I’m doing character creation for my first game of MASKS tonight and I’ve got some general newbie questions for experienced players. I’ve never played a Pbta game proper but I’ve played a lot of blades in the dark so I’m totally comfortable with fiction first and I know the purest answer to some of these questions is just going to be to follow the fiction but I figured I would ask for any insight anyone has.
I’m going to play a protégé and I know the rest of the group is going to consist of beacon, delinquent, doomed, and outsider I know some playbooks play off of each other better and some have some overlap so in an effort to be considerate of sharing spotlighting (in the event the gm isn’t proactive about it) are there any themes these books run into that I should worry about stepping on toes accidentally?
Conversely are there any “synergies” I should look for? I know one of my playbook prompt things (sorry forgetting what it’s called) is distrustful mentor who wants you to keep an eye on someone so the immediate thoughts are doomed or outsider for those maybe even delinquent depending on how things feel during proper creation but are there any other things I should keep my eye out to be able to play off of and support?
Our campaign is set to run probably about 6 sessions and no actual plays I’ve seen have gone on very long, I know apocalypse world is by nature usually a finite game, is MASKS similar? Does it have the potential to be a long term campaign or does it tend to be that the setting persists and the characters rotate out and are replaced by new teams?
Lastly, for influence I have the question of being a personable or a “business” protégé. My initial concept is to go business cause it played into the themes I’m interested in exploring a bit more but it does shaft the other players from having influence over me. Is this a “dick move” or is it fairly easy to get influence over someone? Am I going to be missing out on things by giving fewer (none) players influence over me at the start of my MASKS experience?
I think that’s all I have. Any other general insights are appreciated, thanks MASKS G+!
Thematic overlaps and synergies are going to depend a lot on the characters that the other players draw out of their playbooks.
That said, the obducts obstinate playbooks do have their own themes, and the spread you have isn’t likely to have any toes stepped on. The Outsider, Delinquent and Protege can all be pretty Superior focused, but that’s not really a big deal.
Likely themes to play off of: you’re all here for different reasons. You’re here because you were groomed for it, the Doomed is here because their powers backed them into a corner and they want to survive or go down swinging, the Outsider is here to learn something, the Beacon is here because they want to be (I’ve never gotten a good feel for the Delinquent, sorry). Play with that, bounce off of one another’s motives and personal missions, especially since as the Protege you’re a natural fit for team leader and you should be getting in everyone’s heads.
The Delinquent in particular is likely to be a good counterpoint to you: you’re the consummate professional, they’re the loose cannon. Embrace the friction that comes with the fiction (though so remember that you’re on the same team!)
If business-like feels right to you, go for it. Trading Influence is easy, and it’s encouraged.
General advice: have fun, and dive into the drama! Despite appearances, the game is just as much about identity and relationships as it is about superhero action. More so, really.
I’ve run an eight-or-so session game of Masks, and it still had legs. I’d say we coulda run another eight before starting to run out of advances and material.
I wouldn’t worry a single jot about overlap or synergies. Everyone works with everyone in every way, that I’ve tried so far. I’ve seen every base playbook at the table, and I’ve seen a good mess of combinations. If you have, say, a Nova, a Bull, and a Transformed all playing total tanks, you still end up doing it in different ways. If you have a Protégé, a Legacy, and a Janus all doing varieties of radar and defense, they still will all be different. Etc. The characters’ flavors and personalities will stand out.
Influence changes a lot in play, and the fact that it changes is what gives the game vitality. There will be times with the team all fractured and times with you all Influencing each other. It’s great. Don’t worry about choices in that respect.
Enjoy!
Keep in mind that you can give out influence over your character at any time. There’s nothing saying you can’t be a professional protege that cares what your teammates think at the start, if you wanted to. As soon as you feel they’ve earned it, they have it! It’s pretty hard for them not having it to be a dick move. Hell, they’ll have less chance of comforting/supporting you, so it’s potentially a downside for you as well.
As Protege, you’ve got a 90% chance of being the reason the team has a base. Use it. If you take Captain, your job is to throw teammates into combinations (“Hey, Raj, can you check on Thurston? You’re good with people” or “Becky, can you deal with Raj’s bullshit? I’m not feeling it.”) Don’t worry about who your relationships fit til you’re at the table. You’ll be fine.
Hopping in on this topic a little late but ive got some room to speak on the longevity of masks. Our actuak play just recorded its 12th episode last week and we record 13 tonight and we are still going strong with the same characters developing interesting stories and focusing heavily om their relationships with each other and a few key npcs. Our plot still has a long way to go as well (we are looking at about 32 sessions). So as long as you dig the hooks in and keep the plot moving you can get a lot out of the game. Once you feel that masks has run its course you can always carry the same characters over to worlds in peril as adult heroes.