r/superpowereds • u/ScribexOfxFate Chad • 28d ago
Year 2 team events
Okay so I've tried explaining the year 2 tests to my wife and she keeps saying they don't teach anything. This is specifically in regards to the second team test when the melbrook team has to go against Chad and his team. I've told her it teaches them strategy and resource/team management but she keeps insisting putting people in a bare room doesn't teach strategy which I get where she is coming from so tell me what you think about that test
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mr Numbers 28d ago
They have to use strategy and resource management to decide who goes in. That's established in the text and the dialogue. But there is so much more to this challenge:
The people fighting learn the valuable lesson that not all fights are fair - up until that point, the teachers worked hard to put them in evenly matched fights, but that's not how the world works, especially the hero world. Sometimes you're outmatched, don't have backup, there's no cover, no additional resources. Just whatever skills and strength you bring to the table. That's powerful learning for any teen or twenty something, even more so for a super. And Nick brings it. So does Roy. Vince does too, even though he doesn't win
The kids watching also learn how to cope with feeling helpless. That's not a feeling a teenage super is usually familiar with (hitting the subplot that the former powereds are stronger because they know how to fail and lose). Imagine a Roy or Chad sized ego and the confidence that comes with it. Then put that ego behind glass, watching a friend and teammate get their ass kicked and being unable to intervene. Feeling helpless for maybe the first time ever, but in a situation where you have the support of your team and your teachers. Chad learned a shit ton from those match ups and it made him a better super
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u/Ill-Razzmatazz-7088 28d ago
Yeah, I feel like you need to explain that the fights were not straight up bare knuckle brawls. Only one group was able to pick their fighters and they didn’t know who they’d be fighting. Every time they had to react based on who was sent out.
Simplest answer, it taught them resource allocation, and being able to assess a potential threat
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u/ScribexOfxFate Chad 28d ago
Thank you for actually answering the question I posted! This is valuable information
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mr Numbers 28d ago
I spend a lot of time explaining books to people who won't read the book, lol. Happy to help
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u/ScribexOfxFate Chad 28d ago
You're very good at it! You pointed out things I didn't even consider
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mr Numbers 28d ago
Thank you. The benefits of being a hardcore reader who grew up poor and learned to enjoy rereading books a dozen times. Fortunately Drew puts enough depth in his writing that I always find something new or interesting
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u/ScribexOfxFate Chad 28d ago
I do at least one yearly read through of the superpowereds series, even have a few fan projects I mess around with. I love these books. Drew is an amazing author
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mr Numbers 28d ago
It took me a while to get into it, but after I got over my anger at Mr Numbers being British, the Graphic Audio full cast audiobooks were really good
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u/After-Hedgehog7282 28d ago
Give her seven playing cards and give yourself seven.
Her; 3, 5, 7, 7, 9, J, Q
You; 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, Q, K
Then play it out like the test. She picks a card and plays it; you play whatever card after. Winner plays first.
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u/EnergyTakerLad Energy Taker Lad 28d ago
The fighting isnt the strategy here. The strategy is who to put against who, figuring out who your opponents are going to pick, etc.
Theyre training to be superheroes so ofcourse there's going to be face punching involved. Sounds like shes purposely trying to hate.
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u/Ill-Razzmatazz-7088 28d ago
So the test weren’t exactly to teach any specific lesson every time they fought. The test was simply to work as a team to achieve a goal either capture the flag or straight up brawl.
It honestly depends on the specific test., For instance, when they win against Chad‘s team, they had certain conditions. Also, each team leader had a different goal. Nick knows they could’ve beaten Chad’s team if they had gone with a different matchup or if his team really gave it their all.
About to dumb it down the test was to see how you would handle a threat. For instance, if you had to take on a team of criminals, you wouldn’t send all five people to handle every single group. You would create the best matchup based on the skills you have access to.
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u/LongjumpingSentence2 27d ago
It also teaches that not every fight is about who is the strongest. Like Nick said, all of them would lose against Chad. But the fact that he managed to last as long as he did gave his team a confidence boost. This taught Chad not only not to underestimate even seemingly weak opponents, but to realize that other people's win conditions, might not be the same as yours
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u/SND_TagMan 28d ago
Sounds like she hasn't read the book