Questions about M&M?

[Emiricol]

There's some similarities to HERO, but peripheral at best. Sorry, but I just have to disagree with the HERO comment. I see other influences that are much stronger.

Regarding skill synnergies - it's really easy. A glance at the skills you take and you are done. However, since I just use the spreadsheet I listed below, which takes care of all the math for you, none of that has to be even the minimal chore it is by hand - just use the spreadsheet and the numbers magically appear.

For low power campaigns, I recommend using the optional rules for 3 skill points for each point spent though I have had good success with the default rules on this matter. I also recommend picking up Nocturnals (check the MnM site for details). Great stuff for a grittier, street-level game.

 

[Henry]

It incorporates errata...both corrections of errors...and limited rewrites of certain powers that were unclear, ambiguous or broken... The revised second printing also supposedly includes a detailed example of character creation, something that many people had wanted...

KoOS saved me the trouble of answering this one. He got it exactly right.

Darn You! A Gaming Company that actually caters to my needs??? You FIENDS! What diabolical scheme willyou hatch next!?!?!

Seriously, Mutants and Masterminds is so good, and so well put together, it may be the only game I have EVER planned to buy a reprint of just for the errata.

 

[Thanee]

While I see some similarities with HER0, it seems to me that M&M was more heavily influenced by DC Heroes, particularly in the way powers are constructed.

That might be, I can't say, since I never played or read DC Heroes, unfortunately.

When compared with HERO, it certainly looks pretty similar, and since I am familiar with the HERO rules, I tend to compare to them.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

There's some similarities to HERO, but peripheral at best. Sorry, but I just have to disagree with the HERO comment. I see other influences that are much stronger.

Ok, remove that "obviously based on HERO" to "looks to me as if it is obviously based on HERO".

As I said, I don't know DC (if it's really so similar), but I know quite a few other superhero RPGs and from those the similarities to HERO stand out. Also Champions is very often named the best superhero RPG (altho DC comes up, too, and now M&M, of course, which is probably regarded as the top of the bunch currently).

Anyways, M&M looks very good and once the revised version is out, I'll surely buy it (will wait until then, of course).

Bye
Thanee

 

[d4]

Darn You! A Gaming Company that actually caters to my needs??? You FIENDS! What diabolical scheme willyou hatch next!?!?!

what did you expect? i mean, come on, it's Green Ronin.

Seriously, Mutants and Masterminds is so good, and so well put together, it may be the only game I have EVER planned to buy a reprint of just for the errata.

i'll one-up you... i'm seriously considering driving 7-8 hours to Origins, just so i can pick up a copy a little sooner.

 

[DMScott]

Essentially, the d20 logo on M&M is not right... it should have a HERO logo, as M&M is surely more based on HERO/Champions than on d20 (j/k about the logo, of course).

There is no d20 logo on M&M.

About the only definite similarity between M&M and Hero is that both are point-based, and both are produced by people who obviously love comic book superheroes. Otherwise, they're different both mechanically and conceptually, and many staples of Hero won't work in M&M (and vice versa).

 

[teitan]

Thanos sans Infinity Gauntlet.

Heh, I wouldn't say that. Thanos isn't that powerful. Omega is more like the Anti-Monitor of Crisis than Thanos who needed plot devices to accomplish just snuffing out a star, let alone a universe. Omega eats Universes for Lunch...

Jason

 

[teitan]

While I see some similarities with HER0, it seems to me that M&M was more heavily influenced by DC Heroes, particularly in the way powers are constructed.

Actually I was thinking a mix of MSH, DCH, V&V and Champs. The simplicity of MSH, the Scaling of DCH, the fun of V&V and the versatility of Champs... M&M is the new benchmark of superhero game design, right alongside SAS. Both games integrated the best of all games and sped up necessary elements and simplified complex elements wonderfully.

Jason

 

[teitan]

M&M works very well at ANY power level. You don't need guidelines above PL 20 in the book because it is so easy to extrapolate because the PLs only provide one real benefit, a Hero Point for you and the possibility of more Villain Points for ME.... so yeah, M&M can handle any style of game you want as long as you maintain either an open mind on the lower PLs (allow the players to bend the rules a wee bit, even at higher levels it is good thing) or properly integrate the optional sidebars on grittier campaigns...

Jason

 

[Bill Scott]

P.S. @Kenson: I have one random question about something I've read in the M&M book... the Incorporeal power has this extra, where you can partially materialize to deal damage from inside your opponent... did you read the Ghost comics from darkhorse, or did this come from another source?

I'm not the great Steve Kenson but I'll give you my opinion anyways. It's sort of common for incorporeal characters to partially phase into another character to deal damage. The Vision, from Marvel's Avengers, as well as a couple other characters does this on a regular basis.