Sentinels of Earth-Prime Press Release

What?

I really don't know how I feel about this.

Wow.

This is new, and interesting. I know that only a few people know but I'm curious if they be new decks, how the rules will work, and how it differs from a new expansion if it's compatible.

We will find out more soon I hope. 

Hmm...so it's like Sentinels-but-not and the two games' decks can work with each other? Sounds...interesting?

+1 to the club of unsure reaction

I think that this is an interesting idea. From what I understand of the article, they're taking the M&M world and SotM-ifying it(in terms of making it into a card game), and if you really want, you'd be able to swap in any of the existing SotM decks?

As a fan of the M&M setting, this intrests me...

I look forward to details in the future and seeing what develops from this.

Also, what does this mean in terms of the video game?

Ooooo, I didn't think about that... Probably a bit early to think about it. Would be cool to see Centurion and Captain Thunder in videogame form, though. :)

It's M&M-flavored SotM. It'll be fine.

I know very little about Mutants and Masterminds... I get the feeling I will soon be learning a whole lot about Mutants and Masterminds. Put me in the excited camp.

Also, this seems like a really smart way to expand the fanbase of both games.

Yeah, this is my thoughts, also. 

I feel exactly the same. I thought it was kind of a questionable decision to put an end their flagship product (and admitedly expected it to come around in some form or another). I'm eager to see how it will turn out!

Feels like a good solution. Seems to me Christopher and Adam want to progress the sentinels story using the RPG as a different system and they can still continue the card game using a the M&M theme.

I'm probably going to treat this like the Cerberus Engine or Legendary: it's modular content that can be either interweaved for interesting shenanigans (hey, there's Marvel characters fighting on The Serenity!), but mostly intended to play entirely separately from each other and give people who don't necessarily like the original theme a way to dive into the system (I usually do the same thing with fan expansions from BGG, both for Sentinels and other games). Just hope it doesn't go the way of these systems where they get over-bloated with themed expansions that it dilutes the meaning of the original.

Looking forward to seeing more before I make a final judgment, but optimistic for more Sentinels gameplay!

Let's just hope everyone gives this new venture a chance, and we avoid the "It's not Sentinels, so I don't like it! Hmph!" mentality. Especially durring the Kickstarter.

So it's M&M-themed Sentinels decks, or a completely different game? It's very unclear about that. I'll admit, I don't know much about M&M lore despite having played it, but I'm all for more Sentinels decks, if that's the case!

Good enough!

(I think Cauldron's a lot better when mixed with SOTM anyway, so...)

Sentinels of Earth-Prime, a new version of the hugely successful Sentinels of the Multiverse card game using the core setting of the Mutants & Masterminds RPG. 

So yeah, looks like Cauldron, but by Green Ronin and, more importantly, with Christopher's input.  That's a critical point--I'm familiar with Green Ronin from their d20 products, which are among the best of the 3rd-party d20 products but still nowhere as good as the actual D&D ones.  But I trust Christopher, so depending on how involved he is, this would either be a "must buy" or a "wait and see" for me.

Well, this looks promising.

I've been a fan of M&M since I playtested the first edition, and currently (well on hiatus) I've got an M&M Cosmic game going, sort of like a cross between Green Lantern Corps and Guardians of the Galaxy.

We even have an intelligent talking animal (although I don't think that the parallel with Rocket Raccoon was intended).

Anyway, I'm going to back this if at all possible. I look forward to seeing Earth Prime in card format.

This morning I've just been thinking about all the M&M characters I've made (like, two, but still) and now I'm all excited. Granted, my actual experiences playing the RPG aren't gonna have anything to do with this, but the human mind is a strange and silly thing.

If only they could modulize power sets and let you build characters out of module decks of say 10 cards each.

Or something.  It totally would not work.

But playing a M&M game would make me want my M&M characters, not their ones that I never played as.

I know Christopher has stated that making different characters with similar power sets is fun, but there is so much overlap and I never got into their characters, mostly because RPG NPCs are very stereotyped and kind of bland.

The best part of SotM isn't Christopher's design talent, although he is really good, it is the storytelling.  His characters are ones I like better than the ones on the comic book shelves.

Christopher turning someone else's story into mechanics doesn't seem nearly as promising.

Meh.

Not sure I will buy into this new set, Mutants & Masterminds is a fine RPG system but I have never once looked at the setting material for it.

100% agree with all you said. Modular decks would be a fantastic way to breath new life in SotM and would totally make sense considering the source material is an RPG book (if I understand correctly). For me too, the worldbuilding and storytelling part of the SotM product line is at least half the enjoyment. I really want to give this upcoming game chance though.

M&M has alot of setting and history to it, enough to fill several whole books on the subject! I would spend hours just reading through them, getting familiar with the world and characters and enjoying all the work and possibilities they provided for play. There's more than enough there for Green Ronin to make some awesome decks.

One thing I've been wondering: Would Adam be making the art, or is that left up for the artists at GR?

Put me down for excited. Any chance to get more licenses on this, if done well, I fully support and look forward to. I don't know much about the setting, but I knew nothing about the Sentinels setting going in to the card game either. I'm looking forward to learning more about it.

Now if Handelabra incorporates this into their game they can just take my money now as well.

The more I think about this the less convinced I am that I am going to buy this. Part of what I love about Sentinels is not the game, but learning the story as we went along, I can't see M&M doing that given it's based on an existing property.

While I've grown to really enjoy the Sentinels lore, what hooked me initially was the gameplay, so I've got no issue with a new game using the SOTM mechanics even if I'm not familiar with the new lore.  My only real "worry" is that this new game distracts development time/attention away from games already set in the Sentinels universe, but since Chris has already said (on reddit) that's not an issue, I guess I'm fine.   And if this new game's success helps enable GtG to continue making great games (which includes a new SOTM-style game), then count me as excited!

Ah, that's neat. Lots of cool and fun art in the M&M Books, so I'm eager to see what they come up with. :)

I'm with dprcooke--the characters in SotM grew on me after a while, but it's the mechanical aspects of the game that got me interested to that point.  I'm sure the M&M heroes and villains will grow on me just as much, as long as their mechanics are compelling.

I know M&M has a setting book which probably has a little bit of info on their iconic heroes and villains.  Do they have anything else?  Novels, comic books, or whatever?  If not, then it could easily be the same sort of thing as SotM where you have to infer the story from the flavor text (or from the devs' offhand comments).

I'm going to wait for more information before getting hyped for this. Like Matchstickman the lore is what really got me invested in Sentinels of the Multiverse. I do enjoy the mechanics, that's what got me so into the lore. I know nothing about Mutants and Masterminds, I have never played it and do not see it occurring in the near future. Now if it was a Champions game in the SotM style then I would totally be on board with the hype. I would totally love to have the Freedom Five and The Champions teaming up to face off against the big bads.

I feel neutrally. I got into Sentinels as a board game, but then I came to love the characters and lore. I suppose I'm glad that the mechanisms will continue to see fresh development, but as it is one of the things I really love about Sentinels is how unique it is. It stands alone among board games.

M&M/Freedom City has multiple setting books in all three M&M editions.

Many of what would seem to be more generic books (like the Cosmic book, for example) have setting material included.

I'm kind of surprised people are "meh" about this, but oh well.

I feel like this as well.

Christopher's storytelling and worldbuilding is a huge part of the attraction of the game for me, and as much as I like the mechanics I'm just not really interested in another superhero IP.

I'm not really interested in superheroes in general, tbh. I have played M&M and enjoyed it, but that's with self-generated characters which makes a lot of difference to me.

Even if this wasn't being made with tried and true game mechanics, headed by a great designer like Christopher, or made with an IP that's pleased an entire swath of fans for around a decade, I'd still buy this on account of wanting to support GTG and encourage them to try new things.

And for those of you who are hesitant because it's not going to be the SotM lore(note the "Hmph!" mentality I mentioned earlier in this thread), try giving one of the M&M books a read. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Like, one thing I think that both Sentinels of the Multiverse and Mutants & Masterminds have in common is that to some extent they're love letters to superhero media. If that shines through with Sentinels of Earth Prime (and I would be surprised if it didn't) it will have its own appeal.

I'll happily buy this to support both >Games and Green Ronin. I've been into M&M since 1st edition, and while I mostly used custom settings I do like some of their characters. More importantly it's more options for game nights. If it is truly compatible with SOTM it's a win-win. More things to add on to our fun little game. Heck, I bought The Cauldron for more options, why wouldn't I buy this? 

My mindset is "more to love." I look forward to it, with mild anticipation.

The Cauldron, for me at least, would not be a good selling point. I just couldn't get passed the artwork or some of the hero concepts. I respect the attempt, but it just wasn't for me.

The artwork for M&M has been pretty phenomenal and the heroes I've read about so far seem pretty interesting. I don't think I'll be mixing and matching sets though. It might be a little jarring having two completely different art styles at the table. Plus I was never a huge fan of the big comic cross-over events like DC and Marvel.

I agree with Powerhound 2000. I look forward to the Kickstarter and what the game entails.

I like the idea and I am excited to see a non Sentinels Comics version. However, I know nothing about M&M so I cannot comment on the universe and I have no idea what characters to expect.

Oho!  Well, as someone whose games departed from canon a long time ago, and who tragically only enjoys a handful of the Cauldron heroes, having more high-quality grist for the character mill is always an upside.

Besides which, although I never stayed very close to M&M canon either, there are a handful of characters I am very curious to see them tackle.  As a design challenge, the executions for a second each Batman and Flash could be cool... but I am really excited to see what we get for Doctor Metropolis.  The spirit of a city, which fights by animating objects?  That sounds like a pretty radical Hero deck.

On the villain side, I hope that we get at least one character who is more of a tribute to 60's-style excess than really fit into SotM - someone like Dr. Simian, Baron Samedi, or Captain Kraken (yes, these characters are exactly what you think they are) to balance out the obvious Dr. Stratos and Overshadow.

I'm excited, but only if it integrates well with the existing card game.  I like the fact that Christopher will be involved.  I'm not big into the whole Cauldren thing, but would be excited to see an official expansion, even if it set in a different universe.

You had me at Dr. Simian.

...Y'know, every now and then I come up with "Doctor Metropolis" when trying to think of Doctor Manhattan's name.

I forgot that was a real character. And now I remember his deal. And I am very excited, right alongside you. :D

I'm interested in how they'd tackle characters like Bowman. I've always been a fan of the more traditional super archer myself, an athletic person who uses both quick thinking and a dead-eye aim with an arsenal of special trick arrows to take down villains. I know we have an archer already, but you've got to admit that she's far from a traditional super hero archer.

I'm excited to see what Christopher and the guys from Green Ronin come up with! :)

Likewise.  It's doubly funny, because Metropolis' nemesis is Hiroshima, who - well, I guess people can figure out that whole deal.

Regarding Cauldron comparisons, I don't wish to downplay that community.  I am a firm believer in fan-made expansions to board games, and have a few custom SotM decks, myself.  But, at the same time, it's hard to duplicate that extra level of polish that months of playtesting and years of experience designing things for this game, specifically, can bring.  I certainly see a huge uptick in quality between most of the early heroes and the more recent ones (so much so, I would actually love to buy a "Sentinels remastered," with the original ten heroes and four villains reworked to integrate some of the design lessons of the last five years), so as a student of design, getting to see that refinement continue to play out is a big selling point for me.

Ah, and I'd love to see a deck for Whoop-Ant and his team too! Gotta love teen heroes and the dynamics they can provide!