[Cold Steel Wardens] When your superhero ISN'T the biggest and the baddest

Dan Davenport · December 14, 2012, 08:20:26 AM

I've been reading up about Cold Steel Wardens, the "Iron Age" street-level supers game currently in Kickstarter. One aspect of the game that I find interesting is the fact that while it focuses on street-level superheroics, it's part of a larger supers setting -- in other words, you can run into Superman and Doctor Manhattan types, but they're NPCs.

What do you think about this approach? Do you like the focus, or do you think it might as well cover the whole spectrum of superheroic power levels?

(I should probably mention that the system is deliberately gritty to suit the street-level focus.)

Zachary The First · December 14, 2012, 08:30:01 AM

I always like looking at other supers games, but I think it seems a bit too limited for my tastes. Using ICONS, I can have a group that is as varied as the Avengers or JLA in terms of power levels, and it still works. I could just do a lower-level setting in ICONS, if that's what I wanted. I'm not sure I'd be the target audience for this game.

Bill · December 14, 2012, 08:54:48 AM

Do the players enjoy playing Nightwing/Daredevil, or do they prefer to play Superman/Thor?

Most supers rpg's struggle to apply stats to heroes as unbalanced as Nightwing-Superman.

I have done a lot of supers games and I think it works best with 'low-mid' heroes.

One thing that sometimes happens that can annoy me is when you have a roster of heroes that are insanely powerful, you end up with a party of pc's that require uber crazy insane challenges. "Oh? is the very fabric of the universe in danger again?"

Dan Davenport · December 14, 2012, 09:36:16 AM

Oh, one other thing I should mention: the author tells me that if the GM were to give the players sufficient character creation points, they could create a Superman-level character. Character creation just isn't set up that way by default.

Drohem · December 14, 2012, 10:13:08 AM

When my brother and I were teenagers, he collected comic books while I collected RPG stuff. I would read his comics and I loved the street-level superheros like Ironfist and Powerman. I am a sucker for the little guy, the underdog so I could identify more readily with level and type of superhero. A street-level superhero game could be the one finally lure me into the arena of superhero gaming. I'm going to keep an eye on this one. Thanks for the heads up, Dan!

Dan Davenport · December 14, 2012, 10:17:03 AM

Quote from: Drohem;608814When my brother and I were teenagers, he collected comic books while I collected RPG stuff. I would read his comics and I loved the street-level superheros like Ironfist and Powerman. I am a sucker for the little guy, the underdog so I could identify more readily with level and type of superhero. A street-level superhero game could be the one finally lure me into the arena of superhero gaming. I'm going to keep an eye on this one. Thanks for the heads up, Dan!

My pleasure, Drohem!

As it happens, Luke Cage is at the upper end of the PC-level "brick" scale, I'm told.

Drohem · December 14, 2012, 10:21:42 AM

LOL! Well, that just shows my lack of knowledge concerning the superhero genre.

I read those comics back in the late 1980s and it seemed to me that those type of guys were red-headed stepchildren compared to heroes like the X-Men, Captain America, Spiderman, etc.

Dan Davenport · December 14, 2012, 10:24:14 AM

Quote from: Drohem;608817LOL! Well, that just shows my lack of knowledge concerning the superhero genre. I read those comics back in the late 1980s and it seemed to me that those type of guys were red-headed stepchildren compared to heroes like the X-Men, Captain America, Spiderman, etc.

Just to be clear, I'm saying that Luke Cage is a perfect Cold Steel Wardens character.

The author's even cited him by name.

Drohem · December 14, 2012, 10:30:47 AM

Quote from: Dan Davenport;608820Just to be clear, I'm saying that Luke Cage is a perfect Cold Steel Wardens character. The author's even cited him by name.

D'oh!

OK, move along, nothing to see here.

OvaltinePatrol · December 14, 2012, 10:38:22 AM

There's always the Stardust the Super-Wizard type of hero: a nigh- omnipotent, cosmic sadist who fights street-level crime.

Dan Davenport · December 14, 2012, 10:40:55 AM

Quote from: Drohem;608822 D'oh!

OK, move along, nothing to see here.

No problem. I may not have been clear on that.

But anyway, yeah, Luke Cage's durability and strength are about the upper limit for CSW PCs, as I understand it. Just trying to give some idea of the PC power level.

I get the impression that Spidey would be pushing the limits, all things considered.

The Butcher · December 14, 2012, 11:10:52 AM

Quote from: OvaltinePatrol;608825There's always the Stardust the Super-Wizard type of hero: a nigh- omnipotent, cosmic sadist who fights street-level crime.

Stardust is Golden Age, though. I want to link the Stardust comic I read some day (was it at SA?) so that other people can appreciate just how bizarre the Golden Age could get.

Anyway, it's interesting to read about a whole RPG being designed specifically to emulate a given age of comicdom. I have to admit that it makes sense from a design perspective, because the Iron Age feels like such a major break from its predecessors (or at least, a major widening of the Silver-Bronze Age fault line) that it may justify using a distinct system.

I wonder if the same argument could be applied to the Golden Age?

Bill · December 14, 2012, 11:25:35 AM

Talk of Luke Cage reminded me of one of my all time favorite comic book brawls.

Powerman and Iron Fist vs the Hulk.

Those two guys tried their best, but the Hulk was soooooo far out of their league.

Moral of the story is don't HIT the Hulk. It will not go well.

Dan Davenport · December 14, 2012, 11:33:19 AM

Quote from: Bill;608843Talk of Luke Cage reminded me of one of my all time favorite comic book brawls.

Powerman and Iron Fist vs the Hulk.

Those two guys tried their best, but the Hulk was soooooo far out of their league.

Moral of the story is don't HIT the Hulk. It will not go well.

Are you talking about their fight with the completely mindless Hulk?

Either way, yeah, that's a fine example of outclassed heroes.

Bill · December 14, 2012, 11:58:34 AM

As I recall it was the green childlike hulk, but it's been a while.