10. Champions 4th edition, 1990Starting off with number ten does leave a lot of questions unanswered as to what came before, but suffice it to say the other nine spots before this one helped only to make this one that much better.
It was 1990, I was sixteen and had a car, and a bunch of gaming under my belt. I was also big into comic books, so when a superhero rpg came out, I had to sign up. This was also the first time I remember having to actually work for the money to buy the hardback rulebook, which was kind of expensive at the time!
So I was mobile, driving myself to comic shops and games of Champions at other friends' houses, it was a good time indeed. I remember a lot of these games mainly due to the characters we painstakingly crafted but also the epic four hour battles against equally cool villains.
After 1990, and this foray into Champions, everything else gaming in my life just kind of exponentially grew. There's a reason I stuck with the first ten for this list, because the next twenty plus games could go on and on for quite a while!
I've got a lot of honorable mentions along the way, cool games that might've been one-shots or short-lived. The ten I picked out for this list however are the milestones themselves. So with Champions in the number ten spot we kick off the first ten gaming moments that have defined who I am, as a gamer, today. Enjoy!
Nice to here. My first foray into gaming was being bought Heroquest one Christmas when I was 12. Followed by the expansions then Space Crusade
ReplyDeleteI've got Heroquest, that game was great! Never had Space Crusade though, did have the first Space Hulk, which was a blast. This one is the last of the first, if that makes sense.
DeleteOddly enough Champions 4e was defining for me in a different way. I was 26, just settling down into my first home with the woman I still live with. I'd played Champions since 1e, but 4e marked the point when I realised that I really didn't have the time or energy to devote to a role-playing game with such fiddly detail. It was the time when my gaming switched almost entirely to boardgames and miniatures.
ReplyDeleteRPGs have resurfaced from time to time since, but as one-off games using light, simple rules.
I'm still looking for a satisfactory way to scratch my superhero itch, though.
I like that this game is so embedded for both of us but in totally different ways.
DeleteOf course there's no way I'd play Champions as an adult today, I think we're in the same boat. I'm just too tired to learn a new, complicated system, and then have to play it as well.
Boardgames are such a nice sweet spot, playing some tonight with my buddies actually.
For a supers-light option maybe check out Icons. I picked it up and have read through it, haven't given it a test drive yet but it looks promising for what we're both looking for.
"For a supers-light option maybe check out Icons."
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed Supercrew, but it stops short of being perfect. Risus may do the job as well. I'd really like a good miniatures game; I didn't like Supersystem, though. Atomic Super Humans I've yet to try (I love the related Giant Minster Rampage, though). Ganesha Games are working on one based on Song of Blades and heroes, which my be worth a look.
I was rather taken with 2nd edition SuperSystem but realize it's not for everyone.
DeleteOf course I always have nothing but good things to say about Ganesha Games. If they've got a supers game in the works I'm interested.
As for the other titles you mentioned here you've got me stumped, I need to go check them out, apparently I've been in the dark.
I remember seeing this in the comic shops as I picked up my comics but never got it though!
ReplyDeleteUp to this point in the timeline this was easiest the most complex game I had played. It was hard, just...fiddly, with tons and tons of rules.
DeleteRoll 50d6 to attack. Roll 30d6 to defend. Classic. Yes, a five minute battle could take and entire night.
ReplyDeleteWhich was good for Avery if he didn't prepare anything for the night. Don't have an adventure prepped? Jailbreak battle! Bam, there's six hours right there.
DeleteWe started on 1st ed Champions and finished with the big book featured here. Pretty much all of our high school years. Our Big Book disintegrated along the binding from use. Champions is in many ways a very stupid design.. But the build tuning was like what I imagine car fanatics enjoy. Our GM fudged 75% of the time anyway ;) My 1st edition set was the first RPG I bought with my own money. Yeah, I turned 40 last week.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to dredge up some of those old characters I designed. I think that's what I loved the most about it, that overly in-depth character creation where you could make whatever you wanted. Even if that included a guy with Wolverine claws *way* before Wolverine was so popular! It seemed our hardback books didn't last too terribly long either.
DeleteHappy late birthday! I turn 38 next month, not quite the same milestone, but still puts us squarely in the same demographic across a wide spectrum.
I was a Villains and Vigilantes guy. I think it pre-dated Champions by a little bit. If you like a superhero lite game that's more tabletop mini game, I can't recommend Supersystem enough.
ReplyDelete-J
2nd edition SuperSystem is one of my favorite games, we don't play it nearly enough even though I have a bunch of supers painted up. We played a 40K game with SuperSystem here a while back as well in case you missed, and man was that a lot of fun too.
DeleteI played champions a little, and also played a rediculous amount of the original Marvel Super Heroes Game. But my favorite was V&V. Right group, right GM, right time of my life.
ReplyDeletesince then, I wanted to get into M&M but it always seemd like a power game and super tuning game like Champions. I do like Icons.
Looking forward to #9.
We played a good deal of M&M, the Nocturnals sourcebook for that one is just incredible, and lower powered heroes to boot so the power game factor isn't so much an issue. I like Icons too, I just need to buckle down and learn it/run it.
Delete#9 is a no-brainer, probably on everyone's list, but the fact that it's so low on my own list is what makes it a bit unique.