Well, it's a new year and I'm doing my best to get back into some hobbies I've been missing. To that end, I've been pondering opening an OC hero game using M&M 3E.
It'd be an Ares game. Given my work schedule and whatnot, I just can't play on regular MU's much anymore. I need the web client and the ability to have asynchronous scenes.
Taking advantage of the Ares scene system we'd be a "gridless" game. That's not to say we wouldn't have a setting we just would not have a grid built on the mush itself. Instead, the grid would be supported by a wiki describing the various locations of the setting.
For ease, there'd be no coded sheet. Instead, we'd use a sheet tab on the character web profiles that would house a PDF sheet. The sheet would either be user-created or a sheet built by HeroLab.
The tone of the game would be something akin to The Boys or Invincible.
Players could choose to create a character of any power level up to 10.
And that's about all I've thought of so far. Here's what I'm looking for from others...
Is there even any interest in a game like this? Not that I'm looking to make The Next Big Thing. Just want to be sure there's any interest.
I'd love to have some people come on as plot runners and maybe some character app staff. Access to HeroLab wouldn't be necessary(I'd be using that to check the math and whatnot) but some eyes to help me spot broken power setups would be nice.
I'd also love to find someone knowledgeable in CSS who could make the site look pretty. I can make it look functional but that's about it.
Thanks for reading. If you have any comments, thoughts, or questions feel free to PM me here.
The answer to this question is always yes, haha. My two cents is that almost every time we've seen an OC supers game recently though, people go a little too niche with the setting. If activity is your biggest concern, cast a wide net.
If you've got something super specific and wild and detailed, you're probably better off running it as an OTT.
I'm interested, though I'm terrible at M&M, so I hope you're forgiving of people who want to make sheet changes because they don't quite get the intricacies of building powers.
@zombiegenesis my question is always will there be some driving theme, setting, world events etc to shape the narrative for more than a month? A corrupt presidency, a war, an invasion, a changing of the guard, etc?
Hey, thanks for the feedback. To address some of the questions presented...
Setting: My intention is to use a pre-packaged city from either Green Ronin(Emerald City or Freedom city) or Palladium(Century Station). The goal is a city where just about any character can exist from "street-level" up to flying bricks who shoot lasers from their eyes.
System: I'm not 100% on M&M, it just seems to be the most popular option. For whatever system I go with I intend for there to be a ton of wiki support to help people make their characters.
Meta-Plot: I do intend for there to be something for players to latch onto. I'm always a big fan of invasions.
You know me! I'm in!
I'm here for it!
I'm up for this
Sounds awesome to me.
Couple of quick questions. Whatever system will there be someone to help folks get through it? Like Champions, I'm clueless, the only Champions places I played is when staff helped with CG. There was one where they gave me a blank face look when I asked for help so I never returned.
I'll check it out regardless of this next question, but just some curiosity. I'm good with street level to paragon, but will there be some distinction for folks to sort of get there level without too much mix up. Example, can swamp folks (swamp thing, solomon grundy) deal with some threat without Super folks (kryptonians) showing up and single shotting the plot? Like areas of play even, just some distinction.
Looking forward to it, just curious.
I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir.
@lotherio The good thing about Ares is that when you create a scene you can set a scene note letting people know that it's meant for PL 8 teen heroes, or for human-level vigilantes who frequent the harbor, or whatever. I think whatever grid we use will have areas that are geared more towards one type of character or another but each and every scene can be dialed into a specific theme, character type, or whatever.
I have not been able to stop thinking about this game. Several questions about the setting have come up. I ask them from a place of excitement, which I say because with my tone I probably come off like I'm being a downer.
How does the law treat non-human heroes? For example, someone gets bitten by a radioactive weevil and develops weevil-like powers, so they go to their doctor to find out what's wrong with them. Does the doctor still have a responsibility to protect Weevil-Man's private medical information and not disclose this mutation to a government agency?
How much do you intend to define other races in the setting? Will players be allowed to say they come from a secret subterranean race of creatures? Will you provide a list of aliens and their traits which is permissible for players to choose to base their characters on? How about which mythologies, if any, are true or at least based in fact? Will characters be permitted to help define the setting by creating characters who are part of a pantheon and/or the secret Ancient Aliens who really built Stonehenge or whatever?
What overall tone are you going for? If this game was a movie, what would the MPAA rate it?
If you're using a system that has mechanics to model them rather than a consent-based system like most mixed universe games, do you intend to implement any particular rules or protections against effects that can control another character's mind?
@greenflashlight said in Potential M&M 3E OC Game:
How does the law treat non-human heroes? For example, someone gets bitten by a radioactive weevil and develops weevil-like powers, so they go to their doctor to find out what's wrong with them. Does the doctor still have a responsibility to protect Weevil-Man's private medical information and not disclose this mutation to a government agency?
How much do you intend to define other races in the setting? <snipped>
What overall tone are you going for? If this game was a movie, what would the MPAA rate it?
I prefer to think of more like Disney+ where there are a number of shows. Players can define the type of RP they want to take part in. Not really into "gritty" violence? Don't take part in those scenes. Want to play a gritty dark avenger? There'd be space for you too.
If you're using a system that has mechanics to model them rather than a consent-based system like most mixed universe games, do you intend to implement any particular rules or protections against effects that can control another character's mind?
I don't necessarily think you need to disconnect a mechanical system from consent-based RP. The sheet ultimately represents an at-a-glance view of a character that is much easier to read, IMO, than a bunch of traits. Players could use the system or they could just RP in a purely narrative sense using their sheet as a guide for what they can and cannot do.
Either way, nothing will ever happen to a player's character that they don't want to have happen. No one will ever be able to say "I mind control you to do X" where X is something the player just does not want their character to do.
@zombiegenesis Its all your call, but new age of heroes would be good for OC, players can help define in their stories.
I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir.
@lotherio said in Potential M&M 3E OC Game:
@zombiegenesis Its all your call, but new age of heroes would be good for OC, players can help define in their stories.
That's what I'm leaning towards. Something happens that sparks superhuman activity. I'm also exploring other potential systems such as Prowlers and Paragons.
@zombiegenesis said in Potential M&M 3E OC Game:
@lotherio said in Potential M&M 3E OC Game:
@zombiegenesis Its all your call, but new age of heroes would be good for OC, players can help define in their stories.
That's what I'm leaning towards. Something happens that sparks superhuman activity. I'm also exploring other potential systems such as Prowlers and Paragons.
Just my 2 cents, but I think P&P is too narratively focused of a system to be efficient. It works better in a normal TT group setting, where you can more easily manage the narrative advantages and disadvantages that the dice roll produce.
While this stirs some interest, I am reluctant to admit that I'm unfortunately system-ignorant when it comes to pretty much anything but HERO. The non-grid technique could, however, lead to a very expansive game.
And thusly I'm at a bit of an impasse. I'm just not a fan of M&M and its forced sense of "balance" and I'm not sure what I'd use instead. Hero/Champions is probably my favorite system but I think that'd be a hard pill for some to swallow.
So, yeah, that's where I'm at. Sort of languishing. Thankfully I've found some people to help out with another game so I'm not just twiddling my thumbs.
@zombiegenesis said in Potential M&M 3E OC Game:
And thusly I'm at a bit of an impasse. I'm just not a fan of M&M and its forced sense of "balance" and I'm not sure what I'd use instead. Hero/Champions is probably my favorite system but I think that'd be a hard pill for some to swallow.
So, yeah, that's where I'm at. Sort of languishing. Thankfully I've found some people to help out with another game so I'm not just twiddling my thumbs.
I think you might be able to do Hero/Champions if you simplified chargen for most people. Like, had pre-built common powers that people could just choose in chargen and add onto their sheet. Maybe an 'advanced' version for people who know the system and want to do weird things, too.
@zombiegenesis Champions MUSH is still going, and their CharGen is geared towards Player-end; players do all the works and input their build, Staff just checks the math and yhat House rules are obeyed. I would concur that having a lot of pre-built powers to use as examples for players to plug in would be a good idea.
@pyrephox Additionally, the game can take advantage of the fact that it is being run on a computer. Yes, it is headach-y sitting down with a calculator and crunching up all the numbers.
Sitting down and telling the system you want to buy a 10d6 Blast Armor Piercing Blast with 16 charges on an OAF and having it immediately charge you 31 points is an entirely different thing.
The answer to this question is always yes, haha. My two cents is that almost every time we've seen an OC supers game recently though, people go a little too niche with the setting. If activity is your biggest concern, cast a wide net.
If you've got something super specific and wild and detailed, you're probably better off running it as an OTT.
