System for OC Superhero Game
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Such a game isn't necessarily in progress but I know some people who are pondering the idea and thought it might be a good poll to have anyway. What system would people most like to see on an OC superhero game?
- M&M 3E: I don't care for this system much at all if I'm being honest. It seems popular though so I put it on the list.
- Prowlers and Paragons: This is what my current TT group uses. It's fun, fast-paced, and fairly rules-lite.
- Champions/Hero: This is my personal favorite. Front heavy on CG but that can be gotten around with aides and staff help.
- Aberrant 2E: Obviously this would be more than just a system choice as the game is kind of tied right to its theme. This would be my second choice with the caveat that it be heavily house ruled to streamline character generation, which I find to be a convoluted mess.
Anyway, this is more of a conversation starter than anything else. I'm hoping if we talk more about OC games and show what people are interested in it will maybe inspire someone to move forward with an idea they might be sitting on.
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I was thinking about the other thread where you asked what kind of games people wanted to see and I was going to say an OC hero game.
I remember M&M and Champions being pretty crunchy where the CG went, making it hard for people new to the system to pick it up easily, but despite that, I do have a nostalgic fondness for Champions.
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My vote went to M&M 3e. Marvel Super Heroes was my first supers RPG, and it still has a place in my heart. Champions 4e came into my life in college and that became my go-to supers system for a long time, followed by Champions 5e. However, M&M 3e has been the best system for supers that I've played. Like Champions, it's a toolbox that allows you to create any superhero you can imagine, but it has about 25% less crunch and a much simpler Power Advantage/Disadvantage system. Combat is tremendously faster, even with masses of agents/minions involved, and less paperwork/calculations. And the current Deluxe Heroes Handbook has an archetype system that is easily adaptable to any MU code and can create unique, balanced, and playable heroes within 15 minutes. Or, the archetype generator can be set up for random rolls to quickly stat NPC's. For me, it's the best balance between minimalist systems (like MSH) and simulationist systems (Champions).
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I admit I don't know much about these systems to decide which one is best. I think the more streamlined, however, the better for chargen. I don't think people are up for a multi-day chargen process anymore.
So far from what little snippets you gave, Prowlers and Paragons sounds good.
From a quick scan of Aberrant 2E, I really like the idea of the more powerful you are, the more 'taint' or flaws you get. Gives me 'The Boys' vibe that I currently love (the villainous superhero/superhero thriller genre.)
I am really excited about this and hope someone gets inspired.
Was Champions/Hero the one they had that massive MU* based off of for a while with a messy and convoluted chargen? The idea being that you can literally create anything? Yea, I wanted to join that game for a while but the chargen was a mess to understand and it felt frustrating that I needed to have my hand held throughout. The idea that you can create whatever you want was very appealing, however.
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All systems have flaws and place constraints on the character designs.
I love descriptive detailed systems, because I want to convey exactly what someone is imagining, and make sure we all agree on that, with some room for editing and growth. But thats hugely complicated to most text based role players.
Simple streamlined games rely hugely on cooperation and allowing leeway with very simple descriptions like "energy blast 1d12". If players can manage that then I think they are better off using essentially traits, perhaps with a benchmark to rate the rough area of ability or power in a given thing.
Unless people want a MUD-like combat experience, where your build and tactics matter above all.
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I can't say why yet, but soon it'll be a great time to make an M&M based MU*. One of the books I worked on would be greatly useful for a superhero MU*ing environment, I just literally can't explain why until it's out >__<.