Review: Stuperpowers

Stuperpowers can be described as nothing less than a primal experience. It taps into our secret power fantasies and lets us live them to the fullest.

That is, assuming your power fantasies involve B.O. Force Feilds, Summoning 3 Cubic Inches of Mashed Potatos or Turning you Skin into Alluminum Siding.

Yes, Stuperpowers is not your standard super hero tabletop RPG, favoring slapstick over cosmic rays and trading gamma bombs for Wing-Wangs. In it you take on the role of a 3rd (or 4th or 5th) string Stuper hero, defending the city of your creation, or run wild in the books own "Knee Jerk City". You can choose from a list of 100 pre-made Stuperpowers, or create your own (as evidinced in our many TTS radio dramas) that better fit your characters specific niche.

There's no bothering with silly stats or skills in this game. Anything you personally can do, so can your character. Can you drive a stick? Well congradulations! Your character has Proficiency (Annoying Cars)! Know how to make grilled cheese? You have the Craft (Bachelor Food) skill! Know how to use a pocket knife? Medicine (Amputation)!

Advancement also follows real-world patterns. The more famous you are, the more Stuperpowers you get. No, you dont learn any new skills (except maybe Kiss-Ass), but you do get a cooler title! But what's interesting is, the advanvement only goes up to a point. You eventually become so famous, that your hero becomes played out, and begins to lose powers. Eventually you end up where you started, only to start the whole cycle anew.

Mechanics: 3/5
For a simple system, it's ok. There are some flaws, but that's really not the point of this game. Sure you COULD maximize the damage your character does, and blow passed every mook from here to Knee Jerk City... but that's not very funny, and likely to lead to riducule by your peers.

Extensibility: 5/5
This game is fully customizable. You can have any power you can imagine and loosely define in terms of Round Duration and/or damage. You can play in any city that has a map (or even one that dosent if you can think on your feet). The sky is really the limit here... so long as it's funny.

Learning Curve: 5/5
If you have any imagination at all (and even if you don't) this game can be picked up in 10 minutes. If you can play Rock Paper Scissors (the perfered method of attempting any action), or flip a coin, you can play Stuperpowers.

Fun Factor 5/5
This game is a blast. The best part is, you can play a whole game in 10 minutes if you want to. You dont need the book to play, you dont technically need paper. It's the ultimate party RPG, and especially good for introducing new people into the hobby.

Overall 4/5
This game is pretty hard to find these days, at least in stores. But like most things, it's readily available online. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys very light systems, those who dont mind a rules system that's pretty hands off in most respects. This is not a game for people who like more structure, and those who can't stand fart jokes.