Freedom City is a fictional, city-based
campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...
for the
roleplaying game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
''
Mutants & Masterminds
''Mutants & Masterminds'' (abbreviated "M&M" or "MnM") is a superhero role-playing game written by Steve Kenson and published by Green Ronin Publishing based on a variant of the d20 System by Wizards of the Coast. The game system is designed t ...
''. It was designed by
Steve Kenson
Steve Kenson (born June 16, 1969) is a writer and designer of role-playing games (RPGs) and related fiction.
Career
Steve Kenson began working as an author and game designer in 1995. Kenson co-wrote the super-hero role-playing game ''Silver Age ...
.
Publication history
Steve Kenson
Steve Kenson (born June 16, 1969) is a writer and designer of role-playing games (RPGs) and related fiction.
Career
Steve Kenson began working as an author and game designer in 1995. Kenson co-wrote the super-hero role-playing game ''Silver Age ...
was working on ''
Silver Age Sentinels
''Silver Age Sentinels'' is a superhero role-playing game (RPG) published in 2002 by Guardians of Order, creators of ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'', an anime-themed RPG.
History
Guardians of Order moved into the d20 market beginning with their new ...
'' and pitched Freedom City as a setting for the game, but the game's publishers,
Guardians of Order
Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in Guelph, Ontario. The company's business output consisted of role-playing games (RPGs). Their first game is the anime inspired ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth''. In 2006 Gua ...
, turned it down.
Chris Pramas of
Green Ronin Publishing
Green Ronin Publishing is an American company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Chris Pramas and Nicole Lindroos, they have published several role-playing game–related products. They won several awards for their games including ...
asked Kenson to design a superhero role-playing game using the
D20 System, so Kenson developed ''
Mutants & Masterminds
''Mutants & Masterminds'' (abbreviated "M&M" or "MnM") is a superhero role-playing game written by Steve Kenson and published by Green Ronin Publishing based on a variant of the d20 System by Wizards of the Coast. The game system is designed t ...
'' in 2002 in part to get his ''Freedom City'' setting published, which ultimately happened in 2003.
Green Ronin published a trio of books to develop Freedom City through three different
eras of comic books, ''Golden Age'' (2006), ''Iron Age'' (2007) and ''Silver Age'' (2010).
Starting in 2008, a series of ''Freedom City Atlases'' made an expansion to the Freedom City setting.
A new third edition of ''Mutants & Masterminds Hero's Handbook'' (2011) established a new setting in the game universe, Emerald City, which debuted in a series of PDF ''Threat Reports'' (2011), while a full setting book was planned for release at
GenCon
Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...
44.
Lastly, a third edition ''Freedom City'' book was published in October 2017 which advances the timeline and introduces new characters while retiring others.
Reception
''Freedom City'' won the 2003 Silver
Ennie Award
The ENNIE Awards (previously stylized as ENnie Awards) are awards for role-playing game (RPG) products (including game-related accessories, publications, and art) and their creators. The awards were created in 2001 by Russ Morrissey of EN World ...
for "Best Art, Interior", "Best Graphic Design and Layout", and "Best Campaign Setting".
''Freedom City'' won the 2006 Gold
Ennie Award
The ENNIE Awards (previously stylized as ENnie Awards) are awards for role-playing game (RPG) products (including game-related accessories, publications, and art) and their creators. The awards were created in 2001 by Russ Morrissey of EN World ...
for "Best Campaign Setting/Setting Supplement".
References
{{reflist
Campaign settings
ENnies winners
Fictional populated places in the United States
Superhero role-playing games