The ‘Marvel Multiverse’ RPG Playtest Gets a Big Update
The Marvel Multiverse Playtest got a big rules update last week. Streamlined and trimmed, the new rules are much simpler.
It has long been a truth of the RPG world, that tackling Superheroes, means getting complex. And broad. After all, superheroes are a diverse lot. Not necessarily the kind of diversity that makes sad nerds cry about how comics are forever ruined because, Superboy is bisexual, but rather, there are a wide, diverse, if you will, range of powers that any superhero system has to accommodate.
In the Marvel world, you have everyone from actual living gods and omega-level mutants like Iceman and the unstoppable Squirrel Girl, to like, Hawkeye. Which, bless him, he’s good at boats.
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But any superhero RPG tackling the genre in earnestness has to represent that whole spectrum. Which is a complicated task. It’s been that way from the first iteration of superhero RPGs onward.
And the Marvel Multiverse RPG is no different. But it’s trying to get a little more streamlined. New updates to the game’s playtest rules, simplified or outright removed more complicated parts of the game.
You can find the updated rules on Marvel’s website right now. Download them, take them for a spin, and leave your feedback with Marvel. Let’s take a look at the updates.
Marvel Multiverse RPG – Playtest Update 1.3
- Might is now Melee. The new name reflects the ability’s purpose better.
- The number of ability points a character gets per rank has changed. These are mostly much lower.
- We’re getting rid of Action Modifiers, which were the ability score plus Rank. Now we’re just using the ability score.
- Defense scores are now 10+ the ability score.
- Health and Focus are now 25x Resilience/Vigilance.
- The initiative modifier is now the character’s Vigilance score.
- Running Speed is now 5 + 1 for every 5 points of Agility, modified by Size.
- Effects from powers, traits, weapons, or any other item that add to or subtract from damage multipliers do not stack.
- Add the character’s ability modifier to damage rolls.
- Damage Reduction now affects the attacker’s damage multiplier rather than being a flat number.
- Characters can heal their Health or Focus at any time by spending a Karma point.
- Weapons now add to the damage multiplier. We also added rules for grenades.
- We updated the falling damage rules.
- We added a number of reaction maneuvers.
- Characters who are not heroic can gain and spend Karma but do not start with any.
- We altered the number of power sets and powers a character can have per rank. This mostly went up.
- We clarified how concentration works with powers.
- We clarified a bunch of powers and added a few new ones too.
- We changed the number of extra traits a character gets per rank.
- We changed a number of traits to tags and made the number of tags you can have unlimited.
- We removed a couple of traits and turned Combat Trickery into a power.
