So, I’m new here and looking for advice. I’ve read the book pretty thoroughly since launch, and before that I followed the Strand Gamers podcast Masks game up until they stopped recording it. I felt ready to handle anything, but was apparently wrong.
Opening session, one of my players, the Transformed, took to tearing the now unconcious mooks I sent at them apart, limb from limb. I thought “hey, maybe he’s playing it as he lost control, could be interesting.” Not only was there no emotional impact, but the other players mostly played it off as a joke (except the Nova who was doing the bulletproof barrier thing and could only watch in horror). The Bull ran up and hugged the still gore splattered Transformed.
I’d rather not just browbeat them about how they’re not roleplaying it properly. They’re generally quite good, this is the first time my group has blatantly ignored my advice on what is appropriate to setting. What I’m looking for is some suggestions on to handle it through the narrative, to show how that kind of behaviour is not to be condoned by Heroes and is also emotionally scarring. I’ve already confronted them about it with an established hero, but I don’t think that alone will do the job.
TLDR: transformed went on a killing spree and no one seems to see a problem with it.
Talk to them, not us.
“Hey guys, is this the sort of game you want to play? Comedic killing and death? I was sort of aiming for more of a Teen Titans / Young Justice vibe?”
Your problem ought not be handled through in game consequences since the players have not bought into the idea that it should have consequences. It will not change anything but make them unhappy.
Mega ultra plusses for Aaron Griffin and Jason Corley’s great responses.
“I’d rather not just browbeat them about how they’re not roleplaying it properly.”
The thing is, they are roleplaying properly, or at least playing properly, if they are enjoying the game. The problem here is that you seem to be expecting a different tone than the one your players have set.
Talk to your players. Ask them about the type of game they want to play, including tone, and lay out what your expectations are. Find out what everyone wants from this game and then, if necessary, compromise so that everyone is on the same page.
I actually think most comics/superhero aficionados will be on board with it on some level. It’s not 1990 anymore.
Maybe they just really like Invincible and Irredeemable? 🙂
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Aaron Griffin They must Really want consequences, if those two books are their touchstones.
Some people are responding to this gently, but I think you need to shut this down hard. Masks is designed to tell.a certain style of story, and that style is about young superheroes who are trying to be heroic. In those kinds of stories, there are always serious consequences for those kinds of actions. I had one player who wanted to get really dark like that, and we were able to find compromise within a framework that the main characters needed to be heroic. In a world with established and powerful superheroes, the system isn’t going to stand by while your newbie super slaughters people in the streets.
Have heroes show up and drag the transformed to prison, act out a scene as it it were lifted straight from Oz but superpowered and then hand the unused playbooks to the transformed player. “Pick a new one.”
If a player want to go “dark and edgy” then give that one unflinchingly dark consequences. Possibly give some of the other players a condition or two as well as they saw their friend tear people into pieces.
Alright, all sound like good advice. I have to agree that it really stems from a different perception of the kind of game they want to play vs. what masks is written as. I’ll have to talk to them and see what they’re thinking.
That said, they didn’t seem to be adverse to confrontations with established heroes over it, so I’m thinking that I’ll play the setting straight. Have the heroes come down hard on them for repeats.
On a personal level I agree with Joel that this is more serious than just a setting change. I don’t know any settings where casual and gruesome executions of helpless prisoners is acceptable, but I’m willing to try for a compromise if it means everyone gets to have fun.
In future, I think this kind of situation is why it’s important to read out the ‘setting expectations’ section from the book before anyone even starts making characters. The core assumptions are that the heroes are here by choice, and they’re not (yet) famous, loved, openly hunted or (most relevantly) killers. Definitely talk to your players about these expectations and why they’re pretty essential to playing Masks before dealing with it in character. A soft game reset isn’t the end of the world; the GM and players playing different games is.
There are a lot of game systems out there, and each of them has rules designed to tell a certain type of story. There’s no reason you couldn’t do the superhero murder squad story in some other systems if you really wanted to (I would pass on running such a game), but Masks has rules designed to tell a story about fledgling superheroes trying to establish themselves as heroes and finding their way. If your players aren’t telling that kind of story with you, then the rules of this game won’t make sense, especially the social rules that make the game tick.
I think that’s the beauty (and limitation) of Apocalypse Engine games. Because they are driven by storytelling and character, it’s not a combat rules engine that works for a range of stories like D&D, GURPS or Savage Worlds–but if you are willing to tell the kind of story they are designed to tell, you get a really awesome experience. For players who are used to different systems, it takes some getting used to, but is good training for positive group-driven roleplaying.
I agree with Joel Pearce , but I also think that as long as the players keep the “work towards becoming heroes” Masks will work with a lot of different campaign themes. The wannabes can be in a community service program — the janus playbook could be an issue with that campaign though.
But as soon as it goes from attempting to be/being heroes into anti-heroes or downright villains, it will fall apart.
I don’t necessarily agree that Masks can’t do this type of game. You could easily run a Punisher-era Masks game where people have guns and kill badguys. You just have to adjust what the Labels mean and what consequences you and the players establish for actions. A Monster in such a situation isn’t a killer, it’s a tortuous killer (to take one example). But everyone (including GM) has to be on board for whatever the decision is.
Your instinct is to preserve the game. Stop. Throttle that instinct to death. Clearly, your players don’t actually want to be playing a game of masks, and it’s not your responsibility to twist masks into the game they want to play. If you’re genuinely interested in running that game, cool. Find the game they actually want to play, and run that. But if you’re not interested in running that game, that’s cool too and all you need to do is tell your players that.
Remember the GM advice in the books-lives matter (paraphrasing). Show that the mook who died had people who cared for them.
Have their spouse cry on television, asking for a crackdown on supers.
Show other mooks having a post-funeral beer for their friend, reminiscing on the good times.
Have someone the Nova trusts (you said they were disgusted) ask him why he let the Transformed do what he did.
Have someone the Transformed cares about, call him a monster.
Then, have the child of the mook try to gain revenge on the Transformed, by going through the same process that turned him into the Transformed. Make the Transformed realize that he caused this young person to give up his humanity-that he made this person go through the same suffering he goes through.
Consequences are more than mechanics-remind them that the world changes with their actions and reacts with it. Just because they are OK with murder, doesn’t mean everyone else is.