Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered..

Peter Knutsen <peter RemoveThis @knutsen.dk> wrote in message news:<c7oaee$1mca$1@news.cybercity.dk>...
> Corey Murtagh wrote:

> > My preference is to label as 'superhuman' those things which are not
> > possible to us in our reality. Just because the specific setting may
> > define the limits of 'human' differently than we do in the real world
> > doesn't change the applicability of they label, in my mind.
>
> That's also what I'm asking about, in this thread. Which
> superhero RPG character creation systems do the best job of
> giving characters with non-supernatural abilities a chance to
> compete for spotlight time with heroes with supernatural powers.

Adventure! does an excellent job of that- though the "superpowered"
characters are low-powered, pulp level supers. You won't have any
Superman/Batman team ups- more like Green Hornet/Shadow level.

> I already knew that superhero systems are unlikely to care
> *much* about such a distinction, but Hero is at least trying,
> even if just a little, with "NCM", so I was wondering if there
> where others. Or heck, even how Champions does it. Champions
> might have something to say about the issue that is not said in
> the Hero core book...

NCM is actually not required for superhero games, and in fact is
discouraged for character types such as martial artists. Pretty much
all martial artist characters, even the ones supposedly merely a
product of training, have stats well above 20- particularily Dex and
Speed. Likewise, most gadgeteers have Intelligence above 20.

In my experience, NCM is mostly for powered armor types, or multiform
users who have a "nonpowered" identity.

-Eric Tolle
 >> Stay informed about: Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered.. 

Sorcier wrote:
> Nils Richter wrote:
>> I can imagine using this 'Troupe-style' in a modern super campaigne.
>
> I've tried to.
> I set up a camapign with the premise of each player having
> one powerhouse, one trainee, and one agent.
> Different adventures would involve different mixes of characters.
> Problem was, everyone statted out their powerhouse but not the rest,
> and I got stuck running a high level camapign.

Hm, I will have to think about that. It works in 'Ars Magica' because
the Mages have clearly defined weaknesses (difficulty when dealing
with normal folk, poorly developed mundane skills, have to spend lots
of time in seclusion to get better at magic).

What are common disadvantages of superhero powerhouses?

- They might be unavailable often. ('Sorry, Superman and GL are on the
other side of the galaxy, preventing a war that could destroy the
whole universe. We'll send you Invisible Boy instead.' Or evacuating a
whole African country to save them from a flood. Or fighting world
hunger. Or stuck in a PR campaigne. Or whatever.)

- They might have a similar social disadvantage (No use sending the
Thing, Hellboy, the Hulk and Thor (when both can not change form) on
an undercover mission).

- Or they have some Always-On powers that force them to keep away from
society often (Like Cyclops, only without civilian glasses? Wasn't
there a radioactive brick somewhere?)

Can you think of any more?


Once in game, the GM can influence the choice of PCs in and out of game.

- The adventure seed may involve one of the sidekicks ('My sister
called. She is in trouble. We need to help her!').

- The nature of the mission should help the players decision ('You
will have to spend some weeks on Proxima Centauri.' - 'Oh great, a
friend of mine lives there' - 'May I join in? I have always wanted to
see outer space').

- And the GM can drop some out of character suggestions ('You might
want to have a Flyer with you, this time'). At least, that worked in
our AM campaigne. When I was asked to play my Mage-PC (among other
things a fairy expert) in a certain adventure, which suprisingly
contained many contacts with the fairy folk, it did not feel as goofy
as it may sound now...

- And it helped that the players started to initiate adventures on
their own. ('We need more books on magic in our library!' - 'Wasn't
there a priest mentioned somewhere in the chronicles who used to visit
our library?' - 'Yes, let's try to find him'). I think that was the
greatest advantage of the 'Troupe-style' I have encountered: Everyone
helped to shape the campaigne, the gameworld, each others characters
(including the Mages' convent as an 'entity'). And the rotating GMing
helped a lot, too.


<sigh> I really miss my 'Ars Magica' group...

Nice dice,
Nils.

--
I don't have a solution but I admire the problem.
 >> Stay informed about: Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered.. 

On Tue, 11 May 2004 07:59:11 GMT, rgormannospam RemoveThis @telusplanet.net (David
Johnston) wrote:

>On Mon, 10 May 2004 01:32:29 -0400, Sorcier <sNoErMcOier RemoveThis @cavtel.net>
>wrote:
>
>>David Meadows wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Therefore, I would assume an elephant could join the Legion by virtue of its
>>> superhuman strength, even if it is no stronger than elephant's normally are.
>>> It *would* be considered superpowered by the Legion's rules.
>>
>>The elephant would not be admitted based on its strength.
>
>Well, we're assuming a vacancy here. I'm reminded of a Space 1999
>episode which was heavily Star Trek influenced. Godlike alien plants
>decided to pit humans against aliens, but to even the odds, gave the
>aliens superpowers to compensate for amazing human powers...like
>the ability to swim. By the way, just what WAS Timber Wolf's unique
>super power anyway?

Super-agility.

Does it tell you something that I still remember this?
 >> Stay informed about: Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered.. 

On Mon, 10 May 2004 01:42:50, Sorcier <sNoErMcOier.TakeThisOut@cavtel.net> wrote:
>> I can imagine using this 'Troupe-style' in a modern super campaigne.
>
>I've tried to.
>I set up a camapign with the premise of each player having
>one powerhouse, one trainee, and one agent.
>Different adventures would involve different mixes of characters.
>Problem was, everyone statted out their powerhouse but not the rest,
>and I got stuck running a high level camapign.
>I had intended for the powerhouses to be the _least_ ran characters.
>Players also balked at the idea of running multiple characters each
>in some missions.

That sounds cool. One suggestion made in a Pyramid article for
troupe-style supers play was this: Everyone makes a member of a powerful
superteam ala Justice League or Avengers. Then, for every member of that
team, the other players make the "supporting cast" for their comic. For
example, if the players' main characters are Batman, Superman, and Green
Lantern, then Superman's player could make Robin and Green Lantern's
player could make Nightwing; Batman and Superman's players could make
other members of the Green Lantern Corps; Batman's player could make
Supergirl and Green Lantern's player could make, I don't know, Krypto?
Some sessions will be missions with the Justice League, but some will be
sessions with Batman in Gotham City or Green Lantern in space.

You'd need to make a lot of characters, though, especially if you had a
lot of players.


--
chuk
 >> Stay informed about: Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered.. 

"Sorcier" wrote:
>
> >
> > Therefore, I would assume an elephant could join the Legion by virtue of
its
> > superhuman strength, even if it is no stronger than elephant's normally
are.
> > It *would* be considered superpowered by the Legion's rules.
>
> The elephant would not be admitted based on its strength.
> The Legion already has superstrength covered, so he'd need to
> apply citing a power that is not yet represented in the membership.
> Prenhensile nose might qualify, although Chameleon Lad can do
> that one...

Superhuman memory?


--
David Meadows
Heroes: www.heroes.force9.co.uk/scripts/
A comic book -- without the pictures
 >> Stay informed about: Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered.. 

On Sun, 9 May 2004 19:00:20 +0100, "David Meadows"
<david DeleteThis @no.spam.here.uk> wrote:

>"Peter Knutsen" <peter DeleteThis @knutsen.dk> wrote in message
>news:c7k9s4$p2b$1@news.cybercity.dk...
>>
>> Batman is a normal, as he has no supenatural powers. The same
>> goes for that martial artist from the 3000 AD Legion of
>> Superheroes or whatever it's called (I've only read about it in
>> Danish translations, so I'm not sure of the original name of the
>> team, but it's DC).
>
>It is "The Legion of Superheroes" in English. And by the internal logic of
>that comic, Val Armorr (Karate Kid) *must* have superpowers as the Legion
>constitution states that members MUST have a unique super power. His "super
>karate" is therefore, by definition, supernatural.

and considering that was capable of grappling and restraining Superboy
at one stage ...
--
"Hope is replaced by fear and dreams by survival, most of us get by."
Stuart Adamson 1958-2001

Mad Hamish
Hamish Laws
newslaws DeleteThis @iinet.net.au
 >> Stay informed about: Best system for balance between superpowered and unpowered..