as the Thundertron player there is some subtext to the primus rex example: i remember it was written that primus rex was the first "bad guy" he defeated the day he got his powers which motivated him to be a hero, and the fight started with just Thudnertron and Primus since old Thunderboy just zipped right though the city looking for the criminals that ransacked his tech store leaving the rest of the team behind, so there is somewhat of a Janus Reason for the fight to start at the very least
Masks sure does require a lot from the GM in order to have the gameplay experience stand out from other superhero TTRPGs. I honestly wouldn't blame you for forgetting those details because: 1) You're already metaphorically juggling a lot of balls when trying your hardest to perform your GM duties. 2) You've relied on already-established habits and you simply forgot to incorporate those personalized aspects of Masks into your gaming sessions. Now, you've learned and it's time for the uncomfortable training phase. I suspect that it will pay off for the players and you'll still feel like you haven't done enough :D Keep it real!
I've run a lot of Monster of the Week, which has a lot of similarities to Masks. Where I will agree that PbtA games do require a lot of the GM during the game, it requires half of the prep that other games require (I also run a lot D20 types games DCC, Shadowdark, Stars Without Number). The players really guide the story and decide where it goes. I'm a huge fan of this type of game, because where the story goes and how it plays out is always a surprise to me.
Swingripper made a great point but honestly that is not just for masks game. This can be applied to any TTRPG. Know what your players strive for what they want and what their characters want and then dangle that carrot, make them make hard choices that are going to have down steam impacts on the game, the players and the world. I will tell you this. Chuckie loved that game. He loved every moment. Every time he would come over to my house he would just fanboi out about your game. As a fellow GM there is nothing more satisfying than finishing a game with your players. So great job there. So amazing work good sir. Thank you for making videos that I look forward to watching.
The way I understood this at one point with dungeon world, was visualizing the playbooks as flags the players plant to claim they want to talk about certain things in the game. Having a wizard means they want to talk about magic and the arcane, having a warrior means thry want to talk about war and combat, having a bard means they want to talk about the lore and the societies of the world, etc. So yeah, this advice is good for most rpgs but specifically PbtA games require you the most to put their character's fantasy up front to run the game, to run combat, to make fronts, etc.
@@tabletopbro It's also one of those things that once you see you cannot unsee haha like having a GM agenda and principles and thinking in "moves" and asking "what do you want to do?" are things once you learn you just carry with you at all times!
Interestingly enough, as I'm prepping a PF2E session with possibly BBEG-level fight, I realise it's still a very good advice for... Well basically any other TTRPG. Most people play into some kind of archetype more or less IMHO, or at least a theme, and pulling stuff from that into at the key fights (or any) will very much enhance the experience. Welp, time to scrap some prep and better it somehow! Ho, and amazing vid as always.
Absolutely love your MASKS content. There's not a ton on here, ESPECIALLY from the GMs perspective, so I'm very thankful for what you're doing. Much appreciated, and please keep them coming!
@Tabletop Bro If you're not too worried about spoiling things for your players, I'd love to see you break down some of your villains (their moves, good and/or bad scenarios that have played out with them, what's worked and what hasn't worked, anything that's surprised you when they actually made it to the table, etc etc). Or if you want to keep them close to your chest, maybe a look into your process for villains, from creation to table. I've had some trouble translating villains effectively when its time for them to hit the table (at least in my mind), so would be very interested in hearing other GMs experiences with that. Just a suggestion, enjoying your stuff regardless! Thanks again.
Bruh I am loving this storytelling you added in explaining your process with the Masks system. I’ve considered trying it out with some buddies but can never seem to find enough players to garner interests lol. Seriously considering offering players some artwork of their OCs to get them more interested but I am loving this video and the editing too.
Thanks! I really appreciate it! I find its easy to get even non-RPG gamers to play the system as its a VERY digestible concept. Just make sure you emphasize its about teenagers who happen to be superheroes. Not really superheroes.
I truly did love playing in the game. Even though I kept consistently rolling good you still managed to give me challenges. Thank you so much for a wonderful experience. In case anyone was curious I got one advancement from leveling up and another advancement because TableTop Bro took pity on me. I have no idea why I roll really well in a superhero game and roll really poorly in anything else.
This video couldn't have come at a better time. My guys want a supers game. I still cringe over my last stint in mutants and masterminds 3e. Hours making, what I thought was the coolest ginormous, building smashing spider mech as I could produce with the system, only to have our goth superman, Dark Adonis, take out my mech with one strike. I felt I could only blame myself. The battle should have lasted several rounds, not a couple of seconds. I love comics, and I love dungeon world. Maybe I'll give Masks a try. As usual, thank you for the great video and inspiration.
There's nothing worse than thinking you've made an epic boss fight only for it to collapse like immediately. I will say Masks is WAY more focused on the characters themselves than the characters being superheroes you know what I mean.
@Tabletop Bro I agree. I have been leaning away from super crunch games, because no matter what people say, rules will get in the way. That provokes this, roll this for that aaand oops, your out of actions. Being able to have a system build on narration/conversation and the characters over rules is really nice.
"Man railed at me twice, but I didn't care Waiting is wasting for people like me...." What what what what where did that thought come from, am I under a mental attack?
This is a really insightful video, I definitely learned something. Also if you’re doing your script by memorizing a part of it then reading it, that’s brutal haha, you can get a pretty cheap teleprompter with a refurbished iPad that might help you out
@tabletopbro Gotcha, I've heard it plays similar to Masks, I enjoy your videos and you format would love to see you cover it. But I totally understand honestly.
What you did wrong was shave people design characters in hero forge. They all look the same. Use MidJourney next time, much more interesting and better looking results
i made 2/3 hero forge models here since i have been using hero forge for a long time, i tend to enjoy getting to alter things by hand instead of just clicking the AI button enough times til i get something kinda presentable
as the Thundertron player there is some subtext to the primus rex example: i remember it was written that primus rex was the first "bad guy" he defeated the day he got his powers which motivated him to be a hero, and the fight started with just Thudnertron and Primus since old Thunderboy just zipped right though the city looking for the criminals that ransacked his tech store leaving the rest of the team behind, so there is somewhat of a Janus Reason for the fight to start at the very least
Masks sure does require a lot from the GM in order to have the gameplay experience stand out from other superhero TTRPGs. I honestly wouldn't blame you for forgetting those details because:
1) You're already metaphorically juggling a lot of balls when trying your hardest to perform your GM duties.
2) You've relied on already-established habits and you simply forgot to incorporate those personalized aspects of Masks into your gaming sessions.
Now, you've learned and it's time for the uncomfortable training phase. I suspect that it will pay off for the players and you'll still feel like you haven't done enough :D
Keep it real!
I've run a lot of Monster of the Week, which has a lot of similarities to Masks. Where I will agree that PbtA games do require a lot of the GM during the game, it requires half of the prep that other games require (I also run a lot D20 types games DCC, Shadowdark, Stars Without Number). The players really guide the story and decide where it goes. I'm a huge fan of this type of game, because where the story goes and how it plays out is always a surprise to me.
Swingripper made a great point but honestly that is not just for masks game. This can be applied to any TTRPG. Know what your players strive for what they want and what their characters want and then dangle that carrot, make them make hard choices that are going to have down steam impacts on the game, the players and the world. I will tell you this. Chuckie loved that game. He loved every moment. Every time he would come over to my house he would just fanboi out about your game. As a fellow GM there is nothing more satisfying than finishing a game with your players. So great job there. So amazing work good sir. Thank you for making videos that I look forward to watching.
great to hear, i've bassicly been on the same level of excitement as old Chucks the whole way though
100,000%. Masks just makes it REALLY easy to determine that power fantasy since it’s literally built around it!
And thanks for the validation!
The way I understood this at one point with dungeon world, was visualizing the playbooks as flags the players plant to claim they want to talk about certain things in the game. Having a wizard means they want to talk about magic and the arcane, having a warrior means thry want to talk about war and combat, having a bard means they want to talk about the lore and the societies of the world, etc.
So yeah, this advice is good for most rpgs but specifically PbtA games require you the most to put their character's fantasy up front to run the game, to run combat, to make fronts, etc.
PbtA lessons really can/do apply to literally every other tabletop
@@tabletopbro It's also one of those things that once you see you cannot unsee haha like having a GM agenda and principles and thinking in "moves" and asking "what do you want to do?" are things once you learn you just carry with you at all times!
Interestingly enough, as I'm prepping a PF2E session with possibly BBEG-level fight, I realise it's still a very good advice for... Well basically any other TTRPG.
Most people play into some kind of archetype more or less IMHO, or at least a theme, and pulling stuff from that into at the key fights (or any) will very much enhance the experience.
Welp, time to scrap some prep and better it somehow!
Ho, and amazing vid as always.
That’s the magic of PbtA! It makes you a better GM for any other game!
Absolutely love your MASKS content. There's not a ton on here, ESPECIALLY from the GMs perspective, so I'm very thankful for what you're doing. Much appreciated, and please keep them coming!
That's the plan! I'm glad you enjoy it!
@Tabletop Bro If you're not too worried about spoiling things for your players, I'd love to see you break down some of your villains (their moves, good and/or bad scenarios that have played out with them, what's worked and what hasn't worked, anything that's surprised you when they actually made it to the table, etc etc).
Or if you want to keep them close to your chest, maybe a look into your process for villains, from creation to table.
I've had some trouble translating villains effectively when its time for them to hit the table (at least in my mind), so would be very interested in hearing other GMs experiences with that.
Just a suggestion, enjoying your stuff regardless! Thanks again.
@@Grozart22 The campaign actually just finished, so that's a great idea!
Bruh I am loving this storytelling you added in explaining your process with the Masks system. I’ve considered trying it out with some buddies but can never seem to find enough players to garner interests lol. Seriously considering offering players some artwork of their OCs to get them more interested but I am loving this video and the editing too.
Thanks! I really appreciate it! I find its easy to get even non-RPG gamers to play the system as its a VERY digestible concept. Just make sure you emphasize its about teenagers who happen to be superheroes. Not really superheroes.
I truly did love playing in the game. Even though I kept consistently rolling good you still managed to give me challenges. Thank you so much for a wonderful experience.
In case anyone was curious I got one advancement from leveling up and another advancement because TableTop Bro took pity on me. I have no idea why I roll really well in a superhero game and roll really poorly in anything else.
Which is unfortunate when the leveling up mechanic relies on failure lmao. I'm glad you had such a great time!
My man is out here gettin SPONSORS!
Good job!
Also SWINGRIPPER MENTIONED!!!
Hahaha thank you sir!
This video couldn't have come at a better time. My guys want a supers game. I still cringe over my last stint in mutants and masterminds 3e. Hours making, what I thought was the coolest ginormous, building smashing spider mech as I could produce with the system, only to have our goth superman, Dark Adonis, take out my mech with one strike. I felt I could only blame myself. The battle should have lasted several rounds, not a couple of seconds. I love comics, and I love dungeon world. Maybe I'll give Masks a try. As usual, thank you for the great video and inspiration.
There's nothing worse than thinking you've made an epic boss fight only for it to collapse like immediately.
I will say Masks is WAY more focused on the characters themselves than the characters being superheroes you know what I mean.
@Tabletop Bro I agree. I have been leaning away from super crunch games, because no matter what people say, rules will get in the way. That provokes this, roll this for that aaand oops, your out of actions. Being able to have a system build on narration/conversation and the characters over rules is really nice.
"Man railed at me twice, but I didn't care
Waiting is wasting for people like me...."
What what what what where did that thought come from, am I under a mental attack?
Sure!
One way I try to mitigate this is to use the Playbook specific moves that the Core book or GM Sheet lists down.
Yeah I definitely keep the GM cheat sheet up whenever I run games
This is a really insightful video, I definitely learned something. Also if you’re doing your script by memorizing a part of it then reading it, that’s brutal haha, you can get a pretty cheap teleprompter with a refurbished iPad that might help you out
I've thought about it lmao, but I prefer looking straight into the camera lens.
I feel that, but depending on the distance from the camera it looks like you’re looking right at the lens, but it does take a bit of finagling
How does masks compare to the marvel RPG?
I haven’t played the marvel RPG but I can tell you Masks focuses far more on the characters as *characters* than like superheroes
Are you interested in doing any videos with Avatar Legends?
I'm a big Avatar the Last Airbender fan, but I probably won't play Legends anytime soon🤷♂️
@tabletopbro Gotcha, I've heard it plays similar to Masks, I enjoy your videos and you format would love to see you cover it. But I totally understand honestly.
What you did wrong was shave people design characters in hero forge. They all look the same. Use MidJourney next time, much more interesting and better looking results
i made 2/3 hero forge models here since i have been using hero forge for a long time, i tend to enjoy getting to alter things by hand instead of just clicking the AI button enough times til i get something kinda presentable
not everyone enjoys using AI my dude
This is a really valuable lesson but the title is awful and almost made me want to block your channel.
Don’t hate the player hate the game🤷🏻♂️ People don’t watch when the title isn’t clickbaity