At the start of combat, each combatant makes an Initiative check by rolling d616 and adding their Initiative Modifier. This check automatically succeeds.

The players each roll for their respective characters, while the Narrator rolls for the other characters. If the combat includes large groups of identical combatants (a platoon of Hydra soldiers, for instance), the Narrator can make a single roll for each group, and each combatant in that group then acts on the same Initiative number, in whichever order the Narrator likes.

The Narrator then sorts the combatants in order from the highest Initiative check result to the lowest. If two Initiative checks are tied, but one combatant got a Fantastic result, that combatant goes first. If neither or both rolled Fantastic results, the combatant with the higher Initiative Modifier goes first. If the Initiative Modifiers are also tied, the player’s character goes first. If there’s still a tie among players’ characters, they can decide how to break the tie among themselves, or they can simply roll off.

The sorted list is called the Initiative order, and it persists from round to round during this combat. For each new combat, you roll to set up a new Initiative order.

The Bonus Round

Characters who get a Fantastic result on their Initiative check get to take part in a bonus round before the regular combat begins. They do so in the regular Initiative order, skipping those who didn’t get a Fantastic result. After they’re done, the first regular round begins.

Example: Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Wolverine (Logan) run across Doctor Octopus and Sabretooth robbing a bank. Spider-Man's and Wolverine’s players make Initiative checks for their characters, while the Narrator rolls for Doctor Octopus and Sabretooth. The results:

• Spider-Man: 20
• Sabretooth: 17
• Wolverine: 15
• Doctor Octopus: 14

Spider-Man gets to go first, then Sabretooth, Wolverine and Doctor Octopus.

However, both Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus got a Fantastic result on their Initiative checks. That means they both get a turn in The Bonus Round before the regular rounds start. Spider-Man would act first in The Bonus Round, as he was first in Initiative order.

Surprise

It’s up to the Narrator whether or not a given character is Surprised, as this depends a great deal on the circumstances of each situation—especially when things like illusions, mirages, invisibility and darkness come into play.

Characters who are Surprised by their opponents when combat starts have Trouble on their Initiative check. A Surprised character cannot act in The Bonus Round.

If a character is Surprised later in the combat, the characters who Surprised them have an edge on attacks against them for one round.

Example: In the middle of a battle, the Invisible Woman turns invisible and sneaks up behind Doctor Doom, who is busy fighting the rest of the Fantastic Four. The Narrator makes a check for Doom to see if he detects the Invisible Woman, but Doom fails it. When the Invisible Woman attacks, Doom is Surprised, and the Invisible Woman gets an edge on her Attack against him.