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Marvel Heroic Roleplay Basic Game Paperback – April 17, 2012

by Marvel (Author), Cam Banks (Author), Amanda Valentine (Editor),
4.3 out of 5 stars 91 ratings
Experience the pulse-pounding action and nail-biting drama of the Marvel Universe at your gaming table. It's one thing to stop an alien invasion or throw down with the Juggernaut, but sometimes you have to make the hard choices when you're saving the world. With the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game books, that great power and great responsibility is yours! Based on the Cortex Plus system, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying takes the award-winning events in the history of the Marvel Universe and gives you all of the heroes, villains, key decision points, and rich background you need to fight your own battles and forge a new destiny!
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  1. Print length
    128 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Margaret Weis Productions
  4. Publication date
    April 17, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    8.5 x 0.75 x 11 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1936685167
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1936685165
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Margaret Weis Productions (April 17, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1936685167
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1936685165
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.75 x 11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 91 ratings

About the author

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Cam Banks

Cam Banks

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Born in the mythical antipodean utopia of New Zealand, Cam Banks was lured away by the siren call of a life with meaning and purpose. Cam now lives a quiet, pastoral existence in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area with his beautiful wife, their two boys, and more books, comics, and music than he can comfortably store. He works for Atlas Games as RPG Director and in-house coffee drinker. In his free time, Cam likes to read and write fantasy fiction, watch movies and television with his wife, play video games with his oldest son, and allow his youngest son to chip away at his sanity.

Cam's work has appeared in almost every one of over a dozen DRAGONLANCE game sourcebooks, and three times in Dragon Magazine. As lead designer for Margaret Weis Productions he wrote, designed, and oversaw production on roleplaying games based on Leverage, Smallville, and Marvel Comics, as well as the core system design on the Firefly RPG. His work on the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Basic Game picked up three ENnie Awards in 2012 including Best Rules, as well as an Origins Award in 2013. As RPG Director at Atlas Games, Cam has overseen the production of new editions of Feng Shui and Unknown Armies. Cam's first short story, "Chain of Fools," appears in the anthology Dragons of Time; The Sellsword, published in April 2008, is his first published novel.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
91 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this RPG engaging, with dozens of pre-generated heroes in the core book and a character creation process that works well. The game is simple to understand, with one customer noting it takes about 5 minutes to grasp the mechanics, and they appreciate its comic book feel and shared narrative control. They value its flexibility and consider it worth the price.

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21 customers mention "Fun to play"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the game fun to play, with one mentioning it works well as a one-player Spidey adventure.

"...This game is like the Matrix. You have to see it for yourself. In short, if you like superheroes, you should probably buy this." Read more

"...environment (and the Game Master can do so as well) makes it a very interesting play!..." Read more

"...It's not about number-crunching, it's about story-telling - each turn is a panel, each round is a page, each session is an issue, etc...." Read more

"...As the Watcher (aka the DM), you're here to make an interesting adventure for the players...." Read more

19 customers mention "Character creation"15 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the character creation process in the game, with dozens of pre-generated heroes included in the core book, and one customer noting that character sheets come with bios.

"...That said, they're easy to make from a character's wikipedia entry, and there's tons online if you google...." Read more

"...Character creation is -extremely- unique in any game I have played. There are no rules. No dice to roll, no cards to pull, no points to allocate...." Read more

"...It's pretty much pre-generated heroes, though there's a small section on creating original characters or modeling them..." Read more

"...The game is easy to learn, and easy to teach. It brings back the role playing in RPG." Read more

14 customers mention "Ease of learning"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the game easy to learn and understand, with one customer noting it takes about 5 minutes to grasp the mechanics.

"...All 3 of us totally understood the mechanics in about 5 minutes. We never looked at the rules during the 2 hour play session...." Read more

"...The card system was amazingly easy, simple, customizable (easy to make up rules calls on the fly or determine stats to use). It was flexible...." Read more

"...It's not a miniature battle game. The rules are also simple enough to teach other people who aren't that well versed in role playing games...." Read more

"...for hit points in a more traditional environment, but which is more subtle, flexible and mechanically interesting than I've ever felt a simple..." Read more

12 customers mention "Works well"12 positive0 negative

Customers find that the game system works well, with one customer noting its top-notch production values and high-quality paper.

"...and this book includes a very decent and replayable/customizable tutorial module...." Read more

"...a lot from other games I've played in the past, but it actually works really well and feels very refreshing to me...." Read more

"...For players who are mature and who can think on the fly, it is a good system, but it is not going to be for everyone." Read more

"The great: production values are top notch: full color, high quality paper in trade size format. The mechanics very well copy the feel of comics...." Read more

10 customers mention "Rpg feel"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the RPG's comic book feel, with one customer noting that the mechanics effectively capture the comic book experience.

"...have it down, combat and non-combat scenes flow incredibly easy and feel dynamic. This is important...." Read more

"...and the game captures the spirit of comics so much more fluidly, viscerally, and with a sense of all-important immediacy I've rarely felt in games...." Read more

"...Overall, this is the best comic book RPG out now...." Read more

"...played in the past, but it actually works really well and feels very refreshing to me...." Read more

7 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the game worth the price.

"...To put it plainly: This is a very generously priced product that is well worth the expense...." Read more

"...Also, it's affordable, which doesn't seem to be a priority in most RPG's nowdays." Read more

"...All this for a steal of a price, in a really slick looking book that is as at home on your comic shelf as your RPG shelf. Nuff Said." Read more

"...It's a great price for the basic rules book of an RPG, and one reviewer noted how simple and organic character creation is...." Read more

5 customers mention "Flexibility"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the game's flexibility.

"...This is important. The dynamic aspect of this game due to the way players can assist one another, penalize their opponents, and adjust the..." Read more

"...points in a more traditional environment, but which is more subtle, flexible and mechanically interesting than I've ever felt a simple shrinking..." Read more

"The rules are fast, simple, and flexible. Players can actually use tactics, imagination, and descriptions (along with a dice pool and Plot Points!)..." Read more

"...The flexible nature of the game in combination of the quick-moving and lightweight rules set was a bonus when playing with the kids...." Read more

5 customers mention "Storytelling"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the storytelling aspect of the game, with its shared narrative control.

"...The entire focus is on being creative,having fun, and collaborative storytelling...." Read more

"...Shared narrative control means players can influence outcomes before (and sometimes even after) the roll/draw/bid/resolution mechanic for that system..." Read more

"...Rol Playing Games in general are described as 'cooperative storytelling' this one brings that forcebly to the forefront and backs it up with..." Read more

"...Perhaps the greatest strength of this system is its focus on storytelling rather than the battle simulation origin of its predecessors...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best non-tactical RPG out there
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    We just played this this weekend and loved it. I was "watcher" with 2 PC heroes. I had read the book, but never played, they had never read the rules or played. One of the PCs was someone I had never met before,I said "do you like Marvel comics?" and five minutes later he was playing the game.We had all played regular "roll a d20 to attack" D&D style games, but never anything like this.

    All 3 of us totally understood the mechanics in about 5 minutes. We never looked at the rules during the 2 hour play session. The players never needed pencils. There's no "loot",there's no levelling up to a level 20 paragon Spider-Man, there's no charts to look at or anything that bogs down play. There's not even a board or minis/tokens! The entire focus is on being creative,having fun, and collaborative storytelling.

    Character creation is either picking a hero out of the 20ish they give you (or the hundreds online) or just picking appropriate powers. I'd say it would probably take like 15 minutes. There's no point buy or randomness or anything, it's just what makes sense for the character.
    Combat is done by deciding what you want to do, then using the appropriate dice.
    Let's say Spidey is going to webswing into a jumping kick against Carnage. Well he'd use his Solo die (he's not with Daredevil or anyone else today),his web shooting die, and his combat die. He rolls them, then picks which two are the result. Carnage would roll HIS solo, super agility, and combat dice to dodge the kick. Now of course it goes on and on from there, and you can have darkness,cover, oilslicked floors, rain/snow, whatever.

    The best part is, once you learn the mechanic, you're doing all this with your character sheets and dice. No charts, no thumbing throigh the book, you don't even need a pencil, you just slide a paperclip for damage increments. You're spending your gametime pretending to be a comic character, not deciphering rules.

    The only real faults I could list are
    A. You kind of need a lot of dice. 4,6,8,10,and 12 sided. No 20-siders are needed. Make sure you have several 8 sided dice especially,and probably paperclips,post-its or a little pad and poker chips (or those little "stones").
    B. There aren't as many top heroes/villians in the book as you would hope (and they only got one sourcebook out before the lost the license) . That said, they're easy to make from a character's wikipedia entry, and there's tons online if you google. The sites Exploring Infinity and Plot Points have a lot of resources you can use, like chars and adventures.
    C.Honestly, the first readthrough of the book made it seem like I wouldn't be able to run it. Exploring Infinity has a great one player Spidey adventure that explains the rules a little better. This game is like the Matrix. You have to see it for yourself.

    In short, if you like superheroes, you should probably buy this.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • R. Jenkins
    4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth Picking Up!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I will go on record saying that I originally did not like this system. It seemed like I could imagine the design team sitting around a table talking about all the cool things they could include in the game and then the lead designer just saying "Yeah! Let's do ALL of that!"

    Then I actually sat down and gave the book a good read.

    Another reviewer here talked about the -old- TSR Marvel RPG from the mid-eighties. DC did one, too. Neither were good. There was less randomization and requiring a chart for basic maneuvers stifles both creativity around the table and time efficiency.

    I began my Marvel roleplaying much later. With the Marvel Super Hero Roleplaying Adventure Game (MSHRAG). It used the Saga system TSR introduced for the Dragon Lance 5th Age game. The card system was amazingly easy, simple, customizable (easy to make up rules calls on the fly or determine stats to use). It was flexible. It was unique. It was easy to play. With roleplayers more interested in story than beefing up a character with cool gear (ala D&D Dungeon Crawling), it was amazing. Then... they came out with the stone-based system. That was a travesty. Recently, DC came out with a game using the M&M rules. Not a bad game--if you don't mind using a calculator to make and advance a character.

    In light of their films getting great press, I guess Marvel decided to re-do their RPG line. They chose Margaret Weis. They could have done much worse. I have MW's Serenity game. It was interesting, but I didn't like all the rules. They changed them in many ways for the Marvel game.

    While the game's layout could have been more effective in many ways, once giving it a go and actually reading and playing--this game is very fun.

    The flow of combat is rather easy after a round or two of getting used to the unique system and how it works. The Plot Point system is a unique dynamic as is the Doom Pool (which nods back to the Doom Bank from the MSHRAG system--which was a great joy to have).

    Character creation is -extremely- unique in any game I have played. There are no rules. No dice to roll, no cards to pull, no points to allocate. They literally made a system where you can make what you want. There are no restrictions on creation aside from common sense (having a character with all specialties and all dice at d12 for powers is ridiculous, for example). It relies on communication between player and game master--and really, let's be honest, not many advanced players ever really start with basic creation these days. This allows a game master to tailor his game's balance and helps players express creativity when making their super hero alter-ego.

    For example, say I wanted to make a mutant named Wraith. I'd create 3 distinctions (3 things that sum the character up or describe him). I'll say: Escaped Experiment, Terrorizing Demeanor, and Covert Ops Protégé. I can use these distinction in actions in which they apply, to add dice to my pool. So, for example, in sneaking into a facility, I can use Covert Ops Protégé to give myself a bonus on my rolls. Once that is done, I can pick a power set. Since the system is customizable, I can call the power set what I want. So, Wraith Effect. I can select what powers I want. So, we'll take: Intangibility, Super Senses, Reflexes, and Shadow Control. Now, we assign dice values. Values range from d6 to d12 (for godlike). I have no restrictions, but with the general idea of Wraith, I think we can stay simple. So, we'll give him: Intangibility: d8, Super Senses: d6, Reflexes: d10 (to display how quick he is on his feet), and Shadow Control: d8. Add some milestones (situations to give you Xp), and some SFX and the character is done. Period.

    I created that character in the two minutes it took to type that paragraph. The system is -simple.-

    The short of it, without getting into system mechanic specifics, is that the game has a unique system that is easy to customize battlefield effects, bonuses and drawbacks, and even make quick rules and modifications on the fly with a simple use of dice.

    Players and Game Masters (Watchers) will use everything from d4 to d12 in dice, so be well stocked. You may roll multiples of each. However, do not let this intimidate you. Contrary to a previous review, this system is incredibly easy to learn and master. And, once you have it down, combat and non-combat scenes flow incredibly easy and feel dynamic. This is important. The dynamic aspect of this game due to the way players can assist one another, penalize their opponents, and adjust the environment (and the Game Master can do so as well) makes it a very interesting play!

    To put it plainly: This is a very generously priced product that is well worth the expense.

    The only reason this is 4 stars instead of 5 is because the layout of the book could definitely use some improvement.
    62 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Morcar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sistema innovativo, peccato la Marvel sia troppo avida
    Reviewed in Italy on August 14, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Il gioco è fantastico, immediato e ben calibrato. Non è un GdR serio, è molto più un party game, adatto per improvvisare velocemente una partita divertente. Purtroppo la Marvel è talmente una società scadente che non solo non ha rinnovato la licenza per il gioco, ma ha anche chiesto di rimuovere il materiale gratuito pubblicato (cioè non so se ci capiamo il materiale gratuito presente sul sito della casa editrice). Conclusione, grand gioco, la Marvel però fa schifo!
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  • Docteur Fox
    5.0 out of 5 stars Une surprise, une réussite
    Reviewed in France on November 4, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Dans l'univers du jeu de rôles, il y a les conventions et il y a les révolutions. Marvel Heroic RPG marquera un tournant : il n'est certes pas le premier jeu de rôles à utiliser des techniques narrativistes, c'est à dire à proposer aux joueurs de participer à l'élaboration de l'histoire, mais il le fait magistralement.
    Les nombreux personnages de l'univers Marvel proposés dans cet ouvrage (des X-men, des vengeurs, les 4 fantastiques) sont décrits avec des mots clés. Si vous interprêtez l'un deux, vous pouvez utiliser ces mots clés pour décrire de façon créative la façon dont ils utilisent leurs pouvoirs, leurs compétences et même leurs principaux traits de caractère : pour chaque utilisation, vous gagnez un dé de plus ou moins gros calibre (de 4 à 12 faces) selon la puissance du personnage, et au final vous lancez tous les dés collectés pour savoir si le héros a réussi son coup.
    Il y a un bol de dés au centre de la table, le doom pool, qui reflète l'opposition rencontrée et ce bol va grossir en fonction des actions des joueurs et de la façon dont le maitre de jeu rebondit sur ces actions. Ces dés peuvent par exemple servir de bonus pour les super vilains qui tentent un coup d'éclat.

    A l'usage, ça tourne très bien... si on a une jolie collection de dés. Mais c'est mon cas, et je me suis vraiment éclaté à lire cet ouvrage qui est en soi une mini encyclopédie des principaux héros Marvel, et ensuite à jouer.
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  • Chris L Baker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Game that puts the Role-playing back in Role-playing games.
    Reviewed in Canada on May 14, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I just read that the product is discontinued by Marvel due to not making as much money as they wanted out of the product. Despite the commercial desires of Marvel, this is a rather ground breaking RPG system that in my opinion is one of the best of the age and genre. Gone are number crunching details that don't matter in a free flowing RPG, instead we have character motivation, core values and story arcs. The way Role-playing should be in my opinion.
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  • D. Feeney
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the standard of recent MWP releases
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I've got mixed feelings about this game.

    The production values are fantastic. The game reads well and has some fantastic ideas. It falls more closely into the narrative camp than the simulation camp, with dice pools based on character concepts like "Man out of time".

    Unfortunately in play the game seems to lag a bit. Building dice pools isnt particularly complex, but it takes a little time, and happens frequently. As a result they slow down play.

    Overall I'd have to say its decidedly average - a real shame considering it from the same publisher and has the same lead designer as the absolutely fantastic 'Smallville' and 'Leverage' RPGs.
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  • Molnar Gabor
    4.0 out of 5 stars Book ok.
    Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Book ok. Packaging: could have used something to protect not only soft package. It was fine.
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