General Roleplaying

So, while perusing the various racks at my local comic and game store, online stores like Drive Thru RPG, and stumbling upon game reviews by lucky chance, I've come across various new and also obscure superhero RPGs. I was wondering if others had experiences reading the rules or playing them and seeing how they match up against Champions. Some examples: Brave New World - Superhero gaming is a dystopian U.S. Aberrant - Published by White Wolf Guardians - This version is based on the D20 system from D&D 1st Edition on the premise of, "What if Gary Gygax focused his energy in the superhero genre instead of the fantasy genre?" …

Ok y’all, I’ve got the itch to not only write up some characters but actually color them in. So since I’m not an artist, could any of you give some tips basic costume design and coloration? I am using the character silhouettes from the 2ed character sheet. Basically I want to keep the designs simple similar to Champions 3rd Ed. cover and previous assorted books. Seriously my wife says I’m color blind so any help in that direction, as in complimentary colors is useful. I once colored a hero with a purple top and brown pants. Thanks in advance!

the fighters are closing- slowly, but they're closing. There is no way you are going to outrun them with the driver shorting in and out like it is. You feel the power surging and dipping, sending ominous reverberations through the steel structure of the ship, as if the ship itself were moaning in pain. "Where's Fermier? Get Fermier down here, now!" "He's manning Cannon Two, Sir." "Get his ass down to the engine room, Kid!" "Sir, there's at least nine bogeys out there, and they're closing fast! We need him on the cannons!" Kid, what's the point in shooting if we can't outrun them?!" "We're short tw…

Some friends are discussing doing a 7th Sea game (2nd Edition). Has anyone looked at it? I've flipped through my friend's copy and it seems a bit different from 1st (which we used to play way back when). I've noticed they've changed the continent and opened up the "New World" for players. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Artbreeder.com is a site using A.I. and sliders to generate art, by "breeding" two pieces of art to make a hybrid, that can be subsequently bred to other pieces. Then you can save the art. High Rez files are available if you pay a few dollars/ Euros a month. It's not very useful for Superheroic content, but Heroic games Modern, Sci-Fi and Fantasy. IT also does Landscapes, and facial portraits. A lot of concept artist use these as a base, for paint overs. and because the art generated for your save has never existed before, so it's yours to use as you see fit. Copyright free (unless you copyright it yourself). This could help the artistically impaired for generating Campa…

Recently, I developed a yen for old school revival gaming systems and have downloaded several PDF's for perusal purposes, but if I were to play them seriously, I would feel ethically inclined to make sure I owned a legal copy. A lot of what I have downloaded, I know is legal. Some I know, I should buy a legitimate copy, but there are some that are in a gray zone. They are scans of old books that are out of print, and in some cases, the original publishers are out business. The question is, how can I check whether a download is free and clear or would require some action on my part to make right?

Based on what I've seen and read on various forums, "old school" gaming seems to be enjoying a bit of a resurgence in recent years across the different genres. Personally, I recently bought digital versions of Guardians and Mighty Protectors, which is Villains & Vigilantes 3rd Edition following decades of legal battle between creators Jeff Dee and Jack Herman and the owners of Fantasy Games Unlimited 😉. I never played Guardians but remember seeing it on display at my local comic and game store in the early 1990s and Villains & Vigilantes was my first experience in superhero RPGs in the early to mid 1980s before getting into Champions (Third Edition). …

I briefly owned Silver Age Sentinels (Tri-Stat) a long while ago. While a good system in its own right, the Mind/Body/Soul stat system never really clicked with me along with its power caps that would later see resurface in ICONS since it was written by the same author, Steve Kenson. I would later own Silver Age Sentinels (d20) for a short time in the hopes of attracting D&D and Pathfinder players since it followed the same system for a potential crossover. I got the idea from a reading a Spider-Man/Red Sonja crossover years ago where Red Sonja magically emerged in modern day New York City and more recently, the DC Injustice crossover with the Masters of t…

what do you think of the burning wheel game ?

Greetings! Is anyone familiar w/ RPG gaming copyright laws (legal technical terms are very confusing to me)? Very curious if I can call it a rule set of my own, legally speaking. After playing for many many years using the same fantasy game system (not D&D in case you are wondering) and collecting a stack of house rules on top of house rules as more and more people I played with became GM's themselves, I ran into another fan's version of the same game system but cosmically condensed, altered, and simplified. I was immediately inspired to attempt the same; this was about 5-6 years ago. After a wild roller coaster of marriage, divorce, a taste of homele…

Hello Hero Hive Mind, As a shameless child of the 1980s, I'm a fan of The Terminator, among other stories. I recently found a Kickstarter for a Terminator roleplaying game (see below). I'm probably going to back it to some level. Has anyone played a Nightfall game before? Any thouhts/recommendations about this system, these authors, etc.? ( )

I've been doing a fair bit of gaming in Middle-earth lately. I ran a MERP game via Tabletop Simulator (there is a bunch of MERP stuff in the Steam Workshop) a few week ago, and I'm trying to get a regular campaign going. Using Tabletop Simulator is one option; a live rpg session is another. I had come up with a bunch of house rules last year. Some are taken from the rule book; others are modified. MERP HOUSE RULES UNARMED COMBAT (BRAWLING AND WRESTLING) These rules are mainly taken from the rule book with few modifications. 1. Fist/kick (brawling) attacks use the Tooth & Claw Table (AT-5) to attack and the Unbalancing Critical…

Hey there. I'm curious...in your games, how frequently are the PCs accompanied by NPCs and just how many of these NPCs - on average - are there? --- For my next campaign, I'll be adding a few personalities to the party in order to boost their survivability until they have a level or two under their belts. Below are the three NPCs joining the party. * A young buck from their town that wants to become a paladin. * A "war wizard" returning home after a lengthy tour; they fancy the scenic route and they aren't terribly choosy about their company. Said wizard is presently located in the starting region's center of trade. …

One of the things I'd like to do (but not a resolution) this year is establish regular writing habits. Blogging is one way to do that. I figured I'd pick a couple of subjects and write at least once a week about them. Then I realized that the forums no longer have a blog function! So, we get this thread . . . I'll be attempting to post every Friday about the inanity that was my week in MMO gaming. I may mention other computer/console but non-MMO activities, but the bulk of my computerized gaming time is on MMOs, so there ya go. Feel free to jump in with anything you have to say related to MMOs, not just responding to my babbling. Create some new babble of your own…

As they say: "Location, Location, Location!" Mark has a thread going that reminded me of several other threads throughout the history of my time here-- and in particular during out attempt to kit-bash a shared fictional location for a series of Champions adventures-- At any rate, this is an unofficial survey (no; it's not a poll: there are no boxes to tick or circles to-- >gad< "bubble in." Ugh. There seem to be three different approaches to superhero settings, and I'd just like to get a little feedback from those folks who have favorites: In the largest groups (which is, for this thread, good enough), they can be d…

One of my favorite TV shows of all time, and my favorite currently on is Forged In Fire. For those who haven't watched this show, its about blacksmiths, making weapons and having them tested by a panel of experts, including historians, martial artists, and expert blacksmiths. They make knives primarily, but really any non-black powder weapon can show up, from bows to broadswords. Watching that show has taught me a lot about the relative strengths and weaknesses, as well as the things that can go wrong with weapons and how easily they can be ruined. Its been enlightening for a Fantasy Hero writer to see the differences, sometimes subtle, in weapon designs. …

So for a goof-off writeup... Powers: tough martial artist with flight...and duplication. Can make 2. Wasted much too much time hassling with a group name and individual call signs...plus one real, legal name and 2 private designators for the dupes. For the group name, just went with the Raptors...oh, ok, given exceptional sight too. There's a nice number of one-word, recognizable raptor species...Osprey, Gyrfalcon, and Goshawk. Yeah, I kinda like those. But then I was going for the trio's personal "names"...Larry, Moe, Curly? Mmmm...for reasons, doesn't really fit. <BOOM> Flashbulb The '…

There used to be a website that generated a campaign by picking three random GURPS World books. This game is based on that premise. Rules: 1. Pick exactly 3 books (not 2 or 4, 5 is right out) you own that fall under a central theme. They should come from different sources/publishers. Magazines only count if the entire issue relates to the central theme. 2. The books should be as system-neutral as possible. No core rulebooks. Game supplements and adventure scenarios are okay if they are generic enough and can easily be modified. Published settings, in literature or in rpgs, don't count: no recreating Middle-earth, Star Trek or the Marvel Universe. …

So the central notion is a flying energy projector where the effective hero form centers on 1 level of shrinking, with normal mass. Now of course a critical question is the character name. His density is basically 8...hmm. Not that many minerals have a density that high...and few that would work as a character name. Cinnabar would work and set up a striking visual; the good stuff is a gorgeous red. It's also mercury sulfide so...ehh. And it's insanely soft...2.5. Of the metals...copper would be fine too...yeahhhh...the character's hero name...Tommy Copper. I'm still working on it, yes.

With NaGa DeMon upon us (National Game Design Month) I'm going to write a setting using the Metahumans Rising system. Had a few different ideas for settings so I threw up a poll on Twitter, if anyone is interested, give us look and a vote. Ultimate Fighters Vs Street Warriors Heroes are martial artists from around the world. Each fighting for their own reasons. They are the best, but something more sinister looks in the shadows. A High Octane Gonzo Adventure setting. PSI: Paranormal Special Investigators Far Sight, telepathy, telekinesis, each hero has a gift that sets them apart from the everyday people around them. The institute pulled y…

Hello everyone, Our Friendly Local Game Store has ended in-store gaming until further notice. I feel gratitude it is still in business in the recession that has just started. Are you still doing role playing games? Will you all meet in person, or will you practice social distancing and meet online instead? Live long and prosper!

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I haven't played in a little while, but have plenty of experience with everything from Dark Champions to 4-color campaigns. Looking for something online (through discord or something similar). Feel free to ask any questions you like.

I have just run three sessions of FFG Edge of Empire. It was great fun, it has a definite Star Wars feel and some cool bits that helped the action along. My concern is that the players did not trust me enough to run through the scenario rather than edging their way along feeling out the walls and floors for secret traps. We are a long standing group and pretty open to trying new things but a chunk of the players are cautious by nature which slows the game down. I want to draw up a charter for a Star Wars game - something that makes it clear what I want as GM and for the players to hold me to when playing (in the event that I show recidivist behaviour, slidin…

Hi all, I've posted on this forum a few times before. I have always wanted to participate in a superhero rpg group. However, with the recent health problems with the virus, and the need for social distancing, I would be interested in starting a play by post game. For those who are not familiar with this method, this is where the GM posts a scenario scene, and the players "react" to it claiming responsibility for the words and actions of their PCs only, with the GM still controlling for the most part the NPCs. Since it is not as fluid as a regular table top interaction, the players can create some of the story along with the GM, as opposed to simply just l…