The Inside Scoop on Gaming

While there are many superhero games out there (Every thing from the venerable Champions to the embarasing Marvel Super Heroes (the original one not the new SAGA version!)) Superbabes fills an interesting nitche in the market. Based on AC's comic series Femforce, Superbabes is a light hearted almost pulpy Superhero system with one unique feature. YOU PLAY BABES!!! Well unlike Macho Women with Guns and it's many incarnations, you can actually play a guy, but it does kinda defeat the point.

Well the actual product itself tries to be professional, but you can tell that Selex, doesn't have the production powers to pull it off. The game comes boxed in what looks like a plain white gift box (the kind of box that might be used by yonkers to put a shirt in) with a color cover glued to the front and a black and white product sheet glued to the back. The box incldes the rulebook, with a removable cover that serves as a GM screen, A 2 panel GM screen, and without this cover the rulebook looks like a plain blue manual; no external writing at all. The character sheets and maps in the box are single photocopies tossed into the box. They do try to make it up by tossing in a copy of the comic, a color poster (on newsprint) and a minicomic that introduces the Fem Force to newbies. The art of course taken directly from the comics so it's not bad, but be warned it's full of Cheesecake!

Now on to the rules. Well, in a champions-like vein the game uses a point based system (600 points) to buy stats, powers skills and your origin (yes you have to buy your origin, which is kinda pointless in game terms, some origins give you advantages but almost all of them also give some serious disadvantage.) One other problem with the system is the concept of having to spend a base set of points to have a 0 level power, this means even though you spent 50 points for growth and are still 5'6" and will remain 5'6" until you spend 30 more points! While not all powers have this they seem to put it in weird places like growth, shrinking, telekenesis, my assuumption is that this is to represent potential. As this game uses Levels like D&D or Palladium each time you raise a level you get 50 points to spend like character points, also it increases your chance to hit on the chart etc.

In many ways this game reminds me of a warped form of the Fusion system (as opposed to merging Cyberpunk and Champions, they fused AD&D2nd and Champions) The rules work but damn if they aren't odd.

The one rule I do love however is the "Bimbo point" system. If players want to defy the rules or just get automatic success, they can (with the GM's permission) take a Bimbo point or two. At the beginning of every game the players tell the GM their BP total and the GM rolls a d20 for each player. If he goes under the players bimbo point total, then something bad happens (Oops that costume was made of unstable molocules, and look there's the national enquierer!!!) A unique mechanic that makes this game a lot of fun.

In closing, despite the lackluster production values (which most of us can forgive) and wacky rules that sometimes are of questionable meaning, this game is a lot of fun! It's no Champions, but it's a fun game which is what's really important.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

SuperBabes-The Femforce Roleplaying game
Author: Mar Schezzini And Cameron Verkaik Category: game Company/Publisher: Selex Inc. Line: Super Babes Cost: $27.50 Page count: 132 Playtest Review by Jamie Herbert on 09/20/00. Genre tags: Superhero	While there are many superhero games out there (Every thing from the venerable Champions to the embarasing Marvel Super Heroes (the original one not the new SAGA version!)) Superbabes fills an interesting nitche in the market. Based on AC's comic series Femforce, Superbabes is a light hearted almost pulpy Superhero system with one unique feature. YOU PLAY BABES!!! Well unlike Macho Women with Guns and it's many incarnations, you can actually play a guy, but it does kinda defeat the point. Well the actual product itself tries to be professional, but you can tell that Selex, doesn't have the production powers to pull it off. The game comes boxed in what looks like a plain white gift box (the kind of box that might be used by yonkers to put a shirt in) with a color cover glued to the front and a black and white product sheet glued to the back. The box incldes the rulebook, with a removable cover that serves as a GM screen, A 2 panel GM screen, and without this cover the rulebook looks like a plain blue manual; no external writing at all. The character sheets and maps in the box are single photocopies tossed into the box. They do try to make it up by tossing in a copy of the comic, a color poster (on newsprint) and a minicomic that introduces the Fem Force to newbies. The art of course taken directly from the comics so it's not bad, but be warned it's full of Cheesecake! Now on to the rules. Well, in a champions-like vein the game uses a point based system (600 points) to buy stats, powers skills and your origin (yes you have to buy your origin, which is kinda pointless in game terms, some origins give you advantages but almost all of them also give some serious disadvantage.) One other problem with the system is the concept of having to spend a base set of points to have a 0 level power, this means even though you spent 50 points for growth and are still 5'6" and will remain 5'6" until you spend 30 more points! While not all powers have this they seem to put it in weird places like growth, shrinking, telekenesis, my assuumption is that this is to represent potential. As this game uses Levels like D&D or Palladium each time you raise a level you get 50 points to spend like character points, also it increases your chance to hit on the chart etc. In many ways this game reminds me of a warped form of the Fusion system (as opposed to merging Cyberpunk and Champions, they fused AD&D2nd and Champions) The rules work but damn if they aren't odd. The one rule I do love however is the "Bimbo point" system. If players want to defy the rules or just get automatic success, they can (with the GM's permission) take a Bimbo point or two. At the beginning of every game the players tell the GM their BP total and the GM rolls a d20 for each player. If he goes under the players bimbo point total, then something bad happens (Oops that costume was made of unstable molocules, and look there's the national enquierer!!!) A unique mechanic that makes this game a lot of fun. In closing, despite the lackluster production values (which most of us can forgive) and wacky rules that sometimes are of questionable meaning, this game is a lot of fun! It's no Champions, but it's a fun game which is what's really important. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

SuperBabes-The Femforce Roleplaying game