Basic Roleplaying Central

Atgxtg · #**141** (**permalink**) December 5th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightshade

No argument; almost all superhero games have one or more generic, genre supporting mechanisms of that nature. I wasn't objecting to it, just noting that you didn't have as much a problem with lethality for characters who were built the way the game expected them to be than some people seemed to thing.

Note quite sure what you mean here. Please clarify.

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Originally Posted by Nightshade

Watch super martial artists in the comics some time; you'll see them do far more than that. And that's not even getting into the more mystical flavored ones. You pretty much have to have them do so, or its simply not viable in that environment.

Oh yeah, I don't have a problem with the damage per say, in a Supers RPG (I do have a problem with it in most other settings), where martial arts can and do smash through brick walls and iron safes.

But I do have a problem with Batman or Captian America breaking bones, smashing skulls and such with every other punch. Basically it's a combination of the laws of comic reality (blunt weapons beat people up, knock them out, instead of inflicting serious injury-at least most of the time), combined with one of the gaps/weakness of BRP than stems form its age. IE. lack on non lethal combat.

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Originally Posted by Nightshade

Now you could treat unarmed attacks as Stun effects in Superworld+ if you wanted to, but there's no obvious place to stop doing so with bricks and other super-strong types.

For a supers campaign, I don't think you'd need an obvious place to stop. Personally, I'd probably go with something like damage past a certain amount (say a mutiple of HP) could be lethal. Or maybe swipe a rule from another RPG and give characters who take lethal damage from blunt attack the option of getting KO's instead for one round or minute per point of damage.

Nightshade · #**142** (**permalink**) December 5th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Note quite sure what you mean here. Please clarify.

Some people seemed to think that BRP was intrinsically too lethal for non-gritty supers; I was just noting that with the Superworld options in play, it really wasn't.

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Oh yeah, I don't have a problem with the damage per say, in a Supers RPG (I do have a problem with it in most other settings), where martial arts can and do smash through brick walls and iron safes.

But I do have a problem with Batman or Captian America breaking bones, smashing skulls and such with every other punch. Basically it's a combination

That's only a problem of implimentation, though; the Superworld damage rules didn't even seem to treat the positive damage (i.e. the part above your unconsciousness threshold) as being anything more than bruising.

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For a supers campaign, I don't think you'd need an obvious place to stop. Personally, I'd probably go with something like damage past a certain amount (say a mutiple of HP) could be lethal. Or maybe swipe a rule from another RPG and give characters who take lethal damage from blunt attack the option of getting KO's instead for one round or minute per point of damage.

Sorry, I thought you wanted some to be lethal and some not. My error.

Atgxtg · #**143** (**permalink**) December 5th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightshade

Some people seemed to think that BRP was intrinsically too lethal for non-gritty supers; I was just noting that with the Superworld options in play, it really wasn't.

I think BRP wasn't well suited towards Supers. That sort goes with it being more realistic. With the Sperworld options it worked, but was a bit clunky. Sort of like an overcomplicated HERO system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightshade

That's only a problem of implimentation, though; the Superworld damage rules didn't even seem to treat the positive damage (i.e. the part above your unconsciousness threshold) as being anything more than bruising.

Yeah, but them most game system problems are. You can get any sort of result from nearly any RPG with a little tweaking. It depends on how much work you want to do to get the desired results. Superworld works to a point, but would not be my first choice to run a Supers campaign. Probably not even for a "street level" "reality with powers" campaign, although the latter would be easier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightshade

Sorry, I thought you wanted some to be lethal and some not. My error.

Yes and No.
For a comic style super campaing, I think the rule is:

Blunt weapons bach, knock out, edged, pointed weapons injure/kill.
Massive overkill from blunt trauma (falling off a cliff, being beaten after the point of unconsciousness) MAY inflict lethal damage depedning on who is being hit and how much damage is being soaked at once.

For a standard BRP RPG setting, pretty much anything without Superheores, then I think some sort of non-lethal damage system would make sense to handle brawls and fistfights. Even something as simple as making a "stun check" when hit, and fumbling means a KO result would work. Maybe add 1d3 real damage after the fight?

Steve Mitchell · #**144** (**permalink**) December 18th, 2007

Does anyone know if the new BRP rules will have any provisions for super-powers? (Possibly someone who has seen the proof copy version?)

Or is anyone planning a licensed or authorized superhero supplement for the new BRP rules?

Trifletraxor · #**145** (**permalink**) December 18th, 2007

Yes and no as far as I know. (That is yes, there is rules for superpowers in the new book, but to my current knowledge, no-one is currently writing a supers supplement).

SGL.

Rurik · #**146** (**permalink**) December 18th, 2007

Super Powers are absolutely in main core release.

NickMiddleton · #**147** (**permalink**) December 18th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Mitchell

Does anyone know if the new BRP rules will have any provisions for super-powers? (Possibly someone who has seen the proof copy version?)

Yes. The powers chapter contains five different systems of "powers" - two magic systems (based on 'MagicWorld' from Worlds of Wonder and Stormbringer 5th edition) , a psychic powers system (developed from the system in ElfQuest), a mutations system (elaborated from Hawkmoon) and a super powers system (based on the two versions of SuperWorld).

All five power systems are based on previous BRP games, but re-written to integrate with the revised core rules and to provide the same degree of "genre functionality": that is any one of them can function as the system of choice in a campaign (none of them are incomplete) but all of them have potential for expansions (none of them, given the available space, could be exhaustive).

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Or is anyone planning a licensed or authorised super-hero supplement for the new BRP rules?

Not that I've heard of as yet - albeit several people here and in the play-testing group are keen super-hero gamers so I wouldn't be surprised if someone did.

Cheers,

Nick Middleton