System Credits Special Thanks To

Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game Meg and Vincent Baker for Powered by the Apocalypse,
System Designers and Developers: Christopher Badell, Leonard Balsera, Rob Donoghue, and Fred Hicks for
Cam Banks, Dave Chalker, Philippe-Antoine Ménard elements of the Action Order system and for Fate, and
Luke Crane for games that have something to say.
Creators of the Sentinel Comics Universe:
Christopher Badell, Adam Rebottaro
Lead Rules Designer: Dave Chalker Greater Than Games
IP Management: Christopher Badell President: Paul Bender
Editor-In-Chief: Christopher Badell
Project Manager: SaRae Henderson
Writing Credits
Gameplay Guide, Issues 1, 2, 6: Philippe-Antoine Ménard
Gameplay Guide, Issues 3/4/5: Clark Valentine Critical-Hits Studios
Issue 6, Reference Materials: Dave Chalker President: Dave Chalker
Storyline and Additional Writing: Christopher Badell Consulting Designer: Cam Banks
Additional Development: Cam Banks, Nick Reale Consulting Designer: Philippe-Antoine Ménard
Copy Editors and Proofreaders: Christopher Badell,
Nick Reale, Amanda Valentine

Art Credits
Creative Direction: Jennifer Closson
Graphic Designers: Paul Bender, Jennifer Closson,
SaRae Henderson
Art: Adam Rebottaro

Playtested By
The Warriors of the Mystic Realms (Will Hindmarch,
Kenneth Hite, Justin Jacobson, Tim Rodriguez, and
Darren Watts), and countless additional playtesters
at numerous conventions including Metatopia, JoCo
Cruise, DC Game Day, PAX, Gen Con, and many more!

i
 
Table of Contents
Player Section Game Moderator Section
What You Do................................................................................ 2 Game Moderating....................................................................13
As the Game Moderator (GM)..................................... 2 Running the Game..............................................................13
Why You Do It............................................................................. 2 How to Use the Six Issues.............................................13
You're a Hero.......................................................................... 2 Running Action Scenes.....................................................14
You're a Teammate................................................................ 2 Running Social Scenes.......................................................19
Play to Your Personality...................................................... 2 Running Montage Scenes................................................20
Play to your Principles......................................................... 2 Now What?.............................................................................20
Maximize Everyone's Fun.................................................. 2
Example of Play........................................................................... 3
When You Do It.......................................................................... 4
Action Scenes.......................................................................... 4
Social Scenes............................................................................ 5
Montage Scenes...................................................................... 6
How You Do It............................................................................. 6
Actions in Brief........................................................................ 6
Step 0: Who's Going Next?............................................. 6
Step 1: Describe What You Do...................................... 7
Step 2: Choose Your Action............................................. 7
Step 3: Choose Ability or Action.................................. 8
Step 4: Power, Quality, & Status...................................... 8
Step 5: Rolling Dice & Results......................................... 9
Step 6: Hand Off the Action..........................................11
Ending an Issue...........................................................................12
Hero Point Bonuses............................................................12
Back Issues...............................................................................12
Collections...............................................................................12

ISBN 978-1-947438-13-2
Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game
Copyright © 2020-2023 Greater Than Games.
All rights reserved.

Flat River Group, LLC

306 Reed Street, Belding, MI 48809

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fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. ii

For New Players: Dice
If you’re new to roleplaying games, you’ll need to
acquire some polyhedral hobby dice to play SCRPG.
You can pick these up in most game stores, comic
shops, or online retailers. There are also dice roller
apps for tablets or smartphones, or you could use a
dice rolling website — any fair randomizer that can
mimic a collection of polyhedral dice.
In SCRPG we use five different sizes of dice:
• Four-sided
• Six-sided
• Eight-sided
• Ten-sided
• Twelve-sided
Some are marked with 0-9 rather than 1-10. If
that’s true of yours, interpret a “0” as a “10.” Each
player should have two or three of each size; and
are the most commonly used, so you might want
Welcome to Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying three of each of them. The GM needs a larger set of
Game! This starter kit guides you through learning the their own, with plenty of s and s. Once you’ve
game and sets you up to play the accompanying issues, played once or twice, everyone will get a feel for the
as well as eventually create your own adventures and tell right mix of dice for their role.
your own stories in the world of Sentinel Comics. If
you’ve played the Sentinels of the Multiverse card
game you might be familiar with many of the heroes, Your Die Die Icon
villains, and environments you encounter here. If you
haven’t, are you ever in for a treat!
Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game is
different from the other Sentinel Comics games
in two fundamental ways (and if you’ve played RPGs Four-sided Die
before, go ahead and skip this bit — you know it
already). While the hero sheet — analogous to your
deck in Sentinels of the Multiverse — gives you a
list of specific powers, abilities, and amazing things your
character can do, you decide what decisions they make,
what things they say, what thoughts they have; the only Six-sided Die
limit is your imagination. Second, the open-ended nature
of this type of game requires a special player — the
game moderator, or GM — to make those same
decisions for all the other characters and foes, to frame
the scenes, to apply the rules, and numerous other tasks Eight-sided Die
that all together bring the world of Sentinel Comics
to life at your table.
What you need to play the Sentinel Comics RPG:
• Three to seven people, one of whom will be the GM. Ten-sided Die
• Some index cards or slips of paper and pencils.
• A handful (about three of each) of polyhedral dice of
sizes , , , , and . It’s helpful if each player has
their own set, and the GM needs a few more than that, Twelve-sided Die
especially and .
• A couple of hours.

1
 
What You Do Why You Do It
What do you do in a game of Sentinel Comics RPG? Heroes all have their own motivations for being heroic.
You take on the role of one of the heroes from the The “why” is as important as the “what,” if for no other
pages of Sentinel Comics: Legacy or Tachyon or reason than it frequently defines the “what.”
Bunker or Unity or any of the other heroes, or even one
of your own invention! This is your character, called a
player character because it’s a character controlled by a You're a Hero
player, as opposed to characters controlled by the game You’re a hero. The heroes in the world of Sentinel
moderator. Comics cannot abide villainy or the trappings thereof,
You make decisions for your character. You decide what they don’t tolerate evil, and they protect the freedom
they do and say and think and feel. You choose what and the outright existence of the people of Earth and
powers and qualities they employ at any given moment. elsewhere! But even so, every hero has their own reasons
You describe the comic book panel where your character to work and struggle and fight.
performs an amazing feat. You gather up dice and roll
them out when interesting uncertainty arises, then apply
the results to see what happens next.
You're a Teammate
Heroes in Sentinel Comics rarely act alone; usually
Do what heroes do! Defend the weak and the innocent. there’s a team trying to solve a problem. Working as
Throw a wrench in the works when the villains set their a team not only means having a plan that uses each
plans in motion. Jump in and lend a hand when your teammate’s unique talents to their fullest, but also talking
teammates are in trouble. Stand up for your principles. through problems with your comrades. Was Absolute
Punch evil right in the face. Zero a little reckless in that last fight? Did you learn some
During play, this looks a little like the example on page 3, important information about Expatriette’s mother in
featuring the hero Legacy and a tyrannosaurus rex! your investigations in Rook City? Sometimes these talks
aren’t easy, but they have to happen.

As the Game Moderator (GM) Play to your Personality

You present the world of Sentinel Comics to the
players. You set the stage for intense action scenes, you Every character has a personality: Lone Wolf, Stalwart,
describe the environments, and you play the roles of all Fast Talking, etc. These descriptors are more than just a
the characters the players interact with, be they villains way to generate stats during character creation; they
or innocent bystanders. Several tools are at your disposal reveal a fundamental aspect of your character. A Lone
to help players create their own stories, including the Wolf won't solve problems in the same way as a Natural
game’s rules and published adventures. It’s a big job, Leader. And that’s a good thing — it’s the diversity of
we know, but we’ve got you covered. Go check out problem solving techniques that give the team strength
“Game Moderating” on page 13 when you’re ready to in a wide variety of circumstances.
begin game moderating, and then take a look at the
six adventures included in this starter kit once you feel
comfortable with the rules.
Play to your Principles
One of the sections on your hero sheet describes your
principles, which represent your core beliefs and
Hero Points fundamental personality [Link] are powerful guides
By playing to their principles, heroes can earn hero to your hero’s motivation. Whenever you doubt what
points, which they trade in for bonuses at the end your character would do, or see two or more equally
of the issue (page 12). Track hero points and hero plausible ways forward, consult your principles and play
point bonuses on the front page of your hero sheet. to [Link] can’t go wrong. Even if it leads to less-than-
Every hero has two abilities that earn hero points for optimal decisions, it will lead to interesting decisions and
using their principles to overcome obstacles, and the great characterization.
GM can award hero points for good roleplay in social
scenes (pages 5-6). Whenever any hero earns a hero
point, all of their teammates do as well, so encourage Maximize Everyone’s Fun
other players to play to their principles! You’re at the table to have a good time — and so is
everyone else. Will your action wreck somebody else’s
Each hero may gain a maximum of five hero points fun, or enhance it? Never prioritize the desires of your
per issue. character over the enjoyment of the other players.
2
 and she gets on the radio to coordinate the rescue. What

Example of Play do you do to distract the dinosaur?” “Fly in there first and
get right in its ugly face, of course,” you say, miming punches
with clenched fists. “I don’t care if I deal any damage, I just
Let’s say you’re playing the hero Legacy, and you find don’t want it to chew on the bridge. Or any cops.”
yourself confronted by a gigantic tyrannosaurus who’s
attempting to eat the 12th Street Bridge in downtown “That sounds like an Overcome action,” the GM says.
Megalopolis! The GM sets the scene for you.
(What’s an Overcome action? It’s when you deal with an
“The tyrannosaurus has nearly gnawed through some of obstacle or difficulty, such as distracting an angry dinosaur.
the suspension cables,” she says. “The bridge shudders -- it We talk more about all sorts of actions starting on page 6.)
could fall any second. What do you do?” “What power, quality, and status are you using?”
You think for a second. “Where is it standing? Is it in the river, You look at your hero sheet, which describes Legacy’s
or what?” you ask the GM. powers, qualities, and status dice. “Well,” you say, “I said
I wanted to fly in there, so I’m going to go with my Flight
“No, it’s on the bridge, standing on the roadway,” she says. power, which is a . Also, I’m taking the lead here, so I’ll use
“Apparently, it’s not very smart.” my Leadership quality, which is a . And we’re currently in
“Is there traffic?” you ask. the Green zone, so that’s a . Correct?” The GM just nods,
eager to see what happens [Link] roll the dice. “I got a 4,
“Yes! Loads of cars, a school bus full of kids, and a tanker 7, and 8. The Mid result is 7.” (What’s the Mid result? The
truck marked FLAMMABLE. All the traffic is stopped, lots of middle number rolled of a trio of dice — we talk a lot about
honking. Some people are abandoning their cars and running. that on page 9.)
There are several cop cars with sirens blaring, fighting their
way through the traffic jam approaching the bridge. Twang! “Looking at the result chart for Overcome actions, a 7 is
Another cable was just chewed through! success with a minor twist,” says the GM. (Result
chart? Minor twist? What? Well, a twist is when something
What do you do?” unexpected happens to complicate things. We cover all this
in “How You Do It” on pages 6-11.) “How about, as you’re
You have a decision to make. Legacy’s priority would be to
pummeling it, it head-butts you, dealing you your Mid die of
protect the school children, because that’s the sort of hero
damage?”
Legacy is. You could probably move the school bus, with the
kids inside, to safety. But if the bridge falls and the tanker You don’t like it, but at least Legacy has an ability that
explodes while you’re doing it, it’s curtains for everyone else. reduces the damage he takes by 1. That’s not so bad. “Okay,
“Okay,” you say decisively, “I fly down to the nearest cop I’ll take 6 points off my Health. But now I have the undivided
car. ‘Officers! Get the school kids off the bridge. I’ll keep this attention of the tyrannosaurus, right?” you ask.
prehistoric pest off your backs!’”
“Sure do,” confirms the GM. And your turn is done!
The GM grins. “Perfect! The cops trust your leadership, I don’t
think that requires a roll. One of them yells ‘You got it, sir!’

3
 The Environment: The places where these stories take


When You Do It place — Megalopolis, the Ruins of Atlantis, the Wagner
II Mars Base, etc. — can be represented in an action
scene as the environment. The environment gets
A session of play usually lasts from 2-4 hours. In keeping a turn each round, just like heroes and NPCs (non-
with the comic book aesthetic, each game session is player characters), almost as if it’s a character
called an issue, as in an issue of a comic book. Each itself. Regardless of what else the environment does (if
issue is made up of individual scenes. You can think of anything — not every place is elaborate enough to need
every action and event in scenes as taking place in panels a mechanically-relevant environment), its turn starts with
on the pages of Sentinel Comics! checking off the next space on the scene tracker.
Scenes come in three different types: action scenes Locations: Many scenes take place in locations that
contain brawls, chases, and daring escapes; social have a bit of complexity — not specifically in their
scenes focus on dramatic and interesting interactions mechanical representation but in their thematic layout.
among characters, whether heroes or NPCs; montage In such cases, keeping track of where the heroes are in a
scenes are the glue that holds the narrative together, scene is important. For instance, the city of Megalopolis
representing travel, recovery, repair, investigation, etc. might be the environment for a scene, but whether a
hero is at Legacy Park, or on the Monorail, or at City Hall
Action Scenes is important for a wide variety of reasons.
You can’t rescue the mayor unless you’re at City Hall, but
Action scenes represent intense sequences you’d find if you’re at City Hall you can’t search for the explosives
in a comic book. When there’s a fight or a chase or planted in the Opera House, and you can’t fight the
any scene where heroes use their powers in perilous horde of spiderbots running around Legacy [Link] can
circumstances, it’s probably an action scene. Similarly, usually spend your turn to change locations, but you can’t
when there’s suspense and tension but not necessarily do much once you get there — the GM might allow
violence, it can also be an action scene. A brawl, a daring Boost, Hinder, or Defend actions (page 7) if you can
rescue, or dismantling a doomsday device can all be describe how you did it on the way — unless you can
action [Link] common threads among those scenes justify it narratively by explaining how you arrive quickly.
is that everyone takes their turn, in turn, and that the Super speed, flight powers, detailed knowledge of secret
heroes need to wrap things up in a timely manner. It paths, and the like are good justifications for fast travel.
doesn’t need to include violence.
Heroes: That’s you
GYRO Villains, Lieutenants, and Minions: Each dastardly foe
In the Sentinel Comics RPG, GYRO does not works slightly differently, and offers varying degrees of
refer to a delicious sandwich but rather the color- difficulty for you to face.
coded status of a character or zone of a scene.
Villains are the big bad guys; primary antagonists of
GYRO stands for Green, Yellow, Red, or Out. An
the heroes. They’re the major, named foes that come up
action scene has a Scene Tracker, which is a
with plots to threaten the world, and taunt every effort
countdown clock that ratchets up the tension and
by the goody-two-shoes heroes to try to stop them.
danger — the scene’s GYRO zone is the color of its
Villains have entire character sheets, similar to heroes,
leftmost unchecked space. Each hero also has their
with their own sets of powers, qualities, and abilities to
own GYRO status based on their own Health — the
keep you on your toes
more Health you lose, the further along the GYRO
track you are, from Green to Yellow to Red, and Lieutenants, represented by a single die, are less
ultimately, Out. If the scene zone and a character’s dangerous. Anything they want to do, they roll their
personal GYRO status are different, the character single die to do it.
uses the one that’s closer to Out.
Minions, also represented by a single die, are much
more delicate. Minions most commonly function in
Elements of an Action Scene groups, with the entire group acting on the same turn.
Turns and Rounds: Action scenes are played in turns,
each player describing what their character does, Challenges: Challenges are the obstacles that heroes
determining the outcome, then handing off to another can’t usually solve by punching or shooting them. They
character. When every character that can act in the scene have to deal with them to successfully complete the
has acted, the round is over and a new round begins. scene, or at least more easily accomplish their goals.
Dealing with a challenge requires one or several heroes
At the start of the scene, the GM chooses which to perform successful Overcome actions (page 7).
character acts first. If the heroes get ambushed it might Challenges mostly exist to be solved by the heroes, but
be one of their opponents! some can take turns and use abilities.
4
 Ending an Action Scene Speak in character, as if you’re an actor portraying

your hero in your version of the Sentinels Cinematic
Action scenes end when either the heroes resolve the Universe. Let the conversation flow naturally, but don’t
underlying conflict of the scene or when the final space be afraid to be bold when it would be interesting. Look
of the scene tracker gets checked on the environment’s for opportunities to elevate the drama and make things
turn. In the latter case, something bad happens — the happen. The GM might step in when the scene has run
reactor explodes, the volcano erupts, the portal opens its course or things aren’t progressing, but players also
allowing the alien army to march [Link] often leads have the ability to declare that they think the scene is
immediately to a new scene, one with significantly more done without GM prompting.
dire circumstances for the heroes. The GM describes the
new situation and the heroes respond accordingly. Actions in Social Scenes
Typically your actions in a social scene don’t require dice
Social Scenes rolls — it’s “pure roleplaying,” as some might call it. But
occasionally the GM might call for an Overcome roll,
Social scenes represent two or more characters especially if it has to do with your hero’s principles. This
interacting with each other in a way that doesn’t require can establish unintended yet interesting consequences
turn-taking or the use of a scene tracker. It might be for what you’re doing.
canvassing witnesses of a villain’s attack to see what
happened. It might be a tense negotiation with a vastly Social Scenes and Hero Points
powerful alien entity. Or it might be confronting a fellow If a social scene is particularly impactful or meaningful,
hero about reckless actions they took in the previous the GM can award all heroes (whether involved in the
action scene. scene or not) one hero point each. Things that make a
social scene meaningful include:
Some of the most interesting roleplaying moments come
up when the heroes simply talk to one another. Secrets • A hero reveals a secret that makes them vulnerable in
are revealed, doubts are admitted, disagreements are a way they weren’t before.
aired. These are character-defining moments.
• A hero compromises or gives in to resolve a
Playing a Social Scene disagreement with another hero.
When you play a social scene, establish who, what, and • A hero voices an uncomfortable truth that creates
where: who’s in the scene, what’s happening, and where drama, but progresses the scene positively.
it is. It can be useful to have a recurring location where
the heroes know they can talk, such as at the gym, the • A hero allows one of their principles to force an
bench by the lake in Legacy Park, or that really good inconvenient confrontation or a difficult choice.
noodle joint over on 17th Street. • A hero violates one of their own principles in a way
that creates interesting fallout and consequences.
• Or other dramatic and interesting turns of events —
use your imagination!
If your hero is going to confront, criticize, or otherwise
call out another hero, make sure the other hero’s player
buys into the drama. Never force a confrontation if that
player isn’t interested. And, of course, always remember
it’s the fictional characters fighting — not the players!
There are a couple of restrictions on earning hero points
in social scenes.
• One Hero Point Per Scene: You can’t earn more than
one hero point during any given social scene, even if the
scene is meaningful and someone makes an Overcome
action using one of their principles.
• Mix Up the Heroes: In most social scenes, you can
pretty easily identify which heroes are the main drivers of
the drama. No hero points are awarded for subsequent
social scenes in the same issue that are driven by the
same combination of heroes. Mix it up! Get different
heroes involved in the drama.
5
Montage Scenes


In comics and on screen, montages are sequences that
How You Do It
string together short vignettes that give you the impression As the game begins, the GM presents situations and
of passing time and larger tasks being accomplished. The scenes. You and the other players each decide how
classic training montage, often accompanied by a cheesy your heroes react, and that begins the play of the game.
inspirational power ballad, is used in many movies to Whenever someone does something with an uncertain
explain a character’s sudden increase in skill, for example. outcome, that’s an action.
In Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game,
montage scenes represent travel, recovery, repair, training,
investigation, and any other sort of little things that move Actions In Brief
the story from one spotlight point to the next. Here’s the procedure for taking action:
At the start of a montage scene, all minor twists (page
0. (Optional) Give a heads up to the next player so that
10) are resolved, any mods from Boost and Hinder
they can start planning ahead.
actions (page 11) left over from the previous scene go
away (even persistent ones), and any other temporary 1. Describe what you want to do, including your
effects or abilities disappear. Each player in turn describes intended outcome.
what their character does to recover from the last scene
and prepare for the next one. Then the GM and players 2. Decide what action to take to achieve your intended
roleplay short, snappy highlights of what’s happening and outcome. The main five actions are:
string them together as a montage. During the montage i. Overcome: Getting past an obstacle
scene, choose one option below for your character’s ii. Attack: Trying to hurt someone by dealing damage
role in the montage. iii. Defend: Preventing damage to yourself or another
• Describe how you recover some Health. As a result, iv. Boost: Assisting or empowering yourself or an ally
reset your Health to the maximum of the next GYRO v. Hinder: Making things difficult for an opponent
status up — from somewhere in Red status to your 3. Choose an ability or basic action that matches the
maximum value in Yellow status, for example. You have action type you want to take.
to convincingly narrate how you do this; in any city you
could easily get medical attention, but at an abandoned i. Basic Action: A normal action with no other effects.
base on Mars it might be a bit more difficult. To get even ii. Risky Action: An improvised action with both an
more Health back, you may choose to take a minor twist extra effect and an extra twist.
(page 10), the effects of which last at least into the next iii. Ability: A special action unique to your character.
action scene, if not further. If you do so, you then recover 4. Determine your power, quality, and status and collect
to the maximum value of two colors up— from Out to the three corresponding dice. Make sure to pick a
your maximum value for the Yellow status, for instance. power and quality that match your description and any
Additionally, if you’re entirely Out, you can choose to requirements of your ability (if any).
take a major twist to get back to full Health.
5. Roll the dice and apply the results. Sort the three
• Describe how you aid another hero. They recover results into Min (smallest), Mid (middle), and Max
Health to one status higher than they normally would. Do (largest) values. Unless an ability says otherwise, use the
you use your medical skills? Take them to an emergency Mid die as the effect die to determine the results of your
room? Use a medi-device? action.
• Describe how you prepare for the next scene, 6. Hand off the action to the next character, choosing
making a related Boost action (page 7). Do you hit the one that hasn’t acted yet this round.
library to research? Engage in intense training? Review
video of your opponent, looking for weaknesses? The
bonus applies in the next scene, but it’s not persistent — Step 0: Who's going next?
once it’s used, it’s gone. If you’re taking action in an action scene, you decide who
While it can be tempting to just pick an option and gets to take their turn after you! When you're taking
skip ahead to the next scene, montages are a great your turn, it’s a good idea to think for a second about
opportunity to demonstrate your character’s personality who that will be and give them a gentle nudge in the ribs
without the pressure of playing out a full scene. If you’re (or maybe just say “Hey, you wanna go next?”) so they
having trouble, imagine the montage scene as a single start thinking about what they want to do. Don’t worry,
page of a comic book, with one panel for each hero — you’re not locked in — you’re allowed to change your
what’s happening in your character’s panel? mind right up until the last moment of your turn, when
you hand off the action.
6
 Overcome

Acting While Out
When your hero is presented with an obstacle and
When a hero is reduced to 0 Health, their status getting past it carries a risk of failure, injury, or dire
switches from Red to Out. They have been knocked consequences, it's time to use an Overcome action.
out of the fight, either from passing out from the Examples include leaping onto a bank robber’s getaway
stress of the fight or from some other circumstance car, decrypting a computer’s files while a bomb ticks
that prevents them from participating any further, like down, or convincing a reticent Mayor to help you out.
being thrown into outer space (a surprisingly common
occupational hazard for heroes). A hero’s Out ability Overcome is the default action type if you don’t have a
represents the influence they still have on the battle, specific reason to use one of the others.
which might be a tangible superpower that still has an
ongoing effect or just the other heroes flashing back Attack
to that hero’s help and learning from their teachings. An Attack is how your hero attempts to inflict some
kind of direct harm to another character, whether it’s
If your hero is Out, take your turn like normal, but you physical (a series of punches), emotional (mocking
must use your Out ability instead of any other action. taunts), or even mental (psychic manipulation).
You can heal up in the next Montage Scene.
Any character or object with a Health rating (like
Step 1: Describe what you do heroes and villains) or represented by a die (like minions
and lieutenants) can be the target of an Attack. If you’re
First, describe to the GM and other players what you trying to break an object that doesn’t have Health —
want to do. It’s OK for other players to toss out ideas or such as smashing through a steel door, etc. — use an
make suggestions, especially if someone has an idea for Overcome action instead.
a cool combination of actions or a plan for a team-up
between your heroes. However, it’s vital that the final Defend
decision about what your character does is yours — Heroes and villains are always taking steps to protect
don’t let suggestions become quarterbacking. The GM themselves from harm. That means the villain doesn’t
should step in if that starts happening. need to take a special action to protect herself when
you Attack her — it’s assumed that she is taking steps
An important part of the description is your intended to deflect the Attack. But maybe you really want to focus
outcome. You don’t just punch a villain — is your goal to on protecting yourself or an ally; say, you’re trying to buy
damage him? Distract him? Knock him away from that time for your friends to finish a mission while the villain
control panel? Stating your goal is important for the next focuses Attacks on you. This calls for a Defend action.
step: deciding what specific action to take.
Boost/Hinder
Comic Book Action You can use the Boost action to help yourself or an ally,
Describe actions as if they were portrayed in a dynamic, or use the Hinder action to weaken an opponent. This
vividly illustrated comic book panel. A punch isn’t just can represent creating a wide variety of advantages or
a punch; it’s a devastating uppercut, your fist leaving a disadvantages, from having the right gadget at the right
white trail behind it, your target lifted completely off time, to finding a useful improvised weapon, to knocking
the ground. You don’t just duck into the shadows; you an opponent off-balance, to pulling the edge of the blast
become the shadows themselves, with only your eyes door to help an ally open it, or even delivering a rousing
visible, and even then only if you want someone to know speech, inspiring your allies. The important part is that
that you are watching. This is a comic book roleplaying you’re adding a narrative detail to the scene that will
game, not a physics documentary — interpret time and alter one or more future actions.
space as fluidly as your favorite comic books do.
Recover
Recover is the action you take to regain Health or
Step 2: Choose Your Action restore Health to another character during an action
There are five fundamental types of actions you can scene. You can only take this action if you have an ability
take (six actually, but Recover is a special case that you that explicitly tells you to do so. In those cases, the ability’s
can only do as part of an ability). Each action type has description tells you how it works. In those abilities, the
different possible outcomes, so your stated goal usually word "Recover" simply means "regain that much Health."
determines which of these actions your character is A target can never regain more Health than their total
taking. — you can't recover something you never had!

The next section covers abilities and other ways to use Story-based healing in Montage Scenes doesn’t use the
basic actions in more interesting ways. But first, let's take Recover action. Instead, you heal based on your current
a look at each of these actions. Status. (See page 6 for more details.)
7
Step 3: Choose Ability or Action Step 4: Power, Quality, & Status


Basic Actions Now you assemble your dice pool. You described your
All of the actions on the previous page are called basic action, with appropriate comic book flair, and that
actions. They are the standard types of things you can description should guide your choices here. Look at
do, like throwing a solid punch or investigating for clues. your hero sheet and choose the right power, the right
However, there are a couple of ways to do even more quality, and the right status. Status will come from
with your actions! the zone or your health, but the power and quality are
subjective; if you're not sure, work with your GM to
Abilities make sure your choices fit your [Link] the dice
An ability is a special trick you know that lets you associated with each of these — it will always be exactly
change how your dice results are applied. Every hero has three dice — and you’re ready to roll.
a list of several abilities to choose from. Pick the ability When you pick your power and quality, remember that
you want to use based on these criteria: the ability you chose might only work with a particular
• Make sure the ability you choose is available to you power or quality — make sure to use that power or
based on your GYRO status. Some abilities are only quality here.
available if your status or the scene’s zone is Red or Powers
Yellow. You can choose an ability from a status/zone one
more severe than the one you’re in for the price of a Powers are your talents, coming from gear or gadgets, or
minor twist (page 10). some combination of the two. Legacy’s Flight, Wraith’s
Gadgets, and Absolute Zero’s Absorption are all
• Make sure the ability you choose works with your examples of powers. They’re rated as die sizes: from
verbal description of your hero’s action. (You can modify (above human average) to (godlike).
your description if you like.)
Qualities
• Make sure the ability you choose is applicable to the Qualities are skills, knowledges, and other traits that your
action (Boost, Attack, etc.) you’ve decided to make. hero has learned. Qualities can be self-taught, learned
Risky Actions through rigorous one-on-one training, or even learned
through organizational training or education (such as
Want something more than a basic action, but don't have
military training, etc.). Examples of qualities include
an ability for it? Do you want to hit the bad guy with fire
Headlong’s Acrobatics, Rockstar’s Creativity, and Muse’s
while setting the room on fire, or knock them over the
Insight. Like powers, they’re rated as die sizes: from
railing while doing a bit of damage? Surely there’s a way
(solid competency) to (world class).
to stack effects in a comic book game. There is! You can
always choose to add an extra effect to your basic action Status
by taking a risky action. A risky action only works
for a basic action, and only as circumstances warrant it. Status is your hero’s reaction to trauma, defined by your
If you’re doing something you’ve practiced, it’s an ability. and the scene’s GYRO at the moment. Use your status
There will definitely be some fallout — hence the “risky” die for the tracker that’s farther along: the scene’s or
— so choose an appropriate minor twist (page 10) yours. For instance, if your status is Green but the scene
before you decide to take a risky action. The box below tracker is in the Yellow zone, use your Yellow status die.
shows examples of effects. As with qualities and powers, they’re rated as die sizes:
from (wavering) to (ready to give anything).

Risky Effect Examples This is not in my Wheelhouse

• An Attack that normally hits only one target can hit If you don’t have a power or quality that applies, you
an extra target with the same die. can always use a to represent the untrained power
• An Attack uses the Max die instead. or quality. This doesn’t mean that your hero is bad at
that action — they’re still a hero after all — just that
• An Attack has an extra effect with the Min die (e.g., it’s not one of their specialties.
Hindering the target by destroying their weapon).
Before you commit to using a — or worse, two
• An Overcome also uses the Min die to deal damage ’s — ask the GM if they have ideas for how to
to a target in the way. do what you want using the powers and qualities
• A Hinder also moves the target far enough away you do have. You may be able to achieve your end
that they’ll have trouble making their way back. goal via different means. Don’t be afraid to change
the description of your action to match your new
• A Defend also Boosts an ally using your Min die. problem-solving method.
8
 Step 5: Rolling Dice & Results If you’re using an ability or risky action, apply the effects

of the ability or risky action to your roll. Some apply a
Once you have your pool, roll them bones! Make sure static bonus to the result on the effect die. Some let
you always roll them out on the table where everyone you use your Max die (or even Max+Min dice) as your
can see them — even if you're the GM. No rolling behind effect die. Some let you get a secondary effect, such as a
a screen in this game. Hinder using the Min die in addition to your Attack. All of
these effects refer to the Max, Mid, and Min results of the
Min, Mid, Max and the Effect Die same roll. You don’t roll separately for each effect.
Your pool of three dice generates three numbers.
Arrange them into numerical [Link] smallest number Overcome
rolled is the Min die. The middle number is the Mid die. To determine the outcome of your Overcome action,
The largest number is Max die. If two or all three dice are look up the value of your effect die on this list:
tied, you can put the tied dice in your preferred order.
Die Result Outcome
Rolling One Die 0 or Less Action unavoidably fails
On occasion, you’ll only roll one die and use it as the 1-3 Action succeeds with a major twist
effect die, instead of rolling three dice and taking the 4-7 Action succeeds with a minor twist
Mid die as your effect die. Do this:
8 - 11 Action completely succeeds
• When an ability says so. (e.g., most Out and 12+ Action succeeds beyond expectations
Reaction abilities only use one die.)
Action unavoidably fails: The action not only doesn’t
• When rolling for a minion or lieutenant (e.g., one
have its intended effect, it might also make the situation
of Unity’s robots) — they have only one die after all.
more dangerous. You tried to leap onto the car but
were thrown off on a sharp turn; you couldn’t break the
encryption; the Mayor definitively says, “Not interested.”
Action succeeds with a major twist: On a success with
a major twist, you succeed — you’re clinging to the car,
Mid die Max die Min die you have the files, the Mayor is willing to help — but a
twist occurs that changes the situation. Bad guys in the
In this case, the is the Min die, the is the Mid die, car you’re clinging to lean out the window with [Link]
and the is the Max die, due to the results. system you’ve hacked places a tracking program on your
own system. The Mayor will help, but only if you agree to
something that goes against your principles.
Action succeeds with a minor twist: On a success with
a minor twist, the action creates a nuisance or annoying
Min die Mid or Max die Mid or Max die effect in addition to succeeding. You barely get a grip on
In this case, you can choose the Mid to be the and the the car and have to pull yourself up. The hack took long
Max to be the , or vice versa, as they both rolled 6s. enough that you'll be late for a date. The Mayor asks you
to stick around for a photo op.
Action completely succeeds: Exactly what it says on the
tin — the outcome of your action matches up with your
stated intent as much as possible, given the circumstances.
You landed solidly on the speeding getaway car, you
Min, Mid, and Max die are interchangeable grabbed the files moments before the system was wiped,
the Mayor is willing to help. No muss, no fuss.
You can put these in any order as they’re all 5s.
Action succeeds beyond expectations: You knocked it
The effect die is the die that produces the result. This
out of the park. You get what you want with a bonus
is the Mid die, unless you have an ability or there is an
side effect. You’re on the getaway car within easy reach
effect in play that says otherwise. For example, you might
of the engine — one punch would disable it. You got
have an ability that says you Attack with your Fire power
not only the files you wanted but also a clue about a
and use the Max die.
scheme you didn’t even know about yet. The Mayor is
Once the dice hit the table, the size of the die producing not only willing but happy to help. The effect can include
the result doesn’t matter! All that matters is the number removing a minor twist from a prior action. If nothing else
showing on the die. A , the biggest die in the game, suggests itself, this benefit is equivalent to a +2 bonus, or
can produce the Min result if it rolls low. recovered Health equal to the Min die.
9
 Attack


Twists
A successful Attack deals damage to the target equal to
No good deed goes unpunished. What goes around the number on the effect die. Most of the time, how
comes around. No plan survives contact with the damage is dealt doesn’t matter, but some abilities can
enemy. No matter which pithy aphorism you use reduce damage of specific types (e.g., Legacy resists
to describe them, these unintended consequences, physical and energy damage, while Absolute Zero can
unexpected complications, and fallout from taking risks get healed by Cold damage).
are inevitable, and they’re represented by twists.
Heroes and villains that take damage lose Health equal
Twists come in two degrees, major and minor, to the damage they take, which may change their GYRO
depending on how severely they shake things up. status. If their Health reaches zero, they’re Out: either
In general, minor twists are inconveniences and incapacitated or disabled.
wrinkles in the scene that get in your way, whereas
major twists are more punishing — possibly even Minions and lieutenants instead roll their die as a save
creating significantly worse situations! Choosing which against the amount of Damage to avoid being weakened
sacrifices to make is all part of being a hero. or defeated, succeeding if their roll meets or exceeds the
Damage they just took, and failing if they roll below it.
Each hero sheet has a list of twist suggestions that
relate to that hero’s principles, at both major and
minor levels. If the player doesn’t want to use a Taking Out Lieutenants and Minions
principle-related twist listed on their hero sheet, the Rather than having Health, lieutenants and minions
GM may suggest one. track their fortitude with their single die. As they take
damage, their die can degrade one step (e.g., from a
GM-suggested twists come from a variety of sources. to or from a to a ), down to a minimum
The environment and scene provide suggested twists, of a . (If a would degrade, it stays as a .)
some of which are only available if the scene zone is
Yellow or Red. Alternatively, the GM can make twists A lieutenant is tough: its die only degrades on a failed
up on the spot. Either way, it’s up to the player and save. (If they succeed on a save, nothing happens.) A
the GM to come up with an appropriate twist that lieutenant is defeated only if it fails a save while rolling
does not negate the success. That’s really important a or takes damage equal to or greater than twice
— if the player is paying for success with increased its die size from a single hit (e.g., 12+ damage when it
complication in the scene, the GM should not use would roll a ).
the twist to take the success away!
A minion is much more fragile: its die degrades even
If a player doesn’t like the option the GM presents if it succeeds on a save. A minion is defeated any time
for one of their actions, they can decline the twist in it fails a save.
favor of outright failure. In all cases, the GM gets final
approval of the twist to ensure it best fits the fiction. Thus, when fighting minions, any amount of damage,
no matter how small, is worth doing. Abilities and risky
actions that use the Min die to Attack multiple targets
are great for clearing out large groups of minions.
Minor & Major Twist Examples Against lieutenants, a single strong hit is more useful.
• The hero loses Health equal to the Mid die (minor) Help out your fellow heroes with Boosts and look for
or Max+Min dice (major). Abilities that Attack with your Max die. If you don’t
have one, a risky action is always an option…
• The hero is Hindered using the Max+Min dice (if a
major twist, this penalty is persistent — see the Mods
sidebar on page 11). Defend
When you Defend, note the result, which is the number
• The hero must sacrifice something important showing on the effect die plus any applicable bonuses.
to them in order to succeed at another goal (how We recommend writing it down so you don’t forget.
important determines minor or major). Before your next turn, when you would next lose Health,
• The scene escalates toward a more dangerous state reduce the amount you lose by the result of your Defend
by advancing the scene tracker one space (major). action. If you aren’t Attacked before your next turn, the
effect is wasted. Alternatively, you may Defend another
• The hero is separated from the rest of the group as character to reduce their Health lost instead.
a result of the action (minor).
If you are somehow under the effect of two (or more)
• The hero draws attention of a new minion equal Defend actions, choose the highest result to use; all
to their Mid die (minor), or a squad of Mid die sized lower ones are wasted, as you can only get the benefit
minions equal to number of heroes (major). of a single Defend per round.
10
 Boost/Hinder

Mods
When you use a Boost or Hinder action, you make a
mod — a bonus or a penalty to someone or something’s Mods are bonuses and penalties, usually generated by
actions. The Boost action creates a positive mod, called a the Boost or Hinder action. In most cases, the creator
bonus; the Hinder action creates a negative mod, called of the mod decides who uses that bonus or penalty
a penalty. as long as it makes sense in the fiction of the scene —
not just everyone can grab the “Massive Sword +4”
The effect die determines the size of the mod: Always you found and wield it. If there is a penalty in play that
name your mod when it’s created, with either a quick applies to your action roll, apply it to the result on the
description or a comic book quip. To keep track of it, effect die. For instance, if you are taking an action with
write it out on a notecard, such as “Pocket Analyzer +2” a penalty of −2, and your effect die shows a 5, the
or “Watch out for that first step −3.” penalty reduces the actual result to a 3. If there is a
bonus in play that also applies, you may use it.
Die Result Mod Size
By default, mods go away after one use. However, that
0 or Less No bonus or penalty is created
doesn’t mean that what the mod represents is gone.
1-3 +/− 1 If you took a "bo staff+2" from a weapons rack and
4-7 +/− 2 attacked spider bots with it, it’s your choice whether
8 - 11 +/− 3 you still have the staff after the attack: maybe you’re
still fighting with it, maybe you broke it over the dome
12+ +/− 4 of the robot you attacked, or maybe you discarded it
to keep your hands free while you help some hostages
By default, the mod will only modify the result of the — whatever makes narrative sense.
next relevant action roll (see the sidebar), but you can
take a minor twist to make it affect a second roll. A few important bits about applying mods:
• Mods apply to the next roll you make. Before rolling
Step 6: Hand Off the Action your dice, you can defer a bonus (but not a penalty)
to a later roll if it makes sense to do so.
Once you’ve applied your results, your turn is done.
You decide who acts next — hopefully you gave them • Applying the mod doesn’t change which values are
a heads up earlier, but regardless you can change your Min, Mid, and Max; that determination is done before
mind now. You may choose any hero, opponent, or the you apply the mod to the effect die.
environment who hasn’t yet had a turn this round. If you • A mod can only alter one effect die. If an ability
go last in the round, you’re free to choose anyone to kick uses more than one effect die (such as: Attack with
off the next round — except yourself. And that’s the the Mid die and Hinder with the Min die) each mod
end of the action sequence. only affects one of [Link] choose how to distribute
your bonuses, while the player who created each
Reactions penalty chooses which effect die that penalty alters.
Reactions are specific things you can do when • If a single modded die affects multiple targets, the
some trigger event happens — usually on another modified value of the die affects all of those targets,
character’s turn, but sometimes on your turn. not just one of them.
Every character can use the Hit the Deck reaction
(described below) to Defend themselves and some • Some abilities create mods that are persistent.
abilities grant you other reactions. No matter how Rather than getting used up, these bonuses and
many abilities you have granting you reactions, you penalties last for the rest of the scene or until no
may only perform one reaction before the start of longer narratively appropriate.
your next turn, so make it count.
• Some abilities create mods that are exclusive.
• Only One Die: If a reaction requires a roll, use a Only one exclusive bonus and one exclusive penalty
single power, quality, or status die instead of the usual can apply to each roll, but they can stack with any
dice pool of three. number of non-exclusive mods.
• Hit the Deck! Occasionally, an Attack looks so Mods can be removed with an Overcome action or
serious that you want to throw yourself into a be reduced in strength by making an opposing mod
defensive position, heedless of other dangers. You can (e.g., making a +2 bonus to reduce “I’m tied up! −3”
use your reaction and take a minor twist (page 10) to “I’m tied up! −1”). In the latter case, if you make
to take a basic Defend action out of turn to protect a particularly strong countering mod, the excess is
yourself (but not others). wasted — no “making change.”

11
 Back Issues


Ending an Issue When you complete an issue, you and the other players
give that issue a name and number, which you record in
Hero Point Bonuses the “Back Issues” section of your hero character sheet.
The issues included in this Starter Kit already have a
At the end of an issue, you must trade your hero points name and number, so you can just ask the GM what to
(page 2) for hero point bonuses. Each hero point write in that section for those issues.
converts to one point of bonus, divided up however you
choose among any number of bonuses. For example,
you can turn five hero points into a +3 bonus and a
+2 bonus, or a +4 bonus and a +1 bonus, or five +1 Collections
bonuses. Though each hero has the same number of Once you’ve played through a series of issues all related
hero points, they can allocate their bonuses differently. to one another (usually about six issues), you combine
them into a collection. Think of this as a collected
You don’t have to define or name a bonus until you
trade you see at a comic book shop, with several issues
use it, though you should call back on what you learned
of the same series bound into a single book. Erase all
or acquired in the previous issue. These bonuses are
of the back issues on your character sheet, create a
exclusive (page 11).
name (and possibly a volume number) for the book that
Let’s say you’ve allocated a +3 bonus. When you realize contains them, then write it in the Collections section in
you need some help convincing a public works official to your character sheet.
let you into the sewers, you remember that in a previous
You may call on each of your Collections once per
issue the mayor told you, “If there’s anything I can do,
session, invoking previous adventures. This can have one
let me know.” You decide to take that +3 bonus and
of these effects:
call it “Favor from the Mayor.” A quick phone call to the
mayor’s office gives you a leg up on your Overcome • After rolling, set one die to any value before
action to infiltrate the sewers. determining Min/Mid/Max.
You must convert hero points to bonuses between • Establish one fact about a scene your hero is in, based
issues; you can’t carry them over from one issue to the on a previous issue. (Yes, just make something up, as long
next. Likewise, unused hero point bonuses go away at as it isn’t ridiculous and is rooted in the events or lessons
the end of the issue. from that back issue. If your idea is out of line, the GM
will veto it and ask you to think of another one.)
• You can invoke your collection instead of taking a
minor twist, provided you can think of an explanation for
how it’s relevant to the situation.
However you use it, justify how the previous adventure
helps in the current situation. For example, when fighting
Baron Blade, Legacy’s player might say, “When I last
fought Baron Blade, he suffered a wound on his right
side… I’m going to try to use that to my advantage.”
This comment comes with an editor’s note: “See Justice
Comics #8!” Include an editor’s note to lend the whole
thing an air of authenticity.
The heroes in this Starter Kit all already have one
collection under their belt. Since you didn’t play
through those issues, you can make up the events that
hypothetically happened in them when you use your
collection. Just a sentence or two is enough detail —
don’t stop the session to give a 15-minute summary of
your hero’s last adventure!
Hey you, GM! Be flexible in adjudicating how
players apply these bonuses. Don’t require perfect
recall about what happened in a previous adventure.
The barest justification should work. Comics get
retconned all the time.
12
 How to Use the Six Issues

Game Moderating A Sentinel Comics RPG GM comes to the game
table with the plan of a story. The plan can take the form
Running the Game of a published adventure, called an issue (such as the
issues that are part of this very Starter Kit, or additional
So you’re excited about this game and you’re curious issues listed at the end of the final issue in this set), or
about taking on the role of game moderator AKA you can create your own! For now, we're going to focus
GM? We’re excited too — the Sentinel Comics on the issues in this Starter Kit, but Sentinel Comics:
RPG is tons of fun to run! Or maybe you just want to The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook provides
know more about the building blocks that make a typical tools and advice on how to create your very own issues.
Sentinel Comics RPG session. Either way, you're in
the right place. The six Starter Kit issues each tell a story that connects
together in a fun way. Each issue should take about one,
Chances are, you’ve at least heard of roleplaying games 90ish-minute game session, but that’s not a hard and
and know the vast majority of them have a referee/game fast rule. Some groups will go through more quickly, and
master to run [Link] won’t retread the entire concept; others will dig deep into individual scenes, making issues
you can find plenty of examples in popular culture and last multiple sessions — that’s all up to you and your
media. Instead, we're going to focus on running this game players.
in particular.
The first issue — Issue #1 — is Freedom Five #801, and
If you’ve never taken on the mantle of GM in a tabletop it's a very good place to start. If you’re playing through
roleplaying game before, it can seem daunting at first. But all six issues with your group, you will all experience
once you get into it, it’s not nearly as complicated as it Freedom Five #801 first, and then follow up with Freedom
may look. This section distills our several decades’ worth Five #802, which is labeled Issue #2.
of GMing experience to make your job easier and, far
more importantly, incredibly fun. However, the story gets far less linear after that!
A comic book creation team is a useful metaphor to The order of Issues #3, #4, and #5 are up to you and
explain the roles of all the players, including the GM, in your group of heroes. At the end of Issue #2, the heroes
a play session. have three options of how to continue the story. They
will eventually cover all three possible adventures, but
Each player represents a member of a creative team the order they do it in is up to them. That’s why each
assigned to a comic book title. The play session is the of those issues is labeled “3/4/5”. Then, you take them
writers, artists, inkers, and interns working together through the big final issue, coming back to Freedom Five
to get the next issue out. In that metaphor, the GM #803 for the grand finale!
is the editor. They are part of the team and share the
responsibility of getting the issue out, but they’re also For more details on each of those issues, check out the
responsible for pushing the team in the right direction, Story Summary section at the beginning of Issue #1. But
making creative calls, and maintaining the team’s focus on remember: those issues are all for GM's eyes only! You
the task at hand. don't want to give the story away before the heroes are
able to figure it out on their own!
As the GM, you are the glue that brings everything
together. Your primary job is to help your players create Scenes
an amazing story. With the help of the rules, and a An issue is composed of a series of scenes. Each scene
published adventure or adventures of your own, you get features a problem or a situation that needs the attention
to describe and personalize everything and everyone of your players’ heroes. Some issues feature linear stories
the heroes interact with. From burning skyscrapers to where scenes are played in a specific order until the
crashing planes, from space stations to parallel worlds, issue reaches a conclusion. Others are more open-
you make the world of the game come to life for all of ended with the possibility of playing scenes in various
your players. combinations, including skipping some scenes, depending
You describe things that heroes perceive and then on the choices of the heroes and the outcomes of their
engage in discussions with your players to move the story actions. Each scene will be one of three types: an action
forward. Sometimes, when a hero wants to perform an scene, a social scene, or a montage scene.
action whose outcome could significantly alter the stakes In the issues included with this Starter Kit, all the scenes
at hand, the dice come out and rolls are made. have everything you need to run them. The scene type
Let's briefly talk about the six issues included in this is distinguished by the header and page borders: action
Starter Kit before moving on to the building blocks of a scenes are yellow, social scenes are pink, and montage
Sentinel Comics RPG story. scenes are teal.

13
Running Action Scenes Also, don’t underestimate the power of your NPCs using


actions other than Attack. Boost, and Hinder actions can
complicate the heroes’ jobs in interesting ways. Plus,
Start each action scene by presenting the initial situation.
since each bonus or penalty created by such actions are
Describe to the players what happens near or around
named, it allows you to add new elements to the scene.
the heroes before things go wrong. Often, players have
For instance, the spider bots in Issue #1 of this Starter
an opportunity to poke around the scene and ask
Kit can shoot webs to slow heroes down, so whenever
questions. Don’t require action rolls from them unless
they perform a Hinder action, you get to add a Webbed
they want to perform something that has significant
penalty that adds a flavorful piece of story to the scene.
stakes in the story.
Keep an eye on the scene tracker. If it reaches the end,
Then something goes wrong in the scene, which you
it doesn’t necessarily mean the heroes have lost and the
describe to the players with as much detail as you can
villains have won. Look at how close the heroes were to
manage. Once the problem is established, add in all of
achieving their goals and come up with an outcome that
the elements of the scene, starting with the scene tracker,
takes their efforts into [Link] won’t quite get what
and choose someone to act first based on whatever
they wanted, but they may still end up with an acceptable
feels most appropriate to the narrative.
compromise with limited consequences. Finally, an action
The secret to running a good action scene is giving the scene comes to life through the many twists that come
players a sense that they have too much to do. They’re from the players’ rolls. The game was designed such that
playing heroes and the threats and challenges they face heroes almost always prevail. However, their success
are so dire, so dangerous that it requires their specific very often depends on how much they’re willing to put
set of skills to resolve. And even still, the forces arrayed themselves in trouble to achieve their goals.
against them feel overwhelming.
Whenever a twist comes up, check with the player to see
Work on your players’ senses to evoke vivid images. Talk if one of the twists on their hero sheet makes sense to
of what they see, smell, and hear. Minions and villains are be brought in; if it does and the player wants it, run with
larger than life. Everything makes noise, rattles, hums. it. Otherwise, you can pick one from the environment if
the scene has one.
Even moments of silence should be tense and suspicious.
Double down if heroes have acute senses, filling every You are also free to improvise your own, based on the
space with vibrant descriptions and action. suggestions provided on page 10. Decide what makes
more sense in the story. And remember, a twist adds
While an action scene can sometimes feel complex trouble to a success, it does not cancel it.
to run, the breakdown of the action order makes it
manageable. Each of the scene elements (villain, minions,
challenges, environment, etc.) under your control has
clearly defined mechanics for you to run them. You run
each one after the other and you hand off the action
order to the next logical character or element.
Speaking of action order, bounce the action back and
forth between the heroes and their opposition to
the extent that you can. There’s a strong chance that
inexperienced players will all want to go first, leaving
all the remaining elements you control at the end. This
can be a very painful experience for heroes, as you can
possibly play all your NPCs and threats, reach the end
of the round, and pick them again at the start of the
next one. While there’s nothing wrong in doing that, you
should inform your players so they can avoid this by
planning the action order accordingly.
In a similar vein, some scenes might have an overwhelming
number of minions. If they all target the same hero, it
could bring them down fast. Being a GM isn't about
defeating the heroes — it's about crafting the best story.
Pace the scene to create drama rather than efficiency.
Unless a hero wants to face all the enemies, it generally
makes for a better story to spread the attention of
threats among all the heroes. This also ensures that none
of the heroes are left out of the action.
14
 Scene Tracker Environments

Action scenes start with a color coded GYRO scene Some action scenes occur in dynamic environments
tracker. (The one below is the default, but some scenes that provide opportunities for interesting twists beyond
will use a different one.) During the action sequence, those already planned. They represent the hazards and
whenever the environment takes a turn, check off one peculiarities of where the action occurs.
of the spaces, from left to right. Other elements of the
scene might require you to mark additional spaces at Each Environment includes a dice pool with three short
other times in the round. The scene tracker measures representative descriptors, a list of themed twists
the intensity of the scene. When it's in the Yellow zone, all that you can use as needed, and possibly threats like
heroes in the scene can now use Yellow abilities, and the minions, lieutenants, or challenges associated with that
GM may use Yellow twists or abilities from any elements environment.
in the scene. The same goes when the tracker hits Red. On the environment’s turn, after you check the next
START END space of the scene tracker (and if that doesn’t end the
scene!), activate all environment threats that don’t have
their own turn in the turn order. Then the environment
takes one of three actions:
• If there are no environment threats in the scene, add
GREEN ZONE YELLOW ZONE RED ZONE
one. It acts on the environment’s turn starting next round.
The scene ends immediately if you must mark the last • If there was already an environment threat, activate an
Red space. In published issues, a scene’s description has environment twist. (Remember that twists unlock as the
the details of what happens. Usually, it means the villain, scene tracker advances.)
foes, or other threats the heroes were dealing with
weren’t defeated and they now have to deal with the • If no twist seems appropriate, the environment Attacks,
consequences of that failure. A bomb goes off, a villain Boosts, or Hinders someone in the scene. Determine the
takes off with plutonium, the heroes get captured, the target based on the environment’s theme and whether
city suffers severe damage, etc. it’s allied with the heroes, the villains, or neither.

Locations 1 Environment Dice Pool

If a scene is spread out or too complex to casually move If the environment ever needs to roll dice for a twist
through, you have to consider where each hero, villain, or to act against a character, use these three dice. You
minion, and challenge is located. A location doesn’t can also use the listed traits as inspiration for how the
usually come with game stats and is usually described environment should act when you're making up your
with a simple name or sentence that explains its function. own twists.
Some scenes may have suggested twists for locations.
For example, a Maximum Security City Jail location could 2 Environment Twists
have a major twist where a malfunction causes inmates In addition to being options for the environment’s turn,
to be released, adding hostile minions to the scene. you can use these twists when a player needs a twist
and doesn’t like the options on their character sheet. Just
In scenes where movement between locations is difficult, remember that these twists unlock based on the zone
whether due to obstacles blocking the way (e.g., the the scene is in. (e.g., if the scene is in the Yellow zone, you
submarine compartments are filled with zombies that can use Green and Yellow twists, but not Red twists.)
are hard to push through) or sheer distance (e.g., the
university and city hall are on opposite sides of the city) Some twists can only be used once per issue; these are
changing locations takes an entire turn. If it makes sense indicated with checkboxes so you can track their use.
with a character’s mode of transit, they can still take an Major twists are always limited this way due to how
action along the way, though they’re limited to Boost, much they change the scene, but some minor twists can
Defend, and Hinder. be restricted as well.
If a character has a creative justification for getting around
whatever is restricting movement, they can instead take 3 Environment Threats
any sort of action when they arrive at their destination. Environment threats are minions (page 17), lieutenants
(For example, a speedster like Tachyon has no trouble (page 17), and challenges (page 19) that the environment
crossing Megalopolis and Attacking in the same turn.) can create on its turn, and in some cases as part of a twist
In some cases, travel from location to location may be on a character turn. When created on the environment’s
difficult enough to require an Overcome roll, at least turn, they only act as part of the environment’s turn
from the first hero to make the attempt. In that case, rather than acting on their own.
travel is represented as a challenge (page 19).
15
 
High Tech Military Base
This base exemplifies the might of a modern military
equipped with top-of-the-line hardware. It’s abuzz with
activity as soldiers unload crates and squads drill in
preparation for an impending operation. There are a few 1
commanding officers about, directing the efforts of the Heavily Patrolled
soldiers. If noticed, your presence here is likely to be met
with swift and violent action!
Automated Weapons
High Security
2 Green
Minor Twist
Spotted!: If there are no Soldier minions in the scene, add 1 Soldier minion with its own initiative. Otherwise,
add 1 Soldier minion to an existing squad of soldiers.
Major Twist
□ High Alert: Sirens sound all over the base. Advance the scene tracker by one space.
Yellow
Minor Twist
Rallying Cry: One of the soldiers rallies their fellows to push forward. Roll the environment dice and Boost all
soldiers with the Min die.
Major Twist
□ Fire in the Armory: A stray shot or blast has hit the armory, and the munitions there might explode!
□ Put out the fire
□□□ Timer
Every time the scene tracker advances, check off a Timer space as well. If the Timer runs out before the challenge
is resolved, roll the environment dice and attack all targets near the armory.
Red
Minor Twists
Empty the Barracks!: Roll the environment dice and deploy Max soldier minions. (They act on the next
environment turn.)
Major Twist
□ Tank Deployment: A tank announces its arrival by blasting one of the combatants. Roll the environment dice
and Attack them with the Mid die, then the explosion Hinders them and everyone near them with the Min die.
Add 1 tank lieutenant to the scene.

Soldiers Sergeant
Minions Lieutenant
Description Description
3 A standard military soldier, outfitted with standard
modern military gear.
A military leader who is directly involved in the conflict,
fighting alongside the other soldiers.
Ability Ability
Squad Goals: Soldiers have +1 to Attack and Boost Get Back In There!: Whenever a nearby Soldier at
actions while near other Soldiers. succeeds on their save roll, increase their die size to .
Tactics Tactics
Soldiers work best in their squads. They attempt to Sergeants are excellent force multipliers for Soldiers
move and work as a unit, Boosting each other to due to their ability to make squads of soldiers much
maximize their impact. more resilient.
16
 Minions & Lieutenants Lieutenants are tougher, act independently on their

own turns, and tend to have more special abilities. For
Many action scenes feature minor foes that don’t rate example, here’s a robotic infiltrator.
the power level of full blown villains. The game has two
types that follow similar rules: minions and lieutenants. Aggressive Android
Minions are easy-to-dispatch foes represented by one
die and a few lines of description to help you run them.
Lieutenant
For instance, here is a team of spidery robots! Description
Though clearly modeled after a human, the visible
mechanical and electronic parts reveal this to be a
robot.
Ability
Learning Machine: Boost yourself. The bonus is
persistent and exclusive.
Metallic Resilience: Reduce all damage taken by 1.
Tactics
The android starts by Boosting itself, then attempts to
mercilessly crush its primary target with Attacks.
Minions and lieutenants that are not controlled by the
players can’t take major twists; they choose to fail instead.
They can take one of these two minor twists:
Angry Spider Bots • This minion or lieutenant needs the help of another
to succeed at its task. (Two minions/lieutenants who take
Minions this twist can work together to succeed.)
Description
These are mailbox-sized robotic spiders equipped with • The task succeeds at great cost, as though the minion
retractable diamond mandibles that can slice through or lieutenant failed a save against Damage.
steel, eyes that project military-grade lasers, and high- Villains
strength tensile polymer “webs”. Villains are the nemeses and epic foes that heroes were
Ability born to face. Villains are the main foes and should find
Spider Webs: +1 to Hinder when making webs. ways to monologue, grandstand, and otherwise steal the
spotlight. This story is happening because of the villain,
Tactics and the heroes should have every opportunitity to fear
These bots balance Attack actions and Hinder actions their foe!
to web up heroes. Avoid overwhelming heroes with
too much damage. They should feel like a big scary Villains have statistics similar to heroes and play like
horde without outright killing the heroes. them, including a list of abilities. Like heroes, villains have
a Health score and are taken out once their Health score
Minions of the same type take a turn as a group, activating drops to zero. However, their status does not come from
as one in the action order. Each can perform any of the their Health, but from a story or mechanical element —
game’s five actions, but they only get one die each to do something that the villain cares about in the scene, other
so. Though minions all act on the same turn, they can than their Health.
still choose separate targets and roll independently. Any When the villain’s turn comes up, like heroes, you decide
Boosts from allies (including other minions) only affects if they will perform a basic action or use one of their
one of them. The same goes for any Hinder they receive, abilities. In either case, you choose the action or ability,
unless an ability says otherwise. and you pick your target(s) when required and roll dice.
Scaling the Scene with The villain’s Upgrade and Mastery abilities (tagged U and
M, respectively) are only used to make the villain extra-
is the number of player-controlled heroes that challenging if needed. Don’t use them by default.
start in a scene. This lets you adjust action scenes
to be appropriately challenging, usually by changing On the next page is the villain Proletariat's villain character
the number of minions/lieutenants or the Health of sheet. In the stater kit issues, there is an issue of Justice
villains. (If is used in a fraction, such as / 2, round Comics that might make use of this sheet, depending on
up to the next whole number.) how the players handle that issue.
17
 Health
15 + 5

ALIAS Alexandr Tsarev Current Health

APPROACH Tactician
ARCHETYPE Legion

DIE DIE DIE

Powers TYPE Qualities TYPE Status: Number of Clones TYPE

Awareness Close Combat 9+ Clones

Hammer Cold Warrior 5-8 Clones

Strength Conviction 3-4 Clones

Vitality Leadership 1-2 Clones

0 Clones

Abilities
ICON NAME TYPE GAME TEXT
Whenever multiple of your clone minions all take the same action against the same target, you
Coordination Issues I must roll all of their dice at the same time and use the lowest rolling die among them for each
minion's result on that action.

Everyman’s Strength I As long as you have at least 1 nearby ally, you may reroll all 1s on your dice.

When you would take physical damage, prevent that damage and create a clone minion with
Strike One Down… R a die size equal to your current status die. You may use this reaction more than once a round,
but each time you use this reaction after the first time, you take 1 irreducible damage.
Whenever a clone minion larger than a successfully saves against physical damage, it splits
…And Two More Take His Place I into two minions with dice of one smaller size and you take 1 irreducible damage. If it fails its
save, the minion is only reduced on die size, rather than being destroyed.
Attack using Close Combat and use your Max die. Add 1 to the Attack for each other ally that
Overwhelm the Mighty A Attacked that target since your last turn.

Increase all of Proletariat’s power dice by one size. (When using this upgrade, Proletariat has
U Power Upgrade 20 additional Health.)

As long as you are in command of your own forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome
M Master of Conquest I involving seizing an area of capturing civilians.
 Challenges Running Social Scenes

All challenges include a description of the challenge, along
with the task or list of tasks that heroes must complete, When a player says they want their hero to do some
along with one checkbox per successful Overcome investigation, talk to another character, or engage in any
action needed to complete that step. For example, a other non-action social activities, it’s time to initiate a
bomb disguised as something innocuous might need to social scene. You can even suggest a social scene if the
be found rapidly (an Overcome action) before it can players don’t explicitly ask. Make sure you identify which
be disarmed or thrown into space before it explodes characters are present, where the scene begins, and
(another Overcome action). what’s going on, exactly like you would when setting up
an action scene.
Here’s a simple challenge to rescue a civilian who has
been injured! Social scenes don’t usually include a scene tracker,
environment or any combat stats, but you can include
them provided they are more helpful to the story than
Injured Civilian just being an artificial timer. Some social scenes can
Description be on the clock, but most are not. Similarly, you don’t
One of the bystanders has been seriously injured and need to enforce the action order system, but it can be
emergency services can’t reach them. helpful if some players are more hesitant to speak up, or
if there is some sort of timer or other outside pressure
Resolution in the scene. Either way, play the scene out to its logical
□ Stabilize the injured civilian conclusion or until players think they’ve done all they
care to do.
More complex challenges can include:
Overcome Actions
• A choice of two different ways to resolve the challenge, The Overcome action is your most important mechanical
with different results. tool in social scenes. Heroic Overcomes can represent
• Ability: An ability the challenge can use to modify persuasion attempts, investigations, questioning suspects,
character actions or act in a scene. Challenges with or any other similar [Link] calling for an Overcome
abilities get their own turn each round unless the ability action, keep this important rule in mind:
has a passive effect. No single point of failure: Avoid situations where the
• Action: What the heroes can or can’t do to Overcome heroes absolutely must do a specific thing or find a
this challenge. particular clue in order for the story to progress —
or, if there is that single point of failure, a hero with a
• Twists: Extra twists usable for Overcome actions taken relevant quality or principle finds and understands the
to complete this challenge. clue automatically. The last thing you want in a game is
• Timer + Triggered: A set of timer boxes checked for the story to grind to a halt just because the heroes
on the challenge’s turn (or another time the challenge didn’t do just the right thing or failed at one crucial roll.
specifies) and what happens if the timer runs out. If you still want to introduce the tension of an action roll,
• Outcome: Whatever extra happens when the make that roll determine if the hero finds additional, non-
challenge is resolved successfully (beyond the challenge essential information or whether they can avoid negative
not being present to use its abilities). consequences while finding the clue (e.g., running short
on time to act on the clue, getting ambushed by a villain
If the scene tracker expires while some challenges remain while investigating).
unresolved, dire consequences can be expected. This is
when doomsday devices are triggered, villains achieve Remember, Overcome actions usually manifest twists!
their nefarious goals, or innocent bystanders perish in Use those twists to move the story forward while still
catastrophic ways. The nature of the challenge dictates creating problems for the heroes.
what happens in the story. Persuasion isn’t mind control
Allies & Civilians When a hero is persuading or intimidating an NPC,
Usually allies and civilians don’t get game statistics in action remember that a successful Overcome action is not
scenes, mostly to keep things simple. The help they can mind control. NPCs won’t violate their beliefs or give
provide or the hindrance they create is usually built into the heroes something for nothing, even with a successful
the descriptions of a scene through the environment or Overcome. If the heroes are negotiating with an NPC,
through specific challenges. Exceptions might occur, and the exchange has to be reasonably fair. If the heroes are
in such cases, the scene provides the necessary info to trying to frighten an NPC, they must present a credible,
play them. believable threat. And the NPC responses should be
sensible and in keeping with that NPC's personality.
19
Of course, some heroes with mentalist or psionic powers
Running Montage Scenes


can, in fact, exercise mind control. Make sure players
know that noone, NPC or otherwise, enjoys being Montage scenes are fairly freeform. They allow heroes
mentally coerced — it’s a terrible violation of a person’s to explore aspects of the story that don’t involve
autonomy and sense of self. Throwing mind control disintegrating skyscrapers or crashing airliners. Often such
around when it’s not absolutely essential is a great way scenes involve dealing with NPCs to obtain necessary
to build a terrible reputation, and may in fact be illegal information or to address some of the consequences and
in many jurisdictions. There should be ramifications for fallout of the heroes’ recent actions. Getting summoned
such gross abuses of power, so act accordingly. to Megalopolis’ mayor’s office to get a tongue lashing
after a particularly destructive fight downtown is a
Freeform Roleplay typical example of a montage scene. If you’re running
Some of the most memorable social scenes don’t a prewritten issue (like in this Starter Kit), any montage
require Overcome actions at all. Without using any scene will tell you which NPCs are involved and what
game mechanics to adjudicate their actions, the players they want to achieve and describe any opportunities for
roleplay their characters’ [Link] scenes often the heroes. You don’t usually roll dice in montage scenes
help define characters and their relationships with each except to create a Boost for the next scene, but there
other. Award a hero point to all the heroes when some might be the occasional Overcome action, depending
characters play out a meaningful social scene together on the story. Heroes can also use montage scenes to
— in a way that reveals important aspects of their recover lost Health if there’s time to do so. Each hero
character, when they allow themselves to be vulnerable describes how they recover from the events of the
in interesting and dramatic ways, or when they progress previous action scene. They recover Health up to the
their personal stories beyond just the narrative of what’s maximum of the next zone up. They may choose to take
happening in the story of the issue. a minor twist (that lasts through the next scene as well)
to recover two zones or, if they were in dire straits, they
Ending Social Scenes may take a major twist to recover all of their Health.
A social scene ends when you think all the useful
information has been discovered or when the main
drama has been played out. Definitely end it if things
start to drag out — don’t let it get dull. One especially
Now What?
evocative technique is to let the scene lead immediately We’ve walked through the basics of Sentinel Comics:
into an action scene by having violent opposition arrive the Roleplaying Game. Now comes the important
to stir up trouble. part: actually running the game! GM, now’s the time
to open up Issue #1, Freedom Five #801. Take a read
through that booklet to know what’s in store for you
and our heroes and prepare
to run your first session.
Don’t worry if you haven’t
absorbed all the rules yet: the
Starter Kit issues are designed
to walk you through each
part gradually, introducing
concepts to both you and the
heroes as you play through
the issues. And in case you
have any questions, you and
the players can always flip
back here to the Gameplay
Guide to answer any issues
that arise.
After a while, the basics of
the rules will become second
nature, and you’ll be able to
focus most on coming up
with the best heroic story
you can.
Now get out there! The
heroes must save Megalopolis!

20