teitan
Legend
If you like rules light, most of the book is Marvel U characters, with simple mechanics, (yes I think it is simple, even damage) then it's a great game. It isn't balanced but neither was FASERIP Marvel or MEGS. This is beer and pretzels with a side of reese' cups.
It is a throwback on the balance thing because it puts that in the GM's hands. As the arbiter of the game it's the onus of the GM to actually drive game play and not let one player, say Captain Marvel, outshine another player, Hawkeye. You have two very different rank characters in the same group but a good GM can make it work and have them on the same team.
And rank, don't let it fool you, it isn't a character progression system. It's a measure of power like Magneto being a Class M mutant. The game doesn't have a clear cut advancement mechanic and encourages different reward mechanics for play. You can still play the Avengers with the broad ranks in power. It isn't a leveling up mechanic but can be used in such a way if you want to emulate that mid90s power up the X-Men got to make them comparable or more powerful than the Avengers rather than Teen Titans level of power as they were throughout Claremont's run. It will probably be easier to run with all the characters of the same rank though.
It's very much a throwback game in the playstyle expected of the GM, like 5e was/is. Rulings, not rules. They've issued an errata for it that goes a long way to fixing (RAI is big with it) issues in the core book and the Roll20 and Kindle versions are already updated to my knowledge.
It is limited in powers but no moreso than the basic Marvel set from 1984 in what powers it has, in fact it has more in it than the classic orange box which many critics are unfavorably comparing this game to because of its "lack of powers" and about the same as the Advanced set from 1985. The X-men expansion coming... soon or summer, I hear conflicting details... adds a lot more powers and then the Spider-verse book. My own hope is that they release a collection of powers in one book at some point like the old Ultimate Powers book.
The core book has a HUGE chunk of characters and Cataclysm of Kang, the first adventure with adventures for characters of each rank, has a tuckus load more including Adam Warlock!
I think it is unfair to compare it to Champions, MEGS or M&M and should be compared to something like FASERIP or even Icons, power based design instead of effects based. Buttttt it reminds me a LOT of M&M 1e which was a mix of effects based and power based design that was more reminiscent of FASERIP or Villains & Vigilantes than 2e's more MEGs/CHampions inspired effect based design. It more favorably compares to V&V & Basic Marvel with character modeling encouraged over random or point buy character creation.
It is a throwback on the balance thing because it puts that in the GM's hands. As the arbiter of the game it's the onus of the GM to actually drive game play and not let one player, say Captain Marvel, outshine another player, Hawkeye. You have two very different rank characters in the same group but a good GM can make it work and have them on the same team.
And rank, don't let it fool you, it isn't a character progression system. It's a measure of power like Magneto being a Class M mutant. The game doesn't have a clear cut advancement mechanic and encourages different reward mechanics for play. You can still play the Avengers with the broad ranks in power. It isn't a leveling up mechanic but can be used in such a way if you want to emulate that mid90s power up the X-Men got to make them comparable or more powerful than the Avengers rather than Teen Titans level of power as they were throughout Claremont's run. It will probably be easier to run with all the characters of the same rank though.
It's very much a throwback game in the playstyle expected of the GM, like 5e was/is. Rulings, not rules. They've issued an errata for it that goes a long way to fixing (RAI is big with it) issues in the core book and the Roll20 and Kindle versions are already updated to my knowledge.
It is limited in powers but no moreso than the basic Marvel set from 1984 in what powers it has, in fact it has more in it than the classic orange box which many critics are unfavorably comparing this game to because of its "lack of powers" and about the same as the Advanced set from 1985. The X-men expansion coming... soon or summer, I hear conflicting details... adds a lot more powers and then the Spider-verse book. My own hope is that they release a collection of powers in one book at some point like the old Ultimate Powers book.
The core book has a HUGE chunk of characters and Cataclysm of Kang, the first adventure with adventures for characters of each rank, has a tuckus load more including Adam Warlock!
I think it is unfair to compare it to Champions, MEGS or M&M and should be compared to something like FASERIP or even Icons, power based design instead of effects based. Buttttt it reminds me a LOT of M&M 1e which was a mix of effects based and power based design that was more reminiscent of FASERIP or Villains & Vigilantes than 2e's more MEGs/CHampions inspired effect based design. It more favorably compares to V&V & Basic Marvel with character modeling encouraged over random or point buy character creation.
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