This game is about telling comic-book superhero stories. Every player speaks with equal authority. You can look to individual players for leadership, but no one player can overrule the others.

Getting Started

Review and agree on Safety tools (https://ttrpgsafetytoolkit.com).

Talk about touchstones - what inspires you, what you want to do, and so on. Take notes on what you all discussed.

Terms

Characters

There’s a character keeper online at Breathtaking Comics Character Keeper - click to make a copy.

Create a character concept, such as “disillusioned patriot”.

Write short descriptive phrases for these five Traits: Position (on the team), Past (backstory), Personality (driving emotion), Powers (superhuman abilities), and Problems (dramatic difficulties).

Write three or so Hooks for each Trait, describing its dark sides, complications, or conflicts. Hooks are examples, not exclusive conditions.

Every Trait except for Problems has a die associated with it. Every Trait begins the scene with d8. If a Trait’s Hooks are invoked by anyone (not just the player), increase the die size by one step (to a maximum of d10). If the Problems Trait’s Hooks are invoked, the player can increase any one Trait’s die size by one step (to a maximum of d10).

Tests

During play, the first time you roll a Trait die on a Page, step it down one size (e.g. d10 to d8, d8 to d6). Do not step down once a die is at d4.

Drives

Drives are the dramatic stakes in play during a scene, such as “bus full of civilians”. Players each create Drives at the start of a scene. Drives should be a mix of scenario and personal challenges.

Drives are either in Red (bad) or Green (good) state. Drives change state as a result of Tests, or as a scene progresses.

When a Drive flips color, explain what happened and why this was the result. If you have to flip a Drive but can’t, create a new Drive.

The group can strike a Drive, locking in its current state for the scene. Strike a Drive when the group feels like the issue is settled, or if the Drive is no longer interesting.

Anyone can add a new Drive at any time. One Drive can evolve into another new Drive if appropriate.

When a Drive changes state, take notes on what happened.

Scenes

There are three types of Scenes: Crisis (fights and action-packed scenes), Challenge (accomplishing a difficult or complex task), and Open (freeform story-telling).

The general goal of a scene is to make Tests that flip as many Drives to Green as possible. When you’ve concluded a scene, look at the state of the Drives. Both Red and Green Drives can suggest a direction for the next scene.

Crisis Scenes

  1. Each player makes a list of 3 plot points, 2 focused on the crisis and 1 focused on themselves or the team as people
  2. The group arranges these plot points into a single narrative by finding causal connections for things to happen
  3. The group turns this narrative into 6-12 Drives
  4. Choose 3 of these Drives to start Green; any other Drives start Red
  5. Pick a number of Panels to play through, from 4 (hard) to 6 (medium) to 8 (easy)
  6. The group plays through one or more Page of action, each with that many Panels
  7. Each Panel has one hero making a Test to shift Drives
  8. Adjust the status of one or more Drives depending on the Test result
  9. If this is your first roll on the page, step down the Trait die
  10. If any Hooks were narrated, step up Trait dice if appropriate
  11. At the end of Pages 1-3, move a single Drive to Red; at the end of Pages 4 and on, select one Drive and strike it
  12. The scene ends when about half of all Drives have been struck, or by group consensus

Challenge Scenes

  1. Write a single Drive for the overall nature of the challenge
  2. Each player contributes a single extra Drive
  3. Pick a number of Panels to play through, from 4 (hard) to 6 (medium) to 8 (easy)
  4. Each Panel has one hero making a Test to shift Drives
  5. Adjust the status of one or more Drives depending on the Test result
  6. If this is your first roll on the page, step down the Trait die
  7. If any Hooks were narrated, step up Trait dice if appropriate
  8. No hero may make a second Test until every hero has made a first
  9. The scene ends when every Panel has been played through

Open Scenes

Open Scenes are freeform roleplaying. Drives and Tests may be used as the players see fit.

Callbacks

At the end of every scene, players may lay claim to Drives for use as Callbacks. Players may have at most one Red and one Green Drive stored as Callbacks. Each Drive may only be claimed by only one player.

Callbacks may be spent to roll a d12 for a Test. A Callback can’t be used in the same Issue it was collected.

Letters To the Editor

At the end of each Issue, describe a letter to the editor that a typical reader might write. Talk about what you like or didn’t like about the Issue.

Character Tuning

At the end of each Issue, you can revise every aspect of your character, including Traits, Trait dice assignments, and Hooks.