Combat is essential in the Marvel Multivers Role-Playing Game. This post will be part 1 of a series breaking combat down into simple steps. Here we will cover ways to play, timing, sequence of play, positioning, initiative, taking turns, delaying turns and reserving actions. In the next post we’ll go over standard actions, reactions, movement actions, falling, and dealing damage. In the final combat post we’ll go over weapons, healing, conditions, team maneuvers, and objects.
If you want to see more about how to play the game, start here. The best resource will always be the core rule book for the game so definitely check that out.
What are ways to play the Marvel multiverse Role-Playing Game?
Like most role playing games, the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game involves a lot more than combat. There are always going to be conversations and actions revolving around the characters which don’t need to be adjudicated in any way. Going through a door? Well, if it’s unlocked, just open it. But, this is a super hero game we’re talking about. There is going to come a point in this game where conflicts become physical. This is the point when combat breaks out. When that happens there are rules to follow to make sure the game plays out fairly. But how you represent these rules can vary greatly. The book suggests several ways to play this game. If you have played Dungeons & Dragons you’ve probably played one of these ways.
Theater of the Mind
This method involves no extra setup. There are no maps or miniatures needed. The Narrator describes the situation, players describe what their characters do, and the scene plays out. Groups can and do use this method even for combat. However, for this game it can get tricky because there is no true way to measure what someone imagines in their own mind. This can be advantageous when playing online if you aren’t on a virtual tabletop.
Before combat breaks out I would say this is a perfectly valid method and the one you’ll use most often, even when using miniatures. But for this game in particular, I think having some form of physical representation of the combat is helpful whether that is online with a map on a screen or with miniatures on a physical map in person.
On a map
This is the opposite of theater of the mind. Here you rely on a map of some kind, usually with representations of characters, NPC’s and locations on the map. The neat thing about playing this way is there is a host of different kinds of maps to play on. You can use physical maps with grid lines. If you do, the core rule book gives you measurements to use for estimating distances and it even has rules for vertical movement. These can get a little tricky so we’ll go over those in a later post when we give some actual examples of combat.
You can also play on a physical map with miniatures and no grid. This feels a bit more realistic sometimes but there will be instances where you need to break out a ruler for measurement.
You can even just use a whiteboard or projector to put a tentative map on a screen and kind of estimate the action. There’s not a wrong way to use a map but do make sure whatever your group uses, the Narrator is consistent with the rules of how movement and actions work on that map.
On a virtual tabletop (VTT)
One of the most popular ways to play any TTRPG lately is on a virtual tabletop. There are several of these to choose from for Marvel’s role playing game. The most notable is Roll20. They have the core book, virtual character sheets, and all of the expansion books for the game. Of course, you will need to pay to access these materials. You could also just use Discord voice chat with your friends and play that way. Other VTT’s will probably support the game at some point but for now the main one is Roll20. If you live a long distance from your friends, or any of you have reasons you have to play from home rather than in a group, Roll20 can be a great option. Just be aware if you buy the physical books, you’ll still have to buy the VTT books on Roll20 to play the official version. You can, however, access the basic rules there for free.
Timing
When combat does break out, it is important to keep track of timing. The game tracks this through a series of rounds and turns. Each person in the fight has five seconds per round (in game time, not real time) to do something. There are some rules in the game which affect this timing based on things like powers or locations but in general, each person in the fight has five seconds of action time. Then the round starts again and each person gets another turn until the combat completes. Characters and NPCs can also sometimes take reactions but we’ll go over those in a future post. If you have ever played Dungeons & Dragons this system will feel quite familiar. Even if you have played a turn based RPG video game, you’ll likely catch on quickly.
Sequence of play
One of the things I find most helpful when combat breaks out in this game is to refer to the 6 steps of the sequence of play listed in the book. They are as follows.
- Determine positions.
- Roll initiative checks to determine the initiative order.
- Start a new round.
- Each character takes their turn in initiative order.
- If any combatants are still able and want to fight, go back up to step 3.
- Otherwise, the combat ends.
Once you reach step 6, the game usually goes back to more of a theater of mind state where characters can act a bit more freely.
Determine positions
Before getting into the thrill of the fight, you have to figure out where everyone is. In theater of the mind, this is more of a description where you’ll tell the Narrator about where your character is. If you’re using a map, you’ll put a marker of some kind (miniature or token or whatever) to signify the space your character is in. The Narrator will need to do the same for any NPCs involved in the combat. Before the fight starts, make sure everyone is in agreement about where the characters are but remember the Narrator has the final decision here.
Line of sight
Line of sight is what it sounds like. Can your character see a target in combat? Sometimes this is obvious like if you are having a fight out in an open field on a clear day. According to the core rules anything within 200 spaces is considered in line of sight. But, if there’s bad weather, it’s late at night, there are obstructions in the way, etc. this could be reduced by the narrator. If it’s not clear if the character has line of sight, the Narrator will call for a Vigilance check against a Target Number the Narrator assigns.
One thing to remember is, even though your character can see something, that doesn’t mean they are in reach to attack it. We can see the Hulk coming at us from a long way off but you might not be close enough to punch or even shoot him with an energy blast at 200 spaces.
Characters also block line of sight for other characters. Although, if The Punisher is on the ground and Ant-Man is in front of him in ant form, that’s not going to block Punisher’s line of sight. And if we add Storm to the mix and she’s flying, she probably has better line of sight than anyone on the ground. It will vary based on your character’s powers and position.
Characters may have Trouble against a target who has cover but can still be seen. This works the opposite way as well, so if you need to, make sure your character finds their own cover!
Earshot
This is similar to line of sight. Can your character hear what someone is saying? That’s going to be easier in a quiet library than it will in a wind tunnel. It’s also easier to hear the Hulk than it is to hear a shrunken Ant-Man. Anytime it’s unclear if a character is within earshot, the Narrator will have you make a Vigilance check against a Target Number.
I don’t find earshot to come up a lot but it might depend on the character you play. Daredevil has pretty good hearing compared to everyone else. But that will be impacted by sudden loud sounds right next to his ears. Unless you are playing a character like Daredevil, this won’t come up a ton.
Range
There are powers in the game that have a range. The power should list this for you and it will be on your character sheet once you have filled it out. Attacks within the range are normal, you just roll the check like you do for any other attack. If you are trying to hit something up to double this range you have Trouble when making the check. Anything beyond double range is impossible.
I sometimes find ranges a little tricky (not just in this game either), so I am going to quote an example directly from the book, found on page 27.
“For example, if the range is 20 spaces, attacks at targets within 20 spaces are treated normally. From 21 to 40 spaces, they have trouble. Beyond that, the attack can’t be made.”
Once you’ve done this a few times in your game, you’ll catch on.
Initiative
Once you have everyone in position, and you know where the lines of sight and earshot are, it’s time to figure out who takes what turn. To do this, the players will roll an initiative check. You roll your d616 and then add your Initiative Modifier. This should be on your character sheet.
Players roll for their characters but Narrators roll for the NPCs. The book suggests if there is a large group of identical combatants, the Narrator can make a single roll for the group and have each member in that group act on the same initiative number in whatever order the Narrator wants. This is beneficial and saves time but if there is an overwhelming number of NPC combatants, it can lead to a long turn for the Narrator.
Once the players and Narrator have made their initiative checks, the Narrator puts them all in order from highest initiative to lowest.
But what about ties? Here’s where it can get a little complicated. For a tie, if one of the combatants got a Fantastic result, they go first. If neither or both got a Fantastic result, the combatant with the highest Initiative Modifier goes first. If those are tied and it’s between a player and an NPC, the player wins. However, if the tie is between players, they can decide how to break the tie (often times this just means talking to one another about what makes the most sense) or they can roll off and whoever gets the highest result goes first between the two.
Bonus round
If you get a Fantastic result on your initiative check, you get to participate in the sweet, sweet bonus round! Players and NPCs in this round basically get to take a turn before everyone else who did not get a Fantastic result. It’s hugely to your advantage as a player to have high initiative with a Fantastic result because there is a good chance you’ll be able to land the first blow. But on the other hand, if NPCs end up with high initiative, they’ll get to get a jab in first. Narrators, don’t forget to check this as this is something that can be easily missed when combat starts.
Surprise
There are circumstances where someone in a combat can be surprised. This will be determined by the Narrator. An obvious example is when someone is invisible. Those characters are going to surprise a combatant in most situations. When this happens to a character, they are surprised. In this instance the character has Trouble on their initiative check if it is before the combat begins. Think sneaking up on someone. This can either be the players or the NPCs. Anyone who is surprised can’t participate in the bonus round.
When a character is surprised later in combat, the character who causes the surprise gets an Edge on their next attack. Characters like the Invisible Woman can do this often to great effect and sometimes turn a combat around just through this element of surprise.
Taking turns
Once the initiative order is figured out and we know who is surprised and who is in the bonus round, it’s finally time to take turns. What can you do on a turn? In general there will be two types of actions which can be done. A standard action and a movement action. Characters can perform their standard action first (often this is an attack), their movement first, or they can do some movement, make the standard action, and then continue with their movement. As a player in TTRPGs one of my weaknesses is forgetting to complete my movement so make sure you pay close attention to how much movement you have used.
We’ll go more in depth into standard and movement actions in the next post.
Your character doesn’t have to take an action at all if you don’t want them to. Not usually recommended in a fight though. And there are other things your character can usually do that may not be considered a standard action. Like speaking or reading a sign or maybe pulling on your mask real quick. The Narrator will tell you if what you are trying to do requires a standard action. Anything that requires an Action Check would be considered an action.
Reactions
Each round of combat, characters also get a reaction. This doesn’t have to happen in initiative order but it is usually a response to a trigger of some kind. Once the reaction finishes, the round goes back to initiative order and the character has no more reactions until the next round. A character’s reaction can interrupt another character’s reaction. This can get a bit fuzzy so the Narrator needs to keep close track of things when this happens.
Delaying turns
There can be some instances where you want to wait to act. There are two basic ways to do this, holding a turn, or reserving an action.
Holding a turn
To hold a turn, a player voluntarily reduces their initiative check number. The player can either state what the new number is immediately, or they can leave it secret until they decide to take their turn. Narrators may have rules against this so make sure they are on board here. A held turn can’t interrupt a character’s turn. Once the held turn happens, the character’s initiative becomes the new, reduced number. If you hold for a full round and end up going before you would have with your original initiative check, your new initiative may be higher than it was originally. Either way, the new number is your initiative for the remainder of the combat. You won’t be able to take two turns in a round, no matter how you hold your action. And you don’t get the time back from holding. If two characters are holding and want to act at the same time, the one who started holding first goes first.
Reserving actions
Rather than holding a turn, a player can reserve an action. To do this you’ll typically use a standard action your character could perform but as a reaction when some event happens. The example given in the book is Captain America hiding in a corner out of sight, and waiting to punch the next Hydra agent who comes around the corner.
When this gets really tricky is when there are multiple characters reserving actions. For this, a new initiative order is rolled, but only for this sequence of actions. There’s no bonus round here and after the reactions are complete, the initial initiative order resumes.
In Conclusion
Combat is a huge part of this game. It can often take up the bulk of play since heroes and villains do have a tendency to fight. I tried to break this down into understandable components but you can find the full rules for combat in Chapter 4 pages 25 – 42 in the core rule book.
In many TTRPGs combat is one of the most complex parts of the game. In Dungeons & Dragons it’s roughly a third of the rule book. Once you play a few times, you and your group will get a hang of the flow of the action and it will soon feel natural. You’ll still need to check rules on occasion but you’ll learn something each time you do.
There are more rules to combat to understand. My next two posts in this series will continue with combat but after that we’ll create a character.
Thanks for reading and if you want to grab a hold of the character sheet, you can download it for free right here!
