Cause and Effect
Every action a superhero makes has a widespread impact across cities, countries, the globe, and even the galaxy. That is the burden they carry when they try to save the world. That influence that heroes wield is important to give campaigns in Absolute Overpower weight, especially across multiple campaigns with several Narrators. It also helps players realize the gravity that they possess.
Example Butterfly Effect
To understand Butterfly Effect and how it works we’ll use the following example based on a concept team based out of Wakanda focused on taking down the growing danger of AIM. They also believe that Black Widow, who was sent in beforehand, may have been neutralized.
As the party approaches what they believe to be an AIM factory developing next-gen weapons, they encounter strong automated defenses on the perimeter.
Winter Soldier fails a check to infiltrate quietly and stealthily, and the party is spotted. During the encounter the party takes damage, Winter Soldier is subdued and an alarm is raised.
Unbeknownst to the party, this AIM facility is working with the Skrulls and is developing hybrid weapons. However, with the alarm sounding, they destroy all schematics and hard drives with the information so the heroes cannot recover it.
The players fight their way inside and clear their way through the facility. They do manage to put a halt to AIM’s work and slow the development of the Skrull weapons. They even manage to find Black Widow and free her.
However, they don’t manage to recover any Skrull tech to adapt it into their armory nor do they uncover the mounting plot the aliens have for an invasion.
Instead of joining the team as an NPC resource, Black Widow chases AIM to Russia and unable to stop the Skrulls, one of the shapeshifting aliens eventually infiltrates the party in place of their Commander, Black Panther.
After a long, confusing campaign unraveling the truth behind their fake leader, the party defeats the impostor and defeats. The Winter Soldier becomes the new Commander, and they lose access to Wakanda and all its resources, having no connection to Offworld events, and are left to only react to the Skrull invasion, instead of being proactive.
Obviously, this is an extreme example of a possible butterfly effect, as it’s too much weight put essentially on a single failed roll, however, it serves to illustrate how much butterfly effects are a part of this world.