Giving an end to our tour through all the DC Comics iterations in the RPG world, now we enter to examine the latest licensed tabletop RPG based on DC properties. Brought to us thanks to the effort of "Green Ronin Publishing" a company with more than 15 years in the gaming business.
Green Ronin Publishing made a reputation in the early 2000's after Wizards of the Coast (the owners of "Magic the Gathering") bought the rights for the legendary "Dungeons and Dragons" (D&D from now on) franchise and created the third edition for the game (based on the so called d20 system) alongside the "Open Game License" (OGL from now on). This license allowed individuals and amateur or profesional companies to create derivative works to be played using the rule mechanics from the third edition of D&D with the condition the product had to include a copy of the license and a tag on the cover that stated it required D&D's three core rulebooks (Player's handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual) to be played.
This move was thought by Wizards of the Coast as a way to stop the growing wave of new RPG entering to the market with incompatible rule systems and bring all creative people under the same umbrella publishing games and supplements fully compatible with D&D which would represent more sales of the core rulebooks.
The OGL originated a revolutionary movement that brought dozens (if not hundreds) of individuals, small and big companies in the RPG business to publish games, supplements and other sourcebooks fully compatible with D&D. The third edition rules were an instant hit and still today it is considered as the most successful edition ever.
As the market expanded, more and more publishers threw themselves into the new third edition fever, some released just standard fantasy material but others were more creative and started experimenting with other genres (sci-fi, war, steampunk, western) and is on these early years of experimentation that Green Ronin hit home with the game "Mutants and Masterminds" (M&M from now on) using the d20 system and created under the terms of the OGL.
M&M was published in 2002 the same year than "Silver Age Sentinels" (d20 version) but the first was downright more successful and still remains strong after almost 15 years and three editions, being perhaps the most played RPG game in the superhero genre nowadays. Green Ronin even created a license for M&M to allow third parties to create derivative works compatible with the game, this has glutted the market with a growing wave of new supplements and sourcebooks.
After the success harvested with M&M, Green Ronin was ready for the major leagues and acquired the license to produce a RPG based on the DC Universe and published "DC Adventures" in 2010. The quality of the product was such that received several award nominations specially for the artwork and the neat presentation.
The product line encompasses four books, the core rulebook, two expansion sourcebooks with stats for several heroes, villains and supporting cast and a campaigns setting book describing the DC Universe (pre-flashpoint), all published with one year of difference being the last one published in 2013.
The line seems to have been conceived as only for those four books (perhaps DC has limited the license due the "New 52" restructuring or just learned from the past to sell short-term licenses only), no information has been given by Green Ronin about new releases (game's official website has not been updated since November 2014) so it is a fact the line is over and only these four books were produced.
Regarding Metamorpho, I am really pleased to see the character has been given a full three-page spot inside "DC Adventures Heroes and Villains: Vol. 2". The most pleasant thing I see is at last a DC Comics RPG provides stats for the Element Man's supporting cast as Simon, Sapphire and Java are included as well.
Whether you are or not a Metamorpho fan, the books from this RPG are worth collecting and the small extension of the line makes it way easy to assemble a complete collection on your bookshelf. M&M still rules unbeaten so the longevity of these products is secured for the years to come, who knows, perhaps before the lack of a better offer to enter the RPG market again, DC decides to team up with Green Ronin one more time to expand this memorable RPG line.
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