While you could just say that everyone knows each other in their social identities, and that it is a coincidence that they all happen to join up in their vigilante identities, it isn’t very believable.
You could also say that everyone became a vigilante as a group. But if even one person doesn’t want to force their character to have a shared backstory with the others, you are right back at the beginning.
I really just want to know how you don’t end up negating half of the class if you try to emulate the Justice League or Avengers, where everyone has a secret identity, but they don’t know each other’s secret identity. Because if you have them not interact as a group with their social identities, then they run into the risk of separating the party when something important happens. And you run into issues of everyone needing to be good on their own at social skills, lest somebody get left out of situations, or worse, get into trouble on their own.
I'd imagine a backstory they met while fighting villains in their vigilante guises, and teamed up. Later they came to trust one another enough to share their secret identities. This is pretty much what happened in the Justice League and Avengers.
Matthew Downie wrote: I'd imagine a backstory they met while fighting villains in their vigilante guises, and teamed up. Later they came to trust one another enough to share their secret identities. This is pretty much what happened in the Justice League and Avengers. I know that that will be the eventual outcome, but what if the players don’t want to already know each other when the campaign starts? This means for a few levels at least, when they are at their most vulnerable due to their low levels, they won’t be able to maintain the group in social identity format.
How exactly do you handle that? Do you just sit the players down and force them to already be a team in their backstories? That feels wrong. I would not appreciate having my backstory controlled by the GM. It is my character, not the GM’s. They literally get to come up with every other characters’ backstories. I only get to make the backstory of my own character.
So I can’t see other players being too keen on this.
I get that sometimes you have to let the GM come up with a certain part of your backstory. Like for example, if you start at a higher level, with Mythic Tiers, well the MT falls under GM jurisdiction, as only they can come up with the reason any character became Mythic. But this isn’t that. This is normal backstory stuff.
Ask your players why they don't want to be a group for large portions of the game.
How is this not a problem with any Vigilante, not just an all-Vigilante group? Any time they're in their social identity, if they haven't entrusted the group with it, they're forcing the group to split up.
The players will figure something out. They were presumably the ones who wanted an all-Vigilante party in the first place, if we're assuming a not-overly-controlling GM. Some options:
(1) "Let's all split up and go to the mayor's party in our civilian guises. If any trouble breaks out, we'll make excuses and mask up." The PCs are all there, they're just role-playing not knowing one another.
(2) "I have a friend, wealthy playboy Bruce Whine, who should be able to help you there. You can trust him just as much as you'd trust me. He knows a way to contact me in an emergency. Oh, and to keep our friendship secret, I don't allow myself to be seen in the same room as him."
(3) "Even though we've only just met, after that one battle where we saved the town, I've decided to immediately trust you all with my secret identity. I'm Tony Stork, also known as Cold Iron Man."
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I think if you want a Vigilante based campaign, you need to introduce some social conventions to make it easier to pull off.
1) Vigilante's are common among the social elite. The royal capital has about one thousand nobles that are active in social circles. Out of them, about half have had a 'secret identity' at some point and been members of a 'secret society'. Most were just high society members wearing a fancy mask attending a club where they try to impress each other. Some are actually dangerous cults trying to induct influential people. And a few teach their members to be actual Vigilantes and mold society from the shadows.
2) Most Vigilantes belong to a 'society'. Each society has its own creed, its own name, some kind of symbol. Each society is suppose to be a secret, and it is polite to gloss over when someone name drops that they belong to a society. Also, people love to gossip about the activities of different societies and their famous members.
3) Revealing the identity of a Vigilante is a social taboo. While it is fine to discuss such things with close companions, making such information public is a sure way to become ostracized from high society.
4) Vigilantes are expected to be flamboyant. From costume to manner. No matter the background of the Vigilante they are expected to act in the manner of a noble while wearing a mask.
5) While being a Vigilante is a noble's game, it isn't exclusive to nobles. Anyone that takes up the mask is expected to follow the 'rules'. Keep up the act, respect others in a mask, do not embarrass yourself or others without cause.
6) Donning a mask also means a willingness to 'play the game'. The watch will treat anything done between Vigilante's as a duel, so long as it doesn't involve others. Causing assault or property damage will mean capture and fines from the guard.
7) To bring the party together, they all belong to a society centered around a small group of older Vigilantes who have become mentors for the current group. This should introduce 1 or more hideouts the party can use owned by the society.
You use copious amounts of the magical material Handwavium.
Vigilantes are interesting, but in my opinion, they are a class that comes with a specific campaign style in mind. The group doesn't all have to know each other, but some level of group story building is going to have to happen for this party to work. Handwavium aside, some level of creative license mixed with circumstantial coincidence is necessary for the start of any group story.
For the vigilantes, perhaps they are all members of the same court or school. Socially thecend up at the same functions or classes. Then, triggering events occur. Each character comes to the vigilante course of actions for their own reasons, and again circumstance draws them together. This can happen repeatedly without the characters knowing each others identities. Yes, credulity is strained, but suspension of disbelief is a necessity of most games. This is the only way I can see a bunch of players who's characters don't want to "play together" to play together. On the plus side, explaining character absence when a player needs to miss becomes a breeze.
While PC A is shopping you hear a scream, do you want to switch to your vigilante identity?
PC B while working in your shop you see something unusual. Do you want to switch.
PC C you wake up to a loud boom. Do you
...
PC D while training you get a tip from one of your contacts....
PC E while at your 16th birthday party a guest howls and transforms into a werewolf. Do you run like everyone else and change into your secret identity?
Don't force the party to live with each other 24/7. Just ask them what they are doing and bring them in from that.
A Game of Intrigue, Cloaks, Daggers and of course Masks.
this would be a difficult game if you do not enjoy Intrigue and setting up events.
Such as the Case of the Missing Hound Master, Whom not only vanished, but so too did his hounds. Are the strange wolf like murders linked to him? If so, what of the master that is only half heartedly looking for him. (and by looking for him, hiring thugs and ne'er-do-wells that are roughing up the people on the streets?) with no evidence the knight patrols can do nothing, but perhaps the figures that stalk the night bringing justice to all can.
:-) Basic premise is generally best, create a large caper with a Villain using society themselves to bring the group together in their mission to put them down.
Could even use the evil Vigilante in the Villain Codex
Have them be a group of friends who spend all day together, who accidentally all formed a vigilante team together without realising it. Whacky hijinks ensue.
It's actually just one person with multiple personalities...
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