It's like Swords & Wizardry and Mutants & Masterminds had a baby. And then Gardner F. Fox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardner_Fox) raised it.
Free PDF download here (http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/mystery-men-e-book/15843884).
Looks suprisingly good. Clear layout, good (if sparse) original art. Apparently most characters are public domain honest-to-God Golden Age creations.
I'll try and give it a better read tomorrow, if I find the time.
I have a copy. It's not a bad game. It is very definitely aimed at low level supers. Stuff like the Phantom or the Rocketeer are doable, Superman or Green Lantern are not.
Yeah, I believe so. I wasn't impressed if its the one I'm thinking of--using D&D spells for powers is incredibly poorly thought out.
Quote from: Silverlion;485425Yeah, I believe so. I wasn't impressed if its the one I'm thinking of--using D&D spells for powers is incredibly poorly thought out.
I know the one you're thinking of, and no, this isn't it.
Looks good, from a brief skim through the first half of it, and nice artwork too.
Quote from: Ladybird;485432I know the one you're thinking of, and no, this isn't it.
Looks good, from a brief skim through the first half of it, and nice artwork too.
Edit: Never mind. It is exactly the one I'm thinking of "Color Spray" "Eyebite?" among others are all drawn from D&D spells.
Sorry that is it, and no, I'm not impressed. It is very nice and solid looking up until the powers--and then it falls down completely.
Quote from: Silverlion;485458Edit: Never mind. It is exactly the one I'm thinking of "Color Spray" "Eyebite?" among others are all drawn from D&D spells.
Sorry that is it, and no, I'm not impressed. It is very nice and solid looking up until the powers--and then it falls down completely.
Okay, my mistake - I'm thinking of a different one that was floating about two years ago, which I think was based off S&W, but predictably I can't find it now.
Quote from: Silverlion;485458Edit: Never mind. It is exactly the one I'm thinking of "Color Spray" "Eyebite?" among others are all drawn from D&D spells.
Sorry that is it, and no, I'm not impressed. It is very nice and solid looking up until the powers--and then it falls down completely.
Maybe Hideouts & Hoodlums (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=78014) set the bar very,
very low, but I kind of liked the system in Mystery Men. But then I'm a fan of Heroes Unlimited, so WTF do I know. :D
Quote from: The Butcher;485472Maybe Hideouts & Hoodlums (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=78014) set the bar very, very low, but I kind of liked the system in Mystery Men. But then I'm a fan of Heroes Unlimited, so WTF do I know. :D
H&H
might be the game I'm thinking of, but it was May 2009 that I was reading whatever it was - a H&H beta, maybe.
Mystery Men very definitely just converts spells into powers. And the download is in the OP, so taking a minute to check would have confirmed it for you.
I'm curious why it's such a bad thing to use D&D spells as the basis for superpowers? From what recall they felt a lot more like comic book powers than mystical/arcane whatnots anyway.
Quote from: danbuter;485380I have a copy. It's not a bad game. It is very definitely aimed at low level supers. Stuff like the Phantom or the Rocketeer are doable, Superman or Green Lantern are not.
you could do superman using mystery men fairly easily. green lantern would be more difficult, if not impossible.
This seems pretty pointless, and lazy. But hey, I guess its free, so whatever.
RPGPundit
It's easy to come up with your own mechanics for OD&D superheroics that I can't see why anyone would bother with Mystery Men. That and D&D spells as superpowers is pretty stupid.
As far a D20 based super games go, I'm sure it's a step up from "The Foundation".
Of course, everything is a step up from The Foundation.
Quote from: Soylent Green;485761As far a D20 based super games go, I'm sure it's a step up from "The Foundation".
Of course, everything is a step up from The Foundation.
Is it? Wasn't the Foundation the game that did the exact same thing? Basically just took the D&D 3.0 character classes and tried to repackage them as supers archetypes with almost no change?
RPGPundit
Quote from: RPGPundit;485960Is it? Wasn't the Foundation the game that did the exact same thing? Basically just took the D&D 3.0 character classes and tried to repackage them as supers archetypes with almost no change?
RPGPundit
Yeah, pretty much. But even in the worse case scenario there is still one major difference. They actually charged money for The Foundation.
Downloaded it now....I'm something of a fan of John Stater's stuff, and really like both his Pars Fortuna "alt setting" for S&W as well as his Land of Nod series, so I suspect I'll enjoy reading this one, too, although my expectations for a supers ruleset are a bit different than old-school D&D.
Offhand, it does appear to wed many superpowers to a variation of classic and OGL D&D spells as well as some feats and such (weapon master for example), but I see original stuff in there as well, and the execution seems to remove spells-as-context from many of them (but the names probably should have been changed in some cases to make the break more thoroughly for those over-familiar with the D&D source for some of these? It doesn't really bother me much--so I dunno. Hmmm.)
Honestly, it looks like a lot of fun, and it looks easy; something I could give my son when he's old enough and not worry he can't figure it out, or something I can pull out and show to my Saturday night group that prefers simpler over complex (i.e. with Mutants & Masterminds being on the complex end, and GURPS Supers being off the charts). I think I'll snag a copy.
Quote from: camazotz;485988Honestly, it looks like a lot of fun, and it looks easy; something I could give my son when he's old enough and not worry he can't figure it out, or something I can pull out and show to my Saturday night group that prefers simpler over complex (i.e. with Mutants & Masterminds being on the complex end, and GURPS Supers being off the charts). I think I'll snag a copy.
There are a good half-dozen superhero games out there that are simple now, none of which use D&D powers as their framework. Mystery Men may play wonderfully, I don't know it is just jarring for me.
Savage Worlds+Superhero Companion
Truth & Justice
BASH!
Icons!
Hearts & Souls
Plus many others.
If you want simple and fast, any of those work with varying degrees and foci of play.
Quote from: Silverlion;486046There are a good half-dozen superhero games out there that are simple now, none of which use D&D powers as their framework. Mystery Men may play wonderfully, I don't know it is just jarring for me.
Savage Worlds+Superhero Companion
Truth & Justice
BASH!
Icons!
Hearts & Souls
Plus many others.
If you want simple and fast, any of those work with varying degrees and foci of play.
Simple, fast and familiar. And I like experimenting with multiple systems anyway, so liking Mystery Men does not preclude me from enjoying BASH! or Savage Worlds (both of which I also love). I'd also add the 4C system to the list (the Marvel OSR riff). But like I said, Mystery Men's approach doesn't bother me, and its got a nice air of familiarity to it; my Saturday grognard gang tends to favor stuff that falls inside their comfort zone.
Had a tough time with Icons but not because of the system; I found the writing/presentation didn't resonate well with me. I don't know much about T&J although I once saw a copy in the game store and it didn't grab me. I'm unfamiliar with H&S....I'll have to seek out more info.
Personally, my preferred super-heroic system is the MEGS system from DC Heroes via Mayfair games.
That said, I really do like Mystery Men, it's pretty neat and simple while still being flexible. If I really do stick it in the "box of stuff for my son when he's old enough" I doubt he'll be bothered by the connection this game's powers have to D&D spells (although S&W Complete is in the box, but he can draw his own conclusions).
I quite like the look of it and it doesn't bother me that D&D spells were used as the basis for the powers. I'm aiming to run it sometime soon.
Haven't read it yet, but John Stater does good work. He's also the most prolific OSR author I know of, just for the record.
Quote from: camazotz;486055Simple, fast and familiar. And I like experimenting with multiple systems anyway, so liking Mystery Men does not preclude me from enjoying BASH! or Savage Worlds (both of which I also love). I'd also add the 4C system to the list (the Marvel OSR riff). But like I said, Mystery Men's approach doesn't bother me, and its got a nice air of familiarity to it; my Saturday grognard gang tends to favor stuff that falls inside their comfort zone.
Awesome! As long as you are familiar. I have my Marvel books bound as hardbacks and find 4C a bit underwhelming in the details department. (Some powers were horribly re-written IMHO, and the lack of some aspects just bugged me.)
QuoteHad a tough time with Icons but not because of the system; I found the writing/presentation didn't resonate well with me. I don't know much about T&J although I once saw a copy in the game store and it didn't grab me. I'm unfamiliar with H&S....I'll have to seek out more info.
Honestly, if you want a copy ask. I'll send you a PDF, now that I've got High Valor under my belt, I feel the second edition will be more robust, better explained, and fix serious flaws I did have in 1E.
QuotePersonally, my preferred super-heroic system is the MEGS system from DC Heroes via Mayfair games.
An excellent choice. I've got both a copy of Batman RPG and the DC Heroes 3E on my shelf. We played it a lot back years ago. The GM who ran it still likes supers but he prefers MSH these days. I have run both but also lean to MSH a bit more. (Or Marvel Saga if we're adding in out of print games.)
[quote
That said, I really do like Mystery Men, it's pretty neat and simple while still being flexible. If I really do stick it in the "box of stuff for my son when he's old enough" I doubt he'll be bothered by the connection this game's powers have to D&D spells (although S&W Complete is in the box, but he can draw his own conclusions).[/QUOTE]
Very awesome. No worries. :D
Quote from: Silverlion;486128Awesome! As long as you are familiar. I have my Marvel books bound as hardbacks and find 4C a bit underwhelming in the details department. (Some powers were horribly re-written IMHO, and the lack of some aspects just bugged me.)
Honestly, if you want a copy ask. I'll send you a PDF, now that I've got High Valor under my belt, I feel the second edition will be more robust, better explained, and fix serious flaws I did have in 1E.
An excellent choice. I've got both a copy of Batman RPG and the DC Heroes 3E on my shelf. We played it a lot back years ago. The GM who ran it still likes supers but he prefers MSH these days. I have run both but also lean to MSH a bit more. (Or Marvel Saga if we're adding in out of print games.)
[quote
That said, I really do like Mystery Men, it's pretty neat and simple while still being flexible. If I really do stick it in the "box of stuff for my son when he's old enough" I doubt he'll be bothered by the connection this game's powers have to D&D spells (although S&W Complete is in the box, but he can draw his own conclusions).
Very awesome. No worries. :D[/QUOTE]
Well, since you're offering, I would love to check out Hearts & Souls!
Also, envious that you have hardbound editions of MSH.....that was a genuinely simple, fun thematically geared RPG, and full of classic old-school superhero design approaches (it sits next to V&V in terms of fond memories for me). 4C is cool because of its effort at replicating the original into an OSR/OGL linked fashion, but so far I haven't seen anyone run with it; the base rules are really spartan.
Quote from: Soylent Green;485981Yeah, pretty much. But even in the worse case scenario there is still one major difference. They actually charged money for The Foundation.
Touché.
RPGPundit
I thought having multiple types of armour that you can buy was a bit of a D&D-ism. To me it would make more genre sense to have a power or powers that gave you better defence, and leave it open as to whether this is an actual suit of armour like Iron Man, hard skin like The Thing or Superman, or something else like a force-field.
Quote from: camazotz;486208Also, envious that you have hardbound editions of MSH.....that was a genuinely simple, fun thematically geared RPG, and full of classic old-school superhero design approaches (it sits next to V&V in terms of fond memories for me). 4C is cool because of its effort at replicating the original into an OSR/OGL linked fashion, but so far I haven't seen anyone run with it; the base rules are really spartan.
Just PM your e-mail and I'll comp you a copy. I'm planning on doing something with my own "OGL" version of 4C, essentially designing it from the ground up using my own base inspired by MSH. Albeit for a fantasy themed police procedural/action game.
Thanks for pointing out The Foundation. I was not aware someone had beaten me to adapting D&D to superheroes via the OGL.
Scott Casper
Publisher of Great Scott! Games
Writer/Editor of Hideouts & Hoodlums
Quote from: Scottenkainen;499746Thanks for pointing out The Foundation. I was not aware someone had beaten me to adapting D&D to superheroes via the OGL.
Scott Casper
Publisher of Great Scott! Games
Writer/Editor of Hideouts & Hoodlums
Its not something to be proud of.
RPGPundit