Press Kit
Material for journalists, reviewers, bloggers, podcasters and TTRPG event organisers. Use it freely — attribution required. Fact sheet Title THIS WAS EPIC! — Heroes Not in Spandex Category Tabletop RPG
Material for journalists, reviewers, bloggers, podcasters and TTRPG event organisers. Use it freely — attribution required.
Fact sheet
| Title | THIS WAS EPIC! — Heroes Not in Spandex |
|---|---|
| Category | Tabletop RPG (TTRPG) |
| Sub-genre | Dramatic superheroes / slice of life |
| System | Deck of French playing cards (no dice) |
| Languages | IT · EN/ES in progress |
| Players | 2–6 + Master |
| Length | 2–3 h per session · 10–20 sessions per campaign |
| Age | 14+ |
| Pages | 78 (rulebook) · 12 (quickstart) |
| Format | PDF + Print-on-demand |
| PDF price | €9.90 · Free Quickstart |
| Print price | €34.90 (POD estimate) |
| Author | Giulio Fuerte (Fuerteventura.tv) |
| Publisher | Self-published |
| Website | fuerteventuratv.net/ese |
| Version | 2.0 — May 2026 |
Ready-made taglines
Three lengths. Copy the one you need.
1 line · twitter / hashtag
No dice. A deck of cards. Every power has a price.
short sentence · article header
An Italian RPG where superheroes don't wear spandex and every power comes with a mandatory Side Effect.
paragraph · review opening
THIS WAS EPIC! is an Italian tabletop role-playing game for 2-6 players that uses a deck of French playing cards instead of dice. The system is simple (50 points, one attribute + one card vs a threshold), but its core system rule makes it dramatic: every power MUST have a mandatory Side Effect, written on the character sheet. The tone blends auteur Italian epic and dry humour. The default setting is Italy 2026, but the system works with any superhero concept.
Author quotes
Four quotes ready to copy-paste into your article.
on why no dice
Dice are democratic. A number comes up, you take it, that's your lot. Cards, on the other hand, are cruel and honest: you watch the Aces vanish from the deck, you count what you've drawn, you know that every King spent is one fewer for the final scene. It's more cinematic.
on the Side Effects rule
The system rejects the adolescent fantasy of 'you're the strongest and that's just fine'. Want to fly? Your knees shatter every time you land. Are you invincible? Great, you can no longer eat solid food. Every power has a price. That's how the story gets interesting.
on the Italian setting
I'm tired of reading about superheroes who speak from New York or Tokyo. The people who play at my tables want to see Bologna, Rome, Forlì, Carrara. They want the bar where the hero hides to be the bar we actually go to. The system works anywhere, but the mother example has to be our own city.
on the Epic Moment
When you draw an Ace you're no longer the character: you're the director. You describe the scene as if it were a film. The Master hands you the microphone and you're right about everything. It's the thing that works best at the table. When it arrives, everyone stops talking and listens.
Visual assets
Everything in vector SVG (scales to any size). CC-BY 4.0 licence.
- Horizontal logo — SVG · 1400 × 500
- ESE! monogram — SVG · 240 × 240 · favicon
- Vertical logo — SVG · for posters / stories
- Rulebook cover — SVG · print-ready 5100 × 3578
- Set of 8 mechanic icons — SVG · HP, PP, AGI, ace, etc.
- Card back — SVG · 63 × 88 mm poker
FAQ for journalists
Is it self-published or is there a publisher behind it?
Self-published by Fuerteventura.tv. The author controls the whole process: writing, design, AI illustration, publishing. No editorial middlemen.
Can it be reviewed before launch?
Yes. The review PDF is available on request at
Are streaming / actual play allowed?
Yes, no permission needed. A title credit is required, no monetising entire chapters read out in full.
Is it built on an existing system (PbtA, FATE, OSR)?
No. An original system, inspired by the Italian narrative school (Bonelli, Pratt). Technical influences: a deck as a source of variance recalls Deadlands, but the rules and the tone are its own.