4 Tabletop RPGs to play as Power Rangers
Hello. I am Sergio Ake, also known as Axo Red, the main writer and co-creator of Tezca Sentai. It may come as a surprise, but I am a huge fan of Power Rangers and Super Sentai. As a TTRPG gamer, I always look for new games and systems to play as a group of color-coded heroes.
Power Rangers RPG
Power Rangers RPG
Publisher/Author: Renegade Game studios
System: Essence 20
Main Focus: Combat
Giant Mechs: Yes
Color Versatility: no
Books required to play: 1+
Ease of play: Medium.
The official license game is a good starting point. Each character is created by mixing the origin, color, and influences, which are just fancy names for the standard race, class, and background we expect from a d20 system. Also, the fact that the abilities from the color are so linked to MMPR can force you to go for a Teenagers with attitude balancing high school and superheroing, which is good but can leave aside great stories like In Space, Time Force, or SPD unless you buy in the module books for those kind of adventures, which forces you to buy the other modules to get the flavor of PR you want if you are not a big fan of MMPR. Overall, it is not bad, and it can be a good game to start if you are most familiar with DnD, but it can feel too overwhelming and lack the freedom to do anything other than combat.
Tezca Sentai
System:Lights, Camera, Roll! (FiD adapted)
Main Focus: Team dynamics
Giant Mechs: No, Work in progress!
Color Versatility: yes
Books required to play: 1+
Ease of play: Easy.
A theme like this cannot escape a little bit of shameless self promotion. Tezca sentai was built from the idea of a medium point between the action and the social part. (partly because I’m not the biggest fan of purely social TTRPGS). We focused on the team aspect as a middle ground. We follow the idea of following the structures of a TV show as a framework to make it easier for players to understand when it's better to think about social interaction and when to go full deep into the action. However, it's still missing parts and we are slowly making them in preparation for something bigger, better and as a certain theme song would say “Stronger than before”.
Teens with Attitude
Main Focus: Social interaction
Giant Mechs: No
Color Versatility: no
Books required to play: 1+
Ease of play: Medium.
Suppose the official game is more focused on the flashy combat and explosions of the show. In that case, this game goes the opposite way, focusing mainly on interpersonal drama and growing relationships. It also draws from many other shows with teams of heroes, so it's not only for PR but for many others. It's fun, easy, and a great play if you want something more straightforward.
Mutants and Masterminds
System: Mutants & Masterminds
Main Focus: Combat
Giant Mechs: Yes
Color Versatility: Yes
Books required to play: 1+
Ease of play: Har.
Mutants and masterminds is a game designed to house any kind of superhero in their ranks, including a team of color-coded heroes. It has that versatility thanks to an ability-buying system where you give your hero the powers you want and can afford with the points at your disposal. But with great freedom comes great complexity in the character building, it can take a lot, and if your players are not used to such systems, it could confuse them to death. It's better to play with veteran players who know what they want and can exploit the ability to create the hero they desire. I’m talking from experience. This was technically the second TTRPG I played, and my friends and I spent hours creating our heroes.
Thank you for reading. If you know of or want to share a game that is not on this list, please write it in the comments. You can also use the same template I used to describe it.
I am Sergio Ake, also known as Axo Red, the main writer and co-creator of Tezca Sentai. I do project managment at Axo stories, and development editing for writers