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What's your favorite superhero TTRPG and why?
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<blockquote data-quote="MidnightBlue" data-source="post: 8320175" data-attributes="member: 6924450"><p>What you're describing isn't that different in MHR or other narrative games regarding situations in which a character is useful or not. To use the primary example, even in MHR, Hawkeye isn't going to punch the Abomination to the same effect as the Hulk. For one, the Abomination's armor traits are going to narratively shut that down, likely without a roll even necessary.</p><p></p><p>But here is where narrative games in general and MHR in particular shine. Hawkeye's player can think of how his character WOULD approach this level and type of threat. He isn't going to punch the guy...that's suicide for him and stepping into Hulk's spotlight. But at the same time, there is no comic that I recall reading that showcases a team-up and then writes one of the characters throwing up their hands saying they can't do anything and sitting in the car while the beatstick handles the challenge. No, Hawkeye's player is going to use that character's traits in creative ways to be equally as effective as his jade teammate, but in the style of his character. As others have mentioned, Hawkeye has trick arrows that can disorient, entangle, and possibly hurt even a bruiser like Abomination. He has training to help keep him out of arms reach of the massive threat. So while he can't go punch for punch with Hulk, again, punching is Hulk's spotlight, Hawkeye does hold his own in the comics against the same threats Hulk faces in his own ways.</p><p></p><p>Again, this is why I personally love MHR (and City of Mist and Smallville) over many crunchier systems. Quite often crunchier systems are very narrow in what you can do once combat starts. In most crunchy systems you simply have an attack value, a damage value, a defense value, and an amount of hit points. Likely any way you boil down the Hawkeye, Hulk, and Abomination statistics into those categories and have a strict system where it is simply roll to hit, apply defense, and assign damage...Hawkeye is useless and likely dead in this matchup or simply completely ineffectual. For that matter, so is Batman in a Batman, Superman, Darkseid fight...but I've seen Batman win that fight in the comics...not with straight punching, but using his traits in a more thematically appropriate manner.</p><p></p><p>MHR (and City of Mist and Smallville) don't have those same kinds of restrictions in combat situations as many of the other crunchier systems that I own and have played. When initiative is called, Batman and Hawkeye aren't restricted to the same type of combat actions as Superman and Hulk. In MHR in particular, besides dealing Stress (damage) with an action, a character can attempt to create an Asset (buff) for themselves or others and they can attempt to create Complications (hindrances) to the opposition that can also take them out of a scene just as effectively as punching the character could through damage. So again, Hawkeye and Hulk in MHR are not on the same level when it comes to punching, lifting, or ripping something apart...Hulk wins that contest every time...don't even need to roll for it. But can they both be equally effective in taking on a challenge using their varied methods? Most definitely. The narrative game systems I've come to love have action options built into the game system to allow for those varied methods to have equal weight in the story. It's what allows Batman's intelligence, training, and wonderful toys to effect the story as much as Superman's godlike physique and powers, while still letting both shine in their particular spotlights. In one particular story I'm thinking of, just because Batman extorts Darkseid into releasing Supergirl from his control through intellect and planning, doesn't make it any less cool later in the story when Superman flies Darkseid near the sun and pummels the New God into submission before boom-tubing him to the edge of the universe and imprisoning Darkseid in the Source Wall. Both have their skillsets and both managed to win against the same threat. Same challenge, different mechanical character traits, different mechanical system actions, same outcome...victory.</p><p></p><p>Over the years I've grown to really appreciate a system that can handle that and give me a true comic book experience. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MidnightBlue, post: 8320175, member: 6924450"] What you're describing isn't that different in MHR or other narrative games regarding situations in which a character is useful or not. To use the primary example, even in MHR, Hawkeye isn't going to punch the Abomination to the same effect as the Hulk. For one, the Abomination's armor traits are going to narratively shut that down, likely without a roll even necessary. But here is where narrative games in general and MHR in particular shine. Hawkeye's player can think of how his character WOULD approach this level and type of threat. He isn't going to punch the guy...that's suicide for him and stepping into Hulk's spotlight. But at the same time, there is no comic that I recall reading that showcases a team-up and then writes one of the characters throwing up their hands saying they can't do anything and sitting in the car while the beatstick handles the challenge. No, Hawkeye's player is going to use that character's traits in creative ways to be equally as effective as his jade teammate, but in the style of his character. As others have mentioned, Hawkeye has trick arrows that can disorient, entangle, and possibly hurt even a bruiser like Abomination. He has training to help keep him out of arms reach of the massive threat. So while he can't go punch for punch with Hulk, again, punching is Hulk's spotlight, Hawkeye does hold his own in the comics against the same threats Hulk faces in his own ways. Again, this is why I personally love MHR (and City of Mist and Smallville) over many crunchier systems. Quite often crunchier systems are very narrow in what you can do once combat starts. In most crunchy systems you simply have an attack value, a damage value, a defense value, and an amount of hit points. Likely any way you boil down the Hawkeye, Hulk, and Abomination statistics into those categories and have a strict system where it is simply roll to hit, apply defense, and assign damage...Hawkeye is useless and likely dead in this matchup or simply completely ineffectual. For that matter, so is Batman in a Batman, Superman, Darkseid fight...but I've seen Batman win that fight in the comics...not with straight punching, but using his traits in a more thematically appropriate manner. MHR (and City of Mist and Smallville) don't have those same kinds of restrictions in combat situations as many of the other crunchier systems that I own and have played. When initiative is called, Batman and Hawkeye aren't restricted to the same type of combat actions as Superman and Hulk. In MHR in particular, besides dealing Stress (damage) with an action, a character can attempt to create an Asset (buff) for themselves or others and they can attempt to create Complications (hindrances) to the opposition that can also take them out of a scene just as effectively as punching the character could through damage. So again, Hawkeye and Hulk in MHR are not on the same level when it comes to punching, lifting, or ripping something apart...Hulk wins that contest every time...don't even need to roll for it. But can they both be equally effective in taking on a challenge using their varied methods? Most definitely. The narrative game systems I've come to love have action options built into the game system to allow for those varied methods to have equal weight in the story. It's what allows Batman's intelligence, training, and wonderful toys to effect the story as much as Superman's godlike physique and powers, while still letting both shine in their particular spotlights. In one particular story I'm thinking of, just because Batman extorts Darkseid into releasing Supergirl from his control through intellect and planning, doesn't make it any less cool later in the story when Superman flies Darkseid near the sun and pummels the New God into submission before boom-tubing him to the edge of the universe and imprisoning Darkseid in the Source Wall. Both have their skillsets and both managed to win against the same threat. Same challenge, different mechanical character traits, different mechanical system actions, same outcome...victory. Over the years I've grown to really appreciate a system that can handle that and give me a true comic book experience. :) [/QUOTE]
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