[Sorta OT] What Things Are Must-Haves for a Superhero Game?

[AFGNCAAP]

I'm kinda curious about this. What do you think are necessary for a superhero game? What makes the setting? What helps it capture that four-color feel?

Well, here are a few things I think are essential for capturing the feel of comics. I don't thnk that it should be the main thing, but there should at least be a little use of it:

*An alliterative secret identity, e.g. Peter Parker, Clark Kent, Scott Summers.

*Somebody, either hero or villain, with an animal-based name, e.g. Batman, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Wolverine, Hawkgirl.

*Somebody with a color in their name: Green Goblin, Green Lantern, Scarlet Spider, Blue Beetle, Black Panther, White Tiger.

*2 Words: Evil Robots.

*An archvillain for a hero. Spidey & Green Goblin; Superman & Lex Luthor; Batman & Joker; Thor & Loki; Wolverine & Sabertooth. Or, for superhero teams, a supervillain team: Justice League vs. the Injustice Gang, Avengers vs. Masters of Evil, X-Men vs. Brotherhood fo Evil Mutants, etc.

*An uber-villain, especially for a superhero team: Ultron, Magneto, Dr. Doom. It's even better when said villain has some great gizmo that the uber-villain could use to terrorize/destroy the city/nation/world/reality.

*2 More Words: Evil Aliens.

*Some sort of media connection (especially something in regards to newspapers).

*A top-secret, ultra-elite international (or goverment) agency, ala SHIELD & G.I. Joe.

*An Evil top-secret, ultra-elite international agency, ala COBRA (both DC & G.I. Joe version), HYDRA, etc.

*An evil spin of the hero(es): Spider-Man/Venom, Batman/Catman, Superman/Bizarro, Green Lantern/Sinestro, Iron Man/Titanium Man, etc.

*An All-American hero: Capt. America, Superman, etc.

*A bad-ass lone wolf (often using some amount of black in their costume): Batman, Wolverine, Spawn, etc.

Well, what do y'all think?

 

[Bonehoard Taffer]

Gotta have a car. Chicks dig the car.

 

[Bonehoard Taffer]

And maybe a planet that blows up, but not before its last survivor jettisons towards Earth in a space ship. Oh, and that survivor has to be vulnerable to a chunk of radioactive rock from the exploding planet.

 

[hong]

The important thing -- perhaps the most important thing -- is to talk -- with lots of emdashes -- to simulate -- disconnected word bubbles.

And while you're at it -- you should also -- use lots of boldface and ALL CAPS -- to recapture the DECLAMATORY STYLE -- that has been the TRADITION IN COMICS -- since the GOLDEN AGE -- and even BEFORE THAT.

Finally, to MAKE THE PICTURE COMPLETE -- you really need to use -- EXCLAMATION MARKS! Because no comic book would be COMPLETE -- without EXCLAMATION MARKS! Preferably -- LOTS OF THEM!!!!!


Hong "this is known in literary circles as the Shatnerian style" Ooi

 

[hong]

Gotta have a car. Chicks dig the car.

No, no, that's scar. Chicks dig scars.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hang on a sec.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Oh.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You mean I mutilated myself for nothing? Ah, crap.

 

[Maldur]

1 Capes and Masks

2 Scantly clad Good- and Badgirls with nice looking, yet unnatural bodies

3 Gadgets (superscience and technobabble)

4 and I have to agree with the car

5 clone armies are very fashionable, and/or evil clones/twins

6 Sound words: ZAP, POW, KABLAM.

7 cliffhangers

 

[Black Omega]

I'm kinda curious about this. What do you think are necessary for a superhero game? What makes the setting? What helps it capture that four-color feel?

Depends on if you are trying to be silly or get real ideas.

*Somebody, either hero or villain, with an animal-based name, e.g. Batman, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Wolverine, Hawkgirl.
*Somebody with a color in their name: Green Goblin, Green Lantern, Scarlet Spider, Blue Beetle, Black Panther, White Tiger.

As your examples already prove. you can't go wrong with the classic (color)(animal) style name.

*An archvillain for a hero. Spidey & Green Goblin; Superman & Lex Luthor;

Idealy, the villains name should be alliterative as well.

Or, for superhero teams, a supervillain team: Justice League vs. the Injustice Gang, X-Men vs. Brotherhood fo Evil Mutants, etc.

And for the villains, they should have a name that contrasts with the goodguys team name, as we see here.

*An uber-villain, especially for a superhero team: Ultron, Magneto, Dr. Doom. It's even better when said villain has some great gizmo that the uber-villain could use to terrorize/destroy the city/nation/world/reality.

And as with Magneto and Dr. Doom, they often are honorable or noble, but with a good idea twisted through some experience in their past.

The others are utterly evil. See Ultron.

*A top-secret, ultra-elite international (or goverment) agency, ala SHIELD & G.I. Joe.
*An Evil top-secret, ultra-elite international agency, ala COBRA (both DC & G.I. Joe version), HYDRA, etc.

Actually, these are often public. the hero group will have a more sensible color scheme while the bad guys will have some ugly, must be colorblind outfit. See Hydra and their lime green outfits. And Kobra's old bright orange scaled tights for his followers.

*An All-American hero: Capt. America, Superman, etc.

And other ethnic characters equally sterotypical. The Irish hero must be called Shamrock. The German baddie will be an ex-nazi and have 'Von' in the middle of his name. The Russian will drink vodka.

And more:

Names are descriptive! Hawkgirl flys with wings. Batman uses the bat as a theme for everything. The Atom shrinks down. Iceman..well..you get the point.

No matter how adversarial the press, there are certain topics they will not touch. For example, a reporter won't hold up a picture of the original Robin with the tight green shorts and bare legs and ask Batman why he -really- dressed the Boy Wonder like that.

Most bank robberies turn into hostage situations.

There's always one hardboiled police detective who doesn't think much of the superheros. He usually smokes a cigar.

All logic flies out the window when it comes to secret ID's. Yes, simply taking off glasses can fool a whole world. The movie Mystery Men has a great example of this 'logic'.

Mutants will be hated and feared because of their weird powers. No other people with weird powers will suffer from this. only mutants.