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Originally Posted by Simlasa
I was never much into mainstream superhero comics... but I've been a fan of plenty of superhero characters... like The Shadow and Doc Savage and the Green Hornet...
I've had a campaign idea for a while about a city with a collapsed infrastructure (based on parts of Detroit I've been to) that is full of pulp era vigilantes jockeying for power. Some have 'powerz' but none of them are close to the ridiculous extremes of Superman/Thor/Green Lantern... they team up into loose gangs... good vs. evil is relative to outlook... kind of a gangland setting with powers tossed in.
Regarding the powers the superhero comics seemed to have cinematic logic that altered the character's powers depending on the need of the story... in ways that wouldn't transfer in solidly quantifiable ways to any game system.
But I've been really interested in 'grittier' storylines and systems like Godlike and Wild Talents and some of the 'pulp' systems. Taking real world physics into account somewhat and making the heroes a lot more three dimensional as well... they can kill or be killed... can dwell in the gray areas.
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A couple of things.
First off Sprit of the Century is a pulp style game. One thing nice about it is that the game works with pulp logic, rather than the typical RPG dice and points style. Several other super RPGs do try to take "comic logi" into account. While some things do vary by writer as does all forms of cinematic stroytelling, there are a few consistiences-such as:
-Blunt weapons knock out/beat up/ sharp weapons kill
-Powerful hits send people flying
-It doesn't matter how far you fell as long as someone catches you before you reach the ground.
-If you are tougher than what you land on, fall hurt the ground, not you.
-If you are strong enough to lift something, you can do so, despite things like leverage, ground pressure, or structural strength.
-If you build it, it will be just the thing you need to defeat the next villain you come across.
-Everybody dies sometime, but supers, and their friends, family and enemies do not stay dead, unless their name is Ben Parker, Jor-El or Wayne (Parental figures don't do well, must be something about the target audience).
Secondly, a few RPGs have gone the real world physics route. Wildcards for instance. One example was a superstong hero jumping out in front of a speeding truck as per the comics. Rather than stopping the truck, the hero got sent flying, and learned a lesson about momentum and leverage.
In the comics a superhero might be able to lift a battleship, but in the real world he would probably break the ship, or drive the character into the ground like a tent peg. Likewise, catching a falling person a few feet before the hit the ground just means that they fall into the hero and take damage rather than falling onto concrete.