The Most Random of Powers

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QueenOfCoffee

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"Jeez, who put that title there?"
"Um, you did, ma'am."
"Ah, right..."


Ahem, anyway!

I had an idea. A fragment of an idea. That idea could lead to the funnest of plots if done right. And that's why this is posted here.

Last night, I was thinking: What if a superpower roleplay but random? By that I mean, rather than choosing the powers our characters have, or someone else choosing...

The 'random page' feature of the superpower wiki chooses for us. I think it could lead to some very interesting and funny characters, and an interesting and funny story.

That's the idea that I do have, but what I don't have is a plot. Maybe it's just the day-to-day lives of our characters? Maybe it's some sort of group for people with powers? Maybe something completely different? That's what we can decide together.

If you'd be interested in joining, or have any ideas, post them. All ideas are welcome. And if need be, I'll set up a discord channel for discussing the thing.
 
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I love this idea a lot!

Here's what I envisioned when I read this: the RP would start out in a normal Earth or Earth-like world. Players would have a few different PCs, just quick sketches of the types of characters they want to play (and more than one just in case the random superpower ends up being a total uninteresting dud). The players work together to see how their characters relate to one another to kick off some interesting dynamics/plots once the story starts. Then, some ~event~ happens and people (our PCs and other NPCs) start getting superpowers. And... bam, they decide what they want to do from there. Do some of them decide to team up to be a source of order in an increasingly chaotic world? Do they team up to do some destruction for fun? Do they just try to go about their daily lives like everything is normal? It's up to them!

If players don't want to make plots on their own or need a kickstart, it's easy enough to have some NPCs (also with random superpowers, of course) cause some havoc or introduce plotlines relating to the initial ~event~, whatever it is. Perhaps there are unintended side effects?

Reasons for multiple PCs per player:
- more likely to get some interesting superpowers from the randomization
- the randomization will likely result in varying power levels, so this way each player is more likely to get characters that feel strong/powerful
- more possible plots and shenanigans! opportunities to be a good guy and a bad guy and a neutral guy all at the same time!

Possible issues:
- open-ended RPs like this risk feeling aimless
- not enough over-arching plot which some people prefer (but that is easily remedied if the need arises)
- some powers are just useless or extremely specific (though I think it is interesting to see how a character might cleverly use such a power to accomplish their goals)
- not everyone likes to deal with multiple PCs

So yeah. :) This seems most fun as a group forum RP, and I am here for it even if you don't go in this direction. These are just my first-reaction thoughts!
 
chemifox said:
I love this idea a lot!

Here's what I envisioned when I read this: the RP would start out in a normal Earth or Earth-like world. Players would have a few different PCs, just quick sketches of the types of characters they want to play (and more than one just in case the random superpower ends up being a total uninteresting dud). The players work together to see how their characters relate to one another to kick off some interesting dynamics/plots once the story starts. Then, some ~event~ happens and people (our PCs and other NPCs) start getting superpowers. And... bam, they decide what they want to do from there. Do some of them decide to team up to be a source of order in an increasingly chaotic world? Do they team up to do some destruction for fun? Do they just try to go about their daily lives like everything is normal? It's up to them!

If players don't want to make plots on their own or need a kickstart, it's easy enough to have some NPCs (also with random superpowers, of course) cause some havoc or introduce plotlines relating to the initial ~event~, whatever it is. Perhaps there are unintended side effects?

Reasons for multiple PCs per player:
- more likely to get some interesting superpowers from the randomization
- the randomization will likely result in varying power levels, so this way each player is more likely to get characters that feel strong/powerful
- more possible plots and shenanigans! opportunities to be a good guy and a bad guy and a neutral guy all at the same time!

Possible issues:
- open-ended RPs like this risk feeling aimless
- not enough over-arching plot which some people prefer (but that is easily remedied if the need arises)
- some powers are just useless or extremely specific (though I think it is interesting to see how a character might cleverly use such a power to accomplish their goals)
- not everyone likes to deal with multiple PCs

So yeah. :) This seems most fun as a group forum RP, and I am here for it even if you don't go in this direction. These are just my first-reaction thoughts!
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That's a fucking brilliant idea (pardon my language).

And I appreciate the break-down of possible issues.
For the first one, that can be as easily remedied as the second one, I think, as long as there's enough discussion between people.
For the third one, people could either take the challenge to utilise a single useless/specific power, or they could have up to three (or some number like that) powers to increase the chance of a useful power.
And as a solution the last issue, I think that people could still have only one character, but risk the chance of having less useful characters or something like that.

I think a separate thread for each plot after the ~event~ would make sense, to decrease the risk of confusion. For example (first two things that came to mind), if one group decided to take over Holland, while another just has a little coffee shop scene, separate threads do kinda make sense.
One issue I can think of, however, is the possibility of a lack of continuity across the various plots going on. Can you think of any possible remedies for that?
 
Re: multiple powers: I know, at least for myself, it would be tempting to just re-roll until I get a power I like which feels like it defeats the purpose of the random-ness? But then again, I don't really know the spectrum of powers in that wiki, haha.

Let's do a test. I'm gonna generate three random powers!

Probability Travel - oh, wow, okay, there may have to be a veto for certain powers because I have no clue how this could work out in a roleplay! Cool for a villain though.
Neutrailty Force Manipulation - hmm, okay, well, uhhh, I guess the fun here would be trying to figure out what this even means
Microwave Mimicry - and here we have more of a traditional recognizable superpower!
Flower Magic - Did one more to make up for the veto-d one. See... this is the kind of thing I am hoping for. Weird out-there powers that are extremely situational but have the potential to be cleverly used if one feels up for the challenge.

Okay, I know this was only one test, but I am sold. Consider me on board with your idea of having three powers generated per character to allow some freedom since some of the powers are not just useless/overly specific but downright... odd, haha.

As for separate threads, yeah, that could get difficult to manage. Would it be feasible to have multiple scenes going on in one thread if everyone includes a header at the type of their post? Something like (location: coffee shop in Paris; with: Bob; time: Dec 01 2020, morning). Or would that be even more difficult to manage? With separate threads, I think it could be okay as long as everyone is diligent about keeping in touch in the central OOC thread. Like if someone sets a monster loose in Paris and notifies the coffee shop people that they may hear some panic and may even encounter the monster.

My vote is to keep it in one IC thread unless it becomes too chaotic because it seem easier to split scenes up than to smush them all together if that doesn't work out.

EDIT: Played around more with the randomization button. These powers are very specific, and I feel like most superheros in media tend to have more than one of these. So a proposal: PCs uncovering multiple powers over the course of the game. These can either be randomly generated as well (my vote) or off-shoots of the first power. For example, flower magic PC may find themselves able to control other types of plants as well over time (better for a cohesive power set, haha).
 
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Re: threads: I think, even with headers, several plots within the same thread could get really confusing. For me, at least, especially if there's a sudden rush of posts whilst I'm asleep or in class, which could lead to completely missing posts. Maybe there are seperate threads for different plots, and then one main thread for events that involve all characters. The branched plots will have to be sort of finished up before a major plot (which means there'll definitely be the need for good communication), and then after the events of the major plots, the old branched plots will no longer be active (if that makes sense).

Re: powers: I love the idea of PCs uncovering more powers as the story advances. Though, I think some people would definitely prefer to have all their powers from the beginning. So I think that people should have a choice of between one and three randomly generated powers to start off with, and over the course of the story, discover more up to a maximum of five per character. That way, people who choose to start with three still have the option of expanding on their power sets if they decide they don't like their original three, whilst people who prefer a basic starter power set to expand upon can do that as well. Your thoughts?

In general, I think one of the biggest things with something like this is communication, no matter what way we go about it. So as long as people who decide to join realise that, I think we should be mostly fine.
 
I'm willing to try multiple threads! It makes me think of comic books where many characters have their own issues and stories happening but then big plot events get their own named issues where everyone comes together, so it even fits the theme!

That all seems good to me. :) Communication is key!
 
Godspeed to the player who gets hypnoboobs or cheese production lol
 
For the record tho, as someone who's run many a superhero rp, this honestly sounds amazing. I think the notion is fantastic regarding player autonomy as far as choosing what to do after the cataclismic event as well... My only recommendation would be to maybe limit that autonomy to a degree. Having multiple threads all with different themes/feels/story elements is guaranteed to get confusing and lack continuity. Might wanna, instead, have one thread, but utilize NPCs to set up a few potential plotfalls for PCs to align with... The Hero wannabes... The Angsty Villainettes... The 'I Just Wanna Be Left Alone to Drink My Pumpkin Spice' crew... There's enough there to conver most bases, without overwhelming yourself as a GM or losing consistency in plot.

Also might recommend a common element regardless, to force an eventual collaboration... Otherwise Pumpkin Spice and Herowannabe might as well be in different RPs altogether. For instance, they're all in the same therapy group... Turns out it's a corrupt government run system, put in place to spy on these new powered people...
 
I've seen a few RPs run on this concept before, and one important issue is dealing with power balance. Not that people necessarily want to munchkin, but some powers are inherently higher utility/power than others, and it can get hard to write a plot where everyone is relevant. Arms Fall Off Lad ends up having to run away a lot when Galactus comes a-callin'....
 
Elle Joyner said:
Godspeed to the player who gets hypnoboobs or cheese production lol
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Lol

Elle Joyner said:
For the record tho, as someone who's run many a superhero rp, this honestly sounds amazing. I think the notion is fantastic regarding player autonomy as far as choosing what to do after the cataclismic event as well... My only recommendation would be to maybe limit that autonomy to a degree. Having multiple threads all with different themes/feels/story elements is guaranteed to get confusing and lack continuity. Might wanna, instead, have one thread, but utilize NPCs to set up a few potential plotfalls for PCs to align with... The Hero wannabes... The Angsty Villainettes... The 'I Just Wanna Be Left Alone to Drink My Pumpkin Spice' crew... There's enough there to conver most bases, without overwhelming yourself as a GM or losing consistency in plot.

Also might recommend a common element regardless, to force an eventual collaboration... Otherwise Pumpkin Spice and Herowannabe might as well be in different RPs altogether. For instance, they're all in the same therapy group... Turns out it's a corrupt government run system, put in place to spy on these new powered people...
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We were saying about having it in one thread, but especially for me, it will get more confusing, I think. That's why it's gonna be multiple threads.

I did have the idea of a common element in mind, but haven't thought of what the common element is yet. Something like a therapy group or something does sound like a good idea.

Ariel said:
I've seen a few RPs run on this concept before, and one important issue is dealing with power balance. Not that people necessarily want to munchkin, but some powers are inherently higher utility/power than others, and it can get hard to write a plot where everyone is relevant. Arms Fall Off Lad ends up having to run away a lot when Galactus comes a-callin'....
Click to expand...

That's why people will have the option of multiple powers if they want, and certain powers might be vetoed, to prevent people from being too OP or anything like that.
 
Just speaking from GM experience, you may wanna test run the idea of multiple threads, first and see how it feels because honestly, I find multi-threading an RP I'm GMing is actually MORE confusing and conflicting than just having it all in once place. Everyone is different, though, which is totally understandable. I just know if I've got three threads to read instead of one, I'm gonna have a harder time tracking continuity and making sure all the events line up.
 
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NPCs: Yes, definitely having some NPC teams with their own random powers and vagueish goals is a must! Chaos must happen with or without the PCs approval, hehe.

Powers: Personally, I think the story of Blue Gal, the gal who can make objects appear slightly blue for 10 seconds, is just as interesting as the person who could blow up the planet if they wanted to. Not in utility certainly, haha, but in concept. So, for me, the imbalance of powers is kind of the appeal. However, I see how having to run away any time things get a little dicey would become boring.

Threads: I feel like as a player, splitting scenes into multiple threads would encourage me to only read the thread I am participating in, but I have never actually tried it.
 
I'd be interested in joining something like this!

Perhaps we could start off with one thread and then maybe if there's a split between characters (good vs evil) then we could make separate ones as necessary? And then keep the big one for confrontations between the two groups.
 
Jack Robinson said:
I'd be interested in joining something like this!

Perhaps we could start off with one thread and then maybe if there's a split between characters (good vs evil) then we could make separate ones as necessary? And then keep the big one for confrontations between the two groups.
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That's pretty similar to what I had in mind, honestly. But having it simpler like that could be a lot easier, I guess.

Elle Joyner said:
Just speaking from GM experience, you may wanna test run the idea of multiple threads, first and see how it feels because honestly, I find multi-threading an RP I'm GMing is actually MORE confusing and conflicting than just having it all in once place. Everyone is different, though, which is totally understandable. I just know if I've got three threads to read instead of one, I'm gonna have a harder time tracking continuity and making sure all the events line up.
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Me being me, I'll probably end up making a timeline or something like that of all the major events that happen anyway, so in that regard, I think I'll find it easier to keep track of stuff across multiple threads like that. But I do see where you're coming from. If the multiple threads becomes too hard to track, we can probably find a way to condense it into a single thread in a way that still makes it easy enough (for me) to follow.

chemifox said:
Threads: I feel like as a player, splitting scenes into multiple threads would encourage me to only read the thread I am participating in, but I have never actually tried it.
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I do see your point with that. I think that's one solid reason for me to make a timeline of major events as they happen, so that even if someone misses something from one thread, they won't not know about anything important.
 
The last time I played a game like this I got a power that was essentially random, so we took the Wild Magic table from D&D 5e and every time I went to use my power we would roll on that table.

Aside from that, I would love to join you on this adventure
 
Huh. I got Entropy Reversal, Air Energy Manipulation and Beacon Emission. The Entropy Reversal power could be ridiculously OP, or not, depending on which Limitations are taken. Would the GM administer which Limitations are applied to a power, such as by rolling a dice on the site? The other two are fairly conventional (basically Airbender and Siren respectively), so if I had to choose I'd go with Entropy Reversal. I can think of some pretty interesting narrative possibilities to go with it. :)

Another option would be for the GM to determine which power(s) each character got, so the players would not know what they had until after the Event happened, weird stuff started happening to/around their characters (narrated by the GM), and they had to try to figure out what their power(s) was/were and how to control it/them. Could be an interesting way to do it, but would be extra work for the GM. Alternatively, the GM could just tell the players what powers their characters got and let the players narrate the emergence of the powers.
 
Immediate thought when you said Air Energy Manipulation:
facebook.gif

😂
 
Haven't heard from @QueenOfCoffee for a hot minute. Is this thang still a possible thang?
 
Elle Joyner said:
Haven't heard from @QueenOfCoffee for a hot minute. Is this thang still a possible thang?
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Sorry for not replying, I kinda had both my laptop and phone confiscated.

Zarko Straadi said:
Huh. I got Entropy Reversal, Air Energy Manipulation and Beacon Emission. The Entropy Reversal power could be ridiculously OP, or not, depending on which Limitations are taken. Would the GM administer which Limitations are applied to a power, such as by rolling a dice on the site? The other two are fairly conventional (basically Airbender and Siren respectively), so if I had to choose I'd go with Entropy Reversal. I can think of some pretty interesting narrative possibilities to go with it. :)

Another option would be for the GM to determine which power(s) each character got, so the players would not know what they had until after the Event happened, weird stuff started happening to/around their characters (narrated by the GM), and they had to try to figure out what their power(s) was/were and how to control it/them. Could be an interesting way to do it, but would be extra work for the GM. Alternatively, the GM could just tell the players what powers their characters got and let the players narrate the emergence of the powers.
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With the powers, I had been thinking about people deciding which limitations to give their characters, using their common sense. But the idea of me 'choosing' the powers and/or limitations does add a little more randomness, I guess. I have a vague idea of how to do it properly, and it would make it easier to veto or weaken any powers that are too OP. And it would stop the constant re-rolling that I know people are bound to end up doing. I think people should still narrate the emergence themselves, as it means they have more control of when they emerge.
 
Decided to do a test run and ended up with Bread Manipulation lol...
 
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