Who Hunted King Lion?

In April a member of the Oita, Japan municipal assembly known as Skull Reaper A-ji sued for the right to wear his mask while conducting official business. A costumed wrestler by trade, he argued that it was discriminatory to prevent him from concealing his civilian identity while working his side gig as a local politician.

Such a suit could also occur in Mutant City Blues, where a small percentage of the enhanced bow to comic book tradition by operating under costumed identities. Given the police procedural structure of the game, that hook must surely lead to murder.

Let’s say that it’s our masked local official who winds up dead not long after his press conference announcing his suit. He hassled street criminals and sold merch as the burly, blustering King Lion, but now he’s been found with a bullet hole in him in his humble downtown apartment, rented under his real name, Leo Henderson.

The list of suspects the investigators assembles looks like this:

Ira Alvarado, a protester from the Neutral Parity League who disrupted King Lion’s press conference. Like all NPL members he stridently opposes anything he construes as special rights for the enhanced.

Margaret Becker, Henderson’s ex-wife, embroiled in a lawsuit over his attempt to break their prenuptial agreement and force the sale of their second home so he can take half the proceeds.

Lance Gordon, a fellow assembly member hoping to conceal his past as a drug dealer. King Lion knew all about that, having put a beating on him during an anti-drug vigilante patrol. Was he threatening blackmail?

Kelli Reeves, a freelance writer King Lion was threatening to sue, after she blamed him in print for a vigilante attack he had a solid alibi for.

Marcia Burton, formerly his crimebusting partner Queen Lion, who has suffered from uncontrollable rage after taking a bullet for him.

Abdul Melton, the super strong downstairs neighbor who began receiving threatening anonymous messages after refusing to become King Lion’s sidekick.

Darren Maki, whose husband shot himself after King Lion released a cellphone video of him as part of his crusade against the sex trade in his district.

It’s never the most obvious suspect in a police procedural, so Alvarado has a core clue to offer but didn’t do it. Pick the suspect you prefer or roll a die.


Mutant City Blues 2nd Edition is an investigative science fiction roleplaying game originally written by Robin D. Laws, and developed and extended by Gareth-Ryder Hanrahan, where members of the elite Heightened Crime Investigation Unit solve crimes involving the city’s mutant community. Purchase Mutant City Blues in print and PDF at the Pelgrane Shop.

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