My favourite power level.

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Poodle
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:59 am
Location: New Zealand

My favourite power level.

Post by Poodle »

I love low powered games. My favourite level of game is probably about PL 6. I love this level of game for a bunch of reasons. Firstly for me it is a more human level, the threats and problems generally are more relevant to us ordinary mortals. When the Avengers or Justice League face a threat it is godlike, and devolves to just a power vs power battle as a general rule. Justice league is a classic example of this. Their enemy has beaten gods down and conquered worlds...then superman hits him harder. I do believe that a good story can be told at this level and maybe I am expecting too much although I thought "Kingdom Come" did this well.

Some people hated "the boys" and they had good reasons to, because it was violent and crude and derivative and not a superhero story BUT there were protagonists whose motivations you could understand. People hate Punisher for the same reason and Punisher suffers badly from writer interpretation, psycho or vigilante?

What I like about low level games is that there is a level of risk. I know that MnM tries to keep your chance of success 50/50. A guy with a gun can really mess with your day. At PL 10, if it is not a heavy machine gun that is a lot less likely. I am a gear wonk and have a special fondness for firearms and other weapons. I know I could just crank the effect of weapons in my games but I am happier with a lower level of play instead. I am also aware that power attack and autofire can make weapons more deadly. I guess I am fond of the bronze age and it's two-fisted style of play, like early Batman, like the Phantom or the Shadow. In DnD games I loved being 3rd to 5th level. You had made it past the fear of papercuts level but still had to struggle for survival. You had to be smart. At high levels the mage nuked everything and the fighter finished off the charred remains. I also like the fact that well trained humans are still a legitimate character like elite soldiers or ninjas without having to resort to the "trained in a monastery since the age of 2 to be the worlds greatest martial artist" trope. It is slightly harder to believe at PL 10. "Oh yeah I learned to fight on the streets, with my trusty baseball bat and I am going to kick Captain America's butt." Maybe I am wrong, although it is hard to picture Bubba from the Lower Eastside joining any superhero group and making a difference in the way that Iron Fist could. Maybe that is just me though.

I also like the idea of little powers being used really cleverly instead of big powers being used to smash everything like Green Lantern or Magneto.

I also understand that you can have more dramatic conflicts at higher levels when the world really is at stake. You get to explore the limits of powers in really cool theatrical ways.

What level do you guys like playing at?
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination circles the world. -Albert Einstein.
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