This FAQ (frequently asked questions) list covers this site, not the DCU game in general. For questions on how specific powers and such work, please consult the information found at the official West End Games site. Question 7 was updated most recently.
1. Who are you?
My name is Barry Reese and I've been an avid roleplayer for over 19 years. My first exposure to rpgs was with the Dungeons &
Dragons Basic Set, back in the days when TSR offered boxed
versions of the game. I liked it, but it wasn't until TSR
released the Marvel Super Heroes RPG that I really fell in love
with gaming. From there, I drifted into the DC Heroes game from
Mayfair. Since then, I've played numerous systems, but found
myself enjoying the D6 system used in West End Games' Star Wars
rpg the most. The DCU game uses a variant of that system, which
pleases me to no end.
2. Do you work for WEG?
I wish! No, I have no affiliation with West End Games. I do this
site because I like the game and want to encourage others to play
it. Some of these writeups I use in my own games, but most of
them are just done because I enjoy doing the stats. All of my
stats are completely unofficial.
3. Why don't you use the
Flight, Know-How or Pilot (self) skills in your writeups?
I just felt they added one level too many. Our games aren't
combat-centered and, when in combat, we want something that moves
as fast as possible. To me, if you have the Flight power, you use
the Flight power. You don't use pilot (self) or a flight skill to
determine your success with it. You've already paid for the
Flight power once and I think it's unfair to then require the
player to buy a skill to go along with the power. I understand
how and why WEG (and many players) like the various know-how and
flight skills. I just don't care for them myself. In my game, if
a player has Microwave Projection 4D and Marksmanship 7D, I would
allow him to use marksmanship as the governing skill -- but if he
had Microwave Projection 7D and Marksmanship 4D, I'd allow him to
roll 7D for his attack. Yes, it tilts things to the advantage of
the player, but it's easier for us and that's the important
thing. I do understand those situations where a character may
have a tremendously powerful ability, with only minimal control
over it. A good example would be the current portrayal of
Firestorm, where he's as powerful as ever -- but his lack of
understanding of chemistry limits his abilities. In that case,
rather than giving him a low Know-How (Matter Manipulation), I'd
just give Limitations to the power. I'd do something like Matter
Manipulation 15D (Limitation : Firestorm's understanding of
chemistry is lacking at this time, increasing the Difficulty of
complicated transformations). I love Limitations. :-)
4. How come some of your
writeups seem slightly different from others?
Mainly, this is because the DCU system evolved over time. For
instance, when I started doing my writeups, we had the Contact
advantage, which covered everything from the hero group your
character was a part of to the police agency he sometimes turns
to for info. Then, in the Gotham Sourcebook, WEG added Ally as an
advantage. Now, you could have Allies (people who would do
legwork or actual fighting on your behalf) and Contacts (people
you could turn to for information, but who wouldn't risk their
lives for you). So my newer writeups use both Allies and
Contacts, while the older ones have just Contact. I'll try to
revise them in time, but it's a rather minor detail.
5. Can I contribute to your
site?
Heck, yeah! Send me your writeups, new powers, rules revisions,
etc. I'd love to host them here, and will give you full credit
for authoring the information. Just email it to aric_dacia@yahoo.com
6. You know, these writeups
look nothing like the ones I remember using in the 1980s...
What's up?
It's important to remember that this site supports the DC
Universe RPG, produced by West End Games. The old DC Heroes RPG
published by Mayfair Games in the late '80s and early '90s is no
longer available. The old DC Heroes system is still being used,
but in a new game called Blood of Heroes. It's published by Pulsar
Games and is a fine rpg in
its own right. If you feel more comfortable with the old system
(called MEGS these days), you may want to look into the Blood of
Heroes game. I'd recommend sticking with the West End version,
but that's my own bias. :-)
7. How come you don't have
stats for the non-Elseworlds Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman,
Flash etc.?
Good question. The main reason is because most of the mainstream
DC heroes and villains are covered in the sourcebooks published
by West End. For me to reproduce their stats here would infringe
upon their copyright. I do include stats for Elseworld's
versions of various heroes -- but my stats for Batman of
Earth-72, for instance, are different from the published stats
for the DCU's Batman. They're world-specific. Once the game line was cancelled
by WEG, I emailed several folks there about the possibility of me reproducing
the published writeups on this site -- I was told this fine as long as their
were significant differences (like the revised Kyle Rayner or Hourman writeups).
You'll see more of those as time passes.
8. Some of those writeups suck!
How can character x be rated at 22D while character y on your
site is only 18D?
Thanks for
stopping by -- see you on the way out. Just kidding! I post most
of the writeups just as I receive them. If I see major errors
(like incorrectly calculated PDVs or BDVs, or completly missing
powers that I know should be there), I might make corrections but
I don't send back writeups with a note saying "I'm sorry,
but Joe's writeup says Commander X has a Physique of 28D, so his
sidekick Chucky P must have at least a Physique of 26D." I
think that everyone has their own ideas about various heroes'
levels and my opinion isn't any better than anyone else's. Maybe
I think that Colossus is 18D in Physique, instead of 20D. It's
not that big of a deal. In my campaign, I change it if I
disagree. Feel free to ignore, change or use any of the writeups
you see on this site. But do remember that it's just a game.
Repeat that to yourself often. :-)
9. I heard the DCU game has
been cancelled -- is that true?
Sadly, the
rights to the DC characters have reverted once more to DC Comics,
Inc. This means that no more products will be coming out for
WEG's version of the game. While this is terrible news, this site
will continue to bring you the best writeups possible so that
your own campaigns can continue. Don't let this dissuade you from
finding a copy of the game, if you haven't already! Check out
WEG's site or Ebay or one of your local (or online) game shop
distributors. DCU was (and is) a lot of fun, so stick with it.
Back to the DCU Resource Page