No, I’m sorry. The Marvel Superheroes RPG isn’t actually coming back around yet (at least not that I am aware of). I have wanted to do a follow up article to my first Marvel Superheroes RPG article that I did back in February. I originally wrote the article after being inspired by a series of posts on the game at Greywulf’s Lair. Little did I know, that article would turn out to be one of the more consistent articles that continually draws interest at RoleplayingPro. It seems that the interest in the Marvel Superheroes RPG universe is still very strong, even 20+ years after the game’s inception.

Different Versions of the Marvel Superheroes RPG

There are three different versions of the Marvel Superheroes RPG that gamers typically have experience with. The most common is the TSR version which most old school gamers know which came out back in the mid-80s. This initial edition was, and still remains, the most popular version of the game.

Eventually, TSR lost the MSH license back to Marvel Comics. Before this happened though, TSR published a version of the game called the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game that used the SAGA System. If you hear someone talking about the card-based version of the Marvel RPG, this is the version they are talking about. The game itself was praised in certain circles, but the SAGA System version was never able to take off like TSR’s original game.

The third incarnation came about in 2003, after the gaming license reverted back to Marvel Comics. Their adaption of the game was called the Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game. This edition used mechanics that were completely different from either of TSR’s previous incarnations of the game. It used a diceless game mechanic that incorporated using “stones” (or tokens) to represent character effort for resolution of game play. Needless to say, diceless systems are very difficult to pull off with gamers and the game was eventually shelved by Marvel Comics despite several printing of the core rulebook.

As I stated earlier, the most popular version of the game was TSR’s original game aptly called the Marvel Superheroes RPG. You can usually use drop the term “FASERIP” in gamer conversation to find out if someone is a true Marvel Superheroes RPG gamer. This acronym refers to the seven basic attributes in the game system: Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, and Psyche.

Free Marvel Superheroes RPG Downloads No More?

You used to be able to download all of the original Marvel Superheroes RPG books for free at ClassicMarvelRPG.com. However, recently their site has changed its look a little bit and it seems like quite a few of the links are broken. In fact, none of the free Marvel Superheroes RPG download links seem to work anymore. In addition to this, there used to be another website called MarvelRPG.net that was an alternate download site. Alas, it appears to be no more.

Hopefully, the issues at ClassicMarvelRPG.com will be resolved soon. Right now, if you attempt to download any of the free Marvel Superheroes RPG PDFs you will just receive a 404 error. It appears that the entire download folder at ClassicMarvelRPG.com is gone. I am not sure if this is by accident or by design. It is very possible that a corporate someone threatened the site owner with possible legal action about copyright issues. It is also very possible that the directory simply was deleted or misplaced. It seems that the free Marvel Superheroes RPG downloads are no more… or are they?

Enter ClassicMarvelForever.com! I stumbled (or re-stumbled, since I’ve been there before) upon this site while searching for an alternate source for Marvel Superheroes RPG downloads. Not only do they have many of the original books available for download, but they also have a fairly active forum specifically devoted to the game. I highly recommend you check out ClassicMarvelForever.com.

So, What Makes The Marvel Superheroes RPG… Super?

Being that the Marvel Superheroes RPG was originally designed by TSR that should give you the old school feel right there. Combine that with the option to completely randomly generate your character using percentile dice and the totally mind-numbing, yet masochistically fun, calculation charts and you’ve got yourself an old school game.

I don’t want to get into old school versus new school gaming. However, if you are a new gamer or considered a new school gamer and you are looking to try out an old school game (that isn’t D&D) then this game may be for you. It has all the attributes of an old school game, including poor layout editing, loose and wild rules, unbalanced mechanics, and more. Yet, for an old school superhero roleplaying game it all just seems to fit well.

In addition to this, with new Marvel movies coming out almost every year, the characters never grow old. The X-Men and Spider-Man movie franchises have been very successful. There is also Iron Man, Blade, Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, Elektra, Punisher, Daredevil, and a host of other movies that are continually providing new content and a new twist for an old game. Obviously, the original Marvel Superheroes RPG was created in response to the popularity of Marvel Comics, but now that the game is no longer in print its source material still lives on and is growing. There aren’t many roleplaying games that go out of print and yet have a continual source of new material being pumped out.

If you do decide to give the game a try, remember to check out my original post about the Marvel Superheroes RPG with links to Greywulf’s Lair and a few other sites. It will give you all the you need to begin a nice old school session of gaming with the Marvel Superheroes RPG.