We had Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition but never played it. The 3rd Edition of M&M is out, and they made steps to move away from the SRD-isms that plague gaming and upgraded the system to play better.
I like this game; the "Basic" book simplifies it with just the core options. It lets a group design archetype heroes quickly and get playing fast. One problem with many games is that the complete rulebook is considered the basic game, and having a single "basic game" hardcover book just serves as the introduction and gets players playing "comic-like" heroes almost immediately. It is a fun experience that is tailored to succeed.
If someone wanted to be an original "dark vigilante" character like Batman, you could get them started in about five minutes. Also, if that player wanted to "be Batman," that archetype could create a "beginning Batman" character at a lower power level and quickly put them into action. I like the "archetypes plus options" generation system in M&M, and it covered all the popular options while keeping character creation from being an hours-long slog through power lists and rules.
Champions, GURPS Supers, and many other superhero games force you to sort through hundreds of powers and options before you get going, and you always need to remember a few powers you really need.
With just the Basic book, I can create a "party" of Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Iron Man and have them all at the same power level and playing on par. Note, the starting power level is more like "TV Superman" than it is "cosmic comic book Superman," so all your heroes will be the "TV versions," which is just fine with me. Sometimes, ultra-power levels are too hard to roleplay, and having everyone on a realistic level means, "Let's not get carried away with CGI."
The power level of Batman and Superman TV shows makes the game much more playable. We had a DC Heroes game with a Flash character, and Joker took a VIP hostage. The Flash character said, "I search every room in the city."
And I don't care about having "comic-accurate power levels" since nobody can define those; they change with every writer, and for many heroes, powers never stay the same. You are fine if you have "some" powers like your favorite hero and your most potent abilities are higher than the rest. Under the full rules, you can play at higher power levels, but I feel a lot of fun can be had at the low-end power levels.
And the entire game is 1d20 vs. a CR. No other dice are needed. Every five points is a level of effect. All the abilities and skills are modifiers of the die roll. The system is so simple it is easy, and this feels like a 3.5E Era superhero game, but it is much more than that now. It is a simplified version of Champions but with a lot of flexibility. I also saw charts for rolling powers in the archetypes in the core player book, which makes things a little unpredictable and fun if you want to use them.
The Basic Book alone is an excellent value for months of play. This is one of the best if you want a simple superhero game with depth and archetype heroes that are fast and easy to design without the game getting bogged down in reference and math.
The 3.5E Era had some excellent games that still continue today.
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