Dodgeball!

[Witchslasher]

Running a hero high style game (superheroes with secret identities going to a normal high school).. The students are about to engage in a heated game of Dodgeball with normal students.. Anyone got some good ideas for the mechanics of a dodgeball game? or suggestions of interesting ways to run this?

[Doctor Devious]

You almost certainly want some rivalry set-up beforehand, be that jealousy/rivalry with the quarter-back for the girl style of play, school bully types, or even going as far as opposing known-teen-supers (identified by at least one player) who are "under cover" and trying to get the players to expose themselves (in a powers sense of course!) or some-such.

If keeping the opposing team to normal kids, you could alternatively have a known big-bad enemy spotted watching in the crowd - then the pressure not to use even the slightest super-talent which might identify them might prove interesting. That and the fear they may already have slipped up, be that in skill, power or even potentially telepathically ("keep your minds blank..." that could be an additional concentration roll needed in addition to every dodgeball roll required not to let your simple home-spun "mind blank" slip; not that the big bad will always notice, but they might...)

[Witchslasher]

Thanks for the advice! Though not really what I was looking for.. I'm more looking for how to mechanically run the game, not the plot hooks and stuff associated with it (maybe this is the wrong forum for such questions )

Like should it be done similar to a combat? Ranged Combat: Throwing rolls for "hitting" the opposing team. how much athletics or acrobatics should i do? What about catching the ball..

I could do it less as a combat and more like a series of skill checks.. Athletics to run and get the ball! Okay, you have a ball! Throwing it is Ranged Combat throw! Two on the opposing team throw at you! Dodge check? Multiple degrees of success can give you a chance to catch the ball and get them out.. Which would probably be athletics or something.. Though if you fail that athletics check by a certain number of degrees, you drop it (so would be out)..

That kinda stuff

[peregrine]

Throwing the ball would just be ranged combat, I'd say.

Defensively, I'd use either block mechanics, or simple defenses. Maybe one ball can be dodged at your full defense, but for each extra ball, it's a -2 penalty (So you don't need to roll for every ball, and thus, drag down the speed of things). You can try to catch the ball at a -5 penalty for (whatever) since it gives you the chance of getting the thrower out, but is harder than dodging. Pay special attention to range increments. Maybe even scale them down some, so that it's safer near the back, but also harder to hit, wheras if you come charging up to the line, you're at greater risk.