Whether in comics or movies or novels or games, superheroes have some kind of powers beyond the abilities of regular beings. The scope of these powers range from subtle to world-shattering, and can vary widely, not only between different settings but within a setting. But unlike comics or movies or novels, in games it is imperative that, whatever the power level, it is balanced across all heroes. For a superhero game to be fair, the powers and abilities of any playable hero must contribute in an equally (or at least evenly) meaningful way, or risk the stigma of characters having an unfair advantage or disadvantage compared to others. And because most superheroes' powers are somewhat unique, this presents a greater challenge to the games' creators and to Game Masters than other genres would typically present. While the effects of this are most strongly felt in competitive video games such as Overwatch, they are no less important in role-playing games such as Mutants & Masterminds. This panel explores the unique challenges involved in balancing the powers of a group of superheroes so that, despite the distinctiveness of their abilities, each character's powers, strengths, and vulnerabilities make them of roughly even value to their side or team.
