The Glade 4.0

So, the previews convinced me that Margaret Weis Productions' new Cortex+ system, Marvel Heroic RolePlaying, looked interesting enough to warrant a preorder. The .pdf just went live today, which means that folks who got it via an authorized MWP partner got their free .pdf vouchers, even though the printed book doesn't ship 'till next week.

I've had a chance to look through it some this morning, and it's quite awesome. I'm really digging the way the game represents superpowers as rolls and the guidelines for statting out new ones or variations on existing ones, etc. It's full of good guidelines and lots of good examples (since the base assumption as a Marvel licensed product is that most players will play in some divergent version of the Marvel U as Marvel characters, and so it includes 23 heroes and superheroes taken from across the Marvel U) with more on the way as MWP's planned support for the system includes more supplements themed by Marvel crossover events introducing new locations, villains, and heroes along the way.

But what's impressed me most is how the core rolling system encourages very superheroic and creative approaches to power use. It really reads like a good fit for a superhero game, and I'd love to try it out.

So... if anybody's looking to run a game... I'm in to play.

Oh, and if this post got anybody curious, you can see the three previews on MWP's site to get the basic roll mechanics, Captain America's datafile (character sheet), and a slice from the Savage Lands section of the Breakout Event that depicts how enemies get statted. The .pdf is on sale for the very affordable price of $12.99 at RPGNow and Drive Thru RPG. Orders of the physical book from MWP or one of their preferred retailers (check with your local store) get coupons for a free .pdf from Drive Thru RPG.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

GURPS is the only Supers system I've ever enjoyed.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

Hmm. Tempted to buy it just to nose around in the books.

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Grenade 3 Sports Drink. It's fire in the hole.. Your hole!

They have a Leverage RPG. This interests me, but money... Hnnnngh.

Yeah, they do. I picked it up on a whim after hearing people speak highly of it on a few forums. I think MHRPG is a more robust and well-rounded version of Cortex Plus (not surprising, since it's the third implementation, now), but don't regret the Leverage purchase because it's got a neat little mechanic to do flashbacks that's probably fairly portable if you want to splice it in elsewhere to get that Leverage feel of the plan coming together perfectly.

Supposedly, their Smallville Cortex Plus system has a very interesting social/relationships dynamic, and I'm currently trying to resist picking up a PDF of that to see what it's like.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades