Kyle Hood

7 hrs
Another "what is the best" question:
What game is the best for Supers and why? I am partial to the old TSR FASRIP Marvel, but I am
also in love with the concept of HERO.





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16 people like this.

Scott Rutter As with most discussions of this nature, you will likely have to settle for learning what we think is best for
each of us.
For me HERO does an excellent job of handling the mathematics of being a superhero, but i prefer literature to
mathematics when it comes to RPGs, so I'd stand behind Fate Core in this poll.
7 hrs Like

Stephen Balentine I like GURPS, but I started on FASERIP Marvel, Heroes Unlimited had a certain fun to it, I played
Champions and an English one called Golden Heroes. I Only still play GURPS, I felt the heros system had too many
stats and I feel like the turn system is "cludgey" but I love the content. The Zodiac Conspiracy was cool. I loved the
Roster books full of villains and all that. I still fondly remember all of the actual games we played.
7 hrs Edited Like 1

Jay Peters I started with Champions 2E (HERO). I burned myself out on HERO after several years. I wanted
something that was faster and more colorful, not as detailed and meticulous. I felt like I had hit a creative drought with
HERO so I started looking around. That turned into a thing with me, basically collecting as many supers RPGs as I
could to find The One Game.

These days I enjoy Marvel Heroic Roleplaying by Margaret Weis Productions and BASH Ultimate Edition by Basic
Action Games.
7 hrs Like

Jerym Estel My brother swears by the short lived Margaret Weiss Marvel Heroic Game, which he hopes they will re-
skin into a generic Supers game. My issue with HERO has always been the amount of time for GM prep, as I am
always the GM, though I really really want to love the game. Like Scott I have been looking into FATE core for near
about everything now a days that isn't super setting specific (Eclipse Phase/ Iron Kingdoms).
7 hrs Like

Heath William Anthony the Truth & Justice system is my favorite. Super Simple but still fun.
7 hrs Like

William Cooper Aberrant d10 system from White Wolf its being remade by Onyx Press probably for release next
year. I also have played Heroes Unlimited by Palladium and it was about what you would expect (irritating rules but
good writing).
7 hrs Like 1

Scott Rutter This struck me as interesting and topical
http://station53.blogspot.com/.../avengers-accelerated...
7 hrs Like

Jay Libby If you are a fan of FASERIP you should check out G-Core Prime. 98% compatible with FASERIP. We run
old FASERIP modules using it. I'll even comp you a copy. http://hardluckink.wordpress.com/.../rpg-review-g-core.../
7 hrs Edited Like 2

Jason Dockery Heroes unlimited was my fave in college.
7 hrs Like 1

John Fowler Marvel Advanced FASERIP for me. Simple rules make for quick paced action, and it can accommodate
all levels of power.
7 hrs Like 1

Todd Sipes I loved Champions and Heroes is great as well.
7 hrs Like

Paul Olney Champions is great fun for rule players.
7 hrs Like

Jay Libby http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/.../129071/GCore-GCore-PRIME
7 hrs Like

Darren Bulmer Mutants & Masterminds, without a doubt.
7 hrs Like 2

Todd Sipes cool
7 hrs Like

Robert Lester Lovely My two systems are BRP (Call of Cthulhu) and GURPS.

GURPS works well for supers, but I think HERO is better.
7 hrs Like

Jerym Estel I can't stop reading FASERIP as FACE RIP...
7 hrs Like 4

Gary Miles Hero System has been my game of choice for every genre (but especially supers) for 32 years.
6 hrs Like 1

Fredrick Rakhang Faserip is a flaming pile of garbage
6 hrs Like

Bob Dobbs MSHRP All day!
6 hrs Like

Sean D. Stuber old school marvel is my mainstay. I am one of the few that thought d20 Silver Age Sentinels was fun
too - in particular for playing the lower end of the power scale.
6 hrs Like

Ray Gunter I have very fond memories of FASERIP.
6 hrs Like

Eugene Uhrin Anythings better than champions. Brave new world was pretty fun.
6 hrs Like

Ralph Young Somebody seems to ask this once a week. Champions/Hero System is best if you want tactical
gaming. If you want to play out a story but not be too concerned with figuring out just how you intend to beat the
opposition, go Marvel Heroic/Cortex+. Mutants & Masterminds is good for a reduced learning curve if your group is
already familiar with d20 type games, as both Hero and Cortex are very idiosyncratic compared to other games.
6 hrs Like

James Koti I started with FASERIP and played it until I discovered M&M. Now it's my go-to.
6 hrs Like 1

Mike Hall Loved FASERIP as a teen, and still have a high estimation of the system. I also liked Mayfair's DC Heroes
system. M&M is probably the best of the modern supers games.
6 hrs Edited Like 1

Matt Draven wasn't that the one with the million page book?
6 hrs Like

Jason Walters The Hero System hands down. (Though I might be biased.)
6 hrs Like 1

Christopher Travis Started with Villains & Vigilantes back in the early 80's. Moved to Champions and didn't like it at
first (too math heavy). Got out of gaming for a couple of years. When I got back in, it was FASERIP Marvel. Stuck
with that for a number of years, then tried Champions again. Like both. Have tried a few others off and on since.
TMNT would be the best of those, and would be tied for second choice with Champions, and DC as a third place
contender. Marvel stands as the best though.
6 hrs Like

Anthony Suorez Mutants & Masterminds, 2nd or 3rd edition (2nd is a little more stingy with character gen point
worth). Both systems are a bit too geared towards powerhouses and paragons owning the field, but various house
rules can shut those problems down (base DC 15 for all saves, not just Toughness, etc).
Once you get past that --and not actually having hit points in the way you're used to-- it's kind of remarkable. You can
build any power and put it into the hands of your players. The system has it's flaws --expect everything you do to
have it's trump-- but it's geared towards telling superheroes stories better than anything else out there that I have
played (i.e. Heroes System Heroes Unlimited, V&V, Champions, GURPs, Marvel Heroes, DC Heroes, and both
Abberant systems).
6 hrs Edited Like 1

James Koti ^ Exactly how it stole me away from FASERIP.
6 hrs Like 1

Ronnie Bryan I love the Champions System, math and all...
6 hrs Like 1

Anthony Suorez Also, M&M has licensed both Wild Cards and the DCU.
6 hrs Like 2

Richard Scott FASERIP it is
6 hrs Like

Thomas J Burns Other than Villains and Vigilantes for some reason, I've played them ALL and like bits and pieces of
each. But it's FASERIP I always return to, occasionally modifying it to steal a particularly cool idea.
6 hrs Like

Kevin Oliphant Champions all the way but I would highly recommend DC Heroes if you ever get a chance to play it.
6 hrs Like 1

Lance Stephan Crossan MSHRP was the first rpg I ever owned. I always enjoyed the board game aspect to it.
There were times we would just set up and run battles.
6 hrs Like

Ed Long Mutants &masterminds is a superb system
6 hrs Like 1

Jason Carr In all honesty, you're comparing apples to oranges. Sure they all fruit, but that's where it ends. They all
have their pro's and cons.
6 hrs Like 1

Allen Rathbone DC Heroes is the greatest game ever created. See my
blog:http://mayfairexponentialrpg.blogspot.com/
6 hrs Like

Anthony Suorez Ultimatly, you're right. It all comes down to arbitrary tastes.
6 hrs Like 1

Nathan Kahler My first crush was Villains and Vigilantes, then I had a long affair with Champions, occasionally
having flings with MSHRP and DC Heroes 1e. Had a dirty, unfulfilling one-night stand with Heroes Unlimited (how
could that Steranko cover art lie to me so?), then thought I found my true love with DC Heroes 2e. I still loved it when
it got its 3e makeover, but then my interest waned. DC Universe never caught my interest, nor did Marvel SAGA
(despite the interesting concepts it had). Then the age of d20 was upon us, and a cute little number named Silver Age
Sentinels caught my eye. Though interesting and familiar, something was missing. I was almost ready to settle, when
a new hotness lit-up my life: Mutants and Masterminds was here, and would never go away- despite my occasional
flings with her half-sister ICONS. MnM just got better with each edition, until the one-two punch of its DCA/3e
incarnation made it a lifetime commitment. Other systems still catch my eye, but I have found my true love.
6 hrs Like 2

Anthony Suorez Yeah. You can endlessly tinker with M&M builds. It's particularly addicting if you go in for 'wishful
character-ing'.
6 hrs Like 1

James Koti Especially with Hero Lab.
6 hrs Like 2

Charles Wright MSHRPG for me. I also like Aberrant, but I tweak out the whole "taint" mechanic.
6 hrs Like

Anthony Suorez ESPECIALLY with Hero Lab. Dear lord, yes.
6 hrs Like 2

Thomas Boice I have good times with Mutants and Masterminds.
5 hrs Like 2

Jason Pennel I haven't played most of them, but my favorite is GURPS Supers
5 hrs Like

Jason Eric Nelson Always loved FASERIP and the table.
5 hrs Like

Steven Maloney M&M is my go to, you never need to make something up as you have everything you need. It is a
bit crunchy but the hero point system allows for the players to be creative. That and you can make a guy teleport and
leave behind an explosion the size of 1/4 mile radius! Nothing says walking doomsday than a teleporter who can do
that
5 hrs Like 2

Kenny Bopster McGill Actually in an on going Marvel Superheroes game lol was surprised to see others talking
about it lol
5 hrs Like

Angel Phinizee my favorite among supers rpg are Marvel saga, then Marvel faserip, but I'm currently using the
Marvel heroic from Margaret Weis prod. they are re working it into a generic, non licensed ruleset, so I hope some of
the quips I have with heroic are smoothed out.
5 hrs Like

Dustin Pageloff M&M and Heros Unlimited.
5 hrs Like

Clinton Boomer I have an insane Mutants & Masterminds/Unknown Armiesmash-up that works REALLY well for
"Year One" or "Masquerade-Breach" stories:
http://thatboomerkid.tumblr.com/.../unknown-masterminds...
5 hrs Like

Joe Decker Hero System
5 hrs Like 2

John Keehn Champions Hero system .... Our new campaign launches in 3 days!!
5 hrs Like 2

Sean K Fitzgerald HERO
5 hrs Like

Dustin Pageloff I was never a fan of the Hero system. I felt like I needed a PHD to understand the system..LOL
5 hrs Like 1

Jason Raper I just finished up a Savage Worlds, Superhero campaign (Necessary Evil) and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Although the character creation can be intense with so many options, the gameplay is very easy and exciting, I really
enjoy the luck coins (bennys), the unique initiative process using poker cards, and exploding dice mechanics.
5 hrs Edited Like

Jack V. Butler Jr. Champions is the absolute best superhero system because of its utter flexibility and the fact that
you can build superman and green arrow with the same amount of points and thus the same effectiveness.
4 hrs Like

Colin Speirs First Superhero RPG I played was Superhero 2044.

Superworld was great fun, though I liked the old Marvel Games power level mechanic.

Oddly enough just picked up V & V to see what it's like
4 hrs Like 1

Mike Underhill Palladium has a great superhero system called Heroes Unlimited. The character creation is absurdly
long, but after that, most skills are percentile and combat is much like d20.
4 hrs Like

Jayson Turner DC HEROES, 2nd-3rd Edition. Easy to learn, simple character creation that does not take hours, and
the best rules for gadgets out there.
4 hrs Like 1

Robert James Brown I'm partial to Champions/Hero System though I ran a short Marvel game back in the 80's. I
now use the city maps & senerios with Champions.
3 hrs Like 1

Franklin Ramsey Marvel by far. I play in a couple Champions games and they are fun, but a pain to create
characters in and you have to be so careful not to break the game. I run a Marvel game and that system is quick and
simple to create characters in and to run.
3 hrs Like 1

Dan OD Marvel ..
2 hrs Like 1

Chris Rubenstahl The new Marvel Heroic is, to me, the hands-down best system for accurately simulating
superhero comics. It easily accounts for lower powered characters, for heroes struggling against obstacles rather
than villains, and more, all in a very simple, rules-light and narrative-heavy format.
1 hr Like

Eric Spahr Ok, let's do this.
1. Champions has more easily enforced play balance, but everyone starts to look like everyone else of the same
type.

2. V & V. Great system, very diverse, but a bit too random for many people. Living Legends tends to turn it into a
Champions clone. House rules tend to fix the worst issues for any particular group, or just rolling up several
characters ahead of time, and play which one the GM says fits best in the game.

3. Marvel (FASERIP). Great introductory game system, not much prep needed for starting encounters, but a bit too
basic for many.

I prefer V&V and the old Marvel. But that is just my opinion.
1 hr Like

Robert James Brown I tryed to start a DC Heroes game around the sametime I ran Marvel but it went no where. Ine
of our guys had Heroes Unlimited & I wrote up several characters for it but he never ran it. I've been in V&V. Also
M&M Games but only at conventions. Oyr group inly plays Champions for Superhero games. Have had a campaign
that's been running since 1st ed back in 81 or 82. But we lost several players & the rest of us just don't feel lkie
continuing it. (One died in Sept 2012,one died in March 2013 &one last fall around Nov. Plus we lost minor players a
few years before a husband & wife team, & 2 others ti various things within the last 5 years. Our group is only 4-5
people left. I'm dtarting a new game world for my golden age game. I've ran modern games in ut but niw I'm starting
my long taljed about WW2 game. Everyone seems excited about it so far.
57 mins Like

Vicente Maldonado To work the Heroes system you need to be a trig major with a minor in Calc. Its horrible. Having
said that I love how custom things can be.
46 mins Like

Robert James Brown Nah you don't need to be a math major. Hell I was a C student in math in school & do fine.
Hell between Hero System & Morrow Project I became a much better math student. & I was out if school.
41 mins Like

Vicente Maldonado Marrow Project I could handle, But even now I look at the Heroes 5th and my head wants to
explode, I also have been going back over M&M (3rd) wanting to run something but again so much math it takes
away from it.
30 mins Like

Ajit Adonis Manilal I'm taken in by Wild Talents since it has rules for even high level characters and allows players
more freedom to affect the world(turn off the sun or take over a state and turn it into their personal fiefdom etc).
5 mins Edited Like

Ajit Adonis Manilal Plus it's more open about character morals
5 mins Like

Rich Chamberlain My all time favorite is the original Marvel Superhero Roleplaying Game (FASERIP version). Next
after that is Mutants and Masterminds.
2 mins Like

Junius Stone When it comes to the sheer physical action and a character creation system that can accommodate,
Champions has no equal. For one that does the story elements, you have to go with one of the games from the
modern story driven indie era.
Just now Like



Darren Tishue I probably have something like 25 different supers RPGS, plus a bazillion supplements to them.
Its been my biggest RPG passion since I started playing. Of all of them, FASERIP, Champions/Hero and
M&M/DCA have been my go to favorites.
13 mins Like

Ralph Young ...GURPS is a wonderful system to play realistic people with a high mortality rate, which is perfect
for some genres but not traditional superheroes. To make GURPS work for superheroes you have to import a lot
of exception mechanics from Hero System or other games. The third edition GURPS Supers supplement pretty
much admitted this.

The mathematics of Hero System that appear to frighten people so (1) isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be
and (2) would generally only be an issue during character creation, not in actual play.
9 mins Like

Denis Loubet Champions!
8 mins Like

James Carpio While I have fond memories of FASERIP, Champions had the best bang for the buck IMHO.
These days both are a little difficult to sit through, but back in the day (when George McDonald would yell at us
kids for interrupting his games at DunDraCon), Champions was the coolest.
3 mins Like

Ajit Adonis Manilal Ralph that's what i mean it's terrible at super games and yes champions does need work
when it comes to character creation, which is tedious and mathematically staggering.
Just now Like



Justin Martin I've tried marvel, I've tried dc- but the best I have found and easiest to enjoy is Mutants and
Masterminds- it is fairly new and it simplified a lot of the old systems and works great
3 hrs Like

Adam Dickstein I run a great deal of Superhero games, and I would have to say it depends on your style of
play. While I am not a fan of heavy crunch games, Champions 4th edition is my go to game. While character
creation can be involved, most of the crunch in HERO is behind the scenes. I find it runs quickly and smoothly in
play. Marvel Heroic is awesome, but a completely different animal with a completely different feel.
3 hrs Like

Adam Dickstein Mutants & Masterminds 3E is a best of both worlds game for many people, and while I do love
it, my group is usually 'if we're going to play that why not just run Champions?" LOL
3 hrs Like

Patrick Dubuc Marvel Superheroes RPG (FASERIP) was a very good system that i've played for years. Gotta
love those power punches that sends your adversaries to the moon!
3 hrs Like 1

Matthew Fuson Love, love, love the Hero system...and not just for Supers.
3 hrs Like

Michael Cathro I like the flexibility that Hero provides. The FASERIP system was fun and easy to pick up on but
didn't really have that much depth. Margaret Weiss' Marvel system seems to have a bit of a learning curve to it. I
have only played it once so maybe it was just that experience. Palladium's Heroes Unlimited was pretty good. I
haven't tried M&M 3E yet so can't really comment either way. All that said, I'd vote Hero System.
2 hrs Like 1

Matthew Fuson Hero ftw.
2 hrs Like

Gregory Peck NEITHER MUTANTS AND MASTERMINDS RULES THEM ALL
2 hrs Like

Bill Anderson I have M&M, Hero, BASH and ICONS. In my quest to find the ultimate game based on Internet
opinions, I have a full shelf. I am a very confused person. Someday I may get to play one if these.
2 hrs Like

Jack V. Butler Jr. No, sorry, but when it comes to superhero games, there's Hero System/Champions, and then
there are all the other games that wishes they were Hero/Champions.
2 hrs Like 1

Jack V. Butler Jr. //To work the Heroes system you need to be a trig major with a minor in Calc. Its horrible.
Having said that I love how custom things can be.

I take it you failed fourth grade math.

Because that's all it really takes: the ability to add and subtract fractions.
2 hrs Like

Matthew Fuson Hero...it's not just for supers games anymore.
2 hrs Like 1

Joseph Farina Champions is a for the hero.. Heros don't kill..
1 hr Like

Anthony Suorez @Ajit: You really don't know that M&M system.
1 hr Like

Robert James Brown Like I said in my last post 4hrs ago . I was a crappy math studentin school. (Heck the
Vice-Principle of our middleschool,6-8 grades,called me down to his office during math class to congradulae me
in getting an A on my last test.,I was certsin I did something wrong I just didn't know what. Talk about sweating it
out & the very long walk. Hehehe.) I come up with characters in a short time. My biggest problem is seeing now(
I'm dibetic & have to use a magnifying glass to see small print.. like on my phone ,which I'm using right now.
Champions is easy.
1 hr Like

Rob N Abby Towell I find supers in the style of superheroes can be done perfectly my using the Hero System or
Champions.
But instead of falling into the trap of trying to use every rule available get rid of everything that starts with optional
then limit characters powers to no more than 1 modifier.
As the players spend xp they will developer the complicated stuff, but start simple just like the comics do.
1 hr Like

Patrick Dubuc Bill Anderson: I was hired to work on a supplement (Core World) for ICONS but all my work was
cut out by the time they went to editing. It was an organization kinda like S.H.I.E.L.D. but was called The Cell. If
you are even interested, I can post what I have done so far (90% completed) somewhere and provide you guys
with the link. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted with my material so i'm offering it here for free.
1 hr Edited Like 2

Darren Tishue You know, V&V was always a lot of fun.. Random power generation has a serious plus side to it
for RP opportunities!
1 hr Edited Like

Rob N Abby Towell That would be very cool to share Patrick.
1 hr Like 1

Cory Gahsman I loved Marvel Super Heroes as a kid, but now my heroes system of choice is Palladium's
Heroes Unlimited.
1 hr Like 1

Patrick Dubuc I will try to complete the work that was done ... Still need to make some stats of some characters
and i'll release it for you guys. Unless some of you would like to give a go at making some of these stats for the
characters. In this case, send in a PM and i'll send you the characters that needs some work.
1 hr Like 1

Michael Cathro Patrick Dubuc I'd be interested in seeing it too.
1 hr Like 2

Mitchell Willie MM&M, in my opinion, best covers superpowers, but kind of lacks in other areas.
1 hr Like

Floyd Grubb I've played FASERIP, V&V 1 & 2, DC Heroes, Superworld, The Enforcers, The Guardians,
whatever the Games Workshop hero game was called, GURPS Supers (Wildcards variety), Mutants and
Masterminds 2 & 3, Aberrant, Heroes Unlimited 1 & 2 and a few others whose names I can no longer remember.

Champions/HERO system is my favorite in terms of flexibility in character creation and combat. The amount of
tactical control a good player can have in that game is what draws me to it -- a well played inferior character can
defeat vastly more powerful opponents.

Mutants and Masterminds 3rd is my honorable mention. It has balance issues and players can feel hamstrung by
the PL system, but it is fast and easy to play yet still has an extremely flexible set of Powers and Abilities.
1 hr Like 1

Kyle Shepherd Love me some marvel. Still play it.
57 mins Like 1

Larry Kost Champians every day and every way. I bevel liked the Marvel system even when TSR did it. They
should have went with Hero System.
44 mins Like



Anthony Michael Shy Heroes Unlimited and Villians Unlimited...
6 hrs Like 1

Todd Coss Marvel is a great quick and simple sort of hero RPG. Champions however?....you better have a
degree in math. Not for the weak of heart and a steep learning curve.
6 hrs Like

Rob Lucas Champions forever!
6 hrs Like

Shrek Fisher Champions/HERO and GURPS are definitely the best of the bunch - hands-down. M&M is simply
another Green Ronin fail-clone for a d20 system. The most recently edition of HERO (6th) can be a bit rough to
get into at start (if you're Narrating/DMing it, I suggest finding the key charts for combat and printing them onto a
DM-screen-like object otherwise it can be hard to remember the whole speed thing.

GURPS is equally amazing for flexibility. The key to both of those systems is deciding early (before character
creation) what the mins/maxes are going to be for your PCs.
6 hrs Like

Bruno Galan Really, no mention of Silver age Sentinels??? (Tri-Stat version!)
5 hrs Like 1

Darren Tishue Also a good game, though even the d20 was pretty spectacular.. I loved the world they created!
5 hrs Like

Tom Aarts Savage Worlds. Super easy to whip up a character once you figure out the rules.
5 hrs Like

Bruno Galan I never tried SaS d20. I wasn't a fan of BESM d20 so I figured its SaS equivalent would turn out
similar. Maybe I was wrong though.
5 hrs Like

Johnathan Wright It is impossible to compare these, because NEVER have there been two games from the
same genre that are so diametrically opposed to one another in game mechanics.
At our height of playing TSR Marvel we were creating characters and campaigns in our heads. Play balance?
What is that? This game is based on the concept that Thor and Ant Man are on the same team.
Hero, on the other hand, used mathematical formulas to determine outcomes.
4 hrs Like

Chris Mata HERO is awesome in its glory of completeness. I havent played Marvel but from what I have heard
its much easier to sit down and get it done. And simpler too.
1 hr Like

David Abzug HERO system trumps all superhero or generic games. It is just the best.
1 hr Like

Ralph Young Surprising amount of support for Champions/Hero here this time around. I've done two attempts at
running online VTT Champions games and had to scrounge each time for players.
1 hr Like

Rob N Abby Towell I want to like the comment, but unlike how hard it can be to get players.
35 mins Like



Paul Trifiletti I have run both. Both are very good but I prefer the Marvel d10 version better.



Matthew Fuson (activating zealot mode) NO! Hero rules all. (chortle)
21 mins Like

Jack V. Butler Jr. //Turns out the other isotopes of oxygen work well enough..

Sure, but using Hero System with house rules is still Hero System.
16 mins Like

Scott Rutter Not if my Hero System house rule is to play Mutants and Masterminds
12 mins Like

Jack V. Butler Jr. Meh, the playing of lesser games I leave to those who can't handle the joy of Hero System.
11 mins Like 1

Matthew Fuson Scott Rutter ...Infidel.
11 mins Like 1

Scott Rutter From the top of your mountain I am sure all other mountains will look smaller, they all hold different
views.
8 mins Like

Scott Rutter Actually I prefer the term "Rebel scum"
7 mins Like

Matthew Fuson And flavors...some prefer a fine wine and others rotgut.