How to play Masks: A New Generation
2–6 players · 180 min
Masks: A New Generation is a superhero tabletop RPG designed by Brendan Conway and published by Magpie Games in 2016. Built on the Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) engine, it focuses specifically on the experience of being young superheroes in a world full of more experienced heroes, powerful villains, and adults who constantly tell you who you should be. The game's defining mechanic is the Label system — five emotional descriptors (Freak, Danger, Savior, Superior, Mundane) that represent how others perceive the characters and how that perception affects their capabilities. Masks captures the dramatic tension of superhero teen media (Young Justice, Teen Titans) where saving the world matters but so does figuring out your identity. A second edition was announced in 2025.
How to play
Playbooks: Each player chooses one of several Playbooks, each representing a superhero archetype: The Bull (raw power and anger), The Doomed (cursed with a dark fate), The Janus (secret identity juggler), The Legacy (living up to a heroic family tradition), The Newborn (newly created being), The Nova (vast, barely controlled power), The Outsider (alien or time-displaced), The Protégé (mentored by an established hero), The Transformed (changed into something not quite human). Each playbook has unique moves, a distinct set of starting Label adjustments, and different ways of shifting the Label system. The Label system: Characters have five Labels rated from -2 to +3: Freak (how weird/unusual you are), Danger (how threatening you are), Savior (how protective/noble you are), Superior (how confident and capable you are), Mundane (how normal and relatable you are). When you act to embody a Label, you roll +that Label. When NPCs influence your Labels (praising, mocking, challenging), your Labels shift — which changes which actions feel natural and which feel difficult. A character whose Danger label is high becomes more threatening but may lose Savior; Labels create a mechanical reflection of social pressure on identity. Moves: PbtA games use Moves — specific triggers that tell you when and how to roll. Basic Moves include: Directly Engage a Threat (physical confrontation), Unleash Your Powers (use powers in risky ways), Defend Someone (protect another character), Assess the Situation (gain information), Persuade an NPC, Support a Team Member, and others. Roll 2d6 + the relevant Label: 10+ is a strong hit with the best outcome, 7–9 is a hit with cost or complication, 6- is a miss where the GM makes a move. Influence: Characters can have Influence over each other — when you have Influence over someone and you tell them something important (affirm or deny their identity), they must roll to Resist Shifting their Labels or shift them. This creates a mechanical representation of social relationships between characters. Conditions: Instead of HP, characters have five Conditions (Afraid, Angry, Guilty, Hopeless, Insecure) representing emotional states. Conditions apply a -2 penalty to specific rolls. Clear conditions by taking appropriate actions or through character moments.
Strategy
Masks is a game about identity, not power optimization — the most rewarding play engages with who your character is becoming, not just what they can do. Lean into your playbook's identity pressure: Every playbook creates a different source of identity tension — the Legacy is constantly compared to their heroic family, the Doomed knows their fate, the Janus fears exposure. These pressures are not obstacles to overcome — they are the game's dramatic engine. Let them create moments of doubt, defiance, and growth. Label management is character development: When an NPC shifts your Labels, they are literally changing who your character is perceived to be. Accepting these shifts (letting your Danger rise because an enemy keeps calling you a threat) creates interesting mechanical changes. Resisting shifts is how characters assert their own identity. The push and pull of Label management IS your character's arc. Influence as dramatic currency: Establishing Influence over another character (by showing them your true self in a vulnerable moment, or by helping them through a crisis) gives you narrative leverage. Using that Influence to affirm something important about their identity — or to challenge it — creates the game's most memorable moments. Team moves compound: Helping a teammate (Support a Team Member) adds +1 to their roll and gives both of you experience. Teams with strong Influence relationships on each other generate more team moves and develop faster. Invest in team relationships, not just individual character moments. The Doom Track (for The Doomed): The Doomed playbook's doom is not just flavor — it is a mechanical timer. Seize every opportunity to advance your doom for extra power now, then accept the narrative consequences. The Doomed's arc is the most explicitly dramatic in the game.
Tips
- Your Labels are not fixed stats — they shift based on what others say about you; engage with that as drama, not a problem to solve. - Conditions represent emotional states, not physical damage; clear them through in-fiction character moments, not just mechanics. - Influence is your most powerful social tool; earn it through vulnerability and use it to shape who your teammates become. - A miss (6-) in PbtA is not failure — it is the GM making an interesting move that advances the story; lean into consequences. - Each playbook has a unique advancement path that reflects its thematic arc; read your full playbook before your first session. - Team moves (helping each other) generate XP and strengthen bonds — coordinate explicitly rather than acting independently. - Adults in Masks are almost always wrong about what the young heroes should do; the game is built on the dramatic irony of being right when the established heroes aren't. - Unlocking new moves through advancement is how characters evolve; prioritize moves that deepen your playbook's identity tension.
Players and time
2–6 players (1 GM + 1–5 players) in 2–4 hours per session. Campaign play over many sessions develops the team's relationships and each character's identity arc. One-shots work but miss the Label-shifting depth of sustained play.
Powered by the Apocalypse
Masks uses the PbtA engine, originally designed by Vincent Baker for Apocalypse World. Other PbtA games include Dungeon World (fantasy), Monster of the Week (supernatural investigation), Avatar Legends (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Ironsworn (Norse fantasy solo). Learning Masks makes all PbtA games more accessible.
Second edition
Masks Second Edition (announced 2025) includes updated and refreshed mechanics, new playbooks, revised lore, and a new format. Check Magpie Games for current availability.
Common beginner mistake
Treating Masks like a combat-focused superhero game and ignoring the Label and Conditions systems. Masks is at its best when the emotional and identity stakes are as important as the physical threat — a battle that also involves a Legacy character's mentor doubting them is far richer than a fight alone.
Sources & attribution
- https://magpiegames.com/pages/masks
Original how-to-play summary — not a substitute for the official rulebook.