I ran a Mutants and Masterminds game for a few years and I have to agree with you about all the points you raised about it, both positive and negative. Also, getting a picture from the players to commemorate the game is super sweet, I got one for a game I ran many years ago and It's still one of my most precious little things.
@@CaptainBG01 i’d love to run it back through a more seasoned lens but there isnt s huge demand for supers games around me. I like to look back on that drawing anytime I feel like I’m running a game the players aren’t enjoying because 99% of the time they are.
@@CaptainBG01 the best and most memorable RPGs I've ever run were Supers games. But it is a very difficult genre to get going. Most players really have no idea of what a superhero is. At best they get super powered not that bad villains.
If you liked how M&M was so flexible for character development but didn't get a comfortable grip on their resolution system (all those conditions) then try Champions (Hero System). The M&M creation system is almost a direct port of the Hero System, with M&M dropping a Power Level framework on it. Champions started in '82 and is up to 6th Edition, though I prefer 5th Edition revised. For example, in Champs the basic go to damage dealer was "Energy Blast" (later just Blast) that did damage at range, and you could apply a limitation to make it contact only. M&M has "Damage" as a basic damage dealer that was contact only that could be given range with an extra. M&M uses a d20 while Hero uses 3d6. while many may argue it, the M&M "powers" section is a near point by point mirror of Champions (Hero) powers. I've sat down and compared powers for fun and laughed my a$$ off. Champions (Hero) got a bad wrap because it was the first ever point buy system that used effect based creation system. In a era of the first RPGs where you picked predetermined everything and could fit a PC on an index card, Hero required math (add/sub/mult/div) gasp. Also the people behind Champions/Hero have been adamant for the last 40+ years "that no one will ever play premade anything". So they only offered the rules and supplements that gave you extras (villain's, equipment, creatures, locations) but absolutely no playable world/setting/campaign. And when there were third party attempts they made their "worlds" so detailed and complicated that no one had the time to learn it enough to play. M&M is far ahead of Hero in playable campaign settings. Heck, pretty much every supers anything on the market is miles ahead. But if you actually play Hero, you find that the unified resolution system is easy and understanding he degrees of success, damage etc is very simple and logical. But like M&M, building a unique super with unique powers is a chore.
For sure! At the time I had no idea how weird it was with no frame of reference but looking back on it now having played it for a long time, my mind still resisted how their mechanics work lol
That's actually a pretty good way to design characters! It steers players away from min/maxing and stat dumping, I'd imagine.
Yea it was accidentally a blessing in disguise
I ran a Mutants and Masterminds game for a few years and I have to agree with you about all the points you raised about it, both positive and negative. Also, getting a picture from the players to commemorate the game is super sweet, I got one for a game I ran many years ago and It's still one of my most precious little things.
@@CaptainBG01 i’d love to run it back through a more seasoned lens but there isnt s huge demand for supers games around me.
I like to look back on that drawing anytime I feel like I’m running a game the players aren’t enjoying because 99% of the time they are.
@@CaptainBG01 the best and most memorable RPGs I've ever run were Supers games. But it is a very difficult genre to get going. Most players really have no idea of what a superhero is. At best they get super powered not that bad villains.
If you liked how M&M was so flexible for character development but didn't get a comfortable grip on their resolution system (all those conditions) then try Champions (Hero System). The M&M creation system is almost a direct port of the Hero System, with M&M dropping a Power Level framework on it. Champions started in '82 and is up to 6th Edition, though I prefer 5th Edition revised. For example, in Champs the basic go to damage dealer was "Energy Blast" (later just Blast) that did damage at range, and you could apply a limitation to make it contact only. M&M has "Damage" as a basic damage dealer that was contact only that could be given range with an extra. M&M uses a d20 while Hero uses 3d6. while many may argue it, the M&M "powers" section is a near point by point mirror of Champions (Hero) powers. I've sat down and compared powers for fun and laughed my a$$ off. Champions (Hero) got a bad wrap because it was the first ever point buy system that used effect based creation system. In a era of the first RPGs where you picked predetermined everything and could fit a PC on an index card, Hero required math (add/sub/mult/div) gasp. Also the people behind Champions/Hero have been adamant for the last 40+ years "that no one will ever play premade anything". So they only offered the rules and supplements that gave you extras (villain's, equipment, creatures, locations) but absolutely no playable world/setting/campaign. And when there were third party attempts they made their "worlds" so detailed and complicated that no one had the time to learn it enough to play. M&M is far ahead of Hero in playable campaign settings. Heck, pretty much every supers anything on the market is miles ahead. But if you actually play Hero, you find that the unified resolution system is easy and understanding he degrees of success, damage etc is very simple and logical. But like M&M, building a unique super with unique powers is a chore.
Very detailed comparison! I appreciate the walkthrough. Looking forward to getting more supers action going in the future!
Mutants & Masterminds combat feels like a wargame. I like it but it takes some getting used to.
For sure! At the time I had no idea how weird it was with no frame of reference but looking back on it now having played it for a long time, my mind still resisted how their mechanics work lol