With thanks to @TheJPBradley on Twitter.
The One With Ads On It, MFer is a mini RPG where you play as action movie stars with overbearing corporate sponsors.
You can PWYW for this title on DriveThruRPG or itch.io, or download a free PDF here. To get early access to monthly games, support me on Patreon.
Action films have always needed one thing to get the explosions blooming and the guns blazing: money. Unfortunately, it’s famously hard to come by. Even the biggest studios need a little help along the way from our old friend CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP. TEAM FORCE is no exception, and so great was the cost of celebrity involvement in the most recent instalment of the franchise that each member of TEAM FORCE had their own SPONSOR.
This is the story of the latest TEAM FORCE film…
Your Hero
Each player takes on the role of both a HERO from the TEAM FORCE franchise and the actor playing them.
On your own, come up with:
- A Name for both your HERO & Actor
- A Look & Vibe for both your HERO & Actor
- A Signature Move for your HERO
- A Complicated Backstory for your HERO
- An Acting Style for your Actor
Share them with the group when you’re ready.
Your Sponsor
Each player must decide on a SPONSOR for their HERO. A SPONSOR is a product which is funding your actor’s involvement in the film.
Roll a d10 on each side of the table to generate a SPONSOR, then come up with a Name, USP, and a Brief History of how it rose to power (or why it’s making an awesome comeback).
| d10 | PRODUCT | VIBE |
| 1 | ALCOHOL | LUXURY |
| 2 | PERFUME | CRYPTO |
| 3 | RAZOR | ORGANIC |
| 4 | SPORTS SHOES | FOR KIDS! |
| 5 | VEHICLE | VEGAN |
| 6 | SODA | AUGMENTED REALITY |
| 7 | PHONE | SURVIVAL |
| 8 | STREAMING SERVICE | FOR ANIMALS! |
| 9 | MAKE-UP | HYPER-MASCULINE |
| 10 | BURGER | EROTIC |
Once you have your SPONSOR, describe its most recent ad-campaign for the group and what part your Actor played in the commercial.
Competing Products
Once everyone has their SPONSOR, go around the table taking it in turns (or collaborating) to suggest COMPETING PRODUCTS.
For each player’s SPONSOR, you’ll need 3 COMPETING PRODUCTS. Given each of them a Name, USP, and some Historic Clash with the player’s SPONSOR.
The Film
You’ll be creating the most recent film in the TEAM FORCE franchise, which began with the blockbuster hit NO TEAM LIKE TEAM FORCE.
As a group, decide which instalment in the Franchise this is and come up with a title, like TEAM FORCE III: TOUR DE FORCE, TEAM FORCE VI: TEAM FORCE ON WHEELS, TEAM FORCE IX: DAWN OF THE TEAM
Next, come up with a subplot which ties all the previous instalments together, and a rough storyline for the latest film in the franchise.
Finally, have the GM describe the opening scene, which must end on a dramatic cliffhanger, then begin suggesting scenes.
Running scenes
Players should suggest scenes for their HEROES to be involved in that push the plot forward in some way. You should try and suggest scenes that can quickly spiral out of control or get complicated.
When you have a scene which could get complicated, add a d10 to the COMPETITOR POOL, state what you want to do, and ask the GM for a complication.
The GM will describe a complication that stands in your way, assigning a difficulty rating from 1-4, and add that many d10 to the COMPETITOR POOL. Then, they’ll expand on the scene, including references to your SPONSOR’s COMPETING PRODUCTS equal to the number of dice in the COMPETITOR POOL.
Overcoming Complications
When you attempt to overcome a complication in a scene, describe what your HERO does, then roll 1d10 and any additional dice from your ACTION POOL.
Add 1d10 to your ACTION POOL for each of the following your HERO does while attempting to overcome the complication. You can only gain a d10 once for each action.
- State the name of their SPONSOR
- Interact with their SPONSOR
- Recommend their SPONSOR
- Make their SPONSOR the focal point of the scene
- Use their SPONSOR in a clever way to overcome the complication
- Destroy a COMPETING PRODUCT
- Break character to talk about their SPONSOR
If you ROLL EQUAL OR OVER the total of the COMPETITOR POOL, you succeed. Conclude the scene in a way that drives the plot forward in a positive way for TEAM FORCE.
If you ROLL BELOW, you blow it and the situation gets worse – the GM will explain how your HERO is captured, injured, or incapacitated and the scene will cut to black. The other HEROES will need to have a scene where they help you out.
Collaboration
If you want to help out another player in a scene, you can suggest a COLLABORATION. Describe the promotion, campaign, or one off event that brought your 2 SPONSORS together. Then, describe how your HERO helps, adding 1d10 to the ACTION POOL for each of the following your HERO does. You can only add a d10 once for each action:
- Mention how the scene is “just like” the COLLABORATION
- Use the tag line for the COLLABORATION
- Deliver a monologue about the COLLABORATION
The Final Scene
When you get to the climax of the film, have a FINAL SCENE where the HEROES try and out-do one another to include their SPONSOR, adding dice to their ACTION POOLS, and rolling off. Whoever rolls highest at the end of this scene gets to describe how their HERO (with the help of their SPONSOR) tips the balance at the last moment and saves the day.
Once the action is complete, describe how the HEROES walk off into the sunset, then collaborate on an END CREDITS SCENE, which sets up for the next film in the TEAM FORCE franchise.
Ursidice 