First Official Game Review (Simple Superheroes #0)

jKitz

Compose Dream Games received this review a few days ago from their First Official Customer, who also happens to be (as far as we know) the first official "out-of-the-box" Game Master. By out-of-the-box I mean that other individuals who have run the game have always played the game with me first, David ran the game entirely from the book.
The entire e-mail we received is below (edited only slightly to remove personal details). Thanks for letting us share your feedback David!

note from the far future of 2026.
This review is of the very first "ashcan" edition of Simple Superheroes #0. A black-n-white cover with a lightning bolt. The essence of the game remains the same in it's 2016 release and very minor tweaks in the 2nd and 3rd printing (2022, 2023).
If you are interested in the game head here to learn more.

Hey Joshua!
I read through the whole issue and soon after played a game with a few of my buddies. It was fantastic!

I wasn't actually expecting the game to be this good. This is the best super heroes RPG I have ever played bar none and I've seen (and bought) a few for much higher prices and much less value. Simple Superheroes was worth every penny. I feel privileged to have bought one of the first copies. The system is amazingly simple and flexible. It requires a good GM to control the power levels amongst the players, but as long as you have that it encourages a lot of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

I created a PC called the Black Knight to get a feeling for the system and my players created a Sonic/Plant/Time controller and an Energy Control master. The adventure played out smoothly with a lot of action and drama and the mechanics perfectly suited what was going on in the story. I did increase the power level intended in the rules somewhat but everyone had a blast. It was generally agreed it was a great game and the best we'd played in a while. The only difference I can see is the amazing system and great ideas it espouses.

I particularly like the relations idea. It adds a lot of depth to the game and tying in the superheroes relationships into the game mechanics is a brilliant idea as, often, the PCs ignore anything without an in-game benefit for their characters. Strain points work well and the rules for pooling dice are excellent.

In short:
Simple Superheroes exceeds my expectations. It is the 'best' superheroes RPG I have ever played including all the major commercial competion such as: Mutants and Masterminds, Wild Talents, DC Heroes, and Champions. It is an amazing game. Fast, flexible, simple, fun, and creative. It lives up to it's name, and delivers more than it promises in the title. This game deserves 5 out of 5 stars and is easily worth triple the cover price. I'd recommend this game to anyone who plays RPGs, not just superhero RPGs. It's rules on Relations, Strainpoints, Dice Mechanics, and GM creativity are well worth looking into for any serious gamer. I highly recommend this fine product.

Thanks for letting me purchase your book and send you feedback. It's a fine piece of work. I plan to let all the gamers I know about this awesome book.

Upon first reading Simple Superheroes there were a couple lines in the rules that confused me, and there are some minor typos but nothing major. When I finished reading the book everything made perfect sense and when I tested it out in an actual game it became second-nature within a matter of minutes. It now feels like a system I've been playing for years and makes great sense. The typos are all self-evident and easily corrected, on top of that they don't detract from any of the meaning of the work so apart from being slightly noticeable they're no big deal. I'm sure you can easily fix them if you want to.

Thanks again,
David L. Dostaler
Proud Purchaser of Simple Superheroes

jKitz

It pleased me to re-stumble on this post and fix it up from it's badly formatted state (it got mauled in a migration.)

This is the 10th anniversary year of the "complete" version of the game releasing in 2016 and the 15th anniversary of this version of the game. I have numerous plans for where I will take the game this year in celebration. Which I should probably write up in another post. Doing so does help guide the outcome.

Thanks David for playing my game 15 years ago, and sharing your thoughts! Thanks to all the folks who have picked up the game or created a hero and played over the past decade and a half.
May your games be many!

Joshua Kitz
Humble Game Designer
Compose Dream Games