Gencon Marvel RPG

bolen · Jul 19, 2003

QED??

they proved the game exists?

or Feynman had something to do with it? (Quantum Electrodynamics).

Maybe superheroes go backward in time? (If you got this joke then you are a true geek)

JoeGKushner · Jul 19, 2003

I've heard of the new book but haven't looked at it or had any real desire to.

For heroes, it's Champions (Hero 5th ed). Now Mutants & Masterminds may change my mind but in the meanwhile...

RPG.net is probably a better place to ask.

Kichwas · Jul 19, 2003

Originally posted by JoeGKushner RPG.net is probably a better place to ask. [/B]

rpg.net isn't a good place to ask anything...

Too full of hostility and flaming.

That said, most of the assorted supers forums out there have had some discussion of the game. But in typical fashion it's all been attacks on any board not dedicated to it. Supers-RPG fans always attack anyone and anything not of their system choice. There's too much at stake... A very small niche of a niche hobby with systems all of which by their very nature have to be able to cover all the ground that their competitors do... Thus there is really no need for more than one option to exist given the size of the market and nature of the products... So we fight like cats and dogs over what little piece of the scraps each of us can get, knowing that to lose or give any ground is to result in our system of choice going off the market...

It's kind of like the philosophy you see on the sides involved in the Isreal - Palistine conflict.

So... If you want to get good info on the system, go to it's boards, and then contrast that against a few comments on other boards. You won't really be able to find just one place to get an objective viewpoint.

Ezrael · Jul 19, 2003

I bought the Marvel Universe game a couple of weeks ago and thought it was interesting that the writers and designers weren't listed until near the end of the book, indicative of Marvel's views on the importance of creators. However, it is an interesting game. I do prefer M&M or SAS (either Tri-Stat or D20) to it, just because I enjoy the random element dice introduce. As an example, I was once in a party that was saved from death at the hands of Gargoyles because a 1st level Kobold Warrior rolled four 20's in a row.

Kichwas · Jul 20, 2003

Ezrael said:
the writers and designers weren't listed until near the end of the book, indicative of Marvel's views on the importance of creators.

That's a false opinion.

In their comics Marvel places high priority on their creative staff.

In the past year and a half or so, they've gained a new chief editor whose stated policy is that writers are top of the food chain at Marvel now... since this time there has been a dramatic boost in the quality of their comics line. To presume they don't follow that through in other lines is a bit judgmental. There are probably simply reasons of layout for the given choice. From following the forums, I gather Marvel did a lot of cooperative work with the QED staff. I do know that they revised several character writeups on QED, telling them that this or that needed to change to match the internal documents at Marvel. That implies a hands on relationship rather than a distant one. It implies that they cared about the product, and how it would reflect back on them.

Ezrael · Jul 20, 2003

Arcady: it can't be a false opinion. I assure you, it actually is my opinion. If I were pretending that it were my opinion when it isn't, then it would be a false opinion.

We could argue all day about whether or not my opinion is based on fact...I base it on issues like the Peter David/Bill Jemas catfight, the firing of Mark Waid off of FF because he didn't want to alter his popular, well-written storyline due to editorial pressure to make it more like the proposed movie, things like that...but whether or not you agree with my opinion, that doesn't make it any less my opinion.

bolen · Jul 20, 2003

My original question was if there would be demo games at Gencon I suppose the answer must be no as neither QED or marvel have a booth

Wormwood · Jul 20, 2003

To answer your question: AFAIK no demo is scheduled or planned.

And to pimp this system: It's the most fun our group has had in recent gaming memory.

Be warned, trust is very importent in this game (ie. you must *trust* your GM explicitly to adjudicate some fuzzy rules areas, and he must trust you not to take advantage of some potent exploits in the chargen system).

That said, most of our enjoyment is derived from vividly *describing* each of our characters action panels (a byproduct of the game's 'author-based' rather than 'character based' perspective). It feels absolutely natural to say things like, "Spider Man leaps from the roof using all of his strength and just manages to catch the woman as she plummets to earth. Just as they are about to hit the pavement, he manages to catch a flag pole with his webbing and they swing to safety in the nick of time."

Honestly, we talk like that all night.

Excelsior!

ps. The game is so good it made me change my sig.