CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO TEAMUP
Introduction
Welcome to Teamup, the superhero tabletop roleplaying game! Before you get into the weeds of character creation and combat rules, please start here with Chapters 1 and 2, Welcome to Teamup and Fundamental Rules. These chapters communicate the spirit and goal of Teamup, introduce how the game is played, and explain language that Teamup uses that may differ from other tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs for short). Let's jump in and live out our superhero fantasies together!
Tabletop Roleplaying Game
For those of you who have never played a TTRPG before, here is a little bit of what to expect. First, you will create a superhero character. You then roleplay as this character in various encounters in order to complete your character's goals or the objectives the game puts in front of you.
As you roleplay you take on your character's persona, talk in their voice, and make choices as if you were them. This is usually done with a group of people around a table or through video chat online. Sometimes, you will roll dice and follow a simple rules system to determine how well you succeed (or don't!) when you try something difficult.
This is certainly not an exhaustive definition of TTRPGs, and games vary greatly within the genre as each game attempts to achieve a different immersive experience for their players. The aim of Teamup is to "gamify" the make-believe of creative storytellers. It leans heavily into allowing the narrative created by the players to drive the mechanics and the choices your character will make.
Supplies
As a player you need very little to have a good time playing Teamup. You will need a way to access and edit your character sheet, either via a laptop, tablet, etc., or you can print out a copy and write on it with a pencil. You will also need at least one set of polyhedral dice, or access to an online or app-based dice roller. There are seven dice in a standard set of polyhedral dice, referred to by the number of sides they have: e.g. a "d4" has 4 sides. A full standard set of dice will typically contain a d4, d6, d8, 2d10s, d12, and a d20. You can usually find them at your local game store. Pick up one (or a few!) of your favorite sets, and you're ready to roll.
The Game Director
In TTRPGs, one of the players usually runs the game for the other players. They can be called the storyteller, game master, dungeon master, etc… Teamup has a Game Director or GD. This is an homage to the director characters in the superhero stories we love. In those stories, the director brings superheroes together to make a team and inspires them to do great deeds of sacrifice for the good of humanity. Think of Nick Fury, for instance.
Before a game begins, the GD creates obstacles for their players to overcome, characters who will populate the world, a setting for the game, and the general outline of a story (or at least things that will happen to the player characters). GDs – After you understand the basic rules of character creation and combat, Chapter 5: GD Guide will help you to build engaging games for your players.
And speaking of our brave GDs, here are some guiding principles to start you off. Teamup allows players a lot of freedom. There are rules that you will need to know and you should learn them well, but there will not always be rules for everything that your players come up with. Instead of being intimidated by that notion, see it as an opportunity to create and have your own freedom within the game. Also, look for boxes that look like this throughout the book. They contain important notes for GDs.
GD NOTE
There is a lot of freedom in Teamup. This gives you the opportunity to create, gift, honor, and have fun in a space of child-like make-believe and wonder. Make this your game. We have tried to give structure and rules for most situations that may come up. However, if you or a player come up with a new idea that you want to see through, and the game doesn't account for it, then get creative (no matter how bonkers it is!). Use the system how you want.
When you understand the rules, see the section on Special Powers in Appendix C. It explains how you could address things that might stretch the game's rules. Use those examples to make your own "rules" if need be. In the event that the rules don't cover a situation, feel free to make rulings that fit with your table and world. Good luck! You're going to do great! Have fun!
Cooperative Storytelling
Teamup is a narrative-focused game which was designed to give structure to your make-believe superhero fantasies. It is a cooperative, storytelling engine. It does not give you the story. It does not even give you your powers. You bring the story, the creativity, and the brilliant ideas. The game simply provides some rules that attempt to guide the superhero narratives in your creative minds. The hope behind Teamup is that the system can disappear as you get lost in the story, like pretending to be a superhero as a kid.
The rules of combat are intended to be an efficient, rewarding, and exciting theater of the mind experience. If you'd like to play with maps and miniatures, you could do that also! Based on the rules it would not be that difficult to adapt (every square on a classic TTRPG map would be about 20ft). However, this is a story-focused game and thus built to be imagined in your mind.
Let the narrative drive your actions and your choices. Before you know how the game works, pick your powers first. Write your origin story. What kind of hero do you want to be? Choose now – just pick the things you've always wanted to be able to do. Of course, there are rules and mechanics that are important, it's not a "free for all," but Teamup is meant to be a collective, long-form, improvised storytelling experience. If you don't think you have a creative mind, or you've never taken improv classes before, try Teamup anyway. As long as you can dream up a power, you can have fun playing!
Create
Teamup was designed to encourage players to be creative. Let's take unique powers as an example.
You might choose "Control Fire" as your main unique power. The game mechanics define ways you can use your power to attack and defend, save and support, but it's up to you what this looks like. How exactly are you controlling fire to attack? Are you shooting fireballs or jets of molten lava? Do you set your enemies alight from afar, or something else? And how exactly do you use that power to block an incoming ice or water attack?
Be creative! It is okay if it takes you a while to think of something, but say something. There's no "wrong answer" and it will get easier the more you do it. Your game will benefit greatly from your willingness to explain how your powers work, what they look like, and what they are doing in detail. It will make the roleplay experience more exciting and immersive.
Draw inspiration from your favorite superhero comics, shows, and movies. Maybe write down some notes of things that come to you that would look or sound cool. Teamup gives you a framework of rules, but it is up to you to imagine and describe the action. You will find examples and some ideas in this book to get you started with potential powers and traits, but ultimately how you express your abilities is up to you. Become the hero that you've always wanted to be!