An Old-School Game of Super Heroics
- gregorymaness
- Nov 21, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 20, 2024
I played one of the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons or D&D and I created a number of player characters (PCs) for the Traveller science fiction tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG), even though I never played any of those Traveller PCs. I played the TSR science fiction TTRPG Star Frontiers and a handful of other TTRPGs. But perhaps my favorite TTRPG was the Marvel Super Heroes Advanced Set. The game was not particularly complex, but it had a bit more “crunch” than the original Marvel Super Heroes game in the yellow box, the rules accounted for more possibilities, and the rules referenced some of the common tactics used by the Marvel characters such as the “fastball special” attack used by Colossus and Wolverine (https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Glossary:Fastball_Special).
Justin of the Books, Bricks and Boards YouTube channel takes a look at this blast from the past, superhero TTRPG in one of his latest videos. He looks at the history and development of the game gives his take on the game as a product of its time in TTRPG history, and whether you should consider playing the game or a “retro-clone” today.
In addition to the initial game produced by TSR back in the 1980s and the currently licensed TTRPG, the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, there have been three other licensed TTRPGs set in the Marvel Comics universe, the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game, the Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game, and Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. I am hopeful that Marvel will continue to support its latest, licensed TTRPG, but I suppose that I will have to wait and see. In any case, you and your family and/or friends can continue to enjoy any of the games that have been published if you have a copy of the respective game.
I have included a link below to the video mentioned on the original game, as well as links to rules for one of the “retro-clones” of the Marvel Super Heroes RPG. As the late Stan Lee might say, “Excelsior!”
“Marvel Super Heroes RPG (The 80's TSR Game That WASN'T D&D)”
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