Official Justice League TTRPG launching on Gamefound in July

D20 Culture, a Brazilian RPG publisher, has announced plans to adapt the DC Universe into an RPG, with a crowdfunding campaign to launch later this year. The Justice League Unlimited RPG is the first official DC Comics-focused RPG to be released in nearly 20 years and will be co-authored by comics creator Mark Waid. The RPG will be based on the currently running Justice League Unlimited comic book, which features a large cast of superheroes and is headquartered in the Watchtower, a space station orbiting Earth. Waid is also the author of the Justice League Unlimited comics series.

The RPG is described as being narrative-focused, with options to either build their own character or play as an existing DC hero. Also featured are various hero archetypes, which allow players to quickly build their characters based off popular tropes such as the "Champion of Tomorrow" and "The Dark Knight." The game system appears to be a bespoke system, with players have "Ascension Points" that they can put into Attributes and purchase powers during character creation. Powers can take many forms including Super Strength, Flight, Speed Force, Magic, Telepathy, and technological Exoskeletons, and Lantern Rings. The game will feature a mix of combat scenes, "saving scenes" in which heroes try to protect innocents from disasters, and interlude moments to delve into character moments. The game will also use a "Crisis Die" that adds catastrophic narrative effects to games.

“For over 85 years, DC has been the home of the world’s greatest superheroes with incredible stories," said Peterson Rodrigues, CEO at D20 Culture. "Working with comic legend Mark Waid to create something new in this universe has been such an honor. With the Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game we are really pushing our work to new heights to create an original and bold system for players to immerse themselves in the tales of the Justice League, we cannot wait to bring this to audiences across the world.”

“Table top games have such an amazing opportunity to bring new stories to fans and allow them to experience these beloved worlds and characters in a whole new way," added Mark Waid. "Approaching Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game my priority has been to set up a new story that fits authentically into this canon and builds upon it to provide a narrative playground for players to make their own. I can’t wait to reveal more so stay tuned.”

The Gamefound for the RPG can be found here.

 

[Sossij]

I more interested in generic systems than licensed ones, but if you want DC, Mark Waid is probably one of the best writers to go to.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Mark Waid is definitely a get.

Putting this on Gamefound seems like it's likely to hurt its presales/preorders/whatever we call it now.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I am not interested into learning new game systems but DC has got a very rich mythology/lore. I suppose some geeks will happy creating their own timelines, for example one mixing Injustice: Gods among us and Mortal Kombat.

 

[Reynard]

While I wish them well and may buy it for Waid's involvement alone, I a pretty happy with M&M3 for my DC needs.

 

[overgeeked]

The preview rules leave a lot to be desired. Hit points are called Resolve and some uses of superpowers cost Resolve. As much as gamer freak out about things like XP fueling character abilities, they freak out even harder over spending their hit points to fuel character abilities.

 

[dbm]

Interesting. They recently kickstarted a Lord of the Rings board game. That’s two marquee IPs in rapid succession for a company with relatively little track record on producing original products.

 

[Reynard]

It's weird. There was a time when I would buy every supers game there was. But I did not even back the Invincible game even though that is one of my favorite supers properties.

 

[Rpglover&gamer]

I love the Crisis die table. Probably difficult for new GMs but has potential to bring memorable and fun moments. "I, Evil!" and "Alien Invasion" are my favs.

 

[Chaltab]

Reminding me that it has been more than 15 years since DC Adventures makes me feel old.

Definitely interesting to see how this turns out. With Waid involved I expect the lore and tone to be right but I'm not familiar with the publisher and it's got bespoke mechanics so who knows how the game will play.

An aside, I am glad this means we've avoided any DC TTRPG released during the New 52 Status quo.