This is another post on the general topic of this thread over here from last June, where I was mumbling about an unnamed Nar/Sim superhero game.

I still don't have a name (Current front-runner: "Great Powers", runner up: "Neverending Battle"), but I do have some more slightly concrete thoughts.

Note I said slightly. This is still very unformed.

Specific inspirations for what follows are Paladin, Sorcerer, Charnel Gods, Over the Edge, Pendragon, The Reign of Steel, Donjon, and pretty much all of the superhero RPGs I've been exposed to (V&V, Champions, DC Heroes/MEGS, Marvel Super Heroes (old TSR), and even (god help it) Super Squadron, and probably others that I'm forgetting).

Now that that's out of the way, first things first.

I still haven't decided on a resolution mechanic, nor on exactly how I'm going to handle 'resource allocation', but I do have some more concrete ideas about focus. One specific inspiration is a thread I read either here or over on RPG.net where someone commented that, if he were designing a superhero game, that he'd include rules for costume design.

That helped gel my own thoughts about secret identities. So, then, what do I want to focus on, and how.

I want the superheroes themselves to be the main characters, obviously, but I also want specific mechanics that relate to their motivations and their relationships both to their foes and allies, but also their supporting casts.

Many superhero RPGs have some amount of lip service here but, much like 'costume design rules', it's generally a side bit to the main focus of beating people up(ie, disads like Dependent NPC in Champions).

So, I want none of that. I want the primary mechanics to involve the character's public and secret identities, and the relationships those identities have with other people and with each other, if any. Obviously, some heroes don't have secret IDs (ie, the Fantastic Four), which opens up an entirely different arena of play.

I don't want this to be the primary focus of the game -- I still want cosmic adventure and combat, but I do want the above concerns to end up being about half the game. I'd like a 50/50 split between adventuring, and handling interpersonal social interactions. This is probably the primary design goal.

Probably the second-most important design goal is simplicity. I can sit down and knock out a description of a superhero in about ten minutes. I want character creation to be nearly that fast.

Third, I'm going for a nar/sim hybrid, I think, but I'm going to have sim/gamist elements related to the secret ID stuff I'm rambling about, above.

Okay, so that's my goals. How am I going to acheive this?

Here's a couple illustrative sample characters, sans numbers. I want to use a mixture of numbers and descriptors (much like Sorcerer), so these examples are going to be descriptor heavy because I haven't worked out how the numbers are going to go yet.

Example #1

[code]
Clark Kent, Mild-mannered Reporter, raised on a farm
o Identity: Secret (Superman)
o Motivation: Empathy
o Modus Operandi: Hero of the People
o Demeanor: Trustworthy
o Power Sources:
o Alien (Homeworld: Krypton)
o Drawbacks
- Dependent: Light of a Yellow Sun
- Vulnerable: Kryptonite
- Vulnerable: Light of a Red Sun
o Qualities:
+ Strong
+ Fast
+ Healthy
+ Quick Healing
+ X-Ray Vision
+ Heat Vision
+ Telescopic Vision
+ Microscopic Vision
+ Flight
+ Immune to Hostile Environments
+ Immune to poisons
+ Invulnerable
o Secret HQ: Fortress of Solitude
o Haven: Kent farmstead, Smallville, Kansas
o Gadgets: Kryptonian relics
o Relationships
o Allies:
o Trusted Counselor: Johnathan "Pa" Kent
o Trusted Counselor: Martha "Ma" Kent
o Trusted Ally: Kara Zor-El (Supergirl)
o Alluring Boon Companion: Lois Lane
o Boon Companion: Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Pal
o Employing Organization: Daily Planet Newspaper
o Supervisor: Perry White
o Specialist Ally: Dr. Emil Hamliton (Scientist)
o Trusted Alluring Childhood Friend: Lana Lang
o Childhood Friend: Pete Ross
o Law Enforcement Contact: Maggie Sawyer, Metropolis SCU
o Law Enforcement Contact: Dick "Terrible" Turpin, MSCU
o Ally Group: Justice League
o Ally Group: Legion of Superheroes
o Trusted Uneasy Ally: Bruce Wayne (Batman)
o Enemies:
o Mastermind Nemesis: Lex Luthor
o Nemesis: Brainiac
o Nemesis: Ultra-Humanite
o Nemesis: General Zod
o Foe: Metallo
o Foe: Toymaker
o Foe: Solomon Grundy
o Organizational Adversary: Intergang
o Misunderstood Misanthrope: Bizarro
o Misunderstood Misanthrope: Giganto
o Comic Relief Pest: Mr. Mxyzptlk
[/code]

Example #2:

[code]
Bruce Wayne, Wealthy Industrialist, Playboy
o Identity: Secret (Batman)
o Motivation: Tragic Loss
o Modus Operandi: Mystery Man
o Demeanor: Intimidating
o Power Sources:
o Vast Wealth
o Gadgets
+ Utility Belt
+ Weapons
+ Vehicles
o Training
+ Forensics/Detective Work
+ Martial Arts
+ Weight Lifting
+ Acrobatics
o Secret HQ: Batcave
o Haven: Stately Wayne Manor
o Relationships
o Allies:
o Trusted Counselor: Alfred Pennyworth
o Trusted Ally: Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)
o Trusted Sidekick: Dick Grayson (Robin)
o Law Enforcement Contact: Commisioner James Gordon
o Ally Group: Justice League
o Trusted Uneasy Ally: Clark Kent (Superman)
o Ally Employees: Wayne Industries
o Enemies:
o Mastermind Nemesis: Rhas Al-Ghul
o Nemesis: The Joker
o Alluring Adversary: Catwoman
o Foe: The Penguin
o Foe: The Riddler
o Foe: The Scarecrow
o Foe: Clayface
o Foe: Poison Ivy
o Foe: Mr. Freeze
o Comic Relief Pest: Batmite
[/code]

Now, most of these things would have a numerical rating, at least the power sources, the ally relationships, and the ID, Motiivation, and other descriptors up at the top.

I'd also like to toy with the idea of some sort of resource that gets depleted (a la humanity) if you don't maintain your relationships. I also think relationships ought to have split values -- secret vs. public IDs. Any relationship with 'trusted' in front is assumed to know your secret ID, and would therefore only have one rating.

Instead of each power having a rating, I'd say each power source has a rating, and the power source gets one descriptor (or whatever) per point of rating. Drawbacks add descriptors on a one-for-one basis. So, a power source at level 6 with 2 drawbacks would get 8 descriptors. You use descriptors to justify actions. "I'll use my 'fast' to dodge the bullet", "I'll use my invulnerability to deflect the ray", or whatever. Any descriptor can be used for any purpose that makes sense to the group at large.

I think there ought to be a way to temporarily add a descriptor to a power source dynamically in play by using some other resource, allowing for novel or previously unknown abilities to surface. These could be purchased permanently through character generation, but until then would require in-play expenditure and possibly even group voting/veto power (sort of like in Baron Munchausen, when any other player can challenge a 'fact').

There should also be some way of pumping your abilities, such as with a call-on trait (Donjon, I believe) or rolling your successes as bonuses to another action (a la Sorcerer).

I'm toying with you buying your Power Sources with a pool of points which match the number of relationships you have. So, if you have ten relationships (either enemy or ally) all at strength two, then you get twenty points worth of power sources, or whatever. Basically, each point of power source is +1, each value in your core descriptors (ie, motiviation, or whatever) is +1, each point of relationship is -1, each power-source drawback is -1.

Other thoughts: Any uncontested action by a superhero is successful if the descriptor-narration makes sense.

All non-humans and mundane actions are automatically trumped by superbeings -- people with guns fail if opposed by a superbeing with a descriptor who can justify applying that super-descriptor to avoiding damage. You can equip mundanes (agents, police, etc) with super-technology, which makes them slightly more effective, but still mostly mooks.

Another thought I had involved the enemy relationships -- You ought to be able to take a new 'foe' relationship with someone after you encounter them once or twice, and get some sort of bonus when interacting with them because you 'get to know them'. Of course, they would get a similar bonus. In addition, I'm thinking that things like Boon Companion, Sidekick, Ally, Nemesis, Alluring, etc. would have specialized meanings indicating the nature of the in-game role of the character.

Also, defense comes in two different forms: "take a licking, keep on ticking" -- Invulnerability or Resistance or Armor -- and "Avoidance" -- Dodging out of the way. If you resist something by letting it hit you and being resistant, you still take damage. You just aren't taken down right away. Avoiding is avoiding, however. Note that you can try to avoid and fail, then resist with an invulnerability or resistance. If you don't have an appropriate way of doing either, you go down.

Kind of binary combat. If two super strong guys start wailing on each other, they keep taking damage, but don't go down until they run out of 'hit points' or whatever. If they wail on someone who keeps avoiding them, they aren't doing any damage to their opponent. If they wail on someone with no defense who can't avoid or resist, that target goes down automatically and instantly.

Unless you can defend with a power, you go down when attacked with a superpower.

Anyway, this is all pretty ill-formed, still, but slowly coming itno focus, at least for me. I welcome any comments, critiques, or questions. Thanks!

Hi Anya,

This is way looking like HeroQuest. Check out those rules as soon as possible; they'll either supplant what you're after, or provide you with necessary focus/contrast for nailing what you're after.

I still want cosmic adventure and combat, but I do want the above concerns to end up being about half the game. I'd like a 50/50 split between adventuring, and handling interpersonal social interactions.

Ron Edwards wrote:
This is way looking like HeroQuest. Check out those rules as soon as possible; they'll either supplant what you're after, or provide you with necessary focus/contrast for nailing what you're after.

Ron Edwards wrote:

AnyaTheBlue wrote: I still want cosmic adventure and combat, but I do want the above concerns to end up being about half the game. I'd like a 50/50 split between adventuring, and handling interpersonal social interactions.

Hey, I grew up reading The Avengers too! Could you believe it when Mantis was making a play for the Vision, and the Scarlet Witch was right there? And the Vision, you know, being an android and all, is still getting all of his emotions-issues all worked out, so he's vulnerable to this sort of thing. And the Swordsman just gets madder and madder, 'cause Mantis is supposed to be his girlfriend? Man!

Hey Anya,

This isn't quite what you're looking for, but somewhat related. I'm working on a "taking the OGL to task" mod for Mutants & Masterminds called Argonauts, that, while still basically d20, uses a narrativist damage system that I've wondered about using in other superhero-style games.

Argonauts is about epic Greek superheroes from myth and legend, all of whom are doomed to die a tragic death. So, instead of taking damage, you mark off boxes that move them closer and closer to their Fate. At certain points along the path, there are omens and realizations of tragic flaws, each of which occurs "on schedule" as the character progresses towards doom. However, there are also Hubris mechanics which allow the character to avoid their Fate but risk facing the wrath of the gods.

Anyway, I was thinking about the possibilties of using something similar in a non-tragedy-based game. Shreyas was trying something a bit like it in his classical Indian Vedic superheroes game (look that one up, if you get a chance), but I just like the fact that you could have damage trigger emotional reactions in a character or narrative points in the story. You know, like the part when Wolverine gets beat the crap out of and ends up in the Hellfire Club basement, pissed as all hell, ready to take on the world? Or when Spider-Man pushes through the pain and picks up a car to throw at someone?

Just a thought.