Picture this: it’s 2010, skinny jeans are still a thing, and the CW’s Smallville is wrapping up its decade long run as the ultimate superhero soap opera. Clark Kent is brooding, Lois Lane is sassing, and Lex Luthor is scheming business as usual in the small Kansas town that’s inexplicably a hotbed for meteor powered chaos. Enter the Smallville Roleplaying Game by Margaret Weis Productions, a tabletop RPG that dares to ask: what if you could dive into this world of superpowered teen drama, but with dice, friends, and a whole lot of interpersonal conflict? Buckle up, because we’re about to take a deep dive into this gem of a game, complete with its innovative mechanics, soap opera vibes, and a surprising amount of heart. And maybe a few chuckles along the way.
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A Superhero Game That’s More Dawson’s Creek Than Justice League
Let’s get one thing straight: the Smallville RPG isn’t your typical superhero game. If you’re expecting to roll a d20, punch a villain into next week, and level up your laser vision, you’re in for a surprise. Published in 2010, this game, designed by Cam Banks, Josh Roby, and a talented team, takes the Smallville TV show’s DNA teen angst, secret identities, and convoluted love triangles and builds a roleplaying experience around that instead of spandex clad brawls. It’s less about how hard you can punch and more about why you’re punching (or not punching) in the first place. Think Superman meets The OC, with a dash of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s emotional stakes.
The game is set in the Smallville universe, a pre Superman take on Clark Kent’s early years, where he’s less “Man of Steel” and more “Man of Feels.” Players can take on the roles of iconic characters like Clark, Lois, Chloe, or Oliver Queen, or they can create their own original characters to navigate the meteor-freak-filled streets of Smallville. But here’s the kicker: the game doesn’t care if you’re a Kryptonian powerhouse or a nosy journalist with a knack for trouble. Everyone’s on equal footing, thanks to a system that prioritizes narrative and relationships over raw power. It’s a bold move, and one that makes this RPG stand out in a genre often obsessed with stats and superhuman feats.
Cortex Plus: The Engine That Powers the Drama
At the heart of the Smallville RPG is the Cortex Plus system, a shiny new iteration of Margaret Weis Productions’ Cortex system, which had already powered games like Serenity and Battlestar Galactica. But don’t let the “Plus” fool you into thinking it’s just a fancier version of the same old thing. Cortex Plus, as introduced in Smallville, is a bespoke engine designed to capture the soap opera essence of the show. It’s like the developers took the Cortex system, fed it a steady diet of CW drama, and let it loose to wreak havoc on your gaming table.
Here’s how it works: instead of traditional attributes like Strength or Intelligence, your character is defined by Values and Relationships. Values are the big, thematic drives that motivate your character Duty, Glory, Justice, Love, Power, and Truth. Each Value gets a die rating (d4 to d12) and a descriptive statement that fleshes out how your character feels about it. For example, Clark might have Power at d4 with the statement “Power corrupts,” reflecting his wariness of his own abilities, while Zod’s Power at d10 screams “Kneel before Zod!” in all its megalomaniacal glory.
Relationships, meanwhile, are your character’s connections to other PCs and NPCs, also rated with dice and paired with statements. These aren’t reciprocal Clark might have a d12 Relationship with Lois (“I’d do anything for her”), while Lois might have a d6 with Clark (“He’s cute but clueless”). This asymmetry is pure genius, as it sets the stage for delicious drama. When you take an action, you roll two dice: one for the Value driving you and one for the Relationship at stake. Add the highest two results, and that’s your total. It’s simple, cinematic, and ensures that every roll is dripping with emotional weight.
Oh, and if you’ve got a superpower or a handy gadget? That’s an Asset, which can add another die to your pool. But here’s the twist: superpowers aren’t the be all and end all. A well timed quip from Lois or a heartfelt plea from Chloe can be just as effective as Clark’s super speed. The game also throws in Resources (like locations or contacts) and Plot Points, a meta currency you spend to pull off cool stunts or activate special effects. It’s a system that rewards creativity and storytelling over number-crunching, and it’s as refreshing as a cold glass of lemonade at the Kent Farm.
Pathways: Building Your Own Smallville Soap Opera
Character creation in the Smallville RPG is where things get really wild. Forget rolling stats or picking a class this game uses a collaborative Pathways system that’s basically a group storytelling session disguised as character generation. You start with an Origin (Rich, Ordinary, Gifted, Strange, or Alien/Metahuman) and progress through stages like Youth, Focus, and Road, making choices that shape your character’s Values, Relationships, and Assets. Along the way, you’re also building the game’s world by adding NPCs, locations, and plot hooks to a Relationship Map. It’s like drawing a web of drama, where every line represents a connection, conflict, or secret waiting to explode.
Imagine this: your group decides that your Smallville includes a shady new LuthorCorp facility, a mysterious new student with meteor powers, and a love triangle that’s bound to end in tears. By the time you’re done, you’ve not only created your characters but also co written the pilot episode of your own CW style drama. It’s collaborative, chaotic, and a perfect reflection of the show’s knack for weaving personal stakes into larger than life conflicts. Just don’t be surprised if someone insists on adding a character who’s secretly a time traveller. This is Smallville, after all crazier things have happened.
Challenging Values and Relationships: The Heart of the Drama
Here’s where the Smallville RPG really shines: its mechanics for character growth and conflict. One of the most powerful moves you can make is to challenge a Value or Relationship by acting against its associated statement. For example, if your character’s Duty is “I must protect my family,” and you decide to abandon them for the greater good, you’re challenging that Value. This lets you roll that Value’s die three times in your dice pool (instead of once), but it comes at a cost: the Value’s rating drops for the rest of the session. In the long term, though, challenging your beliefs is how you earn Growth dice, which fuel character advancement. You can rewrite your Values or Relationships, step them up, or redistribute points to reflect your character’s evolving perspective.
This mechanic is a masterstroke. It encourages players to lean into the drama, to make choices that shake up their character’s world and the group’s dynamics. It’s not just about winning a fight; it’s about what that fight means. Did Clark just save Lois by revealing his powers, betraying his need to keep them secret? That’s a challenge, and it’s going to ripple through the story. The game’s GM, called the Watchtower, is encouraged to create Wedges obstacles or characters that drive a wedge between PCs’ Values and Relationships, pushing them to confront their beliefs and grow. It’s a system that thrives on conflict, but not the “I punch the bad guy” kind more like “I punch the bad guy because he’s my best friend and he betrayed me.”
Playing to the Show’s Strengths (and Weaknesses)
The Smallville RPG nails the tone of the TV show. If you’ve ever watched an episode and thought, “Wow, these people have issues,” this game delivers that in spades. It’s built for stories about secrets, betrayals, and the messy process of figuring out who you are when you’re young, gifted, and possibly glowing green. The rulebook includes a wealth of setting material, with write-ups for characters like Clark, Lois, Chloe, Tess Mercer, and even General Zod, plus episode summaries for the show’s later seasons. It’s a love letter to fans, but it’s also accessible to newcomers who’ve never seen an episode.
That said, the game isn’t perfect. The rulebook’s organization can be a bit clunky character creation and resources are split up in a way that requires some page flipping, and the lack of a proper index is a crime against humanity (or at least against impatient gamers). Some reviewers noted that the setting material, while thorough, feels a bit flat for non fans, especially since a good chunk of the book is dedicated to recapping the show. And if you’re not into relationship drama, this game might not be your cup of tea. As one blogger put it, if you’ve got enough drama in your real life, you might not want to spend your game night arguing over who’s secretly in love with whom.
Supplements and Legacy
The Smallville RPG didn’t stop with the core rulebook. Margaret Weis Productions released two supplements before losing the license in 2013: Smallville: The High School Yearbook, which focuses on playing younger characters in a high school setting, and Smallville: The Watchtower Report, which dives deeper into the show’s later seasons and characters. These add some fun options but aren’t essential to enjoy the core game.
The game’s legacy is impressive. It won a Judge’s Spotlight Award at the 2011 ENnies, and its Cortex Plus system laid the groundwork for later games like Marvel Heroic Roleplaying and Firefly RPG. Reviewers praised its innovative approach, with RPGamer calling it a “great story game cunningly disguised as a cheap TV tie in” and io9 noting that it “understands the quirks of the show and wraps the game around those core values.” Even skeptics who weren’t fans of the show found themselves charmed by its mechanics and storytelling focus.
Why It’s Worth Playing Today
So, why should you dust off the Smallville RPG in 2025? For one, it’s a masterclass in narrative driven gaming. Its focus on relationships and personal growth feels timeless, especially in an era where storytelling RPGs like Fate and Powered by the Apocalypse are all the rage. It’s also a fantastic choice for groups who love collaborative world building or want to explore a superhero setting that’s more about heart than heroics. Plus, let’s be honest: who doesn’t want to roleplay a scene where you dramatically reveal your secret identity to your crush, only to have them storm off because you’ve been lying to them for years?
The game’s not without its quirks, but its strengths innovative mechanics, a focus on character driven stories, and a system that makes every roll feel meaningful make it a standout. Whether you’re a Smallville superfan or just someone who loves a good story, this RPG has something to offer. Just don’t expect to spend all your time fighting meteor freaks. In Smallville, the real battles are fought in the heart.
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