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Simple Super System - LITE - PLAYTEST!'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Sound of Design | #1 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Fun to Play | #4 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Hits the Aesthetics | #5 | 2.500 | 2.500 |
| Creativity | #5 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Overall | #5 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Ranked from 2 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Team Members
Me : )
System designed for
Original System
Take on the theme
This is my first ever independent game, so it's a NEW BEGINNING for me.
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Comments
To me this feels like a first version of the main rules, made with an eye for expansion, rather than a simplified version of said rules. That's not necessarily a bad thing, while reading it I just feel like there should be more.
I love the core mechanic table, visually it is very reminiscent of the FACERIP main table from the Marvel Superheroes TTRPG, which for a superhero game is a great comparison to strife for.
The GM Advice feels a bit strange: how does one practice setting the resolve costs for a player action outside of actually playing the game? I think more examples to help guide a new GM into what power rank an example description would be, or a play example showing the resolve cost of an action would be more helpful.
A personal note: I particularly miss something to help players equalize their power level and vibe.
In a point-buy based game a GM would use something like the number of available points to guide his players but in a heavily narrative focused game maybe something like a reminder for GMs to name an example superhero from pop culture to aid in this, would have been nice.
So a GM would be urged to say something like: "ok for this game, make characters that are equal in power to - Superman" and get it across to all players what kind of game they should expect, instead of saying nothing and ending up with a team that consists of the equivalent of the Punisher, Vision, Thor and Tom from accounting that just happens to have super-hearing.
Thanks for the feedback! When I hear other perspectives, it helps me put my communicate my thoughts better.
"To me this feels like a first version of the main rules"
In my mind, this LITE edition is a trimmed down version of my vision for the CORE rules. LITE uses a resolution system that will have very few numbers on character sheets, and use a concept similar to 'target number' found in ICRPG. CORE will have numerical attributes assigned to ability scores and powers (Inspired by games like CITY OF MIST), and the base probability of success will be more tied to character creation. CORE will also have more defined ways to spend resolve, and a system similar to feats in games like DND 5e or Pathfinder. The character sheet for LITE is one half page, the Character sheet for CORE will be 1 full page double sided.
"I love the core mechanic table, visually it is very reminiscent of the FACERIP"
Thanks! I was working on a variable difficulty system / table for PBTA games and I skekched something out on graph paper with no/yes but/yes results. I then saw a video on the old marvel game and thought 'WOW! This is alot like that game'!
"how does one practice setting the resolve costs for a player action outside of actually playing the game?"
When I release the full v1.0 version of the LITE rules, I plan on having an expanded section explaining this a bit more. Ultimately, the this system is hoping to give GMS a loose framework that allows for fast narrative decisions. I think you are right, the easiest way will be to try the system out and find a good internal feel for assigning resolve costs. My hope for the CORE rules will to have prebuilt tables for a number of example powers that allow out a baseline of resolve costs that GMs can modify.
"I particularly miss something to help players equalize their power level and vibe"
Yes, with super hero games it seems like this can be an issue. I am hoping to use the prebuilt character classes / archetypes to provide a baseline of balance, but in playtesting I find that access to more powers definitely makes superman style characters feel more powerful than batman style characters in some aspects. I hope to remedy that by giving 'trained' style heroes access to to more resolve and resources so they feel empowered to be awesome in their own way. My guess is that LITE will have a hard time getting pure balance that you might find in a more mechanically deep system, but I think that is ok. Hopefully CORE will help address those some of those issues, if it ever finishes production : )
These are some interesting mechanics! I really like the choice to either spend resolve or roll to determine the success of player actions; I imagine a longer game where the stakes slowly raise would result in some creative game play. I can definitely see the PBTA influence!
Thanks for the comment!
Yes, I hope that having the ability to spend resolve gives players and game Masters some more interesting choices.
And when I solo play tested it, that's exactly what has happened, as I ran out of resolve I felt like I was pushed into a narrative corner! Definitely more tension!
As it emerges, it seems my system is a child of PBTA and Mythic Game master emulator, with a few extra pieces from other indie games.
The core rules of this version fit onto 1 page front and back, and the playtest characters allow for a party of up to 4+.