Favorite superhero RPGs?

[aramis erak]

Yeah, I see no reason why players can't handle a little complexity in character generation if it doesn't really translate to necessary complexity in play.

The problems with complexity in hero come down several factors:
1) (fraction)/(fraction) math
2) tons of options which require said math
3) lots of ratios in the powers
4) lots of powers
5) a few powers wordings are less than totally clear.
6) the phases chart
7) the Martial Arts rules in 5th and later (and in a 4th expansion)
8) multiple options for what does and does not cost (specifically equipment) since 4th and later ae universals.
9) a few cases where powers interact strangely
10) the body/stun split and its resultant modes of damage rolling. (Normal damage, stun damage, killing damage, transform "damage")


95% of that is in two stages: Campaign Setup, and Character Gen. The other 5% is stuff inherent to the design.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Champions/HERO is my #1 superheroic TTRPG…and my #1 TTRPG of any kind.

Mutants & Masterminds became my #2 supers game because it’s nearly as flexible but less complex. It won’t surpass HERO, though, because I prefer the way HERO handles certain things mechanically.

I’ll also list some supers games I don’t recall having seen listed so far:

Abberant
Silver Age Sentinels
Godlike


All of them have something to offer, but it’s also understandable why they weren’t bigger.

 

[Randomthoughts]

What makes a good superhero RPG for you? Which ones have you read? Which have you played or run? What do you like about the games, the genre, and the stories? What's your favorite superhero RPG?

I've played most of the ones already mentioned, including MSH, V&V 1e (my first SH system) and DC Heroes. I've read ICONS but haven't played it yet, but intend to run it eventually. And others, like Underground, that I've read but unfortunately unlikely to run or play unless I convert it to a more popular system.

I have two favorites b/c they're such different games that scratch different itches. First, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying (Cortex) is probably my all time favorite. As a narrative game, it plays fast and loose, which really fits the superhero genre IMHO.

Second, HERO/Champions would be my go to if I wanted to run a multi-year campaign with the right players who want a focus on progression. I have the most experience with 4e, which had rules not only to construct powers but also bases, vehicles and NPCs (support staff). I had followed Allston's Strike Force as the template for this type of campaign.

I get the issue about counting STUN for say a 20d6 attack (counting BODY tho is pretty easy). It was fun back in the day but I'd dread that now. That's why I've been searching for running HERO on a VTT (AFAICT nothing is official yet). Champions on Fantasy Grounds: this would probably become my favorite with the right group.

Two honorable mentions:
I got into M&M 3e a few years ago and I'm pretty impressed with the system. There's a lot of clever bits and I can see how design decisions were made to streamline a more complex system like HERO. But I found it was a bit fiddly in play so a "clean up" would be nice IMHO. But it is supported on Fantasy Grounds.

I enjoy the Savage Worlds system and have played SWADE using Superhero Companion. I found it better suited for a certain level of superheroes - not Justice League level, more X-Men or street level. I find gaps or oddities in power construction when compared to Champions. But I intend to run a Batman-family short campaign or SW's Necessary Evil. Plus, it's supported on Fantasy Grounds.

EDIT: cleaned up language/typos

 

[Committed Hero]

That largely depends on the build and builder.

I've never seen stats for Stilt Man anywhere else.

 

[DammitVictor]

Make Mine MHR, but I've played around with Marvel Saga, Mutants & Masterminds, and EN World's own Four Color to Fantasy.

I've determined that my usual preferences notwithstanding, when it comes to superheroes, I want a narrative-based system where superpowers do only "what they're supposed to do" and everything they're "supposed to do", without having to account for it all in advance. Cortex is my system-of-choice for superheroes, whether they're Marvel, Masters of the Universe, or miscellaneous.

 

[overgeeked]

I've never seen stats for Stilt Man anywhere else.

He was in the Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 4. In that he's not a world-ending threat but a fair fight for Spider-Man. I've seen stats for him in both M&M and MHR. Though neither officially.

 

[Committed Hero]

In that he's not a world-ending threat but a fair fight for Spider-Man. I've seen stats for him in both M&M and MHR. Though neither officially.

He's a goofy villain in the Marvel universe with powers that translate even more poorly into a game. My point was that the game's focus on comic book logic would make a fight against him entertaining regardless of the power level of the heroes that oppose him.

 

[overgeeked]

He's a goofy villain in the Marvel universe with powers that translate even more poorly into a game.

Depends entirely on the game. Most dedicated superhero games can handle goofy comic characters just fine. They kinda have to.

My point was that the game's focus on comic book logic would make a fight against him entertaining regardless of the power level of the heroes that oppose him.

And my point was that’s not limited to one and only one superhero RPG. Almost all superhero RPGs actively try to emulate the source material.

 

[GamerforHire]

I played Champions years ago, 1e and then 2e, and think the HERO/Champions system is a great one for supers given its customization and ability to model just about anything. I own and have read the GURPS Supers supplement (and play GURPS in other type games), and it is equally good and maybe better for lower-leveled power games, but HERO is clearly better once you get higher up that power level.

I am currently playing Palladium’s Heroes Unlimited (online over Dischord) with an experienced GM, and we are having a lot of fun. The system RAW, however, is an absolute mess of a mix from the fantasy rpg, the Ninjas & Superspies rpg, and ideas stolen from Champions. It only really works because our GM handwaves about as much as a Californian playing OD&D in 1976, so we create characters with the rules and then play them far more loosely.

I never played it back in the 1980’s, but recently bought some books from TSR’s Marvel Superheroes game (yes, I know everything is also free online, but I like books), and really like it. The simplicity of the rules are to me a feature for someone wanting a light game with flavor, rather than anything on the “simulationist” spectrum. I also think the rules will play very well in an online, ”theater of the mind” style game. At an actual tabletop with an experienced GM, Champions might still be my go-to game, but it just wouldn’t be worth the fuss and crunch online with busy adults.

I want to try Mutants & Masterminds, but have never really delved into it, though I bought core books.

 

[Reynard]

I have an inherent visceral dislike for games that try and encode comic book elements-- panels and pages and sound effects and whatever. Superheroes is a genre, not a medium. A good superhero rpg needs to be able to do The Incredibles, Kingdom Come and Soon I Will Be Invincible equally well.