If someone were to publish a new supers RPG or setting book, which licensed setting would you want that wasn't the Big Two? And why? Would it actually be good for roleplaying in?
The issue with this, is that unless you're not North American (which a fair are on this site are not) then we have no idea what other settings there are? IDW/Dynamite/Dark Horse specializes in Licensed characters/settings. But if you live across the pond, there are other characters and settings, like The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks (which I hear is a really popular character in... Denmark? I think. It's somewhere there.) But we, over here? We can't really answer this unless we're over 50 years old.
That's pretty hard. I can think of comics I'd like to see turned RPG; Saga, Scalped (which darn it, was Vertigo, so DC)... but no Supers license stands out to me. Before Image was bought out they had a few popular series, but nothing that stood out and said, "Hey, I am a novel idea!" I liked the original premise of Spawn, but I knew McFarlane would puss out in the end and not make his power finite so that he eventually killed himself.
Actually, that'd be a fun game to run. Every time the characters use a power or spell, it draws away their life essence, so it becomes a challenge of doing too little and getting killed by a bad guy, or too much and vaporizing yourself. Surely that has been done though, right?
Thought of one: Hellboy and or Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development. Steve Jackson games has one, but it's GURPS-based. I don't do GURPS.
Right now? One-Punch Man
The point is to see how well you can do before Saitama comes along and steals your thunder in one punch, but you somehow still get credit for it. (Note: The source comic is a comedy, as much a parody of Western superheroes as it is Japanese super martial arts stories, and it is HILARIOUS. For the other heroes in this comic, that's pretty much how things go.)
Though technically DC owns it, I think that the setting of Warren Ellis' Planetary would be ripe for role-playing and not as muddled as the retcon-heavy DC and Marvel universes.
Astro City.
It's heavily character driven and gritty without resorting to HBO levels of porn
The Hypernaturals by Boom! Studios.
It's essentially "What if the Legion of Super-Heroes was conceived of in the 21st Century, without all the DC Comics baggage?"
In the far, far future (no exact date given), post-singularity, humanity in all of its various forms (thanks to enhanced genetic manipulation), has colonized the galaxy. The Hypernaturals are an official government-sanctioned team of "hyper" (i.e. super) powered individuals that go around the galaxy and solve problems, whether those problems are natural (imminent asteroid collision), or man-made.
I'd like to see a game with Hanna-Barbara's characters set in one universe: Herculoids, Space Ghost, Johnny Quest, Might-Tor, Biiiiirdman and the rest.
I'd also like to see:
City of Heroes done as a TTRPG. Tons of content.
Overwatch would make a good super's setting
Grendel - Yes. Yes. More yes.
Quote from: tenbones;977360I'd like to see a game with Hanna-Barbara's characters set in one universe: Herculoids, Space Ghost, Johnny Quest, Might-Tor, Biiiiirdman and the rest.
Herculoids was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title! Melding all those titles together into a cohesive whole would be mangificence.
Another, similar, thing I'd like is an Andersonverse game... melding Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, Joe 80, etc. into one big setting. Low-powered supers or base humans with 'superscience' equipment.
QuoteCity of Heroes done as a TTRPG. Tons of content.
There is a nicely done fan write-up of CoH for BRP on the BRP Central downloads page... but yeah, I'd love to visit that setting again... and fight the Clockwork, Vanished Pantheon, Vahzilok, and Circle of Thorns.
Quote from: HorusArisen;977292Astro City.
It's heavily character driven and gritty without resorting to HBO levels of porn
Hell, yes! I'd love to see something for Astro City. It has great stories, plus it is consistent and careful in its setting and world-building.
While technically a superhero setting, I'd like to see some anime RPG's like we had in the early days of Big Eyes Small Mouth in the late 1990's and early 2000's.
A new version of the Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book would be awesome, although the odds of it happening are slim to none.
I second the idea of a One Punch Man RPG.
Other great ideas for RPG's based on anime include the following...
Digimon (any continuity except Frontier)
Cardcaptor Sakura (similar in tone to Sailor Moon, and both bring back fond memories of being a child in 2000)
Fullmetal Alchemist (I'd prefer if they went with the superior 2003 anime to the inferior continuity of Brotherhood, but both would lend well to RPG's)
InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale (one of my favorites)
Lupin III (PC's could either be fellow thieves helping Lupin and his gang pull off capers and heists, or help Zenigata pursue Lupin)
Dragonball Z (I'm not the biggest fan of this series, but it is a classic in anime and is immensely popular. Could work well for a game)
Urotsukidoji (essentially Black Tokyo done right, but it would obviously have a limited appeal)
In the realm of non-anime, but still somewhat superhero-related, tokusatsu RPG's would be cool. Stuff like Power Rangers, Super Sentai, or Kamen Rider (or homages thereof) would make good games too.
The original Eastman & Laird Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the parodies Adolesent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, Geriatric Jiujitsu Gerbils, Killer Kung-fu Kangaroos, and of course Boris the Bear done in a system other than Palladium could be fun. Yes, those were all real comics.
Alan Moore stuff - Watchmen and V for Vendetta.
Grant Morrisson - The Invisibles
And noting that we already have Judge Dredd/2000AD, I guess Fungus the Bogeyman!
Quote from: TrippyHippy;977396Alan Moore stuff - Watchmen and V for Vendetta.
Grant Morrisson - The Invisibles
And noting that we already have Judge Dredd/2000AD, I guess Fungus the Bogeyman!
The Watchmen are DC owned, and are now part of the DC universe.
I'd love to see a City of Heroes tabletop game.
Quote from: dirtninja;977414I'd love to see a City of Heroes tabletop game.
Eden Studios had the rights, put out a preview playtest document, but never finished the game.
For myself, it would have to be a Valiant Universe rpg. There is one, published by Catalyst Game Labs, but it is a weird "sort-of-a-story-game" and has only one book released to support it (a pretty awful "campaign" that amounts to a dungeon crawl and immediately forces you to change the core game rules to run it). So I'd like to see someone else take a stab at it, since Valiant's superhero comics are the only ones I can stand to read these days.
Quote from: tenbones;977360I'd like to see a game with Hanna-Barbara's characters set in one universe: Herculoids, Space Ghost, Johnny Quest, Might-Tor, Biiiiirdman and the rest.
I'd also like to see:
City of Heroes done as a TTRPG. Tons of content.
Overwatch would make a good super's setting
Grendel - Yes. Yes. More yes.
Hanna-Barbara is an awesome setting idea.
Archie Comics has some good materials either with Sabrina the Teenage Witch or with the actual Archie setting in the vein of Archie's Weird Mysteries or even the new Riverdale show if you want something darker.
Quote from: RPGPundit;977253If someone were to publish a new supers RPG or setting book, which licensed setting would you want that wasn't the Big Two? And why? Would it actually be good for roleplaying in?
Venture Bros.
I like role-playing in that era. And the writing is good.
Brubaker's Incognito and Fraction/Ba/Moon's Casanova.
I cheat.
Super Lopez.
(http://elbiblionauta.com/es/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/superl%C3%B3pez-3.jpg)
(http://numerocero.es/fotos/Supergrupo-Jan_numerocero-580x250.jpg)
Quote from: tenbones;977360I'd like to see a game with Hanna-Barbara's characters set in one universe: Herculoids, Space Ghost, Johnny Quest, Might-Tor, Biiiiirdman and the rest.
I would also buy that. No complex world building or plots. Just lots of good, fun crisis-of-the-week stuff to deploy you Space-tech-heroes and alien super-monsters against.
Quote from: Doc Sammy;977390While technically a superhero setting, I'd like to see some anime RPG's like we had in the early days of Big Eyes Small Mouth in the late 1990's and early 2000's.
A new version of the Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book would be awesome, although the odds of it happening are slim to none.
I second the idea of a One Punch Man RPG.
Other great ideas for RPG's based on anime include the following...
Digimon (any continuity except Frontier)
Cardcaptor Sakura (similar in tone to Sailor Moon, and both bring back fond memories of being a child in 2000)
Fullmetal Alchemist (I'd prefer if they went with the superior 2003 anime to the inferior continuity of Brotherhood, but both would lend well to RPG's)
InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale (one of my favorites)
Lupin III (PC's could either be fellow thieves helping Lupin and his gang pull off capers and heists, or help Zenigata pursue Lupin)
Dragonball Z (I'm not the biggest fan of this series, but it is a classic in anime and is immensely popular. Could work well for a game)
Urotsukidoji (essentially Black Tokyo done right, but it would obviously have a limited appeal)
In the realm of non-anime, but still somewhat superhero-related, tokusatsu RPG's would be cool. Stuff like Power Rangers, Super Sentai, or Kamen Rider (or homages thereof) would make good games too.
If you're going to go with an anime verse, then the Toaruverse (Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun) is probably one of the more flesh out settings that plays it straight.
As for some sort of Sentai team, if I were to go that route I'd go with Gatchaman known to some in it's adaptation Battle of the Planets.
Ultraverse and CrossGen. Both great in their day. Both featured comics with disparate themes and locations with a shared mythology. Both bought out and killed by Marvel.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/17/future-quest-1-review
This looks interesting.
I don't mind the rest, loved 'em all: But please, PLEASE, forget The Impossibles. I've been trying my best for decades, and those three weirdos are still in my head. :D
Edit: Wonder if they will try to stick Moby Dick in there, too.
Quote from: Crawford Tillinghast;977615http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/17/future-quest-1-review
FutureQuest looks awesome. Quest family and Space Ghost. I'd definitely read/watch this.
As far as non-DC/Marvel Superhero RPG goes, there can be only one...
Thundarr the Barbarian
Spoiler
[(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ef/e2/81/efe2813ecf2e128d9b99b8d532a68032.jpg)
(http://pre12.deviantart.net/4976/th/pre/i/2014/088/8/e/epic_thundarr_the_barbarian_by_colonel_red-d7c2y14.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ah0h25z2xcby1qc/new_york_after_disaster_by_synthezoide.jpg?dl=0)
I'd run it maybe using the Crawford System - meaning toss every Sine Nomine product in a blender.
Captain Canuck! (The original)
Quote from: GeekEclectic;977594Ultraverse and CrossGen. Both great in their day. Both featured comics with disparate themes and locations with a shared mythology.
Yes, CrossGen was awesome.
And it was a plus that no title felt like a super hero series, they all read like genre pieces with one or two mystically-powered protagonists. (Ok, that homage to Kirby's New Gods was more like bickering among Norse or Greek gods...)
Some of the best "super hero" stuff that I've ever read.
And there
was an RPG in the works...
Quote from: Christopher Brady;977404The Watchmen are DC owned, and are now part of the DC universe.
They may be owned in a legal, real world sense, but we've yet to see the Watchman world made into an actual game setting.
Quote from: TrippyHippy;977748They may be owned in a legal, real world sense, but we've yet to see the Watchman world made into an actual game setting.
Wasn't there a
Watchman Sourcebook (with contributions by Moore) for the DC Heroes game?
As for the original question ... does Eternia (
Masters of the Universe) count?
Quote from: Crawford Tillinghast;977615http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/17/future-quest-1-review
This looks interesting.
I don't mind the rest, loved 'em all: But please, PLEASE, forget The Impossibles. I've been trying my best for decades, and those three weirdos are still in my head. :D
Edit: Wonder if they will try to stick Moby Dick in there, too.
Holy smokes... this might be happening. Here's the fluff. Just need to pick the system - likely FASERIP for me.
Bit of a cheat, because it exists within but separate from the DC Universe:
Strikeforce Morituri
//Panjumanju
Quote from: TrippyHippy;977748They may be owned in a legal, real world sense, but we've yet to see the Watchman world made into an actual game setting.
Really? How about the one Alan Moore participated in?
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Quote from: Doc Sammy;977420Archie Comics has some good materials either with Sabrina the Teenage Witch or with the actual Archie setting in the vein of Archie's Weird Mysteries or even the new Riverdale show if you want something darker.
Are you including the Archie "ultra heroes"? Or do you mean Captain Hero, Pureheart, and Superteen?
I'd like to see an uncostumed super setting, like Misfits or Heroes.
I love One Punch Man, but having some doubt about it as an RPG. What might work there...OPM himself exists as a ready-made deus ex machina when the GM doesn't want the players to die. If he wants to keep a non-lethal setting, he can show up whenever the party is about to die, but they drop down on the hero ranking (and thus XP) whenever his intervention is required.
Venture Bros could be sublime.
I would also like to do a Super's setting of:
Gatachaman (Battle of the Planets) mixed with Kamen Rider, Garo, Ultraman all rolled into one big bad-ass setting with Kaiju guest-appearances!
Quote from: Panjumanju;977808Bit of a cheat, because it exists within but separate from the DC Universe:
Strikeforce Morituri
//Panjumanju
...was published by Marvel... :p
Quote from: Dumarest;977813Really? How about the one Alan Moore participated in?
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Well, you live and learn. :)
Pity they weren't in the Mutants & Masterminds version.
Invincible by Robert Kirkman (you can even put "From the Creator of the Walking Dead" on the cover).
It's probably my favorite deconstructionist superhero book. It's had its missteps but I think it is still pretty good and its ending in about seven month or so. That means unless they blow up the universe there is a good natural campaign starting point in there.
It's a good mashup of silver-age wackiness and iron age violence but eschews the reset button the big two use.
Quote from: TrippyHippy;977396Alan Moore stuff - Watchmen and V for Vendetta.
Grant Morrisson - The Invisibles
And noting that we already have Judge Dredd/2000AD, I guess Fungus the Bogeyman!
I believe Watchmen was done for DC Heroes way back. Four total I think. All from Mayfair. Two seem to be sourcebooks? One is an adventure I think? And no clue what the last was.
Quote from: Omega;977943I believe Watchmen was done for DC Heroes way back. Four total I think. All from Mayfair. Two seem to be sourcebooks? One is an adventure I think? And no clue what the last was.
There were three: the sourcebook and two adventures ("Who Watches the Watchmen?" and "Taking Out the Trash"). I have all three. The sourcebook is the one where Alan Moore lent a hand and revealed things not in the comic books. Apparently it's hard to find now, at least at a decent price.
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My favorite is Dan Brereton's The Nocturnals (https://comicvine.gamespot.com/the-nocturnals/4050-6538/), but there's already a good M&M sourcebook (https://www.amazon.com/Mutants-Masterminds-Nocturnals-Midnight-Companion/dp/1932442022) for that, so my second choice is the universe of Impact Comics' Powers (https://comicvine.gamespot.com/powers/4050-6472/).
I wouldn't mind seeing the old Archie super heroes like The Fly, the Jaguar, the Hangman, the Web, and the rest. But not the cruddy "modern reimaginings" people keep trotting out with the mistaken impression that "mature" equals "graphic depiction of dismemberment and murder." I want a sourcebook faithful to the originals, as gritty as they were in the 40s and as corny as they were in the 50s.
Tower Comics' old T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (NoMan, Dynamo, Lightning, Menthor, and Raven) and U.N.D.E.R.S.E.A. Agent material would be fun as well if kept true to Wally Wood's clever originals.
I'd play in a game based on The Badger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_(comics)
Cerebus the Aardvark would also be good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_(comics)
Jon Sable Freelance is another one I'd play: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Sable
Superpowers are far from abundant in those comics, however,
----
https://sites.google.com/site/grreference/
Quote from: WillInNewHaven;977977I'd play in a game based on The Badger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_(comics)
Cerebus the Aardvark would also be good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_(comics)
Jon Sable Freelance is another one I'd play: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Sable
Superpowers are far from abundant in those comics, however,
You linked Cerebus to Badger. Here's the right one:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebus_the_Aardvark
Quote from: Christopher Brady;977404The Watchmen are DC owned, and are now part of the DC universe.
So are the Invisibles. Owned by DC, not part of the universe.
I preferred The Filth to The Invisibles but I have no idea how'd you systemtize that. We3 is more promising.
Quote from: Panjumanju;977808Bit of a cheat, because it exists within but separate from the DC Universe:
Strikeforce Morituri
//Panjumanju
Marvel.
Well, I'll probably just stick with Judge Dredd/2000AD then. And Fungus the Bogeyman.
Quote from: TrippyHippy;978623Well, I'll probably just stick with Judge Dredd/2000AD then. And Fungus the Bogeyman.
If I read the interwebs correctly Dredd is being done by En publishing using WOIN.
Quote from: HorusArisen;978636If I read the interwebs correctly Dredd is being done by En publishing using WOIN.
Yep it is - for release sometime later this year: https://www.worldsof2000adrpg.com/worlds-of-2000ad/
Quote from: TrippyHippy;978650Yep it is - for release sometime later this year: https://www.worldsof2000adrpg.com/worlds-of-2000ad/
Do you know if the system any good? My cousins a huge fan of Dredd and would snap up a decent RPG in a second.
Quote from: HorusArisen;978651Do you know if the system any good? My cousins a huge fan of Dredd and would snap up a decent RPG in a second.
It's solid, I'd say. There are some sample characters on that website to have a look at:
https://www.worldsof2000adrpg.com/mac/
Basically, it's D6 Dicepool system, although they rank the skills and attributes by a seperate number which then denotes the number of dice to roll (this rank only serves for advancement purposes), and I'm not sure they really need to do that. I haven't actually played the game, although I've read through the N.E.W. rulebook (the generic sci-fi version of the rules). It is quite easy to read and run, but it wouldn't entice me over from Traveller to play in any standard space opera game.
In the case of Judge Dredd/2000AD, however, it would. This is mainly due to the setting, of course, but I don't see the system getting in the way of my enjoyment and it actually suits the setting better than the Traveller system in some respects. For example, the N.E.W combat is a bit more comic strip in feel, whereas Traveller can get a bit deadly. The Traveller approach to advancement also doesn't really work in Judge Dredd either. With Traveller, there isn't a formal 'experience' system and to improve you generally just accumulate Credits to buy more tech and training. With Judges, they aren't really operating in a capitalist system like that (they are already provided with training and equipment from the offset) and the general development is too slow for characters to improve over the course of adventures. That will be remedied in the new version, I think.
I'll send him the link.
Ultraverse before Marvel ruined it
Invincible Universe from Image
The Justice Machine (I know there is a sourcebook for Palladium, but I'd like to see a full on rpg). Throw in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents & Elementals, since they crosseed over a few times
The Hero Alliance
Maybe the DNAgents setting
I'm going to maintain that Overwatch is RIPE to be turned into a Supers RPG.
"Overwatch is set sixty years into the future of a fictionalized Earth, thirty years after the resolution of the "Omnic Crisis". Prior the Omnic Crisis, humanity had been in a golden age of prosperity and technology development. Humans developed robots with artificial intelligence called "Omnics", which were produced worldwide in automated "omnium" facilities and put to use to achieve economic equality. The Omnic Crisis began when the omniums started producing a series of lethal, hostile robots, which turned against humankind. The United Nations quickly formed Overwatch, an international task force to combat the omnic threat and restore order.
Two veteran soldiers were put in charge of Overwatch; Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison. Though Overwatch successfully quelled the robotic uprising and brought a number of talented individuals to the forefront, a rift developed between Reyes and Morrison, and Morrison became the leader of Overwatch while Reyes took charge of Blackwatch, Overwatch's covert operations division. Overwatch maintained peace across the world for several decades in what was called the "Overwatch Generation," but the rift between Morrison and Reyes intensified. Several allegations of wrongdoing and failures were leveled at Overwatch, leading to a public outcry against the organization and in-fighting between its members, prompting the UN to investigate the situation. During this, an explosion destroyed Overwatch's headquarters in Switzerland, purportedly killing Morrison and Reyes among others. The UN passed the Petras Act, which dismantled Overwatch and forbade any Overwatch-type activity.
Overwatch is set some years after the Petras Act; without Overwatch, corporations have started to take over, fighting and terrorism have broken out in parts of the globe, and there are signs of a second Omnic Crisis occurring in Russia. Former members of Overwatch decide to reform Overwatch despite the Petras Act, recruiting old friends and gaining new allies in their fight."
If you've never seen the mini-movies for it (or played the game) they're top-notch. The characters are all enhanced and/or use enhanced weaponry. So it's got a strong sci-fi heroes vibe, with heavy emphasis on the "heroes" part. But there is still a lot of gray in there to get messy with. Strong intimations of supernatural stuff with a couple of characters (Reaper). But setting-wise it's strong for use as an RPG. PC's could be former members of Overwatch/Blackwatch - or independents making their way in the post-Crisis world. Plenty of options for making Omnics (artificial beings) that can scale to Kaiju-sized monstrosities...
Overwatch shorts
https://youtu.be/Bl66r0R6Su4
Quote from: urbwar;978667Ultraverse before Marvel ruined it
Yeah, I didn't know if I should get into that or not. Marvel bought out all of Malibu Comics, including their Ultraverse imprint, in '94. Malibu had already ended their main Genesis setting(Protectors, Ex-Mutants, Dinosaurs for Hire) in spectacular and very sudden fashion. But Ultraverse was doing pretty good. Then the takeover and Black September happened. The comics they kept going for a bit were alright(except for Rune - what they did to that series just made me sad), but the magic was gone. I'll admit that when the bankruptcy happened in '96, I took a
teensy bit of pleasure in it and kinda thought they deserved it.
CrossGen was also bought out by Marvel, but their comics' sudden cancellation was merciful by comparison. I think it left a lot of things in the series unresolved, but at least they didn't Black September it. IIRC, Marvel released a couple limited series based(loosely in the one case I bothered to check out) on a few CrossGen properties, but that's the last we heard of them.
I hate when companies buy things I love just so they can kill them.
Another comic universe I used to enjoy came to mind. Wildstorm. Wild C.A.T.S., Gen13, etc. My biggest comic-reading time was the early-to-mid '90s, so I didn't know what happened to them after that. It turns out that Wildstorm was cannibalized by DC in '99, because of fucking course it was. Maybe it's for the best. A quick image search has me thinking maybe it's the kind of stuff teenage me would have thought was "so cool and edgy," but which today me would just find cheesy and kinda embarrassing.
How about Harvey Comics?
It would be two and a half hoots to play with the original Black Cat, Bee-Man, Pirana, Jigsaw, Spyman, and Fighting American. Maybe they could cross through an interdimensional portal and team up with Casper, Hot Stuff, Richie Rich, and Wendy the Good Little Witch.