[Goalsystem] Super Mission Force

[fourcolorfigs]

More clarification:

Sorcery (major)
Your knowledge of the arcane arts makes you a dangerous and versatile foe. Select two major powers (excepting Sorcery) and three minor powers. This list comprises your grimoire. Once you use one of these powers during a game, note it. You cannot use it again unless you make a 2+ Recharge roll for it. Remember, recharge rolls require a free action, you’ve got three free actions per turn, and you can check each power or ability for recharge once per turn. Passive powers like Regen activate on your command and count as being used when they first activate. For example, a Sorcerer with Regen takes a point of Body damage. When his next turn begins he chooses to activate it and rolls 2D, scores 2 goals, and heals one Body, and Regen counts as being used and does not activate until it recharges.


Any power you activate lasts until the beginning of your next turn. 


If a power in your grimoire has two Recharge rolls, one for Sorcery and one for the power itself, always use the harder of the two rolls to see if the power returns for use.


You can change the contents of your grimoire between games by expending a story point (see Chapter 5 for more on story points).

[fourcolorfigs]

OK, so the rules are tightening up nicely. I have a question. We can eliminate one area of complexity by eliminating the Aced (Coup de Grace for you longtime SS fans) rule and just having KO's.

This will make it less likely for characters to die in post-battle.

I am leaning toward zapping the Ace. Thoughts?

[Erethor]

On reading through, it feels like it wouldn't be intentionally used often, because it's seems only useful if you have nothing better to spend your action on and charging or attacking an enemy would usually be a better use of your one combat action. This has been my experience playing a few games so far.

There's also the other extreme, where if your opponent has lost several models and is outnumbered, you could have a quick figure run around doing nothing but acing fallen enemies, making it more difficult for a whole team to potentially recover.

Again though, I haven't used it yet, so some testing is required, but I'd be okay with cutting it. Perhaps make it optional? Maybe devoting a section to optional rules and putting Aced and Card Based Initiative there?

[Argonor]

I have downloaded and printed the playtest rules (ink-save option), but I am not sure whether I shall have time for reading them until after Horisont VIII (Nov 18-20 - I may have some down-time at the convention where I can get the binder out), as I am painting minis for a multi-player participation scenario I am bringing.

I am quite exited about the prospect of a fast-to-ready supers game, though (I actually have both some heroes and a villain with henchmen painted up for SuperSystem 2 (and own SuperSystem 3, just never got around to adjust the profiles).

[fourcolorfigs]

On reading through, it feels like it wouldn't be intentionally used often, because it's seems only useful if you have nothing better to spend your action on and charging or attacking an enemy would usually be a better use of your one combat action. This has been my experience playing a few games so far.

There's also the other extreme, where if your opponent has lost several models and is outnumbered, you could have a quick figure run around doing nothing but acing fallen enemies, making it more difficult for a whole team to potentially recover.

Again though, I haven't used it yet, so some testing is required, but I'd be okay with cutting it. Perhaps make it optional? Maybe devoting a section to optional rules and putting Aced and Card Based Initiative there?

This separate section of optional rules could work. We'll see. I a growing more inclined to cut it entirely. One less complication.

Also, Erethor, I'd like to place you in the play-test credits. PM me your name or post it here, or otherwise I will just use Erethor. 

[Erethor]

This separate section of optional rules could work. We'll see. I a growing more inclined to cut it entirely. One less complication.

Also, Erethor, I'd like to place you in the play-test credits. PM me your name or post it here, or otherwise I will just use Erethor. 

PM Sent. Thanks for the acknowledgement!

Also had a couple rules clarifications/questions -

Climbing: It says vertical surfaces with ladders are "treated normally for the purposes of calculating distance moved" and surfaces without stairs/ladders "halves the models movement total." It then says that you "may not charge up a vertical surface, and must stop at its base and wait until next turn to begin [ascending]"

I understand not being able to charge on stairs/ladders, but does that mean you still need to stop at the base of stairs/ladders before ascending next turn, or is that only on surfaces without stairs/ladders?

Example: Batman stands on the edge of a 5" high building. Killer Croc (5" move) is 2" away from the building. He wants to climb up a ladder to fight Batman on the rooftop. Can he begin ascending (move into contact with the building and then climb his remaining 3" up the ladder, moving the rest of the way on later turns) or does he need to stop at the base and wait until next turn to begin climbing?

I have been playing as not being able to charge on vertical surfaces, but you can begin climbing on stairs/ladders without waiting a turn.

Summoning: First, is it an action (free, move or combat/special) to use the ability? Second, do you have to choose a difficulty to test against, or do you automatically get the stats of however many goals you rolled?

Example: Multiplex decides to form a copy of himself (uses Summoning). He rolls a check and scores 4 goals. Does the summoner get a model get the stats for the TN4 creature, or did he have to announce what he was trying to summon before rolling?

Henchmen: Are they meant to be used in scenarios only, or also as a replacement for a single model (e.g. 4 supervillains vs 3 superheroes and a squad of cops?)

Also, the example for outnumbering says 10 henchmen vs "Ox" get +3D to melee (+2D for outnumbering and +1D for charging.)

Should that be +3D (the max for outnumbering) +1D for charging, for a total of +4D, or can henchmen only ever get a max bonus of +3D in combat?


Apologies if any of this sounds nitpicky/needlessly complex. I want to separate the intent of these rules vs whatever baggage/leftovers I may be filling in from other rulesets.

Thanks for your time!

[fourcolorfigs]

PM Sent. Thanks for the acknowledgement!

Also had a couple rules clarifications/questions -

Climbing: It says vertical surfaces with ladders are "treated normally for the purposes of calculating distance moved" and surfaces without stairs/ladders "halves the models movement total." It then says that you "may not charge up a vertical surface, and must stop at its base and wait until next turn to begin [ascending]"

I understand not being able to charge on stairs/ladders, but does that mean you still need to stop at the base of stairs/ladders before ascending next turn, or is that only on surfaces without stairs/ladders?

Example: Batman stands on the edge of a 5" high building. Killer Croc (5" move) is 2" away from the building. He wants to climb up a ladder to fight Batman on the rooftop. Can he begin ascending (move into contact with the building and then climb his remaining 3" up the ladder, moving the rest of the way on later turns) or does he need to stop at the base and wait until next turn to begin climbing?

I have been playing as not being able to charge on vertical surfaces, but you can begin climbing on stairs/ladders without waiting a turn.

I clarified this. If there's a stair/ladder, you can keep charging, otherwise you stop.

Summoning: First, is it an action (free, move or combat/special) to use the ability? Second, do you have to choose a difficulty to test against, or do you automatically get the stats of however many goals you rolled?

Example: Multiplex decides to form a copy of himself (uses Summoning). He rolls a check and scores 4 goals. Does the summoner get a model get the stats for the TN4 creature, or did he have to announce what he was trying to summon before rolling?

I clarified this text.

Summoning (major)
You can use a special action to summon beings to fight for you and your team! The type of being or creature you summon is based on its difficulty to summon. Roll 4D and check your goals:


-- 3 goals = Body 3, Psyche 3, Move 5”, 1 minor power
-- 4 goals = Body 4, Psyche 4, Move 6”, 1 minor power
-- 5 goals = Body 5, Psyche 5, Move 7”, 1 minor power


Alternately, on a 4+ goal check you can choose to summon a henchmen group (see Chapter 4: Henchmen). Summoned models show up within 10” of you. Your summoned character or henchmen move and act on your activation, and may act the turn they arrive. Summoning drains you, and once you successfully summon during a game, this power cannot be used again until you make a 2+ Recharge check.

Henchmen: Are they meant to be used in scenarios only, or also as a replacement for a single model (e.g. 4 supervillains vs 3 superheroes and a squad of cops?)

Also, the example for outnumbering says 10 henchmen vs "Ox" get +3D to melee (+2D for outnumbering and +1D for charging.)

Should that be +3D (the max for outnumbering) +1D for charging, for a total of +4D, or can henchmen only ever get a max bonus of +3D in combat?

Clarified this text.

Apologies if any of this sounds nitpicky/needlessly complex. I want to separate the intent of these rules vs whatever baggage/leftovers I may be filling in from other rulesets.

Thanks for your time!

I really appreciate it! Finding these little issues and inconsistencies helps a lot!

And you are in the credits!!!

[Erny]

Hi,

Had another game and I'm really enjoying the simplicity that does still manage to capture the range of powers in your avaege supers comic or cartoon. My boys have been my oponents so far and the eight yoear old fully gets it, the five year old just rolls the dice hes told to.

We decided we wanted some weaker heroes, sort of the counterpart of the power house in your rules. So we called them street level and allowed then a pick of two minor powers. Two are worth a single regular hero. I thought I'd share because it adds variety with very little to no increase in game mechanics.

So we ended up with:

Luke Power the bullet proof bruiser with minor super strength and armour (resistance or density increase would also have been options.)

Steel Foot the chi-charged martial artist with melee wepon and resistance representing his super agility that lacks any wall climbing or rope swinging.

and

Hazy Evening the bionically enhanced ex-cop. Melee weapon and minor power blasts.

They teamed up with the wildcard Arachnoman to take on the smash it up crew.

Archnoman (wild card): Super agility, minor super strength, entangle and telekinesis.

Smash it up crew:

Smasher, wild card, minor super strength, melee weapon, minor power blasts and armour.
Dozer, minor super strength and armour.
Diesel hammer, minor super strength and resistance.
Wrecking Ball, melee weapon and minor power blasts.


It worked really well though I suppose the real test would be four street level verses two regular heroes. You'll be pleased to know spidey er I mean Arachnoy and pals got the better of the smash it up crew in about five turns.


Once I've finished re-painting all the 'clix I'm using (some done not all) and finished our little card section of NYC I'll post some pics.

[fourcolorfigs]

Hi,

Had another game and I'm really enjoying the simplicity that does still manage to capture the range of powers in your avaege supers comic or cartoon. My boys have been my oponents so far and the eight yoear old fully gets it, the five year old just rolls the dice hes told to.

We decided we wanted some weaker heroes, sort of the counterpart of the power house in your rules. So we called them street level and allowed then a pick of two minor powers. Two are worth a single regular hero. I thought I'd share because it adds variety with very little to no increase in game mechanics.

So we ended up with:

Luke Power the bullet proof bruiser with minor super strength and armour (resistance or density increase would also have been options.)

Steel Foot the chi-charged martial artist with melee wepon and resistance representing his super agility that lacks any wall climbing or rope swinging.

and

Hazy Evening the bionically enhanced ex-cop. Melee weapon and minor power blasts.

They teamed up with the wildcard Arachnoman to take on the smash it up crew.

Archnoman (wild card): Super agility, minor super strength, entangle and telekinesis.

Smash it up crew:

Smasher, wild card, minor super strength, melee weapon, minor power blasts and armour.
Dozer, minor super strength and armour.
Diesel hammer, minor super strength and resistance.
Wrecking Ball, melee weapon and minor power blasts.


It worked really well though I suppose the real test would be four street level verses two regular heroes. You'll be pleased to know spidey er I mean Arachnoy and pals got the better of the smash it up crew in about five turns.


Once I've finished re-painting all the 'clix I'm using (some done not all) and finished our little card section of NYC I'll post some pics.

Wow, that sounds great! Offering the lower powered option intrigues me. Let me think on that one. As a followup question, what did you set the minor hero Move, Body, and Psyche at? 6", 4, and 4?

Also, make sure I have your name so I can place you in the play-test credits! 

[Erny]

Yeah 6", 4 and 4 without thinking really. We didn't include backgrounds but then we aren't really rolling that at the moment, not that I don't like the idea and when I bring this to my gaming group rather than sons we will be using the RPG elements more. I guess one back ground for minor/street heroes could work.

My actual name is Chris Gillson but I've been Erny online for so long that’s pretty much my name too now.

Thanks for providing a supers game I have the time to get into, work, family and a decreasing attention span has meant all previous attempts have floundered.

[YPU]

Another minor suggestion. With vehicles it might add a bit more variety if you have the different sizes have different movement speeds? That way a small bike/car can be fast and a huge tank will be lumbering. It would also balance out the varying body points a bit.

[fourcolorfigs]

Ok, adjusted vehicle speeds as per YPU's suggestion, and included a Street-Level archetype in the sidebar with the Powerhouse.

These will be reflected when I upload the latest version (1.11) later today.

Thanks for all of the excellent feedback so far!

[Cait Sidhe]

Is it just free to activate powers that are part of the Sorcery pool whenever you like, as in they don't take an action free or otherwise? Can you use multiple powers per turn? If you have flight active as a sorcery power and are in mid air at the start of your turn would you fall immediately or make a recharge check to keep it active?  Sorry to continue picking at Sorcery but it's a powerful ability with potentially complex interactions (also I saw Dr Strange at the weekend ).

For the swinging part of super agility how does it work exactly? You can travel between structures up to 15" apart, do you need to be standing on one to begin with or in contact with it? Where does the movement put you in relation to the target structure?

On the subject of Super Agility, the Armor power seems a little underwhelming compared to it as it gives you 2 re-rolls on defence which Super Agility gives in addition to other benefits. Other powers like Shrinking also give the same advantage plus much more?

[fourcolorfigs]

Is it just free to activate powers that are part of the Sorcery pool whenever you like, as in they don't take an action free or otherwise? Can you use multiple powers per turn? If you have flight active as a sorcery power and are in mid air at the start of your turn would you fall immediately or make a recharge check to keep it active?  Sorry to continue picking at Sorcery but it's a powerful ability with potentially complex interactions (also I saw Dr Strange at the weekend ).

Let me know if this clears up some of the ambiguity:

Sorcery (major)
Your knowledge of the arcane arts makes you a dangerous and versatile foe. Select two major powers (excepting Sorcery) and three minor powers (excepting Magic Hammer and Shield). This list comprises your grimoire. You can access one major power and one minor power from your grimoire each turn, but you must follow the normal rules for activating each power. Once you use one of these powers during a game, note it. You cannot use it again unless you make a 2+ Recharge roll for it. Remember, recharge rolls require a free action, you’ve got three free actions per turn, and you can check each power or ability for recharge once per turn. Passive powers like Regen activate on your command and count as being used when they first activate. For example, a Sorcerer with Regen takes a point of Body damage. When his next turn begins he chooses to activate it and rolls 2D, scores 2 goals, and heals one Body, and Regen counts as being used and does not activate until it recharges.


Any power you activate lasts until the beginning of your next turn. If you fail to re-activate a power like Flight or Super-Agility, you land safely or find yourself safely at the bottom of whatever vertical surface you were clinging to.


If a power in your grimoire has two Recharge rolls, one for Sorcery and one for the power itself, always use the harder of the two rolls to see if the power returns for use.


You can change the contents of your grimoire between games by expending a story point (see Chapter 5 for more on story points).


Example: Prof Weird possesses Sorcery. His powers include Healing (major), Power Blasts (major), Flight (minor), Force-Field (minor), and Telekinesis (minor). On round one Prof activates Power Blasts (major) and Flight (minor). He takes off flying, hovers 20” above the battlefield, and uses Power Blasts to target Wildman 22” away. At the start of his next turn, he uses free actions to see if Flight and Power Blasts remain available. He rolls only 1 goal for Flight, and the power deactivates; he floats gently to the ground. He rolls 3 goals for Power Blasts and can blast away again this round. In the meantime he chooses Force-Field as his minor power for the round.  

For the swinging part of super agility how does it work exactly? You can travel between structures up to 15" apart, do you need to be standing on one to begin with or in contact with it? Where does the movement put you in relation to the target structure?

Some revised text on Super-Agility:

Super-Agility (minor)
You are gifted with incredible, sometimes superhuman athleticism! You gain +2 Re-rolls on defense checks against Body damaging attacks. You can move up, hang from, and walk along vertical surfaces as if they were normal ground. You can also spend a Move action to move between structures or other vertical terrain pieces within 15” of each other by swinging on lines or making highly agile leaps. You must be in contact with one of the structures before initiating this move. Place yourself anywhere on the structure within 15” of your starting point.


Example: Arachno-Man (Super-Agility) starts his turn next to a building and moves straight up the side 7” (his normal move). Next turn, he measures and notes a nearby building sits 14” away. He spends his Move action and places himself on the side of that building. It pays to be super-agile!

On the subject of Super Agility, the Armor power seems a little underwhelming compared to it as it gives you 2 re-rolls on defence which Super Agility gives in addition to other benefits. Other powers like Shrinking also give the same advantage plus much more?

Yeah, Armor seems under-powered. I made it 3 Re-rolls to beef it up.

Thanks!  

[YPU]

Yeah, Armor seems under-powered. I made it 3 Re-rolls to beef it up.

This might go against the nature of goal system, but how about making it one or more auto goals?