Here are two reviews of the revised Swords & Wizardry. I got this from the Kickstarter, and I downloaded the PDFs, but I'm waiting on my hardcopy to sit and read it. I know I'll enjoy it better that way.
But these two reviews want to make me skip ahead in my reading list:
S&W Complete Revised
Recommended: S&W Complete Revised
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Monday, January 16, 2023
Review: How to Defend Your Lair
Time for a review of something I felt had an impact on my gaming. For more reviews, check my reviews page.
How to Defend Your Lair
by Keith Ammann
Keith Ammann's new book is a GM tool to help a GM make NPC lairs better. More logical, more realistic, and based on principles of real-world (and yes, magical world) security practices instead of dungeon and adventure design principles. How would a big bad evil wizard actually protect his spellbooks, or his treasury, or his life? How would the ruthless assassin's guild head protect her assassins, her big book of client names, and her escape route? GM long enough and you can come up with some ideas. With this book you can organize the approach based on real world principles and a sensible and logical approach.
It's very good stuff. The book consists of a look at concentric security all the way from detecting threats to reacting to them, to responses after, and escape when things fail. Patrolling, gathering information, how to secure your front and back doors, etc. - it's all there. And it is sufficiently generic that only a cursory knowledge of D&D 5th edition will be enough to make use of it. You'll learn when mounted and foot patrols make sense, how to arrange your reaction force, what kind of numbers are needed to provide how many patrols in a given time window, etc. It's both concrete usable information and higher-level concepts so you understand how and why.
The end of the book is a bunch of example lairs. They're all good. I won't spoil them except to say that you'll need your thinking cap on to penetrate security on them.
Two things I found less than valuable in the book - interrogation, and value assessment.
There is an entire chapter on how to interrogate people. Interesting, and based on what I've read from actual interrogators, it seems workable and accurate. However, what are you going to use this for? You'd need captive players and a lot of interest in doing one on one questioning of them by the GM to get them to reveal information. In the hands of a player, this might make for more compelling questioning than the usual ". . . or we'll kill you!" threats and poor questions. But I don't see that coming up. So if a GM really isn't going to get to use this, and it's a book aimed at a GM to make NPCs more believable and effective, it's not really valuable enough to justify a whole chapter. Again, it's good stuff, but it doesn't belong.
I'm also a little less sold on putting number values on what is valuable to create a score. The author recommends that for every item of value, you assign a score based on different value measurements - basically how much the possessor values the thing or fears losing the thing. Okay, great. But do I really need to know if something is a 6, or an 8, or a 9? I can see a simplified system working better - rank the things the NPC has in rough order of value. Then just protect them in that order. Don't protect item #3 less than item #1 on the top 5, say. It's an attempt to put a number on a subjective value and do something with that number. It just doesn't seem necessary to get the job done.
How adversarial is it? I'd say, little to not at all. It's not set up from a "GM vs. players" approach, in my opinion. It's more like making the NPCs use the most effective and logical tactics and strategy to protect their lairs. Nothing is stopping you from making the foes easier or harder even as you do so. Or from having NPCs use the wrong tactics because they'd lack the understanding (or personality) to use the better ones. It feels more like making sure the GM is making decisions from a position of knowledge than from a position of opposition.
This book can make a good player tool, as well, if you're not the type to figure out how to run effective fortified-area penetration missions but want to know how. Although the entire perspective is from someone trying to stop penetration, if you know what they're afraid of happening, you can try to make that happen. And detect more easily when someone hasn't figured out their vulnerability!
Overall: I like the book. I'm very glad I purchased it and it is having a positive effect on my gaming. Recommended.
How to Defend Your Lair
by Keith Ammann
Keith Ammann's new book is a GM tool to help a GM make NPC lairs better. More logical, more realistic, and based on principles of real-world (and yes, magical world) security practices instead of dungeon and adventure design principles. How would a big bad evil wizard actually protect his spellbooks, or his treasury, or his life? How would the ruthless assassin's guild head protect her assassins, her big book of client names, and her escape route? GM long enough and you can come up with some ideas. With this book you can organize the approach based on real world principles and a sensible and logical approach.
It's very good stuff. The book consists of a look at concentric security all the way from detecting threats to reacting to them, to responses after, and escape when things fail. Patrolling, gathering information, how to secure your front and back doors, etc. - it's all there. And it is sufficiently generic that only a cursory knowledge of D&D 5th edition will be enough to make use of it. You'll learn when mounted and foot patrols make sense, how to arrange your reaction force, what kind of numbers are needed to provide how many patrols in a given time window, etc. It's both concrete usable information and higher-level concepts so you understand how and why.
The end of the book is a bunch of example lairs. They're all good. I won't spoil them except to say that you'll need your thinking cap on to penetrate security on them.
Two things I found less than valuable in the book - interrogation, and value assessment.
There is an entire chapter on how to interrogate people. Interesting, and based on what I've read from actual interrogators, it seems workable and accurate. However, what are you going to use this for? You'd need captive players and a lot of interest in doing one on one questioning of them by the GM to get them to reveal information. In the hands of a player, this might make for more compelling questioning than the usual ". . . or we'll kill you!" threats and poor questions. But I don't see that coming up. So if a GM really isn't going to get to use this, and it's a book aimed at a GM to make NPCs more believable and effective, it's not really valuable enough to justify a whole chapter. Again, it's good stuff, but it doesn't belong.
I'm also a little less sold on putting number values on what is valuable to create a score. The author recommends that for every item of value, you assign a score based on different value measurements - basically how much the possessor values the thing or fears losing the thing. Okay, great. But do I really need to know if something is a 6, or an 8, or a 9? I can see a simplified system working better - rank the things the NPC has in rough order of value. Then just protect them in that order. Don't protect item #3 less than item #1 on the top 5, say. It's an attempt to put a number on a subjective value and do something with that number. It just doesn't seem necessary to get the job done.
How adversarial is it? I'd say, little to not at all. It's not set up from a "GM vs. players" approach, in my opinion. It's more like making the NPCs use the most effective and logical tactics and strategy to protect their lairs. Nothing is stopping you from making the foes easier or harder even as you do so. Or from having NPCs use the wrong tactics because they'd lack the understanding (or personality) to use the better ones. It feels more like making sure the GM is making decisions from a position of knowledge than from a position of opposition.
This book can make a good player tool, as well, if you're not the type to figure out how to run effective fortified-area penetration missions but want to know how. Although the entire perspective is from someone trying to stop penetration, if you know what they're afraid of happening, you can try to make that happen. And detect more easily when someone hasn't figured out their vulnerability!
Overall: I like the book. I'm very glad I purchased it and it is having a positive effect on my gaming. Recommended.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
How I decided to buy Keith Ammann's new book
I decided to get myself an RPG book with some holiday cash. I'm getting myself this:
Keith Ammann's "How to Defend Your Lair."
Before I decided, though, I dug around for some reviews. I mean, I love his work, but I don't GM D&D5e so it's the systemless aspects I most care about. And it's not necessarily the positive reviews that help the most.
This review mostly explains why the book isn't good for the reviewer. Since the writer's play style sounds like very much the opposite of how I GM, I think this helps sell it to me. Especially this:
So, that's exactly not me in a nutshell. It's quite possible that the last thing my players want to do at the table is think. But I run games that reward thinking and the odd bit of bold action. I don't run games that reward drama. I don't change puzzle difficulty even if people spend boring hours on a Sunday throwing keys at a door to try and open it.*
Finally, I found this podcast with the author, which finished my decision in favor of buying it.
It's on its way, and I'm sure my players aren't even slightly happy that my defended lairs will be even better designed and even more logically constructed.
* It's still not a puzzle. And they're still going to be mad at me when they figure it out. Hopefully that's during an online session because they outnumber me a lot.
Keith Ammann's "How to Defend Your Lair."
Before I decided, though, I dug around for some reviews. I mean, I love his work, but I don't GM D&D5e so it's the systemless aspects I most care about. And it's not necessarily the positive reviews that help the most.
This review mostly explains why the book isn't good for the reviewer. Since the writer's play style sounds like very much the opposite of how I GM, I think this helps sell it to me. Especially this:
I continuously ratchet difficulty levels up and down for my players because I do not think TPKs are fun and I also want them to each get their shots in before downing the bad guys. I like for my players to feel involved in combats, and to experience the terror of thinking they’re going to die (but not actually killing them.) As a GM, I feel that my job is to challenge the players but not frustrate them.
And as much as I’ve loved the hundreds of players I’ve run games for over the years, I can confidently state that most of them don’t play D&D, or any other role-playing games, in order to think. They’re there for the action, and they’re there for the drama. The fun ones are also there for the lolz. My job as the DM is to facilitate all this, to make my players feel smart and capable and like big damn heroes. I have thrown away so many puzzles and lowered the success rates of so many secrets just to make sure my tables have a good time getting through carefully constructed adventures, whether my own or others’ (I’m a big fan of running from pre-written modules.)
So, that's exactly not me in a nutshell. It's quite possible that the last thing my players want to do at the table is think. But I run games that reward thinking and the odd bit of bold action. I don't run games that reward drama. I don't change puzzle difficulty even if people spend boring hours on a Sunday throwing keys at a door to try and open it.*
Finally, I found this podcast with the author, which finished my decision in favor of buying it.
It's on its way, and I'm sure my players aren't even slightly happy that my defended lairs will be even better designed and even more logically constructed.
* It's still not a puzzle. And they're still going to be mad at me when they figure it out. Hopefully that's during an online session because they outnumber me a lot.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Pyramid 4/3 - Sci-Fi/Tech I
This is a quick look at Pyramid 4/3 - Sci-Fi/Tech I.
I won't go through this article by article like I did for fantasy. Instead, I'm going to highlight a few articles I really enjoyed.
Putting the Science in Your Fiction
Sean Punch's article is a useful one. It's a mechnical setup for using science skills in game. Want your scientists to gather data, formulate an hypothesis, test it, and save the day (or assist in the mission) and have it come with rules for doing so? This is the article for that. It's a good set of rules - easy to understand, very straightforward, and they look versatile. I like having the ability to break down an in-game ask (or an in-game challenge) into some die rolls that aren't just a simple "Roll Biology -5 to solve this" handwave or GM decision.
The Divine Pacific Republic of Datastan
Matt Riggsby wrote up a data haven as an adventuring location. I could see using this - even if only the maps and room descriptions - in a sci-fi game or maybe in a James Bond style game. Good, solid, immediately ready for use stuff.
Space Zombies!
Do I even have to explain why? Spoiler alert - It has space zombies!
Reign of Action
As cool as Reign of Steel sounds, I don't think I'd run a game of it or play in it. But then if you Action! it up, well, I'm probably in. Roger Burton West wrote this one.
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes
Because Deathball was only the beginning. Sean has helpful rules-specific ways to get more death sports into your future!
Overall, the issue is good - and those articles above really stood out to me.
I won't go through this article by article like I did for fantasy. Instead, I'm going to highlight a few articles I really enjoyed.
Putting the Science in Your Fiction
Sean Punch's article is a useful one. It's a mechnical setup for using science skills in game. Want your scientists to gather data, formulate an hypothesis, test it, and save the day (or assist in the mission) and have it come with rules for doing so? This is the article for that. It's a good set of rules - easy to understand, very straightforward, and they look versatile. I like having the ability to break down an in-game ask (or an in-game challenge) into some die rolls that aren't just a simple "Roll Biology -5 to solve this" handwave or GM decision.
The Divine Pacific Republic of Datastan
Matt Riggsby wrote up a data haven as an adventuring location. I could see using this - even if only the maps and room descriptions - in a sci-fi game or maybe in a James Bond style game. Good, solid, immediately ready for use stuff.
Space Zombies!
Do I even have to explain why? Spoiler alert - It has space zombies!
Reign of Action
As cool as Reign of Steel sounds, I don't think I'd run a game of it or play in it. But then if you Action! it up, well, I'm probably in. Roger Burton West wrote this one.
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes
Because Deathball was only the beginning. Sean has helpful rules-specific ways to get more death sports into your future!
Overall, the issue is good - and those articles above really stood out to me.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Pyramid 4/1 - Fantasy/Magic I
This is a quick look at Pyramid 4/1 - Fantasy/Magic I
Here are the articles you get:
Toxic Grimoire - a college of spells in a poison-focused college using GURPS Magic. I'm responsible for a few of the spells - you can see the list in the About the Author section. Alexei had a lot of spells, and I had a handful of ones from my Felltower game, and we collaborated on adding mine to his. And that let me connect them up to my article.
Utatsumi - Japanese poem-based magic.* It's an in-depth look at the in-game and in-game-world necessaries for using such. I like David Chart's stuff.
The Demonic Temple of Felltower - also known as the Epic Player's Handbook Fight. Mostly. I ret-conned in the poisons pells my later long-jawed lizardmen used, and I revised how I ran the Bless effects to be more rules compliant. Well, more rules standard.
Healing and Purification Ritual Path Magic - I don't use ritual path magic, but Chris Rice does an excellent job creating a solid "college" of healing spells.
Fraxinetum - Matt Riggsby found a really good historical setting for a fantasy (or even historical) game. It's a good setting for a "borderlands" adventure, and is a setting that could make a good place for dungeons, a plausible reason for a winner-take-all situation, and a limit on time . . . you know eventually it's going to end, and you can either establish yourself as part of the establishment or get while the getting is good.
Tactical Looting - Answers the question, "How long does that take?" Sadly, it demolishes a good chunk of an article I was writing (and rules I use in my own game), so I'm a little chagrined at this one. But Sean Punch does put a good spin on time things take and how to do adventurers where time matters . . . where you can't just, oh, systematically demolish a dungeon one monster at a time while you rest in between (cough, cough, spoiler alert for the Black Company book series.)
Stilpnotita, The City of Lamps - a high-fantasy city within the Elemental Plane of Earth.
Supernatural Energy - Advantages-based spells and a breakdown of Magery. Interesting stuff and useful for a variation of magic for a fantasy game.
Pandemonium - So, what if demons rampaged over and around everything on Earth? This happens.
Fusion Alchemy - A Chris Rice article on variant alchemy. I'll admit I need to go through this one again to see what to do with it . . . it's both external alchemy (make an elixir!) or internal (mix up an elixir inside someone!)
The Cube - A puzzle encounter for GURPS DF.
Random Thought Table: (Lack of) Speed Kills - An editorial by Steven Marsh. Basically, GM advice for running a game a bit quicker, with the tradeoffs necessary to get some speed into the game.
Overall: Good stuff. A steal at $2. Still worth it at $5-6. Hopefully it'll be up for regular sale soon!
I'll post about what's valid in Felltower another day. Short version: If my players start making Toxi-Mages, they'll be wasting some time.
* The illustrations for this one are nice, but don't Japanese women have hands and faces? It's weirdly all very long hair and long flowing kimono from behind.
Here are the articles you get:
Toxic Grimoire - a college of spells in a poison-focused college using GURPS Magic. I'm responsible for a few of the spells - you can see the list in the About the Author section. Alexei had a lot of spells, and I had a handful of ones from my Felltower game, and we collaborated on adding mine to his. And that let me connect them up to my article.
Utatsumi - Japanese poem-based magic.* It's an in-depth look at the in-game and in-game-world necessaries for using such. I like David Chart's stuff.
The Demonic Temple of Felltower - also known as the Epic Player's Handbook Fight. Mostly. I ret-conned in the poisons pells my later long-jawed lizardmen used, and I revised how I ran the Bless effects to be more rules compliant. Well, more rules standard.
Healing and Purification Ritual Path Magic - I don't use ritual path magic, but Chris Rice does an excellent job creating a solid "college" of healing spells.
Fraxinetum - Matt Riggsby found a really good historical setting for a fantasy (or even historical) game. It's a good setting for a "borderlands" adventure, and is a setting that could make a good place for dungeons, a plausible reason for a winner-take-all situation, and a limit on time . . . you know eventually it's going to end, and you can either establish yourself as part of the establishment or get while the getting is good.
Tactical Looting - Answers the question, "How long does that take?" Sadly, it demolishes a good chunk of an article I was writing (and rules I use in my own game), so I'm a little chagrined at this one. But Sean Punch does put a good spin on time things take and how to do adventurers where time matters . . . where you can't just, oh, systematically demolish a dungeon one monster at a time while you rest in between (cough, cough, spoiler alert for the Black Company book series.)
Stilpnotita, The City of Lamps - a high-fantasy city within the Elemental Plane of Earth.
Supernatural Energy - Advantages-based spells and a breakdown of Magery. Interesting stuff and useful for a variation of magic for a fantasy game.
Pandemonium - So, what if demons rampaged over and around everything on Earth? This happens.
Fusion Alchemy - A Chris Rice article on variant alchemy. I'll admit I need to go through this one again to see what to do with it . . . it's both external alchemy (make an elixir!) or internal (mix up an elixir inside someone!)
The Cube - A puzzle encounter for GURPS DF.
Random Thought Table: (Lack of) Speed Kills - An editorial by Steven Marsh. Basically, GM advice for running a game a bit quicker, with the tradeoffs necessary to get some speed into the game.
Overall: Good stuff. A steal at $2. Still worth it at $5-6. Hopefully it'll be up for regular sale soon!
I'll post about what's valid in Felltower another day. Short version: If my players start making Toxi-Mages, they'll be wasting some time.
* The illustrations for this one are nice, but don't Japanese women have hands and faces? It's weirdly all very long hair and long flowing kimono from behind.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
DF21: Megadungeons reviews
The critics like it!
Or at least, bloggers like it!
Or at least, Daniel Dover likes it, and he's not rabid DF fan!
GURPS PDF Challenge: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 21: Megadungeons
There are lots of very complimentary lines in the review, but two things really stood out to me:
"the most valuable sort of words written in an RPG supplement under "But it's not ready yet!""
I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but yeah, I think this is the most valuable thing I have to say. You really only need just enough dungeon to play, to play. Keep writing, keep expanding, and have an idea in your head so everything hangs together . . . but you have to start playing before you're done. I'm not even half done with my original conception of Felltower and we've been playing for nine years. Nine! How long is the average campaign? Probably not 130+ sessions and 9+ years. Imagine if I'd waited until I was "ready."
"This book pleases me on a philosophical level, but it managed to deflate some anxieties I've had about the game, which isn't what I expected."
Honestly, if all my book does is give you some tools and advice to make you feel less anxious about running this kind of game . . . it's a win as an author.
So, I'm pleased at the reception. Mailanka places is below Action 7, but I'm not hurt - Action 7 is really, really good and too, too short.
(Apropos being an author, I stumbled across this today looking for something else I'd written:
My Author Page at Amazon.com
I need to add a bio and picture to that.)
Or at least, bloggers like it!
Or at least, Daniel Dover likes it, and he's not rabid DF fan!
GURPS PDF Challenge: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 21: Megadungeons
There are lots of very complimentary lines in the review, but two things really stood out to me:
"the most valuable sort of words written in an RPG supplement under "But it's not ready yet!""
I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but yeah, I think this is the most valuable thing I have to say. You really only need just enough dungeon to play, to play. Keep writing, keep expanding, and have an idea in your head so everything hangs together . . . but you have to start playing before you're done. I'm not even half done with my original conception of Felltower and we've been playing for nine years. Nine! How long is the average campaign? Probably not 130+ sessions and 9+ years. Imagine if I'd waited until I was "ready."
"This book pleases me on a philosophical level, but it managed to deflate some anxieties I've had about the game, which isn't what I expected."
Honestly, if all my book does is give you some tools and advice to make you feel less anxious about running this kind of game . . . it's a win as an author.
So, I'm pleased at the reception. Mailanka places is below Action 7, but I'm not hurt - Action 7 is really, really good and too, too short.
(Apropos being an author, I stumbled across this today looking for something else I'd written:
My Author Page at Amazon.com
I need to add a bio and picture to that.)
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Review: Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 3: Deep Night and the Star
For more of my reviews, please see my reviews page.
This is a short review for a short item.
(Image coming when I can find one.)
Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 3: Deep Night and the Star
by Matt Riggsby
Published 2020 by Steve Jackson Games
10 pages
$3.00
This short (10-page) adventure was part of the GURPS PDF Challenge of 2020.
The adventure is, without spoiling too much, a raid by PCs into hole in the universe to where the Elder Things live. Or at least one thing - a god or mountain named Atoep - exists. The PCs need to go there, kill some stuff, break some things in specific ways, and then run back before said hole in the universe closes. Their sponsors don't have a lot of reward to offer, so this is a save-the-world quest.
The adventure has a relatively adventure area that gets used multiple times. It's an atmospheric place, if run as written, and both the environment and the monsters provide challenges. The environment could have been a little more thematically body-like, though, which would have added some charm to a place that just feels like tunnels and rooms full of weirdness. It's well-illustrated and the map is attractive and very clear. It's too bad the map doesn't also come as a .bmp or .jpg so you can more easily upload it to a VTT or print it for tabletop use at minis scale.
The short length does cost, though. Maybe the most interesting thing in the book is the sky-ship, but it gets only a couple of paragraphs - enough to use it, not really enough for how game-changing it could be if the PCs manage to keep it.
It's not the typical kill-and-loot, it's a smash-and-run, and as such is a potentially nice change of pace. It can also be frustrating if the PCs go in expecting loot, and acting only centered around loot - they won't be happy and will likely spend a lot of time searching for such instead of getting on with saving the world. The fights are potentially interesting, but suffer from a common adventure flaw - one-note encounters. Room 1 has monster X, Room 2 monster Y, Room 5 monster Z . . . so you never had to do more than figure out the best way to fight that one, and then do that thing. In my experience mixed-monster fights are generally more interesting and more challenging. But it's a small complaint, and the lack of mix makes sense for what's here.
It does have one new monster, and stats for another foe, both of which can be useful elsewhere.
Overall: This is a nice little adventure for DF. The monsters are oddball enough to require some reading and planning, but the encounters are generally single-flavor so it's not that hard to prep. It's a good adventure. Like a lot of these 10-page PDFs it could easily have been, and probably should have been, longer to support more detail and adventure depth. Good overall, and you can get $3 of worth of it if you want/need a drop-in adventure for your game.
This is a short review for a short item.
(Image coming when I can find one.)
Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 3: Deep Night and the Star
by Matt Riggsby
Published 2020 by Steve Jackson Games
10 pages
$3.00
This short (10-page) adventure was part of the GURPS PDF Challenge of 2020.
The adventure is, without spoiling too much, a raid by PCs into hole in the universe to where the Elder Things live. Or at least one thing - a god or mountain named Atoep - exists. The PCs need to go there, kill some stuff, break some things in specific ways, and then run back before said hole in the universe closes. Their sponsors don't have a lot of reward to offer, so this is a save-the-world quest.
The adventure has a relatively adventure area that gets used multiple times. It's an atmospheric place, if run as written, and both the environment and the monsters provide challenges. The environment could have been a little more thematically body-like, though, which would have added some charm to a place that just feels like tunnels and rooms full of weirdness. It's well-illustrated and the map is attractive and very clear. It's too bad the map doesn't also come as a .bmp or .jpg so you can more easily upload it to a VTT or print it for tabletop use at minis scale.
The short length does cost, though. Maybe the most interesting thing in the book is the sky-ship, but it gets only a couple of paragraphs - enough to use it, not really enough for how game-changing it could be if the PCs manage to keep it.
It's not the typical kill-and-loot, it's a smash-and-run, and as such is a potentially nice change of pace. It can also be frustrating if the PCs go in expecting loot, and acting only centered around loot - they won't be happy and will likely spend a lot of time searching for such instead of getting on with saving the world. The fights are potentially interesting, but suffer from a common adventure flaw - one-note encounters. Room 1 has monster X, Room 2 monster Y, Room 5 monster Z . . . so you never had to do more than figure out the best way to fight that one, and then do that thing. In my experience mixed-monster fights are generally more interesting and more challenging. But it's a small complaint, and the lack of mix makes sense for what's here.
It does have one new monster, and stats for another foe, both of which can be useful elsewhere.
Overall: This is a nice little adventure for DF. The monsters are oddball enough to require some reading and planning, but the encounters are generally single-flavor so it's not that hard to prep. It's a good adventure. Like a lot of these 10-page PDFs it could easily have been, and probably should have been, longer to support more detail and adventure depth. Good overall, and you can get $3 of worth of it if you want/need a drop-in adventure for your game.
Saturday, August 1, 2020
Quick Review: GURPS Action 7: Mercenaries
Here is a quick review of one of the new GURPS PDFs from the 2020 PDF Challenge. I chose this one to read first because I like mercenaries and the Action series always delivers.
GURPS Action 7: Mercenaries
by Shawn A. Fisher
10 pages
MSRP $3
This book is focused on providing the tools to run heroic mercenaries using the GURPS Action line. It can be played realistically, of course, but it contains rules and guidance aimed at action movie heroism. You're the Good Guys, and you fight the Bad Guys, and you get paid to do it.
The book contains a 20-point lens suitable for making a mercenary out of another Action template. It provides guidance for using the templates from GURPS Action 4: Specialists, guidelines and pay (and how to handle it with Wealth levels, instead), Patron costs for units, and what to roll to establish a contract.
There is section for the BATTLE system which quickly resolves larger conflicts, while providing casualty figures for both sides and chances for PCs to get some individual ass-kicking action. Random "Challenges" and set-pieces allow the PCs to win fights and influence the coarse of battle. It also has basic rules for applying BAD-like penalties for a war zone's overall danger level, which I was really inspired by.
After the conflict, you can roll to determine the after action effects of the conflict, and then where to next. That last bit is provided by the deeply enjoyable Random Conflict Zone table. In two quick tries I ended up with a CR5 Socialist country, temperate in climate, known as Islamar (probably, the People's Republic of Islamar), and Tanistan, a desert Corporate State (CR 4). They're probably neighbors with Latveria and Freedonia.
Overall: This is a good book to fill out the Action line, and I'd recommend grabbing it if you want to run anything like a 20th or 21st century mercenaries game. Good stuff. A quick, fun, inspiring read.
GURPS Action 7: Mercenaries
by Shawn A. Fisher
10 pages
MSRP $3
This book is focused on providing the tools to run heroic mercenaries using the GURPS Action line. It can be played realistically, of course, but it contains rules and guidance aimed at action movie heroism. You're the Good Guys, and you fight the Bad Guys, and you get paid to do it.
The book contains a 20-point lens suitable for making a mercenary out of another Action template. It provides guidance for using the templates from GURPS Action 4: Specialists, guidelines and pay (and how to handle it with Wealth levels, instead), Patron costs for units, and what to roll to establish a contract.
There is section for the BATTLE system which quickly resolves larger conflicts, while providing casualty figures for both sides and chances for PCs to get some individual ass-kicking action. Random "Challenges" and set-pieces allow the PCs to win fights and influence the coarse of battle. It also has basic rules for applying BAD-like penalties for a war zone's overall danger level, which I was really inspired by.
After the conflict, you can roll to determine the after action effects of the conflict, and then where to next. That last bit is provided by the deeply enjoyable Random Conflict Zone table. In two quick tries I ended up with a CR5 Socialist country, temperate in climate, known as Islamar (probably, the People's Republic of Islamar), and Tanistan, a desert Corporate State (CR 4). They're probably neighbors with Latveria and Freedonia.
Overall: This is a good book to fill out the Action line, and I'd recommend grabbing it if you want to run anything like a 20th or 21st century mercenaries game. Good stuff. A quick, fun, inspiring read.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Darkest Dungeon
The other day I posted that GOG had put Darkest Dungeon on a very steep discount. It was $5. I'd been eyeing it for years, literally, after having heard a couple of my players talk about it.
For $5 I figured that even if I got only a few hours of fun out of it I'd be okay. And heck, maybe I could get an idea or two for my own gaming.
What I wanted was a game I could play with minimal thought. I ended up with a game that takes some thought and planning. Nothing like the mind-drain that is War in the East or (to me anyway) its more complex brother, War in the West. It still takes planning.
If you're not familiar with the game, I'll give you a quick rundown:
- your ancestor was a bored rich person who dug too deep and dreamed a little too much of a dream of power. In the paraphrased words of Glen Cook, he brought back fingers cobwebbed with damnnation.
- you take a ride to a sad little hamlet next to your ancestral home, a ciffside house with a nearby wilderness, warren, ruin, and cove as well as the titular "Darkest Dungeon" and recruit adventurers to send to clear out the evil.
- the whole game is hardcore mode. It saves continuously. Everything you do is permanent.
- character death is something to try to avoid, but it happens. It's basically permanent (although there are events that affect that.)
- characters suffer stress from delving, from getting critically hit, from almost dying, from running away, from standing to fight, from darkness, from too much light (with the wrong manias), etc. Enough stress and they can go crazy, which is stressful on others. Enough stress and they can even die from it.
- injury can also kill you. Injury happens a lot.
- even totally successful delve can have negative, lasting (or costly to fix) impacts on your characters.
- you never have enough resources to go around. Nor enough space for treasure needed to replenish it. You'll find yourself tossing treasure to keep food, torches, or special unguents or quest items. Equally, you'll find yourself tossing torches, food, and special unguents to make room for quest items and treasure. Everything is a tradeoff.
All in all, it's black, bleak, very Warhammer-like, and fun.
It can be maddening, mostly when you click the wrong button and bad stuff happens. The initiative system is round-based rolling, so it's dreadfully common to have one side go twice in a row. If that side is the bad guys and they include a multi-action foe, you can get curb-stomped down from 'totally healthy and sane' to 'dead and mission failure' while you just sit and watch.
All in all, though, it's fun. I'm not likely to plunder it for ideas, not for my current gaming, but it is a lot of fun. Probably even $25 worth (list price), if I ever spent $25 for non-giant-wargame video games.
For $5 I figured that even if I got only a few hours of fun out of it I'd be okay. And heck, maybe I could get an idea or two for my own gaming.
What I wanted was a game I could play with minimal thought. I ended up with a game that takes some thought and planning. Nothing like the mind-drain that is War in the East or (to me anyway) its more complex brother, War in the West. It still takes planning.
If you're not familiar with the game, I'll give you a quick rundown:
- your ancestor was a bored rich person who dug too deep and dreamed a little too much of a dream of power. In the paraphrased words of Glen Cook, he brought back fingers cobwebbed with damnnation.
- you take a ride to a sad little hamlet next to your ancestral home, a ciffside house with a nearby wilderness, warren, ruin, and cove as well as the titular "Darkest Dungeon" and recruit adventurers to send to clear out the evil.
- the whole game is hardcore mode. It saves continuously. Everything you do is permanent.
- character death is something to try to avoid, but it happens. It's basically permanent (although there are events that affect that.)
- characters suffer stress from delving, from getting critically hit, from almost dying, from running away, from standing to fight, from darkness, from too much light (with the wrong manias), etc. Enough stress and they can go crazy, which is stressful on others. Enough stress and they can even die from it.
- injury can also kill you. Injury happens a lot.
- even totally successful delve can have negative, lasting (or costly to fix) impacts on your characters.
- you never have enough resources to go around. Nor enough space for treasure needed to replenish it. You'll find yourself tossing treasure to keep food, torches, or special unguents or quest items. Equally, you'll find yourself tossing torches, food, and special unguents to make room for quest items and treasure. Everything is a tradeoff.
All in all, it's black, bleak, very Warhammer-like, and fun.
It can be maddening, mostly when you click the wrong button and bad stuff happens. The initiative system is round-based rolling, so it's dreadfully common to have one side go twice in a row. If that side is the bad guys and they include a multi-action foe, you can get curb-stomped down from 'totally healthy and sane' to 'dead and mission failure' while you just sit and watch.
All in all, though, it's fun. I'm not likely to plunder it for ideas, not for my current gaming, but it is a lot of fun. Probably even $25 worth (list price), if I ever spent $25 for non-giant-wargame video games.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Review: Battletech: The Fox's Teeth
For more reviews, please see my reviews page.
The Fox's Teeth: Exploits of McKinnon's Raiders
Produced by Jordan K. Weisman
Written by L. Ross Babcock III, Patrick L. Larkin, Richard Meyer, William H. Keith, Jr., Richard Meyer, Walter Hunt, Lisa Hunt, Evan Jamison, Samuel Brown Baker II, and Dorothy Elizabeth Baker
48 pages
MSRP ??
FASA 1606
The Fox's Teeth is a scenario book for Battletech (the 1985 version.) It is centered on a House Davion/Federated Suns unit, McKinnon's Company of the 7th Crucis Lancers. It features a history section, details of the full 12-mech company, and 14 scenarios including a 4-scenario campaign.
It starts out with a history House Davion and the formation of the Federated Suns, and a gazetteer of some important locations - the capital, New Avalon, New Syrtis, the home of the ambition brother-in-law of the Prince of the Federated Suns, and others. Then it segues into a history of McKinnon's unit.
Unlike the heavy-firepower assault-troop Black Widows, McKinnon's company is more standard. A heavy Command Lance, a Medium Lance headed by a heavy mech, and the all-jump capable Recon Lance with two mediums and two lights. The troops reflect a similar mix, though - the wiley commander, the wiley commander's younger and more irresponsible brother, the cold professional with a grudge over her arm injury, and even a religious fanatic. Most of the mechs are undamaged, but a few have special issues - over-heating guns, armor limits from previous severe damage, and gyro issues to name three. The unit is famed through its history as raiders, guerrilla warfare experts, and being sneaky and clever.
The scenarios really use the personalities of the mechwarriors, too. One scenario is centered on the younger brother getting pushed into a tough mission to make up for previous errors, another had a duel with a twist between one of McKinnon's mechwarriors and the husband of a wife he seduced, and still another has the enemy dealing with command while their frequency is blotted out with the religious fantastic's incessant Old Testament quotes.
The scenarios also have some really unique elements. One is in, and under, water - complete with rules for underwater mech warfare. Another features buried mechs in ambush in a desert, and rules for that. The campaign features a crate of valuable supplies and rules picking up and carrying a crate. It's get-the-McGuffin except you've got to tote it around the map and not get killed trying to make off with it. Mechs without hands - Warhammers and Marauders or Riflemen, say - have issues here.
War Stories: I played some of these scenarios. I didn't really love the big 4-scenario campaign, though. It wasn't that great for solo play when I tried it. I really liked a few other of the scenarios - the underwater fight, for example, and the desert ambush. There is a bizarre mass-of-lights-vs.-standard-lance scenario that is a lot of fun, too.
Overall: While I didn't enjoy this as much as Tales of the Black Widow Company, I think this is almost equally as good for a Battletech player who wants new rules for early Battletech and a solid block of enjoyable scenarios to play out.
The Fox's Teeth: Exploits of McKinnon's Raiders
Produced by Jordan K. Weisman
Written by L. Ross Babcock III, Patrick L. Larkin, Richard Meyer, William H. Keith, Jr., Richard Meyer, Walter Hunt, Lisa Hunt, Evan Jamison, Samuel Brown Baker II, and Dorothy Elizabeth Baker
48 pages
MSRP ??
FASA 1606
The Fox's Teeth is a scenario book for Battletech (the 1985 version.) It is centered on a House Davion/Federated Suns unit, McKinnon's Company of the 7th Crucis Lancers. It features a history section, details of the full 12-mech company, and 14 scenarios including a 4-scenario campaign.
It starts out with a history House Davion and the formation of the Federated Suns, and a gazetteer of some important locations - the capital, New Avalon, New Syrtis, the home of the ambition brother-in-law of the Prince of the Federated Suns, and others. Then it segues into a history of McKinnon's unit.
Unlike the heavy-firepower assault-troop Black Widows, McKinnon's company is more standard. A heavy Command Lance, a Medium Lance headed by a heavy mech, and the all-jump capable Recon Lance with two mediums and two lights. The troops reflect a similar mix, though - the wiley commander, the wiley commander's younger and more irresponsible brother, the cold professional with a grudge over her arm injury, and even a religious fanatic. Most of the mechs are undamaged, but a few have special issues - over-heating guns, armor limits from previous severe damage, and gyro issues to name three. The unit is famed through its history as raiders, guerrilla warfare experts, and being sneaky and clever.
The scenarios really use the personalities of the mechwarriors, too. One scenario is centered on the younger brother getting pushed into a tough mission to make up for previous errors, another had a duel with a twist between one of McKinnon's mechwarriors and the husband of a wife he seduced, and still another has the enemy dealing with command while their frequency is blotted out with the religious fantastic's incessant Old Testament quotes.
The scenarios also have some really unique elements. One is in, and under, water - complete with rules for underwater mech warfare. Another features buried mechs in ambush in a desert, and rules for that. The campaign features a crate of valuable supplies and rules picking up and carrying a crate. It's get-the-McGuffin except you've got to tote it around the map and not get killed trying to make off with it. Mechs without hands - Warhammers and Marauders or Riflemen, say - have issues here.
War Stories: I played some of these scenarios. I didn't really love the big 4-scenario campaign, though. It wasn't that great for solo play when I tried it. I really liked a few other of the scenarios - the underwater fight, for example, and the desert ambush. There is a bizarre mass-of-lights-vs.-standard-lance scenario that is a lot of fun, too.
Overall: While I didn't enjoy this as much as Tales of the Black Widow Company, I think this is almost equally as good for a Battletech player who wants new rules for early Battletech and a solid block of enjoyable scenarios to play out.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Review: Battletech: Tales of the Black Widow Company
While I'm looking at my old Battledroids/Battletech stuff I'm writing reviews of the two Battletech supplements I have - Tales of the Black Widow Company and The Fox's Teeth: Exploits of McKinnon's Raiders.
Here is the first of those two reviews. For more reviews, please see my Reviews Page.
Tales of the Black Widow Company
Produced by Jordan K. Weisman
Written by L. Ross Babcock III, Patrick L. Larkin, Richard Meyer, J. Andrew Keith, and William H. Keith, Jr.
48 pages
MSRP ??
FASA 1605
Tales of the Black Widow Company is a scenario book for Battletech, centered around a specific mercenary regiment's elite company. It includes 15 scenarios, including a 4-scenario campaign - The Battle for Hoff - pitting Wolf's Dragoons against the Eridani Light Horse.
It start with a history of Wolf's Dragoons, the unit that Captain Natasha Kerensky's Independent Company aka The Black Widows belongs to. This book expands on the mention in the rulebook that Wolf's Dragoons fought for and against all of the major houses, and has some kind of supply base outside in the Periphery. It's implicit but strongly implied by their actions that they're scouting out the Inner Sphere for some purpose, and are supplied externally to do so. For what? Well, we know a ruler named "Kerensky" went into exile and that not all of the Star League Army followed him. I always assumed that Wolf's Dragoons were part of that force that followed Kerensky, and they had access to supplies, replacements, techs, and mechs stashed outside the Inner Sphere by the ruling Kerensky, setting them up as a spearhead for a return of the Star League Army. The game went a different way, eventually, but the clues are there for that kind of campaign.
It then goes on with a one-page summary of the origins of the Black Widows and several of their major actions.
The unit is a full company, with four lances - Command Lance, Fire Lance (with two Archers, ouch!), and Recon Lance. The personnel range from professional soldiers of high quality to Dirty Dozen cast-offs from other units. The recklessly brave pilot and her trashed Crusader, the war criminal under a sentence of death who just won't get himself killed, the thrill-seeker, the clueless guy who someone is trying to get killed, the thief . . . all good stuff. Many of the mechs are in good condition, but many others have specific, idiosyncratic issues that haven't been, or can't be, fixed - and the writeup explains where and when that happened. These do give the unit some color, and make it more interesting. It's a tabletop wargame, of course, and you can have the reckless one hang back, the careful one charge berserkly, etc., but it's a lot of fun to try and play them as described.
The opposition is rarely given much personality besides a "main" enemy, if then, but mechs are often equally damaged, not-quite-100% working, or have oddities about them to make the fights interesting. The scenarios have victory conditions that usually are more than just "destroy the enemy" although that's generally not a bad thing if you manage it. They have extra rules, too, to cover the special conditions. One I especially liked are rules for morale and recovery/repair of units in the 3rd Battle for Hoff, a short-ranged high-density slog of a fight between two battled mech companies over a dry riverbed.
It does have some oddness - a pair of special mechs with engines too small, by the rules, to give them the MP they have. It's clearly not a typo as a later rule makes it clear they have their listed, too-high MP. But that's all that I can find.
The art is good, although Kerensky's portrayal is a bit mixed. On the cover she looks like Betty Boop striding through a war zone. Inside, she generally looks like an attractive but serious Russian woman a gun and an attitude. It's kind of amusing to think of crew sidearms when you're fighting with mechs, but I guess when you have to bail you'll want a handy long arm. In any case, the art includes Jim Holloway, whose work I always enjoyed.
In actual play: I played most of these scenarios out. Not all of them - you have a scenario with mechwarrior trainees with very high (in other words, poor) Piloting and Gunnery skills lead by a vet with excellent skills, but I couldn't figure out how to use the Gunner skill because the rulebook lacks an explanation.
I remember specifically playing out the four Hoff scenarios, especially the 3rd scenario and its 21 mechs fighting at short range. It was a lot of fun, although Kerensky herself got waxed from a critical hit to the head from an opposing Phoenix Hawk early on. Oops. The Widows won, barely, as far as I recall but it was amusing that the major character died. Hey, it's combat. The morale rules were good, too, in actual play. They made the fight more than a slog to total destruction.
Overall: I really enjoyed reading this book and playing out the scenarios. I'd play them again if I had time and table space. Highly recommended if you can find a copy.
Here is the first of those two reviews. For more reviews, please see my Reviews Page.
Tales of the Black Widow Company
Produced by Jordan K. Weisman
Written by L. Ross Babcock III, Patrick L. Larkin, Richard Meyer, J. Andrew Keith, and William H. Keith, Jr.
48 pages
MSRP ??
FASA 1605
Tales of the Black Widow Company is a scenario book for Battletech, centered around a specific mercenary regiment's elite company. It includes 15 scenarios, including a 4-scenario campaign - The Battle for Hoff - pitting Wolf's Dragoons against the Eridani Light Horse.
It start with a history of Wolf's Dragoons, the unit that Captain Natasha Kerensky's Independent Company aka The Black Widows belongs to. This book expands on the mention in the rulebook that Wolf's Dragoons fought for and against all of the major houses, and has some kind of supply base outside in the Periphery. It's implicit but strongly implied by their actions that they're scouting out the Inner Sphere for some purpose, and are supplied externally to do so. For what? Well, we know a ruler named "Kerensky" went into exile and that not all of the Star League Army followed him. I always assumed that Wolf's Dragoons were part of that force that followed Kerensky, and they had access to supplies, replacements, techs, and mechs stashed outside the Inner Sphere by the ruling Kerensky, setting them up as a spearhead for a return of the Star League Army. The game went a different way, eventually, but the clues are there for that kind of campaign.
It then goes on with a one-page summary of the origins of the Black Widows and several of their major actions.
The unit is a full company, with four lances - Command Lance, Fire Lance (with two Archers, ouch!), and Recon Lance. The personnel range from professional soldiers of high quality to Dirty Dozen cast-offs from other units. The recklessly brave pilot and her trashed Crusader, the war criminal under a sentence of death who just won't get himself killed, the thrill-seeker, the clueless guy who someone is trying to get killed, the thief . . . all good stuff. Many of the mechs are in good condition, but many others have specific, idiosyncratic issues that haven't been, or can't be, fixed - and the writeup explains where and when that happened. These do give the unit some color, and make it more interesting. It's a tabletop wargame, of course, and you can have the reckless one hang back, the careful one charge berserkly, etc., but it's a lot of fun to try and play them as described.
The opposition is rarely given much personality besides a "main" enemy, if then, but mechs are often equally damaged, not-quite-100% working, or have oddities about them to make the fights interesting. The scenarios have victory conditions that usually are more than just "destroy the enemy" although that's generally not a bad thing if you manage it. They have extra rules, too, to cover the special conditions. One I especially liked are rules for morale and recovery/repair of units in the 3rd Battle for Hoff, a short-ranged high-density slog of a fight between two battled mech companies over a dry riverbed.
It does have some oddness - a pair of special mechs with engines too small, by the rules, to give them the MP they have. It's clearly not a typo as a later rule makes it clear they have their listed, too-high MP. But that's all that I can find.
The art is good, although Kerensky's portrayal is a bit mixed. On the cover she looks like Betty Boop striding through a war zone. Inside, she generally looks like an attractive but serious Russian woman a gun and an attitude. It's kind of amusing to think of crew sidearms when you're fighting with mechs, but I guess when you have to bail you'll want a handy long arm. In any case, the art includes Jim Holloway, whose work I always enjoyed.
In actual play: I played most of these scenarios out. Not all of them - you have a scenario with mechwarrior trainees with very high (in other words, poor) Piloting and Gunnery skills lead by a vet with excellent skills, but I couldn't figure out how to use the Gunner skill because the rulebook lacks an explanation.
I remember specifically playing out the four Hoff scenarios, especially the 3rd scenario and its 21 mechs fighting at short range. It was a lot of fun, although Kerensky herself got waxed from a critical hit to the head from an opposing Phoenix Hawk early on. Oops. The Widows won, barely, as far as I recall but it was amusing that the major character died. Hey, it's combat. The morale rules were good, too, in actual play. They made the fight more than a slog to total destruction.
Overall: I really enjoyed reading this book and playing out the scenarios. I'd play them again if I had time and table space. Highly recommended if you can find a copy.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Review: DFRPG Companion 2
This is a review of the latest Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game book, Companion 2.
For more of my reviews, see my reviews page.
Dungeon Fantasy Companion 2
by Sean Punch
Published 2020 by Steve Jackson Games
64 pages
Dungeon Fantasy Companion 2 contains:
- 16 full-page magic items
- 6 monsters
- 14 NPCs
Each in turn:
The magic items are clearly the ones that didn't make it into Magic Items 2 due to missed stretch goals. Like those magic items, they're full page, with a large illustration. They each have a vignette, a description, power write-up, suggested placement, and cost. They're interesting, like all of the ones in Magic Items 2. The only ones that really leaped out to me were the mask Oudou and the Buccaneer's Band. They're all potentially useful, though, for the right sort of game.
The monsters are also clearly the ones that didn't make it into Monsters 2. There are six, including a version of the harpy I think is nastier than mine (from DFM3.) There are also centaurs, war boars for your orcs to ride on, and three other unique-to-DFRPG ones. The art on all of them is excellent and evocative. They also have adventure seeds, detailed box-outs for needed game information, and in some cases variants.
The NPCs are probably the most interesting. They're well-designed, and powerful enough to be a threat to a group of PCs, either directly or indirectly. Those of new races come with stats for those races - such as dark elf - or template - unholy warrior and evil cleric. The art on NPCs is excellent, although I found a couple lame - like Lady Aimara, who is a long-hair Asian woman in a silk gown . . . depicted from behind. Okay, great, so I know she has long black hair, that's it. Compare it to the evocative Mictecoix or King Scrogo the Munificent and it's very disappointing. Out of the entire book, this is the most fun section to read.
Overall: For someone exclusively playing the DFRPG, with no add-ons from DF, the added templates, advantages, and options make this hard to live without. For those playing with add-ons, you've probably seen most of those before. Still, if you need pregren unique bad guys, more magic items, and a few more monsters, it's valuable to have.
For more of my reviews, see my reviews page.
Dungeon Fantasy Companion 2
by Sean Punch
Published 2020 by Steve Jackson Games
64 pages
Dungeon Fantasy Companion 2 contains:
- 16 full-page magic items
- 6 monsters
- 14 NPCs
Each in turn:
The magic items are clearly the ones that didn't make it into Magic Items 2 due to missed stretch goals. Like those magic items, they're full page, with a large illustration. They each have a vignette, a description, power write-up, suggested placement, and cost. They're interesting, like all of the ones in Magic Items 2. The only ones that really leaped out to me were the mask Oudou and the Buccaneer's Band. They're all potentially useful, though, for the right sort of game.
The monsters are also clearly the ones that didn't make it into Monsters 2. There are six, including a version of the harpy I think is nastier than mine (from DFM3.) There are also centaurs, war boars for your orcs to ride on, and three other unique-to-DFRPG ones. The art on all of them is excellent and evocative. They also have adventure seeds, detailed box-outs for needed game information, and in some cases variants.
The NPCs are probably the most interesting. They're well-designed, and powerful enough to be a threat to a group of PCs, either directly or indirectly. Those of new races come with stats for those races - such as dark elf - or template - unholy warrior and evil cleric. The art on NPCs is excellent, although I found a couple lame - like Lady Aimara, who is a long-hair Asian woman in a silk gown . . . depicted from behind. Okay, great, so I know she has long black hair, that's it. Compare it to the evocative Mictecoix or King Scrogo the Munificent and it's very disappointing. Out of the entire book, this is the most fun section to read.
Overall: For someone exclusively playing the DFRPG, with no add-ons from DF, the added templates, advantages, and options make this hard to live without. For those playing with add-ons, you've probably seen most of those before. Still, if you need pregren unique bad guys, more magic items, and a few more monsters, it's valuable to have.
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Review: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy: Cold Shard Mountains
Time to review something I like. For disclosure - I'm a SJG freelancer, I write a lot of material for GURPS in general and Dungeon Fantasy in specific. Matt Riggsby is someone I consider a friend and a colleague. I was also a playtester on this book.
For more reviews, please see my reviews page.
Written by Matt Riggsby
Published 2020 by Steve Jackson Games
59 pages
$10 in PDF.
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is unabashedly about two-dimensional (or even one-dimensional) protagonists going into dungeons and killing things for their valuable things. It's not big on culture, history, background, and development of a social structure around dungeoneering. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy: Cold Shard Mountains is about putting a culture, history, background, and a social structure around DF via a developed setting.
GURPS being GURPS, this works. DF is a pared-down version of GURPS; this setting merely brings back up some of what DF reduced to die rolls or "who cares anyway?" sorts of simplifications.
Cold Shark Mountains brings a lot to the table. You have a mapped out area with a layered history and geography - and a mix of intelligent and unintelligent creatures - that explains why there are so many dungeons. Or even a big-ass megadungeon. If you feel like DF is good but you need more than town as a menu with die rolls ala Wizardry, so does Matt Riggsby.
The maps are attractive and useful. The area is a hex-shaped region around 170 miles across (6.5 inches at 0.75" per 20 miles), and additional maps break it further down into sub-hexes. There is a GM keyed map and handout maps. They seem like they'd be easy to use at the table, once printed out from the PDF. They're black-and-white but I'd probably shade them with colored pencils so they'd look nicer but still be easy to write on and modify as play changed them.
The book contains several new monsters (some minor threats, some major annoyances), new potions from Coleopteran (bug-people) Alchemy, several magical items (including wasp flails, which is a great name and the kind of item I wish I'd come up with first), and a number of magic item suites. You know, item sets. Matt's variation on them from traditional sets of unique items is excellent. Just the crunchy bits alone would be a useful addition.
The book also has random encounters and sufficient hexcrawl rules to run the game as a hexcrawl. These are unique in GURPS as far as I can tell.
Overall: I'm not really in the market for a Dungeon Fantasy setting. But if I was, this would be an easy choice. A lot of adventuring areas, plenty of hooks, and easy tools for turning it into a hexcrawl, clear-and-develop game, or the basis for a lot of traditional dungeon-of-the-week gaming are included. If you'd like a setting for a fantasy game with dungeons plus a bit more cultural and historical development, this is something you can use.
Here are Notes on Cold Shard Mountains by the author.
For more reviews, please see my reviews page.
Written by Matt Riggsby
Published 2020 by Steve Jackson Games
59 pages
$10 in PDF.
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is unabashedly about two-dimensional (or even one-dimensional) protagonists going into dungeons and killing things for their valuable things. It's not big on culture, history, background, and development of a social structure around dungeoneering. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy: Cold Shard Mountains is about putting a culture, history, background, and a social structure around DF via a developed setting.
GURPS being GURPS, this works. DF is a pared-down version of GURPS; this setting merely brings back up some of what DF reduced to die rolls or "who cares anyway?" sorts of simplifications.
Cold Shark Mountains brings a lot to the table. You have a mapped out area with a layered history and geography - and a mix of intelligent and unintelligent creatures - that explains why there are so many dungeons. Or even a big-ass megadungeon. If you feel like DF is good but you need more than town as a menu with die rolls ala Wizardry, so does Matt Riggsby.
The maps are attractive and useful. The area is a hex-shaped region around 170 miles across (6.5 inches at 0.75" per 20 miles), and additional maps break it further down into sub-hexes. There is a GM keyed map and handout maps. They seem like they'd be easy to use at the table, once printed out from the PDF. They're black-and-white but I'd probably shade them with colored pencils so they'd look nicer but still be easy to write on and modify as play changed them.
The book contains several new monsters (some minor threats, some major annoyances), new potions from Coleopteran (bug-people) Alchemy, several magical items (including wasp flails, which is a great name and the kind of item I wish I'd come up with first), and a number of magic item suites. You know, item sets. Matt's variation on them from traditional sets of unique items is excellent. Just the crunchy bits alone would be a useful addition.
The book also has random encounters and sufficient hexcrawl rules to run the game as a hexcrawl. These are unique in GURPS as far as I can tell.
Overall: I'm not really in the market for a Dungeon Fantasy setting. But if I was, this would be an easy choice. A lot of adventuring areas, plenty of hooks, and easy tools for turning it into a hexcrawl, clear-and-develop game, or the basis for a lot of traditional dungeon-of-the-week gaming are included. If you'd like a setting for a fantasy game with dungeons plus a bit more cultural and historical development, this is something you can use.
Here are Notes on Cold Shard Mountains by the author.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Review: Dungeon Fantasy Magic Items 2
I sometimes review gaming products. Mostly I review things that I like. My reviews aren't unbiased or objective. To state my biases upfront: I play GURPS and the DFRPG, I write for GURPS and the DFRPG, and the author of this book is my friend, frequently my editor, and sometimes my co-author.
For more of my reviews, see my reviews page.
Dungeon Fantasy: Powered by GURPS
Magic Items 2
Written by Sean Punch
Published September 2019
48 pages
Price TBD
Backers of the Magic Items 2 Kickstarter have begin to receive their copies of the book. I received mine several days ago and read it through.
The book contains 44 magic items, "rare or unique artifacts" according to the back cover.
Each item consists of a vignette, a depiction of the item, a text description of what it is and does, a stat block providing price, weight, etc., and a "Treasure!" seed offering tips on placement and GM use of the item.
I won't lie, I don't like most vignettes. I don't like these any better than most. I read them out of a sense of completion but they don't add anything to my enjoyment of the items. I don't really care how the sample NPCs from DFRPG feel about the items. The short flavor texts or poems work better for me but I could take them or leave them.
The text descriptions of the items are well done. They contain everything you need to use the items in play. It's not just descriptive, it includes rules and details you need. With Sean Punch's easy clarity, the rules are easy to follow and make sense.
The "Treasure!" seeds are excellent, and provide a good hook for using the item. For items that seem game-breaking the sections features clear explanations of why some items that seem abusive really are not (or how to keep them from being so.)
The layout of a full-page for each item has its positive and negative aspects. Some of the items don't really seem like they need a full page and an illustration. For artifacts, sure. For some of the more complex items - such as the Amazing Backpack or Libra Infinitas Mysterii - the space is needed to fully describe it. Some better for it - the Trusty Knife benefits from lots of examples - but probably don't need it. But others seem overwritten for what you get from them.
A couple items fell flat for me. The God-King's Occulus doesn't really seem to do anything in DFRPG that you couldn't just do with points and have less problems. It's not like you couldn't buy the advantages it gives you, it's just a way to get some of those points. Others, like the Butcher Blade, are neat but again seem like they get more wordcount than they need. The Skull Ring is cool but the time limit (and the effectiveness within it for its skull given the power level of the game) really seems to undercut its value.
Overall: I like the book. I think the full-page plus illustration meant that some items are really don't warrant a full page get one, and ones that don't need an illustration get one. That aside, I'll use some of the items in my game as written. Others might get modified. Others still will just get set aside as not really suited for my type of game. It's a good book and it's worth it to expand the magic item count in your game. I found I didn't like it as much as I loved Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts . . . call it a 4/5 instead of a 5/5.
For more of my reviews, see my reviews page.
Dungeon Fantasy: Powered by GURPS
Magic Items 2
Written by Sean Punch
Published September 2019
48 pages
Price TBD
Backers of the Magic Items 2 Kickstarter have begin to receive their copies of the book. I received mine several days ago and read it through.
The book contains 44 magic items, "rare or unique artifacts" according to the back cover.
Each item consists of a vignette, a depiction of the item, a text description of what it is and does, a stat block providing price, weight, etc., and a "Treasure!" seed offering tips on placement and GM use of the item.
I won't lie, I don't like most vignettes. I don't like these any better than most. I read them out of a sense of completion but they don't add anything to my enjoyment of the items. I don't really care how the sample NPCs from DFRPG feel about the items. The short flavor texts or poems work better for me but I could take them or leave them.
The text descriptions of the items are well done. They contain everything you need to use the items in play. It's not just descriptive, it includes rules and details you need. With Sean Punch's easy clarity, the rules are easy to follow and make sense.
The "Treasure!" seeds are excellent, and provide a good hook for using the item. For items that seem game-breaking the sections features clear explanations of why some items that seem abusive really are not (or how to keep them from being so.)
The layout of a full-page for each item has its positive and negative aspects. Some of the items don't really seem like they need a full page and an illustration. For artifacts, sure. For some of the more complex items - such as the Amazing Backpack or Libra Infinitas Mysterii - the space is needed to fully describe it. Some better for it - the Trusty Knife benefits from lots of examples - but probably don't need it. But others seem overwritten for what you get from them.
A couple items fell flat for me. The God-King's Occulus doesn't really seem to do anything in DFRPG that you couldn't just do with points and have less problems. It's not like you couldn't buy the advantages it gives you, it's just a way to get some of those points. Others, like the Butcher Blade, are neat but again seem like they get more wordcount than they need. The Skull Ring is cool but the time limit (and the effectiveness within it for its skull given the power level of the game) really seems to undercut its value.
Overall: I like the book. I think the full-page plus illustration meant that some items are really don't warrant a full page get one, and ones that don't need an illustration get one. That aside, I'll use some of the items in my game as written. Others might get modified. Others still will just get set aside as not really suited for my type of game. It's a good book and it's worth it to expand the magic item count in your game. I found I didn't like it as much as I loved Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts . . . call it a 4/5 instead of a 5/5.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Review: Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Monsters 2
I read the new DFRPG book, Monsters 2, cover to cover. What did I think?
Written by Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch
Published by Steve Jackson Games 2019
53 pages
$20
The latest DFRPG release is Monsters 2, which was Kickstarted a few months back. The book is a sequel to DFRPG Monsters, which was included in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game boxed set.
The book contains 24 new monsters - new to GURPS DFRPG stats - plus many have multiple variations. These include some staple beings: giants, angels, striges (aka stirges or strix), chimera, killer trees. They also include some unique additions - blood-draining undead, demonic dragons, elemental humanoids (and elemental blends), killer plants, things that dwell between dimensions, and so on. They're written up by Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch, who writes monsters that seem tough and mean to me, and I pride myself on playing on hard mode.
All of them get complete game stats, blurbs on how best to use those stats (tactically, but also to spark adventures), and writeups of what the stats mean when you use the monsters. Each monster comes with a full-color high-quality illustration, some adventure seeds, and enough information to back up their abilities with concrete in-game rulings.
Although some of the monsters already have had GURPS stats - giants and strix, for two examples - the DF/DFRPG level stats and excellent advice on how to use them is especially useful.
Overall: I'm impressed by what's included, and many of these monsters will see immediate use in my own Felltower campaign. Having only 24 monsters - admittedly some with multiple variations - is a bit disappointing. The two-page layout gives a lot of meat to the monsters but costs in overall quantity of monsters.
Recommended.
Written by Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch
Published by Steve Jackson Games 2019
53 pages
$20
The latest DFRPG release is Monsters 2, which was Kickstarted a few months back. The book is a sequel to DFRPG Monsters, which was included in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game boxed set.
The book contains 24 new monsters - new to GURPS DFRPG stats - plus many have multiple variations. These include some staple beings: giants, angels, striges (aka stirges or strix), chimera, killer trees. They also include some unique additions - blood-draining undead, demonic dragons, elemental humanoids (and elemental blends), killer plants, things that dwell between dimensions, and so on. They're written up by Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch, who writes monsters that seem tough and mean to me, and I pride myself on playing on hard mode.
All of them get complete game stats, blurbs on how best to use those stats (tactically, but also to spark adventures), and writeups of what the stats mean when you use the monsters. Each monster comes with a full-color high-quality illustration, some adventure seeds, and enough information to back up their abilities with concrete in-game rulings.
Although some of the monsters already have had GURPS stats - giants and strix, for two examples - the DF/DFRPG level stats and excellent advice on how to use them is especially useful.
Overall: I'm impressed by what's included, and many of these monsters will see immediate use in my own Felltower campaign. Having only 24 monsters - admittedly some with multiple variations - is a bit disappointing. The two-page layout gives a lot of meat to the monsters but costs in overall quantity of monsters.
Recommended.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Dungeon of the Mad Mage - First Impressions
I've begin reading through Dungeon of the Mad Mage
So far, here are my impressions and comments:
Great:
- Maps are black and white and highly readable. Also, they aren't poster-sized.
- levels come with a preamble telling you what you'll find - and good ones, at that! Very useful for OPM.
- room descriptions are minimal, just enough to work with.
- maps that include levels with multi-level structures on them, and many connection points.
Good:
- pages 5-12 are intro, adventure seeds, necessary prelims, etc. and then it gets right to the dungeon.
- play supports PCs getting in over the heads, and moving "ahead" of their level-appropriate challenges (and back-sweeping, as well.) Nice.
- lots of adventure seeds to give you reasons to keep going down - and have focused exploration - besides just "we need to get some XP and gold!"
- more monsters, including the creepy lava children from the Fiend Folio!
Ugh:
- "Each dungeon level contains enough monster XP to ensure that characters who clear out the level can advance to the point where they're ready to take on the challenges of the next level down." I have very definite feelings about megadungeons as ones you don't go around clearing level by level. You can, I think, but basically want to in order to make it through? Ugh.
- I personally still have an issue with the whole "pit to the dungeon in the middle of the Yawning Portal tavern." Really? You let people go down and stir up dangerous monsters in a big hole in the middle of the floor? You bet on their success and failure and let them die screaming below because they don't have the money to come back up? In my book that isn't "Neutral," that's flat-out Evil. Evil stands by and watches you die because you can't cough up a coin right now. Even Roman gladiatorial games seem less cruel.
So far, I generally like it, and while I won't run a D&D5 game, I will use some of what I like from this in my own GURPS game.
So far, here are my impressions and comments:
Great:
- Maps are black and white and highly readable. Also, they aren't poster-sized.
- levels come with a preamble telling you what you'll find - and good ones, at that! Very useful for OPM.
- room descriptions are minimal, just enough to work with.
- maps that include levels with multi-level structures on them, and many connection points.
Good:
- pages 5-12 are intro, adventure seeds, necessary prelims, etc. and then it gets right to the dungeon.
- play supports PCs getting in over the heads, and moving "ahead" of their level-appropriate challenges (and back-sweeping, as well.) Nice.
- lots of adventure seeds to give you reasons to keep going down - and have focused exploration - besides just "we need to get some XP and gold!"
- more monsters, including the creepy lava children from the Fiend Folio!
Ugh:
- "Each dungeon level contains enough monster XP to ensure that characters who clear out the level can advance to the point where they're ready to take on the challenges of the next level down." I have very definite feelings about megadungeons as ones you don't go around clearing level by level. You can, I think, but basically want to in order to make it through? Ugh.
- I personally still have an issue with the whole "pit to the dungeon in the middle of the Yawning Portal tavern." Really? You let people go down and stir up dangerous monsters in a big hole in the middle of the floor? You bet on their success and failure and let them die screaming below because they don't have the money to come back up? In my book that isn't "Neutral," that's flat-out Evil. Evil stands by and watches you die because you can't cough up a coin right now. Even Roman gladiatorial games seem less cruel.
So far, I generally like it, and while I won't run a D&D5 game, I will use some of what I like from this in my own GURPS game.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Pagoda of Worlds, briefly
I picked up, and finally read, the Pagoda of Worlds.
Brief review: It's cool, and I want to see what I can use from it.
You'll have to wait for a longer one for when I have some free time to put words down this week!
Brief review: It's cool, and I want to see what I can use from it.
You'll have to wait for a longer one for when I have some free time to put words down this week!
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Hall of Judgment material in Felltower
What to use from Hall of Judgment for my DF/DFRPG game?
First off, I'm not going to read the finished adventure end to end. I've read parts, but not the entire thing. This at least retains the possibility that I could play it. I won't run it (I have too much to run as it is), but at least it's possible I could get in there and play if someone runs it.
The rules and monsters? I read them all. What will show up in Felltower?
Short version - not all of it. I've been running my DF game for over 100 sessions and 7 years; we've solved a lot of problems that new rules are meant to address.
Fantastic Dungeon Grappling will inform how we run our house ruled grappling. I like FDG but it does make some decisions differently than how I chose to make them earlier. Doug and I had worked on a simplified TG for DF for a while, and I took that and stripped it down further and did my own thing with it. But FDG deals elegantly with some issues that we didn't directly address, and so we'll use a merged version of them.
Field Dressing Game will see use since one of our players likes to have his character butcher and eat things. Especially weird things.
The Wilderness Survival rules are nice, but I'm satisfied with what we use from Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures. I get why Doug re-invented the wheel; DFRPG didn't have any rules and he probably didn't have access to use the materials from DF16. You wouldn't go wrong using these; but like FDG, I have others already.
From the Bestiary there are some critters I will use. I don't generally use a lot of normal animals, in fact I almost never use them - and there are a lot of normal animals in the book. The various bandits, warriors, etc. I don't need - I use the basic stats for 62-point delvers from DF15 instead. I will certainly use some of the faerie stats, if my players ever figure out a way into (well, under) elf hill, although they should be warned - I'll change them to suit my particular conception of Faerie. The ice alf and krabbari would fit right in with some minis I have, so they go in. I like the vaettr but I'm not sure I can fit yet another wight variation into my game; it's fairly full of them already.
so Hall of Judgment is a solid get for me, even without running the adventure. A good base of faerie critters, a couple of demonic and elemental monsters, and some modifications to my grappling rules. If you don't have you own grappling rules, don't use DF16, and will use the adventure, this is an excellent supplement.
First off, I'm not going to read the finished adventure end to end. I've read parts, but not the entire thing. This at least retains the possibility that I could play it. I won't run it (I have too much to run as it is), but at least it's possible I could get in there and play if someone runs it.
The rules and monsters? I read them all. What will show up in Felltower?
Short version - not all of it. I've been running my DF game for over 100 sessions and 7 years; we've solved a lot of problems that new rules are meant to address.
Fantastic Dungeon Grappling will inform how we run our house ruled grappling. I like FDG but it does make some decisions differently than how I chose to make them earlier. Doug and I had worked on a simplified TG for DF for a while, and I took that and stripped it down further and did my own thing with it. But FDG deals elegantly with some issues that we didn't directly address, and so we'll use a merged version of them.
Field Dressing Game will see use since one of our players likes to have his character butcher and eat things. Especially weird things.
The Wilderness Survival rules are nice, but I'm satisfied with what we use from Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures. I get why Doug re-invented the wheel; DFRPG didn't have any rules and he probably didn't have access to use the materials from DF16. You wouldn't go wrong using these; but like FDG, I have others already.
From the Bestiary there are some critters I will use. I don't generally use a lot of normal animals, in fact I almost never use them - and there are a lot of normal animals in the book. The various bandits, warriors, etc. I don't need - I use the basic stats for 62-point delvers from DF15 instead. I will certainly use some of the faerie stats, if my players ever figure out a way into (well, under) elf hill, although they should be warned - I'll change them to suit my particular conception of Faerie. The ice alf and krabbari would fit right in with some minis I have, so they go in. I like the vaettr but I'm not sure I can fit yet another wight variation into my game; it's fairly full of them already.
so Hall of Judgment is a solid get for me, even without running the adventure. A good base of faerie critters, a couple of demonic and elemental monsters, and some modifications to my grappling rules. If you don't have you own grappling rules, don't use DF16, and will use the adventure, this is an excellent supplement.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Review: GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2: Weapons of Fantasy
Periodically I like to review game materials I found useful or I just enjoyed a lot. Here is another one of these.
Full disclosure: The author of this one is Sean Punch, my friend, sometimes co-author, and editor of the game line I write for sometimes. I'm not remotely impartial.
For more reviews, see my consolidated reviews page.
GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2: Weapons of Fantasy
by Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch
Published October 2017 by Steve Jackson Games
14 pages
$4.99
GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2 is the second of the Fantasy-Tech line of books, which covers improbable, unrealistic, or fantasy "low tech" weapons. Where Fantasy-Tech was a bit more of a catalog, Fantasy-Tech 2 is more of a line of options for weapons.
These are:
Full-Metal Weapons. For axes with metal handles, metal quarterstaffs, metal dusack and bokken, all-metal maces, etc.
Double-Ended Weapons. For two-ended swords and axes and whatnot. First seen in Pyramid 3/61.
Giant Swords. For anime or Soulcalibur-sized swords.
Absurd Rapiers. Very long rapiers - as in, 3-4 hex long rapiers!
Serpent's Fangs. Blades which deliver venom on a successful hit.
Quicksilver Swords. Weapons with a hollow core filled with mercury for more impact. If your campaign really needs its own Terminus Est, this is where to go.
Diabolical Whips. Actually weapon-effective whips that defy the logic and physics of whips . . . and which have other Hell-born advantages.
There really isn't a lot to say about this book except what's in it. Like all of Sean Punch's work, the writing is clear and effective and entertaining. The rules are rock-solid, make perfect sense with the rest of GURPS, and are easily to grasp and use. It's everything you'd want in a book of weapon options for a fantasy game.
And as a bonus, it shows how to back-port Cost Factor (CF) to cost multipliers.
Overall: I found this book immediately useful for my GURPS Dungeon Fantasy campaign. For a less fantastic game, I'd probably have gotten use out of full-metal weapons but not all that much else. In a game with an even looser grip on reality than mine, it can dramatically expand your options. I bought it solely for the full-metal weapons rules but found I liked and would be using more than just those. Recommended.
Full disclosure: The author of this one is Sean Punch, my friend, sometimes co-author, and editor of the game line I write for sometimes. I'm not remotely impartial.
For more reviews, see my consolidated reviews page.
GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2: Weapons of Fantasy
by Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch
Published October 2017 by Steve Jackson Games
14 pages
$4.99
GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2 is the second of the Fantasy-Tech line of books, which covers improbable, unrealistic, or fantasy "low tech" weapons. Where Fantasy-Tech was a bit more of a catalog, Fantasy-Tech 2 is more of a line of options for weapons.
These are:
Full-Metal Weapons. For axes with metal handles, metal quarterstaffs, metal dusack and bokken, all-metal maces, etc.
Double-Ended Weapons. For two-ended swords and axes and whatnot. First seen in Pyramid 3/61.
Giant Swords. For anime or Soulcalibur-sized swords.
Absurd Rapiers. Very long rapiers - as in, 3-4 hex long rapiers!
Serpent's Fangs. Blades which deliver venom on a successful hit.
Quicksilver Swords. Weapons with a hollow core filled with mercury for more impact. If your campaign really needs its own Terminus Est, this is where to go.
Diabolical Whips. Actually weapon-effective whips that defy the logic and physics of whips . . . and which have other Hell-born advantages.
There really isn't a lot to say about this book except what's in it. Like all of Sean Punch's work, the writing is clear and effective and entertaining. The rules are rock-solid, make perfect sense with the rest of GURPS, and are easily to grasp and use. It's everything you'd want in a book of weapon options for a fantasy game.
And as a bonus, it shows how to back-port Cost Factor (CF) to cost multipliers.
Overall: I found this book immediately useful for my GURPS Dungeon Fantasy campaign. For a less fantastic game, I'd probably have gotten use out of full-metal weapons but not all that much else. In a game with an even looser grip on reality than mine, it can dramatically expand your options. I bought it solely for the full-metal weapons rules but found I liked and would be using more than just those. Recommended.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Fantastic (Dungeon) Grappling playtest in Felltower
Our group got a preview of Douglas Cole's grappling rules from his new Kickstarter, Hall of Judgment.*
It saw use during a session of our DFRPG game, Felltower.
We had only a single grappling situation come up in play, but it was a critical display of the rules.
A strong and powerful knight had been charmed by some murderous nymphs, and was prepared to march to his doom. "Reward" as he saw it. Another PC, a brand-new swashbuckler, dropped his weapon and grabbed his friend to keep him from doing so. In an amazing series of excellent rolls, he was able to prevent the knight from simply walking away from the group. He held him for a couple critical seconds before the group's most powerful PC, another knight, was able to drop his weapon and grab the charmed knight. Together they pull him from his feet and dragged him bodily to safety.
The Hall of Judgment rules? They were able to support that. They did so . . . okay. Well, but not exactly in a way that gave us results we felt reflected how it should play out. We modified them on the fly to support them. The Fantastic Dungeon Grappling rules were able to take that change without breaking.
Some of our experience was colored by the fact that we've been using a modified and simplified set of the rules from GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling for a while. Rules, in fact, developed by Doug and I, then simplified even further and twisted into shape by repeated contact with the PCs. So we already know that using Control Points is awesome and enhances the game - they've been doing so in our own game for a while. We already knew what kind of CP effect calculations we liked, how to resolve grappling as an attack and how to simplify the myriad of details in Technical Grappling into a DFRPG-friendly roll-and-resolve speedy system of play. We came into it with our own homebrew knowing what works and what was clunky. We already knew that CP make the game better and more fun. They add a small amount of detail and tracking for a lot of drama and excitement.
So naturally, therefore, there were bits to Fantastic (Dungeon) Grappling that didn't appeal to the Dungeon Fantastic family of adventurers. Mostly, areas where the new rules were very close to ours, but differed in little ways that didn't appeal to us as much as our own. But there were plenty that did.
Where we'd been using a calculation to determine DX penalties and movement penalties, Doug had a simplified table written. We found the table was much faster. No longer would we calculate everyone's CP, their modified DX, their modified ST - we could just record CP and check the table. Much better than before. We also liked the simplified bonuses for skills. We'd done basically the same thing a while back, so we really liked seeing that integrated into the system. The system changed some little things that we'd house ruled away in the past, too.
Our older rules didn't really address forcing someone to move around with you. These did - and as you can see, it was a big deal. That we came up with suggested changes to them shows how valuable we recognize they are - they're going to keep playing a role in our game. We sent Doug a long list of suggestions, questions, and comments that he integrated into the rules (or rejected, or modified) as he saw fit. I think we gave Doug the tools to make the Fantastic Dungeon Grappling rules a bit better. And I like that his version of "simplified Technical Grappling" meshed well with ours, which will make our game better.
So overall?
These are good rules, and you should consider backing Hall of Judgment just to get them.
* Not really a surprise, is it? Doug and I have co-written some material, we playtest each other's stuff - we even worked on grappling articles together and have done some basic work on a modified version of Technical Grappling for Dungeon Fantasy. He is even responsible for the name Felltower and the name of Sterick and hence Stericksburg. So this is news like "fire is hot" is news. But hey, for folks who don't know us - fire is hot.
It saw use during a session of our DFRPG game, Felltower.
We had only a single grappling situation come up in play, but it was a critical display of the rules.
A strong and powerful knight had been charmed by some murderous nymphs, and was prepared to march to his doom. "Reward" as he saw it. Another PC, a brand-new swashbuckler, dropped his weapon and grabbed his friend to keep him from doing so. In an amazing series of excellent rolls, he was able to prevent the knight from simply walking away from the group. He held him for a couple critical seconds before the group's most powerful PC, another knight, was able to drop his weapon and grab the charmed knight. Together they pull him from his feet and dragged him bodily to safety.
The Hall of Judgment rules? They were able to support that. They did so . . . okay. Well, but not exactly in a way that gave us results we felt reflected how it should play out. We modified them on the fly to support them. The Fantastic Dungeon Grappling rules were able to take that change without breaking.
Some of our experience was colored by the fact that we've been using a modified and simplified set of the rules from GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling for a while. Rules, in fact, developed by Doug and I, then simplified even further and twisted into shape by repeated contact with the PCs. So we already know that using Control Points is awesome and enhances the game - they've been doing so in our own game for a while. We already knew what kind of CP effect calculations we liked, how to resolve grappling as an attack and how to simplify the myriad of details in Technical Grappling into a DFRPG-friendly roll-and-resolve speedy system of play. We came into it with our own homebrew knowing what works and what was clunky. We already knew that CP make the game better and more fun. They add a small amount of detail and tracking for a lot of drama and excitement.
So naturally, therefore, there were bits to Fantastic (Dungeon) Grappling that didn't appeal to the Dungeon Fantastic family of adventurers. Mostly, areas where the new rules were very close to ours, but differed in little ways that didn't appeal to us as much as our own. But there were plenty that did.
Where we'd been using a calculation to determine DX penalties and movement penalties, Doug had a simplified table written. We found the table was much faster. No longer would we calculate everyone's CP, their modified DX, their modified ST - we could just record CP and check the table. Much better than before. We also liked the simplified bonuses for skills. We'd done basically the same thing a while back, so we really liked seeing that integrated into the system. The system changed some little things that we'd house ruled away in the past, too.
Our older rules didn't really address forcing someone to move around with you. These did - and as you can see, it was a big deal. That we came up with suggested changes to them shows how valuable we recognize they are - they're going to keep playing a role in our game. We sent Doug a long list of suggestions, questions, and comments that he integrated into the rules (or rejected, or modified) as he saw fit. I think we gave Doug the tools to make the Fantastic Dungeon Grappling rules a bit better. And I like that his version of "simplified Technical Grappling" meshed well with ours, which will make our game better.
So overall?
These are good rules, and you should consider backing Hall of Judgment just to get them.
* Not really a surprise, is it? Doug and I have co-written some material, we playtest each other's stuff - we even worked on grappling articles together and have done some basic work on a modified version of Technical Grappling for Dungeon Fantasy. He is even responsible for the name Felltower and the name of Sterick and hence Stericksburg. So this is news like "fire is hot" is news. But hey, for folks who don't know us - fire is hot.
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