Monday 29 May 2017

Super Kids' Bundles

With the release of the fourth Super Kids' product (Super Kids - Super Kids Cards II), I have created two Super Kids' bundles:
  • Super Kids - Complete Bundle [35% discount]
    • Super Kids - A Superhero Expansion for Hero Kids
    • New Recruits - A Super Kids Adventure
    • Super Kids - Supervillains, Henchmen, and Minions
    • Super Kids - Super Kids Cards II
If you're looking to give Super Kids a try, or you want to round out your collection, these bundles are a great way to do so. New Super Kids products will be added to the Complete Bundle as they are released.

Many thanks to all who have given Super Kids a try. I hope you and your kids are enjoying it as much I'm enjoying making it and playing it with my kids.

Super Kids Reinforcements Incoming


NOW AVAILABLE at DriveThruRPG!

Hot on the heels of the recent supervillain incursion, are a new group of super kids prepared to help defend Capital City. These 10 super kid reinforcements include:
  • Phenom. Protected by an electromagnetic force-field, Phenom can refocus his power to lash out at enemies with an energy strike and EMP.
  • Aegis. Aegis - a respected super kids guardian - rushes in to protect injured allies, and can launch her wicked shield at enemies.
  • Wiz Kid. Known as "Wiz Kid" to his companions, this young master can telekinetically relocate people and objects, and confuse his enemies.
  • Charmazing. With the overwhelming power of happiness, butterflies, and rainbows, Charmazing can win enemies over to her side.
  • K-Rush. K-Rush uses his blazing fast speed to take down targets before they ever know what hit them.
  • Kenali Swift. Phenomenally fast, Kenali Swift can leap over barriers to target foes deep in enemy territory.
  • Twilight. Twilight can command her own shadow to do her bidding, and if hurt, she can instantly transport herself through the shadow dimension to a safe location.
  • Ghost. With his cloaking device, Ghost can go unseen and use his laser rifle to great effect.
  • Mirage. Mirage has the ability to turn invisible and then steady her bow for a precise shot.
  • Cael. Cael is an angelic super-being with the ability to heal his allies while flying over the battlefield.

Tuesday 16 May 2017

Supervillains, Henchmen, and Minions


NOW AVAILABLE at DriveThruRPG!

Super Kids' fans prepare yourselves for a boatload of "Muhahahaha!", a pinch of "Bow to your new master!" and a smattering of "All your base are belong to us!" Supervillains, with the aid of their henchmen and minions, are ready to bring Capital City to its knees... or at least become more than minor annoyances.

Our super kids need foils. Let it be so! In the upcoming Supervillains, Henchmen, and Minions card pack, GMs will find:
  • Necrolose. The necromancer, Necrolose (not to be confused with the undead sweetener of the same name), is capable of zombifying the KO'd to create an army of minions.
  • Zombie Thrall. Mostly unthinking minions, zombie thralls latch on to their targets and will take it up a notch to protect their maaasterrrrrr.
  • Voodoo. Where people flee and voodoo dolls be, the vile Voodoo you can expect to spot. 
  • Voodoo's Doll. Voodoo's animated dolls try to "pin" adversaries in place, and they bestow a final blessing on their master when KO'd.
  • Behemoth. An over-sized Sasquatch, Behemoth is at his meanest when the odds are stacked against him.
  • Gremlin. Behemoth's sidekick, Gremlin, is lightning fast, mucho sneaky, and carries a bag full of trickery.
  • Retroman. Retroman - a supervillain blast from the past - is bent on downgrading all of Capital City, sending it back to his comfort zone: the 1980s. 
  • 8-Bit 2D-Zero: Retroman's droid sidekick, 8-Bit 2D-Zero, uses his tractor beam to bring targets in close so he can short their circuits.
  • Double Trouble: Trouble can replicate himself and make Double. The result?  Double Trouble.
  • Hallucia: Hallucia, The Mistress of Illusion, creates illusory clones to battle and confuse her enemies.

Thursday 11 May 2017

Upgrade to Version 2 of the Character Advancement Rules

Today I released version 2 of Character Advancement - A Hero Kids Compatible Supplement for Levelling Characters. This update introduces advanced character development rules. I say "advanced" because:
  1. The new levels - 11 thru 20 - introduce some permanent health and dice pool increases which make the characters much stronger compared to the talents acquired on levels 2 thru 10 in the original rules;
  2. GMs need to be aware of the level of complexity introduced through the new levels both for them in terms of adventure planning and for their young players in terms of the depth of character management they are capable of; and,
  3. This new tier of character development opens up possibilities for running more intricate combat scenarios and potentially extending the age range of Hero Kids.
The ideas for version 2 were spurred by wanting to create some high level super kids, adult superheroes, and supervillains for Super Kids. I haven't decided on how higher level NPCs - good and evil - will be introduced to the world of Super Kids yet, but I have some ideas.  I've been working on creating a high level Dr. Crandall Hailey - the Principal in the New Recruits adventure.

See what you think of a Level 20 Legendary super kid named Blaze. The file showcases the advanced character sheet in version 2 of the advancement rules, Blaze (who appears in the Super Kids expansion), and some prototype powers I'm working on.

Wednesday 10 May 2017

World-Building Fun: Capital City

I'm juggling multiple Super Kids' projects at the moment.  These include 3 adventures, a new set of character cards, supervillains and minions character cards, and setting information for Capital City - the main location of Super Kids' adventures. Super Kids is set in a not-too-distant future version of our own world. In breathing life into Capital City, my goals are fourfold:
  1. Plant adventure seeds;
  2. Offer a physical, social, geopolitical, and historical backdrop for adventures;
  3. Give GMs something fun to think about and work with; and,
  4. Provide players with a cool backdrop against which to imagine doing extraordinary things.
To pull this off, I'm developing the geography of Capital City, noteworthy historical events, key NPCs, and important locations.

I've elected to use a mature writing style. The intention is to make the writing engaging for those who will be reading it - adults - while presenting core ideas that will resonate with players. Here's a sample of the writing, describing how Capital City acquired its name:
In 1950, the first annual World Peace Congress was held in Salvatore – a coastal, cosmopolitan metropolis. Two agenda items were discussed and voted on. The international delegation first concluded that a worldwide governing body was necessary to deal with the planet’s growing challenges. This body was to be named INTERGOV. Second, delegates decided the new government’s headquarters was to be located in Salvatore. A year later, INTERGOV opened its headquarters. To mark the occasion, Salvatore was renamed Capital City – the first formally identified capital of the world. For the citizens of Capital City, trouble has followed ever since. Those bent on world domination have focused much of their effort on the capital. As a result, the proud citizens of Capital City have lived under strenuous conditions, while the rest of the world watches in awe at the city’s accomplishments. 

Wednesday 3 May 2017

Super Kids' Bonus Ability: Invisibility

Role-playing games allow players to suspend disbelief and consider what it would be like to have extraordinary powers.  Most people have likely thought about what it would be like to have the power of invisibility.  Two upcoming super kids - Ghost and Mirage - will have this power.  Through them, players will imaginatively explore what it's like to go unseen.

Invisibility is a tricky power to conceptualize using the Hero Kids' system.  If anyone's ever played a character with invisibility before - consider D&D 5e's greater invisibility - you know what a game changer it can be.  In developing the ability, I wanted to retain the benefits of going unseen, while not making it too overpowered for combat and skill tests.  

For Super Kids, invisibility is a bonus ability that is active at most times, with the exception being after the character attacks.  Upon attacking, the character becomes visible.  If they do not attack on their next turn, their invisibility is reactivated.  

Invisibility could also be used to easily overcome Dexterity (Stealth) tests.  As I've conceptualized invisibility, though, the invisible character will have a "shimmer" outlining them - picture the cloaked alien in the movie Predator.  Overcoming an Intelligence (Perception) test at difficulty 5, means that others are able to determine the location of the invisible character.  Determining location, though, does not mean being able to see the character.  Therefore, should someone try to attack an invisible character after determining their location, they will need to roll their attack twice and hit both times to do damage.

There are, of course, other ways to overcome invisibility, or at least help pinpoint an invisible character's location.  Creative solutions include widely dispersing a substance like water, paint, or flour to outline the invisible character.  Using other sensory powers and normal senses like scent, thermal vision, echo location, hearing, touch, and tremor sense can also work.

In spite of having its "weaknesses," invisibility remains quite powerful.  I'm certain it will be a much sought after Super Kids' bonus ability.