Check Out This Preview of the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game

On April 20th, the 120-page softcover playtest book for the new Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game by Matt Forbeck will be available to purchase for $9.99; the final game is due to be released next year, in 2023.

Marvel has revealed some of the playtest book, in which you use the new d616 system and profiles for Spider-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Wolverine and more, in an introductory scenario called Enter: Hydra. The scenario involves a hostage situation at the Howard & Maria Stark Center for Galactic History.

Marvel Multiverse RPG Alternate Covers

Marvel has revealed some alternate covers for its upcoming Marvel Multiverse RPG (written by Matt Forbeck). The new covers are by Peach Momoko and Logan Lubera, and the standard cover is by Iban Coello. The game uses a new "D616" system and will be released next year with a playtest book. "“…...

www.enworld.org

The d616 system uses three d6s. Designer Matt Forbeck says "If you get a 1 on the Marvel die, you get a fantastic result and something amazing happens. If you get 6 on both of the other dice—or a 6-1-6 result—that’s an ultimate fantastic roll, which is even better."

The words MARVEL contains initials for the game's six ability scores -- Might, Agility, Resilience, Vigilance, Ego, and Logic. Each character has an archetype, such as a striker or blaster, and the archetype combines with the abilities to give bigger attack rolls.

Here's a quick look at Spider-Man! For reference a normal human stat is between -4 and +4.

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Get a First Look at the New Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game

Plus an exclusive Q&A with game designer Matt Forbeck!

www.marvel.com

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Ah yes, the Spider-Strike power. Everyone knows what that is. Very intuitive.

With every new supers game that tries (yet again) to atomize the experience into a massive pile of numbers and endless lists of specific powers, the more I appreciate the genius of Masks.

 

[bulletmeat]

I wonder if this will be 3d6+mod resolution where a 1 on the marvel die while 6 on one or two of the other die does something special.

 

[Jer]

At the very least, the derived stats are pretty simple to calculate. Modifier appears to be entirely linear (with a 0 = +7), and Defense is just the Modifier +11.

I'm guessing that Spidey here is an example of a pretty high-leveled character (Rank 10, it seems?). I would hope that intro characters are quite a bit more simplified.

Why assume that something like an intro character exists?

Most folks play superhero games to be superheroes. Either to be Spider-man or to make up their own characters who are on the level of spider-man. Superhero games aren't usually level progression games because of that - even Mutants and Masterminds which started as a d20 based system had character power levels as a dial to turn not a level to attain.

The superhero games that tried to ape D&D with some kind of progression from low power to high power have never caught on. Because they're a bad fit for the genre. The genre is that one day you could get bit by a radioactive mongoose and suddenly become a hero who is at the same power level as Spider-man or Iron man right from the start. I'd assume that just about any character you make would be as complex as Spider-man.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I wonder if this will be 3d6+mod resolution where a 1 on the marvel die while 6 on one or two of the other die does something special.

It does not sound like the dice are added together, as the opening post quotes from the article itself:

"The d616 system uses three d6s. Designer Matt Forbeck says "If you get a 1 on the Marvel die, you get a fantastic result and something amazing happens. If you get 6 on both of the other dice—or a 6-1-6 result—that’s an ultimate fantastic roll, which is even better."

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Why assume that something like an intro character exists?

The article says power levels from Squirrel-Girl to Captain Marvel, so there will definitely be lower powered heroes than Spider Man. Plus we get to make our own characters with the playtest, not just play pregens, so that will help a lot.

 

[bulletmeat]

It does not sound like the dice are added together, as the opening post quotes from the article itself:

"The d616 system uses three d6s. Designer Matt Forbeck says "If you get a 1 on the Marvel die, you get a fantastic result and something amazing happens. If you get 6 on both of the other dice—or a 6-1-6 result—that’s an ultimate fantastic roll, which is even better."

This quote is what makes me think so:

"an accessible and easy-to-learn system for newcomers to tabletop RPGs and a natural evolution for those familiar with the most popular tabletop role-playing games on the market."

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I love the lore, but I would rather the system used by Onyx Path for Aberrant.

My doubt is how to design encounters if PCs have got different rank or levels. A street-vigilante isn't like a cosmic champion. The sentinels, the mutant-hunter robots, could be too powerful or too weak for different PCs.

Other point is if some munchkin players want to use high-tech and superpowers.

 

[Undrave]

Ah yes, the Spider-Strike power. Everyone knows what that is. Very intuitive.

With every new supers game that tries (yet again) to atomize the experience into a massive pile of numbers and endless lists of specific powers, the more I appreciate the genius of Masks.

I also appreciate the simplicity of Cartoon Action Hour...

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Doing a little poking around the Net right now and so far I am seeing this will be available for Kindle, Nook, and the Google Play Books app, though the Google one is $11, instead of $10. They just gotta get their percent of the sale, but I might get that version anyway, so I can read it on any Android device and take it with me on my phone.

I also see it for pre-order from Target and Barnes & Noble, for people without a local comics shop to buy it from and who don't want to order it by mail.

 

[Mark Craddock]

The system looks like a vaguely simplified version of Champions where you are rolling high, rather than low.

For the attributes, I’d imagine if you were to multiply the scores by five, they’d end up being equivalent to the Champions score - so 2 would be a baseline of 10, 7 would be 35.

It also has shades of Green Ronin's Adventure Game Engine.