Author Topic: Mutants & Masterminds - Am I the only one?  (Read 3460 times)

Offline Dictum Mortuum

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 467
    • View Profile
Mutants & Masterminds - Am I the only one?
« on: March 24, 2013, 09:19:06 AM »
That dislikes this game so much?

My RL gaming group decided to start a new campaign and we all sat together and created characters. First I liked the whole "complete customization" thing, but we ended up trying not to optimize everything (in a group that I'm the only 'optimizer' I might add) and most of us had silly pun-pun-like powers :p

Character creation was ok for a mental excercise, but the gameplay/theme where awful.
Dictum Mortuum's Handbooks: My personal character optimization blog.

Offline veekie

  • Spinner of Fortunes
  • Epic Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 5423
  • Chaos Dice
    • View Profile
Re: Mutants & Masterminds - Am I the only one?
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2013, 08:33:07 AM »
It's a toolkit for a game, and as a conflict resolution system it's pretty good. But when you aren't looking for a toolkit yeah it's not that brilliant. You need to use a hammer for driving nails and you need a screwdriver to turn screws, don't blame the hammer for not being able to screw.
Everything is edible. Just that there are things only edible once per lifetime.
It's a god-eat-god world.

Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled,
And to the mercies of a moment leaves; The vast concerns of an eternal scene.

Offline Agita

  • He Who Lurks
  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2705
  • *stare*
    • View Profile
Re: Mutants & Masterminds - Am I the only one?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2013, 09:37:56 AM »
It's a toolkit for a game, and as a conflict resolution system it's pretty good. But when you aren't looking for a toolkit yeah it's not that brilliant. You need to use a hammer for driving nails and you need a screwdriver to turn screws, don't blame the hammer for not being able to screw.
This sums up the basic issue that all problems people I've met have with M&M can be traced back to. It's a pure toolbox system (and one of the, if not the, best such system currently on the market) and not terribly good at being used for anything else, a bit like how D&D 3.5 breaks down (even more) if you try to go magic (item)-less.

I'm interested in hearing more about your experience, though, since I'm finding it hard to picture on vague terms.
Please send private messages regarding board matters to Forum Staff instead.

Offline Prime32

  • Over-Underling
  • Retired Admin
  • *****
  • Posts: 2914
    • View Profile
Re: Mutants & Masterminds - Am I the only one?
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2013, 10:16:07 AM »
Thirding "toolkit". For M&M you really need a framework before you can begin - a detailed campaign brief with what kind of characters exist, what powers exist in the setting, etc. Just letting people play any concept is a recipe for disaster, but if you can pull it off properly the results can be fantastic.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2013, 10:20:27 AM by Prime32 »

Offline Nanshork

  • Homebrew Reviewer
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 13401
    • View Profile
Re: Mutants & Masterminds - Am I the only one?
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2013, 12:00:17 PM »
Thirding "toolkit". For M&M you really need a framework before you can begin - a detailed campaign brief with what kind of characters exist, what powers exist in the setting, etc. Just letting people play any concept is a recipe for disaster, but if you can pull it off properly the results can be fantastic.

This.  This so very much.

This is making me wish I'd gotten to play that M&M werewolf I made for a pbp that never got off the ground...