After a successful (and slightly radioactive) submission process, my first independent title under the Slick Dungeon Press imprint is available now.
It’s a 4-page, high-octane battle royale designed for fast play and maximum destruction. Whether you’re a veteran GM looking for a chaotic one-shot filler or a new player who just wants to punch a building, this game is for you.
Thanks for supporting this new journey for Slick Dungeon!
The game is a fast-paced smackdown fight for 2-6 players and takes about 30 minutes to play. All you need are 7 six sided dice, pencils, paper and the rules. If you do end up playing, it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Come check out my new Substack! Hello dungeon crawlers! I’ve got a bit of news I’m both happy and a bit nervous to share. I have started a new Substack called Insight Check and it is going to be a place where I take a very deep dive into various topics on tabletop roleplaying games. My first piece there is all about why I think 2025 was a landmark year for TTRPGs and could prove to be even more consequential than 2014 when D&D 5th edition released.
If you love this blog, no need to worry, I’ll still be posting here about all kinds of things, including TTRPGs. I just wanted to give Substack a try and see how it goes. Just so you have an idea what is coming up on Insight Check, here is what is coming in the next couple of posts. First, as I said I break down why 2025 was a landmark year for the industry. Next, I’ll be taking a good, deep dive into the Satanic Panic and how that still has an effect on TTRPGs. Then, I will be providing an in depth list of new player tips to help you get your games going with advantage.
There’s no pressure to join and I’m not charging anything for access. But if you have enjoyed my TTRPG work at any point it would mean the world to me if you’d come check out my new Substack.
If you are still hesitant and just want to read the first post I’ve provided a button where you can do that as well.
If you’re still not sold on it, no worries, just keep reading this here blog and we can still be friends. And if you just want to read something TTRPG related right on this blog check out my handy dandy list of Top 5 Call of Cthulhu campaigns here!
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all have a great start to 2026 and expect more from me soon!
The Enclave TTRPG only requires an understanding of the rules and a bit of paper and pencils to play
Enclave is a tabletop roleplaying game with an ambitious goal. Allow players to play without the use of random number generators like dice or any other assistance outside of pen, paper, and imagination. It’s one of the more interesting games I have played lately and I’m here to tell you who it’s for, who should avoid it, and what’s coming next for the game. I was given a complimentary edition so I could review the game but I have no other affiliation with the makers of the game. My opinions here are all my own. So, let’s dive right in!
What is Enclave?
As I said above this game is diceless. But don’t be fooled, there are rules to the game. And, in fact, playing the game feels a lot more intense than tons of games which do use dice. I’ll get into why that is later in this review but first let’s talk about the concept of the game.
The setting of the game is called Manifold. This is an infinite realm with the locations, events, and inhabitants all determined by the players. Inside of the world of Manifold, there is a group called the Enclave. Each mission starts with a briefing from the members of this entity to the PCs. From there, the players carry out actions, the GM (in this case called a Conduit) narrates NPCs, setting, etc. However, in this game there is a little extra buy in from the players as they can influence parts of the setting.
The structure of the game, in my opinion, is excellent for one-shot adventures, although no doubt, long campaigns are run in this system. Once the mission briefing is done, the action is intense and the game flows very well. Surprisingly so without dice. But there is a caution here. The setup to get to the mission takes more time than many other games. We’ll get more into why that is in a bit.
What do you need to play?
I love a TTRPG that has a low bar of entry to play. Meaning, you don’t need to spend tons of money on things like dice, battle maps, minfigures, core books, etc. And as far as I can tell, this game has the lowest bar of entry of almost any TTRPG I have played. All you need is 2-5 friends, the ruleset, character sheets and something to write with. That’s literally it. No need to invest heavily into lots of extraneous stuff here.
How do you play?
The game is set up with a GM and players. The GM is called the Conduit. The Conduit acts as the moderator of gameplay and narrates the non-player characters and world as in most games. However, there are a few differences. First, there is buy in from the players right at the outset. They give the GM keywords for the Conduit to work with when designing the world. This challenges the GM to incorporate those words into the adventure in some way.
The players and Conduit then talk a little bit about the type of setting they are about to play in. The Conduit generally has final say but the players are encouraged to make suggestions.
Players come equipped with character sheets or make them there prior to the session. The game uses 12 stats that function much like in any roleplaying game with dice, there is just less math involved. There are 6 Classes which each use different Abilities. Again, there is less math involved than in something like Dungeons & Dragons but it would be a mistake to say there are no mechanics here.
While the 6 Classes do represent enough types of characters to slot into most types of scenarios, if I had one complaint about the game, it would be that I would like a few more Classes to choose from. But for your early sessions in Enclave, 6 is probably plenty.
Session time is about 2-3 hours
To run a successful session of Enclave it took my group roughly 3 hours. There are four of us, just to give you a picture of how long it might take. With more people, it will take longer. But one thing to note here, is that the time of actual “in-game” play was probably closer to 45 minutes. We did our character creation, set up the kind of world we wanted to be in (sort of a high-tech fantasy style of setting with a bit of bioweaponry happening alongside magic), and then gave the Conduit time to create the setting.
At the start of the mission, Enclave gives a briefing and then basically teleports the characters to wherever they need to be. There’s no long travel time or mapping things out hex by hex in this game.
We did our mission and then at the end, the Conduit asks for feedback about the session. Players and Conduit all contribute to the discussion, pointing out what they liked and didn’t like and how things could be improved or what they want to see more of.
Who is this game for?
If you’ve been reading this review so far and thought, that sounds like a lot of improvising and character acting all around the table, you are absolutely right! The game is very immersive which I think is a huge strength. Unlike games with dice, there’s no real break from your turn as you need to be paying close attention to what all of the people are doing at any given moment. The Conduit also has to be on their toes to make sure everyone is getting an equal amount of stage time. It’s definitely a balancing act.
My group plays D&D most of the time. Parts of this game felt natural and some of it took more effort. Even having my character sheet in front of me (I played a Gunsligner because, well, Gunslinger) when the Conduit asked me what my Sensory stat was, I found myself almost reaching for imaginary dice. And there were a couple of times where the Conduit started to say “make a check” rather than just asking what the stat was. All this is just to say, it does take some getting used to.
People who love really focusing on the character narrative will absolutely fall in love with this game. People who can really pay attention and want to support other players will also fall in love with this game. If immersion is your thing, this should be your go to game, hands down, bar none.
Who is this game not for?
Big number crunchers, min-maxers, and rules lawyers should all sit this one out. If you want to memorize creature statistics, know exactly what weapon to use to just nuke your opponent, and love the idea of rolling handfuls of dice and adding up the total, this ain’t the game for you.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to play TTRPGs that way. Everyone has their own preferred style. I tend to lean more towards narrative than mathematics myself but crunchy games are their own kind of fun. Enclave has mechanics, there are numbers, and equipment and all that too. But there is not a lot of math.
Do you hate the part of roleplaying where you have to narrate what your character is doing? If you would rather be the person who just says, “I hit it with my longsword” over and over, this game isn’t for you.
A Gunslinger in Enclave
How I recommend using Enclave
I’ve only played one session of this game so far but I do have some advice on how to make the most use out of it. Because there are so few materials needed, and because it only takes a few players, my recommendation here is to use this as your go to one shot game. If you have a regular group but people can’t all make it? This is perfect. Hardly any setup (although definitely recommended for the Conduit to prepare beforehand and for everyone to read the rules) means you can pull this out pretty quick and not lose a whole night of gaming.
I suspect doing this often enough could lead you to a sort of secondary fill in campaign for those days when people have to miss a regular session. The premise is basically get in, do the mission, get out. It’s not as important the exact same people are there every session. But whoever is there needs to be ready to roleplay.
How do I get Enclave? And what’s next?
If you like what you are hearing here, I have some good news. The original game was funded through Kickstarter. And there is going to be an updated version with more classes, different items, and all sorts of bells and whistles called the Enclave: Aspirant edition launching on Kickstarter soon! I recommend following it if you are interested in potentially backing. It’s an independent game by independent creators and supporters of TTRPGs should show it some love.
Almost forgot the art
You didn’t think I would post a TTRPG review without mentioning the artwork did you? Of course not! The game is only about 60 pages long so there is not a ton of art here. But what there is really pops. Greg Taylor is the artist and there’s some standout work. I do wish there was more of it, so I’m hoping in the next edition he gets a little more page space. It all works quite well as far as the narrative of the rules goes. But it’s clearly a big challenge because one of the core concepts of Enclave is that it can take place in almost any setting. It’s tough to cover all those bases.
Want to learn more about Enclave?
I know it’s hard to get a sense of how a game plays just by reading a review. So, I have some ways for you to see the game in action.
Buy the game! (I mean yeah that’s obvious right?)
There is a YouTube channel where Robby Howell, the creator of the game, explains what it is and has actual plays on there. They are a lot of fun to watch. I’ve embedded the first video below so check it out!
You can join their Discord where they discuss al things Enclave and it’s an active community always looking to get a game going.
Some shameless self promotion here. I’ll be doing deeper dives on rules and gameplay experience, not only for this first edition, but also for the second edition once it is out, so keep an eye out for your ol’ pal Slick Dungeon to tell you more!
In Conclusion
Want a fun, fast paced game, where the focus is entirely on the roleplay and not what the dice have to say? Enclave is for you! Not a lot of prep work, not a lot of math, but a ton of narrative focus.
If you truly do love crunchy games (nothing at all wrong with that either btw) then pass this one by, there are other games for you.
If you’ve played this game before I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments below. Did it take you a minute to get used to having nothing to roll like it did me?
Hello everyone, Slick Dungeon here. I’m finally back to do the next entry in my How to play Call of Cthulhu series. This time we’re talking Skills. I’ll go over what they are and how they are used in the game. If you’re new to this game or haven’t seen my earlier posts, start here.
There is an extensive list of skills in the Keeper Rulebook so I won’t be talking about each one individually here. Rather we’re going to talk about the idea of what skills are, some ways they come up in game play, and some things to keep in mind when choosing skills for your investigator.
Skills defined
This will probably sound obvious but a skill is something your character can do. They will have some skills they excel at and others they are very limited in. A taxi driver in New York City might have excellent skill at Drive Auto but would be unlikely to have great skill in Pharmacy. It could happen but it’s just not likely. And it will depend on the background of your character and the circumstances of your campaign.
The skills in the game are represented by a percentage. The higher your investigator’s percentage is in a certain skill, the more likely they are to succeed at any checks made involving that skill. You are limited by the game rules as to how many skills and to what percentage your investigator can have. And you will want to think carefully about what skills would be best to cultivate not only for your investigator but for the era, location, and circumstances of the scenario you are playing in.
Below I will give you the example from the book so you know what skill points mean.
Skill points
On page 54 of the Keeper Rulebook they have a handy chart you can reference if you are not sure how skilled your character is.
Skill points reference chart from page 54 of the Keeper Rulebook by Chaosium
As you can see, it’s advantageous to be higher in any skill you might want to use in the game. But it’s very difficult to be higher than 89% in any particular skill. This wouldn’t be just someone who spent a lifetime honing a skill, they would also be someone who is more of an expert than almost anyone else.
On the opposite end, anyone with 01%-05% has no skill to speak of. When you have a skill this low, you are sometimes able to increase the skill during the game but you have low odds of succeeding on a skill check involving this skill.
The majority of your skills are going to fall somewhere in the middle of this range. There are differing degrees to which you can be successful with these skills. If your skill is above 50% you could make a living at it but you’re not considered a true expert here.
One thing to keep in mind as you are looking at your skills (and that I tended to forget when I first started playing) is that you typically want to roll under your skill percentage to succeed. This is beneficial because the higher percentage you have, the easier it is to succeed. However, progressing in that skill becomes more difficult the higher your percentage is. For example, if you are learning to skateboard and you have never done this before, it’s easy to go from novice to neophyte. But once you become a well known and skilled skateboarder it is much more difficult to go from amateur to professional. And even harder to go from professional to expert.
Skill specializations
Within certain skills there are specializations. For example your investigator might be great at a particular kind of science. Maybe they are a physicist. While a physicist understands science broadly, she isn’t necessarily an expert in biology. The rule book will tell you which group of skills have a specialization. Another example is fighting. You can specialize in certain types of fighting. But if the skill group is specialized you can’t be an expert in that general skill. Our physicist can be an expert in physics but she can’t be an expert in just science in general.
Opposing Skill
For many of the skills listed in the book, there is a section giving guidance about opposing skills and what the difficulty of success is. Let’s go back to our example of the physicist. She wants to conduct an experiment in her lab. She has all of the proper equipment and a hypothesis. She’s up to date on the latest academic research. And she’s got plenty of time to complete the task.
In this situation, the Keeper will likely call for an opposing skill check with a regular difficulty. This means to succeed at her experiment, the player would need to roll equal to or below the skill value of the investigator.
This is a normal experiment where things go well.
Now, let’s take that same example and add some complications. Instead of doing the experiment in her lab, our scientist has found a strange substance in the woods. It’s an area where people have been disappearing and there is no explanation for it. She goes back to her lab but it has burned down. She has some equipment at home and can use her small kitchen for the experiment. This is going to be far more difficult than the first example. This will likely be considered a Hard check by the Keeper. In this case, our investigator has to roll equal to or below half of her skill value. If her skill is 80%, instead of rolling equal to or under 80, she must roll equal to or under 40 to succeed.
Finally, there is an Extreme difficulty. For this, let’s use our example above but add more complications. Now, she’s in her house conducting her experiment but someone set a fire to her house and she has to work fast. In this case the player must roll under one-fifth of her skill value. She has to roll a 16 or less to succeed. Not impossible but very difficult.
Pushing and combining Skills
We’ll get more into this as I dive deeper into game mechanics in a future post but there are sometimes chances to “push” a roll. Basically what it gets down to is when you fail a check there may be circumstances which allow you to roll again. However, as nice as that sounds, there are risks. If you push a roll and then fail again, something even worse than your first failure is likely to happen. It’s a balance knowing when you should push a roll and when you should take the loss. And it’s one of the things that makes the game fun!
Another type of roll you might be asked to make is a combined skill roll. There are two ways this can happen. In the first situation you will roll once but compare your result against two skills. For this result to succeed you have to roll under both skills. If you have a skill with an 80% and one with a 60% and you roll 70 you do not succeed. The second way this can happen is the Keeper may allow you to use one roll and compare the result to either skill. In this example, if you have an 80% in one and a 60% in the other and you roll a 70 you do succeed because you rolled under 80.
This can feel a little awkward at first but as you play it will start to come naturally. And we’ll talk about it more in a later post.
Optional rules
There are some optional rules in the end of chapter on skills in the Keeper Rulebook. These have to do with transferable skills in the specializations and languages. I’m not really going to go into those here. These rules are optional so it’s up to the discretion of the Keeper. What they boil down to is when you become more of an expert in one particular part of your specialization, this might transfer into the skills in the rest of that skill group. It does make sense that someone who already speaks three languages might have less difficulty in understanding a fourth than someone who is monolingual learning a second language. But we’ll leave that up to your Keeper.
In conclusion
Skills in Call of Cthulhu are a huge part of the game and integral to how an investigator operates in the game world. The chapter on skills has a ton of options so it does help to know what the background of your investigator is before even looking in that part of the book. We’ll get more into how they are used as I continue this series.
In the next post I’ll get into some specifics about game play rules, not including combat, chases, sanity, or magic. I’ll touch on each of those subjects with later posts. For now, I hope this helps you to understand skills a bit and I’ll see you next time!
Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game by Matt Forbeck
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!
The 2025 TTRPG challenge is a little tricky. Even if you love tabletop role playing games, it’s not always possible to play a game with your friends. Scheduling is a nightmare. Not all of the activities here are playing TTRPGs. But everything is related to them. Just do your best and try to get as many checked off as you can. Get your free copy here or at the image below. And get started on your challenge!
Slick Dungeon’s 2025 TTRPG Challenge!
Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!
I’m going to play a new system I have been reading called Along the Leyline. It’s a rules lighter form of D&D. I’m excited to give it a shot. I’ll also be reviewing it here.
Check this blog later this year for something I write for a TTRPG. Can’t say what it is yet but I’m excited for it!
I’m going to read the rules for The Walking Dead role playing game.
I’m going to play the Alien role playing game.
I’ll watch a cosmic horror film for this one.
I’m going to read the Pathfinder player manual
I’ll either do Savage Worlds or Pulp Cthulhu or maybe even Achtung Cthulhu for this one.
I can always re-watch E.T.the Extra Terrestrial for this one.
Kobold press has a great monster manual called the Kobold Guide to Monsters. I’ll be reading that.
Call of Cthulhu for this one!
Not sure what kind of handout I will make but once I do, I’ll share it here.
I hear good things about Dungeon Crawl Classics so I’ll go with that one.
I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you play along and how it goes if you do.
Cthulhu by Gaslight by Barton, Hardy, Mason, McDonald, Ross & Wade.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wander the streets of London on a foggy night when Jack the Ripper was on the loose? What if there was something even more dangerous out there lurking in the darkness? If you want to unleash cosmic horror in the Victorian era, Cthulhu by GaslightInvestigators’ Guide is for you. I just got my hands on the book and I’ve given it a flip through so I wanted to share my thoughts with you all here. I’ll probably do a deeper dive into the nuances at a later time. But just to sum it up in a nutshell, it’s Call of Cthulhu but set in Victorian London. And I can’t wait to play it.
What is Cthulhu by Gaslight?
The tabletop role playing game Call of Cthulhu famously introduced players to the role playing potential of cosmic horror. This is a game where the heroes are decidedly human, and although investigators can be heroic, the odds of overcoming the darkness are slim. There is magic, but it’s dangerous and often deadly. The monsters in this game are so far beyond comprehension to the human mind that just seeing one is enough to drive most people to madness. There are no elves, dwarves, or halflings to help out. The players, referred to as investigators, are dreadfully, horrifically, on their own. The game is typically set in 1920’s America. But cosmic horror knows no bounds of time or place so it can often be interesting to change the location or the time period for a different flavor of play.
The gaslight era refers to the Victorian age when Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom. It was a time of great progress, full of innovation, and ushered in new modes of communication and transportation. But it was also a time when strict class structure was prevalent, economic and societal disparities were larger than ever, and the world was trying to come to grips with how to move forward. It’s a natural match to place cosmic horror in the same location and time period when Charles Dickens was the most famous author of all time, penny dreadful novels were available on ever street corner, and Jack the Ripper was the first killer to become a global media sensation. The potential for change, dread, and horror in this era is nearly unparalleled.
Cthulhu by Gaslight evokes this mood beautifully for a fun and terrifying experience.
What do I need to play?
As far as role playing games go, Cthulhu by Gaslight is pretty light on needed materials. You will need the Investigators’ Guide and a set of role playing dice (d12 excluded). And, of course, you need a group of people to play with.
If you have played Call of Cthulhu before, you likely have the Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook but it is not essential to have this to play the Gaslight version. In the Gaslight Investigators’ Guide they include the complete rules needed, including character creation. Still, it is nice to have the Keeper Rulebook to reference as a separate book. Do keep in mind, a Keeper book specifically for the Gaslight edition will come out sometime in the future. If you don’t have the 7th edition Keeper Rulebook already, and you only want to play in the Gaslight edition, wait until that comes out rather than buying the Keeper guide for the core game.
In other words, Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is almost completely self contained. You will need the dice and friends, but you can get along with just the one book. But my advice here comes with a couple of caveats.
Two things to consider
First, if you have never played any Call of Cthulhu it can be difficult to be the Keeper. The Gaslight Keeper Rulebook is meant to give the Keeper new tools to help facilitate play and delve deeper into the history of the game. Since that book is not out yet, you may want to hold off being the Keeper until you have at least some experience with the 7th edition of Call of Cthulhu. But, it’s clear if you are experienced or creative enough, you can definitely start campaigns with just the Investigators’ Guide.
Second, if you are already an expert in the Victorian era, you might not need the upcoming Keeper Rulebook at all. It is possible to just take the original 7th edition rules, fiddle around with them a bit, and plop your investigators right into a different time period. The Investigators’ Guide for Gaslight makes it much easier and it’s a fantastic reference. But if you don’t have the disposable income to purchase the book, you can always consider putting in more work and creating Victorian campaigns of your own.
Whether or not you should buy Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is up to you. But so far, I find it a great resource full of interesting tidbits, more useful for the historical aspect than the rules breakdown. I already do play 7th edition though so your circumstances may be different.
Where can I get Cthulhu by Gaslight?
There are two ways to get the book. The first, and most obvious, is directly from Chaosium. The hardcover is $49.99 and you can grab it here. There is a leatherette edition which looks absolutely gorgeous but runs at a hefty price of $99.99 and you can get that here. And Chaosium does have a PDF version you can get for a very reasonable price of $24.99 and you can get that here.
One nice thing about buying any of the physical books at Chaosium is you do get a free PDF of the book included. If you have plenty of space on your bookshelf, getting one of the physical books is the best way to go.
However, if you are like me, and your shelf space is running low, drivethrurpg can be the way to go. You can only get the PDF version there. If you are only getting the PDF version, consider purchasing it for $24.99 through my affiliate link here. It costs the same but I get a small amount of the proceeds. This helps me to keep this blog going and is extremely appreciated.
Anything else I should know?
Do keep in mind this book is labeled for mature readers. I think it can be adaptable for kids. But it touches on themes of violence, gore, drug use and sex. That’s something to keep in mind even if you are only playing with adults. A lot of horror games deal with sensitive topics like these. Just be sure you know where everyone at the table stands on what their tolerance levels are for certain topics.
The art in the book is fantastic. Check out just one piece below. It’s so evocative of the era and leaves a bit of mystery to the imagination. The book is full of great atmospheric examples like this.
A foggy morning in London during the Victorian era
Don’t forget about the free downloads. In addition to the information in the book, you can get plenty of free goodies. On the Chaosium website you can get blank investigator sheets, pre-generated character sheets, a Gaslight London map, and a player maps pack.
Anyone can get these free downloads just by visiting the website. If you really don’t want to buy the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide but you still want to play in the Gaslight setting, all of those handouts go a long way to making it easier.
And the last thing to know is, if you want to make your game a little more action filled, or a little more like the show Penny Dreadful you can do so using the Pulp Cthulhu rules. This is a separate set of rules I won’t get into here. But those rules make for tougher investigators and more frequent combat.
In Conclusion
The Gaslight setting won’t be for everyone. If you already have enough of the Cthulhu resources, time, and imagination, this book is not necessary. But, if you want a new setting with an easy reference guide, some killer artwork, and tons of advice and tips, get your copy. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when I take investigators out of the usual Cthulhu settings and put them in the fog filled streets of London when the night was lit by gas.
I also see potential here for connecting stories to some other Cthulhu settings. While it has a much different feel, I could see investigators go from Cthulhu by Gaslight to Down Darker Trails, the western setting for the game. There’s a much different set of skills needed to navigate London than there is duking it out in the wild west. A journey where we go from one spot to the other could make for some unforgettable TTRPG experiences.
If you’ve played in this setting, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to tell me in the comments below.
And, if you’re looking for some recommendations for other Call of Cthulhu campaigns, check out my post here.
Until next time, stay safe, you never know what’s lurking in the fog.
Hello folks. I’m the first to admit that I love a dark and gritty horror tabletop role playing game like Call of Cthulhu or Vampire the Masquerade. But there are times in life when you just need a break from that. Or from your favorite fantasy game involving elves and whatnot. Maybe you want to run around an office as a Nepo Baby, reminding everyone who your father is. Or you need a game where you can let the perfectionist side of you shine. If you are looking for a fun game that is easy to learn and great for a good time, I highly recommend Interns in the Dark by Adam Yee.
Before I go any further, I just want to say, I have no affiliation with this game in any way and this is in no way sponsored content. I just really enjoyed it when I got to play it so I wanted to share it with all of you.
What is Interns in the Dark?
Interns in the Dark is a tabletop role playing game. It utilizes the same rule set Blades in the Dark uses. In case you don’t know about Bladesin the Dark, it’s basically a heist TTRPG. It’s a lot of fun to play and easier to pick up than something like Dungeons & Dragons.
Interns in the Dark flips the script on that game and makes it more of a comedic take on a heist quest. A couple of weekends ago, I got to play a session at Big Bad Con and it was one of the highlights of the convention for me. I’m not going to go over rules extensively here but I’ll tell you some basics and you can decide if it’s something you want to get for your own gaming table.
The premise of Interns in the Dark
You live in a place filled with highly successful businesses called The Bay. No matter what your character does in the game, they start working for a soul sucking mega-corporation. You might work for The Jungle, Metabook, Trinance, Ghougle, or Stonks Inc. Or your GM may decide to make their own. These companies are super innovative. At stealing each other’s intellectual property.
When you go to work, you are an innocent intern who is crucial to the success of your company. Succeed and you may be rewarded. Fail and there will be consequences.
The characters of Interns in the Dark
There are several archetypes you can play.
The Jock
Pretty much what it sounds like. You’re into sports and you’re athletic. Also good at teamwork.
The Weeb
Embrace your inner anime fan with this one. Lean into the weird and have a great time.
The Techie
Love gadgets? You’ll fit right in. You are obviously good at tech skills.
The Perfect
We all know someone like this. If you don’t then you are the perfect. You get the job done and done right no matter the cost.
The Nepo Baby
You have connections and everyone knows it. Because you constantly remind them.
The Empath
You’re way good at all the feels. And it helps you make a lot of friends.
The Mascot
You dress up in a costume. People may not know who you are but they instantly recognize your outfit.
A session
A play session of the game can run from 2-4 hours usually with 3-5 players. Making a character is easy if you’ve played any TTRPG before. If you haven’t, it might take you 30 or so minutes to figure it out.
You can play single one shot sessions to have a nice break between your other games. But you can also play a longer campaign with the book over multiple sessions.
It’s really up to you how your group plays but if you need a good dose of humor these days (and who doesn’t?) this is a great one to add to your bookshelf.
When I played, I was the mascot and we got away with our heist after a bunch of tech bros who took on the characteristics of all the U.S. ex-presidents landed their cybertrucks on top of our U-haul. But there’s no telling how a game of yours might turn out.
How can I get a copy of Interns in the Dark?
Want to start for free? Get the quickstart rules here. This is an independent TTRPG creator though, so consider giving a donation at least.
Want just the PDF? That will cost you $25. How about the softcover? That will run you $40. You can get both versions right here.
Personally, I recommend the softcover. It’s a completely reasonable price for any TTRPG book. The art is a lot of fun and it makes it easy to flip through. But needs vary so grab whatever version makes the most sense for your table.
Other than the book, all you need are some character sheets and 4 six sided dice for everyone at the table. No need to run out and get super fancy dice. (Of course that’s always fun to do though, so no shame if you still decide to do that.)
In Conclusion
I’ll probably post more about this game on occasion and get into mechanics and whatnot. But for now, just trust me, it’s a lot of fun, especially if you just need a lighthearted break now and again with your gaming group.
Have you played this one? If so, what character archetype did you play and did you succeed at your mission? Let me know in the comments.
Looking for something a little more serious?
I know a fun game involving interns is not for everyone. If you would rather play a great cosmic horror game, in my book, you can’t go wrong with Call of Cthulhu.
William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion: A Historical Call of Cthulhu RPG Adventure by David Waldron and Shannon Nicholls
Hello Investigators! I’ve got a cool review for you today with an ENNIE nominated one shot for Call of Cthulhu! This one is a bit unusual as it’s based on historical events and real locations. If you love Call of Cthulhu and you are looking for a new one shot scenario for your table, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion is perfect 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 William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion?
William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion is a one shot scenario for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition. Before I go any further, I should make it clear that while I was given a complimentary copy of the scenario by the creator David Waldron. However, this is post is in no way sponsored by the creators of the scenario.
In the scenario you will find a scenario based on historical events in the 1890s in Ballarat, Australia. You will find several historical figures in the scenario, including William Bailey, Emily Bailey, Thomas Learmonth, and the Stephenite cult.
One of the coolest parts of the scenario is that all of the Investigators are also historical figures. This makes it fun to play around in the time period.
The scenario also contains 7 NPC stats, 8 player handouts, 4 pre-generated character sheets, and 4 maps.
What’s it About?
Players should skip this section. If you want to play the scenario, make sure to let your Keeper know and have them read ahead.
Spoilers Follow!
I will try to keep the spoilers light here but there are going to be some in order for me to talk about the scenario.
In the 1890’s there was a man named William Bailey. He was a successful business man who made his money in the gold trade. But the way he came about his success was far less than ethical. Bailey made many enemies, not the least of which was the Learmonth family. Bailey fooled them into thinking a gold mine was worthless, bought an anonymous stake in said mine, then kept the mine for himself, thus making himself a wealthy man. With his ill gotten gains, Bailey purchased a mansion. Recently, Bailey has seen strange things happening at his mansion. He assumes this is revenge on the part of the Learmonth family but there is a more supernatural explanation here.
Meanwhile, Bailey’s wife Emily has been in contact with the Stephenite cult. This was a real cult at the time. They have convinced Emily to allow a seance to cleanse her home.
Emily keeps this fact a secret from her husband. William, wanting to get to the bottom of things, has hired the Investigators to figure out what is going on.
I won’t go further into the details of the scenario here because what happens next is going to depend on your players.
How long does it take to Run?
The story is a one shot so it should only take about 2-3 hours to run. For some great context and an example of how the scenario was first created, you can check out this YouTube video. They have some great costuming ideas too if you want to make it even more fun at your table!
William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion Live Play
What are the Cons?
No scenario is perfect and any Keeper is always going to have to do some work to make things perfect for their table. There are some points, especially in the setup, that can feel kind of railroaded here. In a short scenario, I don’t see that as a bad thing. But there are some Keepers who can’t stand that at all so do be forewarned.
As far as the maps go, they are a little tough to read but this is because they are actual public domain sketches of the real place. My table used them just fine. But there were some areas where I had to take a pretty close look to make sure I was looking at the right place.
Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons here and it’s an enjoyable scenario, no doubt.
How can I get a copy of William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion?
If you’re still not sure if you should get this scenario let me remind you of a few things. First, this is nominated for an ENNIE. If you don’t know what that means, it’s like the Emmys but for tabletop role playing games. It’s not easy to even be nominated for one, so this scenario stands out.
Second, this is quite reasonably priced. You can get a PDF, a color soft cover, or both. The price ranges from $3 – $10 depending on the option you choose.
If you’re just itching to get your hands on it, you can purchase it right here!
In Conclusion
My table had a good time with this one and I think yours will too. You might even learn a bit of history while you are at it.
It’s a great way to spend a couple of hours and there is a nice, creepy payoff if your Investigators make it through.
So, if you are looking for your next Call of Cthulhu 7th edition scenario, I think you’ll like William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion.
P.S.
If you’ve already played this one and are looking for another historical Call of Cthulhu scenario, I humbly suggest trying my scenario Trouble on the Rock set on Alcatraz Island in 1934. It’s on sale right now for only $3.99!
And if you are new to Call of Cthulhu, check out my how to play series starting here!
Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game by Matt Forbeck
Marvel Multivers Role-Playing Game character profiles are essential to understand if you want to play the game. In this post, we’ll go over what they are, how to use them and why they are so important. If you want to follow along, you can download a character sheet for free right here.
If you want to see more about how to play the game, start here.
(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 are Marvel multiverse Role-Playing Game Character Sheets?
Put simply, these are character sheets. They are the basic foundation for most role playing games. And while these are similar in many ways to other TTRPG character sheets, Marvel has added some unique features. We’ll go through the basics, focusing on each section and highlighting the most essential parts.
Character Data
This section is self explanatory for the most part. Here is where you can choose your character’s codename, real name, height, weight, gender, eyes, hair, size, distinguishing features, teams, base, origin, occupation, history and personality.
Identity and Notes sections for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
If you are using a currently existing Marvel character, obviously a lot of this will be chosen for you. But if you are creating your own character, these are up to you. There are a few that do have some mechanical effects such as size and origin but we’ll get to those in a bit.
Rank
You can think of rank in terms of levels for Dungeons & Dragons or even video games. Rank is based on power and training. Even with the utmost training, Spider-Man will never achieve the power level of Galactus. In this game, there are six ranks you can choose from, each expanding in power. It can be fun to play at any rank but there’s definitely a bit more math involved in the highest ranks. If you play an existing character from the Core rulebook, their character profile will tell you what rank they are. If you make your own character, you’ll need to decide what rank you want to play.
Codename and Rank sections for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Ability Scores
Most TTRPG’s have some kind of ability scores and the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game is no exception. One of the things I love about this system is they made it easy to remember by spelling out the word Marvel to create the scores. You’ll use these scores when making checks in the game. Your character will be better at some of these than others. I’ll dive much further into these in a future post when I create a character but for now here’s the breakdown of the abilities.
Melee – This is for how well you hit or throw. On the defense side, it’s for how well you take a punch. Hulk is good at this.
Agility – This is for attacking at range, dodging and things like running. Spider-man and Daredevil are good at this.
Resilience – This is basically how tough you are and it helps to calculate your health. The Thing is good at this.
Vigilance – This is for situational awareness. It also affects your initiative modifier. Professor X is good at this.
Ego – This is what in D&D terms you might call charisma. It’s how much force of personality a character has and it can affect how intimidating a character is. It also affects psychic and magical powers if your character uses those. Dr. Strange is good at this.
Logic – This is basically your character’s intelligence. Mr. Fantastic is, well, fantastic at this.
Once you have your ability scores, you’ll be able to make ability checks. We’ll get more into this in the future but it’s safe to say the higher your score in an ability, the more likely you are to do well on a check using that score. I won’t go into the calculations here because we’ll do them in a future post where you can see how these calculations are adjusted as things like power sets are added.
Ability score section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Health
This one is pretty easy to figure out. Health is how healthy your character is. This is calculated by taking Resilience and multiplying it by 30. If you somehow have a Resilience of less than 1, you still get a minimum of 10 health. We’ll go over damage reduction in a future post when we go over combat.
Health section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Focus
This is for how well a character can concentrate. It’s also affected by psychic attacks. To calculate focus, multiply Vigilance by 30. And, just as with health, the minimum is 10 even if your character has a Vigilance score of less than 1.
Focus section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Karma
Karma is one of the more unique things in the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing game. It’s basically a system that represents those clutch moments where everything seems to be going wrong for a hero but in an instant where the universe comes together, something happens to change the outcome to one more favorable to the hero.
Each character starts with Karma equal to their rank. Rank 1 heroes have 1 point of Karma, Rank 2 have 2 etc.
Mechanically Karma can be used in a few ways. A character can use a point of Karma to give themselves an Edge, give an enemy Trouble, recover Health or Focus, or even to help a teammate recover. You can’t spend more than one point of Karma on any check.
Karma points also regenerate up to the hero’s rank after a good night’s sleep. Narrators can also give out extra Karma points to players who do things like committing heroic acts, role playing their character well, or saying their catchphrase at just the right time. This is at Narrator discretion so it’s not guaranteed. If you have more Karma than your rank and don’t use it before going to sleep for the night, your excess Karma will disappear but you will regain your regular amount of Karma. In other words, it’s good to use Karma when you have it.
There is one restriction here, only characters with the Heroic tag can have Karma points.
If there was one thing I might want to change about this game, it’s that restriction but I won’t go too far into it here. Let’s just say, I can see instances and campaigns where characters without that tag might be able to use it.
Initiative Modifier
This is what helps determine when you get to act in combat. This is equal to the character’s Vigilance but can be increased if a character has an E next to it on their character sheet. For example, Quicksilver has Vigilance 4 but his Initiative modifier is +4E, meaning he has an Edge when it comes to initiative. This makes sense considering he has super human speed.
Speed
This is what it sounds like. It’s how fast your character can move. They have a run, climb, jump, and swim speed. If they can’t swim their speed for swim would be 0. This is affected by the character’s Agility and Size. We’ll get into those adjustments further when we make a character in a later post. If you’re wondering about flight speed for characters who can fly, this will come from the powers the characters have. I’ll do a whole separate post about powers and power sets in the future where we talk about that.
Karma, Speed and Initiative Modifier sections for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Damage
Damage is how much damage your character does in combat but the calculation does get just a little tricky here. Remembering that we use the d616 system where the middle die is the Marvel die, you take the result of the Marvel die on your attack role and multiply it by your rank. This can be affected by powers however, so we’ll get into that in a future post.
Damage section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Size
Just a quick note about size. Basically, mechanically speaking the larger your character is, the faster your character moves but your character is an easier target to hit. The opposite is true for small characters. There are some characters who can change size and this comes into play most often in combat situations.
Power Sets and Powers
This section deserves it’s own post so I won’t go into them here. But the power sets and powers are what makes your hero into a superhero.
Powers section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Backstory
This is one of the most fun parts of character creation where you get to figure out who your character is and what they are all about. There are some narrative things here and some mechanical things so it can get a bit messy. I’ll just highlight a few things here but I’ll have another post where we go into much further detail on backstories.
Origin – This is how your hero gained powers. It can be through training, a mutation, from high tech or a few other ways. For now, just think of it as how your character got their cool powers, whatever way that might be.
Occupation – This is what your character does for a living. This is as varied as you want as you can be a hero with any kind of a job just like you can be a person with any kind of a job.
Traits – These have a mechanical effect in the game and you typically get them from things like your origin and occupation. Some can be taken by anyone and others are restricted to characters who match certain criteria. How many traits you can have is restricted by your rank.
Tags – Characters can have any number of these and they don’t have a mechanical effect. But they do tell you more about who your character is.
Why are Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Character Sheets so Important?
In order to play the game, you’ll need to understand who your character is. Even if you are playing a familiar character and you know everything there is to know about that character from the comics, you’ll come upon situations where the character sheet is useful. It’s also a handy guide for knowing what math to do when it’s necessary for making checks and performing combat. The good news is, these character sheets are fairly readable as far as these things go. While there are still a few sections on the character sheet I didn’t go over in this post, we’ll talk about those in future posts.
In Conclusion
While understanding the character sheet is critically important, there are a lot more things to know about the game. Some of what is on these sheets makes more sense once you are playing. To get the best sense of how to use these sheets, in a later post I’ll create a character which can be used in a game.
For now, there are more rules to understand. My next post in this series will be an explanation of one of the vital aspects of the game – combat.
Thanks for reading and once again, if you want to grab ahold of the character sheet, you can download it for free right here!
