Supers RPGs without the Railroad

DC Heroes RPG by Mayfair Games, sometimes lovingly called MEGS, is my go-to supers RPG. While I have many fond memories of TSR's old Marvel game, sometimes lovingly called FASERIP, it simply feels to me that the DC game emulates its source material better than Marvel did. But it's a close call.

I really want to play a supers campaign again. Here's my dilemma:  I'm not interested in picking up a module and running players through a pre-determined plot. I've fallen hard for the 'emergent gameplay' mindset behind OSR gaming, which is usually applied to fantasy RPGs. In other words, a Supers game should avoid the railroad somehow.

There's a great 1st edition resource for DC, 'Night in Gotham', for either playing Batman or a PC hero in Gotham. It's got random encounter ideas for different sections of Gotham, depending on where PCs are patrolling. That's a great idea, but how to adapt it for a higher powered hero?

For years now, I've toyed with the notion of my kid playing a sort of Byrne-era Superman, just starting his career as both a reporter and as a hero. It strikes me that Superman (or any uber tough PC) needs something a little more dynamic than just a set of encounters for different parts of Metropolis. This guy can be anywhere on Earth in very little time, after all. 

I also like the idea behind an old Marvel boardgame, where evil Mastermind villains were trying to advance some scheme which, if successful, would make them even more powerful. So, perhaps, as part of GM prep, I could define a scheme for a few major bad guys and there's a random chance the PC could stumble upon Stage 1 or Stage 3. Maybe the PC nips things in the bud, forcing the villain to vow eternal revenge. Maybe the PC doesn't realize what's going on until things are too far advanced and then is in a real struggle very quickly. 

Another aspect behind all this: time. Didn't some random RPG writer long ago write that you cannot maintain a coherent campaign unless you keep meticulous time records? That advice should apply here. The world's got a lot of stuff that can go wrong and there's only 1 Superman. Good games make players face tough decisions, and playing a hero should be no different. Hitting that new hospital dedication to pick up some easy Hero Points would be great, but there's a 747 plunging into the Atlantic in about 5 minutes. So, I think what I'm saying is that any random generator for a supers game needs to spit out more than just 1 thing at a time. There needs to be a few different simultaneous events, forcing the PC to choose which to prioritize. 

Another important aspect to this, which the DC game emphasizes very well, is the existence of subplots. So, as a GM, I should have a few different side stories and then the generator should be able to say which ones advance a step on any given day.

In the comics, we often see Superman 'going on patrol' around Metropolis. Presumably, he's using super-speed, so the idea of patrolling a specific section is moot. However, his presence in a specific area should be enough to depress the chances of a bad event. Only a fool is gonna rob a bank with big blue flying over head. So, the generator needs to be dynamic enough to factor in Supes' current location.

So, with all these ideas swishing around, what are the types of things that Superman could encounter? 

 - Natural Disaster: rock slides, tidal waves, earthquakes, etc. Natural (75% chance) or is there evidence of malfeasance (25% chance)?

- Man-made Accidents: runaway trains, stranded boats, nuclear meltdowns. Probably just an accident (60% chance) but very well could be tied to a more sinister design (40% chance)

- Common Criminal: give Supes a time to shine with easy to foil bad guys (muggings, bank robbers, kidnappers, jewelry thieves, museum heists). maybe that man-made accident or natural disaster was a distraction?

- Subplot(s): 1d6 random subplots each get a conflicting development. Subplots should get lots of attention from a generator because so much story in the comics happens within Clark's personal life, such as with his parents, his love interests, his career, etc. Of course, anything involving his reporting could likely touch on whatever is happening with Superman as well. 

- Good PR: pick up some easy Hero Points with opportunities like rescuing a cat out of a tree or showing up at a lonely kid's birthday party

- Uncommon Criminal: these are super-powered bad guys with a gimmick or two that might give them a temporary leg up against Superman but probably not a challenge after a couple of rounds of combat

- Mastermind: a step up the ladders in some scheme for Lex Luthor, Braniac, the Parasite, or any number of truly awful villains that could very well give Superman a run for his money

- Another hero: a friendly face (?) from another town visits Metropolis and confronts Superman with important news, a warning, a threat

- Dimensional Visitor: get really weird here with Mxtyplyx (yeah, that spelling is not even close), or a very confused Superman from another reality, or a time-hopping warlord from Krypton, or a Phantom Zone problem

- Justice League: now we got a really big problem and the whole league is needed

This exercise has helped to clarify my thinking quite a bit. My next step is to hammer out some details, so that I'm closer to something that's useful at the table. 



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