From: dvandom@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dave Van Domelen)
Subject: Re: superhero game suggestions
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 20:04:13 GMT

Well, in the unabashed plug department, I'd recommend the Avengers Of Justice 
system by Better Games, which will be featured in #3 of the new Space Gamer 
(which I am assured is coming out Real Damn Soon...this week or next).  It 
emphasizes Roleplay over Rollplay, and the system is pretty simple (but capable
of lots of neat stuff as my current campaign shows).  Game stores should be 
able to order it for you, it's $5 and has an entire game (48 pages of text, not
a cheesy Tom Wham style game) as well as scenarios and other stuff for a total 
of 96 pages.  I can't make any specific reviews yet, since I don't know what 
was all revised (I sent them my stuff in September and haven't seen any of the 
edits), but will certainly review it when I get it.
     However, if you are more interested in an established system with support 
products (not everyone wants to make up an entire game universe themselves 
after all), I have two major suggestions.  Champions is a very well done game, 
but is complex and combat can take a loooong time (4 hours for a battle with 20
combatants).  Also it's dice-heavy and number-crunching.  If you want something
simpler than Champions, I suggest Villains and Vigilantes, aptly described as 
the "Beer&Pretzels Superhero System" by a friend of mine.  The system is simple
(although character creation REQUIRES a calculator) and alot of stuff is out 
there even though the company has been defunct for a long time.  It has a less 
serious tone than most games as well.
     Marvel and DC systems bite for making your own characters, since they are 
too tied to the comic universes of name.  Marvel is VERY simple, but I don't 
know about DC Heroes.  Guardians by Dark Tower has some serious balance 
problems, especially in defenses (but the rulebook is a hilarious read), and 
has no real support.  Enforcers by 21st Century games tries to combine 
Champions and V&V, and ends up with character creation more complicated than 
either system's  (V&V requires a table and a calculator, Champions requires 
only memory after a while, but Enforcers requires several mathematically 
complicated tables, calculators and pages of rules), and it also lacks good 
support.  The fact that it takes at least an hour to make a character doesn't 
help in making villains.  Superworld is really old and if you can find support 
you're a good scrounge.  GURPS Supers leaves me fairly cold, especially since 
the gap between even wimpy heroes and normals is so large in terms of points to
create.  Heroes Unlimited is a Palladium system.  If that is not enough to 
dissuade you, try thinking of a supers system based on AD&D stats and you'll be
close.  It's a kludge, and not a pretty one.
     Oh, one other advantage of the Avengers Of Justice system: you can write 
up a simple villain on two lines.  My entire Rogues Gallery is only 7-10 pages,
and has 60-80 villains.
     Dave Van Domelen, "The essence of comedy is that all jokes are in-jokes, 
which only certain groups will get.  The trick is to know what group you're 
talking to before you open your mouth." - me
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc