Power levels/scale in various RPGs

[Morph Bark]

Since a while, I have been analyzing tabletop RPG systems, having gotten through a handful or two by this point. My goal is to learn from these and in the process begin creating my own.

One of the things I want to take into account and think about is various power levels and sense of scale in RPGs. What various power levels (both super high and super low) exist in tabletop RPGs? What sense of scale is present across them? And how do they compare to each other?

[AMFV]

Well do want relative power level (how powerful the characters are in comparison with the world around them?) or a power level based on a what the characters can actually accomplish.

[Grinner]

And what do you hope to learn from comparing them?

How they're achieved?
The atmosphere they create?

[CarpeGuitarrem]

All of the power levels.

No, really.

You play stupidly ambitious regular human beings in Fiasco. You play super-powered godslayers in Mythender. You play gods in Nobilis. You play highly competent and teched-up professionals in Shadowrun. You play fantasy schlubs in Torchbearer.

If there's a story with that power level, a game probably exists.

[Morph Bark]

And what do you hope to learn from comparing them?

How they're achieved?
The atmosphere they create?

Yes, that and more.

I want to learn what general they grant to their games, how the overall power levels compare and rank up against one another, to get a kind of list of power levels that allows me to see where on that list any particular RPG stands and compares to other RPGs power- and feel-wise. Moreover, I want to get an idea of what power levels are most popular, to give me a frame of reference to make a judgment call on where to best position my own tabletop RPG system on that power level ranking.

[erikun]

All of the power levels.

No, really.

You play stupidly ambitious regular human beings in Fiasco. You play super-powered godslayers in Mythender. You play gods in Nobilis. You play highly competent and teched-up professionals in Shadowrun. You play fantasy schlubs in Torchbearer.

If there's a story with that power level, a game probably exists.

This is pretty much it. You have games where you play as literal mice and rabbits like Bunnies and Burrows, all the way up to games where you play literal gods and tell the GM what happens like in Exalted and Nobilis.

I'm pretty sure there are games where you play as merchants or high school children without any special powers as well, just to avoid assuming that the "power level" only relates to combat.

[Tengu_temp]

It's very hard to judge power levels, because characters from different games won't be consistently stronger or weaker than each other. They will outshine each other at different fields. To give a more concrete example:

A high-level non-caster in DND is extremely competent at its chosen field, and almost supernaturally tough; it can survive taking a dip in lava or a whole army pelting it with crossbow bolts. But at the same time, this character's abilities are grounded in reality, it won't shatter a boulder with a punch or jump 20 feet into the air.

An Exalted character of a similar power level (a not completely fresh, but not very experienced Solar, for instance) performs mythical feats of supernatural skills on an everyday basis; it doesn't even have to use charms to run up a stone wall or kick down the same wall, just roll well enough on a skill. With charms, the same character could tell the wall to get out of the way on its own, and it would listen. But at the same time, this miracle worker has the durability of a slightly tougher than average human, and could possibly die to a single swing of a sword by a lowly bandit if caught by surprise and without armor. There are charms that increase your toughness, but not by much, and that requires intentional investment.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Yes, that and more.

I want to learn what general they grant to their games, how the overall power levels compare and rank up against one another, to get a kind of list of power levels that allows me to see where on that list any particular RPG stands and compares to other RPGs power- and feel-wise. Moreover, I want to get an idea of what power levels are most popular, to give me a frame of reference to make a judgment call on where to best position my own tabletop RPG system on that power level ranking.

Hmm. Well, methinks you'd be better off with case studies of different games; I don't think there's any good way to judge the overall trend amongst games--there's precious few comprehensive numbers.

I could go at a bit of length on how the power level of, say, Mythender impacts the game, though.

[Morph Bark]

This is pretty much it. You have games where you play as literal mice and rabbits like Bunnies and Burrows, all the way up to games where you play literal gods and tell the GM what happens like in Exalted and Nobilis.

I'm pretty sure there are games where you play as merchants or high school children without any special powers as well, just to avoid assuming that the "power level" only relates to combat.

Perhaps 'scale' may be a better word in some cases, or good to use alongside it. Playing a king has a bigger scale than a city-protecting superhero, but a lower power level.

Overall, the 'feel' of a game is more important than any factual ability of the characters in what I'm trying to see here.

[Rhynn]

You might need to be more specific about what you mean by "power level."

Anyway... RuneQuest can actually stretch to accommodate the superpowered characters that are supposed to exist in the world. (SuperHeroes, in the old fantasy wargame sense.)

My favorite bit is where, in the novel King of Sartar, a hundred Sun Priests concentrate the power of the sun into a ray that blasts Harrek's company of men. Harrek, being a SuperHero, deflects the spell, blinding all the priests (in their temple hundreds of miles away), and while most of his company dies in burning agony, he and his boon companions survive with minor scorching and melting of equipment...

Meanwhile, RuneQuest is also one of those gritty RPGs where that trollkin you ignored in favor of dodging the great troll and parrying the dark troll gets a lucky critical and kills you with one spear-thrust.

HeroQuest models the same world and the same kinds of heroes, but in a very different way, mechanically.


As for scale, ACKS (Adventurer Conqueror King) has PCs starting out as essentially nobodies, adventurers looking for treasure, but as they grow rich and powerful they can carve out their own kingdoms from the wilderness or conquer existing ones, and become rulers, and through further conquest can expand their domains into empires.