Spitballing: The Superhero Sandbox

By: Unknown on 09:46

Would supers games benefit from a vigorous sandbox-like approach to mapping and statting out the parts of the heroes' home city? You could use the Wilderlands/Traveller numbered hex approach.

1032 McSleazy's - bar containing 3d6 cheap thugs and d6-1 wise guys

1034 Museum district - see submap 3

1036 warehouse lair of Professor Doominstein and his Funtime Cyborg Jamboree

Or you could assign each neighborhood some stats. A make-your-trait system like Risus can be handy for this.


Argentville
declining neighborhood trying to recapture former glory(3) domain of the O'Bryan Mob(2) best bakeries in the city(2)

Heck, you could probably get a lot done with just some encounter tables with built-in change conditions.

Uptown Patrol Encounters, Night
2 Mr. Ripper encounter [capture to remove from chart]
3 d8 teen punks with nothing to do
4 Petty crime in progress, d8 cheap hoods [break up 6 times to swap with spot 3 on the chart]
5 Mugging in progress, d4 muggers [bring in 10 muggers to swap with spot 6]
6 d12 carousing hooligans, nothing more severe than drunk & disorderly conduct
7 Robbery in progress, 2d6 cheap thugs
8 Monster rampage

This way diligent heroes can actually make the city a better place, one neighborhood at a time.