A STORYTELLING GAME ABOUT

A HERO, A VILLAIN, AND THEIR CITY

This is an imaginary story (which may never happen, but which then again may),
About someone with great power, who chose to use that power only for the good of all.
It tells of their final triumph, their ultimate showdown with their great and terrible adversary,
And of the city that believed in them, and the people they saved, and the people they couldn’t.
We tell their story and celebrate their successes, knowing they are only a myth.

There is no superpowered hero coming to save us.

We have only our city. We have only ourselves.
We must be our own heroes.
This story is an imaginary story,
But it doesn’t have to be.

Writing: Jeff Stormer

Based On: Beyond the Rift by Dee Pennyway
Layout: Background and designs by Leo Cheung, (http://twitter. com/BlueTwodays)
Art: Cover & spot illustration by Elijah Forbes (http://twitter.com/paintedturtleco)
Special Thanks: Jen Frank, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Jack Kirby

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either are the product of
the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Anyone Can Wear The Mask by Jeff Stormer is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
02
INTRODUCTION
Anyone Can Wear The Mask is an RPG for 1 to 3 players about
a superhero, a supervillain, and their city. Throughout play,
you’ll record the adventures of a great hero as they defend
their city, stand up to those in power, and eventually confront
a terrible nemesis. You’ll draw maps, roll dice, pull cards from
a deck, and make a living record of the city and its people. To
play, you’ll need the following:
• A deck of playing cards, with jokers included but set
aside for now.
• Several six-sided dice.
• A space to make a map, or record location names/
descriptions.
• A space to list character names.
• If you have a Bullet Journal, you can
use it for your names & map.
• Something to write with.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 03
WE ARE OUR OWN HEROES 03
ORIGIN STORIES 04
HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO 06
A DAY IN THE LIFE 07
SOMEWHERE IN IMMINENT DANGER 08
SOMEWHERE PEACEFUL 09
SOMEWHERE PERSONAL 09
SOMEWHERE PROTECTED 10
SOMEWHERE PRIVATE 10
THE DOWNFALL 11
THE UPRISING 12

UNTIL NEXT TIME... 12

WHAT IF? 13
WE ARE OUR OWN HEROES 03
SAFETY AT THE TABLE
Before you sit down to play, you should cover a few key topics with your group (or think them through
for yourself, if you’re playing solo), to ensure everyone is able to enjoy themselves safely.

TONE SAFETY
This is an emotionally challenging game. The Hero MECHANICS
will fail, and people will be lost, and that’s a lot to
Once you’ve confirmed your group is on-board
deal with. The Hero will win in the end, but part
with the premise, take some time to discuss some
of that is rising above their own failures to come
safety mechanics players can use to further ensure
back stronger. Make sure you’re all on-board with
their comfort and support during play:
that before diving into Anyone Can Wear The Mask.
If you’d like to make the game a less emotionally • Lines/Veils: Discuss any topics you don’t
heavy, consider changing the following: want coming up (Lines), or topics you’d
like to approach at arm’s length (Veils).
• You can remove the “1” option from any
of your dice rolls if you want to remove • X/N/O Cards or Signals: At any time, a
the idea of the Hero failing. Treat a 1 as a player can tap the X-Card or making an
result of 2-3, and play as normal. appropriate X-signal to entirely pause play
and/or remove an element from the story,
• You can freely change the “Lose Someone”
no questions asked (whether due to safety
mechanic to represent any sort of worst-
concerns, discomfort, or simply wanting
case scenario: perhaps you Make a New
to go in a different direction). Tapping or
Enemy, or Lose the Public’s Trust.
signalling the N-Card indicates that, while
• The Injury mechanic in the game also play shouldn’t stop, it should move natu-
pushes you towards failure; you can rally in a different direction or past a par-
remove this mechanical effect and just ticular topic. Finally, the O-Card should be
treat injuries as a purely narrative factor tapped/signaled if a player is really feeling
if you so choose. a particular moment and wants to really
explore more of it at the table.
• You can also remove failure altogether, if
you’re more interested in randomly gen- For more information about safety mechanics, refer
erating the exploits of a friendly neighbor- to the TTRPG Safety Toolkit, compiled by Kienna
hood superhero. Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk.
Once you’ve discussed safety at the table, it’s time
to discover our Origin Stories.
04 ORIGIN
STORIES
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
At this point, we meet our three main characters (The
Hero, The Villain, and The City), decide on which role/
roles we’d like to play, and go through some initial
brainstorming to get to know our characters.
First, decide who will play the City.

THE CITY
You are… well, you’re everyone. Ordinary people.
Extraordinary people. Other heroes. Other villains.
People trying to live their lives. People in danger. Taken
together, you’re the city the Hero protects, and the
city that gives the Hero their strength.
As the City, here’s what you’ll do in play:
• Draw cards to determine locations within the
city where the story takes place.
• Name the people that live there.
• Keep a list of the people the Hero saves, and
recite them during The Uprising.
• Roleplay the ordinary people living in the
City as they interact with the Hero during
their adventures.
• Help lift up the Hero when they’re at their
lowest, so they can continue protecting every-
one within their power.

BUILDING THE CITY

To create the City, answer the following questions:
How large is the City?
(The term “city” is used extremely loosely here)
Small Town | Bustling Burough | Major Metropo-
lis | The Whole Wide World | To Infinity & Beyond
The City is broken up into four major sections;
what do those sections look like?
Once you know the Hero’s Strong Suit, you’ll
want to come back to these neighborhoods
and assign a playing card suit to each one. The
neighborhood in which the Hero is most com-
fortable should be associated with their Strong
Suit. The suit that matches the Hero’s Strong Suit
in color only should be assigned to a neighbor-
hood they’re less familiar in, but still comfort-
able with. The remaining two suits should be
tied to neighborhoods where the Hero is out
of their element.
Example: Kirby City is broken up into Morrison
Square city park (Clubs), Simone County Com-
munity College (Diamonds), McDuffiesburg, a
residential district (Hearts), and the jazzy tech
district of Giffen Alley (Spades).
Once the City has answered their questions, decide Once you know the Hero and the City, the remain-
05
who will play the Hero. ing player should create the Villain.

THE HERO THE VILLAIN

Maybe you have incredible powers. Maybe you’re You’re here to destroy. Maybe it’s because you
just that good. But you’ve got a mask, an alter- crave power. Maybe it’s out of spite for the hero.
ego, and the ability to help the people in this city. Maybe it’s part of a larger plan. But this city has to
And as long as those in power won’t do the job, burn, and you’re going to be the one that does it.
that means you have the responsibility to help the
As the Villain, here’s what you’ll do in play:
people in this city.
• Describe the kinds of threats that
As the Hero, here’s what you’ll do in play:
the Hero will overcome.
• Describe how you overcome threats to the • Track the Hero’s injuries and set-
city and its people. backs, but also their greatest
• Describe the people you save, and the successes.
people you don’t. • Roll the dice to determine whether
• Map out your city, its people, your allies, the Hero can save everyone or not.
and your enemies during play. • Keep a list of the Hero’s failures,
• Rise up, stand tall, and defeat the Villain so you can recite them during The
in the final battle. Uprising.
• Ultimately be defeated at the hands
DONNING THE MASK of the Hero.
To create the Hero, you’ll answer the following
questions:
MASKED DANGERS
The Villain’s true form and identity will remain
How powerful are you?
a mystery for now, revealed in full during The
Street-level Vigilante | Friendly Neighborhood Downfall. For now though, you’ll make a quick
Hero | Gifted With Great Power | A Living God list of threats the hero could face; you’ll want to
brainstorm a list of a few options, but you can
Where do your powers come from?
also come up with new threats during play.
Science | Magic | Technology | Ancestry |
These threats can be extremely broad (supervil-
Who Even Knows | Powers? What Powers?
lains, natural disasters), extremely specific (named
What exactly can you do? villains, ‘runaway train cars’), or anything in-be-
tween. They can be world-threatening catastro-
It can be helpful to picture your Hero’s spe-
phes (a meteor is headed to Earth), vile acts of
cific powers to understand the ways you can
villainy (someone poisoned the water supply!), or
stop various threats. If you’re at a loss for
even mundane threats the hero has to face during
ideas, you can always “borrow” some powers
their day-to-day life (you’ve got a deadline!).
from your favorite superhero, use a playbook
or tables from your favorite Superhero RPG,
or leave this intentionally vague and come
PLOTS AND SCHEMES
up with powers during play. For every threat you name, whether broad or
specific, assign them a number from 2 to 10; this
How do you help your city?
way, when a number card is drawn, you’ll be able
This will determine your character’s Strong Suit. to quickly determine what the threat at play is.
• Clubs: You’ll be the shield of the people, This will also create ongoing antagonists and
protecting them so they can thrive. recurring threats for the Hero to face — perfect
• Diamonds: You’ll be the icon that they comic book fodder.
look up to for inspiration.
Once the Hero, the Villain, and the City have
• Hearts: You’ll be the smiling face, a friend
been filled out, it’s time to review How to Be a
to those who need it.
Superhero.
• Spades: You’ll be the dark knight that
avenges the injustice they suffer.
Once you know your Strong Suit, work with the City
to assign each suit in a deck of cards to one of the
neighborhoods they have written down, based on
your relative experience and comfort in each one.
06 HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO
CORE MECHANICS
Each player has a role to play, and certain activities they’ll perform during the game.

ROLLING DICE THE MAP

When it comes time for the Hero to step up and As the Hero explores the City, they’ll make a living
face down a threat, the Villain will roll dice and map of their surroundings. This can take whatever
determine how well they performed under pres- form you like: a series of names & descriptions
sure. Whenever that happens, roll as many dice as connected by lines; notes scribbled on top of a
suggested by the City, and take the highest result. drawing of a real city map; squares on a sheet of
grid paper; whatever is comfortable for you.
For example, if you roll a 1, 3, 4, and 5.
Your result will be 5.
THE JOURNAL
The one exception to this is when, due to external
The Hero will also keep a running log of the people
factors blocking the Hero’s success (such as inju-
they meet and the challenges they face along the
ries and the interference of people in power), you
way. You’ll want to record the following informa-
would be asked to roll less than one die.
tion in your journal:
If you are asked to roll zero dice, you’ll instead roll
Allies & Enemies: The Hero will meet various key
two dice, and take the lowest result. For negative
players (represented by Face Cards) who will help
numbers, you’ll continue adding dice and taking
or hinder them throughout their adventures. You’ll
the lowest result.
want to make notes on who these people are, and
For example, if you are asked to roll nega- how they relate to you.
tive three dice, and you roll a 1, 3, 1, 2, and 6.
Who You Saved: People have names. People have
Your result will be 1.
stories. It’s important to remember the names of
those you helped…
DRAWING CARDS
Who You Lost: And it’s important to pay your
Before play, the Villain should split the deck of
respects to those you couldn’t.
cards in half, and shuffle one of the Jokers into the
bottom half of the deck. This Joker will be referred
to as “Joker 1” from now on.
A CRISIS
At any point during the game, if the deck is fully
During play, the City will draw cards as instructed.
depleted, the City reaches a crisis point, and the
If at any point, a Joker is revealed (including if a
shadow of the Villain grows even larger. Follow
Joker is discarded as a result of Collateral Damage),
these steps to discover what happens:
go immediately to the relevant section of the text:
The Downfall if this is the first Joker being played, The Hero: What is your greatest fear for the City?
and The Uprising if this is the second. Describe how it comes to pass.
If at any point, the City runs out of cards in the deck The Villain: What power do you hope to obtain?
(either because they’ve drawn every card, or cards Describe how you seize it.
were discarded as a result of Collateral Damage),
The City: How do you hope the people of the City
advance immediately to A Crisis.
will rise to walk in the steps of the Hero? Describe
how it happens.
INSPIRATION
Once you’ve described these actions, shuffle the
During play, the Hero may accrue Inspiration as
deck, draw a card and pick a new location.
a result of rising above and becoming something
greater than themselves. When this happens, the
Hero should set aside a token; they can use this
token at any time to recover an Injury suffered at
the hands of the Villain, or to force the Villain to
roll an extra die.

After you understand the core mechanics of the game, move to A Day in the Life.
 07
A DAY IN THE
LIFE
GAMEPLAY IN ACTION
When it’s time to start play, The Hero should make a spot
on the map for their home. Take a moment to describe
where the Hero lives: is it a stately manor? A fortress of
solitude on the far side of the world? Their aunt’s house?
Then, the City will draw a card from the deck, and
describe where the Hero’s next adventure takes them:

Card
Location Page
Value
2-10 Somewhere in 08
Imminent Danger
Jack Somewhere Peaceful 09
Queen Somewhere Personal 09
King Somewhere Protected 10
Ace Somewhere Private 10
Joker 1 The Downfall 11
Joker 2 The Uprising 12
Once you’ve determined the scene of the Hero’s
next adventure, follow the instructions for the
location you’ve drawn.
After you’ve finished following the instructions,
the City will draw a card and pick a new loca-
tion to continue the story.
08 SOMEWHERE IN IMMINENT DANGER
Here the Hero comes face to face with something that threatens the city (whether physically, emotion-
ally, or anywhere in-between). When you arrive here, perform the following:

THE CITY THE VILLAIN

Describe the scene to the Hero. This place is in Refer to the number on the card drawn by the
danger, but it wasn’t always in danger; where is City. If you have listed a threat associated with that
it? Has the Hero been here before? number, that threat resurfaces in a new context in
this new part of the city. If not, introduce a new
Who lives here? There is a threat that is about to
threat and associate it with the number drawn; then,
unfold, but there are also people here. Name them,
if a card of that number is drawn again, you’ll have
describe them, introduce them to the Hero.
a threat ready to go.
Compare the suit of the card to the Hero’s Strong
Take the number of dice suggested by the City.
Suit to describe how familiar the Hero is with this
Subtract one die for any active injuries the Hero
part of the city, and how the people here feel
has sustained, and one die for any People In Power
about the Hero, then pass this information onto
who are opposing the Hero’s efforts. If instructed
the Villain:
to do so, add one die for any points of Inspiration
• Exact Match: You’re in your element, Hero. the Hero chooses to spend. Roll that many dice,
This is your neighborhood; these are your and refer to the table below, asking the Hero any
people. You’ve got this. Tell the Villain to questions associated with the result:
take 3 dice.
• Color Only: The people here know you, but Roll
Result
you haven’t earned their trust yet. You’re Value
going to have to work at it today. Tell the
1 You stop the threat, but despite your
Villain to take 2 dice.
best efforts, you can’t save everyone.
• No Match: You’re out of your element
Lose someone. How do you eventu-
here. Maybe these people don’t trust you,
ally manage to scrape by and stop
maybe you’ve never been to this part of
the threat? Who can’t you save?
the city before. Good luck. Tell the Villain
to take 1 die. 2-3 You manage to stop the threat, but
it’s messy. How do you stop the
threat? What goes wrong along the
way? Either take an Injury, or cause
Collateral Damage.
4-5 You rise to the occasion and manage
to save the day. What great moment
of heroism do you achieve?
6 You push past your limits and
become something greater than
yourself. How do you inspire the
people? Recover one Injury or take
a point of Inspiration.

THE HERO
Answer the Villain’s questions as you are able.
Describe how you save the day. If you take an injury,
tell the Villain, so they can make note of it. If you
cause Collateral Damage (whether physical, emo-
tional, or otherwise), tell the City, and have them
discard the top card off of the deck.
If you successfully save someone, mark their name
in your journal, and set the card aside. This card
becomes your Renown. Your legend has grown and
more people throughout the city look up to you.
This will become very important later.
SOMEWHERE PEACEFUL 09
Here the Hero encounters someone in need. Someone who can help them on their journey to defeat
the villain, but who needs something from the Hero first. When you arrive here, perform the following:

THE CITY THE VILLAIN

Describe the scene to the Hero. There may be In this moment of quiet, the Hero has time to
people here, but it is somewhere the Hero can recover their wounds. If the Hero has any Injuries,
quietly recover and focus their attention on remove one; it no longer applies. However, the
someone specific. threat outside continues to build. Describe the
tension slowly building in the air.
Once you know the place, use the card’s suit to
determine who the Hero encounters here, and
what they need from the Hero:
THE HERO
Describe how you give this person what they need
Who you and earn their trust. Mark the location on your map,
Suit
Encounter and list their name, and the suit of the card drawn
by the City, in your journal as an Ally.
Clubs A comrade; they need a strong
arm to fight at their side.
ALLIES
Diamonds A protégé; they need guidance,
Allies are people that can help you overcome the
a helping hand to lift them up.
many threats that face the City. You can invoke
Hearts A friend; they need someone these people in one of two ways.
to listen.
• If the Villain rolls a 1 for your attempt to
Spades A rival; they need someone overcome a threat that matches the suit
to stand up to them before of an ally, you may treat the result as a 4
people get hurt. or 5 as they come to your aid.
• If there is a Person in Power opposing your
Introduce us to the character. Tell us who they are,
efforts whose suit matches your ally’s, you
and how the Hero can help them.
may choose to sacrifice that ally to take
down that Person in Power. Remove their
name in your journal.

SOMEWHERE PERSONAL
The Hero has a responsibility to the City, yes, but they also have a life of their own. There is a person
behind the mask, and that person has friends, loved ones, and people that count on them. At this
moment, you find yourself in one of those moments, with someone you care about: someone who
knows the real you.

THE CITY THE VILLAIN

Describe the scene to the Hero. Connect it to their In this moment of quiet, the Hero has time to
home space; use this opportunity to ask them recover their wounds. If the Hero has any Injuries,
details of their life outside of superherodom. Then, remove one; it no longer applies.
using the suit of the card, introduce a person close
to the Hero, tied to another part of their life: THE HERO
What do you take away from this meeting? How
Who you
Suit does it help to center you, and how does it help
Encounter
remind you about why you wear the mask?
Clubs Someone connected to the
Hero’s family and/or upbringing.
Diamonds Someone connected to the
Hero’s professional life.
Hearts Someone connected to the
Hero’s social or romantic life.
Spades Someone connected to the
Hero’s origins.
10 SOMEWHERE PROTECTED
There are places in this city that ordinary people will never go. Places far removed from the hustle and
bustle of everyday life. These are the halls of the rich and powerful; those with the money and influence
to change the world, and who choose not to. These people are not your friend, Hero.
Here, the Hero is confronted by someone in a position of power, someone cold and corrupt, but
untouchable, at least for now. This person will do everything they can to interfere in the hero’s plans,
and hold them back from helping people in need, until the Hero can find a way to stop them. When
you arrive here, perform the following then draw a new card:

THE VILLAIN THE HERO

Using the suit of the card drawn, describe the Make a note of this person’s name, and what they’ve
person who lives here, what corrupt deed they’ve done to the City. Remember them; they will con-
done to attract the Hero’s attention, and why the tinue to impede your efforts until you find a way
Hero cannot stop them yet: to bring them down.

Suit
Who you ENEMIES
Encounter
Enemies represent long-term antagonists who
repeatedly oppose the Hero’s efforts to help the
Clubs Someone with powerful political
City. After an Enemy is introduced, every time the
connections.
Villain rolls to see if the Hero stops a threat, if the
Diamonds Someone with great wealth and card drawn matches the suit of the Enemy, they
status. will appear and block the Hero’s progress. Reduce
the number of Dice rolled by 1. This continues
Hearts Someone well-respected with
until either:
great personal acclaim.
• The Hero obtains the Enemy’s Weakness
Spades Someone with illicit connections,
(represented by an Ace)
well-armed and dangerous.
• The Ally of the same suit sacrifices them-
selves to stop the Enemy
THE CITY
Describe this person’s place of power to the Hero.
This place is opulent, decorated with obvious dis-
plays of power and luxury. How does it stand in
contrast to the rest of the City?

SOMEWHERE PRIVATE
Perhaps this is a quiet meeting in a secluded city park. Perhaps this is an empty parking garage, where
you’ve agreed to meet under the cover of nightfall. Here, the Hero meets someone with inside infor-
mation on people in power, and gets an inside look at what makes them tick. This, Hero, is where you
learn how you can win. This is where you learn how you can stop them.

THE CITY THE VILLAIN

Introduce a trusted Confidante to the Hero, and In this moment of quiet, the Hero has time to
describe where the Hero meets them. This should recover their wounds. Cross out one active Injury;
be someone well-connected to people in power, it no longer applies. Then, using your knowledge
but eager to make the world a better place. If the of who the Enemy is, describe to the Hero what
King of the same suit has not been played, describe their weakness is; the one thing that can bring
a mundane scene of friendship, and foreshadow them down and put an end to the harm they’ve
the reveal that will come later. been causing the City.
If the King of the same suit has been played, the
Confidante knows a secret that could topple the
THE HERO
powerful. In addition to playing out the scene, Describe how you bring down your Enemy, and
reveal the Enemy’s weakness to the Hero. remove this person from their place of power. And
then, finally, cross their name out of your journal.
THE DOWNFALL 11
It is here that the Hero is confronted at last by the Villain, who makes themselves known by
striking deep at the heart of the Hero. There is a battle that happens. Lives are lost. Destruction
spreads. And Hero… you are beaten back, for now. You’ll come back. Heroes always do. But this
is your Downfall.

CONSEQUENCES CONTEMPLATION
This is the moment where it all comes undone, when The world is still reeling from the battle. These
the Villain emerges, and the Villain triumphs. how scars will change the landscape of the City forever.
does it all happen?
THE CITY
THE HERO Take a moment of silence to mourn your losses.
Answer the following questions:
• What piece of yourself most scares you?
THE HERO
How do you see that amplified in the Take a moment of silence to deal with your failure.
Villain?
• What weakness are you afraid will be dis- THE VILLAIN
covered? How does the Villain use it?
Let the City and the Hero have their moment. Then,
hand the deck back to the City.
THE CITY
Answer the following questions: THE CITY
• What part of the Hero most scares you? When you’re ready, take the remaining Joker and
How is the Villain the worst version of that? place it in front of the Hero. Tell them what it rep-
• What is your biggest fear for the City? How resents: The Uprising. Their decision to come back,
does the Villain embody that? and move forward, and
make it right, and rise to
THE VILLAIN the occasion. Tell them
why you need them, and
Once you hear the answers from the Hero and the
why you believe in them.
City, answer the following questions:
• What power do you crave? How are you THE HERO
going to seize it?
When you’re ready, pick
• What insurmountable odds will the Hero
up the remaining Joker,
have to overcome to defeat you?
and shuffle it into the deck.
• What hidden weakness do you hope the
Thank the City. Promise
Hero never finds?
you won’t let them down.
Finally, introduce yourself in all your terrible glory Because I can promise you,
to the other players. Describe your powers, equal Hero… this time you won’t.
in measure to the Hero (though perhaps not iden-
tical — you might wield wealth and power how THE CITY
they wield flight and super-strength, for instance).
When you’re ready, draw the
Describe your grand plans. And describe how, when
next card off of the deck and
the battle comes to you, you overpower the Hero.
describe the next location.
Take the deck of cards from the City. Look to the Change your narration going
Hero’s Renown; the number of cards they put aside, forward; show the wounds of
the number of lives they saved. Discard one card the City and the influence of
off the top of the deck for every card in the Hero’s the Villain in everything you
Renown. These cards are never shuffled back in describe. But never forget; the
the deck. Hero will overcome, and the
Hero will save the day.
Alternately, if as a table, you’re
ready to do, you can skip straight
to The Uprising. Whatever feels
right for your story.
12 THE UPRISING UNTIL NEXT
It has all led to this. The Hero is back in the Villain’s TIME...
place of power, having refused to stand down and
With the Villain defeated, the City is at peace.
accept defeat. Their losses hang heavy in the air,
There will be another Villain in time; there’s always
but it’s time to finish this. The Downfall is over; it’s
another issue to sell. But for now, there is quiet. For
time for the Uprising.
now, there is only a City. For now, the Hero can rest.
THE VILLAIN THE CITY
Describe your place of power now that you’re at the
Describe how the City recovers from the Villain’s
height of your glory. Describe the insurmountable
actions. Describe how the Hero’s influence makes
odds, and note how the Hero failed to stop you last
the City a better place, and how their legacy is
time. Describe the power you seek, and the power
carried on in the hearts of the people.
you already have. Note how often the Hero failed.
Name the people they couldn’t save. Ask the Hero
why they think they can change things now.
THE VILLAIN
Describe how the City mourns those it lost. Describe
THE CITY the shadow still cast by the Villain, even though
they are long since defeated.
Tell the Hero what they need to hear. Name the
people they DID save. Tell them how they helped
make this world a better place. Guide them. Encour-
THE HERO
age them. Lift them up. Help them carry the weight Describe how, for an all-too-brief moment, the
of falling short, so they can stand tall now, when Hero rests. How they celebrate their victory. How
they need to most. they spend their downtime. And how they pay their
respects to those that helped them succeed, and
THE HERO those that fell along the way. Then, at last, rest.
This is your moment. Hear what the City has to When the City needs you again, pick up this rule-
say. Repeat the names of the people you saved to book again and start from the top.
yourself. Think about how you helped people in
need. Hear what the Villain has to say. Honor
those you couldn’t save by standing tall in
this moment.
Describe how you fight. Describe how you win.
And move on to Until Next Time.
WHAT IF? 13
OTHER WAYS TO PLAY

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD

TWO-PLAYER MODE
It’s possible to condense Anyone Can Wear the Mask into a two-
player game pretty easily. When doing so, what I recommend is that
one player takes on the role of the Hero, the other takes on the role
of the City, and the role of the Villain is shared between players.
It’s most important that the Hero & City be separate players in this
experience, because that relationship is more core to the game than
that of the Hero & Villain or the Villain & City.

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE

SINGLE-PLAYER MODE
You can play this as a single-player game, condensing all three roles
into one. You’ll simply perform the different parts of play at differ-
ent times, turning the game into a solitary journaling experience.

MASTERMIND POINTS
ANTAGONISTIC VILLAIN PLAY
If you’d like the back-and-forth between the Hero & Villain to be
more competitive, have the Villain put aside any cards discarded by
damaging the City, similar to how the Hero gains Renown. At any
time, the Villain may spend these cards to reduce the number of
dice they roll while the Hero saves the day.
THIS IS AN IMAGINARY STORY...
ABOUT SOMEONE WITH GREAT POWER, WHO CHOOSES TO USE THAT POWER ONLY FOR
THE GOOD OF ALL.

Anyone Can Wear The Mask is a tabletop RPG about a superhero, a supervillain, and the city they share.
Throughout play, you’ll record the adventures of a great hero as they defend their city, stand up to those
in power, and eventually confront a terrible nemesis. You’ll draw maps, roll dice, pull cards from a deck, and
make a living record of the city and its people.

THIS GAME BUILDS ON THE DESIGN OF BEYOND THE RIFT AND TAKES IT
FURTHER THAN I EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. BEING A SUPERHERO IS ROUGH,
AND THIS GAME LETS THAT PAIN SHINE WITH SWEET, VISCERAL STRUGGLE.
- DEE PENNYWAY

ANYONE CAN WEAR THE MASK IS A TRUE LABOR OF LOVE. TOSS OUT YOUR
CYNICISM AND BELIEVE A PERSON CAN FLY... AND DO GOOD.
- JAMES D’AMATO