Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Playing a Superhero
Decide whether or not you want to play your superhero with old school technology. That means pen and paper and dice. Yes, people still use these, and they can be a lot of fun. Role-playing games using these tools enjoyed immense popularity from shortly after the grandfather of the genre, Dungeons &Dragons, debuted in the mid 1970s, up until the late 1990s. These have declined dramatically in the early 21st century in favor of online gaming, but there are still plenty of pen and paper games available, in a variety of settings, including fantasy, space adventure, the wild west and, of course, the world of superheroes.
Pick a pen and paper superhero RPG that suits you. You can buy the manuals at hobby shops and bookstores. The advantage here is that even if the game is no longer being produced, you can still play it as long as you get a copy of the game manuals, used copies of which are widely available. As of March 2011, the most popular titles include:
Villains &Vigilantes
Mutants &Masterminds
DC Universe
Marvel Superheroes
Champions
With an Internet connection and a credit card,a whole new world of superhero gaming is available. Pencil and paper RPGs have largely been supplanted by Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. While the individual gaming rules may vary, they all allow a player to create a heroic character, complete with stupendous skills and superpowers, and then interact with (usually, but not always, this means "try to kill") characters created by fellow gamers around the globe. As long as they pay their monthly fees, players can log in to the online world and fight for truth and justice -- or crush pathetic mortals beneath their enormous mutant heels.
Choose your MMORPG! As of March 2011, the most popular superhero-themed MMORPGs are:
City of Heroes
DC Universe Online
Champions Online
Each of these has thousands of currently active players. A world awaits your hero. Whether it should rejoice or tremble is up to you.