Masterbook

Masterbook

Cover art by Stphen Crane, 1994
Designers	Ed Stark
Illustrators	Paul Daly, Jamie Lombardo, Ron Hill, Karl Waller, Brian Schomburg, Stephen Crane
Publishers	West End Games
Publication	1994
Genres	Role-playing game
Languages	English
Chance	Medium (dice rolling)
Skills	Strategy, tactics, probability

Masterbook is a generic role-playing game that was published by West End Games (WEG) in 1994.

Description

The generic rules of Masterbook, which do not have a specific campaign setting, use rules from both WEG's multi-genre role-playing game Torg (1990), and WEG's science fiction role-playing game Shatterzone (1993).

Like Torg, the Masterbook system utilizes two complementary forms of in-game conflict resolution: a unified dice mechanic, which is based on a roll of two ten-sided dice, and a game-specific deck of cards (the MasterDeck, similar to the Drama Deck in Torg) that is used to influence random number generation, character actions, and the game's plot.

Publication history

Masterbook is a 176-page softcover book that was designed by Ed Stark, with interior art by Paul Daly, Jamie Lombardo, Ron Hill, Karl Waller, and Brian Schomburg, and cover art by Stephen Crane. It was published by WEG in 1994. A limited-edition 483-page hardbound version was made that also included the World of Bloodshadows and World of Indiana Jones material in one volume.

It was designed for use with the MasterBook Deck (also designed by Ed Stark), which contained a 108-card deck of playing-card size. It came in three types of effects. The 83 black Enhancement cards are handed in by the player for random benefits, like a bonus on a character's task roll, temporarily allowing extra actions, or granting extra Life Points. The 17 red Subplot cards are used immediately by the Game Master to create a random event or encounter. The four Picture cards (Disaster, Opportunity, Wild, and Interloper) are Wild Cards that can provide special effects that the gamemaster can tailor to their needs. The remaining 4 were two blank cards and 2 blank Picture cards. The deck was sold separately from the standalone rule book, but a free deck was enclosed with each worldbook box set. Expansions to the MasterDeck come with 12 blank cards and 24 Plot Development cards, which are Subplot cards that the players control that potentially could grant extra Skill Points.

The Masterbook system was used for several licensed properties, most notably The World of Indiana Jones (1994), The World of Necroscope (1995), The World of Aden (1996), The World of Species (1995), The World of Tales from the Crypt (1996), and The World of Tank Girl (1995). It was also used for their proprietary fantasy-noir setting Bloodshadows (1994). Each softcover worldbook came in a box set with a copy of the MasterBook rules, a MasterBook deck, and a pair of 10-sided dice.

In 2011, it was re-printed by Precis Intermedia Gaming. They are currently working on an improved second edition, called MasterBook 2E, and have released a free simplified version, called MasterBook EZ. In 2016 they printed the new Bloodshadows 3rd Edition worldbook that has conversion rules for use with the Active Exploits and MasterBook EZ rules.

Reception

In the March 1995 edition of Dragon (Issue #215), Rick Swan was not enthusiastic about the rules, which he found too derivative of the rules from Shatterzone that he had roundly criticized in a previous edition of Dragon. But while Swan found the rules less complex than the original Shatterzone rules, he still found that "while less confusing [than Shatterzone, Masterbook] can't get over its love affair with charts and numbers." He did find several strong elements, including "a well-written text, an intriguing selection of skills, [and] a clever use of cards." And he lauded the included card deck, which he found "inventive, fun to use, and in contrast to the rest of the rulebook, blessedly succinct." He concluded by giving the book an average rating of 4 out of 6, saying, "even with its flaws, the Masterbook system remains a solid, versatile game with strong characters and clever concepts. The designers just didn’t know when to quit."

The problem with MasterBook was West End Games made a series of gaffes. Instead of making a box set with the core rules and accessories and selling the softcover worldbooks separately, they did the opposite. This made the worldbooks more expensive and stuck the buyer with extra copies of the rules and accessories. The licensed properties were expensive and were based on media properties with a limited fanbase. The World of Species and World of Aden worldbooks were poor sellers due to a total lack of interest. Bloodshadows and World of Indiana Jones were the only real sellers, and they were soon rewritten for their more popular D6 system.

Other reviews

• Shadis #26 (April, 1996)

External links

• The Masterbook Community