POW!
The POW! Core Rules are the centerpiece of a simple, adaptable game system designed for quick-moving, action-based role-playing sessions. POW! is simple enough for beginners, yet flexible and expandable enough to appeal to the most battle-hardened role-player. True mastery of the POW! engine can only be achieved through years of difficult physical chores, daily meditation, and the careful yet obscure guidance of Shaolin monks. No, wait... that's Kung Fu. Actually, POW! is easy to pick up. In fact, you should be well on your way once you read through the Core Rules.
A quick look around the Internet will turn up dozens of "Generic Role-Playing Systems," most of them easy-to-use, many, like POW!, also free. So what makes POW! different? Lights, Camera, and of course Action!
* POW! is Rules-Light. This means that the engine has very few dice mechanics, very few variables, and almost no specific rules for Dodging Arrows while Riding a Heavily Encumbered War Elk Through a Swamp at Midnight. POW! leaves out many of the crunchy bits in favor of more streamlined gameplay.
* POW! is Camera-friendly. Which isn't to say that it photographs well, but rather that the style of gameplay is camera-like. POW! games move along in frames, snapshots of action that give everyone a chance to act, much like scenes from a comic book, or photographs in a scrapbook.
* POW! is Action-centric. While this is a role-playing game (defined in more detail on the next page), POW! doesn't pretend to be the sort of game which demands that players spend six hours trying to negotiate peace treaties. You can do that if you like, but POW! isn't designed for it. POW! means action, as in SNAP, CRACKLE, CRASH, BANG, BOOM!
About Worldbooks
You could describe the POW! system as what's known as "Beer and Pretzels," meaning a system which is designed for informal, one-night gaming sessions as opposed to long-term campaigns. And to an extent, this is true. You can play a session of POW! in a few hours and never again use the same characters.
But the POW! Core Rules are not at all designed to be used all alone. POW! is intended for use with POW! Worldbooks, which provide an assortment of settings that can all be used with the same core ruleset. POW! is the skeleton, a framework giving shape and support while allowing many different skins (the Worldbooks) to be wrapped around the outside.
Thus, while the POW! Core Rules are simple, designed to allow for free-flowing, fun sessions not bogged down by dice or numbers, the Worldbooks add a depth of detail that's greater than a typical Beer and Pretzels game can offer. So sure, it's Beer and Pretzels Role-Playing. But one night you might be in the mood for Chocolate-Raspberry Ale and Parmesan-Sourdough Pretzels, and the next you might just want a nice Lager and some crunchy pretzel bits with mustard.
Whether you follow everything in here exactly as it stands, or adapt the rules for use in your own way, we sincerely hope that you will use POW! to have fun. That's why we designed POW!, and we hope that's why you pick it up.
FAQ
1. Can I use POW! by itself without any Worldbooks?
If you're creative, you can probably pull that off. However, most people will find it difficult to do so.
2. Is the POW! Core Rules PDF password protected?
The POW! Core Rules and Worldbooks are, by default, password protected, preventing editing or text extraction. However, we have every desire to make this product useful to our loyal customers. As such, legitimate purchasers of POW! products are invited to email aeon@aeforge.com for the password required to unlock the PDF for copying/pasting. Please email using the same account you used to purchase the product. We apologize for any inconvenience.
3. Why are you giving this away for free?
aethereal FORGE is primarily a content house. We'd like to focus on creating and selling our content, in the form of Worldbooks. As a means to support that agenda, we've created the POW! Core Rules as a way of uniting all our creative efforts, and encouraging potential fans to check us out.
4. What did you use to make the POW! Core Rules?
POW! was generated on a Macintosh running OS 10.3.5. It was written in Microsoft Word X and BBEdit 8.0, laid out in Adobe Indesign 2.0, compressed using Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional, and zipped using ZipIt 2.2.2. Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and Illustrator 10.0 were used for additional graphic editing and resizing. Cover art came from the Corel Gallery ClipArt Catalog 1.0.
5. Who are the featured artists?
Many thanks to the following, who contributed their artwork:
- Lazarus Ray Berry electricorange.keenspace.com
- Jesus & Javier Carmona Esteban www.carmonaart.com
- DJ Coffman www.djcoffman.com
- Carlos Cruz www.themediaguys.com
- Gary Dupuis www.gdupuis.com
- Phil Evans www.wizzbang.biz
- Ian Hurst ian.dezineunit.com
- Jason McCuiston www.jasonjmccuiston.com
6. What do I do if I find a typo/ discover a flaw/ have a complaint?
Email any comments, concerns, suggestions, etc. to aeon@aeforge.com.
7. So where can I download this thing?
Right here:
POW! / Power Grrrl Errata & Corrections
Free POW! Core Rules download (PDF, Zipped)
Buy the Power Grrrl Worldbook (PDF, Zipped)
Join the POW! Mailing List to learn about changes and new releases.