I'm head writer on my gaming company's new product, a d20 superhero system. Frankly, I'm excited. What I'd like to know is, what elements of Superhero stories are important to you? What tropes, what super villain devices, what kinds of powers, and what hackneyed plans do you love most? And yes. There will be robots with glass domes and pincers.
Origin stories. The corrupting influence of power. Realistic interactions between superhumans, law-enforcement, military and government personnel.
The inner struggle that any superpowered being would have not to forcefully coerce the populace he's sworn to protect into behaving as he see's fit. It's been covered in lots of media, but it's a good topic. Cross Superman with Michael Bloomberg and suddenly Lex Luthor becomes humanities greatest hope.
I tend to lean towards the non superpowered superheroes. I guess the other thing I'd think about is the genres (for lack of a better word) of heroes. You've got the Kick-Ass kid with pretty much nothing ranging to the rich guy Batman side or Iron Man at the other end. Then you've got your magic-powered heroes--Dr. Strange, for example; aliens like Superman and Martian Manhunter. Somewhere between those is Green Lantern. Yeah, the ring isn't magical, but it almost is. And finally the science accident ones--Spiderman, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, etc. Oh, and mutants.
The fear of regular folk towards the near omnipotent beings moving obliviously amongst them. How comfortable would you be having a Superman around and knowing that the only thing preventing him from burning your town down to the ground is his desire not to do so at this time. Imagine living in a world where two titans start a tussle in the business district and the next thing you know your office building's crumbling beneath you. Think Irredeemable, Incorruptible, The Boys, Black Summer.
Nice, though I'm not sure that's what the average fan would want to play in a RPG setting. Personally my pet superhero story is the opposite - a world with few supers, and one guy actually trying to change the world for the better. Nothing like the Authority, where they are god-like beings that manage to due so by fiat (though in effect they certainly don't seem to make things better) or the old Marvel look at the JLA pastiche Squadron Supreme. But a guy with powers that aren't world shattering, and is facing the institutional dysfunction that is so common in our society today. The Watchmen looked at that obliquely, but using the super hero concept to address the actual state of our society would be a very powerful juxtaposition.
I would. An RPG where you can play as a supe a villain or as a say an Amanda Waller or Billy Butcher trying to keep all those super powered beings in check that would be unique. How could I have forgotten the Authority and Ex-SAS Corporal Kev Hawkins.
I've got Supergod and the Mighty on my list. Then there's Sleeper which was a fantastic read. Or Wanted a world where the super villains won the day and all the heroes are gone.
Sleeper was very good, something that really ought to be picked up to be made into a series like they've done with the Walking Dead
