question about other super RPGs

**tenebre** · Mar 6th, '03, 05:10 AM

what other superhero RPG stuff do you use for your Hero game?

what is easily useable and convertable?
and marvel or DC stuff? V&V seems pretty easy to use

**Monolith** · Mar 6th, '03, 05:19 AM

My game is set in the Champions Universe. I am also currently using San Angelo as a western city. I will be incorporating Freedom City (M&M) into my game when it arrives (FC has the same "Astro City" feel of San Angelo, plus the comic book feel of Champions Universe). I have not used Empire City from SAS, but that is because there are already so many superheroes in the CU New York. I have used some of the villains from SAS and Roll Call in my game though. I also plan on using both Emergency Response (SAS) and the Time Of Crisis (GR) modules when they come out.

From past products I have used nearly every DC Heroes module produced. I have not used many of the Marvel Superheroes modules (as I thought they were too character specific), but I have used most of the V&V modules over the last 16 years of gaming. I have not used much for Aberrant or Brave New World, but mostly because those two superhero games have a specific, non-traditional four-color enviroment.

**Tom McCarthy** · Mar 6th, '03, 08:27 AM

Like Monlith, I play 4-color campaigns. That means I can use just about any 4-color RPG's products in my campaign.

I find Aberrant and Brave New World aren't 4-color, so all I can use from them is a few characters and some power concepts. Godlike is set in a time frame I don't use, so again character concepts are the main thing.

I don't have any V&V, but DC, Marvel, and Marvel (SAGA) all offer get story, hero and villain ideas. I actually have to tip the hat to Marvel SAGA here; while the game mechanics are distinctly different from any other game, the adventure books contain many more plot seeds than a similar sized product from DC or MSH, and the power descriptions can easily give you a notion of who's capable of what.

So far, SAS and Roll Call have some interesting and some not so interesting characters, with high power levels being the prime impediment to using it all. I was very late picking up M&M, but it looks like a good source to mine for data.

Lastly, I play every third week with guys who haven't seen much of the published material from 1st-4th edition. Between DOJ and old stuff, I have plenty of Hero stuff to choose from and plenty of time running Hero stuff to work on porting the non-Hero stuff.

**TheEmerged** · Mar 6th, '03, 01:05 PM

I'm sort of the opposite of Tom McCarthy -- I use a lot of Aberrant terminology and Brave New World material. Then again, the campaign I'm running right now is a VILLAIN campaign (the PC's are villains), so it makes sense I'd be using less "four color" material than "grayscale".

How much do I have to rewrite versus how much I convert? Not a fair question for me, as I generally rewrite EVERYTHING, even substantial amounts of Champions material. Insert "proof I have way too much spare time on my hands" crack here if you want, but the truth is I'm a tinkerer by nature. I do this even in DnD for example, the DM and I have rewritten over half the creatures in the Monster Manual and have practically developed our own Psionics Handbook (if we can ever develop a Psychic Warrior variant that fits our system, we've joked about trying to net-publish it).

Often, it's more a matter of terminology & names than anything else. For example, I adopted the name "Team Tomorrow" for the UN superteam, and placed it and UNTIL (described as the mundane military branch) under "Project Utopia". However, about half of my T2M roster are already-existing Champion characters from 4th Edition supplements.

Similarly, I adopted the concept of a group calling itself The Defiants (from Brave New World) that formed to resist the Nova Registration Act, that ended up splintering into 4 branches due to a lack of good leadership. Having said that, the only characters from Brave New World's Defiants that have made the transition to the campaign world are Patriot and the Salvador guy leading the Isla Delta branch of the Defiants.

**rjd59** · Mar 8th, '03, 09:09 AM

Luckily,like Tom,the majority of players in our game have never seen any book from any company,or really read any comics. So it makes my job as GM that much easier to use any published material that I can find. So far,I've used some V&V,Marvel,DC,GURPS,CHILL,and will eventually have run most every published HERO adventure excluding any that were in Adventurers Club books. I've even used an old Traveller adventure after some alteration when the PC's made a little off-world trip. Those sessions were quite fun actually! Our main campaign city is Boston,but the PC's have travelled to San Angelo,Hudson City,and Bay City. Other real cities they have been include New York City and Montreal ( I love the Champions of the North book).
I haven't been able to pick up SAS or M&M as of yet (still getting caught up with the 5th books) but I may in the future.
I've found that ifyou find an idea that you like in any product,it can be transferred to use in your campaign. Sometimes it takes a little more imagination and work,but can be well worth the effort.

**Space Cadet** · Mar 19th, '03, 06:31 AM

Got a question for you, Monolith: which superhero RPG were
you referring to with the letters 'GR'?

Space Cadet

**Monolith** · Mar 19th, '03, 06:44 AM

Originally posted by Space Cadet
Got a question for you, Monolith: which superhero RPG were you referring to with the letters 'GR'?

That was a mistake on my part that I did not make that clear. Time of Crisis will be out from Green Ronin for M&M in the next few months.

**Lord Mhoram** · Mar 19th, '03, 06:51 AM

Originally posted by Space Cadet
Got a question for you, Monolith: which superhero RPG were
you referring to with the letters 'GR'?

Space Cadet

I'm not Monolith, but I'll answer. GR is short for Green Ronin, the publishers of Mutants and Masterminds. Time of Crisis is an M&M module.

Edit: And Monolith answered while I was writing this. Sheesh.

In answer to the original question I use everything I can steal in my games. The ease of character creation of HD and its ability to output in writers guideline format has caused me to go into conversion overdrive. I've been converting at least one character a day off from V&V, Gurps Supers, M&M, SAS, my old campaigns, Prefifth HERO books and updating the two superworld modules. I don't do much with DC or Marvel. The characters have too much stuff (history, backstory, recognition) with them, although I have done a few powers/skills conversions and used new backgrounds and names (I plan on redoing the classic mid eighties LSH this way).

I use in my world San Angelo, and I plan on using both Empire City and Freedom city. I use characters from all of them all over the place. I also plan on using supertemps. I mostly use them for world background, one shot npcs and such. Characters that will have recurring roles in my game I build, but I do a quick and dirty conversion and I have a background character fleshed out and ready to go for a lot less work.

**CleverName** · Mar 19th, '03, 11:14 AM

I use San Angelo, but I'm not hesitant to steal from other sources such as Abberant.

One of the strengths of HERO is that I can interpret anything w/o have to work hard, so I take advantage of it.

I'd probably steal more for M&M and SAS, but I can't afford to buy that stuff AND keep up with HERO...

**Law Dog** · Mar 22nd, '03, 08:48 AM

Originally posted by CleverName

I'd probably steal more for M&M and SAS, but I can't afford to buy that stuff AND keep up with HERO...

You could always read the stuff at the game store. I never translate anything literally anyway. Sometimes I come up with new twists on the powers and concepts that I like better anyway.