I ran Masks on Sunday for my group, who are taking a break from a Fate campaign. None of us had played before (to my knowledge) but we were familiar with PbtA mechanics.
I wrote up a synopsis of the first session (link below). There was more of a utopian/dystopian and Young Justice style vibe. As expected, we ran into a few questions about the intent of the rules:
1. When a PC rejects an adult’s Influence, and they “immediately act to prove them wrong”, does that attempt to prove wrong need to be successful? I ruled no – it’s enough for the PC to stand determined, even if the adult isn’t swayed.
2. Does the Doomed power “vitality absorption” include absorbing energy blasts? I ruled no – it’s more like lifeforce transfer, a vampiric draining from targets. We might revisit this power in the second session.
3. The characters fought a powerful robotic tank. If it successfully attacked someone trying to use their powers for another purpose rather than opposing it directly, would the “take a powerful blow” move be the appropriate choice? I wasn’t sure, so I punted. Re-reading it, I think it probably is, though I’d probably rule that “being shot with a cannon” probably doesn’t lead to “you lash out verbally” as a viable response.
Overall it was a fun game. The rules have a light touch and covered most of our questions gracefully. I think our biggest challenges will be correctly managing Influence (potentially keeping lists of who has it and who doesn’t as our web of NPCs grows) and remembering the Team options.
Thanks for a great product, Masks team!
http://astralfrontier.org/games/deep-13/2016-03-06-tank.html
You’re welcome! The upcoming book should have some answers to these questions, but in short…
1) You got it. They just have to act to prove them wrong, not succeed.
2) It means whatever it means at your table, although absorbing energy blasts might be unleashing their powers.
3) Yup, that sounds like taking a powerful blow. Remember that those options are what follow fictionally; maybe you take the blow and yell at your teammate for not warning you the hit was coming.
Your players went to Deep 13? That’s where they send criminals who are the worst they can find!
Thinking more about the “take a powerful blow” move, the scenario I envisioned for that 7-9 outcome was something we often see in the comics and on shows like Young Justice or Teen Titans:
PC #1 has just taken a bad hit and is collapsed. In a panic, PC #2 shouts “no!” and rushes out to try and assist somehow. The usual point of the scene is to illustrate that the team has bonded emotionally but can’t cooperate effectively just yet.
This was how I initially understood the point of that move, but then I saw the specific wording that made it sound like PC #1 was actively calling for help, browbeating, or begging. It wasn’t general enough to allow “PC #2 is motivated to assist at risk by seeing a comrade go down”, though I could just ignore that wording if I want to generalize the move to include this scenario. I’m just curious about the decision that led to that specific wording.
If the PC #1 is collapsing… then they are taken out. At that point, PC #2 can support or comfort them like you’re describing.
But if they made their roll to take a powerful blow, then they haven’t gone down just yet. That’s like getting thrown through a wall, standing back up, and saying “Don’t anyone come near me. I’m going to take this guy on myself…”
GM Bill, I have been imagining our Super Sheriffs of Sagan City game as a Masks game ever since I backed the Kickstarter. Our group definitely has the Beacon, the Nova, and the Transformed!
Troy Ray I’d love to do something with Sagan City using the Masks rules. I’m not sure that specific game is right for it – you folks are pitched as the people with Influence, the ‘adults’ that a typical Masks PC would look up to. But yeah, it would be fun!