Fighters United is a tabletop role-playing game created by Andrew Grondin.
Twenty minutes in the future, the world has changed with the introduction of superpowered individuals called 'Fighters'. These men and women generate powerful energy known as Fu. This grants them Chi, a resource that allows them to use supernatural powers called Tricks. These Tricks are organized into 19 different 'Styles', martial arts that range in specialization from "punching things really hard" to "thinking at things really hard".
Mechanically, Fighters United uses the Dynamic Die System. Characters have five Attributes, each with their own dice, and a number of Skills, each with a static value. To succeed at a challenge, the character rolls their Attribute die and adds the value of their Skill; meeting or beating the challenge number counts as a success. Attributes range from d2 (essentially dead) to d12 (the peak of human conditioning). Supernaturally empowered characters like Fighters can raise their Attribute die well above d12, allowing mid to late game characters to increase in power without limit. A character's average power level is measured by their Fu, which is a value rated from one to ten. As a character advances in the game by spending experience points gained during play, their Fu increases passively.
In the game world, it has been many years since Fighters arose in the world. When they first started to appear, there was a rise of costumed vigilantism during an era called the Sentinel Epidemic. Four-colored heroes and villains battled each other across the world. The Epidemic ended with The Cataclysm, a battle between two Fighters that killed thousands. World governments put harsh sanctions on Fighters, until an international humanitarian organization called Fighters United rose up to, well, unite the Fighters. Now the Union battles against the terrorist organization called Valkyrie, lead by the enigmatic Lady Sin.
The game has been temporarily pulled from sale in preparation for its 2nd Edition.
This game provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Part of the backstory for William deMarc, a sample NPC.
- Battle Aura: An aspect of the game; every Fighter has a 'Fu Aura' that manifests when they use certain Tricks or do something really awesome.
- BFG: Weapon specialization represented by the Heavy Weapons Combat Option.
- BFS: Weapon specialization represented by the Oversized Blade Combat Option.
- Blasting Itoutof Their Hands: Invoked with Lead Loves Steel Reunion Attack.
- Body Horror: The Acrobatics Trick Bone-Shattering Contortionist Rathead Insertion bring to mind some pretty disgusting images, granting the Fighter the ability to move through gaps about as wide as a paint can.
- Boringbut Practical: The starter Tricks in the Offensive tree. Striking Technique, Slaying Technique, and Focus are easy to get, free to use, and scale with your Fu.
- Dual Wielding: Comes in melee and firearms versions, with Tricks and Styles to match.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: Invoked by Good-Cop Bad-Cop Assertion.
- Fish People: One of the sample enemies, 'Wolf Fish'.
- Grapplingwith Grappling Rules: Averted. Grappling is simplified to be a simple debuff for the victim that can be easily escaped from if the attacker doesn't have training.
- Hollywood Silencer: Invoked, appropriately enough, with the Hollywood Silencer Paradox Trick.
- Humanoid Abomination: Lady Sin, Mr. Savage, Behemoth, and The Butcher are all hinted at being these. Blessed of the Mother Flesh become this as they grow in power.
- Knightin Shining Armor: The Steel Cavaliers. Some of them use motorcycles instead of horses but the themes are the same.
- Martial Artsand Crafts: If there's a way to replace a verb in a sentence with "punch", there's a Trick for it. Beat someone back to health? Bad Medicine Disease-Crusher Secret. Want to use your muscles instead of your brain for social combat? Might Makes Right Inflection. Spinning Brush is a Style built around using martial arts to make weapons, armor, cars, or anything else the Fighter can come up with.
- Supernatural Martial Arts: By definition. Fighters are martial artists with supernatural powers.
- Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom: Almost every Trick and Style Option.
- Instant Armor: Invoked with the Rally The Devoted (Armor) and (Shield) Tricks.
- Talking Isa Free Action: Expressly invoked in the rules.
- The Unfought: Specifically noted when discussing the most powerful members of Valkyrie. The author recommends using them as background threats that don't appear until the endgame, if at all.
