Hey Game Fans, we’re back with a spotlight on one of our favorite shows, and the underlying RPG Concept that it has at its core. Today we’re going to talk about Masters of the Metaverse, a live streaming show on Hyper RPG’s hyperactive, interactive, community driven gaming experience twitch channel. Masters is put together by the wonderful people at Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, who have a host of entertainment credits under the belt. (Don’t worry, we’ll toss up some links at the end of this article for the where to finds). Masters of the Metaverse is one of the more interesting concepts for an RPG experience, and it’s one very successful way to translate the rpg experience around the table to a live show experience that is easy to understand for an audience. Let’s dig in.
Masters of the Metaverse uses the Tri-Stat: Dx system as it’s game engine (which is a wonderful game system that’s rules light and slots into a lot of different genres) very successfully to power the story that the ZOE crew is telling. The conceit of the game is fairly simple. The players are “Metapilots” who use a combination of “SCIENCE!” and “SCIENCE!” to hope between parallel universes, and interact with the inhabitants of those wildly different places. However, they can’t manifest directly in that universe (so far), so they take control of a person (and that’s a very liberal usage of the word person) from that world as an avatar to interact with it. Operating in teams, these Metapilots try and solve crises and figure out what’s going on around them.
Each player in the game controls their metapilot, and an avatar to interact with the world around them. The Metapilot has a host of special abilities, skills, and other traits that they can interact with the world through their avatar. In addition, the Avatar has a character sheet of its own with all the typical traits you’d expect a character to have. The part that i really like about this game is the idea that the Metapilot can choose how much conscious control they have over their avatar, ranging from being an observer watching what’s going on to direct control.
This means that each player has effectively two characters to control, that are hopefully working towards the same goal of accomplishing whatever the task at hand is. This dual personalities leads to some interesting combinations of capabilities and interactions that make the game a treat to watch. With a rotating pool of game masters and players, (along with guest stars), the show is a constantly changing dynamic pool of energy and fun.
The other thing to keep in mind is that it is a show that encourages audience participation. For a nominal donation, the fans can give the Metapilot/Avatar combo of their choice a bonus, allow for rerolls, and if they’re feeling extra spicy, they can hack the game and introduce new elements to the story. One of my favorite elements of this has been the Alien A-Team addition during the second season. It’s a very VERY interactive way to experience an RPG, akin to attending a Rocky Horror Show (less flying toast so far).
It’s fun, and there aren’t very many shows that feature this combination of interaction and frequent, unexpected change. If this sounds like your jam, (and honestly, why wouldn’t it?) be sure to check them out live on Hyper RPG’s twitch channel monday nights at 6 pm PST. It’s a game that treats itself with just the right level of seriousness, and it’s a lot of fun to watch. Be sure to check them out and join in one of the most enjoyable RPG experiences i have seen.
Game On, Game Fans
So, Some helpful links:.
Tri-Stat: DX Core System can be found here
Hyper RPG on Twitch can be found here
Masters of the Metaverse Season 1 can be found here
Masters of the Metaverse Season 2 can be found here
Zombie Orpheus Entertainment can be found here
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