Genre: Super Heroes!
Setting: 2018-2019 Major Southern Metro area in Alabama or possibly Georgia or Florida.
Tone: Semi-silly. While I want to provide some room to explore more serious topics, I really want something that's just fun to run and play. Think more early 2000's Teen Titans, Guardians of the Galaxy (Vols. 1 & 2), Thor: Ragnarok and less current DC cinematic universe or 90's comics.
System: Savage Worlds, Fate Core, or something PbtA. I'd rather the first two options since the last one means I either have to buy something or build it myself. I'm open to ideas though especially if a bunch of people are really each for one particular system. D20 and GURPS are out though. The first isn't really want I want and the second takes way too much planning for me to run this in.
So, I'm thinking about running a supers game here that takes place in a fictional Chattahoochee City, located about where Columbus, GA and Phenix City, AL are. (Other options include cities based on Montgomery, AL; Mobile, AL; Atlanta, GA; and Pensacola, FL. Montgomery could be fun since I live just north of it in Prattville, AL) Meta-humans, also known as supers or capes after comic book super heroes, have been around since WWI, though it wasn't until the 50's and 60's that they began appearing in significant numbers. The game would take place in the modern day, but with some advances that were thought to have occurred by now back in the 50's and 40's, such as fusion reactors providing cheap power and some other sci-fi trappings, though I'm not sure what all I'll include. If anyone has a particular preference, let me know.
I'm mainly look for something fun and perhaps even a bit goofy, okay, really goofy. While I appreciate settings that go through and think about how having a bunch of super-powered beings running around would affect the world at large and what kinds of laws and institutions would have to be implemented and how all that affects daily life, I'm going to be doing enough to give a framework to work off of and give the players some suspenders for their disbelief. It's supposed to be the kind fo world where everything's awesome and villains are hammy. There's still room to explore and looking into deep themes, but mostly I want this to be fun and enjoyable. I'm looking for players who want to play a Spiderman expy that snarks his opponents while webbing them up in embarrassing ways or a Superman expy that's always the first one to throw himself in front of the monster of the week and suffers from stage-fright.
Finally, there's the systems. I have both Fate and Savage Worlds, and I'm not at all adverse to running a PbtA supers ruleset, though I'd have to find one or make my own. While I have GURPS and the companions that help with running a supers game, I'm not going to be using it. I like the system, but good grief does it take forever to set things up. Honestly, I'd prefer Savage Worlds, but I'm open to whatever system people want to play.
So, yeah, thanks for reading that rambling mess above if you've made it this far. I'd hand out cookies, but the Pastry Chef of Buckery Ridge animated them and is trying to get them to march in formation. I know things are vague, but mainly I want to run a Supers game in an area I know and live in. Everything else is negotiable and if there's no clear consensus, I'll just make a decision and move with it.
I'm up for any game in Savage Worlds! And I've never run a Super before! Count me in!
One of my favorite games I've ever been involved with was a silly superhero game!
I'm not familiar with "Savage Worlds, Fate Core, or something PbtA" but if I can find time to at least sort of learn the rules I'd be interested.
Dotting for interest. Always up for some supers action - not that familiar with Savage Worlds tho' Salsa - so like Nate I'd need a heads up on the system and its learning curve.
super interested (get it?). Long history of SUPERS, primarily GURPS, but also Champions, V&V, etc. Familiar with FATE, not so much with Savage Worlds, but I can learn. And I'm from the SE US (lived in or visited extensively AL, FL, LA, MS, TN, and have had some limited time in AR and GA). When I was a kid, we ran a group we called (informally) the Jackson 5 out of MS. Been longing to get that kinda group going again
For those that haven't played or aren't familiar with Savage Worlds and Fate, don't worry. I don't have much experience either so it'll be a learning experience for the both of us. PtbA stands for Powered by the Apocolypse. It's the system that Dungeon World, Monster of the Week, and several other games use.
The cool thing about Savage Worlds is that it's supposed to run quickly even with large groups of actors in play, so I can throw a bunch of mooks at ya if I want! I've never played it, though, so it'll be a learning experience for me too. Character creation is pretty easy and you can get away with just the quick guide most of the time. This is one of the case where you can't, but don't worry about not having the rules. I'm comfortable enough with the system to help with character creation.
There are some things that I'll be doing to make it run more smoothly on PBP, namely sessions will be represented by chapters and I'll be resolving actions in combat or other scenarios where we're drawing for initiative. I'll also be handling that since you're supposed to use a standard deck, and that doesn't really work smoothly with Paizo's dice. :P
In short, don't worry about where you are in the initiative order, post when you can along with contingencies and I'll handle making sure things work smoothly.
Of course, that's if I go with Savage Worlds. I think i'll give a chance for a few more to chime in before I say for sure.
As far as setting goes, I think I'm going to be going with Montgomery, AL and the area around the City of Dreams, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka, Hope Hull, and some other places in Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, and Montgomery counties. I like the idea and I can really make the setting come alive (At least I hope so. :P)
Hope this helps and I'll get to working on some stuff since it seems I've got some enthusiastic interest.
Normally I play brick types in supers games, but I'm probably the only fan of jobber villain The Trapster/Paste Pot Pete out there and would love to play a gadgeteer type hero based on a similar concept.
I downloaded the Savage Worlds - Supers book, will need to gen up on the overall system tho.
Quick caveat on the above - having just read (the excellent) Immortal Hulk #4 (featuring one of my faves in Alpha Flight's Sasquatch) - may also dust off an old concept that never saw play - a roleplayer who gains the power of the Owlbear (tied in with some North American mythos/fetishes and their inadvertent use in tabletop gaming)...
Salsa if you can advise on how such concepts might be built (as I scour the Savage Worlds system)
Cheers
BD
Black Dow - I'm very familiar with the SW general system, and somewhat familiar with the Supers system. But what I can't find is a description of the Owlbear (which I assume is a super-villain enemy of the Hulk?). Can you point me to a web page which describes him?
Adam - being very familiar with SW in general, I'd be glad to help out on any questions that may come up.
@ZenFox42: Owlbear is my own concept mate (sortof) - notion was of a young role-player who somehow can assume the form/powers of the very odd chimeric bastion of D&D in the Owlbear monster. Was drawing the link with Sasquatch and ancient myth etc that's all. My wife collects native american fetish animals, so I had the idea that a young gamer combined two ancient magical fetish/artefacts (unknowingly)to fill a monster slot on his table-top gaming session and accidentally created this new hybrid totem that he can channel and assume. [basic overview]
As I touched on above I'm happy to fill a gap with either a monstrous brick or a gadgeteer drawing inspiration from the jobber-villian Trapster. For that concept I'm working under the dual title of either Epoxy or Bondsman.
@Salsa/ZenFox: Am I better trying to get my head round the SW system and applying the Supers system or just jumping straight in to the Supers sub stuff?
Probably be better to get the whole system since it goes over character creation, skills, hindrances, and edges. The companion volumes build onto the system, so you'll need to know it to make sense of the rules in companions.
Thankfully, the rules can be pretty succinctly summarized. I was typing up a summary for here, but I think the folks at Up to 4 Players did a much better job than I would have.
A really entertaining summary of most of the system's mechanics in comic format.
For those that would like their rules presented with a cool story on top.
I'm always down for some superhero action.
Does FATE have a hack for super powers? I ask because the only fate game I've played is the Dresden Files.
Black Dow - the owlbear is easy! Use 6 points of Shape Change, to get a Size 2 creature, then add 2 points if you also want to be able to talk while in owlbear form. But seeing as we'll probably get way more than 8 points to create our Supers, you could add extra damage, extra Toughness, etc. while in owlbear form with the Contingent limitation.
For the SW stats on an owlbear, see HERE (use the first one).
DM Salsa - have you figured out how many Power Points we're going to get to build our Supers? 10 points would be 2nd-string supers, 20 points would be a "typical" super, and 40 points would be pretty darn powerful. I'd just like to start thinking of various builds, and that depends on the PP.
Having run "Necessary Evil" (where super-*villains* are the heroes), I also came up with a set of restrictions for starting characters, since it is *REALLY* easy to come up with some over-powered/un-balanced characters in Supers. I'd be glad to share it with you if you're interested.
I was thinking about setting this at the Four Color power level which is 40 points.
I should also note that I'm using the 2nd edition of the Supers companion.
Hey there Salsa, good to see you back on the boards.
Not familiar with the system, but would very much like to play. I'm currently thinking an electrical based energy projector.
I’m up for this color me interested and I know the system well.
Thinking something like a magic caster super dealing with dark powers and other planes
Mmm so many ideas... Am also a fan of the Radioactive Man (Marvel version not Simpsons lol)
- notice there's the Joseph M Farley Nuclear Plant some 40km N-NW of Chattahoochee... which got me thinking.
Might go with a radiation based hero - containment suit type...
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I am thinking a guy who was a villian with gold teeth and a big flava Flav watch around his neck who can stop time for short bursts.
I am thinking a guy who was a villian with gold teeth and a big flava Flav watch around his neck who can stop time for short bursts.
Tyme Out :)
Edelsmirge - sorry, messing with time is the one thing that SW *never* deals with. The best you can do is move really fast, or take multiple actions per round.
DM Salsa - wow, at 40 points I guess there's no point in coming up with a list of limitations. The one thing I would strongly suggest is that you disallow Mind Control, I've seen too many complaints on the boards that it nerfs combat entirely.
Right now, I'm thinking of a mini-Superman (as close as I can get with 40 points), but with an inner darkness like Batman.
Working on Half-Life - The Irradiated Man as we speak...
Adam am I right in thinking you'll be drawing the "cards" in RL? Only ask as I'm likely taking the Terminally Ill hindrance - which has ramifications for sessions and if you choose a Joker will make in-game life (and death) very interesting lol...
DM Salsa - a couple of questions :
How would you run the Illusion superpower? As in, strictly or loosely? There's no way to disbelieve it, so could I "summon" monsters to attack the bad guys? Without the System Shock extension, what would happen when such a monster attacks a bad guy?
Also, Invisibility says "Attacks made against invisible heroes suffer a –2 penalty per level". Now, Deflection specifies Ranged attacks, and Parry specifies melee attacks, so I would argue that "attacks" in Invisibility include both - do you agree?
(Yeah, I've already moved away from the Superman concept, just no way to get anything close to decent with 40 points.)
working on a "flag-suit" idea, like a Captain America type-
@Salsa/ZenFox: Is there any info on cost/stats of a HazMat Suit for SW? Pretty much what my concept/character will be wearing as his "costume" (or at least a modified version).
Cheers
BD
@ZenFox42: Loosely I guess. I'd give them a smarts roll to realize it wasn't real in the case you gave if you didn't have them in something like a lotus eater machine setup.
To answer your second question, Yes, I agree.
@Black Dow: Depends on what you need it for. If it's to let you turn off your powers or keep them contained, then you just build that into powers with limitations. Depending on how bad it is, it's a major or a minor limitation.
Also, there are some Nuclear plants in Alabama, and keep in mind that it doesn't have to be a power plant accident, it could just as easily have been an accident while working on a nuclear rocket motor. :)
@All: Okay, seems like we've got a lot of interest. I'll get a recruitment thread up in the next few days. I've got to work tonight for a site launch, so as much as I want to, I won't be able to get it up tonight.
@Salsa: Gotcha - just reading up on how NASA are re-exploring the validity of Nuclear Thermal Rockets... the things you end up researching for a character pitch lol.
On the subject of the HazMat suit - was really just flavour and to help contain his powers (potentially - as I need to nail down the actual power build).
Cheers for the input.
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Hmm. How about a ghost like hero whose real body is in a hospital in a coma?
In addition to the invisible illusionist (ooh, is that a good character name?), I'm also toying with a speedster (just putting it out there so we don't get two).
I'm thinking I'll play a Telekinetic of some kind, or a brick.
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Hmm... supers. Color me interested.
Anyone familiar with mister imortal?
Mister Immortal or the GLA? Of course! He saved the world once :)
I will need help making a character in this system
DM Salsa - one "last" question : Intangibility says that it "makes the character unable to affect or be affected by physical and energy attacks or objects".
But it also says, "Magical or psychic attacks should almost always affect incorporeal creatures."
So, would you allow my intangible PC to do magic or psychic things to the real world (like, illusions and mind reading)? Since they can affect me, can I affect the world using them?
@ZenFox: if you spend the points on those abilities, then yes. Just keep in mind that other people with powers like that are not unheard of, so it makes sense for some with means to devise defenses.
@Edelsmirge: No worries. I'm not going to be asking for stats during recruitment. I'm sure those of us who have built characters in the system will help out.
I'm not sure how well the game would take a person who's only power is he doesn't stay dead. Maybe a hero that is very hard to kill.
Unfortunately, it is really hard to make a super truly invulnerable. But fortunately, that's not what Mister Immortal is about.
First off, according to the Supers' rules, even normal heroes who die don't *stay* dead - you roll on a table to see what disabilities they take.
You can take Regeneration for 10 points, which would give you a Natural Healing roll every time you get Wounded *every round*. So as long as you made your Vigor roll when you become Incapacitated (hint : take the Hard to Kill and Elan Edges), you'd eventually heal. And that leaves 30 points for Skills, Edges, damage, etc. The comic book character doesn't have any particular skills or attacks that I can tell, so you could create your own version of him.
You could do it even cheaper with the Duplication with Promotion power (5 points total). But you'd have to have "clone" of yourself always around in case the original dies.
I have always found that duplication skills can kinda clutter a game. Although PBP is usually very forgiving to that kind of character.
Salsa, I have a question: when we get more power points, are you okay with us using them to buy off a disadvantage to our powers we take at start?
I ask because I have this idea for a Brick type character who is actually using telekinesis, and I like the idea of him learning this during play and buying off the modifier to allow him greater ability to use his Telekinesis at range.
Let me know what you think.
Looks pretty interesting. I've got a few thoughts on heroes depending on the power level, but I've got a thought on a mute, invisibility-based super. What're the rules on magic-based heroes like Zatanna or Constantine, out of curiosity?
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I have a concept, but I'm not sure how I would work.
If it could work into this game I think I'd be fantastic
So, take the kindness, most caring, most delightful, best cookie making grandmother ever.
And give her Hulk powers.
And possibly a rolling pin.
I was going to do this with pathfinder age penalties and the barbarian Rage Power Spring Rage which let's you ignore said are penalties, but if she made it in here I think I'd be even better!
Now to see if I can find a copy of the supers book...
Sorry to have to do this, but I'm gonna have to shelve this idea for now. My free time is going to be a lot less for a while due to work. It's nice to know that there's a lot of interest and I'll try running this at some point, but I can't do it now.
Hope y'all find a game to have fun in and I wish you the best. :)
All good sir, life happens. Just remember us when you get this back afloat and maybe message us before you start open recruitment...
yeah, please pm us if you get back to it