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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eternalsage" data-source="post: 8719158" data-attributes="member: 7037234">I'm surprised that Shadowrun didn't show up on here. I mean, its not REALLY sim, but it has its elements, like calculating the reflections of concussion waves from an explosion, and I always thought their drain mechanic for spell casters felt pretty "realistic"But yeah, having played a lot of HERO 5th (and I still consider it one of my biggest inspirations, even now) I also echo that it isn't "realistic" so much as a good sim of "cinematic" or even "pulp" action. So if you want to play a MOVIE based on Conan or the Apollo moon landing, or as a team of fire fighters, it works fantastically. And I think that, since most people get their idea of what is realistic from movies, this helps to push it forward in people's minds. And I also agree that it actually ISN'T all that good at simulating comic books, but part of that is because comic stories are so "fuzzy" and HERO is very much not, it is instead very precise. What I mean is that in comics, whether Superman can beat Batman is a NARRATIVE choice, and not based on pure numbers AT ALL, while in HERO it completely is, there is very little room for narrative in the RAW. This means that in the comics, Batman finds a way to outwit or otherwise level the playing field while that just isn't something possible in HERO. Supes has at least a Speed 6 and a Strength and Body of 60ish, while Batman is doing good to have half those stats, and that is being generous to Bats and hard on Supes. The math just does not work out to Batman winning, lol. This is why most other superhero games out there fall much more squarely in the Narrativist camp, because that ACTUALLY simulates the writing of a comic better.Never played GURPS, but from many discussions with many players, it has the same issues. Works great for settings where every one is more or less on the same playing field and not so much when doing something like superheroes, etc.I concur on BRP/RuneQuest/Mythras. The closest to a "sim" system as I am willing to go anymore, and its still more "deadly combat" and "setting immersion" than modeling Newton's equations with dice.I used to get really into the "realism" of rules, but I long ago realized that it actually got in the way of telling a story and just having fun, and these days I have largely come to forcefully reject those kinds of games (no shade to those that like them, mind, to each their own, for sure). I find I can do an accurate enough world by being a GM with an understanding of how physics work, basically. Then again, we had one of our group who ran their 1st and only HERO game and completely derailed the story by having a character who had been punched through LITERAL BUILDINGS being put in the hospital after a motorcycle accident. He tried to just follow the narrative as I had coached him, but he didn't have a firm enough grasp of what was narratively appropriate to be able to just fudge it. I should have told him to run the numbers first, lol.Anyway, I'm rambling.</blockquote>

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