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Retropunk: Minimalist Cyberpunk Roleplaying
Publisher: Samjoko Publishing
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/06/2020 14:42:07

I am always on the lookout for a well designed Cyberpunk game, however this particular document is a complete swing and a miss for me.

The layout and organization look unfinished. I can see that "chaotic" is the art design approach, but unfortunately this also seems to be the buzz word for all of the design for this book.

I can't comment on the mechanics because, if I'm being honest, I'm not able to figure out where the heck they are.

I gave this two stars (instead of 1) because the art was at least interesting. It has a messy, haphazzard appeal which might be interesting if the user manual aspect of this book weren't so shockingly bad.

If someone actually manages to slog through this mess and have a sense of what the mechanic is like, I hope they post up a review. I will certainly not be putting any more effort into figuring out how to navigate this disaster.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Retropunk: Minimalist Cyberpunk Roleplaying
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Band of Blades
Publisher: Off Guard Games
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/09/2019 16:24:05

This game, like Scum & Villainy, uses the same wonderful task resolution system of Blades in the Dark. The "Position / Effect" mechanic is simple and inspired, and it makes other task resolutions look archaic and needlessly complex.

That is the good part.

The parts that I do not connect to seem to be the very things that distinguish this game from others. 1) the downtime (Mission) phase involves the players taking on the roll of various members of the army they are in, and 2) the setting is centered on a large band of mercenaries deeply entrenched in war.

1) Playing Assorted Characters

This is not a bad thing, nor poor design, but it does necessitate a certain type of approach to the game. It requires players to hop between characters and responsibilities periodically, which is great if you get bored with a character really easily, but not great if you just want to play your character immersively. Legacy: Godsend has a very similar concept; hopping from one character to another based on what you're doing.

This gives the game a very high-level feeling. It insists that you don't get overly focused on your character, because you will be playing another one depending on which phase you are in. This feels like more of a story creating exercise than it is a role-playing game.

2) Embattled Band of Mercenaries

This concept is really cool, and it sounds like it would be a great one-shot (if it weren't for the 1st problem). Or, if it's a long running campaign, it would be a series of one shots: get a mission, go do it, maintain the legion... rinse and repeat. This game doesn't seem to be about characters at all, but about dutifully marching through the phase mechanics.

I've given this book 3 stars, not because I like it and am interested in playing the game, but because what I don't like about it is centered on my own interest in role-play gaming.

Honestly, I will never play this game, it sounds tedious. I would much rather just run a Blades in the Dark game that has elements of the setting.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Band of Blades
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Coriolis The Third Horizon - Quickstart
Publisher: Free League Publishing
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/22/2018 12:44:06

Pro: The setting, while not original, is a well thought out re-hash of deep space colonization complete with portals built by an absent civilization. The art, beautiful. The system, traditional, by the numbers, add a stat to a skill and roll for success or failure. No surprises.

Con: The system, traditional, by the numbers, add a stat to a skill and roll for success or failure. No surprises. I am sure the creators felt that the "Art of Failing" paragraph brought the system into the modern age, but the statement "If you roll no sixes, something goes wrong. You are now in the hands of the GM, and he decides what happens to you. The only thing he cannot say is “nothing happens”." is hardly revolutionary, or particularly helpful. Now, giving the GM useful tools and guidance for how to handle failure and make it something that builds the drama... that'd be great.

This is a traditional game that hits all of the expected points. There are numerous games out there that do the exact same thing. I gave it 3 stars because I like the setting and the art/layout is good.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Coriolis The Third Horizon - Quickstart
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Legacy: Godsend (Worlds of Legacy 3) PDF
Publisher: UFO Press
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/21/2018 23:33:57

Upon my first reading of this book, here is what I have discovered.

The book is more or less self contained. It appears to be playable as is. It's diceless, which means there will need to be a high level of trust between everyone at the table. Otherwise the negotiation involved with determining fictional positioning will break down very quickly.

This game is focused on world building, storytelling, and map creating. Generally speaking, a role-playing game is focused on the adventures of a character and how they fit into the world. This game does have characters, but they die off frequently and do not seem to be of central concern at all.

The reason they die off frequently is because this game is focused on building the world. Building a world takes a long time, years, decades, millenia. So what your characters do will be a small episode in this vast passing of time, like a few frames in a time lapse video of the creation of the world.

It is a cool concept, but this is for a specific crew. The crew who is going to enjoy this will be 100% comfortable with not having a connection with their character or NPCs. This crew will get a great deal of joy out of talking about role-playing, but not really getting into it and keeping it general and high level.

I don't imagine you would have to play this game from such a disconnected position, but it certainly seems to be the intention of the design. With some house ruling and creativity I have no doubt this could be an interesting suppliment. As it is, it's a good game for a couple of sessions in between your other role-playing games.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Legacy: Godsend (Worlds of Legacy 3) PDF
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Interstellar Patrol Adventure Cards
Publisher: Nothing Ventured Games
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/01/2017 22:50:41

The font on these cards is tiny... I mean get out your magnifying glass tiny. For me, there's no way I can make use of these; I'd have a headache by the time I got through 10 of them.

What a shame.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Interstellar Patrol Adventure Cards
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Shadowrun: Fifth Edition Preview Omnibus
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/09/2013 20:14:29

Same as the other review, downloaded and opened up blank pages...



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
Shadowrun: Fifth Edition Preview Omnibus
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CJ Carrella's WitchCraft
Publisher: Eden Studios
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/24/2009 15:50:34

I've had this PDF on my hard drive for some time and have just never gotten around to taking a look at it. The PDF is original digital, so it's a perfect copy. Unfortunately there are no bookmarks and it is locked so that you cannot add any. Otherwise, it's flawless.

The system is very simple and to the point. It does not get bothered about the fine specifics of combat; just covers what you need to know and moves on. The magic system is similarly simple.

It seems to approach witchcraft from a viewpoint closer to reality (than Awakening), in that the mages are just people and not children of gods or the like. They are just gifted with the ability to shape aspects of reality. The dangerous nature of the magic is also an improvement over Awakening.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
CJ Carrella's WitchCraft
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Mage: The Awakening
Publisher: White Wolf
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/12/2009 08:35:42

Very nice.

Pros: it's a digital copy so there are none of the standard issues you usually get with a scanned copy. The bookmarks are pretty good. The story is interesting, the powers are fairly straight forward but with a great deal of grey area for players who want more fine control over what their characters can do. It runs off of the nWoD system so it is streamlined and relatively easy to pick up.

Cons: as with all WW books, the organization leaves something to be desired. Some of the artwork is no good. Otherwise, it's solid.

For those who loved the old Mage game... this is not the old Mage game. This is a new game. While there are a lot of similarities between this one and the old one, don't be confused in thinking that this is just a new version. It isn't. It's something new and, in my opinion, better than the old.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Mage: The Awakening
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Werewolf: The Forsaken
Publisher: White Wolf
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/19/2009 15:58:05

Beautiful, per the normal White Wolf approach to book making. The PDF is original digital format so it is a perfect, searchable copy. There are sufficient bookmarks to navigate so the book is fully functional.

White Wolf makes beautiful books. This one, like the other core books (Requiem, Changeling, etc) all work off of the (new) World of Darkness book. It is a good system but there are many who think it is too simplified. I, for one, think it is the best version of the WW dice pool system anyone could have come up with. It's slick and fast.

The setting is much different than the Werewolf you remember. Like Requiem is for Vampire, this book is a new game for Werewolf. It is not an expansion or a new edition, it is a new game with familiar themes.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Werewolf: The Forsaken
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Fading Suns Players Companion
Publisher: Ulisses Spiele
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/19/2009 15:52:10

The Good: this is an original digital copy so it is perfectly clean and searchable. It is one of the few PDF books that is not locked, so you can add your own bookmarks if you like. So as far as Drivethrus responsibility... it is perfect. _/br/br The Bad: this book is junk. The information in it is redundant - covered in the 2nd ed core book. The book is filled with setting "flare" which amounts to random ramblings about tedious aspects of the universe. It is not useless, but if you have the time to read this book... just re-read the core book and you'll be better off. /br/br_ Don't purchase this book unless you are just a Fading Suns collector. In which case, I think there is a nice bundle that Drivethru offers which has this one and several of the other players suppliments.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Fading Suns Players Companion
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Dog Town: Grenson Park
Publisher: Cold Blooded Games
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/20/2008 08:29:21

Good PDF, everything works just fine.

This is a really nice setting reference. It gives a ton of locations and personalities which are fantastic for running a game. I don't use the Dogtown mechanics because it SUUUUCKS but the setting is well thought out and presented in a fun format.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Dog Town: Grenson Park
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Aberrant Rulebook
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Marcus G.
Date Added: 11/19/2008 14:36:51

Not the worst scan I've ever seen. It is text searchable and the text is clear enough to read without giving you a headache. A lot of the pages are scewed, I'm going to try to get Acrobat to straighten some of it out when I get on my home computer.

WW dice pool system is the ultimate for a game like this. No, it is not balanced. WW dice pool system never really touted that it was a balanced system. It is one of the charming differences between it and the d20 madness that gobbled up all creativity for the first couple of years after its arrival. There are no classes, there are no levels, there is nothing telling you what kind of character you can and cannot create.

The Aberrant setting is rich, as are most WW settings. There is a lot of background story but it is also presented in the "but no one knows for sure" approach.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Aberrant Rulebook
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Vampire: The Requiem
Publisher: White Wolf
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/14/2008 10:07:49

This is not the sequel to Masquerade so stop right where you are! br There are lots of things about this setting and system that are like the Masquerade. This is NOT, however, the new "edition". This is an entirely seperate game. br That said, this is a terrific game. It is a "toolbox" game, meaning it presents all of the pieces you need without telling you how you should put it together. br Cons:br For the love of GOD WW!!! Would you PLEASE let someone review the organization of the book before you print it?!?!?! PLEASE! For all of the work these guys do to make a wonderful product they rank dead last in the trait of organization. br I purchased the PDF so that I could actually find something when I'm looking for it. I'm glad that I purchased the hard copy as I like having my books. But, honestly, I will never purchase another White Wolf book in hard copy. There is just no point. The organization is so bad, the index is not existant, that it doesn't really even serve a purpose.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Vampire: The Requiem
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Dog Town: Core Rules
Publisher: Cold Blooded Games
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/14/2008 10:01:35

Awesome setting!

Craptacular mechanics!

I use this basic setting outline to run a game in another system. The tone and theme of the setting is very cool and harsh. It is a great motivator for a rough game.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Dog Town: Core Rules
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your comments. The rules or perhaps how they are explained are not to everyones taste (too complicated, too involved, not explained clearly enough) so you would no doubt prefer Dog Town: Stripped - a much simpler and streamlined character generation and rule set for the setting available as a free download from the Cold Blooded Games website.
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Creatures of Rokugan
Publisher: EDGE Studio
by Marcus G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/14/2008 09:59:48

Good information on various creatures. These creatures are specific to the mystic nature of Rokugan.

The organization is simple, the art work is ok, character description is relatively thorough. Pick this book up if you want to add a little flare to your game.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Creatures of Rokugan
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