Superhero boardgames

Michael Barnes wrote: It was fairly standard stuff, but there were a couple of THEME pieces that I thought were lightly handled, but they added a greater feel to it being a superhero game. One is that heroes could be affected by events in their "private lives"- maybe waylaid for a mission or not able to perform up to par. Another is that some heroes naturally worked better together than others to reflect rivalries and competing agendas. So Daredevil and Punisher didn't work together so well, but Spider-Man and Johnny Storm did.

That sort of stuff would be great if it was in a goofy, over-the-top Silver Age setting. Someone should snatch up the rights to Freedom Force and get on it, since if you're going non-licensed Silver Age Kirby pastiche, it doesn't get much better than FF.

The idea of secret identities and personal lives is woefully unexplored no matter which way you slice it and it's an area that's ripe for exploration. You could give certain heroes a "Dark Secret" that they must guard against discovery, and if it's revealed then it's very bad for them. Hell, explore the concept of heroic sacrifice and have some secrets that confer an immense one-time bonus on the hero when revealed, but afterward the hero is eliminated from the game. And that's just scratching the surface. There are so many more interesting things that could be done with heroes rather than just fisticuffs.

Those themes would be interesting in a strategic level game, but I think when most people think Super-Hero the more tactical side pops into their mind. To make those themes work my gut says it starts to become a procedural and mechanical style game, not to say that it couldn't be, but I think its a long-shot. It is also stuff that takes away from from the traits that pop into a person's mind when they think SuperHero - Costume and Powers and "Pows" and "Boofs" and "Pops".


One idea I've always had for a Batman-Style game though is a one vs one asymmetrical game where one player takes a role similar to Jack in Letters from Whitechapel where they have a hidden base in a city and have to head out and commit crimes to procure materials and resources to hatch their master crime. The heroes need to use some detective style work to uncover their hidden base or connect the dots on the supplies that are being harvested and try to make predictions off hunches on where the villain will strike next and setup an ambush. Villain wins if he can complete his shopping list and pulls off the crime, the hero wins if he uncovers the base or sets a trap at where he things he'll strike next.

Michael Barnes wrote: And I also design my game with the understanding and acknowledgement that Spider-Man is a still-current, still ongoing series so I use characters,artwork, typefaces and storylines from RECENT, ACTUAL comics...not this vague, pop understanding of the character and stories that may as well have been gleaned from the side of a lunch box or a coloring book.

The thing is, most superhero "fans" don't give a shit about recent, actual comics. There are far more people who "love" Superman or Batman who haven't picked up a comic book in years and aren't going to start any time soon. There's a reason DC still uses old red-tights Superman art on stuff even though his current, actual suit is a stupid Jim Lee designed mess. Hell, that's been a problem with Wonder Woman for decades; I know multiple comic store owners who have people wanting to buy anything WW except a comic book with her in it.

When most people think Spider-Man or such they don't think about anything Spider-Man from the past decade of comics, they think a sort of vague, amalgamated Spider-Man that is just sort of the essence of Spider-Man-ness. That's what you base the game on for success, not whatever dumb storyline is being squatted out right now that even the small audience that actually buys comics doesn't care much about and won't remember in a year.

To broaden this out, when people think superheroes they think about dudes with powers fighting bad guys. That is the core of superheroes, despite 30 years of comics since Watchmen. Part of that is secret identities, but few people other than some hardcore cape fans are going to want a sub-game involving beating Lois to a scoop or pretending that sparkling water is champagne.

Besides, everyone knows that if you really want to do superheroes in a boardgame right, it needs to be a flicking game.

I can see it now. HULK FLICK!!!

Wow. That sure didn't look right zoomed out on an iPhone screen...

Michael Barnes wrote: Wow. That sure didn't look right zoomed out on an iPhone screen...

Be gentle!

look, are you gonna fuck this hulk or not? other people are waiting for their turn

www.collegehumor.com/video/6766131/sex-with-the-hulk