Superhero RPGS

[EntropyDecay]

Originally posted by PirateCat
Interestingly enough, Sagiro here on the boards is a designer for Irrational Games, although he wasn't directly on the Freedom Force project (that was the Australian studio.)

I hope the game was succesfull enough that they are planning a sequel or at least an addon. "For Freedom!"

Originally posted by mmu1
Perhaps, but what I meant is that I don't think M&M would be well suited to actually running those kinds of characters (and that they wouldn't really have the right feel) just like 3E doesn't really work for "gritty" games.

How difficult would it be to implement some deadlier combat rules in their system with the damage saves?

Originally posted Mystic Eye
We have also just released Vigilance: Absolute Power, the expanded print version of Vigilance and its add-on, Darkness and Light. ... This game can be used for a gritty type supers game, a silver age supers game, or any other supers genre you can imagine. It also uses every aspect of the d20 system in very innovative ways.

Hmm, I read some of the reviews.
Pros: -d20 compatible ("A red dragon? It's clobbering time!")
-Price
Contras: -seems to be rules heavier than M&M (I would prefer a simple but elegant system)
Is there some kind of free preview for Vigilance or at least a stat block to get a feeling for the complexity?

Chris

 

[Tempuswolf]

Hero System Fifth Edition is the best superhero role-playing system to play a character of your design and the best to run of campaign of your design. It's not as user friendly as some other supers RPGs because with the freedom to make what you want comes the responsibility (some say burden) of making what you want as well. The learning curve is steep but the rewards are great. Since it has been around longer than any other super RPG, the power and skill systems are complete and span all of character space. The combat system captures the panel-to-panel feel of superhero combat.

The genre book dealing specifically with supers, Champions, has guidelines for setting up a supers campaign comparing the different comic book ages. You may find the info contained therein helpful even if you decide to go with another system.

 

[Kannik]

Insofar as 'other systems'... I'll mention two, including Champions (the HERO system) as the uber-flexible, classic-to-gritty, any-genre, point-based (super)hero game system. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a great system with options up the wazoo for both characters, game types and GMs.

The other one I'll mention, which I have not tried, is Silver Age Sentinels, by Guardians of Order. It is available both in their in-house Tri-Stat rule system as well as a d20 base system.

Kannik }:>
-who hasn't rpg'ed any superhero games in a while... booo....

 

[machine]

Freedom Force, IMO, is four color/Silver Age.

It is not too serious, no one dies (four color) and at the "middle" of the comic industry's lifespan (Silver Age).

Does that help?

machine.

 

[machine]

Thanks, Hawkeye.

Another question came to my mind: Is "Mutants & Masterminds" (or any other superhero RPG of your choice) able to cover all styles? For example, can I play a typical Silver Age campaign, where the heroes beat the villains into unconsciousness and then put them into prisons "where they will never be able to escape", or build my campaign with the "no prisoners" attitude of the dark age?

Chris

From what I've read of M&M it can support both. It is the way powers are built under guidelines from the GM (what the campaign is) that will define the stye. I'm planning on running a four color Silver Age game soon at my FLGS.

machine.

 

[Mystic Eye]

I hope the game was succesfull enough that they are planning a sequel or at least an addon. "For Freedom!"


How difficult would it be to implement some deadlier combat rules in their system with the damage saves?


Hmm, I read some of the reviews.
Pros: -d20 compatible ("A red dragon? It's clobbering time!")
-Price
Contras: -seems to be rules heavier than M&M (I would prefer a simple but elegant system)
Is there some kind of free preview for Vigilance or at least a stat block to get a feeling for the complexity?

Chris

There is a free adventure for Vig at RPGnow. The link is below. Vigilance is actually not rules heavy. It uses all the conventions of the d20 system but does not add any levels of complexity. I believe you will find it extremely balanced.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=154&

 

[baseballfury]

From what I've read of M&M it can support both. It is the way powers are built under guidelines from the GM (what the campaign is) that will define the stye. I'm planning on running a four color Silver Age game soon at my FLGS.

It's true. Mutants & Masterminds is the way to go. It can handle anything from street level gritty to golden age. There are even some folks running D&D with the MnM rules; Star Wars too.

 

[RigaMortus2]

My favorite Super Hero system so far was/is "Blood of Heroes" (previously called "DC Heroes").

Of course, I'd prefer to stick with a D20 company now, so I will eventually check out M&M once I hit the lottery. Too bad you have to play to win

 

[tetsujin28]

I would never recommend Hero as a game to someone who's never played a supers game. I've been playing it since it came out (that's 22 years), and it has a very steep learning curve. It also doesn't really duplicate comics -- it duplicates Hero's weird version of comics.

Don't get me wrong -- I love Hero, and have used it to play every genre under the sun, but I have to say that M&M has stolen my heart. I have never had so much fun playing supers (well, except back in the day of V&V, which had a goofy charm all its own). M&M is easy to learn, elegant, fast (which Hero isn't), can handle any power level, and (most importantly) feels like a comic book.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Heroes was my first SH RPG. I first played it around the same time as you, maybe 17 - 20 years ago (I was around the ages of 10 - 14 I'd guess). I didn't have any problems with understanding the rules.

The great thing about it was the flexability. You could make a low-powered character with no "super" powers, just maybe better strength and agility (like Batman) or you could make a gadgeteer type or even the high-powered super hero like superman. Or a mutant (I honestly made sheets for TMNT via the Hero system, this is LONG before I knew of Palladium's TMNT game). Or a magic-based super hero (like Dr. Strange).

The possibilities were endless... Of course, with games these days, you pretty much have the same type of flexability.

Game mechanic wise, we didn't have any trouble figuring out the rules and what not. Of course I'll agree if you've played 3E DnD, you'll have a leg-up on the rules with M&M =)