Batman Isn't GURPS!

[Xarlen]

Heya, Enworld. I'm looking to run a Supers game with a Co-Gm, and I've ran into a snag.

I don't know what system to use.

One player is really pushing for Heros' Champions. Since Heros offers Flexibility, that's what I'd like. But my Co GM isn't comfy with Heros; it's cumbersome mathwise. Especially since this is an Online game, I don't want a system to be difficult (Especially one I Don't Know!).

I've heard things about Deeds Not Done ( D20 one), but one player really doesn't like D20 that much ( ).

Silver Age Sentinels.

MSH Marvel Superheros - This is simple, an offshot of BESM. My problem is that I'm told it's WAY too simple (I don't want to pigeonhole my players).

Supers Gurps. Now, the problem with Gurps is... it's LETHAL. A gangbanger shouldn't take down Capt. America.

The game Style I'm looking to run is a Batman-Detective style mixed with an X-men 'Wack the badguy causing a rucus' style'.

ANy thoughts, Enworld?

 

[BenBrown]

Heya, Enworld. I'm looking to run a Supers game with a Co-Gm, and I've ran into a snag.

I don't know what system to use.

One player is really pushing for Heros' Champions. Since Heros offers Flexibility, that's what I'd like. But my Co GM isn't comfy with Heros; it's cumbersome mathwise. Especially since this is an Online game, I don't want a system to be difficult (Especially one I Don't Know!).

I've heard things about

Ah, the old "which supers system to use" question. You'll get as many answers as there are superhero games out there.

Of the currently in-print and available one, I'd recommend Silver Age Sentinels. Less crunchy than Hero or GURPS, but still pretty flexible.

If, on the other hand, you've got access to used stuff, the Marvel Super Heroes game with the Ultimate Powers Book is pretty nice.

 

[Gargoyle]

I like Marvel as well, but if you're going with lower powered characters like Batman or Captain America, then you might be better off with a non-superhero system that is cinematic, like Feng Shui.

 

[RangerWickett]

Hopefully some loyalist will sing the praises of ENWorld's own "Four-Color to Fantasy." Sure, it's d20, and I'm almost afraid to ask why someone doesn't like d20. Usually whenever someone doesn't like the d20 system, it's for (in my opinion) silly reasons that wouldn't be a problem for a supers game.

And by the way, the other d20 supers supplement you mentioned is "Deeds Not Words," not "Deeds Not Done." It's my competition, though, and I haven't fully read it, so I won't comment.

But FCTF is pretty sweet, in my opinion. Anyway, if you're already here, you probably like D20, and FCTF is D20 compatible, letting you add super-power-esque abilities to a normal fantasy game--super strong barbarians using trees as weapons, mages that can fly all the time, and paladins with the divinely blessed ability to be impervious to minor blows. Even if you don't use it for a supers game, it's a great add-on for a normal D&D or D20 Modern game.

 

[buzzard]

Well there is Blood of Heroes. This is the current version of the Mayfair DC Heroes system. I was always pretty fond of how that worked. It's pretty simple, but covers things pretty well. Also you could try to get a used copy of DC heroes. I've heard that the 3rd Ed. was quite good.

buzzard

 

[BryonD]

I would give GURPS a second look.

It can be lethal, but a 750 point Batman would not be at all unreasonable. At that level, he would be near impossible to take out by a normal thug.

After all, one of the big complaints I hear about GURPS, and GURPS SUPERS in particular, is that it is to subject to abuse. I find it interesting that you don't think you can make a hero strong enough.

 

[Prince Atom]

I must speak up in defense of GURPS Supers. Yes, normal GURPS is very deadly, but they've taken pains to counteract that in Supers.

Frex, you could use the Stun rule: You have a number of Stun points equal to 5 x your hit points. Then, people can whale on each other for a while, doing Stun damage, until someone collapses.

So an average person would have 50 stun points. That's enough to have a big bar fight, although an actual weapon would cut him down fast.

TWK

 

[nameless]

A little-known game that I'm kind of fond of for supers is called Brave New World. There is some weirdness with the publishing, but I think AEG picked it up. The dice system is very simple: you get a pool of d6's, and you roll them all, keeping the highest. If you roll a 6, roll it again and add it to the previous 6 (open-ended).

It's very simple and elegant, and scalable. The only real problem is I see is that the powers system isn't that flexible. You can only have one power package, and it doesn't encompass every imaginable super-power. With a little creativity though, a GM could make up some new packages without much work.

 

[Hand of Vecna]

Silver Age Sentinels.

MSH Marvel Superheros - This is simple, an offshot of BESM. My problem is that I'm told it's WAY too simple (I don't want to pigeonhole my players).

Um, no, Silver Age Sentinels is the "offshoot" of Big Eyes, Small Mouth. Marvel Super Heroes is a completely different game, done by Jeff Grub & David E. Martin.

And there IS a D20 version of Silver Age Sentinels, though I've heard there were some legal disputes over how much was OGL and some other sticky issues.

Sadly I've not had the chance to chekc over EN*World's Four-Color Fantasy, but, that aside, my personal favorite Super-Games from the above are SAS and Marvel Super Heroes (the original RPG, not the newer SAGA-based Adventure Game). I also like GURPS Supers, though the math can get a bit clunky at time (though nowhere near as bad as Hero Systems Champions), and West End Games's DC Universe RPG was nice, except for the "Buckets-'o-Dice" mechanics.

 

[Xarlen]

Well, I've played ONE game of Gurps. So all I have is D&D affiliated books, folks. The whole scope of my systems experience is D&D, a session or so of WoD, very limited Shadowrun, and a homebrew system.

GURPS, as I am TOLD by my players and CO, is very Realistic based, and Not cinematic.

And, Batman would be 500 to 750 points. That's pretty 'Super'.

Anyways, I want flexibility of powers. Making symbiotic parasites, alterations on molecular levels, many possibilities for mentalists, and a whole BROAD way of doing it instead of 'you can shoot flames. You can fly. You can move stuff'.