Some Random Questions And Comments

Hi Sentinel Comics RPG Peeps: Before I start I wanted to give you a rough idea of my backround so that it will frame the questions and comments.  I have a TON of experience running superhero RPG campaigns.  Most of my experience is with Champions but I have a fair of experience with various Powered By The Apoc games as well.  I have purchased and read the starter kit.  Ok...now my comments and questions...  ;)  (Sorry my books are at home.)

1. Crazy First Adventure

My first reaction after reading the six scenarios is that they feel like they are in the middle of big campaign and I have no clue what most of it means.  I guess with a starter kit I would have hoped for something that felt a bit more grounded.  It will probably play ok with the right crowd but it jumps into the savage lands, dimension hopping, etc right out of the gate.  I guess one of those in the mix might have felt cleaner to me.  Also I have zero experience with the Sentinels Universe except for this product...and it kinda feels like the product didn't help me.  I realize a full setting book is likely but in a starter I guess I wanted a cleaner start.

2. What About For Teens?

I run games for an adult crew and a teen crew.  I would love to use this for my teens but I may need to scale it back on the setting.  Also not sure how they will take to the system.  Their experience right now is with Star War WEG and Savage Worlds.  I think I could explain it to them but it might take some time...

3. PBtA Questions

There are some serious changes in this skinning.  Some looks SUPER cool.  The ratcheting green, yellow, red is just brilliant and feels like it will really capture that feeling of when the heroes are down and fight back!  Love that bit.  Also love the lack of detail on powers and what you can do with them.  Yes I love that.  Again...I can to the detail but I want that extracted.

So first hardcore question.

3.1. In this version of PBtA attack and defend just automatically succeed.  The roll just gives the effect.  Interesting.  Does this cause issues?

3.2. ADORE the initiative where the PC drive when the bad guys go.  Fun.  Interesting that the GM rolls dice for bad guys.  Gotcha.  Does the initiative flow work well?  I love the way it feels like a movie in other PBtA games.

3.3. Is there anything I need to watch out for in this version of PBtA?

Can't wait to give it a go.  :)

1. Each adventure focuses on just one of those weird locations, so I don't think it's too much to swallow.  Each one is pretty short but should give enough time for each to grasp where they are and what they're doing there.  Some of them do introduce a fair number of characters quickly, but fortunately you don't have to go to far in depth to any of them.

2. I think this system is much simpler and easier to understand than the original Star Wars RPG or Savage Worlds.  Certainly easier to explain than D&D or even Sentinels of the Multiverse (the card game).  Your teens should be fine.

3. I'll defer to those who've played more of the game than I have for these.

I'll let the Critical Hits crew speak for sure, but I see more common DNA with Marvel Heroic than PBtA games.

1. I agree with MindWeaver on this one. One location per adventure is plenty easy to swallow. And you gotta remember that more often than not a standard gaming group is only doing one adventure per meeting. If you read through all of the 6 adventures in one sitting with zero experience with the setting then yeah it could seem like alot to swallow, but if you take them one-by-one then it's much easier to digest.

2. If your teens can grasp Savage Worlds(which I have experience with) than this system will be just fine.

3. I've never played PToA, so I can't really relate that system to this one.

3.2 In every table-top system I've played in my years of gaming, I don't think the GM has never not rolled dice for enemies. Do you mean the villains being REPRESENTED by dice or something else?

Setting questions have been well answered so will stick to pbta stuff

So I would call it a naritive permitions system more than just a pbta hack. It takes the whole does it make naritive sense part and less of the DM only acts on a fail or lull aspect.

3.1Attacks and defense always working has been fine in my games. It suits the theme of comics as well. It’s rare for the heroes and villains to not be slogging it out.(Lead to some fun scenes of AZ body checking robots to get access to his healing.)

3.2 : The flow works well once you have the players thinking as a team. Once that happens it’s great but it takes some gentle DM cajoling if they haven’t played styles like this before.

3.3: As of yet no horrible surprises encountered. I still can’t roll a save for my lieutenants thought

Hello new user

1. You many not be familiar with the IP, but they follow classic troopes. One can run with that. A good knowelgde of Super heroes helps too. But like Chirstopher said, once you pick it up it becomes your charater, play them anyway you want. I had Legacy (the superman analog) played like a old grandpa with a nokia flip phone, Another times as an over the top HERO with many "Never Fear", One game he was a unwilling jerk, knowing that he will not get home to see his wife so he tried to hurring things along. 

If you really want to know they make a podcast that retells what Christopher and Adam came up with. Cliff notes, Lots of troops in interesting ways, they are fans of comic as much as anyone can be.

2. At conventions, there are many 10ish year olds playing Unitiy and having a blast. It is fine, just have to explain thng a bit mre clearly.

3. This game is really a sales pitch to the GM on what you can get away with. I had people start the game with "this power is useless" to I am a family man so I can help form the mother (the big spider mother) of these lost little Spider bot children. There was a funny agrument I had with him and how crazy it sounded. (I let him roll because he put up a good agrument). He laugh really hard when he learn there was a really mothership.

3.1 Nope just keep action going, dieing is hard here, failure is not the end of the game. It is a game of consiquenses.  If you are low on HP do you risk you neck or do you go out and try your best. Only once, in my own homebrew game did i have all but one get KO, It was a good end of an arc. My player remeber that the most.

3.2 Init work well. I enjoy it. Rememeber that each villian group get thier own init spot. I havn't played since this has been brought to my attention so I don't know what that will do.

3.3 never played PBtA

Great responses!  I want to thank everyone who replied.  Really excited to give it a go.

@Phantom5613 - Normally in PBtA games the GM does not roll any dice.  You read that right.  Everything is rolled by the players with the GM explaining the impact using a set of rule as guidelines.  So yeah...  :)  If you have not seen Masks I HIGHLY recommend it.  It is a game about playing teenage superheroes trying to find their place in an adult world of superheroes.  It is a brilliant game.  :D

I've run a couple issues so far with two players, aged 6 and 10, and it's gone great so far.

They've both had some exposure to the setting. Both have played the Sentinels of the Multiverse card game, and the 10-yr-old is catching up on issues of the podcast (and the 6-yr-old asks a lot of "Who's that, what are they doing, how did that happen?" during the card game, which I'm increasingly able to explain as the podcast continues). They don't always know exactly what something looks like or behaves on the first description, but I haven't had a problem filling them in on what their character would know about something. 

As for mechanics, they caught on fast. I've tried a little bit of some other RP systems with them, and usually run into "too many rules to navigate" issues. Here, with the action being a lot more goals-driven, they either do something they've done before (I shoot more ice blasts!), come up with their own idea (I, um... make a bot with flailing hammers to attack!) or we do some collaborative brainstorming (6: I want to move a lot of rubble. 10: What about making an ice ramp? 6: Yeah, can I do that? Me: Go for it!). It does take a while for them to start to get the hang of a character, but it's a fun process.

One or two D&D editions had official variants wherein the players rolled most of the dice.  When enemies attack, the players roll saving throws and "defense" rolls (which work exactly the same way: d20 + AC modifiers vs. 10 + enemy's attack modifiers).  When PC's attack, they make attack rolls.  The DM still makes damage rolls for the villains, but it's easy to see how the DM could be relieved of all dice.  I like that variant, personally, as it increases player involvement and feeling of control.

First time I'm ever hearing of them. Interesting.

I've played my fair-share of D&D, but I've played in plenty of other systems as well. WoD, Shadowrun, Savage Worlds, etc… Even systems that don't use dice like MU RPG. All of them usually have the actions of the enemies(i.e. rolling) done by the Game Master.

I liked how a friend explained that style of play to me: 

"When they take damage get them to roll it. if they are too scared have another player to do it. You tell them what happens let them see how bad it goes" 

It adds an interesting dynamic of the players loving to hate their dice and I no longer have to care about forgetting my dice.