Welcome to Tropes. In the following series of columns, we'll examine various genres of fiction with an eye to identifying and deconstructing the various narrative devices employed for adaptation to tabletop gaming.

Future installments will cover everything from Pulp to Space Opera, Quirky Detectives to Romantic Comedies and beyond. First off, we'll hit one of the major stumbling blocks for many groups.

Superhero comics began with the publication of Action Comics #1 in June 1938. Superman was a spiritual successor to Doc Savage and his kind from cheaply printed “Pulp” novels that carried a nation's need for entertainment through economic collapse and recovery.

Other re-imaginings of pulplike characters followed quickly on the heels of Superman. The Shadow and Zorro begat The Bat-Man. Wonder Woman carried the tiara for the Good Girls that came before her. By the time the second world war came around, there were thousands of characters from dozens of small publishers competing for space on newsstands.

A group that wants to play a Superhero campaign needs to understand the following tropes common to all subgenres. Note that in most cases, these also apply to their opponents; see “Never-Ending Battle” below.

Beyond Those Of Mortal Men

Much like in the myths of ancient cultures, comics assume there exists a class of hero with supernatural abilities. Unaided flight, bulletproof skin, seeing through walls. Superhero comics generally assume people accept this, it's been the case all along, and that mythical and folk heroes and monsters were just supers of their time. In this kind of setting, Aliens that look like movie stars, space ships, ancient magicians, demons with talk radio shows, psychics and more or less everything else is hanging around somewhere. In most cases, it's no more unusual for your mailman to be robot than for your neighbour to be from another country.

Use: This one is a keeper, since it's the core point of the whole genre.

Pitfalls: There's always going to be someone who would rather just play a normal person. That's fine, Batman has no Superpowers. Neither does the Punisher (Well, not normally. Ignore stunt re-imaginings like being an Angel and a Frankenstein Monster.. But see “No, They're Beautiful” below). An extremely competent normal person who can keep up with the aliens, mutants, and godlings is a perfectly acceptable Superhero character.

Clothes Make The Man

Unlike the previous heroes of myth and media, this new breed of character rapidly developed a penchant for garish circus costumes and decidedly non-lethal tactics. These assumptions can cause disconnects with many gamers who are used to practical concerns of armour, weaponry, and pragmatism. We'll handle lethality in “Kinder, Gentler Beatdown” below.

Use: Characters in unlikely clothing can run the range from spandex tights, domino masks, and capes to really well tailored clothing with one or two distinguishing characteristics. Find your group's comfort level and design the look and feel of the campaign from there. Notice how the Justice Society of America and the Modern X-Men differ in their approach to unique costumes. One is incredibly brightly coloured and impractical. The other is sleek, almost military. Yet neither set will be spotted in mall shop windows in most of the world.

Pitfalls: Some players will resist the idea of highly individualistic clothing and bright colours. Try pointing them to the Punisher and Cable, and if all else fails, DC Comics does have the Trenchcoat Brigade. A well tailored suit will work fine, and maybe you can convince that player to include their eyes always somehow staying in the shadows, even if lit from below.

In Her Civilian Disguise As

It's assumed that most superheroes operate under another, more heroic name. This was somewhat of an unusual choice when Superhero comics were first published. Later culture embraced CB Radio Handles, Fighter Pilot Call Signs, Professional Wrestler Schticks, and Message Board Logins. In some cases, this is a genuine cover identity to keep one's civilian name hidden, with steps ranging from the handwaved (Lois Lane: “You know, Clark Kent would look a little like Superman, if her were taller and didn't wear Glasses...” Jimmy Olsen: “Nah. I'm not seein' it.”) through masks and helmets, to the aforementioned call sign mentality. The Fantastic Four's names are public, but they still keep their code names.

Use: Encouraged, but hardly necessary. Just ask Jenny Sparks, Nick Fury, and John Constantine.

Pitfalls: You might end up with a player who actively resists this trope, to the point of sabotaging the other player's secret identities or refusing to use their codenames. In most cases, this is a group dynamics issue and beyond the scope of this column. By itself, the extremely inclusive nature of Superhero Comics allows for “John Smith” to adventure alongside “The Tansubstantial Man” and speedster tween girl “BBQ” with no one batting an eye.

Kinder, Gentler Beatdown

The worlds in which Superheroes operate tends, even at it's most gritty and morally ambiguous, to still be a fairly black and white thing compared to much fiction. It's usually understood that Superheroes do not take lives, ranging from “Never ever, even risking my life to save the man who just tried to kill me” to “But I Don't Have To Save You”. A subset of this is Law Enforcement. Although there are wide variances, in most cases, costumed heroes work legally alongside police and other law enforcement, without the accountability required by realism.

Use: This is a major point of variance for individual groups. In this case, it's best to discuss where you want to be with everyone before hand. There's room for both Superman and The Authority in printed comics. Note also, this is the trope that ensures that most “Dead” characters make it back eventually, even if there was a body.

Pitfalls: Lethal heroes should be prepared to take in-character flak from their teammates, as well as law enforcement. A Licensed To Kill deal with the national government is a good idea in these cases. Of course, this will add “Paperwork to do” to the character's implied “off-panel” time. This can lead to good role playing opportunities as well. Some players may strongly resent a back-from-the-dead arch nemesis that was defeated in a very satisfying manner. In such cases, it's best for the identity to be taken up by a successor or pretender.

Never-Ending Battle

The bad guys in Superhero comics started out the same simple gangsters, foreign agents, mad scientists, corrupt politicians and dirty cops that their pulp predecessors had taken on.. It was not at all long at all before the villains began to gain powers, costumes, and code names all their own.

Use: Once you get the players invested in their heroic identities, it's a simple step to introduce opponents who can cause them trouble on their own terms. It's often best to work up from street gangs, to military hardware, to bona fide supervillains, although not necessary.

Pitfalls: Some players might not feel very heroic if they spend all their time as “Amazonia! Queen Of The Stars!” fighting guys like gangster Jake “Two-Fingers” Jablonski and bookie muscle “Larry “Lawrence” Larue. Gauge the tone of their opponents to the heroes your players have created.

No They're Beautiful

The last trope we'll cover for our Superhero overview is important, but a little odd. Most major characters will, at some time, undergo some kind of metamorphosis. Ranging from the dangerous and dramatic (You're Emitting Dangerous Radiation) to the Meta (Every Time You Fly, A Baby Bird Dies), to the more or less average (see the name of this trope), to the silly (Superman has the head of an ant now!). In most cases, this is temporary.

Use: The occasional one-off good for comedy or simple diversion is always a good way to fill a session when there's an element lacking. Be careful not to overdo it. Once per character per real life year is more than enough. This can also be used as a mid-length subplot, searching for a cure. In some cases, a complete “respec” may be granted through completion of these plots.

Pitfalls: Never force this on a group. Ever. It's always got to be voluntary for the player involved.

Sources:

That wraps up this installment of Tropes. Next time, we'll examine Pulp, the genre that gave birth to Superhero Comics. Meanwhile, here's a list of some past and present published games that deal with Superhero gaming. Look them up in RPGNet's Game Index.

Aberrant (White Wolf), Blood of Heroes (Pulsar), Capes (Muse of Fire), Champions (Hero), DC Adventures (Green Ronin), DC Heroes (Mayfair), DC Universe (West End), Godlike (Arc Dream), Golden Heroes (Games Workshop), GURPS Supers (Steve Jackson), Hearts & Souls (Tim Kirk), Heroes Unlimited (Palladium), Icons (Adamant Entertainment), Marvel Universe (Marvel), Marvel Super-Heroes (TSR), Mutants & Masterminds (Green Ronin), Silver Age Sentinels (Guardians of Order), Superworld (Chaosium), TWERPS Supers (Reindeer Games), Villains & Vigilantes (FGU).