Do random power SFX games work?

[Martin2]

In most comics the super does not get to pick its powers (the writers do of course). Spider man did not choose to get bitten by a radioactive spider and get the powers of a spider. Cyclops did not choose to shoot energy beams out of his eyes. The FF did not pick their own powers when they were hit by cosmic radiation.

 

Normally players get to pick the SFX and build any character they want.

 

How about campaigns that the GM decides what power SFX the player gets or they get a random pick (so the player who wanted a brick gets an EP etc)?

 

I was thinking of a random SFX selection. The players will get to create a say 80 point “normal (way above average) person” with all points going into non Olympic level characteristics, perks, talents and skills etc with normal complications. They are members of Joe Public and even do not fight crime and have a normal job.

 

The group know each other and have a FF type accident / get experimented on etc. They then get a random SFX sheet. Possibly just the examples from the back of the Champions book. They get another chunk of points to add to characteristics to beef them up to heroic levels (depending on the SFX). They then get say a 45 point MP with only say 3 slots based on the SFX. Then 20 to 30 points to spend on other powers and movement (I am then thinking of slapping on needs a roll limitations as they are new to their powers). They then get accident complications. This is probably just using the sample character in the back of the Champions book but just scaled down to 300 point level.

 

So they start out with an 80 point normal character (which means some players will have to think about having a normal person before they became a super powered individual). They then become say a 300 point low powered super hero character (reduced by limitations that are bought off very quickly in the first few sessions).

 

Has anyone tried this and did it work?

 

Thanks for any advice .

[Bloodstone]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Has anyone tried this and did it work?

 

This is pretty much exactly what I did with my last game.

 

Ordinary people get powers and are brought into the hidden posthuman world.

 

Worked pretty well overall.

 

Most of the player only figured out one or two powers initially, but they actually had a broad power set and were thus able to specialize and customize the character considerably.

 

One of the players hated his initial powers set (Magnetism), but figured out how to use it to make himself a flying pointy stabby demi-brick and was pretty happy with that.

 

One of the other players initially only had Duplication and seemed kind of "meh" about it, but he got really into it as he explored the implications of his powers.

 

One player loved his powers (initially just Electricity generation/control), but he's (a self-admitted) control freak so he had a hard time dealing with how I built certain abilities for him. But we mostly worked that out with time.

[sinanju]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I've played in such games, and sometimes they've been enjoyable. But--I don't really like them. If I'm going to play a superhero, I want to play a character with a powerset that _I_ designed because I'd find it entertaining to play. There's no guarantee that'll happen in a random-generation game.

[martin4frogs]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I've almost played in a game like that. It was 4th Edition and none of us had a great grasp of the rules. The GM had us build characters with 20 points and had about eight ideas that we rolled for randomly and didn't know about before the powers started manifesting. We had to make checks until he felt we had the hang of the powers. I knew mine ahead of time because I ended up with a mercenary/munitions build.

 

This didn't work for us too well due to the GM's style of play conflicting with the group's usual play style and a poor grasp of the rules on everyone's part. Also, I personally didn't care for only using 20 points to build with and we had to convince him to let us have at least 15 points in disadvantages. And apparently the whole universe was against us. Even contacts or "old buddies" felt like saying "hi" was a huge hassle.

 

Of course the player with the biggest problem ended up with a "chaos" power set. One that he couldn't control and could be any power at any time. This made for some contention. But the idea is sound so long as you aren't actively trying to screw over your players, which is different than causing trouble or challenging their characters.

[csyphrett]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I have been a game like this. I didn't enjoy it due to lack of control over events in the game.

CES

[Escafarc]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I play/GM HERO because I hate random character generation.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

In most comics the super does not get to pick its powers (the writers do of course).

 

I think you hit the nail on the head in the bolded text above; many (if not most) superhero gamers enjoy being their character's author. Playing a character written up randomly just doesn't have quite the same appeal.

[Orion]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Never tried this as a GM, and never will. As a player, I would refuse to play unless it was a one-time, one-session thing. Designing the normal character first, playing it, and then later getting powers is a great idea, but I would only do this if I were allowed to choose and design all the powers. I'll happily work with the GM on the order and manner I discover the powers, but if I don't design it, then it's just an NPC I'm playing to help the GM move the storyline along. On second thought, I think its more like going to a convention and getting a pre-made character handed to you in a game. At a convention, or at a pick-up game, I'll go along with playing a character someone else made up. But for an ongoing campaign, I have to make all the decisions. I despise random characters. If the character is going to be random, then I will refuse to do the slightest bit of work in designing one. If I have no say in the character, the GM is going to have to do all the work for me. When I show up, the GM can hand me the sheet and tell me how I'm supposed to play it.

 

As a middle ground, you may want to consider allowing the players to choose the archetype. They know they'll end up with a brick, mentalist, EB, etc., but the EB doesn't know whether it'll be fire or electricity based. Maybe allow them to also chose one power that must be included, but as a GM you decide whether that's one of the initial powers or later discovered ones.

[Alverant]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I'm with the majority. I was once part of such a campaign and we didn't see our powers (we had to figure them out) and I was always left with the feeling I had some cool power but I couldn't access it. I once asked my current gaming group what they would think of such a campaign and most said they wanted more control over their characters. However there was less resistance to the idea of building normals then added 200 points of powers to them of their choosing. Still, if a player decided he/she wanted to play a mage or alien or robot or something else where starting out as a normal human wouldn't work, then what can you do? Some players want complete control over designing their characters; and that's OK.

[Martin2]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

OK thanks for the feed back. Most people sound like it did not work very well .

 

I was thinking of just giving the SFX and the having the player have more controll over them.

 

So if a player got "Fire" the MP would have a limit of 45 but they could then pick their own 3 starting powers. If they wanted to do throw energy bolts around they could do. If they wanted a damge shield HTH attack etc they could do it.

 

There would be more control but I am sure some players would not be too happy playing it.

[Alverant]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I think the most important thing is to talk with your players to see what they think before going much further. No, I take that back. The most important thing is to ask yourself why do you want to do this. Why do you want to have this randomness be the foundation of a campaign? PCs aren't like comic book characters. In the comics, characters are created based on what would make for a good story people will want to buy. In games, characters are created on what would be fun for the player. As a GM that has to be a consideration. I think you're going to have trouble finding players willing to surrender even a little control without a good reason.

 

So after deciding why you want to go this route, you should talk with your players and see what they want. Here's a thought, do all players have to go the same route? Maybe if you have players who don't have ideas or aren't as familiar with the system, randomly picking their powers and/or SFX will help them create a character. Meanwhile the more experienced players can have complete control and you can work it into the story. Everyone would still start as normals (since that is the campaign premise) and get their powers later. The twist here is some players will have their powers chosen and others will chose their powers themselves. Just be willing to let the players alter their characters if things don't quite work out.

[Ice9]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I was thinking of just giving the SFX and the having the player have more controll over them.

 

So if a player got "Fire" the MP would have a limit of 45 but they could then pick their own 3 starting powers. If they wanted to do throw energy bolts around they could do. If they wanted a damge shield HTH attack etc they could do it.

This seems a bit better. I'd be ok with it, as long as the SFX were broad enough to support more than one type of application.

 

One thing though is that the numbers you gave have people spending a pretty large fraction of their points before knowing what their power is. That could definitely cause problems if they get an SFX which really doesn't mesh with their "normal" abilities. I would go more with making a normal or just above normal person to start, adding the "inherent" aspects of the power as soon as they get it, the "learned applications" over a few games, and over those same few games some general-purpose points to represent adapting to a much more dangerous lifestyle / protagonization.

[Alverant]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

That could definitely cause problems if they get an SFX which really doesn't mesh with their "normal" abilities.

I'm not sure what you mean, if they start out as normal people, what abilities can they have that wouldn't mesh with a SFX? Well I can understand if the PC is a navy seal and gets fire based powers or someone who's afraid of insects suddenly gets power over them. But that can be fixed by the GM asking for characters first then assigning powers after a review. In 6th ed, 80 points doesn't go as far as it used to. I think 80 points would get you decent stats for a person and some skills.

[Arkham]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I think it _could_ assuming the group came into the game expecting it to work like that.

 

And preferably, it would be the SFX that are random, semi-random, or simply unplanned by the player, but once the SFX is known, the player gets to write up the mechanics of that SFX as they wish.

[itsalwayssunny]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

You'd have to have some really openminded players for that to work...I mean a player who doesn't care what powers he gets is hard to find!

 

If you're into that, you might want to play TSR's old Marvel Super Heroes game where you can just create everything about the PCs' attributes/powers/talents with dice rolls, totally random! Even power levels can swing wildly from 1 PC to the next.

 

I like Champions mainly because I can design exactly the hero I want to play. Not sure if I'd like being assigned a set of powers. Might be interesting to try.

 

--Kap

[Greywind]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Villains and Vigilantes was the same.

[csyphrett]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Heroes Unlimited also has random tables but experienced guys never use them from what I have seen.

 

CES

[Christopher]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I've played in such games' date=' and sometimes they've been enjoyable. But--I don't really like them. If I'm going to play a superhero, I want to play a character with a powerset that _I_ designed because I'd find it entertaining to play. There's no guarantee that'll happen in a random-generation game.[/quote']

The same for me. Actually even the limited amount of origins/backgrounds would drive me off. My usual question is: Can I play a timetravelled, extraterestial, demon-posessed robot?

But I am also very good of making such backgrounds a non-issue for the gm (the time traveller blew up the time machine, can't replace it and has almost no idea of this time... The extraterestial did the same with his ship and his people aren't going to visit anytime soon.)

 

I play/GM HERO because I hate random character generation.

True for me too. We usually used the alternative point-buy method for D&D and games like Warhammer 40k RPG's with their randomness (I can't even choose where to put waht score) just aren't very interesting.

 

I guess even if I get past the limited backgrounds, I wouldn't give it a try. Just the danger of making a pacificst with Fire EP Powers or a "Free thinker" with Mental manipulation is too high.

For me characters are designed around their personality as well s their powers.

 

Regarding the: "The FF did not pick their own powers when they were hit by cosmic radiation." you are right that the Autor choose the powers for them. But in a RPG there are at least two autors for each character: The GM (who provides the story) and the Player (who provides the character and his actions).

I can see why you think about it: One of the main problems of rpg's relative to comic books is that "the writer (GM) does not controls the actions of the protagonist(PC)". Trying to affect that order (even if just by replacing them with random elements) easily causes problems with the players.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I agree with the "player as author" aspect discussed above.

 

The FF didn't choose their own powers, but the gruff, tough street punk who got the football scholarship didn't end up with Invisibility powers, did he? The characters themselves were designed, not randomized.

[Martin2]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I was just giving the SFX as being random with more flexibility on the build afterwards.

 

It would be like all character generation but the player would be limited by the SFX.

 

I was thinking of creating the character as the game progressed.

 

There would be the "80 points normal" with no heroic level stats and only skills to represent a normal person and not crime fighter or military background (possible student, teacher, manual worker etc).

 

They would have their group accident and be given a random SFX and more points for characteristics to boost some to heroic levels based on the SFX (higher speed limit for a speedster, more strength for a brick / shape changer etc).

 

Most SFX would have MP's so I would explain you get a MP but only three slots to start with and a set pointage for defences / other powers and movement powers.

 

Eg Electric SFX is told they are in a locked room and they feel a lot stronger and faster than you normaly are (player spend points on heroic characterictics). Player finds that he can pass electricity through his fingers. He tries to break out of the room by trying to throw electricity at the door. GM says OK this will be slot 1 for your MP do you want a RKA or blast? The power gets number crunched and he breaks out of the door. Leaving the room three goons charge him. On his action the player decides to throw electricity in an arc at them. Slot 2 becomes cone AoE blast. The biggest goon stands and goes to hit him and does so. Player decides that a side effect of his electricity is that when he is hit it is a damage shield. GM says this could come out of your defence points so makes a damage shield. A further goon comes around the corner and the player picks to have an electric shock blast punch and the slot 3 becomes HTH attack. Eventually he gets out side with goons following him so he jumps onto a power cable and rides away from them with flight limitation needs power cables. He finally escapes and has another 20 points to spend so he thinks about the possible things he can do and comes up with a few more minor powers.

 

Something like that.

 

But as you say some players would not like this sort of thing.

 

But this could force some players to think outside the box some are in. They would have to think about the normal person that existed before the hero.

 

Also one of my players only plays a cleric / healer in all the games he plays (D&D, firefly and Champions!!)

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I can definitively say: sometimes.

 

The old Marvel FASERIP system was designed to be random originally, but when they expanded the rules they included build-your-own rules because of the demand for it. I've tried this once in Champions, and it was ok, but it only lasted one night (for various reasons). Typically, I prefer to build my own, but I like the idea of setting aside 10-20 points for "Mystery power" just like a "Mystery disad."

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Eg Electric SFX is told they are in a locked room and they feel a lot stronger and faster than you normaly are (player spend points on heroic characterictics).

 

Seems like this would also be an opportunity to base characteristics on character effects - ie you don't get a 20 - 23 DEX by being able to fire electricity from your fingertips - and neither do your opponents.

 

But this could force some players to think outside the box some are in. They would have to think about the normal person that existed before the hero.

 

Also one of my players only plays a cleric / healer in all the games he plays (D&D, firefly and Champions!!)

 

My experience is that the player who needs to be forced to think "outside the box" they are in LIKE being in the box and may not be happy being forced outside the box. Some players like to play combatants and others like skill monkeys. Forcing them to swap roles doesn't make either happy. We all have our own play styles, and unless we want to depart from them, we won't likely be thrilled about having a change forced on us from outside.

[Hermit]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

To join the crowd, it really is only fun if your whole group is into it and the PCs are forewarned about it.

[Martin2]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Seems like this would also be an opportunity to base characteristics on character effects - ie you don't get a 20 - 23 DEX by being able to fire electricity from your fingertips - and neither do your opponents.

 

Depends on the SFX of how you got the power to throw electricity around.

 

Mutates can get enhanced characteristics in some form as a side effect or they all would be glass jawed PC's.

 

Did the FF get enhanced characteristics when hit by the cosmic radiation or did they stay exactly the same (apart from Ben)?

 

The mutates that spring to mind have physical atributes specific to the SFX .

 

Its just an oportunity to beef up characters so they are not all ex army special forces / martial arts experts / serious body builders before they became super powered.

 

But as you say power related characteristics are a possible route.

[Christopher]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Seems like this would also be an opportunity to base characteristics on character effects - ie you don't get a 20 - 23 DEX by being able to fire electricity from your fingertips - and neither do your opponents.

Why not? "Having electrical powers optimsies my nervous system, so I can react that much faster". Sound like a good reaseoning for more SPD and DEX.

And with fire: "My having fire powers my body needs less energy for body-heating, so I have much more reserves to move fast (like under the effect of adrenalin) without overexerting". Sound like a good reaseoning for more SPD and DEX.

 

But frankly I wouldn't even go that route. Simply being a superhero is all the Justification you need to ignore NCM and have a 30 STR, even if you are "just" Green Lantern or Batman.