A giant robot is smashing down Main Street. Your Your best friend tried to kiss you. Your mom thinks your grades need work. Your mentor thinks your team is bringing you down. Oh, and your costume is ripped. Just another day in Halcyon City... Masks: A New Generation
is a superhero roleplaying game in which a team of young heroes fights villains, saves lives, and tries to figure out who they are—noble paragons? Dark avengers? Or regular kids? All against the backdrop of Halcyon City, the greatest city in the world. In this book, you get: • Ten playbooks for young superheroes, so you can create your own awesome characters • Rules for superheroic action, interpersonal drama, and changing identity • Detailed instructions for running the game, building villains, and playing to find out what happens • Tools for creating your own custom material for Masks Masks makes use of the same rules-
light engine as Apocalypse World , Monsterhearts , Dungeon World , Urban Shadows , and Epyllion and Epyllion to to create stories about young superheroes in the vein of Young Justice , Young Avengers , and Teen Titans . So what’re you waiting for for,, hero? Time to get to work.
A giant robot is smashing down Main Street. Your Your best friend tried to kiss you. Your mom thinks your grades need work. Your mentor thinks your team is bringing you down. Oh, and your costume is ripped. Just another day in Halcyon City... Masks: A New Generation
is a superhero roleplaying game in which a team of young heroes fights villains, saves lives, and tries to figure out who they are—noble paragons? Dark avengers? Or regular kids? All against the backdrop of Halcyon City, the greatest city in the world. In this book, you get: • Ten playbooks for young superheroes, so you can create your own awesome characters • Rules for superheroic action, interpersonal drama, and changing identity • Detailed instructions for running the game, building villains, and playing to find out what happens • Tools for creating your own custom material for Masks Masks makes use of the same rules-
light engine as Apocalypse World , Monsterhearts , Dungeon World , Urban Shadows , and Epyllion and Epyllion to to create stories about young superheroes in the vein of Young Justice , Young Avengers , and Teen Titans . So what’re you waiting for for,, hero? Time to get to work.
DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND WRITING BY
BRENDAN CONWAY DEVELOPMENTAL DEVELOPMENT AL EDITING EDITI NG BY
MARK DIAZ TRUMAN COPY EDITING BY
AMANDA VALENTINE PROOFREADING BY
SHELLEY HARLAN ART DIRECTION BY
MARISSA KELLY ILLUSTRATION BY
MICHAEL LEE LUNSFORD ADDITIONAL ART AND COLORING BY
BROOKE CARNEVALE LAYOUT BY
DANIEL SOLIS INDEXING BY
J. DERRICK KAPCHINSKY
Te Apocalypse Engine is used courtesy o Vincent Vincent Baker and Lum Lumpley pley Games (lumpley.com). Much o the text o this book was inspired by Apocalypse World (as well as Monsterhearts by Avery Alder). Much o the basics on how to play or run the game are lifed directly rom Urban Shadows, by Mark Diaz ruman and Andrew Madeiros. Te entire text o Masks o Masks is is released under a Creative Commons Attribu Attribution tion 4.0 International license. https://cr https://creativecomm eativecommons.org/licenses/b ons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ y/4.0/ Halcyon City, the Exemplars, and other setting or fictional elements unique to Masks to Masks are are copyright Magpie Games, 2016. Masks was Masks was initially unded thanks to the support o 2,371 backers. You can find a ull list o their names at http://www.magpiegames.com/masks/ backerlist.. Tey shall live on orever in the honored halls o Halcyon City. backerlist
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SPECIAL THANKS Tanks to Andrea Gaulke, Matt Holland, Rich Rogers, Matt Schultz, and Joe Zantek. You olks stuck with the core playtesting campaign o Masks or a year, through three different mini campaigns, and countless rule changes. Can’t thank you all enough or your patience, endurance, and excellence. Bash, Hard Drive, Chance, Psycho Frog, Fyrefly, Spark, Maelstrom, Feroz, Scath, Cricket, Ember, Anansi, Apollo, Ares, Bilcer, and their adventures in Continuum City will live on orever in my heart.
Tanks to Mark Diaz ruman, Marissa Kelly, and Sarah Richardson. Masks wouldn’t exist without the support, aid, and guidance o my ellow Magpies. Love you all. Ka-kaw. Tanks to the countless playtesters, whether you played at conventions or at your home table. Te game wouldn’t be the same without all your eedback. Check out www.magpiegames.com/masks/champions or a list o Halcyon City Champions who went above and beyond in their playtesting!
Tanks to all the Kickstarter backers, who threw their support behind Masks, talked about it, played it, and ulfilled all our social stretch goals like bosses! Tanks to Mom, Dad, and Megan or encouraging me and acilitating my consumption o all things superheroic—this here is proo o the value o my education. :) And thanks especially to Grace Jacobson or listening patiently and prodding me in the right direction when I would blather on hopelessly about young superheroes or ar too long. You were always there or me when I needed a bit o grounding. Also, thanks or letting me hang a printed version o this book’s cover in our home. Further special thanks to Adam Robichaud, Andrew Madeiros, Ariana Ramos, Avery Alder, Ben Kaser, Brennan aylor, Brie Sheldon, Daniel Scribner, D. Vincent Baker, Howard Katz, James Stuart, Jason Cox, Jenn Martin, John Sheldon, John Stavropolous, Kat Miller, Keith Stetson, Matt Aaron, Michael Miller, Mick Bradley, Rich Flynn, Robyn Slough, Seth Harris, odd Nicholas, and countless others.
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CONTENTS CHAPTER 0: THE PREFACE
7
What Is MASKS? ................................................7
Playing to Find Out ........................................10
Tales to Astonish!............................................8
Where this Came From ..................................11
Halcyon City ....................................................9
What You’ll Need ...........................................12
Finding Yourself ............................................10
CHAPTER 1: THE CITY
15
Halcyon History..............................................15
The Generations ............................................17
Halcyon Today................................................15
Heroing Today ................................................23
CHAPTER 2: THE BASICS
27
The Conversation...........................................27
Starting the Game .........................................34
Framing Scenes.............................................27
Why Play? ......................................................37
CHAPTER 3: THE HEROES
39
Choosing a Playbook .....................................39
Moment of Truth ............................................47
Names and Look ............................................41
Team Moves...................................................48
Abilities.........................................................41
Introductions.................................................48
The Labels .....................................................43
“When Our Team First Came Together…” .....48
Conditions.....................................................45
Relationships ................................................50
Backstory Questions......................................45
Influence .......................................................51
Picking Moves ...............................................46
CHAPTER 4: THE MOVES
53
Using Moves in Play ......................................53
Conditions.....................................................87
Basic Moves ..................................................55
Potential........................................................90
Influence .......................................................76
Session Moves...............................................90
Team Moves...................................................83
Custom Moves...............................................91
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CHAPTER 5: THE MASKS
93
The Beacon....................................................93
The Legacy ..................................................103
The Bull .........................................................95
The Nova .....................................................105
The Delinquent ..............................................97
The Outsider ................................................107
The Doomed...................................................98
The Protégé .................................................109
The Janus ....................................................101
The Transformed..........................................110
CHAPTER 6: THE FUTURE Advancement ..............................................113
113
Adult Moves.................................................119
Making a New Character .............................119
CHAPTER 7: THE GM
125
The GM ........................................................125
Using NPCs in Play ......................................154
Agendas ......................................................126
Villains........................................................155
The Principles..............................................127
Behind the Masks .......................................160
Your Moves ..................................................135
When You’re Not Busy ..................................166
Chain Reactions..........................................145
CHAPTER 8: THE FIRST SESSION
169
Before the First Session...............................169
During the First Session ..............................171
Starting the First Session ............................169
After the First Session .................................175
CHAPTER 9: HOOKS AND ARCS
181
Hooks vs Arcs ..............................................181
Creating Arcs ..............................................187
Building Hooks ............................................182
How to Use Arcs...........................................194
How to Use Hooks ........................................187
CHAPTER 10: CUSTOM MOVES
197
Building Custom Moves...............................197
Spin-Offs.....................................................204
Common Custom Move Types ......................202
Imaginary Stories ........................................206
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