Groups in the Starburst campaign
Context
These groups are original creations. We often call these “homemades” or “homebrewed” – think home cooking or craft beer.
These teams were part used during tabletop role-playing game sessions run by writeups.org contributor SRC Smith.
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Heroes
Battalion H
Charter members : Nightstalker (1) (Commander), Bug, Force 1, Wraith.
Other members : None.
Current members : None.
History : Battalion H was the United States’ first attempt at government superheroes. Only Force 1 and the Wraith survived their final mission.
Status : Defunct.
C.O.P. Program (Cloned Optimal Patrolmen)
Charter members : Rick Steel, Quicksilver, Iron Will, Krome.
Other members : M.A.X., R.E.X..
Current members : None.
History : The New York Police Department Special Investigation Task Force Research Division created these genetically engineered “Super-Officers”. Due to sweeping budget cuts, only four of the C.O.P. officers were ever developed, and only two of the “K-10” CyberDog units were manufactured.
Status : Defunct.
Crusaders
Charter members : Captain Paragon (Commander), Ringer, Lord Power, Manhunter, Parody.
Other members : Dr. Z, Iguana, Pinnacle, Radiance, Shadowstalker, Vendarra, Vendetta.
Current members : None.
History : Originally an obscure team in Upstate New York, the Crusaders rose to national prominence when they almost single-handedly prevented the Demon Army from unleashing the Demonfire into our world on national television. After a stormy period of personality conflicts, the Crusaders broke up for good in 1988.
Status : Defunct (but see New Crusaders).
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Earthwatch
Charter members : Firebomb (2) (Commander), Lightning Bug, Animax, Ice (1), Lightning.
Other members : Demonwind, Ledgermane, Mystica, Nightraven, Pipeline, Pisces, Scarab, Skyrocket, Visionary.
Current members : None.
History : A bunch of ecologically-minded ex-Starbursters who got together after the scandal. They operated out of the Geodome in Sacremento, California.
Status : Defunct.
Excelcior
Charter members : The Metropolitain (Commander), Jet, Buffalo Bill, Giant, Yankee.
Other members : None.
Current members : None.
History : Half hero team and half publicity stunt, Excelcior operated out of Albany, New York. They spent more time doing tourism commercials, public appearances, and political endorsements than fighting crime. The final nail in the coffin was the revelation that only one of the heroes was actually from New York.
Status : Defunct.
Freedom Force
Charter members : Animax (Commander), Lynx, Gizmo, Cavalier.
Other members : Powerdrive, Spyder, Blindside, Cybernaut, Steelhawk.
Current members : Lynx (Commander), Blindside, Powerdrive, Spyder.
History : Headquartered in Niagara Falls, New York, this team did most of the actual heroing for Excelcior. The team was almost eliminated when Gizmo, Cavalier, Cybernaut, and Steelhawk were killed and Animax was placed into a 3-month long coma by The Cartel. With the assistance of Team Canada, the team avenged themselves and recruited new members. the two teams have been exceptionally close ever since.
Status : Active.
Gangbusters
Charter members : Knighthawk (3) (Commander), Captain Paragon (I), Paladin, Schuyler, Fantom.
Other members : Firebomb (1).
Current members : None.
History : The world’s first super-team, the Gangbusters fought Al Capone in 1920s Chicago.
Status : Defunct (but see New Gangbusters).
Graveyard Shift
Charter members : Sunstroke (Commander), Excelcior, Eliminator, Gouge Grand Slam.
Other members : Commando, Rampage, Slyde.
Current members : None.
History : An espionage agency under CORPS, they were disbanded after the end of the Cold War. They operated out of the Tomb, a camouflaged fortress in the Nevada Desert.
Status : Defunct.
Homefront
Charter members : Americommando (Commander) American Spirit, Knighthawk (4), Liberty Belle (1), Schuyler, Spirit of ’76, Tank(2).
Other members : Many Heroes came and went.
Current members : None.
History : Homefront was an Anti-Espionage group that worked on American Soil during World War II to protect against saboteurs and spies.
Status : Defunct.
Light Brigade
Charter members : Dr. Photon (Commander), Gammarauder, Quantum, Quark.
Other members : None.
Current members : None.
History : Originally the technical staff at the Whiteout Experimental Fusion Reactor in Alaska, these heroes were created in the attack by which the villains Pit Fiend and Imperion gave Superion his powers. Gammarauder was killed relatively early in the group’s career, and Dr. Photon and Quark lost their powers at the same place they gained them.
Status : Defunct.
New Crusaders
Charter members : Parachronic Man & Co., Phirrouette, Shade (2), Sledgehammer.
Other members : Captain Paragon (3), Shadowhawk, Bolt, Charge, Delos, Gummy Guy, Medicine Man, Phantom, Ravage, Red Knight, Sledgehammer, Stalker.
Current members : Captain Paragon (3) (Commander), Delos, Phirrouette, Shadowhawk.
History : The New Crusaders were given their name by the press after solving their first case. They have since been given the original Crusaders’ charter, police powers, base, and equipment.
Status : Active.
New Gangbusters
Charter members : Paragon (formerly Captain Paragon, Commander), Knighthawk (6), Pinnacle, Radiance, Ringer.
Other members : Quantum.
Current members : All listed except Pinnacle.
History : The New Gangbusters were formed at the request of Knighthawk (5) by his son and his former colleague and friend Captain Paragon (who later dropped the “Captain” after losing and regaining his powers), who recruited his old Crusaders partner Ringer, Ringer’s sister Radiance, and his own sister Pinnacle to join him. They worked undercover to expose and clean up the corrupt government of Chicago, and are now official Special Deputies of the Illinois State Police. Paragon and Quanam have since wed, and the former Pinnacle (who took and kept the name Captain Paragon) returned to New York to lead the New Crusaders.
Status : Active.
Night Patrol
Charter members : Rick Steel (Commander), M.A.X., Streetwolf, Shade (1).
Other members : Mettle, Nightbreeze.
Current members : All listed.
History : The New York Police Department Special Investigation Task Force’s follow-up to the C.O.P. Program, this was the first Powered Police Department (PPD) squad in the nation.
Status : Active.
Night Shift
Charter members : Streethawk (Commander), Gargoyle, Gizmo, Baby Doll.
Other members : None.
Current members : None.
History : Formed in opposition to the “official” status of the New Gangbusters by Knighthawk (6)’s cousin Streethawk, who was unaware of the other groups undercover mission. The Night Shift was a group of super-powered misfits who have since gone their separate ways (Streethawk is deceased).
Status : Defunct.
Patriots
Charter members : Paul Revere (Commander), Ironsides, Liberty Belle (2).
Other members : Beans.
Current members : None.
History : The Patriots fought crime in Boston in the 60s & 70s.
Status : Defunct.
Speed Fleet
Charter members : Overdrive (Commander), Fast Foreward, Dash, Fastball.
Other members : None.
Current members : All Listed.
History : All Super-Speed team working out of Detroit after the Starburst Scandal.
Status : Defunct.
Starburst
Charter members : Cadence (Commander), Wraith, Coldfire, Manitou.
Other members : Airwolf, Audio (1), Audio (2), Audio (3), Baskerville, Blackjack, Boom Boom, Bubbles Martinez, Bullseye, Coldfire, Cosmos (2), Crystal, Death Knight, Demonwind, Fantasm, Fast Foreward, Fastball, Firebomb (2), Firefrost, Flurrie, Force 1, Freelance, Game Master, Gemini, Gold Dragon, Heatwave, Ice, Iron Will, Ishtar, Jazz, Justice (1), Justice (2), Kaptain Kamelion, Ledgermane, Lightning, Lightning Bug, Magnivolt, Matrix, Megawatt, Mystica, Necrobot, Nightraven, Odnamalas, Orion Hunter, Overdrive, Pipeline, Pisces, Quantum, R.E.X., Ref, Sabre, Scarab, Shadowclaw, Skyrocket, Sparrowhawk, Starwolf, Steel Falcon, Strike Three, Tri-Star (Cosmos (1), Magmus, Terra-Star), Vacuum, Visionary, Warbird, Warlord.
Current members : Force 1 (Commander), Death Knight, Ishtar, Necrobot, Sabre, Skyrocket.
History : In 1984, the United States government established an agency to monitor and control super-powered activity. Under supervision of the Department of Defense, the agency, named CORPS (Command for the Oversight of the Resources of Powered Superhumans), recruited four superheroes with government security clearance to form a semi-indedendent organization, pursuing their own agenda much of the time as a private hero team and undertaking government missions when so ordered. After noticing a coincidentally similar design on each of their costumes, they named the organization Starburst.
Status : Active.
Strike Force
Charter members : Smiley, Skullcrusher, Warlord, Creepshow.
Other members : None.
Current members : None.
History : Somewhat violent group that operated out of Jersey City.
Status : Defunct
Team Canada
Charter members : Avenger (Commander), Sky, White Dove, Brick, Spirit.
Other members : Scrap, Tundra.
Current members : All Listed.
History : Team Canada is Canada’s official national super-team.
Status : Active.
Villains
Destroyers, Inc.
Charter members : Imperion (Commander), Electritia, Kali, Strobe.
Other members : Salamander, Superion. Hundreds of minor supervillains signed up as clients when the group acted as Destroyers International.
Current members : Kali (Commander), Electritia, Jasmine, Mettalica.
History : The Destroyers were originally a small-time supervillain team who hit upon the brilliant scheme of incorporating as a licenced mercenary corporation in several small middle eastern countries. They later expanded to serve as a supervillain temporary help agency, until a management dispute caused a dissolution of the current board of directors, and a vote of the primary stockholders elected Kali as President. She promptly dumped the temp business and concentrated on pure crime instead. The group has lately taken on militant feminist overtones.
Status : Active.
Legion of Darkness
History : The Legion of Darkness was a loose alliance of mystic- and monster- themed villains who unsucessfully tried to take over the world for most of the 1980s.