Do random power SFX games work?

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

To join the crowd' date=' it really is only fun if your whole group is into it and the PCs are forewarned about it.[/quote']

 

Yeah, this. The point of playing any game is to have fun ... if you get dealt a character you don't like, then you're probably not going to have fun, thus defeating the purpose.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

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.

 

I find this inconsistent with the source material. Bats and GL don't bench press a Buick. You could certainly decide lightning powers also enhance your reflexes and speed, but there's no reason this "must" be the case. "A healthy human who engages in regular strenuous exercise" is a fine level for most stats in the source material, and combat is certainly strenuous exercise.

 

Ultimately, higher average DEX, SPD and CV is simply characteristic inflation imposing a point tax. If I set "standard Super" at 23 DEX, 4 OCV and DCV 4 and 5 SPD, you spend 76 points to be average (26 on DEX, 20 on each CV and 30 on SPD). If I move that to 10 DEX, 4 OCV and 4 DCV and 3 SPD, you spend 24 points to be average (4 on DEX, 10 on CV's and 10 on SPD), you interact with other Supers in the same way you did before (4 OCV vs 4 DCV takes the same rolls as 7 OCV and DCV, or 14 OCV and DCV) and you have an extra 52 points to spend on the things that set you apart from other Supers, rather than making you the same as all the other Supers.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Yeah' date=' this. The point of playing any game is to have fun ... if you get dealt a character you don't like, then you're probably not going to have fun, thus defeating the purpose.[/quote']

 

I'm a really flexible player and I enjoy a challenge, so I don't have issues with this, but even if so I don't think this is an inhernently unfun setup.

 

Now, I think there's some potentially wrong ways to do it.

 

- Poor communication. This is generally not something you just want to spring on people, but if they know up front my experience has been mostly positive.

 

- An inflexible GM will ruin this just as surely as infelxible players. There has to be some give and take and some willingness to work together on it. "Ha-ha! You suck! Yo got stuck with like the worst power ever!!! LOL!!!". It pays to know your players style too. You can do semi random and still give them a taste of somethign they like.

 

- totally random power generation occassionally produces wonky results and this can suck. Of course, the flip side is that sometimes turning a lame power into an AWESOME character is a really great feeling. This can be kinda hit or miss and I can understand peopel not wanting to work that hard on a character for the potential payoff.

 

- Also, I've been in games where random power genration was used and one player was basically Silver Surfer and another was basically Frog-man. While this can work in comics decently, it tends to fail dramaticlaly in most game groups:

 

 

- Overly restrictive SFX. Now, I can't personally think of an SFX so offensive to me that I would consider it inherently unfun and unplayable, but I realize others might. And sometimes I'm not in the mood for certain things. If I would really rather not play a blaster type (maybe I just played one with my last character and am in the mood for somethng different) and then the GM assigns me "Fire" as an SFX, I'm may not be feelin it. But there's a lot more to the "Fire" SFX than just the Human Torch, so I can probably work with that. "Optic Blasts", on the other hand, probably isn't going to be broad enough to be anything more than a blaster.

 

On a related note:

 

 

Nobody is going to be happy being Zach-Attack, unless that goofy grin is all a disguise for a brilliant Bruce Wayne level skill set or something...

[Nothere]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

l've played in such a game, my experience wasn't good, but not just because of the randomization. Something that might help would be if you follow the gm's example and have the charecters submit their hero name along with the regular charecter. If someone names themselves flameguy, or fast woman you'll know not to give them mental powers.

Where the game failed was on two fronts, one was from the powers. For example The gm took a random item in a list, and the fact that I was going to use Lord in my superhero name to make me an armored charecter. Not what I wanted, but I went with it. But what truely bugged me was the Gm seemed to like making the powers flawed. I knew it would be random so I wasn't too upset with suddenly having armor, but never being able to remove it so I couldn't have a secret id. That bugged me. To this day I have no idea how I went to the bathroom.The flying charecter who couldn't turn it off so she had to tie herself to the bed to prevent flying off when asleep, wasn't real thrilled with that either. So after the heroes discover their powers, you might want to permit a bit of tweaking. Better to change 20 points the player really hates, then have them quit cause they hate the charecter.

The other big problem was nothing to do with charecter creation, but as long as I'm on a rant I'm putting it in anyway. The heroes find the probable location of the Main Villians base. We break in to confront them only to find ourselves in a death trap. We escape it, and go outside to immediatly be arrested for breaking and entering. A few more incidents like that, and we were declared Supervillians and hunted by a goverment sponcered Superteam. Any request if were were aacting appropriatly for the campain were handled by the gm saying I'm nutreal do what you want. Nope not one of the better games.

[Martin2]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

The players are not keen on the idea of random SFX so the game is not going ahead anyway

[csyphrett]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

The players are not keen on the idea of random SFX so the game is not going ahead anyway

 

Did they give you an idea what they did want to play, Martin?

CES

[Martin2]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

Did they give you an idea what they did want to play, Martin?

CES

 

We are currently playing 7th Sea and I was getting ready for the next possible game.

 

We will be going back to the 400point level game I ran earlier in the year.

[Mr. R]

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

 

I was in a HU game where the GMinsisted we roll for everything. On one end we had a Hunter/Vigilante who used mostly modern tech. Good point,he was a skill monkey. Bad point, GM never let him use those skills. The real rediculous though was the alien from a high gravity water world who rolled APS Ice and Water Powers. When all was calculated, he swam at mach 3. Too bad most of the game took place in Detroit, fairly far inland too.

 

 

As far as V&V well that was even worse. One member rolled Heightened str, agil and end, Invulnerability, Natural Weaponry and Flight (he ditched a power to get ridof the disadvantage). Then I rolled Heightened int, Illusion and for my disadvantage ..........Lowered int. And he said 'We don't always get what we want" By the third session he saw that the character was pathetic and allowed me to roll a new character (but I started with 0 exp).

 

So my experience with random power generation is ....... Yeah that is what we read in the comics, but you can bet Marvel was not rolling on some tables when they were making the Fantastic Four.

 

Sorry this pushes a button, this and the arguement that Thor and Red Falcon are on the same team, so different power levels are in genre. Grrrrr I hate that chestnut.

[csyphrett]

Re: Do random power SFX games work?

 

I was in a HU game where the GMinsisted we roll for everything. On one end we had a Hunter/Vigilante who used mostly modern tech. Good point,he was a skill monkey. Bad point, GM never let him use those skills. The real rediculous though was the alien from a high gravity water world who rolled APS Ice and Water Powers. When all was calculated, he swam at mach 3. Too bad most of the game took place in Detroit, fairly far inland too.

 

HU works best when you have an idea what you want just like Champions. The rest of this is your gm being a butt.

CES