Lots of friends of late have been reading through RPGs they love and I'm about to join in the fun!

Tagging this thread with #ChazUnMASKed, mute the hashtag if needed.

The back cover, and the art, do a great job of telling you: this is a superhero RPG, but it's a superhero RPG with a very specific focus, the drama and danger and dipshittery of young superheroes figuring themselves out. #ChazUnMASKed

The preface drives this home as well. This is actually unusual for a superhero RPG; most of them try to be unisystems, growing out of Champions and its attempts to model every possible superpower.

MASKS is not trying to be a unisystem, and it's better for it. #ChazUnMASKed

While every power or ability is theoretically possible in a superhero game, MASKS is more interested in modeling the superhero genre, which is pretty well known worldwide. When you name the previous generations stuff like this, we get it by now. #ChazUnMASKed

#ChazUnMASKed

The section on the assumed setting is nine pages long and light on details; this is because if you're the latest in a line of world-defending superheroes, you should get to make up that part of the setting. (Collaborative worldbuilding is a big thing in the game.) #ChazUnMASKed

MASKS is a PBTA game and one thing that was difficult for me to get used to is how different the flow is; it's less like a turn-based board game and more like a moderated conversation. But now I've got the hang of it and it's my preferred way 2 play. #ChazUnMASKed

It does require a level of GM-may-I in my experience; figuring out where that line is between "you auto-succeed," "you may succeed," and "you can't."

This does, in turn, require a level of GM trust. But, I wouldn't want to have a GM I didn't trust, so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ #ChazUnMASKed

Incidentally, one thing that makes this book so great is that all the art is by one artist (M. Lee Lunsford) and they're a great artist who really captures the vibe of a team of superheroic youths up to shenanigans. #ChazUnMASKed

The break with tradition extends to how character creation works; you pick a character class, but the thing about your class is that it defines less what your powers are and more what your dramatic arc is going to be. #ChazUnMASKed

There is that apocryphal story about the creation of the Fantastic Four that first Kirby & Lee figured out what character they wanted, then what powers they would have. MASKS takes a similar approach - there's a few playbooks *about* powers but most are about arcs. #ChazUnMASKed

For cinematic games like MASKS, I'm a big believer in broadly applicable stats; in the end it avoids everyone pouring their points into the same few best-in-show statistics.

And most interesting in MASKS is that these stats can shift, at any time, a LOT. #ChazUnMASKed

Since this is a game about playing a character with an uncertain future and an unsteady self-image, your labels can and will be pushed this way and that by anyone whose opinion you care about (we'll get to that later on.)

#ChazUnMASKed

Yes, this means that you could be pushed to be crummy in a key stat you depend on, but a) failure is an option in MASKS the way it often isn't in some other games, and b) there's a number of ways to overcome these shifts that come into play as the game progresses. #ChazUnMASKed

You pick basic moves and fill in key features depending on playbook and then it's time for collaborative storytelling baybee with the session zero moves. The first of which has you all tell the story of the first big adventure you had! I *always* love this part. #ChazUnMASKed

I've played in two MASKS games and ran two more and this section has always wound up spinning gold. In one game, two separate city parks wound up destroyed, giving the team the nickname "the Gophers." In another, a recurring NPC (former teammate) was introduced. #ChazUnMASKed

Next, you define your relationships with your teammates by answering a few questions that feed into the genre - for example, if you're playing a character who is an outsider, you define who's been teaching you about Earth. #ChazUnMASKed

All this stuff works to define you as a character first and foremost instead of a stack of stats and skills. Which works great for the GM - because now I have an idea of what buttons to push in the player characters to bring on the soap opera bullshit #ChazUnMASKed

One of my favorite things about MASKS is that your feelings are your hit points and this is not a joke. #ChazUnMASKed

"I lost 22 points of health" works fine, but what MASKS is more interested in is "okay, how does this complicate your story? How does this affect what happens next? What does this mean for your character?" Which are better questions for the kind of game it is. #ChazUnMASKed

While they are active, conditions impair your character (not 100% a bad thing, but overall not ideal) and you get rid of them two ways: either by doing something that complicates your life, or getting a little help from a friend. Both lead to good drama. #ChazUnMASKed

STORY TIME

Early in the MASKS game I play in, I had picked up Afraid, and later on the team ran into a goofball anti-villain who was picking a fight with us for no reason beyond "I want to be the new top dog."

I opted to clear Afraid, by having my character run. #ChazUnMASKed

And so, this all-powerful genie girl ran like hell from an enby in a frog costume.

This led to her running into and getting a wrestling-inspired pep talk from a sympathetic villain, and also another PC on the team got pissed at her for running. #ChazUnMASKed

And to mend that rift, she opened up about her curse to the rest of the team for the first time.

This came out of two die rolls. A lot more interesting than "okay, I cast Cure Light." #ChazUnMASKed

The other dice roll came out of Influence, the social mechanic in the game. When you give it to someone, you are saying "I care what you think about me," and the reverse is true. Who has influence over who on the team is constantly in flux. #ChazUnMASKed

By default, all adults have influence over you; typically they will use it to tell you how you should act or how the world works.

This causes those aformentioned labels to shift. The effect is that it always feels like the adults are talking down to you a little. #ChazUnMASKed

If a label shifts too much - over or below certain thresholds - you start marking conditions as a little too much pressure is being put on you.

But you can reject this influence! And this is one of my favorite moves in the game. #ChazUnMASKed

You can clear conditions or mark XP by doing the opposite of what a grown up tells you. This is literally Reverse Psychology: The Game Mechanic. What a perfect thing for a game about young superheroes. #ChazUnMASKed

So the other dice roll I mentioned in my actual play example was this one - another teammate took a hit and chose an option that meant she lashed out at a teammate and hurt my PC's feelings by doing this.

All stuff that leads to dramatic and interesting story. #ChazUnMASKed

Finally there's Team, the shared action point mechanic with a couple of interesting twists. You spend it one of two ways: for the benefit of others, or for yourself. #ChazUnMASKed

There's no middle ground; either you spend it selfishly and alienate a teammate, or you help someone else and prove that the group's stronger together. All stuff that bolsters interpersonal dynamics and the team growing together or apart. #ChazUnMASKed

The selfish portion includes a label shift, and several in-conflict moves add team to the pool, or trade on gaining or losing influence, and this is a big thing I love about MASKS: all these mechanics are constantly talking to each other. #ChazUnMASKed

It is a rules light game, but all those rules work in sync, and they are all working towards the singular goal of emulating the young adult superhero team genre, of giving your group the interpersonal dynamics of the X-Men or the Titans at their height. #ChazUnMASKed

Finally, one big thing for each character is their Moment of Truth, which is basically a super action point; you will activate it two times in a campaign, tops, and you will be able to basically dictate a triumphant moment. #ChazUnMASKed

Even if circumstances aren't dire, you might still wanna use it, because when you use a Moment of Truth, you lock a label and that label is immune to label shifts from any source from then on. You've grown up a little, and that affects how you interact with people. #ChazUnMASKed

You'll be able to rely on that stat being high (or low) and in turn that makes you more confident when dealing with others - more adult, more sure of the superhero you are growing into. Grownups will treat you as a little more of an equal. #ChazUnMASKed

So MASKS is a bit like other level-based games that take you from zero to hero, which is an arc that works for both young superheroes AND tabletop RPGs. Starting out and not sure of what your character's deal is? Good news, you're young enough that that makes sense. #ChazUnMASKed

Speaking of the characters, there are ten "classes" (playbooks) in the main book, covering a broad variety of superheroic archetypes. First up is the Beacon, who is the low-powered hero who's out to prove anyone can be a superhero. #ChazUnMASKed

Thanks to MASKS being fast and loose with how powers work, you can play a low-powered character and still contribute a lot to the team; you can play a character whose central arc is proving that heart is the most important superpower. #ChazUnMASKed

The Bull is the gruff loner who is a super-badass who forms intense friendships. Comparisons are easily made to Wolverine but to me the Bull is the shonen manga character. #ChazUnMASKed

There is one person the Bull genuinely loves and one person they have something to prove to, and they're defined around the power of those friendships.

Basically, don't tell the Bull that friendship sucks ass. #ChazUnMASKed

The Delinquent is the team's rebel and tricky bugger who is always playing pranks, pushing people's buttons, and giving authority the finger. But their dark secret is that they actually care about the rest of their team, they're just REAL bad at showing it. #ChazUnMASKed

The Delinquent is always riding that line where they're going "pfft, fine, see if I care" and then coming through in the clutch. A huge pain in the butt, but the kind that generates good stories. #ChazUnMASKed

Hell yeah it's the Dooooooooooooooooomed #ChazUnMASKed

The Doomed is the one with a ticking clock that, if it runs out, means that they confront their doom and die (or worse.) How they deal with having little time left becomes the root of their character and yes, it is as melodramatic as it sounds. #ChazUnMASKed

But you can do what heroes do and, if you advance far enough, confront your doom on your own terms, and potentially survive. Demi was a Doomed, and this thread would be twice as long if I shared all those stories. #ChazUnMASKed

There aren't a ton of "you can be this comics character" playbooks, but there are a few, and with those powers: yes, you can be Spider-Man. Or at least, that type of character.

Most playbooks can have secret IDs but the Janus is ALL about theirs. #ChazUnMASKed

You gain XP when you reveal your secret ID, you get moves relating to your dual identity, and the two worlds you inhabit will always be pushing against each other, as melodramatic as Spider-Man is at his best. #ChazUnMASKed

Likewise, all characters are grappling with adult expectations and the history of superheroism, but the Legacy is one of two classes where that conflict is at the fore. The Legacy is about family, found or otherwise, and how it can be a blessing and a curse. #ChazUnMASKed

You'll be defining - and dealing with - a huge chunk of the game world's history as you figure out what you can learn from prior generations and where you need to find your own path. The class evokes that mid-90s DC character who comes from a long tradition. #ChazUnMASKed

The Nova is the opposite of the Beacon; the character who is full-stop the most powerful person on the team, whose character arc is defined by that power, how difficult it is to control, and how others covet it or are scared of it. #ChazUnMASKed

You can wind up soaking a lot of conditions if you're not careful with your powers, and the consequences for failed rolls is that much greater. But you can do stuff that no one else can... so is it worth the risks to yourself and to others? #ChazUnMASKed

"Celebrations are in order, Earth friends! We have fought well and now I would like to partake of a heated dog."

The Outsider is not from around these parts and their arc is about how when you leave home, you don't come back the same person. #ChazUnMASKed

The art obviously evokes Starfire but the Outsider can be anything from an Atlantean merperson to a character from a video game to an Asgardian, so they're a surprisingly versatile playbook. This is the playbook of pal Emily in our MASKS game, alien fundie kid Xe. #ChazUnMASKed

Similar to but distinct from the Legacy is the Protege, who is probably, to begin with, the most well trained member of the team, defined by a relationship not with a broader heroic tradition but a single mentor's focus. #ChazUnMASKed

The big thing with the Protege is that their mentor wants you to be the kind of hero they are; there are aspects they embody and others they deny. And you have to decide how much like them you want to be, and deal with the attendant consequences. #ChazUnMASKed

Finally there's the Ben Grimm/Cliff Steele type who is probably the one who wanted their powers the least, because the cost was high... maybe too high. The Transformed is about dealing with being strange, unusual, hated and feared. #ChazUnMASKed

The Transformed is a consistent mope, who will be dealing with a lot of label shifts and a lot of misunderstandings; in some ways they're the ones who need the team the most. #ChazUnMASKed

I'm flagging, so that's about all of the book I can cover right now, but I will give voice to my big complaint about the book: in the initial printing, the playbooks were on separate printouts and not in the main book itself, which is baffling. #ChazUnMASKed

Thankfully, they have since put out the playbook edition which corrects this. With that in mind, MASKS is probably my favorite RPG, full stop. It's the one I've waited nearly three decades to play; it was worth it.

#ChazUnMASKed