Superhero system suggestions please

[chainer1216]

So my group is getting a little tired of fuax medieval fantasy settings and we want to try a super hero game again, a few years ago we had a few short Aberrant campaigns, they were really fun but we all unanimously hated how clunky the system could be.

So I'm looking for a better system, I've heard good things about Mutants and Masterminds but a quick Google search tells me there are multiple editions are any of those particularly good or bad?

[Anonymouswizard]

I played 3e M&M, which is good, but easily minmaxable to get the highest amount of powers (I'm the only one in my group who understood arrays, it lead to serious imbalances between me and everyone else versatility-wise). I have plans to use GURPS for a power-heavy campaign, but it'll be low powered psionic spies, and not superheroes.

[Mr Beer]

I used GURPS 4e for a low-powered supers game (street level) and I think it's a great system for that. I built the characters as 100 point normals and then added 150 points of powers. They came out as an interesting group with a wide variety of abilities. They were a serious threat to bad guys with guns but also vice versa.

Traditional supers (say 500 points+), your main problem is balance, because it's easy to create abusive attacks and/or defences in GURPS.

Also, super strong bricks are handled with Super Effort ST in GURPS which starts out unfeasibly expensive (at say 500 points) and ends up absurdly cheap (from around 2,000 budget). I prefer it to 3e handling of supers but it's clunky. I guess this comes down to balance again but with the added problem of having to fudge if you want budget bricks.

If it was me, I would still run a traditional supers game in GURPS because I'm a huge fan but when people say 'GURPS doesn't do supers very well', they have reason for saying this.

[Kid Jake]

I regularly play M&M 2e and 3e and while I slightly prefer 2e, they're basically the exact same game. They're easy to learn with a little knowledge of D20 and you can use them for pretty much anything once you learn them. I've played everything from Supeheroes and Pokemon to Shadowrun and Full Metal Alchemist using M&M 2e pretty much as is.

[VincentTakeda]

I'm a fervent supporter of Palladium's Heroes Unlimited. If you need to keep munchkins in check, the author is very fond of random generation tables. The rulebook has a reputation for being disorganized but I personally find myself flipping back and forth no more than I do anything else that I have found. The system is flexible and we havent had a bad game with it using only slightly more than a dozen houserules.

[Metahuman1]

I've played Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition. Great system. I've heard the Min-Max complain but other then arguably putting everything into Variable and a smig of Quickness or High Quickness + Ritualist, Artificer, Inventor and the no tools needed advantage (forget the proper name for that advantage off the top of my head.) and Pimping out your Expertise Tech or Magic skill, I don't think it's really that broken. Least not in my experience. (And the only think borked about those is they basically let you have any and every power in the game on demand.)

[Anonymouswizard]

I've played Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition. Great system. I've heard the Min-Max complain but other then arguably putting everything into Variable and a smig of Quickness or High Quickness + Ritualist, Artificer, Inventor and the no tools needed advantage (forget the proper name for that advantage off the top of my head.) and Pimping out your Expertise Tech or Magic skill, I don't think it's really that broken. Least not in my experience. (And the only think borked about those is they basically let you have any and every power in the game on demand.)

Take a 40 point damage attack, and dump 20 points into alternative effect. That's 21 40 point powers for 60 points, with the only downside being that you can use, at maximum, one per turn. With continuous powers the definition of 'use' is up to the GM (which is why permanent dismissible create is better than continuous create), and there's a weird semi-variable alternative effect thing.

Variable is kinda balanced, as long as the GM doesn't allowed to broad theme. It's the same cost as 5 points of powers with 2 extra effects per rank.

[BootStrapTommy]

*Shameless GURPS plug*

GURPS is great for everything, especially superpowers...

[Rakoa]

The best system I have ever played is the Champions Hero System. It's a pain to learn, but the most versatile system I have ever encountered. If you want to make a character that can shoot fire ants out of his fingertips, I ask you, "How many?" "How often?" "How loyal are they?" And so on. There is nothing it can't replicate within it's rules.

[Grek]

Take a 40 point damage attack, and dump 20 points into alternative effect. That's 21 40 point powers for 60 points, with the only downside being that you can use, at maximum, one per turn. With continuous powers the definition of 'use' is up to the GM (which is why permanent dismissible create is better than continuous create), and there's a weird semi-variable alternative effect thing.

No, it doesn't work like that. You're specifically not allowed to have permanent powers as alternate effects and continuous powers need to be turned off (as a free action) before you switch to any alternate effects they might have. It isn't that you have two different powers, limited to using only one each round, it's that you have one power and may, as a free action, switch to an "alternate setting" for that power with different effects.

[Maglubiyet]

Champions can do it all. As mentioned, it's got a bit of a learning curve. I grew up on Hero Systems, so I love this one.

Savage Worlds Super Powers Companion is very quick to learn, cheap, and can do everything you need. My new favorite.

GURPS Supers 4e will allow you to build the exact character you want. You can spend hours and hours on it, however. Also, it works better if you get Powers 4e too.

[Anonymouswizard]

No, it doesn't work like that. You're specifically not allowed to have permanent powers as alternate effects and continuous powers need to be turned off (as a free action) before you switch to any alternate effects they might have. It isn't that you have two different powers, limited to using only one each round, it's that you have one power and may, as a free action, switch to an "alternate setting" for that power with different effects.

I can't check the wording at the moment, but that sounds like RAI, even if not RAW (I know this as I was in a game where I had continuous create as part of an array, and would have killed for an explaination of how that worked). The problem might be that not all the rules are in one place for any single thing, as I had to read a sidebar to notice a limit on Summon that stopped an exploit. The fact is, the exact wording on Alternate Effect allows what I described except maybe for permanent powers, the limits aren't clearly spelt out.

[Earthwalker]

Have a search on the interwebz for Squadron UK.
Its a simple little system that I have used a couple of times and really liked.

It has a wierd character creation system that is random but I have found it to be alot of fun.

[Grek]

I can't check the wording at the moment, but that sounds like RAI, even if not RAW (I know this as I was in a game where I had continuous create as part of an array, and would have killed for an explaination of how that worked). The problem might be that not all the rules are in one place for any single thing, as I had to read a sidebar to notice a limit on Summon that stopped an exploit. The fact is, the exact wording on Alternate Effect allows what I described except maybe for permanent powers, the limits aren't clearly spelt out.

Citation time! Since this is a bit of the rules where things get kinda vague/diffuse. First, let's look at the Alternate Effect Modifier rules directly:

"This modifier allows you to “swap-out” the effect for an entire other, alternate, effect! For example, a Damage effect with the descriptor of “laser” might have a visual Dazzle as an Alternate Effect: the same light beam can be used to damage or blind a target, just not both at once. Think of Alternate Effects as different “settings” for a power. (For combinations of effects that work simultaneously, see the Linked modifier in this section.) A set of Alternate Effects is called an array.

An Alternate Effect can have any rank, or combination of modifiers. Alternate Effects may also have different descriptors, usually thematically linked, within reason. This allows you to have two versions of a Damage effect, for example: such as a fire blast and an ice blast. Permanent effects cannot have Alternate Effects, nor can they be Alternate Effects (since they can’t be turned on and off)."

and then later:

"Alternate Effects cannot be used or maintained at the same time as other Alternates in the same array; they are mutually exclusive. Switching between Alternates requires a free action and can be done once per turn. If anything disables, nullifies, or drains any power in an array, all of them are affected in the same way."

An array containing Continuous Create is perfectly rules legal, but you have to dismiss it (as per the "no maintaining two alternate effects from the same array at once" rule) before you use any of the alternates for it.

To get back on topic: I'm currently playing in a M&M villainy 3e game. It's great. The current character list is:
-The Narrator: A clairaudiant psychic with the ability to hear and speak at a distance. Uses this ability to narrate people's lives, controlling them Stanley Parable style. (My character)
-Karnak: A genetically engineered superhyena escaped from the secret labs of Crey Industries. Has the strength of 100 lesser hyenas, regeneration and horrifying, soul-rending laughter.
-Valerian: A wizard raised by hippy dippy druids who made a deal with dark forces and was expelled from the commune. Now has hell-o-vision and the ability to teleport himself and others through the Shadow Realm.
-Reaper 2: Daughter of the heroic Reaper 1, who took up the sentient scythe Civolys after her father quit heroing forever. Unfortunately, Civolys and its bloodlust have corrupted the new generation to villainy.
-Dr. Set: Professor Reynard, once a medical professor at the local university, performed a dangerous medical experiment to infuse himself with healing powers. While otherwise perfect, his powers cannot heal damage to the skin itself, forcing him to wear bandages and protective armour plating over his entire body.

[Anonymouswizard]

Citation time! Since this is a bit of the rules where things get kinda vague/diffuse. First, let's look at the Alternate Effect Modifier rules directly:



An array containing Continuous Create is perfectly rules legal, but you have to dismiss it (as per the "no maintaining two alternate effects from the same array at once" rule) before you use any of the alternates for it.

Okay, turns out I had just not seen one specific sentence, although that makes a couple of characters I want to try extremely expensive power-wise (it's fine, I'm not going to play it for another couple of years at least). I mainly used arrays to throw attack and a few utility effects onto control element or similar powers though, so that's fine. The main one would suffer from this, except I can switch out the damage effect for him just using create to summon a sword (which was the fluff anyway), so no loss.

Permanent Create is weird in how it works rules-wise from my understanding (the power has no duration but the effects have a duration of infinite), but probably has more than enough to ban it from arrays.

Features are where it gets really weird, as I have no idea how to price stuff like 'can summon swords for melee combat indefinitely until it runs out', although I'm leaning towards providing free equipment as costing the same as the equipment would (so infinite laptops is one point).

To get back on topic: I'm currently playing in a M&M villainy 3e game. It's great. The current character list is:
-The Narrator: A clairaudiant psychic with the ability to hear and speak at a distance. Uses this ability to narrate people's lives, controlling them Stanley Parable style. (My character)
-Karnak: A genetically engineered superhyena escaped from the secret labs of Crey Industries. Has the strength of 100 lesser hyenas, regeneration and horrifying, soul-rending laughter.
-Valerian: A wizard raised by hippy dippy druids who made a deal with dark forces and was expelled from the commune. Now has hell-o-vision and the ability to teleport himself and others through the Shadow Realm.
-Reaper 2: Daughter of the heroic Reaper 1, who took up the sentient scythe Civolys after her father quit heroing forever. Unfortunately, Civolys and its bloodlust have corrupted the new generation to villainy.
-Dr. Set: Professor Reynard, once a medical professor at the local university, performed a dangerous medical experiment to infuse himself with healing powers. While otherwise perfect, his powers cannot heal damage to the skin itself, forcing him to wear bandages and protective armour plating over his entire body.

Nice. I prefer teams with a bit more variance in their power sources (and I'm the only one in my group who would ever consider technology as one), but it's broader than what was in the game I played in ('mutant' for everyone except me, who used magic).

I'm currently playing around with tech-based heroes, including planning to use the battlesuit rules and 'only in heroic form' limitation to create a Kamen Rider. As the alternate form power provided by the belt is continuous, I am happy to learn I can still have extra forms for 1 point each.

[prufock]

I LOVE Mutants and Masterminds 3e. It's a very flexible system, fairly easy to learn, and most importantly: FUN! There are some things open to abuse, but the game encourages a cooperative, "gentlemanly" agreement not to break the mechanics. This is fairly easy to do, though, just by looking at the examples provided in the book.

There's also an SRD.

[SimonMoon6]

For me, nothing can beat Mayfair's DC Heroes RPG (long out of print now), either 2nd or 3rd edition (same rules). It was reprinted as "Blood of Heroes: Special Edition" (don't get the non-special edition!) without the DC characters.

First, you can make any character of any kind, no matter how bizarre the powers.

Second, you can make characters of any power level (want to move planets with your bare hands? No problem. Want to be able to destroy pesky planets? No problem. Want to be a mere human who can't do anything at all? Okay, no problem... but why would you?) And modeling characters is easy. Whether you have any power in the universe, every magic spell at your disposal, or if you're a martial artist with expertise in every fighting style... making a character is *simple* and *easy*.

Third, it's *simple*. There aren't any "let me spend half an hour figuring out how copying your powers will work" problems like with Champions. Everything is handled simply, but with just enough crunch that you don't have to wonder if your character can do something or not. You're never going to roll 1000d6 for damage either, even if you can destroy planets. Everything is handled by rolling 2d10 (and rerolling-and-adding doubles).


Drawbacks: Players can easily make overpowered characters (but that will be true for any halfway decent superhero RPG unfortunately). And you need to ignore the "use damage value as your chance to hit too" rule.

Here's a website devoted to characters built in DCHRPG so you can see how simple a character sheet can be:

http://www.writeups.org/index.php

[Segev]

I'll throw in support for M&M 3e, as well. I think it is one of the better-designed and balanced points-based RPGs out there. It is, in my opinion, more flexible than GURPS, though like any system, I wouldn't use it for EVERYTHING. (BESM 3e is a bit more flexible, but not quite as well balanced. And where M&M actually is pretty solid even when you try to cheese it, BESM 3e has a few key points where you can shatter game balance over your knee. Companions, I'm looking at you.)

That said, BESM 3e is in strong competition with M&M 3e for my favorite genri-system and my favorite points-based system. M&M 3e would be better for your purpsoes, however, since it is expressly designed as a superhero system.

Two neat things about it that show its design focus pretty well:

1) The damage system is actually one wherein your attacks force the targets to make "toughness saves," and failing them makes them gradually become less able to fight and more susceptible to later attacks' effects. This simulates comic book combat a lot better than hp systems.

2) The falling damage rules cause you to be more hurt the further you fall. However, if somebody catches you at any point in that fall, you subtract their levels of superstrength from the distance fallen! That's right; the mechanics of the game actively support Superman saving Lois Lane after she falls off of the Daily Planet's decorative roof-sculpture mere feet from the ground by catching her.

[chainer1216]

Hm so far champions hero systems and m&m sound good to me. Maybe if I detail the character we plan on remaking you could tell me how feasible theyd be.

The Defender: Dirk Wellington a guy who grew up reading and idolizing comic book hero's like superman and captain america and spider-man. He eventually gained superhuman endurance, a very low level of super strength(think spiderman) imperviousness comparable to lower powered superman AND regeneration.

Kid Ninja: Ray Williams is Dirks best friend and superhero partner, ray grow up watching old badly dubbed martial arts movies and when he gained his powers they manifested as pretty much anything a ninja could do, he had superhuman reflexes, wall climbing, invisibility, teleportation, could even become ethereal.

Albert Henry Harmon, simply known as AHH was a member of a local indie wrestling federation, when his powers manifested he found he had mild amounts of super strength, endurance and durability, he could lift small cars and easily tank conventional arms fire. But more than that he could absorb energy to strengthen himself, physical attacks could boost his strength to hulk-like levels and energy attacks would allow him to project energy blasts.

And last but not least
Power Source: Travis Belmont was just a regular college student going for an engineering degree until he got his powers, he became super intelligent, gained technopathy and could emit large amounts of electricity off his skin, which he would later use to power most of his gadgets, including an ironman style power suit.

[A_Man]

I'll throw in another bump for Champions. The system is absolutely phenomenal at making anything. There's no power too complex, too absurd, or simply just too specific for it to replicate. You want time travel based clones? Speed based clones? A genetic ability for it? All easily made, and all capable of acting differently. It's awesome.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'll throw in another bump for Champions. The system is absolutely phenomenal at making anything. There's no power too complex, too absurd, or simply just too specific for it to replicate. You want time travel based clones? Speed based clones? A genetic ability for it? All easily made, and all capable of acting differently. It's awesome.

Yeah, in M&M this would all be Summon, and in GURPS duplication (idea: a character who summons AU versions of himself with the same stats but different 'themes').

[dream]

Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition. Reasoning:

• Champions, while excellent & one of the most-versatile of all supers RPGs, has a "Crunch Factor" of 20 (on a scale of 10) compared to the other systems out there. It covers everything, but the stat-tracking is fairly out-dated and time-consuming for everyone involved. Once you get it though, good times.
• M&M 3rd edition is a fun, stream-lined revision of 2nd Ed., and it's even faster to play than 2nd. The downside is there are game concepts that, while clearly explained in 2nd Ed., were omitted from the 3rd Ed. This creates more than a little confusion at times, especially for a system that relies heavily on GM Fiat (read: more GM work). If you check out both & decide on 3rd, I highly-recommend getting a firm grasp of 2nd Ed. FIRST, because it helps you grock the 3rd Ed. changes much easier.
• GURPS is great, modular beyond imagination, and the GURPS Supers book helps with that genre. You can, like Champions & M&M, make any dang thing you want. The downside is GURPS' system is about a Crunch Factor 10-15, depending on how many rules options you use. Lots and lots of situational modifiers and modifiers. Also, GURPS boast the most expansive skills listing I've seen in any game & that's both plus and minus in regard to Character Generation. Plus, GURPS Supers doesn't handle Super-Strength as well as other systems.
• I played Squadron UK 20 years ago when it was Golden Heroes & had a blast. Fun, fast-paced, and modeled after a comic book in many ways. But, it's fairly rules-lite (read: missing things) compared to the other games (no Absorption power?)
• Wild Talents is a great alternate; Point-Buy like a few others and based on a top-notch mechanic (The One-Roll Engine) which uses d10's. It has several settings (Godlike, Kerebos Club, and more) and can be just as versatile and fast-paced to play as M&M. Lack of supplemental material, compared to M&M, Champions, & GURPS left me wanting though.
• Supers, Accelerated is a hoot; easy to play, although not as easy as its very rules-lite predecessor, Supers. It does a lot without taking much time, but it is fairly light (similar to Squadron UK).
• Villains & Vigilantes is an old game (the 2nd superhero RPG) that has comic book-flavor and a degree of crunch (you'll need a calculator for CharGen, but not a program, like many Point-Buy systems). It's random-roll primarily, but there's an option that allows players to select their powers, skills, & devices instead (GM decision). This game covers more in terms of the things superheroes DO and it may be the most copied of any supers RPG because I've seen many of its mechanics & charts used in other games. Plus, it's Jeff Deeeeeee, man! Jeff Dee
• Marvel Superheroes has had 4 (?) versions. I'll touch on the two most-popular across PbP Forums; TSR's old Marvel Superheroes used the now-famous FASERIP system and a system that was both easy to play and innovative for its time (mid-80's). It's random-roll, but there are options for players to either pick their ranks & powers ("Modeling") or a Point-Buy method that can be found on the fan site, ClassicMarvelForever.com. This one is my long-time favorite, but M&M 2nd Ed. just does it BETTER.
  The other Marvel game is Marvel Heroic Roleplaying from MWR. Disney pulled the rug out from under their feet before they could get the game going, but it became a huge gamer favorite due to its presentation of an innovative dice-stacking mechanic, a unique narrative-focused way to handle combat, and of course the Marvel artwork. I barely got into it when production ended, but it still has a strong fanbase on the web. Just not a lot of material or support.
• There's other rules-lite games like Fate Accelerated, Risus, Truth & Justice, Triumphant, ect. Superhero RPGs might have the largest company of available games, either in pdf (DrivethruRPG) or print, so you have your choices. Many are OP, but can be found at their fan sites or ordered from sites like Noble Knight Games.

I chose M&M 2nd because not only does it cover ANYTHING you can imagine, compared with Champions & GURPS, I can build a character in about half the time and game play is a lightning-fast (for a system that allows such character versatility).

Hope this helps.

[Steampunkette]

Mutants and Masterminds is an awesome system for superheroes.

Savage Worlds is freaking incredible. Especially if you go for Rippers for variety!

Essentially, Rippers is Steampunk Superheroes that hunt down monsters and beat them down. It's fantastic.

[Jay R]

I absolutely love Champions, but there is one caveat.

If simple grade-school arithmetic is a barrier for you, it's not the game for you.

Character creation can use some simple arithmetic., For my purposes it's worth it, and it's not needed during the game, but some people are put off by it.

If you aren't, then the flexibility is infinite.

[Sith_Happens]

Take a 40 point damage attack, and dump 20 points into alternative effect. That's 21 40 point powers for 60 points, with the only downside being that you can use, at maximum, one per turn.

At that point you're paying more points than you would for Variable, so it's not really the best counterexample.

Features are where it gets really weird, as I have no idea how to price stuff like 'can summon swords for melee combat indefinitely until it runs out'

That's just Strength-based Damage, except that the possibly of getting disarmed until you can replace that sword on your next turn is possibly worth a Quirk.

The Defender: Dirk Wellington a guy who grew up reading and idolizing comic book hero's like superman and captain america and spider-man. He eventually gained superhuman endurance, a very low level of super strength(think spiderman) imperviousness comparable to lower powered superman AND regeneration.

Completely feasible and extremely straightforward to build in M&M 3e.

Kid Ninja: Ray Williams is Dirks best friend and superhero partner, ray grow up watching old badly dubbed martial arts movies and when he gained his powers they manifested as pretty much anything a ninja could do, he had superhuman reflexes, wall climbing, invisibility, teleportation, could even become ethereal.

Completely feasible and extremely straightforward to build in M&M 3e.

Albert Henry Harmon, simply known as AHH was a member of a local indie wrestling federation, when his powers manifested he found he had mild amounts of super strength, endurance and durability, he could lift small cars and easily tank conventional arms fire. But more than that he could absorb energy to strengthen himself, physical attacks could boost his strength to hulk-like levels and energy attacks would allow him to project energy blasts.

Completely feasible and mostly straightforward to build in M&M 3e, though sadly the bolded bit is highly impractical. Specifically, as a side-effect of the system's primary balancing factor, any sort of "become more powerful as a fight drags on" power can only ever make you as powerful as your teammates already are. Similarly, it's only possible to "buff" your allies in areas they aren't already good at.

And last but not least
Power Source: Travis Belmont was just a regular college student going for an engineering degree until he got his powers, he became super intelligent, gained technopathy and could emit large amounts of electricity off his skin, which he would later use to power most of his gadgets, including an ironman style power suit.

Completely feasible and mostly straightforward to build in M&M 3e.

Character creation can use some simple arithmetic., For my purposes it's worth it, and it's not needed during the game, but some people are put off by it.

Um, that's because there's lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots of it.

[Anonymouswizard]

At that point you're paying more points than you would for Variable, so it's not really the best counterexample.

60<70 last time I checked.

On the features front, yeah, but that example was a 10 point AE anyway.

[Grek]

Completely feasible and mostly straightforward to build in M&M 3e, though sadly the bolded bit is highly impractical. Specifically, as a side-effect of the system's primary balancing factor, any sort of "become more powerful as a fight drags on" power can only ever make you as powerful as your teammates already are. Similarly, it's only possible to "buff" your allies in areas they aren't already good at.

I actually have a workaround for this: Standard Action Sustained Half Effect Immunity (all Toughness Resisted Attacks) with Redirect. If you spend a standard action to go into energy absorbing mode, you can then absorb the force of other people's attacks (making them do half damage) and then, on your turn, take a standard action to channel the force of their attack into energy blasts or super punches. So if you get punched by the hulk, you can throw a hulk punch back as a redirect. The problem is that it's really expensive: 80 points. So your super strength and super durability (beyond the Immunity power) are going to have to be very modest indeed.

[TheEmerged]

Um, that's because there's lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots... and lots of it.

\humor
They make these programs called *spreadsheets*.
\humor

Comedy aside, somewhere at home I've got the 3.5 floppy disk with the character creation program that came with a later printing for the 4th Edition rulebook. There's a *reason* it may well be the first published system to provide one. In my opinion, for flexibility, HERO wins. Once the characters are created and you understand the rules, it's actually almost as fast as any other system. You WILL have an investment outside of the play sessions, especially if you try to be exacting (which I advise against, but that's a rant for another day).

I've done GURPS, although I actually prefer it for *higher* power campaigns than HERO. See, HERO has some powers that do not scale well at the upper end due to having a fixed cost, and therefore are far more valuable than their cost once your characters are over 800 points or so. Also, I have a great deal of experience running Ninja HERO \ low-powered supers in this system, I think it works better than GURPS here. Combine that with GURPS having an actual Invulnerability power, and that's why I think it works better at higher levels than low levels.

For the really high power levels, the previously mentioned DCU system has some charms. Ignore the equipment rules, just trust me on this and make "this power comes from equipment" a column-shifting limitation. Other than the equipment rules, my only real complaint is the way it handles skills. Your Mileage(tm) and all that.

The old Marvel FASERIP system has charms too. Yes, I've run three campaigns in this, it actually works. Character power levels aren't as differentiated as I'd like but it works rather well, especially when you prefer narrative combat instead of a wargame (I happen to like me some wargaming goodness, but narrative combat has its charms too). I tried the Marvel SAGA rules and I frankly felt this was a money-grab nobody actually tested, the rules were a mess.

Now, I know the D&D 4th Edition system has its detractors but... you know the Gamma World rules that came out in this system? They're surprisingly easy to adapt into a low-end superheroic system. I know, because I ran a six-session mini-campaign using them. I made use of a cavaet by which normals where essentially 1 HP minions, and normal weapons did 1 damage per attack - "only Supers can truly hurt Supers" if you will. I suspect adapting them to higher-powered \ more highly varied wouldn't have been too hard either (someone may have even done it, I honestly don't know).

I bought but never actually got to play\run the Aberrant system. I liked parts of this, I ended up adopting some of the terminology and aspects of the world for later HERO campaigns.

There's also a low-powered system out there called Brave New World. This had one or two good ideas I've ended up stealing for later campaigns but... this was one of those times where I went through the rules, tried to play them as written... then did that again... then set them on the shelf and said, "Either I'm missing something entirely, or nobody actually tested this." Pity, because there really were some ideas here.

[Segev]

Yeah, the "get tougher" powers in M&M 3e and BESM 3e are...poorly thought-out. "You mean I can spend points to get a weaker version of a power that gets stronger, but only until it's as strong as it would be if I had bought it with those same points directly?"

I generally would house-rule to waive the caps, or to make the caps something like 1.5x or 2x rather than 1x the point costs involved.

[Grek]

The advantage of a power that scales up is that it costs less than a power that is at full strength all the time. Which means you have more total powers.