I wanted to have a change of pace today, and it has been about a month since writing, about RPGs I enjoy. To qualify for this list I actually have to have played it.
I tend to run shorter campaigns because damn it I am an RPG player and not a collector. I plan on playing through my collection until I have gotten use out of the RPGs I have.
The first one I want to talk about is Masks, which is a teen superhero game. It was the first Powered by the Apocalypse game that I really understood. Admittedly, that understanding was severely helped by the actual play "Just Us Heroes" from Happy Jacks. I recommend Happy Jacks for lightly produced Actual Plays that sound like your friends around a table playing a game. Their advice show it top notch too.
Masks is powered by the apocalypse, so it is 2d6 + a positive or negative attribute. A 7-9 is a success with consequences and a 10+ is a success. Instead of hit points or anything else there are conditions like "Angry" which cause the player to be -2 to certain rolls.
The game is about being a teen where everyone wants you to be something different: your parents, the government, your peers, mentor superheroes, etc.. Your character evolves based on these expectations. The game really is about how you change in relationship to yourself, others, and the world at large.
The city itself is painted with such broad strokes that a GM can add their own flair to it. I had fae wackiness ensue based on the history of a PC or two. They had a crime computer that used a magical mirror as a screen (words and images would appear there), and it turned out the processor was a group of gnomes led by one named Larry. The gnomes liked alcohol which led to quandaries about underage kids getting liquor for the gnomes (they decided against it). Then they had an airship that was manned by gremlins (think Bugs Bunny rather than Gizmo). All in all, it was a fun if silly campaign.
My games for that particular group of players has gotten darker over time, going from monster hunter to now doing 19th Century Nordic Horror, but that will be for another time.
If anyone actually reads this, please feel free to share the blog with others. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and be safe.
