Category: Masks: A New Generation RPG: Discussion

First I’d like to say I’ve never been so enthusiastic about an AW hack since Monsterhearts.

First I’d like to say I’ve never been so enthusiastic about an AW hack since Monsterhearts.

First I’d like to say I’ve never been so enthusiastic about an AW hack since Monsterhearts. So I’m translating documents in french to play it tomorrow and I have some questions:

1/What technical differences do you make between vulnerable/opportunity/critical opportunity/opportunity for the opposition ?

2/If I directly engage a threat, does the option “impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition.” has a particular use regarding the Condition the opponent will have to mark ? Could it even be mandatory  or will the Conditions still be marked one after another by hitting a vilain even if there is no particular reason in the fiction ? Should the hero have to search what Conditions a vilain can have so they can see how they can affect him ?

3/My Hero is threatened by a crumbling building over is head or a death ray from from a vilain. How can he defend : unleashing his powers / directly engaging a threat with a 7+ choosing “resist avoid blows” ?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Kal

So, would it be okay to run a session of Masks at in online convention such as Virtuacon, or would you prefer that…

So, would it be okay to run a session of Masks at in online convention such as Virtuacon, or would you prefer that…

So, would it be okay to run a session of Masks at in online convention such as Virtuacon, or would you prefer that we keep the playtest information a closer hold? I would only make the materials available to the players in the session.

Playbook Spotlight: The Transformed

Playbook Spotlight: The Transformed

Playbook Spotlight: The Transformed

“You can remember what it was like, to look normal. To have skin. To not feel every eye turn to you once you stepped outside. To not hear the gasps and exclamations. You remember when you could look forward to a life of normal problems. When you weren’t labeled a monster every step of the way. 

“Those were the days, huh.”

The Transformed used to look normal, maybe even unexceptional, but all that went away with some change. Maybe it was a mad science experiment, or a mutation, or live-saving cybernetics. Regardless of what it was, the Transformed is now very obviously not a regular human. They can’t hide their change, no matter how much they might want to. Many regular people see them as just a monster. Their struggle is all about that question: what are they now? Are they the monster that everybody sees them as? Are they the voice in their head, regardless of what their body looks like? Or are they some middle point between the two? 

The Transformed is inspired by characters such as Cyborg (Teen Titans), Mettle (Avengers Academy), Beast (X-Men), and The Thing (Fantastic Four), among many others. 

(Note: Brendan Conway is still ruminating on the playbook name for this one, but we’re going with Transformed for now.)

Hey, just joined the group.

Hey, just joined the group.

Hey, just joined the group. Really like the superhero stories, but unfamiliar with this tabletop style. From what I understand, the system for this is ‘Powered by the Apocalypse’, which is based off of the ‘Apocalypse World’ RPG.

Still interested, but I’d like some help to keep going on this.

I skimmed the playbooks this morning and they look boss.

I skimmed the playbooks this morning and they look boss.

I skimmed the playbooks this morning and they look boss. My love for the game and fervor to play continue undiminished! However, two things did stick out. Firstly, I don’t recall any shape shifting powers listed, which seems a shame given Beast Boy’s prominence. I would probably add it to the Delinquent and drop technopathy. Secondly, it is a bummer that the only role that emphasizes gadgets requires a mentor. My playtest character actually had the fact that nobody supported his capability in that regard as essential to his background, so I am sentimental about it, and it seems very limiting in a broad sense. You COULD be a tech adept… Cyborg and Spider-Man really just have a decent Superior rather than a gadgets power. But the idea that the ability to create is tied to mentorship fundamentally bugs me.

Playbook Spotlight: The Beacon

Playbook Spotlight: The Beacon

Playbook Spotlight: The Beacon

“You don’t have to be doing this. You could probably have a life that’s just fine, somewhere safe. You could probably be content, growing up to get a decent job, a decent apartment. It’d probably be nice.

“But come on. Super-powers! Aliens! Wizards! Time travel! You are so far out of your depth, but who cares! This is awesome. Everybody should try it.”

The Beacon doesn’t have the same kind of capabilities or accomplishments that validate their teammates. But that’s not going to stop them; they’re going to be here, and do awesome things, and love every minute of it. The Beacon has a series of drives, things like “Punch someone you probably shouldn’t” and “Kiss someone you probably shouldn’t” that reward them for experiencing life and trying new things. They’re all about proving themselves to the others while keeping their shining, mundane heart.

The Beacon is inspired by characters such as Kate Bishop/Hawkeye (Young Avengers), Kitty Pryde (X-Men), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), and Kid Flash (Young Justice), among many others. 

The stat block (Labels) on the beta playbooks seems  rather awkward.

The stat block (Labels) on the beta playbooks seems  rather awkward.

The stat block (Labels) on the beta playbooks seems  rather awkward.

Is there a reason for the layout that isn’t obvious from the beta materials? I don’t see any advantage to this setup vs the typical arrangement, and at least for me, it seems wasteful of space on the sheet and more importantly, cluttered and hard to read.

Playbook Spotlight: The Bull

Playbook Spotlight: The Bull

Playbook Spotlight: The Bull

“You’re big, and strong, and tough. You’re the one who knows what fighting really is, and you take joy in it. You’re a badass stone-faced destroyer. And, sure…you’ve got a soft-side, too. But you don’t show that to just anybody. Only the people you care about most. And everybody else? They can eat your fist.” 

The Bull is a fighter with a heart of gold. Their powers are always about strength, toughness, and fighting ability—they’re ass-kickers. But deeper down, they’re driven by their relationships to two people on their team—their Love, and their Rival. Their Love is somebody they care about deeply, romantically or not as they choose. Their Rival is somebody they butt heads with all the time. Even though the Bull may put on a gruff exterior, they’re all about these feelings beneath the surface. 

The Bull is inspired by characters such as Superboy (Season One of Young Justice), Ms. America Chavez (Young Avengers), Wolverine and X-23 (X-Men),  and Molly Hayes (Runaways), among many others.

Playbook Spotlight: The Protégé

Playbook Spotlight: The Protégé

Playbook Spotlight: The Protégé 

“You proved yourself to someone who’s been there, done that. They’ve been training you for ages. And now, you’re trying to decide…do you want to be them? Or do you want to find your own path?”

The Protégé is all about their relationship with their mentor. Their mentor is the source of their training, their equipment…maybe even the reason they’re in the superhero scene to begin with. The Protégé’s mentor has even given resources to the team as a whole. And the Protégé is, without doubt, one of the most qualified on the whole team to be involved in superheroics—they may have an even better idea of what it takes than the Legacy does, and it shows in their moves. But for all that the Protégé owes their mentor, they may not want to actually become their mentor. That push and pull drives the playbook. 

The Protégé is inspired by characters such as Robin or Aqualad (Season One of Young Justice), Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond), Cyclops (X-Men), and Armor (X-Men), among many others.