A supers-system for me? ... Grim Tales?

[Olive]

Thing is, the guys have asked for a SUPERHERO game. So I don't really want to just say: "Cool, we'll play d20 Modern at 7th level."

And fair enough too!

 

[mmadsen]

I'd like to look at M&M but either it's insanely popular or they have total crap for distro as I've been to half a dozen different retail places as of today and nary a copy between them.

M&M recently sold out -- but a reprint is now in stores.

 

[mmadsen]

Anyway, I've been asked to run a low-powered supers game of some sort. Something in the vein of Hellboy, Watchmen, Punisher, etc. [...] So far M&M is the "biggest" name in d20 Supers, that I can see. From what I read, though, it doesn't seem to do "low power" very well. IronMan, SpiderMan, Superman ... sure, but Hellboy, Rorchach? [...] Just a lower-powered Noir supers.

As d4 pointed out, that is Nocturnals. (You can read a review on RPG.net.)

 

[ledded]

Well, if I weren't a complete clutz with Excel, I'd prolly do the same thing.

I'm not much better, trust me. I even blue-screened by 'puter messing around with some of the stuff in my sheet.

I've been enjoying myself statting up characters in BnV to see how they work. So far my favorite was: "The Magnificent Marsupial", a Sugar Glider-themed super theif, because my wife loves Sugar Gliders. Have to work him in somewhere.

Yeah, several of us had a lot of fun statting up super characters, some of them very interesting. We had one that OldDrewId made up for a modern supers game we never played whose name was "Wonder Pimp" or something like that, it was horribly 70's-film-inspired and nearly made me cough tea up my nose when he showed me the concept. A similar reaction to what I had when I read the concept for the character he plays in our occasional WW2 Supers game (Frogbot).

I, too, haven't seen D20 Adventure! yet. Then again, I usually live in chronically non-gamer areas of the country, so... we had a single comic-book store two hours away from where we are in Alabama. I was there the other day looking for M&M. They ripped out 60% of the stock of comics, graphic novels, and RPGs to clear most of the floor space in the store for permanent game tables and they apparently now make most of their money hosting CCG tournaments and selling action figures. GAH!

When I get a chance to physically pick up and examine Adventure, I'll, well, do so.

Yeah, even in a larger metro area in 'Bama there is only still a couple stores where you can pick up much *real* gaming stuff, and only one of them gets a lot of the non-mainstream, more esoteric game stuff. It's still largely Warhammer and CCG and Clix though, and on certain days it's nearly impossible to move around in for all the gaming (and occasionally hard to take my son in there on those days since some folks just dont see a problem with tossing the F-bomb out around a 6-year old). I did see Grim Tales there almost immediately after its release, which surprised me a bit.

Hey Heap, if ya'll happen to make it up around the 'Ham anytime while you are relaxing down in cool, crisp L.A. give us a shout. We normally play on Tuesdays.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I did see Grim Tales there almost immediately after its release, which surprised me a bit.

Yea. We were in Sacramento CA for most of the summer. I decided I wanted to look for Grim Tales and opened up the phone book. Half a dozen comic-book stores on our side of the 'burbs. I'm used to 1-2 game stores in even large cities. Cincinnatti has 2 that I've found.

When we went looking for stuff, my problem wasn't that they didn't have it. It was that I couldn't FIND it in their stacks.

Hey Heap, if ya'll happen to make it up around the 'Ham anytime while you are relaxing down in cool, crisp L.A. give us a shout. We normally play on Tuesdays.

Cool and crisp, indeed.

Next time we're down I might stop through. My best men were all in town as they flew to Cali from Bham. I've been up there from time to time myself.

BTW, updated my SH again! I'm just a machine this week.

--fje

 

[barsoomcore]

One reason I love d20Modern is I have a really nice Character generator in Excel for it.

Hi.

Boy, I could sure use a copy of that.

I'd say nice things about you to all my friends.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Certainly.

http://uk.geocities.com/d20modernheroes/modern-heroes.html

Here's the thing. The link on the page is broken. He's on version 2.6 and still has the (dead) link to 2.5 up.

uk.geocities.com/d20modernheroes/documents/modern_heroes_v2-6.zip

That's where you can get the file. Just forgot to rename the link.

--fje

 

[Krieg]

I havent heard much about D20 Adventure! Krieg, I'll have to keep my eye open for that.

I, too, haven't seen D20 Adventure! yet.

In some ways it is an odd mix. Ostensibly 3.5 based but the classes share more with D20 Modern similar to those in D20 Modern (10 lvl, special ability every level, defense bonus) although they are more specialized (Aristocat, Entertainer, Investigator, Scholar, Scoundrel & Warrior). There is also an optional chart for extending them out to lvl 20. Prestige classes are almost all 5 lvl (Ace, Barbarian Lord, Disciple, Explorer, Inventor, Mastermind, Mercenary, Occultist & Spy).

There are three templates for "extraordinary" individuals (ie the PCs), they are Daring, Psychic & Superhuman. Each also includes 1-2 class levels that can be taken by those with the templates of the same name.

Daring (called daredevils)- Essentially gives access to a new class of "Daring" Feats. Daring feats essentially try to replicate the generally above average stature of pulp heroes.

A personal favorite is Death Defiance which allows the player to spend a power point to avoid certain death and be reintroduced at a later time. Allowing the ever popular "Hey, I heard you were dead!".

Psychic (called mesmerists) - Gives access to mental/"magical" powers.

What would a pulp be without a mesmerist with the ability to cloud mens minds? (Cloud minds is 3rd lvl psychic knack. )

Superhuman (called stalwarts) - While daredevils may be just a bit faster, stronger, more skilled or just plain better looking than the rest of us; Stalwarts go beyond what humans are capable of. Superhuman abilities (Quantum Knacks) are handled by giving access to a powers list. The character gains one knack at every odd level (it is the same for psi knacks).

Background feats are nicely handled, as each is part of a feat tree allowing the player to expand upon the concept as he grows in power.

There are also rules for super science gadgets and gizmos...

But for me the big draw is the use of Inpsiration Points which quickly frankly blow action points away. They are more complicated but are far more useful as well.

Anyone with one of the three templates gains inspiration points. IPs are used to fuel special abilities (knacks etc) and can be used much like action points (giving bonuses to rolls) but they also allow "dramatic editing" which is nothing more than a fancy way of saying that it gives the players the ability to influence the story directly.

Skidding to a stop at the edge of a 1000' high cliff with a tribe of hungry cannibals hot on your heels? Never fear, not all is lost...if you have the IPs to spend you can "write" your old pilot buddy into the story, showing up just in time to whisk you away to safety!

The idea is similar to that of the Imagination Points in used Grimm, I liked it then and I like it now.

Personally I think that the inspired templates, background feat trees and inpiration points would be great combined with Grim Tales.

 

[Krieg]

I'm used to 1-2 game stores in even large cities. Cincinnatti has 2 that I've found.

FWIW I can think of five off of the top of my head, three of which actually have a decent selection.

ACME games - Mt. Washington
Boardwalk Comic Shop - Mt Lookout
Cincy Sci Fi - West Chester
Comic Book World - Cheviot
Violet Vortex Games - Millford

Comic Book World & Violet Vortex probably have the best selection of product. Be warned that Comic Book World has everything in plastic. Cincy Sci Fi occasionally is a good place to find second hand OOP stuff. Boardwalk is primarily a model store, but has does have a few hard to find items (last summer I picked up a copy of WW Aeon that had been gathering dust for several years). I'm not sure if ACME is still open or not.

There is also Starfleet Hobbies in Blue Ash but I have never been there and dont really know what they carry.

If you are still out at Miami, it wouldn't be much farther to just drive up to the Bookery in Dayton (Fairborn actuall). Ther's also the Tin Soldier & Dragons Lair up that way.

 

[halomachine]

Four Colors to Fantasy handles low powered supers pretty well:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2201&SRC=EnWorld

I was gonna say the same thing....4Color + d20 Modern = a hellagood low powered supers game