Super Heroes Game for Younger Players

[pogre]

Greetings!

My two youngest sons (10 & 8) love creating super heroes. I know they would enjoy me running a super hero game for them.

They have both played numerous RPGs, D&D basic, D&D 3.5, D&D 4e, PF, WFRP 2e, and the older of the two has even run some Labyrinth Lord.

I have never run a super heroes rpg. It is one of the very few genres I have not tried. The system would hopefully be one I could teach and they could understand fairly quickly. Both boys have a really good handle on WFRP 2e, but the younger son struggled a bit with Path Finder. Just to give you some idea of where they are at in terms of comprehension.

The ideal game would allow them to create their own superheroes and have at least some adventure support for their old man.

Suggestions?

print or pdfs are both fine.

Thanks!

 

[jeffh]

You're obviously at least somewhat old-school, so TSR's old Marvel Super Heroes game from the 80s sounds like the way to go. The rules are more or less complete in 16 pages, everything else is implementation details, and it's all based on one very visually appealing chart.

(I say this as a DC fan who personally prefers the DC Heroes game of about the same age, and that's pretty good too, but for your target audience MSP is likely to be even better.)

 

[Hyper-Man]

You might want to check out the PS 238 Roleplaying Game.

It's an all-in-one book based on the 5th edition HERO System rules. The setting is based on a comic of the same name and has a lot in common with the Sky High superhero movie.

For more info see:
http://www.herogames.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1
http://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/56833/the-ps238-roleplaying-game

 

[A.K.A. Dragonfly]

Hey there,

If you want a superhero game that's quick to learn, fast in play, robust in options and fun as all get go, I strongly recommend the just released Supers! Revised Edition (RED).

One of the things that got me into the 1st Edition version of the game was my play experience with my daughters, then 6 and 3 years old. They created Goggle Girl and Ice Girl respectively and had a BLAST!

The rules take a mere 14 pages to explain (3 of which are sample characters, a character sheet and a page of tables). The bulk of the 164 page book (pages 25 - 106) detail Aptitude, Power, Advantage and Disadvantage options. The rest of the book consists of a few resources for judges, optional rules and the like.

Other options that might work well for superhero gaming with kids are BASH! UE (great fun, and my go to game before I found Supers!) and ICONS.

Hope that helps!

All the best,

Dragonfly

 

[ewpierce]

+1 for TSR's Marvel Super Heroes - I've played that with my kids a bunch of times. All the materials are available free online at classicmarvelforever .com (legit, not a pirate site).

You could also look at ICONS, which is a light-weight Supers game from the maker of Mutants & Masterminds. It is pay-what-you-want on drivethrurpg.

 

[Kenny the Cabbage]

Saw a AP from FAE and that seemed like it would work well for supers.

 

[innerdude]

Insert obligatory, "Use Savage Worlds with the Super Powers Companion" comment here.

 

[Daelkyr]

I'd highly recommend ICONS. The game is fast, fun, and incredibly flavorful. It's the beer and pretzels version of super hero gaming. Character generation is quick and simple. Fights are cinematic and fast. And it really feels true to the super hero cartoon/movie genre.

 

[Bluenose]

Both Supers! and Icons are good choices, alternatively Prowlers and Paragons might suit as well. It does depend on which flavour of the superhero genre you want, because some games do street-level heroes rather better than they do Cosmic Power.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Another shout out for FASERIP Marvel. Simple, fun, fast.

PS238 would be good but I'd say a bit too complicated for 10 & 8 year olds. But if they're not intimidated by complicated then go for it.