Quote from: Daddy Warpig;652308Given the popularity of the movies, it's odd someone hasn't made a Marvel Cinematic Universe RPG.

No ties to complicated comics continuity, chance to step up to (or be recruited by) Robert Downey, Jr. I'd consider that, if the game system wasn't crap.

(From a design standpoint, IMHO, trying to emulate comics as a medium makes for a compromised RPG experience. IMHO. I'd much prefer an RPG with superhero elements, however that is implemented.)

I concur - although the the license for the Cinematic Marvel was probably just as much $-wise as for the Comic Marvel.

Still, intro-style simple adventure rpgs aimed at the right demographic and illustrated entirely with movie stuff would've flown off the shelves at the big box stores.  They (Marvel 'they', not MWP 'they' necessarily) missed the small-money boat there by not having an "Avengers Adventure Game" at the Wal-Mart.  Hell, it could've had those Zerboz minis in it.

Quote from: APN;650594Compare MSH basic with Advanced. There's a marked switch from 'a couple of pages in the back of the campaign book' to 'taking up the whole players book' in advanced. That's quite a big switch. When MSH came out there was no hint that there'd be an advanced version at some point, and I'm betting that fan feedback/requests for more rules on character creation (and fixing certain stuff) is the reason they did it (oh, and money as well).

Well, one you're talking about a huge difference in page size between MSHB1e and MSHA, and character creation takes up about the same amount of space in MSHB2e as in 1st. The only reason I object to the "as an afterthought" wording is because the authors fought tooth & nail to include a chargen system (Marvel themselves didn't want one), two methods of chargen were included in 1st edition, the same two methods, working in the exact same manner, used in the next two editions of the game, and well, unolike the MSH chargen system, its complete, not a broken patch of rules or a few notes. Additionally, putting chargen in an appendix was the favoured choice for design layout within the newsletter gaming communities of that time. Superpowers and Talents were also put in the appendixes, neither of which I think anyone would ay were "tacked on as an afterthought".

Quote from: APN;650594Compare MSH basic with Advanced. There's a marked switch from 'a couple of pages in the back of the campaign book' to 'taking up the whole players book' in advanced. That's quite a big switch. When MSH came out there was no hint that there'd be an advanced version at some point, and I'm betting that fan feedback/requests for more rules on character creation (and fixing certain stuff) is the reason they did it (oh, and money as well).

If you take DC Heroes (which came out before Advanced Marvel if I recall - it's been... a while. 28 years? Arggh.) they crammed so much in the box it was hard to put back in after you'd unboxed it, but dedicated a large chunk of the game to making your own characters. That became our go to game (where previously BECMI, AD&D 1e and MSH had been joint 'go-to' games). Maybe TSR came out with the Advanced game after looking at what Mayfair had done with DC.

My point is that regardless of what license is attached to a game, by including a fully featured, balanced means of making characters (rolling or point buy for the most part) that everyone can look at and agree 'this is how to make characters' instead of argue or disagree about (as per Marvel Heroic) you are opening up the game to a larger potential market.

The more I participate in these kind of 'failure' threads for Marvel the more disappointed I am that the game is done, and that I never gave it a fair shot.

So I pick the basic book up, start to read it and then realize why. The basic concept, chuck some dice, pick two for total and one for effect, no problem. It's all the other fiddly bits, terms and mechanics that have my brain whirling. I can play this thing, but god knows if I'd ever be comfortable GMing it. I even get what it does - emulates comic books, rather than simulate characters (with defined limits and so on) and have no problem with that. It's just... the writing and explanation...

Crunchy? Maybe so-so, but Chewy? Definitely.

If you come out to cons, you may want to check out the #kristacon events.  #kristacon is a group of folks who play and run various oneshots.  Whatever else you may think of Marvel Heroic, it's terrific for convention one shots.  I played in the #kristacon Marvel Annilation event and had a blast. Very immersive roleplay that game generates, at least for me.

Quote from: APN;650594The more I participate in these kind of 'failure' threads for Marvel the more disappointed I am that the game is done, and that I never gave it a fair shot.

I don't regret my purchase at all.

I'm glad the game exists/existed, regardless of its failings.

It's a pity that the licensing means we can no longer get even the PDF (well, not legally anyway), and I don't see any indication that MWP is interested in scrubbing the IP and publishing a standalone superhero game (they're kind of tied up with the Firefly RPG right now).

I kind of doubt that MHR without the M would be worth publishing, though.  I've been playing superhero RPGs for over 25 years and in that time I can count the number of gamers, designers and otherwise, who actually understood the superhero comics genre on the fingers of one hand.  A game that requires everyone at the table to understand how to write and plot superhero character arcs is asking too much.

Quote from: daniel_ream;652659It's a pity that the licensing means we can no longer get even the PDF (well, not legally anyway), and I don't see any indication that MWP is interested in scrubbing the IP and publishing a standalone superhero game (they're kind of tied up with the Firefly RPG right now).

Wasn't there a  Kickstarter for this actually?

Quote from: Rincewind1;652701Wasn't there a  Kickstarter for this actually?

Are you thinking of the Hacker's Guide Kickstarter?  There's no superhero specific content in there, AFAICT.

Quote from: daniel_ream;652712Are you thinking of the Hacker's Guide Kickstarter?  There's no superhero specific content in there, AFAICT.

There was some stretch goal on one of MWP's Kickstarters that'd go towards making a licence-less system from MHR.

Quote from: Rincewind1;652713There was some stretch goal on one of MWP's Kickstarters that'd go towards making a licence-less system from MHR.

There's nothing in the Kickstarter goals for the Hacker's Guide that's even close to that, nor any indication on their forums that there will be.

Quote from: daniel_ream;652764There's nothing in the Kickstarter goals for the Hacker's Guide that's even close to that, nor any indication on their forums that there will be.

Ah. I've mistaken this

QuoteA fully-playable hack for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying called "Fantasy Heroic Roleplaying" that adapts the system to high action fantasy adventure in the style of the world's most popular roleplaying game.

For superheroes. Just remembered some rumour about a licence-less system for this.

Though truth be told, given how for me this game's mechanics were only held together by Marvel's glue...

Quote from: Rincewind1;652765Ah. I've mistaken this


For superheroes.

No, it's basically hacking MHR into D&D (thus proving Daniel's Maxim: No matter what genre or play style your RPG was originally designed for, the first thing anyone will do is try to play D&D with it. This goes double for superhero RPGs.)

Quote from: Imperator;649432Licensed settings are a terrible idea always always always.

Except with Unisystem's BUFFY/ANGEL and ARMY OF DARKNESS lines.

Other than THAT, though...

JG