Golden Age Design Journal: Welcome to the Golden Age
The "Golden Age" of comic books ran from 1938 to 1955. It was also the era of the Great Depression, Hitler, Stalin, and the atom bomb. Is it really any wonder people were looking for heroes? As it happened, Americans discovered in themselves an entire generation of heroes. They survived the hard times, helped save the world from fascism, and redefined courage and sacrifice for the generations that followed.
The accomplishments of these real-world heroes might seem to leave little room for the comic-book variety, but in fact just the opposite was true. Americans looking for diversion from economic upheaval and global war found comic books could take them as far away from their troubles as their imaginations could carry them, all for just one thin dime. It was a bargain millions of Americans were ready and eager to take.
What they got for their ten cents was something quite extraordinary, even if it was not widely recognized as such at the time: the genesis of a uniquely American art form. With every page they wrote and every panel they drew, a dedicated group of pioneering creators showed the tremendous sense of wonder comic books can inspire. A half-century later their legacy has become so great that comic books remain largely what these supremely talented men and women first made them.
Golden Age allows gamers and comic-book fans alike to explore this marvelous legacy, using the Mutants & Masterminds RPG as guide. While it may cost a bit more than a dime nowadays, the timeless sense of wonder remains undiminished.
Golden Age Outline
Here's a brief overview of what you'll find in the pages of Golden Age:
Chapter 1 provides a brief history of the many milestones that occurred during comic books' Golden Age. From the birth of costumed superheroes, super-teams, and super-heroines, nearly everything anyone's ever enjoyed about comic books first appeared during this period. This section gives you all the reasons why the era is called the "Golden Age."
Chapter 2 describes the many potential campaign facets—both fictional and reality-based—rooted in the world of Golden Age comic books. Whether it's the social turmoil of the Depression, the rise of imperialist dictatorships overseas, the all-engulfing Second World War, or the start of the Cold War, there's no shortage of challenges for super-powered heroes. There's also information on how best to incorporate the actual history of the era into your games, for an added touch of verisimilitude.
Chapter 3 is all about how to create authentic Golden Age superheroes. Comic books were different back in the days of ration cards and radio: in style, outlook, and conventions. This chapter provides tips to players on how to create characters suitable for the era and ready-made hero archetypes to get them right into the spy-smashing action.
Chapter 4 gets Gamemasters up to speed on everything they need to know to create adventures set in the Golden Age. It's a diverse era, and becomes all the more so when its modern interpretations are taken into account. This chapter helps Gamemasters choose the approach to a Golden Age series that's most appealing to them and their players.
In addition, Chapter 4 saves busy Gamemasters some work. It provides archetypes for Golden Age characters, from dastardly villains to brave GIs, as well as a plethora of devices, vehicles, and equipment, both real and fantastic.
Chapter 5 is for all the Freedom City fans out there as it takes a nostalgic look back to the Golden Age of Mutants & Masterminds' premier metropolis. This chapter provides the straight scoop on the most important locations, events, and personages of 1940s Freedom City. Whether Gamemasters want to run a campaign set in Freedom during the Golden Age era, or just have modern-day heroes time-travel back to visit their costumed forbearers, this chapter is where the city's glorious past comes to life.
A complete introductory adventure scenario, "A Date That Will Live in Infamy," follows, designed to start off any Golden Age Freedom City campaign with a bang. Even if Freedom's not the campaign's home, the events are easily transposed to the urban area of the Gamemaster's choice. It provides a concrete example of what a Golden Age adventure is like.
The book concludes with an appendix of optional rules for handling conflicts between Golden Age heroes and villains and large-scale military forces on the battlefronts of the wars of the era.
