Super Confusion

Hello all,

First off I hope you are having a great New Years so far. I know it's only two days old but sometimes even that short amount of time can be quite telling.

This post is about the comic book style of Role Playing. There are a multitude of supers games out there. Everything ranging from the super-detailed Champions to the incredibly rules-lite game; The Four Color Hack.  http://www.rpgnow.com/product/201087/The-Four-Color-Hack?term=four+color&test_epoch=0

Over the years I have waffled between the two styles. I even change my mind in mere minutes when considering this question. I don't think that either style is 'wrong'. Just the opposite really. I think the main factor in deciding on a Supers game is tone. To me the lighter the overall tone the lighter the mechanics should be. In my experience it's much easier to add a dark feel to a lite game than to make a more 4-Color campaign in a rules  heavy game.

I have tried approximately ten trillion times to write my own supers game. I always start off well but then I start second guessing myself. I think it's much harder to write a Supers style game than say a Fantasy one. I know there are really a lot of similarities but something just makes my mind freeze when writing Supers.

Of all the games I've read of late I keep leaning back toward a tiny, pretty much forgotten game called Sentinels of Echo City.http://www.rpgnow.com/product/150863/Sentinels-of-Echo-City

It fits a 'middle of the road' feel for me. It's more crunchy than many rules-lite games but is still really flexible. I have been considering doing a large, full fledged project for it. I still want to, but my own fears make me hesitate.

So, I ask you... What is your go-to Supers game?  What makes it so endearing that you keep coming back to it?

My next post will be a detailed review of the aforementioned Sentinels game. I may also begin sharing details of my massive 'Rally Cry' setting. Its a setting I have been tinkering with since the early 90's so there is a lot to share!