Dungeons & Dragons was my first experience with roleplaying games, and it was a fun experience. Actually it was an amazing experience! It opened my mind—giving me a sort of sixth sense—to worlds that can be explored beyond that of childhood play. It’s kind of hard to imagine life not as a gamer. It would kind of be like not being able to read or even see. As great as a gateway game D&D is, it was when my friend Joe got Marvel Super Heroes basic set for his birthday that I knew I had to become a gamemaster (Judge) and create stories for my friends to explore. The game–at the time—was perfect for playing anything under the sun and beyond. And just what I needed for my newly acquired sixth sense!
As an avid comic book collector of Marvel comics, the Marvel Super Heroes roleplaying game caught my attention like no other. I was like, “I can play Spider-Man?” And my friend Joe replied, “Yes!” And so I did. However, unfortunately, I (Spidey) died in a trap, made, I believe, by Doctor Octopus… The next day I couldn’t stop talking to Joe about the game. That is when I found out about the most amazing aspect of the roleplaying game. I can make my own superhero and play him or her in the Marvel Universe!!! Woohoo! Let the Random character creation begin! I now have binders full of all sorts of characters.
[1984]
The game system was fairly simple and it had the unforgettable basic abilities: Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, and Psyche. It is otherwise known and remembered as FASERIP!!! No the exclamation marks are not included… But that’s how we said it back in the Bill and Ted Headbangers’ Ball days. That 1980/90s acronym always went over well with new gamers. Character abilities and powers were also simple to remember, they were represented by an adjective and number, such as Fighting: Remarkable (30) or Flight: Amazing (50). The player and Judge (game master) would roll two ten sided dice, as percentile and consult the charts on the back of the book. Depending on what type of power, ability, or weapon used, a character might pull off a Bullseye, Slam, or even a kill result. You definitely didn’t want a kill result! It was bad Karma dude!
Despite the acronym FASERIP, the game was rooted in the four colors (Comics Code) superhero genre and ignored the rising Iron Age theme in the 1980s and ’90s. That is, if the player didn’t act superhero-y, they would lose Karma (known by most gamers today as hero points and experience points combined), but on the flip side they gained it through heroic acts. The system had some crunch, but was not really crunch heavy. This in turn led the system to being great for new gamemasters.
Back in the days of Yore, when I was a growing youth, I wasn’t allowed to play roleplaying games. But Maybe, I thought as a thirteen-year-old punk—I mean, kid; maybe, I could play Marvel Superheroes. After all, it’s superheroes, nothing evil there. Well, I thought wrong and was told “no” by my parents…Yeah poor me, right?
Have no fear, being the rebellious adolescent that I was, I still played. And in junior high I started a roleplaying game club–called the Accomplishers—with my friends. I required each new member to donate a few dollars, which I used to buy Marvel Super Heroes Advanced Set! Hey we we’re all pretty poor, what can I say.
Within that first week—after collecting a whopping $15 plus tax—my friends and I would meet every Saturday at the local library to play. Needless to say the library security didn’t much like our having so much fun! With loud superhero posturing, dice rolling, nerdy kids laughing, and an occasional snort here or there, we were told to keep quiet several times a day.
Looking back to those days, I have many fond memories playing. I haven’t played Marvel Super Heroes roleplaying game since the early mid-1990s. A few new Marvel RPGs came and went, but nothing was ever quite the same. But thanks to my friend Alex’s request for me to Judge a game soon, I’ve been getting that itch to start a campaign using the ol’ TSR FASERIP system. I know there’s tons of resources on the web. I’ve even found some house rules that added several more adjective tiers, such as Fantastic 60, Spectacular 70, and Wondrous 90. Yup, cool!
Interested? Or maybe you’re thinking you can’t afford to buy the old game, now that it sells for hundreds of dollars on Amazon, being that it’s been out of print since around 1993. Then check out, http://classicmarvelforever.com/cms/
Definitely a great place to start.
It’s been over twenty years since I’ve played…and I feel the calling of FASERIP!
Soon, soon… I know I must and will, make mine Marvel!
Until next time True Believers…
Excelsior!!!
My Archive of Marvel Mania!
Old but still usable…
One of my first Characters. And Yes I did trace Todd McFalane.
My friend Rick’s character Silver Fox. Every vampire’s worse nightmare! Art by Rick Yang.
A hero and ally turned villain. Art by Alex Montoya.
The superhero group that I GMed. Art by Alex Montoya.
A Marvel DC crossover that Alex and I GMed. Art by Alex Montoya.
An event picture from back in the day. Art by Rick Yang.
Alex Montoya’s first Marvel FASERIP character! Art by Alex Montoya.
My oldest friend Joshua T. created this character. Crappy trace job and coloring by me.
A character by my old neighbor pal, Josh. Definitely reflects the Iron Age of Comics. Art and character by Josh Pollock.
Adam Lee
Latest posts by Adam Lee (see all)
- One Game to Rule Them All! - July 18, 2019
