Freedom City

For the honour or ceremony, see Freedom of the City. For the Copenhagen suburb, see Freedom City, Denmark.

Freedom City

2nd edition cover
Designer(s)	Stephen Kenson
Publisher(s)	Green Ronin Publishing
Publication date	2005
Genre(s)	Superhero fiction
System(s)	d20 System

Freedom City is a fictional, city-based campaign setting for the roleplaying game Mutants & Masterminds. It was designed by Steve Kenson, whose design philosophy for the setting seems based-on and in honor of several classic comic book icons and concepts.

Campaign history

Set somewhere on the east coast of the United States (overlapping Atlantic City, according to the sourcebook's maps), Freedom City's history dates back to colonial times when super heroes first appeared there during the Revolutionary War. People with super-powers have existed throughout Earth’s history, but have become more prominent and numerous since the late 1930s. Freedom City is a particular "epicenter" for superhumans, but they are found in other cities and places around the world. Nearly every sort of super-power or gimmick found in the comic books can and does exist in the Freedom Universe (sometimes referred to as the A-Terra Universe). There is magic, super-science, extraterrestrials, lost worlds, gods, megalomaniacal super villains, and more. Despite this, the world on the surface is still very much like the Real World and most of the history and society from the Real World also exists there. Superheroes and villains have aged normally since their first appearances, with the exception of some who are particularly long-lived or even immortal. There have been several distinct "eras" of superhuman activity in the world, which coincidentally resemble different periods in comic book publishing history. Although everyone has heard about superheroes and villains, and probably seen them (on TV, if nothing else), most people on Earth live fairly ordinary lives, despite the occasional invasion from outer space or other threat.

A key event in Freedom City's history occurred during what became known as the Terminus Invasion. The extra-dimensional tyrant known as Omega launched an invasion of the city, resulting in vast destruction and the deaths of several superheroes; including one of Earth's greatest heroes: Centurion. This event was also responsible for the formation of the current Freedom League.

Freedom City is the setting for two stand-alone published adventure scenarios. The first, Time of Crisis, takes place in Freedom proper as well as its counterparts on parallel Earths. A follow-up called Time of Vengeance was released in November 2006.

In at least one possible future, Freedom City is still around in the year 2525 when it is the capital of the Confederation of Planets and home to the Freedom Legion (a version of the Legion of Super-Heroes).

Several locations in the setting are named after comic creators, such as the Kirby Museum of Art named after Jack Kirby and Claremont Academy (a school for young superhumans similar to the Xavier Academy) named after Chris Claremont.

Inhabitants

Current superhuman residents of Freedom City

• The Atom Family (analogous to DC's Challengers of the Unknown, Marvel's Fantastic Four)
• The Collective (a gestalt of intelligent albino cockroaches)
• Adrian Eldrich (Master Mage, analogous to DC's Doctor Fate or Marvel's Doctor Strange)
• Foreshadow (psychic vigilante, somewhat analogous to Marvel's Daredevil or The Shadow)
• The Freedom League (analogous to Marvel's Avengers or DC's JLA)
• The Next Gen (analogous to DC's the Teen Titans or Marvel's X-Men)

Former superhuman residents of Freedom City

• Centurion (analogous to DC's Superman)
• The Liberty League (World War II team, analogous to Marvel's Invaders or DC's JSA)
• The first Raven (analogous to DC's Batman)
• The Black Avenger, a former member of the 70s Freedom League and former solo hero, now working as social worker (inspired by the slate of '70s African-American characters whose names all had to start with "Black". The choice of his work is probably a reference to Marvel's Falcon, he is also the role model for Sonic of the Next Gen)
• F.O.R.C.E. Ops (an Iron Age team, that operated in Freedom city during the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, a period in which the superhumans were banned from Freedom City due to the corrupted mayor Franklin Moore, consequently they were considered outlaws. Their look and style were similar to Marvel's X Force. They were basically wiped out during the Terminus invasion)

Other prominent superbeings in the Freedom City campaign setting

• AEGIS (government agency, analogous to Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.)
• Argo the Ultimate Android (analogous to DC's Amazo or Marvel's Super-Adaptoid)
• Black Star (analogous to DC's Sinestro)
• Conundrum (analogous to DC's Riddler)
• The Crime League (analogous to DC's Injustice Gang or Injustice Society, or Marvel's Masters of Evil)
• The Curator (analogous to DC's Brainiac or Marvel's Collector)
• Doc Otaku (analogous to DC's Control Freak or Marvel's Arcade)
• Doctor Tomorrow (analogous to DC's Adam Strange, and Doctor Who)
• Doctor Simian (analogous to DC's Gorilla Grodd)
• Doctor Sin (analogous to Dr. Zin from Jonny Quest, DC's Ra's al Ghul or Marvel's Yellow Claw, all originally based on Dr. Fu Manchu)
• The Factor Four (analogous to Marvel's U-Foes)
• Farsiders (hidden Lunar colony of mentalists, analogous to Marvel's Inhumans)
• Fear-Master (analogous to DC's Scarecrow or Marvel's Mister Fear)
• Gigantosaur (analogous to Godzilla)
• The Green Man (analogous to Marvel's Blackheath or DC's Swamp Thing)
• The Grue (shapeshifting aliens analogous to Marvel's Skrulls)
• Malador the Mystic (analogous to Marvel's Baron Mordo or DC's Mordru)
• Megalodon (reluctant man-monster, analogous to Marvel's Lizard or DC's Man-Bat)
• The Meta-Grue (analogous to Marvel's Super-Skrull)
• The Meta-Mind (supreme leader of the Grue Unity, analogous to the Supreme Intelligence of Marvel's Kree)
• Omega, Lord of the Terminus (analogous to DC's Darkseid or Marvel's Thanos or Annihilus)
• Overshadow (leader of SHADOW, analogous to Marvel's Doctor Doom or Baron Strucker)
• The Psions (analogous to Marvel's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Babylon 5's Psi Corps)
• Quirk (hyperactive omnipotent being, analogous to Marvel's Impossible Man or DC's Mister Mxyzptlk, or Q from the Star Trek universe.
• SHADOW (a group analogous to Marvel's HYDRA)
• Star-Khan (analogous to DC's Mongul or Khan Noonien Singh of Star Trek)
• The Star Knights (galactic peacekeepers analogous to DC's Green Lantern Corps, the Jedi Knights or Marvel's Rom's Space Knights)
• Superior (analogous to DC's General Zod)
• Talos (analogous to Marvel's Ultron)
• Terra King (analogous to Marvel's Mole Man)
• Toy Boy (analogous to DC's Toyman)
• Tyranny Syndicate (evil alternate Earth version of the Freedom League, analogous to DC's Crime Syndicate of Amerika)
• The Ultima, aka the Hyperboreans (an advanced offshoot of humanity analogous to Marvel's Eternals)
• The White Lion (analogous to Marvel's Black Panther)
• X-Isle, the Living City (analogous to Marvel's Ego the Living Planet and Krakoa the Living Island)