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15:56, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System.

Posted by Soulforge
Soulforge
member, 85 posts
To be or not to be
is that the only question
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 02:12
  • msg #1

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

I'm looking for a new Superhero game.  I'd like something that isn't too tough to make a character that doesn't require a calculator but has diversity and options.

I used to play Champions, it was a great Superhero game because it had so many options but at the same time, it was a beast to make a character due to the multiple choices and options.

I'm looking for something fun but easy to play.  I was thinking of eventually doing a table top game for friends running something low power but building up, something along the lines of Jessica Jones, Dare Devil, Punisher, Marvel Agents of Shield etc.
This message was last updated by a moderator, as it was the wrong forum, at 03:04, Fri 26 Aug 2016.
steelsmiter
member, 1626 posts
GURPS, BESM, Fate, Indies
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 02:21
  • msg #2

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

I used to play GURPS, but even then I didn't recommend it without some specific houserules. The Apocalypse World Engine has become my go to recommendation, but I sadly don't recall any specific Superhero hacks for it. Depends how much crunch you need though, because AWE is a bit of a fluff/fiction over function system.
nauthiz
member, 485 posts
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 02:59
  • msg #3

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

The various flavors of Mutants and Masterminds has a lot of diversity and options, not as much as Champions, but still quite a lot so you can really get a lot of character diversity and power level arc.  It still has quite a bit of character creation crunch, especially if you're new to the system, but it's not nearly the spreadsheet fest Hero/Champions is.

Savage Worlds with the Super Powers Companion is also a nice choice for something a bit more plug and play with less overall crunch.  It is a bit more tame in terms of scale and scope, so it would work great for the street level Marvel influences you're thinking about using.
Soulforge
member, 86 posts
To be or not to be
is that the only question
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 04:51
  • msg #4

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

Thank you both for your thoughts.  :)
facemaker329
member, 6847 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 07:18
  • msg #5

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

The only superhero game with which I have any significant experience is the old TSR Marvel Superheroes (FASERIP) system.  And while it's fun enough to play, if you have a character with good enough stats, it rapidly becomes extremely impractical to advance a character in any significant way.  I mean, yeah...going from abysmal to slightly below average is doable, but time-consuming.  Getting to average?  ('Human' average, not 'superhero' average) That can take months of regular playing with a generous GM.

But if you're above-average?  You can play for AGES, and unless you've got a GM who absolutely throws experience at you by the bucketload, you'll never even get close to advancing any ranks, especially if you use your karma in action.  It was fun to play if you had a character that was already pretty hefty (my introduction to the game was playing X-Men characters...Wolverine was awesome)...but if you had low-grade stats and wanted to become a front-line hero?  Never gonna happen.  Might be fun enough to play those characters, initially...but building them up?  FASERIP is a terrible system for advancement.
EightBitEighties
member, 45 posts
A Blast From
The Past!
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 07:24
  • msg #6

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

I've always enjoyed the Cartoon Action Hour RPG when it comes to superhero games. I've always thought it was pretty easy and fun to pick up and learn.
Flint_A
member, 524 posts
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 12:11
  • msg #7

Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

Icons is great for one-shots, meh for long games.

Mutants and Masterminds 3E doesn't really require "math" and the character's only as complicated as you want. Sure, I once made a character that required an 8-page spreadsheet, but that's an outlier. There's a whole (official) book of DC heroes and villains and they all take 1-1.5 pages. A relatively simple character concept is very easy to make. The problem is if one guy goes deep down the rabbit hole, he'll be able to do MUCH more than the characters who did their characters in half an hour.

After character creation the game runs pretty smoothly though. (Except for the poor GM who has to build your opponents.)
badpenny
member, 289 posts
eats shoots and leaves
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 13:08
  • msg #8

Re: Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

Soulforge:
I'm looking for a new Superhero game.  I'd like something that isn't too tough to make a character that doesn't require a calculator but has diversity and options.


Lately I'm quite into Supers! RED (Revised EDition).  Easy d6 pool mechanics and the powers are flexible.  Adding or subtracting dice for Extras/Limits (Boost/Complications) couldn't be easier.  There's a lot of characters being offered up for sale, but not too many adventures (if that's a thing for you).
This message was last edited by the user at 13:09, Fri 26 Aug 2016.
Davy Jones
member, 34 posts
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 15:23
  • msg #9

Re: Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, from the folks who brought you Firefly and Leverage, goes with a concept-based character creation and flexible rules that reward creativity. I just got into it and I really like the cinematic style (of course, I'm also a fan of the Firefly RPG, which uses the same ideas).

Let me throw my voice in for the proponents of M&M, especially 3rd Ed, which I think is a nice balance between crunchy character creation (with plenty of options) and familiar gameplay (d20). 1st & 2nd Ed M&M were simply 3.5 with a superhero overlay; in 3rd Ed., they really started to make the system their own...and with the added bonus of being able to step into the DCU (or, at least, borrow from it).
Dirigible
member, 154 posts
Fri 26 Aug 2016
at 20:45
  • msg #10

Re: Superhero RPG - Looking for a new System

You would find M&M pretty easy to grasp - the way you build characters and powers is very similar to Champions in principle, but simpler.

My current jam is Supers! Easy to design characters for, and even more important easy, fun and flexible in play. You can apply your character's powers in any way that you can imagine, and the way you take damage gives players the opportunity to make losing or suffering setbacks a neat part of the story.
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