This is the problem of the game. I was given a first look at a playtest rulebook, an abbreviated version of the game's rules that don't apply to the whole game, but is sent to reviewers to give them an idea of what the book will be like. I have geared my review towards a critique that analyzes what is here in front of me, knowing that more might be added.
I don't blame the designer for trying to duplicate one of the most beloved parts of the franchise, but Matt Forbeck has written two editions of the encyclopedia in addition to writing for D&D. This attempt to capture all the deep lore and nuance of hundreds of comic book characters into character-sheet-applicable power slots is an unwieldy game that relies on fan investment rather than proving itself a worthy game for any roleplayer. This is what I find frustrating about many of the licensed games, they are built to appeal to fans, hoping to port over the joyful investment of the fandom into a new medium, without truly working towards creating a wholly cohesive game that can be enjoyed without any knowledge.
The D616 engine, the unique dice system, and the stat assigned to each character make Fanservice first in the Multiverse. Get it? There is a movie called MARVEL. winks back to fans are fun to recognize in the moment, but rarely translate to usefulness within the system.
The D616 system, a 3D6 system with extra rules, and the overwhelming reliance on combat mechanics to carry emotional weight without any mechanical instigation are the key sources of mechanical friction. The D616 system uses three D6 dice, but with one set apart, which means that if the Marvel die ever shows a one, it changes the outcome of the roll. The problems come up when we get to the Archetype stat blocks.
Archetype stat blocks show how a power set scales when a hero becomes more powerful. The stat buffs increase as a character gets stronger. We are faced with buffs of +8 and +18 around the middle levels of the rank structure. The D616 system's best roll is an 18 and the median roll is a 10 1/2, so the limitations of the dice rolls are immediately felt. Instead of creating a system where dice rolls can feel meaningful to a character at any rank, Marvel Multiverse places more weight on rank and gaining levels in-game, creating an imbalance of power that shifts the game from a combination of skill and luck towards a near complete reliance on rankings. Some buffs are even higher at rank 25. You can almost triple the best roll with a buff like this, making it hard to imagine that +9 will really make a difference in the midst of it all.
I can see many ways to make this book better by focusing on how to create power scale without using a game engine. The D 100 FASERIP universal table mechanics were done by Marvel and they are the most frustrating part about these mechanics. This could have been made simpler and adjusted for the modern game play, but instead Forbeck has over-engineering a calculations-based game rather than a results-based game, and the game suffers for the sake of breaking the fourth wall to wink at the audience.
Combat is turn-based, which is standard for games like this. The book tries to pre-empt any questions or narrative control by providing rules for almost any situation. When the book describes the difference between making holes and plutonium through objects, it requires knowing the hit points and attack power of the characters. This is a lot for a game with lots of numbers.
There is so much time spent detailing combat and power that it almost completely disregards the story of anRPG and comics in general. There is no space for emotional conflict, heavy decisions of life and death, or the relationships that people have with their team. There is a combat rule that reminds us that most superheroes don't want to kill people.
Do you have a best friend-competitive rival? Are you an archnemesis? Do you have a family? Why don't we know how this game handles relationships, when so often it's the relationships between characters that get people invested in the comics to begin with? I know this isn't the complete book, but it feels like an oversight to have explanations of the four different calculations that players have to perform before they can determine whether or not their character can punch through a wall. This book does not feature teamwork for what it is worth.
The biggest problem I had was that the game is so reliant on previous knowledge that it feels limited rather than expansive. There are large gaps in the rules still, and there are parts that might fall apart if leaned on too hard, which is frustrating. The book doesn't provide a way to maintain an expansive world, but rather an encyclopedia of how to understand the universe. The rules don't give the players any options at all. This book feels like an attempt to outwit the players, appealing to the kind of fan who loves to have a way to categorize and understand every part of a fandom rather than creating a framework for imaginative imagination.
The Archetypes are defined in this example. Archetypes are a character creation mechanic where players choose what kind of reactions their superhero can give them. Some Archetypes are straightforward: blasters shoot things with eye beams or special arrows, bruisers use their strength to absorb damage and punch back, and protectors focus on keeping everyone safe. Polymath is the game's solution to the overmatched characters that can do anything. Three characters that I would not put in the same kind of fight or power classification system are examples of this category.
We end up with more questions than answers as we try to create a system that has a catch all questions mindset. Iron Man is given as an example of a Polymath, despite the fact that there have been multiple runs where Doctor Doom and Iron Man either switched places or became the other person. The game is reliant on the lore that exists over 70 years of comic book legacy-building, so the hope is that players will come in with a knowledge of these characters and their arbitrary designation, rather than a desire to create a game that will appeal to fans of the superhero genre.
The ability to world-build within this game is sacrificed for an overcomplicated combat explainer. This is an arena game that can be used for gladiator fights. There is no direction on how to create conflicts, enemies, other worlds, settings or even a team. I'm sure the full book will have this, but the fact is that we've been given 120 pages of how to throw a punch, and nothing about how to set up the actual storyline that people are. The final section of the game is a beat-em-up module with no emotional stakes and a loot drop of Silver Surfer footage. There is no explanation of how to make this important to the characters, how to bring the team together, or how to prepare the characters for a mission. The focus is so focused on making sure that people understand the mechanics that it loses all of its sense of humor. The reliance on a massive legacy of lore is flawed.
Cohesion is more than just a part of the mechanics. The art in this book is from comic books. It feels like a collection of greatest hits of covers and panels, from many different artists with many different styles, without much of a through-line when it comes to the context of these illustrations within the core book itself. I am not surprised that this is the case, but I am surprised that none of the artists are credited. The front page has a list of about 100 names, but the people who drew the art that fills these pages are not included.
All of this results in a game that is old-school and not innovative. There are a lot of people who enjoy this kind of crunch, and a lot of people who will jump at the chance to play as their favorites, but the combination here feels exhausting. I'm a seasoned role-player and a comic nerd, and I wouldn't say I'm able to run this game effectively, even after reading the book twice.
I am interested in reading this in its entirety, but I believe that a preview will highlight the most important aspects of your game, regardless of the full book. If people are asked to comment on the effectiveness of the combat mechanics, they will be asked to focus on that aspect of the game. This playtest is in progress, but it is also a statement on what this game will value and emphasize, which is, according to this playtest. This may appeal to some players, but it doesn't appeal to me, and I don't think this is an improvement over previous versions of the game.
Why do we like superheroes? Why do we go to see a movie? Why do we like to dislike our favorite characters? Because of the stories they tell us. These over-the-top, exaggerated stories about responsibility, power, relationships, and love are related to the kinds of stories we play out every day in our own lives. Superhero stories can be used to find hope in hard times. Sometimes the explosions are really cool and we love superhero stories because they are emotional power fantasies.
The heart of superhero stories is not addressed by the Multiverse. It wants to show off for the fans, and in doing so it provides a combat explainer rather than a creative exploration of how to role-play beloved comic book characters through their stories rather than their stand-offs.
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