Super Stories the RPG

I. Creating a Character
Step 1: Profile
Describe your character in whatever way you like. Be sure to include
details about the characters powers, abilities, equipment and so on.
Example:
Slingshot is an expert shot with a slingshot, and he is also an
accomplished practitioner of parkour. He has many trick slingshot
bullets in his arsenal, with effect ranging from knock-out gas to electric
shocks and small explosions. No one knows who supplies him with
these high-tech weapons, but Slingshot is not a tech wiz himself, so
he must have at least one partner behind the scenes. He has taken
down more than a few bad guys in his short career, and has proven to
many that he is not as silly as his codename and weaponry might lead
one to assume.
The example above tells us a lot about this character, and gives us a
good impression of the level of hero were talking about. Slingshot
is no Batman, but he might fit right in on a new team of street-level
heroes.

Step 2: Optional Ratings**

If you want to use a free-form method of Rating your heros abilities,
you could follow guidelines like these:
Scope: This is the usual range of your heros patrol. How big is
their turf?
Skills: A rating of how formidable your hero is without their
superpowers.
Power: A rating of a superpower against other superpowers.
Cyclopss eye beams would possibly be rated as High Super, and
Wasps bio-stings as Low Super, for example.
Resources: Wealth, Hideouts, Connections, Toys, etc. How much
juice does your hero have?
Edge**: This is the only rating that is not optional. Edge
represents experience, cache, reputation and so forth. How
Important is your hero to this setting? Batman is not very powerful,
and neither is Captain America, but man, do they have plenty of Edge.
A hero starts each game with a number of Story Tokens equal to their
Edge x 3. (More on Story Tokens later)
If it helps, choose a Ratings Level that best fits your character in each
category, using the guide below:
Ratin Scope
Skills
Power
Resources
g
0
Hood
Best in the
Non Super
Average/Strugglin
Hood
g
1
City
Best in the City Low Super
Affluent
2
Nation
Best in the
Super
Wealthy
Nation
3
Planetar Best on the
High Super
Extremely
y
Planet
Wealthy
4
Galactic Best in the
Very High
Planetary Wealth
Galaxy
Super
5
Cosmic
Best in the
Cosmic Super System Wealth
Sector
6
Univers Best in the
Universal
Galactic Wealth
al
Universe
Super
7
Beyond Beyond
Beyond
Beyond
Example:
Slingshots Ratings turn out as follows:
Scope: 1 (Hes really only capable of patrolling his home city right
now.)

Edge
Amateur
Rookie
Experienc
ed
Seasoned
Veteran
Legendary
Mythologic
al
Beyond

Skills: Slingshot 3, Parkour 3

Power: 1 (His trick bullets are nothing to sneeze at, but theyre no
Earth-shakers, either)
Resources: 2 (Hes actually pretty rich. Its part of the secret behind
his access to all of his cool toys.)
Edge: 1 (As a hero, Slingshot is just getting started)

Step 3: Perks and Complications

Next, make a list of advantages your hero has that dont exactly fall
under the umbrella of superpowers or high-tech toys. Those sorts of
things might already be mentioned in your heros Profile, but theres
no harm in repeating them (or not repeating them) here. These Perks
may have come to you as you continued filling out youre heros
concept, or they may be things that you want to keep secret from
your Profile, in case the GM wants everyone to share their Profiles at
the start of the Series.
Then, make a list of things that could make life harder for your hero.
This list can include things that involve your heros powers or
superhuman aspects, such as the little matter of exposure to chunks of
your doomed home planet making you feel very, very ill. However,
this list can also include more mundane things, such as negative
personality traits, personal obligations, fears, vows, and so forth. All of
these Complications, however, must be things that the GM could use
to make your heros life a little morecomplicated. (More on that
later.)
Example:
Slingshots Perks: Heir to Private Fortune, Family Connections,
Eligible Bachelor
Slingshots Complications: Family Grudges, Trail of Broken Hearts,
Guilty Rich Guy
Perks and Complications can effect your characters actions, making
them more or less difficult.
If your hero is trying something related to one of their Perks, you may
re-roll one Miss for free.
If one of your Heros Complications is in play, Super Successes only
happen on a 5 or a 6.
Step 4: Starting Story Tokens
Each hero starts every game with a number of Story Tokens equal to
their Edge x 3.
So, Slingshot, with an Edge of 1, would start a new game with 3
Story Tokens.

A Seasoned Hero, with an Edge of 3, would start with 9.

Step 5: Setback Limit

All Heroes start the game with a Setback Limit of 10.
Every Hero starts the game with zero Setback Tokens. When they
acquire 10 Setback Tokens, they have reached their Setback Limit.
Well get into the mechanics of the Setback Limit later, but for now,
lets say its a measure of how deep into trouble your hero can get
before they are in over their head.

II. Rules of the Game

Part 1: Tell A Story
Super Stories is not a game about measuring distances or calculating
how many damage points get past your opponents armor score. This
is a game intended to help you sit around a table with some friends
and tell a superhero story.
There arent many rules to this game. The few rules that do exist are
not exactly set in stone. Game Balance comes from the people
playing this game, not from the rules. The rules exist only to provide a
framework for allowing a creative back and forth flow of ideas to occur
between the players telling the story.
So: tell a story. Choose your Actions in the game based on how
they will add to the story, not based on how many experience points
you might get.
Part 2: But How Does Combat Work?
Sure, sure, were telling stories, here. But these are superhero stories,
and superheroes do a heck of a lot of fighting, right?
Yes, they do. Your characters in this game will likely do just as much
fighting, if not more, than any given comic book character out there, if
thats how you want things to go.
Combat, however, is handled just like any other action in this game.
That means that there are many ways to handle it, and it could be
handled many different ways in the course of one game, or even over
the course of one fight.

Part 3: Okay, So How Do Actions Work?

Any time you want your character to attempt an action, simply tell the
GM what it is you have in mind.
The GM will either tell you that you can automatically perform that
action, or that you need to roll some dice to see what happens.
Example:
Slingshot wants to hit a fleeing purse-snatcher with a sling bullet.
The GM knows that Slingshot is a really, really good shot, so Slingshots
player is not required to roll a die to see if the action succeeds.
If the GM had wanted this action to be more difficult for some reason
(say, the purse-snatcher is actually a villain leading the hero into a
trap), he could have made the Player roll some dice.
Dice are usually rolled when a Player is trying to have their character
perform an Action that is at least a little bit beyond their heros
natural abilities.
These types of Actions are referred to as attempts at a Super
Success.
Part 4: Super Successes
If you want your character to try something that the GM thinks would
be at least a little bit difficult for them, you will be asked to roll one or
more six-sided dice to make an attempt at a Super Success.
The Degree of Difficulty (abbreviated as D) will determine how
many dice you need to roll.
A 1D action will require to roll one die, and a 3D action would
require you to roll 3 dice, for example.
A roll of 1-3 on a die is a Miss. A roll of 4-6 is a Success. A roll of
6 earns you a bonus Story Token, and a roll of 1 earns you an extra
Setback Token, even if you re-roll that die.
If you are attempting a 1D action, you simply roll one die and see how
it turns out.
If you get a Miss, you can spend a Story Token to re-roll the die.
However, if the action you are attempting is 2D or greater, you must
pay 1 Story Token for each die beyond the first before the dice are
even rolled!
So, if you were trying a 3D action, you would pay 2 Story Tokens
before you rolled the dice.

You may always volunteer to pay for more dice than the GM calls for
beforehand, or you can hold out and pay for re-rolls on your Misses.

Part 5: Action Scene Example

The following is an example of how a typical super-hero Action Scene
would be played out using the rules of this game:
GM: The Buzzer shoots down into the alleyway, dive-bombing you in
his jetpack propelled flying power armor!
Player 1 (as Lariette): I dodge out of the way and try to lasso his
feet as he flies by!
Player 2 (as Slingshot): I use my parkour skills to get up into the fire
escape and set myself up for a shot at Buzzer's jet pack!
GM: Okay, Lariette, you need one Super Success to avoid being hit
by the dive-bomb, and one more to lasso Buzzer!
Player 1: Spends one Story Token, Rolls 2D6, gets a 3 and a 5.
Spends one more Story Token to re-roll the 3. Gets a 4. "I got it!"
GM: Okay, hold on. Now, Slingshot, you are in position, your action is
no real challenge for you this turn.
GM: However....Lariette, I am using one of your Setback Tokens to
get rid of that success on the lasso. Care to spend another Story
Token to re-roll again?
Player 1: Yes, I do! Player spends a third Story Token, re-rolls, gets a
6. Earns a Story Token for the roll. "HA!"
GM: Okay, you got him. However, Buzzer is flying really fast, and he
pulls you up into the sky above the alleyway, taking you with him!
GM: Slingshot! For a split-second, Buzzer is still in range! What do
you do?
Player 2: I'm taking the shot! I'm going to try to use a small explosive
bullet to take out one of Buzzer's jet pack exhausts!
GM: You're a great shot, but this still going to require 2 Super
Successes to pull off before Buzzer is gone.
Player 2: Spends 1 Story Token, rolls 2 dice.
Player 2: I got a 4 and a 2. Spending to re-roll! I got a 5! A hit!

GM: A 4 and a 5, eh? Pretty good shot! Okay, you damage one of his
exhausts, sending him zipping out of control into the very top edge of
the nearby building!
GM: Buzzer's jet pack stutters, and both he and Lariette crash down
onto one of the roofs above the alleyway.
Player 1: I try to get on my feet in time to lasso him up for good!
Player 2: Headed for the roof!
GM: Buzzer is on his feet, kneeling, rather, and stuffing a bunch of
papers back into a folder he was carrying.
GM: He closes the folder and blasts off, shaky but plenty fast, into the
distance.
GM: However, when the two of you close in on the point where he
blasted off, you see that he missed one of those pieces of paper that
he was trying to put back in the folder.....
Players: A clue!

Part 6: Scenes and Trigger Points

As time goes on during a conflict, the unexpected can occur. A GM can
simulate this phenomenon by seeding a Scene with Triggers.
Triggers are set at what we will refer to as Trigger Points.
For example, a GM may decide that once 3 Setback Tokens are
earned during a hostage negotiation, that the bad guys decide to stop
talking to the negotiators.
Or, that same GM could decide that once 3 Story Tokens are earned,
that the bad guys will start releasing some of the hostages.
Trigger Points can be set wherever the GM wants, and can Trigger
just about anything, good or bad. They really exist only to do what
every rule in this game does: to help the GM and the players tell an
exciting, interesting story.
Example:
Slingshot and Lariette have followed the clue that they received in
Part 5, and now they have broken in to a warehouse to face Ironface,
Buzzers boss.
The GM has decided that once the battle begins, two Triggers will be
in play. At one Trigger Point, the warehouse will start to catch on fire
after 3 Setback Tokens are earned (by rolling 1s), making things
harder and more dangerous for the Heroes. At the other Trigger
Point, the police will start to arrive once 5 Story Tokens are earned
(by rolling 6s), convincing Ironface to cut his losses and make a break
for it if hes still up and about. (The GM has also decided that it would
therefore cost 5 Story Tokens if a player wanted to alter the story to
have the police show up.)

Part 7: Setback Tokens and Setback Limits

You may have noticed some mentions of Setback Limits and
Setback Tokens earlier in this text.
In addition to earning them by rolling a 1, Setback Tokens can be
assigned to a Hero by the GM whenever something bad happens to
them, or whenever the Hero does something that the GM feels would
earn some bad karma. When these tokens are handed out, how many
are handed out, and how hard they are to get rid of are matters left
completely up to the GM.
Setback Tokens do not directly diminish your heros capabilities, but
they can be used against you. The GM can use your Setback Tokens
to cancel out any Super Success you may have rolled on a 1 for 1
basis. Dont worry, the more the GM does this, the less likely you are
to reach your Setback Limit.
A characters Setback Limit is a measure of how many Setback
Tokens they can accumulate before something.dramatic.happens
to them.
This dramatic consequence may not happen right away, and may not
even directly involve the hero in question. The GM simply makes a
note of your hero having reached their Setback Limit, and then starts
thinking about what kind of curve-ball they want to toss at your
character.
For example, Slingshot takes on his tenth Setback Token in one
gaming session. Slingshots Setback Limit is 10, like every other
Heros. After the mission is over, Slingshot returns to his private HQ
only to find it in shambles. His partner, the one who builds his trick
pellets and other equipment, is also missing. Sifting through the mess,
Slingshot finds a ransom note! His partner has been kidnapped! The
consequences of reaching the Setback Limit have been revealed, and
a new element has been introduced to the story.

Part 8: Using Story Tokens

Story Tokens (or just Tokens) are a major element of the Super
Stories game.
Each character begins a game with a number of Tokens equals to 3
times their Edge, and as discussed, a player may spend Tokens to
attempt Super Successes or to re-roll Misses.
However, those are not the only uses for Story Tokens in this game.
Much like all of the elements of this game, the way they are used is
completely up to the GM and the players. Whatever your group agrees
upon is automatically the way things work, even if that official
ruling changes or evolves later on.
One of the most important and creative ways that Story Tokens can
be used in the game takes advantage of their very namesake: They
can have a direct effect on the story itself.
Example:
Slingshots Player (Player 1) turns around at the end of an alleyway to
find himself surrounded by a large gang of thugs.
Player 1: Well, lucky for me that its laundry day on this particular
block. I shoot a well-aimed multi-pellet up at the complex web of
overloaded clotheslines up above us, bringing all of the still-drying
laundry down onto the heads of my assailants!
GM: Hmmwell, okay! Give me 1 Story Token for allowing the
sudden existence of all those clotheslines, and roll me 1 Super
Success for the multi-pellet shot.
Story Tokens can be used in this fashion to add new elements or to
alter existing elements to a scene.
The cost in Tokens of such uses is completely up to the GM,
depending on how drastic the change may be, how plausible the
addition seems, or just how much fun the use of the Token adds to the
scene.
For example, if Player 1 had decided to announce that two squad cars
full of police officers had just happened to stop at the opening to that
very alleyway, the GM might have charged a much heavier toll, or even
vetoed the change outright.

The Players and the GM should not see this use of Story Tokens as a
tug of war for control of the story. The main concern should always
be what would make the story more fun or interesting?
Some GMs might even choose to let a player reduce their Setback
Tokens by spending Story Tokens. The options are limitless, and
each group should feel free to change the rules as suits them best in
the pursuit of telling a story and having a good time.

Part 9: Awarding Bonus Story Tokens

One of the most important tasks of the GM is to control the flow of
Story Tokens.
Award too many, and the sense of challenge or danger could be
lowered too far.
Award too few, and your players may stop taking chances, or even stop
feeling invested in the story altogether.
Rolling 6s provides a nice, impartial way of generating Story Tokens
for Heroes, but sometimes, a GM may want to hand out some Bonus
Story Tokens.
So, when should Bonus Story Tokens be awarded?
As usual, the only real answer to this question is Whenever you think
they should be.
However, here a few suggestions:
For good role-playing
For a character taking a huge risk
For adding something exciting or interesting to the story
Ultimately, Story Tokens, Setback Tokens, and every other element
of this game exist to help you and your friends tell a fun, interesting
superhero story.