Making superhero gear make sense (mostly Marvel related)

[Jon_Dahl]

To put it short, I don't understand why superheroes use seemingly useless uniforms and gear.

I'm about to start a superhero game on January, based on Marvel comics. However, I've gotta a realistic taste to things, and it seems that my game will be more like Heroes-flavored Marvel.

Why would anyone use uniforms like these ones:

Instead of something like this:

I'm just trying to adjust my mindset as a GM from d20 Modern to Superhero genre. It's hard, so please give me a hand here
I mean... "Hey Jean Grey, please hand me a flashlight!"
"Huh?"

 

[pawsplay]

Why would you fight crime with a sai, when a gun is deadlier, and in many cases, more legal? Why doesn't Superman have a utility belt... why doesn't Batman wear his anti-Kryptonian battlesuit more often? How is a person who can split into three people any more useful than any given three people who are not special forces ninjas? Why are there any cyborgs left alive in the Marvel Universe when they could so easily be killed with high energy microwave weapons?

 

[Jon_Dahl]

Pawsplay, thank you the effort, your comments really help my game and me as GM. I really really hope I get someone like you to play in my games some day *long look to the sky*.

Why would you fight crime with a sai, when a gun is deadlier, and in many cases, more legal?

It might be that the skill level with sai is fantastically and unrealistically superior beyond human norms, making it better than a gun.

Why doesn't Superman have a utility belt...

He has aura to protect his suit, maybe it doesn't extend to utility belts.

why doesn't Batman wear his anti-Kryptonian battlesuit more often?

I didn't know he has one.

How is a person who can split into three people any more useful than any given three people who are not special forces ninjas?

Maybe they can operate better as a unit, who knows?

Why are there any cyborgs left alive in the Marvel Universe when they could so easily be killed with high energy microwave weapons?

That's a good question. They seem to have some non-realistic safety system, that protect them from being too easily killed with such weapons.

 

[Asmor]

You seem to be missing the point, Jon.

The superhero genre is not a bastion of verisimilitude. Superheroes do what they do and dress the way they dress because it's awesome. No more, no less.

 

[thejc]

I remember a Bart Sears article in Wizard, he had a monthly how to draw column called "Brutes and Babes" one month it was on accessories. He said if you want to make them really tough give them a seemingly useless shoulder guard. Because only a BA would knowingly wear something that encumber him.

That made me laugh. I still think of it when I look at comicbooks. Lol especially the image ones.

I guess in a serious answer. You use what you have. Some people are cool enough and powerful enough to not need props. Others kind of fits into their back ground. Your more basic tier hero's(vigillantes, governmental agents, ones with low level powers) are much more likely to have gadgets and such. The higher you get in power level you rarely see anything else unless it's crucial to said character(Cap A's shield, Thors Hammer, Iron Mans suit ect ect.). Supes is the ultimate example, he doesn't need any enhancements despite what tthe toy company's churn out.

 

[Asmor]

Iron Mans suit

...did you really just use Iron Man as an example of superheroic minimalism? O_O

 

[Walking Dad]

...did you really just use Iron Man as an example of superheroic minimalism? O_O

He doesn't use much tools beside it...

Jon_Dahl, superheroes isn't 'real world people with super powers'. It is it's own genre with it's own conventions. The costumes have to look good as comic art, not on real people... (think about the 'yellow spandex' commentary in the X-Men movie. The costumes have to be already redesigned to work in not drawn environment.

And the (para-)military style doesn't give you the trust of most people anyway.

Nearly unrelated fact: Superman has a secret compartment in his cape...

 

[Piratecat]

Jon, Asmor is right. I think you're missing the point. Superheroes wear cool costumes and don't use gear because it's awesome. Because they can. Because if they didn't, it'd be a spy or special forces story instead of a superhero comic.

There's a reason that superheroes never reuse the incredible technological and magical gadgets that they get from defeated foes. Unlike D&D, superheroes don't generally change their power set or use new tools; it's not part of the genre, for the same reason that westerns seem to always involve gunslingers facing off at dawn on a deserted street.

My advice is to separate "stylish" from "utilitarian" in your mind. Superheroes are stylish -- they look amazing and try to do the coolest thing at any given time. Spies and special forces are utilitarian and do what needs to get done in order to complete the missions. Commandos don't monologue, for instance, but that's a superhero and supervillain trademark.

You may have more luck if you think of the superhero game as occurring in a comic book. Measure time and distance by the number of panels each scene takes up on the imaginary page. Shoot for cinematic poses and opportunities for the PCs to be awesome. It helps.

 

[Piratecat]

Why would you fight crime with a sai, when a gun is deadlier, and in many cases, more legal? Why doesn't Superman have a utility belt... why doesn't Batman wear his anti-Kryptonian battlesuit more often? How is a person who can split into three people any more useful than any given three people who are not special forces ninjas? Why are there any cyborgs left alive in the Marvel Universe when they could so easily be killed with high energy microwave weapons?

Because fighting crime with a sai is cool, stylish, memorable, and sort of terrifying.
Because he's frikkin' Superman. He is his own weapon; that's what defines him.
Because Batman is a minimalist who only has what he needs. Batman doesn't carry superfluous gear; if he has it, he needs it. Period.
Because even though splitting into multiple people is sort of a lame power, it's still a super power, by golly, and they'll never earn their own comic book if they don't kick someone's ass.
Because cyborgs are so awesome that they're shielded by plot-eon particles.

 

[billd91]

I remember a Bart Sears article in Wizard, he had a monthly how to draw column called "Brutes and Babes" one month it was on accessories. He said if you want to make them really tough give them a seemingly useless shoulder guard. Because only a BA would knowingly wear something that encumber him.

That made me laugh. I still think of it when I look at comicbooks. Lol especially the image ones.

I used to get a bit of a laugh out of 1990s superhero outfits, not just the ones from Image, although they did have a special knack for the outlandish. It was like every new-costume superhero was wearing cargo pants.

Now, I can kind of see a point to having a small set of pockets or other belt packs for compression bandages, flashlights, lock picks, or other little things now and then. But that's kind of treading on the gadgeteer's schtick if you're not the a gadgeteer. And too much gear, such as what you'd get trying to kit out a soldier in a war zone, and you're really running contrary to your typical superhero genre. For one thing, they're usually not constantly on a hostile battlefield. Emergency services are often reasonably close-by, as are food and other supplies.

Superheroes are also frequently geared around agility and mobility to avoid being hurt in a fight. And being loaded down with lots of gear like flak vests, helmets, flashlights, and so on tends to restrict your ability to do that in a superheroic genre sort of way. What sorts of gear heroes usually have are typically worked into their tight fighting costumes. Batman has had a bulletproof vest since the 1940s at least, yet you'd never notice it. Nick Fury's SHIELD uniform is a very advanced and flexible ballistic cloth of some sort, far lighter and more flexible than kevlar. The gadgets that are there are subtle, much higher tech than what we've got now, and blend into those skinsuits.