The Marvel Super Heroes Advanced Set came out in 1986 and significantly expands the game, so much so that you don’t actually need the yellow box to play (though they didn’t really tell you that when they released the Basic Set in ‘91).

This is the rare “Advanced” set of rules that expands rather than complicates. All the stuff in here remains fairly straightforward and function more as guidelines than rules, but it feels crunchier and more versatile. A number of systems have been overhauled, the character creation is more robust (but still, I think, down to the randomness of the system, produces characters that are under-powered compared to the existing Marvel ones) and there are neat rules for building a headquarters.

This is the system I ran and played back in the day. It is fun. It is a bit more comfortable if you’re coming off D&D. But weirdly, I think if I were to run a Marvel game now, I’d probably do the yellow box.

Weird thing I am fond of: that sort of TRON-like grid everyone is running on. It doesn’t get more 80s than a glowing, neon-green, vaguely digital grid.