Enforcers (role-playing game)

In Enforcers, players take on the role of superheroes in the year 2046.[1] The rules cover characters, combat, and running a campaign.[1] Character creation uses a flexible points-purchase-powers system.[1] A calculator is required for play, as math formulae figure prominently in the rules.[1]

In the mid-1980s, superhero role-playing games such as Champions and Villains and Vigilantes were popular. Enforcers, a generic superhero game — that is, not based on a specific line of comics — was designed by Gary Bernard, Charles Mann, and Larry Troth, with art by Christine Mansfield, and was published by 21st Century Games in 1987 as a 112-page book with a blue cover.[1] The second edition was published the same year with a yellow cover, although it says 1st edition on the title page.[1]

Two adventures were published for the game: The End of a Legend and Knights of Beverly Hills.[2]

Stewart Wieck reviewed the second edition of Enforcers for White Wolf #11, and rated it 8 out of 10 overall, commenting "Enforcers combined several of the elements of earlier independent super-hero RPGs into a cohesive whole."[3]

In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games, game critic Rick Swan noted that the game "emphasizes combat to the exclusion of nearly everything else ... There aren't many opportunities for actual role-playing in Enforcers, mainly due to the puzzling absence of background information." However, Swan did find that the rules were "uncluttered and a lot of fun to read; the enthusiasm of [the designers] is evident on every page." Swan concluded by giving the game a rating of 2.5 out of 4, saying, "Enforcers is better suited for brief skirmishes than extended adventures."[2]