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Superhero RPG
- Thread starter LcKedovan
- Start date
The Lost Muse
First Post
Mutants and Masterminds - the system runs nice and quickly, and if your players are already used to d20 games, they know how just about everything works already. (It is quite flexible in my experience)
pawsplay
Hero
Basically, you've got
Hero System
Mutants & Masterminds
Silver Age Sentinels
and, if you like vintage games,
DC Heroes 3e/Blood of Heroes SE
Those are the awesomest. All are versatile, handle a variety of power levels, and have dramatic, interesting challenge resolution systems. All except SAS (which is no longer in print and wasn't out there very long) have substantial fandoms to help you. All play fast.
Hero System is probably the most complex to master, and SAS and DC Heroes the least, with M&M occupying the middle ground.
There are also some other good games out there. Some of the better second stringers would be
DC Universe (but you'll need the Directive on Superpowers)
D6 Powers/Godsend Agenda
The supers genre has also spawned some of the worst games ever published, including
Heroes & Heroines
The Foundation
Heroes Unlimited
Aberrant d20
In the "interesting but problematic" department you have
Marvel Universe RPG
Marvel Super-Heroes (vintage)
Superworld (vintage)
Aberrant (not the d20 version)
Brave New World (sort of)
Villains & vigilantes (vintage)
Hero System
Mutants & Masterminds
Silver Age Sentinels
and, if you like vintage games,
DC Heroes 3e/Blood of Heroes SE
Those are the awesomest. All are versatile, handle a variety of power levels, and have dramatic, interesting challenge resolution systems. All except SAS (which is no longer in print and wasn't out there very long) have substantial fandoms to help you. All play fast.
Hero System is probably the most complex to master, and SAS and DC Heroes the least, with M&M occupying the middle ground.
There are also some other good games out there. Some of the better second stringers would be
DC Universe (but you'll need the Directive on Superpowers)
D6 Powers/Godsend Agenda
The supers genre has also spawned some of the worst games ever published, including
Heroes & Heroines
The Foundation
Heroes Unlimited
Aberrant d20
In the "interesting but problematic" department you have
Marvel Universe RPG
Marvel Super-Heroes (vintage)
Superworld (vintage)
Aberrant (not the d20 version)
Brave New World (sort of)
Villains & vigilantes (vintage)
cwhs01
First Post
mutants and masterminds or perhaps WW's Abberant.
The first one has extremely flexible character creation, relatively simple combat, and has tons of options. And not much else really, no fluff at all, unless you buy supplements. Which can be a good thing ofcourse.
Aberrant (there might even be a d20 version?) is simpler, fewer powers and even simpler combat. But a very flavourfull background and explanation for the existense of superpowered characters (called Novas). Very dark, grim and gritty. Lots of intrigue and conspiracy. Coupled with a "realistic" world, where superpowered people actually use superpowers for other purposes than as an excuse to wear spandextights and save the world.
... okay. some still choose to wear spandex when they fight in superpowered versions of k1 or wrestling shows. Most choose to live "normal" lives (using powers to become the worlds best fireman, policeman, private investigator etc).
so my suggestion: buy both, use MnM for character creation and Aberrant for the fluff and mine it for adventure ideas.
But buy MnM first. (2ed is better i think, but 1ed is probably cheaper if you can find it).
The first one has extremely flexible character creation, relatively simple combat, and has tons of options. And not much else really, no fluff at all, unless you buy supplements. Which can be a good thing ofcourse.
Aberrant (there might even be a d20 version?) is simpler, fewer powers and even simpler combat. But a very flavourfull background and explanation for the existense of superpowered characters (called Novas). Very dark, grim and gritty. Lots of intrigue and conspiracy. Coupled with a "realistic" world, where superpowered people actually use superpowers for other purposes than as an excuse to wear spandextights and save the world.
... okay. some still choose to wear spandex when they fight in superpowered versions of k1 or wrestling shows. Most choose to live "normal" lives (using powers to become the worlds best fireman, policeman, private investigator etc).
so my suggestion: buy both, use MnM for character creation and Aberrant for the fluff and mine it for adventure ideas.
But buy MnM first. (2ed is better i think, but 1ed is probably cheaper if you can find it).
LcKedovan said:
Mutants and Masterminds, as far as I've seen, can handle just about anything other supers games have done.
In February, there was a pledge drive to fund an OGL version of the old Marvel Superheroes rules, to be done by Phil Reed. The funding went well, but I'm not sure of the status of 'The Faserip Project" beyond that.
While it isn't that much like Marvel and DC stuff, I will also recommend Godlike (available from Amazon), which has some nice flavor and one of the more interesting resolution mechanics around.
D.Shaffer
First Post
M&M is effects based, with roughly 60 or so base effects. From those base effects, you apply different modifiers and link different powers to gain a superpower. After that, you add the descriptors that give it the the proper 'flavor'. For this reason, M&M is VERY adaptable in how you portray powers. It can be as complex or as simple as you want your power to be.LcKedovan said:
As an example, let's take a look at your simple blasting type power.
Your basic blasting attack, whether it be a fire blast, light blast, sonic blast, ice blast, etc, is simple a Damage base effect, with its range increased by one step to make a simple 'Blast' power. Since the base effect (It causes damage when it hits) is the same, there's no other change. If that's all your concerned with, you tack on a descriptor (fire, light, sound, ice, etc) and you're done. But for most people that's to simple, so you can add an extra step and make it more complex.
Blast plus the Independant modifers=A fire blast that sets the target on fire until put out.
Blast linked to the Dazzle (Visual) Effect=A light blast that blinds the target
Blast linked to the Dazzle (Audio) Effect=A sound blast that deafens the target
Blast linked to Paralyze =an ice blast that freezes the target when it hits.
You can then get even MORE complex if you want. What if you want your ice blast power to be able to generate icicles, freeze people, create ice object, or let you glide around on a moving bridge of ice? You can combine powers into things called alt. power arrays.
Ice Blast Array
Blast (Main Power) "Icicles"
Freezing Blast (Blast+Paralyze) "Freezing Blast"
Create Object (Effect) "Ice Objects"
Super Movement (Airwalking) "Ice Bridge Gliding"
It really is incredibly simple to generate any power you can think of once you get the hang of things.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
If you want a system to handle DC/Marvel-style gaming, Mutants and Masterminds is about your only real choice.
GreatLemur
Explorer
As has been pointed out: Mutants & Masterminds for the win. It's not only a good midpoint between flexibility and user-friendliness, but it kind of scales up in complexity according to what you want to do with it. If you want a near-Hero System level of control, it's there, but you don't actually have to go that deep into it if you don't want to generate characters on multi-page Excel spreadsheets (although there's a really great one out there, if you do). Basically anybody who can handle point-based character generation should be able to put together an extremely unique character without having to resort to special software.
The powers system is effects based, so instead of having a "claws" power, there's Strike, which gives you a damage bonus on melee attacks, and it's up to you whether that represents claws, electrified hands, a baseball bat, or what (and, of course, all kinds of modifiers can be applied to make claws, electrified hands, and baseball bats mechanically different). So modelling inherent powers, gadgets, magic, special training, etc. is no problem at all.
It's an OGL system, with a few recognizeable D&D 3E trappings, but the resolution system is completely based on rolling a single d20; no other dice are used at all. Combat doesn't revolve around hitpoints, but instead a saving throw mechanic by which characters try to resist the effects of attacks that hit them. Better yet, it's not a pass-fail resolution, but instead allows for different levels of injury from an attack depending on how badly the target fails the save. Most NPCs in the game are classed as "minions", meaning that one failed toughness save, and they're out of the fight, so scenes where the heroes plow through hordes of mooks are expected. Non-minion characters--like the PCs and major villains--can take a hit, but suffer a cumulative penalty on future toughness saves (and, if they're hurt enough, on other things).
Hero points are used extensively as a reward (and sometimes a consolation prize) for PCs. They're expected to be awarded and spent a lot faster than Eberron's action points, and can also do a bit more than action points can.
The game is easily adjustable to different power levels of characters and lethality levels of combat, and a lot of optional rules are presented to customize your campagin further. And, like any good superhero system, it can handle other genres, as well: I wouldn't hesitate to use it for fantasy, sci-fi, horror, whatever. I've actually played a Planescape game using the M&M system, and it let us create more appropriately-bizarre characters than old AD&D 2E ever could have (the psychic rebel githyanki was the boring one). Someday, I'd like to try using M&M for a World of Darkness (-ish) game.
The powers system is effects based, so instead of having a "claws" power, there's Strike, which gives you a damage bonus on melee attacks, and it's up to you whether that represents claws, electrified hands, a baseball bat, or what (and, of course, all kinds of modifiers can be applied to make claws, electrified hands, and baseball bats mechanically different). So modelling inherent powers, gadgets, magic, special training, etc. is no problem at all.
It's an OGL system, with a few recognizeable D&D 3E trappings, but the resolution system is completely based on rolling a single d20; no other dice are used at all. Combat doesn't revolve around hitpoints, but instead a saving throw mechanic by which characters try to resist the effects of attacks that hit them. Better yet, it's not a pass-fail resolution, but instead allows for different levels of injury from an attack depending on how badly the target fails the save. Most NPCs in the game are classed as "minions", meaning that one failed toughness save, and they're out of the fight, so scenes where the heroes plow through hordes of mooks are expected. Non-minion characters--like the PCs and major villains--can take a hit, but suffer a cumulative penalty on future toughness saves (and, if they're hurt enough, on other things).
Hero points are used extensively as a reward (and sometimes a consolation prize) for PCs. They're expected to be awarded and spent a lot faster than Eberron's action points, and can also do a bit more than action points can.
The game is easily adjustable to different power levels of characters and lethality levels of combat, and a lot of optional rules are presented to customize your campagin further. And, like any good superhero system, it can handle other genres, as well: I wouldn't hesitate to use it for fantasy, sci-fi, horror, whatever. I've actually played a Planescape game using the M&M system, and it let us create more appropriately-bizarre characters than old AD&D 2E ever could have (the psychic rebel githyanki was the boring one). Someday, I'd like to try using M&M for a World of Darkness (-ish) game.
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