d20 Super Heroes --- coming in July '06 from WOTC

[Jim Hague]

The idea that White Wolf's games are horror brought a smile to my face. Sure, they've got vampires, werewolves, magicians, shadowed wilds and dark cities, but so does D&D.

Wow. Just...wow. Yes, they're horror. Sorry you don't agree. Perhaps you should actually read the books sometime, hm?

 

[Michael Hopcroft]

while an WOTC d20 superhero supplement will rake in a lot of cash no doubt, I wonder why they would want to do it. WotC no longer has a big comcis company to tie into, which means the market demographic they seek will simply not be there.

besdies, I haven't seen the sales on the d20 Modern supplements they have done, but since the stores I visit usually choose not to stock or restock them it seems to me that the line as a whole has been rather a disappointment to them.

 

[JPL]

while an WOTC d20 superhero supplement will rake in a lot of cash no doubt, I wonder why they would want to do it. WotC no longer has a big comcis company to tie into, which means the market demographic they seek will simply not be there.

besdies, I haven't seen the sales on the d20 Modern supplements they have done, but since the stores I visit usually choose not to stock or restock them it seems to me that the line as a whole has been rather a disappointment to them.

It will rake in a lot of cash, but you're not sure why they want to do it?

I have no idea what sales are like, but I know they keep making new books. These days, any game line that doesn't shut down must be considered some kind of success, I would think.

 

[buzz]

while an WOTC d20 superhero supplement will rake in a lot of cash no doubt, I wonder why they would want to do it.

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that WotC might occasionally work on a book purely becasue the idea is cool and the designers like designing cool stuff.

That, and it makes perfect sense in terms of the d20M supplement line.

As for profitable, I can see supers being an extremely compelling subject for d20M fans. Way more so than, say, d20 Past. I'm amazed this didn't come out sooner.

 

[JPL]

TSR showed it could challenge Champions in the mid 80s with FASERIP Marvel - a significantly inferior product by the standards most supers fans today tout. Random generation, no ability to fully develop, prescripted powers, complete lack of any play balance, etc.

Random generation was an option, but so was "modeling" --- basically, player and GM agree on a set of stats together.

I don't know what "fully develop" means, but you could use Karma to improve your character.

Power stunts allowed you to use powers in creative ways.

I don't know what "play balance" means, either. In the FASERIP rules, if given enough Karma, Captain America might be able to take down the Abomination. If you play the original Avengers, then yes, Wasp will probably not be balanced with the Hulk, but that's just accurately modeling the source material, isn't it?

 

[qstor]

I don't think they're looking to compete with Green Ronin's MnM, but rather RPG Object's Blood and Vigilance (or is it just Vigilance?) as a truly d20 Modern superhero rules.

Other d20 Modern supers rules include the free downloadable Powers Overwhelming.

Not to turn this into a 4e thread but I see it more as a trend to turn d20 Modern into the new WOTC "house" system and not compete against anyone in particular.

Mike

 

[JoeGKushner]

Random generation was an option, but so was "modeling" --- basically, player and GM agree on a set of stats together.

I don't know what "fully develop" means, but you could use Karma to improve your character.

Power stunts allowed you to use powers in creative ways.

I don't know what "play balance" means, either. In the FASERIP rules, if given enough Karma, Captain America might be able to take down the Abomination. If you play the original Avengers, then yes, Wasp will probably not be balanced with the Hulk, but that's just accurately modeling the source material, isn't it?

Karma to improve your character? Man, maybe I'm misremembering but it took thousands of karma points to raise an ability score, much less a power.

And as far as modelling the source material, to a point, it did this well, but it did it often times at the cost of a player's enjoyment. "Gee Mr. Shield Agent, I'm sorry that the hulk like brick is the only one standing again..."

 

[Ranger REG]

Not to turn this into a 4e thread...

Don't even go there.

While you may be right, but I sometimes have to question, why would the company go there, when it has already been touched upon (i.e., Blood and Vigilance)?

Wouldn't it be better for WotC to, oh, I don't know, develop a d20 Modern/d20 Future Star*Drive Campaign book project? I guess, ever since they used Rokugan in the new Oriental Adventures (the very book I lobbied for with the hope of including updated Kara-Tur material), I began to question all their business decisions.

 

[buzz]

Wouldn't it be better for WotC to, oh, I don't know, develop a d20 Modern/d20 Future Star*Drive Campaign book project?

I can't see such a product having more appeal to the average gamer than a d20 supers rulebook. Not even close.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Wow. Just...wow. Yes, they're horror. Sorry you don't agree. Perhaps you should actually read the books sometime, hm?

I've read a couple, and talked about the setting a great deal with friends who are WW fanatics.

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader.

Do White Wolf's games inspire such emotions? Are they designed to? Or are they "stylish horror," "Goth-punk," whatever you want to call them? I don't consider Vampire or Werewolf horror any more than I consider The Crow horror. Gothic, yes. Violent, yes. Dealing with unpleasent things like undeath, yes. But horrific? I think not.