Everyday Heroes™: RPG – Core Rule Book & 2 Adventures Now Available

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“Picture the world outside your window. Then imagine taking part in your favorite movie or novel or streaming series set in the modern era, complete with fantastic action, danger, car chases, and explosions. And even better—you’re the hero of the story, setting out to stop the villains and save the day. You can do all that and more with the Everyday HeroesTM roleplaying game!
Everyday Heroes is a game inspired by action movies and the tales of adventure found in novels, comic books, and on television. It’s a cooperative game of the imagination where anything can happen and adventure abounds.
Food trucks, smartphones, tablet computers, electric cars, social media, same-day delivery . . . you know all about the modern world because you live there. But seen through a cinematic lens, the mundane and commonplace become exciting. The world
takes on all the drama and adventure of a modern fantasy, just like a technothriller, spy novel, or an action movie where you’re the hero of the story……..”

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It was in the distant heady spring days of May 2022 when the good people at Evil Genius Productions, the maker of the Everyday Heroes™ tabletop roleplaying game, asked us to join the announcements for their updating of the classic d20 Modern RPG system. Essentially, it concerned their planned lineup for the 2023 Season of Adventure™ & news of their Kickstarter that would take place later that month. This exciting project was anticipated to consist of the Everyday Heroes Core Rule Book as well as eight Cinematic Adventures™ based on popular action films.

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I think it’s safe to say that the kickstarter campaign went rather well as it smashed the initial target of $15,000 by eventually reaching $395,552 thanks to the pledges of well over 4000 backers. That’s the first bit of good news. The 2nd piece of good news is that the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook is now complete, as so are the 1st two expansion cinematic adventures – The Crow and Escape From New York. All three were made available on DriveThruRPG and the Evil Genius Productions website on December 13th, 2022. The physical versions of the books will be available in March/April 2023.

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Everyday Heroes role playing game is a 5E system inspired by the classic d20 Modern RPG. It’s now 20 years since a group of game designers decided to shake things up a little in the world of table top role playing by adapting d20-style game systems to a modern world setting. That’s not to say that fantasy RPG’s were regarded as being boring, it’s just that the feeling from this group was that more contemporary ‘familiar’ adventures had been sidelined and simply hadn’t been explored to their full potential. A philosophy, for what it’s worth, that I would happen to agree with.

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The result was d20 modern, essentially a set of rules for the modern era inspired and born from a certain ‘world famous roleplaying game’. This involved arranging initial classes by ability instead of occupation, grouping the multiplicity of modern gunpowder weapons, and setting a wealth bonus for purchases as opposed to tracking every dollar and gold piece, proved to be a versatile and expandable game system. Within the original books they had campaign settings for urban fantasy and modern-day SF and psionic mutants, and over time additional expansions took the system into the near past and alternate futures. d20 Modern was one of the most popular modern-day RPGs of its time. The system spawned 11 expansions and multiple 3rd party products.

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So as it says in the Core Rule Book introduction…….”Now it is 20 years later. The world has changed. How we play games has changed. Our communications are now instantaneous, our access to information more sophisticated than it has ever been before. Players sitting at their computers can gain usable knowledge of new subjects. Films that previously meant a trip to the local video store (or waiting for a DVD to show up in the mail) are now streamed instantaneously to consumers.
And game sessions not only occur over video chat, but they can be recorded and shared with other players around the globe. Just as the world has continued to change, the mechanics of our most popular game system have evolved as well. The time has come for a new generation of designers and creatives to build on the foundation of the past to create a new game suitable for the modern era. In this new environment Sig Trent and Chris “Goober” Ramsley faced the same design challenges as our original four designers—creating a new game based on the familiarity of the past, but making it feel like it naturally belongs in the here and now. ”

Yup…….that made me excited too!

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RPG sessions for this game can be played out in various modern campaign settings, or in the campaign settings from their new Cinematic Adventures line. In the Everyday Heroes™ Core Rulebook, the creators promise that they provide everything you need to run a modern-day campaign. They have 18 classes, dozens of professions and backgrounds, and they boldy suggest that they have the gear. They have a new wealth system and rules for car chases. You’ll have everything you will need to design your own spy thriller, Navy SEAL rescue, or murder mystery…….so let’s have a look at some of those bold claims.

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So what do we think of Everyday Heroes?

At a whopping 460 pages in length I would be a liar if I tried to pretend that I had devoured the whole of this tome………. but I certainly gave it my best shot.

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Those familiar with the 5th edition will no doubt be able to dive right into this modern-day RPG. In this system, they introduce six archetypes based on the d20 structure from Strong Hero to Charming Hero. They’ve also added backgrounds and professions to add a further dimension to your character. Backgrounds give you special skills and ability bumps based on how you were raised. Your profession gives you additional skills, ability boosts, and starting gear.

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New Classes

So many heroes. so little time…… There are 18 tasty, unique and modern classes that you choose from level one alone. You can see three of my personal favourites below.

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New Professions

It’s all well and good in less contemporary roleplaying games that choosing ones life career path involves your eternal hidden passion to be a bloody-thirsty Barbarian, conniving alchemist or a princely Drow. However I’n not sure any modern day career advisor would suggest that they would be good for paying the mortgage in 2022. So the range of modern professions offered in Everyday Heroes solves that particular dilemma, while still offering the opportunities of grand adventures in the 20+ professional categories that provide you expertise in skills, ability score boosts, and starting gear. Whether it be Pop star, Chef, secret agent, doctor, firefighter, paramedic, Navy Seal or Detective, to name but a few – you’ll have few problems in choosing the job for you.

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The choice of profession sets their starting Wealth Level and offers a range of ability bonuses, proficiencies, and special features.
Professions grant extra skill proficiencies and round out your character’s ability scores. Some offer weapon proficiencies, useful for heroes with less combat-oriented classes. Or you can choose one that fits the roleplaying concept you have in mind.

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I like the way that the mechanics provide no special advantage for matching the theme of your profession with your class or archetype, so offering you the chance to experiment with your combinations of profession, class and backgrounds.

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New Backgrounds

Talking about backgrounds, 20+ backgrounds are included that promise rich roleplay, new traits, expertise in skill, and ability boosts. 

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So what else is new?

The previously criticised Wealth system has been overhauled so players no longer have to pass a DC check to buy groceries. In the revised system, you can buy any legal item that costs less than your wealth level. Rather than tracking exactly how much money and income heroes, villains, and NPCs have, Everyday Heroes uses a simple score that ranks overall wealth. This score represents a character’s income, lines of credit they can access, and the capital assets they own. Your profession sets your starting Wealth Level, which can be further adjusted by class features, feats, and events in game. Everyday Heroes doesn’t allow heroes to attain Wealth Level 6 through the standard rules. Those kinds of riches are reserved for archvillains and other NPCs, but they might be attained at the GM’s discretion.

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For those who like a good car chase (or foot chase if you are so strangely inclined) the writers have created a narrative chase system that ties seamlessly into combat and faithfully recreated the movie scenes we all love.

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CONCLUSION

Everyday Heroes started with the concept of bringing d20 Modern into the modern era, but don’t think that this project is some tired re-hash of a by-gone game that’s seen better days. nothing of the sort. This new game aspires to bring the latest version of a well-known, well- beloved game system into the 20th and 21st Century and the potential to go a little beyond. Because every era needs heroes, and this is your time to be heroes.

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The Everyday Heroes core rule book is, pretty much a flawless example in how to introduce new and past players into a game’s revised world. The level of thought, work and talent that has gone into this product, in terms of visuals, mechanics and narrative, is as high as any that I’ve recently come into contact with. When the physical versions are released in March/April 2023 I will be at the front of the queue to get my eager hands on them and run some games with my buddies.

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Escape From New York

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“Welcome to New America, an alternate past to our own in which the chemical fallout from World War III led to an explosion of crime in the US. Coupled with the war, it drove America towards totalitarianism. New York is now the nation’s prison, where madmen, murderers, thieves, and all of New America’s undesirables are walled off from the rest of
society and left to their own devices. It is a place of darkness and corruption, but also one where there is great opportunity for adventure and heroism.”

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The fact that John Carpenter is my favourite director of all time and five of his films feature in my personal top 20 (Assault on Precinct 13, The Fog, Halloween, The Thing & Escape from New York) means that the first of Evil Genius’s eight Cinematic Adventures campaign setting books has a rather high bar to meet in terms of satisfying me. No pressure then boys……

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Those who know me well (and to those people, I can’t apologise enough for that) will agree that occasionally I can be prone to the odd episode of hyperbole when it comes to some of my nerdy passions. However, it is safe to say that Escape from New York resonated for me (as it has with many) from the moment it was released in 1981 – and still does this day. Those who know me well will suggest that a large part of that obsession may have something to with a certain Adrienne Barbeau – an actress that I have been a little in love with for many a year……and they may be correct.

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But of course it’s far more than Adrienne Barbeau (just). Set in 1997 we find that New York has been converted into a huge maximum security prison in which chaos and madness prevail as the prisoners are essentially left to themselves. A revolutionary group forces Air Force One to crash-land in New York, stranding the president in the city. The United States Police Force is powerless to act without risking the president’s life, so they coerce a legendary criminal, Snake Plissken, into undertaking a covert rescue. A stunning performance in an incredible looking dystopian science fiction film – genuinely seminal in every way.

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“We are going to dive into the world of Escape from New York like never before. Learn about its gangs, neighborhoods, history, and how it all fits together. There are new heroic classes to discover including the filthy Gutter Rat, the industrious Motorhead, and the deadly Street Warrior as well as new backgrounds, professions, feats, and gear to round them out.
Game masters will find new tools and advice for creating exciting adventures.
Finally, you can put your skills and endurance to the test in the included adventure, Liberty Lost. A group of condemned criminals will be sent on a near suicidal mission to stop a nuclear bomb from leveling the prison and killing everyone in it. Along the way, they must fight and talk their way through the murderous gangs of the city, compete in a thrilling deathrace through the streets, and track down the device that controls the bomb before it’s too late!”

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The Crow

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“In the dark and moody streets, grungy underground bars, and gang-violence ridden neighborhoods of The Crow, players can experience all manner of stories of vengeance, justice, and setting right what has been made wrong. Here you might play as Reborn, heroes returned to life and tasked with quests by one of the spirits of death. Or you might play as their friends, allies, or even opposition, slowly coming to terms with the fact that the dead can rise, and the supernatural is real.”

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The Crow is a 1994 action-thriller superhero film released by Miramax Films to generally positive reviews, and it has since become a cult classic. An adaptation of the 1989 comic book of the same name by James O’Barr, the film stars Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, who is brought back to life to punish those responsible for his murder, as well as the murder of his fiancé. Brandon Lee tragically died during filming due to a prop malfunction, but the film was nearly complete and was released despite the tragedy.

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The Reborn are tied by their nature to their tasks, which provides a wealth of adventure opportunity. Soothsayers are a perfect vessel for prophetic dreams, allowing you to easily provide heroes with information, or nudge them in the right direction. And each of the spirits in this book provides its own unique goals and priorities, giving you a variety of storytelling options. An adventure may revolve around a single Reborn’s quest or weave the goals of many spirits of death together into a larger plot. Or you might use this world of spirits and magic without any Reborn heroes at all, delving into other mysteries of life and death.

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The Crow allows you to tell deeply personal stories, where heroes confront their trauma and try to bring some measure of justice to a world that is otherwise full of darkness and evil. It is a setting that lends itself to introspective and character-driven stories, but also one that allows for heart-pounding action as the heroes combat their many enemies.

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Conclusions

I cannot help but say that the writers of both cinematic books have set the highest of bars for their release. For a start, the books are beautifully designed – the covers are stunning and the artwork throughout is gorgeous. Throughout the book, the artwork not only supports and exemplifies the core rules of the Everyday Heroes game but also looks beautiful as a separate entity on its own with an impressive attention to cinematic detail that clearly shows as a labour of love from the game’s writers. The feel for the authentic nature of future New York is especially authentic in it’s attention to the detail and feel of the motion picture.

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The rules contained are easy to understand and are not simply a ‘copy and paste’ from the original core rule book – real effort has been taken by Evil Genius to gather both older d20 modern but also newer players under its wing and provide an authentic taste of what the Everyday Heroes game has to offer. If the aim was to use the the release of these two cinematic adventure to enthral, entice and envelope new players to the world of two genuine film classics, as well as to compliment the Everyday Heroes game, then in my case they have succeeded……

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About Evil Genius Productions

Evil Genius Productions, a Black-owned game publisher was founded in 2021 to produce modern-day tabletop roleplaying games. With a team of deeply experienced game designers, Evil Genius creates games that are fun and epic in scope. Its first game, Everyday Heroes, is a tabletop roleplaying game set in the modern world. In 2023, Evil Genius will launch several campaign settings based on popular movie licenses such as The Crow, Pacific Rim, Kong: Skull Island, Highlander, Rambo, Total Recall, Universal Soldier, and Escape From New York.
More information on Evil Genius Productions can be found online at www.evilgeniusgames.com.

Check out their drivethru store. If you want to tag them you can find them at Twitter and Facebook.

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