Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!amd70!decwrl!daemon From: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Let's see some superheroes Message-ID: <4662@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Tue, 20-Dec-83 10:38:38 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.4662 Posted: Tue Dec 20 10:38:38 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 24-Dec-83 11:16:41 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Western Research Lab, Los Altos, CA Lines: 65 From: Ed Featherston HL01-1/P06 225-5241 Begin Forwarded Message: ------------------------------------------- Newsgroup : net.games.frp >From : KRYPTN::TS1::BURROWS Organization : Digital Equipment Corp. Subject: RE: Let's see some superheroes A few ideas on running SHRPGs (a friend insists on pronouncing FRPG as fur-pig, I suppose that makes these Shear-pigs in contrast?) based on our SuperWorld campaigns, reported in an earlier message. 1) Beware of superpower escalation. You need to keep a balance between having characters too deadly or invulnerable by being unnbalanced and to well rounded in terms of their powers. Our second campaign was more successful in in this regard. The characters were based on DC's All-Star Squadron, and not nearly as powerful as the first campaign. Over-all they were more well rounded. When unable to use their main power, any of them could resort to throwing punches. None of them could ignore damage long enough to pulverize the oposition, although Steel and Robotman could take quite a lot. 2) Watch out for creating powerful Non-Player organizations that the players can rely on for equipment/inteligence etc. A conection with gov't can be quite useful as a source of information and missions, but you don't really want a THUNDER-like group they can go to to re-equip all the time, and explaning why they can't gets kind of tough. After all if the mad Dr Dispicable is really a menace to the whole world, why are our heroes taking him on all alone. And if their are others out to get him, where are they, and why don't we team up. All in all I'd recommend creating a world in which the players are some of the first superheroes, ala Marvel in the early 60's or DC in the late 50's. you can always grow the strong NPC groups and the player group's connections. After all, the Avengers didn't start with gov't IDs and security clearences and everything. Make 'em earn it. Some gov't connections can be useful to remove unwanted loot in the form of enemy weapons out of the player's hands. I had a hard time explaning why my character wouldn't keep the nifty blaster he took of a fallen foe as a backup weapon. After all I knew he didn't have the hero points to buy the gun (It was a dilly) but HE didn't. 3) Concentrate a LOT on world building. It gets tempting to turn a SHRPG into smash and grab, or at least smash. The grabbing is best left to the baddies. The best cure for this is a huge amount of world building. Give 'em lots of plot lines. Explore the player characters' backgrounds. If one of them wants to be Fu Manchu's son, let him. THen embroil them in all the Eastern intrigue they can take. if someone wants to take the disability of being a psyhopath ala Wolverine, give him bad press, make people mistrust him. 4) Look for players who either have a comix background or are good enough role-players to really get into the spirit of things. They need to play by the comics code or at least some form of Heroic Code. Well, enough for now. (UUCP) {decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!rhea!kryptn!ts1!burrows (ARPA) decwrl!rhea!kryptn!ts1!burrows@Berkeley decwrl!rhea!kryptn!ts1!burrows@SU-Shasta ------------------------------------------- End Forwarded Message