So I've been thinking about this setting idea for a while actually.  I've always liked the Black Company books, in fact my name is a shortened version of one of the characters in the books, and I like the premise of the Black Company - a mercenary brotherhood that fights both for and against super powerful magicians who display the truth of the old saying "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely".

I think an updated version of that idea would work splendidly.  So it would be set in an alternate modern type world, I want to avoid actually basing it on Earth so it would have it's own consistent history where magic and superpowers exist, and godlike entities actually existed at various points and may still continue to exist.  The kicker is though that the more powerful you are the more insane you become, because let's face it who can stop you?  And that would be where the players come in.  They are part of a merc company, or maybe some national special forces group or other armed group, tasked with taking down these psycho's.  Players can also have super powers or magic but the same rules apply to them, so that if they become to powerful they literally become the thing they are fighting.

I'm still in the process of thinking about this setting so I'm interested in people's take on this idea.  Suggestions for how the history of this setting developed would be much appreciated.  I'm not looking for game rules I just want to build the fluff for this setting idea.

I'd go for a Kingdom Come/Squadron Supreme/Justice Lords sort of dystopia.

After decades of superheroes and supervillains duking it out with massive civilian casualties, a superteam of Earth's most powerful superheroes (the equivalent of the Justice League) set up a global totalitarian police state where all supers either work for them or perish.

Players are a squad of illegal mercenary supers, neither hero nor quite villain, working sometimes for the supersquad-approved governments and corporations in hush-hush ops, sometimes for the mysterious Resistance said to be lead by a honorable old supervillain from a secret base outside Earth.

Quote from: The Butcher;940756I'd go for a Kingdom Come/Squadron Supreme/Justice Lords sort of dystopia.

After decades of superheroes and supervillains duking it out with massive civilian casualties, a superteam of Earth's most powerful superheroes (the equivalent of the Justice League) set up a global totalitarian police state where all supers either work for them or perish.

Players are a squad of illegal mercenary supers, neither hero nor quite villain, working sometimes for the supersquad-approved governments and corporations in hush-hush ops, sometimes for the mysterious Resistance said to be lead by a honorable old supervillain from a secret base outside Earth.

Your idea reminds me of The Authority comics.  It's a cool idea but not quite what I was imagining.  The thing I liked about the Black Company books was that there were all these individual countries and cultures that they passed through on the way to Khatovar.  So I think I would prefer instead the setting would be in the midst of that era of fighting superheros, villians, gods and monsters.  

Or maybe instead of a single global superhero team controlling the world there is a council of groups that rule the world.  Like the UN except with actual enforceable power and their own crazy self interested superpowered leaders or gods and monsters.  And because these groups are infected by infighting and backstabbing, the balance of power would change regularly.  So for instance maybe one week the Thousand Heroes Of Sun Quan launch a takeover of the nation of Fao Ling but are then wiped out and destroyed by the re-animated corpse of the God Emperor of Fao Ling who is stopped in his tracks by Ron The Even Handed.  Of course the nation of Fao Ling is in an uproar and doesn't get it's vote to deny the nation of Venatia it's claim to the mines of the Lost Island.  

I'm just brainstorming here so feel free to point out something that might fit better.

Aberrant had this. Mercenary novas who worked alone or in teams.

Keep us informed on how it goes. The Black Company has a lot of potential for gaming. I'm trying to plot out a Cypher System fantasy version to run at the FLGS.

I had a similar idea where the PCs were temps who would get hired by various villains and heroes.  One week you may be temping for the Joker (yeah he may kill you, but if he doesn't you will be well paid), the next you are cannon fodder for the Justice League (not much for payment, but the health care, and home security package deal is awesome).