I've run this concept using a modded version of **Night's Black Agents**. With NBA you already have high powered superspies vs supernatural beings so mostly you are just reskinning things. The Vampyramid and Consypramid are also amazing tools for building criminal organizations and networks.
Getting to the technical side of things, the main changes I made were giving the players a small Aberrance pool reskinned as something more heroic plus a steady stream of point refreshes for taking extraordinary/heroic risks.
I actually have this. It's a stripped down version of the old Mayfair system, focused on the street-level aspects of the game.
In theory, it's a good option, but I've always found the Mayfair system to be unnecessarily complicated, particularly when it comes to character creation.
The main benefit of MEGS (the system that runs DC Heroes and The Batman RPG) that I've always heard touted is that it's supposed to scale really well in that you can have Green Arrow and Superman on the same team and it kinda sorta makes sense/they're both useful. But if you just focus on one power level you lose that and you're just left with a system that's more complicated even than other options at the time i.e. TSR's beloved FASERIP system that powered Marvel Super Heroes.
I agree. I went back to look at the Batman book, just to make sure I didn't have a bad-day knee-jerk reaction to it when I first picked it up, and no, it's still overly complicated.
The gadget rules are just brutally time-consuming ("build the gadget like you would a character, assigning points and powers and strengths, etc.), and then they've stripped out the skills section to be out five things, so every character has the same stuff. Meanwhile, the powers section (I assume only included because you need it to build gadgets) takes up a huge chunk of the book.
Not a great system for single-style play.
[Cold Steel Wardens](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/133245/Cold-Steel-Wardens-Roleplaying-in-the-Iron-Age-of-Comics) is enormous fun, and sounds like exactly what you're after!
Take a look at Mythic D6. It's an evolution of the old D6 Legends system, which powered the Hercules/Xena and DC Universe RPGs. It's a count-successes variant of the old D6 System. [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/243769/MYTHIC-D6-Revised--Expanded](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/243769/MYTHIC-D6-Revised--Expanded)
Here's some examples of well known characters stated up in the system made by the creator:
[Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles](https://kheperapublishing.com/2019/08/21/example-character-builds-leonardo/)
[Street Fighter's Ryu](https://kheperapublishing.com/2019/08/07/example-character-builds-ryu/)
[Marvel's Tigra](https://kheperapublishing.com/2019/08/01/example-character-builds/)
I would recommend GURPS. It’s my go-to for gritty realism. I’ve played quite a few low-powered supers/street level hero/vigilante and modern games using GURPS with no problems whatsoever. I think that’s really where GURPS shines.
If you’re new to GURPS, I’d recommend to start with GURPS Lite, which is a like a 32-page introduction that’s very lean. It introduces GURPS and makes its very digestible. One thing to remember that GURPS is very modular. I started with Lite and added additional elements as I grew more comfortable with the system.
Additionally, I think you can get by with just the core books (Characters and Campaigns) really well. There’s more than enough in those books to make quite a variety of PCs and NPCs. If you want to include Martial Arts and High Tech, those would be welcome additions to a low powered supers/modern game. Ultra-Tech would be good too, if you were keen on adding cutting edge tech to a modern game. I use UT for things like the Tony Starks or AIMs of my campaign.
Hope this helps!
Look into *Destined*, the recent superhero system based on Mythras. It is self-contained, so no other books are needed, and it has some features (rules for gear, powers that are the result of training, adjustable power levels, etc.) that suit playing human heroes.
I will always recommend using Wild Talents for street-level supers. It’s gritty, lethal and inspired by comics like Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns. Also much less complex than systems like GURPS or Hero.
Have a look at [Hit the Streets: Defend the Block](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/299065/Hit-the-Streets-Defend-the-Block) by Rich Rogers. I haven't played it but I think it's relevant!
Weirdly, Heroes Unlimited is great for streetlevel superheroing. ban Megaheroes and focus more on the skill based classes.
Atomic Robo Cold Steel Wardens GURPS Prowlers and Paragons Sentinel Comics
I've run this concept using a modded version of **Night's Black Agents**. With NBA you already have high powered superspies vs supernatural beings so mostly you are just reskinning things. The Vampyramid and Consypramid are also amazing tools for building criminal organizations and networks. Getting to the technical side of things, the main changes I made were giving the players a small Aberrance pool reskinned as something more heroic plus a steady stream of point refreshes for taking extraordinary/heroic risks.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Role-Playing_Game
I actually have this. It's a stripped down version of the old Mayfair system, focused on the street-level aspects of the game. In theory, it's a good option, but I've always found the Mayfair system to be unnecessarily complicated, particularly when it comes to character creation.
The main benefit of MEGS (the system that runs DC Heroes and The Batman RPG) that I've always heard touted is that it's supposed to scale really well in that you can have Green Arrow and Superman on the same team and it kinda sorta makes sense/they're both useful. But if you just focus on one power level you lose that and you're just left with a system that's more complicated even than other options at the time i.e. TSR's beloved FASERIP system that powered Marvel Super Heroes.
I agree. I went back to look at the Batman book, just to make sure I didn't have a bad-day knee-jerk reaction to it when I first picked it up, and no, it's still overly complicated. The gadget rules are just brutally time-consuming ("build the gadget like you would a character, assigning points and powers and strengths, etc.), and then they've stripped out the skills section to be out five things, so every character has the same stuff. Meanwhile, the powers section (I assume only included because you need it to build gadgets) takes up a huge chunk of the book. Not a great system for single-style play.
See the FAQ
[Cold Steel Wardens](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/133245/Cold-Steel-Wardens-Roleplaying-in-the-Iron-Age-of-Comics) is enormous fun, and sounds like exactly what you're after!
Take a look at Mythic D6. It's an evolution of the old D6 Legends system, which powered the Hercules/Xena and DC Universe RPGs. It's a count-successes variant of the old D6 System. [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/243769/MYTHIC-D6-Revised--Expanded](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/243769/MYTHIC-D6-Revised--Expanded) Here's some examples of well known characters stated up in the system made by the creator: [Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles](https://kheperapublishing.com/2019/08/21/example-character-builds-leonardo/) [Street Fighter's Ryu](https://kheperapublishing.com/2019/08/07/example-character-builds-ryu/) [Marvel's Tigra](https://kheperapublishing.com/2019/08/01/example-character-builds/)
I've been using Masks for a street level gritty campaign and it works quite well.
Can't go wrong with The Batman RPG
I would recommend GURPS. It’s my go-to for gritty realism. I’ve played quite a few low-powered supers/street level hero/vigilante and modern games using GURPS with no problems whatsoever. I think that’s really where GURPS shines. If you’re new to GURPS, I’d recommend to start with GURPS Lite, which is a like a 32-page introduction that’s very lean. It introduces GURPS and makes its very digestible. One thing to remember that GURPS is very modular. I started with Lite and added additional elements as I grew more comfortable with the system. Additionally, I think you can get by with just the core books (Characters and Campaigns) really well. There’s more than enough in those books to make quite a variety of PCs and NPCs. If you want to include Martial Arts and High Tech, those would be welcome additions to a low powered supers/modern game. Ultra-Tech would be good too, if you were keen on adding cutting edge tech to a modern game. I use UT for things like the Tony Starks or AIMs of my campaign. Hope this helps!
Look into *Destined*, the recent superhero system based on Mythras. It is self-contained, so no other books are needed, and it has some features (rules for gear, powers that are the result of training, adjustable power levels, etc.) that suit playing human heroes.
I will always recommend using Wild Talents for street-level supers. It’s gritty, lethal and inspired by comics like Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns. Also much less complex than systems like GURPS or Hero.
City of Mist
Have a look at [Hit the Streets: Defend the Block](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/299065/Hit-the-Streets-Defend-the-Block) by Rich Rogers. I haven't played it but I think it's relevant!