Post by doc on Dec 12, 2007 19:19:31 GMT -6
While I would hesitate to call it a true classic, Superhero 2044 will forever have the distinction of being the very first superhero rpg on the market. Orignally published in 1977 by Donald Saxman, it came into creation following a D&D campaign that incorporated well-known superheroes into the mix (indeed, the cover and interior art feature several unnamed characters who look suspiciously like established Marvel and DC properties).
In short, following a nuclear war and alien contact, a handful of people in the near future begin to develop mutations and super powers. Some use them for good, some for evil, yadda yadda. The characters divided a number of points between stats and then pick what sort of hero they want to play: a super-powered person (like Superman or Spiderman), a high-tech wonder (like Iron Man or Cable), or a highly skilled human (like Batman or Doc Savage). There are no actual powers listed in the book for some very odd reason, but the GM gives each character a discretionary number of points to add to his stats to simulate whatever powers the player wants.
Combat is relatively simple, kind of like a stripped down version of V&V (iirc). A great deal of the game is focused on going on patrol and fighting villains, but having to go to court (to either testify against a villain or because somebody filed charges against you for causing collateral damage or unneccessary violence), pay taxes, and keeping up your reputation in public are also dealt with.
The world of 2044, while sketchily rendered, presents quite a fair number of options for role playing. There are all sorts of alien enclaves, government agencies, secret societies, and the like.
All in all, it was a fun little game with some interesting ideas, but once other superhero games hit the market, Superhero 2044 disappeared like Nightcrawler in a dark room. It's not a game to go out of your way to find just to play it, but if it happens to cross your path, it would make an interesting addition to your collection of historical RPGs.
Doc
In short, following a nuclear war and alien contact, a handful of people in the near future begin to develop mutations and super powers. Some use them for good, some for evil, yadda yadda. The characters divided a number of points between stats and then pick what sort of hero they want to play: a super-powered person (like Superman or Spiderman), a high-tech wonder (like Iron Man or Cable), or a highly skilled human (like Batman or Doc Savage). There are no actual powers listed in the book for some very odd reason, but the GM gives each character a discretionary number of points to add to his stats to simulate whatever powers the player wants.
Combat is relatively simple, kind of like a stripped down version of V&V (iirc). A great deal of the game is focused on going on patrol and fighting villains, but having to go to court (to either testify against a villain or because somebody filed charges against you for causing collateral damage or unneccessary violence), pay taxes, and keeping up your reputation in public are also dealt with.
The world of 2044, while sketchily rendered, presents quite a fair number of options for role playing. There are all sorts of alien enclaves, government agencies, secret societies, and the like.
All in all, it was a fun little game with some interesting ideas, but once other superhero games hit the market, Superhero 2044 disappeared like Nightcrawler in a dark room. It's not a game to go out of your way to find just to play it, but if it happens to cross your path, it would make an interesting addition to your collection of historical RPGs.
Doc