It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

A place to discuss game rules, homebrew systems and the like.
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Spectrum
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It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by Spectrum »

So...

Now that we're not confined to a single game system, I've been hankering to branch out more. Lots of game systems I've been wanting to be in (either side) for a while. Some of them on the small press end and others that haven't been published for a long time. There are even a few newer games that I'd like to play in to see how they work.

Any suggestions on breaking that obscurity barrier?
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
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Psistrike
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Re: It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by Psistrike »

Post the name of the systems, any links to site which detail what they like, wikis for them if they are any can help. And I'm sure with this kind of community, even some obscure systems will be known to at least a few of us.
ZenGypsy
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Re: It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by ZenGypsy »

I was introduced to Masks: A New Generation, on another forum, and the game is an absolute blast. It captures the feel of the teen hero genre, like Young Justice, Teen Titans and such. It is a Powered by the Apocalypse-based system, it is very narrative, and deals more with the impact of other people's view of you, and how the heroes struggle with their own self image compared to what the adult heroes think of them.

I would suggest it to anyone who has a table where people prefer narrative or mechanics. Very fun, very thematic.
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badpenny
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Re: It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by badpenny »

Masks is Powered by the Apocalypse, and so is Worlds in Peril. It's more of a straightforward take on supers.

I've played a few PbtA games (Monster of the Week and a few playtest sessions of Masks). Good stuff.
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Spectrum
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Re: It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by Spectrum »

Thanks folks!

You've given me quite a bit to chew on.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
kipling
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Re: It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by kipling »

Masks is very fun. I did a test-play (not for credit) and got in on the Kickstarter. (I have not played Worlds in Peril so I can't compare them.)

Supers Revised Edition is also a fun more old-school take on superheroes.

We tried Capes. It was...interesting...playing a GM-less game.

For my tastes, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying had too many dice, but once you grokked the system, you could certainly do almost anything in it. Quite narrative, with an odd combination of crunch and flow. One of my players figured out how to game it within a session, and that reduced the fun level quite a lot. I don't think I'll try the unbranded Cortex Plus version for those reasons (and the fact that really there are only four gradations of power: D6, D8, D10, and D12) but lots of others love it.

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Jack of Spades
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Re: It Came from the (not so) Dusty Bookshelf

Post by Jack of Spades »

Cortex Plus is a good choice for games where you want to, for example, run Jimmy Olsen alongside Superman and not have one overshadow the other. There's some obscure little features that empower people enormously within their niche – for example, spending a Plot Point to forgo any roll you could succeed at if you're not opposed by another Power – and the mechanics handle social interaction as easily and flexibly as combat. That can be a plus or minus, depending, but for the right game it's the right system.

My problem with Cortex Plus is insufficient crunch. My process for preparing adventures is largely to plot in the background while I write up characters. It took so little time to write up Cortex Plus characters than I was left unprepared. That's the main reason I switched my X-Men campaign back to Mutants & Masterminds.
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