From Panel to Play: Nova

Richard Rider was a normal Earthling teenager, although one that struggled with self-esteem issues and was filled with self doubt. One day, the wounded alien Rhomann Dey chose Richard as the recipient of his powerful responsibility of Nova Prime, the superpowered cosmic energy and space suit that would enable Richard to fight the space pirate who mortally wounded him. With those powers, Richard enthusiastically became Nova, The Human Rocket, and fought crime and tyranny on Earth and in space.

As he matured and grew in his own strength, Nova began taking on as much responsibility as his awesome powers demanded. Initially focusing on superheroics on Earth, he eventually transitioned to serving as a sort of interstellar police officer, working with other Nova Corps officers against the criminals of the galaxy. He returned to Earth with regularity, and found allies and romance, but space called him back to adventure. Eventually he would lead cosmic armies against destructive cosmic evil, fight powerful enemies one on one, and form new teams and alliances to protect life and free will across the cosmos. Among the stars, Richard Rider is considered one of the most valiant and fearsome protectors of good.

Nova’s offensive output is mostly expressed through his various expressions of the Nova Force, a near-limitless source of energy. For 0 energy, Nova can use either Nova Burst or Gravimetric Cannon. Nova Burst looks like a simple attack intended to gain 1 power for the attacker, until you notice it has a Wild trigger to Throw a target up to an impressive size 4. Being able to Throw almost any character is an extremely powerful ability and grants useful displacement options. Gravimetric Cannon has a longer range of 4 and one more power, with an additional chance of Pushing the target if it damages or applying the Judgment special condition. Players might notice that this specific Push doesn’t specify size, so he can move any character with it at range!

Nova often fights in space against hordes of enemies or ships, rocketing himself through them and trusting his protective aura, acting as a human rocket, and this is ideally represented on the tabletop by Lightspeed Lance. It’s a range-5 beam attack rolling 7 dice against each target. Additionally, it also Pushes each target on a Wild and Places Nova within range 1 of the last targeted enemy. Since the active player can choose what order to do the attacks in a beam, Nova can Place himself almost anywhere after the salvo of attacks is made. Savvy players will notice that all 3 of Nova’s attacks have either a Push or Throw, giving him fantastic displacement abilities that will make him sought after by many affiliations. In Web Warriors, Richard can supplement the already impressive focus on displacement and movement, whereas in many affiliations without it, he acts as a powerhouse addition bringing something new.

Players might notice that both Nova Burst and Gravimetric Cannon only gain a single power when used, without the potential for more. Well, thanks to the Nova Force superpower players don’t need to worry about gaining power. After a move action, Nova can remove all special conditions and gain 2 power. Then, the next Nova Burst or Lightspeed Lance attack gains 3 dice. The Nova Force pushes Nova to move and attack, and that’s represented fully in this powerful ability. If players really want to push the power gained, they might want to include him in a leadership that generates additional power, maybe like A-Force with She-Hulk’s leadership.

With Nova’s Faster Than Light superpower, Nova can make an attack and then place himself within range 2 of his location. This means that Nova can move for his Nova Force ability to trigger, attack for a boosted attack, and then Place himself range 2 in order to Interact or Contest with an objective token. If all that offense wasn’t enough, Nova also has access to the Xandarian Worldmind. This ability gives Nova and his allies within range 3 the ability to reroll defense and dodge dice for one power each. The Worldmind has incredible cognition, but at a high cost to the individual, and Nova has to decide if he needs that power to be on the offense or defense.

Nova has operated in a wide range of positions other than superhero teams on Earth, and he comes with two Team Tactic Cards representing that. Call for Backup represents his time in the Nova Corps when he could always rely on other Nova officers. By paying 3 Power, Nova can either choose a Secure objective within range 2 and Push each enemy character Contesting it Short, or he can give Slow to each enemy character holding an extract. In a pinch, Nova could even use this to line up enemy characters to get more enemies under a Lightspeed Lance attack. With Veterans of the Annihilation War, players can relive a moment from the Annihilation comic series. In it, Richard Rider and Gamora began a romantic relationship while working closely to keep back the deadly Annihilation Wave. When both characters use this card, they each gain a superpower similar to each other, showing their shared experiences. Gamora gains a version of the Worldmind giving her 2 defensive rerolls, while Nova gains Star-Crossed Strike from Gamora, enabling him to change a result to a hit if he rolls any Wilds. Giving Nova Star-Crossed Strike is especially powerful for a Lightspeed Lance attack.

With a bevy of offensive attacks, movement abilities, and defensive powers, there’s no wonder Nova was frequently called the Human Rocket, and now players of Marvel: Crisis Protocol can bring that Human Rocket to their battles.

That’s it for today’s installment of From Panel to Play! Thanks for joining us for this close-up of Nova and all he has to offer on the tabletop. Be sure to check back for more on new and upcoming releases of your favorite characters in Marvel: Crisis Protocol, and pre-order your copy of Yondu and Nova at your local gamestore or through the webstore today.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Games, signing off!