Running a Superhero RPG
It’s a time for masks and mayhem and for me this means superheroes! Superhero flavor can be found everywhere, even in more rigid tabletop roleplaying game systems like fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. What are Critical Role’s Mighty Nein or Vox Machina, if not superheroes in their own worlds? I’ve often thought many homebrew campaign settings feel a lot like fantasy superheroes in worlds where being super is more about aspiration and power development than power inaccessibility. But some people just want the unabashed superhero flavor in their RPG campaigns. Yet many Game Masters I’ve talked with don’t know where to start when it comes to supers.
RPG character change: An Open Legend example
Change in character
Often there are comparisons made between tabletop role-playing games and fiction, and though there are a lot of differences, there are similarities as both can be storytelling mediums. One similarity is in the importance of characters and character growth or change.
In fiction, character change is often thought of as a character arc, a transformation inwardly or outwardly or both during a character’s journey, during the character’s story. The same can apply to our characters in RPGs.
Open Legend RPG character build: Aetherficer Bunny
You might be familiar with our Open Legend game “Aether Skies – The Beginning of the End.” Doug, Professor Bill, Ty and Megan have already done character builds for the game, and those articles were fascinating reads, so now I’m finishing up the series by stepping back onto the website and showing what is behind the curtain with my character.
Open Legend RPG is an open source roleplaying game designed by Brian Feister, who sponsors our weekly live game that streams on Fridays at noon Eastern on the Nerdarchy YouTube channel. The core rules for the game are available for free online here.
It feels weird writing an article again when I have not done so in so long. I might dive into stuff currently going on in the game or even stuff that has not been revealed yet so you have been warned.
Our live Open Legend game’s aether parasites invade!
This article comes to Nerdarchy from a fan of the Open Legend RPG-sponsored “Aether Skies – The Beginning of the End” live game that streams Fridays at noon EST. YouTuber AJ Kinney was inspired by an encounter in Session 6 of the game and sent in this in-depth look into one of the fantastic creatures Nerdarchist Dave challenged the party with during a long airship voyage – the aether parasite. AJ writes from the perspective of someone living in the world of Zanterra where the game takes place. A blend of fantasy, steam punk, eldritch horror and espionage, the populace lives on floating cities high in the sky. The surface is a desolate, dangerous place, if there even is a surface! Theories abound about what lies below, for no one in memory has traveled there. Or have they…?
Without further ado, let’s get to it and see what AJ, er, Professor Kalthzar Quin Terril has to say.
Open Legend RPG character build: Lucelia Heliotrope
You might be familiar with our Friday Open Legend game, Aether Skies. Doug, Dr. Bill and Ty have already done character builds for the game, and those articles were fascinating reads, so now I’m stepping up to the plate to shed some light on my contribution to the party.
Like Ty, I’ve got spoilers ahead. You guys know the drill.
Open Legend RPG character build – Kryzikk
A kobold from the fifth edtion Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual.
Hey, guys, Professor Bill of Comic Book University and I guess I’m up next to talk about my character for the Open Legend RPG game on Fridays at noon Eastern on the Nerdarchy YouTube channel. I think that, by now, it’s pretty obvious that I have an affinity for comic books, so I took my inspiration from the comics to get in my character’s head. Open Legend RPG is an open source roleplaying game designed by Brian Feister, who sponsors our weekly live game. The core rules for the game are available for free online here.
Open Legend RPG character build: Israel Amadeus
On Fridays at noon, the Nerdarchy crew as well as the writers here at the site have been playing an Open Legend tabletop RPG campaign live on YouTube. For those not familiar with the game, I thought I would offer up my own character, Israel Amadeus, as well as provide some info on his background and character creation. I also thought it might be interesting to see an Open Legend character sheet. For those who have watched the game, and especially those who have played with this character, I feel it necessary here to provide a spoiler warning. If you are interested in learning more about the campaign, please check out a sampling of the cities involved.
Open Legend RPG character build – Roz Rakheta
Open Legend character build from concept to gameplay
As a relatively new staff writer for Nerdarchy.com the opportunity to join my colleagues William C. (aka Professor Bill from Comic Book University), Megan R. Miller, Nerdarchy.com editor-in-chief Ty Johnston and Nerdarchist Ted in a weekly live stream game run by Nerdarchist Dave is phenomenal.
Not without trepidation I quickly agreed. The game is a wholly new system for me, for one, and for another I’d never played a tabletop roleplaying game online before – let alone live streaming!
A sampling of cities from Nerdarchy’s Open Legend live game
Beginning today, April 28, Nerdarchy will host a weekly live stream Open Legend game starting at noon EST on Fridays. Nerdarchist Dave will be at the GM helm, and players Nerdarchist Ted, Nerdarchy.com web editor-in-chief Ty Johnston, staff writer William C (aka Professor Bill of Comic Book University), and staff writers Megan Miller and Doug Vehovec will form a party of adventurers to take on this exciting game system.
A Patreon-exclusive poll helped shape the game world by choosing the theme and genre for the setting, and there will be additional ways for Patreons and viewers to interact and engage with the game as it continues each week. Be sure to check out Nerdarchy’s Patreon to discover all the ways you can support Nerdarchy and get cool gaming tips and learn how to game with Nerdarchy, get exclusive offers, ask priority questions to guests during the daily live chats and more.
Help Me Create a City for Nerdarchy
Hey guys, Professor Bill here from Comic Book University, and two things happened on last Friday’s live chat with Nerdarchy. First off, I was promoted. Dave invited me to be a fill-in player for the “Open Legend” game we’ll start playing this Friday (weekly – noon EST) and I said, sure.
Open Legend kobold character concept
Hey, guys, Professor Bill here, and I’m playing in the Nerdarchy “Open Legend” game on Friday’s at noon Eastern Standard Time. Actually, I’m the auxiliary player, so when someone else can’t make the game, then I show up last minute. Nonetheless, I want my character to be on point and I figured I’d share my concepts with you. And, of course, I made him with superheroes in mind.
