Action Cinema Universe

It is a parallel Earth. Where on our Earth, things that happen in the movies can only happen in the movies (or comic books, or video games, or classic novels, etc.) The people that can perform these amazing feats are known as "Exceptionals". Exceptionals are drawn to this life, some reluctantly, some eagerly. While leading this lifestyle, you will encounter many interesting people, with access to all sorts of strange and esoteric powers; magic, advanced technology, psychic phenomena to name a few

Welcome to the Age of Action

The wind carries the smell of gunpowder, ozone, and old secrets. From the shadowed canyons of the Reconstruction frontier to the neon-lit alleys of the modern day, one truth endures: the world is far stranger — and far more dangerous — than history books dare admit.

Masked riders once thundered across dust-choked trails. Clockwork engines hissed and sparked in hidden workshops. Occult lodges traded relics beneath gaslight chandeliers. Mad scientists chased forbidden equations. Spies carved invisible battle lines across nations. And always, in the smoke and darkness, villains schemed to bend the world toward their own terrible design.

But wherever danger gathered, so too did men and women of action. Grit-jawed vigilantes. Sharp-eyed detectives. Iron-willed explorers. Code-breaking agents. Daring inventors. Lone riders whose legends outlived them — or perhaps never died at all.

Now, in an age of satellites, encrypted channels, militias, mercenary armies, and cults reborn on the dark web, the old shadows rise again. Forgotten laboratories crack open. Lost wartime dossiers resurface. Ancient grudges ignite.

You stand at the crossroads of a century-and-a-half of peril and possibility.
The world is vast. The threats are real.
And somewhere out there, your story is waiting — knife-edge tense, smoke-filled, and seconds from disaster.

It’s time to act.

The primary concept of this game world is to have the players portray characters that would exist in an action/adventure or gothic/cosmic horror story. I began the storylines for this campaign setting - Book 3 - to represent the span of time from the end of the Civil War until present day. The history of the world is generally unchanged from the player's own, with the exception that EXceptionals exist. Books 2, and 1 are reserved for ideas and earlier time settings. The base location for this specific world is Chicago IL. The game is primarily based in the United States as that's where I'm from. If you're reading my work, it is just concepts. feel free to use my collection as your own world with your own timelines and locations

This is further broken down into smaller Eras, with each having its own unique theme against the world storyline. I've tried to match the overall tone of the Era with one of the more notable social issues as the tone Again, feel free to rewrite for your own timelines and tones.

EXceptionals are those human beings that have a certain genetic marker that pulls them into a life of cinematic exploits. Whether they seek this life or fate thrusts them into it they cross paths with adventure. And those adventures are retold in pulp magazines, film, tv, comics, literature, and even video games. These are the characters

So this project is more of a collection of "action heroes" that I want to include in my make-believe world, existing true to their designed character traits

And her is how I broke down the Eras:

Chapter 1: Reconstruction & the Gilded Age, 1865–1890 (Weird West, Steampunk, Gothic Horror)

Chapter 2: Turn of the Century 1890–1914

Chapter 3 - The Great War & Roaring Twenties 1914–1929

Chapter 4 - The Shadowed Thirties 1930–1938

Chapter 5 - The Rise of M.E.T.A.S. 1938 - 1950

Chapter 6 - The Cold War 1950 - 1965

Chapter 7 - Equal Rights 1965 -1985

Chapter 8 - Y2K 1985 -1999

Chapter 9 - The New Millenium 2000 - 2025

Chapter 10 - Into the Future 2025 - 2038

Power and skill sets are also categorized to their primary function - M) Magical, E) Enhancements to physiology, T) Technology and Gadgets, A) Ability, training and natural skill, AND S) Supernatural. Each of these categories also has their own World Plot encompassing the timeline