If you’re looking for a change of pace from the usual fantasy and d20-based RPGs, Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men offers an exceptional alternative. This supplemental rulebook offers everything players and Narrators need to bring the world of Marvel’s mutant super-teams to your game table or create your own.
Marvel Multiverse RPG launched in 2023, and X-Men constitutes its first true supplementary sourcebook (aside from the premade campaign path, The Catacylsm of Kang); it’ll be followed later this spring by a Spider-Verse sourcebook and a Starter Set, dubbed Escape From Planet Hulk. So, as the first corner of the Marvel universe to get the sourcebook treatment, what sort of trail does mutant-kind blaze for Marvel’s ambitious tabletop RPG?
The Marvel Multiverse RPG has already set itself apart with a unique spin on typical RPG skill checks. As a quick primer for the uninitiated: instead of rolling polyhedral dice like d20s or d8s, players make action checks by rolling 3d6, or as it’s called here, d616—so if you roll 3, 5, and 4, your outcome is 12. The catch here is that one of these three dice is supposed to be a different colour and referred to as the “Marvel” die; the official dice represents it with a red die, and its one is replaced by a Marvel logo.
If this die comes up as 1 (or M), the result is considered “Fantastic.” So, if the check succeeds and you’ve rolled the logo, you get an additional bonus effect like double damage; if you roll 2 1s and the M, your check fails, but you get an additional consolation prize; if you roll the highest possible outcome, 6M6, your check succeeds immediately, regardless of the target difficulty (allowing you to do just about anything, assuming the Narrator hasn’t deemed it “impossible.”
If the “616” wasn’t enough of an allusion, characters’ ability scores are abbreviated as “MARVEL” as well: Melee, Agility, Resilience, Vigilance, Ego, and Logic. Beneath the meta nods, however, lies a refreshing gameplay engine that has been eagerly awaiting further expansions like this.
“Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men recreates the X-perience with things like Adamantium, telekinetic bo staffs, several X-vehicles, and rules for mental duels…”
In the spirit laid out by its Core Rulebook, the Marvel Multiverse RPG empowers players and Narrators (the game’s term for Game or Dungeon Masters in other RPGs) to cross the multiversal streams with settings and characters. In theory, you could play in the timeframe of the Days of Future Past comic storyline with the ’97 iterations of Wolverine and Jean Grey if your group so chooses. To this end, much of the X-Men supplement is devoted to exploring different eras and teams of Marvel’s mutants to inspire players on both sides of the table.
Actually, in this regard Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men should prove intriguing for fans of the franchise overall, even without the game rules. Chapters on the most notable teams/era—like the original team, X-Factor, X-Force, the Marauders, the Exiles, and even the Canadian super-team Alpha Flight—go into considerable detail on the different versions of the teams, their major achievements and conflicts, and the principles that guide them.
Though these chapters in Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men are meant to provide plot hooks and inspiration, they have the pleasant side effect of turning the book into a history text Marvel superfans might appreciate. Yet it’s also approachable enough that someone with little prior experience could read through and get what they need to run scenarios in these sandboxes, not unlike learning the fictional lore for any other game system.
For many, however, the core of the X-Men experience is the most recognizable characters (likely from the films and cartoons) and the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. This supplement provides new rules and options for making original mutant characters or even teams of existing heroes—want to stick Domino, Rogue, and Northstar on a team with a version of a superhero you made up when you were a kid? You’ve got the tools for it here.
“Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men is, undeniably, a labour of love for fans, by fans.”
The teams detailed in the various chapters receive signature mechanics here as well, like Alpha Flight’s team maneuver “Need A Hand, Bub?” which has Wolverine pass by on his own business and lend a hand during one fight. There’s also an option to incorporate a Mutant Reputation mechanic, determining how the public reacts to mutants in general, or have party members get an education at Xavier’s School.
And, of course, what’s a TTRPG sourcebook without new equipment options and special rules? Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men recreates the X-perience with things like Adamantium, telekinetic bo staffs, several X-vehicles, and rules for mental duels (or Magneto’s telepathy-blocking helmets). Narrators will have practically any tool they could hope for in putting their own spin on themes and events from the comics or movies.
Rounding out the book is a chapter chock-full of character sheets for existing Marvel characters—about 80 of them, spanning history and the multiverse, from Angel to Wolfsbane. With them come several new powers and tags, which naturally can be used elsewhere for original characters or variants.
Famous faces like Jubilee or Cable are amongst the crowd, but also some of the deeper cuts mentioned in the lore chapters. However, not everyone name-dropped in team rosters gets their own sheet here, and several lesser-known heroes missed the boat. Naturally, there’s only so much room in a book, but it makes these characters’ inclusions a bit of a tease, especially for hardcore fans who might’ve hoped to revive one of these old teams at their game table.
Ultimately, I might’ve traded some of the background material for a little more focus on gameplay material. A mini-adventure, like the one in the game’s Playtest Rulebook or even the Deadpool Role-Plays The Marvel Universe one-shot, would’ve been a great opportunity to help groups find their groove. With great canon flexibility and a less conventional dice system comes the potential for great confusion or even disassociation, especially when the market is full of compelling TTRPGs.
Nonetheless, I’m sure devout Marvel fans will find plenty of thrilling inspiration for their own amazing fantasies in Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men. Once you push past the additional complications and math, the d616 system is a novel take on RPG gameplay. All-told, Marvel Multiverse RPG: X-Men is, undeniably, a labour of love for fans, by fans. If this is the bar set for further supplements, the future is bright for this fledging RPG.
- Hardcover Book
- Forbeck, Matt (Author)
