Mutants & Masterminds: RPG - 2nd Edition [Hardcover]

The first edition of Mutants and Masterminds was a cracking game but in some ways was crippled by its rigid power level system. The designers and authors of the second edition plainly sat down and decided to keep the elements that had worked in the previous edition while choosing to improve on many other parts of the game.

Essentially Mutants and Masterminds is a game based on the D20 system, stripped bare and rebuilt for superhero gaming using the Open Gaming License. There are no character classes in this game and the "levels" come in the form of Power Levels which place certain caps on traits to manage character creation and assist the GM in building appropriate challenges. The opening chapters introduce the character creation system through example "archetypes" built to the default Power Level of a starting game and then breaks down the character creation structure in full. The rules are clear and well explained, and areas such as Power Level trade-offs, which opens up plenty of flexibility in character building, are given plenty of space and detail.

Chapter eight is titled "Combat" but actually contains the meat of the non character specific rules. It is a stripped down version of the system made most famous in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, although it dispenses with some of the more complex elements of combat (such as Attacks of Opportunity) to help in-game battles be more like comic book slugfests. The later chapters are aimed at the GM and give advice on world building, creating NPCs (subject to slightly less strict rules as regards points totals and power levels than player characters), sample villain archetypes and stats for animals, monsters, and people. These chapters are as well written as the first part of the book.

In terms of appearance, M&M is bold, brash, and colourful. Cracking artwork by people who really seem to "get" the super hero concept and bright pages make it a visual feast. The tables included within are all easy to read making it suitable for most people. The difficulty of the rules set is at the lower-mid range. Its a very simplified version of D20 and is a far easier system to get your head around than games like HERO and GURPS Supers. Conversely there are simpler hero games out there, like any iteration of Marvel's official licence, but few of these offer the flexibility of Mutants and Masterminds. The game bills itself as "the World's Greatest Super Hero RPG" and I certainly wouldn't argue about that. I can think of very little about this game I don't like, and ultimately it's that rarest of beast- an RPG core rulebook that is the only book you'd need to play the game. First class.

UPDATE: A third edition of this game is now out. See: Mutants & Masterminds Hero's Handbook.

That said, now here's the review I wrote for this product: the humble second edition of the game...

You want it short and sweet? Fine. This is a great game. I recommend it. If you're into table-top RPG's and you'd like to play something in the superhero genre, this is definitely the game I suggest you go with.

You want a bit more detail before making the decision to buy? Hrmm... Well, okay. Here goes:

Green Ronin, the publishers of this game, took the d20 system and made a few carefully selected and well thought out changes. This means that if you have played 3rd ed or 3.5 ed D&D (and if you haven't, what on Earth are you doing reading this?) the basic core of the game engine will already be entirely familiar to you. What's more, the changes that have been made are all in the direction of increased simplicity, and all follow their own internal logic. So once you do get a hold of the basic idea of what's going on, these rules become extremely intuitive and easy to keep track of.

Yes, I know all that sounds lovely. But what, I hear you ask, exactly are these changes?

The two biggest are that character creation is now entirely point-based (no dice rolling at all), and the hit point system has been replaced by a slightly more qualitative system representing varying degrees of injury. Getting hurt in combat is now far more like failing a saving throw, and just how badly you fail that save determines how badly you get hurt. The practical upshot is that your characters can and will get beat up and bruised, but actual fatalities are very much the exception rather than the rule. That may sound a tad complex, but trust me, in practice it's not. And just as importantly, it's pretty damn near perfect for simulating the way combat works in a typical comic book universe.

That last little qualifier - "in a typical comic book universe" - is very important. As Gary Gygax commented way back when the original D&D was first released, as an attempt to simulate actual combat, his system could only be deemed a dismal failure. It's the same here. If you want a system that will accurately simulate what would happen if someone with the abilities of Superman took on someone with the abilities of Batman (i.e. you'd be left with a greasy smear of bat-goo), this is not that system. What this system will do is exactly what it's designed to do: simulate the way combat works IN COMIC BOOKS.

In other words, it's a game, people! Let's not lose sight of the obvious.

Another nice thing about Mutants & Masterminds is that the fan-base has created masses of really good and useful material that you can access for free online. For example, I've very easily been able to find a Wiki with stats for all the major Marvel heroes. Yes... I know GM's can cook up that sort of thing for themselves when they want to, but it's convenient to find that someone else has already done all the work. That said, of course we all know full well that most GM's will just use these stats as a starting point and then tweak them as needed to reconcile things with their own unique vision of the characters. Well, that's GM's for you!

Incidentally, I do realize I've written a rave here. But honestly, that's only because I believe that this book really deserves one. If you look over my other reviews (those of superhero stuff in particular), you'll see that I'm quite capable of being critical when I feel it's warranted. Check out my reviews of Batman Gotham Knight (Single-Disc Edition) and Green Lantern: First Flight (Two-Disc Special Edition) if you don't believe me. To say nothing of The Super Hero Squad Show: Volume One and The Super Hero Squad Show: Volumes 1 & 2 - Quest For The Infinity Sword!. I gave those last two only one star apiece. Seriously, I think it's the most sexist damn show made this side of the 1950s... Although I suppose that's another story.

So anyway, as you can see, I'm really not just blowing smoke up your cape when I give Mutants & Masterminds five stars. In fact, I truly believe that with the right gaming group behind you, this is the system that will finally allow all your superheroic fantasies to take flight.

Happy gaming!

Or as Stan Lee might put it...

Excelsior!

Theo.

Whether already a role-player who wants to try a different theme, or a fan of super-hero comics who wants to be one, Mutants and Masterminds (M&M) is for you.

With an extremely flexible powers system and ready-made characters, you can spend as long as you want crafting your chosen champion to perfection, or you can jump straight to the action.

This game is unique in that the only dice needed are 20 sided, rather than in conventional RPGs that tend to use 6 sided dice, or regular d20 games that also use many other types of dice.

I found that the rules system made it easy to create heroes, villains and monsters of any type.

I am a D&D fan, and I found this game fun to play for a change. I found that many D&D abilities work quite well in M&M. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys role-playing and super-hero comics, so if you have ever wanted to be a super-hero... BUY IT!

Note: This review is under my mother's name, as the book was ordered under her account.