{"id":434,"date":"2015-04-27T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2015-04-27T17:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/?p=434"},"modified":"2015-04-21T22:40:06","modified_gmt":"2015-04-22T03:40:06","slug":"big-hero-itch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/big-hero-itch\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Hero Itch"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the rise of mainstream cultural interest in super heroes over the last decade, the world has clamored to live the life of a superhero vicariously through film, television, and video games. Accomplishing magnificent deeds and saving the world from monstrous dangers are just some of the fun we see our heroes and idols perform all the time, and we want to be a part of it. From seeing Superman t-shirts, to Iron Man footed pajamas, and even a Batgirl corset and panties combo. (I kid you not. You can find all of that here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

But what if my dreams go beyond cosplay and the sleepy time? What if my love of the modern mythological gods and goddesses goes beyond my en vogue\/post modern t-shirt? (And to be clear, most of us were wearing those shirts LONG before they were cool. Back when people laughed and pointed. Well, the joke\u2019s on them, right? Right?!) That\u2019s where we turn to our favorite interactive, imagination-filled, polyhedral tossing, group storytelling activity. Or as my mom used to call it \u201cFantasy Land.\u201d (Gotta love your mom, right? Right?!)<\/p>\n

Of course, I\u2019m talking about roleplaying games! And what better way to live out those superhero fantasies with some dice, sheets, friends, and loads and loads of crime fighting.<\/p>\n

There are numerous superhero rpgs out there, they come, and they go all the time. The following is by no means a comprehensive list, but just some insight into three I have enjoyed over the years, and the reasons why. If you have more you want to discuss, by all means, mention them in the comments below.<\/p>\n

And without further ado…<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TSR – 1984)<\/b><\/p>\n

TSR\u2019s FASERIP system from the 1980\u2019s and 1990\u2019s is a fantastic journey into the world of superhero roleplaying. Its rules are easy to understand and it\u2019s action is fast and furious.<\/p>\n

Character creation is a blast. You can either let fate decide by rolling the dice, or design your character from scratch using pretty easy to follow guidelines. Characters have everything from an origin, to abilities, resources, popularity, powers, feats, limitations, talents, and contacts, all in an effort to defeat the baddies and earn karma – MSHRPG version of XP, used not only to advance your character, but also to assist in die rolling.<\/p>\n

Using a percentile system and an easy to understand table, every die roll is fairly easy to resolve. The only draw back is…with a good enough roll even Aunt May can knockdown Galactcus. \u00a0So, there\u2019s that.<\/p>\n

Because this game has been out of print for almost three decades it is difficult to find hard copies of most materials, however, there are various online resources where you can find the rule books, character sheets, and a plethora of modules for your use.<\/p>\n

I find this system is best when playing your own characters, because of the freedom it provides and how\u00a0fun character creation is. There are tons of your favorite heroes pre-made, though, complete with all of their stats if you want to play one of them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

MUTANTS AND MASTERMINDS (Green Ronin Publishing – 2002)<\/b><\/p>\n

Green Ronin\u2019s foray into the superhero gaming system abandoned the previous percentile dice mechanic of other games and plunged headlong into the d20 back when rolling a twenty-sided dice for every rpg was the way of the world. This system is a blast to play, and easy to resolve situations with a d20 mechanic, opening up doors for creativity MSHRGP lacked.<\/p>\n

Despite this, M&M\u2019s distractions are difficult to ignore.<\/p>\n

Instead of rolling for stats, powers, and the rest, you\u2019re given a point buy system where the user is allotted a certain number of points to create their character and literally places points into each attribute until the points are depleted. While this provides an unlimited potential for character creation and player creativity, it can be daunting and requires a level of mathematics most gamers don\u2019t want to put forth the effort. Make character creation \u201cquick and easy and let\u2019s get playing,\u201d is what most of my players say. Not \u201clet\u2019s take 2 hours to build a character from nothing,\u201d and \u201chand my the calculator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Add this to the fact that M&M\u2019s universe isn\u2019t as easily accessible as Marvel and DC\u2019s and you\u2019re facing an uphill battle with player buy-in to the world.<\/p>\n

The system can be a load of fun, and players love, and are very protective of, their PCs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

MARVEL HEROIC ROLEPLAYING GAME (Margaret Weis Productions – 2011)<\/b><\/p>\n

If you and your group are interested in playing established Marvel characters with fast-paced action and little to no downtime, then this is your system.<\/p>\n

Using a dice pool mechanic where players take different attributes of their heroes – everything from a power, to a talent, a trait and even an affiliation – to build their pool adds a previously un-examined perspective to the game. And with rolls being used as both potential currency for the hero and the GM (called \u201cThe Watcher\u201d in this system) every die result matters. It\u2019s an edge of your seat thrill ride.<\/p>\n

There are two main detractors with this system though.<\/p>\n

First off, character creation is too nebulous. Unlike MSHRPG there is no rolling, but there aren\u2019t any limitations like M&M to keep your imagination in check. No guidelines and it\u2019s up to the player\u2019s imagination. Therefore, what\u2019s to stop every new hero from being Thor or the Silver Surfer? Nothing.<\/p>\n

Secondly, because the license was pulled fairly quickly, there is not a lot of licensed content for this system. Online you can find loads of fan generated content, but the official stuff is lacking.<\/p>\n

However, if you and your group love playing with the existing heroes, then this system works beautifully.<\/p>\n

Those are some of my favorites superhero rpg systems, but \u00a0what superhero system do you play? How do you get your \u201cSave-the-world\u201d fix in? Let me know because I\u2019m always willing and ready to experience a new game…and maybe save a few million people in the process\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Until next time, I\u2019ll roll with you again real soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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