Villains and Vigilantes is a superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

-themed role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 which competed primarily with Champions

Champions (role-playing game)

Champions is a role-playing game published by Hero Games that is designed to simulate and function in a four-color superhero comic book world. It was created by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer....

and Superworld

Superworld

Superworld is a superhero-themed role-playing game published by Chaosium in 1983. Written by Basic Role-Playing and RuneQuest author Steve Perrin, Superworld began as one third of the Worlds of Wonder product, which also included a generic fantasy setting, "Magic World", and a generic science...

in early to mid 1980s.

Origin

Villains and Vigilantes was the first role-playing game designed by Jack Herman and Jeff Dee

Jeff Dee

Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. Based in Austin, Texas, he is a recognized figure in the role-playing game community and game industry...

, featuring illustrations by Dee. Fantasy Games Unlimited

Fantasy Games Unlimited

Fantasy Games Unlimited, often referred to as just FGU, is a publishing house for both table-top and role-playing games. They have no in-house design teams and rely on submitted material from outside talent.-History:...

 published the first edition of Villains and Vigilantes in 1979. The second edition of Villains and Vigilantes was published in 1982 with significant rule revisions. In 2010, Monkey House Games published a new edition of the game.

Mechanics

Characters in Villains and Vigilantes reflected the unique nature of the rules. First, instead of playing a completely fictional character, players were encouraged to start the character-creation process with a version of themselves (presumably as the superhero's "secret identity.") V&V then used random die rolls for the origins of superpowers (i.e., mutant, space alien, etc.) number and type, sometimes resulting in odd combinations. A further quirk of the system was that while players advanced in levels and hit points, superpowers did not, lending a different feel to characters at low, middle and high power levels.

Another notable feature of the system was its approach to combat: a table outlined the effectiveness of the attacker's superpower (for example, an energy blast) against all of the defender's powers. In theory, reflecting the interplay of attack and defense powers.

Modules

Crisis at Crusader Citadel was an introductory module, a V&V supplement published in 1982 by Fantasy Game Unlimited, written and illustrated by the game's creators, Dee and Herman. The scenario begins with the players controlling neophyte superheroes, based on themselves, who are looking to apply for membership in the established super-hero team called the Crusaders. During the adventure, the player-heroes have to stop a crime wave being carried out by the Crusaders' opposite numbers, a villain team called the Crushers.

Four years after the adventure booklet was published, the setting of the first module was used as the basis of a Villains and Vigilantes comic book mini-series by Dee and Herman published by Eclipse Comics

Eclipse Comics

Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...

. Each issue included character sheets for new heroes and villains and update material for the existing ones for use with the game.

Two early modules for the game by Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...

, Death Duel with the Destroyers and The Island of Dr. Apocalypse, used characters that would later appear in his Comico

Comico Comics

Comico: The Comic Company was an American comic book publisher, headquartered in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Its best-known comics include the Robotech adaptations, the Jonny Quest continuation written by co-creator Doug Wildey, and Matt Wagner's Mage: The Hero Discovered and Grendel...

 comic book series, Elementals. Similarly, a Villains and Vigilantes character, The Dark, later appeared in a series of comic books by the independent publisher Continüm Comics

Continüm Comics

Continüm Comics was an American comic book publisher which operated between the years 1988–1994. Owned and operated by Joseph Naftali, their most successful title was The Dark....

.

2011 legal dispute

As of 2011, the game's creators are involved in a legal dispute with Fantasy Games Unlimited. They claim that the original Fantasy Games Unlimited ceased to exist in 1991, that their contract specified that in such an event the rights would revert to them, and that therefore the current Fantasy Games Unlimited (a separate legal entity, although with the same owner) has no right to sell V&V material.