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San Angelo, like the rest of the world, is very different in the year 2070.

The most noticeable change, of course, are the two arcologies which now dominate the area. These massive structures were erected by the massive conglomerate corporations which came to dominate the world economy in the aftermath of the war. They are controlled ecologies, designed in response to the worsening conditions of the outside world. Like the gated communities of the late-20^th century they are the result of those with power and resources wishing to control the environment in which they live, free from the influences of those people and things which they consider to be “negative”. Like the corporate towns of the 19^th century they are a way for companies to exert massive amounts of control over the lives of their employees.

In the early part of the 21^st century Stephen Bow – also known as the supervillain Photon – succeeded in taking over Eclipse Industries. Bow proved adept at charting a course through the turbulent times and succeeded, through means both legal and illegal, in guiding Eclipse Industries to a preeminent position in the global marketplace. After swallowing up many other regional companies, Eclipse Industries was one of the pioneers of the arcology concept. Initially the idea was sold as a public works project designed to reclaim the urban areas which were disintegrating under the economic and population pressures placed on it. Later Bow would take advantage of his political ties in a time of increasing destabilization to put Eclipse Industries in place as the sole owner and authority over the arcology – cementing the company as a preminent power in the region. Bow died in 2050. The company is now run by his son, Christopher. Christopher inherited his father’s superpowers and adopted the moniker Neutron when supers began to reappear.

During this same time the only company which came even close to keeping pace with Bow and Eclipse Industries was Orion Labs, run and operated by Franklin Colt. As the local economy slowly disintegrated Colt found himself forced unwillingly into a position of direct competition with Stephen Bow, a person he considered contemptible. He had little choice, however, because without the continuing strength of Orion Labs – maintained primarily through Colt’s adeptness at landing military contracts during the war – Eclipse Industries would have quickly beome the sole corporate interest in the area (a trend which was being followed in most of the urban centers around the country). Colt eventually even embraced the emerging arcology concept – due to his influence, however, the Orion Arcology remains the largest member of the ANAA, primarily because of the miles-long park and nature rehabilitation area which runs down its center (known as Central Park). Colt supposedly died in 2012 during an accident in his laboratory. Unknown to all except a select few, Colt’s research was an attempt to expand on the work of Hal Revette. An accident in Colt’s experiments caused the instability in the singularity which would eventually cause it to collapse. His son, Laurence, took over the company. Laurence made some bad choices during his tenure and lost controlling interest of the company, which is now run by the board of directors. Laurence was killed under mysterious circumstances in 2067. His daughter, Elizabeth, is attempting to retake control of the company, which has broken down into several different factions which are largely unaware of what the others are doing.

Elizabeth, for her part, was the one who reopened her grandfather’s research into Revette Singularities as a potential energy source. In 2064 she succeeded in creating a stable singularity which could be harnessed for energy production. Much to her surprise, however, this action resurrected her grandfather – who had been saturated with flux radiation and captured in a pocket dimension during his accident. So far Franklin’s existence has been concealed, but he is secretly helping Elizabeth to retake the company. Franklin is also helping his granddaughter in another way: He has the ability to channel flux energy directly, but only through a secondary host. With his help, Elizabeth has assumed the identity of Sunflare.

THE OUT-TOWNS

Urban areas outside of the arcologies have come to be known by the term “out-towns”. In most cases these areas have been almost wholly abandoned by the corporate interests within the arcologies, except insofar as they are either necessary to provide necessary supplies, serve as markets, or act as potential threats. The dynamics of the inter-corporate interplay between the Orion and Eclipse Arcologies, along with several other factors, means that the out-towns of San Angelo are a little more rife with activity than might otherwise be the case. The one thing both arcologies can agree on, however, is that the out-towns cannot be allowed to descend into complete chaos. Corporate Security forces (known as CorpSec), therefore, are the law of the land. CorpSec is only concerned with maintaining the law insofar as it supports the corporate interests. If you’re poor and without anything of value, going to CorpSec is probably a waste of your time.

The area known as Old San Angelo during the late 20^th century is now a ghost town living in the northern shadow of the Eclipse arcology, seeing only the briefest glimpses of sunlight. The sole residents are the biker gangs known as the Rovers. Although these gangs are often thought of collectively, in truth they are composed of many different “clans” – sharing a common cultural base, it is certain, but also possessed of wide divergences, allegiances, and interests.

On the other side of the Eclipse Arcology, just south of the old city border, is the area of town known as the Shacks. The Shacks were originally the site of the tent camps which are formed up at the end of the Third World War. Since then some formalization has taken place – the tents have been replaced largely by wooden shacks and shanties of various varieties – but the overall living conditions in this wide expanse of slums is downright primitive. Common conveniences such as plumbing and electricity are absent from large expanses of the area.

Nestled between the two arcologies are the Shadows. This neighborhood retains many of the original buildings which would have been found here in the San Angelo today. Although little new building has taken place, the Shadows are possessed of some technological sophistication – largely due to the fact that they are home to the most of the San Angelo underworld of 2070. The old Riverfront remains as part of the Shadows, but has sunken to new levels.

During its construction the Eclipse Arcology displaced the residents of Chinatown, which has ceased to exist. Most of the members of this community ended up moving to Poverty Gulch, whose residents were generally moving into the new arcology. This area became known as Little China and inherited the spirit of Chinatown; a reputation which it maintains to this day.

Where the old Government Center and East Side neighborhood stood is now Hightown. Here can be found those corporate interests which are still independent from Eclipse Industries and Orion Labs. Such areas in other North American communities are generally composed almost strictly of branch offices of other arcologies which have an interest in keeping close relations with the local companies, but in the case of San Angelo several subsidiary megacorporations have managed successfully over the decades to play the interests of Eclipse and Orion (as well as others) off each other, maintaining their independence.

In the 2050s Eclipse Industries created the Out Towns Housing Project (OTHP) in an effort to gain some control over the chaos of the out-towns by creating tightly controlled housing projects. Brackett Park became the center of this project. The old buildings were razed and largely replaced with clone-like apartment buildings which resembled nothing so much as rows of concrete blocks. Although the OTHP still ostensibly exists, it is rife with corruption. The entire project has become a disaster, in many ways attracting specifically those types of individuals whose behavior was supposed to be discouraged and controlled by the effort.

Most of the rest of the city is a patchwork of various sorts, with two important exceptions. The University area has become a heavily guarded compound – maintained primarily so that corporate brats can take advantage of its facilities. The La Vista neighborhood, on the other hand, has become the ritzy area of town. Executives who want it and can afford it have purchased massive estates in the area, which is tightly guarded by a special security force.

BEYOND THE CITY

The urban areas which previously surrounded San Angelo have been largely deserted. Individual farmers or organized collectives occasionally attempt to make out a meager living on the rural land, but they are constantly harassed by roving bands of raiders. North America has turned inward onto itself – the rural areas abandoning themselves to the urban centers and the urban centers, in turn, abandoning themselves to the corporate arcologies. A few notable exceptions should be noted, however.

The Oro Dam has become the central headquarters of the Undergang. The Undergang is an anti-corporate militia army of sorts. Although it would be nice to think that they are united in their opposition, they actually spend almost as much time fighting amongst themselves over what their true goals are than they do fighting corporate interests. Some believe that mankind should be removed from the face of the world entirely; others want to retreat to nature; some embrace terror tactics and others do not; a large group (with the majority of control) imagines a return to the glory days of the United States of America when a constitutional government ruled over all (what their particular version of those glory days might be, however, tends to vary wildly as well). Whatever their differences, however, Undergang is united in their hatred of the corporate arcologies and well organized enough to produce their own counter-propaganda and similar efforts. The Undergang is also notable for their formation of the Low Riders, a group of “lawmen” who attend to those who CorpSec ignores.

The Canfield Indian Rancheria has become a land unto itself. Following the aftermath of the Third World War it became a gathering point for many local Indian tribes. Since then it has gained an enclosing cement wall with constantly manned guard posts. Few outsiders are allowed inside the walls. Those that do enter and return speak of a highly communal, cooperative society – but one which is wary of letting the chaos of the outside world within their walls. The residents of Canfield are extreme isolationists.

Finally, Lakeview was the site of the last major showdown of the Pogroms. The supers who refused to either quietly disappear or surrender to government forces made their final stand here. Much of the town was destroyed in this final confrontation and was never rebuilt.

Today San Angelo has again captured the heart and mind of the world as it has resumed its role as the center of superhuman activities. The supers are idealized by many around the globe as the bright hope of the future (although some of those hopes have been dashed with the assassination of Savior). The Neo Justice Foundation has its main headquarters in London, the capital of the new League of Nations; but its primary field branch is located in San Angelo and they are often seen in the city. The New Liberty Corps, rumored to have been founded by a super who somehow survived the pogroms and all the chaos which followed, has become the hometown team, so to speak. The Rogue Squadron also makes San Angelo their home, but are still generally mistrusted by the general public. Although many supers have appeared elsewhere, San Angelo has been home to the largest number of appearances – a fact no doubt connected to the fact the new singularity is being secretly maintained by Elizabeth Colt in the Orion Arcology.

The Third Age of Heroes has come to the world and a new light has appeared upon the horizon. The question which must be answered is whether that light will be embraced… or snuffed out.

In 1998, the sadly defunct Gold Rush Games published Patrick Sweeney’s excellent San Angelo, a wonderfully detailed superhero city supplement for Hero. (You can read my 1999 review of the book here.) For a very long time, I was under the impression that this fantastic supplement had become completely unavailable. But I recently became aware that it is, in fact, available through DriveThruRPG in a version adapted for Mutants & Masterminds and the Action! system. That discovery, in turn, caused me to go digging through my archives and dig out the proposal I wrote for a San Angelo 2070 supplement back in 1999 or 2000. That project ended up going nowhere, but the proposal was quite detailed and I think you might find it of interest.

My goal with San Angelo 2070 was to combine the superhero genre with the techno-corporate elements of cyberpunk to create a setting which would evoke Marvel’s 2099 comics, the various mutant futures (such as Days of Future Past), and Machine Man; a number of DC’s Elseworlds titles; the then-recent Jack-in-the-Box storylines for Kurt Busiek’s Astro City; and similar supehero fare. However, I also wanted the setting to possess the strengths of San Angelo itself — a living, believable, detailed setting where the supers aren’t the only important characters.

San Angelo 2070 takes a look at the future of San Angelo. A future plagued by famine and war, this is the future which Ren Westlake and another mysterious time traveler fled in order to return to their past, our present. This future is merely one possible future for the world of San Angelo – Westlake and the other time traveler may introduce changes which will completely alter the outcome of history – but it is a fascinating one which time travelers might visit or in which an entire campaign might even be set. The heroes of the late-20^th century are gone, their memory fading amidst the famines, wars, and plagues which have cursed this dystopian future. Their successors are nothing but a dawning hope.

GLOBAL FUTURE HISTORY

2002. NATO and the UN intervenes when the small eastern European country of Haradika invades the neighboring nations of Salavar and Tehtan and engages in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the ethnic populations of Salavs and Tehts.

2004. The Salavar Peace Accords fall apart when a rogue superhero assassinates a Haradikan official in the name of the Salavan Liberation.

2005. NATO succeeds in overthrowing the Haradikan government with the help of the Justice Foundation. A regional government is put into place, but it is subservient to UN command.

2007. Haradikan nationalists, having raised their anger to a fever pitch by inciting the global domination over their homeland, declare themselves a sovereign nation once more. A newly resurgent Russia sides with the Harads, along with Syria. The so-called “Syrian Initiative” is soon joined by a hodgepodge collection of Middle Eastern nations. The world begins to draw lines.

2009. After two years of tense international relations the Haradans reveal a new development. Spurred on by the humiliation of their armed forces seven years earlier by the Justice Foundation they have engaged in a series of secret genetic tests, creating an elite force of uber-soldiers: The Haradan Saviors, supers loyal to a Greater Haradika. After several months of propaganda touting their new heroes, the Saviors begin a genocidal purge of the ethnic Salavs, earning the moniker “Haradan Savages” by those on the opposing side.

2010. Hesitant to engage a superforce, the world pauses as the Salavs are slaughtered. American superheroes succeed in destroying the research which created the Haradan Savages. Without the threat of new uber-soldiers being produced, the world finally responds. World War III ensues.

2013. After three years of war Haradika and her allies are losing badly. They engage in a limited nuclear strike, bringing the war to an end, but wreaking havoc on the global environment and creating vast stretches of radioactive wasteland. The superpowers are no more – Russia has been broken in half (roughly along the line of occupied territory); China has fallen into disarray, ruled over by feudal warlords; Europe has endured much during the war; America suffered heavily from the nuclear strikes, rendering it into a much more provincial place. Soldiers returning home from the war bring with them the First Plague, a biological virus with a prolonged incubation time.

2014. Although most of the Savages were killed during the war, one of them, having been driven insane, goes to London and engages in a massive killing spree. Thousands die. Combined with the horrific consequences of super activity during the war this event triggers the Pogroms – a systematic attempt to rid the world of unlicensed supers. Unbeknownst to anyone the singularity which had fueled the second age of heroes was becoming unstable and would soon collapse.

2017. A cure is finally designed for the First Plague (still known as the Great Plague), but this is only followed by more hardship. Food reserves established during the war run out and failing agricultural lands throughout the world are no longer capable of providing food for the population. Africa, in particular, is struck by severe famine.

2020. The Pogroms come to an end – supers are, for all practical purposes, eliminated from the world.

2021. A combination of global population declines and scientific advances allow for the problems of famine to be mitigated, but not entirely. Massive war debts and the decade-long degradation of industry has bankrupted almost all of the nation states. As a result regional governments gain increasing amounts of authority, particularly in the United States.

2025. The international community has broken down. Tribal warfare plagues Africa; Europe has engaged in multiple border skirmishes; Russia has disintegrated into a set of squabbling political ideologies; China is ruled over by feudal, anarcho-communist / pseudo-capitalist warlords; South America has been severely depopulated by continued famine; North America has regionalized with the national governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States becoming increasingly weaker. The UN continues to exist, but less than half of the nations are recognized as current members. Into this chaos came the Second Plague. Developed as a biological weapon somewhere in China no one is even sure which brushfire war it was unleashed during, but was soon out of control on a global scale.

2028. Corporations in America develop a cure to the Second Plague, but negotiate sovereignty in exchange for it. A weakened United States government collapses within the year and corporate arcologies became the supreme authorities of the land. The UN is disbanded.

2032. A mutated strain of the Second Plague incubates in the African jungles. The Third Plague devastates Africa before burning itself out.

2039. The Alliance of North American Arcologies (ANAA) is formed. While not being a true government, it does provide a central decision making body through which corporate cooperation can be forged.

2042. The Northwestern League of Russian States launches an imperial campaign to reforge the lost glory of the Russia’s heritage.

2046. The remaining Russian States form the Eastern Russian Alliance (ERA).

2047. ANAA invades South America to secure natural resources. Although they meet with some success at first, the campaign quickly bogs down.

2052. Led by Saudi Arabia the remnants of several Muslim nations join together to form the Confederation of Arab States (CAS).

2055. The Northwestern League of Russian States renames itself the Russian Empire as it recaptures over half of the land once held by the Soviet Union. The Ukraine, one of the few European powers with any strength left, enters an alliance with the ERA, opening a western front in the Russian Wars.

2056. CAS overruns Israel.

2058. The Chinese Warlord Su Ling begins a campaign of conquering in an attempt to unify Southeastern Asia.

2060. Su Ling attempts to invade Japan. Japan repels the attack and several non-Chinese states align themselves with Japan in order to repel Su Ling’s imperialism.

2061. The Asian alliance against Ling formalizes itself, becoming the the Asian Freedom Force (AFF).

2062. Su Ling forms an alliance with the ERA to fight against Russia. The world is perilously close to a fourth World War.

2063. Ren Westlake, after spending close to a decade forging political and military ties among South American and African states, attempts a military coup designed to bring an authoritarian government to the world. Westlake sees himself as a savior to a world gone mad and this vision of a return to order over the chaos of modern reality appeals to many. Despite this the European, North American, and Asian powers all unite against this threat and Westlake’s force is quickly decimated. He finds himself, practically overnight, transformed from savior to fugitive. In his flight he finds a prototype time machine and uses it to return to the year 1988 in the hope of “making things right”.

2064. Ironically Westlake’s legacy changes the world, just not in the way he anticipated it. Although Su Ling threatens to renew the violence of the Asian and Russian Wars he finds little or no support from other nations, making it a hopeless cause. An uneasy peace settles over the world. In North America research into alternate energy sources leads to the creation of a new singularity.

2065. Su Ling finds himself deposed by a group of his mandarins who no longer wish to pursue his overtly violent agenda. Su Ling, in a fit of pique, launches his nuclear arsenal. He is stopped before he can completely to succeed, but missiles are already on-route to commit massive destruction. A hero appears and stops the missiles. Although he comes without a name he is quickly assigned the moniker of Savior. Under his guidance and inspiration a League of Nations is formed, uniting most of the European, North American, and Asian powers.

2066. A group of young heroes known as the Rogue Squadron appears. Unlike Savior they don’t capture the hearts and minds of the world’s people, but other supers begin to appear soon afterwards.

2067. The League attempts to expand its membership to include the CAS, but rogue elements of the CAS sabotage the arrangement. The world balances on the thin edge of war, but the intervention of Savior pulls everyone back from the edge.

2068. Savior creates the Neo Justice Foundation, an elite group of supers attached to the League.

2069. Savior is assassinated. Everyone in the League blames everyone else and peace totters on the edge of oblivion.

2070. The current year.

Go to Part 2: The Future of San Angelo