Avatar the Last Airbender TTRPG from Magpie Games

[url]https://magpiegames.com/avatarrpg/[/url]

The world of Avatar the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra gets an official TTRPG from Magpie Games with a kickstarter launching on August 3rd. It's a PbtA game

You can get the quickstart by signing up for the mailing list at the following link:

[url]https://magpiegames.com/avatarrpg/[/url]

I played in a playtest through Magpie's curated play program this past weekend and I had a lot of fun. (There are currently no open slots but when there are you can sign up here: [url]https://magpiegames.com/curated-play/[/url])

Sounds interesting! Kind of sad that IDW seems to have dropped the ball on their Avatar AUGS game that would play alongside the TMNT and Batman TAS games they have developed, but that’s probably because they have shifted the company significantly and let the original AUGS designers go.

Kickstarter has launched: [url]https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magpiegames/avatar-legends-the-roleplaying-game[/url]

Saw this come into my game feed.

I am not an Avatar fan in the slightest.

This system looks pretty fun.

:D

[QUOTE=BeastieRunner;5663456]Saw this come into my game feed.

I am not an Avatar fan in the slightest.

This system looks pretty fun.

:D[/QUOTE]

Watching the series for the first time atm so a lot of this goes over my head right now but I can still respect how many eras and concepts they'll allowing from both shows. Hoping that Monolith's RPG for Gotham City Chronicles will be as good.

EDIT: Elected to pick this up so I can have some great source material for Avatar in case I fancy creating a Gamebook for either series sometime.

[QUOTE=BeastieRunner;5663456]Saw this come into my game feed.

I am not an Avatar fan in the slightest.

This system looks pretty fun.

:D[/QUOTE]

The system has a lot of similarities to Magpie's young superhero game Masks, A New Generation if you want a similar system without the Avatar branding. Instead it's not-so-subtly based on the Young Justice cartoon

[QUOTE=Thezmage;5664478]The system has a lot of similarities to Magpie's young superhero game Masks, A New Generation if you want a similar system without the Avatar branding. Instead it's not-so-subtly based on the Young Justice cartoon[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads up.

The Avatar branding on the dice looks killer, though.

I'm in for that. Have you played either system? What did you like about?

[QUOTE=BeastieRunner;5664947]Thanks for the heads up.

The Avatar branding on the dice looks killer, though.

I'm in for that. Have you played either system? What did you like about?[/QUOTE]

I've played two games of Masks before that gaming group fell apart, but I listen to a few podcasts that play it, and I played a one shot of Avatar that didn't end up having any actual combat in it (I typically consider this a plus, but it does mean I didn't get a feel for the combat system). I've also played a lot of Monster of the Week which is a different PbtA system that I truly adore

The main thing that sets Masks apart is the shifting labels. You have five stats but they're always in flux based on how your character reacts to and is treated by the people around them, so you might start with a really high mundane and pick your moves around that only to have everybody push your mundane down during the course of the game. Some level ups do allow you to lock a stat so it can't be moved anymore. Avatar, meanwhile, only has one shiftable stat while the other four are static.

When it comes to PbtA, what I like about it is that, because the games are narrative, you can pretty much be or do anything, your stats are just how well you can do it. When you want to attack, it's the same roll with the same stat regardless of whether you're using superspeed, waterbending, swordplay, or a sawed off shotgun (some games, such as Monster of the Week, have damage tracks, so you do a variable amount of damage depending on the weapon, while Avatar and Masks just have conditions, so most attacks only do one "damage").

Again, I didn't experience Avatar's combat system, but it appears to be quite a bit more in depth than prior PbtA games I played, so I can't really comment too much on how fun that is, but I'm sure they're putting a lot of effort into it.

I'll confess that I wrote this out over a couple of days, so apologies if I didn't address your question

Here's a podcast with an interview and a bit of actual play to give you an idea

[url]https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/1-forward/avatar-legends[/url]

Excited. It was already funded when I backed it half an hour into the campaign. Magpie Games has produced several solid games before, and I'm glad they bought the license for the RPG. Admittedly while I enjoy the Apocalypse system, I would have hoped for something a bit more combat oriented mechanically for Avatar. But I understand why they went the way of PBTA, it's a simpler system that works well in episodic story sessions. They appear to be courting Avatar/Korra fans more so than crunchy tabletop gamers, and PBTA is a good in between point. A simple, and clear system that has already managed to achieve popularity at game stores.

I've heard some critique as to why Magpie games would even have to do a Kickstarter considering how successful they are, but it's a proven business model that spenders has accepted and lessens the production cost of the game. I can't imagine the Avatar license was terribly cheap, and I only expect Viacom/Nick to receive generous royalties. I can respect the decision to run a crowd-funding campaign under those conditions.

Can't say i care much for TTRPG, nor for kickstarter or the concept of begging to get money, but it's nice to see that loved franchise still having things happening so many years after its start.

[QUOTE=Thezmage;5668172]I've played two games of Masks before that gaming group fell apart, but I listen to a few podcasts that play it, and I played a one shot of Avatar that didn't end up having any actual combat in it (I typically consider this a plus, but it does mean I didn't get a feel for the combat system). I've also played a lot of Monster of the Week which is a different PbtA system that I truly adore

The main thing that sets Masks apart is the shifting labels. You have five stats but they're always in flux based on how your character reacts to and is treated by the people around them, so you might start with a really high mundane and pick your moves around that only to have everybody push your mundane down during the course of the game. Some level ups do allow you to lock a stat so it can't be moved anymore. Avatar, meanwhile, only has one shiftable stat while the other four are static.

When it comes to PbtA, what I like about it is that, because the games are narrative, you can pretty much be or do anything, your stats are just how well you can do it. When you want to attack, it's the same roll with the same stat regardless of whether you're using superspeed, waterbending, swordplay, or a sawed off shotgun (some games, such as Monster of the Week, have damage tracks, so you do a variable amount of damage depending on the weapon, while Avatar and Masks just have conditions, so most attacks only do one "damage").

Again, I didn't experience Avatar's combat system, but it appears to be quite a bit more in depth than prior PbtA games I played, so I can't really comment too much on how fun that is, but I'm sure they're putting a lot of effort into it.

I'll confess that I wrote this out over a couple of days, so apologies if I didn't address your question[/QUOTE]

It sounds like a neat system.

I'd be interested in combat because this flavor appears to be combat heavy, with good reason I assume.

Does it bend more all ages or does that really depend on the group? (My daughter plays these with her friends and I often DM/GM/etc.)

[QUOTE=BeastieRunner;5673909]It sounds like a neat system.

I'd be interested in combat because this flavor appears to be combat heavy, with good reason I assume.

Does it bend more all ages or does that really depend on the group? (My daughter plays these with her friends and I often DM/GM/etc.)[/QUOTE]

It's all-ages focused (at least as far as the show is) but of course they can't stop people from playing it as adult as they want