem
(Lexington Avenue at 1 20th Street).
The Morgan organ:ization , a small
crime ri ng deeply involved in heroin
smuggling, is based in Harlem.
Washington Heights a.ndl Above
Area: Washington H eights reaches
from 1 51 $t Street n orth to 181 st
Street, and to the Hudson and Harlem
Rivers on both sides of Man hattan Is­
land.
Fort George extends from 181st
north to Dyckman.
Inwood, northern most of Manhat­
tan's neighborhoods, covers all the
area north of Dyckman. Last stop on
the A subway line.
Descri ption: These q U iet, hilly resi­
dential nei.ghborhoods seldom figure
in adventures.
Landmarks:
Dy.ckman House
(Broadway and 204th), the only surviv­
ing farmhouse i n Manhattan.
The Cloisters, a collection of re­
stored medieval structures imported
from E u rope and reassembl ed at
Manhattan's highest pOint. Much of
the MetropoHtan Museum's collection
of medieval art is here, i ncluding the
famo us Unicorn Tapestries and the
golden Cup of Antioch.
*
*
..
This overview of Manhatt an 's
neig hborhoods omits hundreds, if not
thousands, of noteworthy sites. But it
ind icates how prol1l1 inent the city has
been and remai ns i n finance; the arts,
fashion, and cosmopo'litan culture.
The following chapter describes
some of these notable sites in more
detail. Chapters 5 and 6 take different
views of the same .city: of the typical
city street and Its inhabitants, and of
the murky u nderworld beneath the
streets.
CHAPTER 3: MANHATTAN HOTSPOTS
CENTRAL PARK
OVERVI EW
O n e o f the l a rgest m et ropolitan
parks i n the world, Central Park pro­
vides a breath of relatively fresh air for
Manhattan's citizens. Its 840 acres
(about five per cent of Man hattan Is­
land) include beautifully landscaped
meadows, reservoirs, sport i n g fields,
a s m all zoo, and the Metropolitan M u­
seum of Art. (See separate entry later
in this chapter.) In the M arvel U n i­
verse, Central Park is the batt l e­
ground in an ongoing war between
New York's frogs and rats.
Address: Bounded by 59th Street
(south), 1 1 0th Street (north), E i g hth
Ave n u e (west ) , and Fifth Ave n u e
(east). The fi rst th ree are called "Cen­
tral Park South" or "E ast" or "West"
for t h e length of the park, but Fifth Av­
enue remai ns resolutely Fifth Avenue
for its enti re length. Grand Army Plaza
lies at the southeast corner, and Co­
lum bus Circle at the southwest corner.
See the fold-up map incl uded in this
set.
THE AREA
Central P a r k i s w e l l n a m e d , be­
cause it occupies al most the exact
center of M a n h attan Island . The prop­
erty fronting the park is some of the
choicest residential land i n the worl d .
J ust a s k C l i nt Barton (Hawkeye), who
used to l ive here, or Sersi , who sti ll
does.
Art museums and history centers
also front the park: the Frick Collec­
tion (Fifth Ave nue at 70th), the G ug­
genheim M useu m (Fifth at 88th), the
American M useum of N at u ral H i story
and Hayden Planetar i u m (Eighth Ave­
nue between 77th and 81 st Streets),
and many others. This section of Fifth
Ave n u e is s o m et i m es cal led " M u­
seum M i le."
At 890 Fifth Aven u e (near 72nd
Street) is Maria Stark Park, once the
site of Avengers M ansion . The Aveng­
ers are now q uartered on Avengers Is­
land (fo rmerly called Hydro-Base), off
Liberty Island in New Yo rk Bay.
On the south side of Central Park
stands the posh Plaza Hotel , where
visiting dignitaries or playboy h e i rs to
w eat wealth often stay. Hotel security
IS good by conventional standards
but it is not up to deal i n g with an as�
sault by determi ned forces. Whether
any force would assault it, and why, is
u p to the Judge (see " Ca m p a i g n
Use," below).
At the corner of 63rd Street and
E ighth stands a h umbler edifice, the
YMCA. Several notable people have
stayed here in emergencies or to hide
o u t , m ost rece n t l y Peter Parker's
friend Flash Thompson.
DESCRI PTI ON
The park i s 2.4 m iles (95 areas) long
by almost half a mile (1 9 areas) wide.
Like the Statue of Liberty, it owes its
existence to a newspaper crusade,
this one by poet and journalist William
Cullen Bryant writing i n the New York
Post, starting i n 1 850.
Along with several other l iterary and
political figures, Bryant urged the city
to acqu i re and landscape what was
then a swamp north of the city, inhab­
ited only by squatters and their live­
stock . After a long fight, t h e city
bought the land in 1 856. Frederick
Law Ol msted and Calvert Vaux de­
signed the park. The city chased out
t h e squatters, and over a billion tons
of earth were moved in the landscap­
ing.
Today more t h a n 8 0 m i lli on people a
year visit Central Park, which is an of­
ficial national landmark. The city gov­
ernment clearly agrees with Ol msted:
" It is of great im portance as the first
real park made in this count ry-a
democratic development of the high­
est significance and on the success of
w h i c h , in my opinion, m uch of the
prog ress of art and aesthetic culture in
this country is dependent."
Terrain and Layout
The ent i re park is su rrou nded by
high stone walls (Excellent strength),
but open gates punctuate the walls
every few blocks. Fou r asphalt roads
allowi ng auto traffic cross the park
from east to west. The park is closed
to vehicles on weekends and at m id33
mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Though photos sometimes m a ke
t h e park l o o k l i ke dense fo rest
th roughout, the terrain is rather var­
ied, not to mention rugged . However,
all of it is qu ite beautifu l . For a taste of
the park's variety, see the next sec­
tio n .
T h e southern part o f t h e park, bor­
dering the ritziest areas in Manhattan
is by far the most visited section . But
above t h e Receiv i n g Reservoir,
a r o u n d 86th St reet , t h e adj a c e n t
neighborhoods grow rougher. Central
Park's terrain here has been left al­
most untouched, making it the most
attractive area of the park. However,
the crime rate here m akes that section
dangerous for anyone but a hero.
Speaking of heroes, none fig u re
among the m any statues that dot the
park. New Yo rkers hold some heroes
in great respect, but the government
decided that enshrining their i m ages
i n Central Park would present a dan­
gerously tempting target for any villai n
with a g rudge. However, nearby M aria
Stark Park i n c l udes statues of all the
Avengers.
Points of Interest
There are too many of these to
cover in this brief overview. Here are a
few major features (movi ng generally
from south to north):
The Pond: This lies right by G rand
Army Plaza i n the park's south east
corner, its most popular entrance. Be­
y� nd the pond lies a bird sanctuary
With the most photographed pelicans
in Manhatta n .
The Zoo and the Arsenal: A s m a l l
zoo h as an acco m panying children's
zoo, a favorite of the Power Pack chil­
d ren. The Arsenal , a Gothic Revival
building of gray stone and red brick
with octagonal turrets, was built in the
1 840s as a weapons storehouse. It
has since been a weather station a
police preci n ct, and the first home' of
the American Mu seum of Natural His­
tory (now on Central Park West be­
tween 77th and 81 st Streets). The
Arsenal now houses the New Yo rk City
Parks and Recreation Dept.
Chess and Checker House: This
build i n g , which is exactly as it sounds,
shows that park planners have not ne­
glected sedentary leisure pu rsuits.
Lots of old g uys sit at checkerboards
taking on all comers. Sometimes this
means more than they bargained for;
see the Central Park scenario in the
Adventure Book.
Across a path stands the Dai ry, a re­
stored Victorian Gothic building that
houses the park's Visitor I nformation
Center. Nearby is a merry-go-rou nd,
the Friedsam Me morial Carousel.
Sheep Meadow: The finest open ex­
panse in the park, so named because
sheep grazed here as late as 1 934. On
this grassy meadow Frank Castle and
his fam ily were picn icking when they
got caught between warring gangs.
Castle's fami ly died in the crossfire.
G rief-stricken and vengeful , Castle
took on his vigilante identity, the Pun­
isher.
The Mall: The only formal section of
the park, this is a straight avenue li ned
with elms and with busts of famous
authors and composers. It leads to a
bandshell where orchestras play free
concerts in summer, and to Bethesda
Fountai n , the park's first sculpture.
Strawberry Fields: On the park's
west side, this garden commemmora­
tes slai n songwriterlentertainer John
Lennon , whose last home was nearby.
The Lake: The visitor soon notices a
certain generic quality to the names
given to Central Park's features. The
Lake feat u res boating in s u m m er.
Nearby is the Conservatory Pond, and
beyond it stand statues of Hans Chris­
tian Andersen and, perhaps the most
notable sculpture in the park, Alice in
Wonderland .
The Ramble: A hilly forest with wind­
i ng footpaths.
Shakespeare Garden: Plan ned to
i nclude every plant mentioned in the
bard's work. Nearby stands the Dela­
corte Theate r, w here the " S hake­
speare in the Park" festival is staged
each summer.
Great Lawn: This grassy expanse
was once the city's origi nal reservoir,
dug i n 1 862. Later drained, it became
a refuge for the homeless during the
G reat Depression. Now baseball and
football teams play here, and the Met­
ropolitan Opera and New York Phil­
harmonic perform summer concerts.
Obelisk ( "Cleopatra 's Needle "):
Egypt's Khed ive Ismail Pasha do­
nated this mon ument to the city in
1 880. It was installed i n the park, at
(what was remarked at the ti me) "the
worst place within the city for getting
an obelisk to." Despite its nickname,
the sculpture comes from Hel iopolis,
predates Cleopatra by five or ten cen­
turies, and has no historical associa­
tion with her.
The obelisk is made of pink granite
( E xcell ent m ater i a l , although any
damage at all would ruin it as a monu­
ment). It is 77 feet tall and weighs 200
tons (Shift-X strength to lift). Badly
weathered hieroglyphics tell of the
reigns of ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
Metropolitan Museum of Art: See
Hotspot entry in this ch apter.
Receiving Reservoir: This g reat
body of water, occupying a fourth of
the park's area, is surrou nded by
pleasant foot and bicycle paths. The
water is cold but not deep. To the north
are tennis and handball courts.
Beneath t h e g ate house on t h e
southern shore live t h e frogs o f Cen­
tral Park (see below). U nder the gate­
house, a frog-sized passage leads far
beneath the g rou nd, down to the
M orlock Tu n n els. (See Ch apter 6 ,
" Underground Man hattan.")
North of the Reservoir: This part of
t h e park has mainly been left to
nature-and to muggers and gangs (it
borders on Harlem and East Harlem).
But points of note in these reaches in­
cl ude the North Meadow and East
Meadow, the attractive Conservatory
G ardens, Great Hill, The Pool, The
Loch (generic naming agai n), and a
pond called Harlem Meer.
Throughout the park are m any com­
fort stations, hot-dog stands and ca­
fes, and lots of tracks for strollers,
joggers, bicyclers, and horse-drawn
cabs.
Puddlegulp, Gullywhump, Bugeye,
Princess Greensong, Dewlap
Frogs
F
A
S
E
R
P
Fe Pr
Fe Pr
Pr Ty Ty
Health: 1 2
Karma: 1 6
Resources: Feeble(2)
Popularity: 0
It is not clear why the park's frogs
and rats are at war, nor how long the
conflict has raged. All that is '<nown is
that the rats are definitely the aggres­
the peace-loving frogs .
sors against
T h e gener.al public remains un­
aware of the struggle. But circum­
stances detailed below have brought
two different members of New York's
s uper-hu man com m u n ity i nto t h e
thick of t h e war.
The Mrghty Thor fended off a rat at­
tack on the frogs and foiled the rats'
plan to poison the Receiving Reser­
voir. But he was too late to prevent the
rats from kill i ng the frog k i n g ,
G lugwort, in a t,reacherous attack.
Though the frogs oHered Thor the
ki ngship and the hand (er, foot) of Prin­
cess G reensong. he refused t h is
honor. The new frog ruler is un known.
One frog, Puddlegulp, was once a
human. "Got on the wrong side of a
fortune-teller' in the Village," he ex­
plained, "and she turned out to be more
genuine than the usual artic'le." But
Puddlegulp enjoys life as a frog and has
no desire to return to humanity.
Appearance: They IOO'k like frogs.
Talents: Jum ping. swi mmillg, croak­
ing.
Typical Dialogue: "Welcome, stran­
ger. Haven't seen you around the
pond. Where'd you hop in from?"
Story Fu nction : Allies for trans­
formed heroes, or i nfor m ation
sources about the park for those who
can talk to ani mals.
Southside, Ratso, Rizzo
N PCs
Thousands of people crowd i nto
Central Park every d ay: stroll ers,
sports enthusiasts, sunbathers, nan­
nies and thei r children, office workers
taking an open-air lunch, boaters, kite
fliers, cyclists, and people watchers.
The people watchers sometimes see
very u n u sual people; for example,
Captain Am erica reg u l arly jogs
through the park.
But there are more residents i n
Central Park than j ust the humans.
34
Rats
E
S
F
A
R
I
P
Pr Gd Fe Ty Pr
Pr
Fe
Health: 22
Karma: 1 0
Resources: Feeble(2)
Popularity: 0
Southside leads the remnants of
Central Park's rat gang. "Evidently all
other rats are named either " Ratso"
or " Rizzo ." Perhaps these designate
males and females. If not, it is unclear
how the rats tell one, another apart, but
perhaps among rats this is not i m por­
tant.
They are all pretty nasty. The rats
broke into a park ranger's warehouse
and took a garbage bag full of rat poi­
son . They intended to dump it in the
Reservoir to kill the frogs-not to men­
tion a lot of people in Manhattan . Thor,
in frog form , lu red alligators from the
Morlock Tun nels to decimate the rat
population. Then Piper, one of the mu­
tant Morlocks, lured most of the re­
maining rats down u nderground, no
doubt as a continuing supply of alliga­
tor food.
Appearance: Small, gray, furry, na­
ked g ray tail , beady black eyes.
Talents: Running (as if Endurance
were Good), biting, hiding.
Typical Dialogue: "Get 'em, gang!
Show the slimy creeps we mean busi­
ness ! "
Story Function : Small-scale villains
to oppose the frogs and their allies.
The Mighty Thor
In frog form
F
GO (1 0) H ealth : 44
A
G O (1 0)
S
PR (4)
Karma: 76
EX (20)
E
R
TV (6)
Resources: FE(2)
EX (20)
I
P
AM (50) Popularity: 0
Thor's evil half-brother, Loki, turned
Thor into a frog as part of a plot to rule
Asgard, home of the gods. But though
far weaker than in his h u man form,
Thor was still quite powerful by frog
standards. He fell into the struggle be­
tween the frogs and rats and proved
decisive in win ning a great battle for
the frogs.
In frog form Thor eventually recov­
e red h is ench a nted U ru h a m m e r,
Mjolnir, and managed to lift it . By do­
ing so he gained "the power of Thor,"
returned to normal size and power
(though he still looked m uch like a
frog), and eventually reversed Loki's
enchantment.
Appearance: The biggest green bull­
frog anybody had ever seen .
Known Powers: Thor's Body Armor,
usually Excellent in human form, was
Poor in frog form. Thor could not con­
trol his U ru hammer, Mjolnir, in frog
form , but he was still able to lift it. Thor
had no weapon talents in frog form.
Doctor Strange
In rat form
F
PR (4)
Health: 22
A
GO (1 0)
S
FE (2)
Karma: 1 85
E
TV (6)
R
GO (1 0) Resou rces: FE(2)
I
MN (75)
P
U N (1 00) Popularity: 0
When the dimensional conqueror
Dorm a m m u took over
Doctor
Strang e 's body, the Sorcerer S u ­
preme fled in astral form. To escape
m agical d etectio n, Strange was
forced to hide in the body of a rat. In
this form Strange i nfiltrated his Sanc­
tum Sanctorum and retrieved his talis­
m ans of power. Aided by the
sorceress Clea and the empath To­
paz, Strange drove Dormammu away
and re-entered his body.
Appearance: As an ordinary rat (fe­
male, as it turned out).
Known Powers : In rat form Strange
did not dare display magical powers,
lest he alert Dormammu to his where­
abouts. But in the final confrontation
with the Dread One, Strange used his
magical talismans with customary
skil l . Therefore, he probably retained
most or all of his magical powers in rat
form .
CRIMES
Central Park is notorious n ation­
wide for its crime rate, especially after
dark and especially in the north, in the
sections bordering H arlem . M ug ­
g i ngs, stabbin gs,
and
p u rse­
snatchings are routine. Vandalism is
common . Gangs fight t heir battles
there, as F rank Castle (the Punisher)
can testify.
A hero on patrol or j ust wandering
through Central Park is as likely as not
to encounter some thug beating up a
wino-or a young kid trying to join a
gang by stealing an old lady's purse­
or teenagers feeding poison to zoo an­
imals. Som etimes one wonders
whether the zoo cages hold the right
occupants.
The reservoirs in Central Park
present a temptation to any madman
who feels like pOisoning a lot of people
at once . Even the rats have tried this.
Central Park featu res other haz­
ards, as wel l . Small companies on
89th Street rent horses by the h alf35
ho u r. G u ns hots or a n auto m obile
backfire can send these mou nts stam­
peding, with their riders holding on for
dear l ife. This gives passing PC he­
roes a chance to do a good deed and
pick u p a l ittle Karm a . And who
knows? Perhaps the person rescued
proves to be a val uable connection for
the PCs to know, or can lead them into
a scenario.
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan : Most heroes need to
relax. If they can 't make the long trip
out to Coney Isl and (see previous
chapter), the J udge can set them in
Central Park to enjoy the scenery,
role-play, and meet N PC romantic i n­
terests. Then liven the scenario with
an ordinary mugging or attempt at
vandalism . Foiling petty crimes lets
players show off in a relaxed mood .
Heroes strolling in Central Park can
be handy witnesses to a kidnapping,
museum robbery, or mass destruction
taking place in the ritzy establ ish­
ments on the park's fringes. The Plaza
Hotel may hold a visiting ambassador
who is being kidnapped. Someone is
robbing a m useum or rich man's m an­
sion. A stranded alien invades the
Hayden Planetarium, trying to find a
way to phone home.
If they are visiting the park in their
secret identities, the heroes may be
delayed getting to the scene of the
crime while they switch into costume.
The J udge may indulge in a few sadis­
tic jabs at the player, describing the
chaos at the crime scene while the
hero pulls off his tie and shoves on his
mask.
For a really offbeat adventure, turn
the heroes into frogs or rats and put
them in the middle of the ongoing war!
Other Cities: Central Park is not the
largest park in the world; it's actually
around 1 5th. Several other American
cities have equivalent green areas,
notably San Francisco's Golden G ate
Park. Heroes in any cam paign can go
to the park.
TH E DAI LY B U G LE
OVE RVI EW
This is Man hattan's largest newspa­
per, with a circulation of five mill ion . It
employs reporter Ben Urich, a confi­
dante of Daredevil, and freelance pho­
tographer Peter Parker. Publisher J .
Jonah J ameson i s the sworn oppo­
nent of all super-human heroes, espe­
cially Spider-Man.
Address: 39th Street and Second
Avenue.
T H E AREA
The Bugle building is in Midtown.
For more information, see "The Fi­
nancial D istrict" l ater in this section .
D ESCRI PTIO N
. A few years ago, Jameson bought a
46-story office complex in M idtown
called the Goodman Building. Jame­
son ren amed it the Daily Bugle Build­
ing and relocated the paper's entire
operations there. The Daily Bugle logo
stands on the building's roof in letters
thirty feet tal l.
Some New Yorkers speculate that
J ameson i n s i sted on bu yi n g t h e
Goodman because i t is o n e story taller
than the headquarters of the Bugle's
arch-rival , the Daily Globe. In fai rness
to Jameson , though, the Good man
was one of the few skyscrapers with
sub-basement facilities large enough
to contain the huge Bugle newspaper
presses.
The Bugle itself occupies only three
floors of offices and the two sub­
basements. The rest are leased. The
City Room is on the 1 7th floor, Layout
and Production are on the 1 8th, and
Jameson's executive suite and meet­
ing rooms are on the top (46th) floor.
The City Room
The 1 7th-floor City Room is the
nerve center of the operation. Here
are the reporters' desks, editors' of­
fices, d arkroom , and the file room or
" morgue." See the m ap on the inside
cover of the Adventure Book.
Most of the floor is one large open
room with two rows of reporters'
desks. These are m ainly heavy Army­
surplus monsters m ade of strong steel
(Good m aterial strength , Excellent
strength to lift). But a few of the older
desks are wood (Typical strength)­
Jameson can't bear to th row anything
out.
Each desk has a computer terminal
linked to the mai nframe on the 1 8th
floor. Terminals weigh 20 pounds and
take Feeble damage before breaking.
Some desks have adjacent file cabi­
nets loaded with copy. These are ordi­
n ary sheet metal (Good strength),
weigh about 200 pounds apiece, and
are locked with simple cyl inder locks
( + 1 CS on attempts to pick them).
Small private offices and file rooms
line the north and south walls of the
City Room . The City Editor's office is
in the center of the north .wall, and the
Editor-i n-Chiefs office l ies opposite it
on the south wall. The southwest cor­
ner holds the conference room where
the editors decide what stories go in
the paper each day. Office walls are
thin wood (Typical strength) with large
glass windows (Feeble strength). Fur­
niture is like that i n the main City
Room .
The darkroom complex is near the
northeast corner of the floor. Here
n ews p hotos are developed and
pri n ted with advanced eq u i p ment.
The equipment is heavy but fragile
(Typical damage before it breaks).
By day the City Room is brightly
lighted by overhead fl uorescents and
large picture wi ndows. Dozens of re­
porters, editors, production people,
and copy boys run around, especially
j ust before deadli nes (2 AM for morn­
ing editions, 2 PM for the evening edi­
tion).
At night, with the Venetian bli nds
d rawn and (after 2 AM) the overhead
lights out, the City Room takes on an
eerie, expressionistic appearance.
Hardly anyone is around after the
morning edition has been put to bed ,
except reporters working late on sto­
ries.
The Presses
The gigantic presses fill the build­
ing's entire basement. The rollers are
1 2 feet wide and 6 feet in diameter.
They are built of solid steel (Amazing
m aterial strength), weigh about 4 tons
apiece (I ncredible strength to lift), and
36
do Amazing d a m age to a n yth i n g
caught behveen them.
A control pane'l along one wall holds
regulator dials, gauges, and one big
red button that starts the presses roil­
ing. There is also an emergency cutoff
lever. Flipping the lever stops the
presses immediately.
Other huge machines attached to
the presses out the printed paper into
newspaper-sized sheets, collate them
into finished copies, and fold the cop­
ies and bind them Into stacks with
string, for distribution around the city.
Stacked along the walls and i n stor­
age rooms are h uge rolls 0' paper, the
same size as the press rollers but
weighing about 750 pounds (Remark­
able strength to lift). fifty- gallon steel
drums of ink stand in stacks alongside
the paper rol ls. These drums weigh
400 pounds each (Good strength to
lift) and are m ade of thin 'Iron (Good
strength). The i n k is thick sludge that
can be flung in a blinding attack. I n k is
usually black, but a few drums hold
other colors.
At any time except after the morn­
ing ediUon is gone, there are usually
1 5 to 20 ink-smeared p ress operators
on hand . Tec hnical l y, less than a
dozen are needed to run the presses,
but u nion featherbeddi ng accounts for
the surplus'. The operators are normal
peopl'e with Typical abilities.
The high-ceilinged room is brightly
lighted with fluorescents. The presses
make a tremendous noise when run­
ni ng. The whole room is fi lled with the
pungent odor of ink.
J . Jonah J ameson stands hera
each evel'1ling to watch the presses
start rol ling. "Big, greasy, beautiful
monsters," he says . "They're our
voices. They let us give the news to
five million souls-old, young, good,
bad , an gry, sad, and h appy-the
whole teem ing city.
"The folks of N ew York: they may
fou l up a hu ndred ti mes a year . ., . but
not because they don't know what's
happen ing. We tell 'em . . . through
our presses. I never geet over loving
this moment."
NPCs
J. Jonah Jameson
Publisher
R
I
P
E
F
A
S
Pr Ty Ty Ty Gd Ty Ty
Health : 22
Karma: 22
Resources: Excellent(20)Popu larity: 7
Jameston started as a stringer for
the Bugle d u ri n g the Depression,
while still in high school. Through hard
.
work and talent, he rose to become ItS
editor and publisher. He has earned a
reputation for fairness, shown g reat
leadership ability, and h as crusaded
selflessly for many just causes. But
Jameson is a petty man at heart, and
his secret envy of costumed heroes
forces h i m to editorialize agai nst them
constantly.
Such is Jameson's obsessive hatred
of Spider-Man that Jameson bank�olled
the creation of the villainous Scorpion to
defeat the wall- crawler. When the pub­
lic found out, the scandal forced Jonah
to resign his editorship. But he still exer­
cises a firm hand as publisher, he edits
NOW Magazine, and he is still devoted
to the news.
The villainous master of disguise
called the Chameleon recently imper­
sonated Jameson and used his paper
to do even more damage to Spider­
Man. But si nce the wall-crawler de­
feated the Chameleon , J ameson is
back i n control.
J ameson is m arried to Dr. M arla
M adison and has a grown son, former
astronaut John J ameson. N either of
them sh ares J ameso n 's h atred of
Spider-Man . John Jameson has re­
cently gone to work for the Avenger� .
Appearance : B l ack crewcut h a i r
(white at tem ples), tiny black m � s­
tache, expensive suits worn sloppily.
Always smokes smelly cigars.
Talents: Jameson h as Remarkable
Reason in m atters concerning the
news, scandals, cover-ups, and inves­
tigations.
Typical Dialogu �: " � hose bl � sted
super freaks aren t gOing to rUin my
city! I ' l l see them all in jail first ! "
Story Function: When a P C hero's
life is going too smoothly, the J udge
can produce a fulminating J ame�on
editorial to cut h i m or her down to size
in the public's esti mation. J ar:n ��on
can be a reluctant ally i n publiCIZing
criminal activity-provided the allega­
tions are backed up with evidence.
Joe " Robbie " Robertson
Former editor-in-chief
F
A
E
S
R
I
P
Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Gd
Health: 24
Karma: 22
Resources: Poor(4)
Popularity: -1
Robertson was J ameson's city edi­
tor for many years, then took over the
chief editorial position when J ameson
resigned. Robbie fulfilled his d uties
well for many years, earn ing the re­
spect of all who knew him.
But Robertson 's life tu rned sour
when a Pennsylvania cou rt convicted
h i m of m isprision of a fe lo ny­
concealing information regarding a
20-year-old Philadelphia mur? er by
Lon n i e L i n col n , the mob hit man
called Tombstone. A mun icipal j udge,
frustrated by many reporters who
would not reveal their information
sources, decided to make an example
out of Robertson . Robbie got three
years in prison.
.
I n an upstate penitentiary Robbie
was befriended by a convict nick­
n amed " Bruiser." Bruiser eventually
broke out of jail and hauled Robbie
along. Then Bru iser died. Robertson
is now alone, on the lam , and search­
ing desperately for evidence to clear
his name.
His post at the Bugle remains offi­
cially vacant, but Jonah J ameson has
.
resumed his d uties as de facto edltor­
i n-ch ief.
Robertson has a wife, M artha, one
son , Randy, and a daughter-in-law,
Amanda.
Appearance : Tall and sol idly built,
with prematurely white hair cut very
short . A young 44. Smokes a pipe.
Has acquired a haggard, hu nted look
si nce his legal troubles began.
Talents : Management, investigative
reporti ng, applied psychology.
.
Story Function : Robertso n might
seek out PC heroes to enlist their aid
in finding evidence to exonerate him.
37
Ben
City
F
Pr
U rich
reporter
S
A
Ty
Pr
I
P
Gd
Pr
Karma: 24
Health : 20
Resou rces: Good(1 0)
Popularity: 8
One of the paper's best reporters,
U rich h as Excellent Reason i nvolving
E
Ty
R
Gd
events i n the city, particularly crimi n al
events. He figured out Daredevil 's se­
cret identity, and has aided and sup­
ported
D a red evil
m any
t i m es .
Daredevil has saved U rich's l ife j ust
as often. Urich keeps his secret faith­
ful ly. Urich is h appily married to Doris
Urich and smo kes too many ciga­
rettes.
Appearance :
Forty i s h .
Average
h e i g h t . P a l e , ext remely t h i n , long
face, thick spectacles, sloppy d ress.
Tie never tied right. Co ughs, smells of
tobacco.
Story Function : The all-purpose city
reporter, whenever the J udge needs
one in an adventure. Knows where all
the bodies are buried.
Betty Brant Leeds
Editor-in-chief's secretary
R
I
P
S
E
F
A
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Health : 24
Karma: 1 8
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 0
Betty has always been defined by
the men in her life . She was Jame­
son's secretary while he edited the
Bugle, and is now Robbie Robertson's
secretary. Once an early sweet heart
of Peter Parker's, she later married
Ned Leeds. When Ned was kil led (be­
cause he was the villainous Hobgob­
lin), Betty naturally took the death very
hard . She is trying to put toget her the
pieces of her life and establi sh her
own identity.
Appearance: Attractive , late 20s,
styled brown hair, prim wardrobe.
Story Function: Betty is a typical ro­
mantic i nterest or hostage.
Cage, fo und out about Cage's back­
g round as an escaped convict, and
tried to blackmail the hero. Fox died,
t h o u g h not at Cage 's h a n d s , and
Power M a n 's secret rem ained safe
(for a while, at least).
Appearance: Wavy brown hair, pudgy
face and build, an noying "friendly"
man ner that could turn nasty fast.
Talents: I nvestigatio n , writi n g .
Typical Dialogue: " Hey hey, m y read­
ers would love to know all about you.
And I mean all. M aybe you wo uldn't
l i ke that. Let's tal k."
Story Function: Fox is dead, but in a
new i ncarnation the little weasel cou ld
try to blackmai l any PC hero whose
past conceals a dark secret. The flip
side of Ben U rich (above), Fox is not a
big operator h i mself, and his tendency
to ally with unstable partners works
against his own inte rests.
Other staffers
The Daily Bugle employs thousands
of workers, and m any have shown up
in Spider- M a n 's adventu res. Glory
Grant is J a m eso n 's secretary. She re­
cently became i nvolved in a danger­
ous romance with Ed uardo Lobo, who
tu rned out to be a m utant werewolf.
Other staffers have led slightly less
adventurous lives. Kate Cushing is the
paper's City Editor. Charlie Snow, Joy
Mercado, and Wendy Thornton are staff
reporters. Jacob Conover is a popular
daily columnist (Phil Fox's replacement,
in fact). Lance Bannon is a talented
freelance photographer l ike Peter
Parker, and competes with Parker for as­
signments. Mack Stennet is the paper's
chief researcher; he can ferret anything
out of the newspaper's morgue.
CRI M ES
The Bug/e h as figu red in several
criminal sChemes. either as a target or
a veh icl.e.
As a demonstration of power, to be
followed by a billion-dollar ransom de­
mand, the crimi nal madman Doctor
Octopus th reatened to kill five m i l t ion
people. Octopus intended to contami­
nate the i n kused to print the Bugle with
a powerful contact poison m ixed with
DMSO , a enemical that promotes skin
absorption of whatever is m ixed with it.
Spi der- M a n
foiled
Oct o p u s 's
scheme after a pitched battle above
the basement newspaper presses.
But did t hat m ake J ameson better dis­
posed toward Spider-Man? Noooo . . .
(The Bvgle never dared to pri nt the
story, since it m ig ht have m ade read­
ers fear the i n k was poisoned after all !)
CAM PAI G N USE
Manhatta n : The Bugle di:sse m i ­
nates adventure information t o t h e
player heroes. (liThe paper says rare
jewels are on display at the museum
this mont h ." ) On the other hand, Ja­
meson's edi,torials can make life hard
for any super-hum an vigi lante. As a
campaign s u bplot, t h e J udge can
have a col u m nist from t h e paper pry
i nto heroes' secrets.
Other Oities: Several large cities
have sCfeamer-headline dailies like the
Bug/e, though they are usually less re­
spected and less devoted to true jour­
nalism. If the campaign city Is not large
enough to host a paper with the Bugle's
immense resources, the city might have
a bureau for a national daily that could
serve the same function.
EWSSTAND '
Phil Fox
Col u m nist (deceased)
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Pr
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Gd
Pr
Karma: 20
Health : 22
Resources: Typical(6)
Popularity: 0
P h i l Fox wrote a daily slice-of-life
and gossi p col u m n for the Bugle.
When Luke Cage started out as " H ero
For Hire," prior to taking on his Power
M a n a l i as, P h i l Fox i n vestigated
38
DOCTOR STRAN G E 'S SAN CTU M
OVERVIEW
This dimension's most powerful ma­
gician l ives in a peculiar building i n
New York's G reenwich Village. Now
offi c i a l ly known as the Ste phen
Strange Memorial Metaphysical I nsti­
tution, it remains the Sanctum Sanc­
toru m of t h e Sorcerer S u p re m e ,
Doctor Strange.
THE A REA
Greenwich Village: almost a syno­
nym for i ndivid ual ity and eccentricity.
Once Twain, Poe, O. Henry, Henry
J ames, Edward Hopper, and count­
less other writers, poets, playwrights,
n on conform ists, and i ntell ectuals
lived here, especially in the fi rst dec­
ades of this century. It was cheap. I n
that materialistic time, a n y pursuit be­
yond making m oney was disreput­
able, and so those in "the Village"
were shun ned as people one should
not know.
After World War I , a lig htening intel­
lectual climate made these "bohemi­
ans" fashionable. High society moved
in to hobnob with the artists; rents
rose (they are now among the highest
in New York) ; and artists had to move
out. Fi rst they went to SoHo, where
the cycle repeated. Now they congre­
gate in Tribeca and the "East Village"
(Lower East Side).
We l ive once again in an age of ma­
terialism, but this time the rich enjoy
associating with the artistic elite. So
the cycle seems likely to conti nue.
The Layout
G reenwich Village once was an ac­
tual village outside the city bounda­
ries. Its wagon trails twisted
haphazardly. After the American Rev­
olution, it housed the state prison,
which became a tourist attraction .
A series of epidemics in the city
brought a m ig ration of the well-to-do
to the safety of the Village. H uge n um ­
bers of refugees arrived during a bad
bout of yellow fever in 1 822, and sud­
denly the winding cowpaths became
city streets. G reenwich Village streets
to this day remain the most bewilder­
ing on Manhattan Island. Now that it is
has been named a historic district,
they should remain that way.
The Village is a collection of differ­
ent neighborhoods centered around
and west of Washington Square Park.
Many of the old houses still survive,
bright painted buildings just a few sto­
ries tal l . But now there are just as
many modern apartment blocks, ex­
pensive restaurants, pastry shops,
movie houses, and fern bars.
By day, lost but happy tourists wan­
der along, looking at art galleries, es­
presso houses, antique shops, and
expensive restaurants. At night the
tourists are joined by the fashionable,
and by the returning artists, students,
and i ntellectuals. They attend off­
Broadway theaters, visit n ight clubs,
and eat at di mly lighted all-night cafes.
The main street in the Village is
West 8th , a com mercial area. Ch ris­
topher Street is the center of New
York's gay com mun ity. And then there
is Bleecker Street , an eccentric collec­
tion of specialty grocery shops, an­
tique stores, vegetable stalls, Italian
restau rants, n i g ht spots, and cin­
emas. And the Stephen Strange Me­
morial lnstitute (see below).
Washington Square Park
The heart of the Village, this small
rectangular park once served as a
" potter's field," a bu rial ground for
paupers and the anonymous. In the
1 700s it became popular as a dueling
ground and a place of public hang­
ings . A few of the gallows trees still
stand. Over 1 0,000 bodies filled the
grounds by 1 823, when the mi litia
made it a drill ground.
Four years later, when the s u r­
rounding area had become fashion­
able, the wealthy of New York tu rned it
i nto a park. Henry J ames wrote a
novel , Washington Square, about
these aristocrats. The park serves as
a gathering place for Villagers, and as
u nofficial campus for New York Uni­
versity, the largest private u n iversity i n
Am erica ( 1 988 e n ro l l ment, over
31 ,000). Its buildings stand north and
south of the park . E m pire State U n i­
versity stands nearby; see its entry
later in this section .
Here kids skateboard, college stu­
dents sleep on the grass in pairs,
39
street musicians play gu itars, joggers
form almost a solid ring around the
square, and dope dealers mumble a
litany, "sense-coke-speed-I udes"
(sensimillia g rass, cocai ne, ampheta­
mine, Quaaludes). The park has be­
come rather seedy but, l i ke every
public place in New York, it is still
c rowded with peop l e of a l l ages,
races, creeds, and backgrounds.
The center of the park is Washing­
ton Square Arch . Built in 1 895, this
arch stands 86 feet (6 areas) tall and is
30 feet across. It is made of wh ite mar­
ble (Excellent strength) and weighs
about 700 tons (Sh ift-Z strength to lift).
Its two statues of George Washi ngton
face forthrightly up Fifth Aven ue, as
though wanting to go shopping.
DESCRIPTION
Doctor Strange's th ree-story town­
house sits at 1 77A Bleecker Street, at
the corner of Fenno Place. Before Eu­
ropeans colonized the N ew World,
American I ndians used the site for ar­
cane sorcerous rituals. I n colonial
ti mes pagan cults bu ilt a sanctuary
there. Over the course of generations
it has become a focal point for su per­
n atural energies, and, in fact, the
house is widely believed to be
haunted . All previous structures on
the site mysteriously burned down or
were otherwise destroyed. Docto r
Strange has had better luck with his
Sanctum Sanctoru m .
As sometimes happens with such
places of power, the Sanctum is much
larger inside than outside. Most of its
many corridors, chambers, and fur­
nishings change from time to time, be­
w i l d e r i n g visitors. H owever, t h e
locations a n d furnishi ngs o f several
roo ms never c h a n g e , and Doctor
Strange never has difficulty finding his
way around.
The "fixed " rooms are these:
Basement: Fu rnace, laundry roo m ,
storage cel lar.
First Floor: Foyer, drawing room, li­
bra ry, l ivi n g roo m , d i n i n g roo m ,
kitchen.
Second Floor: Strange's bedcham­
bers, g uest q uarters, study, Wong's
bedchamber.
BASEMENT:
SECOND FLOOR:
FURNACE
LAUNDRY ROOM
WONG'S STORAGE
CELLAR
STRANGE'S BEDCHAMBERS
GUEST QUARTERS
WONG'S BEDCHAMBERS
STUDY
FIRST FLOOR :
THIRD FLOOR :
FOYER
DRAWING ROOM
LIBRARY
L1VING RooM
DINING ROOM
WONG'S KITCHEN
MEDITATION CHAMBER
LIBRARY
STORAGE AREA FOR
OCCULT ARTIFACTS
Third Floor: Meditation chamber, li­
brary, storage area for occult artifacts
(n ow a l most e m pty) , Chamber of
Shadows (where Strange once kept
the Orb of Agamotto).
The disti nctive window on the third
floor is a skylight above the meditation
chamber. The window's fou r-stroke
design is a glyph or rune popularized
in this dimension by an ancient Lem u­
rian sect. It represents the harmony of
spirit and body, earth and the cosmos.
A spiral staircase leads from the
third floor onto the roof.
The building is made of pink Egyp­
tian granite (Excellent strength versus
physical attacks, CL 1 000 versus m ag­
ical attacks).
An alleyway behind the house leads
to a small cou rtyard out of sight of the
street . At least one door from the
townhouse leads to the co urtyard
(though not always the same door).
Here Valkyrie tethered her winged
horse, Aragorn , when they visited the
Sanctum. Val kyrie belonged to the de­
funct hero group cal led the De­
fenders,
which
h as
recently
reorganized as the Dragon Circle.
Defensive Spells
Doctor Strange exploited the Sanc­
tum's " aura" in the defensive spells
he wove in a large sphere around the
house. These spells protect with Un­
eart hly abil ity against m agical inva­
sion. Also, because a wizard is always
most powerful on his home ground,
spells cast within the Sanct u m by
Doctor Strange or his allies receive
+ 1 CS, to a maximum of U nearthly.
In times past, the Sanctum's pro­
tective spells h ave prevented those
outside from detecting anything unu­
sual going on inside it. For example,
when Doctor Strange looked out a
window while weari ng his Cloak of
Levitation, the spell m ade him appear
in ordinary street clot hes. When he
swore by the Vishanti or the Crimson
Bands of Cytorrak, an outside eaves­
dropper would hear on ly, "Good heav­
ens ! " or the li ke. The intricacy of this
i llusion makes it very fragile, and
Strange has not always maintai ned
this spell on the Sanctum.
DOCTO R STRANG E I N
THE VI LLAGE
For most of his career, Doct o r
Strange was known t o t h e general
public as an eccentric authority on the
occult. Other occult experts knew of
his residence in Greenwich Village,
but very few knew his role as Sorcerer
Supreme.
Then Strange battled with Urthona,
an alien from another galaxy in our di­
mension who challenged him for the
title of Sorcerer Supreme. To defeat
the evil wizard and save the l ives of his
friends, Strange was forced to destroy
the Orb of Agamotto, the Greater
Book of the Vishanti, and his other tal­
ismans of power. Urthona escaped
with the Darkhold , a supremely evil
text that was beyond even Strange's
power to destroy. His parting words:
" You have broken the bonds on a hun­
dred darknesses by your victory."
The dest ruction l i be rated m any
creatures of dark magic who had been
confi ned through the ages by the talis­
mans' power. These creatures could
easily locate Strange in his Sanctum,
and some even had means of bypass­
ing his defenses. To protect his friends
from this danger, Strange was forced
to "go underground."
In an el aborate spell of forgetting,
Strange m ade the world bel ieve he
had perished in battle with the Beyon­
der during the second so-called "se­
cret war." Strange even created a
videotape of the funeral ceremony,
which was broadcast nationwide on
network television . Then he left his
home and resumed his onetime alias,
Stephen Sanders. The Sanct u m
Sanctorum is n o w t h e Stephen
Strange Memorial Metaphysical Insti­
tute, a tax-exempt institution.
Strange h ad to resort to black
magic to return the ancient evils to
captivity. He was instructed by Kaluu,
once the Ancient One's com panion
early in that sorcerer's career, later a
would-be conqu eror. Strange became
too im pure to wield his Eye of Aga­
motto, and instead relied on a power­
ful evil artifact called the Wings of
Needless Sorrow.
In the succeeding struggle, Doctor
Strange lost his left eye (though not
permanently), slew the cosm ic entity
Shuma-Gorath, and died-for the sec­
ond time. In that death he merged with
41
the godhead, the pure force of life.
This time, as before, he was res ur­
rected .
When he succeeded in recapturing
the m ost d angerous evi l ones,
Strange returned to his Sanctum and
removed the spell of forgett ing from
the minds of his i mmediate circle of
friends. The world at large, however,
still believes him to be dead .
N PCs
Wong
Manservant
R
I
P
F
A
E
S
Ty Ty Ty Gd Ty Ty Gd
Karma: 22
Health : 28
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popu larity: 0
Wong comes from a Buddh ist order
t h at tradit ionally suppl i es m an ser­
vants to this di mension's Sorcerer Su­
preme. Hamir the Hermit, the Ancient
One's former servant, comes from this
order. Wong is unsti ntingly loyal and
devoted to his master, and Strange re­
turns his devotion.
Appearance: 5'6" , 1 30 I bs. Th in, bald
Oriental man in his early 30s. Light
green housecoat and pants with yel­
low tri m . Subservient, h u m ble m an­
ner.
Talents: Cook i n g , housekee p i n g ,
Martial Arts A and E .
Typical Dialogue: "Will you require
anything else of me this evening, m as­
ter? "
Story Function: Wong greets all who
visit Doctor Strange's Sanctum. He is
frequently endangered by Strange's
foes.
Sara Wolfe
Busi ness manager
F
A
E
S
R
I
P
Ty Ty Ty Ty Gd Gd Ex
Karma: 40
Health : 24
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 0
Wolfe handles Doctor Strange's fi­
nances and those of the Institute. She
has shown some talent for m agic, and
is cheerfu l, friend ly, and self-ass ured .
Appearance: 5'9/1 , 1 35 Ibs. Bl ack
hair, black eyes, reddish ski n . Attrac­
tive Amerind woman. Favors sweat­
ers, jeans, and casual attire.
Talents: Accounting, home finances,
small busi ness management. Sara is
a sports fan .
Story Fu nction: Much like Wong's.
Rintrah
Topaz
Alien apprentice sorcerer
F
GD (1 0)
Health : 90
A
EX (20)
S
RM (30) Karma: 90
E
RM (30)
R
EX (20)
Resources: None
RM (30)
I
P
IN (40)
Popu larity: 0
When Doctor Strange carelessly al­
lowed his Cloak of Levitation to be de­
stroyed , he took it to an othe r­
dimensional being called Enitharmon
the Weaver to be reconstructed. The
weaver's apprentice, the h uge and
monstrous Rintrah , delivered the re­
paired Cloak during Urthona's attack
on Strange. Rintrah remai ned with
Strange to help h i m battle the alien
sorcerer, then to study with h i m . Rin­
trah's cu rrent whereabouts are u n­
known .
Appearance: 8'2" , 400 Ibs. M uscular,
hulking hu manoid alien with short tur­
quoise fur. Rintrah has cow eyes and
bull horns, a snout like a camel, and
small tusks. He is very gentle.
Known Powers : Ri ntrah has so far
demonstrated very few powers. As a
skilled apprentice, he u ndoubtedly
knows more than the following:
Astral Projection (P). U nearthly abil­
ity.
Shield. I ndividual (P). As Personal
Force Field, able to repel magic at­
tacks.
Possession (P). Rintrah and Doctor
St range "traded bodies" d u ri n g
Strange's battle with U rthona. Rin­
trah 's astral form took over Strange's
unoccupied body. Ri ntrah cannot pos­
sess a body inhabited by a spi rit.
Magic Detection (P). I ncredible abil­
ity.
Rintrah aided Doctor Strange i n
casting the spell o f forgetfulness. He
can lend + 2 CS to a more powerful
mage in a ritual .
Talents: Ri ntrah presum ably knows
the skills involved in creating magical
items like the Cloak. H e was suffi­
ciently adept to use Strange's Eye of
Agamotto, which requires un usual
gifts.
Typica l Dialogue:
" E n it h armon
taught me time and again the deep re­
sources that are woven into all l ife."
Story Function: An unusual ally in a
magical adventure. Rintrah would be an
offbeat choice to alert the PCs to some
magical danger to Doctor Strange.
Empath
PR (4)
F
TY (6)
A
S
TY (6)
E
GD ( 1 0)
R
GD ( 1 0)
Note that Doctor Strange and many
otherwise powerful sorcerers have no
healing magic.
Health: 26
Karma: 22
Reso u rces:
cal(6)
Typi-
TY (6)
TY (6)
Popularity: 1
The origin of Topaz's powerful em­
pathy is u n revealed, but she is proba­
bly either a m utant or a n aturally
talented sorceress. During her child­
hood in India she lived as a street ur­
chin in Pu njab, until an evil Indian
sorcerer named Taboo recognized her
abilities.
Taking her as his "familiar," Taboo
raised her to adulthood. All the while
he plan ned to exploit her powers for
his own ends. Jack Russel l , once
known as the Werewolf By N ight,
foiled Taboo's scheme and rescued
Topaz when Taboo died.
Topaz wished to learn more about
her powers, and eventually she came
to Doctor Strange's Sanctum. There
the alien U rthona (see above) used
her to attack Strange. But since
Urthona's defeat , Strange has helped
Topaz master her powers. Topaz now
l ives in New York City, but her address
has not been revealed.
Topaz has strong powers, but has
always been easily manipu lated by
more powerful or less naive magi. She
has proven extremely vulnerable to
mind control and persuasion . Thus
her I ntu ition and Psyche scores are
only Typical.
Appearance: 5'1 0" , 1 40 Ibs. About
22. Beautiful woman with pale skin
and white hair. Usually dressed in
loose, flowi ng clothing. Shy, peaceful
manner.
Known Powers : Topaz has the follow­
ing powers at Monstrous ability level:
P
Healing, Telepathy, Mind Control, Tele­
kinesis (not for flight or force fields,
however), and Animal Empathy.
Topaz can use her Healing power
on herself. Her power once worked
aCCidentally, in u nexplained fashion,
to transfer the mind of J ack Russel l 's
stepfather i nto a m utated monster's
body.
Topaz has sworn not to use her
powers to kill a living creature.
Story Fu nctio n : A healer always
comes in handy after a tough battle.
42
CRIMES
I n general , anything that can pene­
trate Doctor Strange's S anctum is
pretty much beyond the power of your
typ.ical nero. But there are notable ex­
ceptions.
One of these was Lucius Dilby, a
servant of Doctor Doom and the d read
Dorma m m u . They bestowed g re at
power on him to prepare for a danger­
ous, still unexplained even' called the
" Send Sinister." Part of this prepara­
tion ·involved an attack on Docto r
Strange.
Though OHby succeeded in captur­
ing Strange, the Sorcerer Su preme
managed to send out a psychic call for
help that alerted 110ne other than
Spider-Man. The websli nger tracked
Dilby to Strange's Sanctum, then to
Centr.al Park. Dilby h ad brainwashed
hundreds of New Yorkers to gain their
participation lin a bizarre r,itual atop the
Latverian Embassy. Strange was to be
sacrif.iced on ea giant magical crystal .
At the l a st possible m o m e n t ,
Spider-Man shattered t h e g e m and
freed Doctor Strange. Strange was
about to neutralize Dilby when Dor­
mammu retrieved his err�ng servant.
Dilby is now trapped, presumably for­
ever, in a tiny copy of h is crystal.
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan: When the player char­
acters are stumped by m agical spells,
devices, or entities, a visit to Doctor
Strange is in order. Strange (as an
N PC) receives such visitors courte­
ously, but customarily avo,ids reveal­
ing m uch about any magical topic.
Other Cities: A hau nted m ansion
like the Sanctum offers spooky adven­
ture possibilities. Tihe heroes m ust go
in to rescue someone or something.
Once inside, the layout shilfts every
time they turn .around! Perhaps the
house is haunted by spi rits who must
be laid to rest, or it is a gateway to an­
other dimension-and' another adven­
ture.
E M PI RE STAT E B U I LD I N G
OVERVIEW
For many years the tallest building
in the world, the Empire State Building
remains an i m posi ng architectural
landmark and one of the most durable
symbols of New York City. It temporar­
ily became the world's tallest building
again d u ring the recent " I nferno" cri­
sis, when the structure grew to be
over a mile tall . It has si nce returned to
normal with the rest of Manhattan, but
it remains an excellent backdrop for
adventu res.
Add ress : F i fth Ave n u e at 34t h
Street. See the m ap incl uded in this
set.
THE AREA
M idtown Manhattan. For more infor­
mation , see "The Financial District"
later in this chapter.
DESCRIPTION
The Empi re State Building's site
was the Thompson-Lawton farm u ntil
1 827. Then William Backhouse Astor
bought it and built a family mansion. I n
the 1 890s Astor's descendants built
two posh hotels, eventually joined to­
gether as the famous Waldorf-Astoria.
When M idtown g rew more commer­
cial and ind ustrial , the hotel was
closed in 1 929 to make way for a new
office building.
The building was the brainchild of
John J acob Raskob, who had risen
from poverty to become an executive
at General Motors. He selected the ar­
chitectural firm of Shreve, Lam b , and
H armon to produce the building; Wi l­
l iam Frederick Lamb designed it. Con­
struction began on March 1 7, 1 930,
and was completed in a startlingly
short time, by M arch 1 , 1 931 .
To identify h i s office b u i l d i ng
strongly with New York (the " E m pire
State"), Raskob enlisted the aid of
former Governor AI Smith . Smith 's
h i g h profi l e g u aranteed the n ew
Empire State Building plenty of news
coverage. T h o u g h t h e b u i ld i n g
opened i n the depths o f the Great De­
pression, it proved an i mmediate suc­
cess, and by the 1 940s enjoyed 98
percent occupancy.
The building is a masterpiece of Art
Deco arch itecture and is sti ll symbolic
of the modern age. It is com mem­
morated in popular culture as the
b u i l d i n g that King Kong c l i m bed .
(Note that King Kong is j ust as fictional
in the M arvel Un iverse as in our own.)
Statistics
The Empire State Building is 1 ,250
feet tal l , with a 204-foot TV tower that
makes the total height 1 ,454 feet. The
building has 86 floors of office space,
but adding the tower (equal to 1 4 sto­
ri es) and the two s u b-base ments
brings the total to 1 02 stories, the fig­
u re usually q uoted .
The building occupies its entire city
block. Its lot measures 200 feet (1 1/2
areas) along Fifth Aven ue by 425 feet
(3 areas) between 33rd and 34th
Streets.
The building's volume is 37 mil lion
cubic feet. It has j ust over 2 million
square feet of rentable space. It in­
cl udes 60 miles of water pipe and
3,500 mi les of telephone and tele­
graph wire . There are 6,500 wi ndows.
Two mil lion tou rists visit its observato­
ries every year.
The build i ng 's skeleton of steel
girders is clad in Indiana limestone
and granite with the mullions of its
windows made of stai nless steel (Ex­
cellent strength). The steel weighs
60,000 tons and the li mestone almost
as much, so nothing less than C L5000
power could lift it. J ust picking up the
building by a corner would destroy it,
but telekinesis or the like could pre­
serve its structure.
Foundation
The Empire State Building is built
on a foundation of bedrock 55 feet (4
areas) down. There are two u nder­
g round floors, and beneath them are
giant air conditioners that cool the en­
t i re building with Am azi ng abil ity.
Shift-X strength can rip these air con­
d itioners loose ; merely U n eart h ly
strength is needed to th row them .
Lobby
This is a beautiful entrance h all of
gray marble (from Italy, France, Be19ium, and Germany) , stain less steel,
43
and glass. The lobby features an ex­
hibit of "The Eight Wonders of the
World," opened in 1 963. These eight
illuminated paintings, by Roy Sparkia
and Renee Nemorov, show the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World and, of
course, the Eig hth Wonder-the Em­
pire State Building.
At the rear of the lobby is a black
granite wall with an i mage of the build­
ing inlaid in aluminum, superimposed
over a map of New York state. In front
of it is a heavy information desk (Re­
markable strength to lift and throw).
Elevators
The building has seven m i les of ele­
vator shafts and 73 elevators. Most
run at 600 feet (40 areas) a minute,
while the high-speed elevators that
carry tourists to the 86th Floor Observ­
atory run at twice that speed (80
areas/min ute). J udges can let the ele­
vators run faster if a non-flying hero
needs to reach the top in a h urry.
To reach the 1 02nd floor, tourists
must switch at the 86th floor. No Single
elevator runs the entire height of the
bu ilding. (Judges can also be lenient
on this poi nt, if there is dire need.)
I n case the elevators aren't work­
ing, there are 1 ,860 steps from ground
level to the 1 02nd floor.
86th Floor
The E m p i re State Company
charges ad m ission to go to the ob­
servatory on the 86th floor. Elevator
tickets are available for a few dollars
from an office in the basement.
The obse rvatory h as a g l ass­
enclosed area that is temperature­
controlled and an outdoor promenade
which goes around all four sides of the
build ing. From this altitude visitors
can see 40 m iles when the skies are
clear.
The promenade is su rrounded by
tall wire fences of Good strengt h .
Si nce t h e building rises in a series of
steps, or "setbacks," anything (or
anyone) fal ling from the observatory
would strike one of the lower setbacks
before hitting the street . The lowest
setback, above the 5th floor, is 60 feet
( 1/2 area) wide.
The 86th floor also incl udes a snack
bar, souvenir counters, and vending
machi nes (Remarkable strength to l ift
and th row). Ass ume all counters to be
G ood st rength. A booth rents high­
.
p? � er bi noculars (Amazing abil ity) to
vIsitors .
The atmospheric con ditions at this
height someti m es produce static elec­
t � icity. Touching someone can give a
tinY electric shock.
1 02 nd Floor
This Observatory is completely en­
closed . A its �ei�ht of 1 ,250 feet ( 1 02
. .
areas), vIsibility IS 80 miles in clear
weather.
At this altitude, viewers sometimes
see snow or rain, blown by wind cur­
rents from the street below, falling up!
�
Communications Tower
T h is was o r i g i n a l ly m eant as a
m oo r i n g m ast for d i r i g i bles. This
proved too dangerous, pres u m ably
b�ca�se of high winds. I n any case,
a i rsh i ps w � nt out of fashion abruptly
after the Hmdenburg exploded in New
Jersey in 1 937. The tower has never
been used as a m ast.
The Comm u nications Transmission
Center, a radio and TV anten na, was
added ":l uch later. Three metropolitan
TV stations transm itt i n g from here
reach e ight mil li on TV sets in four
states. Fifteen FM rad i o stat i o ns
broadcast sim ultaneously from the
M aster FM Antenna. In addition, the
tower hosts m any other radio and m i­
crowave broadcast facilities.
Lighting
T�e upper 30 floors of the building
are l ighted every night from sunset to
m idnight. Floodlights are located on
the various bu ilding setbacks.
Usually the building is lit in white
but special events are m arked by ap�
propriate color schemes:
Valenti ne's Day-red and white·
Wash i ngton 's B i rthday, I n d epen­
dence Day-red, white, and blue;
St. Patrick's Day-green;
Col u m b u s Day-red , white, and
green (national colors of Italy Colum'
bus's homeland); and
Christmas to New Year's-red and
green.
The building's color scheme also
changes to commemmorate special
events, such as when one of New York's
baseball teams wins the World Series or
the city su rvives some spectacu l ar
threat by super-human villains.
TH E E M P I R E STATE
B U I LDI NG I N
" I N FERNO"
The most recent s pectacular threat
the city su rvived was never com mem­
m � ra e i n he m pire State B uilding.
ThiS IS IroniC, since this building was
the crux of the entire crisis.
D uring the " I nferno" that took over
Man hattan , the bu ilding grew to be
over a m i l e h i g h . The d e m o n s of
Limbo caused this to happen when
they were attem pting to open a per­
m anent gate between their home and
Eart h . (For m ore about the back­
ground and resol ution of I nferno, see
the Adventure Book.)
. In this crisis the E m pire State Bu ild­
Ing grew to a height of 5,400 feet (360
areas). I nterior and exterior walls
turned pale green or grew red crusts
of u n k n own b u t repe l l e n t nat u r e .
These looked l i ke demonic faces, and
some of these faces actually were de­
mons. Walls gained Monstrous mate­
rial strength.
All m echanical devices i nside the
b u i l d i n g became demonically pos­
sessed and hostile to human beings.
Elevator cabs possessed their pas­
sengers; phones wrapped their cords
around call ers' necks; doughnut carts
pu � sued victims through the halls,
while coffee machines squirted scald­
i n g l iquid and laughed man iacally.
The
top
of
the
building
m ush roo�ed i nto a rocky plateau,
.
with terrai n identical to Lim bo's. This
plateau measu red 44 yards on a side
(1 area square), but mountainous out­
croppings behind the plateau added
another 3 areas to the total.
When the X-Men , X-Factor, and the
New Mutants succeeded in closing
the gateway to Limbo, all traces of In­
ferno's effect on M an hattan vanished.
h e Empire State Bui lding retu rned to
ItS normal size. Citizens of New York
do not rem em ber the crisis .
� ?
�
�
!
CRI M ES
A master villain who wants to broad­
cast threats or ransom demands to a
wide audience could do a lot worse
44
th�n to take over the Empire State
.
BUlldllng ,s communications tower. A
J ud�e wou l d n ' t have to worry about
alerting the heroes to this peril, since
everyo ne in four states would know
about it as soon as the vmai n began
broadcasti ng demands.
The villain would p robably shut
own or sabotage the elevators, m ak­
Ing entry to the communications tower
difficult for non-flying he�oes. And fli­
ers would have to face artil lery, death
rays, and so on from agents on the ob­
servatory promenade.
A B-25 M itchell bomber crashed
into the 79th floor of the E m pi re State
Building on J u ly 28, 1 945. That was a
Saturday, so few people were in the
building, and no l ives except those of
the crew were lost. This crash was a n
accident, o f course, but a mad m an
with a private plane could re-create
the event, committing suicide in spec­
tacular fashion.
A schoolchild's legend has it t h at if
one rops a penny from the top of the
Empire State B uilding. the coin gains
.
enough velOCity to klll anyone it hits at
ground leve l . Possibly so, but the set­
b ��ks would prevent the penny from
hitting the street. Stil l , a hero ,On the
observatory pr,omenade miglilt see a
vandal throw a heavy object fa,r away
from the building. Then the· choice be­
comes catching the m ischief-maker or
catching the ,object before It hits.
And, of C?urse, there are always vil­
.
lainS who l i ke to blow up promi nent
landmarks. The likely place for a really
large bom b would be the air condition­
ers ben eath the basement levels.
?
?
CAM PAIGN USE
� a.n hattan ; T h e E m p i 1r e
State
BU ilding serves best as a characteris­
tic backdrop for a slugfest. Be sure to
carry the fight as high off the ground
as possible, and take care that some
of the PC hefoes can fly-so they can
catch fall i ng heroes who don't.
Other Cities; Some other major cit­
ies have s:kyscrapers alm ost as tall as
the Empire State, and one of these
(the Sears Tower in Chicago)1 is even
taller. B�t any city's tal lest building
can fulfill lhe same plot functions
even if it isn't as stratospheric as thi
one.
�
E M PI RE STAT E UNI V E RSITY
OVE RVI EW
This is one of many small universi­
t i e s in M an h at t a n . Peter Parker
(Spider-Man) attends college here as
a teaching assistant and graduate stu­
dent in Biophysics.
Add ress: Southern Manhattan, on
the block bounded by Lafayette Street
(west) and the Bowery (east), and by
Great Jones Street (north) and Bond
Street (south).
THE AR EA
The East Village, so called because
it is the eastern part of G reenwich Vil­
lage, became an artists' h angout after
G reenwich V i l l age proper became
fashionable as an artists' h angout. Its
atmosphere closely resembles that of
the Vil lage itself. See Chapter 2 and
the
H ots pot e n t ry for " Doctor
Strange's Sanct u m " above for more
i nformation .
DESCRI PTI ON
E mpire State U n iversity, founded i n
1 946, i s an accredited institution t h at
awards both four-year and grad u ate
degrees. As of last fall it h ad 4,778 stu­
dents enrolled and 292 mem bers of
the faculty or staff. Small by New York
standards, ESU ach ieves a reputation
far in excess of its size. Grad uates in­
clude Reed Ri chards and Ben G ri m m
of the Fantastic Four. Victor von Doom
attended , but dropped out before
graduation .
The un iversity is i ndependent of city
affil i ation , u n l i ke City College of New
York (Convent and 1 38th in Harlem),
and of the state, u n l i ke nearby New
York U n iversity (Washington Squ are
in G reenwich Vil lage).
E m pire State's funding derives from
a l u m n i donations, research grants,
and t u ition fees. Significant funding
comes from t h e basic medi cal patents
derived from the work of Dr. Curt Con­
nors and other faculty researchers.
The Campus
A ten-foot-high brick wall surrounds
the grounds. Of Good strengt h , the
wall is i ntended primarily to prevent
distractions for students studying in-
side. There are four 1 5-foot-wide en­
trances, one in the m iddle of each
block. These have no gates, but over
each is a wroug ht- iron arch (Excellent
strength) reading " E S U ."
I n the campus area, g reen with
smog-resistant grass, stands a central
fountain of Excellent concrete. Seven
low buildings in a variety of architec­
tural styles are arrayed around the
fountai n .
To the right of the main (Bond Street)
entrance stands the old Science Build­
ing (Curt Connors' office is here), and
beyond it is the modern Physics Build­
ing where Peter Parker studies.
C o nt i n u i n g
cou nterclockwise
around the fountai n , next comes the
45
H u m an ities B u i l d i n g , then the l ibrary
(80,000 VOlu mes), a track and two ten­
nis courts, a gym nasi u m , and an art
schoo l .
U n l i ke other un iversities in Manhat­
tan, Em pire State offers student living
space o n cam pus. The dormitory, a
feat u reless glass box in the modern
style, houses several h u n d red stu­
dents from out of state. Resident stu­
dents c o m m ute onto cam p u s v i a
nearby bus a n d su bway li nes.
N PCs
Several people at ESU have had
brushes with the super- h u m an com­
m u n ity.
Jus r SOME OF THE
FOL KS
One professor, Dr. Curt Con nors ,
has had a criminal career as the i n h u­
man Lizard. (See the J udge's Book, p .
48, i n the Advanced Set for his statis­
tics.)
A student, Hector Ayala, briefly be­
came New Yo rk's fi rst Puerto Rican
hero, the White Tiger. (See M HAC7,
Concrete Jungle, for his statistics.)
Another studellt, Peter Parker's fel­
low grad u ate student Steve Hopkins,
experimented with super-vi llainy by
rid i n g a rocket-powered skateboard
and cal l i n g h i m s e l f Rocket Racer.
Spider-Man stopped h i m , Hopkins re­
formed, and now he occas ionally aids
Spider- Man whether the websli nger
l ikes it or not.
Dr. Morris Sloan
Biophysics department chairman
F
A
E
S
R
I
P
Pr
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ex
Gd Ty
Karma: 36
Health: 22
Resou rces: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 0
Sloan is a rather gruff, well- dressed
man in h i s early 60s.
Gd
remote com p u ter te r m i n al hoo ked
into E S U 's Computing Center i n the
basement of the Physics Build i n g .
Department secretary Debbie Whit­
man, a t h i n , n e u rotic blond , once
dated Peter before his marriage to
Mary Jane Watson .
Flash h a s become Peter's loyal friend .
He attends ESU on an athletics schol­
arshi p .
To make ends meet, he teaches
CAM PAI G N USE
Eugene " Flash" Thompson
Student, part-time boxing i nstructor
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Gd Ty
Gd Ty
Ty
Ty
Karma: 1 8
Health : 36
Resources: Poor(4)
Popularity: 0
Once the bane of Peter Parker's l ife
when the two went to Midvale H i g h ,
boxing at a gym on the Lower East
Side.
Peter Parker's fellow grad students
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Gd
Gd Ty
Karma: 26
Health: 24
Resources: Typical(6)
Popularity: 0
I n addition to Steve Hopkins (see
above), two other graduate students,
M a rcy Kane and Phil Chang, share an
office with Peter Parker in the Bio­
p hysics D e p a rt m e n t . E a c h has a
semi-private cubicle (walls of Feeble
strength). The office also features a
47
Manhattan: P C heroes m ight at­
tend the u niversity li ke Peter Parker or
have friends who do. Faced with a
tough scientific problem or the need
for a high-tech gadget, heroes could
consult with ESU's professors or use
its laboratories.
Var i o u s u n ive rsity d e p artm e nts
bring notables from around the world
to visit, consult, or perform . These ce­
lebrities can become hostages in a vil­
lai n 's plot or turn out to be villains
themselves.
Other Cities: This description could
serve for a small com m u nity college or
j u n i or c o l l e g e near t h e c a m p a i g n
city's downtown area.
TH E F I N AN CIAL DI STRI CT
OVERVI EW
Scholars of culture say the h i ghest
buildi ngs in any soci ety i n dicate what
that culture considers most i m portant.
In a n cient times, the tallest buildi ngs
were temples of rel i g i o n ; i n 1 8th­
century Europe, Enlightenment archi­
tects built towering un iversities. In
Washi ngton, DC, by law, no bu ilding
can be taller than the Capito l .
I n N e w York City, as i n most modern
cities, the tallest buildings are the gi­
gantic skyscrapers dedicated to bank­
ing,
finance,
and
cor po rate
ind ustry-to money. This is the Finan­
cial District.
TH E AREA
I n reality, almost t h e entire lower
half of Man hattan Island constitutes a
financial district. Skyscrapers crowd
up f r o m every block, and titan ic
amounts of money change hands in
thousands of businesses . B ut the
principal Fi nancial District areas are
in extreme lower Manhattan, in the
Wal l Street, W hite H a l l , and Lower
Broadway districts (see Chapter 2) .
Here one finds the giants of i n d ustry,
the
m u l t i n at i o n al
corporat i o n s ,
m u lt i b i l lion-do l l ar banks, worldwide
trade and transport companies, and
nearly every bl ue-chip company on
the New York Stock Exchange, as well
as the Stock Exchange itself.
More of the same ki nds of busi­
nesses loom over Lexingto n , Park,
M adiso n , and Fifth Aven ues and the
Avenue of the Americas. Long l i nes of
skyscrapers stand along these routes
n orth to M idtow n .
T h i s section details some o f t h e
most prominent businesses i n these
areas, especially those u n ique to the
Marvel U n iverse. Many of the b uild­
i ngs mentioned are m apped on the
M idtown West and Midtown East fold­
up maps that come with this boxed
set.
men in Dress-Far-Success navy suits
and businesswomen i n the female
cou n terparts hustle along wide side­
walks. At l u nch hour the crowds get so
thick they stop traffic. At rush hour it
gets even worse. But on weekends,
the streets are deserted.
Un less otherwise mentioned below,
the skyscrapers that house the fol l ow­
i n g busi nesses all have the same m a­
terial strengths. Wal ls are thin stone
(Excellent strength) over steel girders
(Amazing strength).
Windows are Feeble strengt h . Note
that their g l ass is not shatterproof.
Should a m ajor earthquake ever strike
Manhattan, the F i n ancial D istrict's
streets would be b uried i n broken
glass to a depth of three feet.
N EW YORK STOCK
EXCHANGE
Address: Corner o f Wall Street and
B road Street.
Most people know Wall Street got
its name because in early colonial
times citizens bu ilt a wall there to pro­
tect against Indian attacks. Less often
told is that the wall gave little protec­
tion. Citizens regularly stole planks
from t h e wall to build or heat their
homes. The same mentality of greed
permeates Wall Street to this day.
At the New York Stock Exchange,
over 1 , 350 mem bers trade shares, or
portions of ownership, in over 1 ,500
m ajor companies. Com panies traded
include Roxxo n , Stane International,
S h aw Industries, Frost I nternational,
Metrobank, a n d F i r e heart E n ter­
prises.
The building, dating from 1 903, is
1 7 stories tal l . On the ground floor the
members bustle around a few l arge
carrels (wood, Typical strength) where
clerks process their buy and sell or­
d e rs . E l ectro n i c d i s p l ays ( Feeble
strength) around the wal l s display
stock prices.
Tradi n g hours run from 9: 30 AM to
4 : 30 PM Eastern Time.
A visitors' gallery and information
center on the third floor overlooks the
trading floor, separated by thick g l ass
(Poor strength).
BAN KS
Pro m i nent among the many banks
in the Financial D istrict is the C h ase
Manhattan Bank in the Wall Street
area.
Address: The block bounded by
Pine, William , Nassau, and Liberty
Streets, the most expensive 2'/2 acres
in the world .
The plain rectangular skysc raper
has 65 stories, includi n g five base­
ments, and is 81 3 feet tal l . Its foun da­
t i o n s exten d 90 feet dow n . S i x
thousand people work here. T h e bank
itself occupies the five basements, the
fi rst 35 floors, and the top floor.
In the bottom basement sits a bank
vault larger t h an a football field . The
v a u l t we i g h s 985 tons ( S h ift-Z
strength to lift) and has six doors,
each titan i u m steel al most two feet
t h i c k ( M o n strous stre n gt h ) . F o u r
doors weigh 4 5 tons each, t h e other
two a mere 30 tons apiece (Amazing
strength to lift).
The first floor includes a concou rse
General Description
Everywhere in this area, except in
the occasional plaza or park, sky­
scrapers block the s u n throughout the
day. In those shaded streets business48
that c u rves a r o u n d a J a p a n ese
s u n ken garden .
An open plaza occupies most of the
block to the south of the building. A
modern s c u l p t u re called Group of
Four Trees stands here. It takes Un­
earthly ability to discern anything tree­
l i ke about this sculpture.
Frost International
On the 50th floor of the C h ase M an ­
hattan is t h e Manhattan headq uarters
of Frost International, a h uge corpora­
tion specializing in transportation and
electronics. On her visits to New York,
chairperson E m ma Frost stays in her
quarters i n Hellfire Club Mansion on
the U pper East Side . Frost is the
club's White Quee n . See the " Hellfire
Club Mansion " entry.
The Federal Reserve
Across Liberty St reet from t h e
Chase Manhattan building stands the
Federal Reserve Bank of New Yo rk. In
this 1 4-story building the US Govern­
ment stores the gold rese rves of 80
foreign nations, amounting to 351 m i l­
lion ounces worth nearly $ 1 5 billion.
Vaults 80 feet underground protect
the gold.
Managers here boast t h at no super­
powered villain h as ever su cceeded i n
steal ing t h is gol d . For many villains,
the gold may not be desirable be­
cause anyone who stole it would be­
come t h e target of t h e b i g gest
m a n h u nt i n history. Furthermore , the
loss of the gold m ig ht trigger eco­
nomic coll apse around the worl d , and
the gold cou ld then be so much worth­
less metal.
WORLD TRADE CE NTER
Address: An enormous com plex
near the southern tip of Manhattan on
the west side, bounded by Vesey
Street (north), Liberty Street (south),
Tr i n i ty P l ace (aka C h u rc h St reet ,
east), and West Street (appropriately
eno ugh, west). Their add resses are
simply " 1 and 2 World Trade Center."
Description
The 1 6-acre site of the World Trade
Center, opened in 1 970, holds seven
buildings dedicated to internat ional
trade. Fifty thousand i mporters, ex­
porters, brokers, manufact u rers, ship­
pers, and customs agents work here.
town's Rockefe l l e r Center, rents a
small su ite of offices in the World
Trade Center. These offices once be­
came a front for Jerry J axon's sc heme
Another 80,000 busi nesspeople and
tou rists visit every day. This is the
world's m ajor center of international
commerce.
The Twin Towers are two 1 1 O-story
( 1 1 0-area) buildings , at 1 ,350 feet the
tallest i n Man hattan . Architect M i noru
Yamasaki receives the credit, and in
to revenge hi mself on his old enemy,
G uard i a n , of the Canadian group of
heroes, Alpha Flight.
Jaxon , through Roxxon i ntermedi­
ern skyscrapers. M ost skyscrapers
hang the weight of the walls from the
g i rder structure. But the walls of "Twin
One" and "Twin Two," as they are
the World Trade Center's Twi n Tower
O n e , J axon and his v i l l a i n g ro u p ,
O m e g a F l i g h t , cornered H u dso n .
Though Alpha defeated Omega, and
some quarters the blame, for their
plain design.
The b u i l d i n g s ' structu re re i ntro­
d uced the load-bearing wall for mod­
called, support their own weight. For
g a m e p u rposes t h i s means m ajor
damage to the walls could cause the
enti re side of a tower to collapse.
The w a l l s are made of closely
spaced steel col u m ns rein forced by
massive beams that circle each floor
(all Remarkable strength). An alumi­
num skin covers the beams. Tinted
windows, recessed ten in ches from
the beams, stretch from floor to ceil­
i n g . I nside, the floors are roomy, with
m ore open space t h an oth e r sky­
scrapers can allow.
Express elevators in the Twi n Tow­
ers travel 1 , 600 feet per min ute (1 8
M P H or 1 4 areas per turn) between
t he ground floor and a " skylobby" on
t he 44th floor. Another set of express
e levators travels from the 44th to the
78th floor skylobby, and a third set
from the 78th to the 1 1 Oth. Local ele­
vators serve each set of floors be­
tween skylobbies. This arrangement
conserves floor space, si nce each ele­
vator shaft can hold three elevators,
one for each "zone."
An electro n i c d i rectory in Tw i n
One's lobby guides vistors t o all ten­
ant firms, i ncluding the shops, restau­
rants, and bars located throughout
both towers.
Observation decks are in Twi n Two,
on the 1 07th and 1 1 Oth floors.
Clientele
Among m any, many businesses,
the Twin Towers host the Manhattan
h e a d q uarters of Fi reheart E n ter­
prises. This New Mexico-based cor­
poration is run by Thomas Fireheart.
In another identity Fireheart is Spider­
M a n 's foe, the h i g h-priced profes­
sional mercenary Puma.
Roxxon Oil, headquartered i n Mid49
aries, hired scientist James H udson
(Gu ardian) for a fat salary. After H ud­
son relocated from his native Canada
to New York, J axon sprang his trap. In
J axon perished i n the battle , G u ardian
also died when his powered-armor
suit malfu nctioned.
A lower floor of Twin Two offers the
small offices of Si lver Sable I nter­
national . Heavyweight clients hire Sil­
ver Sable, mercenary, Nazi h u nter,
glamorous socialite, and leader of the
e l ite anti-terrorist sq uad called the
Wild Pack. Sable and the Pack appre­
hend wanted c ri m i nals and recover
stolen property for everyone from in­
surance companies to small nations.
Profits from the operation go to s u p­
port Sable's n ative cou ntry, the small
Eastern E u ropean nation of Symkaria.
Other Buildings
At the southwest corner of the com­
plex stands 3 World Trade Center, the
modern Vista International Hotel, 22
stories h i g h , the fi rst major hotel built
i n the downtown area i n over a cen­
tury.
To the north east and southeast are
4 and 5 WTC, the two 9-story Plaza
B u i l d i n gs. N u mber 4 WTC hou ses
commodity exchanges. Here one can
arrange to buy sugar or cotton by the
shipload , or pure Wakandan vibra­
n i u m (price as of 2/1 0/89: $1 0 1 3 per
gram). The building at 5 WTC holds
the offices of several financial firms.
At the northeast stands the 8-story
US Custom house building, a concen­
tration of bureaucratic red tape con­
cern ing goods moving through the
port.
Visitors can travel from the main
plaza via covered walkway over Vesey
Street to the n o rt h , to the upper lobby
of the new 7 WTC office tower. This is
47 stories of polished red granite and
glass in an odd trapezoidal shape.
The WTC plaza extends over five
spacious acres. A huge bronze sculp­
t u re of the typical modern variety re­
volves i n a large fountai n .
Battery Park City
Something over 20 tons of eart h ,
excavated when the World Trade Cen­
ter was built, has become landfil l for a
manmade expansion of M a n h attan Is­
land off its lower west coast.
St i l l under construct i o n , B attery
Park City al ready hosts the four gi ant
glass towers of the World Fi n ancial
Center, home of many brokerage and
financial firms. Other parts of B attery
Park City i nc l u d e (or w i l l i ncl ude)
parks , plazas, a riverside esplanade,
and residential b u i ld i ngs.
When the d evelopm e nt i s com­
pleted in the mid-1 990s, 30,000 peo­
ple wi l l live there, and that many more
will work there.
THE KI NGPI N 'S TOWER
central console of his security system ,
and a counting room where his em­
ployees keep track, via com p uter, of
h i s holdings and t ransaction s . All
rooms h ave heavy-duty ventilation
fans that can clear the rooms of gas in
six seconds (one t u rn).
Al most u n iquely for a skyscraper,
the penthouse windows ope n . The
Kingpin has installed these because
s u p er- h u m a n adve n t u rers h ave a
habit of dropping in on h i m unan­
nounced , and he has gotten tired of
replacing the window glass when they
crash t h roug h.
The Kingpi n 's self-contained secu­
rity system com p rises two monitor
cameras on the tower roof, two i n the
lobby, and fou r that su rvey the area
around the b u i l d i n g . Fisk mon itors
t hese on a bank of ten screens con­
cealed beh ind a painting in his count­
i n g roo m . Duplicate sets of monitors
are hidden in his office and personal
qu arters.
Address: Fi fth Ave n u e a t 39th
Street.
Wilson Fisk, spice m e rchant and
entrepreneur, occupies the top two
floors of an attractive un named build­
i n g . The tower's height is variously
given as 51 and 53 stories. The latter
fig ure is correct, but the Kingpin en­
cou rages false est i m ates of the build­
ing's height, apparently i n order to
confuse enemies.
No outward signs of the owner's
crim inal activities mark the tower, but
six well-d ressed thugs su rreptitiously
guard the first-floor lobby. Four more
guard the penthouse lobby, and two
others flank the entrance to Fisk's of­
fices. These are very large, almost un­
f u r n is h e d , and u s u a l l y kept d a r k ,
except for t h e lamp over t h e Kingpi n 's
desk. Kingpin always keeps an emer­
gency gas m ask in the desk. A con­
cealed private el evator in the office
goes to the building's sub-basement,
which holds em ergency power gener­
ato rs a n d an escape t u n n e l to a
nearby su bway statio n .
Next to Fisk's office is a s m al ler
com panion office for the K i n g p i n 's
second-i n-co m m and, t h e Arranger.
Several polite, u n armed receptionists
work in an outer office. All office wal ls
are wal nut-paneled bulletproof con­
crete (Excellent material).
The· 52nd floor i ncl udes Fis k's per­
sonal quarters and exercise roo m , the
50
M I DTOWN
Firms of note in this area:
Metrobank (Park Avenue at 54th), a
subsidiary of Roxxon Oil Com pany.
The 55-story skyscraper, clad in g ray
granite, features an enormous lobby
decorated in classic Roman style. The
ceiling is 75 feet (five areas) h i g h .
Metrobank's branch office on the
U pper West Side was the head q uar­
ters of the Nth Com m a n d , the most
e lite operation of Roxxon's Covert Ac­
tivities Division. This g ro u p , including
the Nth Com mandos and Scavenger
the Celanese (45 stories), McG raw­
H i l l (51 stories), and Time & Life (48
stories) buildings, as wel l as m any
others. Radio City M usic Hall, home of
U nits, uses exotic technology to i nfil­
trate and subvert m ajor governments.
It once tried to project m any of Earth's
super h u m ans i nto alternate realities.
The Nth Comm and has relocated to
an u n revealed headquarters, and Me­
trobank's i nvolvement in its i llegal ac­
tivities remains u n revealed.
the famed dancing Rockettes chorus
l i n e , is here. So is the Museum of
Modern Art (known as MOMA), a ma­
jor collection devoted to all forms of art
t h e world's leading weapons contrac­
tors and industrial manufact urers. Its
princi pal headqu a rters are on Long Is­
land, m i les outside the New York city
they separate Maison Francaise from
the British Empire Building. A prome­
nade leads down to the Lower Plaza un­
der street level . The flags of the United
Stane International, formerly Stark
I nt e r n at i o n a l (floors 22-25 of t h e
Chemical Bank o f N e w Yo rk building,
Park Aven ue at 47th). Stane is one of
l i m its.
Shaw Industries, a diversified cor­
poration pro m i nent in steel , strategic
m etals, and n uclear power (G enera l
Motors building, Fifth Avenue at East
59th). Shaw formerly led the Hellfire
Club as its Black King.
The General M otors building is 50
stories tall and covered in white Georgia
marble. Shaw Industries' New York of­
fices occupy floors 39 through 42.
Rockefeller Center
Address: Between 47th and 52nd
Streets, and Fifth and Seventh Ave­
n ues.
Almost a city in itself, or at least a
small town, Rockefeller Center is a
com pl ex of 2 1 s kysc rapers a n d
smaller buildings covering 2 2 acres.
Nearly 65,000 people work here, and
another 200,000 visit each day. All the
buildings in Rockefeller Center are
l i n ked by an u nderground concourse
l ined with shops and restaurants. This
is a subway stop.
Its centerpiece i s the RCA Building
(30 Rockefeller Center), world head­
quarters of the com munications giant.
The 850-foot-tall building has 70 stories.
The lobby displays enormous Spanish
m u rals depicting man's progress.
Studios of the N BC radio and televi­
sion network occupy several lower
floors. Studio 8H hosts a popular com­
edy show broadcast live each Satur­
day night. Several years ago Marvel
Comics' Stan Lee hosted the show.
By coi n cidence, the villain called the
Si lver Sam u rai invaded the show on
t h at s a m e n i g h t . B u t S p i der- M a n
(who, as Peter Parker, was i n the audi­
ence) and the show's cast stopped the
Sam u rai from dOing much damage.
Rockefeller Center also includes
since 1 880, i n c l u d i n g photographs
and films.
The Channel Gardens i n front of the
RCA building are so named because
Nations fly here above a famous bronze
statue of Prometheus. Ice skaters prac­
tice in the rink here. At Christmas time
carolers give concerts in front of a huge,
brilliantly decorated tree.
A private street, Rockefeller Plaza,
leads to the RCA B u i l d i n g . It is closed
one day each year so that it keeps its
q ualification as private prope rty.
Roxxon Plaza
I m mediately west of the RCA Build­
i n g stands the enormous Roxxon
P l aza tower, h e a d q u a rters of t h e
wo r l d 's l a rgest o i l com pany-an d ,
some say, the world 's largest com­
pany, period . The entire 56-story (840foot) tower admin isters the company's
l a b y r in t h i n e h o l d i n g s aro u n d t h e
world. Most o f these are legitim ate
and honestly ru n , but Roxxon also en­
gages in many illegal or im moral activ­
ities u nknown to the general public.
Roxxon's many legiti mate activities
are too n u m erous to list here. Its crimi­
n al activities have included attempts
to suppress research i nto alternative
energy sources, l i ke Project: Pega­
sus; u nauthorized microwave trans­
m is s i o n s
from
a
h uge
radar­
camouflaged satellite called the Star
Well; the i l legal seizure of vibranium
on a small Atlantic island; and an at­
tempt to discredit the Wakandan gov­
e r n ment and its leader, the Black
Panther.
Former Roxxon president H u g h
J ones tried t o subvert t h e US Govern­
ment. Jones had become enslaved by
an ancient artifact called the Serpent
Crow n . He went insane and is now
confined in a mental hospital in up­
state New York. The Serpent Crown
has been destroyed.
51
-
The Brand Corporation
Ten floors and two of the six base­
ments in the Roxxon Plaza tower once
h o used t h e Brand Corporat i o n , a
large research s u bsidiary of Roxxo n .
Brand made Roxxon prom inent i n the
organic chemicals and pharmaceuti­
cals industries.
Brand's M utagenics Laboratory i n
Queens hel ped create or augment
m any super-powered h u m ans: Suntu­
rio n , M ad-Dog, Will O'The Wisp, and
many members of the second Serpent
Squad. For a time it e m ployed Hank
McCoy, the former X-M an known as
the Beast. At Brand's laboratories Mc­
Coy distilled what he called the chemi­
cal basis of h u m an m utation. When he
took a dosage of the chemical, he m u­
tated (further) into his cu rrent best i a l ,
blue-furred for m .
Brand also concealed Roxxo n 's
C overt Activ ities d i vi s i o n . W h e n
Sp ider-Man a n d W i l l O ' The W i s p ex­
posed these activities to public scru­
tiny, Roxxon covered up by closing
down the corporation .
Brand rem a i n s closed today. H ow­
ever, its offices have not been leased
to other clients, and the furniture has
not been removed. R u mors mention
lights being seen on those floors late
at night.
An obscure building on 51 st Street
near Fifth Avenue once housed the
large corporate law offices of Harry
Leland, Black Rook of the Hellfi re
C l u b . Leland d ied in battle with the
south of Centra'i Park provide homes
for t h e wel l-lo-do. One of these (West
58th near Aven ue of the Americas)
h arbors t h e studio loft of J o h n n y
Storm , the H u m a n Torcfil , and h i s wife
Alicia. The Torcl'! can exit the building
t h rough a cei ling skylight. Down the
block at street level is "Calories R
" Foggy" Nelso n .
G lenn Industries formerly rented of­
fices in the Celanese Building in Rock­
efeller Center. Daredevil uncovered
entries in this chapter for the Daily Bu­
g/e, the Em pire State B u i ld i n g , Four
Freedoms. Plaza, and SH IELD Head­
quarters.
OTH ER POI NTS OF
I NTE R EST
advanced Sentinel robot N i m rod. The
firm's facilities were taken over by a
larger firm controlled by the Kingpin­
the same firm that employs Franklin
evidence of corruption in the company
that led to its bankruptcy. Roxxon and
other corporations purchased Glenn
I n d ustries' assets.
Tru m p Tower (Fifth Aven u e and
56t h , on the east side of Tiffany's) i s a
bronze-mirrored skyscraper 58 stories
tall. I nside, its 6-story atri um features
many fashionable shops ch arging ex­
orbitant prices. E ntrepreneur Donald
Tru m p b u i l t it i n 1 983. Alternately
lauded as gorgeous and scorned as
garish , the tower is clearly a monu­
ment to somet h i n g , though no one
agrees to what.
M i dtown is not all busi ness. Some
res i d e n t i a l skyscraper apartments
52
Us," an Ice-cream place.
For further i n formation o n land­
marks of the M idtown area and the Fi­
nancial District, consult the Hotspot
CAM PAIGN USE
T h i s area i s what New York cam­
paigns. are really about: heroes flyi ng,
swi nging, o r leaping' between sky­
scrapers J1igh abOve thl!J streets. Com­
ics fans know the thrill of that contrast
between powerful , heroic individuals
and the awesome b u i ld ings of our
time.
So "Campaign Use" becomes re­
d undant. After all, virtually all urban
adventures, New York or otherwise,
feature these towers of industry as a
backdrop.
FO U R FRE E DO M S PLAZA
OVE RVIEW
The new headquarters of Fantastic
Fou r, Inc., stands on the site of the old
Baxter B u i ld i n g . When t h e Baxter
Bu i l d i n g was destroyed by Doctor
Doo m , Reed Richards and the FF built
a new and larger headquarters: Fou r
Freedoms Plaza.
Address: Lexington Ave n u e be­
tween 48th and 49th streets. For its lo­
cation, see the M idtown East m ap i n
this boxed set.
THE AREA
The FF's headqu arters IS In Mid­
town. For more informatio n , see the
previous Hotspot entry, "The F i n an­
cial District."
DESCRI PTION
Note : T h e b u i l d i n g t h at the
Fantastic Fou r uses as a headquar­
ters, Four Freedoms Plaza, was fi rst
described i n M A4 , The Fantastic Four
Compendium. M arvel Comics has re­
cently published an u pdate (The Offi­
cial Handbook of the MA R VEL
UN' VERS!='" Update '89, Issue #3)
.
which revises the information i n MA4.
The u pdated i nformation i s presented
here.
Fo u r F reed o m s P l az a was de­
s i g n ed by Reed R i c h ards , who i s
more popu larly k nown as M ister
Fantastic, the leader of the Fantastic
Four. The b u i l d i n g was constructed
under Rich ards' supervision by the
firm Damage Control and by workmen
associated with the original law en­
forcement agency known as SHI E L D .
Four Freedoms Plaza is a 45-story of­
fice building surmounted by the four­
story headquarters of the Fantastic
Four. Separating the two structu res is a
buffer zone of electrical and mechanical
equ i p m e n t
which
provides
a i r­
conditioning, power, and some other
functions for the Fantastic Four head­
quarters. I n cases of emergency, as, for
example, if the Fantastic Four's head­
quarters should be under attack secu­
rity mechanisms within the buff r zone
can seal the headquarters area off from
the rest of the building.
�
The entire building is made of non­
traditional construction materials. The
b u i l d i n g i s "wove n " fro m carbon
aramid thread ; hence, although the
walls are relatively thin, they are ex­
t rao rd i n a r i ly resi stant to d a m age
(Monstrous strength). The windows
are made of a carbon lattice which
most closely resem bles diamond . The
qu arter-inch thick wi ndows (Rem ark­
able strength) are i ntegrally woven
i nto place and are not removable.
Four Freedoms Plaza is a tall white
skyscraper. At the top of each face is a
gigantic n u meral 4 carved in wh ite
marble (Incred ible strength). The top
of the building is 53 areas h i g h .
Access to the Fantast i c F o u r 's
headquarters is gai ned from the fi rst
floor through elevators guarded by the
doorman, M r. O' Hoolihan , who per­
formed the same function for the
Fantastic Four at the Baxter Building.
The Fantastic Fou r carry special de­
vices in their belts that emit coded sig­
nals that open the elevator doors .
O t he rs see k i n g access to the
Fantastic Four's headqu arters m ust
request permission for entry through
O' Hooli han from the Fantastic Fou r
themselves. Visitors w h o are admitted
take an elevator up to the reception
roo m , which is attended by Roberta, a
robot receptionist constructed to ap­
pear h uman above the waist.
The upper structure of the building
.
I S a self-sustai n i n g , heavily armored
u n it which contains both the Fantastic
Four's headquarters and the i n d ivid­
ual members' l ivi ng q uarters. The up­
per structure makes extensive use of
comp uters, guard robots, and other
advanced devices to maintain secu­
rity. All i nterior doors are air-locks and
� re governed by a central housekeep­
I n g computer. This computer is part of
Reed Richards' main computer com­
plex. The upper structure contains
several m aj o r state-of-t he-art re­
search laboratories in various fields of
s c i e n c e for use by D r. R ic h a rd s .
Among t h e most noteworthy techno­
logical devices housed in the labora­
tories are the mechanisms permitting
entry into the Negative Zone and a d u­
plicate of Doctor Doom's time ma­
chine.
53
LJ_ - - - ,
The skies over Manhattan are less
crowded now that the Federal Aviation
Ad m i n istration has p r o h i bited t h e
Avengers a n d Fantastic Four from us­
Other Cities: With mi nor altera­
tions, Four Freedoms Plaza can serve
as a headquarters to an established
group of N PC heroes in the J udge's
c a m p a i g n . T h e p l ayer c h aracters ������ ----i--i1
m ight even adopt ele ments of the de­
u.�Y
sign for their own headquarters.
�,..Ji..-.-I
ing their downtown headquarters as
airports. Both teams now use their
launchpads on Avengers Island, for­
m e rl y Hydro-Base. Here t h e FF
launches its Pogo Plane and Intercon­
ti nental Passenger M issile. But FF
m e m bers still use Fo u r Freedo ms
Plaza for their smaller craft. On the top
floor, 53, is a h uge hangar for several
F a ntasti cars and Skycyc l e s . The
roof's w a l l s s l i de bac k d u r i n g
launches a n d landings.
The buffer zone (above floor 49) is
also a breakaway point. The old Baxter
Building was levitated into space on two
occasions. Reed Richards constructed
the new building so that in the event of a
future levitation, the upper stories will
separate from the foundation , leaving
the civilian quarters intact.
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EL[VAraA DOWN
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CAM PAI G N USE
Manhattan: P C heroes m a y visit
Fo u r F reed o m s P l aza to get t h e
Fantastic Four's h e l p with a difficult
scientific problem or to borrow equip­
ment. Even Doctor Strange has been
known to use Reed Richards' devices.
But the J udge should take care to
keep the players from relying over­
m uch on the FF's resources. The FF
can always say that they need the de­
vice t h emselves, or that it was j ust de­
stroyed in their last battle.
Players may also go to the Plaza to
help out in the Fantastic Four's ab­
sence. Some FF enemy has decided
to blow u p the building when they're
not there to stop h i m . If the PC heroes
foil the attempt, they earn a large favor
from the world's most popular super
g roup.
I\.1V
IUJt'I( . U:Ir'tICQALl.
000-0 l\Ir:H 'LOOIIIS
NPCs
people in their l ives, consult MA4, The
OOA
fM( fMlll e s
1I(:"" OIl((D
UctRCI$( A_A
The entire building is riddled with
one-i nch "travel tu bes" that let M ister
Fantastic travel quickly to any point in
the building. He simply "oozes" his
flexible body t h rough the narrow pas­
sage and along to his goal.
Fantastic Four Compendium.
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[' P
H E LLFI RE C LU B MAN SI ON
OVERVIEW
An old and prestigious upper-class
club, the Hellfire Club has another,
hidden purpose: its leaders want to
take over the world.
Address: 840 Fifth Avenue, be­
tween 66th and 67th Streets.
THE AREA
The U pper East Side is home to
many rich or well-heeled New Yorkers,
such as Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Ja­
meson, and was once home to many
more, such as M att M u rdock (Dare­
devil) and his law partner, Fran klin
" Foggy" Nelson.
Many foreign embassies or consu­
lates are located here as well. Along
one ten-block stretch of Madison Ave­
nue from 68th to 79th Streets are the
consulates for Greece, Burma, Leba­
non, France, Hungary, Tunisia, Austria,
Indonesia, and Italy, and the Wakandan
Embassy. The Latverian Embassy is
farther to the south, on Lexington Ave­
nue. All along these streets one sees
l i mousi nes illegally parked but left
unticketed-because they have "DPt..: '
(diplomat) license plates.
Yo rk Avenue, which runs north­
south to the east of First Avenue,
gives its name to the Yorkville neigh­
borhood, an extremely clean district in
otherwise filthy Manhattan. Here are
Rockefeller U niversity and Cornell
Medical Center, on the river between
63rd and 70th Streets.
DESCRIPTION
The name " ma nsion ," with its con­
notations of g randeu r and display,
seems an i nappropriate term for the
Hellfire Club's headq uarters-at least
as seen from the street.
The brick building (Good strength
walls) occupies the entire block, but it
is inconspicuous. Desig ned in New
York elite style, the building is only 30
feet (two areas) tal l . Its entrance is set
off from the street by a short, simple
flight of concrete steps. Beside the
white wooden door (of oak, Typical
strength) is a small bronze plaque
read i n g ,
"HELLFIRE
C L U B­
ESTABLISHED M DCCLXI I I ."
History
That date, 1 763, is when Sir Francis
Dashwood of London founded a gen­
tlemen's club devoted to debauchery,
black magic, orgiastic parties, and po­
l itical i ntrigu e . Its membership i n­
cl uded some of the most powerful
m e n of 1 8th-century England: the
Prime Min ister, the Lord Mayor of Lon­
don , bankers, admirals, poets, the
Archbishop of Canterbury's son , and
Benjamin Frankl i n . Author Dan iel P.
Mannix recounts the history of this
British branch of the club in his excel­
lent 1 959 book, The Hell-Fire Club.
Several key Hellfire Club members
emigrated to colon ial America and
started a new American Hellfire Club,
independent of and unaffiliated with
the British original. They occupied an
abandoned church on the present
site . The cu rrent building was con­
structed in 1 906.
Today, the Hellfire Club is widely
known as a respectable organization
for the rich and infl uential, pri ncipally
devoted to giving lavish parties. Most
people also realize that lots of busi­
ness gets done in whispered conver­
sations at those parties. But very few
are aware that the cl ub's I n ner Circle,
formerly the "Council of the Chosen,"
co nspi res to d o m i n ate the world
through economic power, politics, a
private mercen a ry army, and-in
many cases-mutant super powers.
Members of the cl ub's I n ner Circle oc­
cupy positions named after chess
pieces.
Inside the Club
Note: Complete
layouts of Hellfire
Club Mansion have not yet been re­
vealed. What follows is a reconstruc­
tion based on published accounts.
Later accounts may invalidate parts of
this description .
The Hellfire Club admits only mem­
bers and thei r guests, so the front en­
trance is kept locked , though the lock
is only of Typical strength. I nside the
door is a small foyer and cloakroom.
(Note the ordinary strengths. This is
true of the entire building. Nothing
about the mansion 's construction be­
trays that it is anything but an ordinary
social club.)
55
The interior decor is 1 8th-century
Colon ial, matching the senior mem­
bers' eccentric predilection for dress­
i n g in 1 8th-ce ntury g a rb d u ri n g
meetings. Walnut paneling, chande­
liers and candelabras of cut glass,
gaslight globes in wall sconces-all
project an air of obvious elegance, not
at all understated .
The mansion 's simple floor plan
gives pride of place to the great cen­
tral bal l roo m , a spacious carpeted
room over 1 20 feet (1 area) long and
40 feet wide. The ceiling is about 29
feet (2 areas) h ig h , reaching the roof
of the building. There is nothing above
the ceiling but electrical wiring.
Many elaborate doorways lead to
the ball room . The dominating feature
of the room is a palatial fireplace,
where a g reat fire blazes cheerily
every evening during wi nter months.
Rooms and Chambers
A hallway surrounds the ball room
on both floors of the building. On the
upper floor, it opens onto a sturdy
wooden balcony (Good strength) over­
looking the bal lroom. Along the outer
sides of the hallways on both floors,
public rooms and private chambe rs
are arranged .
Public rooms are all on the g round
floor. These include a large smoking
room , a n extensive library (with a
large selection of books that earlier
centuries deemed " indecent"), and a
dining room that seats 64. Next to the
d i n i n g room is a larg e and wel l­
equipped kitchen .
Two stai rcases and an elevator give
access to the second floor. Members
always refer to the 1 8 small cubicles
on this floor as "cham bers," as op­
posed to " rooms." The semantic dif­
ference is that "chambers" are for
private matters, w hether busi ness,
gambling, or romance. Each chamber
measu res 1 5 feet by 1 0, and each has
one rou nd tabl e , one chair, and a
wide, padded divan. Chambers are
soundproofed with Good material .
At the rear of the second floor, above
the kitchen, are the private rooms of the
Inner Circle. Two fully furnished bed­
rooms are available for the rare times
when leaders celebrate too heavily and
are unwilling or unable to drive home.
Between the bedrooms is an elegant
meeting room, where the Inner Circle
once held the X-Men captive.
The Basement
The mansion h as a basement with
concrete walls (Excellent strength),
accessible only from the kitchen on
the fi rst floor. This storage area is filled
with crates, contai n i ng mainly kitchen
and party s u ppl ies. A locked and
g u a rded base ment room holds a
small armory for the I n ner Circle's
mercenaries. Mercenaries h ave no
barracks, lockers, or lounge areas on
the premises, but often they hang
around the kitchen.
There was once another entrance
to the basement . . . from below,
through the sewers. Wolverine used
this to break i nto the mansion and res­
cue his fel low X- Men. The basement
floor had an i ron grate of Excel lent
strength, locked with a Remarkable­
strength lock. The round grate led to a
concrete access tunnel and down to
the sewers. The I n ner Circle used this
entrance to sm uggle i n mercenaries
and firearms. But after Wolverine's in­
vasion, the tunnel was filled i n with
concrete.
NPCs
peared to reform , and he had even led
the X-Men and the New M utants after
Professor Charles Xavier left Earth.
But Magneto later lost control of
both groups-the X-Men when they
were believed to have died, and the
N ew M utants when they learned Mag­
neto had not really reformed. Now
Magneto is trying to u nite other mu­
tants under the Hellfire Club's leader­
ship, in preparation for a forthcom ing
major conflict with h u man ity and with
other m utant factions-what he calls
"The M utant Wars."
Magneto's abil ities are also de­
scribed in MA1 , Children of the Atom.
Sebastian Shaw remains active as
the di rector of powerful S haw I ndus­
tries, a major corporation . (See the
World Trade Center and Stock Ex­
change entries in "The Financial Dis­
trict," earlier in this chapter.) Shaw has
vowed opposition to Magneto and the
rest of the Hellfire Club. Meanwhile,
Magneto h as allied covertly with the
Wh ite Queen, Emma Frost, to topple
the Black Queen, Selene, from power.
So the intrig ues continue.
CRIMES
For centu ries the Hellfire Club has
wielded its i nflue nce be h i nd the
scenes. I n that time it has comm itted
Com plete statistics for the known
members of the Hellfire Club's I n ner
Circle are given in MA 1 , Children of
the A tom. Club mem bers outside the
I nner Circle are ord inary (though infl u­
ential) people with Typical abi lities.
The I n ner Circle has seen many up­
heavals in recent months. The White
Bishop, m i n i n g magnate Donald
Pierce, was expelled after a botched
takeover attempt. Corporate lawyer
Harry Leland and jeweler Frederick
von Roehm, the Black Bishop and
Rook, died in battle with the advanced
Sentinel robot N i m rod.
Sebastian Shaw, for many years the
Black King, has recently been de­
posed by the m utant super-powered
villain Magneto. The new leader has
assumed the roles of both Black and
White K i n g , merging them as the
"G ray King."
Magneto assu med control of the
Hel lfi re Club as part of his long-term
strategy to u nite all m utants against
h uman ity. For a time M agneto had ap56
many crimes, without regard to moral­
ity or society's strictures. Most notori­
ous was the i r corruption of the
X-Men's Phoenix into Dark Phoenix,
through circumstances too involved to
recou nt here.
However, the Hellfire Club always
maintains a front of respectability,
their best weapon against prosecu­
tion. The general public remains un­
aware of their long-term plans, and
the Hel lfire Club leadership will do
anything to keep it that way.
CAMPAIGN USE
M a n h atta n : T h e H el l f i re C l u b
serves a s a powerful g roup o f villain­
ous types, and its Mansion as a villain
headquarters-with a twist. Its most
powerful armor is not in its walls, but in
public perceptions. No hero group can
afford the scandal of attacking a pros­
perous u ptown society club! Conse­
quences certainly include attacks in
the media, civil charges for damages,
and suspicion by police and other
super types. In the worst case, PC he­
roes might face cri m inal charges or be
outlawed by the City Council.
Other Cities: The Hellfi re Club is a
national o rganization . Meeting facili­
ties in other cities can follow the same
general plan .
H E L L'S KITCH E N
OVE RVI EW
The dirtiest, sleaziest, most cri me­
ridden neighborhood in New York City
is-we l l , a matter of debate. But one
of the chief contenders is the core of
the Lower West Side, Hell's Kitchen.
The neighborhood serves as a base of
operations for t h e vigil antes Cloak
and Dagger. For a time it was the spe­
cial preserve of its tireless protector,
t he b l i n d crimefighter Daredevi l .
T H E AREA
Hell's Kitchen is something over
1 1 0 blocks of tenements, factories,
g arag e s , ware h o uses, and docks .
The area is essentially the same as
the Lower West Side, with a slice of
Chelsea below it.
On a map, Hell's Kitchen is the area
west of N i nth Avenue to the waterfront
between 30th and 59th Streets, and
also the area west of Eighth Avenue
between 42nd and 58t h Streets. It
abuts on the Theater District to t h e
east a n d t h e U pper West Side t o the
nort h .
DESCRI PTION
H el l 's K i t c h e n i n c l udes t h e en­
trance to the Lincoln Tunnel (38th and
39th Streets, between N i nth and Tenth
Aven ues) and the J acob K. Javits
Convention Center, a m u lti-faceted
box of black glass on 1 1 th Aven ue be­
tween 34th and 38th Streets. At 8 1 1
Tenth Avenue is the New York Tele­
phone Company, a wi ndowless white
building. Any of these spots might
prompt a villai nous takeover attem pt .
But in general t h i s territory i s too
poor to attract b ig-league v i l l a i n s .
Most o f Hell's Kitchen consists o f rot­
ting tenements, no more than five or
six stories h i g h . Most bu ildings use
t h e s h odd iest m ate r i a l avai l a b l e
(Good material strength at best).
Although the h i g hest property val­
ues in the world l ie a m i l e to the south­
west, in Hel l 's Kitchen one fi nds many
vacant lots. Priced too high to sell ,
these serve a s tax shelters f o r the
wealthy.
As Matt M u rdock (Daredevil) put it,
" Hell's Kitchen is aching m uscles and
g rowl ing stom achs-ch i ld re n 's feet
on broken glass-hopeless laughter,
echOing across an em pty lot."
P u bli shed acco unts have shown
j u n kies deciding whether to eat or
sleep today; winos who clutch t he
bannister knobs of staircases as if
t hey were lifelines; and a Col umbia
University student who can't afford
rent and so sleeps in the back seat of
a j u n kyard automobile. His landlord,
an old m an named Vegas, sleeps in
the front seat.
This was the boyhood home of Nick
Fu ry. Matt Mu rdock was born here,
and until recently he lived here again
with his beloved Karen Page i n a spar­
tan one-room apartment on the top
floor of a five-story building on Tenth
Avenue. Not far away is the u n n amed
d i n e r owned by Bertha and Otto
Schnapp, where M u rdock worked as
a cook.
Across the neighborhood on Eighth
Avenue sits the Last Exit bar and pool
h al l-sometimes called " N o Exit" by
locals because of t h e dead-end
sleazes who patronize it. Though he
once relied on Josie's on the Lower
East Side, Daredevil m ade this bar h i s
n e w source o f contacts, snitches, and
grapevine messages.
T H E HOLY GHOST
C H U RCH
On 42nd Street off N i nth Aven ue,
next to a rundown hotel , stands t h e
i m posing Holy G host Ch urch, a struc­
t u re almost a century old. This church
serves as home base for the vigilantes
Cloak and Dagge r. They ordi narily
concent rate their cri mefighting activi­
ties in the Times Square area . (See
the "Ti mes Square" entry later in this
chapter.)
B u ilt in Gothic Revival style, the
c h u rch has seen much better days. It
was closed down when its most recent
priest, Father Francis Xavier Delgado,
went mad . He is now confined to an
asyl u m . Dagger's Un cle M i ke h as reo­
pened a section of the dusty church as
a com mun ity outreach center, open
Tuesdays and Fridays.
The 2 1 st Precinct
At 39th Street and N i n t h Avenue
stands the New York Police Depart­
m e n t 's 21 st P reci nct offices. T h e
ground floor holds t h e front desk, lock­
ers and desks for uniformed officers,
and a row of th ree holding cells. The
second floor has desks for the four de­
tectives who work any given sh ift and
the private office of Captain George
Petrovic.
P l a i n clothes
detecti ve
B rigid
O ' Reilly worked here before a n acci­
dent (and her unwilling all ies, Cloak
and Dagger) transformed her into the
tormented vigil ante Mayh e m . O' Reil­
ly's best friend and fellow detective,
Rebecca " Rusty" N ales, also works
out of t h is precinct.
DAREDEVI L I N H E LLS
KITCH EN
Daredevil was until recently a pros­
perous defense attorney in his secret
identity of Matt Mu rdock. M u rdock
owned a beautiful three-story brown­
stone i n the posh U pper East Side
(Madison Avenue, between 62nd and
63rd). A l awyer by day, a vigilante by
night, M u rdock was never bothered
by this contradiction.
His li fe began to fall apart, however,
when the assassin Bullseye killed the
woman he loved, Elektra N atch ios.
Mu rdock, on the rebound, pursued an
i l l-advised relationship with Heather
Gle n n ; Glenn later committed suicide.
M u rdock g rad u a l l y w i t h d rew i nto
paranoia.
Two years before, Karen P ag e ,
former secretary t o t h e f i r m o f Nelson
and M u rdock (and M u rdock's lover
and confidante), had left for Holly­
wood to become a movie actress. Her
career went sou r, to put it mildly, and
she wound up making stag fi l m s i n
Mexico. Addicted t o heroi n, she sold
M u rdock's secret identity as Daredevil
for a fix.
The secret was discovered by the
crime lord of New York, Wilson Fisk­
the Kingpi n. Determi ned not just to kill
his foe but to destroy him, the Kingpin
r u i n ed M u rdoc k 's li fe . He worked
t h rough a long chain of intermediaries
57
. _---- - -
--
--
-�=,,=
to avoid detection , since he believed
M u rdock only pretended blindness .
Fisk foreclosed on (and later blew u p)
M u rdock's h o m e , froze his assets,
and had him framed for malpractice.
M u rdock was barred from the prac­
tice of law; h i s part n e r, Fran k l i n
" Foggy" Nelson, in forestalling a prison
sentence, defended him so effectively
that the Kingpin later had Nelson hired
into one of his own law firms. (Nelson is
unaware of Fisk's role i n this, but now
suspects that the firm is not engaged in
legitimate business.)
P u rgatory
M u rd o c k ,
a l ready
u n st a b l e ,
cracked i n the ordeal . H e abandoned
his friends, and i n a paranoid delusion
he beat up a police officer. Though un­
wel l , he at least saw correctly that the
K i n g p i n was behind his proble m s .
M u rdock faced Fisk alone in t h e crime
lord's penthouse offices, where the
huge man beat him i nto u nconscious­
ness.
The Kingpin had M u rdock put in a
stolen taxicab and driven off Pier 41
into the East River. Only when the cab
was discovered weeks later did Fisk
fi nd t h at M u rdock had escaped.
Barely alive, M u rdock wandered
M a n h attan and finally gravitated to­
ward h i s boyhood home i n H e l l 's
Kitc h e n . A n u n named Maggie found
him on the brink of death and n u rsed
h i m back to healt h .
Born Agai n
I n M aggie's m ission for dru n ks and
derel ict s , M u rdock experienced a
spiritual reawake n i n g . Healed of his
i nj u ries, both physical and mental,
M u rdock took a job as a short-order
cook in a Hel l 's Kitchen diner.
The Kingpin had ordered the death
of everyone who had seen the enve­
lope conta i n i n g news of Daredevil's
secret identity. H is killers got every­
one but Karen Page, who fled to New
York seeking M u rdock 's hel p . After
many adventures, she and M u rdock
were re u nited , and they fell i n love all
over agai n . M u rdock held no g rudge
against her for sel l i ng his identity:
" I 've lost not h i n g ," he sai d .
But t h e Kingp i n , h i s victory over
M u rdock sto l e n , searched o b ses­
sively for his enemy. Through Army
connections Fisk brought the fanatical
super-killer N u ke to New York. (For
more about N u ke, see "N PCs," be­
low . ) Reaso ning that the area d raws
many refugees, Fisk sent N u ke i nto
H e l l 's Kitchen to draw Daredevil out of
hiding.
After N u ke inflicted catastrophic
d a m age and i n j u red m any by­
standers, Daredevil defeated h i m i n
batt/e. The Avengers took h i m into
federal custody, but N uke later es­
caped. To prevent further scandal, the
Army fatally wounded its own agent.
But Daredevil carried the dying N u ke
to his friend Ben U rich at the Daily Bu­
gle, and the resulting expose rui ned
the Kingpi n 's reputat i o n . Fisk has
been plotting revenge ever since.
Aftermath
M u rdock took up residence in H e l l 's
Kitchen, as happy in a studio loft as he
ever was in his three-story brown­
stone. As M u rdock he ran a free legal
clinic. As Daredevil he fought to clean
u p the neighborhood and protect its
c itizens from t h u g s , p reyi ng l and­
lords, and themselves. He broadened
his outlook and methods, and was not
above steali n g money from the King­
p i n 's operat i o n s to serve good
causes.
No l o n g e r a mysterio u s f i g u r e ,
Daredevil walked the streets, d r a n k i n
t h e bars, a n d became a n accepted
part of l ife in Hell's Kitchen. M u rdock
appeared less concerned than before
about protecting his secret identity,
and sometimes, outside his Free Le­
gal Clinic, did not bother to pretend to
be an ordinary blind man. (The King­
pin is sti l l u naware of D aredev i l 's
blindness .)
It is i m portant to note that the King­
pin doesn't want to kill Daredevil-at
least, not j ust that. He wants to corrupt
h i m . To Fisk, M u rdock represents the
idealism that Fisk wants to believe is
ill usory. The Kingpin also wants to tear
down everyt h i n g that M u rdock holds
dear, such as the legal system .
Recent Developments
Some of the Kingpi n 's plots wrought
great damage on M urdock. Karen
P age l eft h i m , and his l aw c l i n i c
closed . I n com b i n ation with t h e
stresses of the " I n ferno" crisis, these
events drove M u rdock out of Manhat­
tan altogether on a "vacation " of
sorts. Whether M u rdock will return to
H e l l 's Kitchen remains u n clear.
58
N PCs
Karen Page
Law c l i n i c administrator
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Ty
Ty
Ty
Gd Gd Ty
Ty
Health : 24
Karma: 26
Resources: Poor(4)
Popul arity: 1
With M u rdoc k 's help, Page over­
came her addiction. H eroin addiction
usually has sign ificant side effects on
health , notably kid ney damage, but if
Page has experienced any of these,
they have not been revealed.
Page is much healthier now. But
she relied, perhaps too heavi ly, on
Matt M u rdock as her emotional sup­
port a m id the corru ption of H e l l 's
Kitchen.
Appearance: 5'9" , 1 28 Ibs. M id-20s.
Long blond h a i r, attractive. Favors
deni m s and tank tops, but knows how
to dress well on the job (and on a
budget).
Talents: Secretarial and social work,
street sm arts.
Story Functio n : As any rom an t i c
interest-vict i m , hostage, information
source, confidante, and so on.
Nuke
"Agent S i m pson ," US Army sergeant
Assassi n and terrorist
F
AM (50)
Healt h : 1 40
A
IN (40)
S
EX (20)
Karma: 42
E
RM (30)
R
TY (6)
Resources: Ex(20)
I
EX (30)
P
TY (6)
Po p u l arity: See be­
low
Agent Si mpson was the only su rvi­
vor of the Army's almost two dozen at­
tempts to replicate the S u per-Soldier
expe r i m e n t t h at c re ated C a p t a i n
America. Code-named " Nu ke ," S i m p­
son was active only outside the U n ited
States, most recently against Marxist
republics i n Central America.
For most of his career, N u ke's exist­
ence was un k n own to the gen eral
public i n America, and his Popul arity
rat i n g was
After his rampage in
Hell's Kitchen , his Popularity dropped
to -20. The Army gravely wou nded
h i m before he cou'ld attack the Daily
Bugle, a n d h e soon d i e d of h i s
wounds.
A deranged fanatic, N uke rep re­
sented the dark side of patriotis m :
" My country right or wrong," i ntoler-
O.
ance, and blind obed ience to author­
ity. In battle he could lose track of real­
ity and return to the ti mes he freed
M IA soldiers in Vietnam . He hated the
p ress and a n y o n e who q u e st i o n s
America's absolute rightness in all
matters.
Appearance: H ugely m uscled, with
20
Street Irregulars," warning people of
i m pending t h reats or scouting out in­
formation.
the face of a hau nted mad m a n .
Rotgut watched too m uch TV a n d
read t o o m any n ews sto r i e s . H is
m o t h e r, a stern a n d u n b a l a nced
Baby Elmo
Bar fighter
F
A
S
Ex
Ty
Ex
Rotgut quotes the sayi ng, " By age
you have the face you were born
with ; by age 40 you have the face you
deserve." Now nearing 40, Rotgut has
blonde crewcut; wore army fatigues
(often bare to the waist). An American
flag tattoo covered N uke's face.
KNOWN POWERS:
woman, ind uced his early fixation on
stories of genetic i m pu rities, environ­
mental damage , food poisoni n g , se­
rial killers, cancer, and b i rth defects.
Drugs. Nuke used three kinds of cap­
sules to adjust his fighting efficiency.
Reds (amphetamines) gave him + 1 CS
in Fighting, Agility, and Endurance for
other words, everybody.
Rotgut turned the basement of his
apartment complex i nto a we i rd maze
of p l u m b i n g . He thought of it as the
Body Armor. N u ke's skin was rein­
forced with plastic, giving h i m Excel­
lent resistance to i nj u ry from blows,
fl ame or cold attacks, or projectiles.
turns. Whites (barbiturates) calmed
him and neutralized a Red's effects;
without a White to negate it, a Red left
Nuke with -1 CS Strength and Endur­
12
ance for 12 hours. Blues (sedatives) al­
lowed N u ke to relax and sleep; without
them, he had nightmares of combat.
Unique Weapon-" Betsy." This gi­
gantic s u b-machine gun held six LAW
rou nds and th ree Incendi ary M issiles.
N u ke used an LED counter on the side
of the weapon to count fatalities. Betsy
was made of Excellent material.
Air S u p port. N u ke had h e l i copter
bac k u p , piloted by an u nnamed Army.
colonel. The Battle Copter mou nted
two mach ine guns. (For stat istics, see
pages 43 and 49 in the Player's Book .)
Daredevil dest royed both c h o p p e r
a n d pilot in H e l l 's Kitchen .
Talents: N u ke had all Martial Arts and
m i l itary skills, and was a Weapons
Specialist with Betsy, receiving + 2
CS i n FEATs using it.
Weakness: N uke had Feeble Reaso n,
Int u ition, and Psyche vs. any attack or
appeal made on the basis of " patriot­
ism ."
Contacts: N u ke was a sergeant in the
U S Army.
Typical Dialogue: "They try to make
our boys feel ashamed . . . we should
never feel ashamed. G ive me a red ."
Rotgut
Real name un revealed
Lu natic k i l l e r
R
I
F
A
S
E
P
Gd Ty
Gd
Gd Ty
Ty
Ty
Ka rma: 18
Health: 36
Popularity: 0
Resources: Poor(4)
Rotgut became obsessed with " cut­
ting the disease" out of the rotting gut
of society-prostitutes, j u n k ies, and
ultimately every i m perfect person . I n
equivalent of the body's arteries. By
pumping poison into the building ' s
water supply, he would clean out all
the imperfection . Daredevil stopped
h i m , and Rotgut was last seen bei ng
carried away i n a straitjacket.
Appearance: H ulking albino Negro
with pale skin and white hair. Bulging,
t o r m e n ted p i n k eyes. Tw i n bone
ridges form a "V" on his forehead . 1 11 fitting navy suit, old shoes.
Ta lents: Blunt weapons, p l u m b i n g .
Rotgut has G ood resistance t o pai n .
Typical Di alogue: " I heard whis­
pered them aspi rin killers switched to
catsup. Or could be a conspiracy to
get co nsu mers to buy over-packaged,
over-w rapped p rod ucts so we use
more plastics-plastics can 't ever be
broken down, they never decay and
eventually strangle the planet. . . ."
Story Function: A villain who needs
to be t reated, not beaten up a n d
hau led t o t h e police station.
Darla, Eightbal l , and th e Fatboys
C h ildren 's gang
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Pr
Ty
Fe
Pr
Ty
Ty
Ty
Karma: 1 8
Healt h : 1 6
Resources: Poor(4)
Popul arity: 0
Appearance: Despite their name, the
kids i n this gang are mostly skin ny.
They' re all about 1 0 to 1 2. Darla has
long blond h a i r and an uptu rned nose.
E i g h t b a l l wea rs a footb a l l h e l m et
m uch too big for h i m .
Ta lents:
St reet
sm a rts ,
s kate­
board i n g .
Story Function: These kids some­
t imes worked as Daredevil's " Baker
59
E
Ex
R
Ty
I
P
Pr
Pr
Ka rma: 1 4
Health : 66
Resou rces: Typical(6)
Popula rity: 1
Appearance: B i g ! 6'7" , 300 Ibs. M us­
cular brute with t h i n n i n g , sandy brown
h a i r, lantern jaw, beetle brow, tattoos .
Wears leather vest , jeans with i ron
studs, and boots. Never says m u c h .
Talents: B a r fighting ( Martial Arts B ,
C, and E, Wrestli ng), drinking.
Typical Dialogue: None. Possibly
m ute.
Story Function: J o h n ny Storm , the
H u man Torch, went i nto a rough bar
searc h i n g for Daredevil d u ring one of
the adve nturer's absences. He picked
a fight with Baby Elmo and won­
barely. If PC heroes ever get into a
s i m ilarly stupid confrontation, Baby
Elmo will fight anything that moves.
CRI MES
Every conceivable kind of vice, cor­
ruption , and violence occurs in Hell's
Kitchen. The Kingpin has recently be­
g u n i n c reasing his organ ization there,
so crime is on the rise. But the area is
so poor that it m akes an unattractive
target for most vi llains-u nless the vil­
lains have some other motive than
robbery.
Conditions in Hell's Kitchen either
create lu natics o r attract them. C ra­
zies l ike Rotgut are a constant th reat.
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan: I f Daredevil sti l l lives i n
Hel l 's Kitchen i n t h e cam paign world,
heroes m ight go there to e n l ist his aid.
Otherwise, they m ight visit the area to
fight petty crime i n the s l u m s or on the
waterfront, or to attend a charity func­
tion.
Other Cities: Use the H e l l 's Kitchen
description for any s l u m a rea of the
cam paign city.
MARVE L COM ICS
OVE RVI EW
Marvel Comics is t h e largest Ameri­
can comics p u b l isher, in the Marvel
Universe as in our own . The differ­
ence is that i n the Marvel U niverse,
Marvel Comics cont racts di rectly with
the super heroes for the right to p u b­
lish (occasionally exaggerated) four­
color accounts of the heroes' actual
adventures .
Address: 387 Park Avenue South.
Note: This entry descri bes M arvel
Comics as it exists in the M arvel Un i­
verse, not (necessarily) as it exists i n
our own .
THE AREA
M arvel Com ics i s located i n a n in­
conspicuous office building i n M id­
town. For more information , see "The
Financial District" i n this chapter.
DESCRI PTION
T h e Marvel Comics "b ullpen" occu­
pies three floors of a nondescript 12story comm ercial building. The n inth
floor has the m ail room and shipping
facilities; the tenth is editorial ; and the
eleventh floor has the legal depart­
ment and executive offices.
The offices are small, the h al lways
long and narrow, but the walls are
plastered with colorful i l l ustrations
and autog rap hed posters of many
super heroes.
Office workers are h ardly less color­
fu l , but they're usually too busy p u b­
lishing m ag azines to chat. About 35
em ployees are on hand during work­
ing hours; o n e can usually find a few
workers around even at night, espe­
cially in the production department.
The atmosph e re is fre netic, hig hly
creative, and occasionally downright
crazy. Sounds of typewriters, photo­
copiers, and sc ream i n g paste-up art­
ists fill the a i r.
B u l l pen staffers i n c l ude editors,
production artists, advertising di rec­
tors, circulation managers, and other
business types. Writers, artists, and
letterers customarily work freelance,
outside the bullpen. But a few are al­
ways around looking for story confer-
en ces, p i c k i n g up checks or new
assignments, or pleading for deadline
extensions on old assign ments .
Comics i n the Marvel Universe
In the M arvel Un iverse, super-hero
c o m i cs are p u b l is h ed t h ro u g h l i ­
censes with the heroes themselves.
The comics depict their subjects' ac­
tual adventures. For example, M arvel
publ ishes a Thing comic app roved by
Ben G ri m m-though he h as more
than once taken um brage (to put it pa­
l itely) at the bullpen's exaggerated
ch ronicles.
Oth er c o m i cs p u b l i s h ed in t h e
Marvel Un iverse star the Fantastic
Four and the Avengers of both coasts
(both i ndividually and as groups). The
company has experi mented with a
Spider-Man title, but scathing editori­
als in the Daily Bugle made this a fail­
u re. Some M a rvel editors have
proposed doing a comic book based
on the mutant group known as the X­
Men-but so far executives have ve­
toed t h i s , because of anti-m utant
hysteria and because they are unsure
the idea h as commercial potential.
Marvel h as also licensed comics ad­
aptations of pop u l ar movies, such as
200 1 : A Space Odyssey, and of fic­
tional works (such as those based on
the works of Robert E. Howard). A few
com ics in the Marvel line are not li­
censed, either because they are com­
p l etely f i ct i o n al o r because t h e
character depicted h a s no legal rig hts
or is believed not to exist (such as the
H u l k or Dracula).
These comics differ from the Marvel
com ics of our own world. The heroes
are never shown in secret identities,
of course. Whenever c ri m i n a l acts by
villains are show n , editors carefully
preface the depictions with legal dis­
claimers, to stave off libel lawsuits by
the villains' lawyers. And si nce they
really happened , the stories are pre­
sented as j o u r n a l i s m , with careful
documentation of dates, p l aces, and
sometimes witnesses. Most M arvel
staffers are rel uctant to invent any de­
tails . . . especially si nce they saw
what Ben Grimm did to the last artist
who exaggerated.
Apart from the Thing, the heroes
60
seldom give m uch thought to the com­
ics depicting their adventures. In fact,
Reed and Sue Richards never even
bothered to send a wedding i nvitation
to the creators of thei r comic. The cre­
ators tried crashi n g the reception any­
way, but never got past the front door.
N PCs
A J udge can pick these from the
masthead of any Marvel com i c . BUll­
pen staffers h ave mostly Typical abil­
ity r a n k s , but t h e i r R e ason a n d
Intuition range from Good t o I ncredi­
ble. Ed itors are a m u lti-talented lot
and have contacts with most respect­
able super heroes.
CRI MES
The I m possible Man once i nvaded
the M arvel offices. The fu n- lovi n g
alien dem anded that t h e bullpen pub­
lish a comic devoted to h i m . After he
t h reatened t h e m w i t h re pl icas of
Tho r's h a m m e r, Captain America's
shield, and Iron M an 's repulsor rays,
staffers reluctantly agreed. But when
the I mpossible Man disappeared, so
did plans for the issue. (For more in­
formation, see
Fantastic Four #176).
CAMPAI G N USE
Manhattan: For an offbeat, come­
dic adve nture, a J u dge can send
player-ch a racter h e roes to M arvel
Comics, either to negotiate a contract
for a comic series or to protest an un­
flattering depiction in an existi ng se­
ries. Royally fees, thou g h smal l , can
help a hero in financial straits.
Other Cities: A Judge can postu­
late that Marvel has opened branch
offices in another location to publish
adventu res based on the events of the
campaign .
I
M ETROPOLI TAN M U S E U M OF ART
OVERVIEW
America's greatest ar. museum is
"the Met," the l argest builJing in Cen­
t ral Park. H e re N ew Yorkers view
priceless canvases and artifacts. And
occasionally villains see something
worth heisting.
Address: Fifth Avenue, across from
East 82nd Street in Central Park.
THE AREA
See "Central Park" in this section.
The M useum faces the Upper East
Side, a prosperous residential and
cultu ral district. See the inside cover
of the Adventure Book for detailed
maps of the building.
DESCRIPTION
Founded in 1 870, the Metropolitan
M useum of Art moved to its current lo­
cation in northern Central Park i n
1 902. I t has 400,000 items a n d i s , af­
ter London and Leningrad , the third
largest museum in the world. The Met
attracts four mil lion visitors a year.
The museum is open from 1 0 AM to
5 PM Tuesday through Sunday, but is
closed Monday.
The Collection
The main part of this very large
structure is of g ray Indiana limestone
(Excellent strength). A mere 1 00,000
pieces, a q uarter of the m useu m 's col­
lection , are on display at any one time
i n over 230 galleries. Descriptions of
the Met's contents could fill this book,
and have already filled many books
that the J udge can obtain at the local
li brary. Suffice it to say that whatever
cou ntry, culture, Ot period the art lover
is looking for, the Met h as representa­
tive artwork.
Highlights of particular interest i n
super-heroic adventures include the
country's largest collection of arms
and armor (main floor)-n ine g alleries
f u l l of firearm s , bows, hel mets,
shields, and a Knight's H all with many
standing suits of plate armor;
the Temple of Dendur (Sackler wing,
next to Arms & Armor on the main floor),
a complete Egyptian temple moved
from its site on the Nile during the con­
struction of the Aswan Dam;
Pottery shards, jewels, amphorae,
and other artifacts of Hyborea, the an­
cient civilization that thrived just after
the sinking of Atlantis;
I slamic i l l u m i n ated m a n u scripts
from the 1 2th Century and later (third
floor)-perhaps one of these is a de­
sirable magical text?;
and on the fi rst floor, the Costume
I nstitute. This area displays special
exhibitions of clothing and accessor­
ies from ages past. Since the advent
of super- h u man crimefig hters, the
Costume Institute has expanded its
collection to include replica costumes
of many famous adventurers, such as
C aptai n America, seve ral other
Avengers (including three versions of
the I ron Man armor), the Fantastic
Four (old and new costumes), and
Doctor Doom. The FF costu mes are
made of Reed Richards' patented un­
stable molecules, but otherwise the
Costume I nstitute's uniforms do not
retain the properties of the originals.
PC heroes can get involved in a Met
adventure by donating repl icas of
their costu mes to the I nstitute in a
public ceremony.
CRIMES
M useum thefts rank among the
most am bitious crimes ever at­
tempted. The buildings usually main­
tain state-of-the-art security systems.
And the thefts, if successful, gain wide
publ icity, often far beyond what mere
dollar values of the stolen goods
would merit.
What's more, fencing a stolen can­
vas is a delicate and peri lous opera­
tion . U n less the th ief finds a
mil lionaire collector who just wants to
lock away the item in a private vault, it
is almost impossible to get anything
l ike what the piece is worth on the
open market.
This means when someone tries to
rip off the Met, he's usually in the big
leagues-either a super villain or an
em ployer of super villains. And the
prize must be priceless. Otherwise the
villain would just rob a bank and use
the money to buy the item .
61
CAMPAIGN USE
A m useum adventure serves two
main purposes. First, it introduces a
l ittle culture into the l ives of heroes
who often think about nothing except
pu nching bad guys. Player characters
can meet new people, perhaps ro­
mantic i nterests or academic con­
tacts. Or they may go there to
rendezvous with informants who like
to show off their breeding.
Second, a battle in the Met forces
these slam-bang heroes to think about
property damage. They can 't j ust
knock the villain through a couple of
walls when the walls are hung with
treasures by Rembrandt and Picasso.
To fight a bad guy in the Met, the he­
roes h ave to rely on sh rewd tactics
and brai n power instead of brawn­
just like real M arvel heroes.
Manhattan : Heroes may be visiting
the Met in their secret identities, at­
tend ing the opening of a new exhibit
(the villain's target). Or they could be
there in h e ro I D , as h i g h-profile
guards. A hero's friend or lover could
be an em ployee at the m useu m , an art
student, or j ust a tourist. The friend
gets taken hostage in the villai n 's
heist, and the hero has to undertake
yet another rescue.
Other Cities: Few cities can boast a
m useum this large, but smaller ones
serve the same story fu nction. Also,
much of this description works for the
other major museums in the world­
the British M useum in London, for ex­
ample, the Louvre in Paris, or the
Hermitage in Leningrad. Only the lay­
out and some of the most famous
pieces need be changed.
S H I E LD H EADQ UARTE RS
OVE RVIEW
S HI E L D Central, the World Head­
quarters of SH I E LD (Supreme Head­
qu arters I nt e r n a t i o n a l E s p i o n a g e ,
Law-enforcement Division) is i n lower
Manhattan. Though the agency re­
cently disbanded,
the
bu ilding
remains-and is occasionally active
in its own right.
Address: 1 9th Street, between Ave­
nue of the Americas and Seventh Ave­
nue.
S H I E LD agents, carefully picked for
attractive appearance and low in itia­
tive. They knew nothing of great i m­
portance to S H I E LD-but j ust t h e
same, they wore bulletproof vests in
public (Good Body Armor), and the of­
fice walls and windows were armored
(Excellent material strength).
Though it served its purpose, the
public HQ was not a brilliant exercise
in public relations. Clearly it never
fooled
the
vil lainous
agencies
S H I E LD batt l ed , si nce th ese foes
never bothered to attack �his outpost.
TH E AREA
S H I ELD Central
S H I E LD's public headqu arters is i n
S H I E LD 's private headquarters oc­
Midtow n . For a description of t h e Mid­
cupies an u n marked 28-story office
town area, see "The Financial Dis­
building in the most anonymous sec­
trict" Hotspot listing, earlier in this
tion of Chelsea. This headquarters,
chapter.
l i ke the public front, has closed . But
S H I ELD's private headqu arters is i n ' -for convenience, and for Judges who
Chelsea, a district of fine residential
have not yet disbanded S H I E LD in
h o u s i n g and bord e r l i n e s l u m s , of
their campaigns, the building is de­
good rest au rants and r u n down
scri bed here in the present tense.
streets. The polite term is " a transi­
The bui lding has its own pipeline to
tional area." For more about Chelsea,
the H udson River, its own pu rification
see Chapter 2.
center ( a m o n g the most heav i l y
guarded locations i n t h e bu ildi ng) and
sewage syste m , two i n dependent
v
e n t i l at i o n syst e m s , a n d its own
DESCR I PTION
power
supply-an early version of
Public Headquarters
S H I E LD 's Power Core. (The nature of
S H I E LD mai ntai ned a public head­
the Power Core has not been re­
qu arters in Citicorp Center (53rd and
vealed, but it resem bles a magnetic
Lexington) , the fourth tal lest bu ilding
cylinder contai n i n g an ongoing fusion
in New York. Unt i l a few years ago it
reaction. S H I ELD used the Core to
was located several blocks north , be­
power its Helicarrier.) All of these utili­
tween 59th and 60t h ; however, an ac­
ties are protected by the most sophis­
c i d e n tal f i re i n a nearby b u i l d i n g
ti
cated anti-sabotage devices i n the
persuaded S H I E L D adm i nistrators to
world.
move south to safer quarters.
The public headqu arters occupied
a suite on the sixth floor. It inc luded a
dozen offices cl ustered around a cen­
tral secretarial pool, plenty of file cabi­
nets and bul let i n boards containing
nothi n g im portant, and a small sound­
proofed theater. There tou rists could
view
the
p u b l ic relations
film
" S H I ELD: Working for a Safer World ."
Afterward they could engage in a brief
q uestio n-and-answe r sessi on with
Colonel N ick Fury, S H I ELD's d irector.
(This was actually Fu ry's Life Model
Oecoy, a l ifel ike android.)
T h e p u b l i c headq u a rters was
staffed by three dozen lightly trained
Entrance
The bu i l d i ng has a conventional
front entrance. Looking through the
glass door, a passerby sees only a
desk with a security guard, and be­
hind the g uard a ban k of elevators.
But the elevators are fakes; the front
entrance leads n owhere.
Those i n the know drive their cars
i nto a dead-end brick wall at the end of
an al ley next to the b u i l d i n g . The
wall-actually a hologram, a three­
dimensional pict u re-conceals (with
I n cred i b l e abil ity) the e n trance t o
S H IELD's huge u nderground parking
62
garage . (A real w a l l of E x c e l l e n t
strength slides out t o block t h e e n ­
trance i n bad weather a n d emergen­
c i e s . H id d e n automatic devices
retract t h e wall when veh icles ap­
proach.)
I n the garage, voice analyzers and
retinal scanners identify all visitors. If
S H I E L D com puters cannot identify a
viSitor, alarms sound in the nearest se­
cu rity post, and two security agents
appear in one turn.
Garage walls are reinforced con­
crete (Excellent strength) . A l ift-t ube
and one emergency staircase provide
the only access from the garage to the
buildi n g .
T h e M a i n Building
On the 28 floors above ground level,
wide wal kways su rro u n d an enor­
mous atri u m . This empty space rises
to the ceili n g , which is a skyl ight of
bulletproof glass. Non descript offices
and meeting rooms fill each leve l .
Computer termi n als give n o access to
high-security data.
The main leve l , twice as tall as
those above, holds emergency defen­
sive weapons, security robots, and a
heavy-duty disposal cham ber.
This large roo m , a featureless floor
covered by a shallow dome, destroys
scrap metal, broken equipment, and
debris. The chamber uses un known
methods, probably a combination of
high heat and ultrasound, to inflict Un­
earthly damage per turn on anything
in side until it is vaporized .
Safety switc hes, clearly marked in­
side the dome, instantly shut off all
equipment and open the si ngle hatch­
way. This al legedly prevents people
from being trapped and hurt i nside.
But the switches can be overridden ,
a s N i c k Fury fou nd out (see "Crimes,"
below).
F u ry escaped destru ction in t h e
ch a m b e r by l e a p i n g t h r o u g h t h e
room 's only other opening, a n iris door
leading to a waste-r unoff chamber.
This door closes a fraction of a second
before the chamber's weapons acti­
vate, and provides com plete protec­
tion for anything or anyone inside.
The rest of the 28 floors pass as any
m undane office building. But d u ring
into an atrium from above collides pain­
lessly with invisible force fields situated
at every tenth story. The fields safely
shunt the object to a walkway.
Lower levels 1 -30 include agents'
quarters, computer rooms, file rooms,
routine labs, storage, and the gigantic
conference chambers where Nick Fury
contacts SHIELD's ruling Council.
The bottom levels contain the
advanced
labs
and
research
S H I E LD 's most secret projects. Also
here is the ESPer Division, the small
but useful bureau of psychically tal­
ented agents.
Lift-Tubes
most worki ng hours, except when the
building is under attack, the bottom
floor slides back to ventilate the true
headquarters. And there is noth ing at
all m undane about this one.
Lower Levels
The staggering truth : S H I ELD Cen­
tral headq uarters extends over two
m iles straight down i nto the Earth.
The agency's research projects re­
quired this incred ible depth for safety
and security. No surveillance device
can penetrate the lowest reaches of
the headquarters. And should som e­
thing go wrong i n the research labs,
not even an atomic bom b explosion or
an accident with the fabulous Power
Core could damage the city above
(much).
S H I ELD Central h as 732 u nder­
ground levels. N aturally, this is a viola­
tion of city b u i l d i n g codes (an d ,
almost, of n atural law), s o the extent of
the headquarters is classified . During
the HQ's construction , engineers tun­
neled into an adjacent subway route
and removed the excavated dirt of all
those basements with trains camou­
flaged as subway cars.
Basement walls are reinforced conThe
crete in the upper half mile (Excellent
strength), and graph ite- wh isker alloy
below (Remarkable strength). To pre­
vent water leakage-since Manhattan
is, after all, an island-the building
walls include an eighth-inch thickness
of adamanti um (I ncredible strength) in
the upper m ile of floors. Fog is a prob­
lem, but fog condensers capture the
moisture and recycle it i n the build­
ing 's vast plumbing system .
Presumably such a deep building
could con nect with Subterranea, the
colossal network of caverns beneath
m ost of the worl d . But si nce ac­
cessways from S H I ELD H eadquarters
would lead to the domain of the Mole
M an and Tyran nus, this has not been
revealed.
Most of the 732 u nderground levels
are not ful l-fledged floors, but merely
access areas for the lift-tu bes and util­
ities. Only the top 30 subsurface
levels and the bottom 5 are of any real
size. These square floors su rround
central open-air atria, in the manner of
the floors above the su rface. Each
level measures 4 areas by 4, with the
central gap (for simplicity's sake) 2 ar­
eas by 2 .
Anything o r anyone that falls down
63
These rapid-transit plexiglas tubes
transport agents among the head­
quarters' many levels. Evidently they
move only up and down, but S H I E LD
technology is certainly up to elevators
that move sideways as well . A lift-tube
stands nearby (within 1 area) at al­
most any point in the building.
Lift-tubes transport up to four people
at a time at up to 1 5 stories per turn. The
tubes are Good strength material, and
the platforms are Excellent strength.
The means of propulsion, though un­
known, appears to be based on anti­
gravity (as is the Helicarrier).
No regular lift-tube runs the entire
depth of the headquarters. Most run
from the top floor to the 30th base­
ment l evel . For sec u rity reason s ,
agents traveling t o t h e lower levels
must switch tubes at level 30 and
again at level 728 .
A bank of 1 2 emergency lifts runs
from 732 straight up to ground level, but
using these sounds an alarm at every
security post in the building. Also, once
activated, the tubes go up until they
reach the ground floor and release their
passengers; only then do they return
below for more. The emergency lifts
hold 1 2 people apiece, and can travel at
up to 1 00 stories a turn, fast enough to
black out anyone who fails to make a
yellow Endurance FEAT Roll.
N i ck Fu ry Vs. SHIELD
What caused SHIELD to disband?
The answer l ies in the agency's earl i­
est history and its most advanced
technology.
Early in S H I ELD's career, before
N ick Fury became its d irector, agency
b i o e n g i neers d eveloped t h e L i fe
Model Decoy, a realistic android. The
LMDs performed dangerous mai nte­
nance jobs in S H I ELD's headquarters
and aboard its Helicarrier and space
station.
One LMD, for un known reasons,
was constructed with an accidental
defect: cu riosity. The android discov­
ered the L M D laboratories that had
created it. This android kil led the lab
supervisor, took his place, and cre­
ated a duplicate L M D to take over its
own menial duties. Then the android
played into its memory the contents of
m any " personality tapes," S H I E L D 's
recordings of the mental abil ities of its
agents and enem ies.
Armed with the memories and tal­
ents of these g reat i ntellects, the an­
d ro i d resolved to e x p a n d on i ts
origi n al programming: mainten ance
of, not just a reactor cham ber or a fur­
n ace , but of the entire world. To this
end the android decided to take con­
trol of Earth.
With t h e perso n a l i ty of Baron
Wolfgang von Struc ker, founder of
HYDRA and its offshoot A I M , the an­
droid infiltrated and finally controlled
these villainous organizations. With
the fi nancial savvy of Tony Stark, the
android acqu i red a controlling interest
in Roxxon Oil Company. Using these
titanic resources, the android at l ast
began to take control of S H I ELD itself,
as a step toward total world control.
He built his own servants, more an­
d roids that he called " E ncoders," and
organ ized them through a religion that
m ade him their spiritual leader. Mean­
while, he used S H I E L D 's own ESPer
division of psi talents to search the
m i nds of all S H I E L D 's m e m bers.
Through them he located candidates
for Delta.
The Delta Project
The android yearned to achieve
true hu manity. Toward that end, he de­
veloped the LMD process, refined it,
and finally created a true life form . . . a
parasite that drained the form and
identity of its victi m , replaci ng it with
an emotionless " Deltite."
For the early Delta p rocess, the an­
droid req u i red S H I ELD agents who
rarely questioned authority, loved or­
der,
and
l acked
i n iti ative a n d
i magi n ation . A s desig ned by N ick
Fu ry, SH I E LD 's organization unwit-
ti ngly encouraged just this type of
agent. The android kidnapped plenty
of suitable candidates and turned
them i nto Deltites.
As he refined the Delta process to
m ore accurately simulate hum an be­
ings, the android replaced more of
SH IELD with his dupl icates: the Coun­
c i l , m ost of t h e agents , even
command-grade officers l i ke Jimmy
Woo, L a u ra B r ow n , a n d J asper
Sitwel l . But the android discovered
t h at his new Deltites aged rapidly.
They could undergo the Deltite proc­
ess again and be rejuvenated . . . yet
each rejuvenation d rained more per­
sonal ity, memories, and feeli ngs from
the Deltite duplicate.
The Deltites needed a stabilizing
agent, a chemical that retarded aging.
Only one compound filled their needs:
the Infin ity Formula.
The I nfinity Formula
D u ri n g World War I I , Sergeant Nick
Fury was wounded in a French m i ne­
field while tryi ng to elude a N azi pa­
tro l . The French U n derground found
Fury and took him to a local doctor,
Professor Sternberg . The doctor
patched F u ry together, but he also
used the war hero as an unwitting
gu inea pig for his experimental age­
retardi n g seru m .
After the war Sternberg extorted
large amou nts of m oney from Fury for
annual " booster shots" of the serum.
Without this I n f i n ity Form ula, F u ry
would age 60 years overnight; with it,
he could l ive in definitely at the peak of
health. In the m id-1 970s, another of
Sternberg's "cli ents," casino owner
Steel Harris, m u rdered the doctor for
his form ula. Harris then tried the same
extortion schem e on Fury.
Harris died in a struggle with Fu ry,
but S H I ELD agent Countess Valentina
Allegro de Fontaine found and res­
cued the Form ula. Fury has used it
ever since. Whether Sternberg had
other "clients" is un know n ; presum­
ably they have all aged and died as
Harris did.
The Deltites tried to dupli cate the In­
finity Formula but were u nsuccessful.
The compound was chemically unsta­
ble, and it mutated in Fu ry's body.
Therefore, the Deltites requi red Fury
himself, and the Formula in his veins.
Discovering some details of the an­
droid's plot, F u ry ran . A fugitive from
64
his own agency, Fury evaded p u rsuit
for some ti me. But at last the Deltites
l u red h i m to S H I E L D 's orbital space
station, where they meant to kill him
so that they could live forever.
The Final Confrontation
One of their own n u m ber proved to
be the Deltites' downfall . They had
t u rned Clay Quartermai n , generally
viewed as the ideal S H I E LD agent,
into the most advanced Deltite yet. He
achieved so much human ity, in fact,
that he came to regard the Delta plan
as barbaric and i n h u m a n .
Quartermain sabotaged t h e space
statio n , destroyi ng it, hi mself, the an­
droid, and all his Deltites. Since the
android claimed to be the power be­
h i n d S H I E L D 's rival organizations,
H Y D R A and A I M , pres u mably the
cores of those organ izat i o n s per­
ished, too. Fury and h is rem aining
loyal S H I E LD agents escaped.
When they reported the evidence of
S H I ELD's treason , the U n ited Nations
passed Resolution 487:
" It is decided that S H I E L D , having
proved to be a m ajor international se­
curity risk, be i m mediately disbanded .
All operations shall be termi nated, in­
stallations neutralized . All rem a i n i ng
personnel are to be debriefed and dis­
ch arged ."
Fury reorganized a new S H I E L D of
sorts, qu ite u n l ike the old one: an elite
group of a few trusted companions,
such as his World War \ I buddies Tim­
othy " D um D u m " Dugan and G abe
Jones. They have taken it upon them­
selves to close down each of the sepa­
rate S HI E L D headquarters for good .
N PCs
Colonel Nick Fury
Former S H I E LD Public D i rector
F
A
E
S
R
I
P
In
Ex
Gd
Rm Ex
Ex
Gd
Karma: 50
Health: 1 00
Resources: Am(50)
Popularity: 50
This is an abbrev i ated l isti ng of
F u ry's abilities. For a com plete de­
scripti o n , co n s u l t M U 2 , Gamer's
Handbook of the Marvel Universe.
N ick Fury feels remorse and guilt at
S H I E LD 's downfall. The android 's plot
was succeed i ng o n l y because of
Fu ry's own m i stakes in organ izing
S H I ELD, and Fury lis well aware of
t h a t . Now he t r i e s to ato n e for
S H IELD's excesses by wiping out its
rem n ants.
KNOWN POWERS:
Body Armor. Kevlar vest, Typical ver­
sus physical attacks, Poor versus fire.
Weapons. N e e d l e g u n : Exc e l l e nt
damage (Edged Throwing col u m n),
range 6 areas, 300 rounds. Made of
Excellent materia l .
F u ry also uses machine and force
pistols.
Reduced Aging. Fury's aging rate is
reduced by a factor of 5 .
Talents: M i litary, Espionage, Leader­
ship, M arks m a n , First Aid , Martial Arts
A, B, D, E, and Wrest l i n g . Pilot of air­
craft and spacecraft. Demolitions ex­
pert, ( + 1 CS on explosives m atters).
Contacts: Close ties with Captain
America, Mockingbird, other Aveng­
ers, the hig hest levels of the US Gov­
ern ment, and m any other national
governments.
Ty pical Dialogu e : "Come o n , ya
goldbrickin' louse! You t h i n k I got all
day? Get me that sub-ionizer or in five
seconds we 're all gon n a be toast ! "
Clay Quartermain
R
I
P
S
E
F
A
Ex
Gd Ty
Gd
Gd
Gd
Gd
Healt h : 46
Karma: 30
Resources: Ex(20)
Popu larity: 2
Perhaps the finest S H IELD agent in
t h e ra n k and f i l e , Q u arte r m a i n
showed n o leaders h i p ability but oth­
erwise excelled in every pursuit. For a
ti me he traveled with Rick Jones and
Bruce Banner, alias the H u l k . I n that
t i m e , h i s i n d e pe n d e n t nature pro­
du ced frict i o n w i t h t h e corr u pt
S H I E LD leaders h i p . T h i s k e pt the
Deltites from encod i n g h i m until the fi­
nal phase of their prog ram , when their
technology reached its peak.
Appearance: 6 ' 1 /1 , 1 75 Ibs. Tal l , m us­
cul ar, handsome blo nde man. Wide
grin and somewhat headstrong man­
ner.
Talents: M i l itary, First Aid, Detectivel
Espionage, M artial Arts A, B, and E ,
Wrestl i n g , M arksman. Quarte rmai n
was also an excellent com bat driver
and could p ilot ai rcraft.
Deltites
F
A
S
E
R
P
Pr
Pr
Gd Ty
Ty
Gd Ty
Health : 32
Karma: 1 4
Popu larity: 0
Resources: Ex(20)
Ap peara n c e :
L i ke t h e S H I E L D
agents t h ey were recruited fro m .
Lower-level Deltites wore mon k- l i ke
brown robes and often carried 7-foot
wooden staffs (Good stren gth). The
Deltites had access to all conventional
S H I ELD equipment.
Ta lents: Varied . All S H I ELD agents
had M i litary, Fi rst Aid, and Detectivel
Espionage talents, and retained them
as they were encoded.
CRI M ES
When S H I ELD disbanded, agents
abandoned S H I E LD Central in Man­
hattan , as wel l as the many other of­
fi cess arou nd the wo rld . B u t t h e
headquarters d i d not remain empty
for lon g .
When Fury a n d his new SH I E LD
group tried to use a computer virus to
wipe the memory banks at S H I ELD
Central, the headquarters attacked
them. Cargo robots chased t h e m , and
the disposal chamber (see above) al­
most fried Fury when he couldn't work
the overrides.
Captain America hel ped Fury and
h i s friends escape. The Ave n g e r
guessed accurately that the super­
crim i n al Machinesmith, who can con­
trol robots and com puters, had occu­
p i ed S H I E LD C e n t r a l . Whet h e r
M achi nesmith still controls the build­
ing remains to be seen.
(For Machinesm ith's statistics, con­
sult MU2, Gamer's Handbook of the
Marvel Universe.)
CAMPAI G N I N G
S H I ELD
I n the cam paign world, the J udge
can decree th at S H I E L D h as d is­
banded "offstage" ; run the downfall
of S H I ELD as an adventure for the
p l ayer c h a racters; or even keep
S H I ELD i ntact, though this deviates
from the estab lished Marvel Un iverse.
Each option offers different campaign
possibilities.
Offstage Collapse: The PC heroes
follow developments in the newspa­
pers or via high-level contacts. Nick
Fury m ight en list their aid i n closing
down a S H I ELD base (and perhaps
M achi nesm ith has taken over that
one, too?). Renegade agents m ay of­
fer the heroes S H I E LD technology, or
get them to prevent other renegades
65
from offering the stolen technology
elsewhere.
Stopping SHIELD: Player charac­
ters hear that Nick Fury has tu rned
traitor. S H I ELD agents t h reaten them
w i t h prosecution if t h ey aid F u ry.
Then , of course, Fury shows up to ask
their help. Or is this an LMD duplicate
of Fury that SHI ELD has sent as a
trap? (Of course not. But let the play­
ers sweat over the possibil ity.)
The heroes join Fury on his quest to
find and expunge the corruption in
S H I E LD . D e l t ite E n co d e rs , w e l l ­
armed fanatics in monks' robes, try to
capture them . S H I E LD agents attack
in the most unexpected places. Major
clues turn out to be traps or elaborate
red herri ngs.
The PCs and Fury finally make their
way to the space station (or other
backdrop for the final showdown) as
either prisoners or spies. They m ust
locate evidence of S H I E LD 's treason
to present to the Un ited Nations, es­
cape the station, and preferably blow
up t h e Deltites a n d t h e i r a n d ro i d
leader. They can enlist t h e Deltite Clay
Quartermain to help them .
St ress t h e e mo t i o n a l m o m ents
here: the deaths, or second deaths, of
long-time S H I ELD figures l i ke J i m my
Woo and Jasper Sitwe l l ; the corrup­
tion of all Nick Fury has held dear; the
horror of the Deltites' rel igious fanati­
cism .
SH IELD Stays Arou nd : The su per­
agency serves as an eq u i p m e n t
source, i nformation network, trai n i ng
g r o u n d , a n d h i g h-power cont act .
S H I E L D can call in PC heroes to help
with a situation too big for the agency
to handle-but that would have to be a
big situation !
The J udge m ust decide whether to
establish S H I E LD as corrupt in the
campaign worl d . I n general , avoid
portray i n g this corruption u n l ess it
leads i n to the " Stop S H I E LD" adven­
ture described above. Player charac­
ters will treat S H I E L D as a v i l l a i n
agency, and i t s cam paign function
then resembles HYDRA's or A I M 's .
B u t s i nce S H I ELD remains publ icly re­
spectable, heroes who fight against it
lose public favor. This alters the dy­
nam ics of a cam paign , so t h i n k care­
fully before letting S H I E LD go bad .
TI M E S SQ UARE
OVE RVI EW
This is the center of New York's The­
ater District. Once quite fashionable,
Times Square is now one of the biggest
fleshpots in the world. By day it is
crowded with commuters and office
workers, but at night crime runs ramp­
ant.
Address: Broadway at Seventh Av­
enue.
T H E AREA
The Theater D i strict hosts over
three dozen theaters and well over a
h u ndred restaurants that cater to the
theater crowd . One of the great cen­
ters of night life in New York, it attracts
thousands of tourists and social ites.
Its heart l ies on a short private street
next to Broadway between 44th and
46th Streets: S h u bert Alley. Here on
this short street, forbidden to vehicles,
theatergoers attend the Shubert and
Booth Theaters, then drop into the fa­
mous Sard i 's restaurant at i ntermis­
sion or after the show. About 40 other
theaters c l u ster aro u n d Broadway
from 40th to 53rd Streets.
On Seventh Aven ue near 44t h , a
disco u nt ticket operation always at­
tracts large crowds of theatergoers
h u n t i n g for l ast-m i n ute barg a i n s .
( E m pty seats for t h e evening's per­
formances are sold at half price.) Vil­
lains can always use this crowd as
handy hostages: "All right, hero, let
me outta here or the civi lians get it! "
The Algon q u i n Hotel (44th Street
between Fifth Avenue and Aven u e of
the Americas) once hosted the fa­
mous " Ro u nd Table" of i ntellectuals.
Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Al­
exander Woollcott, and many other lit­
erary talents gathered here to eat well
and trade witticisms.
Port Authority Bus Termi nal
Those who can 't afford to fly or take
a train to New York and don 't own a
car-in other words, the poor-arrive
in Manhattan at the Port Authority Bus
Te rminal, one of the biggest i n the
world (for what t h at's wort h ) . The
b u ilding l inks d irectly to the Lincoln
Tu nnel and nearby subway l i nes.
Almost 6, 400 buses from 36 com­
pan ies arrive at this ugly b u i l d i ng
every day, unloading tens of thou­
sands of visitors, hopeful immigrants,
on New Year's Eve. Tens of thousands
gather each year to watch the mir­
rored ball fall down a high pole to the
Allied roof; when the ball hits, it is ex­
r u n aways, crooks, con men, and cra­
zies. The hopeless among them often
wander Times Sq uare, begging or
dri n king or worse.
Transit Authority police, the officers
who patrol the subway cars that run
beneath New Yo rk City, have called
the I N D su bway stop at Eighth Avenue
actly m idnight, and the new year be­
g i ns.
T i m es S q u a r e 's peak mom ents
came at the end of World War II, on "V­
"the most dangerous in the city." It's a
block from Times Square.
DESCRI PTION
Times Squ are i s not square, b u t a n
elongated triangle bounded b y Sev­
enth Avenue, Broadway, and 42nd
Street. However, Broadway is, in fact,
very broad , so the area covers as
m u ch space as a n y typical town
square.
History
The landmark that Times Square
was named for, the Times Tower, was
( briefly) the second-tallest bui lding i n
New York when i t opened i n 1 905-all
of 375 feet tal l ! This was the early
home of the N ew York Times. The
newspaper later moved a few blocks
away, and the building was remodeled
and renamed One Times Square. The
tower is now the A l l i ed C h em ical
Tower, the nation's most famous spot
66
E Day" (Victory in E u rope) and "V-J
Day" (Victory in Japan). Hundreds of
tho u s a n d s gathered to watch the
Times news ribbon, a belt of light
b u l bs that spelled out news stories in
. the days before TV. W h e n it an­
nounced that the enemy had surren­
dered, the crowd roared a yell that
people heard two mi les away. (The
news ribbon ceased operations i n
1 978.)
The Scene Today
The side streets still draw u pper­
class crowds to theater openi ngs, but
since the end of World War II Times
Square has catered to a d ifferent style
of night l ife.
" G ri nders," seedy movie h o u ses
t h at never cl ose, show low-grade
splatter films and pornography. Mas­
sage parlors, penny arcades, peep
shows, tacky souve n i r shops, and
g reasy fast-food places all grab for
customers. Neon b i l l boards glare eve­
rywhere, pushing beverages and cig­
arettes and food.
Smells of gfeasy chicken, greasier
burgers, and mysterious ethnic tood
assai l the nostri ls. So do worse
smells, because the derelicts on the
sidewalks keep street cleaners from
clean i n g up all the garbage. Now and
then peep- show workers spill bowls of
used disinfectant onto the walks.
By day, especially early in the d�y,
the people in Times Square look l i ke
those on any other street i n lower
Man hattan . The usual business types
and tou rists head to their usual er­
rands.
But at n i g ht , con men, j u n kies,
pushers , aberrants, and n uts con­
verge on the area. H awkers pass out
tic kets to the b u rlesque houses . Gro­
tesque street performers do flips and
cartwh ee l s . Bag l a d i es tal k , very
loud ly, to nobody. Panhandlers beg
agg ressively. Amid it all, overwhelmed
t o u r i sts c l i n g in t i g h t g ro u ps a n d
watch in fasci n ation.
Notable Establishments
The Bizbo, one of m any shoebox­
shaped theaters that dot the square,
shows 1 940s classics. Daredevil once
battled the super-assassin Bul lseye
here.
Many burlesque houses advertise
t h e i r nude dancers with a m az i n g
posters outside t h e entrances. Back i n
t h e early decades of t h i s century, these
houses featured classic vaudeville per­
formers, including Nathan Lubensky
(now a resident at May Parker's board­
ing house; see Chapter 1 ).
A police substation on 42nd St r�et
.
opposite One Times Square adminis­
ters Operation Crossroads, an NYPD
operation that tries futilely to clean up
crime in the square. Eighty uniformed
officers, some on horseback, patrol the
square regularly, providing an ill usion of
order. (For police statistics, see "New
York's Fi nest" in the next chapter.)
Covenant House, a non-sectarian
c h i ld-c a re agen cy, runs n i n e resi­
dences for runaways in New York. The
busiest residence, a 24-hour crisis
center cal led " U nder 21 ," is here i n
Times Square.
Nearly 20,000 run away c hildren un­
der 1 6 hit the streets of New York eac h
year, many arri ving at Times Sq � are
via the Port Authority Bus Te rm i n a l .
T h e vigil antes Cloak a n d Dagger, who
l ive in nearby Holy G host Cathedral
(see " H ell's Kitchen " earlier in t h i s
chapter), protect as many run aways
as they can from the " c h icken hawks"
that prey on the m .
The Gem Theater
On 42nd Street, amid movie houses
showing splatter flicks and pornogra­
phy round the clock, stands the Gem
Theate r, an u g l y, wh ite, four-story
b u i ld i n g . The g r o u n d -floor c i n e r:na
special izes in Westerns, double bills
from the great days of Hol lywood.
R ickety stairs lead up to di ngy office
space.
A small office on the Gem Theater's
t h i rd floor became the fi rst New York
home for Luke Cage, Hero for H i re
(later Power Man). Cage's office con­
tained a broken wooden desk, two
c h airs, and sundry small furnit u re that
Cage often broke when ang ry. His
business cards gave the n um ber for
the pay phone in the hallwa y.
.
.
After Cage joined up with Daniel
Rand, alias Iron Fist , they acq u i red
better headquarters on Park Avenue.
They retained the Gem Theater of ice
�
for "special" clients. Rand later d ied;
Cage was wrongly accused of h i s
m u rder, and i s n o w a fugitive.
N PCs
Josie
Streetwalker
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Pr
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Gd
Pr
Healt h : 22
Karma: 20
Resources: Poor(4)
Popularity: 0
Appearance: 5'6" , 1 1 0 Ibs. Very t h i n ,
short h a i r (color varies), pouty look
(very popular). Dresses in jeans cut­
offs and tu be-tops, showing m u ch
ski n .
Talents: For game purposes, none.
Typical Dialogue : " Gee, yeah, I kn ow
.
that guy. Real winner, kept m uttenng
about blowi ng u p buil dings . Whatcha
lookin' for him for?"
Story Function: Josie's " boyfriends"
i nclude some of the top cri m i n al fig­
u res in the city. She often hears ru­
m o rs of i nterest i n g deve l o p ments,
and if a "boyfrien d" has stood her up,
she gets mad enough to tell anyone
a b o u t i t . So she can be a good­
n a t u red i n formant for t h e heroes.
D a redevil has e m ployed Josie in this
fashion in the past.
67
CRI MES
"Because New York City crack deal­
ers increasingly refuse to take $1 bills,
local merchants in drug-sales areas re­
port a brisk business selling $5 bills for
$6."
-Chuck Shepherd,
" N ews of the Weird"
(syndi cated col umn) F �bruary 1 989
.
Some have said that If the city of
New York tried to design a center for
crime and drug abuse, they coul d n ' t
d o a better j o b than Times Square.
The rou nd-the-clock movie and res­
taurant schedule gives night people a
place to hang out; the flesh busin �ss
attracts people in the mood for vice.
The two meet , and the rest is i n i q uity.
A would-be drug dealer newly ar­
rived at the Port Authority B u s Te rmi­
nal can walk a few blocks to a blood
bank sell a pint of blood, and spend
the oney on a kn ife at the kn ife shop
�
three doors dow n . Then he uses the
knife to mug someone or slit open a
dru nk's pocket and steal a wall et. He
takes this loot, buys a kilo of dope, and
sets up shop in the nearest shadowy
doo rway. He has been in town half an
hour and is al ready in busi ness.
Ti mes Square, then, is a factory for
crim i nals.
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan: Since the Square is a
factory, player-character heroes can
capture as many dealers, p i m ps , con
.
artists, vandals, junkies, and maniacs
as they li ke, and there will always be
more . J udges should use it as a pict u r­
esque spot to stage a casual encoun­
ter prior to a bigger adve nture. et the
PC heroes p revent a m u g g i n g or
catch a dealer to blow off a l ittle
steam , grab some Karm a, and relax.
Times Square can also be a meet­
ing place . Heroes can get tips from
lowlife i n form ants or plant rumors on
the underworld grapev i n e . They can
meet young runaways, sti l l u n cor­
rupted, and lead them into bett � r lives
(perhaps l ives that reg ul arly Involve
.
the heroes in new scenanos?).
Other Cities: Every metropolitan
area has a district l i ke Times Squ are,
if not on its scale or quite at its depth.
A well-run s u p e r- b e ro c a m p a i g n
needs s u c h an area, for the reasons
given above.
�
T H E U N ITE D N ATI O N S
OVE RVI EW
The world's capital, i n name if not
practice, is the Un ited Nations com­
plex in M an hattan . Diplomats of most
of the countries of Earth meet at the
UN to try to resolve international con­
flicts peacefully. Vil lains and invaders
come here to broadcast their th reats
or demands worldwide.
Address: F irst Ave n u e between
42nd and 48th Streets, facing the East
River. This area, donated by John D.
Rockefel ler, J r. , is not U n ited States
territory. It is under UN j u risdiction .
See t h e m a p i n cl uded in this boxed
set.
and Goldwater Memorial), new resi­
dential housing, and (at the southern
end of the island) the Delacorte Gey­
ser, a waterspo ut that i r regularly
belches a 400-foot plume of boiling
water.
Roosevelt Island is linked to Man­
hattan by the Queensboro-59th Street
Bridge (see " B ridges and Tu nnels" in
the previous chapter). R u n n i n g next to
the bridge is a tramway from the resi­
dential development to Man hattan.
The steel framework is of Remarkable
strength and carries su bway-sized
passenger cars of Excellent strength.
The two electrical rails that power
these cars infl ict Remarkable electri­
cal damage on contact.
T H E A R EA
The U N territory was once covered
with slums, j u n kyards, and even a
slaughterhouse. Now it is a show­
place of modern architect u re, a tourist
c� nter, and as prosperous as nearby
Midtown. Between Fi rst and Second
Aven ues on 42nd Street are the hotels
and apartments of Tudor City. The
next block west holds the office bui ld­
i ng of the Daily Globe, arch rival of the
Bug/e.
North of the U N are the twi n 32story apartment towers of the Un ited
N ations Plaza. M any. diplomats and
their staffs stay i n these posh quar­
ters. One of the most l avish pent­
house suites is usually e m pty but kept
spotlessly clean . It is always ready for
an unexpected visit from its owner a
'
foreign ru ler who occasionally com es
to the U N : Doctor Doom.
Ordinarily Doom stays in the Latver­
ian Em bassy while visiting New York.
But Doom always has an altern ate ref­
uge i n the event of attack or p u rsuit.
From this suite he can com m unicate
with his castle and robots in Latveria.
The link is hidden behind a wall panel
in the su ite's master bedroom.
Across a 700-foot (5-area) stretch of
the filthy East River and j ust north of
the U N complex is Roosevelt Island
form erly Welfare I s l a n d . This wa
once a prison complex, but the prison
has been moved to Ryker's Island.
Roosevelt now has two hospitals for
the aged and i nfirm (Coler Memorial
�
D ESCRI PTION
The Un ited Nations was created by
51 member nations after World War I I .
Rockefeller don ated the land for its
New York qu arters in 1 946. The first
bu ilding was occupied four years later,
all the rest by 1 961 . Today 1 59 n ations
belong to the U N-almost everyone in
the world except for Switzerland and
half a dozen minor countries in Africa
South America, and the south Pacific
Some small nations do not actu ally
send representatives because of the
cost. Both Latveria and Wakanda are
members, but Atlantis is not.
The U n ited Nations complex con­
.
Sists of fou r main buildings. All are
� onnected by passageways . The en­
t i re complex, including the parkland to
he northeast, is su rrou nded by a high
I ron fence of Good strength.
:
�
The General Assembly Building
This is the low, c u rved, domed
b u i ld i n g w h e re a l l UN d e legates
gather i n a h uge conference chamber.
The building has seven doors (do­
nated by Can �da) that lead to a large
foyer with an Information desk (Typi­
cal strength wood) . On the foyer wall
hangs a large needlepoint tapestry,
the " Peace Rug."
To the right of the foyer is a small V­
shaped " Meditation Room." In the
center of this room stands a block of
i ron ore that represents timelessness.
Si nce heroes i n a battle seldom have
68
time to meditate, they m ay want to
know that the block weighs about 400
pounds � nd is of I n cred i ble strength .
.
The Meditation Room also incl udes a
stai ned-glass
w i ndow
(Feeble
strength) by the famous artist Marc
Chagall.
. The entrance to the Asse mbly Hall
l J es to the foyer's rear. This chamber
measures 1 1 5 feet (one area) by 1 65
feet (1 1/2 areas) . At the near, lower
end, it is a bit over 45 feet (the equiva­
lent of 3 areas) high, and at the far end
it rises to 75 feet (5 areas).
The chamber is done in a m uted
blue color scheme intended to soothe
harsh feelings (sometimes it does n ' t
work) . The b a c k wal l , beh ind t h e
speaker's rostrum a n d the dais seat­
i n g the senior staff, bears the fam iliar
emblem of the UN. M urals decorate
the side walls.
Tourists view the Assembly meet­
.
I ngs from galleries above the floor.
Translators sit in glass-walled booths
above the chamber, making sim ulta­
neous t r a n s l a t i o n s of s peec h e s .
Translations a r e relayed t o earphones
at each del egate's desk and visitor's
seat. Listeners can choose any of the
U N 's six official langu ages-Arabic,
.
Chi nese, Englis h , French, Russian,
and Spanish-using a knob on the
headphone console.
The G eneral Assem bl y meets in
regular session for three months each
year, from late Septe m ber to mid­
Decem ber.
The Secretariat Building
The tall skinny skyscraper beh i nd
the General Assem bly is the Secretar­
iat B u i lding. This 39-story structure
holds offices of the many agencies
and organizations the U N either ad­
m i n isters o r su pervises . See " U N
Councils and Agencies," below.
The Secretariat is made of Vermont
marble (Excellent strength) with g l ass
and steel panels (Feeble strength).
The building has 1 8 elevators, a medi­
cal center, and a cafeteria.
Over 5,000 employees work here
including 235 guards. (Treat these a
0lice office rs; �ee the next chapter,
,
New Yo rk s F l nest.") Others are
translators, press attaches. printers,
p'
�
lawyers, and tour g uides in colorful
n ative dress.
In front of the Secretariat Building
stands a marble fountain bearing a n
abstract sculpture o f t h e modern vari­
ety t h at brings puzzled frowns or
chuckles to many citizens of Manhat­
tan.
The Conference Building
Facing the East River, the low Con­
ference Building connects to the Gen­
eral Assembly through a wide corridor.
The building is 4 stories tall . The
basement holds record ing studios,
printing presses , d arkrooms, a n d
mai nten ance equipment. The fi rst
through fou rth floors hold , respec­
tively, Conference Rooms, Council
Chambers, Delegates' Lounges, and
the Delegates' Dining Room and an­
other cafeteria.
The three main UN councils meet
on the second floor. Each of the three
cham bers h as walls of Good strength
and furn ishings of Typical strength.
The Security Council cham ber is
blue and gold, with a wall m ural. There
is a 200-seat public gallery.
The Economic and Social Council
meets in a plain white room with ex­
posed heating pipes and a large pic­
ture window.
The Trusteeship Council cham ber,
decorated in rare woods, features a
large and beautiful statue of a woman
releasing a bluebird . Made of teak, the
statue weighs 250 pounds and is of
Typical strengt h .
T h e functions of these councils are
briefly described later in this section .
The Oag Hammarskjold Library
The Library, connected to the Sec­
retariat Building by a corridor but sep­
arated from the ot hers by a wide
concrete plaza (about 4 areas wide), is
named after the second Secretary­
General of the U N . It is made of mar­
ble (Excellent strength). Over 380,000
books are available for the delegates'
use, as well as newspapers, m icro­
film, and a h uge collection of maps.
Other landmarks in the UN Plaza in­
clude the Statue of Peace , to the
north, and the Peace Bell , in front of
the Conference Building. I n a small
park tou rists can look out on the East
River.
The whole complex is the work of
architects from a dozen d i fferent
U NITED
NATIONS
countries, led by Wal lace K . Harrison,
Le Corbusier, and Oscar Niemeyer. It
is a beautiful architectural landmark.
UN Councils and Agencies
The cou ncils of the Un ited Nations
consist of small n u mbers of member
nations, either elected or permanently
i nstalled, that serve specific pu rposes
within the larger UN framework.
The Secu rity Council is the real
power at the U N . Its 1 5 members vote
on all important q uestions. Five mem­
bers hold permanent seats (the US,
USSR, China, the United Kingdom ,
and France) ; the rest are elected
every two years. Measures require 9
votes to pass-and these m ust in­
clude affirmative votes from all five of
the permanent members. In this way
the powerful nations keep the others
in line and prevent unfavorable legis69
lation from going through.
The Economic and Social Council
attempts to improve l iving conditions
around the world. To this end it con­
siders such q uestions as population ,
the environ ment, human rights, and
health .
The Trusteeship Council adminis­
ters and supervises territories tempo­
rarily placed under UN j u risdiction,
such as war zones. It also works for
the well-being of citizens of " non-self­
gove r n i n g territories" claimed by
member nations. The only remaining
territories of th is type are the US is­
lands in the Pacific.
In addition to its own cou ncils, the
UN has formal rel ationsh ips with
many other inter-governmental agen­
cies. These i nclude the World Health
Organ ization , the I nternational Mone­
tary Fund, the cultural organization
U N ESCO,
and,
u nt i l
rec e n t l y,
SHIELD.
Because U N member n ations were
unwilling to perm it S H I EL D to exist
without some controls, the original UN
approval of t hat i nternational law­
enforcement agency incl uded a provi­
sion forcing S H I E LD to disband al UN
demand. After Colonel Nick F ury un­
covered the pervasive corruption i n
S H I E L D (see " S H I E LD Headqu ar­
ters" in this chapter), the U N exer­
cised t h i s o p t i o n and
disbanded t h e agency.
fo r m a l l y
Function
The U N Charter, at least nominally
accepted by all member nations, is to
save future generations from war; to
support human rights; to work for jus­
tice and respect for obligations in inter­
national law; and to promote social
progress and better standards of livi ng.
Over the decades si nce i t was es­
tabl i s h ed , t h e
UN
has s e l d o m
achieved these goals . B u t t h o u g h it re­
mains basically i n effectual, even most
critics agree that i t is better to have it
than not. I n some chronicles of alter­
nate futures of the Marvel U n iverse,
the UN grad ually grows more power­
ful and becomes a world government
i n deed as well as name. But as with
all the alternate futu res depicted, this
may or may not actually happen .
DI PLOMATIC
I M M U NITY
Delegates and their staffs are not
subject to US legal j u risdiction. This
means they can com m i t any crimes,
u p to and i ncl uding m u rder, without
fear of p u n ishment. This also applies
to rei g n i ng m o n archs visiting from
other countries.
Because of this i m m u n ity (a/so en­
joyed by US envoys to other nations),
the Fantastic Four has never been
able to j ust haul Doctor Doom i nto the
local police station . He is, after all , the
recognized monarch of Latveria, a U N
member natio n .
Usually delegates are responsible
citizens who would never com m i t any
crime. But abuse of d i plomatic i m mu­
nity is, ,if not com m o n , certainly not un­
know n .
The
o n ly
thing
l aw
enforcement officials can do is extra­
dite the offender, and hope that he or
she is brought to trial u nder the home
nation's laws.
J udges can use diplomatic i m m u­
n ity creatively in scenarios. If the vil­
lain is i m m une, the heroes who catch
h i m must decide whether to obey the
law and let him go, or pun ish him and
create an i nternational i ncident. Both
courses of action can lead to i nterest­
i n g adventures, and the Judge should
be prepared to deal with bot h .
A s a variant of this idea, recall that
the UN complex itself is not in the
U n ited States. Conceivably a villain
m ig h t exp loit this idea, to escape
prosecution-though in practice, the
U N extradites to the U n ited States or­
d i n ary cri m i nals caught on its grounds
as a matter of course.
ATLANTIS AND THE
U N ITED NATIONS
Atlantis has petitioned repeated ly
for membersh ip in the U N , both under
its previous ruler, Pri nce Namor, and
more recently. Because of the under­
water nation's warlike behavior, how­
ever, the Secu rity Council has always
recommended against Atlantean ap­
plications. (Membership in the UN is
t ec h n i c a l ly open onl y to " peace­
lovi ng" states. This restriction seldom
applies to ai r-breathing natio ns, lead­
ing some to attribute the Atlantean
ban to racis m . )
B u t Atlantis, l i ke some other non­
member nat i o n s , m a i ntai ns an ob­
servers' post in the UN Conference
B u i l d i n g . Dip l o m atically speaki n g ,
t h i s i s one step below a consulate; the
five Atlanteans at this post have no
diplomatic i m m u nity and cannot g rant
visas (even if Atlanteans used them),
give asyl u m , or do anyt h i n g offici al.
But their special suite beneath the As­
sem bly Building, accessi ble by a lad­
der in an inconspic uous closet on the
m a i n floor, is i m m ersed i n clean , cold
sea water. So it co uld sustain the l i fe of
a rogue At/antean or ot her water­
breather that the PC heroes come
across. See Campaign Use, below.
N PCs
Names of the delegates from Latve­
ria and Wakanda have not been re­
v e a l e d , n o r have the n a m es of
Atlantean observers. Names of the
70
delegates from other n at i o n s are
available in the public li brary.
Delegates have Typical abilities, ex­
cept for Reason of at least Good level
(one hopes). They have Popularity rat­
ings of 5, Remarkable Resources, and
very high level Contacts i n politics and
busi ness.
CRI M ES
Never m i n d t h at U N d e l egates
make a living acc using each other of
sundry crimes against h u m anity. The
UN com plex seldom sees much ac­
tual wrongdoing of the com ic-book va­
riety. However, when s u c h crimes
occur, they can be Earth-shaking.
Aliens ready to conquer "puny hu­
mans" usually like to announce their
plans and give the world's governments
a chance to kowtow before them . The
best place to make such an announce­
ment is the UN General Assembly.
Villai nous masterm i nds sometim es
make th reats before the Assem bly.
Typically these threats i nvolve the de­
struction of the Earth or its societies,
u n l ess the m e m ber nations pay a
m o n u m e ntal ranso m . S i nce t h e
United N ations i s chronically under­
funded, it would seem u n l i kely t h at it
cou ld afford a ransom . But i n the face
of i m m ed iate g lobal extermi nati o n ,
m e m be r n at i o n s have somet i m es
been w i l l i ng to pool their resou rces.
Fortunately (?), this international co­
operation has never proven neces­
sary, si nce the heroes have always
foiled the mastermi nds' plots.
Magneto visited the UN on at .least
two occasions during h i s c r i m i nal ca­
reer, both times to demand that the
world be turned over to the rule of
homo superior-m utants. This idea
proved u n popul ar, to say the least.
The Avengers defeated Magneto and
his evil mutants on the first occasion.
The second time, Magneto brought Al­
pha, the so-called " U lti mate Mutant."
Magneto had created Alpha using tech­
nology he'd discovered beneath the
deserts of the Southwest. (It was left for
him by the master geneticist Mael­
strom .) At Magneto's command, Alpha
levitated the entire UN complex half a
m i le i nto the air, the better to force the
di plomats' compliance.
Alpha, evolvi ng by the moment to­
ward su per-hu man intelligence, finally
saw Magneto for the evildoer he was.
Alpha returned the U N complex to
Earth and wiped the incident from the
memories of all concerned-except
the Defenders and Professor X, who
had fought Mag neto. Alpha then
tu rned Magneto and his evil brother­
hood i nto i nfants (te m porarily, of
cou rse) and launched h i mself sky­
ward , to seek his destiny elsewhere i n
t h e universe. Alpha's cu rrent where­
abouts are unknown.
By the way, levitating the U N com­
plex requires C L5000 power.
CAMPAIGN USE
The UN functions best in stories as
e ither an exotic backdrop or a
j u mping-off point for an adventure that
takes the player-cha racters else­
where i n the world (or off it).
The Un ited Nations, l i ke the Statue
of Liberty, is too wel l recogn ized as a
N ew York landmark to be relocated
elsewhere. Heroes can visit Manhat­
tan from elsewhere and have an ad­
venture at the U N as a " regional
encounter."
The heroes might be visiting the U N
a s tourists when the aliens decide to
land. Hearing alien spear-carriers an­
nou nce the upcoming conquest, the
heroes can beat them u p in a battle
royal in the General Assembly. But be
careful-if they allow a diplomat to be
i njured, it could start a war! Then the
PCs can find a transportation device
on the victims, use it to reach the main
71
i nvasion fleet orbiting overhead , and
suddenly the J udge is running a full­
scale outer-space extravaganza.
Heroes m ig ht want to visit the U N
without necessarily wreaking havoc
there. They could encou nter an Atlan­
tean out of water as part of another ad­
venture. H is or her life-support u n it is
running low, and the river is too pol­
l uted to breathe. So the PCs must take
their charge to the Atlantean observ­
ers' post. Do the staffers there have a
vital m ission that will take the PCs to
Atlantis? Only the J udge knows.
YAN CY STRE ET
OVERVIEW
This tough Lower East Side neigh­
borhood was the childhood home of
Ben Grimm, who later became the
Thing. The teenage gangs here are an
ongoi ng problem-and a sou rce of
hu man-i nterest adventu res for PC he­
roes.
THE AREA
The filthiest, most ru ndown part of
the Lower East Side. For more infor­
mation , see Chapter 2 .
DESCRIPTION
Yan cy Street starts at a dead end
and ends at another. From a circular
cou rtyard a m i d the Seward Park
Houses, it r u n s south east across
Thompson Avenue, East Broadway,
Hen ry, and Madison Streets. After not
quite fou r blocks, it stops dead amid
the La Guardia Houses, j ust a brick's
throw from the Lower East Side Ele­
vated Highway. Yancy Street runs par­
allel to C l i nton on one side and
Jefferson on the other. Appropriately,
this is a one-way street.
A visitor unfortunate enough to
stumble on Yancy Street first notices
the smell: garbage, sewage, dead ani­
mals. All rot the way the whole street
is rotting.
Derelict cars, stripped of tires, rust
by the cu rbs. Spilled garbage cans
draw alleycats and wild dogs. G raffiti
defaces every st reet s i g n ; Yan cy
Streeters don't like directions. Every
wall carries its share of graffiti , too;
Yancy St reeters d o n ' t l i ke clean
spaces.
Brick tenements, boarded over and
barely standing, shelter no one but
jun kies and teen gangs. In better days
Ben Grimm l ived in one of these. The
superintendent, M r. Knudsen, went to
p rison for strangling M rs . Kn udsen .
That's the kind of neighborhood this
was.
the Gangs
It still is, only worse. Today, gang
warfare has amplified the traditional
blights Of poverty, addiction , distorted
family ties, and crime. Ben Grimm
calls Yancy Street "a pile of junk."
Most teenagers and young men on
Yancy Street join one of many kid
gangs. These organize along racial
and ethnic li nes and often survive for
generations.
The bi ggest, straig htforwardly
named the Yancy Street Gang, ex­
ceeds 1 20 members. It meets in the
basement of the tenement where Ben
grew up. Now the building is aban­
doned, except for the gang members.
Ben G ri m m 's older brother Dan be­
longed to this gang, but he died in a
rumble when Ben was eight years old.
Despite this example, Ben grew up,
joi ned the gang, and eventually led it
hi mself. Only when his parents died
and he moved away from Yancy Street
did Ben finally begin to straighten out.
The Yancy Street Code
The Yancy Streeters have always
taunted Ben Grimm ever since he be­
came famous as the Th ing. Their ha­
tred springs from his violation of the
code of Yancy Street: Never leave.
"Anybody can m ake it out there, in
the soft life," says one gang member.
"The trick is ta stay here, stay right
here, an' make it. An' survive."
H eroes who want to help Yancy
Streeters solve their problems, or pry
youths away from the gangs, have to
face this sick attitude and defeat it.
One gang member at a time.
NPCs
Statistics for gang members, typical
"Young Thugs," are on page 63 of the
J udge's Book. Gang leaders may be
older, with stats as the full-g rown
"Thug" on page 62 of that rulebook.
CRIMES
Name the petty crime, Yancy Street
has suffered it for decades. Now gang
members murder one another with
sub-machine guns for shares of the
drug trade. The killers strike qu ickly,
against the rival gang's headquarters
or other meeting place. They saturate
the area with gunfire for perhaps ten
seconds (two turns), then drive away
72
at top speed. It all happens so fast that
heroes usually can't do anything but
clean up.
CAMPAIGN USE
Man hatta n : Gang warfare is a
g rowi ng problem i n society. Yancy
Street bri ngs this problem home to PC
heroes who want a change of pace
from stopping bank robberies or res­
cuing the galaxy. Heroes wanderi ng
Yancy Street can befriend a picked-on
kid (who becomes a hero's sidekick)
or tough dog (who becomes a team
mascot).
Si nce a lot of Yancy Streeters be­
come cri m inals, the crimi nals in other
parts of the city may well come from
Yancy Street. The J udge can put their
fam il ies there. Heroes who want to
find a villain's whereabouts, motives,
or secrets could i nvestigate his or her
family. This gives the J udge a chance
to flesh out a villain and make him
more than j ust a costume and some
powers.
Other Cities: Yancy Street is easily
transportable. Every city has a tough
neigh borhood like this one.
�ES THIlDW/N'
SOMETHING.�I
&lUCK!I I'T'5
A IN.Mfj".'!
CHAPTER 4: THE FORCES OF GOOD AND EVI L
N EW YOR K'S
ORGAN I ZATI ON S
When running su per-heroic role­
playing adventu res, MARVEL SUPER
H EROESTM J udges often throw cops,
th ugs, and stoolies i nto their stories.
J udges d o n ' t need statistics and
write-ups for these spear- carriers;
they' re usually j ust obstacles or plot
devices to convey information to the
player characters.
Sti l l , organ izations em ploy th ese
people. And a lot of organized spear­
carriers add up to an army that even a
super human h as to notice. J udges
who give these organizations an ac­
tive role add new depths to their cam­
paigns. And as the organ izations
i nteract, new plot ideas spring up.
following headings:
Backg ro u n d : what the J u dge
needs to know about the organization .
Motives: its beliefs, objectives, and
purposes. These ind icate the reasons
the organ ization gets involved in an
adventure and the events it sees as
opportunities.
Methods and Income: usual activi­
ties and how it goes about achieving
its goals. This can indicate how often
the organization does something that
brings it to the PCs' attention .
Personnel: the organization 's typi­
cal and notable employees, their skills
and eq uipment, and the way they ad­
vance in the g roup's hierarchy.
Story Function: the organization's
usual role in adventures. J udges who
want to i m prove their storyte l l i n g
abil ities should examine this section
closely. Also, study the Adventure
Book scenarios that use these organi­
zations.
FORMAT
This section details a few of the es­
tablished organizations that play a
part i n adventu res i n M arvel U n i­
verse's Manhattan. The listi ngs de­
scribe each organ ization u nder the
ABOUT
ORGANIZATIONS
There are many organ izations in
Manhattan and the Marvel Universe.
73
Some are covered in the Hotspot l ist­
ings i n previous chapters (e. g . , Em­
p i re State U n ivers ity) or i n other
MARVEL SUPER H EROEsm game
supplements .
These supplements also describe
many of the organizations most often
seen in Marvel Comics, small groups
of super-powered heroes or villains.
This su pplement is concerned with al­
liances of (usual ly) ordinary h u man
beings.
Many, l i ke the San itation Depart­
ment or Postal Service, seldom figure
in super adventu res . . . though the
Judge can take that as a challenge,
not a taboo. (Let's see , a magical amu­
let accidentally gets thrown out in the
trash, and the heroes h ave to scou r
every garbage truck in Man hattan to
find it. Yeah!)
The organizations described here
provide springboards for many role­
playi ng scenarios. These include the
New York Police Department; the or­
gan ized crime "fam i lies" collectively
known as the Maggia; and Damage
Control, a business specializin g in re­
pair and restoration of property d am­
age that occ urs in super-powered
battles.
DAMAGE CONTROL
A world in which super hu mans do
their thing is exciti ng, but it can also
be dangerous and frequently devas­
tating . Damage Control is a profitable
Manhattan com pany that cleans up
damage after super battles.
BACKGROU N D
Damage Control has been around
for at least 1 7 years, long before the
modern age of super h u mans. Its di­
rector of ope rat i o n s , Anne M a r i e
Hoag , established m a n y powerfu l so­
cial connections as a catastrophe spe­
cialist using advanced tech nology.
In one of her early tri u m phs, Dam­
age Control prevented the Lincoln
Tu nnel from collapsing. Though the
gove rn ment kept this near-disaster
out of the news, Mrs . Hoag earned a
lot of favors . (Not until m uch later did
anyone find the cause of the near­
col la pse : excavat i o n s beneath t h e
Earth's surface b y then-undiscovered
Subterraneans led by t h e Mole M a n . )
W h e n the Fantastic Fo ur a n d t h e
Avengers, t h e fi rst groups o f super­
powered heroes of t h e modern age,
set up shop in Man h attan, M rs . Hoag
foresaw the potential damage their ac­
tivities might create. She bid low to ob­
tain Damage Control's fi rst job for the
heroes the mselves: restoring To ny
Stark 's townh o use (later Avengers
Mansion) after the first battle between
the Avengers and the Masters of Evil .
Shortly afterward, M rs. Hoag called
i n favors at Stark I nternational and
Fantastic Four, I n c . Obtain i n g the best
construction and debris-removal tech­
nology then available, M rs. Hoag went
to New York City's Board of Estimate
to propose her new " premium repair
service." The city govern ment ex­
pressed little interest in her proposal
until Prince Namor led Atlantis's fi rst
i nvasion of Manhatta n . The resulting
damage convinced m any board mem­
bers of the val ue of M rs. Hoag's serv­
ice, and the fi rst battle between the
Thing ,and the Hulk removed all doubt .
S i nce t h e n , Da mage Cont rol ,
among many com petitors, h as re­
ceived the most lucrative repair con­
tracts with the city and its insurance
companies. The p u blic is not gener-
ally aware of the com pany's exist­
ence, but those who are hold Damage
Control i n high estee m. The firm has
an excellent reputatio n , and though
some of its activities are tec h n ically il­
legal (see below), law enforcement of­
ficials look the other way.
The company is based in the Flat­
iron Building, a peculiar Renaissance­
style struct u re famous as o n e of the
first skyscrapers built in New York.
The 21 -story building, built in 1 902,
derives its name from its triangular
shape. The Flati ron Building i s built of
brick and limestone (walls of Good
strength).
Address: B roadway a n d 23rd
Street, on the south side of Madison
Square.
MOTIVES
Damage Control accepts any as­
signment related to its specialty. Its
goals in all cases are a reasonable
profit and restoration of order to the
city-not necessarily in that order, but
that depends on whom one is tal king
to i n the com pany.
Damage Control 's contracts with
the city and with n umerous i n s u rance
companies al low i t to recover ex­
penses in al most all cases. When this
fails, comptroller Albert Cleary has
p roved adept in recovering fees by
other means. (He once went to the
Latve rian Em bassy to get Doctor
Doom to pay off his delinquent ac­
count.)
M ETH ODS A N D
I NCOM E
Damage Control confines its activi­
ties exclusively to repair of d a m age or
problems created by super-hu man be­
ings. It repairs skyscrapers, streets,
and monuments. It d isposes of alien
s p acecraft , g i a n t robots , s u pe r­
science h ardware, and magical de­
vices. It cleans up residual energies
from high-tech super battles.
All objects Damage Control recov­
ers are disposed of through public
auction or held i n one of Damage Con­
trol's two warehouses. The fi rst is in
74
the Garment District; the other, m uch
larger, warehouse lies across the H ud­
son in E l izabeth, New Je rsey.
Speed of service is Damage Con­
trol's hallmark; most problems are re­
pai red wit h i n a day. Such problems
are all crises, and clients are wil l i ng to
pay crisis rates. Working u nder a high
budget cei ling, removal and restora­
tion crews use anti-g ravity units, heli­
copters, and (rarely) low-power
disintegration un its to clean up debris.
Who pays for this? Taxpayers or in­
surance companies cover damage in­
cu rred by m i nor heroes and villains. A
fraction of all taxes paid by New York
busi nesses goes into a "superfund"
for t h i s p u rpose.
Governme nt-app roved hero groups
such as the Fantastic Four and the
Ave ngers are req u i red by law to post a
surety bond with the city covering re­
pair expenses. I ndependently wealthy
heroes (e. g . , Moon Knight and Profes­
sor X) often pay out of pocket for dam­
age they've caused.
Major catastrophes are covered un­
der FeDAS, the Federal Di saster Area
Stipend. New York is prone to so m any
super- h u m an conflicts that Congress
con sid ers i t a permanent d isaster
area.
Then there are the villains. Here
Damage Control operates in shadowy
legal territory, for they q u ietly mai ntain
relations with recogn ized criminals.
The Kingpin , for example, finds it use­
ful for Damage Control to dispose of
the debris from his failed projects,
rather than letting, say, the district at­
torney sift t h rough the evidence.
Damage Control also runs a " lost
and found " service for super h u m ans.
The firm finds all k inds of gadgets,
m agical devices, and power totems i n
t h e rubble of a battle site. The heroes
and villains who lost these come to
Damage Control to reg ain them-for a
token fee, of course. The com pany is
techn ically an accom pl ice to crimes
that such villains m ig ht comm it later
using their gadgets.
B ut Damage COl1ltrol views these
q uasi-legal activities not as abett i n g
c r i m e , b u t a s services t o clients, n o
questions asked.
The J udge should keep Porter's
smug behavior fairly restrained, si nce
PERSONNEL
Damage Control employs less than
1 00 workers f u l l -t i m e . H owever, i t
he is basically a sympathetic charac­
ter.
mai ntai ns priority-cal l contracts with
dozens of other construction sanita­
tio n , and repair firms. Becaus� it pays
the same prem i u m rates it col lects
Robin Chapel
Traffic manager
F
A
S
E
from clients, Damage Control can mo­
bilize up to several thousand workers
with a few phone calls.
Ty
Ty
Ty
Health: 24
vors d u ring emergencies. She can en­
l i st occasional aid from sorcerers
telepaths, xenologists, and demoli�
tions experts.
After she graduated, C h apel met
the patron who funded her scholar­
ship: M rs. Hoag . A Barnard grad uate
herself, M rs. H oag pro m ptly h i red
Chapel as a Damage Control i ntern .
trol remains u nflappable and profes­
Shi 'ar warrior G l adiator battled the
Fantastic Four i n downtown Man hat­
tan. At one point G l ad iator knocked
the Thing thro u g h ten automobiles­
lengthwise!
One of the car owners was a cl ient
at Porter's i n s u rance company. The
.
.
client survived the accident, but at
fi rst her company refused to pay re­
p lacement costs for the wreck. (Some
insurance com panies have "Acts of
God and Super H umans" exemption
clauses.) Porter risked his job by pay-
P
Gd
puter science, and calculus classes
as well as political science, C h apel
was the only applicant.
face of extreme weirdness. No matter
w h at h e roes , v i l l a i n s , a l i e n s
or
h i g h e r-d i m e n s i o n al
e n t it i es t h e y
encounter, the staff o f Damage Con­
John Porter
Account executive
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Ty
Ty
Ty
Gd
Ex
Rm Ty
Karma: 56
Healt h : 28
Resources: Ex(20)
Popu larity: 1
J o h n Porter acquired his n ickname,
"Gee Pay," at the Un iversity of M ichi­
gan . It started as a simple spoonerism
of his i n itials, but the n ickname took
on new mean ing when he graduated
and became a successful insurance
adjuster. "Gee, could you pay this,
John?"
Porter became aware o f the busi­
ness poss i b i l ities i n a world popu l ated
by super-powered beings when the
I
Ex
Political Science scholarship for "a
bright woman with u n usual i nterests."
S i nce t h e s c h o l a rs h i p c a l l e d for
drama, business management, com­
Damage Control staffers, though
experts in their fields, have no super­
h u m a n powers. Their only extraordi­
nary trait is their composure in the
tral office staff. These are described
below.
R
Rm
Karma: 60
Resou rces: Ex(20)
Popu l arity: 2
R o b i n Chapel attended Barnard
College on an anonymously funded
M rs. Hoag is also known to call i n fa­
sional.
I n most adventures with Damage
Contro l , a J udge needs only the cen­
Ty
ing the damages u nder the "coll ision "
clause.
Upset at h is company's conduct ,
Porter started h i s own one-man bro­
kerage house for construction and en­
g i neeri ng
co m pa n i es ,
" C haos
Reductions." He specialized in su per­
power damage, and soon became so
competitive with Damage Control that
M rs. Hoag hired h i m herself.
Appearance: Black hair, black eyes,
I b s . Tri m b u i l d , piercing
gaze, pleasant but slightly smug man­
ner.
Talents: H istory, i nsu rance law crea­
tive problem-solving (I ncredibl� abil­
ity), som e athletics.
Typical Dialogue: "I don't see why
we have to reroute traffic around the
wreck. It's a spacesh ip, after al l . It
m ust have access ramps al l around.
Send the cars i n one side and out the
other."
Story Fu n ction : As a n o n - p l ayer
character, Porter should not exercise
his talent for solving problems too of­
ten . After all, the players should be the
ones who get to show off! But i f the
PCs get stu m ped by a scenario, Por­
ter can stu m ble on a partial solution
t hat gives the PCs a h i nt toward fur­
ther progress.
Porter cou l d also provide a roman­
tic i nterest for female player charac­
ters.
6'1 " , 1 95
75
Chapel has si nce rotated through
nearly every job i n Damage Control
and has excel led at all of them . The
?o m mon .wisdom has it that Mrs . Hoag
IS groom ing her to one day take over
the firm.
C hapel enjoys her job, but not be­
cause she gets to hang around with
super hu mans. Their world-shattering
conflicts fill her with m i ld apathy. She
would enjoy the work even at a more
conventional construction firm.
When Chapel had been traffic man­
ager at Damage Control about as long
as she cared to be, she felt she was
ready to become account executive
next. When John Porter got that job,
she felt some resentment. But she
soon recovered, and now the two are
friendly (though perhaps not as m uch
as Porter would l i ke).
Appearance: Blonde hair, blue eyes ,
5'6" , 1 25 Ibs. Generally am iable m an­
ner, but moody.
alents: Planni n g , logistics, act i n g ,
Judo (Martial Arts A ) , envi ron mental
politics.
Typical Dialogue: " I 've called in a
magnetic contai n ment vessel for the
anti-matter u n its. We' l l need a new
power l i ne out to the warehouse to
keep it bottled . Who's for l u nch? "
Story Function : Chapel can bring i n
bul!dozers, cranes, anti-g rav u n it s ,
hel icopters, or anything e l s e Damage
!
Control needs at ten m i nutes' notice.
Ch apel cou ld also provide a ro man­
tic interest for male player characters.
Anne Marie Hoag
Di rector of operations
E
R
I
P
F
A
S
Pr
Ty
Pr
Gd
Ex
Ex
Ex
Health : 24
Karma: 60
Resources: In(40)
Popularity: 10
M rs . Hoag believes one's personal
history should not be available for
public discussion .
Appearance: G ray hair, blue eyes,
5'3" , 135 Ibs. Overweight but always
nicely dressed .
Talents: Disaster management, art
appreci ation, network i n g . Mrs. Hoag
has been known to throw parties for
New York 's " Four H u ndred" elite fam­
ilies.
Contacts: M rs. Hoag is among the
most well-connected i n d ividuals i n the
M a rvel U n iverse. Her Rolodex i n-
cl udes u n listed n u m bers for 70 US
Senators, 337 Representatives, as­
sorted Cabinet officials, and a direct
l i n e to the President. She has never
revealed why she is on a first-name
basis with most of the titans of indus­
try, finance, govern ment, the arts, and
law enforcement.
Typical Dialogue: " So glad to see
you . My, what a lovely costu m e ."
Story Function: M rs . Hoag could cal l
i n the PCs to help with a problem (or
have their friends or employers call
them for her). Since her background
re mains mysterious, the Judge can
assign her nearly any role or connect
her to any character in the campai g n .
Albert Cleary
Comptroller (financial supervisor)
E
S
F
A
R
I
P
Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Gd
Gd Ty
Karma: 26
Health: 24
Resources: Ex(20)
Popul arity: 2
76
Appearance: Dark brown hair, brown
eyes, 6'3" , 180 Ibs. Erect posture, ex­
pensive and faultless wardrobe. It is
known that Albert is m issing two toes
on one foot, but he has never ex­
plai ned why.
Talents: Finance and budgeting (both
Rem arkable leve l ) , m e n 's fas h i o n
(Monstrous level), liabil ity law, corpo­
rate and city politics, modern jazz.
Typical Dialogue: Often laced with
his caustic wit. " Did you know this op­
eration is 1 2% over bu dget? I take it
you ' re saving up for Ch ristmas shop­
ping. Wrap it u p or Santa will leave a
l u m p of coal i n your Christmas bonus
check."
Story Functi o n : C l eary p rovides
acerbic co m mentary on the players'
failed actions. He can veto those acts
that the Judge does not want the play­
ers to try, on grounds of budget over­
runs or " until I can check with Legal."
Gene Strausser
Head of Research & Development
E
R
I
P
S
F
A
Pr
Pr Ty Ty Am Ex Pr
Karma: 74
Health: 20
Resources: Ex(20)
Popul arity: 0
Strausser was born in Santa Bar­
bara, California, near some of the na­
tion 's largest defense contractors. He
also worked in Santa Barbara, appar­
ently as a researcher for the US Gov­
ernment, before com ing to Damage
Control. But he has never revealed
the nature of his previous employment
nor why he left it, and mu ch of his past
is sti ll classified.
Appearance: Brown hair (balding),
brown eyes , 5'5" , 1 7 5 I bs. Thick
g l asses , c h u n ky b u i l d , nervo usly
fri endly and curious mann er.
Talents: Comp uter progra m m i n g ,
gadgeteering, robotics, spaced rives,
materials science, math, mechanical
engi neering, security systems, death
rays , xenotec h n ology, a n d nearly
every physical science.
Typical Dialog u e : Prone to non­
sequiturs. "This appears to be an
advanced p h ase-modulated di men­
sional navigation device. Not unlike
the I RT subway route. Did you hear
they're thinking of raising the fares
agai n?"
Story Function: Gene is Mister Know­
It-All and can tell the players anything
they want to know about strange de­
vices. Use him for comedy relief. His
R&D facility in the SUb-basement of the
Flatiron Building is a source of exotic
technological plot devices.
Lenny Ballinger
Head foreman
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Ty Gd Ty Gd Gd Gd Ty
Karma: 26
Health: 32
Resou rces: Ex(20)
Popularity: 0
Ballinger was one of Mrs . Hoag's
first employees. He has been at Dam­
age Control longer than anyone else
except Mrs. Hoag-1 7 years. He has
been h ead foreman for 1 3 years. I n
that time h e has never been known to
lose his temper, even when his em­
ployees root through the artifacts left
behind after a super battle and sud­
denly " h ave an origi n " -become
super h umans themselves. "We lose
more employees that way. . . ."
Appearance: Brown hair (gray at tem-
pies), bl ack eyes, 5 ' 1 0 " , 200 I bs.
Slouch ing posture, tobacco breath.
Lenny is tired of being told he looks
li ke actor Lee Marvin .
Talents: Construction, demolition, res­
toration, remodeling, getting overtime
for his workers, bowling, drinking.
Typical Dialogue: "There's nothing
about neutronium in the u nion con­
tracts. Sounds like hazard pay to me."
Story Function: Ballinger is the Dam­
age Control staffer most often fo und
on the battle sites themselves. He
may be the first Damage Controller
the PCs meet after their own battles.
He lends scenic color to a clean-up ef­
fort, and his u nflappable manner pro­
vides occasional co mic relief.
Anne
Last name unrevealed
Receptionist
R
I
P
S
E
F
A
Ty Ty Ty Ty Gd Gd Gd
Health: 24
Karma: 30
Resources: Ex(20)
Popularity: 3
In a lot of companies the reception­
ist keeps the whole operation to­
gether. At Damage Control everyo ne
is pretty m uch on top of his or her job,
so Anne has plenty of leisure time.
She spends it buffing her nails and
talking on the phone. B ut she does a
good job of keeping com mun ications
li nes open and putting people in touch
with each other.
Now and then people wonder why
Anne doesn't go into modeling or the
movies. I t 's because models and
movie actresses don't get to spend all
day buffing their nails and talking on
the phone.
Appearance: Black hair, black eyes,
5 '1 0" , 1 35 I bs. Gorgeous and gor­
geously d ressed. Aloof, confident
manner.
Talents: Conversation , diplomacy, ad­
m i nistration , fashion, cosmetics.
Typical Dialogue: "So he said to me,
'I hate to bathe alone,' and I told him,
'Then buy a rubber duck, j ust leave
me alone' -j ust a minute, Bridgette­
can I help you? "
Story Function: If t h e PCs don't meet
Lenny Balli nger first, Anne will be their
first contact with Damage Control. Her
constant phone conversations can be
a running gag . Male PCs may be inter­
ested in her romantically, but she is
not l i kely to reciprocate.
77
Henry Ackerdson
Marketing vice-president
F
A
S
E
R
P
Pr
Pr Ty Pr
Gd Ty Pr
Health: 1 8
Karma: 20
Resources: Ex(20)
Popularity: 0
Ackerdson is not as well-conn ected
as Mrs. Hoag, but he does all right. He
sits on the board of di rectors of New
U niverse Pictures, and he exchanges
Christmas cards with hundreds of law­
yers, record prod ucers, and even
some super-powered heroes.
Appearance: Black hair, brown eyes,
5'5" , 1 45 1bs. Pudgy. Fast talker with a
really, really sincere manner.
Talents: Marketing, networking, fast
tal king , getting into trouble, getting
people to get him out of trouble.
Typical
Dialogue:
" S paces h i p
crashed i n Central Park? What, you
want to remove it? Stop, leave it. lis­
ten , how does this sound: 'AstroLand
Amusement Ride.' Hey?"
Story Function: Whenever he sees
the PCs, Ackerdson comes up with
hare-brained marketing or promo­
tional schemes that work as comedy
relief. His extensive co ntacts in the
entertai nment ind ustry can lead to
new careers for heroes who want to
retire from the campaign.
John " Bart" Rozum
College student,
Damage Control i ntern
F
A
S
E
R
P
Ty Gd Gd Gd Ty Ty Ty
Health: 36
Karm a: 1 8
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 0
Bart Rozum speaks i n almost reli­
gious terms of his early rescue from a
mine shaft by a genuine super hero.
He was a child at the time, and other
witnesses could not identify the hero.
Since then he has obsessively studied
the super-human com mun ity, partly to
find out which hero saved his life . He
hasn't found a satisfactory candidate
yet, but he is very happy to share his
reaso ning with anybody who asks (or
who may be about to as'k).
Rozum attends New York University,
majoring in Urban Planning, and re­
ceives college credit for his work at
Damage Control. He keeps track of the
lost-and-found section, makes photo­
copies, gets the mail, runs errands, and
furnishes-with or without being
asked-data about super-beings to the
staffers at Damage Control. Sometimes
the data is even relevant.
Appearance: Red hair, brown eyes,
6'5/1 , 1 90 Ibs. Wiry build, freckles.
Jay Dixon
Secu rity g uard, Flatiron Bui lding
S
F
A
E
R
I
P
Gd Ty
Ty
Gd Ty
Ty
Ty
encou nter on the way to Dam age Con­
trol headquarters.
Wears jeans with holes in the knees,
sneakers, and baseball cap.
Talents: Athletics, ur ban plan n i n g ,
driving fast. Rozum's knowledge of
Karma: 1 8
Health: 32
Resources: Typical(6)
Popu l arity: 0
It takes a special kind of person to
gu ard the build ing housing Damage
STORY FU NCTI ON
super-beings is m uch too extensive
for any sane perso n .
Typical D ialog u e : " Say, that g u n
looks a lot l i ke t h e one used b y the
Control-at least, so says Jay Dixon ,
who does it. Jay has no super powers,
but has to handle lots of vi sitors who
do. Luckily, they hardly ever make
third Mister Fear-not the first, who
was Zoltan Drago, an amateur scien­
tist w h o ran a wax m u seum and
worked with the origi nal Eel and the
trouble.
The hardest part of the job is getting
su per-powered villains to check their
ultra-powerful devices at the desk.
original Ox, and not the second, who
accidentally died i n a battle with Dare­
devil and later became M achinesmith,
but the third, who-"
The villains usually ig nore the re­
q uests. Jay has learned not to press
hard .
Appearance: Black hair, black eyes,
Story Fu nction : Though his work at
Damage Control is a dream come true
for Rozum , he is no more fl ustered by
super-humans than anyone else in the
firm . The J udge might i ntroduce a
subplot in which Bart, consumed by
cu riosity, tries to track down a PC's se­
cret identity.
5' 1 0" , 1 65 1bs. Standard blue security
outfit. Cas u al posture (not q u ite a
slouch), am used man ner.
Ta l e n t s : Secu rity syste m s , g u n s ,
wrestling, keeping calm .
Typical Dialog u e : " I ' l l b e t you ' re
looking for Damage Contro l . Sixth
floor. Sorry, but yo u ' l l have to leave
your flaming mace here at the desk."
Story Function: Jay is a mi nor comic
78
B y its nature, Damage Control does
not get involved in most adventures
until after the fighting is over. There­
fore, the J udge will probably use the
staffers as i nterim encou nters be­
tween adventures. As some of the li st­
ings point out, the various emp loyees
can become emotionally i nvolved with
suitable PC heroes. Mrs. Hoag is a
val uable contact for the PCs, si nce
she knows everybody who is anybody.
Heroes may get visits or phone cal ls
from John Porter or Albert Cleary, who
want to collect fees for the destruction
the heroes caused. These can be run­
ning gags or annoyances for the PCs.
And sometimes a clean- u p operation
can be a springboard to a new adven­
ture , as Lenny Ballinger's workers un­
cover some bizarre device a defeated
villain left behind.
And remember: Nobody at Damage
Control is fazed by the extraordinary.
It's j u st part of their job.
NEW YORK'S FIN E ST: TH E POLICE
BACKG ROU N D
The Federal Bureau of I nvestigation
reports that in New Yo rk in 1 987, there
were over 5,900 crimes com m itted per
1 00 ,000 po pu lation. This is by far the
hig hest rate of any northeaste rn state .
The robbery rate in New York is more
than twice the natio nal average
'
higher than any state.
N ew York City contrib utes a lot to
this rate. To combat crime, the city em­
ploys thousands of peace officers. If
they did thei r job better, there might be
no need for super heroes. But the po­
lice do their best, and in the Marvel
Un iverse they often face dangers far
above the call of duty.
MOTIVES
Like all police forces, the New York
Police Department is charged with
maintai ning order and i nvestigating
breaches of the law. But to police offi­
cers around the city such tasks can
mean different thin gs.
The principal styles of law enforce­
�� nt are the legalistic style (all laws
rigidly enforced to achieve a sing le
standard of community behavior); the
watchman style (using the law to keep
the peace rather than promote legal
reform); and the service style (using
com munity social pressure instead of
law to prevent or punish minor of­
fenses) .
. Styles vary from precinct to pre­
Cinct , or even officer to officer. If a cou­
ple of cops d rive up to a crime scene
and see Spider-Man, one may try to
arrest h i m while t he other just thanks
him for beating up the crooks.
In general , New York's vast size
makes the watchman style the only
practical option. In other words, New
York's Finest mainly try to keep the
city ru n ning smoothly, not promote an
agenda. Less than one reported inci­
dent in 40 leads to arrest.
M ETHODS A N D
I NCOME
The N YPD is funded by taxpayer
dollars allocated i n the annual city
budget. The de partm ent also runs
c� arity fund-raising events for pen­
sion funds and the like ; heroes who
like to stay on the good side of the law
often appear at these events.
PERSO N N E L
The Mayor appoints a police com­
m issioner to run the department. The
name of the com m issioner in the
Marvel Un iverse has not been re­
vealed, but he is being blackmailed by
the Kingpin and does what the crime­
lord tells h i m to do.
U nder the com m issioner are sev­
eral deputy comm issioners, in charge
of admin istration, j uvenile crime, legal
matters, l icensing of officers, policy,
79
and public relations. The co m m is­
sioner and deputy comm issioners op­
erate out of Police Headquarters on
Park Row on the Lower East Side, at
the foot of the Brooklyn B ridge.
Then come over 80 precinct cap­
tains, each responsible for one area in
the five boroughs. No "typical" pre­
cinct exists; t hey come in all sizes,
types, and areas.
A captain has several plainclothes
l ieuten ants, often detectives. Then
come the sergeants, who are often ei­
ther young detectives on their way up
or old beat cops who got stalled on the
ladder of progress. And finally come
the "uniforms," the officers who drive
the streets and go out on calls.
Officers are not formally unionized ,
but they have formed organizations
that serve some of the same functions
as a union. Officers do not go out on
strike, but informal "sickouts," where
large n u m bers of officers cal l in sick,
serve as a protest mechanism .
Recruitment and Training
A police recruit must be between 21
and 35 years old, a high school gradu­
ate, and a US citize n , and must have a
driver's l icense and a clean crimi nal
record. Nine out of ten recruits are
male.
Recruits train at the Police Acad­
emy (235 E. 20th Street at Second Av­
enue) for 1 6 weeks. They learn law
enforcement skills and combat and
driving tech niq ues. Once graduated,
the "rookie" is assig ned to a field­
trained officer (FTO) in a precinct and
spends six months on probat i o n .
Thereafter t h e officer can take civil
service qualifying exams to become
eligible for promotion . Headq uarters
awards promotions to eligi ble officers
based on senio rity, ability, heroism,
and politics.
Other Divisions
Separate branches wit h i n the
NYPD take charge of traffic control,
bridge and tunnel patrol, and harbor
patrol. There are motorcycle divisions
and emergency divisions, as well as
heavily armed SWAT (Special Weap­
ons and Tactics) teams that handle
hostage crises and the l ike. The police
department also maintains stables of
horses for mou nted patrol in Central
Park and other parks, and it keeps a
canine division of dogs (usually Ger­
man shepherds) trained to sn iff out
drugs or track fugitives.
Lieutenant Kris Keating ope rates a
Special Weapons Force out of Police
Headquarters. This 75-officer emer­
gency team attempts to handle super­
powered vil lains. In a confrontation
with one, Keating claimed the squad
has "enough fi repower to si nk an air­
craft carrier."
Actually, this is almost true. The
SWF com mands dozens of mil itary
LAWs , flameth rowers, and heavy artil­
lery. And it employs several hig h-tech
weapons manufactured by Stane In­
ternational (formerly Stark Interna­
tional) or bought as surplus when
S H I ELD was disbanded. These in­
cl ude two st un cannons, three con­
cussion cannons, and-the prize of
the NYPD-a single, precious Plasma
Beam . However, the force does not
know how to mai ntain these com plex
devices, so it uses them sparingly.
( For statistics, see pp. 42-43 of the
Player's Book.)
The SWF's most advanced devices
are six Stane-designed " nullifier har­
nesses." These i ntricate metal strait­
jackets have Remarkable N ullifying
Power (Player's Book, page 76) with
Feeble range. B ut each of the six har­
nesses works against only one cate­
gory of powers: heat, cold , force field,
size change and shape-shifting, invisi­
bility, and matter control . Each har­
ness is only of Good material, so they
are often out for repair or recondition­
ing.
Kris Keating is a bu rly, slightly over­
weight man of average height. He has
unr uly, receding gray hair, dresses in
cheap suits and a dirty overcoat, and
has no love of super-powered heroes
or villains. But he is a conscientious
officer and a caring man .
NOTE:The real Kris Keating was
murdered several years ago by the
professional assassin known only as
Foreigner; A master of disguise, For­
eigner took Keating's place in the
SWF. Later, Foreigner made im per­
sonating Keating a training assign­
ment for recru its in his disguise corps;
over two dozen different employees of
Foreigner have pretended to be Keat­
ing over the past few years; so far, no
one has noticed the deception, a trib­
ute to Foreigner's skills and training.
Service Division
The NYPD employs vast numbers of
support personnel: vehicle mai nte­
nance crews, forensic pathologists, fin­
gerprint ID technicians, secretaries, lab
workers, data entry and file clerks, ana­
lysts, consultants, and so on.
80
The department couldn't do the job
without them. But they seldom fig ure
in adventures.
Statistics
Typical officer
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
Gd Gd Ty Gd Ty Ty Ty
Karma: 1 8
Health : 36
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 4
Talents: Law Enforcement, surveil­
lance , shadowing.
Equipment: One .38 revolver with 3i n c h barrel ; two sp eedloaders or
ammo clips; flak jacket; handcuffs;
walkie-talkie with city-wide range; billy
c l u b ; flas h l i g ht; u n iform and Sam
Browne belt to hold the equipment.
Notes: Plainclothes detectives have
the same statistics and equipment ,
except that they d o not carry a billy
club or flashlight. Plainclothesmen
have Crimi nology and Detective skills.
SWAT ISpecial Weapons Force Op­
erative
R
I
P
E
F
A
S
Ex Gd Gd Ty Ty Ty Gd
Karma: 22
Health : 46
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 4
Talents: As the typical officer's above,
plus Marksmanship.
Equipment: As the typical officer's,
plus riot g u n (see Player's Book, p.
42).
Police vehicles
Statistics for police cars, vans, and
SWAT vans are given on page 48 of
the Player's Book. The NYPD also em­
ploys battle copters, described on
page 49 of that book. But these are
seldom seen in adve ntures with PC
heroes.
STORY F U NCTION
The uses of the police in a super­
heroic cam paign are obvious. They
take petty crooks off the PCs' hands;
they get th reatened by major vil lains
and the PCs rescue them ; and they in­
vestigate mysteries offstage, giving
the PCs exposition or vital clues as
necessary.
TH E MAGGIA
The Maggia i s the world's most pow­
erful criminal organization. It controls
most drug traffic, illegal gam bling, ex­
tortion rackets, and other illicit activities
in the United States. It also influences
various labor unions and political offi­
cials. The Maggia has diversified into
many legiti mate businesses.
Not a monolithic organization , the
Maggia i s a hierarchy of independent
groups called "fam ilies." The leading
members of most families are joined
by famili al or marital ties. Mem bers of
Maggia fami lies may not be related,
but they have nearly always grown up
together, are closely acquainted, and
d istrust "outsiders" to the family.
This entry describes the three Mag­
gia fam il ies prominent in New York
City: the Silvermane, Hammerhead ,
a n d Nefaria fam i lies.
The Maggi a's power has weakened
i n the Un ited States over the last dec­
ades, primarily because of aggressive
pursuit by the FBI and super-powered
heroes. And its influence along the At­
lantic seaboard has dwindled consid­
erably si nce the Kingpi n's criminal
organization rose to power. The Pun­
isher has clai med that the Kingpin has
taken over 80% of cri minal activity on
the East Coast.
But though the Maggia may be on
the run in the Un ited States, individual
family leaders remain powerful , and
the Maggia can still be a spring board
for many adve nture scenarios.
BACKGROU N D
The Maggia origi nated i n southern
Europe in the thirteenth century, partly
i n response to a series of oppressive
foreign governments. These foreign
ru lers paid little attention to native tra­
ditions. Perhaps in reaction, the Mag­
g i a le aders adhered closely to
traditions of personal honor and fam­
ily loyalty, traditions st ill nurtured to
this day high in the Maggia hie rarchy.
MOTIVES
The Maggia is a business, and it is
run as a business, to make profits. Mag­
giosi undertake any activity that will
bring in money. For instance, the Mag-
gia has made great profits in disposal of
toxic chemical wastes. Companies that
don't want to pay the high costs of dis­
posal by legitimate means contract with
the Magg ia to dump the wastes
cheaply. Of course, the Maggia makes
no guarantees to dispose of them in an
environ mentally safe place.
Individ uals within families also hope
to win prestige and gain power in the
fami ly. They achieve stat us by bring­
ing in money, carryi ng out difficult as­
sign ments, and maintaining the honor
of their families.
Honor is vital to the Maggia. Family
members must honor their elders and
relatives, be truthful in deal ings with
one another, and mai ntain social rela­
tions with the fami ly. Perhaps most im­
portant, honor req u i res the fam i ly
members to protect secrets.
All Maggia fam ilies enforce a strict
code of secrecy among their mem­
bers. Those who betray this code are
marked for execution . The Maggioso
assigned the task grasps the victim by
the chin in the so-called " M aggia
touch." The victim usually does not
survive the day.
M ETHODS AND
I NCO ME
Maggia fam ilies divide t h e world
into "territories." A Maggioso does not
operate in a rival fam ily's territory with­
out permission . They ad min ister terri­
tories from home cities; in the US,
Magg ia base cities include Chicago,
Detroit, Mi lwaukee, Tampa, Toledo,
Los Angeles, Seattle, and others-as
well as New York, of course. Some cit­
ies are "open," mean ing any Mag­
g ioso can ope rate there without
permission. M iami and Las Vegas are
both open cities.
Different fam il ies specialize in dif­
ferent forms of crime. For instance,
the Silvermane family is deeply i n­
volved in the narcotics trade; Ham­
and
in
exto rtion
merhead,
loan-sharking ; Nefaria, i n blackmail,
industrial espionage, and su pplying
equipment to terrorists.
Income from these operations is
hard to estimate, but it must be sub81
stantial . The Maggia generally relies
on a steady stream of income from
petty crime and syste mic corr uption ,
rather than big operations with high
profiles. A hero is unli kely to encoun­
ter one of these "big heists" more
than every year or so.
Maggia tradition being what it is,
most families rely on tried and true
methods of enforcement: intimidation,
property damage, legbreaking , kid­
napping, and contract assassi nation.
But in New York City, the Maggia fami­
l ies have broken with tradition to
counter the threat posed by super he­
roes. They often employ su per-human
agents, futuristic weapon ry, even ro­
bots in the struggle.
The Nefaria family in particular has
led the way in this trend; its member­
ship is you nger than is typical, and (in
defiance of all trad ition) the family is
currently led by a woman, Whitney
Frost.
The other Maggia fam il ies of New
Yo rk use the se avant-garde tech­
niq ues more re luctantly. Hamm er­
head and Si lvermane appear to use
technology only for themselves, such
as exoskeletons that amplify strength ,
rather than to eq uip their agents.
PERSO N N E L
M aggia membersh ip estimates are
uncertain at best . The organization
must employ as many "workers" as
any major multinational corporation .
Worldwide, Maggia fam ily members
probably n u m ber in the tens of thou­
sand s . In the U n ited States today
there are fewer than in the heyday of
Proh ibition, but there are certai nly at
least 3,500 active fam ily members i n
t h e co untry. These figu res are mis­
leading, though, because for every
core me mber there are ten or a dozen
associated thugs and workers.
In New York City the Maggia fami­
l ies number about three or four hun­
d red
members
apiece.
They
employed, u ntil recently, perhaps two
to three t housand members on a
piece-wo rk basis. Only a few hundred
were active full-time. Today nearly all
the job-work t hugs and thieves who
formerly worked for the Maggia have
deserted to the Ki ngpi n . The remain­
ing Maggia loyalists keep quiet about
it, and they watch their backs.
New York M aggi a leaders have
socked away large amou nts of operat­
ing capital, though, and can stil l plan
m assive heists, h i re m ajor-league
super-powered villains, and buy city
officials. The leaders are dangerous
opponents for PC heroes, too.
"Wise Guys"
High-level Maggia figures are known
in underworld slang as "wise guys."
They are, with significant exceptions
(see below), all men . All are wel l­
dressed, since they are in a real sense
executives in a multinational business.
And families are always rigidly segre­
gated along ethnic lines; the mob is not
an equal-opportunity employer.
Wise guys as a rule are jovial when
with others of their kind, tight-li pped to
outsiders. They tend to be touchy­
feely types-hugging, backsl appi n g ,
and so on. Most are not especially i n ­
telligent, b u t they are a l l street-smart.
Though some can be charming in per­
son, all are vicious and cold in Maggia
matters. " Nothi ng personal" is a by­
word among Maggiosi, often as they
are k i l l i n g each other i n feuds.
Silvermane
Silvio Manfredi
Head of the Silvermane family
F
R M (30)
Health: 1 30
A
EX (20)
S
I N (40)
Karma: 36
E
R
I
P
I N (40)
EX (20)
Resou rces: U n known
GO ( 1 0)
TY (6)
Popularity: - 1 0
Leader of the Manfredi family of the
Maggia since the 1 920s, Silvermane
has had a checkered career in recent
years. He "died" during a battle with
Cloak and Dagger, but Maggia re­
sources bought him an advanced cy­
bernetic body that kept his brain, heart,
and central nervous system alive. It is
unclear whether he is still a Maggia
head . S ilverm a n e 's current where­
abouts and activities are unknown.
Appeara n c e : 7 ' , 440 I bs . Si lver­
mane's cyborg body is a baroque con­
traption of si lver-colored metal. His
heart is visible behind a plexiglas
cover. H is face is that of an 80-year-old
man.
KNOWN POWERS:
Body Armor . Excellent rank.
E n h a nced Heari n g . S i l v e r m a n e 's
hearing is Excellent.
Talents: C r i m i nal strategy, Thrown
Objects. Si lvermane has Marksman
t a l e n t with h a n d g u n s and sub­
machine g u ns.
Contacts: The entire Manfredi family.
Silvermane once led a faction of the
HYDRA villain agency.
H ammerhead
Real name un revealed
F
EX (20)
Health: 60/1 20
A
G D/I N *
Karma: 1 8
G D/I N *
S
E
EX (20)
R
TY (6)
Resources: Ex(20)
TY (6)
I
TY (6)
Popularity: 5
P
* The ran k before the slash is Ham-
82
merhead's normal ability; that after
the slash shows his abil ity when wear­
i n g his powered exoskeleton .
Ham merhead was a n ordinary thug
before a mad scientist implanted a flat
steel plate in the top of his head. The
operation made him grotesquely ugly
and also gave him amnesia. He has pat­
terned his new personality on old gang­
ster
movies.
This
suits
the
Hammerhead family, easily the most
traditional of the Maggia families in New
York.
Appearance: 6' 1 /1 , 220 Ibs. (in exo­
skeleton, 600 Ibs.). Black hair, black
eyes, squat features. Dresses in pin­
stripe suits out of the 1 920s. The top
of Hammerhead's head is completely
flat.
Known Powers:
BODY ARMOR. The top of Hammer­
head's head has Incredible armor.
Talents: Maggia organization , crim i nal
strategy. Ham merhead gains + 1 CS
to all C harge attacks, in addition to the
usual C h arge bonuses .
Typical Dialog u e : " L iste n , youse
g uys! Chill t h at super-rat before he
puts the whole operation o n ice ! "
Count Nefaria
Luchino Nefaria (deceased)
Head of Nefaria fami ly
Whitney Frost
Alias Big M , Madam Masque
Head of N efaria fam ily
For complete statistics of the Nefa­
ria fam i ly leaders, consult M U 1 and
M U 2 , Gamer's Handbook
MAR VEL UNIVERSE"' .
to
the
Typical Maggia thug
F
A
S
E
R
P
Gd Ty
Ty
Ty
Ty
Pr
Pr
Healt h : 28
Karma: 1 4
Resou rces: Good(1 0)
Popularity: 0
The typical Maggia t h u g , though he
dresses well , is no better or worse
equi pped than any street t h u g . He has
a c h eap p i st o l or revolver, extra
ammo, and possi bly a knife, black­
jack, or brass kn uckles.
Talents: Martial Arts B and E.
Story Functio n : Spear-carriers for
the PC heroes to plow through at wil l .
Dreadnoughts
Warrior robots
F
A
S
E
Rm Ex
In
Mn
Health: 1 65
Resources: None
The villain organ ization HYDRA
once designed a powerful warrior ro­
bot as a weapon against Colonel N ick
Fury and S H I ELD. The Nefaria family
stole plans for the robot and has con­
structed about a dozen more, using a
modified design .
This is an abbreviated description
of the D r e ad n o u g h t robot s . For
more i n fo r m at i o n , cons u l t M U 1 ,
Gamer's Handbook of the MARVEL
UNIVERSE'" .
KNOWN POWERS:
Body Armor. Amazing vs. physical at­
tacks, R em arkable vs . e n e rgy at­
tacks. Monstrous resistance to heat,
cold, and radiation attacks. l m m un e to
mental attacks and i l l usions, but can
be fought with attacks that affect the
senses.
Weapons Systems. Flameth rowers:
I ncredi ble fire damage, range 1 area,
6 uses.
Kn uckle-s p i kes: Typical shoot i n g
damage, range 4 areas, 9 uses.
Electrical field: Amazing electrical
damage, range is contact only.
G a m m a rays from eyes : I n credible
intensity, range 3 areas.
Freon gas jet in mout h : Amazing
cold attack, range 2 areas, one use
lasting two turns.
Talents: Program m i ng s i m u l ates
Martial Art B, boxi ng.
P
Ex
Fe
Karma: 24
Popularity: - 1 0
R
Fe
83
STORY FUNCTION
Ve ry handy to a s u per-powered
campaig n , the Maggia is the generic
cri m i n al org a n izatio n . I t co m m i ts
every k i n d of c r i m e from p u rse­
snatching to putting a force dome over
the nation's capita l . It employs any
su per-thug t h at the J udge wants to
throw at the players.
The Magg ia acq u i res a flavor o n l y i n
the upper reaches of t h e organization,
where the importance of honor can
lead fam i ly heads to com promise their
own i nterests-if the players can fig­
ure out how to bring honor and i nter­
ests i nto conflict.
This is one of the Maggia's weak
pOints; the other is the feud i ng that
can start up between fam ilies. The
players m ay follow the dict u m , " Set a
thief to catch a th ief," and outfox t h e
Maggia b y pitting o n e fam ily against
another.
But such methods are hardly better
than the Maggia's own, however good
the cause. What's worse, characters
trying this would have to consort with
Maggia members on a more familiar ba­
sis than they would like. If a PC joins
forces i n this way with a Maggia fam ily,
the J udge should explore the conse­
quences of that descent into crime.
CHAPTER 5: ON THE SI DEWALKS OF NEW YORK
TH E CITY
ENVIRON M ENT
Previous chapters described New
York locations . . . dissected the city,
so to speak. But New York, once dis­
sected, is no more a living entity than
any bei ng on a dissecting table. This
chapter puts it all back together and
conju res New York as a living city.
Here the J udge can learn how to con­
vey the ambience, the atmosphere of
life in the Big Apple.
This chapter also describes typical
city streets and the t hings found on
them . After all , when heroes dash
from one Hotspot to the next, the
J udge m ust be able to describe the
streets between .
TH E N EW YORK
ATTITU DE
Those who move to New York from
more sedate areas often describe their
changed lives this way: "Si nce I moved
here, I've been frightened, angered, ex­
hilarated, desperate, and terrified. But
I've never, ever been bored."
Manhattan runs full steam around the
clock. Residents can always find some­
thing to do, somewhere to eat, a m �vie
to see, even places to shop at any tlm �
of the day or night. Subways and taxI­
cabs run all the time. The pace of life
moves as fast as anyone wants it to go,
and sometimes much faster.
The d rawback to this variety: Street
scum operate around the clock as
wel l . Beggars, muggers, con men,
pickpockets, h ustlers, and just plain
rude people try to hit up pedestrians
all the time.
I n defense, most New Yorkers grow
a thick layer of callus, or rather, ca!­
lousness. They withdraw from their
surroundings; walk past street dere­
licts; don't answer tourists' questions;
shove each other aside in the fight for
taxicabs or seats on the bus; carefu lly
ignore screams in dark alleys or fights
in s u bway cars; and, in general, just
refuse to "get i nvolved."
Super-heroic crimefighters become
all the more impressive by contrast.
These heroes, both in the Marvel com­
ics and in the J udge's campaign, do
get involved. They try to help people,
to make a difference. They prove that
the urban life does not have to build
walls between people.
The Marvel heroes may be strong
and fast and wield great powe rs, but
their real strength comes from this
strength of character-the willingness
to help.
.
And thei r example somet i m es
proves inspirational . The occasional
New Yorker will intervene to help a
hero i n trouble. The J udge can intro­
d uce i ncidents reflecting this into the
campaign to show that the PC heroes
are doi ng some good.
Taking It In Stride
The Man hattanite's ability to shut
out the world helps explain why so
many still live in the city. When thei r
home is constantly being threatened,
invaded, held for ransom , levitated
into the air, damaged , blacked out, or
otherwise thrown into an uproar, what
else keeps them around but an ability
to ignore it all?
.
The " Inferno" crisis showed thiS.
Inanimate objects attacked people,
demons possessed them, heat waves
struck the city. Yet New Yorkers took it
in stri de. Of course, they complained
a lot-a popular pastime in Manhat­
tan , but no one really worried u nles � a
mailbox or fire hydrant attacked h i m
o r h e r personally.
In general, noth ing much fazes a
New Yorker any more.
N EW YORK
LANGUAG E
Whuh, ya wan na know how dese
people talk? Dey talk fOi n , whatsit to
ya?
New York featu res the most diverse
conglomeration of dialects in Amer­
ica. Though not so extreme as, say,
London, the contrast among Brook­
lyn, the Lower East Side, the U pper
West Side, Harlem , and the B ronx­
just to pick a few examples-strike�
the visitor as soon as locals open their
mouths.
84
Much of the variety comes from the
influx of immi grants into New York
over the last century or more. Also, as
i n any society, different social classes
use different dialects. Go into three
New York department stores that ca­
ter to different income groups, and
ask a salesperson for directions to
some department on the fourth floor.
In the richer stores, the salespeople
pronounce the " r"s in "fourth floor" ;
i n stores cate ring to lower-income
g roups, they don't p ronou nce the
" r"s. This is one example of language
variation.
For game purposes, of course, the
J udge can ig nore dialects. But d rop­
ping in an occasional N P C who says,
" Boy, was dey poitoi b'd!" or "Youse
g uys" helps evoke the atmosphere of
New York.
TH E STR E ETS
Speaking of atmosp here, this is a
good time to mention the air. New
York's poll uted air has become a leg­
end. Smog alerts in summer months
keep child ren indoors. Tou rists wipe
their eyes and wonder why natives
never feel the sti ng of the fumes.
I n game terms, smog may keep he­
roes from noticing a crime or ap­
proaching villain until it's too late. Or
heroes may have to rescue people
who collapse from the bad air (it hap­
pens) and rush them to the hospital.
B ut the smog doesn' t keep New
York cars from jamming Manhattan 's
h u ndreds of mi les of streets.
Physical Description
Major aven ues generally measure
60 feet (1/2 area) wide-th ree 1 2-foot
lanes of t raffic, plus (sometimes) park­
ing lanes on either side of the street.
Cross-streets vary, but for game pur­
poses, ass ume three lanes, � ith no
parking (at least no legal parkmg) .on
either side. Two- way streets are tWice
as wide, as mentioned in Chapter 2 .
Streets look m uch wider in photos,
because downtown Manhattan side­
walks stretch at least 25 feet wide on
either side. C u rbs are fou r to six
inches high, with iron g utter drains
every ten yards or so. Sidewalks are
ANYDNE CAN
WIN A �'GJ.4 T - ­
WHE N
THE O"PS - ­
ARE EASY.' IT'S
Wf.4 E N TUE GOING'S
WHEN TUERE
SEEM S 10 SE NO
TOUGU-
-
CHANCE
- -
WH EN - - IT
rNAr�
COUNTS.'
IT'S MOVING.'
STOP NOW.'
LAST CHANCE ! MUST
KEEP THE MOMENTUM
- -M(NlE/ JUST A
L I T TLE MtNlE- -.'
CAN' T
usually punctuated with lampposts,
trash cans, and even a few emaci­
ated, poisoned trees.
Sidewalks are concrete, about four
inches thick (Excellent strength). For
material strengths of street pavement
and the utilities that lie beneath it, see
Chapter 6, "Underground Manhattan."
Potholes-Maps Available
Manhattan 's streets are generally i n
poor condition , the result of incredibly
heavy use and of the occasional battle
between super h u mans. " Potholes,"
or open pits i n t h e asphalt, are every­
where.
One anecdote will illustrate how prev­
alent they are. Drivers break axles, blow
tires, and have other accidents by strik­
ing potholes; they often file suits against
the city to recover repair costs. The city
government did not have the money to
pay for all these lawsuits, but it also
could not afford to fix the potholes. So it
worked out the following dodge to pre-
vent more filings.
The city government passed a regu­
lation saying that no driver could re­
cover costs for a pothole accident
u n less the city h ad been n otifi ed
about the pothole prior to the acci­
dent. The rationale was that the city
COUldn't be blamed for not repai ring a
pothole it d i d n ' t know a b o u t . Of
course (thought the government), no
one would report a pothole until it
gave them trouble. But the govern­
ment was wrong.
A large Manhattan law firm realized
that this new law wou l d prevent them
from filing l ucrative pothole-accident
s u its-u n less they did somet h i n g
about i t . So t h e law firm commis­
sioned a private firm of su rveyors to
sco u r the city's streets and locate
every single pothole. The law firm then
filed the massive list with City Hall,
and i n future lawsuits could claim that
it had notified the city of any given pot85
hole's existence.
New York may be the only city i n the
world
where the
pot h o l es are
mapped.
Street Furniture
D u ri n g the course of a battle, super
h u m ans are l i kely to pick u p nearly
anything and th row it aro u n d . With
that in m i n d , the following list s umma­
rizes the most common items to be
fou n d i n the u rban environment, their
weights, and their material strengths.
Weight
Fixtures
Mailbox
Fireplug
Lam ppost
90 Ibs
75 Ibs
Phone stand
Manhole cover
Trash can (empty)
Trash can (full)
Dumpster
40 Ibs
30 lbs
75 lbs)
400 lbs
250 l bs
650 l bs
Material
Gd
Ex
Ex
Ex
Ex
Ty
Ty
Gd
Vehicles
Bicycle
Motorcycle
Compact car
Sedan
Luxury car/l imo
Armored
limousine
Van
Pickup truck
Garbage truck
Bus (em pty)
Bus (full)
Traffic hel icopter
20 lbs
225 1bs
1 . 5 tons
2 tons
3 tons
Pr
Gd
Gd
Gd
Ex
5 tons
2 tons
1 . 5 tons
3 tons
3 tons
7 tons
1 500 l bs
Rm
Gd
Gd
Ex
Ex
Ex
Gd
Construction sites
Bulldozer
Crane
Steel girder
6 tons
1 2 tons
200 I bsl
yd
Rm
Rm
Rm
Parks
Park bench
1 50 l bs
Small tree (30 ft) 2 . 5 tons
Large tree (60 ft) 20 tons
Man-sized rock
200 lbs
Six-foot boulder 1 0 tons
Ty
Ty
Gd
Rm
In
Traffic
To those who have not been to New
York, there really is no way to describe
the d ayt i m e tr affic. The term
"gridlock" as applied to traffic jams
originated here. When rush hour h its
each morning and evening, gridlock
often freezes hund reds or thousands
of cars i nto roari ng, fum i ng i m mobi lity.
And at other times, when the streets
are wide open, drivers tear along so
that visitors doubt their san ity.
The game effects of New York traffic
incl ude the followi ng:
( 1 ) Tailing someone by car is usually
easy. Al most all the traffic on a given
street is one way. As Bullseye once re­
m arked , " I don't care how many cop
shows you've seen it on. You can't tell
if somebody is following you up Sixth
Avenue. Everybody goes north on
Sixth Avenue." Characters won't be
able to tell they're being followed un­
less they take an unusual route or
h ave a n ext rasensory power t h at
warns them.
(2) Vil lains tryi ng to escape by car i n
heavy traffic may move s o slowly that
a hero on foot can catch them; or con­
versely, the villains try desperate ma­
neuvers to escape, like drivi ng on the
sidewal k or through a corner store.
(3) Heroes may get delayed in arriv-
ing on the scene of a holdup or hostage
crisis. The Judge can develop the situa­
tion to any crisis point desired before al­
lowing the PCs to arrive. Or the heroes
can try suitably heroic measures to
overcome traffic obstacles.
Of course, heroes seldom drive on
the streets anyway. But even the
greatest heroes have been known to
hail a cab.
TAXICABS
No less than 1 2,000 cabs scavenge
the streets of New York-except in
bad weather, when they all disappear.
A "medal lion," or cab license, costs
over $ 1 00,000. Many companies em­
ploy large cab fleets, and there are in­
dependent "gypsy" cabs, too (see
Chapter 2).
Taxi statistics are listed on page 48
of the Player s Book. An empty cab
weighs just over two tons (I ncredible
strength to lift). With driver, four pas­
sengers, and l u ggage, it wei g hs
nearly three tons.
Taxicabs in New York do not carry
more than four passengers, except for
the checkered variety; these carry
five. Pedestrians can tell when a cab
is available by its roof light. When it
carries a fare, the l ight switches off.
The roof light also displays the cab's
medall ion number.
'
Drivers
F
A
S
E
R
P
Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty
H ealth: 24
Karma: 1 8
Resources: Good( 1 0)
Popularity: 0
Tal e nts: Driving (as Pi lot, but for
cabs).
Contacts: Low-level criminals. A taxi
driver can take a fare to a gambling
game, drug pusher, or brothel .
Taxi drivers have Typical ranks in all
abil ities, but otherwise they have little
in common. In older days they tended
to be of a type , or at least a
stereotype-garrulous, philosophical
guys, tolerant of eccentricity but ruth­
less toward fellow drivers.
Today, thoug h, there is no stereo­
typical driver. Many never say a word ;
m any are fem ale; many wou l d n ' t
know what " philosophical" or " eccen­
tricity" means. As often as not, drivers
are recent i m m i g rants who speak
hardly ten words of Engl ish. But they
86
do remain ruth less on the road, so
when the traffic l ightens, get out of
their way!
Taxicabs in Adventures
Don 't often see heroes riding i n a
taxi? Tr ue, but it has happened . As
mentioned i n Chapter 2, even the
Fantastic Four had to ride one once.
Once, when Daredev i l 's hyper­
senses went out of control, he fel l vic­
tim to some thugs bearing grudges
(and cl ubs). A passi n g driver rescued
the crimefighter, then took him where
he wanted to go, no charge. Tal k
about miracles.
Player ch aracters m ig ht need to
take a cab when their own vehicles or
powers short out, or in their secret
identities. A cab ride for heroes accus­
tomed to swinging or flying across
town presents chances for comic re­
l ief. Cab drivers also work as sources
of information, and m aybe even ro­
mantic i nterests i n really offbeat cam­
pai gns. (Remem ber, m any drivers
today are women. Tough women.)
But when there are no cabs around,
there's always the bus.
R I DI NG TH E BUS
A city com m uter bus i s about 2 5 to
30 feet long, 8 feet wide, 9 feet high,
and carries 80 passengers when fully
loaded (as it usually is) . Weights are
given u nder " Street Furniture" above.
A bus has a front door and an exit
door, both on the right. Over a dozen
seats (Typical strength plastic) line
each side; the seats face toward the
aisle, not the front. Between and in
front of the seats are handrails,
arm rails, and support beams of metal
t u b i n g (G ood strengt h ) . Windows
(Feeble glass) line both sides, but not
the rear.
A ventilation hatch in the roof opens
wide enough to allow an acrobatic
passenger to crawl out.
Bus drivers use the same statistics
as taxi drivers, above. They tend to be
un com m u n icative, distantly courte­
ous, and not greatly concerned with
schedul es.
Bus passengers range the spec­
trum of human ity, but they tend to
be lower or lower-middle class and
taciturn. They scrupulously avoid no­
ticing any unusual behavior by fellow
passengers .
Heroes and Buses
Don't often see heroes riding in a
bus? True, but now and then they hitch
rides on top. Droppi ng down onto a
moving bus is an Agi l ity FEAT-not to
see whether the hero lands safely (it's
a big target), but whether or not the
landi n g is gentle enough to avoid at­
tracting the driver's attention.
If the FEAT fails, the driver stops
and gets out to look at what made that
h uge " t hu m p " on his roof. Depending
on the hero's Popularity, the driver will
either chase the hero away or i nvite
him or her i n for a free ride.
U nl i ke cabs, city buses never move
very quickly- 1 0 or 20 m p h at most.
Page 48 of the Player 's Book gives
bus statistics.
If the hero doesn't l i ke buses or taxi­
cabs, there is always the su bway. See
the next chapter, " U nderground Man­
hattan," for details.
THE STREETS BY DAY
J ust before dawn , garbage cans
clatter. The sanitation truck grinds
evening papers off tall stacks at news­
stands. Subway tu rnstiles rattle. Cop­
ters take to the skies again to report
accidents and gridlock. Taxis vanish.
lage , or to Linco l n Cente r. Jewels g l i t­
ter and fur glistens. Canes, top hats,
stickpins, chauffeurs, h i g h laughter.
Busi ness deals closed during inter­
New Yorkers stream along highways,
i nto the city's heart in the morning, out
to the boroughs at su nset, rushing i n ,
ESU . Late studying at the Public Li­
brary. Rock clubs i n SoHo and o n the
Like corpuscles i n blood vessels,
rushing out. The heartbeat contin ues.
THE STREETS BY NIGHT
After sunset, n i g h t people shuffle
onto t h e streets aro u n d T i m e s
Square, the Bowery, Hell's Kitchen ,
and Central Park. Some carry nee­
dles, some knives.
The city l i g hts up. Brilliant towers of
l ight in Midtown and the lower city.
The Brooklyn Bridge reflected i n the
East River. Evening strolls i n the park.
Limousines fetch wealthy socialites
from their U pper East Side brown­
stones and carry them to theaters in
G reenwich Village or off Broadway, or
to a gal lery ope n i n g i n the East Vil-
missions.
Eve n i n g classes at City College and
U pper West Side, loud and dark. Mid­
town a n d t h e F i n a n c i a l D i st r i c t ,
jam med with people s i x hours earlier,
now stand deserted.
Theater crowds hit the streets after
1 0 P M . Late d i n ner at Sardi's or a
snack at a del i . Dancing or a m id n i g h t
movie. T h e fami lies i n I nwood a n d
Morn i ngside Heights a r e tucked i n for
the night.
O n the Lower East Side, screams.
Family quarrels and alley homicides.
S i l houettes leap between the roofs or
swing from l ines of spider-webbin g .
T h e super-hu mans patrol throug h t h e
deadly hours after m id n i ght. They
cannot afford to sleep, for the city
never does .
tras h . People lean out windows to yel l .
Merchants wheel carts with squeak­
ing casters out of their stores onto the
front sidewalks. Comm u ters gather at
bus stops and su bway stations.
The morn i n g rush . Traffic copters
h i g h overhead, blades t h ru m m i n g .
Taxis vanis h . Subway cars screech to
a halt. People crowd o n .
Phones r i n g i n a h u ndred thousand
offices. Brokers shout buy orders.
School children sit i n rows, looking out
wi ndows. O n tenement rooftops, boys
feed pigeons held i n large chicken­
wire pens. Let loose, the pigeons fly
left and right at their owners' com­
mands.
The l unch rush. Business types in ex­
ecutive clothes grab sandwiches or
souvlaki wrapped in waxed paper, sit
around fountains in building plazas, and
talk buyouts. Tourists peer in gallery
windows in the Village. Panhandlers in
holed canvas shoes, or no shoes, de­
mand a quarter from passersby.
I n the afternoon , ESU students toss
flying disks in the park. A spatter of
rai n sends them h uddling u nder trees.
Taxis vanish. Tou rists look out from
u nder hotel awn i ngs. In Central Park,
the frogs e merge to enjoy the rain .
S u ns hine aga i n , j ust i n time for rush
hour. Commuters pull copies of the
tr
'.
87
\
-
�.
CHAPTE R 6: UNDERGROUND MANHATTAN
"This city has an infrastructure like no
other."
-The Pu nisher
A persistent New York rumor re­
ports that in 1 962 Consolidated Edi­
son, the power company, plan ned to
construct a giant power plant at the
north end of the East R iver Park,
around 1 4t h Street. Engineers making
soil stability tests drilled on the site.
Two hundred feet down , so the ru­
mor goes, these drills struck a gigan­
tic u n de rground cave r n . Con Ed
cancelled plans for the plant, h ushed
up the discovery, and built a park
there.
If the rumor is true, the engineers
may have discovered a branch cavern
of Subterranea, the subsurface do­
main of the Mole Man , Tyrannus, and
others. Or t hey m ay have merely
struck a Morlock tunnel. This chapter
does not solve the mystery, but it de­
scribes some of the fascinating world
beneath Manhattan.
ADVENTU R I N G
U N DERG ROU N D
I n the old myt hs and fol ktal es,
nearly every hero on a quest had to
"descend i nto t h e u n derwo rld."
Hades, Tartarus, the realms of Pluto­
the t heme is com mon to all cultures.
Scholars equate the underworld with
the hero's own u nconscious m i n d .
When h e o r she triumphs over its de­
mon ic denizens, the hero is actually
overcom ing his or her own base im­
pulses or personal fears.
U nderground New York-the sub­
ways, sewers, and Morlock tunnels­
gives J udges a modern analogue to
this idea. Send PC heroes i nto the un­
derworld for a gritty, atmospheric tale.
To bring across the elements of fear
and suspense, consider doing this just
after something has temporarily altered
or removed the PCs' powers. (Perhaps
they have to go underground to find the
device that witt reinstate the powers.)
This makes players feel vulnerable, and
the Judge can spook them more easily.
But if the PCs feel like their usual invin­
cible selves, nothing underground will
scare them much.
An adventure into the sewers or
Morlock tunnels is a great test of the
J udge's ability to create atmosphere
and suspense. Stress the darkness,
the m ist, echoing tunnel wal kways,
strange noises in the distance. Make
the players feel they are facing a
twisted, torme nted version of the
world above.
bles, and telephone lines lie near the
surface. Wh atever a hero is looking
for as a handy weapon, there it is right
to hand. Note that using these will d is­
rupt utility service to the buildi ngs on
the street, so the hero may have som e
explai n i ng to do afterwards. (Call
Damage Control !)
Descriptions
PAVEM ENT AND WHAT
LI ES B E N EATH
Street pavement is asphalt, a few
inches thick (Good strength). Some­
times a hero wants to rip up the pave­
ment to grab a utility line beneath it. In
this case, the J udge need not require
a separate FEAT roll to break the as­
phalt; instead, j ust add + 1 or + 2 CS
to the FEAT to break open the utility
line or pipe desired.
Just beneath the pavement, about a
foot down, lie the cables and pipes of
the many utilities that serve Man hat­
tan's skyscrapers. This section de­
scribes their ideal arrangement. In
practice, the New York utility network
has grown at random , so workers
have had to fit these utilities around
each other, somet imes haphazardly.
Ideally, telephone and electrical
d ucts lie closest to the surface, just
inches beneath the asphalt. At least 3
feet down comes a gas main, followed
at 4 feet by water and high-pressure
water mains. Steam pipes run at least
6 feet u nder the pavement. A sewer
pipe lies at least 1 0 feet down from the
surface , and 1 2 to 20 feet below street
level runs a storm drain.
Depending on the street, the next
layer down may be a subway tunnel.
The depth varies, but may be around
25 feet underground. Subway tunnels
are described later in this chapter.
About 75 feet or more beneath the
subway, as li kely as not, there is a
Morlock tu nnel. These tun nels also
rise and connect with the sewers at
m a ny points, si nce t h e Morlocks
wanted convenient access to the
larger sewer network. For the tunnels'
statistics and dimensions, see below.
In the M arvel U n iverse, water and
gas mains, steam pipes, electrical ca88
Power cables: These are copper or
oil­
in
aluminum
sh eathed
i mpregnated paper. They meas u re
about five inches in diameter. The ca­
bles run in foot-wide steel p ipes that
are filled with oil u nder pressure. If a
leak develops, the oil keeps ground
water from seeping in and shorting the
cables. The pi pes, in ban ks of 20 or
25, are encased in concrete. The
whole set-up has Remarkable mate­
rial strength.
Smaller cables are sheathed in lead
or neoprene rubber. The Judge can
put these Good-strength wires u nder
a street, so that a character who isn't
strong enough to rip up the larger
ones still can get somet hing to shock
a bad guy.
Power l ines inflict I ncredi ble dam­
age on grounded targets, and Good
damage on flying or insulated targets.
This is alternating current, so a victim
. immediately lets loose of the line.
Telephone line: An average cable
measures three i nches in diameter
and contains 5400 wires, enough for
2700 phone calls at once. Cables are
sheathed with thin aluminum and neo­
prene rubber, and are Good strength.
Like power li nes, they run through
steel pipes, and banks of 9 or 1 2 pipes
are encased in concrete (Remarkable
strength).
Phone li nes carry very low current.
They i nfl ict Feeble dam age to
grounded targets, and no damage to
flying or in sulated targets.
Gas main: Natural gas is piped un­
der high pressure through distribution
mains and service pipes. The pipes,
about a foot wide, can be either steel
(Excellent strength), cast iron (Good
strength), or plastic (Typical strength).
The J udge should vary the material
according to the strength of the hero
who is tryi ng to break the pipe.
N atural gas is dangerous stuff. If a
pipe breaks and somet h i n g ign ites the
gas, it explodes with Monstrous inten­
sity, then the gas burns with Amazing
i ntensity until the supply is shut off or
the fire is put out. Water won't extin­
guish a gas fire.
Si nce alarms trigger i n the city's util­
ity station when a gas main bursts, re­
pair crews can arrive wit h i n m i n utes.
Water mains: Water is p u m ped at
Poor pressure through reg u l ar mains.
These are concrete, steel , or cast i ron
pipes two feet or more i n diameter
(Good to Excellent strength). These
connect to smaller s u b m a i n s , and
those lead to branch pi pes that serv­
ice specific buildings.
High-pressure systems, foot-wide
steel pipes (Excellent strength), p u m p
water to f i r e hydrants a t Remarkable
press ure.
Steam pipe: Steam has many i ndus­
trial uses . In downtown areas build­
i ngs use it for heating or cookin g . A
power company pipes steam u nder
Excellent pressure through welded
steel pipes two i nches thick (Remark­
able strength) and up to two feet in di­
ameter. The pi pes are wrapped in
several i nches of i nsulation and b u r­
ied i n four inches of concrete (Excel­
lent strength).
A jet of this very hot, high- pressure
steam i n fl icts Excellent damage on a
target. Note that defenses against fire
d a m a g e a l o n e , o r water d a m a g e
alone, do n o t protect from stea m .
However, defenses vs. heat do protect
a target.
Sewer pipe: I n d ivid ual small sewer
pipes connect to laterals, those con­
nect to submains, those con nect to
mains, and the m ains finally con nect
with an i nterceptor. They com e i n
many sizes and are made o f clay (for
pipes less than 30" in diameter) or
concrete (larger pipes). But see the
next entry.
Storm drain: Ideally, these are sepa­
rate from sewers, for efficiency and
ease of maintenance. I n practice, one
system often serves both needs .
Beneath a street a storm drain is a
primary (that is, large) pipe of reinforced
concrete. Beneath a building this is usu-
ally a secondary (smaller) or even ter­
tiary pipe. The pipes, made of concrete
(Excellent strength), are quite large,
from 5 to 30 feet in diameter.
Sewers and drains show wide vari­
ety in the Marvel U niverse. For physi­
cal statistics, see " Morlock Tunnels
and the Sewers," later i n this chapter.
Manholes: Each utility system puts
an access chamber, called a manhole,
at every i ntersection . Manholes look
q uite different for every utility, but for
game pu rposes they are all alike.
Each holds one normal-sized char­
acter, or two if they squeeze. The en­
trance, nearly always round , is 30" i n
d iameter. To answer an often-asked
trivia question , manhole covers are
made round so they can 't fall i nto the
hole beneat h .
For those with an eye for deta i l ,
steam a n d gas manholes have two
separate entrances to allow ventila­
tion .
Manholes are l i ned with brick or
concrete (Excel lent strength). They
are customarily no more than eight
feet deep. Each manhole provides ac­
cess to one kind of utility system ,
which is identified on the manhole
cover.
BUILDING
FOUN DATIONS
The skyscrapers and lower bui ld­
i ngs of Manhattan are b uilt on four ba­
sic kinds of foundations. These are
sometimes com bi ned in various ways,
but here are the essential models.
Floating: A single slab of reinforced
concrete w e l l over s i x feet t h i c k
(Amaz i n g stre n g t h ) . S u p ports low
bui l di ngs that cover a large area, such
as schools o r convention centers. Un­
der the foundation are sheets of wa­
terproof plastic and a bed of gravel.
Friction piles: Hundreds of foot-thick
shafts hammered i nto the eart h , either
in rows (u nder the building's walls) or
s q u are cl usters ( u n der s u pport
col u m ns). Shafts are made of rein­
forced concrete, sometimes sheathed
in steel (Monstrous strength). In old
b u i l d i ngs, they are made of wood.
89
Only a foot or two of space separate
the shafts. Suppo rts somewhat taller
buildi n gs than floating foundations,
such as c h u rches or depart m e n t
stores.
Bearing piles: As friction piles, b ut
these rest directly on bedrock or clay
far beneath the surface. Cl usters of
about a dozen tightly spaced H-beam
steel g i rders (Monstrous strength),
capped with reinforced concrete, sup­
port the b u i l d i n g 's skeleto n . As above,
gravel and waterproofing lie u nder the
foundation . S upports anything up to
skyscrapers.
Piers: Massive pil lars of reinforced
c o n crete , at l east f o u r feet t h i c k
(Amaz i n g
st r e n g t h ) ,
somet i m e s
sheathed i n steel ( m a k i n g them Mon­
stro u s stre n g t h ) . W i d e l y spaced ;
topped with a " g r i llage " of short steel
beams. Supports the most massive
buildi ngs in the city.
Who Cares?
Why would a b u i l d i n g foundation
enter i nto an adventure? It does n 't
have to, of course. But now and then it
serves a purpose.
For o n e t h i n g , every few years
somebody lifts a building into the air. It
happened two or three times to the old
Baxter Building. The J udge and PCs
m ight find it useful to know what is be­
neath a levitating b u i l d i n g .
Also, those w h o dwe l l beneath t h e
ground sometimes m a k e t h e i r pres­
ence know n . For exam ple, if the Mole
Man's m i n ions attack a skyscraper,
they will undoubtedly start at the bot­
tom . Characters may carry the battle
to the S u bterraneans' home ground
(as it were). The J udge can describe
the building foundation in order to set
a mood , to provide obstacles to he­
roes tu n neling downward, or to make
clear the nature of the u nderground
attack on the b u i l d i n g .
F i n a l ly, t h e d escri pt i o n h e l ps to
show the varied, mysterious, and awe­
some wor ld t hat l ies b e neath t h e
ground-both i n our world and i n the
Marvel U n iverse. For more i nsights
i nto that world, see the following sec­
tions.
TH E S U BWAYS
New York's subway system is not as
large as the London U n derg ro u n d ,
n o r a s fast a s J apan 's t u be trai ns. It's
not as easy to use as the Paris
Metro-and not as easy to use as a
s l i d e r u l e or
watch , either.
way isn't as
DC's su bway
a ten-fu nction d i g ital
And the New York s u b­
pretty as Washi ngto n ,
system-it's n o t pretty,
period . But it is the only su bway sys­
tem in the world t h at runs 24 hours a
day, every day. Each day it gets one
m i l l ion people where they want to go.
SUBWAY STATIONS
The subway system has 462 stations
on 23 l i nes. The fare fram any station to
any other costs $ 1 , flat rate, in the form
of brass-colored metal tokens that fit
into slots on automatic turnstiles at the
entrance to each station.
Su bway stations twist downward
into the g round from wide stai rcases
near street corners. Signs there label
each station clearly, if they are i ntact
and not covered by graffiti .
Long flights of concrete steps with
i ron rail i ngs lead to filthy concrete tun­
n e l s p l astered
with
advert i s i n g
posters. Trash l i es everywhere. I n a
small wooden booth, a bored u n ion
em ployee doles out tokens. In large
stations, newsstands, barber shops,
wide. Platforms, the areas where peo­
ple wait to board trai ns, are 30 feet
wide, 1 00 feet long or longer, and
m ade of concrete. A sheer ledge 3
feet tal l abuts the tracks below. The
platform incl udes vending mac h ines
feet tal l , 400 I bs . , Good material),
pay telephones, wooden benches
(7
(Typical), and maps of the su bway
system .
Small stations have two sets of
tracks and two platforms, one on each
side of the tracks. Larger stations
have separate platforms on different
levels, connected by staircases. The
largest ones offer wide and bewilder­
i n g choices of many platforms.
SUBWAY TUNNELS
These measure from 40 to 80 feet
wide, 1 8 to 20 feet high, and many
m iles long. Walls are concrete (Re­
m arkable strength).
There i s a m p l e cl earance for a
standing fig u re on both sides of a tun­
nel when a train rushes by. The ceiling
offers clearance for a c l i nging hero, as
l o n g as he or s h e i s n ' t h a n g i n g
straight down o r doing somet h i n g sim­
i l arly stupid.
Su bway tun nels, l i ke the sewers,
are the dark underside of New York
C ity. In that gloom, broken only by oc­
and other m e rchants do business in
shops outside the turnstiles.
Tu rnstiles stand a little over three
feet h i g h . They are made of t h i n steel
(Excel lent strength), usually painted
some d u l l color. One tu rnstile weighs
about 200 pou nds and is bolted to the
others as a unit, and to the floor (Ex­
shadows that can easily hide a man­
sized figure.
Sounds echo up and down . The
smallest whisper seems exaggerated,
bypassing them , at least i n theory.
I n ner-city teenagers have developed
t h e a rt of t u rnsti l e l ea p i n g to a n
advanced level.
of three rails, run t h rough the t u n n e l .
T h e two outer rai l s are steel, about
t h ree inches wide and high (Remark­
able strength).
hangs everywhere, b u t it is u niversally
defaced with graffiti.
Walkways measure 20 to 30 feet
cars. The t h i rd rail is shielded by a t h i n
metal guard painted bright yellow and
black. Touching the rail i nflicts Mon-
cellent strength to rip one up, Remark­
able to rip up a whole set). Steel mesh
gratings on either side of the tu rnstiles
(Excellent strength) keep people from
Su bway station wal l s are covered i n
tile (Typical strength) o f a u niquely bil­
ious off-yellow over concrete walls
(Exc e l l e n t stre n g t h ) . Adve r t i s i n g
casional d i m fluorescent lam ps, any­
body or anyt h i n g can h i d e o u t .
Su pport pi l lars b u l g e outward from the
walls a foot o r so, casti n g long
and the roar of an oncomi n g train be­
comes deafening. Smells of oil and
d ust fill the cool air.
Two sets of tracks, each consisti ng
The t h i rd rai l , r u n n i ng between the
others (nearer one than the other) has
the same d imensions, but carries the
e lectricity that powers the s u bway
90
straus damage to grounded targets,
and Remarkable damage to airborne
or i n s u l ated targets. This is d i rect cur­
rent, and so a target can not let go of
its own wi l l .
SUBWAY TRAINS
Trains use the statistics for " Els," or
elevated trai ns, listed on page 49 of
the Player's Book.
The Car
A si ngle subway car measu res 30
feet long, 8 feet wide, and 1 1 feet h i g h
(8 feet above station platform level). A
car holds 80 people cram med i n l i ke
sard i n es, or 30 to 40 in relative com­
fort . A f u l l car wei g h s 1 5 t o n s
(Amazi n g strength t o lift). M a d e of
steel , the car has Remarkable mate­
rial strength.
A N ew Yo rk su bway car is
alu m i n um-colored when it goes on the
line, but wit h i n days vandals adorn it
with spray-pai nted g raffiti . G raffiti can
be sometimes be attractive, and, i n
fact, the graffiti "artist" h a s become a
folk hero in some circles . But the cu­
m u l ative effect is ugly. The only other
outward feature of a su bway car is its
destination sig n .
T h e car has fou r sets of sliding
panel doors, two on each side. Only
the doors n ext to a platform ope n .
These doors are t h i n steel (Excellent
strength) with plastic windows (Good
strength). Ru bber gaskets l i n e t h e
doors t o provide a t i g h t seal, presum­
ably i n case the car goes u nderwater
or i nto outer space. In the Marvel U n i­
verse, this is not out of the question,
but i n any case the doors are not truly
airtight.
I nside, the car is decorated in one of
several color schemes, often bright
orange for the vinyl seats with blah
cream-and-tan walls and l i n o l e u m .
There are seats, handrails, advertis­
i ng panels, and a map of the su bway
system . For the fixtures, use the m ate­
rial strengths given for buses in the
previous chapter.
A sliding storm door at each end of
the car allows passage to other cars.
This has the same strengths as the or­
d inary door panels. The area where
cars j o i n is covered with Typ i cal­
strength material , presumably to stop
passen g ers from leapi n g to t h e i r
deaths.
Cars are l ig hted with fluorescent
.
lights mounted in the ceil i n g . In times
past these l i g hts were custom-made
with screw-th reads that wou n d in the
�pposite direction from every other
l i g ht b u l b made. This d iscouraged
theft of the b u l bs . Now the bulbs have
ord i n ary t h reads, but are mou nted i n
special fixtures t o prevent theft.
The car ceiling also has many venti­
lator g rilles, none large enough for a
pe rso n to c l i m b t h ro u g h , and a
.
shielded fan . At o n e end of each car
hangs an emergency brake pull that
stops the trai n wit h i n one t u r n .
T h e Train
A train typically consists of seven or
eight cars plus the motorman's cabs
at either end of the trai n . (At the end of
the l i n e , the motorman switches cabs
and pilots the trai n back without hav­
ing to t u rn it around.) Thus a fully
loaded train weighs over 1 00 tons and
requ i res S h i ft-X strength to l i ft. The
train is physically held to the tracks,
but at that strength level this hardly
matters.
The motorman 's cab is a small com­
partment accessible from the platform
or from inside the trai n . With the main
controller is a simple lever with which
t h e m otorman governs the t rai n 's
speed . If the motorman removes his
r her hand from the contro l , the
d ead m a n 's st i c k " m e c h a n i s m
brings t h e train slowly t o a stop.
Ot h e r e q u i p m ent in t h e cab i n­
cl udes a brake handle box controls
for a windshield wiper and a histle or
horn, � nd a valve and gauge to mea­
sure ai r pressure for the horn .
SUBWAY RIDERS
The passengers are a cross-section
of New York's residents. All but the
very rich and very poor use the sub­
ways. Mail clerks and vice presidents
at the same stock firm ride the cars to
work. Housewives come i nto the city
to shop, and tou rists head out to the
suburbs to tour. Village poets watch
the stream of h u man l ife, while old
women i n raincoats m u m ble contin­
u a l l y to t h e m se l ve s . Peo p l e from
every neighborhood head to almost
every other neighborhood .
That said, it is fair to add that in the
evening and during the night, the cli­
entele grows raffis h , then grundgy,
.
and f i n a l l y a l m ost h o m i c i d a l . As­
saults, knifings, m uggings, and rob­
beries become com mon . Heroes who
ride the subway l ate at night should be
ready for a fight or a rescue.
The Guardian Angels
There are other heroes i n New York
besides those i n capes and tights. A
youth group has organized to patrol
N � w Yo r k's s u bways and report
cri mes to the pol ice. These " G uardian
Angels" receive three months of train­
ing i n self-defense and the law, then
travel the lines by sh ifts in gro u ps of
two or t h ree. Passengers know them
by their trademark red berets.
The G u ardian Angels remain con­
troversial as "vigilantes." Many in the
New York Police Department don 't
l i ke them at al l . But the Angels say the
program has proven successf u l . They
are trying to export the program to
London and, eventual ly, to other ma­
jor cities.
Typical Guardian Angel
R
I
P
E
S
F
A
Gd
Ty
Ty
Gd Ty
Ty
Ty
Health: 32
Karma: 1 8
Resou rces: Typical(6)
Popularity: 5
App� arance: You n g , i n good shape,
weanng a red beret. Angels can be ei­
ther sex and any eth n ic group. They
go u n armed.
Tale � ts: M artial Arts A, C r i m i nology
restncted to subway cri m e .
Story Function: I nformation sou rces
hostages, sidekicks. An Angel coul
be a romantic interest for a PC.
d
IF THE l- IZ ARD GOT
1t)O M UCH OF A STAAT I
IIl-l- NEVER PICK UP
H I S ,RAIL. NOW .'
�
�
Train Movement
Trains can reach 45 mph (Typical
speed) on long stretches between sta­
tions, but ord i narily hit only 30 (Poor
speed) u nder downtown areas where
stops are more frequent.
For crash and collision rules, see
page 51 of the Player's Book. Remem­
ber that a train hitting someone on the
track inflicts + 1 CS damage. Further­
mQre, if the target is stun ned o r
knocked out, i t remains on t h e tracks
and takes f u rther damage in later
rounds.
91
MORLOCK T UNNE LS AN D TH E S EWERS
OVE RVI EW
TH E SEWE RS
New York City's underworld is a
dank and dangerous place. I n the
sewage system live anim als, as well
as people who l ive like an imals. The
Morlock tunnels, a separate network
harbor the mutant refugees called
�orlo.cks. Both sets of tun nels figu re
In g r i m , claust rophobic advent u re
scenarios.
Com ic-book sewers do n 't look
much like the counterparts i n our
world. For instance, in the Marvel Uni­
verse, storm drains are sometimes
li � ed with electrical wiring, insulated
with Good-material rubber sheaths.
This can help sewer-crawling heroes
who want to arrange a diversion in the
buildings above them . J ust slash
open the insulation , wait for the water
to hit the exposed wiring, and presto!
Short circuit and blackout overhead .
�olverin � once used this trick to get
Into Hellfire Club Mansion and rescue
his fellow X-Men.
THE AREA
The sewers and the Morlock tun­
nels reach everywhere in New York
City, not to mention outside its li mits.
However, the sewer network is too
elaborate to map in this supplement.
Heroes with specific questions can
find sewer maps in the City E ngi neer's
office at City Hall (on Broadway, a few
blocks south of Chinatown). But City
Hall is only open from 1 0 AM to 3 PM
on �eekday� , so PCs can 't always get
their q u estions conven iently an­
swered .
The M orlock tunnels were presum­
ably mapped when built in the 1 950s
but after they were abandoned , th �
maps vanished in the mazes of fed­
eral bureaucracy. No map is available
to the heroes (nor, unfortu nately, to
the J udge).
Description
C h aracters can enter sewers
through curb grati ngs, via man hole
covers of the right type, and often from
bui lding basements. The latter routes
often prove too small for norm al-sized
heroes, but the J udge can make al­
low�nces to move the story along.
TYPically one must climb down a long
steel ladder (Excellent strength) to get
to sewer mains or storm drains. For
game pu rposes, the two types can be
com bi ned in one description .
These tun nels measure anywhere
fr.om 6 f�et to 30 feet across. Usually
circular In cross-section , they have 2foot-wide wal kways on either side­
sometimes with rails, sometimes not.
Two KMEN - - S TORM AND WOLVERINE-- PL US
MAGNETO, THE SCHOOL ·S NEW HEA DMA STER
A ND CALLISTO, L EADER OF THE MORLOCKS' I
RE THERE NOW.
.,
92
Murky, fetid brown water runs down
the middle of a pipe. This water can be
anywhere from 6 i nches to 4 feet
deep, Or deeper during large rai n­
storm s. Sewer p i pes are b u i lt on
grades, but not steep ones, so the cur­
rent seldom runs fast. When they do
such as during storms, a hero i n th �
current may slip and be swept downri­
ver. Use the rules in the " Holland Tun­
nel" Hotspot entry in Chapter 1 .
More important than game mea­
surements is the sewer atmosphere.
Needless to say, the pipes smell really
awfu l . They are u nlig hted outside
main pumping stations and treatment
plants. However, if none of the PCs
�as a light source or special percep­
tl ?n �ower� , the J udge can say that
dim light filters down via manholes
curb grates, or even (to get baroque
the old stand by, phosphorescent al­
gae on the walls. (Hey, if there are alli­
gators down there, why couldn't there
be algae?)
Footsteps echo omin ously. Vapors
drift up from the water. Tun nels turn
back and forth , seemingly at random .
Many pi pes can join at intersect ions
creating a bewildering maze . Heroe�
are likely to get lost. The only people
who can find their way around are the
ones who l ive down here.
)
The Mole People
Heroes occasionally visit the
sewers. But there are hundreds of
people who l ive there if you call that
'
l iving.
Thes� are the forgotten people, the
o.nes �Ithout homes, family, posses­
Sions, Income, hope, or future. They
might be addicts, runaways, am nesi­
acs, widows and widowers, cripples,
alcoholics, bums, psychotics, or just
broken men and women. They have
no favors to call i n , no resources to
draw on. They have given up.
In this filthy maze of pipes and tun­
nels, these people join the rats and
roaches as just another kind of ver­
min. Some are pitiable, some danger­
ous, but all are pathetic outcasts from
society. Forgotten by those above,
they have no status of any kind. City
H � II does not even acknowledge their
eXistence.
These vagrants have Poor ability
ranks, but Good Intuition in matters of
survival. They scavenge pocket change
from gutters and storm drains, find food
in dumpsters, and sleep on warm ex­
haust vents or around crude fires built in
the draft of a primary conduit.
If these sewer fol k ever i nteract with
heroes, it is on the most basic level­
as beggars, assailants, victi ms. They
have no initiative and can not work as
g u ides or informants. Their pri mary
role in adventures is as background
figures, lending spooky atmosphere.
Their endless refrain is, "Food . . .
money for food . . . ."
P robably most co uld be h e l ped
back to sanity by good treatment in
the world above. B ut there are hun­
dreds of these derelicts, if not thou­
sands, beneath the city. Heroes can't
help them all.
SHIELD Foxholes
The defu nct intelligence agency
S H I E L D (see " S H I E LD H eadq uar­
ters" on page 62) maintained several
dozen "foxholes" in the sewers be­
neath Manhattan , with perhaps a
dozen others spread through the out­
lying boroughs. Agents used these
emergency refuges when thei r covers
were blown-when being seen above
was a death warrant.
After SHI ELD went bad and declared
director Nick Fury an outlaw, Fury used
one of these foxholes as a hideout and
source of equipment while fleeing the
agency. SHIELD has now disbanded,
but the foxholes remain .
A foxhole i s a 1 0-foot square con­
crete room with a bank of six wall lock­
ers, each 1 8 i nches wide and a foot
deep. M ade of s h eet steel (Good
stre ngth), the lockers can be torn
loose only as a unit, a task calling for
Remarkable strength. Locker con­
tents vary but usually include hand
weapons, a first-aid kit, a portable two­
way radio linked to SHI E LD headqu ar­
ters, and concentrated food suppl ies.
Lockers can contain other items at the
Judge's discretion .
The room also contains three folding
chairs (Typical strength), a porcelain
washbasin and toilet, and a wall mirror.
The walls are reinforced concrete (Ex­
cellent strength). The room is powered
by long-life batteries that recharge from
underground power cables.
The lockers are not locked. This is
because the enti re foxhole is pro­
tected by a camouflaged steel door of
Rem arkable strength. To open the
door, an agent places his or her hand
on a concealed plate , and a sophisti­
cated sensor confirms the agent's
identity and slides the door panel up
i nto the cei ling.
Foxhole locations are classified.
They are always in places that are re­
mote even by the sewer people's
standards. No one has ever stumbled
on one by accident. B ut heroes with
connections to the city or federal gov­
ernment (or to SHI ELD, if it has not yet
been disbanded i n the campaign)
might know a few foxhole locations.
THE MORLOCK
TU N N E LS
During the civil-defense scares of
the 1 950s, when Americans feared
that Com munists would invade their
back yards at any moment, the federal
government constructed an i m mense
series of tunnels beneath New York
City, the surrou nding area in New York
state, and much of New Jersey and
Con necticut. The tunnels were in­
tended for use by the government and
the military in the event of n uclear war.
The existence of these tunnels was
hard to conceal, though official ly the
project was classified. However, the
tunnels were later abandoned during
an easing in international tensions.
And the passage of time did what no
high-level classification could: it made
people forget about the tunnels.
Rediscovery
Then the mutant outcast Callisto re­
d iscovered the tunnels. She joined up
with another mutant, Cal iban, who
had the ability to locate others of their
kind. Together with the hulking Sun­
der and the depraved Masque, Cal­
listo clai med the tunnels for her own .
She drew more mutant refugees and
outcasts, people who sought only es­
cape from the world of humanity, un­
der her leadership. They became the
Morlocks, named after the subterra­
nean workers from the H. G. Wells
novel The Time Machine.
Later the Morlocks met and fought
with the mutant X-Men . Callisto was
defeated in single combat by the X­
Men's leader, Storm , who became offi93
cial leader of the Morlocks. B ut si nce
she had no wish to join them under­
ground, she left them i n Cal listo 's
charge.
Stil l later, the enigmatic masterm ind
known as M iste r Sinister ordered his
m utant thugs, the M arauders, to
slaughter the Morlocks. Almost all of
the outcasts died at their hands, and
many of the su rvivors have gone in­
sane (or more insane than they were).
The surviving Morlocks are now led
by Erg, the mutant who can absorb
energy and project it from his eye.
Description
Some accounts clai m the Morlock
tun nels are "a thousand feet below
Man hattan," but this is an overstate­
ment. Most Morlock tunnels, including
"The Alley," are about 1 00 to 250 feet
beneath the surface, not far below the
deepest subway tunnels.
Most tun nels use the same mea­
su rements as the sewers, above, ex­
cept that the floors are flat and , by and
large, dry. These too connect in a net­
work that bewil ders visitors from
above. But i n the tun nels, unlike in the
sewers overhead, there is one infalli­
ble landmark.
Straight up the middle of Manhattan
Island runs the Alley, a vast tunnel that
forms the spine of the e ntire Morlock
network. The Alley measu res 70 feet
wide, and its arching ceiling reaches
50 feet high at its top. Its builders i n­
tended the Alley and its branches to
hold at least half the population of
New York C ity, and this is no doubt
possible.
Some accou nts show the Alley's
walls to be li ned with bulges, pipes,
casements, and other protrusions.
Their function has not been revealed.
Perhaps, if they exist, these are con­
tainers for food , bedding, and sim ilar
bomb-shelter supplies. After so many
years and so many predations by
Morlocks and ani mals, these supplies
probably are no longer useful .
N PCs
Statistics for all igators and rats are
on pages 58-59 of the J udge's Book.
For more about rats. see the "Central
Park" entry in Chapter 3.
For full descriptions of many of the
Morlocks, consult the various vol­
umes of Gamer's Handbook of the
MARVEL UNIVERSE'M
dren of the Atom.
and MA 1 , Chil­
Emma LaPorte
Evangelist, former prostitute
R
I
P
S
E
F
A
Pr Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Gd
Health : 22
Karma: 22
Resou rces: Poor(4)
Popularity: 0
LaPorte had lived what she called
"a long and wicked life " when a cl ient
arranged to have her meet a young
man named Rusty. When she at­
tempted to seduce him, his latent mu­
tant power of flame manifested itself.
Rusty accidentally bu rned LaPorte,
scarri ng her horri bly.
I nstead of feeling vengeful, LaPorte
looked on the incident as "a chastise­
ment and a call from the Lord." Tu rn­
ing to evangelical Ch ristian ity, she set
out to convey a message of life and
forgiveness to the Morlocks and other
refugees of the sewers. Her current
whereabouts are u n known . (R usty
has been trai ning with the mem bers of
X-Factor.)
Appearance: 5'7" , 1 40 Ibs. Age un­
certain. Erect beari ng, gentle manner.
LaPorte's face was horribly transfig­
u red by Masque, the Morlock who al­
ters faces. But LaPorte regards this as
another sign from above.
Talents: Preaching, survival, finding
her way around the sewers.
Typical Dialogue: "If you shut out the
pain and the trying, you shut out the
livi ng, too. It's the Lord's own truth ! "
Story Function: LaPorte could be a
rescuer or guide in the sewers, or
could be a hostage the heroes must
rescue.
" The King "
Self-proclaimed lord of the sewers
S
E
F
A
R
I
P
Rm Gd Ex I n
Gd Ex Gd
Health : 1 00
Karma: 40
Resou rces: Poor(4)
Popularity: 0
When Daredevil ventured down i nto
the sewers looking for the Kingpin's
wife, Vanessa, he found her-and and
her captor, a huge bone-white man
who called himself "The King."
Appearance: A dead ringer for the
Ki ngpin-huge and muscular like a
Sumo wrestler-but pure white, cov­
ered with warts or other growths, and
dressed in only a soiled loi ncloth. Cru­
elly hu morous, sadistic manner.
Talents: M artial Arts A, B, C, and
Wrestli ng-just like the Kingpin.
Typical Dialogue: " Hi . I'm The King ."
( Pa use.) " I rule eve ryt h i n g down
here." (Another pause, and a smile.)
" Now I'm gonna kill you ."
Story Function: A powerful and u nex­
pected foe for PC heroes on a sewer
adventure .
CRIMES
I nsofar as vagrancy is a crime, the
sewers are the most crime-ridden part
of N ew York City. But there are more
serious felons here, too: murderers on
the lam , sm ugglers meeting for a deal ,
assassins disposing of victims. Be­
cause the sewers are not patrol led
and because it is so easy to evade
pursuit, anyone in a tough spot may
consider hiding out here. (This applies
to heroes, too, when a vi llain's plot has
t u rned their friends or t h e i r city
agai nst them.)
FOR TY MIL ES SOUTH OF
XAVIER'S SCHOOL IS
M�NHATTAN ISL A ND,
HEA R T OF THE CI TY OF
NEW YORK . . .
94
The Punisher recently followed a
band of young thugs into the sewers.
Part of the Kingpi n 's organization ,
they sold crack in downtown Malcolm
Shabazz High School. When the Pun­
isher found them, they were branch­
ing out, havi ng agreed to blow up the
high school for Libyan terrorists. The
Punisher demonstrated that concus­
sion grenades work as well in the
sewers as aboveg round.
CAMPAIGN USE
Manhattan : Heroes may have to
enter the sewers or the tunnels to fol­
Iow an escaping villai n , or find a wit­
ness to a crime. Maybe an informant
with vital information on a Maggia op­
eration fears for his life, and has fled
underground . A val uable object may
have gotten lost, perhaps in com bat,
and fallen down a storm drain; the he­
roes must go underground to find it. A
Morlock might seek out the heroes for
help i n solvi ng a murder or mystery in
the tunnels.
Other Cities: Sewers are sewers
everyw here. All the descriptions
above apply to any campaign city.
The Morlock tunnels might have
parallels in other cities (the 1 950s civil
defense movement covered a lot of
territory), but if so, their existence h as
not been confirmed. Only very large
metropol itan areas could have af­
forded them.
BI B LI OGRAPHY
M aterial about New York City i s vo­
l u minous and generally of high q ual­
ity. As one of the major tourist spots of
the world , New York has inspired thou­
sands of tou r g u i d e s , resta u rant
g u ides, photo essays, affectionate
memoirs, and maps. Both J udge and
players can use this avalanche of ma­
terial to gain a better sense of the city
and to help i mprove descriptions of
setti ngs, people, and daily life.
Many of the following resou rces
proved useful in com piling this cam­
paign set. Most are available in book­
stores or you r local library. Some are
out of print, available on ly in libraries
or used book dealers .
Tou r Guides
These are the handiest, most ac­
cessible tools for a campaign J udge.
They give a g reat deal of hard infor­
mation, all oriented toward those who
know noth ing about the city. However,
they tell next to nothing about the
seam ier side of the city, the area the
J udge most needs to know about.
Good guides to New York appear
ann ually in the Fodor, Fielding, and
other series. The Michel in guide is es­
pecially good and copiously i l l us­
trated. All are available in the travel
section of bookstores.
The B ritish publishe r Virgin Books
produced an offbeat but useful Virgin
Guide to New York in 1 986 (an Ameri­
can edition came from Pantheon
Books, 276 pp, $7.95). This guide is
u n afraid to describe N ew York's
squalid side, and it has a hip, rather
cynical European viewpoi nt that may
prove refreshing.
Head and shoulders above all other
travel gu ides was the m assive WPA
Guide to New York City (1 939; re­
printed by Pantheon, 1 982; xxxii +
702 pp., $8.95). The Works Progress
Administration funded this and sev­
eral other city g uides by the Federal
Writers' Project. This was one of many
projects the government created to
provide jobs for the u nemployed dur­
ing the Great Depression .
Though
- 50 years out of date, this
guide d escribes every Single neigh­
borhood in greater N ew York City with
quality and a level of detail unmatched
by any other gu idebook. Run you r he­
roes through a time-travel adventure
back to the G reat Depression . Or start
a " historical" cam paign about Ameri­
can super-powered heroes fighting
the Nazis and Japanese i n World War
I I . Many other curious little details
m ig ht p ro m pt fun scenarios. This
book should not be missed .
Maps
In a New York campaign, a good
map is almost as im portant as a guide­
book. The maps in this supplement
should meet most pu rposes. B ut for
those with a taste for detai l , good New
York City maps are available from
Baedeker, Rand McNally, and other
notable cartographers.
The absolute best map, though the
hardest to find, is publis hed by
BOl l m a n n-Bildkarten-Ve rlag KG, of
Braunschweig, Germany. This 1 984
" picture map," drawn by the brilliant
cartographer Hermann Bollmann, is
based on 67,000 individual photo­
graphs. It covers midtown Manhattan
from around 1 4th Street up to lower
Central Park. Its meticulous depiction
of every single building from a bird's­
eye view makes it indispensable to
Judges who have never been to the
city.
Books
There are too many New York books
to list. Here are a couple of specialty
items that helped in the descriptions
of specific areas.
Of many books about ·Lady Liberty,
Restoring the Statue of Uberty is the
hands-down best for J udges who
need to know what the Statue really
looks like down to the finest details. It
was written by Richard S. H ayden and
Thierry W. Despont, who led the 1 986
restoration of the Statue. (Published
by McG raw Hill, 1 986; trade paper­
back, 1 76 pages, $1 4.95).
Underground, by David Macaulay
( H ou g hton M iffl i n , 1 976; oversize
trade paperback, 1 1 2 pp. , $5.95). This
faSCinati ng exposition of the infra­
structure beneath a city street pro­
vided the h ard data for Chapter 6,
" U nderground Manhattan." The book
describes the construction of building
95
foundations, gas and water mains,
sewers, telephone and electric lines,
and storm d rains.
Another Macaulay book, Unbuilding
(Houg hton Miffl i n , 1 987; trade paper­
back, 1 28 pp., $6.95), describes the
Empire State Building, but it takes a
whimsical approach: A rich oil sheik
buys the famous skyscraper, and the
building is dismantled floor by floor for
shipping overseas. In this backward
way the reader learns about sky­
scraper construction-useful to the
J udge who wants to destroy a few
buildi ngs in a Man hattan campaig n .
M acaulay's books are usually found
in the childre n 's section , but they
make excellent reading at any age.
Large, metic u l ously researched,
clearly written , and illustrated with ex­
cellent line d rawi ngs, they arouse
you r i nterest in t h i n g s you never
thought about before. " Now that you
mention it, how do they string the tele­
phone cables down those long pi pes?
How do skyscrapers support all that
weight? " These books tell as much as
you want to know, and no more.
For those i nterested in history, Ma­
caulay has also done excel lent books
about the construction of pyram ids,
cathedrals, Roman cities, old m i lls,
and medieval castles. All are useful to
referees of role-playing adventu res
set against various historical back­
grounds.
Look for all these books in the chil­
dren's section of your local library. You
can always tell the librarian you ' re
checking them out for you r kid brother.
Another good book hiding in the
c h i l d re n 's section is They Said It
Couldn 't Be Done, by Ross R . Olney
(E. P. Dutton, 1 979; hardcover, x +
1 34 pp., $ 1 0 .95) . This short vol ume
describes notable achievements like
Mount Rushmore, the Gateway Arch
in St. Louis, and the first moon land­
ing. The section on the Holland Tunnel
was the main source for the descrip­
tion in the Campaign Sourcebook, and
the Empire State Buildi ng entry is also
useful.
Along with these com m e rcial
works , don't forget another useful
book: Manhattan's gigantic telephone
directory. Its lists of addresses for
busi nesses and government agencies
can be useful when you need to know
the location of (for i nstance) the Army
recruiting station that foreign terror­
listings of theater, cinema, and events
that provide color for scenarios.
Si nce distributors in our world do
not carry the Daily Bugle , the Ju dge
One notable picture book: Above
New York, by Robert Cameron and
others (Cameron and Co . , 1 988; hard­
cover, 1 60 pp ., $29.95), is a series of
ists have th reate ned, or a specialty
bookstore that carries ancient necro­
mantic texts. And the residential di­
rectory gives you all the NPC names
outside New York m ust be content
with the New York Times and the Wall
Street Journal, two of the few national
newspapers. Those who live i n New
you can ever use .
If you live outside the New York
area, try looki ng for a di rectory at a
main li brary or u niversity library that
York can find news, of a sensationalist
sort, in the New York Daily News and
the New York Post.
carries o ut-of-state phone books.
Magazines and Newspapers
Among magazines, The New Yorker
Pictures
Photographs provide a useful tool
to help players visualize the settings
of their adventures. New Yo rk, a city
ai rborne views of every part of the city.
Obviously this makes the book espe­
cially suitable for a super-hero cam­
paign, si nce heroes often fly over the
city.
Another excellent though sporadic
sou rce for New Yo rk photographs is
the m o n t h ly National Geographic
magazi ne. For instance, the May 1 983
issue features an excellent article on
Brooklyn and the Brooklyn B ridge . Na­
tional Geographic is available only by
and New York magazine are nationally
distributed. They cover matters that are
tangential to a role-playing campaign's
concerns, but both feature extensive
with many beautiful views, has been
depicted exte nsively in many books of
photographs. Check the s u bject cata­
log in your local library for titles.
96
subscription or in l ibraries, or it is fre­
quently in tall yellow stacks at garage
sales.
34
33
9
MARVELTM
MANHATTAN
Lower Manhattan
I
1 . World Trad e Center
2. C ity Hall
3 . C h i nato.wn
4. N ew Yor k Stock
Exchange
5. Statu e of Li berty
6. Broo. k lyn Brid ge
7. Battery Park
24
I
8. C hase Man hattan Plaza
9 . Ho.lland Tu nnel
VlI Iage and
25
Queens
Lower East Side
1 0. E m pi re State U n iversity
1 1 . Washingto.n Squ are
1 2 . Doctor Strange's
21
Sanct u m Sanctorum
20
1 3. SHIELD P,:ivate
16
H eadq u arters
1 4 . So.Ho
15
M i dtown
1 5 . Daily Bugle
1 6. U n ited Nations Bu ilding
22 ,
1 7. Times Sq uare
1 8. Four Freedo.ms Plaza
1 9 .. E mp i re State B u i ld i n g
2 0 . Ro.ckefeller Center
2'1 . H e i l l's Kitchen
t
22 .. Mad iso.n Sq ualre Garden
\
Upper East Side
23. G ugge n h e i m M useum
�.
L
24. M aria Stark Park
�
25 . H e ll fire C l u b Mansion
....
26 . G racie M ansion
27. Ro.osevelt Island Tram
Central Park
28 .. Sheep M eado.w
29. Delacorte Theater
30. M etropo.litan M useum
o.f Art
Upper West Side
3 1 . Lincoln Ce nt.er
Brooklyn
32 . Dako.ta Apartments
Upper Manhattan
33. Co. lu mbia U n iversity
5
.:.i
/<�
34. G rant's To. m b
35. Ryke r's Island