Power Rangers HyperForce is off to a strong start, and none of that would be possible without the talents of the Game Master.
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HyperForce’s Game Master is Malika Lim, who took some time to speak to ComicBook.com about the new interactive tabletop series. HyperForce allows the viewers to support the Rangers on screen with enhanced abilities throughout the show, and Malika is responsible for keeping the story moving and the game flowing.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned as HyperForce’s Game Master is to make player actions feel consequential—which sometimes means letting the players experience the wins and losses determined by the dice,” Lim said. “As a Power Rangers fan I hate seeing them lose but I learned that they will never seem like real heroes if they don’t have the opportunity to overcome real challenges and villains.”
Malika hasn’t been thrown for too much of a loop thanks to those dice rolls just yet but embraces that aspect of the game regardless. “I wouldn’t say that there have been any character actions that really threw things off course as I’ve embraced the fact that since this is an RPG—the players and the dice can take us to so many unknown possibilities,” Lim said.
Fans have quickly become engaged with the characters on the show, and have created an immense amount of fan art to prove it. That kind of engagement is easily one of the highlights for Malika.
“Every week when we see all the fan art that has been done it inspires us so much to roleplay characters that feel fully developed,” Lim said. “In the months before HyperForce began, I did all sorts of things to practice playing a myriad of characters from improv classes to one-on-one voice acting lessons to collaborating with the expert team at Saban Brands. I have always played the characters fairly close to the chest and sometimes even base traits of my NPCs on people I know in real life—like my parents or even a former art history teacher.”
While Malika voices a number of NPC characters in the game (including Alpha 55), there is one, in particular, she would love to play if the opportunity presents itself.
“Throughout the history of Power Rangers there have been a few characters that have started on the bad side and ended up on the good side,” Lim said. “To me, these characters get to go through the biggest transformation from over the top villain to hero–which pretty much sounds like a blast to explore through role play.”
Hmmmm….interesting (strokes beard inquisitively).
Part of the fun of a roleplaying game is the spontaneous nature of it all, leading to crazy moments that no one expected. That’s part of the show’s charm, and Malika definitely has a favorite.
“One of my favorite moments in HyperForce has been watching the relationship between Vesper and Eddie unfold,” Lim said. “The moment when they both rolled the same number as they both grabbed onto the wrench (I won’t spoil the details) was amazing and is the kind of thing that could only happen when playing an RPG. The beauty about a live tabletop RPG is the spontaneity and unexpected, which is what makes it so unique, so I really would not change a thing!”
HyperForce has already journeyed into the realms of Mighty Morphin, RPM, Time Force, and Dino Thunder, though they have yet to explore Malika’s personal favorite.
“There are so many guests and moments from Power Rangers history that I’d love to explore with Saban Brands on HyperForce,” Lim said. “As a kid, my most favorite season of Power Rangers was “In Space.” There are many who would also love to see that era explored with the HyperForce team, but Malika also leaves the door open for past guest to join in on the fun. “In regards to the previous guests, everyone has been such a joy to work and collaborate with. We’d love to have any of them back.”
The future is immensely bright for Power Rangers HyperForce, and we can’t wait to see what comes next!
Power Rangers HyperForce airs on Twitch Tuesdays at 8 pm CST, and make sure to follow @MattMuellerCB for all your Power Rangers coverage!
