You Have The Power! New Masters of the Universe RPG!

Legends of Grayskull is an upcoming tabletop RPG based on the 1980s Masters of the Universe cartoon show.

The game is being produced by Fandom (the owners of D&D Beyond) who announced a Dragon Prince RPG just a week ago. Like the latter, it will use the Cortex Prime system, which the company acquired from Margaret Weis Productions last year, and it's coming out in 2021, with public playtesting in advance of release. It's a 250-page hardcover book with pull-out maps.

"In the Legends of Grayskull tabletop roleplaying game, players can customize or create characters to overcome high-stakes challenges and find epic fun in Eternia, a world where magic meets technology. The experience brings together the core roleplaying game, a digital companion and toolset, a community content creation and sharing platform, and an organized play program that gives fans the opportunity to participate in a connected, living story with other players around the world."

 

[TheIdeaOfGood]

Thanks, much appreciated.

 

[jeffh]

Well, I like the magic-tech combo, and shorn of some of the cheesier elements it could make a fun game setting.

 

[TheIdeaOfGood]

I recommend the 2002 reboot. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after 2 seasons but it dialed down the cheese and managed to make Skeletor a somewhat credible threat.

 

[Aldarc]

I recommend the 2002 reboot. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after 2 seasons but it dialed down the cheese and managed to make Skeletor a somewhat credible threat.

Their original plan was actually to have Skeleton be the one who defeats Hordak rather than He-Man just to reaffirm his top dog status as a threat.

 

[Aldarc]

This is something that Cortex+ has in common with HeroWars/Quest, and Maelstrom Storytelling, and maybe Fate (I don't know it well enough to be sure) and contrasts with 3E and maybe 5e: what is possible is worked out directly from the fiction, and is a necessary precursor to deploying the resolution mechanics.

Is it possible for the Sword of Power to cut a boulder in two? We can't answer that, as we would in 3E, by applying the damage mechanics and resistance mechanics and interaction-with-objects mechanics. Rather, the table (probably ed by the GM) makes a call, and then the resolution mechanics tell us whether or not it actually happens on this occasion.

This relies on having a good sense of the fiction. Clear images or stereotypes or similar help. This is why I think it's a good fit for Marvel Heroics, for LotR, and probably for MotU too!

This is also a big reason why I would prefer to run something like Masters of the Universe with Fate or Cortex than the D&D 5Engine. I already know that Fate can do He-Man, because that is essentially what Masters of Umdaar is meant to simulate. But IMHO a lot of the best Cortex and Fate action requires engaging the fiction as part of the process of assembling a dice pool.

 

[stadi]

I watched the demo video posted here and I really did not like how the GM had to roll after every player roll. Gameplay must be extremely slow this way.

 

[Umbran]

This is something that Cortex+ has in common with HeroWars/Quest, and Maelstrom Storytelling, and maybe Fate (I don't know it well enough to be sure) and contrasts with 3E and maybe 5e: what is possible is worked out directly from the fiction, and is a necessary precursor to deploying the resolution mechanics.

Typically, Fate works similarly. Sometimes how an Aspect may be applicable is obvious (I'm in a melee, and I have the Aspect "Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion" - duh!). When it is not, if the player can describe how it might apply, and the GM finds it plausible in the fiction, it may be applied.

There are some variants of Fate in which, for example, in which using a weapon in a fight does not change how much stress you do - it merely changes the fiction, and thus what Aspects, Skills, and Stunts may be relevant.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The optimal combat choice should always be throwing your opponent into the conveniently-placed lake below.

The trick is modeling swords and lasers so it makes sense that they are both viable weapons....or not it is frigging He Man no one realy dies anyway.

I played Demonhunters at a con. It was fun and easy to understand. It felt more Fate than Cortex, though less narrative than pure Fate.

Anyone played Demonhunters A comedy of Terrors?
Apparently its a nice mash-up of Fate and Cortex

 

[Aldarc]

I watched the demo video posted here and I really did not like how the GM had to roll after every player roll. Gameplay must be extremely slow this way.

I believe there is an option in Cortex Prime to use static opposition or a scaling ladder. It's an incredibly flexible toolkit.

 

[Undrave]

Abilities should have been called 'action features'.

That's a thing in Cartoon Action Hour