Gates of What If?

Gates of What If? is an adventure published by TSR in 1986 for the superhero role-playing game Marvel Super Heroes.

Gates of What If?

Artwork by Jeffrey Butler
Publishers	TSR
Systems	Marvel Super Heroes

Description

Setting

The superheroes travel through a portal to a parallel world where many things are different, especially the superheroes' alter egos in the parallel world. As Guide du Rôliste Galactique notes, "Much of the interest of the adventure comes from the confrontation between these characters and those of the parallel world. Some [of the superheroes in this parallel world] are dead, others have never been superheroes, or their costume is being used by someone else. The reactions of the public and the heroes of the parallel world therefore risk unsettling the characters."

Plot

In the parallel world, Doctor Doom is considered a hero, and he uses the superheroes to attempt to gain his revenge against Mephisto. A color map of Doctor Doom's lair, Doomstadt, is included.

Player characters

The players can choose from a variety of pregenerated player character superheroes:

• From the Fantastic Four: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, She-Hulk, The Thing, Human Torch
• from the Avengers: Wasp, Sub-Mariner, Captain America
• Spider-Man

Publication history

In 1984, TSR acquired the license to produce a role-playing game based on the superheroes of Marvel Comics. The result was Marvel Super Heroes. TSR also produced a line of adventures for the game. The ninth module, published in 1986, was MH9 Gates of What If?, a 40-page saddle-stapled softcover book written by Roger E. Moore, with interior art by Jeffrey Butler and the Marvel Comics staff, and cover art by Butler.

Reception

In Issue 4 of Adventurer, Ian Marsh called Gates of What-If? "a titanic adventure for Marvel Super Heroes which pits the Fantastic Four and Spidey against a formidable extra-dimensional opponent. Would you be surprised if Doctor Doom appeared too? Nope, nor would I."