Power World is designed to be set in a generic world of Super Heroes, typical of what is found in children’s comics and cartoons.  Due to the generic rules set, it can be very easily customized to be used for any number of super heroic sub-genres or to play in a well-established published Super Hero setting. With slightly more work Power World can be used to run just about any non-super heroic setting.  Power World works best for any setting that’s primary goal is to explore and indulge in adolescent power fantasies.

Through the use of Play Sets, Custom Origins, and Custom Advantages you can make Power World serve the setting you and the other Players most wish role play in.

Sometimes Players may wish to play the same Heroes with in different Play Sets, they should adjust their Heroes as needed per the Make Canonical Move.

Play Sets

Play Sets are a short listing of rules being implemented to make Power World more suitable to the setting and genre Players wish to play in.

A Play Set Consists of a:

Title – A short title for reference.

Description – A short elaboration on the Title

Player Characters – What the PCs are called. In a typical Power World game the Players Characters are “Heroes”. In a game about vigilantism the PCs may be “Vigilanties”. In a game about traversing to unkown galaxies the PCs might be “Wayfarers

Scope & Facets – The Scope and Facets that most suit the setting.

Drive – A short phrase as describing the central activity the PCs are Motivated to do. In a typical Power World game the Drive for Heroes is to “be Heroic”. In a game about vigilantism the Drive might be “work beyond the law”. In a game about traversing to unkown galaxies the drive might be “explore the cosmos”.   A Heroes Motivation always describes why they must pursue the Drive.

Accomplishments– A short list of Accomplishments that Heroes may achieve to, Earn Perseverance Points via the Earn Perseverance Points Through Accomplishment Move.  These may replace or be in addition to the existing accomplishments of uncovering a mystery, defeating a notable threat, or protecting the helpless from harm. Accomplishments should reflect what succeeding at the Play Set’s Drive looks like.

Portrayal Agenda – A short phrase directing the Narrator to Portray a place that needs the PCs. In a typical Power World game the Portrayal Agenda is “Portray a world that needs heroes. In a game about vigilantisim the Portrayal Agenda might be “Portray a city that needs Vigilanties“. In a game about traversing to unknown galaxies, the Portrayal Agenda might be “Portray galaxies that call to Wayfarers”

Origins – If different than the basic set of Origins, list the allowed Origins. Include any Custom Origins.

Advantages – If different the basic set of Advantages, list the allowed Advantages. Include any Custom Advantages.

Powers – Describe any restrictions on Powers that may be part of the Play Set. This may be not allowing of broad set of Powers (For example, disallowing mind reading in a mystery solving setting might be appropriate) or specifying some operational limitations (For example, a game about Dark Magiks plaguing the earth might require all supernatural Powers to require a power source or sacrifice).  A restriction on where the Powers came from should be covered in the Origins section of the Play Set.

Difficulty – In a typical Power World game the default Difficulty is set so that it is actually more difficult to fail than it is to succeed. This allows for bombastic grandiose maneuvers typical of a four colour comic, which might not be suitable for your Playset. As such a Difficulty modifier can be applied, as described in the Difficulty section below.

Realism – This is where the recovery times, listed under the Recover Move, can be adjusted for a more realistic game. A more realistic Recovery move is, “After the initial attending to any injuries and two weeks of not receiving additional injury points, set your current injury points to 0. After six months of rest & treatment you may remove one debilitation of your choice. The Narrator arbitrates the level of treatment required. As a Move a Narrator may make a Debility untreatable converting it to a Vulnerability.”

Custom Origins & Advantages

The Power World Origins & Advantages are typical of conventional super hero comics.  They might not quite fit what the Players imagine for the setting of their game. Luckily, Origins & Advantages are relatively simple to create.

Use the following format to create your own custom Origin:

Name of Origin – General description of how your Origin provides the Hero with some of their Powers. An “If-then” statement stating IF your Hero suffers from a negative aspect typical of the Origin THEN they may receive a benefit Power, Advantages, PL discount or a Narrator Fiat.

The existing Origins are good examples of how to use the above format in creating an Origin.

To keep Origins simple as possible try not to have more than two negative aspects with corresponding benefits. Origins are a suggested framework, to help set the genre of the game.  Players are free to create their Powers, Advantages, and Vulnerabilities to further suit their Origin as they see fit.

The possible Origin benefits:

Powers –  Give the player a Power of their choice or a specific Power that is suited to the Origin.

Advantages – Give the player two Advantages of their choice from a subset of Advantages that suit the Origin

Narrator Fiat – Provide the player the ability to describe a specific activity outside of direct conflict that they can just do without making any Rolls. The Narrator decides how long the activity takes and if it requires any resources.

PL discount – Reduce the PL of the Hero by one for each negative aspect they may have.

Advantages are basically benefits that a Hero may receive that are not typically derived from a power.

Use the following format to make your custom Advantage:

Advantage Name :A description of the Advantage. Specific instructions and limits to the Advantage.

An Advantage should be:

… a benefit that a typical person in the setting does not have access to.

… Either a:

• Relationship with people conveying power, status, or knowledge
• Resource, that are specific in use and outshone by Powers
• Resource, that are broad in use, but always have a cost
• Power like advantage, but too trivial to fully flesh out as a full Power

Difficulty

Power World can be played at three levels of Difficulty that basically amount to increased penalties on rolls, with the exception of the Team Up Move, depending on the Threat Level of the Antagonist or Hazard the Heroes are dealing with. For my own amusement I’ve named the different difficulties after the different “Ages” of super hero comics. They do not directly correlate, but it’s close.

Golden – This is the easiest Difficulty where Players are encouraged to try novel approaches to problems solving and conflicts. This is a good Difficulty for young players, for encouraging fantastical descriptions from Players of any age, or for focusing on interpersonal role playing rather than more strategic play. There is no additional penalty for Golden Difficulty.

Silver  – This is the middle of the road Difficulty where Players are encouraged to strategize on the fly, reacting cleverly to fantastic situations, while still keeping an eye on what is pragmatic. This is a good Difficulty for playing any contemporary Action genre. Where the occasional misstep will offer surprises and a certain feeling of Heroism, once they are likely overcome.

Facing Threat Level 1 provides a penalty of 1

Facing Threat Level 3 provides a penalty of 2

Facing Threat Level 5 provides a penalty of 3

Bronze  – This is the most difficult of the Difficulties. Players will have to work their way cautiously through the dilemmas they encounter, less they are to worn out when greater threats reveal themselves. Players are encouraged to plan and strategize in advance, be always on the lookout for anything they can use to their advantage, and to rely heavily on cooperating with the other Players. This is a good Difficulty for gritty realism, underdog stories, and strategic play. Players who appreciate the dramatic in uncertainty will enjoy this Difficulty.

Facing Threat Level 1 provides a penalty of 1

Facing Threat Level 3 provides a penalty of 3

Facing Threat Level 5 provides a penalty of 5