Superworld
$12.07 – http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/82099/Superworld-Rolep…
The box set has 3 books and game aids.
Superheroes Book
Introduction
What is a game, dice.
Page 4 – Handwritten character sheet for Stormbolt.
Page 5 – Superhero creation. Secret identity, yearly income roll including details of professions. Origin.
Characteristics – Strength, Constitution, Size, Intelligence, Power, Dexterity, Apperance. Roll heroes and villains on 2d6+6. Normals use 3d6.
You get skill points based on the average of the characteristics. Her total is 86. The average of which is 12ish. Hero points is this total of 86. You can reroll lowest characteristics until you get 91, but we won’t worry about it.
The most important Superpowers are Energy Supply and those listed under Super Characteristics. Powers are in the Superpowers book not the Superheroes book though. You can take Power Advantages, Disadvantages and Handicaps.
Characteristic Rolls – Idea (INT * 5), for working stuff out. Luck (POW * 5) and Agility (DEX * 5)
Let’s generate one. How about :
Indira Nguyen, Plumber. 27. Not on the list of sample occupations.
STR 15
CON 11
SIZ 10
INT 11
POW 14
DEX 12
APP 13
Currently Indira has a Damage Bonus of +1d6 from STR+SIZ that costs 3 EP to use.
Action Ranks are based on Dex. Hers are 12 and 2.
Being a BRP game if you make a critical roll you check the thing and you might get an increase. Additional Hero Points can be gained by experience and can be spent as above.
Let’s give her
Gas Projection – the ability to summon toxic Sewage gas. 4d6 at 9 metres radius is 20 points.
Poison – Killer sewage – 7 levels is 21 points.
Extra Hit Points – 10 levels is 20 more hit points. Plumbers are tough, here.
Energy Supply – 25 points. Gives 250 energy points to use on powers, extra.
Personal Energy is CON + POW or 25 and PE/10 is the Recharge Rate for Resting.
The Sewer
Indira Nguyen, Plumber. 27.
STR 15
CON 11
SIZ 10
INT 11
POW 14
DEX 12
APP 13
HT 33
PE 275
RR 2.5
Powers
20 Gas Projection – 4d6 at 30m with 9m radius
21 Poison – Killer sewage – 7 levels
20 Extra Hit Points – 10 levels
25 Energy Supply – 10 leves
Skills Increases
Plumbing – 99%
Drive – 49%
GAME MECHANICS – Page 15
Time, tactics and actions in rounds. Melee Round, Full Action, Semi-Action, Quartermove and Instantaneous varieties. Page 18 has the resistance table, that is Characteristic 10 Active vs Characteristic 10 Passive is a 50% chance.
Crucial Rolls – special, critical, fumble.
Boosting – spend extra energy to do more with powers.
Damage – surviving asphyxiation, combat, electricity, fire, etc.
Lifting and Throwing – impact damage.
Breaking Things – Material resistance and SIZ table. SIZ 100 is 159 tons.
COMBAT – Page 25
Movement – three types
Quartermove – which is only 1/5 for flight!
Normal – 3/4 of movement is a semi action.
Straightline – no deviation and you can go 4 times as fast!
Flight – Harder to manoeuvre in air apparently as very little friction. Use agility rolls to determine it actually says when the statistic is Dexterity. Oddball physics more than usual in Superworld.
Attack – manoeuvres, weapons, crucial rolls. Shockwaves and Stomps, Hulk. Passing attacks. Aura Attacks – Social type intimidation but : Youth – If you are a teenager you get POWx1% bonus to a resistance roll.
Defending and Danage. Knockback.
GLOSSARY – Page 31 then Character Sheet and Contents.
SUPERPOWERS BOOK
Introduction
Overview of breaking down each power type and Energy type.
Page 4 – Superpowers Tables
Page 8 – Superpowers Descriptions
Page 25 – Power Advantages
Page 29 – Skills table
Page 30 – Skills Description
Page 35 – Power Disadvantages – sure, why not have skills in the middle of Advantages and Disadvantages?!
Page 37 – Handicaps – like bad luck, clumsiness, psychological problems, etc. Gaining Hero Points.
GAMEMASTERS BOOK
You also get an Operatives Control sheet in this box and a Character Control Sheet and an Action Rank sheet. Along with Errata and Notes and various character sheets. And GM Screen type reference sheets with powers, weapons, etc and the useful Resistance Table, SIZ, Impact, Action Times, that sort of thing.
Page 3 – Introduction
GM Obligations – Screening and overhauling heroes, Campaign Control – Incomes,
Various short note sections on these :-
Supervillains
Bystanders
Rationale
Organizations – details of FORCE and Omega, briefly.
Law – Several pages on felonies and misdemeanours by Dee and Herman.
Animals – Something more useful and less boring than the above. Includes an allosaurus.
Page 17 – Adventure – Deadly Devices of Doctor Dread
For 3 to 8 new superheroes. Cut back if fewer than 5 it tells the GM.
Characters
— Absorber,
— Blackflash, Black Maria, Brainwave,
Captain Wonder, — Cerebella,
— Dynaman, Doctor Dread Snatch Team, Doctor Dread,
Fury, — Fire Operatives,
— Killer Bee,
Maestro, — Mighty Mauler,
— Pile Driver,
— Rapidfire,
Stormbolt,
Page 34 – Adventure – The Haunting
For 3 to 5 beginning superheroes.
— Arch-Ghoul,
— Dark Spawn,
— Seeker,
— Poltergeist,
— Leviathan,
So these adventures give at least a few heroes for people to use and some opponents done up as examples.
Genre Suitability: Lower level and powered games and certainly Wild Cards and the more brutal or lethal subgenres of superheroes are better suited to this system with too many holes. See Runequest or CoC. Can be dead super types aplenty, here. Realistic/real world + powers.
Artwork: Very basic black and white, mostly look like villains.
6 0ut of 10 Price (lower is cheaper per page)
5 out of 10 Length (lower is shorter)
7 out of 10 Complexity (lower is easier)
4 out of 10 Playability
4 out of 10 Artwork
5 out of 10 Overall
There are certainly some WTF bits and pieces in here and the organisation isn’t very good. I doubt you’ve ever heard anyone say: the superpower I’d most love to have is Energy Supply. And it is necessary as you otherwise have mostly Deuces in a Wild Card sense who will get one or two shots and be exhausted. And if using multiple powers? If you love Basic Roleplaying this may be for you. Otherwise there are better games. You could nick the skill system for another game using the appropriate attributes for that one for those that don’t have them as such.