Supervillain RPG

This was an idea that I first read about in the Spacebattles forums. Specifically this thread. As the title specifies, it is about a hypothetical Supervillain RPG developed by Bioware (presumably Bioware in their prime).

The idea of a Western RPG centered around Supervilliany did seem like an idea that could be quite fascinating. Something like a modern day take on the Overlord series, a series I am actually quite fond of. So in this post I attempt to propose a few ideas.

Character Creation

In the beginning of the game, you first choose a name for your character and customize your appearance. You then choose your class. You first start off by choosing whether or not you wish to play a Tech character, a Metahuman or a Magic-user. This does not necessarily mean Rogue, Fighter and Mage respectively, instead choosing your preferred fighting style. One can play a magic-based fighter who focuses on buffing themselves and getting into the fray or a a Tech character who stays back and lets their gadgets and firepower do their work.

Afterwards, you can select some background information that adds some flavor to your characters as well as giving you some statistical bonuses and some unique dialog options/missions. They would probably be around the lines of Mass Effect in which you select your upbringing (Descended from Heroes, Born from the Slums, Escaped Experiment, etc.) and a Defining Moment of your life. This could be the moment you discovered your talents or something that hardened your character emotionally.

The Set-Up

In any case, the set-up is that your character is nearly killed by Halcyon, the greatest superhero of this world. Perhaps they were caught in the middle of a big dumb fight. Perhaps they caught him doing something unbefitting a Cape and were forced to be silenced. The point is that your character ends up getting the hell beat out of them and left for dead.

However, your character is then saved by The Society, the in-universe guild that most villains are associated with. They've been watching your for quite a while and your abilities have caught their interest. They wish to have you join their organization. If you accept, you will be given resources and the power you need. If not, they note that the room you're currently in that they're observing you from has some power nullification things going on and you're surrounded by armed goons so please reconsider your choice. If they can't sway you, well at least they have some new chow for their mutant baboons.

So there begins your journey of villainy and vengeance, more or less as the supervillains' gofer. You're stuck as a simple pawn of their big stupid game. Still, you might have a chance to bite back. Both at the one who put you in this situation and the ones holding your leash. For now however you're simply a low-level agent of theirs in this war.

The Basics

What kind of villain would you be if you didn't have a base of your own? A major part of the game would be building and upgrading your personal base. In your home-base, you can do stuff like send your henchmen out on missions to acquire resources, research various upgrades and hang out and talk to companion characters and other friendly NPCs that work for you. From the beginning, you get the equivalent of an empty warehouse. Later on however as you move up in the ranks you get a better base, such as a penthouse, a castle or even a small island for yourself.

You generally take missions from the A-List supervillains that run The Society. Your goals may vary depending on which villains you take missions from. Some might have you do such things as securing intel or dealing with a pesky enemy of theirs while some might want you to join on in some random psychotic rampage of theirs. You generally have a choice of choosing who you want to take missions from, though you might miss out on certain special rewards.

While there is no open Morality system, you do however have a reputation meter that measures how various factions think of you. Not only do you have the Society and the Superheroes' Guild to deal with, there are various other factions like the government, independent crimelords or information brokers who wish to play the game from behind the scenes. Similarly, you also have the opinions of your various companion characters, who have their own opinions on your actions.



And this is the basic idea of a Supervillain RPG. I know I'm skimping on plenty of important details, but I mostly wanted to cover the general ideas. For anyone reading this, feel free to put in your opinions and if you want, offer an idea on what such a game should include.