[Novice GM] Marvel Superheroes: Breakout Adventure

So I'd kind of like to run a game using Roll20, if only because there seems to be a lot of D&D and not much else going on, but I'm a fairly new GM and I'm a teensy bit anxious about running a game because I'm afraid it might crash and burn and I don't want to upset a lot of strangers by giving them a bad game night. So I'm looking for a group of somewhat patient people who aren't going to mock my failure if I do bad job my first time GMing for a bunch of strangers. I'd like to run the new Marvel Superhero game using the introductory adventure Breakout. Knowledge of the marvel universe or the game is not necessary--I can provide potential players a list of well-known pre-generated Marvel superheroes to pick from and I think I'm up to explaining the game. For people who don't know, MSH is a narrative game with dice pools and it uses descriptive traits ala FATE. Anyone interested in anything like that?

I'm interested timezone (GMT+10) permitting, are you set on using pregenerated characters or will we be able to create them?

I would be interested in that, though I know nothing about that system.

I'm interested timezone (GMT+10) permitting, are you set on using pregenerated characters or will we be able to create them? I'd prefer to use the Marvel pregens, at least for the first adventure, so we don't have to worry about any of the balance issues of char gen and can get right to the action. For the record, the characters included in the basic game are: Armor, Beast, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Colossus, Cyclops, Daredevil, Emma Frost, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Mister Fantastic, Ms. Marvel, Sentry, Shadowcat, Spiderman, Spider-woman, Storm, Thing and Wolverine, with Hawkeye and Thor being DLC. So I think that's a pretty good mix of powers and character types and even people who aren't particularly keen on Marvel should find someone they know something about there. If you're interested in seeing what the character sheet looks like, for people who don't know the system, here's the Hawkeye DLC: <a href="http://www.margaretweis.com/images/stories/bonus_content/MHR_CW_Hawkeye_052412x.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.margaretweis.com/images/stories/bonus_content/MHR_CW_Hawkeye_052412x.pdf</a>

I have never played this before, but I would love to try it if you would take me.

Is there any way to get the rulebooks or something online, because that character sheet doesn't mean much to me. I only have experience with D&D, Dark Heresy, and Pathfinder. Also, I would probably want to be Shadowcat. I like her powers, though I'm not sure what her combat use is here.

Is your group already full? I've never played Marvel but would love to play. Sad that Shadowcat has already been called for but I'd love to play Black Widow!

I would like to join your group. What time would this be?

Wow, sudden surge of interest! Okay, so a few things: I'm at GMT-5. My schedule is pretty flexible, honestly. Let's start by calling out days people absolutely cannot play at all and then we'll start narrowing down times. This is going to take me a few days for me to set up, so much later in this week or early next week are going to work best for me. I've got five interested players, so unless someone drops I'll cap it at the people who have posted in this thread. Black Widow and Shadowcat are reserved. Who does everyone else want? As for the game, I'll try to get a brief rules summary up sometime tomorrow to give a system overview and talk people through game specifics tomorrow. The PDF is on drivethru for 12.99 (<a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/99611/Marvel-Heroic-Roleplaying%3A-Basic-Game" rel="nofollow">http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/99611/Marvel-Heroic-Roleplaying%3A-Basic-Game</a>) if anyone wants to read it. At its most basic level, the game involves taking dice from each 'section' of the character sheet, rolling them together and adding the two highest ones for a result. So looking at Hawkeye's sheet (<a href="http://www.margaretweis.com/images/stories/bonus_content/MHR_CW_Hawkeye_052412x.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.margaretweis.com/images/stories/bonus_content/MHR_CW_Hawkeye_052412x.pdf</a>), a player might roll Solo D8 (because Hawkeye is fighting alone for the scene) + Peerless Marksman D8 (Distinctions, which are short phrases, can be rolled at D8 or D4. Rolling them at D4 gets you a power point, a kind of in game currency) + Enhanced Senses D8 + Weapon D8 (his bow) + Combat Master D10 to describe a scene where he sights along the line of his bow and sends an arrow hurtling toward his foe. If he rolled all of those together, he would add the two highest results. Then he would take the highest die TYPE (not number, but type) as an effect die. This has to be any die he doesn't add into his total and that isn't a 1. So, using the numbers above and the invisible castle die roller: 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d10 → [8] = (8) 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d10 → [8] = (8) 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d10 → [1] = (1) 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d10 → [6] = (6) 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d8; 1d10 → [1] = (1) So he rolled two 8s, for a total of 16. He can't use either of those 8s as his effect die, since they're in his total. And he can't use any 1's for his effect die. So he has a D8 effect die, because the only die left he can use is a D8. So he would have a total for 16 and a D8 effect die. The effect die says how much damage his attack does, assuming it hits. There's more to the system, but that's my basic two am tutorial. It's not scary, but it can be different if you've never played a game like this before.

i would like to join, is there still space, is there anyway to create a new hero in the universe or are we stuck with heros already in the world. if we have to be someone who already exist then i would like to be Gambit

So I have a weird work schedule that changes every week but on most days I can probably play after 7 PM. Are we looking to play weekly, bimonthly, monthly?

i would like to join, is there still space, is there anyway to create a new hero in the universe or are we stuck with heros already in the world. if we have to be someone who already exist then i would like to be Gambit Hey Jared, I think I'm full up at the moment. Thanks for the interest though, I'll let you know if anyone drops. So I have a weird work schedule that changes every week but on most days I can probably play after 7 PM. Are we looking to play weekly, bimonthly, monthly? Oops, should have clarified. At the moment I just want to run a single adventure, which should span a session or two--maybe longer since everyone is learning the system. If people are still really into the game, then we'll talk about opening it up to more sessions, but this is more a test run of the system and of my skills as a GM. How long do people like their gaming sessions, also? I'm thinking four hours or so is normally a pretty good sweet spot for my IRL group, but you'll have to let me know if you want to play longer or shorter. And what time zone is everyone in? I know I'm at GMT-5 and Josh is at GMT + 10, where's everyone else?

Okay, one last thing and then I'll be back to answer questions and take comments later tonight. If you're still interested in the game, go ahead and click this link so you can get added to the player database and I can start assigning you tokens and character sheets: <a href="https://app.roll20.net/join/9338/KW-V5Q" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/join/9338/KW-V5Q</a>

I'm at GMT -6 (Central US) time zone. I'm free pretty much whenever. Four hour sessions sound reasonable to me. About what I'm used to in real life. I clicked the link, but I don't know what to do from there.

I'm in California, GMT-7. Also clicked the link but couldn't find a way to add myself to the list on the right hand side bar that says Characters.

I'm GMT -5, Eastern US. I'm not available Monday or Wednesday nights, or Saturday afternoons. Other than that, I am pretty much free whenever. I would like to play as Captain America.

It looks like it adds you to the character list automatically, the first time you enter the game. So it looks like a Tuesday or Thursday would be good for Tyler. Anyone who can't play on Tuesday?

I won't be able to make it next Tuesday. I'm going home, where there is very little internet access. And the next Tuesday I'll be on vacation. It's probably better for me to just sit this out.