I'm thinking of starting up a superhero game using Savage Worlds for my group. I've never run or been in a supers game before, so my questions to you are these:

What elements have you found to work really well in superhero games, be they plot, setting, villains, mechanics, etc.? What are some of the pitfalls to avoid?

What about supervillain games?

I could probably do a conversion myself, but what are some good, preferably free, Savage Worlds conversions for supers?

I don't know about free, but my 50 Fathoms game-master gives a solid thumbs-up to the Necessary Evil setting, which has a plot based around aliens who kill off all the Heroes, leaving the super-villains to save the day.

It isn't free, but Necessary Evil does the job pretty well. There are some quirks to the system ... it isn't the system to use to punch your opponent through an aircraft carrier (only to have him pick up the aircraft carrier and swat you with it) and even with a fair bit of toughness the occasional bullt is going to hurt.

However, when it comes to fun, fast, and furious action, with the GM not spending a considerable amount of time statting opponents and fiddling around with fractions, NE does the job.

Doug.

Tabris (don't know if he's made it over to the new forums yet) ran a game based on the Heroes TV show, I think it ended pretty abruptly but if you can get in touch with him he might share some ideas with you.

I own Necessary Evil and my group is going to be playing it sometime in the near future. You can download the whole thing as a pdf off of drivethrurpg.com. It has all the powers set out in it.