Hey Marvel and TTRPG fans! Two of my favorite things have come together in the newly released Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game Core Rulebook. I wanted to give my thoughts here. If you love Marvel and you love role playing games, this book is likely for you. However, if you’re just looking for a good TTRPG involving caped crusaders and villainous villains, there may be better options. I’m going to take a look at what is good and bad about Marvel’s new foray into TTRPG’s. And I’ll give you a couple of alternatives if this one isn’t for you.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

What is the Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game?

The Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game is exactly what it sounds like. Have you ever imagined what it would be like be Daredevil swinging on a flagpole going after bad guys? Put two fingers into your palm and said thwip while pretending you are webbing up a scientist with eight arms? This TTRPG lets you dive into those ideas with a rule structure and six sided dice to determine the outcome. Want to know who would win in a fight between any Marvel characters? This game lets you do that.

You can play any kind of super powered being you want. Whether it’s a sorcerer supreme, a woman with cosmic powers, or a teenager who can communicate with squirrels, you can do it. And you can invent your own hero (or villain). All you need is a group of friends to have all kinds of adventures.

The idea is simple, you make a character, you have one person in your group be the game master (in this case the Narrator) to guide the story. The Narrator controls the non-player characters while the rest of the players just control what their own characters do.

If you have played a role playing game before you’ll definitely catch on quickly. Even if you haven’t, if you’ve pretended to be a super hero before, you’ll still catch on. You’ll just be asked to roll some dice in the middle of it.

Is it Hard to Make a Character?

Compared to a lot of systems, character creation is pretty simple here. The book also gives you a bunch of pre-made profiles of some of your Marvel favorites you can use immediately if you don’t want to take the time to make your own character. There is still some math involved and there is a huge list of powers and origin stories you can use. There’s also a guide to quick character creation if you want to make your own character but not spend tons of time on it.

And, if you want a little preview of what the character sheet looks like, you can even download a copy for free from drivethrurpg right here. It’s totally free and if you are an experienced TTRPG player, you’ll probably get a quick idea of what they are going for here.

Are the Rules Complicated?

Again, compared to other systems, the rules here are not overly complicated. Marvel created their own system called the d616 system. Yes, that’s 616 like the number for the main Marvel universe. Also, eagle eyed gamers will have spotted that the abilities listed on the character sheet are Melee, Agility, Resilience, Vigilance, Ego and Logic which spells out MARVEL. Clever!

The really nice thing about this system is you only need three six sided dice. There are instances where you can get bonuses or take penalties but you never need more than three six sided dice and since everyone has those already, there is no need to go looking for the full set of gaming dice which can be harder to find. It’s also helpful for younger players because it’s almost certain they’ve used six sided dice before so it’s familiar.

How much math is there?

There is a fair amount of crunchiness when it comes to the powers and how they work and what level they are at and things like that. But with the premade characters, a lot of that work is already done for you ahead of time. If you want to fully dive into making your own character, there’s going to be more math involved but it’s not nearly as complicated as building a character in something like Dungeons & Dragons.

There is a bit more of a heavy lift for the Narrator here because there isn’t a pre-made adventure in the core book. However, if you’ve seen the play test version of these rules, you’ll see a couple of significant changes that make the rules a bit more streamlined than they were in that book.

There are also fairly extensive rules on combat and how that works. But then again, half the point of superheroes is that they will get in a fight with someone anyway. It is a section you’ll probably need to reference more than once though.

If you’re a seasoned TTRPG player, this ruleset will be no trouble for you. If you’ve never played a TTRPG before, this will take a bit of reading, practice and some math to get used to but it’s nothing impossible.

Who is This Game For?

One criticism I have for this book is the rules seem like they are not quite complicated enough for seasoned D&D players and not quite simple enough for people who have never played any TTRPG’s. While I don’t think this is insurmountable, it does mean, I don’t think this game is for everybody.

If you are a huge Marvel fan and love TTRPG’s, this is the book to buy. It’s also a very accessible game. If you have never played a TTRPG but you know about Marvel, you can find some ground to start on. If you’ve always wanted to play a TTRPG but found things like Dungeons & Dragons too intimidating, this is a pretty good compromise. Just know there will still be a learning curve.

The book is certainly suitable for younger kids as long as they can read and do a little bit of math. And as adults, you can always scale it up a bit to make it more adult oriented. The game allows you to imagine playing anything from a Saturday morning cartoon Spider-Man episode to a gritty Walking Dead-like Marvel Zombies scenario made for mature audiences only.

The game is not for people who are sick and tired of super heroes or have had it with Marvel for whatever reason. It’s for comic book fans, and you don’t have to be a Marvel specific fan, but it helps.

If you want to play your own unique superhero but in a Marvel setting, this is a good game for that. But, if you want to make your own unique superhero in a completely unique setting, you might be better off with a different superhero TTRPG instead. (I have some recommendations below if this is you)

Where Can I get a Copy of the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Books?

If you have read enough to realize this is a game you want to try out there are a few things you can do to get it. The different methods have some pros and cons so I’ll go into that a bit as well.

And, I’m not trying to make the hard sell here but if you want to help out this blog, buying through the links below goes a long way and it won’t cost you any extra.

Physical retailers

You can pick up a copy at your local friendly gaming store. The books should run around $50-60 bucks and not only do you get to support a local business, you get to walk away with a copy in your hot little hands that day, no muss, no fuss.

You can buy a hardcover copy on Amazon for $53.99. This is a great way to get the core book, although it does come with a hefty price tag and of course you will need to wait for it to be shipped to you. If you want to help this blog out buy your copy here.

Digital versions

You can get a copy for Roll20 for $49.99 on drivethrurpg. However, a couple of warnings here. First off, you’re not getting a physical version of the book this way. Also, you need to have an account on the Roll20 Virtual Table Top in order to access the content. (This is a free account and there’s a link in the purchase description on the Drivethrurpg site if you don’t already have one) Finally, and this is my biggest complaint about this purchase method, if you buy this through Drivethrurpg you are not getting a PDF of the book. As far as I can tell, there is no way to get a PDF of this book at this point. If you do want to buy this version and use it on Roll20 it’s a great option. And if you want to help this blog out you can buy your copy here.

If you happen to have Marvel Unlimited, you can get the test version of the book by typing in Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game: Playtest Rulebook. This will be an earlier edition and some of the rules have changed but it’s got the basics.

If you don’t have Marvel Unlimited and you are willing to shell out $10 to get the Playtest book, you can get it on Amazon. If you want to help out this blog buy it here. Again, it’s not the full current book but it does cover the basics and it gets you started at a much lower price point.

Special Bundles

If you are all in on the game and have cash to spare you could really go all out here in a couple of ways.

1. You could buy the Core Rulebook and pre-order the upcoming adventure module Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game: The Cataclysm of Kang and the upcoming Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game: X-Men Expansion books. Getting all three at once will run you around $135. If you’d like to help out this blog just make your purchase through one of the linked titles above.
2. If you are already big time into Roll20 anyway, the best value through drivethrurpg is to get the Marvel Multiverse RPG Roll20 Mega Bundle. This will give you the core rulebook, a short module made for the Roll20 system called Revenge of the Super-Skrull, and the preoder for The Cataclysm of Kang. Just remember this is only for Roll20 and does not include PDF’s. To help out this blog, buy it here.

Are there Other Systems to use?

I get it. Not everyone is a Marvelite and some people just want to play a costumed superhero (or villain) in their own way. I totally support that. If you want, you could probably come up with Batman stats for the Marvel game but that takes a lot of work and there are some systems better suited to that job.

If you’re not going to play the Marvel TTRPG, I’ve got a couple suggestions for you.

Mutants and Masterminds

Mutants and Masterminds is a game which only uses a d20 and allows you to play any kind of super powered being you can imagine. There is work you have to put in because it’s not a setting you may be familiar with. To start playing in this system I recommend getting the Mutants & Masterminds Deluxe Hero’s Handbook. And if you are going to be the GM I also recommend getting the Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster’s Guide. The GM’s guide is around $18 and the Hero’s handbook is around $20. This is for PDF’s on drivethrurpg, not hard covers. If you do want the hardcover I recommend buying this one at your local friendly gaming store.

The Valiant Universe

The Valiant Universe of comics has its own roleplaying game. This is great for a few reasons. First, Valiant makes some great comics and they are overlooked. This means it’s a rich universe of heroes but ones you may not be familiar with. Secondly, the rules system here is rules light meaning you can jump in and play almost immediately. You can play established heroes in their universe or you can make up your own. The best value here is to get a bundle. This will give you the RPG books but also gives you a few comics to read so you can get an idea of what kind of universe you are playing in. The bundle will just be PDF’s but you get 5 books total (2 RPG books and 3 first volumes of comics) for just $20. To get the bundle buy it here.

Masks

Masks is a superhero TTRPG using the rules-light system used in Apocalypse World. You make characters along the lines of Young Justice, or Young Avengers. It’s fairly simple system with some fun stuff in it and it allows you to play an angsty teen with lots of problems who is not necessarily named Peter Parker. The best way to get in on the action for this game is to buy the core book PDF Masks: A New Generation for $14 on drivethrurpg. It’s a good starting point for this game and if you get into it, there are plenty more books to expand your library. If you’re interested in this one, buy it here.

In Conclusion

Is the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game for everyone? The short answer is no. But if you do love comics (especially Marvel comics) it’s great fun. To try to keep this somewhat short I’ve listed the pros and cons of this game as I see them.

Pros

• Easily accessible IP most people are familiar with
• Rules are mildly complicated but don’t take a huge amount of effort
• Character creation is a breeze, especially if you use the pre-made characters
• You only need six sided dice to play
• There are a massive amount of powers and characters to choose from
• The artwork in this book is as outstanding as you would expect from a company like Marvel
• You only need to buy one book in order to play

Cons

• The book does not include an adventure module
• While you can make your own characters and settings, there may be better systems for that
• The book is a little pricey at over $50
• You can’t purchase it as a PDF at this time
• While almost anyone can play, you might want a more experienced game master to take on the role of Narrator at first
• If you want to play mutants, you’ll likely need to wait for the expansion which does not come out until April of next year

Well, I hope this post has been helpful. If you have played the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, I’d love to hear about it. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

If you want to see more of my thoughts on this game, click here!