Six of the Best Superhero Tabletop Role Playing Games
July 17, 2014 in SUPERHEROES
SUPERHEROES/ROLE PLAYING GAMES – Six of the Best Superhero Tabletop Role Playing Games
There’s a TON of Superhero Tabletop Role Playing Games (RPGs) out there. I own quite a few. I thought I’d point out six that are worth taking a closer look at.
These are by no means the only ones worth looking at. Just a few of the good ones.
If you’ve read my blog enough, you know I love the superhero genre and I also like tabletop RPGs.
I also, occasionally run games. When a person does this, they are usually called a “Game Master” or GM for short.
Some tabletop RPGs are “crunchier” than other. Which is to say, they have more complicated rules. Others are not so bad. Some take more effort to GM, others take less because of the rules and resources available. Some are even easy to improvise.
Some games allow a lot of versatility in character creation and gameplay. Others are more restrictive.
Below I take all of these things into account.
Champions Complete
Champions Complete is the latest 6th edition of the HERO system rules in one books.
Versatility
When it comes to character creation you can create anything you can imagine. The sky’s the limit. The HERO system is especially designed to be the most versatile rpg out there. Its deep.
As far as versatility of superhero play and how well is simulates comics, it’s good but not great. You can’t get too creative with your powers. If you want to do a crazy stunt that fudges the boundaries of your powers, you pretty much can’t do it. If you didn’t buy the ability, it’s off limits.
Crunch – Very High
This system is deep, the basics of the system is actually very simple, but it’s very granular. It can make for some slow deep fights.
The character creation can be a huge burden. Lot’s of math, lots of looking stuff up. We’re talking hours per character.
It’s best to buy the computer program that helps you generate characters, if you’re going to be using this system a lot.
GM Friendliness
As I said before, the gameplay system is deep. It will take a lot of work to really learn it so that it plays fast. Character creation is just too much work. Which means inventing characters on the fly is out. Hours of prep work will be needed.
However, the Champions source book
Mutants Masterminds
It’s based on a slightly streamline version of the D20 system.
Versatility
M&M is just as versatile as Champions. Any superhero and power you can think to create you can create. The sky’s the limit.
As to the versatility of play in how it captures the comic book feel, it’s quite good. Players get “Hero points” which can be spent on “stunts” that allow them an occasional, one time only, extra power or rules brake when the story or moment calls for it.
This makes the M&M game feel more superheroic .
Crunch – High
The game play system is simple in theory. However there’s a lot of small crunchy rules to keep track of.
It’s much easier to make supers in M&M. However, it’s still not fast. Character creation takes quite a bit of time and there’s still a bit of math and looking up powers involved.
GM Friendliness
Again, because of the time it takes to make characters, it’s difficult to make characters on the fly. However, the best thing about M&M is that it had the DC Universe license and you can get the DC Adventures Heroes Handbook
Source books for running different superhero genres in M&M are great too.
Super Powers Companion (Savage Worlds, Second Edition)
The Superheroes Companion is a source book for Savage Worlds that helps you play superheroes in the system.
Versatility
In order to cut down on complexity, the versatility of the types of characters and power that can be created using the Superheroes Companion isn’t as robust as in Champions and M&M. That said, it’s not bad at all.
However, it does capture the heroics of superhero play very well. Players get points called “Beanies” that are awarded to the player by the GM or other players which can be used to do superheroic stuff and break rules.
Also, the inclusion of “exploding dice” just takes it over the top. “Exploding dice” is when you roll the highest number on a die and when you do, you get to roll it again and add the extra number to the roll.
Crunch – Medium
Character creation can take about 30 minutes or less in the system. Almost no math required.
Fighting is fast, furious and fun. Everything is very straight forward. Super easy system to learn.
It’s one of my personal favorite systems.
GM Friendliness
One of the few systems, that I know of, which require almost no prep time. You can easily make characters up on the spot.
Fights are really fast. The system is super easy to learn. It’s really a great system to GM.
BASH!
Versatility
It’s not quite as robust as Champions and M&M but it’s quite good. Character creation is quick and easy.
As some other games above, BASH! has what it calls a “Hero Point” which every character is given at the beginning a session. It allows rules breaking to simulate heroic action. It also includes type of “exploding dice” that occurs when doubles are rolled.
Crunch – Medium
The game play system is simple but it’s very math heavy, requiring multiplication. The reasoning for this is to teach math calculations to kids as the game is played.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. I kinda found myself looking forward to the math. It’s very helpful.
Character creation is very simple and fast.
GM Friendliness
Very easy to improvise. Characters can be created on the spot.
Resources for the game are a bit limited, but a lot of them are free.
Not as many resources in the system to help a GM come up with story ideas.
ICONS
Versatility
This game is not meant to have a versatile character creation system. It’s simply supposed to be fast.
You randomly roll up a character, and in about fifteen minutes, you’re ready to play. There is an optional point buy system but it’s not as fun as rolling up a character. The powers here are limited.
However, the gameplay is VERY open. It’s a very versatile system in that it allows players to really play out their powers in a very limitless way.
Crunch – Lite
The game is based on the FATE system. It’s really a very lite system. Easy to pick up. Easy to understand.
GM Friendliness
This is a very easy and fun system. It’s unique and expressive. You can play this game without prep time. Characters can be created on the spot.
Resources for story and adventure creation aren’t very robust.
Still, this is a great system. Especially if you just want to get a game up and running fast.
Prowlers & Paragons
Prowlers & Paragons (P&P) is the game I just recently became aware of. The art for the game really caught my eye. It’s the best things about the books.
That said, it’s also a pretty good system.
Versatility
Like Champions and M&M, character creation in P&P is very robust. You can make anything you can think to make and you can do it relatively quick.
This systems emphasizes, storytelling over rules. This makes it very easy to simulate superheroic situations you might find in comics.
It has a points systems called “Resolve” that is awarded to players many different ways. The “Resolve” points can be use do to, many things that play up the heroic aspects of characters in play.
It also has an “exploding dice” system, that only make the game that much cooler.
Crunch – Lite
P&P is very rules lite. It’s meant to be more about the story than the mechanics. The mechanics are there mostly to enforce creativity.
It’s easy to learn, and easy to play.
Character creation is simple. Almost no math required…almost.
GM Friendliness
When the players are inputting as much story into the game as the GM, it can only make the game easier to run. This is much more a collaborative storytelling session than it is the GM having to come up with everything.
Characters can be improvised on the fly. There’s plenty of resources and idea generators in the book to help create adventures.
Great superhero game system.
What’s Your Favorite System
Do you play superhero tabletop RPGs? What’s you’re favorite? Let me know in the comments below.
Want Me to Draw Your RPG Superhero Character?
I’m currently experimenting and I’m curious about maybe drawing some superhero characters that you may have made up. I’ll do them from free (for a limited time.) I’d just like your permission to make a video of me drawing it.
Let me know if you’re interested by commenting below.
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Are you including new games for some reason?
What about DC Heroes? And Marvel Super Heroes is available for free online along with all its supplements.
And Superworld is better than Champions or M&M and is available as a PDF.
No V&V? Also still available in print from the publisher!
Yes, I’m mostly writing about new games.
All the games you mentioned are fine games and many are considered classics. I’ve never played them though. I read the rules for Marvel Heroes and the whole chart thing kinda bugged me, but maybe I should give it a shot anyway.
The games I mention on my list are the games I like most. I heard Smallville is good but I haven’t read it or played it so it’s not on my list. There’s a TON of games I left out. I’m sure I’d like a lot of them. Here’s a link to a 13 part blog post of every superhero tabletop rpg ever made in order of history up to 2012.
http://ageofravens.blogspot.com/2013/10/history-of-superhero-rpgs-part-one-1978.html
I didn’t even know so many superhero rpgs existed.
As I said in my intro to this post,
So If I left out your favorites, it’s okay, I’m glad you brought them up so others can check those out too.
Under ‘Crunch’ for Champions, you probably meant to refer to the system as very granular, not glandular. The former is accurate, the latter would be rather gross.
OH NO! Ha ha ha! I didn’t realize I’d done that. Thanks for pointing it out. I’ll fix it.
I have also had a long association with supers games. Lately that has turned into “rules fatigue”. The two systems I now like are Savage Worlds for the reasons you have stated and because I can crossover to any genre from them (alternate future sci fi with extra dimensional incursions crossed over with Nazi cultists anyone?). The other is Wild Talents. There is just something about the “feel” of it. Very Watchmen like. Out of the big two though it has to be Champions, the one that got me started (2nd ed) and I love it FOR. the crunch. The Hickman Marvel game also rates, but what a short life it had.
I haven’t read the Hickman Marvel game, but I’ve heard good things. From the sound of the game, it didn’t seem like it had enough support from the start.
I do own and have read the SMALLVILLE rpg which uses the Cortex system as well. I think it’s fantastic. A very different, more character relationship based supers game. It’s so different that I didn’t put it on the list because I haven’t actually played to find out how it rates a superhero rpg.
Thanks for the feedback Rod.
Enjoyed your posts on superhero rpgs. I used to like the old Mayfair version of DC Heroes, and Golden Heroes from Games Workshop. I also like Icons and Bash. Powers and Paragons somehow slipped below my radar. Now I have to check it out. Also, you are a very talented artist. Thanks.