A supers game based on the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG
Ric says: Fuckin' A. Let's get this bitch going.
Mr Toad says: sorry there has been no update for a long while. Unfortunately this site is now blocked through the company firewall hence the lack of work put on here. Still much in my mind and I have been doing stuff off wiki.
Within DRYH the mechanics make the protagonists spiral into damnation the more they push themselves. The more they use their powers the more powerful they get but also they have an increased chance of things going wrong.
The system leads itself very nicely to the gritty/realistic super hero genre. With that in mind the rules for DRYH remain, except of course anything in this text. You will need a copy of DRYH to play.
Bear in mind when running/playing the game the focus should be on the protagonist’s use of their powers, how society sees them and their battle to contain there own corruption.
Superheroes are powerful! They fight evil villains and save the world from hideous injustice. But its not easy, it costs the supers. But what is the price?
Remember play fair, but play hard.
"The rain is baptism on my chest. I am born again" – Batman, the Dark Knight Returns
Todos
- Get proper quotes
- Finalise character sheets
- Get some pretty pictures
- Create a one page cheat sheet for play
- Playtest as GM & Player
- Get others to playtest
Terms:
Discipline = Responsibility
Exhaustion = Corruption
Madness = Publicity
Pain = Price
Fight or flight = Secret Identity or Acceptance
Crash = Damned
Snap = Retreat
Hope and Despair = Justice and Crime
Coffers = Towers
Responsibility:
Every superhero must be responsible with their powers. If the responsibility pool dominates in a conflict then the superhero acts in a responsible way even if that means losing that conflict. Players can (optionally) remove a permanent Corruption die from their pool or uncheck a response box.
”With great power comes great responsibility” - Uncle Ben, Spiderman
Corruption:
Within every human there is selfishness, anger and hate. Often these are only held in check by the fact someone stronger or more powerful than them tells them it is wrong. What if a human was given super powers? Would they fight injustice or would the power corrupt? If Corruption dominates during a conflict then the super is overcome by their powers and acts with evil consequences. Bearing in mind this could be fairly subtle at the time. A Corruption die is added permanently to the dice pool. If you have more than 6 Corruption dice then you are damned.
“Magneto's right: there is a war coming. Are you sure you're on the right side?” - Wolverine, X-Men
Ric says: 'Evil' is a stupid word. James Bond villains do evil things. Ozymandias does necessary things with unfortunate consequences. You get me? If you want this gritty, don't prejudge all the morality out of the game. Corruption means some stuff happens which other people might think is evil, and the superhero might regret doing it, but they might not. They might think it was worth it.
Of course. I actually have no idea how DRYH works, so feel free to disregard. As with the rest.
Mr Toad says: I get ya. You hit it bang on the head. That's the way its suppose to be. Ta!
Publicity:
How does the public perceive you? Are you still human enough to be part of humanity? Are you ridiculed and branded a freak? Is someone evil trying to find out who you really are so they can get to you via your family? If the Publicity pool dominates during a conflict then either the superhero's Public Image or their Secret Identity has been damaged. The PC must tick off a (Public Image or Secret Identity) response box.
“Your name is Kal-El. You are the only survivor of the planet Krypton. Even though you've been raised as a human, you are not one of them.” – Jor-el, Superman
Price:
Super heroes put themselves on the line for justice all the time. Often they have a price to pay for doing that. If Price dominates in a conflict then it will cost the super something more. This could be a physical, mental or emotional cost. This is the Price they pay. Add a coin to the Tower of Crime.
”All those things I can do. All those powers. And I couldn't even save him.” - Clark Kent, Superman
Ric says: Need some examples here? Is it just 'damage'? The Tower of Crime makes it seem like I'm missing something.
Secret Identity & Acceptance
Superheroes must keep their identity secret otherwise it can be used by villains to hurt them and those close to them. But the more secrets you have the less the public will accept you. Soon, they'll brand you a freak or, worse still, they'll see you as evil as the criminals you’re fighting against.
As with DRYH you get up to 3 responses to use on either secret ID or acceptance or a combination of the both. So you could have 2 Secret Identity and 1 Public Image or you could have 3 Public Image only. When the Publicity pool dominates in a conflict you have to tick off one of these responses. If you cannot (because you have used your 3 ticks) then you must Retreat.
”Who are you?”
”You know who I am.”
”I do?”
”Your friendly neighbourhood Spider Man.”
Mary Jane & Spiderman, Spiderman
Damned:
So you have become the very thing you were fighting against! When you have more than 6 Corruption dice you are so corrupt you are Damned. The power you have over the mundanes has corrupted your very soul. For game purposes you are out. Your superhero becomes a super villain and is handed over to the GM to use as an NPC.
“You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.” - Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk
Ric says: Aw. B-b-but playing a villain is fun too! I see no reason not to trust players with this and leave their villain under their control.
Mr Toad says: All things considered it may be more fun to play as a villain. Some rules need to be clarified though. Another todo I guess!
Retreat:
Nobody said it was going to be easy being a super! In fact with the added responsibilities no one would blame you if you couldn’t handle it. Run away! Hide! The public hate you anyway, why should you put your life or your family’s life on the line for them? In game, your character runs away and hides for a period of time. When/if they come back reduce their Responsibility dice pool by 1 and add a permanent Publicity die in its place. If you have no Responsibility dice left then your character is hated by the public and his family to an unrepairable level. You are out of the game.
”You really think those people out there care about you? You're just a fad to them, Johnny!” - Susan Storm, Fantastic 4
Justice & Crime
The higher price you pay for your actions the more evil takes a hold. Every time Price dominates in a conflict add a coin to the Tower of Crime. This coin can be spent by the GM to influence dice pools in exactly the same was as despair coins in DRYH. Once a coin from the Tower of Crime is spent, pay it in to the Justice Tower.
Justice will prevail against crime! Coins from the Justice tower can be spent in exactly the same way as you would spend hope coins in DRYH.
”Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren't you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.” - Joker, the Dark Knight Returns
Behind the Mask
The following questions replace the original DRYH questions when creating characters:
I am…..
But I used to be…..
What are your super powers?
How do others see you?
Who knows your real name?
How did you get your powers?
What will you do with your powers?
Answering the questions
I am…..
Your Superhero alter ego
But I used to be…..
Your real name and short description of your physical condition and any jobs/hobbies you had.
What are your super powers?
A summary of your powers.
How do others see you?
Do you wear a costume? Have you been disfigured or mutated in any way since you got your powers? What would a stranger say was your most dominate trait or emotion? As a GM this question should help shape conflicts and help put obstacles in the player’s way. Is there something about the super that really doesn’t click with the general public? How easily will the super be accepted?
Who knows your real name?
What lengths have you gone to, to keep your real ID a secret? Have you turned your back on all your friends and family? Are they suspicious because you never seem to be around anymore? Another GM tool that can shape plots, storylines and opposition from the character's past. Or indeed a plot hook that can be used by a protagonist in the present. To protect her family would the super be prepared to kill someone to keep them silent?
How did you get your powers?
Was it a science experiment gone wrong? Was it after a supernatural or alien encounter? Have you always had them but they have lain dormant until now? Did someone wrong you, your family, your friends or all three and now you want revenge? What in you had the resource, the time, the passion or the opportunity? Would you create augmentations? Would you create machines to help you fly or throw bolts of fire? This question frames the first scene for each character in exactly the same way as the what just happened question in DRYH. This must be a significant point in the protagonists life.
What will you do with your powers?
What are your goals and aspirations? Do you wish to end war on Earth? What message are you giving to the world? In other words what do the players want to see from your game? What cool things do they want to do with their powers? What sort villains will be going up against them?
An Example Super
I am…..Sergeant Cinder
But I used to be…..Ben Archer, middle aged man and father of two. Who used to be a soldier in her Majesty’s army.
What are your super powers? I can turn my whole body to flame at will. I can shoot fireballs from my hands and I can now move at an incredible (lighter than air) speed leaving a trail of fire and smoke where I go.
How do others see you? Without makeup or a costume I look like a burnt figure. Blackened, twisted and disfigured. I have a pair of eyes that stare from a charred head. I’m totally unrecognisable from the man I once was. I wear a latex skin over my burnt husk to disguise myself somewhat. People tell me I’m depressed, but I think that is just a made up feeling.
Who knows your real name? My wife Jenny knows my real name, its difficult to cover up this condition to someone you used to be intimate with! Also an old uni friend Peter knows, and who, lucky for me, became a plastic surgeon. Every time I invoke my powers it melts my latex skin and so I constantly need to see him for a new one.
How did you get your powers? When I was fighting in Afghanistan our base was bombed. Liquid fire poured everywhere covering my whole squad and burning them to death. I was caught in the agonizing blast but somehow I survived. Not that I have much of a life left, mind you. To this day I don’t know why I survived, I should be dead, and some days I wish I were.
What will you do with your powers? Firstly I’d like to find out why I have them. I would then go on to rid the world of terrorism and suffering. No one should suffer the pain I have been through.
Ric says: Dunno. Maybe it's just me, but I think this kind of thing reads stronger if you remove all the overtly emotional text. It's still implied, but superheroes don't talk about their feelings openly, I think. They fight about them instead.
Mr Toad says: Ok its a pretty crap character. Fancy making one up yourself?
Responsibility: 3
Corruption: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Publicity:
Secret Identity 1 2 3 – 3 2 1 Acceptance
Scars:
……………
……………
……………
Misc. how it works
You start with 3 Responsibility dice.
Madness powers and exhaustion talents are no longer present.
You may voluntary add 1 Corruption die per conflict.
Corruption dice are permanent and stick around after the conflict.
To use a super power you must be rolling at least 1 Corruption die.
If your super power is used in a major way you must add 1 Corruption die.
If your super power is used in a major way you get successes equal to your Corruption pool value plus any successes you roll.
You can voluntarily use between 0-6 Publicity dice per conflict.
Publicity dice are not permanent (unless you have retreated) and go after the conflict.
Scars work exactly the same as in DRYH
"Spider-Man. This is why only fools are heroes - because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice. Let die the woman you love… or suffer the little children? Make your choice, Spider-Man, and see how a hero is rewarded!" - Green Goblin, Spiderman
Ric says: I see a disappointing proportion of comic book movie quotes here, and absolutely no quotes from The Authority. Get on msn messenger (riclacy at hotmail dot com) so I can show you.
Mr Toad says: Yeah, need to get me some proper quotes. And some decent pictures. Oh and a todo list.
Ric says: Gotta have a to-do list.
Mr Toad says: On further note I have borrowed an Authority graphic novel from the library, so I can sort out these quotes! ;-)
