What do you not like about M&M?

[SWBaxter]

Me, too. Which is why I'm not abandoning it fully. Even Champion have gone through some rough periods in its freshman years.

Oh, absolutely. 4th edition Champions - the Big Blue Book - was the first edition where I felt Hero Games had really gotten on track in terms of balance. All superhero RPGs have a lot of rough edges when they're first released, and M&M is better than most. I hope it's got the support and popularity to warrant a second edition a few years down the road.

 

[furrysaint]

The one thing I don't like about M&M so far is the Super Flight power stunt. At least, the way it's done mechanics-wise. I don't have the figures handy, but level 10 Flight with Super Flight gives something like 22mph flying using a full move action and 20000(0?)mph sprinting. True, you don't *have* to use it at full power, but why wouldn't you want to? Gotta get to Siberia? No problem! Hit Mach 20 and be there in a few minutes!


On the front-loaded powers, the easiest thing to do would be to make them Feats. I used GURPS a lot for Supers, and all the powers like Invisibility and Insubstantiality and such were all Advantages that you paid flat points for.


--FurrySaint

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Its been said already but one of the things I would like to see is an expansion of the gadgets, magic, etc. I can appreciate and understand where the game systems gets their magic and gadgets ideas but I would think that another option would be a good idea. I have experimented with a few possibilities for NPC wizards/gadgeteers but none that I feel confident letting my playets try and potentially wreck the powers in the campaign.

 

[Teflon Billy]

I don't like that all feats cost two points regardless of their utility.

+3 to a skill? 2 Pts.

A sidekick, under your control, with superpowers of his own? 2 pts.

Power Attack (allowing you to exceed the PL limit of damage) 2 pts.

Also, a lot of the Two-Weapon Fighting, Multishot, Autofire stuff gets unbelievably book-keepy.

 

[DanMcS]

The one thing I don't like about M&M so far is the Super Flight power stunt. At least, the way it's done mechanics-wise. I don't have the figures handy, but level 10 Flight with Super Flight gives something like 22mph flying using a full move action and 20000(0?)mph sprinting. True, you don't *have* to use it at full power, but why wouldn't you want to? Gotta get to Siberia? No problem! Hit Mach 20 and be there in a few minutes!

What bothers you about that? It's completely intentional, you know.

Movement powers in MnM are relatively expensive, on a tactical scale, because that's where character vs character vs villain balance happens and matters. Flight is 2 pts/5' movement rate, similarly for running, teleporting, etc. On a tactical scale, maneuverability and movement rate is a balancing factor that needs to be accounted for.

The long-distance power stunts don't need that kind of balance, because they're background or plot details that don't affect the kinds of things the point-buy system is meant to balance. They're neat kinda background details about your character. One has a headquarters, one has a sidekick, one can fly to siberia in a round.

 

[Ranger REG]

I don't like that all feats cost two points regardless of their utility.

+3 to a skill? 2 Pts.

A sidekick, under your control, with superpowers of his own? 2 pts.

Power Attack (allowing you to exceed the PL limit of damage) 2 pts.

Also, a lot of the Two-Weapon Fighting, Multishot, Autofire stuff gets unbelievably book-keepy.

Actually, it's more like 2 points PLUS prerequisites. And failing to keep up with the prerequisites means your feat is suspended until further notice.

Of course, if you feel that the feat cost is too cheap, go ahead and raise the cost.

 

[teitan]

The Protection power and disadvantages.

The way protection works makes the penetrating attack feat a must for any character built around an energy blast.

Example: Two Bricks with Protection and Super Strength matched square off. This is a pretty equal fight, although it has the potential to last forever.

However a Brick with Protection maxed will always be invunerable against a Blaster of his PL unless that Blaster has Penetrating Attack.

If I am wrong about this, please point it out, as I am somewhat a noob with M&M (though I'm pretty good at grokking game systems).

And I *DO* see this as a problem with the game, not just a problem with a point-based system.

It doesnt mean the game isn't great. The FASERIP Marvel had this problem, and Id rate it as one of the best games I ever ran. But it is a problem.

Disads is the usual. However I dont see this as a big problem because I limit PCs to one Disad.

Chuck

It isn't a problem with the system, in fact that is the POINT of protection. Think of the battles between the THing and the HUlk... they last forever and NEVER have a winner because some greater need arises and they work together. They can pound on each other all day and not hurt each other. That is the point, genre emulation. Now ask Prof. X to come in and make them stop before they destroy the city, they go down like PL3 mooks to their PL15 fists. Did you read the Death of Superman story? SUperman and Doomsday could NOT hurt each other and had to PUSH themselves to their limits in order to hurt each other, eventually killing one another. That was because both were so damn invulnerable.

Now in a game you might not like it but you have to think OUTSIDE the box. SPider-man's villains COMPLEMENT his powers for a reason. Lex Luthor is Superman's archenemy FOR a REASON. Superman has problems with Myxyzptlk for a reason. You have to use their weaknesses against them and the nWoD rules for flaws etc don't work with M&M because 1 pp is a LOT of XP.

NOw what I don't like about M&M has little to do with the system. Eventually we will get a second edition that will fix anything "broken" *skills aren't broken* and I look forward to it but the current iteration of the rules does 3 important things: It scales like DC Heroes, is as flexible as Hero and is as fun and easy as MarvelFASERIP. What I don't like though is the speed that the game plays at. M&M is ALMOST too fast and it feels like each and every session is a six part storyline.

Jason

 

[Ranger REG]

Too fast?

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

It IS fast. Our usual game day will be 6-7 hours long to run a short scenario or part of a larger one (in most d20 games).

ALL of my Teen Titans M&M games ended within 4 hours. I had one scenario that wrapped up in TWO hours. We didn't feel like it went too fast, but we had alot of day left.

--fje

 

[teitan]

Heap, that has been about my experience. Each session is like a six issue storyarc and man, I can write but I can't write six issues a WEEK. Then I would be Geoff Johns!

Jason