As with the other two threads, this is the thread where you discuss what are the absolutely essential elements for you in a Superhero campaign:  what absolutely HAS to be there for you to like it?

RPGPundit

Here's a fairly obvious one, superpowers.   The scale of the powers depends on the setting but the hero needs to stands apart from the crowd. It has to have a good setting (internal logic, adaptable to my needs without too much work, classic appeal, etc.)  Personal tastes, I prefer the darker heroes and a grittier campaign.  

Additionally, I am assuming the system is to my liking as well.  Now, I leave this thread for more thoughtful people to add their own opinions.

I don't think costumes are required but are a fun trope that makes it a very "visual" game.

Necessary: Strong motivations, works better if the game can focus on why these people are doing the heroic thing. (Not to the extent of becoming a parody of itself like Spider-man has sometimes done.)

Super abilities of some form. Without them its just about heroes, not super heroes, even if the powers are barely note-able above human normals. (I keep thinking of the 70's stunt cyclist team who merged into Marauder...)

Dramatic villains. They don't have to have great speeches, but they need to be significant personalities with a strong sense of self.

For me, it has to be set in an actual comics universe, preferably Marvel (although I could live with DC or Image).  I just can't get into a superhero RPG in some other generic-verse.  I want years worth of back story written by actual comic writers and not some RPG writer trying to mimic them.

Also, it has to be four color style.  I don't want any pretentious "Watchmen" type stuff.  No "Abberants", etc.  And no cheesy "Silver Age" nonsense, either.

Yep, TSR's Marvel Super Heroes is about the only Superhero RPG I'll play because it's set in the 1980's Marvel Universe, which I consider to be the height of perfection for comic books (feel free to disagree, but that's hows I sees it).

Quote from: jgantsFor me, it has to be set in an actual comics universe, preferably Marvel (although I could live with DC or Image).  I just can't get into a superhero RPG in some other generic-verse.  I want years worth of back story written by actual comic writers and not some RPG writer trying to mimic them.

Also, it has to be four color style.  I don't want any pretentious "Watchmen" type stuff.  No "Abberants", etc.  And no cheesy "Silver Age" nonsense, either.

Yep, TSR's Marvel Super Heroes is about the only Superhero RPG I'll play because it's set in the 1980's Marvel Universe, which I consider to be the height of perfection for comic books (feel free to disagree, but that's hows I sees it).

Interesting- I cringe at the idea of playing in an actual comics universe. I played MSH back in the eighties and I could never get into it. At the time I was reading a lot of Marvel (shudder) and the campaign just seemed hollow to me. Nothing we did would really impact the universe and each week I bought a stack of comics that reminded me of this. I would much prefer an original universe, or an analogous one- because when you kill analog superman. you can believe he's dead, at least for a minute, even if he does eventually start kicking again. Kill the real Superman in your game and you know you have deviated significantly from cannon- which means you are no longer playing in the real dc universe- which is totally cool, if that's what you're into, but if you kill Freeman or The Sinister Itch or whoever in my game, it's still my (semi-analogous) universe. Beyond this if i do my own setting, I can borrow from all the other existing settings and mix in as many elements as I like- (EG: Larsen's Savage Dragon which has everything from Faux-Captain Marvel to Pseudodarkseid) or I can make the PCs the world's first superheros... or whatever I want.

Super-powers (of course), antagonists (wealthy madmen, genius scientists, aliens with unfathomable motives, rogue government agencies, Satan, crime-bosses, crooked politicians or evil gym-teachers) with sinister plots, gadgets ranging from grappling-guns to time-platforms to Atomic Bifurcatrons, set anywhere in the 20th or the early 21st century.

Spandex, rubber or leather costumes are optional (but can be fun).


Make way for Captain Iconoclast and the Iconeers!

It has to do a lot with the framing and pacing of the adventure/scenario.  It has to have that frenetic serialized pacing of a comic or cartoon.  The more vague the universe the easier it is to build and cross reference upon.  A character needs to stand alone as much as being a part of a group and that somehow needs to seem believable in the setting to the character.  Creating a superhero universe can be almost counter intuitive because the genre is character driven.  As a GM you create a universe around individual characters, not the group.  If that isn't there the game seems hollow to me.