[7:36 PM]Forbeck: I’m here to chat about the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, which just came out a week ago. It’s the second Marvel TTRPG I’ve worked on, but I also wrote for two Marvel MMORPGs, plus I designed Marvel Heroes Battle Dice, and wrote two editions of the Marvel Encyclopedia among many other things.
[7:36 PM]Forbeck:Β To find out more about me, go check my website at http://www.forbeck.com. Or, you know, ask me a question here.
[7:36 PM]Forbeck:Β (done)
[7:36 PM]Calaan: As an old-time player of the TSR Marvel game this is music to my ears!
[7:36 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Thanks, @Forbeck! The floor is open to questions!
[7:36 PM]Anaxis: Can you please clarify whether or not Iconic Weapon stacks with Mighty? The book states multiple times they don’t, but Thor’s sheet shows them stacking. Should Thor’s DM be 9 (Rank 5 + Mighty 4) or the 10 (Rank 5 + Mighty 4 + 1 Iconic) that is currently shown?
[7:37 PM]Forbeck: I’d have to look that up.
[7:37 PM]Dan the GMshoe: First, I should probably mention that we’ve got a pretty good crowd this evening. Because of that, I’ll be calling for question pauses to let @Forbeck get caught up from time to time — usually after three questions. Please hold your question during a pause until I say they can resume Thanks!
[7:37 PM]Forbeck: One thing about designing games is that you make countless changes, and you often don’t recall exactly whre you landed on any given decision.
[7:39 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Ordinarily, I like to cover the setting of a game first, but that seems a bit silly in this case.
[7:39 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Although perhaps you could give us some idea of the game’s scope?
[7:39 PM]Forbeck: I don’t see anything about why Iconic Weapon doesn’t stack. Hmmm.
[7:40 PM]Silverlion: Alright these come from the wilds of the internet: What does Magneto use to lift things? Power wise?
[7:40 PM]Anaxis: I was more going off the general rule stated that damage multipliers don’t stack and you take the highest. Thor seems to be an outlier and is stacking them
[7:40 PM]Forbeck: Most weapons don’t stack, though, because we don’t want them to be more powerful than the hero’s other powers.
[7:41 PM]Forbeck: I think that’s because Mjolnir is something special. Most multipliers don’t stack, but Iconic Weapons might be able to break that.
[7:41 PM]Anaxis: Cool, ty
[7:42 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe (I’ll use tags so it’s clear who I’m answering. Sound good?) The game’s scope covers the entire Marvel Multiverse. It focuses mostly on Earth-616, though, which is the main comics universe.
[7:43 PM]Catseye: I was the first person in the Discord to actually have a copy of the Core Rulebook. I got it from Amazon the day of release. And I spent the next few days battling with character generation. I’m no expert at this point. But I’m trying.(edited)
[7:44 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Magneto has a power set called Elemental Control (Iron). We grouped a lot of powers with similar effects under Elemental Control and separated them out by types, each of which has a different special effect with a Fantastic success.
[7:44 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye Thanks!
[7:44 PM]Silverlion: Well the reason I ask is none of them specifically let him lift.
[7:44 PM]Silverlion: It is just handwaved because of the powers concept (Which is alright, just curious)
[7:45 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Elemental Grab would.
[7:45 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How well does the game handle issues of scale? Can it handle everyone from Aunt May to the Beyonder?
[7:45 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye The Roll20 character generator should help with that. It’s not 100% perfect yet, but they’re hammering away at it hard.
[7:46 PM]Silverlion: Alright. That’s what I suspected was stretched to fit (it seems a bit focused on combat.)
[7:46 PM]Catseye: yeah, we tried Roll20 with a test character. It was hard going, because it’s just not complete yet.1
[7:47 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe It handles everyone, although with caveats. We categorize them into 6 broad ranks. Rank 1 is Aunt May or street crook. Rank 6 is Captain Marvel or Thanos. Above that, we have Rank X, and we don’t give stats to those characters. That includes things like Beyonders, Galactus, Infinity, etc.
[7:48 PM]Ryn Sithis: I would like to have clarification on the Symbiote Origin as well as this one right here. When a character becomes a vampire, they go up one rank and gain the listed tags, traits and powers. They do not gain any additional powers or traits from this bump in rank, but they do gain 5 ability points and add +1 to their damage multiplier. If they have the Heroic tag, they also add 1 to their Karma. Also how do Thematic points actually work? Especially from rank to work.
[7:49 PM]Silverlion: Characters only story, or being Squirrel Girl, allows one to win.
[7:49 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye I had dinner with them at Gen Con. They’re aware of the limitations and are working hard to correct them.
[7:49 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Really? Hmm… I’m a sucker for stats and enjoy envisioning cosmic-level conflicts, like Galactus vs. Ego. Is that sort of thing not possible?
[7:49 PM]Catseye: good to know
[7:50 PM]Vincer: Will there be any rules (or are there any) covering mobs/brute squads?
[7:50 PM]Silverlion: Where are Deadpool’s guns? (Is it an errata issue that he’s missing any powers tied to them?)
[7:50 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe We classify them as narrative characters, ones best handled as story figures than PCs.
[7:50 PM]Andy-C: @Forbeck I saw quite a few copies of the game at GenCon. Were you happy with the game’s reception?
[7:51 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (Question pause, please!)
[7:51 PM]Forbeck: It’s possible we’d expand in the future to manage Rank X vs. Rank X battles, but most of the time that’s not relevant except as narration.1
[7:53 PM]Forbeck: @Ryn Sithis I don’t see a question in that first part, just a statement. For the second part, are you talking about getting extra power picks from using fewer power sets?
[7:54 PM]Forbeck: @Vincer Most such characters are simply Rank 1 and work well as such.1
[7:55 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Deadpool just generally uses any guns at hand. We made the katanas his signature weapon.
[7:55 PM]Anaxis: For the thematic bonus, would 2 things under 1 set (like Chaotic Magic and Demonic Magic) count as 2 against the bonus? Or 1?
[7:56 PM]Dan the GMshoe: ( @Anaxis Please hold questions during our question pause whlie @Forbeck catches up. Thanks! )
[7:57 PM]Forbeck: @Andy-C The game has been selling pretty well, and most of the reviews of it have been solid. I’m delighted so far. That said, no game can make everyone happy, so I’m prepared for some folks not to enjoy it. I just hope most people do, as we were aiming for a broad audience.1
[7:58 PM]Ryn Sithis: I would like a clarification on the origins on like Symbiote and Vampire work? Like are the traits and power free or no? Also to the second part yes. Would you gain +1 up to rank 3 as per Spider-Man’s example if that makes since? @Forbeck ( @Dan the GMshoe sending this as my response to Matt here)
[7:58 PM]Forbeck: @Anaxis Those count as separate sets. The characters in the book all work that way.1
[7:58 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (Questions may resume!)(edited)
[7:59 PM]Dan the GMshoe: @Forbeck Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[8:00 PM]Silverlion: Are there any characters you wanted in the book but didn’t get to use?
[8:02 PM]Forbeck: @Ryn Sithis Vampires don’t get any extra powers or traits, just what’s listed in the book. Symbiotes can select extra powers over what they get. Vampires tend to all be of one type, but there are lots of varieties within symbiotes, and we tried to reflect that. For Symbiotes, the powers they get from their origin do count against their total.
[8:02 PM]Ryn Sithis: Ah ok
[8:03 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe Of course. You can download free PDFs from https://www.marvel.com/rpg. Hold on, and I’ll upload one here too.
[8:03 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Oh, thanks!
[8:03 PM]Forbeck: That’s both of them, color and b/w. They’re form-fillable.MARRPGP_Character_Sheet_Color_Fillable_041023.pdf3.71 MBMARRPGP_CharacterSheetBWFillable_041023.pdf3.66 MB
[8:03 PM]Anaxis: What was the experience like getting to do this in-house at Marvel? Vs. doing normal 3rd party development?
[8:04 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Oh, so many of them. While 130 is a lot, Marvel has lots of characters to add. I think there are 60 in the upcoming Cataclysm of Kang adventure (coming in November), and we’re looking at about 100 for each of the upcoming expansions.
[8:05 PM]Silverlion: Nice!
[8:05 PM]Silverlion: Are there any plans for a broader worldbook/city book of any kind?
[8:05 PM]Dan the GMshoe: @Forbeck Can you please describe the game’s core mechanic?
[8:05 PM]Catseye: The character I wanted in the Core Rulebook apparently is coming out in the Spiderverse book.
[8:07 PM]Forbeck: @Anaxis It was fantastic. I wasn’t technically in-house, as I’m a freelancer, but I worked directly with a small team Marvel Comics. They were amazing, always pushing me to make the game better.
[8:07 PM]Silverlion: Spider-Ham?
[8:07 PM]Catseye: Spider-Woman, jessica Drew
[8:07 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion We haven’t announced any plans for a city book, but it’s certainly possible. It would likely be NYC of course.
[8:07 PM]Forbeck: The Kang book starts out in NYC and has some great maps for it too.
[8:09 PM]Forbeck: @Anaxis As for vs. 3rd-party, it was a lot easier. With a licensed project, you have to please your publisher and the licensor. When working directly, you only have to please the publisher.
[8:09 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye I believe Drew will be in the Kang adventure.
[8:09 PM]Anaxis: The production value is outstanding. Very nice book to read
[8:09 PM]Forbeck: Thanks!
[8:09 PM]Endless Flight: I have question.
[8:09 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Him have answer.
[8:10 PM]Endless Flight: Hehe thanks
[8:10 PM]Forbeck: Maaaaybe.
[8:10 PM]Endless Flight: Is there a specific reason why armored characters donβt have an armor power?
[8:10 PM]Forbeck: They do. It falls under Sturdy.
[8:10 PM]Catseye: Hulk Smash! (Had to be said!))
[8:11 PM]Endless Flight: So Sturdy is like a catch-all for tougher characters?1
[8:11 PM]Forbeck: Armor and thick skin (Thing/Hulk/etc.) are roughly equivalent, so we searched for a term that would cover both.
[8:12 PM]Forbeck: There’s another mechanic that works for force fields like the Invisible Woman’s, as those behave in a very different way.
[8:13 PM]Dan the GMshoe: I think my question may have gotten lost in the shuffle back there… Can you describe the game’s basic mechanic? How does dice-rolling work, and what do you add/multiply/whatever by?
[8:13 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe It did! Sorry!
[8:13 PM]Dan the GMshoe: No worries! It happens often in really active Q&As. It’s a mark of distinction!
[8:15 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe We use the d616 System. You roll 3d6, add them together, and then add the abilty you’re using. You compare that against the target’s defense number, usually using the same ability. Meet or beat that, it’s a success. There are then a few wrinkles to that.
[8:16 PM]Calaan: I see what you did there!
[8:16 PM]Dan the GMshoe: I see… And what is the 616 aspect?
[8:17 PM]Endless Flight: Somebody mentioned on the Pub that they thought War Machine should have had Mighty 1 in his write-up. I kind of agree.
[8:17 PM]Forbeck: Two of the dice are standard, but you designate one as the Marvel die. That has a Marvel logo in place of the 1. If you get a Marvel logo, that’s a Fantastic result. A Fantastic success is essentially a critical hit. If you’re attacking, it does double damage. If you’re using a power, it also adds in a special effect that goes with that power.
[8:18 PM]Anaxis: Speaking of Marvel dice, any idea when those sweet CMon Marvel dice sets will be available?
[8:18 PM]Calaan: So you actually have less chance of rolling low, but a low chance of getting a crit. I like it1
[8:18 PM]Forbeck: You can manipulate the dice in a couple ways too. Each hero gets a number of Karma points. Spending one of those allows you to reroll one of the dice and take the better result. You can also do that if you have an edge (an advantage of some kind).
[8:19 PM]Forbeck: Conversely, if you have trouble (a disadvantage of some kind), you reroll your best die and take the worse result.
[8:19 PM]Catseye: Is there going to be a big book of Powers at some point?
[8:19 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Does the game have skills as well as attributes?
[8:20 PM]Forbeck:Β @Anaxis They’re literally coming over on a boat from China. When they arrive, CMON will ship them out. We had some sets at Gen Con that were flown over, but they sold out fast.
[8:21 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye Probably, but not right away. We’re still building out various characters and parts of the multiverse. There are something like 330 powers in the rulebook, so hoepfully that’s a good start.
[8:21 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe No skills. However, you can pick Traits that have a mechanical effects, and some of them mimic skills.
[8:22 PM]Endless Flight: Will Silver Surfer be written up or is he Rank X? Or maybe I missed him.
[8:23 PM]Forbeck: @Endless Flight I don’t want to debate the characters various stats. We did a LOT of that during development, and it’s a longstanding tradition among Marvel fans. As for the Silver Surfer, he’s not in the rulebook but is coming soon. He’s Rank 6.1
[8:24 PM]Calaan: That’s half the fun!
[8:24 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Does the game have rules for building gadgets?
[8:24 PM]Forbeck: @Calaan I agree! And I don’t want to spoil that for anyone by being an authority they appeal to.
[8:25 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe Not yet, but we are planning on some. We didn’t want to focus on that in the Core Rulebook.
[8:25 PM]Forbeck: Wait, did I catch up?
[8:26 PM]Vincer: Hey – we ask the questions here. Not you 2
[8:27 PM]Vincer: Would there also be rules for building out HQs or lairs?
[8:27 PM]Dan the GMshoe: But seriously, you’re doing a yeoman’s job here, @Forbeck. 1
[8:28 PM]Silverlion: Is all the art in the book original? Or is it taken from comics?
[8:28 PM]Forbeck: @Vincer I’m planning that for a future book. There’s only so much we can cram in 320 pages, and I didn’t want to make that a focus in the Core Rulebook. (I wrote The Stronghold Builder’s Guidebook for 3E, so I know how fun it can be though. )
[8:28 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe I type for a living. 2
[8:29 PM]Vincer: Indeed. That was an awesome book! Definitely looking forward to it for this!
[8:29 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion The cover and the chapter headers are all original. Most of the rest is lifted from Marvel comics, which gives us a lot of incredible art to showcase.
[8:29 PM]Endless Flight: @Forbeck i understand.1
[8:30 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How are powers purchased? Are they effects-based, are they purchased as complete powers, or is it something else?
[8:32 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe Powers are grouped into power sets (except for basic ones, which aren’t). You can buy any of them you like, although many have prerequiste powers, like having to buy a blast before you can get a barrage. You don’t have to stick to the themed sets if you don’t want, but if you do, you get extra power picks.
[8:32 PM]Forbeck: You get a certain number of picks for each Rank.
[8:32 PM]Catseye: So I have a question about an origin. Mythic? What exactly does the generic version cover? (This affects a future character I will be building.)
[8:33 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How do you handle magic?
[8:34 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye At the moment it covers anything mythic that’s not covered by the existing varieties of mythic. We reserve the right to add other varieties later, but you can stick with whichever version you like.
[8:34 PM]Silverlion: Odd question which may be in the book and I’ve not found it yet: Do characters get all the traits from their origin, or do they have to buy them with their Rank choices? (or some mix?)
[8:34 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe Magic is a large power set and includes the subtypes Chaos, Demonic, and Sorcery. You can pick all sorts of different themed spells from them.
[8:35 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Nice!
[8:35 PM]Forbeck: There’s also a powerful catch-all spell that allows you to mimic other powers. Which kept us from having to write up all those possibilities at least.
[8:35 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Smart man.
[8:36 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion They get traits from their origin and also get to choose a certain number of traits per rank.
[8:37 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How does combat work in this system?
[8:37 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe There’s a good-sized chapter about that.
[8:37 PM]Catseye: that’s the part of the book I haven’t gotten to yet.
[8:38 PM]Silverlion: Mythic: Faery? Maybe?
@Forbeck@Silverlion They get traits from their origin and also get to choose a certain number of traits per rank.[8:38 PM]Silverlion: All from their origin? Cool.
[8:40 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe In short, you roll initiative and take turns in order till its over (for whatever reason). You can play theater-of-the-mind, on a gridded map, on a gridless map, on a VTT, however you like. During your turn you get at least two actions: a standard action and a regular action. You can use your standard action as a regular action to double move, if you like. Standard actions usually involve attacks. There’s no cost for doing simple things. Each character also gets a reaction per turn that allows them to act out of turn. This really livens things up.
[8:40 PM]Catseye: I just put the Kang book in my Amazon cart for November.
[8:40 PM]Forbeck: Thanks, @Catseye!
[8:41 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Does degree of success matter to rolls (either in or out of combat), or is it simply a matter of getting a 1 on the Marvel die?
[8:42 PM]Silverlion: I’m more looking for the Spider-book…
[8:42 PM]Catseye: I have a set of blue D6s and a set of red D6’s. I can take a red and use it as the Marvel die.
[8:43 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe You don’t have to get a Fantastic result (1 on the Marvel die) to succeed. (Did I also mention that the Marvel logo counts as a 6 instead of a 1?) You just need to meet or beat the target’s defense.
[8:43 PM]Forbeck: If you want that special effect, then you need the Fantastic result, but that’s it.
[8:43 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye That’s perfect.
[8:43 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How is damage determined?
[8:44 PM]Endless Flight: I wish that Marvel would have released a PDF. I donβt use Roll20 and most of RPG purchases are PDF. I havenβt actually bought it yet for that reason.
[8:44 PM]Catseye: There is a PDF version on Demiplane
[8:44 PM]Catseye: I was there yesterday
[8:45 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe Good question! The d616 System uses a one-roll mechanic. After you roll, you look at your Marvel die. You multiply that result by your Rank and add your ability to it. That’s your damage. So, if you’re Rank 4 and roll a 5 on your Marvel die, you do 20 points of damage. If you’re throwing a punch and have a Melee ability of 3, you’d do a total of 23 points of damage.
[8:46 PM]Endless Flight: I do think despite my reservations that the actual basic mechanic is quite clever though, which is a tip of the cap to @Forbeck Iβm one of those MEGS diehards so I donβt say that lightly.1
[8:47 PM]Forbeck: @Endless Flight You are not alone in that. Many people have requested it. Marvel doesn’t publish their comics as PDFs either, so we’re swimming against that tide. It could happen, though, and requests like yours are the impetus for that.1
[8:47 PM]Dan the GMshoe: So does brute strength not affect damage, only Melee ability?
[8:48 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye I don’t believe that’s a PDF, but I haven’t had a chance to cash in my code for it yet. It’s been a busy week with Gen Con and the launch. We do have electronic editions via Demiplane, Roll20, and even Kindle though.
[8:49 PM]Forbeck: @Endless Flight I played a lot of MEGS back in the day. In fact, when I was in college, Mayfair paid me to go to cons and shops to teach it to people. Great system.1
[8:49 PM]Catseye: personal quirk. I prefer buying physical.1
[8:50 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe The Super-Strength power adds to your Melee damage multiplier. For instance, Super-Strength 2 for a Rank 5 hero would give them a damage multiplier of x7.
[8:50 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Ah, I see.
[8:51 PM]Forbeck: Damage reduction from Sturdy works the opposite way. It reduces the attacker’s damage multiplier.
[8:51 PM]Silverlion: Mighty specifically says that (it’s a “Basic Power” though)
@Catseyepersonal quirk. I prefer buying physical.[8:51 PM]Endless Flight: I will probably do that. I end up owning a lot of things I love in both.
[8:52 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Ah, right! We changed the name on that a few times. We classified Mighty as a basic power because so many heroes have it that we didn’t think it should count against the theming bonus. Same for things like flight.
@Forbeck@Silverlion Ah, right! We changed the name on that a few times. We classified Mighty as a basic power because so many heroes have it that we didn’t think it should count against the theming bonus. Same for things like flight.[8:53 PM]Silverlion: Yeah, I gotcha. I’ve got a character who has that but not the Super-Strength set (he’s mostly a martial artist/tactician)1
[8:53 PM]Dan the GMshoe: The original Marvel RPG had a pretty harsh penalty for killing your opponents. Does this game do anything similar, and if so, how do you handle frequently-killing characters like the Punisher or Wolverine?
[8:53 PM]Catseye: Karma. I knew that would come up.
[8:54 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe You cannot kill by accident. If you do enough damage to kill a foe, they stop 1 Health point short of dying. If you intend to kill them, you only have to say so though.
[8:54 PM]Silverlion: Oh is there any to do something akin to power tricks/power stunts?
[8:54 PM]Forbeck: Only characters with the Heroic tag get Karma.
[8:55 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion That’s where the special effects from the Fantastic results come in. If you get a great roll, you get a bonus for it.
[8:55 PM]Catseye: yeah. antiheroes can get Karma through play.
[8:55 PM]Catseye: But they don’t start with it
[8:56 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye Correct. Even villains can get Karma if they do things to earn it, but it disappears the next day, so they have to spend it fast.
[8:57 PM]Catseye: But I know there isn’t a specific penalty for killing like in the original MSH.1
@Forbeck@Silverlion That’s where the special effects from the Fantastic results come in. If you get a great roll, you get a bonus for it.[8:57 PM]Silverlion: Just a mechanical bonus? Or could someone IDK say uses their elemental control (Force) to scoop up water and dump on a fiery foe?(edited)
[8:58 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How do mundane weapons and armor function?
[8:58 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion That’s the Narrator’s call. I generally go by the “rule of cool.” If it sounds cool, I allow it.
[8:58 PM]Forbeck: Or at least allow them to try. That’s a tricky trick.
[8:59 PM]Silverlion: Most tricks are 1
[8:59 PM]Anaxis: Any plans you can speak of for a more street level/defenders book?
[9:00 PM]Silverlion: Oh, can Cyclops ricochet his blasts?
[9:00 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe Weapons add to the user’s damage multiplier, but they don’t stack with other multipliers, so most heroes don’t use them. Armor grants damage reduction, just like Sturdy. We didn’t concentrate much on it in the Core Rulebook because most heroes don’t use them.
[9:01 PM]Forbeck: @Anaxis We’ve announced the X-Men book and the Spider-Verse book. I’d like a gritty one like that too though!
[9:01 PM]Anaxis: Same! Or even one focused on shield agents1
[9:02 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Of course! That’s covered by the Elemental Ricochet power.
[9:03 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How is Weather Control purchased?
[9:03 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe There’s a whole power set for that. All sorts of options.
@Forbeck@Silverlion Of course! That’s covered by the Elemental Ricochet power. [9:03 PM]Silverlion: I couldn’t remember if he had the means so…
[9:04 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion He’s done it in the comics.
@Forbeck@Silverlion He’s done it in the comics.[9:04 PM]Silverlion: Yes, that I know!1
[9:04 PM]Stormson: And in various video games1
[9:04 PM]Silverlion: <–old school Cyclops fan..
[9:05 PM]Catseye: when it comes to weapons? How are they represented? (For example, I have a character who has a chain and a set of escrima sticks)
@Silverlion<–old school Cyclops fan..[9:05 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Well, that’s one way of looking at things.
[9:05 PM]Forbeck: We try to emulate the comics as much as we can. With 80+ years of Marvel history, there’s a lot to cover.
[9:05 PM]Stormson: Any plans to give further examples of building out custom powersets? I know it’s touched on in the core
[9:07 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye We list basic ones in the book. They usually add +1 to Melee damage multiplier. If they’re ranged weapons, they have a listed range too. If you go beyond the listed range, the attack has trouble. Beyond double, you’re out of range.
[9:08 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (brb)
[9:08 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye For your character, I’d give the chain extra reach as a melee weapon (attack up to 2 spaces away rather than 1) and a +1 damage multiplier.
[9:09 PM]Catseye: thanks. The help is appreciated
[9:09 PM]Forbeck: @Stormson Every power set we have serves as an example. We’re going to add new powers to the X-Men book, including a new type of power called Narrative Powers. These are powers that are difficult to handle mechanically but easy to handle narratively.
[9:09 PM]Silverlion: It would be nice for Meteor Hammers too…1
[9:09 PM]Forbeck: Isca the Unbeaten is a great example of such powers.
[9:10 PM]Silverlion: Yeah, I read about her in the book.
[9:11 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (back)
[9:11 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How many heroes and villains appear in the core rulebook, and of them, which was the hardest to stat out?
[9:11 PM]Ryn Sithis: I figured I would ask. How much of a difference do you believe the new sourcebooks will have from the CRB? I know there will be some new mechanics for certain things.
[9:12 PM]Forbeck: @Dan the GMshoe I believe there are 130, and my son Marty did all the work on those.
[9:12 PM]Stormson: In playtesting, how did the typical hero/villain rivalries fare? I might be missing something but Doom vs Fan4 seems like it’s a cake walk, as thing himself seems able to crush doom pretty easily due to dooms hp
[9:12 PM]Silverlion: Oh another possible misprint, Are Juggernaut’s weapon(s) supposed to “Crimson Bands” or “Crimson Gem” since it seems to switch in his power list(edited)
[9:12 PM]Forbeck: Marty is 24 and is following in my footsteps as a writer/game designer.1
[9:13 PM]Stormson: He did a good job, most of the builds seem good!
[9:14 PM]Forbeck: @Stormson True! The trick, of course, is that Doom is rarely alone or otherwise undefended. He’s also a great plotter, so he usually puts the FF on their heels before he stricks.
[9:14 PM]Forbeck: Strikes, even.
[9:15 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Bah! Doom spells as he chooses!1
[9:15 PM]Catseye: there was a power when we were building our sample character that wasn’t in the book. There was nothing on Precognition.
[9:16 PM]Catseye: Any plans for future books to have something on it?
@Catseyethere was a power when we were building our sample character that wasn’t in the book. There was nothing on Precognition.[9:16 PM]Dan the GMshoe: I guess @Forbeck wasn’t thinking far enough ahead for that.1
[9:16 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Yeah, that’s a goof. It should be Crimson Gem.
[9:17 PM]Forbeck: Someone must have confused it with the spell with the Crimson Bands.
[9:17 PM]Silverlion: It happens. Believe me!
[9:17 PM]Forbeck: We had a great editor and multiple proofreaders on this, but mistakes still get through.
[9:18 PM]Forbeck: @Catseye Well, Destiny appears in the X-Men book, so I can see a future in which that power happens.
[9:18 PM]Forbeck: Probably post-cognition too.
[9:18 PM]Catseye: glad to hear she’s there! I’ve already paid for that book!1
[9:19 PM]Forbeck: Can’t really cover the X-Men and Krakoa without Destiny.
[9:20 PM]Anaxis: Any more books coming for the Shotguns & Sorcery rpg?
[9:21 PM]Forbeck: @Anaxis We’re about to release the 5E setting book to the public. Just been too busy to manage it with all this going on. The Kickstarter backers have had it for a while now though.1
[9:21 PM]Forbeck: Probably nothing new for the Cypher System version though.
[9:22 PM]Forbeck: I have waaay too much work to do these days, which is an excellent problem to have. Marty’s been a huge help.
[9:23 PM]Silverlion: Will Wings be a separate power from Flight? (Since well Angel focuses on that..)
[9:23 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Probably not, as the flight powers tend to cover that well. We could drill down a bit farther on it for the X-Men book though.
[9:24 PM]Dan the GMshoe: @Forbeck In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[9:24 PM]Silverlion: Just thinking of how much he uses the wings as weapons in later years.
[9:24 PM]Silverlion: “Iconic Weapon: Wings?”
[9:24 PM]Endless Flight: Well, I will pick up a physical copy because Matt was nice enough to answer all these questions.1
[9:24 PM]Forbeck: @Silverlion Marty and I were covering this just a couple weeks ago.
[9:25 PM]Silverlion: Awesome!(edited)
[9:25 PM]ShadowWalker: will you eventually pusblish an Ultimate Powers book that collects powers from the various books in one place?
[9:26 PM]Forbeck: @ShadowWalker Maybe? That would be a ways off though.
[9:26 PM]Forbeck: Thanks to you all for coming out tonight and being curious and courteous. It was an honor to be here.
[9:26 PM]Endless Flight: Matt said he ran MEGS in college and that helps get him a sale too1
[9:26 PM]Dan the GMshoe: It was an honor to have you!
[9:26 PM]Endless Flight: Thanks Matt
[9:26 PM]Catseye: have a good night, Matt
[9:26 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! β€οΈ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.
[9:26 PM]ShadowWalker: thank you Matt
[9:27 PM]Dan the GMshoe: If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!
[9:27 PM]Forbeck: As you might imagine, I love supers RPGs, and I have had a ball working on this game. I actually ran the FASERIP system for the RPGA at Gen Con when I was in high school.
[9:27 PM]Forbeck: I’m just happy to share this game with you all. A game doesn’t really live until it’s played.
[9:27 PM]Forbeck: Hope you all have a great night!
[9:28 PM]Silverlion: Thanks for coming and dealing with the litany of questions!
Message #q-and-a