Best (but simple) Superhero Game out?

[Madmaxneo]

I loved the superhero companion for Savage Worlds. Just reading through it always gives me great ideas!

Yeah Savage Worlds seem like a pretty good system but I would like to play in a game before I run it.

 

[mrm1138]

Yeah Savage Worlds seem like a pretty good system but I would like to play in a game before I run it.

Unfortunately for me, since I'm pretty much the only one in my group who is really interested in trying out any systems outside of D&D,* that would mean I'd have to be the one to run them. (When I brought up the idea of one system, the GM literally said, "Hey, if you run it, I'll play it.")

*Don't get me wrong, I'm really loving D&D, but as someone who's relatively new to tabletop roleplaying, I'd really love to branch out and try as many things as possible.

 

[Madmaxneo]

Unfortunately for me, since I'm pretty much the only one in my group who is really interested in trying out any systems outside of D&D,* that would mean I'd have to be the one to run them. (When I brought up the idea of one system, the GM literally said, "Hey, if you run it, I'll play it.")

*Don't get me wrong, I'm really loving D&D, but as someone who's relatively new to tabletop roleplaying, I'd really love to branch out and try as many things as possible.

Learning a new system to run it for a group that has never played it is a daunting task, that more often than not ends in the group not liking the game. I know as a GM I don't like learning new systems that much unless everyone is interested in it. I know I will screw some things up and would prefer someone to help out with the rules.

It's to bad you don't live in the Northern Indiana area as I would love to introduce HARP to you.

Bruce

 

[Darth Quiris]

I know it's not in the running anymore, but I have to say one last, KEY thing I like about HERO: even though PC generation is complex, when you actually play the game, @90% of what you need to play is in your character sheet. The books largely sit to the side, unused.

So, while you may spend a lot of time in PC generation, during play, things tend to run smoothly and quickly,

I have to agree with this about HERO System. The majority of the complexity, much similar to Mutants and Masterminds, is character creation. Which is probably what we could say about almost all super hero rpgs ever made.

My suggestions for this are these more obscure super rpgs that are quite awesome and are the ones I feel better fit what the OP is asking for/about:

Prowlers and Paragons
Supers Revised Edition
Capes, Cowls and Villains Fowl

All of these are quite easy and simple, very complete in their books, and have a lot of flavor. I will say that Capes, Cowls is more complex of the three but that's only because it does follow a different structure in how the game is played and it is designed to really emulate the feel of comic books and comes really close to being the best game that does it.

If you go with a Fate game go with Atomic Robo. It does an excellent job of explaining Fate with a setting that is a supers setting.

 

[Ratskinner]

As per Fate Core (and by extension Fate Accelerated), Bagpuss is correct. Aspects are, by definition, true.

Well "true" and "has an impact on events/results" are not equivalent. It is true that the warehouse has "teetering stacks of crates". Until someone invokes the aspect, it doesn't change what you can and cannot do.

Yes, this position does make certain things a little difficult to work - it means a GM can't really say an area has an aspect of "Pitch black", and have it constantly give everyone a -6 on sight-based checks. I'd say that is outside the realm of Apsects. Aspects are elements both the GM and players may manipulate, things that may or may not be an issue, not things that are *constantly* an issue.

It makes things very scalable, simply by broadening or narrowing an Aspect, but could require the GM and players to understand the setting, so that Aspects match expectations.

Well, yes, but with proper GM and player understanding and agreement, you don't even need rules to begin with. We have rules to give us common ground, and make that agreement easier to reach. Thus my comment of building a framework for construction of such things.

Short of that, I'm looking back at the rules, and I'm pretty sure a single aspect isn't supposed to flat grant effective auto-successes, and/or the effect of many ranks of skills or stunts.

Folks in the Fate community (particularly the Accelerated part) are very fond of using aspects in the way you are saying they shouldn't. The buzzword is "narrative permission". There's a blog post out there where a guy describes how you don't need any special rules beyond aspects to emulate physical invulnerability a là superman. However, they also wouldn't consider it to grant auto success as you fear. So, while a Kryptonian aspect might grant you a shot at tossing that battleship at the baddie, the roll would still determine whether it hits.

Its definitely not for every group or player. Some folks just can't deal with the lack of simulation involved.

The "pitch black" part of your post, IME, plays along this line as well. Depending on the fiction and table/genre expectations, the GM might rule anything from "you can't see him, no" to "go ahead at -2". Certainly modifying difficulties should take such things into account, that's described pretty plainly in the rules.