How about combining schools? [Prep]

I asked Doyce about this, and am reposting it as a question to the group with his blessing. It feels like we've partitioned our interesting NPCs into two places. The oddball but colorful mundanes like Nono, the "voted most likely to be AEGIS undercover agent" Taz, etc. in one school, our super-rivals and potential allies in another. What if we combined them, at least for awhile? Okay, how? Several kids took refuge from the Yule Lads' attack at Halycon High South. There was a battle with some of the teen heroes, but the school got seriously damaged. Snow and ice got in too, the boiler blew, the place is going to need a few months' renovation. In the meantime, the kids have to go SOMEWHERE, so local schools, including Gardner, graciously open their doors to all the kids affected by the winter attack. Gardner's best equipped to take in the kids in the AP classes and super-jumped-forward students like Adam better. Leo is Adam's "senior advisor/coach/mentor" during this transition and Gardner conveniently assigns either Jason or Harry as their "student guide" during the first week at Gardner. Pros: Everyone can be in the same place more of the time. I had originally intended Pneuma to come to school with Leo as well. If that wasn't happening before, she and Numina could start attending easily enough - especially if their paperwork is done. Charlotte sort of hangs out wherever, but if she wanted to come along for this, I see no reason she couldn't fit in. More PC/NPC interaction options! Concerns: This shouldn't mean Adam has to compromise his secret identity in any way - but I think he's the last person on the team who really cares about one. Leo only cares right now because of Rossum (who appears to know anyway) and fearing that coming out would expose Adam (because they are seen together). If there's something else that'll take care of Adam, Leo might feel better about coming out. It sounds like Doyce has some plans here as well that may help. Cons: It closes the door on any "two normal guys hanging together" stories that you could only tell if Leo & Adam were at the mundane school and didn't have all these crazy super-kids around them. I think there's still room for some of those, though. People may have school stories they want to tell at Gardner that are complicated by having a bunch of extra teammates hanging around. How do people feel about this? Yes, No, Maybe, Yes If...?

I think I can port over a few of my thoughts from my email chain from Doyce. I really like this idea.  While it was never a problem running scenes at school since all the characters (minus GG) where in school at the same time, you could just run the scenes concurrently without much issue.  The big issue, however, is NPC crossover.  I totally want to see Jason have to deal with Nono and other Ponies in a social situation.  Much easier with all the students combined. As for ways for Adam to keeping the secret identity under increase scrutiny, the energy duplicate (along with other thoughts I've talked to Bill about) really means that the "never shall Clark Kent and Superman meet" issue doesn't really apply. Sure, there's risks and hoops involved, but I think they're not insurmountable. Besides, while the secret identity is Concord's bit of personal drama, I don't want it to drag down good ideas and this is definitely a good idea. It should interject fun bits of drama to the story, but if it is blocking other fun things from happening, it doesn't need to sacrosanct. Since we're getting into "when you’ve taken five advances" territory (Concord just got his fifth advance at the end of the last session), I was already thinking about whether to go for the "Change Playbooks" advance or not.  The secret identity aspect is tied heavily into the Janus playbook and right now I feel like we've at least come to the middle of Adam's "secret identity" arc.  With Concord playing a bigger and bigger part in his life, the secret identity is eventually going to become untenable.  I'm cool with this, I just want it to be a cool moment in the story when it happens. (As an aside, the secret identity is really just to appease his parents, so I can see the shedding of that as another step into adulthood and Adam's becoming who he'll be.  It could also be a cool little moment of newfound trust in Adam when they finally "let him off the leash" as it were.)

First off, Mike, that sounds like triffic stuff re Adam and his future. Jason just got his 5th advance last night, which means he has options around resolving his DOOOOOM, etc. I have some ideas around that I've discussed with Doyce (but will leave for a dramatic moment). As to the original topic, I think it's a great idea. There were sound dramatic and narrative and worldbuilding reasons for splitting folks up, but like a work-in-progress book being run through a reading group or a TV show having wrapped its first season, the problems it raises surmount the rationale for it, and this is a great opportunity, right along those winter disaster lines, to correct it. And if there's still desire for some separation -- well, I suspect there will be some social divisions between the "Southies" and the "Real Gardnerians," at least for a while, so