Sentinel Comics RPG Core Rulebook

What Heroes Do
When you’re a hero, you protect the weak and the
innocent. You foil the villain’s plans. You support
your teammates. You stand up for your principles.
You defend those who can’t defend themselves.
You punch evil right in the face. You save the day
when no one else can.
This is the core and the heart of the game: heroic
characters doing heroic things, each in their own
way, to defend the innocent and save the world.
Heroes aren’t always nice, but they’re always
good. They’re not always unimpeachable paragons
of virtue, but they fight for justice and for what’s
right. Heroes do have fears and doubts and second
guess their choices.
Heroes do not always win. But, win or lose, they
are always heroes.
Be A Hero
You’re a hero. The heroes in the world of
Sentinel Comics cannot abide villainy; they don’t
tolerate evil, and they must protect the freedom
and outright existence of the people of Earth and
beyond. But even so, every hero has their own
reasons to work and struggle and fight.
Be A Teammate
Heroes in Sentinel Comics rarely act alone;
usually there’s a team of heroes working together
to solve a problem. As a hero, you’re there to bail
your teammates out — they’d do the same for you.
Working as a team not only means having a plan
that uses each teammate’s unique talents to their
fullest, but also talking through problems with your
comrades. There are no points for individual glory,
but that doesn’t mean someone won’t sometimes
reach for it anyway. Resist this impulse and work
together. Remember, you’re a hero on a team, and
you’re fighting for what’s right, not for personal
power and glory.
What Players Do
You make decisions for your hero. You decide what
they do and say and think and feel. You choose
what powers and qualities they employ at any
given moment. You describe the comic book panel
where your hero performs an amazing feat. You
gather up the dice and roll them when interesting
uncertainty arises. And then, you apply the results
to see what happens next. You control your hero.
Play To Your Personality
Every hero has a personality — Lone Wolf, Stalwart,
Fast Talking, etc. These descriptors are more than
just a way to generate numbers and powers during
character creation: they reveal a fundamental
aspect of your character. A Lone Wolf is not going
to solve problems in the same way as a Natural
Leader. And that’s a good thing — it’s the diversity
of problem solving techniques that give the team
strength in a wide variety of circumstances.
Play To Your Principles
One of the sections on your hero sheet lists your
principles, which represent your core beliefs and
fundamental personality traits. These are powerful
guides to your hero’s motivation. If you ever doubt
what would drive your character, or see two or
more equally plausible ways forward, consult your
principles and play to those. You can’t go wrong.
Even if it leads to less-than-optimal decisions,
it also leads to interesting choices and great
characterization.
Break the Rules
Remember what we said about heroes always being
heroes and being a good teammate? Sometimes
your personality and principles won’t line up with
that advice, which is why sometimes you should
break those rules. Twist the plot in a direction you
think would be interesting. Be bold! Instigate some
drama, if it’s your character’s personality. Read that
weird book on the pedestal. Push the jolly, red,
candy-like button, see what it does.
Those hooks the GM is throwing in front of you?
You’re meant to bite on them. Chow down.
Maximize Everyone’s Fun
But before you break the rules, step back for a
second and think about your role as a player.
You’re at the table to have a good time — and so
is everyone else. Will your action wreck somebody
else’s fun, or enhance it? If someone else is having
trouble getting some time in the spotlight, maybe
think about a way to throw some their way. Been
awhile since the team’s brawler got to throw
down? Pick a fight with those goons and watch the
brawler be awesome. Is a teammate looking for
clues to find their missing mother? Run interference
for them while they snoop around. You get the
idea — being an active part of other characters
being awesome is some of the most fun you can
have in any roleplaying game.
Playing A Hero
I
ntro
Playing
the Game
Creating
Heroes
Moderating
the Game
The
Bullpen
Adventure
Issues
The
Archives
Appendices
3