Something Marvel-ous

[shaggy]

I found the greatest thing that will help with a Marvel RPG. I will start thinking about a lot of different things today. Also this all depends on who's interested. I haven't decided if you can play an already current character, but if you can give me good reason *looks at anteaus*. Also I don't know what to run it in. Maybe freestyle, maybe tri-stat. Your opinions please.

*EDIT* because I'm a moron.

[Kensai]

Hmm, talking from my experience (as a freestyle sim player) I'd say a freestyle Marvel sim might be very hard to play... Because your character literally IS a super-character.

Without limitations, this can easily get out of hand as a GM. Think about how you would 'limit' someone who has Wolverine's power of regeneration. You end up having players that can easily dispatch any form of opponent with ease, unless you create equally powerful villians.

Perhaps a rule based system is better, but more limiting (I don't know much about rule-based systems). It all depends what you would like to do with the game...
Do you want a 'Wouldn't it be cool if...'
Or a 'What if <hero> fought <villian>?'
Or an exploration of the back stories of the Marval characters...

That's my view

[artemi]

Too be fair, though, if you were running a super HERO game, you would equally need super VILLIANS to fight. Crooks robbing a store just doesn't do it anymore.

Though... yeah, I can see Wolfie getting out of hand. At the same time, though, with rules based systems, then you run the risk of players being 'held back' from their idea due to rules issues. That not good, either...

[Atreides Conscript]

Mutants and Masterminds would be a heavy suggestion of mine. That system was pretty much created to handle the superhero type....

I still don't see the game going anywhere interesting though. Most of the characters in the Marvel universe are pretty well fleshed-out. Unless you can bring something interesting to the table, you won't have too many biters.

Also, I can't see a game with all new superheroes being fitting and interesting. If you focus solely on the new characters (which would be prudent as they are your PCs), then you only have the backdrop of the Marvel universe to work with... i.e. locations and name-recognition. Kinda boring and really leaves little excuse to associate the game with Marvel at all. At that point you could run a more original game with your own universe.

Second, if you want the Marvel universe to be involved more heavily, then (still assuming that you work with non-established heroes) you would have to bring in heroes from the Marvel universe proper. This poses a great complication.... How does a GM avoid letting the superhero, obviously the more powerful character, overshadow the PCs? This is an obvious complication when you bring in high-power NPCs with or without name-recognition.

The only scenario that works within the last backdrop is a scenario in which a main Marvel NPC is defeated or captured and the PCs must band together in order to defeat the villain(s) and/or rescue the NPC. That's just a bit stale for a main story. I'm pretty sure that such a scenario has played out in the comic books several hundred times in various different forms....

So yeah, if you're going to do this, then you'll have to take such things into consideration. Think about what superhero NPCs would do to the game, and what danger they pose to the story's enjoyability. I remember a certain Sascha Vykos NPC that was involved in another certain Vampire game I played. I honestly believe that such involvement weakened what was a potentially good game.

Don't run unless you have a reason and a decent game. Anything less does nothing more than crap on your PCs' cake and then laugh at them about it.

[shaggy]

Actually the story I am working on is kind of like Marvel Ultimate Alliance. It is a problem so big it involves all the Marvel characters, like the Civil War, the Secret Wars, or the Infinity Gauntlet. I don't mind if they play an already established character. I just have a few that I will say no to because they are essential to the plot.

[Atreides Conscript]

Also, beware of things getting too big. It is difficult to run a role-play war unless you put the focus in the right places.

[shaggy]

I have been thinking about this and I think I would like to do a super hero school. I will set it in the Marvel Universe, but it is not set in the past. So that means original characters for all PCs. I am still working on the main plot, but it will kind of be like Sky High where it is revealed until late. I am thinking of doing BESM d20. I think that would be the best.