Overpower history: Power Players to OP

[JohnL]

I snapped a few more images at the weekend but didn't have time to post them. Here are some more objects - these are all from what I called PP2.


Notice that in both PP and PP2 the objects seem to be classified by location - first 'Environment Manhattan' and then 'Arena Manhattan'. I assume the plan was to have different environments introduce new objects. It would seem sensible that both players would need to fight in the same location though so I wonder how this was to be decided? Maybe I'm overthinking this (ya think? the rules to a game that was never produced and was the precursor to a game that ceased production over a decade ago...)

Here's a couple of scans of cards from what I called pre-Op. These were printed up on cardstock with the OP backs but since they have very little art (I was wrong before - some of the hero cards do have art) and they are very close to the final OP set I'm assuming this was for a final bout of playtesting. There are several cards that got substantially weakened.


I wonder whether Sabretooth's 'Wildcat attack' was a OPD in this version? Or maybe this bout of playtesting was also to determine what needed to be OPD?


Wolverine's cards illustrate what we already knew (from somewhere, I need to remember where) that the original OP set had ALL of the heroes from both Op and PS and had 6 specials for them - that would have been a pretty big set.

[gameplan.exe]

I really like that dual-icon 7 for Sabretooth! Dang!

[Onslaught]

Maybe I'm overthinking this (ya think? the rules to a game that was never produced and was the precursor to a game that ceased production over a decade ago...)

Well I don't know if this is any consolation, but I intend to actually try a small playthrough of Power Players using the provided scans. I have way too much free time...

Here's a couple of scans of cards from what I called pre-Op.

You really have to wonder what happened during playtesting that led them to believe "attack after opponent has conceded" needed to be restricted to one per deck. Also, that Sabretooth dual 7 is really cool. That idea wouldn't show up again until IQ with the level 4 attacks, like Storm's 4 strength/intellect. Have you ever seen an 8 multi special from those pre-OP cards? Since Sabretooth's dual 7 has the icons spread out vertically, I was just curious if they still used a horizontal stack for the specials with 3 icons.

*If the revolver is hurled once it is considered destroyed

Haha

Supremely cool stuff here, as always.

[JohnL]

Huh, I hadn't noticed that before but there are NO multi-power icons on any of the cards before the actual OP release. The PP cards and PP2 cards don't have icons on the specials and I haven't seen any multipower cards in the power cards.

The pre-OP cards power I have do have icons but although I have a fairly complete set of power cards - again no multi-power. Of the specials Sabretooth's is the only multi-power but I don't have copies of any specials that later became multi-power.

The earliest appearance of a multipower is in the 'Pre-release edition' of the Clobberin' Time Game Guide (was this the one that came with the Fighting 6 promo?) There's a specific mention of a level 3 MultiPower card duplicating a level 3 Fighting power card and a picture of both cards. I mention the pre-release version because this is the one that depicts a level 5 Temper Tantrum for the Thing, the super-powered triple shot, and the power cards still have the words 'Energy', 'Fighting' or 'Strength' on them (but not the hero name like the Wolverine promo 6.

I didn't mean to be mysterious when I posted the Hero cards with the KO bell icon. The scan was from the die-cut file folders that Fleer used to send out retailer promotional material in. They had several (I have an original OP one and one with a Powersurge logo on the cover) and you used to be able to pick them up on ebay pretty often. I think Gary Martin even listed them on his big 'All things OP list'. Anyway, these folders all have the same inside with the hulks hands holding a bunch of cards. None of the specials have text or icons, the power cards all have the words 'Energy', 'Fighting' or 'Strength' on them (but not the hero name), the hero cards all have missing stats plus the extra bell icon and the single Universe card is just a little bit funky



(That's the tip of the Hulk's thumb holding the card)

If you are really serious about playtesting PP I'll post the complete deck lists when I can find them. The two demo decks were different.

[Onslaught]

The Mysterious Case of Pre-OP Multipowers...I'd like to imagine that they would also be horizontally spread out like that Sabretooth 7, which would look pretty weird.

For the life of me I can't seem to remember where the 6 fighting promo card came from. It seems probable that it came in the game guide though.

And yeah, I will definitely test power players out. I was just going to try to piece it together from what you already posted (like using multiples of the same hero card and pulling out level 2 through 8 powercards and stuff), but if you did type up the demo decks I would totally use them!

[Dog]

This is some wild stuff.

I definitely remember the "Hits to KO" icon from the promotional/early stuff.  It might have been visible in that Jubilee-narrated "how to play" guide, but I most likely saw it from the pre-order catalog I used, Entertainment This Month (anyone remember that?).  I recall getting the game and opening the starter deck thinking, "Huh, they got rid of the Hits to KO idea."  Big mistake, I think.  Would have created a lot more room for strategy if you could build a team however you want (not necessarily 4 characters) as long as you were under a "Hits to KO cap."

[drdeath25]

I am also willing to playtest PP. Should be some very good fun to see the different situations we could come up with!

[JohnL]

Okay. PowerPlayers Deck 1.

6 Hero cards with 2 specials each




IronMan w/ Radar - automatically avoid one ranged attack. Heat seeking missile - acts as a level 8 weapon attack.
Punisher w/ Machine Gun - allows a single weapon attack to be applied twice - victim must make two successful defenses or be hit. Smoke Screen - avoid any one ranged attack.
DareDevil w/ Hypersenses - avoid any one attack. Sense Weakness - opponent must show highest defensive card.
SpiderMan w/ Swinging kick - acts as a level 7 hand-to-hand attack. Spider Sense - ignore any one attack.
Captain America  w/ Super Soldier - level 7 Hand to hand attack. Shield Teammate - Level 7 Weapon defense.
Hulk w/ Enraged - may move twice this round. Leaping Attack - May attack victim at range with a level 6 attack.


7 Environment Cards




(Stats are, in order, Brute Force, Jump/Climb, Attack Value, Defense, Capacity)
City Bus: 7,3,8,7,4
Museum: -,6,-,-,infinity
Mailbox 4,1,5,5,-
PhoneBooth 4,3,5,3,1
Tree 6,4,7,6,4
Empty Bottle 1,-,2,1,-
Old Tire 2,-,3,2,-

35 Power cards in 6 types. In all cases offensive power is the same as defensive power
Hand to Hand: 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3
Weapon: 7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3
Energy: 7, 7, 5, 5
Brute Force: 8, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3
Climb: 8
Jump:7, 5
Fly: 6, 6, 5

[Dog]

Wow, Cap and Punisher are both "tougher" than Spidey.

[Onslaught]

Oh wow, I didn't think that so many of the special cards would be analogous to what we saw in the final release. Like Iron Man having an 8 multi...or, this:

Smoke Screen - avoid any one ranged attack.

This really explains some of the weird/horrible stuff in the first set, since it looks like that card evolved into Punisher's "avoid an energy attack." A lot of long unanswered questions are being dissolved by looking at old stuff like this, haha.

Too bad Spidey didn't get to keep his level 7 AR. Hulk's stuff looks to have changed completely.

I'll get right on printing these out to be suitable proxies, and I think I can just use regular powercards (with intellect being hand to hand, and maybe DC power cards for the jump/fly stuff). Thanks for deck number one!

[Onslaught]

This thread almost fell onto the second page, what a shame! It should be pinned at the top or saved into a Wiki or something, because none of this info has ever been available anywhere else.

Anyway, in the interest of testing out these game mechanics I tossed together some proxies that are a suitable size for printing. Nothing special, but they'll get the job done when glued onto some commons. I have the templates done, so now it's just a matter of punching in the numbers on all of them since they don't need to have images on them. Here are some samples, and when I finish them all I can e-mail a printable document for anyone who is interested.

[gameplan.exe]

best. event card. ever.! 

[Theo]

wow, that is a good read. Steve Domzalski is a name I have not heard in some years. My brother and I spent a lot of time with him and I signed quite a few of those cards at the San Diego Comicon myself. I still have some of those Power player decks (My brother and I wrote those little rule books) and have a whole bin of those square edged play test cards in storage. As for the Environment cards and such. My brother and I really wanted to give the game the feel of a super hero battle on a NYC street. we had range, and you could indeed climb on buildings and blast from range. The idea was to have environment packs like a NYC street, or the ready room that would have different terrain things you could use and different things you could pick up and throw. The president of Fleer at the time, a man named Bill Jemas who later became the vice president of Marvel Entertainment Group did not like the complexity of range attacks and flying and climbing. His exact phrase was "I want a game you can teach to 10 year old's in 10 minutes with the strategic challenge of chess". So through many iterations with fleer we removed the mechanic and somewhat simplified the game. We added the venturing later as Bill was a big poker fan and he had seen that mechanic from a rival group of developers. He liked our game better, but liked their venturing mechanic so he bought our game and we worked in the Venture mechanic. I probobly have a copy of the magazine you reference somewhere, I think they interviewed me.....I will look and see

Theo Stern

[metaphist]

wow, that is a good read...

And a good addition on your part. I was quite surprised to see an original designer had joined the forums on my daily check in!

As much as you wanted the complexity of the original design to stay in, I think big bossman had a good point in simplifying things.  In the end I think you guys hit the nail on the head in terms of learning curve vs depth, but it's also great to hear about all the old ideas.

[Dark_Lord_Tarkas]

Holy crap. I can't remember the last time I was so grateful a thread existed.