Anyone Can Wear The Mask v1.2
Anyone Can Wear The Mask v1.2
This is an imaginary story (which may never happen, but which then again may),
About someone with great power, who chose to use that power only for the good of all.
It tells of their final triumph, their ultimate showdown with their great and terrible adversary,
And of the city that believed in them, and of the people they saved, and the people they couldn’t.
We tell their story and celebrate their successes, knowing they are only a myth.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either are the product of
the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Anyone Can Wear The Mask by Jeff Stormer is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
02
INTRODUCTION
Anyone Can Wear The Mask is an RPG for 1 to 3 players about
a superhero, a supervillain, and their city. Throughout play,
you’ll record the adventures of a great hero as they defend
their city, stand up to those in power, and eventually confront
a terrible nemesis. You’ll draw maps, roll dice, pull cards from
a deck, and make a living record of the city and its people. To
play, you’ll need the following:
• A deck of playing cards, with jokers included but set
aside for now.
• Several six-sided dice.
• A space to make a map, or record location names/
descriptions.
• A space to list character names.
• If you have a Bullet Journal, you can
use it for your names & map.
• Something to write with.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 03
WE ARE OUR OWN HEROES 03
ORIGIN STORIES 04
HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO 06
A DAY IN THE LIFE 07
SOMEWHERE IN IMMINENT DANGER 08
SOMEWHERE PEACEFUL 09
SOMEWHERE PERSONAL 09
SOMEWHERE PROTECTED 10
SOMEWHERE PRIVATE 10
THE DOWNFALL 11
THE UPRISING 12
TONE SAFETY
This is an emotionally challenging game. The Hero MECHANICS
will fail, and people will be lost, and that’s a lot to
Once you’ve confirmed your group is on-board
deal with. The Hero will win in the end, but part
with the premise, take some time to discuss some
of that is rising above their own failures to come
safety mechanics players can use to further ensure
back stronger. Make sure you’re all on-board with
their comfort and support during play:
that before diving into Anyone Can Wear The Mask.
If you’d like to make the game a less emotionally • Lines/Veils: Discuss any topics you don’t
heavy, consider changing the following: want coming up (Lines), or topics you’d
like to approach at arm’s length (Veils).
• You can remove the “1” option from any
of your dice rolls if you want to remove • X/N/O Cards or Signals: At any time, a
the idea of the Hero failing. Treat a 1 as a player can tap the X-Card or making an
result of 2-3, and play as normal. appropriate X-signal to entirely pause play
and/or remove an element from the story,
• You can freely change the “Lose Someone”
no questions asked (whether due to safety
mechanic to represent any sort of worst-
concerns, discomfort, or simply wanting
case scenario: perhaps you Make a New
to go in a different direction). Tapping or
Enemy, or Lose the Public’s Trust.
signalling the N-Card indicates that, while
• The Injury mechanic in the game also play shouldn’t stop, it should move natu-
pushes you towards failure; you can rally in a different direction or past a par-
remove this mechanical effect and just ticular topic. Finally, the O-Card should be
treat injuries as a purely narrative factor tapped/signaled if a player is really feeling
if you so choose. a particular moment and wants to really
explore more of it at the table.
• You can also remove failure altogether, if
you’re more interested in randomly gen- For more information about safety mechanics, refer
erating the exploits of a friendly neighbor- to the TTRPG Safety Toolkit, compiled by Kienna
hood superhero. Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk.
Once you’ve discussed safety at the table, it’s time
to discover our Origin Stories.
04 ORIGIN STORIES
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
At this point, we meet our three main characters (The
Hero, The Villain, and The City), decide on which role/
roles we’d like to play, and go through some initial brain-
storming to get to know who our characters are and what
they’re capable of.
First, decide who will play the City.
THE CITY
You are… well, you’re everyone. Ordinary people. Extraor-
dinary people. Other heroes. Other villains. People trying
to live their lives. People in danger. Taken together, you’re
the city the Hero protects, and the city that gives the
Hero their strength.
As the City, here’s what you’ll do in play:
• Draw cards to determine locations within the city
where the story takes place.
• Name the people that live there.
• Keep a list of the people the Hero saves, and
recite them during Until Next time.
• Roleplay the ordinary people living in the City as
they interact with the Hero during their adventures.
• Help lift up the Hero when they’re at their lowest,
so they can continue protecting everyone within
their power.
Before play, the Villain should split the deck of Who You Lost: And it’s important to pay your
cards in half, and shuffle one of the Jokers into the respects to those you couldn’t.
bottom half of the deck. This Joker will be referred
to as “Joker 1” from now on. A CRISIS
During play, the City will draw cards as instructed. At any point during the game, if the deck is fully
If at any point, a Joker is revealed (including if a depleted, the City reaches a crisis point, and the
Joker is discarded as a result of Collateral Damage), shadow of the Villain grows even larger. Follow
go immediately to the relevant section of the text: these steps to discover what happens:
The Downfall if this is the first Joker being played, The Hero: What is your greatest fear for the City?
and The Uprising if this is the second. Describe how it comes to pass.
If at any point, the City runs out of cards in the deck The Villain: What power do you hope to obtain?
(either because they’ve drawn every card, or cards Describe how you seize it.
were discarded as a result of Collateral Damage),
advance immediately to A Crisis. The City: How do you hope the people of the City
will rise to walk in the steps of the Hero? Describe
Inspiration how it happens.
Once you’ve described these actions, shuffle the
During play, the Hero may accrue Inspiration
as a result of rising above and becoming deck, draw a card and pick a new location.
something greater than themselves. When this
happens, the Hero should set aside a token;
they can use this token at any time to recover
an Injury suffered at the hands of the Villain,
or to force the Villain to roll an extra die.
07
A DAY IN THE
LIFE
GAMEPLAY IN ACTION
When it’s time to start play, The Hero should make a
spot on the map for their Home. Take a moment to
describe where the Hero lives: is it a stately manor?
A fortress of solitude on the far side of the world?
Their aunt’s house?
Finally, the City will draw a card from the deck,
and describe where the Hero’s next adventure
takes them:
Card
Location Page
Value
2-10 Somewhere in 08
imminent danger
Jack Somewhere Peaceful 09
Queen Somewhere Personal 09
King Somewhere Protected 10
Ace Somewhere Private 10
Joker 1 The Downfall 11
Joker 2 The Uprising 12
Once you’ve determined the scene of the Hero’s
next adventure, follow the instructions for the loca-
tion you’ve drawn.
After you’ve finished following the instructions,
the City, will draw a card and pick a new location
to continue the story.
08 SOMEWHERE IN IMMINENT DANGER
Here the Hero comes face to face with something that threatens the city (whether physically, emotion-
ally, or anywhere in-between). When you arrive here, perform the following:
THE HERO
Answer the Villain’s questions as you are able.
Describe how you save the day. If you take an injury,
tell the Villain, so they can make note of it. If you
cause Collateral Damage (whether physical, emo-
tional, or otherwise), tell the City, and have them
discard the top card off of the deck.
If you successfully save someone, mark their name
in your journal, and set the card aside. This card
becomes your Renown. Your legend has grown and
more people throughout the city look up to you.
This will become very important later.
SOMEWHERE PEACEFUL
09
Here the Hero encounters someone in need. Someone who can help them on their journey to defeat
the villain, but who needs something from the Hero first. When you arrive here, perform the following:
SOMEWHERE PERSONAL
The Hero has a responsibility to the City, yes, but they also have a life of their own. There is a person
behind the mask, and that person has friends, loved ones, and people that count on them. At this
moment, you find yourself in one of those moments, with someone you care about: someone who
knows the real you.
SOMEWHERE PRIVATE
Perhaps this is a quiet meeting in a secluded city park. Perhaps this is a secluded parking garage, where
you’ve agreed to meet under the cover of nightfall. Here, the Hero meets someone with inside infor-
mation on people in power, and gets an inside look at what makes them tick. This, Hero, is where you
learn how you can win. This is where you learn how you can stop them.
CONSEQUENCES CONTEMPLATION
This is the moment where it all comes undone, The world is still, reeling from the battle. These
When the Villain triumphs, how does it all happen? scars will change the landscape of the City forever.
MASTERMIND POINTS
ANTAGONISTIC VILLAIN PLAY
If you’d like the back-and-forth between the Hero & Villain
to be more competitive, have the Villain put aside any cards
discarded by damaging the City, similar to how the Hero
gains Renown. At any time, the Villain may spend these cards
to reduce the number of dice they roll while the Hero saves
the day.