Masks: A New Generation RPG – Page 9 – Powered by the Apocalypse G+ Archives

I got to run Masks for Magpie at PAX, and I’m really pleased with how it went.

I got to run Masks for Magpie at PAX, and I’m really pleased with how it went. I think my setup makes for a good, tweakable one-shot or intro to Masks. I’ll describe my basic setup, and where I think you can MadLibs it a little.

The Setup:

The team is asked to assist in a prison transfer. Cold Snap (from the Deck of Villainy) is being moved from prison to a courthouse cell for trial.

Act I:

Conflict with A.E.G.I.S. who, at least in our scenario, weren’t the ones who called in the team, and felt they might cause more trouble. (Esp. as Cold Snap’s backstory is being a former teen hero who went bad after losing her teammates in what the world considers and unfortunate “accident.”

Cold Snap breaks out of the armored car.

Act II:

At some point during the fight, it becomes clear that Cold Snap isn’t working alone. Her power-suppressing handcuffs were tampered with, someone is firing tranqs at the A.E.G.I.S. agents. As the fight goes on and the team Assesses, Pierces the Mask, etc. it will become clear that the person who helped Cold Snap break out isn’t trying to help her escape.

The A.E.G.I.S. agents are being targeted with tranqs, but the sniper is aiming bullets at Cold Snap (and, eventually, the team). It’s Carbine, the rogue A.E.G.I.S. agent who lethally targets dangerous heroes. She helped Cold Snap break out, because it was too hard to take her out in the prison.

Act III:

Play to find out. The players may decide to help Cold Snap escape to save her life. They may want to help A.E.G.I.S. recapture her (and try to bargain with Carbine to avoid lethal force). It’s up to them and to you.

In my game

The players initially were trying to recapture Cold Snap, though several of them felt sympathetic when she said (marking Guilty) that her team was assassinated and she was going after the perps when she was arrested. Once Carbine turned up, the team worked with the one A.E.G.I.S. agent left standing, took down Carbine, but then, their trust in A.E.G.I.S. damaged, helped Cold Snap escape to the Legacy’s home.

Customizing the scenario

Who tells the team to step in?

In our case, the message came from the city councilman they saved in “When the Team First Came Together” who asked for help on the DL, leaving them in conflict with A.E.G.I.S. when they turned up.

What really happened to Cold Snap’s team?

A nice place to tie in the Doomed’s nemesis, the Legacy’s family enemy, the “start of something bigger” from the Beacon’s answer, etc. I went with the last, and gave them a stinger of the wealthy industrialist being informed Cold Snap was loose and might be able to put the pieces together at last.

Of course, it could just be Carbine.

For our third bio we have a bit of a long one:

For our third bio we have a bit of a long one:

Farah was quite literally born to be hero. Her ancestry, through her father, can be traced back to the legendary hero Gilgamesh. Throughout the centuries, these descendants have taken up the mantle of Gilgamesh to fight injustice and protect the weak. They are aided by an Ensi, originally an attendant but now a full fledged sidekick, who would inherit the Gilgamesh mantle when the time came. But this was not to be Farah’s fate; as tradition dictated the role of Ensi be given to the first son, which was Farah’s older brother Darius. When Darius was asked to take on the title at age 13, he eagerly accepted. This left Farah growing up not really having to worry much about superhero matters, though that didn’t stop her from using the legendary speed she inherited to become a track star at school. However, as Darius got older, he began to ignore his new duties, instead going to parties and hanging around with friends his parents disapproved of. This created tension between Darius and his father, which often culminated in loud angry arguments, which led to more arguments between his mother and father. His mother believing Darius simply needed to “get it out of his system” and leave him be so he can take responsibility later, and his father insisting he should take responsibility now. In the middle of all of this was Farah, fearing that every argument would be the one that causes her family to fall apart. It was this fear that motivated her to propose that she take up the role of Ensi in her brother’s stead and, in her mind, end the problem that was fracturing her family. While her father initially denied this proposition out of tradition; as Darius continued to neglect his role, he eventually relented. A suit of armour was made for her in the Forge, and she was given access to the family’s legendary armoury. Farah proved to be a capable Ensi, working well in tandem with her father. But when an extraterrestrial scientist, a reformed super criminal, and two superpowered teens show up, Gilgamesh assigns Ensi to lead this rag-tag group as a superhero team, mostly so that they can be kept under close watch. Her first real assignment on her own, Farah hopes that she can not only prove that she can handle herself on her own, but that she is also worthy of upholding her family’s legacy.

If you’d like to listen to her and the rest of the ragtag teens you can listen to their adventures here: https://soundcloud.com/lttn-podcast/sets/ragtag-teens-season-1

Art by our resident Artist Joe. Head over to his twitter account https://twitter.com/Spiral_Joe if you’d like to commission him.

As we are leaving Pax Unplugged, my daugher asks me the one question I’m sure every dad waits to hear:

“Dad, how do you run a game like Masks?”

So, Marvel Rising… Who gets which playbook?

Gwen is the Janus. Sure.

Squirrel Girl is a Beacon.

Patriot is a Soldier.

Miss America. Outsider? Harbinger?

Inferno?

Miss Marvel?

This week its back to school for our heroes, except it seems that someone is missing…

https://soundcloud.com/lttn-podcast/ragtag-teens-masks-session-14?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=googleplus

I’m about to try out this custom move and am wondering what people think.

I’m about to try out this custom move and am wondering what people think. If you need context, basically Illyana Rasputin has gone Darkchilde, and the heroes want to talk her down.

Speaking with a demoness is not without its consequences.

When you try to reason with the Darkchilde, describe how Darkchilde make it terrifying, worrying, enraging, or what have you, and then roll +Savior

On a hit, you talk her into transforming into her human self, postponing her battle with Belasco, or something else within reason. Explain how the conversation ultimately went your way.

On a 7-9 remove one from the list of consequences.

On a 10+ remove two

All consequence that have not been removed apply

CONSEQUENCES

– Mark a condition

– Shift your labels (Mundane up, Savior down)

– Make a promise to the Darkchilde that she can extract from you later.

On a miss, suffer the consequences above except for the promise. And choose one of:

– Be unceremoniously expelled from Limbo

– Battle the Darkchilde

Note that anyone who aided in the roll via spending of Team Pool must also face any consequences.

Has anybody here tried Masks in a play-by-post style?

Has anybody here tried Masks in a play-by-post style? I’ve heard of successful online games, but only of basically live ones.

I’m not convinced it can be done, but I’d love to hear about it if you’ve had any experience (good or bad) as a GM or player in an asynchronous Masks game.

Hi all!

Hi all! Just another few days to get your response in regarding a Masks Zine. I’d love to get 75-100 responses from the community, and we’re pretty close! I just want to make sure we can support the costs of printing. We’re probably going to start working on this in earnest, so if you’re interested, please give me a heads up here:

https://goo.gl/forms/WdEegNs6X5FTn56o2

Originally shared by Linda Codega

Hello Everyone! I’m a part of a Masks Discord, and we just finished up character creation contest (with the Unbound Book as a prize!), and we’re starting to work on our next big project. This time, we’re aiming even higher!

We want to judge the community’s interest in creating an RPG Zine for Masks!

Zines are collaborative, community-generated pieces of content that can be bought, sold, and traded. Zines often include art, one-shot modules, extra moves, maps, and anything else that would be ‘extra information’ for your RPG. If we get enough contributors, we’d be able to run a Kickstarter to print this zine, and donate all profits to charity (perhaps Superhero Foundation or Capes4Kids).

If this sounds like a cool thing you’d be interested in contributing to, take a few minutes and fill out this survey, which we will be keeping open for a weeks. Feel free to share this survey with your friends:

Here is our second character bio:

Here is our second character bio:

Until a few months ago, Tim had lived his life as a completely normal young man. A high school student with an impoverished family and several other younger siblings, getting by on a limited budget was everyday life for him. He saved money whenever he could, and worked a part-time job as a waiter so he could save for university and hopefully give his family a better life. Then one night, walking home from work, he was bitten by a former lab rat that had escaped its testing facility. Over the next few days, he found himself with strange and unusual abilities, like enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes. However, the most extraordinary power he possessed was the ability to control rats by producing sound waves. Exhilarated by these newfound powers, Tim finally had control of something for the first time in his life. He bought a discount Pied Piper costume at a nearby store and picked up his old flute from his days in Grade 9 Band Class, and the alias of The Piper was born.

If you’d like to listen to him and the rest of the ragtag teens you can listen to their adventures here: https://soundcloud.com/lttn-podcast/sets/ragtag-teens-season-1

Art by our resident Artist Joe. Head over to his twitter account https://twitter.com/Spiral_Joe if you’d like to commission him.

Welcome to another episode of the Green Hill Gamer Guild Podcast.

Welcome to another episode of the Green Hill Gamer Guild Podcast. Joshua is joined by Kollin, Mel, Adam, and Chris as they play Masks: A New Generation, the popular tabletop role-playing game by Magpie Games.

In part 2 of issue #5 the Punks learn about an active prison break as they continue their search to figure out just what the heck has attached itself to Jax’s wrist. Will they be able to contain the prisoners or will this chaos play right into the hands of the Shadow Man? Join us and find out!

Special Note: Episodes marked mature for use of foul language only.

The Super Punks are:

The Protege Hawk, real name Marshal, played by Kollin.

The Beacon Jax, real name Jasper, played by Mel.

The Innocent Wheels, real name Russ, played by Adam.

The Delinquent Deke, real name Memo, played by Chris.

‘Gravity Waves’ performed by Elliot Middleton, used under license from Shutterstock

https://www.greenhillgamerguild.com/2018/11/27/masks-super-punks-issue-5-lighting-up-the-shadow-man-part-2/