[GAME] Smallville

Title: Smallville Author: Cam Banks and Josh Roby Publisher: Margaret Weiss Publishing SKU: MWP1030 ISBN: 978-1-931567-89-3 Published: 2010 RRP: US$40 (book) / US$20 (pdf)

Description: Smallville is the licenced RPG based on the TV series of the same name. However it is not really a superheroes game, or even a game designed to role-play in the world of Smallville, but more accurately a very nice rpg for simulating the events of an episode (or series of) the TV show. The relationships between the player characters (who form the leads of the show), are thus a very important aspect of the game.

Setting: For those not familiar with the show, Smallville (the TV series) is set in Superman's home town. Except here he is just Clark Kent, struggling to come to terms with his supernatural abilities. Smallville is noted for being the town that survived a heavy meteorite shower, and meteorite debris is scattered around the vicinity. The problem is that that meteorite shower was the remains of the planet Krypton, and thus the area is laced with green, blue, and red kryptonite, which has had a decidedly empowering effect on the populace.

Character Generation: Character generation is performed interactively by all the player characters by establishing and drawing a relationship map. This is a map of the relationships between each of the leads, extras, locations and resources. Generation proceeds through a number of life stages, and at each stage the players add content to the relationship map, and then update their characters according to what they added to the map. For example the player might be instructed to link to an extra (an important NPC), and then be required at a later stage to link that extra to a location drawn by another player. This builds up an existing set of relationships between the characters, as well as explicitly strengthening the numerical values of these relationships on the character sheet.

Additionally, at each stage a character can increase certain of their abilities depending on which option they took. Whilst each stage has a choice of five options (for example, the character's Origin may be Rich, Ordinary, Gifted, Strange, or Alien), a player is limited in their choices of subsequent options. For example, a Strange Origin can only lead to a Geek, Outsider, or Paragon Youth, whilst an Ordinary Origin can lead to a Jock, Average, or Geek Youth.

Primary characteristics are the Values held by the character (Duty, Glory, Justice, Love, Power, and Truth), which are represented by a polyhedral die and a statement of how they apply. For example, Clark has a Justice of d10 ("Must protect the innocent"), and a Power of d4 ("Power corrupts"). Similarly, Relationships between leads and extras have both a die value and an intent. For example Zod has "Clark (d10) must join me or die," whilst Clark has "There must be good in Zod (d6)." The third type of characteristic generated from the relationship map are Resources, which are locations and mooks of possible use. These are often given specific uses (for example Clark can use the Resource of The Kent Farm (2d6) for comfort and restoration).

The final set of characteristics are Assets, which represent things, powers, heritages and innate abilities. Most Assets need to be activated by a Plot Point (the internal game currency), or they might give Plot Points if invoked. For example Clark's Kryptonian Heritage (d8) gives the character a Plot Point if his powers are shut down by the presence of kryptonite. On the other hand, it can grant the use of a Kryptonian superpower by paying a Plot Point (and increasing the Trouble pool). And it provides a d8 to the dice pool if it can be invoked in play, of course.

Superpowers are generally special effects invoked with a Plot Point. There is no real attempt to quantify them; rather they just allow the character to do something extraordinary. This is in keeping with the show, which is decidedly non-superheroic, although there are many super-powered individuals that are out there.

Mechanics: This is a Cortex Plus variant. That is, each side assembles a dice pool from applicable Values, Relationships, Resources, and Assets and rolls, with the highest rolling two dice on each side being the ones used to determine success or failue. The expenditure of Plot Points can allow extra dice to be added to the pool, dice to be rerolled, or, in connection with the abilities of the character, more than two dice to be counted. Normally a Contest only consists of a single roll to resolve the entire act; a Conflict is a more serious resolution method that allows each side to attempt to reroll and increase the pool (using Plot Points) until the losing side finally gives in.

If a roll results in one of more rolls of "1," these results are not counted for the pool and are instead taken aside to form Complications for the other side (starting at d6, but increasing one rank for each additional "1" rolled), which will apply in later Conflicts. Player generated Complications are added to the Trouble pool, which is the pool of dice the gamemaster (the Watchtower) gets to roll. Gamemaster generated Complications can remove dice from the Trouble pool. The use of certain abilities may add or subtract dice from the Trouble pool. The Trouble pool thus acts as a barometer for the action in the episode.

A Contest will typically inflict Stress (Afraid, Angry, Exhausted, Injured, or Insecure) on the losing side. Opponents can use a player's Stress against them, or they can use their own Stress by playing a Plot Point. However if a player's Stress exceeds d12 then they are Stressed Out and removed from the scene. Stress is usually determined by rolling the dice pool again; the highest die becomes the player's new Stress (or increases Stress by 1 rank if it is less). Abilities can reduce Stress (usually with the expenditure of Plot Points), and Stress can be avoided by simply Giving In and simply allowing the opponent to get what they want. However coping with Stress is an important part of the experience system, and Giving In once you are invested in a Contest always costs a Plot Point.

Values and Relationships always have a specific intent. If used in this manner they simply add to the dice pool. But if used in a contradictory manner it can Challenge the intent you hold about that Value or Relationship. This triples the dice used for the Contest, but temporarily reduces the effectiveness of the ability by one rank. Challenging such closely held beliefs is also an important part of the experience system.

Thoughts: The framing mechanism of an episode of the TV show works well (and it is my belief that Cortex Plus needs this sort of framing mechanism for it to work effectively. Like the show, the emphasis is on the relationships and core values held by the characters, rather than their actual abilities. This puts Superman on an even footing with an ordinary person (and in fact he may be less able to deal with the problems he encounters because of this (in other words he has spent raises on superhuman abilities whilst other characters have spent raises on stuff useful in the real world. As such superheroic abilities are simply special effects, and this works well. The plot of the episode is literally background to the mechanics of the character interaction. Very important background that drives the interaction, but still background.

If you have a stable regular gaming group then Smallville looks to be an excellent game. If you don't have a stable regular group of players, then it's a bit more problematic, as most of the game system, especially the character generation system, relies on the interaction between the players and assumes they will be there for each new episode. Because it is very character-centric it doesn't fall into the trap of Leverage where feedback from the game system is event driven. Thus it seems more natural to resolve an entire fight as a single quick Contest, because the objective isn't the victory of the fight, but rather the effects that the fight has on the character. It's my favourite incarnation of the Cortex Plus system so far.

Given Margaret Weiss Productions have announced that they just picked up the Marvel Universe licence from Marvel comics, and that they will be using Cortex Plus, it will be interesting to see what form it will take and how it will relate to Smallvile

Rating: Excellent.