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Super hero RPGs have seemed to be becoming very popular again in the last few years, and a number of new ones have entered the (rather small) market. SAS and M&M both seem solid, and (along with a loyal Champions/Hero crowd) are the apparent best choices for Super Hero role playing today.
The last “surge” or super hero role playing I can remember was way back in the early to mid eighties. There were a few other Super hero rpgs, but much like the M&M vs. SAS of today, there was really only one battle for the top position: Champions vs. Villains & Vigilantes (V&V) . While Champions seemed to win out in the end, V&V was a popular and solid system, and still has die hard fans today. It is even still in print, and can be purchased here for a very reasonable price:
http://www.fantasygamesunltd.com/
The reason for this review is simple, I felt like writing a review this morning :). I always like showcasing older games to new players who might have never heard of them, and there doesn’t seem to be a V&V review in the archives. So, here it is.
V&Vs TONE:
V&V is very generic, offering very VERY small tidbits for a campaign setting, thus it is open to any type of playing you can imagine. I have noticed that V&V games seem to be a little more lighthearted, and wahoo fun that the more serious Champions adventures. V&V is also geared toward the more “classic” (4 color is the term, I believe) comic books of the time (the 80s and before). Super Hero’s are all goody two shoes (with the occasional Wolverine-like character), and fighting for truth justice and the American way. This game was written before most of the “dark” comics you see today, so, while you can incorporate these elements in your game if you like, there are no inclinations toward them in the rulebook. Villains are to be captured and turned over to the authorities, NEVER killed! Super hero’s AND super villains follow the classic super dude code (I don’t think I need to define that).
APPEARANCE:
The page count of V&V is 47 pages, smaller than most adventures out today, but don’t be fooled it is VERY complete. It is saddle stitched, black and white double column interior, and has a very classic 80s rpg look to it. It has, what I would say, the perfect amount of illustrations in it, enough to enjoy, but not so many that it is irritating. All the artwork is done by Jeff Dee, the main creator, definitely a labor of love. I enjoy Jeffs artwork, so I think they are perfect for the feel of the game, but that of course is subject to opinion. 2 of the illustrations are comic book pages, that really enhance the game, and set a definite tone. The comic book page on the back cover is a perfect summary of the tone of the game. There seem to be a lot of tables and charts on first look, but most are only used during character generation (used once or twice), or combat (not really as chart heavy as it might look).
HISTORY:
The first edition, white cover (that I actually used to have, but don’t any longer), was published in 1979. At the time, it was the first credible supers game (and the second of all time, following the Futuresque Superhero:2044). I got my copy of the 1st edition AFTER already playing the 2nd, so I personally found it to be a real unplayable mess. Definitely go with the (much easier to find anyway) 2nd, or revised edition, green cover and stated “revised” on the cover.
The revised edition was published in 1982, and is the subject of this review. Champions was released in 81, before the 2nd ed. came out, and was a better choice that V&V 1st, which is probably the reason it (champions) became the grandaddy of Supers games, other than V&V.
THE RULE BOOK:
Character Generation:
The first 19 pages (almost half of the rulebook, if you think about it :)) is dedicated to Character generation, and super power descriptions. Making characters is fairly quick and simple (except for a little math) and a lot of fun.
First thing first, V&V suggests you play a character that is your real life alter ego. While eventually (or possibly right from the get go) you will want to create other hero’s, my friends and I had a LOT of fun with the alter ego concept. It was fun determining stats basted on us in real life, and our GM had a lot of information readily available (teachers from our school, our hometown, parents, ect.). I would suggest everyone give this a try, I think it really added a super fun dimension to our early games.
There are 5 basic characteristics that are based on the (standard at the time) 3-18 scale, although, as any good supers game should, stats can run up to 90+! (with super powers), The stats are, Strength, Endurance, Agility, Intelligence, and Charisma. For alter egos, you and the GM (mainly the GM) determine the appropriate stats. While there is no other generation rules for stats, it is obvious that random numbers can be determined by rolling 3d6 (or whatever optional technique you may want to use). Each stat has a corresponding table with modifiers and notes, very similar to AD&D. Several more stats are deduced from these tables, to include Hit Modifier, Hit Points, Damage Modifier, Basic HtH, Carrying capacity, ect. All standard fair, but they come together rather nicely in the end, and are very appropriate to the super hero genre.
After this you have super powers. There are over 50 (and a very complete list it is, even by todays standards), and divided onto 5 different tables, Powers, Devices, Magic/Psionic items, Skills, and Magic/Psionics. While it goes against modern game concepts, these are determined RANDOMLY, and a lot of fun it is, and produces surprisingly balanced characters (most of the time). You roll 1d6 +2 for amount of powers, you then choose the tables you wish to receive your powers from, and roll (%) randomly.
After this is done, you roll for one weakness on a small table. You then choose one super power to discard, and may choose (everyone does :)) a second power to drop if you want to get rid of your weakness. Players are encouraged to drop powers that “don’t fit” with the rest of the powers the character has. Like I said, in my experience, this has produced extremely balanced, and VERY fun characters to play.
Of course, if you wanted to, you could choose powers instead, and ignore the random factor if you and the GM agree.
Next is the list of super power descriptions. They are brief and to the point. Fairly complete, you may still run into places where you have to interpret or improvise the effects of a power at times, but, nothing that you and the GM will have problems with (IMHO). As a GM who doesn’t like reading and remembering 400 page tomes, I appreciate knowing I have a firm grasp on EVERY rule (super powers in this case) in the book, with ease.
Most of the powers work in different ways. Some are automatic, while some require you to spend Power (PR) of varying amounts. Many of the powers require you to do a little math (example: To use telepathy to probe a mind, your current (Prx2)+Charisma must exceed the total Pr+C of the subject. This requires 1d6 turns of game time and costs 5 Pr.). While in play, you get used to these things, it does harken back to the older (less refined) days of gaming.
Following character generation are some brief notes on superheroish stuff, like costumes and secret identities, experience points, and advancement. The game is level based. While many people will argue circles around how bad level based systems are, it works well for this game. It makes the GMs job of creating appropriate challenges easy, and makes character progression balanced. It is also fun. At the end of the list of training/ bonuses you can choose upon gaining a level is the option, “Whatever: If the GM allows it, it’s legal”. A great attitude from older games that has seemed to be lost in the last decade.
Combat:
The core of a Super Hero game is probably it’s combat system. I’ll be the first to admit V&V is a bit dated. It isn’t complex, but it isn’t as simple as it could be. That said, it works remarkably well with little experience, and gives every character a chance to shine, use his super powers, and formulate complex tactics (that always seem to fail (:)).
V&V was written in the early day of role-playing, where wargame roots still showed. V&V is no different. Many of the combat rules are based around using 1 inch square counters or miniatures to represent your character.Ranges are given in inches, and there are facing modifiers, ect. That said, I’ve never played it with miniatures, and never ran into any problems. Many of the rules are easily adapted to non-mini play, or just as easily ignored.
Initiative was probably one of the most inventive aspects. You roll a d10 and add your agility. You can act in that phase, and again every 15 phases later, at a cost of 2 Pr. In other words, if your initiative is 36, you can act again in phase 21, and a 3rd time in phase 6. Again, this doesn’t seem to slow down game play as much as you may think, as most players keep track of the phases, and are more than eager to get that next attack in.
“To hit” rolls require you to roll a 20 die, and get less than a given target number. If I’m not mistaken, the roll is never modified, but the target number has multiple modifiers. This is where combat can slow a little unless the GM is familiar with the rules.
First, you cross reference the power you are using to attack with, with the targets possible defenses, using the lowest number as the base target number. Then you modify this by relative levels of attackers vs. defenders, and then (if applicable) by range. There are also modifiers for facing, weapons, ect. Pretty much standard fare for any game. You can choose what you want to use, and what you choose to ignore. There are also notes for such things as special attacks (called shots), carrier attacks,delayed actions, and multiple attacks.
Damage comes from hit points, when HP=0, the character is incapacitated (or “beaten to a pulp” as the book states). Further damage comes from Pr (listed here are the effects of running out of power also, which basicly amount to being so fatigued, you aren’t worth a crap). If both HP and Pr drop to 0, you bite the big one. This is really a nice design, and simulates comics well. You take a huge amount of damage, and only get knocked out. You would have to try REALLY hard to kill someone (unless they let their Power run down to dangerously low levels during combat), as it should be.
Stuff for the GM:
Pretty much the second half of the book is stuff for the GM. There is a ton of stuff covered. Most of it is brief, and doesn’t give a ton of details. I think the attempt was to cover just about everything that is (was) “classic” to comics. In fact, it is mentioned more than once, that the best way to get ideas is to read tons of comics.
Things that are touched on are background, and setting. Assuming that your game will be placed in the modern world, there are notes here for other eras of play. Organizations (government and criminal) that can play a part in your campaign, including CHESS, a handy default government agency that you can use to progress your story, both positively and negatively toward the characters. There is a section on generating NPCs. There is also a section on designing adventures with a few friendly pointers, and a random events table that is strikingly similar to the one found in Mutants & Masterminds.
There is a whole section on the government, and ideas for using it in your adventures. If you are interested in the legal aspects of things that PCs or villains might get charged with, there are 3 pages of articles and sections based on New York State Law. Dry reading, but if you want that type of dimension added to your game, you will find it useful. It would probably come in handy for a more “cops and robbers” style game also. Of course this section touches on supers, and villains too. Assigning charges and Super Prisons.
A “gamemastering” section provides some sample characters and examples of play. Very fun to read, and if I’m not mistaken, the only place in the rulebook that indicates that you roll a d20, and want to roll low in combat! The samples of play really help to see how combat is run, and does a lot toward setting the tone of V&V. It also shows how colorful combat can be, as opposed to just rolling to hit.
Rounding off the book are a section on being a superhero and an Appendices. These section have some stuff that didn’t fit in anywhere else, including Inventing points. With these characters an create some cool comic book gizmos. Another fun aspect of V&V for both the players and the GM. Other things covered are typical, such as vehicles, animals, ect.
Conclusion:
V&V is a decent game. It is complete, cheep, fun, and very playable. You will have no problem playing right from the book, although it will usually require a little extra effort and interpretation on the part of the GM. There is a lot of room to move and improvise. There is plenty of supplementary material. It shows it’s age in some wargame like aspects, and some less-than-refined game mechanics. The biggest problem you would have with this game is trying to find people willing to play it (“huh, what’s V&V? Is it d20?”).
Personally(!), I would recommend Mutants & Masterminds, if you asked my advice on a super hero game to go with. It is smooth, a lot of fun, fairly popular, and still available in game stores everywhere. It is OGL, so it will be easy to find players, but it takes out a lot of the overcomplicated stuff I(personally) don’t like about d20. It also captures a great deal of the tone of V&V, although a bit darker.
If you find that you don’t like any of the “popular” Supers games of today, and you think some of the things I mentioned above sound interesting...then, by all means check V&V out. For $6, you really won’t be loosing anything (well, except $6). I know I had years of playing fun with it. If it wasn’t for the desire to play something “popular” and easy to find players for, and the fact that M&M did such a good job, I would still be using V&V myself (and will probably go back to it someday! :)).
P.S. A Note on Ratings: It's always hard to rate an older game, because most don't stack up the same way as the new games do. I gave V&V double 4s because I think the book is pleasant to look at, and well organized, as well as having a nice nastalgia feel to it. It's meaty in content, since it basicly covers evertything you could want it to, and has enough material for playing Supers games without ever buying another book.
