Welcome to a new series we’re starting here on Untoldthegame.com: the Power UP! Series. Each week, we'll pick a Power Card, analyze it and give you some cool tips and pointers for using the card in your game. While it will be primarily GM-focused (as we have lots of Player-oriented articles already), there will still be lots of information that the average Untold player can use as well.

Our intent is to show some cool ways that GM's (and Players too, by default) can incorporate these Power Cards into their Character or Minion builds, use them as treasure or story hooks, or base entire games around! There's literally no end to the cool uses one might find for Untold Power Cards, and we encourage you, the reader, to chime in below with your comments and stories of how you might use the Power in your game!

This week, we'll be examining the "Reality Bubble" Power Card, from our horror and insanity-themed deck - Powers: Flux Horrors! So, let's take at the Power-at-a-glance:

Power-at-a-Glance

Power Name: Reality Bubble
Initial Level: 2
Double-card? Yes, next Level: 7
Swap Type: Hot
MAG: Level 2: 2 / Level 7: 7
UP: CLASSIFIED
Boostable? Yes, For every 2 Soul Boost add 1 to MAG.
Action: Standard
Duration: Sustained
Range: Medium
Pre-requisite Powers? Yes, Character must be an External Race
Type: Dominion

Now, I'm a huge fan of Dominion Powers, especially as a GM. Dominion Powers have a lot of interesting potential that allows for interesting turns and twists in a story line. Yeah, sure, you can kill a Character, but it's better to make them suffer first! And "Reality Bubble" is a great way to make Characters suffer!

If you haven't gathered by now, I like the Flux Powers. I like it when Reality bends and breaks and leaving only the shattered minds and broken bodies of Characters behind. "Reality Bubble" does just that. It bends and warps reality in a circle around the caster, and the area of effect gets bigger if you boost it! This card forces everyone who passes through it at greater than 1/4 their standard movement to make an "Agile" Check vs. 12, giving them the "Prone" Bane Card if they fail. The "Prone" Bane Card, once applied, can easily spell death for a Character during combat.

This card is great for GMs to employ for a multitude of reasons. First off, coupled with other cards, the entire party could be plagued with Banes for several turns, making each round very difficult for them. Second, it's a Hot Swap and can be used by several Minions, providing a much unexpected twist in the heat of battle. And thirdly, it serves as a great trap for an unsuspecting party.

One of the misconceptions that many Players have made is that Minions are just that, a single creature with a few built in Powers. However, I am one of those GMs that like to customize my Minions, making them even more dangerous than before. I will readily attach Reality Bubble to a Minion to provide an extra edge against the Characters.

I also like the idea of using Reality Bubble as a trap, one of which can be triggered a number of ways. It could be used by a Minion during an ambush on the party. But I would use it in a more subtle manner. I would have the Minion disguised as a friendly individual who, when among the party, suddenly reveals their evil nature as they bend reality to their will.

Once again, I also like giving "gifts" to my Players with the understanding that they will use the card at the worst possible time. A Character might be Flux tainted and suddenly succumb to the evil taint and use Reality Bubble to send the party to their doom. What can I say? I like inter-party conflict.

There are a lot of fun ways to use Reality Bubble. But what we want to know is how have you used this card in your game? Did you spring this card as a trap on your suspecting Players? Did you use it to bolster your Minions defense? Did you make it a dark and twisted gift from a heartless and evil Flux Horror? How would you or have you used this card? We want to know!

Until next time!