Marvel Super Heroes RPG Secret Wars – Shall We Play A Game?

When I wrote my last article on a Role-Playing Game, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to do another one. This time, I went to the other major super-hero RPG, Marvel Super Heroes, by TSR. One Module that I really loved was Secret Wars.

The Marvel Super Heroes RPG used the FASERIP system, which looks to have been developed specifically for his game system. (source) This made for a relatively easy-to-learn game. With it’s success, it was just a matter of time before the demand for new character stats and campaigns that felt like the comics culminated in Secret Wars.

The Adventure

The module really breaks down the plot of Secret Wars well. It did get a bit stingy with the maps. The interiors were a geometric hodge-podge, with letters denoting rooms. Depending on the base the players were in, each room would have a different function. The outdoor map was so generic, it found use in far too many of my RPG sessions. My favorite was incorporating it into the adventure of All This And World War II.

The judge is also given detailed instructions on handling specific heroes and villains. Some lose Karma every day on the Battleplanet. Other conditions apply, but the most interesting one for me was Rogue losing Karma for fighting with the heroes. The option is given to run the adventure as a “mini Secret Wars” with players only playing one hero each, and the opposing side being an appropriate villain.

Personally, I would have loved to have run the adventure with heroes that had been part of other modules at the time. There were several heroes and villains with stats in other modules that would have been wonderful to put into Secret Wars. At this time, it really paid off to be a completist.

The Character Stats

We got character stats for all of the various players in Secret Wars. Some of these were the first time the characters were available to players. Some versions of these characters were unique to Secret Wars, such as an insane Klaw and Hulk with Bruce Banner in control. The roster book did not include the heroes that came with the base game. That’s perfectly fine, since the assumption is that if you knew how to play the game, you had those heroes’ stats already.What’s really neat is that inside the cover of the game module, there is a chart of all of the character’s stats for the judge to have quick reference to.

Since I had such poor access to previous game modules, most of these character stats were new to me. Up until now, we’d had just a few heroes and villains given at one time. The Basic Set gave us, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Human Torch, Invisible Woman (not included in this game), Mister Fantastic, Spider-Man, the Thing and Wolverine. While Doctor Octopus had been covered in the base game adventure, his stats were included in the roster book. This roster helped out RPG groups in varying up their heroes. There wouldn’t be another opportunity like this until the Advanced Game.

Overall…

Secret Wars was the perfect series to turn into an adventure for the Marvel Super Heroes RPG. As the game went on, many of the stats became outdated, but it was an adventure that could stretch over many nights with a role-playing group.