So, just finished first read through of the pdf. I love the production. It is nicely put together and really like that intro comic.
First thought upon completion:
Where are the sample characters? Arrowhead is used in the book, but still the game would benefit from having a filled out character sheet for him. It would also benefit from filled out sheets for more traditional heroes like those in the starter comic. The way powers are handled is the least intuitive thing in the game system IMO, and could definitely use some examples to help prospective players and EIC get a handle on things.
Still excited to play this as soon as possible. Hopefully at Gen Con, but if not then, then I’ll be running it soon after.
If you picked it up through DrivethruRPG then there are a bunch of other files included in the download, including example characters to check out. If you’re interested in playing at Gen Con, you might want to check out this post: https://plus.google.com/+MatthewGwinn/posts/WHW4YgGQufb
Agreed on the powers thing. Defining and what the levels mean for the players doesn’t easily click. That was clearly the sticking point for the game I’m playing online. I’ve only done a single session so far, so I can’t yet comment on the broader picture.
Ah…thanks Kyle Simons. I just found the sample characters pdf. I bought mine from Storenvy, as I definitely wanted the hard copy first and foremost (I’m old fashioned, like game books). I’m hoping that the sample characters are in the physical book as well. And I do hope to be playing in one of Matthew Gwinn’s games at Gen Con.
Lowell Francis I am interested to see it play out. I think the heads of my traditional supers group might all explode if I tried this with them, but probably going to be a great system for my wife Pamela Alexander
I can’t remember who it was in my feed, but someone did try to introduce it to their HERO group and the reaction was…violent. It definitely takes the ball and runs with it in a completely different direction; sorry I didn’t make it easier by including more examples in the book. I hope the sample characters help, and if you have any questions feel free to post anytime, I get notifications sent straight to my phone for this group so am usually pretty quick to get to them 🙂
Like you I’ve been old school supers, but I’ve moved away from that. The most recent things I’ve used have been M&M and Venture City. I’m curious because I’ve only gotten a few sessions of PbA games in, so I want to see how it handles the genre.
Kyle Simons The examples are out there, so it’s not a big deal. I’m sorry I wasn’t around during the kickstarter to give feedback. Overall, it looks to be a very nice product, and as I said, I’m quite excited to play it with my wife, who is an avid superhero fan, but not so much a fan of game mechanics, so Hero or M&M would definitely not be her cup of tea.
I think your bond mechanics are one of the most interesting takes on the AWE in that area. I’m thinking of hacking it a bit and trying a diary method with those. Rather than erasing and rewriting as things change. I’m thinking of having players write a new line. So you can see the history of your ups and downs.
John Alexander Your wife sounds like me and that’s basically the reason I started writing the game. That, and I love the way PbtA games handle pacing and the conversation at the table. The diary idea for Bonds would be fun and interesting to see over the long term – you’d just need to transfer old ones out onto the back of the character sheet or dedicated diary due to space issues. Would be a great thing to look back on after a campaign though!
Lowell Francis I was the only one of my gaming group to give M&M a shot. I loved how it looked and bought everything, but the system had too much of the stuff that made me hate D&D 3.5 in it. (I really want to like it because of the art though.)
I know you’re only going to be at Gen Con the one day, I hope you get a chance to give Worlds in Peril a try. By hook or by crook I’ll be able to give a more informed opinion of the game soon.
Kyle Simons I was struck by the notion instantly when reading about the changing bonds. Just seems like a natural to me. But I suppose that depends on how often these things are going up and down in play.