What makes a successful superhero game?

[Thomas Shey]

@Thomas Shey I didn't know 6th ed had gone and gotten a hero point system. I haven't actually read the 6th ed rules except for Fantasy Hero Complete, which I admit I only skimmed. But I have definitely borrowed some 6th ed concepts for my homebrew HERO. e.g. got rid of figured characteristics.

Its an optional rule, and like I said, its pretty weaksauce (same for its power stunting system). My guess would be that Steve Long or whoever put them in did so reluctantly (which I can understand a little better with the Power Stunting; at some point you have to decide that its not going to be a cheap VPP. Most of the games that do one have it fueled from a metacurrency which keeps it in hand. As I recall, Hero just does it off a skill roll.)

4th ed has some details about things like fires (from house to forest to chemical), electricity, and chemical spills. But as far as I remember there was nothing specific about ways to run a natural disaster. But, as others have suggested, disasters are the perfect chance to run a skill challenge. Certainly how'd I'd run it nowadays.

I distinctly remember something about tidal waves and earthquakes. Of course, given my age and general memory, I could be conflating it with a different system, too.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

As for multiform power armour - I'm totally for it. My best, by which I mean most elegant and well thought out, Champions character was a multiform power armour type.

 

[Thomas Shey]

As for multiform power armour - I'm totally for it. My best, by which I mean most elegant and well thought out, Champions character was a multiform power armour type.

There's no reason you can't use it for ones where the armor is individually relatively simple. Its just that there's some serious by the book objections to doing multipowers (which are used for the traditional multiple weapon systems). I'm not sure I've ever seen a power suit done for a PC that didn't have one (and its not even super common on ones you see build for villains).

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I admit I never noticed rules against multipowers in multiforms. I guess that was my personal bias applying blinkers...

 

[Thomas Shey]

I admit I never noticed rules against multipowers in multiforms. I guess that was my personal bias applying blinkers...

As I recall, it was a more general "No frameworks in Multiforms", and I suspect it was to avoid some degenerate point shaving shenanigans. There were already some pretty abusive Multiform setups as it is (ironically, one of which they featured in an example character).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm just saying I can't say I ever saw someone reduce the cost of a Multiform or a VPP just because they thought the player wouldn't use it much.

Were I GMing a PC like that, I’d allow it, with the caveat that the more regularly they started using it, the more inclined I’d be to make them have to buy that reduction off in part or entirely.

IOW, following the spirit of the rule that a character who “loots” gear from an NPC eventually has to pay for it on their sheet.