Marvel Heroic Roleplay Basic Game [Paperback]

Cam Banks (Author), Amanda Valentine (Editor), Matthew Gandy (Editor), Jeremy Keller (Contributor), Marvel (Corporate Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 2012

Book Details:

• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 4/17/2012
• Pages: 128

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Margaret Weis Productions; Brdgm edition (April 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936685167
• ISBN-13: 978-1936685165
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Gaming

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An RPG that frees the GM and players to focus on narrative over mechanics April 25, 2012

By Octavian

Format:Paperback

As with most RPGs, MHR needs to be played to be fully appreciated. The rules may seem arcane from a mere reading of the rules, but in practice they are very straight forward and free the players and GM to focus on the story and the action rather than wrestling with mechanics.

Most actions involve constructing a dice-pool based on a menu of character traits and skills that you can justify as being applicable in a given situation. Once the dice are rolled you almost always use your two highest rolls for the total and the best remaining die as an "effect" die. The whole process including the counter roll for the defense rarely took longer than a minute total, and usually took much less.

You also can make decisions to nerf your character to gain a "plot point" which can be used to trigger some awesome abilities later on. For example, I was playing the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and at one point had heavily wrapped up a foe in webbing. I decided it would be a good time to use a Limit on my character to gain a plot point by declaring myself out of webbing. I needed the plot-point (I'd spent my last one during the attack) and figured the amount of webbing used in wrapping the guy up justified doing it. The combat ended up going on a bit longer than I expected and I had fun having to work around the fact that I'd lost an entire section of my character powers.

After my first game playing with an experienced GM I felt confident enough with my understanding of the system to teach it and run a session myself. This was an automatic buy. High recommendation for any superhero RPG fans.

48 of 58 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth Picking Up! April 27, 2012

By R. Jenkins

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I will go on record saying that I originally did not like this system. It seemed like I could imagine the design team sitting around a table talking about all the cool things they could include in the game and then the lead designer just saying "Yeah! Let's do ALL of that!"

Then I actually sat down and gave the book a good read.

Another reviewer here talked about the -old- TSR Marvel RPG from the mid-eighties. DC did one, too. Neither were good. There was less randomization and requiring a chart for basic maneuvers stifles both creativity around the table and time efficiency.

I began my Marvel roleplaying much later. With the Marvel Super Hero Roleplaying Adventure Game (MSHRAG). It used the Saga system TSR introduced for the Dragon Lance 5th Age game. The card system was amazingly easy, simple, customizable (easy to make up rules calls on the fly or determine stats to use). It was flexible. It was unique. It was easy to play. With roleplayers more interested in story than beefing up a character with cool gear (ala D&D Dungeon Crawling), it was amazing. Then... they came out with the stone-based system. That was a travesty. Recently, DC came out with a game using the M&M rules. Not a bad game--if you don't mind using a calculator to make and advance a character.

In light of their films getting great press, I guess Marvel decided to re-do their RPG line. They chose Margaret Weis. They could have done much worse. I have MW's Serenity game. It was interesting, but I didn't like all the rules. They changed them in many ways for the Marvel game.

While the game's layout could have been more effective in many ways, once giving it a go and actually reading and playing--this game is very fun....

The flow of combat is rather easy after a round or two of getting used to the unique system and how it works. The Plot Point system is a unique dynamic as is the Doom Pool (which nods back to the Doom Bank from the MSHRAG system--which was a great joy to have).

Character creation is -extremely- unique in any game I have played. There are no rules. No dice to roll, no cards to pull, no points to allocate. They literally made a system where you can make what you want. There are no restrictions on creation aside from common sense (having a character with all specialties and all dice at d12 for powers is ridiculous, for example). It relies on communication between player and game master--and really, let's be honest, not many advanced players ever really start with basic creation these days. This allows a game master to tailor his game's balance and helps players express creativity when making their super hero alter-ego.

For example, say I wanted to make a mutant named Wraith. I'd create 3 distinctions (3 things that sum the character up or describe him). I'll say: Escaped Experiment, Terrorizing Demeanor, and Covert Ops Protégé. I can use these distinction in actions in which they apply, to add dice to my pool. So, for example, in sneaking into a facility, I can use Covert Ops Protégé to give myself a bonus on my rolls. Once that is done, I can pick a power set. Since the system is customizable, I can call the power set what I want. So, Wraith Effect. I can select what powers I want. So, we'll take: Intangibility, Super Senses, Reflexes, and Shadow Control. Now, we assign dice values. Values range from d6 to d12 (for godlike). I have no restrictions, but with the general idea of Wraith, I think we can stay simple. So, we'll give him: Intangibility: d8, Super Senses: d6, Reflexes: d10 (to display how quick he is on his feet), and Shadow Control: d8. Add some milestones (situations to give you Xp), and some SFX and the character is done. Period.

I created that character in the two minutes it took to type that paragraph. The system is -simple.-

The short of it, without getting into system mechanic specifics, is that the game has a unique system that is easy to customize battlefield effects, bonuses and drawbacks, and even make quick rules and modifications on the fly with a simple use of dice.

Players and Game Masters (Watchers) will use everything from d4 to d12 in dice, so be well stocked. You may roll multiples of each. However, do not let this intimidate you. Contrary to a previous review, this system is incredibly easy to learn and master. And, once you have it down, combat and non-combat scenes flow incredibly easy and feel dynamic. This is important. The dynamic aspect of this game due to the way players can assist one another, penalize their opponents, and adjust the environment (and the Game Master can do so as well) makes it a very interesting play!

To put it plainly: This is a very generously priced product that is well worth the expense.

The only reason this is 4 stars instead of 5 is because the layout of the book could definitely use some improvement. Read more ›

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvel Heroic Roleplay Basic Game May 17, 2012

By amy bowyer

Format:Paperback

This game is what a comic book RPG should be!
It's not a rule system trying to enforce real world physics on a fictional comic universe.
But it is actually the comic universe without the real world physics, which don't exist in comics AT ALL!!!

I loved this game, the dice takes away the need to sit with pen and paper and keep a tally of everyone's hit die.

In the comics where you see Spider-man taking on the Hulk, he actually can in this ruleset and be a bother to the big green goliath. Just like he has done in the comics over and over.

With M&M, TSR Marvel and even attempting to use DC Superhero RPG Rulesets, you are left trying to get the character to a level that would translate into the real world. Which is a big NO NO NO!!!
I cannot count how many times a play session is brought to it's knees with continual rule book searches and stat crunching.
This lets the player enjoy their hero and stay in the game. And my players actually have stated they feel like it is actually reading a comic as they play.

My family and my friends loved this system. They felt more heroic in this ruleset. And they also felt they were a part of the story with their ability to control the narrative and how their powers interacted with their subjects.

I love this RPG, and would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a REAL comic RPG system!
And not one that is trying it's best, yet failing, to bring comics into the real world.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Rules-Lite System May 5, 2012

By Amy Gregoire

Format:Paperback

This is a really good anti-crunch system. After a series of play sessions my group gladly endorses this product for people looking to spend more time playing their characters rather than looking up rules for combat, feats(or advantages), etc and so on. It certainly won't be for everyone but it's a really nice alternative to the more complex systems out there like M&M(which plays well but has a complex character generation process) or Hero.

PROS: Simple, easy to use system that gets you into play as quickly as possible. Play moves swiftly and the method by which you assemble your dice pool helps make players think about what their characters are doing and why they are doing it instead of just saying 'my to hit number is X and my die roll is Y'. This is a system that actually encourages team work both in terms of dice(using their solo, buddy and team mechanics) as well as their rules for creating assets. The best thing I can say about this game is that my players felt as if they were playing their characters instead of rolling for numbers.

CONS: Very little structure for creating original characters. The extremely rules lite and narrative approach will turn off players who feel the need to have exacting rules for every situation. The game is mostly combat oriented with very little on a character sheet for things like social or mental encounters. It can still be done there are just fewer options on a character sheet for them.

Overall I really enjoy this game. I would rate the system 4 stars and this particular incarnation of the rules 2 stars, however. The book has some organizational issues and I didn't really care for the heroes they offered in their roster section(they offer a ton of villains however, which is nice).... For the price the book isn't bad but I am very much looking forward to the Civil War edition of the rules. If you're looking for a fast paced alternative to some of the other games out there right now I don't think you can go wrong with the Marvel Heroic RPG. Read more ›