MoonHunter's Super Thread
Most of you are probably wondering about this thread. It's title is a little vague. It is about super hero/ meta hero/ comic gaming. This is a support submission. What I want here is organizations, meta-hero equipment, minor NPC, Extras, etc. I want things that will help in running a supers games, Modern, Pulp, and even Fantasy.
Most of you are probably wondering about this thread. It's title is a little vague. It is about super hero/ meta hero/ comic gaming.
I know this is a fantasy site. Yet we have science fiction posts, a few anime inspired ones, and a few horror ones as well. So why not metahero/ comics? There should not be a ton of them, but there should be a few. So I am creating this thread to house some interesting posts in the metaheroic genre.
This is a support thread. What I want here is organizations, meta-hero equipment, minor NPC, Extras, etc. I want things that will help in running a supers games.
When making a post for this codex, make sure to mark the kind of campaign it is used for, so people will not try to vote on it, as if it was for a general fantasy campaign.
Mostly, this is for supporting cast, all those other people in your campaign that help round out your super hero world. This is not a thread for characters, real superheroes or real villians, this is for all those other supers and normals that waunder through your world. They may just be 'color characters' in the background or they may have subplots associated with them. They can add a great deal to your campaign... after all every metahuman is not motivated to fight crime or powerful enough to be useful. And not every person a meta human might interact with is a meta. That leaves a lot of people to work out. (That is the point of the thread, so we can all share the burden of creating people)
Examples would be MetaHuman rights activists, homeless metahumans (who is invunerable, unable to sleep, and not needing to eat), a monster left over from some mad genius's scheme, the guy in the zoo with the ability to empathically communicate with animals (but is otherwise normal), lawyers who deal with meta crimes, that teenage superfan, a powerful telepath trapped in an insane asylum, and others who populate the background of a meta world.
Format for NPCs
Name - The title of the post normally
Intro
Description
Story
Powers
Roleplay Notes...
Plot Lines
Feel Free to join in.
Hero Games
Champions Rocks
http://www.guardiansorder.com/games/sas/
Silver Age Sentinel - got to love this game. I like tri-stat better than the D20 version, but they come a close 2nd to champions in my book.
Evil hat gets into the SAS act.
http://www.mutantsandmasterminds.com/
GreenRonin's SuperHero game site.
http://www.heroesandhenchmen.com/links.html
M&M uberfansite
Project Genesis
http://members.lycos.co.uk/genesisproject/
Articles, Forums, Forum Games, and more on this a one stop super hero site. The system emphasis is on Classic Marvel.
http://u.webring.com/hub?ring=shrpg
Super Hero Webring of varying quality.
http://www.thecentralnexus.com/
Lots of gaming goodness
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/archive/index.php/
Comic Books resource's forum. You can go to comicbookresources.com for more
http://www.geocities.com/timessquare/alley/1557/freerpgs.htm
Free RPGs
http://www.e-core-news.org/index.php
Cool stuff mostly for M&M but not all of it
Additional Links
The Stuff Heroes are Made Of
Various names for supers
Homo Superior
Evolutians
Evolutes
Metahumans
Metas
Supers
Paranormals
Paranorms
Mutants
Mutates
P.I.s (Powered Individuals)*S*
Ace
Novas
Elites
Primes
Powers
Emerged
Alphas
Deltas
Ultras
Sparks
K's (the name comes from 2k when they first appeared)
Freaks
Halos
Zenos (for the zeno energy that empowers them)
Stomers (Since some kind of storm triggers their powers)
Augments
Capes
Tights
Preternaturals.or Prets' for short
X's For Extrodinary People
SPBs (superpowered beings),
Transhumans
Tainted
Arcanes
'Post-Human'.
1890's Wonders, coined by PT Barnum
World War I, Miracle Men, coined by Ernest Hemingway,
also refered to in the 'Miracle Men Prohibition' in
the Geneva Convention.
1920's-1930's Mystery Men
WWII, Ubermen and Freedom Fighters. Neither the Axis
or the Allies violated the Geneva Convention, which
prevented them from using superheroes on the front
lines.
1950's Science Heroes
1960's Mutants, Supers
1970's Freaks or Capes, Alpha-Americans, Big
Brothers/Sisters
1980's Cuppies (Caped Urban Professionals), coined by
People Magazine
1990's the number of Supers causes fragmented
identifiers, these terms include Legacies (Third
Generation Miracle Men), Bricks, Blasters, Speedsters,
Icons, Doppels, etc.
I think its key to understand that in any such world,
there would probably be two terms. The first is the
term used by the scientific community. The second is
the term used by the public, which would probably be
based upon the term from the scientific community. For
example, the scientific community might come up with
'exo-species' meaning an organism (not necessarily
human) with abilities and/or morphology that exceed
the normal limits for that species. Then the media
catches on and calls them 'exo' for short.
There are other possible permutations of course. One
is that, in a world where super-humans have been
around for millenia, then there would be a common term
(like 'nova') which is eventually incorporated by the
scientific community when they get around to the
taxonomy of supers (like 'Homo sapiens novensis'). Of
course the scientific community would lump aliens and
super-humans and androids and so on into one group.
The media would do that and either misuse the term for
super-humans to the entire group, or come up with a
larger suitcase term for all of them.
MoonHunter's Idea Dump
I have some NPCs I want to do for this thread. I will do them, eventually, honest I will. If not, take inspiration from them.
Lt. John Smith: Dirty Harry of the Meta Squad
Celebutant:
Super Assassin is known to take out villians and criminals. She is the mayors liason to federal agencies.
Star Woman Reporter: Yah she is all that, but she is also a "kicker". She can catalyize meta genes into active state. (with training she could turn them off too). So while she has no power, people around her sometimes get them... if conditions are right.
John Sable: Freelance
Lizard Monster: He managed to escape the lab after surviving the freak accident. Now he is haunting the underground, coming topside on only the hottest nights.
Marrissa: Invisiable Touch yah.
Jacob Harrison: Editor. Older, fatter, balder, heart attack waiting to happen... likes super heroes.
Kubrick @Night Radio Guy. Radical Moderate, wants rationalism in the world. Use to run his radio station as a pirate, now very legit. Has his show syndicated.
EM doctors...
Metamedicine md... Rica Castro (cafe latte skin, dark hair, cowry shell necklace, no powers just smarts.
Items:
Ectencloth: This is a mentally responsive cloth. It can alter itself into pre-programed forms and if you have enough skill to any form you can imagine. However, the metamorphic property only works IF you have it in contact with your skin. So you have to carry your cool gear, but the costume can just appear.
BBS: There is one lurking out there where people who know better talk to each other. This one is for the Heroic Scene. There is one for more mercenary villians as well. Some people have log ons for both.
MoonHunters list of Supers Games with comments
Champions
Hero System, in all its editional glory, is still the premire supers game. It is a bit crunchy and does require some basic math skills, but you can play ANYTHING with it. For Supers, that is a total requirement. It supports every possible genre and subgenre of supers gaming, and then some (plus every other genre of gaming too). This puts it ahead of every other game which is either limited to one setting/subgenre or supports only one style of supers play.
Note: all the issues that you have heard about Hero completely disolve if you have a competent GM who understands that character creation is an important thing and players who are not dedicated to powergaming.
Note: I might play other games from time to time, but I always go back to Hero.
Superhero 2044
It is the first superhero game written and it so shows. It is messier than most circa mid 70s games. Get a copy just to be a "real gamer", but don't play it. And unless you can affort 1d6 san loss, don't read it or play it.
Villians and Vigilantees
Old School superhero gaming, but a lot of fun to play. It has "Traveller Effect", as the random character generation is almost more fun than playing the game. Twenty some years later, this is still playable.
Marvel Superheroes (SAGA)
This system was originally designed to bring in new gamers and created a game that serious gamers disliked. However, the rules were fast, fun, and easy to use. The Crunchiness level may take it over the top for some people.
Mavel Superheroes (Current)
Sigh. Nuff Said. I won't play it.
DC Heroes/ Blood of Heroes:
This was a great game. It made playing every kind of (DC) supers possible. Its flaws were the experience system and the character generation system. If you were running pre-genned characters from the DCU and only running for a little while, it was perfect. If not, it sucked. The system was ressurected as Blood of Heroes. Some rule changes make it better than the original, but still clunky in parts.
DC Universe
A D6 system which modified the basic and reasonably elegant D6 system used in Star Wars. It fixed most of the problems with the first DC game. However, it was as simple game released in a time of increased crunchiness and a time that supers were not popular. It did not do well.
Brave New World
This is an alternate history superheroes game. It is a low powered superhero game with lots of social and political ramifications. The powers come in specific low level templates. No variations. However for what it is, it is perfect. It is an incredible game with great source materials.
Silver Age Sentinels
This is the dX version I love, but the game itself works. It is clean, easy to use, and fast to teach. The source material for Silver Age gaming is practically worth the price of the book (and in the new edition, all the source material). It does get a little wierd in spots, but it is all around one of my favorite supers games.
Mutants and Masterminds
This is one of the best D20 variations ever. The New Edition is worth owning and playing. If your players won't learn a new system and play D20, you might get them to play this. It is still not as good as Champions or SAS, but it is a solid game.
GURPS SUPERS
Flashy, Complete, and totally GURPS. Combat is quirky and the supers system supports "their style" of play alone. (It is a style of more realistic, more Wild Cards stories, alternate comics style. It is not most people's cup of tea. But if it is, it does a wonderful job).
Aberrant
Yes, this is a supers game. However it is a supers game written by people who do not "get" supers and to fit a very specific nitch of story. It is not a supers game, but a game with cool powers. The mechanics work for what they are. If you like the angsty characters and world setting it is great.
Godsend Agenda
This is a good game that supports one setting (and it is very interesting). The system itself works well, but it is a one trick pony.
Godlike
It is an intereseting game, but it, like Aberant, is a game written by people who don't get supers. The mechanics glitch in places, but the setting and background material rock.
Heroes Unlimited
Palladium's run at superheroes. It has all the advantages and disadvantages of Palladium games. So you will love it or hate it. It only supports a very specific play style and level type of supers.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
Best Palladium's supers game.
This was from a listing I made a while ago. I will add more as I get more games or remember things.
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? Responses (9)
For one who loves a change of pace and can really get into Supers type of gaming I love this thread. I for one loved it when CoH came out as I enjoy this game set very much. Makes me want to play one again.
Note to Self: Simon Class Computers.
You know, other people can do supers posts. Sure I will be the one to add it to this thread, but the rest of you can add content.
Warming up a new Supers Campaign. Should have some additional material coming up.
I'm curious - when you say "Mavel Superheroes (Current)," do you mean this edition of Marvel Superheroes: http://www.heroplay.com/features/rules/marvel.php? I'm not sure that I'd call it current, but it otherwise is not on your list, which is why I'm confused.
This is a great resource, though perhaps a Region may be a better way to gather these submissions.
