I'm planning on running a Realis campaign soon with some friends, but we haven't quite scheduled a Session Zero yet (we're waiting for the Kickstarter to end in case the PDF comes out soon after, at the very least). But that means I've had Realis on the mind, without having a campaign to focus my thoughts.
And that means I've been thinking of how to adapt the system to a different genre. Specifically: superheroes.
For the most part, I think Realis works for comic book superhero stories as-is.
Superhero stories are already full of characters using their own abilities creatively, and trying to maneuver into positions where their enemies can't apply their own strengths. The main thing is character creation. While you could approach the game with a large prewritten set of superhero archetypes as "classes," I think part of the fun with a superhero RPG is creating your own character. And also, I don't know if I'm up for writing a dozen example superhero classes for this post. :)
Character creation rules for superheroes:
For Bonds and Dreams, the rules are the same as in the Realis ashcan.
For your Impulse, pick one of the impulses from Realis's existing spheres.
For your class sentences, use the following template:
The first sentence is a description of how you act as a hero. It can involve your powers, if you have them, but it doesn't have to. Think of what kind of kind of action or signature scenes people would expect from your character in a comic, and use that.
The second sentence is inspired by your life outside heroism. You'll probably still use this sentence during heroics, because your everyday life definitely inspires your heroism (and vice versa), but this should be inspired by who you are when you're not in the midst of action.
The third sentence is inspired by your past. Maybe it's related to your origin as a hero, or maybe a formative event from before then, but either way, it's a sentence that you can apply in the here-and-now, inspired by the past. This doesn't need to be an "Always Used To" style of retired sentence.
And the fourth sentence, like the classes in base Realis, is something that usually works against you or gets you into trouble, even if you can also figure out ways to make it work for you.
Sentence Evolution for superheroes:
I think that Realization already fits the way a lot of superheroes work, at least within the span of a single writer's run. They start out as their archetypal self, but as things go on, they start to show traits that are more specific to this writer and run. The Hulk is always the Hulk, but Stan Lee's Incredible Hulk, Greg Pak's Planet Hulk, and Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk take that same character in extremely different directions from the same starting point.
But I'm not sure the same is true about sentence retirement. You absolutely can end a comic arc with a character changed such that they're looking back at their former self. And I think an interesting campaign could start with, say, an early Batman and end with Batman Beyond's version of Bruce Wayne using the established rules. But the default mode of a superhero is a kind of eternal series of focusing and then reset. I think it's fair to confine one campaign to a single "run," and not need to represent the reset that occurs after that.
But at the same time, I would like to allow sentence retirement without requiring it.
So, +3 sentences do not automatically retire upon being Primed in this version. Instead, you may use a Primed +3 sentence as an additional Dream, at the cost of retiring it after.
Superheroes don't always lose their skills or powers, but they are no stranger to grand, sacrificial gestures that change everything forever until a few arcs pass, a new writer wants to use them, and then they show up again with a thin excuse to revert them to their baseline state (which, here, would be starting the campaign again with them as a starting PC).
Some example superhero "classes," adapting DC and Marvel characters, to illustrate what I'm thinking with the sentence guidelines:
Batman (Sphere of Shadow) class sentences
- I always have a plan for this situation.
- I always have access to incredible wealth.
- I always fall back on my lifetime of training.
- I always refuse to accept my own limitations.
Superman (Sphere of Stories) class sentences:
- I'm always as powerful as I need to be.
- I always see the story behind things.
- I always help people see their worth.
- I always inspire others to follow my example.
Hulk (Sphere of Steel) class sentences:
- I always break things.
- I always know the scientific explanation.
- I always draw power from rage and pain.
- I'm always the biggest threat.
Spider-Man (Sphere of Stagecraft) class sentences
- I always move with spidery strength and skill.
- I always hide my vulnerability.
- I always pursue my curiosity.
- I always let responsibility drive me.
Anyway, I haven't playtested this or even really proofread it, but I had it bouncing around in my head, and I figured other people might appreciate seeing it. I hope it's useful, and thanks!