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The Marvel Multiverse D616 system

Started by Shawn Driscoll, April 20, 2022, 04:34:09 PM

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Shawn Driscoll

Who is excited about the Marvel Multiverse D616 system so far? The game is weak on mechanics, and a chore using the charts. 3s and 4s have an equal chance of being rolled. Rolling three 6s is mundane apparently.

Warder

Im following this with interest because of the comics, i dont have the preview book. So far we only have the playtest, maybe they will improve on the bad parts. Its ''medium crunch'' and im ok with that.

HappyDaze

I haven't seen the game in the wild yet. Do you own it or are you going off of videos?

RebelSky

I got the play test book.

There are some aspects of its game design that's interesting and some that's Huh.

The basic system of it being called the d616 system is it uses 3d6 and one die has to be a different color, which is called the Marvel die. Anytime you roll to do an action you roll the 3 dice and add them together. But... If the Marvel Die rolls a 1, it's a fantastic roll. It counts as a 6, unless the other two dice are also 1's... Then it's a 1. If you roll 6's on the two dice and a 1 on the Marvel die, that's a 616 result. Super ultra success, auto success. Total counts as a 18.

The game also uses Edge and Trouble, which is kind of similarish to Advantage and Disadvantage in D&D 5e.

Characters have a Rank, which range from 1 to 25. Rank determines just about everything in this game. Gives you how many Ability Score points you get to spend, Number of bonus Traits you get not part of your Backstory choices (Origin and Profession), Number of Powers and Power-Sets you can pick from, your Archetype modifiers that you apply to your Attack Mods, Defense Scores, and your Damage Scores.

Powers are categorized into two kinds... Powers from Power-Sets and Utility Powers. Power Sets are groupings of very specific powers that fit the theme of the Power Set. In the playtest book there are 12 Power Sets...

Battlesuit, Blades, Cybernetics, Firearms, Energy Control, Martial Arts, Plasticity, Shield Bearer, Spider-Powers, Super-Strength, Tactical Mastery, and Weather Control.

So, the Battlesuit Set has Powers like...

Anti-Dazzle Optics, Armor (Rank 1 to 4), Effect Resistance, Lock-On, Mighty (Rank 1 to 4), Titanic Frame, and so on.

Utility Powers are those Powers that are just a Power that are very universal, like Flight and Wisecracker. Powers that don't fit into a Power Set.

This isn't a true points but game. You only ever get points when buying Ability Scores. Your Archetype, of which there are 6 and come off like classes, gives you all the numbers you need to apply to your character and despite all the tables, making a character doesn't seem that complicated.

Writing is wokist if you are of the mindset that the use of the gender neutral they and their is woke. This book is fully written in this style. The $9 I spent on this book might be all I ever spend on it for that reason alone. If that doesn't bother you, there is probably a solid game here.

Shawn Driscoll

Quote from: RebelSky on April 22, 2022, 03:11:51 AM
The basic system of it being called the d616 system is it uses 3d6 and one die has to be a different color, which is called the Marvel die. Anytime you roll to do an action you roll the 3 dice and add them together. But... If the Marvel Die rolls a 1, it's a fantastic roll. It counts as a 6, unless the other two dice are also 1's... Then it's a 1. If you roll 6's on the two dice and a 1 on the Marvel die, that's a 616 result. Super ultra success, auto success. Total counts as a 18.

Just seems odd that rolling a 1 6 6 is the same as rolling a 6 6 6. More chance of rolling an 18, I guess.

RebelSky

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on April 22, 2022, 03:31:11 AM
Quote from: RebelSky on April 22, 2022, 03:11:51 AM
The basic system of it being called the d616 system is it uses 3d6 and one die has to be a different color, which is called the Marvel die. Anytime you roll to do an action you roll the 3 dice and add them together. But... If the Marvel Die rolls a 1, it's a fantastic roll. It counts as a 6, unless the other two dice are also 1's... Then it's a 1. If you roll 6's on the two dice and a 1 on the Marvel die, that's a 616 result. Super ultra success, auto success. Total counts as a 18.

Just seems odd that rolling a 1 6 6 is the same as rolling a 6 6 6. More chance of rolling an 18, I guess.

Just part of the gimmick. Just like the six Ability Scores spell MARVEL...

Might
Agility
Resilience
Vigilance
Ego
Logic

VisionStorm

I'm not gonna get it any time soon, but based on stuff I've read elsewhere, it may have some interesting bits. So I might check it out at some point.

Shawn Driscoll

Total Party Skills has been talking about it. At least the book isn't woke. But we both agree the game will fail if Marvel stays on its course.


RebelSky

I saw his video. He's right in asking who this game is for and why the book exists in the first place. The book has a long list of playtesters who have already been playtesting it for who knows how long.

I say the book is partially woke. It has a whole page on "Playing It Safe" plus the constant use of gender neutral language. A playtest book should not have a page about Playing It Safe. It's a playtest... All that should be in the book is what's absolutely needed to playtest. Not be preachy.

Shawn Driscoll

#9
Quote from: RebelSky on April 22, 2022, 02:17:22 PM
I saw his video. He's right in asking who this game is for and why the book exists in the first place. The book has a long list of playtesters who have already been playtesting it for who knows how long.

I say the book is partially woke. It has a whole page on "Playing It Safe" plus the constant use of gender neutral language. A playtest book should not have a page about Playing It Safe. It's a playtest... All that should be in the book is what's absolutely needed to playtest. Not be preachy.
Kind of the point of the book is that it's completed. Nothing really for playtest. This is a sample from the bigger core book is all.  A lot of the playtesters listed in the book were basically graphics people converting the Marvel Handbook pages from the '80s to Marvel Multiverse pages. Nothing else.

I'd go with your partially woke claim. There is a reference to 14-year-old black girl that is over-geniused compared to Tony Stark probably. But we'll see if they add 57 genders to the book later.

HappyDaze

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on April 22, 2022, 03:11:49 PM
Quote from: RebelSky on April 22, 2022, 02:17:22 PM
I saw his video. He's right in asking who this game is for and why the book exists in the first place. The book has a long list of playtesters who have already been playtesting it for who knows how long.

I say the book is partially woke. It has a whole page on "Playing It Safe" plus the constant use of gender neutral language. A playtest book should not have a page about Playing It Safe. It's a playtest... All that should be in the book is what's absolutely needed to playtest. Not be preachy.
Kind of the point of the book is that it's completed. Nothing really for playtest. This is a sample from the bigger core book is all.  A lot of the playtesters listed in the book were basically graphics people converting the Marvel Handbook pages from the '80s to Marvel Multiverse pages. Nothing else.

I'd go with your partially woke claim. We'll see if they add 57 genders to the book later.
Pay to playtest a beta that's already 90% complete...

The ghosts of FFG are back.

It would be wishful thinking then to assume that any problems found now will actually get addressed before the final product comes out. That irritates the hell out of me (conversely, neutral pronouns and a now-standard safety bit don't bother me).

RebelSky

Quote from: HappyDaze on April 22, 2022, 03:19:56 PM
Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on April 22, 2022, 03:11:49 PM
Quote from: RebelSky on April 22, 2022, 02:17:22 PM
I saw his video. He's right in asking who this game is for and why the book exists in the first place. The book has a long list of playtesters who have already been playtesting it for who knows how long.

I say the book is partially woke. It has a whole page on "Playing It Safe" plus the constant use of gender neutral language. A playtest book should not have a page about Playing It Safe. It's a playtest... All that should be in the book is what's absolutely needed to playtest. Not be preachy.
Kind of the point of the book is that it's completed. Nothing really for playtest. This is a sample from the bigger core book is all.  A lot of the playtesters listed in the book were basically graphics people converting the Marvel Handbook pages from the '80s to Marvel Multiverse pages. Nothing else.

I'd go with your partially woke claim. We'll see if they add 57 genders to the book later.
Pay to playtest a beta that's already 90% complete...

The ghosts of FFG are back.

It would be wishful thinking then to assume that any problems found now will actually get addressed before the final product comes out. That irritates the hell out of me (conversely, neutral pronouns and a now-standard safety bit don't bother me).

FFG did make changes during the Beta phase of the games however, and did call them Beta's and not playtest. This MU RPG book is a Beta. It's not a playtest. I think Paizo also called it's preview books Beta books as well.

Shrieking Banshee

The D616 system sounds moronic. Sacrificing runability for a gimmick because '616 is main universe lol!'

Shawn Driscoll

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee on April 22, 2022, 04:26:59 PM
The D616 system sounds moronic. Sacrificing runability for a gimmick because '616 is main universe lol!'
I never knew that 616 was a marvel universe until this game was released. Is it an issue #616 thing? I've only known Marvel Universe and MCU terms. Lawyers use terms like SONY's, Disney's, and FOX's Universes.

Zelen

Marvel exists in a multiverse so you can have all of these alternate-worlds versions of heroes, like Miles Morales as Spider Man instead of Peter Parker, etc.
Universe 616 is the "main" Marvel universe. It doesn't technically have anything to do with MCU, although I'm sure someone somewhere has identified MCU as being some universe#.