Steve Dubya
Pubber
- Joined
- May 3, 2019
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 35
As our current campaign is only intended to last through this year, and with the success of Endgame putting supers to the fore of pop culture, I figure that I'll pitch a supers campaign for our next endeavor.
Problem is, I'm without a system to do so.
Thus far, our group has played D&D 5E exclusively. For the first campaign with the group it was just what was being used, and then for the one after it was a Star Wars campaign that used the same ruleset so I could make use of the Living Force modules.
One of the members of the group is quite knowledgeable about both 5E and Pathfinder, but this individual also seems to be the least open to trying something that might be different.
I'd prefer something that might be a lighter ruleset, and certainly no more complex than 5E - it's way easier to wing things if you don't have specific rules that you're trying to keep track of.
Thus, my search has been been for the following (in no particular order other than specified):
I think that *ideally*, if I could find a supers toolset that could overlay onto the 5E mechanics, that would probably be the easiest sell. Yeah, I get that characters in bog-standard 5E eventually have superhuman capabilities, but that's using a somewhat implied fantasy setting that isn't necessarily going to translate great into the real world - that, and characters aren't really starting off as "super," unless a higher starting level is used.
The biggest issue with this approach is that there aren't really a whole lot of actual options for making it happen. I know that Hypercorps 2099 has a super-system, but that's also baked into its cyberpunk setting from what it sounds; if I could just get the super-parts, that would probably be a contender. I've also checked out Apex, which seems to somehow be both simultaneously too limiting yet also too abstract, and I know of 5th Evolution by Limitless Adventures (just not much about how it's supposed to work).
I've given Mutants & Masterminds a look, and I think the way that it's D20 based could be a helpful selling point. However, as the game editions have progressed, it has diverged from the bog-standard D20 mechanics enough to where I can see confusion arising. That, and I can see character generation being quite challenging, as it would be far more complex than what 80% of the group has been exposed to. I can see modifying templates or going online and getting pre-made characters helping with that quite a bit, but from a rules standpoint there would be a decent amount on me knowing how well a baddie might be with regard to the group's capabilities...and I don't have anywhere near the system knowledge to be confident in saying yay or nay on that.
I've checked out various FASERIP iterations, and I can't wrap my head around how the game is actually supposed to work. I think part of the issue is needing to internalize the various names of power levels to how they might relate to each other, but it just doesn't seem to be clicking.
Icons seems to be an interesting approach, and I like the way it handles making use of various powers for non-standard approaches, but Qualities could be a pain for both myself and the group to try to get used to. I also remember my head hurting for some of the descriptions on how to structure Tests.
Supers! RED seems like an interesting approach, and I like the idea of having the ability of making direct use of Powers for various actions; this one would be a significant change in how we would be playing, however, and I think because of that it could be a tougher sell.
I'm also been toying with the idea of using the Savage Worlds Supers Companion mashed into the Mini Six rules - I LOVE the simplicity of Mini Six, and it and Savage Worlds seem to be just compatible enough to be able to replace the guts of one with another.
Any other thoughts or suggestions? Anything that worked particularly well or catastrophically poorly, and what might have been done that made it that way?
Problem is, I'm without a system to do so.
Thus far, our group has played D&D 5E exclusively. For the first campaign with the group it was just what was being used, and then for the one after it was a Star Wars campaign that used the same ruleset so I could make use of the Living Force modules.
One of the members of the group is quite knowledgeable about both 5E and Pathfinder, but this individual also seems to be the least open to trying something that might be different.
I'd prefer something that might be a lighter ruleset, and certainly no more complex than 5E - it's way easier to wing things if you don't have specific rules that you're trying to keep track of.
Thus, my search has been been for the following (in no particular order other than specified):
I think that *ideally*, if I could find a supers toolset that could overlay onto the 5E mechanics, that would probably be the easiest sell. Yeah, I get that characters in bog-standard 5E eventually have superhuman capabilities, but that's using a somewhat implied fantasy setting that isn't necessarily going to translate great into the real world - that, and characters aren't really starting off as "super," unless a higher starting level is used.
The biggest issue with this approach is that there aren't really a whole lot of actual options for making it happen. I know that Hypercorps 2099 has a super-system, but that's also baked into its cyberpunk setting from what it sounds; if I could just get the super-parts, that would probably be a contender. I've also checked out Apex, which seems to somehow be both simultaneously too limiting yet also too abstract, and I know of 5th Evolution by Limitless Adventures (just not much about how it's supposed to work).
I've given Mutants & Masterminds a look, and I think the way that it's D20 based could be a helpful selling point. However, as the game editions have progressed, it has diverged from the bog-standard D20 mechanics enough to where I can see confusion arising. That, and I can see character generation being quite challenging, as it would be far more complex than what 80% of the group has been exposed to. I can see modifying templates or going online and getting pre-made characters helping with that quite a bit, but from a rules standpoint there would be a decent amount on me knowing how well a baddie might be with regard to the group's capabilities...and I don't have anywhere near the system knowledge to be confident in saying yay or nay on that.
I've checked out various FASERIP iterations, and I can't wrap my head around how the game is actually supposed to work. I think part of the issue is needing to internalize the various names of power levels to how they might relate to each other, but it just doesn't seem to be clicking.
Icons seems to be an interesting approach, and I like the way it handles making use of various powers for non-standard approaches, but Qualities could be a pain for both myself and the group to try to get used to. I also remember my head hurting for some of the descriptions on how to structure Tests.
Supers! RED seems like an interesting approach, and I like the idea of having the ability of making direct use of Powers for various actions; this one would be a significant change in how we would be playing, however, and I think because of that it could be a tougher sell.
I'm also been toying with the idea of using the Savage Worlds Supers Companion mashed into the Mini Six rules - I LOVE the simplicity of Mini Six, and it and Savage Worlds seem to be just compatible enough to be able to replace the guts of one with another.
Any other thoughts or suggestions? Anything that worked particularly well or catastrophically poorly, and what might have been done that made it that way?