¿Superheros RPG?

[shaka gl]

First: If this doesnt belong in this sub-forum, feel free to move it.

Now, when i started playing pen & paper games, the 1st one i played was Superheroes Inc. Although it was experimental (at best), we really had fun. At the moment, im interested in running a campaing based on superheros, from time to time, for the fun of it. Which games would you recommend me?

[AaronH]

Mutants and masterminds is pretty cool.

[MrNexx]

Heroes Unlimited from Palladium Books.

[oriong]

I'm personally a fan of Truth and Justice from Atomic Sock Monkey, but it's very DIY.

A word of warning: stay away from Blood of Heroes.

[shaka gl]

I started investigating on the above, and i found M&M interesting. I`ll check it out.

[Ravyn]

Aberrant. Not the d20 version, the original. Hard to find, but very much worth it.

[Jayabalard]

hmm... The first GURPS campaign I was ever in was GURPS supers; we had quite a bit of fun though it might have been easier to learn the game if we had gone with GURPS fantasy or such first.

If you're not familiar with it, it's a point based system; so it gives the GM a pretty good control over the power level of the PCs, and I was pretty happy with the control that sort of system gave to creating characters.

[Collin152]

Marvel Superheroes. By far. Its good for other things too, its so simple and flexible! Powers range from the flashy(Fire Generation) to the Subtle (Hyper-Inventing), from the powerful (Immorality) to the worthless (Coloring or water breathing)

[Piccamo]

Mutants and masterminds is pretty cool.

I'm currently playing in an M&M campaign. Its alot of fun and can accommodate any level of power you'd like for your team of heroes.

[Desaril]

I have played superhero RPGs since the '80s and love them to death. I have tried many but have been most pleased with Champions. Heroes Unlimited (palladium) and M&M (d20) both have difficulty scaling between high and low powered games. Because both systems were created around genres involving normal people, the stats and combat system don't accurately reflect powerful beings like the Hulk (he can lift over 100tons, have you figured the STR in d20?) or Magneto (just watch the X-Men trilogy and that's minor compared to the comic book).

If you want a game that is just slightly better than human, then M&M or Heroes Unlimited is great.

I also recommend Marvel, not for the system, which is juvenile (a bull rush type attack is resolved using your Endurance to hit!), but because there is a wealth of supporting info. You can find the stats for virtually every comic book character in MSH terms online.

Also, MSH does a great job of having a consistent system that allows you to realistically create and play both Batman and Superman, but Batman is going to lose every fight between them (as he should). Marvel does not try to impose game balance with levels or points, Iron Man is a tougher hero than Daredevil and the game makes no apologies. Mature players can handle that, but beginners may find it frustrating that their hero is useless in certain situations.

Champions uses a point based system, so if you give the players the same number of points to create their heroes, you typically end up with a hyped-up Batman-types and a watered down Superman types. The GM should exercise more control over the power-level in the character design process before you start doing stats, unless you want "normal" people who can punch through steel walls...

Feel free to contact me if you want more of my comments

[Ambrogino]

It's badly written, but if you can iron out the wording I've found Marvel Universe to be the best Supers RPG I've ever seen for ironing out the difference in power levels between the street-level igilante guys and the Super-powered flying invulnerable can-opening guys. It's a diceless system where power's work on a resource allocation method so if the Punisher applies all his stones this turn into Black Ops he's as combat effective as Cyclops putting the same ammount of points into Optic Blast. It's also got one of the nicest Leadership skill mechanics I've ever seen, allowing you to put your stones into other peoples powers - either to activate ones they weren't otherwise using, or to go over the limit of what they have to spend on the main one they're using this turn.

I've gone through Marvel Universe, Marvel Superheroes, DC Universe, DC Super Heroes, Heroes Unlimited, GURPS Wild Cards, Aberrant, Godsend Agenda, Capes, Champions, Godlike, Golden Heroes, Underground and The Authority (Silver Age Sentinels Engine) and Marvel Universe is the one I'd reccomend the most.

[Desaril]

It's badly written, but if you can iron out the wording I've found Marvel Universe to be the best Supers RPG I've ever seen for ironing out the difference in power levels between the street-level igilante guys and the Super-powered flying invulnerable can-opening guys. [ /QUOTE]

I've never played the diceless system, so I have more critical questions than comments. When you say iron out the difference, do you mean even out the differences, so that street level can fight alongside car-openers?


[QUOTE] It's a diceless system where power's work on a resource allocation method so if the Punisher applies all his stones this turn into Black Ops he's as combat effective as Cyclops putting the same ammount of points into Optic Blast.

I don't understand the comparison because I don't know what you think about Cyclops combat effectiveness. The Punisher is one of the most combat effective humans in the Marvel Universe and Cyclops is human except for the power of his eyeblasts. If the system allows Punisher to jump up his damage with regular weaponry to that of Cyclops' blasts, I think that's a flaw in the system. I think it's also flawed if it allows Cyclops to improve his chance to hit and raw fighting ability to that of the Punisher.

Of course, some games (and players) want to achieve power balance (so the characters are all roughly equal) and still allow players to choose to play Daredevil alongside the Hulk. I think that's whack, because then the normal thugs that are a challenge to daredevil are a challenge to the Hulk, or the normal thugs aren't a challenge to daredevil because he's as tough as the HUlk.

[Ambrogino]

Yes, I mean street level can fight alongside car openers - doing different things, but without having to stand on the sidelines. I feel this represents comics crossovers very well, as they tend to write some characters up and some characters down rather than allowing one character to overpower the action.

Since it all works in allocation of units the difference between Punisher and Cyclops (sorry, looking back not a great example) isn't so much increasing punisher's damage, or improving Cyclops's fighting ability, as making a system in which Punisher's fighting ability and Cyclops's raw damage have a roughly comparable net game affect on an abstract level. It's then up to the GM to determine whether (for example) that's Cyclops doing one all powerful blast while the Punisher hoses the room down with automatic weapons, or cyclops fires a wide beam that knocks everyone down then Punisher double taps them in the head.

I'd disagree that normal thugs are a threat to Daredevil personally, so I don't think mooks going down dime-a-dozen are a problem. There are some extra features outside of the normal resource allocation, but they're mostly in defensive areas. So Daredevil is much more easily hurt than Hulk, without making Daredevil unable to contribute to the fight.

[Desaril]

@ Ambrogino- Thanks for the clarification. I better understand what you mean, although I think it's still a weakness in the game. I agree it does represent the cross-over and guest appearance issues of comics, but I also don't like those comics. It's fun for some, but it's not my style.

Oh, and there is no reasonable situation in which the Hulk needs Daredevil's assistance in a FIGHT. Anyone DD can hurt is going to be creamed by the Hulk and if they can hurt the Hulk, Daredevil is going to get creamed. DD can help with detective work, but these two characters shouldn't be in the same combat. It's like trying to match up a 1st level character and a fully equipped 20th level character; the 1st level guy should just step out the way and take notes.

BTW, I love your quote. I just read Storm Front the day after Christmas and I loved that line.

[Dizlag]

I love the Savage Worlds (http://www.peginc.com/Games/Games.htm) system of roleplaying which is skill based and pretty streamlined. The Necessary Evil (http://www.peginc.com/Games/Savage%20Worlds/Necessary%20Evil.htm) product page is their Super Hero campaign setting with a twist ... all the good super heroes are dead and you play an evil super villain to rid the world of aliens. Kind kewls!

You can check out their Test Drive Rules (http://www.peginc.com/Games/Savage%20Worlds/Downloads/SW%20Rev/TestDrive4.pdf) for a quick start into the system. I'm currently playing in their 50 Fathoms (http://www.peginc.com/Games/Savage%20Worlds/50%20Fathoms.htm) campaign setting which is an Age of Sail / Swashbuckling roleplaying.

Good luck and enjoy!

Dizlag

[Ambrogino]

Oh, and there is no reasonable situation in which the Hulk needs Daredevil's assistance in a FIGHT. Anyone DD can hurt is going to be creamed by the Hulk and if they can hurt the Hulk, Daredevil is going to get creamed. DD can help with detective work, but these two characters shouldn't be in the same combat. It's like trying to match up a 1st level character and a fully equipped 20th level character; the 1st level guy should just step out the way and take notes.

If they're just standing there trading blows sure, DD's unncessarry But if the adventure runs like a comic book plot there should be something like a Hulk Vs Juggernaut fight in the middle of the street, X-men trading blows round them and DD and Green Goblin swinging all over the city. I feel MURPG puts that comic book feel into fights very much.

Of course, it's not for everyone, or it would have sold a hell of a lot better. But so few people have tried it I get a little "This one! This one!" when I get a chance to talk about it.


BTW, I love your quote. I just read Storm Front the day after Christmas and I loved that line.

It's a top book isn't it? I'm really hoping the forthcoming TV series keeps the 1st person narration overdubs in, so it can keep lines like that in.

[Geneticist]

I've played the Marvel Universe too, and I think it's the best super-hero system that I've run into. It has almost unlimited flexibility as well. I've used the Heroes unlimited system to create characters, but I have never managed to create enough interest in it amongst the players that I GM for.

[BnF95]

The old Villains and Vigilantes system wasn't half bad either.

[Nijik]

One of my best GMing moment's ever lies in a game of Marvel universe. I made a X-men spinoff, where the character were basically new students in the Xavier institute. The best moment of all was the basketball game. Saying ''No powers'' at the begining of any sports automatically means it's going to turn into super-powered chaos. It was blissful, don't remember who won though. One of the student got pissed and cancelled everyone's power at one point and it went on for some time.

[AtomicKitKat]

I've got Aberrant d20, MURPG, and Heroes Unlimited(Revised edition). That last one was a steal, at something like US$10 for a practically brand new(if slightly yellowing) copy.

I'd just like to point out that Matthew wasn't the one who said "The Price is Right". I did. :P

[Charity]

I Used to play Golden Heroes link (http://www.tragsnart.co.uk/rpghub/golden/golden.htm)
which was a great system, all random and relied on players having a mature attitude towards character gen. Great comic book feel, everything was done in frames, and it had some innovative ideas, well back in 84 they were innovative.
It is sadly no lonnger in print, but it must still be gettable

bingo (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Games-Workshop-Golden-Heroes-RPG-box-set_W0QQitemZ260077376240QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2548QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)