Comic Book RPG Listings
This page is meant to provide a complete list of superhero roleplaying games, but new games and homebrew systems spring up all the time, so the listings here will always, by the games’ nature, incomplete. The listings include links to pages which contain more information about each game. While the sidebar includes most of the major games in the business, this page focuses on a complete alphabetical listing. If I’ve left off your favorite superhero roleplaying game, please get in touch, and we’ll update the site accordingly. The dates given are for the earliest published edition of each game–if I’ve made any mistakes regarding those dates, please let me know.
The Aberrant RPG from White Wolf
Aberrant - (1999) A superhero RPG from White Wolf Publishing that forms a trilogy with two other games, Adventure! and Trinity/Aeon.
Avengers of Justice – (1994) An innovative but obscure superhero roleplaying game that’s almost impossible to find online.
BASH! – (2005) Basic Action Super Heroes is an RPG from Basic Action Games. It’s designed to be rules light and user-friendly.
Batman - (1988) A repackaging of the more comprehensive DC Heroes RPG from Mayfair Games that tries to cash in on the popularity of Batman in particular.
Beyond Mortal Men – (2005) A PDF only RPG from Battlefield Press that uses the “Action System!.”
Big Bang Comics RPG – (2006) Based on a series of comic books published by Pisces All Media. Focused on Golden Age and Silver Age comic book roleplaying.
Blood of Heroes – (1998) A Pulsar Games publication that used the same Mayfair Exponential Game System rules as the earlier DC Heroes RPG.
Brave New World – (1999) A dystopian superhero RPG written by Matt Forbeck.
Capes – (2005) A superhero roleplaying game meant to be played without a gamemaster or referee.
Champions - (1981) One of the earliest and still one of the most popular superhero roleplaying games, Champions set the standard for point-based character creation.
City of Heroes - (?) A tabletop version of the MMORPG has been in the works for years, but it’s still never seen the light of day. Will it ever?
The Blood of Heroes Roleplaying Game
Cosmic Enforcers – (1995) A superhero roleplaying game that uses character classes and that comes with a gritty sci-fi setting.
DC Adventures – (2010) Uses a slightly-modified version of the Mutants and Masterminds rules to allow roleplaying in the DC Comics universe. This is the third and most recent RPG for that setting.
DC Heroes – (1985) A licensed superhero roleplaying game set in the universe of DC Comics. The Mayfair Exponential Game System rules are still popular with some gamers.
DC Universe – (1999) The 2nd licensed superhero roleplaying game set in the DC Comics universe. This one was published by West End Games and used a variation of their D6 system.
Gestalt: The Hero Within – (2007) This is actually a detailed campaign setting for both Champions and Mutants & Masterminds, but it’s so detailed that it might as well be its own game, so we’ve included it here.
Godlike: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936 – 1946 – (2002) A unique superhero roleplaying game using the innovative One Roll Engine.
Godsend Agenda – (2001) A religious and mythological themed superhero RPG using the D6 system that was also used in games like Star Wars and Ghostbusters.
Golden Heroes - (1982) Combined random character creation with intentional design, had a unique initiative system, and used a campaign ratings system that affected characters’ future success.
Guardian Universe Core Fuzion – (2004) An interesting setting and a unique game from Dilly Green Bean Games.
GURPS Supers – (1989) Now in its 4th edition, GURPS Supers is an adaptation of the Generic Universal Roleplaying System to the comic book superhero setting.
Heroic Visions – (2006) A superhero RPG from Zephaniah Comics with a random character generation system. The book includes a lot of excellent campaign information.
The DC Universe RPG
Icons - (2010) This one made a splash because the game system is pretty fun, and Steve Kenson, the man who designed both Mutants and Masterminds and Silver Age Sentinels created this game for Adamant Entertainment.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying – (2012) – The fourth and most recent RPG set in the Marvel Comics universe, this one uses the Cortex System rules from Margaret Weiss Productions.
Marvel Super Heroes – (1984) The first superhero roleplaying game set in a licensed setting, Marvel Superheroes was published by TSR and used a set of rules called the FASERIP system.
The Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game (2003) – A diceless RPG set in the Marvel Universe and published by Marvel Comics itself.
Mutants and Masterminds – (2002) The most successful superhero game to use the d20 rules system as its basis. Think of it as a mash-up of Champions and Dungeons & Dragons. Still in print in its third edition, and still very popular.
Necessary Evil – (2004) A superhero setting and rules expansion for the Savage Worlds RPG from Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Silver Age Sentinels – (2002) A superhero RPG from Guardians of Order that’s available with both D20 rules and Tri-Stat rules. This is also the game that The Authority RPG is based on.
Smallville – (2010) A roleplaying game version of the television series Smallville, from Margaret Weiss Productions.
Squadron UK (2006)- A British superhero RPG, written by Simon Burley, who also authored Golden Heroes.
Stuperpowers – (1997) A beer and pretzels RPG that uses rock-scissors-paper for combat resolution. Seriously.
Superworld – (1983) A superhero game from Chaosium, the creators of the Basic Roleplaying system, which uses those rules. It’s been out of print for years, but it’s now available as a PDF.
Necessary Evil from the Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness – (1985) An RPG based on the popular comic book from the 1980′s published by Palladium Books.
Trinity - (1997) One of White Wolf’s “Storytelling” games, which has a futuristic setting with superheroes. It’s a sequel, of sorts, to Adventure! and Aberrant.
Tri-Stat dx – (2003) The generic roleplaying system used by published Guardians of Order for superhero games like Silver Age Sentinels and Big Eyes, Small Mouth.
Truth & Justice - (2005) Uses the PDQ system, and published by Atomic Sock Monkey. Winner of multiple awards.
UnSanctioned: The Dream Corrupted – (2000) A superhero game set in an alternate history where the players are rebels who fight sanctioned superheroes.
Villains & Vigilantes – (1979) One of the original and most popular superhero roleplaying games, now back in print for the first time in years.
Wild Talents – (2006) A sequel of sorts to the World War II supers RPG Godlike. Uses the “One-Roll Engine,” and written by Dennis Detwiller.
Obviously, this list of superhero roleplaying games isn’t complete yet. That’s because our comic book roleplaying experts are still working on detailed reviews and analyses of some of the games we’ve missed. Which games are next on our list of RPGs to write about? Look for a detailed review of the new DC Adventures game, which is based on the latest edition of Mutants and Masterminds. You can also expect a review of With Great Power, soon, and we’re also working on articles with advice and tips for superhero RPG players and gamemasters. So bookmark our site and return often for updates.
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