So what is Science City? Science City is systemless super heroic Play By E-Mail RPG taking place in an original universe. When I say “original” I mean it does not take place in an established universe such as Harry Potter, or DC or Marvel.

Some of this material seems familiar… I freely admit that I have borrowed ideas and have been inspired by numerous sources, among them:

John Ostrander’s Grimjack, a comic book about a mercenary living in a pan-dimensional city called Cynosure where the laws of physics can be different from block to block.

Alan Moore’s Top Ten, a series about a city inhabited entirely a super human beings and the police officers that try to uphold the law.

Alan Moore’s Tom Strong and Promethea, and Kurt Busiek’s Astro City, comics where the cities provide a unique and colorful backdrop to the stories. The anime Toaru Kagaku No Railgun is also a good example of an unusual city, in this case one that is technologically decades ahead of the rest of the world. Giant Robo is another inspiration of mine, quite possibly the closest Japan has ever gotten to creating a Justice League/Avengers style team in that they are the world’s greatest heroes.

City of Heroes. Oh, how could I forget COH? it was an addictive MMORPG, I had more than a dozen characters and I loved them all.

How is the game played? Science City is played via e-mail, through a mailing list.

How do I join? Take a look at some of the characters already on the site to get an idea regarding the format, especially Molly McLoughlin, Private Psi and Grenadier. Submit a character to me at tstockel@rocketmail.com and we can discuss the particulars. This game is super heroic role playing so please bear that in mind when you are thinking up your character; I am not looking for players to role play normal, everyday people.

What are you looking for in a character? I am looking for a little balance and originality. I realize that everyone is inspired by their favorite characters but please put some of yourself in your creation. Also, when it comes to power levels please be reasonable. Think X-Men in terms of power levels (minus Phoenix), or the Avengers minus some of their more powerful members (i.e. Thor). Or DC’s Teen Titans or Suicide Squad.

The characters should be heroes, not murderous vigilantes. I like The Punisher; that doesn’t mean I want to watch a player try to run an analog of him in my game.

What is the game’s rating? In terms of a motion picture rating system I would say the game is PG-13. There is violence but nothing too graphic. There might be sexual situations but I want it to be restrained. That means no descriptions of sex, nothing lewd. At times an appropriate fade to black when it comes to sex would be the way to go.

But describing violence? Yeah, they might get a little graphic. I will endeavor not to be too disgusting. I am trying to run a super hero game, not horror.

Why Detroit? Stephen King uses New England. Anne Rice uses New Orleans. For some people it’s just easier to write what they know. I have lived and worked in the Metro Detroit Area my entire life, so when I think about places like Ferndale, or Fraser, or Birmingham, or Pontiac, I’ve been there so it is easier for me to write about them in the game.

This web site seems to be updated all the time. And it’s possible it always will be. I am forever tweaking, adding, sometimes taking things away (Although the latter is rare.). When I think of something I add to the page or make adjustments. This is not to frustrate the players; I just want to have as complete a web site as possible.