OC Superhero Discussion
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@runescryer said in OC Superhero Discussion:
@zombiegenesis I'd be down for this as well. I' say M&M would be the better system if we're just using a system for power modeling.
Yeah, while I have some issues with M&M 3E as a system they all kind of vanish when looked at in this light. I might have to spool up an Ares server and take a stab at it, see how it feels.
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@zombiegenesis Make sure you recruit some help if you end up going through with it; I remember a previous effort sort of... struggling.
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@squirreltalk Right now I'm just looking at code. There are aspects of M&M 3E that I'm wondering are worth the trouble to try and code up properly(arrays and some other stuff).
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@zombiegenesis said in OC Superhero Discussion:
@squirreltalk Right now I'm just looking at code. There are aspects of M&M 3E that I'm wondering are worth the trouble to try and code up properly(arrays and some other stuff).
I mean...If this is just going to be a freeform game, which is fine, I don't think coding Arrays fully/properly is a big thing. Just have the player list alternate powers for the slot and don't sweat the points. Unless, they're trying to claim like 20 alternate powers...
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@squirreltalk As mentioned in my post, that is the only Playbook that cannot be easily adapted for both teens and adults. And that is only because you play a time-traveled younger version of yourself. Literally any other playbook can be easily used by all ages. Even the Newborn doesn't have to be young in terms of years. Think Dr. Who for that one if you want. Or it can be young in age but not in mind (Vision ala MCU).
The Bull, the Star, the Legacy, the Outsider, the Transformed, the Doomed, the Delinquent, the Brain, the Soldier, the Janus, the Scion, the Nova, the Nomad, the Reformed... even the Protege doesn't have to be young just inexperienced. But seriously... look at any of the playbooks available and the DC/Marvel influence becomes VERY clear. Most of the characters used as influence for the playbooks were not teenagers.
You also aren't confined to a single playbook. The Hero's Moment each character strives towards doesn't necessarily require the character's story to end. It might mean you simply... change paths. There's no need to worry about xp bloat or 'dinosaur' players going all One Ring on everyone, because its less about the Moves than the Influence. And Influence changes ALL the TIME. It affects you both positively and negatively, but always with an eye to progressing your story both individually and collectively.
NGL, one of the MOST fun games I ever played with friends was a Scooby-Doo-ish version of MASKS. We all picked playbooks that mirrored our favorite SD characters, grouped up, and went out to solve mysteries! I did a campaign where we did the full on Super Teen High School setting. The Young Adult hero group out to prove themselves. That group turned into the seasoned and older group of Mentor Heroes that each took on a protege/successor/child/etc. to teach.
The possibilities are damn near endless. The system is crunchy enough to resolve conflicts but flexible enough that it will never interfere with the story. And the story is literally what you make of it. True collaborative storytelling.
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I'm in the boat that it sounds like Masks/PbtA might be the route to go. It seems more conducive to a MU environment, with things like goal setting and rp? Secondary to this D6 or a similar lite universal system that's easier for folks to understand. I know the @ZombieGenesis is looking at M&M already and I'm stating it after the fact but just got back on line after this weekend.
I like the legacy idea, it gives folks by in with the ability to run plot/PrP and develop group stories; I'm not a fan of 'you must get staff approval for every PrP'. I don't like the Homage idea of shaving off serial numbers. Most folks going OC have something different envisioned already and/or don't know enough FC folks to know its close to one of them. If someone comes in wanting super set (strength/dex/super senses/durability etc), they don't want to go through the 'ok, so you want to be like superman' 'no' 'oh, then Luke Cage' 'no not like him either' 'Oh maybe Colossus' .... In the end they may build something similar to one but with their own take on it and its like being hit with a hammer when someone keeps making references to FC while they're trying to formulate their OC idea.
Lastly and, as has been pointed out, hopefully you all figure out a team of folks to help out with this idea. Folks handling various spheres or something would be good. Sorry for slow response, bad service/no internet most of the weekend.
I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir.
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To be clear, nothing is set in stone. This also isn't a "ZombieGenesis" project, I was hoping this thread might help anyone who has been on the fence about opening an OC game.
I think the thread has shown a few things. First, there's clearly hunger out there for a Masks game. Second, there's also hunger out there for a non-Masks game. There's room for both to exist in this world and if someone has been thinking about opening one(or the other), there's a chance they could find success with it(depending on you they define success I suppose).
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Admittedly I will preface this by saying, I have not fully read through this thread. But I had an Ares spin up and an address but no solid ideas until I was reading over the other superhero thread and was reading all the people wanting to do an OC thing.
My current intention was to just do FS3 with the Traits system - but I'm willing to read over some of the options presented here, though I'm no coder so I'd need an assist or I'd use the RPG plugin for Ares.
The current theme I was going for is that there's a town in it's own little pocket dimension where the majority of superheroes lives/train/etc. There's non superheroes that live there also and help coordinate where assistance is needed, etc. You can fast travel from the town to anywhere on Earth.
You would be able to play any Tier from Street Level to High Powered, or even one of these Vital but Mundane 'Background Supports' (Think Cecil from Invincible or Agent Coulson from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D).
You could be a student/faculty at the school, be a part of the SHIELD-esque agency, or the relief team, run a business in the town, or do whatever else it is you want to do. There wouldn't be an initial overarching metaplot, but instead a 'villan of the week' sort of thing, with each week focusing on a different tier of character.
If this sounds like something people would be interested in, then I'll review some of the other systems presented here and start working more fully on it.
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I hate to be the downer, but where you point out the glass is half full, this thread looks more like the glass is half empty to me. A few folks think a Masks game could work but can't agree on canon. Others are leaning towards M&M (with Champions near by). Same thing on canon. I think a few voices contributed thinking an OC game would come out of the discussion and they were contributing ideas to that potential, not debating opening a number of differing games.
I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir.
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@lotherio I think that's where the "how you define success" comes in. If you're looking for a slam dunk of a game with dozens of players and hundreds of logins, you might be let down. Looking for maybe a dozen dedicated players and an equal number of logins? Well, there might be something here for you.
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@zombiegenesis said in OC Superhero Discussion:
Looking for maybe a dozen dedicated players and an equal number of logins?
For what its worth, this is what I use to define level of success.
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@raeras said in OC Superhero Discussion:
My current intention was to just do FS3 with the Traits system - but I'm willing to read over some of the options presented here, though I'm no coder so I'd need an assist or I'd use the RPG plugin for Ares.
The RPG plugin is for sure an option. Traits are good if you want just generic descriptions. Clockwork also has the ESHTraits plugin if you want a bit of souped-up trait categories.
FWIW I would advise against using FS3 for a supers game. Mathematically it just doesn't scale to super-human abilities, so it falls flat if you have Hulk's strength rolling against Hawkeye's strength. If you want more geeky number explanations, see scaling in FS3 but here's the TL;DR; excerpt:
Now let’s give Charlie insane superpowers. Like “Captain America” reflexes. 20 dice vs Cate’s 7. Of course now Charlie almost always wins, but there’s still that sliver of just under 5% where Cate can beat her to a stalemate. Does that make any sense at all for a slightly-above-average human soldier going up against Captain America? No. It’s stupid.
You could, of course, do some system gymnastics around how traits trump abilities or whatever (Cap's Super Strength ability takes precedence over his 4 dice in Brawn, for instance) but it just gets weird.
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@lotherio Nobody has asked for a defined 'canon' from anything. The original poster was thinking about a superhero game and threw out a few potential systems and we've been discussing them. I'm of the camp that MASKS is quick and easy to learn, you can literally play it with two tiny pdf's, its adaptable to most settings, and has the benefit of not being a 'play to win' sort of game. Some people like M&M for a system for its longevity and adaptability and familiarity.
IF a game comes of it, cool! If not, it was still just a discussion about various systems that can be used to make a superheroes game. Stop harshing the fun, this ain't Hog Pit.
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@too-old-for-this said in OC Superhero Discussion:
Nobody has asked for a defined 'canon' from anything.
The talks about a school and a secondary area for adult super heroes in my book would be canon for whatever OC world(s) come of this? People have been talking about that.
ETA: My bad also, I saw the Masks discussion and then this break out seemed like a place to brain storm an idea to help them or someone get to an OC place. I was seeing if I could contribute somewhere to who ever was making something and thought this was a step towards collaborating. I apologize.
I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir.
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@lotherio There's been discussion over what people would want to see in a superhero game, with it seems like a majority saying they wouldn't want to be forced into playing only teenagers (understandable). So less about canon and more about 'what people want in a superhero game', whether that's setting, style, etc. But I can definitely see where it might have looked like a talk on canon of a game system!
And really, it would be awesome if someone wanted to make a new superhero game, be it MASKS, M&M, or another system... so if all this turns into a game at some point, I will be thrilled and excited!
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@raeras Sounds like a solid concept to me. I'd play there.
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I don't know that I'd want to keep young heroes and established heroes separate the way some suggestions kinda sound, but having distinct group or corner of the setting for the younger heroes to have things to do independantly is probably a good idea. I really don't know that I'd put the flying demigods in the same exact town as the brooding vigilantes though.
It might be fun if some/most of the established or teamed up heroes have some degree of interest and role in the education of new heroes too, but I don't think I'd want that to be the core theme. It's nice to have room for heroes to be doing their own things, and not JUST be, like, an established peace keeping force like in, say, My Hero Academia.
