The Inside Scoop on Gaming

So, after a long wait my local bookstore finaly got it! Was it worth the wait and my hard earned money?

Yes, it was!

Just like DL:5, the first game to use the SAGA-system, this one came with a deck of cards and two books, all in a rather stylish box.

The first book is the Game Book and contains the rules and the like, while the second book is the Roster book, containing some of the characters in the mighty marvel universe.

The 96 cards all have a number between 1-10, an event, a calling (se below) and a picture of a hero/ villain. In addition, the cards are divided in 4 color suits and a Doom suit and, independently of this, positive, negative and neutral cards.

The character consists of the following headlines: Attributes, Hand/ Edge, Skills, Powers, Calling, Hindrances and Equipment.

Attributes: There are four attributes ranging from 1-10 for normals, 11-20 for supersvalues and 21-> for cosmic beings. These are Strength, Agility, Intellect and Willpower. Each of these have a color (Green, Red, Blue and Purple resp.)

The Hand value is the number of cards you hold in your hand, while the Edge is a function that allows you to play more cards in an action than the usual only one.

Calling is the motivation for being a superhero, and whenever the Narrator (GM) draws a card with the same calling as one of the heroes in the group, something will happen that is related to the heroes calling.

The basic system is very simple. All actions have a difficultynumber, and when trying to do something a player plays a card from his hand and adds the card to the appropriate ability/ attribute. If he plays a card from the same suit/ color as the used attribute, he may draw another one from the pile and use add it to the action value.

I found the system to work very well, it is smooth, and after one session of play, I had converted a group of anti-card, anti-superhero players to a group of enthusiastic superheroes. This system captures the feel of Superhero comics better than any other superhero roleplaying game I have played (and I have played them all).

So, what drawbacks are there? Firstly, it is a bit vague when it comes to specific real-world values (like: How fast can my character with Lightning Speed - 8 run, or how much can my character with strength 14 lift..). There are guidelines, but there could have been a few more.

Second: The characters in the roster book are not as well researched as they could be.(Whatever happened to Rogues Danger Sense, for instance).

Thirdly: While it is fun to read the book (it is very well written) sometimes it can be hard to find just that line/ paragraph one in the middle of play. Some kind of summary sheet could have been useful.

But, all in all, it's a very inspiring game, fun, smooth and easy to use. If it wasn't for the slight drawbacks mentioned above, I'd give it 5/ 5. Maybe when the 2nd edition comes out...

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Marvel Adventure Game
Author: Mike Selinker Category: game Company/Publisher: TSR/ WoTC Page count: 207 64 ISBN: 0-7869-1227-8 Playtest Review by Ulf Andersson on 08/31/98. Genre tags: none	So, after a long wait my local bookstore finaly got it! Was it worth the wait and my hard earned money? Yes, it was! Just like DL:5, the first game to use the SAGA-system, this one came with a deck of cards and two books, all in a rather stylish box. The first book is the Game Book and contains the rules and the like, while the second book is the Roster book, containing some of the characters in the mighty marvel universe. The 96 cards all have a number between 1-10, an event, a calling (se below) and a picture of a hero/ villain. In addition, the cards are divided in 4 color suits and a Doom suit and, independently of this, positive, negative and neutral cards. The character consists of the following headlines: Attributes, Hand/ Edge, Skills, Powers, Calling, Hindrances and Equipment. Attributes: There are four attributes ranging from 1-10 for normals, 11-20 for supersvalues and 21-> for cosmic beings. These are Strength, Agility, Intellect and Willpower. Each of these have a color (Green, Red, Blue and Purple resp.) The Hand value is the number of cards you hold in your hand, while the Edge is a function that allows you to play more cards in an action than the usual only one. Calling is the motivation for being a superhero, and whenever the Narrator (GM) draws a card with the same calling as one of the heroes in the group, something will happen that is related to the heroes calling. The basic system is very simple. All actions have a difficultynumber, and when trying to do something a player plays a card from his hand and adds the card to the appropriate ability/ attribute. If he plays a card from the same suit/ color as the used attribute, he may draw another one from the pile and use add it to the action value. I found the system to work very well, it is smooth, and after one session of play, I had converted a group of anti-card, anti-superhero players to a group of enthusiastic superheroes. This system captures the feel of Superhero comics better than any other superhero roleplaying game I have played (and I have played them all). So, what drawbacks are there? Firstly, it is a bit vague when it comes to specific real-world values (like: How fast can my character with Lightning Speed - 8 run, or how much can my character with strength 14 lift..). There are guidelines, but there could have been a few more. Second: The characters in the roster book are not as well researched as they could be.(Whatever happened to Rogues Danger Sense, for instance). Thirdly: While it is fun to read the book (it is very well written) sometimes it can be hard to find just that line/ paragraph one in the middle of play. Some kind of summary sheet could have been useful. But, all in all, it's a very inspiring game, fun, smooth and easy to use. If it wasn't for the slight drawbacks mentioned above, I'd give it 5/ 5. Maybe when the 2nd edition comes out... Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Marvel Adventure Game