Margaret Weiss gets Marvel license

[Agamon]

Yeah, Cortex supports a character-driven sandbox style of game, but these Event books sound "adventure-path"-like. I'll reserve judgement until we get more info, but this seems odd to me.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I can't comment on the appropriateness of the game to the source material. Personally, I know very little about comics.

That's probably what makes this a good business move.

 

[Gargoyle]

I don't mind having books about events in the standard continuity. But having them be central? That's the metaplot problem writ large.

I mean, I've already *read* the Civil War line. I know what happens. Why would I want to play through it?

If my play matches the standard continuity, there wasn't much point to the exercise, so to speak.

If my play doesn't match, then I have a problem for the future - what I have in my game will no longer match the next set of books to come out.

I would much prefer a stand-alone core, with supplements for those who want them

I seem to remember the Secret Wars module in TSR's old MSH rpg to be good fun, despite being exactly the same strategy. No one seemed to care that we had all read it, or that our Secret Wars turned out differently.

I guess we never worried about continuity much in that game or matching the next set of books. Half the fun was rolling up new characters anyway.

 

[Treebore]

I've only seriously played the old CORTEX, stand alone, not as part of some license, and enjoyed it a great deal. Not sure of CORTEX+ since I haven't even looked at it, because I want it stand alone, not as part of a license.

But this license will finally get me to take a look at CORTEX+, and hopefully I like it.

 

[Umbran]

I seem to remember the Secret Wars module in TSR's old MSH rpg to be good fun, despite being exactly the same strategy. No one seemed to care that we had all read it, or that our Secret Wars turned out differently.

Well, I think the difference there is in the focus.

The old MSH used the traditional RPG format - give you a set of rules, and adventures as supplements. We didn't care about that one module, because it was only one module.

This sounds much more like the game is focused specifically on the "adventure path", and the ability to play outside that path is secondary. At least, that's how it reads to me. I am not sure it is a good bet to create a good overall game design.

 

[Agamon]

The "five to ten minutes to teach" line from Margaret makes sound like it could be a lighter version of Cortex+ (which, in honesty, is already pretty light). This makes sense, because if they're planning on republishing the rules with every event, you don't want it to take up too much territory.

So, you buy the essential edition of the version of the Marvel Universe you want to play, which will likely have stats and backgrounds for the heroes and villains, and background of the setting, of the event it covers. Then, if you want to play an adventure path style of game through that event, you get the supplemental adventures, as well. If you just want to run your own game during that timeline, you don't.

The line that confused me a bit is, "...each with a premium and essential edition..." Is that market speak (like New and Improved) or are "premium" and "essential" different editions? Might they publish one book with the rules and one without if you already have them? I can't see that, unless it was a pdf/pod option only.

 

[Stormonu]

The one thing that has always somewhat bothered me about Marvel (and DC) RPGs is that they seem to push using their heroes instead of your own*. While they've included rules for making your own, those rulse have alway struck me as weak or poorly supported.


*Compared to, say, Star Wars, where its clear the movie characters are for cameos or "show".

 

[Umbran]

The one thing that has always somewhat bothered me about Marvel (and DC) RPGs is that they seem to push using their heroes instead of your own*.

You think a supers game backed by the name of a major set of Intellectual Property isn't going to try to make full use of that IP? If they aren't presenting that IP for direct use, what's the point of having it be specifically the Marvel or DC game, as opposed to some other game? The thing that makes it a universe-specific game is that you can clearly and easily play those heroes. Otherwise, you might as well just be playing Mutants and Masterminds.

 

[Stormonu]

. Otherwise, you might as well just be playing Mutants and Masterminds.

That's why I do prefer games like Mutants an Masterminds or Villians and Vigilantes. And, as I pointed out, in games like the Star Wars RPG, while you play in the universe, it isn't expected you'll be playing Han & Luke, nor will you likely actually face Darth Vader.

 

[Greg K]

Okay, so there is a separate core book. The event core books will come in two formats: Premium which includes the core rule books and a cheaper non-premium which lacks the core book material.

So, you can run the game without the events.

Still not thrilled about the release format since my interest in the MU stops about the time of the Inferno (Busiek/Perez Avengers the exception).