Marvel Nights F.A.Q.

[Uatu The Watcher]

WHAT IS MARVEL NIGHTS?
Marvel Nights is role-playing game that uses the mechanics of an e-fed (a type of online RPG with a wrestling specific setting) rather than the free-form roleplay mechanics more commonly seen in online superhero roleplaying.

HOW DOES THAT WORK? WILL WE BE COMPETING IN 'MATCHES'?
No. In e-fedding, players are participating in a simulation of a wrestling promotion. Each week, the staff, acting as the promoter, books the player's wrestler character in matches against other player's wrestler characters. The players then write roleplays or 'promos', and the player who writes the highest quality roleplay (or combination of roleplays) is determined to be the winner. The staff then write up a set of results, simulating a wrestling event, with matches and segments and such.

By comparison, in Marvel Nights, players are participating in a simulation of comic book style storylines. Each week, the staff assign players, who have taken on the role of a hero in the Marvel Universe (Earth-1050) to an Event. That event could be anything... a bank robbery in progress, a jailbreak, or a meeting of heroes. Usually, several heroes will be assigned to the same event, but solo events are possible. These event assignments are given on Monday nights, and the players have until Saturday night to write a single roleplay, centered on their character, that ends with that hero arriving at the scene of their event for the week. The quality of that RP will determine the role that hero plays in that event. The staff then write up an set of 'results' in the form of a weekly news program whose reporters specialize in following and archiving the actions of superhumans.

YOU MENTIONED EARTH-1050. WHAT IS THAT?
In the Marvel Multiverse, every different alternate universe is numbered. The world we live in, the real world, is Earth-0000, or Earth Prime (also sometimes numbered Earth-1218). The standard Marvel Universe of the comics is Earth-616. The Marvel 'Ultimate' universe is Earth-1610. The Age Of Apocalypse was set on Earth-295. For our purposes, Marvel Nights is set on Earth-1050. A complete list of alternate realities in the Marvel Multiverse can be found HERE.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EARTH-616 AND EARTH-1050?
The main difference is that on Earth-1050, the first Age Of Heroes has just begun. In was 2008 when The Fantastic Four took their fateful spaceflight, and they were the first costumed heroes to go public. People are aware of Dr. Doom, and some costumed criminals have begun to make headlines. Charles Xavier has opened his 'School For Gifted Youngsters', but it is not known to be a school for mutants. In fact, science has only begun to understand the difference between altered humans like the Fantastic Four and mutants. Also, there are stories, and have been for decades, that America had a costumed hero who fought alongside soldiers during WWII, but most people today disregard these tales as myth...

CAN I PLAY AS ANY MARVEL HERO?
No. In the interest of having some balance, your first Marvel Nights character has to be a 'street-level' Marvel character. Players will not be allowed to select gods, cosmic level characters, or some characters who we feel could upset the balance early in the game. There is no list of the characters who are not available, as we will review each application on a case-by-case basis. After you have been an active member of the Marvel Nights community for some time, we will notify you that, if you wish, you may bring in a second character, and we plan on being more open to allowing a wider field of characters in those cases.

CAN I PLAY AS A VILLAIN?
Not as your first character, no. As above, we may be open to allowing players to take on villain roles as their second characters, once they have participated as a hero in the game for some time.

WHAT ABOUT PLAYING AN EARTH-616 VILLAIN AS A HERO ON EARTH-1050?
Maybe. As you may have noticed, Marvel Nights doesn't have an 'application form' per say. Rather, when applying, we simply ask that you write up a short paragraph or two explaining why you want to play as the character in question. So, if you come up with a convincing argument as to why a character who evolved as a villain on Earth-616 could have instead become a hero on Earth-1050, they I'll be willing to consider it. These requests will be weighed on a case-by-case basis.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER UNIVERSES? CAN I PLAY AS BATMAN/SPAWN/THE CROW?
Hmmm.... As above, I'd be willing to consider these on a case-by-case basis. There are some examples that would fit as-is, just would-not work at all, and some that would have to be heavily altered, but could work. There are some (Superman) I just would not allow, as they just don't fit in the Marvel Universe.

CAN I CREATE MY OWN HERO?
Again, not for your first character. I will consider allowing this for people's second characters, after they have established themselves as a member of the Marvel Nights community.

I'D LOVE TO DO THIS, BUT ALL THE GOOD CHARACTERS ARE TAKEN OR DISALLOWED.
Impossible. Take a look over HERE.