How would you run a superhero type game/setting with the premise that for whatever convoluted reason (including the genre favorite of "pure coincidence) all the superheroes in the world happened to pop up over the Middle East? I'm not just talking heroes inspired by Arabian folklore, I'm talking all kinds. The aliens landed there, the power suits were built there, the dimensional anomaly happened to open there.
Basically, what Manhattan is to most superhero settings, the Middle East. It's the most interesting region on Earth at the moment, it seems natural to me
Well, you're not going to have some Captain Arabia type dude or anything like that. I would say make the main guy everyone rallies around someone who was born outside of the region is it slightly removed from the tribal/political issues but still wants to help as they are ethnically attached to the area so Kebab Iron Man would be a good start.
Luis Cox
Isn't one of the most interesting facets of the region though that it's so divided? You're right, there WOULDN'T be a Captain Arabia in the Middle East. That's a part of the setting! To each country its own heroes (plus perhaps neutral ones), its own villains, etc., whose alliances must accommodate the shifting national and political climates. Some heroes might react to this better (the patriotic types), some not. Perhaps every once in a while a villain shows up who forces them to unite - but what political complications would this cause?
Zachary Harris
You'd have a ton of different factions, each one extremely convinced they're right. They'd use religious and nationalistic reasons to fight over resources and strategic points.
Also, they'd probably quickly find a way to cleverly use even the most tame superpowers for combat.
Evan James
Okay so Kebab Iron man would probably be a neutral or outside faction while, like you said, the other countries have their own homegrown heros and villans.
The House of Saud would no doubt captilize on any superheros in their country, better if one of their sons happened to be one as well as that just gives them even more clout (i.e. Allah has shown his blessing on the House of Saud being the stewards of Islam).
What about women who become supers? How does Wonder Hijab deal with the traditional gender roles in her country? I would say the outside neutral faction would attempt to capitalize on any females from uber conservative countries and bring them to their fold.
Josiah Anderson
Israeli SHIELD would be nasty.
Camden Lee
I like the idea that the Emirates turn their supers essentially into idols. Arabic quickly replaces English as the international standard. Arab movies replace Hollywood. Persia becomes the USA as their moderate population puts down the zealots and they return to something more like cool-ass 70s Iran. Saudi Arabia goes crazy and uses the USA's military to become the remaining world power. Israel is under constant siege but able to hold itself together. Yemen basically stays Yemen. Central Asia more-or-less turns into Mexico, seeing a massive population boom and demand for manufacturing and agriculture that skyrockets.I don't think Europe changes all that much. It sorta becomes more of the Disneyland version of Europe that most Americans already think it is, with the Muslim world now content to let it be because it lost. Christianity turns quaint. Turkey becomes The West and steals most of Eastern Greece. Africa becomes the new proxy-war battleground, as different factions of Islam fight over what kind is going to rule those countries. China goes insular and weirder, and basically turns into what India currently is, while India picks the wrong side, loses a war badly, and ends up a wasteland. Pakistan becomes the ultra-militant guard against the East, which collapses in on itself until it's basically all just Hong Kong, but Islam never really gets far. Taiwan finally gets its independence and takes over for what New York used to be, now that Dubai is basically Hollywood.
Michael Sullivan
Just downloaded the Atlas of Earth-Prime from the 7chan share thread, eh?
Liam Campbell
They'd all be one shot characters, but they'd go out with a bang.
Evan Sanders
>all the superheroes in the world happened to pop up over the Middle East
They are empowered by the pre-islamic deities that once held sway over these lands. Superpowered individuals are considered to be witches, apostastes or even literal demons.
