Supers without costumes

[Steve]

I am putting together a campaign write-up to pitch to my group about doing a superhuman-based campaign, but one without them being 'superheroes' with costumes. The idea suggested itself to me while I was reading the comic Planetary.

I like the idea of the Planetary Foundation as a basis for adventuring, and I was wondering if anyone else had ever done such a campaign. What are the advantages and disadvantages you have found in doing superhumans in a superhero world who aren't costumed heroes, just adventurers who happen to have superpowers?

[nexus]

I am putting together a campaign write-up to pitch to my group about doing a superhuman-based campaign, but one without them being 'superheroes' with costumes. The idea suggested itself to me while I was reading the comic Planetary.

I like the idea of the Planetary Foundation as a basis for adventuring, and I was wondering if anyone else had ever done such a campaign. What are the advantages and disadvantages you have found in doing superhumans in a superhero world who aren't costumed heroes, just adventurers who happen to have superpowers?

The biggest disadvantage I've run into is just explaining the idea to most of the players. The idea of powers seems to draw them toward full blown costumed supers. I've found it works best if you give the powers more of the single them like all the characters have bionics or psychic abilites and keep the point totals kind of low, but that's just my experience.

[Kid Chaos]

I ran a pulp age game in which almost no one dressed up in what could be classified as a costume. The real difference between having costumes and not in a super setting is protecting yourself and your friends and family.

You might also want to read White Wolf's Abberent RPG, Mark Wagner's Mage Comic series and Marvel's New Universe comic book titles for other takes on the everyday superhero.

[OddHat]

It works well, as long as your players are looking for a pulpish or cinematic feel rather than a silver age comic feel. I don't think power levels are an issue; Sci Fi is full of insanely powerful heroic characters who don't wear costumes. However, you do need to make sure that your players understand what you're trying to do.

I agree that Aberrant is a good source for a Real World with Supers approach, even though it did have some serious problems.

[Blue]

It doesn't hurt to mention the film Unbreakable, where Bruce Willis and neither villain (Sam Jackson and the serial killer) wore costumes.

And the syndicated TV show "Mutant X" is basically supers without costumes. Just the occasional flashy matix-esque trenchcoat.

[Steve]

Thanks for the suggestions given.

The group I am playing with has never done any sort of superhero gaming before or reads comics, so my thought was that taking the explorer/adventurer concept from other genres and bringing it over into the modern day might be a good way to introduce a world with superpowered people and adventuring possibilities amidst it. I will probably be making good use of both Champions and Dark Champions to a degree, and I anticipate a strong Bronze Age/Iron Age feel coming out in the playing.

[Kal'daka]

I run a Galactic Champions based adventures and we do not use costumes hardly at all because we traverse the galaxies and such it works fine. Would offer a little more of a challenge on a one world but not much.

[Hugh Neilson]

Costumes really evolved because comics are a very visual medium. It shouldn't be that hard to run a "no costumes" supers games as long as all the players understand the ground rules.

There was a thought of making the X-Men costumeless in the early '70's - one issue of Marvel team-Up tried this out. The logic was that you didn't need costumes to tell them apart because each was visually unique (Jean Grey the only female; Angel had wings; Beast was bulky; Iceman was iced up and Cyke had the red eye thing going).

Another good book to look at for this subgenre is ESPers. The characters were all psionic in theory, but the types of power were very diverse.

[Victim]

Costumes really evolved because comics are a very visual medium. It shouldn't be that hard to run a "no costumes" supers games as long as all the players understand the ground rules.

Not that I'm a comics expert or anything, but I thought that traditional costumes evolved because they were easy to draw?

[sinanju]

I am putting together a campaign write-up to pitch to my group about doing a superhuman-based campaign, but one without them being 'superheroes' with costumes...

What are the advantages and disadvantages you have found in doing superhumans in a superhero world who aren't costumed heroes, just adventurers who happen to have superpowers?

I played in a "supers without costumes" game for years...without realizing it. We were nominally playing Traveller. But over the years we'd added lots of extra weapons, armor and technology, psionics, mutations from Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha, as well as things we cribbed from tv, comics, movies, novels, etc. It was insane by the time we were done.

It was also a hell of a lot of fun. But because we never _thought_ of it as "Supers", we never considered putting on costumes and striking poses. We just played (amoral, ruthless, murderous as often as not) mercenaries and adventures who possessed a wide variety of godawful mutant powers and/or psionic abilities, fighting other gangs of mutant adventurers. The bodycount tended to be appalling; creating a nifty character (mutations and psionic powers were randomly assigned) was both good and bad. Good because you'd be king of the roost...for a while. Bad because you _knew_ he was gonna buy it in the not too distant future.

[Hugh Neilson]

Not that I'm a comics expert or anything, but I thought that traditional costumes evolved because they were easy to draw?

Well, I suspect they evolved in large part because Superman sold, but primary colours were considered attention-grabbers. I recall reading a commentary that the creators of the new X-Men envisioned Colossus as the team's major draw, so his costume was primary colours that would shine on the covers.

[Have a look at some Golden Age costumes - Green Lantern and Dr. Midnight shine, for example. They were very detailed, much more so than the spandex that came into vogue with the silver age Flash.]

[Storn]

You are quite right. The superhero costume came about because of intense deadlines for artists in the 30s and 40s. They needed to do 3 pages a day in those days compared to a page a day now. Eliminating folds and clothing made it much easier to crank out the stuff... as well as creating an instantly identifiable persona. And Supes certainly paved the way for all super heroes in so many regards, this included.

But costume as an idea doesn't really come around with Supes in 1938. The Scarlet Pimpernel, mask and all, is an 18th century literary creation. Zorro was created in 1915. Buster Crabbe certainly has a kind of superhero costume in the early Flash Gordan serials. Those are around 1932 I believe. I'm not sure when the Shadow was created... but it was around then too.

I, myself, can't understand why almost any superhero would go anywhere without some sort of pocket. Superheroes need to carry keys, money, cell phone just like the rest of us, and probably more important to carry those things than the rest of us. Lives are on the line. Not to mention a first aid kit.

Now, I think the trend towards "real clothing" is quite evident. Of course, real clothing increasingly looks more superhero. BMX motorcycle leathers, downhill skiers... I still remember the spiderman like olympic uniforms of the US team a while ago. Just look at the Columbia or Patagonia catalogues... they are chock full of military looking vests and sleek outfits.

In fact, I recently lost my car. This morning, I have to bicycle to work and one the way I'm going to stop by a sports store and pick up some spandex pants for those wet days. I'm no superhero, but necessity forces me to dress like one partly.

[Yogzilla]

[snip]...just adventurers who happen to have superpowers?

You mean the Fantastic Four?

[Publius]

I have had a problem as communicating this type of concept accurately to my players in the past. When I tried a game in this non-costume style, two of the three players created essentially costumed characters. I ended up taking the "Movie-style X-men" route and suggested a cotume-like uniform (also armored, which helped) which struck a sort of happy medium.

In my present Hero game, Secret IDs are more important for setting reasons, so I have more-or-less costumed characters (it matches my current trend towards using Animated-style artwork). Although these are definitely not "over the top" either: Minuteman sort of wears an overcoat and domino mask (his ID is an "open secret"; the mask gives him plausible deniability and at the same time gratifies his desire for attention) and Specter wears a face-mask with a duster.

I go back and forth over the costume issue for my settings, I prefer the greater suspension of disbelief for the non-costumed setting, but understand the need to go full out 4-color as well.

[Badger]

Hmm, interesting havent read the whole thing yet, though. My namesake didnt have a costume. Just fought in his T-shirt and blue jeans. (guess he wasnt into spandex, LOL) Anyway, it was kind of a reflection of my opinions. I loved comics and stuff. But, I have never been able to get past the annoyingly goofy costumes they all wear. Well, just a minor irritation, really.

But it will screw up any secret ID of course.