Superworld

Superworld is a superhero-themed tabletop role-playing game published by Chaosium in 1983. It employs Chaosium’s generic Basic RolePlaying (BRP) system, adapting it with a detailed framework for superpowers. Although launched with ambition and supported by several supplements, Superworld struggled to compete with established superhero RPGs and was discontinued after a brief publication run. The game remains notable for its design pedigree and for inspiring the Wild Cards shared-world fiction series.

Game System and Core Mechanics

Superworld extends the Basic RolePlaying system, which uses percentile dice to model character skills, combat and task resolution. Players roll against target percentages; exceptional successes and critical failures add nuance to gameplay. Combat differentiates between kinetic, electric and radiation damage types, reflecting genre-specific threats.
The game introduces a structured approach to designing superpowers, allowing players to customise abilities with advantages, disadvantages and disabilities. This modular system reflects the flexible nature of superhero abilities while maintaining BRP’s simulationist focus on internal consistency.

Boxed Set Components

The original boxed set included a range of materials designed to support both players and gamemasters:

• Superheroes Book (32 pages): Character creation rules, core mechanics and two character sheets with standing silhouettes.
• Superpowers Book (40 pages): Detailed descriptions of powers, optional modifications and character limitations. Additional character sheets depicting flying silhouettes were printed on the covers.
• Gamemaster’s Book (40 pages): Campaign-building tools, legal and organisational structures for superhero settings, guidance on animals and non-player entities, and examples of setting-specific groups such as:
  • FIRE (Free Investigatory Research Enterprise),
  • FORCE (Federal Organization for the Registration and Certification of Exotics),
  • the Omega Institute.

  Two introductory scenarios were included: Deadly Devices of Doctor Dread, pitting heroes against a villainous inventor, and The Haunting, a mystical adventure centred on a coveted ancient tome.

• Accessories: Booklets of character sheets and gamemaster tables, cardboard stand-up figures, and a set of polyhedral dice. Editions printed from 1984 onward added a four-page errata booklet.

Publication History

Superworld originated in Worlds of Wonder (1982), a multi-genre demonstration of the BRP system that also included Magic World and Future World. Its success led Chaosium to release Superworld as a standalone product in 1983, designed by Steve Perrin with interior art by Chris Marrinan, Markus Harrison and cover art by Michael Dooney.
Three supplements followed:

• Trouble for HAVOC (1984): Three linked adventures, convertible for use with Villains & Vigilantes or Champions.
• Bad Medicine for Dr. Drugs (1984): A teen-hero scenario in which players investigate a drug ring at their school.
• Superworld Companion (1985): Additional powers, rules expansions, a detailed superhero base and environmental effects on play.

Despite the quality of the material, the game struggled against major competitors, notably Champions (Hero Games) and Villains & Vigilantes (Fantasy Games Unlimited). As a result, Chaosium ended its support after the Companion.

Critical Reception

Superworld received broadly positive reviews, particularly for its mechanics and adaptability:

• White Dwarf (Issue 51): Jon Sutherland rated it 7/10, describing it as an intelligent attempt to model a complex genre and comparing its scope favourably with Golden Heroes.
• Different Worlds: Russell Grant Collins praised the system sufficiently to adopt it as his primary superhero game, recommending it both as a standalone option and as a reference for other systems.
• Ares Magazine: Steve Marsh commended its clarity and potential impact on gaming groups.
• Space Gamer (Issue 70): Crede Lambard described it as strong and useful, though unlikely to supplant Champions, noting active cross-support between Hero Games and Chaosium adventures at the time.

Although critically respected, Superworld’s limited market penetration and strong competition prevented long-term commercial success.

Influence and Legacy

Superworld had a lasting cultural footprint through its influence on speculative fiction. The Wild Cards series—an expansive shared-world anthology edited by George R. R. Martin—originated from a long-running Superworld campaign involving several science fiction authors. The gaming sessions provided the framework for the series’ characters, factions and alternate-history narrative.
Beyond Wild Cards, Superworld remains a reference point for players interested in BRP-based superhero systems and in the evolution of early superhero role-playing game design.