Random Musing about 'themed' Masks games

Another weird halfway hack I keep thinking about - not even a hack, really just more of a framework for a Masks game, is "Everyone is part of the same group/organization." Like it's Masks: Bat Family or Masks: Green Lanterns . For the BatFam sort of version, you'd need to set up the adult super as a group, and get a real good picture of them, because everyone would socket into them, though it would be realistic if different people saw different and contradictory sides of that person. Masks: BF - "Flight of Robins" Beacon: Spoiler Bull: Batgirl Delinquent: Jason Todd Janus: Tim Drake Legacy: Dick Grayson Protege: Damian Wayne Harbinger: Terry McGinnis, time-traveling Soldier: I don't know the bat family well enough, but there has to be someone this works for Reformed: Catwoman? Catgirl? Harley Quinn?!? (yay) Innocent: Does not compute, unless you did a pre-crime-alley Bruce Wayne, which would be messed up. Star: I'm sure someone in Gotham works for this. The Joined: Another way to do Spoiler, alongside Tim Drake. Not a version I like , but it works. Scion: stupidly easy - easy one might be Damian, looked from a different angle. Brain: easy to do a super genius who did wrong and regrets it. Like with the Bat fam, the group needs to work out a lot of details with the organization first. Masks: GLs (I know even less about the GLs than I do about the BatFam, but...) Beacon: Some version of Kyle might work, if you focused on the "just jazzed to be a superhero" Bull: Kilowog ("I mostly just make hammers") Delinquent: Guy Gardner Doomed: There has to be one of these, but I don't know them. Janus - easy enough to find an example Legacy - Hal Jordan, in some incarnation Nova - Ion or Jade Outsider - This one is (un)surprisingly tough for an intergalactic organization Protege - Laira Transformed - Boodikka, or someone else from the Alpha Lanterns Reformed - Razer Newborn - Aya Innocent (this and the harbinger aren't easy) Star - Easy to imagine, though I don't know if there's a good example The Joined - eh Soldier - Katma Tui, maybe

Sounds like a really good starting point for a convention or demo game, if your audience knows comics but not Masks.

There's a gaming podcast out there somewhere who had a guest spot on the whelmed podcast for Young Justice who had at one point run a convention game called flight of robins that at the time he used I think Shadowrun for? no interest in using that game system obviously, but I feel like I could listen to the AP recording just because it might be a really good con or short run intro to masks if it were reskinned

Huh. Whattaya know. A quick google of "flight of the robins shadowrun" gets you a fifty page pdf. <a href="http://peachesandhotsauce.com/wp-content/uploads/2" rel="nofollow">http://peachesandhotsauce.com/wp-content/uploads/2</a>... The adventure itself is meh. The character sheets can be ripped off for a few custom team moves (that's a good idea, really - building moves that only work with someone else you have shared influence with...). The truly enjoyable thing is reading everyone's relationship's page to see what they all think of each other. Pure gold.&nbsp; Although I'm not a huge fan of the thing where Damian gets xp for 'stealing a kiss' from Steph. Feels a little icky to force it like that.

Here's another one: Masks: Steven Universe Beacon: Connie, maybe Bull: Pearl Delinquent: Amethyst Legacy - Steven Nova - Garnet, mostly because she's the most powerful most of the time, Outsider - Lapis&nbsp; Protege - Connie, probably The thing you'd need for this game is rules for Gem Fusions, likely a sort of blank two-sided playbook you fill out by pulling in the the highest Labels from either fusion member, merge their Abilities in thematic ways, and give them some kind of custom move(s) for same. The fusion merge roll would be "Roll + nothing, - Conditions, +1 for each influence a character has over the other. (So two characters with shared influence would be +2 total, frex.)

See, I'd do that entirely differently. When you fuse with someone you share Influence with , you act as one.&nbsp; Come up with a name for your character, and a new ability than neither character has on their own.&nbsp; Together, decide what actions your new form is going to perform.&nbsp; If your fusion would take a Condition, you both take that Condition. When a move is called for , both of you roll for the move.&nbsp; You can both use Playbook moves either of your characters have. If both characters roll a 10+, a 7-9, or a 6-, treat that as if the fusion had made that roll. If both characters roll a hit and only one rolled a 10+, treat it as if the fusion had rolled a 10+, but take 1 Disharmony. If one character rolls a 10+ and the other rolls a miss, threat it as a roll of 7-9 and hold 1 Disharmony. If one character rolls a hit and the other rolls a miss, threat it as a miss and hold 1 Disharmony. If your Disharmony is 3 , you defuse and you both return to being your original character.&nbsp; Roll +Conditions shared between characters. On a 10+, you both lose Influence with one another. On a 7-9, each of you choose one: Lash out verbally at your partner, provoke them to foolhardy action or take advantage of your Influence to inflict a condition. struggle past the pain; mark two conditions. you give ground; your opposition gets an opportunity. On a miss, you stand strong.&nbsp; Mark potential as normal OR have your partner treat their 10+ result as a 7-9 OR have your partner treat their 7-9 result as a miss.

In case it isn't obvious, my design style is "Yeah you can do the cool thing.&nbsp; You may pay for what you do with the cool thing, but the cool thing is free."&nbsp; Especially when you have something like this, the drama is "can we do &lt;the thing&gt;" but "what can we both agree to do with &lt;the thing&gt;."

I dig it! I wrote up a roll to fuse because sometimes it fails even when folks are getting along, and then you have to figure out why. :)