The best superhero TTRPG—ranked second in my list of ‘tabletop games I cannot stop yapping about at every social function’ next to Pathfinder 2e—is getting a new edition, and I could not be more excited to yap about it further.
Alright, that might be a little unfair. There are plenty of good superhero TTRPGs out there that I’ve heard lots of good things about (Mutants & Masterminds, for example), but Masks: A New Generation is, in my opinion, the best to ever do it. It perfectly captures the feeling of comic book superhero drama. Yes, it necessitates playing teens, but I’m perfectly fine with going for Young Justice over Justice League Unlimited.
As announced by publisher Magpie, Masks: A New Generation is releasing with “updated and refreshed mechanics, new playbooks, a new 8.5 x 11″ format, exciting new art, and a trove of new lore,” claiming that “this new edition expands everything fans love about Masks in one place!”
This second edition will have a quickstart in 2026—a basic set of rules to let players get a taste of what’s to come—alongside a crowdfunding campaign. “Magpie Games hopes to publish the full line—including supplements, dice, and other accessories—in early 2028.”
If you haven’t heard of Masks before, this is why you should get excited (and also why you should give it a try):
Masks is a TTRPG about playing teenage superheroes in the midst of trying to figure themselves out, based in a city flooded with metahuman drama. I’ve played quite a few Powered by the Apocalypse games, and Masks is one I keep coming back to, because it’s made best use of the system’s fiction-first mentality.
I’ll be the first to holler about crunchy systems like Lancer and Pathfinder, but Masks makes the very smart decision of looking at the completely incomprehensible power structures of most comic book universes and go ‘nope, we’re not trying to figure out how to let you munchkin Superman’.
Instead, it solves the power differentials between Robin and Superboy by caring more about the fiction than the turn-based combat. Your stats are fluid, and rooted in how your character views themselves. Your HP pool is traded for conditions like Angry or Hopeless, which focus more on your superkid’s internal world, and can be cleared by taking disastrous action—or comforting each other with words of support.
The best bit is definitely contained in the game’s “classes”. Each playbook is built around your story and struggles, rather than what you specifically can do.
Are you a Janus like Spider-Man, in constant conflict with your secret identity and the pull between great power and responsibility? Are you a Doomed like Raven, with a looming terror that claws closer every time you use your powers? Or are you the Beacon, who’s just super happy to be here and has a literal checklist of teen experiences they’re hounding after? It all rules tremendously.
In fact, Masks is so perfect that me and my friends who’ve played it are a little confused as to what a second edition could actually offer. I’m keen to see Magpie try, though—until then, you can give the already very good first edition a whirl.
Best gaming PC 2025