Mutants & Masterminds

Mutants & Masterminds RPG

by Stephen Kenson

Bring four color action to your tabletop with the Mutants & Masterminds RPG! Brought to you by d20 system pioneers Green Ronin Publishing, Mutants & Masterminds has been designed from the ground up to be the definitive treatment of d20 superheroes. This full color, 192-page book contains everything you need to enter the world of comic book heroics. Mutants & Masterminds builds on the d20 base, optimizing the core rules for superhero play with point built characters and a modular powers system that lets you build exactly the character that you want to play. The game also includes an adventure that introduces Green Ronin¹s Freedom City setting and a selection of Hero Templates that let you jump right into the action. Featuring a stunning cover by Wildstorm/DC artist and Ninja Boy creator Ale Garza, Mutants & Masterminds blasts into retail stores this October. This is d20 supers done right!

Genres: Role Playing Games, Gaming

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Max Rudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting alternative to the Marvel FASERIP system from the 1980's. Very customizable and lots of pointers of how to do so from the creators. For OG D&D fans this is an easy sidestep as it grew out of the OGL.

Good work guys.

[R J Royer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved playing this game many years ago and now I am hoping that someone else will make use of it.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Mutants & Masterminds" ist ein Klon, den man möglicherweise für das Original halten könnte, wenn man sich "Aberrant D20" anguckt. Zugegeben, es ist nicht gerade ein schlechter Klon, aber es ist schon recht deutlich, daß vieles im Aufbau der Powers - gerade was "Überbau-Kräfte" wie Elemental Controls und sowas angeht - sich sehr stark daran orientiert, wie diese Dinge bei Aberrant (der Storyteller System-Version, wohlgemerkt!) geregelt wurden (und Aberrant hat sich wiederum extrem stark an Champions orientiert, was man u.a. daran merkt, daß man an einigen Stellen vergessen hat, die Powers doch noch umzubenennen. Allerdings hat ja auch Steve Long ganz kräftig mit daran herumgeschrieben. Aber das gehört ja nicht wirklich hier her...). Auch die Extras erinnern doch sehr stark an Aberrant, sind hier aber tatsächlich eleganter gelöst.
Die Regeln sind eine definitiv verbesserte Version der inzwischen ja leider allgegenwärtigen D20-Regeln, in denen man die Levels im Prinzip weggelassen hat und auch keine albernen Charakterklassen mehr vorfindet.
Außerdem - und das rechne ich denen wirklich an - braucht man für M&M nicht das D&D-Buch!
Alles, was zum Spielen notwendig ist, findet sich hier.
Die Powers sind aber teilweise einfach nicht durchdacht. So kann man oft nicht wirklich feststellen, warum manche Powers als Stunt ergänzt werden (einmalige Kosten), andere aber jeden Powerlevel durch Extras verteuern. Immer schneller zu fliegen kostet gerade mal 2 Punkte, aber mit seinen Klauen besser zu Klettern 1 Punkt pro Powerlevel?! Da weiß ich aber, wovon ich mehr habe!
Außerdem sind einige Feats zu mächtig. Wenn ich mit 2 Punkten in einem Feat JEDEN Unsichtbaren sehen kann, egal wieviel der in seine Power gesteckt hat, dann ist das ziemlich unausgewogen.
M&M ist durchgängig vierfarbig illustriert - und das größtenteils auch ziemlich gut von echten Comiczeichnern! - aber das führt dazu, daß dieses doch sehr dünne Hardcoverbüchlein sauteuer ist.
M&M ist ein gut spielbares System, das aber wegen der Schwächen und des Preises echten Punktabzug bekommt: also 3 Punkte.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first went to pick up Mutants & Masterminds, it had just gone into the Second Edition and had unexpectedly sold out - period. Green Ronin had to put out a second printing due to the success of the game. Needless to say, I managed to get a hold of a copy, and I have very much enjoyed the game.

What about the game have I enjoyed? First off, it is a d20 game, and as such, it has some familiarity of the d20 engine. However, it is very off from the rest of the d20 games like Dungeons & Dragons or d20 Modern. The game does not use hit points. It does not have classes or racial packages. Instead, you have 15 points per level to build your character with. The system is very flexible and is meant to be rather cinematic.

The game goes on to use the Feats system of the d20 system and expand upon them. Additionally, you have Powers, which can be adjusted with Extras & Limitations. There is a lot there, but once you have it all in front of you, it runs fairly smoothly.

The game is designed to be a superhero game, but it has a lot of flexibility. You can put together a four-color game, a western-style, suspense/horror or any number of things. Yeah, GURPS and Hero System did this a long time ago, but this version is not nearly as math intensive and allows for more cinematics, not letting the rules overpower the story.

On the other end of things, if you like a very visceral game, this is not the game for you. Yes, it can be violent, but it is not designed to be about killing orcs.

Overall, I really enjoy the game. I have both played and ran the system, and I plan to run more games in the future. Green Ronin produced a quality product that I would recommend to any gamer or comic-enthusiast looking at trying role-playing.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Premise: Roleplaying superheroes!

This is a really easy to learn, easy to customize system. It was very possible for a gaggle of my friends to sit down with this book and create exactly the characters we wanted to play with very little difficulty. It gives plenty of open-ended options. It was a very fun game, and the emphasis does seem to be more on creativity and role play over mechanics, which is important to me and my goofy gaming group.

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first edition of M&M is really rough, but it shows hints of the promise that the later editions bring to the table.