Worm

This article is probably off-topic, but tolerated because it's relevant and/or popular on /tg/... or we just can't be bothered to delete it.

Worm is a web-serial and dark superhero-setting created by Canadian author J.C. McCrae (a.k.a. Wildbow, WobbleBell, WryBowl, WyrmBill), available free to read on Wordpress. It's about as close to /co/ as you get in subject matter, if not necessarily presentation.

The central premise is that in the mid-1980's, superpowers began to appear among people seemingly at random, radically altering human society across the world. The story is set in 2011, roughly 20 years after superpowers became widespread, and is written in the first-person perspective. The protagonist is Taylor Hebert, a bullied high school student who has the power to control insects. In 2017 WaldBard started writing on a followup story in the same universe, creatively called "Ward."

What's Awesome About Worm?

• Incredibly creative superpowers: While typical superhumans rely on a few basic and sometimes boring powers (enhanced strength, durability, speed, flight, etc), Worm's "parahumans" have abilities that are far more interesting, with numerous creative advantages and drawbacks. Notable examples include Lung, an Asian gang leader who has the ability to power up by gradually transforming into a massive dragon-like creature as he fights; Dauntless, who has the power to gradually "infuse" objects with power, eventually turning a simple taser into an incredibly deadly weapon; Marquis, an affable villain with the power to manipulate bone, and so on.

• Creative use of powers: Unlike many superhero stories, the characters in Worm don't really get more powerful except by figuring out new uses for their powers, which they do constantly.

• Grey morality: There are self-professed heroes who are absolutely awful people, and villains who simply made one bad mistake or are just trying to get by. If you like morally ambiguous characters, Worm is for you.

• Long. Looong.: 1.7 million words long[1], it's just a bit short of ASOIAF.

• It's not over: Wasn't long enough? Fear not. There is a sequel, one year in the making...

Running a Game in the Worm Universe

There exist fanbois who huddle on IRCs and RP Discord servers, running games in the Wormverse. Few wild examples outside these communities have been spotted.

WashBoard has created a system for running roleplaying games in his universe, called WeaverDice. It's a fairly simple system based around the d6, and is constantly being worked on. Powers are created together by the group, or by the GM.

There exist two fan-made d20-based alternative systems for Weaverdice, Skitterdice, and Weaverdice 20, which is based on both Weaverdice and Skitterdice. Not maxing out your Guts stat is considered retarded, and there is no such thing as being a munchkin, not when properly specced combat stats are key to actually surviving and making progress. As no real rules exist for creating powers, it's up to the GM to handcraft a not completly broken power for players.

...Or not.

Worm kinda points to life being unfair and it's even built into the game system and the character creation. Remember to stay hydrated while gaming, because you will find salt...

The third option, for those who like the d20 but actually wanna play a complete and more balanced game system, can choose to use Mutants and Masterminds, as the power creation rules can make just about any Worm power with some work. Character creation in M&M is painful and long as fuck, though, so you have been warned.

External Links

The story

Worm Wiki (WARNING: Contains Spoilers)

Weaverdice(wiki page)