Question: Comedic Supers?

[Scud-O]

would anyone use (or possibly buy) a setting book (full of crunchy bits like powers, feats, characters, location stats, plot hooks) for a comedic themed Supers campaign? my girlfriend and i have been tossing around ridiculous superheroes that we want to write up, and, being a comedic improvisor, i wouldn't mind trying to use those skills in conjunction with my favorite hobby. so please, chime in and let me know. i'll post characters and other things to this thread as i come up with them.

if i were to do something "official", i would need an artist or two. anyone interested?

[Novac]

I wouldn't, no.

[Optiplex]

i would. i would insert it into my exesting game similar to C.L.O.W.N. supliment for champions (which i loved by the way) it wouldnt be part of the steady diet but a break every now & then to lend a little light hearted ness to the game

[AaronUnicorn]

Depends on how well done it was. I dig comedy. I can even appreciate parody. What I can't handle is poorly done parody.

Now, would I use it regularly? Heck no. I like my superheroing more in line with JLA than with The Tick. But, I also loved the C.L.O.W.N. characters for Champions, and would use them again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'm contemplating creating a team much like them for my campaign. I figure once the PCs get done with ToC, they deserve a break.

[CurtWarner]

I'd use it--my players DESERVE it

[Luke de Sade]

I was thinking of making some characters a la Penthouse Comix's Young Captain Adventure or Miss Adventure. Comedic heroes for adults only, with sexual/porn-oriented superpowers. That'd be fun.

[SmokestackJones]

would anyone use (or possibly buy) a setting book (full of crunchy bits like powers, feats, characters, location stats, plot hooks) for a comedic themed Supers campaign? my girlfriend and i have been tossing around ridiculous superheroes that we want to write up, and, being a comedic improvisor, i wouldn't mind trying to use those skills in conjunction with my favorite hobby. so please, chime in and let me know. i'll post characters and other things to this thread as i come up with them.

if i were to do something "official", i would need an artist or two. anyone interested?

Hey Scud-O,

I'd use it (do I really need to tell you people that? ). I can also come one board for for artist stuff. Check out my rendition of the Toon Gand (in the Mutant Art section of the M&M site) if in doubt (or, if you want something a bit more superheroey-hey! I invented a new word!-just do a search on this board for "Floor" "Big "E"" or "Grizzly Irving"). If that don't show you where my head's at, nuthin' will!

-SJ

[Heckfire]

I'd be interested...an old friend told me about his occasional comedic campaign, "Cannonfodder and the Fighting Expendables," and I've been trying to start one of my own ever since. Closest my most recent group got was a team called the "American Super-Sleuths" (think about the acronym) and even that turned deadly serious towards the end.
I mean, I prefer JLA-style campaigns, but as a long-time TFOS referee some of the best games I've ran or played have been comedic one-shots.

[Nightlynx]

I might be - If it caught my interest! But if its humor I am looking for I would perfer to see the Tick style of humor - but thats just me

peace and good gaming

Nightlynx

[Crackerjack]

Comedic supers idea-
The world's greatest themepark/institution/corporation has working stiffs in supertech poweredarmor fuzzy mascot coustumes saving the day as part of P/R work.

[palehorse]

I wouldn't.

There's generally enough humor on game night as it is... if I were TRYING to be funny I don't think it'd work out.

But seriously (if you can be in this context) comedy games never really appealed to me... at best they get a "Ha, that's cute" reaction, then I put it down and move on to something else.

But hey, that's just me.

[Striker]

The idea appeals to me, but I wouldn't spend money on it. I can usually come up with enough wacked out stuff on my own, and if I can't, I have freinds who can.

Now if it were only like a 5$ download, sure, I might pick it up at some point when I have a few spare bucks.

[SmokestackJones]

Hey there,

Aw, you guys just don't know how to handle it right. The trick is to do the work, give the players the guidelines, have the players make characters in accordance with that (the Setup) and then run the game, letting the players in on the joke and they will help you make it a memorable and funny scenario (the Punchline).

I ran a very succesful Champions campaign (Hero High) that was a satire on the Legion of Superheroes, filtered through the notion of "how do adolescents really think and act?" The players got into the spirit and we had some very funny games.

-Smokestack Jones
TOON, Paranioa and TFOS Vet
Maker of the Sampo!

[palehorse]

Smokestack Jones said:

Aw, you guys just don't know how to handle it right. The trick is to do the work, give the players the guidelines, have the players make characters in accordance with that (the Setup) and then run the game, letting the players in on the joke and they will help you make it a memorable and funny scenario (the Punchline).

Let's see...

Do the work. Give the players guidelines. Have them make appropriate characters. Run the game.

Golly, sounds like what I've been doing for 20+ years of gaming...

It has nothing to do with me not knowing how to 'handle it right'. I'm just not interested in comedy games.

[SmokestackJones]

Smokestack Jones said:

Aw, you guys just don't know how to handle it right. The trick is to do the work, give the players the guidelines, have the players make characters in accordance with that (the Setup) and then run the game, letting the players in on the joke and they will help you make it a memorable and funny scenario (the Punchline).

Let's see...

Do the work. Give the players guidelines. Have them make appropriate characters. Run the game.

Golly, sounds like what I've been doing for 20+ years of gaming...

It has nothing to do with me not knowing how to 'handle it right'. I'm just not interested in comedy games.

Hey palehorse,

Sorry, I forgot the disclaimer: not for folks who don't like comedy games.

It was for GM who would want to run one.

My bad.

-SJ

[palehorse]

Smokestack Jones said:

Sorry, I forgot the disclaimer: not for folks who don't like comedy games.

No harm, no foul. We're cool.

[SmokestackJones]

Smokestack Jones said:

Sorry, I forgot the disclaimer: not for folks who don't like comedy games.

No harm, no foul. We're cool.

Hey palehorse,

Me too. I'm gonna go record my WSAR stuff now....

-SJ

[Gamskee]

I kicked around the idea of a supers comedy setting a while back. I wrote upo most of a city, rules on how to make different styles of comedic characters, going through the many tried and true methods of making supers funny. Unforetunately, my notes are on another computer that I don't have access to for a few weeks, but maybe then. I suppose I could say a little about it.

It was all set in a place called Random City, a city founded by a man who built an outhouse next to a tree that had really soft leaves. People came from mile around just to use it. The line got so long that people just sort of settled around the thing and even started business nearby. Eventually, the town sort of formed around it. The cities chief product nowadays is various toiletries and bathroom related products.

The most powerful superhero in the city is known as Super Captain Doctor X-Spider. He usually defeats villains using his ambiguous powers which no one has ever quite understood, except perhaps for his archnemesis Dr. Professor, who has discovered his ONE TRUE WEAKNESS-that is until it changes next week.

Theres more than that, but those are the highlights.

BTW, TFOS rocks.