Post originally by Patrick Riley at 2005-06-13 15:28:13
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<I>Putting the Super into Super-villain, Powers are key to making a character suitable for this setting, and the authors have gone for the tried and tested list of options approach. Pay your points, take your power.</I>
Can you please compare and contrast the NE system with the Super Powers system used in the Savage Worlds Revised Rulebook? I get the sense from your comment that they fundamentally changed how powers are chosen.
In the standard rules, you get one power per Edge you devote to your Arcane Background. Each time, you get a new power and 20 power points that are spent when the power is used. And you have to buy a separate skill for each power. This means that powers might not function because of a failed skill roll or running out of power points.
Post originally by Dan Davenport at 2005-06-13 15:44:48
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What's the nature of the alien threat? Do they have supers of their own, or just super-advanced technology? Are there many varieties of them, or are they all one species?
Post originally by SarimRune at 2005-06-13 16:45:21
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I wouldn't mind fielding this question.
First, I LOVE how NE does their powers.
Ahem, anyway.
Standard Rules (SR) were bought as you say.
NE gives you 10 power points to build your character with. Each power costs either a variable amount (for attack powers mostly) or a set amount. Powers like Wall-Crawling is a set amount for example. (I'll get into the reason why I think this is great in a second). Attack powers allow you to put more points in to get a stronger attack.
To use most powers is most often, an opposed roll of some type. You do not spend any points to use your powers.
You can purchase a Point Powers Edge once per rank that gives you 5 more points. Thus your character build up is slowed by your Rank (which I think is the same in the SR).
Why do I love the system? Beside it being Savage Worlds and being quick, I love that most powers are a set value. Most games seem to allow you to put variable points into every power. Now really, nobody cares that Spiderman is better at sticking to walls than the Human Fly. In a comic, it hardly comes up, or perhaps it's better to say, it only comes up when the author wants it to come up). For a story, it doesn't matter. If something were to happen to see who could stick to a wall better, then any 'value' in the power would be better simulated by their Strength stat. Spidey is stronger than the Human Fly, thus his Wall Crawling will be better.
I further love it because your characters do not change by leaps and bounds in a few adventures. Spiderman has largely started and currently has the same power set at the same power level that we know and love. Cyclops didn't decide that he was bored of the optic blast and developed, say, a force field based on his 'sudden' control over his optic blast. Yet, I've seen players in other games radically change over the course of the game, gaining new powers for no reason or getting incredibly stronger for no good reason.
The rank system slows down a character, forcing them to take Edges and stat/skill increases.
Gripes about the system would be that it can allow for unbalanced characters (what system can't without supervision, pun somewhat intended). Also, there could be a lot more negatives created to individualize your powers, but I really think that they are easy enough to create.
Post originally by inscrutable at 2005-06-13 16:47:07
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There are two main varieties of aliens in NE. Super Intelligent Psionic Alien Overlords, and (here's IMO one of the biggest weak points of the game) Large, Brutish Shark Men called "Fins".
The aliens mostly get by by being super intelligent and having cooler weapons and toys.
When I run it, I think I'm going to ditch the Fins and give the aliens giant, retro style robots.
Post originally by No2 at 2005-06-13 20:12:29
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I agree that the "Evil Players" part needs more working out, and the scenarios have too much railroading. Despite the premise, this seems globally more like Freedom City than, say, Spawn as far as superheroes go.
Post originally by Matthew Mather at 2005-06-14 01:56:49
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The V'Sori (the main baddies) have also conquered other planets in the past, which had their own supers. So while the GM has plenty of "super soldier alien" types to throw at the players, he also has a nice excuse to occasionally make up whatever the heck he feels like and spring that on the players as a nasty surprise.
Some of the adventures in the book have nothing to do with the invasion, like the good ol' parralel universe scenario which gives the GM a good excuse to throw the player-villains up against... The player-villains! Muahahahahahaha!
Post originally by Jon Hancock at 2005-06-14 01:59:25
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Good point, Dan. I erred too much on the side of hiding the details from potential players, when in fact saying more about the aliens probably wouldn't give much away.
The aliens actually have a well described command structure and are set up so that they are probably jockeying for position and backstabbing even as they take over the planet, which is really the sort of thing that the player characters ought to be doing too. There are similarities between the way this game could run and "Paranoia," substituting Dr. Destruction for The Computer.
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