Let me preface this with - I'm a massive fan of Supers gaming. I've been running Marvel Super Heroes since its inception with the Basic rules, through Advanced, and I've never stopped. It's still probably the most popular game requested at my table to this very day.
I know of *zero* players that I've ever met that actively ever played Supers until meeting me. And after playing a Supers campaign with me, they're hooked and it's forever on the menu . I'm saying all of this for one reason: this is my wheelhouse, and I'm deeply engaged with the genre and MSH is my system of choice. This doesn't mean that I don't purchase and read other supers-systems, it means none of them have measured up to what I can do with MSH. This is also not to say other systems can't do what MSH does - most can. But none have ever been able to do it and *stick* with my players. I'm always pitching them new systems, but they always want to go back to MSH.
So... as everyone knows, I've become a staunch Savage Worlds GM, my players have likewise come to love the system and I still consider us in the "Putting it through its paces" phase. We're still trying to see what it can do, but we're having a blast along the way. Once I got to running Savage Rifts, I knew this system could do Supers-level play, and why shouldn't it? Heroes Unlimited plugged right into Rifts back in the day, why not now? Now I'm *really* excited because this might be The One that dethrones MSH, however momentarily, as a legit contender for me and my crew.
First thoughts - It's still the alpha, so I expect lots of changes to come. I'm still going over it but it looks very good for what it is.
What IS it?
The Super Powers Companion is a set of rule modifications for playing Supers-level/themed games with the Savage Worlds Adventurer's Edition system (SWADE). It's intended for the entire gamut of Supers play - from gritty street-level noir, to 4-color, to Cosmic transdimensional/space world-shaking fare.
Since SWADE rules are about tropes not mechanics, the mechanics in the book are lean with no fat. That said, they offer some very *high* powered options and modifiers that can easily be ported over to any SWADE-based game.
Chapter 1 Character Creation
Covers crafting your character, which includes your Origin and Hindrances and Edges that are Supers-specific tropes (My particular favorite is Monologuer - if you draw a Clubs on Initiative you have to make a Smarts check at -2 or spend the entire round monologuing LOL). There's a lot of solid stuff here - and this is where you craft your Vulnerabilities (if any) that gives you the Achilles heel for your mega-powered Superman-clone.
Chapter 1 also establishes the Power Level of your game - 5 distinct levels of play.
1 - Early pulp heroes or teens with developing powers. Think normal people with some *very* basic skills, or the first act of a b-level Superhero movie
2 - Street fighters and veteran pulp heroes. Fighting city-wide threats etc.
3 - True Supers with 4-color here-levels of power. City-wide to national level threats. Villains likewise might form their own groups to whip your ass at this level.
4 - Planetary threats. This is the Avengers, the JLA - powerhouse PC's and team dealing with big ass problems that Disney and Warner pictures wants to badly portray you in.
5 - Cosmic shit. This is for Time Travelling, Dr. Strange + Silver Surfer + Thor + Infinity Watch vs. Galactus. You know the drill.
Each of these Power Levels assigns the number of points in which your PC's can buy their powers with an associated Power Limit (the number of points they can invest in their powers). Not all Powers cost the same and likewise powers can have modifiers and limitations put upon them to actually transcend the limit. You have a lot of customization available.
Chapter Two - Gear
Rather than give you endless Gear lists - this section assumes you'll know the time-period of your game and nab the established gear lists from the other SWADE books (or make it up). Rather it concerns itself with Super-specific gear and their creation. This means stuff you might have on your average Gadget-based character or SHIELD operative, with special rules on explaining the new uses for those items. This includes Shields, Body Armor, Capes, Weaponry and modifications for those tried-and-true items.
There is a whole section on Vehicles (including Edges for them!) covering everything that you could imagine Batman having, Jets, Attack Subs, Armored transports, Motorcycles etc.
Lastly - Base Generation. These rules look like streamlined rules from Rippers with establishing Bases that you can do with Random generation or you can just pick it. These include complications, maintenance, staffing etc. it's very quick and easy, and your base can be as simple as a dingy abandoned apartment to a sprawling underground base with hordes of technical staff. There are TONS of upgrades you can make - Base Defenses, Firewalls, Brigs, Command Centers, Medical Centers, Occult Libraries - and much more. All of which gives you bonuses to do things in them.
Chapter Three - Setting Rules
This chapter introduces new rules that you can use with your Supers game (or any SWADE game). Some are clearly trying to codify rules from other genres (like Savage Pathfinder) into the SWADE Core lineup. Limited Actions being the obvious one.
But they introduce some really good ones that make a LOT of sense -
Combined Attacks! - Basically now you can do Support actions for *damage*. +4/6 with a raise. This will allow those PC's like Daredevil actually be useful against The Hulk.
Knockback - Yeah this is going to be a winner. Basically based on your size, if you take <X> amount of damage the GM can decide it sends your ass flying. They include rules for distance and collision damage. This rule will be making its way into my Rifts games of the future.
Power Stunts - On the fly novel uses for powers that can be rationalized with a Benny. They have some specific examples, all of which makes sense. These cover those times that Spiderman *ACTUALLY* beats Firelord into unconsciousness in the streets. Or Hawkeye actually shoots the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos's hand... They give a lot of little nifty examples of these Stunts with specific uses.
Improvised Weapon damage - you know, when Superman tosses that armored car at you... Includes ranges and damages and examples.
Synergies - Making powers from different characters or the environment work in some cool way that can be rationalized (or you know... if it just sounds cool). Gives some basic guidance on bonuses.
There are a BUNCH of Super-specific rules that you can choose to use or not. These rules are meant to fine-tune the type of Supers campaign you're running, not to be all used simultaneously. But if you're one of those people that walk into a bar and tells the bartender to give you a glass of six random bottles on the wall in one glass... then go for it, I guess.
They do give guidance on classic Supers Genres for what rules to use: Like if you're running Four-Color style, or Hyper-Violent Supers like Invincible or The Boys, or Noir...
Chapter 4 - Powers
Okay so many of these will be familiar to the SWADE core, but massively beefed up. Many are completely new. There's a lot. And each one has its own set of modifiers, including whether they're passive or not. I will say this, based on what I know of SWADE, these Powers are freaking awesome. I think for the first time the ability to play a true Flash-level speedster is possible without a lot of jank. There is a lot of options here, basically everything you can imagine. They didn't skimp.
Chapter 5 - Rogues Gallery
A big list of well conceived heroes and villains (including their origins) for your own use. They're a good example of what is possible with the ruleset, and I actually like a LOT of them.
Chapter 6 - Items of Power
What would the Marvel or DC universe be without iconic items of power? Well they give you about 20 of them here (some being obvious homages).
All in all - EVEN if I don't run Supers campaigns with it, all of this material can be used with my other SWADE content (especially Rifts) But I have a strong suspicion that I'll be running this natively and get a lot of love out of it.
MSH is not perfect (trust me), but a lot of the hole in that system are implicitly filled by SWADE natively in how it handles certain important combat mechanics. The one thing that SWADE doesn't have is the *massive* rogues gallery that exists for MSH and other supers games like M&M, obviously. So hopefully people will start working on those conversions (I may be one of them).
I'm looking forward to using it.