I think some people around here would like to contribute

I think some people around here would like to contribute

I think some people around here would like to contribute

Originally shared by Lonnie Spangler

Worlds in Peril thoughts?

I really enjoyed running Worlds in Peril and found a lot that I preferred to Marvel Heroic (my previous “go to” supers game). However, there were some things that I felt weren’t quite fully baked.

I have been thinking of trying my hand at hacking it.

If you are a supers fan and have played WiP, what were some things about the system you think could be improved?

8 thoughts on “I think some people around here would like to contribute”

  1. I haven’t played it, but “half baked” is exactly the impression I came away with from reading it. Defining your powers seems pretty fuzzy. I like the Marvel Heroic system, but I’d like to see a really solid PbtA superhero game. If you come up with a hack I’d be interested in how you do it…

  2. gnomebreath I originally posted this. I just want to be clear. I do not think the game is half baked. In fact Superhero RPGs are my jam and WiP dethroned my previous favorite, MHR. I did say that I felt that some parts did not feel fully baked. I think I should reword that. I’m sure a lot of effort was put into every part of the game. I merely meant there were parts that didn’t quite hit the sweet spot for me or my players. I wanted to get other people’s experiences to compare, because I might try to mod it for myself and was looking for some guidance. Hopefully, my love of the game is clear.

  3. gnomebreath​ I love that it’s PbtA and I love the way powers are abstracted and the push move works great in play. I like that they avoid playbooks. The way bonds work finally made personal comic book drama a part of the game. That always seems missing. Masks is great at teen supers team drama, but WiP’s bonds system made those Spidey, Aunt May, Mary Jane scenes happen in our games. Also, the Take Down move is great for covering comic book action. Imho WiP handles comic action far better than Masks.

    What comes to mind is that I would like to hack drives and advancement, because I just could not get any of my groups engage with it. I liked it a lot on paper, but… Nope. It could just be something with the way I explain it. I had the same problem with MHR and milestones.

    Also, the conditions systems was a bit too free form for me. I felt I got a lot of raised eyebrows when I when I tried to explain how the extremity of conditions are determined and that for villians the difference in moderate and critical was only narrative. I understand why it’s that way, but it was a barrier for us.

    Also, I really wanted more social moves.

    So, I’m not sure I can pull it off, but…

    I think I’m a going to make drives just a phrase (similar to dungeon world) and if the group agrees that a PC acted in it during a session the PC will get an xp at the end of a session.

    I think I’m going with -6 gets an xp and every so many points unlocks an one of the WiP achievements (a la Masks)

    And the hardest part is that I think I want to replace conditions with stress tracks similar to cortex plus heroic. (Physical, Mental, Emotional, and maybe a Complications track)

    I’m not sure what I’ll do with socal moves but I want a bit more to represent more ways to increase or replace bond.

    I fully get that I may be the only person that thinks any of this is important. I’m just trying my hand at getting a game that does exactly what I want it to. I’m prepared to have my heart broken. LoL

    Feel free to tell me I’m crazy!

  4. Lonnie Spangler I’ve used directives for XP in WiP. You can find them explained in The Sprawl or The Veil.

    They are just fictional flags you have to hit to get XP. I combined mission-based directives with personal ones.

    For example, I run a game where the PCs had to rescue Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch. I made a few pregens: Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch themselves, plus Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye. Directives for each were:

    Capitan America, mark XP when:

    – You accept the mission (thanks for coming to play)

    – You avoid unnecessary killing

    – You Escape with the targets and your whole team.

    – You increase a Bond

    – You step out of your way to help someone in need

    Hawkeye, mark XP when:

    – You accept the mission

    – You protect Natasha from harm.

    – You Escape with the prisoners and Natasha.

    – You hit a crazy difficult target (hit someone in the eye, shoot throug a hole, etc)

    – You use a new trick arrow (Push move)

    Black Widow, mark XP when:

    – You accept the mission.

    – You seize this opportunity for revenge (she was held captive by the same guys)

    – You Escape with the prisoners.

    – You surprise an enemy.

    – You use 3 different forms of attack agains a foe.

    Scarlett Witch, mark XP when:

    – You extract the truth about you and Pietro from someone else’s mind.

    – You Escape with Pietro.

    – You defeat a foe by breaking his mind (without physically hitting him/her)

    – You make an enemy hurt himself or an ally.

    – You join the Avengers. (They are supposed to do so, so this is another form of thanks-for-coming XP)

    Quicksilver, you mark XP when:

    – You realize you are being held captive.

    – You Escape with Wanda.

    – You suddenly arrive where nobody expects you, but you are most needed.

    – You save a person, object or situation thanks to your absurd speed, when nobody else can.

    – You join the Avengers.

    I followed a few rules:

    XP for coming for everybody

    XP for Escaping for everybody

    XP for roleplaying your personality

    XP for fancy use of your powers

    Mission directives will change from session to session

    Personal directives may change when you feel they are burnt. Talk to the player to explore and decide an interesting new one.

    Those directives are flags telling what we want to see in the game. If you hit all the directives, the game should feel satisfying and complete. Write them with that in mind.

    Again, The Sprawl and The Veil use some form of fictional flags for XP. Go read them.

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