I’ve been running and playing #MasksRPG for a few years now, and wanted to make this list of habits and best practices I’ve learned for players and GMs. This is focused on tablecraft and genre, rather than rules, and is stuff that’s not (I think) in the book.
21 POINT THREAD 🧵
21 POINT THREAD 🧵
This thread is divided into 4 sections:
1) Genre Conventions
2) Dialogue & Captions
3) Player Tips
4) Game Master Tips
First, genre convention tablecraft for both GMs and players:
1) Genre Conventions
2) Dialogue & Captions
3) Player Tips
4) Game Master Tips
First, genre convention tablecraft for both GMs and players:
1/ All damage is force damage, unless drama says otherwise. In comics you’ll see fights with fire blasts, swords and guns, but nobody gets burned, stabbed or gut shot. Heroes just get knocked back, down or out. Unless it’s dramatic (eg. mask burns away), there’s no “damage type”.
2/ All theories are true. The cosmos is arranged according to Norse Mythology and ALSO the cosmos is arranged according to Jewish Kabbalah and ALSO science is real. The comics genre convention is to lean into the complexity as different ways of looking at the same multiverse.
3/ Variant covers! We started doing this in my last game for the End of Session Move. Players describe an alternate cover for the issue that shows the End of Session option they picked. These can be fun, fantastical, non-canon & in wildly different art styles.
Okay, that’s the basic genre convention stuff.
Better dialogue and captions is also for both GMs and players:
Better dialogue and captions is also for both GMs and players:
4/ Use caption bubbles and thought bubbles. Interior monologues are a convention that’s all over comic books, but I rarely see in play. Use them to frame scenes, set fictional positioning and trigger the more introspective moves like Assess the Situation and Pierce the Mask.
5/ Stack dialogue on every Move you can. Very few comic panels are free of words. Using dialogue in action moves everything forward in a way that’s interesting to the reader--the fight isn’t just about who can punch harder, it’s also a battle of stakes/wits/values/personalities.
6/ You can’t just *LOOK STRONGLY* to trigger a move. This flows from what’s above, but instead of players just saying “I’d like to Pierce the Mask” or “can I Assess the Situation?” have their character say/think something to trigger. Dialogue/thoughts are fiction-first!
7/ Let them say no. If you ask a villain what their plan is and they tell you, that’s not Pierce the Mask. If you tell a hero to do something and they do it, that’s not Provoke. Let the target say no, and then trigger the move when the hero *INSISTS* through dialogue/action.
8/ Fill your dialogue with rhetorical questions. The villain revealing their full power shouts “YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME!?” The hero who takes a licking spits “is that the best you can do?” before diving back into the fray. This sets up the other players for their dialogue
9/ Use editors notes. Baseline is to intro a new/recurring character. But you can also use them to reference events that happened outside of the game in other issues/runs, eg. “*See Captain Manta #3-6”. This can help explain continuity and makes the world feel bigger/more real.
(You can probably tell by now that I love back-and-forth, stakes-setting and escalation in my games.)
Okay, on to player tips, this is a short section:
Okay, on to player tips, this is a short section:
10/ Use your Moment of Truth when you’ve already lost. It’s really easy to use it too early! But in comics, the payoff is when the hero gets back up, even though they shouldn’t have fight left in them. Also, put narration/dialogue/thought bubbles on that to give it meaning!
11/ Use your Moment of Truth for not-punching. I see MoT used mostly to win big, climactic fight scenes, but you can also use it to talk down the villain, mend a tear in the structure of the multiverse, reveal your secret identity to the world (Peter Parker in Civil War!), etc.
12/ Voice your doubts, ask for help. In comics the heroes are constantly vocalizing their turmoil, which is great for setting up themes/drama/questions, bringing supporting characters into the plot AND setting up other heroes to trigger Team Moves or Comfort and Support.
That’s really it for player tips! I tend to find MoT is the main part of the book that new players stumble over a little bit, because it comes up rarely and is hard to practice.
Onto GM tips, this final section is a bit meatier:
Onto GM tips, this final section is a bit meatier:
13/ Narrate a partial cost/consequence of a failed roll *before* another hero can spend Team to help. This keeps the fiction moving, sets up the risk/stakes and delivers back-and-forth between heroes and villains, which is how the genre convention for conflict works in comics.
14/ Use the media! Journalists, gossip columnists, podcasters, etc. are a classic foil for heroes. Pundits with a grudge expose the heroes to judgment. Reporters at a bank robbery can frame the scene and set/escalate stakes. Journos can feed the heroes tips. Use them!
15/ Use lawyers! Lawyers are another great foil/villain because the heroes can’t punch them. They twist the system to their advantage, deliver messages from villains, keep secrets, drop annoying lawsuits on the heroes, and anything else! And they’re great authority figures.
16/ Use cops! Local/federal law enforcement are great allies, villains & foils. How the heroes work with law enforcement shows their values and how the world is. Rookie beat cop? Grizzled commissioner? Corrupt cop who thinks they’re a menace? Good cop who thinks they’re a menace!
17/ Use nurses/doctors/EMTs! There are people who don't have powers that can help the heroes . The “medic who stitches up the heroes even though they shouldn’t” trope is powerful. Especially when they’re an adult who can moralize at the heroes while they’re under the knife.
18/ Introduce villainous organizations, not just villains. Cults, evil science, renegade military factions, terrorist cells, etc. Anything that the heroes can’t cut the head off once and it’s done. There’s always some more radical lieutenant waiting in the wings to take over.
19/ Give villains two drives. I realize this goes against the prep advice in the book, but a bad guy who wants two things is more interesting AND has more angles for the heroes to engage/negotiate/trick them on. Bonus points if their drives are in conflict with each other!
20/ Show players the Playbook Moves. Playbook Moves are the main tool GMs have to engage a hero’s themes, but for some reason this info isn’t player-facing. Some of the Moves are pretty personal or mess with backstory or allies, so players should know what they’re getting into.
21/ Tell non-powered stories. Having a mundane B-plot or downtime session helps contextualize stakes, makes the heroes’ lives real and connects them with family and friends beyond the team. This grounds the story for the players, so make it happen regularly. (via @thedirkest)
That’s it, that’s all I’ve got! These work for me, but may or may not work for you. Take what’s useful and leave the rest.
Is there a tip or lesson you’ve found works really well in your game that you want others to know about? I want to hear about it!
Is there a tip or lesson you’ve found works really well in your game that you want others to know about? I want to hear about it!
And BIG SHOUT OUT to @TheDirkest @thisonerogue and @pahnita for sharing their smarty-pants brains with me for this.
Hey if you liked this thread and want more #MasksRPG content, here is a list of 67 free character starters from me:
Looks like it’s picked up a few more likes, so I’ve got to start updating it again.
Looks like it’s picked up a few more likes, so I’ve got to start updating it again.
