Superhero game

I blame the shows I've been binge watching on Netflix such as Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice. I think it would be really fun to play a superhero game. I think the JLU show demonstrated a great way to run a superhero game: teams of superheros taking care of threats across the world. I know that Gamersplane supports the Marvel Universe RPG and I've heard of Mutants & Masterminds, but I wondered what would be the best (I'd settle for really good) to run a superhero game?
The type of superheroes game I would want to play in would have to be a Justice League level world threatening issues kind of game where heroes would have to worry not only about the catastrophic damage the villains were causing/about to cause, but also the safety of the innocents.
So what system should I learn for this sort of game?

Its funny you should ask. Green Ronin is right now doing a Bundle of Holding promotion for Mutants and Masterminds 3 Edition.

You can find it here.

I've never played it, but this game is supposed to be the best system for superheros there is.

Just finished watching Netflix's Daredevil, season 1 of the Flash, halfway through Jessica Jones and starting up JLU and YJ here soon. I've been wanting to try out a Mutants and Masterminds game for a while, but not sure if it's good for that kind of campaign or not.

I've always loved the Marvel Superheroes system from the late 90s/early 2000s. It was unique, robust, more RP focused.

Squaron UK is a pretty fun superheroes rpg. Also played hero system a bit back in the day.

Marvel's Luke Cage season 1 starts Sep. 30 on Netflix (Dare Devil spin off)

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! For now, I'm going to check out M&M 3e to see if that his the right button for me.

In my opinion M&M is good...but it doesn't quite capture the JLA feel. The problem I have is the "power level" system. Being d20 based...power levels are similar to D&D class levels. A level 3 character doesn't even compare to a level 15 chearacter. If you play an extended campaign PCs will grow in power. That isn't something you really see in comics and cartoons you mentioned...but it is not a bad thing if you plan for it.

For my money Fate based Venture City Stories is the system to use. The setting is a little dystopic cyberpunk, in that characters fight corporate greed, but you can build a world that suits your desires easily.

Also try checking out the Cypher system from Monte cooks games. It's easy to learn and has a wide range of options for players to choose from. You can easily tailor your world around it.

Thanks for the tip. I've never played Fate, but I'd like to learn. As for power levels, I've only ever known leveling system games so I don't know what else to think even though superheroes don't normally "level up".

Cypher System could work. I ran Numenera once, so I'm curious what sort of super powers would be available or teammates from that system.
Thanks for the suggestion!

Well, yes and no, it does happens in comic book, but not anywhere near what a d20-based system would be. Usually, a superhero grows in power over the course of several decades of publication, and is usually more from several different authors doing their own things and not caring too much about established continuity. The best example would be Superman who got retconed once because he was too damn powerful, and even then, he still ended up learning Kryptonian martial arts. He also ended up getting a sort of solar-flare type attack last year or so ago IIRC...

I've actually been working on trying to flesh out a Superhero based RPG built on the Apocalypse World system. Any insight on what is a good and what is a bad system for this already would be great. I've heard things about Champions.

I think player knowledge can be a huge issue when playing a superhero game. If a player knows the limit of their character's power, they'll use it. That takes away from the story, I think. Someone playing the Flash won't have that special moment when they discover they can run around the city so fast to punch Lex Luthor/Brainiac apart and discover it's so fast that they tear a hole in reality.

Yeah, that was what I meant. I remember Generation-X and X-Force characters getting "upgrades" to their abilities, like Husk from Gen-X, learning to turn into acid for a second, or Boomer in X-Force being able to create more "bombs" at one time as time went on. But yeah, the Superman example was more about writers choosing to give him powers when they wanted/needed them in the Silver Age. But it all depends on the story you want to tell.

If superpowers can grow in the course of the story, that is fine, but it adds a dynamic that Marvel & DC don't address often. If the characters moved from "street-level" to "world-destroying" threats you could work in the "Who watches the watchmen?" aspect of nigh-invincible super humans.
I enjoy Fate. In Venture City is in my opinion, very easy to work with. There is a list of powers that cover practically every power I've ever conceived of. It gives you the exact mechanical benefit of each one in like a menu, you just pick the ones that you want until you are out of slots to plug them into.
An Apocalypse world supers game sounds interesting. I have heard about "Masks: A New Generation" that is a superhero/teen drama game using AW. It doesn't seem to be available yet though.

If you end up playing Mutants and Masterminds I'd definitely be in.

http://www.classicmarvelforever.com/cms/advanced-game-and-modules.html

That's quite a resource, although there's a questionable copyright issues here since I'm pretty sure Marvel/Disney owns the rights to that IP. Even if it isn't being published anymore. Anyone have better insight on this?

No copyright issues. TSR no longer exists. And while there are Marvel Superheroes RPG in existence right now, they are not using that system. Nobody bought the right to that system, so it has become "abandonware" of sort. Kind of like what happened to WEG's old Star Wars rpg...

I ran a supers game, just once, but used Feng Shui. The nature of the game, that you're at action movie hero level to start, worked well, and we just made super powers out of sorcery and martial arts schticks. It worked really well.

I ran a game of Fate for a super hero game and it went really well. The aspects are so open that you can essentially make any power set you want. The only issue is that there's little to no progression in Fate for the most part, but it can still feel like you're progressing with story and character RP cues.

I'm willing to jump into Fate or M&M.

This is off the original topic, but I'm not entirely sure that's true. Marvel owns the copyright to material and would have licensed it to TSR. Its true that TSR no longer exists, but all of the Marvel content is still under copyright, and Wizards of the Coast owns all of TSR's IP. Copyright protection takes longer than 20 years to lapse if no one renews to license. What I wonder about is that the game is longer produced, supported, or distributed in any capacity.

Needless to say, there are options for superhero games. I think Catalyst even put out one based on the Valiant Comic Book universe.

While I don't mind crunch, I know it can bog things down. I'd like to play a system that allowed for a more cinematic feel to gameplay. Thanks for all the suggestions. It's a lot to learn.

It's been a long time since I've played a supers game, and would love to play one. I know people say that game systems encourage or discourage certain types of rp, but I honestly think it always ultimately will be a function of what the players and the GM want out of a game - so the answer to what's the best rpg for x type of game really depends on what style of mechanics you're in the mood for.

I've only played M&M2e, but 3e seems solid. If you want something crunchy and simulationist, it's your system. I really liked it's saving throw alternative to hp, and the gamer side of me loves spending piles of points and figuring out how to build powers.

Fate wise, I haven't looked at Venture City, but I love Atomic Robo. It would be a good system for playing loose and fast with powers, not really outlining the limitations but rather giving guidelines on intent. I love how aspects work and how non-combatants can contribute to combat using skills to make aspects, but it can be hard to honor everybody's aspects because it can be a lot for the GM to keep track of. And the benny/adventure point economy makes or breaks the game, so if remembering to hand them out isn't a strong suit, I'd suggest dabbling before committing.

I LOVE Marvel Heroic. I love that low powered characters are balanced against high power characters by the in game mechanics, not by balancing characters. I love how fiddly putting together dice pools is, and how gamey allocating the dice is. I love that the currency is narrative control, not power of individuals. HOWEVER, making characters is very seat of your pants, and many people seem to resent the lack of granularity (I don'the care that Thing and Hulk have equal story authority- Hulk should have a higher strength! Etc.). Humans get d6's, heroes run from d8 - d12, only 3 grades of difference. Also, the xp system... takes some getting used to. If you're into it, if suggest looking at Firefly to guide char gen and advancement, as it is a refinement of the system.

Last, I've been dying to play Masks. Dying! It just seems so damn cool! But in a way, powers are secondary. The game really focuses on social dynamics, and groups who have influence over each other. I think it could easily be hacked to not focus on young adults, but the influence thing is hard-coded into the game. You have to want superhero soap opera. But if you're cool with that, that is definitely the system that attracts me the most right now.

My $0.02, anyway.

I played Champions back in the day. Picked up M&M 3e off of AMZN because it gave me another rule system to investigate. Definitely some components of it that are interesting and likable.

Notably, Champions has an edition as late as 2010. Not sure how the Hero System differs from 1e, though.

I forgot about Champions and Hero. I like Hero, which in gameplay is super simple and very trad. The char gen is a lot like M&M3e (effects based power building - though it's probably more fair to say M&M3e is like Hero, given Hero is way older) but MUCH mathier. I wouldn't do it without the char gen program, which I haven't looked at since the Fred (5th Edition, revised). I'm assuming 6e has one, because you start getting silly stuff, like fractional multipliers to cost.

Champions I thought was the setting for Hero, then split of into its own game. Or maybe vice versa. I have little experience with it. The last edition I played was probably late 90s/early 00s, using a system called Fusion (Fuzion?) And it was... exceptionally mediocre. Check it out, make up your own mind, but for my money, I'd pick any of the others over that version.

On Champions, some random browsing of the internets seems to suggest that 4th edition may be the one to stick with, if you have the ability to get it. Apparently 5th and 6th got a little bloated and more complicated whereas 2nd, 3rd and 4th were tightening up the game that was originally released in 1e in 1981.

If you get a super hero game running at some point in the future, I would definitely check it out!

I don't think I'm going to be the one running this game anytime soon. I'm currently running one game, playing in three, work a full-time job, and a part-time student.
My dance card is kinda full.

I've always wanted to try Marvel Heroic, but my one attempt at running a super hero RPG (M&M 1e) for my face to face group left me realizing that they don't know the genre at all and still played it in murderhobos looking for loot mode so I've never tried to replicate in another system :P

I have played with the idea of running a Marvel Heroic rpg online. But since I've never run in before it would have to be the Breakout mini event first and see where it goes from there. If there's interest I could start reading up on the rules again early next week and probably have a game ready the week after :)

Lmao superman murdering a homeless person and checking the pockets. That's hilarious

Yeah, some players simply can't get out of a DnD mindset...

I would argue the percieved dnd mindset. I personally do not play dnd that way nor do I believe that was the intention. I believe that is a video game mindset where programming limits realistic reactions and consequences. Also in video games realism usually takes a back seat to gameplay.

Add to the fact that I was the only one in our group who read superhero comics and got the tropes. This was also in 2004 so the superhero movie craze was a few years off.

I dunno, my friends and I have played plenty of story driven D&D, but we've been saying, "Let's Greyhawk the bodies," since the 80s....

Which, off topic, Stranger Things - that was my friends and I: the ages, the outsider status, the weird dynamics with older siblings, the BMX bikes, all of it. Loved it. My wife just shook her head when I said, "It's awesome that they're portraying D&D, but that's not how you'd actually fight Demogorgon..."
I ran Silver Age Sentinels for my friends for a while, and realized the same thing. All my comix knowledge was weird stuff, and I knew nothing about how to put together an actual story line that was more than a super golden age, "Quick, Murderizer and the Flying O are robbing the jewelry store!" My friends liked it, but I was super uncomfortable because I felt I was bringing the wrong tropes to the party.

That said, you run MHRP, I'm there in a heartbeat. Also Exalted, because that's just anime superheroes of mythic pan-Asia. Which, come to think of it, I believe I saw a neat MHRP hack for running Exalted somewhere....

Anybody actually planning to run one of these? If so, count me in?

Same here.

I would like to, have made a dedicated thread here.

Haha! I have a very similar schedule, but would really like to try a supers game.