Re: Hi Kenson!
javadragon said:
It’s great to hear from you. If I had a single question for I guess it would have to be why get rid of HP's? If there was ever a genre I saw them working well with this is it.
Well, technically, we haven't "gotten rid of hit points," but I'll get to that. Basically, I wanted to avoid requiring players to roll 10-plus dice for damage, since it seemed to be one of the biggest bottlenecks in terms of slowing the game down. So M&M has a damage system you can resolve with a single d20 roll (which also means you don't need any other dice to play the game, just a d20).
That said, there's an extensive sidebar about using hit points and damage dice in the game if that's what you want, and its doesn't alter anything else. It's fairly simple to use whichever damage system you prefer.
How much equipment will there be in it? Are there a lot of different choices of guns for the Punisher types?
There's an entire chapter on devices of all sorts, including weapons, armor, vehicles, headquarters, constructs, and super-science devices (as well as magical devices). The approach is somewhat more generic than long equipment lists, since (IMHO) there isn't much of a significant different between similar models of pistols in the superhero genre. With the rules in the book, it's easy to create your own equipment as well.
The only concern I have (with the extremely limited knowledge that I have) is the low page count. I'm curious about how much equipment and extras like secret lairs, headquarters, etc. you were able to pack in to 192 pages. DNW was 318 pages while SAS will be 304. Are you confident that you have covered as many things (maybe in a better more concise way)?
Well, I honestly can't speak to DNW, since I haven't read it. It's worth noting that nearly 100 pages of SAS is campaign setting material, and Mutants & Masterminds doesn't have any of that (there will be a separate campaign setting book for folks that want it, but we didn't want to force people who didn't want a setting to buy one). The Mutants & Masterminds book will also be less expensive than SAS d20 in addition to being a full-color hardcover book.
I think that M&M covers all the bases. I wanted it to be a d20 superhero game that could handle any comic book setting, and it does, with options that allow you to create your own super-powers (in addition to the 100+ powers already in the game). I could go on and on about it, of course, but it's probably better that I stick to answering questions rather than trying to tell you everything in one post (which doesn't do the game justice, IMHO). Keep an eye on the Green Ronin website for previews and updates. If anyone is going to GenCon, definitely sign up for a demo game, or just come by the Green Ronin booth to talk to me or someone else about the game. We'll be happy to answer your questions.
