History
Through the 1990s, the adventures of Total Conversion lend themselves to a timeline.
Year One (1992-1993): The Rise of Total Conversion
- Stephen Wolcott (Ellipsis) forms Total Conversion in New York City: June 1992. The team's stated objective was to act as bodyguards for Stephen's wife Julie. However, the team consisted of eight members, at least four of whose power levels were barely short of Ellipsis himself. So they were the most powerful superhuman force assembled on Earth to that date. This in itself drew attention.
- Total Conversion in incident at O'Hare Airport: July 1992. The team spent much of their first year facing enemies of Ellipsis, both heroes and villains. The U.S. Government took first crack at the team; they'd gotten one hero in as an infiltrator.
- The Doom Bear Incident: August 1992. The team's second challenge was against a set of extradimensional animal intruders, dominated by a cute fuzzy Doom Bear. The incident started on the David Letterman Show, proceeded to the Empire State Building, and ended in the Doom Bear's native realm with much violence against cute fuzzy bears. The more secret members of the team stayed in the background, because the Powernaut of that era had intervened.
- The DuoPolarity Incident and the Superhuman Control Initiative: October 1992. Ellipsis was wounded in an incursion by yet other extradimensional superhumans. The U.S. Government took that opportunity to capture much of Total Conversion. The team rescued its captive members, but escaped longer captivity only by relocating to the Bahamas. Even there, though, they had to fend off other old enemies of Ellipsis. And on a promise of superhuman control, George H.W. Bush won a second term as U.S. President.
Year Two (1993-1994): Total Conversion at Bay
- Total Conversion vs. terrorists and aliens in New York City: October 1993. The Iraqi Allied Peoples' Front attacked New York City again, this time with technology to flood the metro area - and aliens to help operate their tech. Total Conversion came from the Bahamas to intervene. They took a fatality but drove the aliens away.
- Various members leave Total Conversion: October 1993 - January 1994. After the alien incident, more than half the team fell away for various reasons.
- The Gold Rush Incident: February 1994. A video surfaced, of a former team member molesting a superheroine. Many of the world's superhuman factions entered a bidding war for the footage.
Year Three (1994-1995): The Rise of Total Conversion II
- The recruitment of Total Conversion 2: March - April 1995. The Total Conversion Foundation recruited a new team of six heroes - all from the United States. The U.S. leadership responded with sanctions - and with an attempt to create a hurricane using weather-control radar.
- Escalation: July - August 1995. By coincidence, Total Conversion got involved in that year's perennial Black Mage Challenge. They rolled up the U.S. east coast, defeating all mages they encountered plus some U.S. Government superhumans.
Year Four (1995-1996): Total Conversion Triumphant
- For the Glory of Total Conversion: October 1995 - March 1996. Total Conversion's field leader Mary O'Hanrahan made #4 on the U.S. Most Dangerous Superhumans list. She then led missions against #3 through #1 - who all happened to be former members of Total Conversion. This did nothing to decrease tensions.
- "Operation Total Manhood": September 1996. The United States finally declared an outright "peacekeeping mission" against the Bahamas base of Total Conversion. Total Conversion won that war.
- "Domesday Magnus": October 1996. Total Conversion helped save the world from the armored terrorist Domesday.
- November 1996: With U.S. President George H.W. Bush resigning in disgrace after recent events, Hillary Rodham and Evan Bayh won the U.S. presidential election handily.
Year Five (1996-1997): The Old Order Returns
- "Red Star", February 1997. Total Conversion II intervened in a march of Russian battlesuits up Manhattan.
- "Meet the Last Army", April 1997. Total Conversion II played "secret agent" on the Caribbean island of Barbuda... and was never seen together again.
- Remainder of 1997: Stephen and Julie Wolcott re-recruited most of the members of Total Conversion I. This made Total Conversion once again the most powerful superhuman team on earth... except for the Last Army.
Year Six (1997-1998): Against the Last Army
- The Last Army War: throughout 1998. Total Conversion and the Last Army had numerous battles and invaded each other's bases, with no net effect. Total Conversion was more powerful than any single invasion force the Last Army could assemble without Total Conversion noticing. But they were not more powerful than every such force. Some other factions also took part in the fighting, such as the Super Rock Divas and a commune of telepaths from ex-Soviet Central Asia.
- The End of the War: October 1998. Two things happened to bring the war to a close: (1) The Oversaur. An extradimensional superpowered dinosaur went on a world rampage; several heroes of all factions fell before it. (2) Heroes Disappeared. One little boy named Stan Levitz built a pocket universe. At the prodding of the Last Army, Stan took many of the remaining survivors of Total Conversion, including Ellipsis and Julie Wolcott.
Total Conversion and the Superhuman World (1999 - present)
In 1999, the disappeared heroes returned. Total Conversion then resumed operations under Ellipsis in Kellyville, Greenland for several years, until Ellipsis disappeared in 2004.
The team reorganized under Stonewater (Stonewater Stern) in 2006; they picked Indianapolis for their headquarters, it being a major center for the study of sports and superhuman medicine. But the science component of the team had reorganized around Ellipsis and The Combine. Total Conversion concentrated on doing superhuman jobs for paying clients; they had become mercenaries. They continue in that mode today. Some original team members have disappeared in the "Powernaut Rapture", but the new team remains with a powerful core membership, still led by Stonewater.
Members
Founding Members (1992)
- SuperJew - High-level superhuman strength and invulnerability. But sometimes reluctant to go on missions. Created by Richard Desautels.
- Megaphone - Future warrior with a power suit and a multi-purpose gun. Created by Bernie Lisewski.
- Leo - Claws, enhanced reflexes, and low-level superhuman strength. Created by Ray Conrad.
- Doctor Lithium - A manic-depressive pyrokinetic. Created by Doug Robinson.
- Crusher Joe Corrigan - High-level superhuman strength and invulnerability. Created by Joe Fucile.
- Scudbuster - Hyperspeed armor. He was there for the original encounter - but he was the infiltrator. However, another man from his agency sympathized with Ellipsis - so he stole the armor. Created by Paul Fontaine.
- Angora - Cat burglar who can turn into a cat. Created by Carol Galloway.
- Doc, Help - Medical doctor with telekinesis and teleportation powers. Held in reserve, typically when missions were over. Created by Jim Harrison.
Recruits (1993-1994)
- Stonewater, or Stonewater Stern. Martial artist with mid-level superhuman strength plus control over earth and water. Created by Scott Eiler.
- Dave Brizitski. Lawyer and ghost. Created by Richard Desautels.
- Titan. Alien with growth and gravity control powers. Created by Ray Conrad.
- Burnout. Hippie-sorcerer. Created by Doug Robinson.
- Sam Johanssen. Martial artist/soldier with enhanced reflexes and low-level superhuman strength. Created by Joe Fucile.
- Shadow. Ninja with darkness powers and a danger sense. Created by Jim Harrison.
- Nympho. Young woman with bodily transformation powers and a contagious addiction to sex. Created by Jennifer Hurst.
Second Team (1995-1997)
- Mary O'Hanrahan ("Red Dragon") - Founding Member. Power suit which enhances her reflexes. Created by Darryl Hunt.
- Arcane - Founding Member. White Mage. Created by Adam Johnson.
- The Doom Koala of Speed - Founding Member. Avatar of Doom, with super-koala speed. Can transform into a human journalist. Created by Vaughn Gross.
- Professor Lava - Founding Member. Body of lava, with lava blasts. Created by Scott Bukoski.
- Akibono. Sumo with mid-level superhuman strength. Created by Darryl Hunt.
- Longbow. Archery skills. Created by Adam Johnson.
- Little Billy and Big Bob. Telekinetic child whose power expresses itself as an imaginary friend with high-level super strength. Created by Vaughn Gross.
New Members (1997-2004)
New Members (2006-2011)
- Boom Chick. Can generate explosions. Partner of Shock Guy.
- Capture. Can capture people in playing cards.
- Grey Lion. Enhanced strength which doubles every year; it is now approaching mid-level superhuman.
- Hedasys. Ancient Macedonian warrior who can turn into a two-legged fire-breathing dragon.
- Rock Pile Jim. Body of stone; high-level superhuman strength; archery skill with a special bow.
- Shock Guy. Can absorb explosions. Partner of Boom Chick.
- Tomahawk. Powered armor which provides mid-level superhuman strength plus other typical enhancements. Created by Adam Johnson.
Publications
- Earliest Appearance: "The O'Hare Incident", in role-playing games of the 1990s
- First Published: Escalation - the Biggest Wave, 1995
- Most Recent Publication: Powernaut 1992
- Latest Appearance: Tekno-Otelo 2, 2009
Author's Notes
Total Conversion is the game campaign I based on Ellipsis. I presented games from this campaign at conventions, and got in free for several years. Total Conversion taught me the benefits of shared universes.
This history is seeing publication for the first time. I couldn't declare the Ellipsis history complete without this section. So, consider this stuff a resource for future crossovers. And enjoy!
(signed) Scott Eiler, 15 May 2015.
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