Having enjoyed superhero role playing over the years, and having played many different systems, I have long sought a great system with versatility, and simplicity. I have been sadly disappointed by the DC Universe system, which is quite cumbersome, and as eager as I was to get the Hero System 5th, I am finding it as difficult to run as I remembered.
It was with a bit of surprise that I have discovered Silver Age Sentinels from Guardians of Order.
I decided to take a chance and purchase the hardback limited edition, which retails for $44.95. The layout may well be the best design for a role playing game yet. The layouts are clean and easy to follow. The tops of the pages identify which chapter you are in, along a bar that identifies the chapters in the rest of the book. The binding is solid, and so far has held up to my repeatedly opening and closing the book. Rules cross-reference cleanly, and page numbers are given if something is referred to in another part of the book. The sidebars are informative, elaborating in different cases optional rules, designer notes, reasons for certain rule decisions, suggestions for changing the rules, etc. They do not distract from the main body of the text. SAS uses a modified version of their Tri-Stat system, which had been introduced in Big Eyes, Small Mouth. This version of Tri-Stat uses ten siders, instead of six siders, and is thus referred to as the D10 Tri-Stat system.
The first chapter alone is worth half the price of the book: a detailed chapter giving brief but fairly comprehensive history of comics and superheroes. Along the bottom of the pages is a timeline of the history of superhero role playing, from Superhero 2044, up through today, with the current creative excitement in the genre. It is a gutsy move to give advertising to your competitors in your core rulebook, but they do, noting the release of the very fine Godlike and its companion, Wild Talents, as well as Hero and Champions.
The core rules are, in a word, dirt simple. This is “why the hell did I not think of this” simple. There is almost a kind of FUDGE quality to them. The emphasis in the rules is in developing a strong character abstract, then developing the numbers on the page. Character numbers are centered on Statistics (Stats), Character Attributes (divided into two sets, Characteristics and Powers), and Skills. In one of the truly wonderful aspects of this game, the points used to buy Stats and Attributes are actually worth something. A handful of points goes a long way. Sentinel, one of the most powerful characters in the campaign world, is a 300 point character. In Champions, he would probably be 400 or 500 points, in the old DC Heroes, 1500 to 2000 points. GMs worried about giving players too much are simply advised to keep the point totals low. For me, I like seeing my players develop characters the way they want them to be. From what I can tell, this represents a desire on the Game Designers’ part to emphasis role playing over point grabbing. By making points valuable, players are not in a rush to get points to “build up” their characters down the line. Instead, they can concentrate on actually playing their dream characters.
The core Statistics, or Stats, consist of Body, Mind, and Soul. These Stats are rated on a scale of 1 (infant) to 20 (best in the universe) with 4 being human average and 12 being human maximum. 13 through 20 would be considered superhuman, but wait, there is more. Before anyone becomes frustrated with a closed scale, keep in mind the scale is entirely subjective. The scale, and what it represents can be adjusted to fit your game. If your game is set in Asgard, 4 might represent the average god-in-the-street rather than human. Some players may object to the idea of one score representing everything a character can do, and the answer to these problems lies in the Less Capable defect, which allows players to drop aspects of each of the core stats. For example, a character could have 9 Body, with a less capable defect of Strength, which they would drop to 6. While some might find this sort of scoring annoying, I feel that it actually works for comic book style play. Captain America was always described as being a physically perfect man, not as having a Dexterity of 8 and Strength of 10. Having a single score represent an aspect of the character may be one of the great strengths of the Tri-Stat system.
Attributes are divided into Characteristics and Powers. Characteristics are talents, resources, or other attributes that a character has, but that are not necessarily superhuman or paranormal in origin. Powers are superhuman, supernatural, or other extraordinary abilities that go beyond the realm of human potential or possibility. Both have Levels, normally from 1 through 10, each Attribute having different values for the level ranks. The system is effect-based, so the specific form a Power or Characteristic takes is up to the players. For example, the Characteristic called Item of Power enables you to purchase ranks, which give you points with which you design an item that has super properties. The item could be a suit of armor, a ring, a hammer, etc. Thus Anthony Stark, Hal Jordan, and Don Blake each have Item of Power, but they are each very different. The system provides excellent guidelines for what is superhuman and non superhuman, so players that want to create super-normals could stay with Characteristics within a certain level, and thus avoid the need to create a power to simulate an Attribute, thus retaining the feel of human characters that can challenge supers.
A word on Levels: 10 is not an absolute limit. The rules make it clear that with GM permission, Attributes can be raised beyond 10. In fact, certain Characteristic descriptions certainly allow for such things as Level 14 Items of Power.
Skills are listed on a scale of 1 through 5, and are divided into General Skills and Combat Skills. Skills are bought with a separate set of skill points, starting with a base of thirty, and these points can be modified with the Characteristic Highly Skilled or the Defect Less Skilled. The cost of skill levels is related to the usefulness of the skill in the campaign, and can easily be modified by a GM if their campaign is very different. Combat Skills modify combat roles. It should be noted that the system uses very general combat skills in place of specific martial arts, for which I am grateful. I have never liked attempting to simulate specific styles of martial arts in RPG’s. Having learned one particular style, I have found that the discipline and practice do shape how you respond in a combat situation, in an actually throw down you do not consider, “roundhouse, crescent, or side kick?” You simply act. With a skill like Unarmed Attack, this game simulates this.
Combat is also fast moving and simple, with a wide variety of options, variations on damage, optional rules for shock, and a very simple means of dealing with unarmed damage from a normal person. Two derived values are used in combat, Attack Combat Value, and Defense Combat Value. Both are derived from all three Stats, reflecting the game philosophy that the whole of the person must be judged in combat. Thus, all things being equal, a person with Body 4, Mind 8, and Soul 12, is evenly matched against a person with Body 12, Mind 4, and Soul 8. Characteristics can modify the ACV and DCV of the person. As characteristics, they would reflect perhaps years of skilled practice going innate, as the person adds to their combat values. Actions are initiative based. Do not worry about speedster effects, as all such considerations are taken care of.
The gadget rules are fairly strong, although the templates only cover weapons and vehicles. I suppose most other gadgets could be done with Item of Power if push came to shove. In some instances, I have often thought some games over think gadgets, so a simple template approach may really be for the best.
The campaign world is really very good. It is a modern setting with a traditional four color superhero world style. Set in the modern world, costumed adventurers have been around for over a century. Things really took a turn for the wondrous in 1942, when an experiment using atomic energy killed eleven test subjects, and left one different. That last test subject became Sentinel, the first, and still one of the greatest, super heroes. Others have followed, as they always do. The designers are very clear that the game can stand alone from the campaign world, but they have created the first game world I really do not mind using. The characters are not exercises in rule versatility, but rich characters all on their own. Sentinel himself is a rich character, having known in his life pain, disability, disappointment, and then having been given not only another chance, but awesome powers as well, he is almost an embodiment of the ideals the game hopes to reflect upon. His life has shaped our times, and the times have shaped him, as well. The other great aspect of this world is that there is plenty or room for the players. Most game worlds are already filled with experienced, powerful supers that PC characters seem insignificant. This is not the case, here. One example: the Guard fills the major role of the Avengers in Marvel, the JLA in DC, or the Honor Guard in Astro City, but I noticed that there would be a lot of room for a weird science team, like the Fantastic Four. As a setting, this world can really accommodate just about any type of comic book adventure.
The book is otherwise full of useful information about role-playing in general and superhero roleplaying in particular. Some of it the standard stuff we say to beginners, other suggestions are really very important reminders about how much fun this is supposed to be. Included in the text are guidelines for using these rules in other settings, so, like BESM, this system could be a universal game engine. For an experiment, I designed Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn quickly and cleanly. Power attributes could cleanly represent supernatural or spell like abilities, and two of the powers are perfect for spellcasting.
I really like what I am seeing in this game so far. A simple, flexible system, a terrific campaign world, a clean, well-edited core rulebook, and an attempt to reflect and play on the themes of a period in comic books that I never felt became dated. In addition, Guardians of Order will introduce a D20 version of Silver Age Sentinels. While I am skeptical of the potential for D20 supers, these guys just might surprise me.
Disclaimer: I have run practice character creation, and some simulation combats, but I have not had the opportunity to run a full role-play test. I hope to correct that in a few weeks.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)