The “New” Wonder Woman And Converting Existing Characters To TTRPGs.
I love looking through old TTRPG books as it is interesting to see how games have changed over time.
I’m also a massive Wonder Woman fan, so when a friend gave me this Wonder Woman source book for the DC Heroes system, I was so happy!
This sourcebook and single-player adventure were published in 1988.
The late 80s were an important time for DC Comics. DC Heroes came out in 1985 (and the 2nd edition would come out in 89) and the massive crossover event “Crisis On Infinite Earths” ended in 86.
Seeing George Pérez’s name on the cover makes me so excited. His work on Wonder Woman was amazing. He made the character into a hero who totally fits into the myths she was originally based on. His artwork is also fantastic and this book is stuffed full of amazing images!
The “How to use this book” section sums up why this book exists. Crisis had turned the world upside down and the old edition no longer fit with the comics it was designed to emulate. Wonder Woman post-crisis is pretty much a totally different character to the pre-crisis one
The “How to use this book” section sums up why this book exists. Crisis had turned the world upside down and the old edition no longer fit with the comics it was designed to emulate. Wonder Woman post-crisis is pretty much a totally different character to the pre-crisis one
We also get a few little details to help us understand the book and its abbreviations. I really want to know what item in this system costs over a quintillion dollars, I’m presuming it is one of Batman’s toys.
DMs have you ever had something cost over a quintillion money?
The first few pages go out of their way to stress that this book is for the “new Wonder Woman” who came about post-Crisis.
The writing of this segment does amuse me, as it reads like a press release. Though it does a good job of getting across what makes Diana special.
After that we explore Diana’s stats.
These will be pretty familiar to you if you’ve played DC Heroes, note that “Empathy” is one of her powers (this is important in the context of this book). Overall, the new Wonder Woman looks like she would be really fun to play!
The next few pages explain Wonder Woman’s backstory. It is always nice to be reminded of lore tidbits that I had totally forgotten about.
Diana Trevor and Julia Kapatelis are great concepts and I’m sad they have been removed from newer Wonder Woman media.
The advice for roleplaying Wonder Woman is beautifully written.
In a few paragraphs, it sums up why I fell in love with this character as a kid.
The note about the open-handed strike is also great, giving players a simple and tangible way to mechanically role play Diana.
One thing I’ve grown to love about DC Heroes is how it isn’t afraid to have characters skirt certain rules if it makes sense for them.
Diana being a pacifist warrior is core to her character in this era and I think that duality makes her interesting to play.
Of course, we can’t have a discussion of post-Crisis Diana without mention of the gods.
These tips are actually good advice for any DM who is looking to put classical gods in their world. These rules keep them approachable while retaining their innate other-worldliness.
The book also includes a really detailed guide to all of the Olympian gods, even talking about ones that hardly ever appeared in the comics!
The highlight of this section is a full-page Olympian god family tree.
We then get a guide to Themyscira/Paradise Island I had totally forgotten that the island was hidden in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle!
Even if you’re not planning to play DC Heroes, this section is a really fun read, just to get more detail about the island!
Then we get NPCs, and I’m happy to report Etta Candy is here!
While this Etta isn’t the sorority leader of the William Marston era, she is still a wonderful character who shows how the Amazon ideals of love can translate into the real world.
And of course, what is a superhero without some supervillains?
Weirdly, this section starts with Darkseid, who I wouldn’t usually consider a Wonder Woman villain. Though his inclusion here is due to the events of “Crisis On Infinite Earths”.
After that comes two villains you expect, Cheetah and Silver Swan. I admire the statting here.
DC Heroes was able to convert many varied powers into a simple system without making any character feel useless or non-functional.
Circe also makes an appearance.
Can I just say how much I love 80s Circe? I adore the idea of a villain who will die if they kill the hero, but still spends 90% of their time trying to kill the hero.
Honestly, she was a big influence on how I write all of my villains!
Finally, we get Eris, the Goddess Of Discord.
Eris was the big feature of this book, as she gets a special mention on the back cover.
She also gets by far the most page-space of any villain. It makes me want to track down some comics featuring her as she sounds pretty awesome!
Now it is time to dive into “Strangers In Paradise” the solo-adventure.
Or as this book calls it, Solitaire play.
Can we bring that term back? I think it is a lovely way to describe single-player role-playing. Also, these headings are so 80s it hurts.
The story summary sets the scene nicely. E
ven today I think this type of story is one that would draw people in and get them interested.
It uses Diana’s status as a UN ambassador to inject some political intrigue and social commentary into your standard superhero format!
Interestingly, this adventure is laid out like a “Choose your own adventure” book.
After each section, it tells you which heading to go to based on your rolls or choices.
It even comes with a massive flowchart overview of the whole adventure!
This is an example of one of the encounters.
I’ve not read the whole thing, mostly because I’m thinking about streaming myself playing this, so I don’t want any spoilers.
But I’m a fan of this way of doing a solo adventure, it seems to be really easy to follow.
And we’re blessed with more stunning Pérez artwork.
Overall, I’m totally in love with this book, the DC Heroes system is super fun and does a great job of evoking the feeling of DC comics in the late 80s.
This book also reminds me of why I fell in love with Wonder Woman!
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, artist, and tabletop roleplaying game designer who has written for CBR, Polygon, Nintendo Life, Gayley Dreadful, Enbylife, and many other publications. They have also published several popular and highly-praised tabletop roleplaying games including “You Have One Ability….The Ability To Fuck This Up,” “Macarons, Milkshakes, And Magic,” and “Wander Wizards.”
Jonathon has always been fascinated by media, from the big hitters to the small, obscure, and often overlooked titles that linger on the sidelines, capturing both the on and off-camera stories that make these shows so fascinating.
Jonathon is also a major anime fan, having been exposed to the medium through shows like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Since then, Jonathon has maintained a passion for anime, watching most new shows each season and hunting down overlooked gems from previous ones.