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Hello all,

I'm looking for a cool system for superheroes. Any suggestions? My group has been mainly playing Savage Worlds for the last year or two (Rippers or Accursed). We've recently hit a snag and are looking for a new setting. I think we are leaning towards supers, but I've also heard that supers is a weakness for Savage Worlds and many other systems as well.

As long as I am asking, what are some of the favorite settings everyone enjoys?

Mine are fantasy, supers, and supernatural. However, I think my group is in agreement about not doing fantasy.

Thanks,
Boogeyman

Um, I personally know of Mutants and Masterminds. It's open source d20 with a really flexible system for making up your powers (and it actually managed to turn d20 into a classless points buy system, which is pretty cool).

I'm sure there are others out there. Also to be honest I have never actually played M&M, just read it. I'm just giving you a name to work with. That said, the system does have this guy in it (as one of the top tier example super villains), so it can't be that horrible.



As far as favorite settings definitely science fiction (the harder the better) and cyberpunk. Not really a fan of fantasy myself, just never interested me as much.

If you like a more story driven style Paladium's Heroes Unlimited is a great system. If you prefer a system where balance is a major advantage then Paladium's systems are not south a good choice.

The core rule-book and the three powers unlimited books are a good starting point.

Anima may be what you're looking for- High-powered everybody's awesome kind of setting, Very Dragon Ball Z at times.

Personally, I'll play just about anything, but I prefer general fantasy rpgs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_System

is a good generic system. Actual character creation is super in depth and pretty exhausting, but once that is done it works pretty well.

Depends on your idea of superheroes. Victorian adventurers, two fisted Pulp heroes, four colour war time heroes, the grittiness of the 1980s, the trend toward realism, street, international, space.... Quite a varied genre. And there's more or less an RPG to accommodate every style.

You might want to take a look at Steve Kenson's ICONS. He's currently working on an expanded edition. Until that's finished, though, the PDF of the current edition (along with an expansion - Villainomicon) have both gone Pay What You Want. Link:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/81475/ICONS-Superpowered-Roleplaying

It's esentially a mix of the old (1980s) Marvel RPG with elements of FATE. A lot of the fast & fun elements of Savage Worlds are certainly present, but it's also a bit lighter.

I played the first ed of Mutant’s and Mastermind. It was the bastard love child between d20 and the HERO system. One problem that showed up over time was that IIRC it was based on 3.0 D&D from the d20 side, and things had moved on from there. At the time we were playing Pathfinder, and the old d20 mechanics were a little jarring. It was also very easy to make some broken builds, so required a lot of GM oversight to make sure that the players were more or less on the same level. Play went smoothly, and felt heroic. I can only assume the newer editions have smoothed things out a bit. I have heard good things about them, but it’s been a while

I think there are some super hero books for Savage Worlds, which is a system that feels heroic to start.

I played a lot of HERO system, from 3rd to 5th edition (They are on 6th last I checked) It’s a wonderful toolbox, and you can do everything in it. One problem is it has a very high learning curve, and the amount of system mastery you have will vastly impact what your character can do. It will let you build the exact character you want, but you will need to know how. I enjoy the system for it’s flexibility, but most of that flexibility is in character design, not play.

For example, if you buy a laser energy blast and want to shoot it into the bad guy’s eyes to blind them, you will have to set it up in HERO as a multipower with two settings: blast and blind. If you didn’t know to do that when building the character, you will need to save your XP and get it later. Systems like M&M have built in power stunt rules, where you can spend a hero point and do something odd for a round.

 Nevelon wrote:
Systems like M&M have built in power stunt rules, where you can spend a hero point and do something odd for a round.

If i recall correctly there are also various "generic powers" in M&M. Stuff like "fire control" or "gravity control" that you can buy and include a bunch of powers that you can switch between. The disadvantage to a setup like this is of course that you might be paying for stuff you don't need, and that you can only use one at a time (so no using gravity manipulation to fly and using it to deliver a super black-hole punch at the same time).

Mutants and Masterminds is my favorite so far. It's flexible enough that you can make pretty much any super hero you can think of. I ran a Marvel Civil War campaign once and it was great.
Also, easy to learn.

 dementedwombat wrote:
If i recall correctly there are also various "generic powers" in M&M. Stuff like "fire control" or "gravity control" that you can buy and include a bunch of powers that you can switch between. The disadvantage to a setup like this is of course that you might be paying for stuff you don't need, and that you can only use one at a time (so no using gravity manipulation to fly and using it to deliver a super black-hole punch at the same time).

Not that these are strictly necessary, as you can build variable thematic power pools in other ways under the system. But they are good examples of how-to.

For my group and I, we came to M&M after years (quite a few in some cases) of playing HERO. So for us, it was a light and fluffy version of a superhero RPG. Like HERO with training wheels. It does play much faster and looser, which is in general a good thing for the genre. You pay for that by giving up some of the fine detail of HERO.

Like a lot of times when making choices of what system to use, what are your goals? There is usually a spectrum of options, ranging from fast and loose, to hard and crunchy. While you can use almost any mechanics to run any sort of game, some work better for one style then the other.

If you are a fan of White Wolf systems (and can find a copy), I really enjoyed Aberrant as a Supers system

Depends on what you're looking for.

There is the popular Mutants and Masterminds. Maybe a little more crunchy than Savage worlds but a good system none-the-less.

Hero System. Super crunchy but an impressive ability to make it whatever you want.

On the lighter end of things.

ICONS is a system that focuses more on allowing players to narrate the story. Was created by the same person who created Mutants and Masterminds with the intention of it being geared more towards new/young gamers. Since its release it has taken off and gained a huge following amongst the community. The best part of this system is the workload is very light on the GM leaving the players to do all the dice rolling.

Does your group have an affinity to either of Marvel or DC? If so, MW Weiss Productions does a Marvel game and there is a DC version of M&M.

http://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Heroic-Roleplay-Basic-Game/dp/1936685167/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397511483&sr=8-2&keywords=marvel+heroic+roleplaying

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Heroes-Handbook-Steve-Kenson/dp/1934547379/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1397511505&sr=8-6&keywords=DC+universe+roleplaying

This is a little of the beaten path (i.e., Marvel/DC) but you may want to give it some study:

http://www.pelgranepress.com/site/?p=423

Savage Worlds does indeed have a robust and fun Superhero setting, I am currently a character in a game set in Batman Beyond. I wield a pair of guns, can become intangible like Shadowcat, and teleport around like in Jumper (including the ability to teleport very large distances.) I like to roll to become "tangible", and do a special triple-teleport dual-wielding my pistols that actually lets me use the first successful attack to give a gang-up bonus to myself for the second attack. Then I roll to go "intangible" again and if I'm successful the bad guys can't even hurt me in return.

Imagine Nightcrawler mixed with Shadowcat, with pistols. With a mean, merciless streak.

There is also a cool setting called "Necessary Evil" where the good guys get ambushed by alien invaders and killed, so the worlds super villains have to step up in it's defense.

Thanks for the replies. It is really appreciated. We just picked up a copy of Mutants & Masterminds, but haven't had a chance to read through it yet. I think I might have an old version of the Hero system.

I like being able to make any kind of hero you want, but would prefer a game that is easier and quicker to play. The biggest obstacle for our group is finding a time and place to meet. When we do find the time, I want to feel like we've accomplished something and not have used all of our precious time trying to finish one combat; therefore, the need for something quicker and easier. I believe our group wants or enjoys the story element of role-playing; however, most of our experience has been from old hack and slash D&D so I have to admit I like the combats.

I think we want to play a low to medium power level supers type campaign, kind of a Howling/creature commandos group hunting down other supernatural/paranormal things. I'm leaning towards either continuing with Savage Worlds or giving M&M a try.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I am still open for more.

M&M is a d20 conversion. In other words, it's not your fault if combat takes a long time. TBH, I do not really understand the rules for MWP's new(ish) Marvel game but it only goes for about $14 before S&H.

I have not played much in the way of supers RPGs but I'll do some research on rules lite games. The only ones I know off the top of my head is the 4C System and it's kind of a "get what you pay for" rule set ... and BTW it's free. Check it out on Lulu if you're interested.

Unfortunately, Margaret Weiss's Marvel game is no more. The license fees apparently proved to be too expensive to support, so no further Marvel products will be released. Instead, the rules will be rereleased as a more generic system (I don't know whether or not there will be an attached setting).

I've glanced through the Marvel rules. And while I haven't played it myself, I remember that it had some unusual rules that encouraged the player to adopt more of an RP approach to situations. Different characters would get bonuses based on their approach to a given situation, modeled after the character's personality and/or history.

Mutants and Masterminds is okay but the combat kinda sucks...

My buddy has the M&M core book now and said it definitely looks cool, but seems like the combat will take a long time. I think we may still experiment with it to give it a chance. I'm just not sure what to do, we are looking for new systems, but I also feel like I am finally comfortable with Salvage Worlds.

@ AegisGrimm, Definitely a cool character, what rank is he? Are you just using the deluxe edition for your game or the new super powers companion?

What about ICONS? Is it easier and quicker than M&M? @ the_dunner and ProtoClone, can you describe the system a little more? Pros and cons?

Thanks.

We are using the latest edition of the Superpowers Companion. I just tacked on the ability to my teleport power that lets me, with differing rounds of prep time, make increasingly large teleports like in Jumper (or The Tomorrow People from tv). I think it's something like two or three rounds lets me go anywhere in New Gotham (we are in Batman Beyond setting).

We are already planning on having me use a headset mike to keep in touch so the other members of the team can be spotters for me to teleport in as a sudden backup the enemies don't expect.

We just played out our first session as "Seasoned". I managed to kill a giant combat robot like in "Titanfall". Teleport to top of carapace, unload into it's core with pistols, and then go intangible and ghost down like a flower petal through the explosion.

Eumerin wrote:
Unfortunately, Margaret Weiss's Marvel game is no more. The license fees apparently proved to be too expensive to support, so no further Marvel products will be released. Instead, the rules will be rereleased as a more generic system (I don't know whether or not there will be an attached setting).

I've glanced through the Marvel rules. And while I haven't played it myself, I remember that it had some unusual rules that encouraged the player to adopt more of an RP approach to situations. Different characters would get bonuses based on their approach to a given situation, modeled after the character's personality and/or history.

That's too bad. I picked up the game awhile ago and my friends and I were really intrigued with the way it works. It does seem like you would have to play with a fairly mature group who are willing to accept 'flaws' in their characters to help make the game run more smoothly. Now if my friends and I could actually meet up to play a game, that would be great...

Redeemer31 wrote:

Eumerin wrote:
Unfortunately, Margaret Weiss's Marvel game is no more. The license fees apparently proved to be too expensive to support, so no further Marvel products will be released. Instead, the rules will be rereleased as a more generic system (I don't know whether or not there will be an attached setting).

I've glanced through the Marvel rules. And while I haven't played it myself, I remember that it had some unusual rules that encouraged the player to adopt more of an RP approach to situations. Different characters would get bonuses based on their approach to a given situation, modeled after the character's personality and/or history.

That's too bad. I picked up the game awhile ago and my friends and I were really intrigued with the way it works. It does seem like you would have to play with a fairly mature group who are willing to accept 'flaws' in their characters to help make the game run more smoothly. Now if my friends and I could actually meet up to play a game, that would be great...

My group gave it a spin and liked it, but it had a few problems when we were testing it. One was that it really needed to be played around a table. With all the situational dice, we used post-it notes to keep track. You also needed to be in the right frame of mind to play; there was generally no drawback to just using your big guns every action. The last was that character creation was basically “work out something cool with your GM if not playing stock characters”

Assembling your dice pool for a roll was time consuming, but a fun part of the game. I think given more practice it would have smoothed out a bit. I like the activating your own disads thing. Made for some fun scenes.

 Nevelon wrote:

Redeemer31 wrote:

Eumerin wrote:
Unfortunately, Margaret Weiss's Marvel game is no more. The license fees apparently proved to be too expensive to support, so no further Marvel products will be released. Instead, the rules will be rereleased as a more generic system (I don't know whether or not there will be an attached setting).

I've glanced through the Marvel rules. And while I haven't played it myself, I remember that it had some unusual rules that encouraged the player to adopt more of an RP approach to situations. Different characters would get bonuses based on their approach to a given situation, modeled after the character's personality and/or history.

That's too bad. I picked up the game awhile ago and my friends and I were really intrigued with the way it works. It does seem like you would have to play with a fairly mature group who are willing to accept 'flaws' in their characters to help make the game run more smoothly. Now if my friends and I could actually meet up to play a game, that would be great...

My group gave it a spin and liked it, but it had a few problems when we were testing it. One was that it really needed to be played around a table. With all the situational dice, we used post-it notes to keep track. You also needed to be in the right frame of mind to play; there was generally no drawback to just using your big guns every action. The last was that character creation was basically “work out something cool with your GM if not playing stock characters”

Assembling your dice pool for a roll was time consuming, but a fun part of the game. I think given more practice it would have smoothed out a bit. I like the activating your own disads thing. Made for some fun scenes.

Well, the good news is that, as I mentioned, the system will be republished. It just won't have the Marvel name attached to it. My FLGS owner was quite surprised when I mentioned the change to him. He said that the Marvel rules had been selling quite well (the only thing left on the shelf was a couple of copies of the Civil War rulebook). But I guess Marvel (Disney) was asking for so much money that the game license simply wasn't feasible.

Old School DC and TSR Marvel is still available out there in the etherverse.

I'd post a link, but don't want to jinx you on it. Rest assured the material for the game is ALL there, all you need is the standard 6 dice sets for Old School gaming.

I can give a pretty good list of Supers games, and there are a metric gak ton of them available over at Drivethrurpg.com

Aberrant
Champions RPG
Villains and Vigilantes
Brave New world
Icons
Hero's Unlimited
Mutants and Masterminds
Supers
Silver Age Sentinels
Marvel (TSR)
DC Heros Mayfair Games
DC Adventures from Green Ronin ( basically M and M with DC stuff)
DC Universe West End Games
Squadron UK
City Of Heros
Delta Green


Heres the link from Drivethru RPG.com for a load that I missed.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?filters=600_0_0_0_0&free=1



By and By, Its pretty big, there are a lot more Superhero games then you'd think.

Thanks Grot 6 for the list and link. I've picked up a few things from drivethru in the last year. Definitely a cool site. I might actually have the old TSR Marvel game. Will have to ransack the house looking for it.

Which would you recommend for quick, easy, freedom to create, and possibly universal for more than one genre? We are leaning towards a supernatural type superhero setting.

I've got a copy of DC Universe and the Justice League book I'm about to put on eBay. Can't speak for the rules, but they were literally printed on cheap paper to give them the feel of a comic, which works poorly for a book that's going to be flipped through a lot. :(

 boogeyman wrote:
Thanks Grot 6 for the list and link. I've picked up a few things from drivethru in the last year. Definitely a cool site. I might actually have the old TSR Marvel game. Will have to ransack the house looking for it.

Which would you recommend for quick, easy, freedom to create, and possibly universal for more than one genre? We are leaning towards a supernatural type superhero setting.

Me?

The old school TSR edition for Marvel. Others, - They'd say either Champions, or Mutants and Masterminds.

TSR's game was incredibly simple, once you got past some of the gak. Playable, right away. The others, they take a bit of work to get into the game, make the characters, and get to stepping. Champions is great, though, as much as I think the company is a bunch of crack smoking dingos. They have enough material out there in the world that you can get it second hand and not get hosed over.