EDIT: How about I just turn this into an open source table top RPG...?
<YES, I RAMBLE...I think it's worth it?>
Still completely failing at designing a Super Hero RL game of 'Rogue' level complexity. So not too complex.
Anyone got any pointers on a system that might achieve this?
So far i've been going with a super simple stat + power system.
Stats
-Hits: Number of hits you can take before being KO'd
-Attack: Dice to roll to hit.
-Defense: Hits to ignore each turn.
-Move: Actions per 'round' of 12 clicks.
-Energy: How fast your abilities reset.
Passive Slots (Always on)
Active Slots (Take an action)
Game flow would not be a dungeon dive, but you can't really do an open world type of things so easily...Maybe I could have an overworld of a large city, with various bad guy lairs. Thugs come out at night, commit different crimes and such. You can go back to your hideout to heal overnight, but then the low level baddies will respawn and the high level villians might move their lair.
I don't know what I'd do for leveling really, I might not do it at all, but you really do want to have some character progression. Perhaps every time you beat a boss villian you can choose a stat to increase. It won't be a gear grinder, that's not really what Superhero games are about. They are more about beating bad guys, going on missions.
I do want to have a 'score' system that tracks the number of villians your hero has taken out. After taking out 9 (or 3, or 5, I dunno) you can then face your Arch Nemesis who shows up at your hideout to do battle with you. Also at some point the police will take notice and you'll have to avoid them.
I'd like for the Villians to be somewhat randomized, we'll see how that goes.
One major weakness is the powers. Everyone wants the unique and awesome powers in a superhero game. But that's very tough to do, so you'd have to make the powers generic. Ranged Attack power could be fire ball, ice blast, magic missile, gun, bow, etc...it's hard to hold onto the flavor.
Take Cyclops for instance. His one power will be a rank 5 optic blast. A single target ranged attack. Then he'll have a passive (x-man suit) that adds defense. Maybe a hand to hand passive that ups his bump attack. A high 'energy' score so he can blast away frequently. His origin will be 'mutant', with maybe some flavor text.
Then take Punisher as a second example. He has a lower rank blast (guns), and maybe a blast + area (grenade) ability. Then the same passive defense suit and bump attack bonus (knife). His origin would be 'hardware' with some flavor text.
Taking those two characters as examples I worry that it would be too washed out. Too samey.
I guess there's really only one way to find out. Prototype.
Other Thoughts: Don't get me started on MOVEMENT powers. If you cannot wall crawl and/or fly it's not really a super hero game...that's sorta tough to do though...hmm...I guess wall crawl and fly could be a sort of + move and 'stealth status effect' as well as 'ignore obstacle status effect'...
-Speaking of stealth. Double damage on unaware enemies, of course...guard dogs (1 hit, aggressive behavior, Powers of ALERT/ALARM and DETECT STEALTH)...:-)
-I can have several preset archetypes and also a build your own, where you can choose the generic powers and name them yourself for flavor? For example you could make the same 'cyclops' type character with Power Glove Blast (Blast +5), Passive Power Glove Block (Defense +3) and Power Glove Slap (Bump +2). Plus, I dunno, Steroid User (+3 Hits, -50% testicles)
-And of course other character but blasters must be possible, like Brawlers (wolverine), brawler/gadgeteers (batman) and Mega-Heroes (SUPERMAN!).
-Maybe you have so many 'power points' to build your character, and that corresponds with the difficulty of the game...so you can make a Superman type character but the game will make super villians too...? Or you can play a simple cop with vest (+1 def) and pistol (blast 1) and baton/mace (Bump +1).
-World spanning creatures will probably be too much, like those that eat worlds and stuff. But alien invasions through worm holes should be not a problem, alien grunt = (3 hits, aggressive behavior, blast +2 'lazer gun')
-also your popularity should come into play, it will affect how people treat you, and when the cops finally turn on you. Also there should be some draw backs...okay now I'm going too far...
ANYONE HAVE ANY POINTERS? I KNOW IT'S JUST A TALKIE, BUT STILL IT COULD BE FUN TO PLAY WITH THE DESIGN!
