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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Robert C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/02/2012 13:11:06

This is an EXCELLENT introduction to the Hackmaster mindset. The FREE Basic download provides an extensive ruleset to this game, so if you decide to upgrade, then you'll know what you're getting. So that means no more hard-earned cash wasted on a fancy boxtop. Thanks K&C.

Sadly, the author takes the haughty approach of insulting other games (and those who play them) while arrogantly bragging about how great his rules are in comparison. If he was attempting to re-write the original AD&D hardbacks, along with Gygax's conceited opinions, then he certainly has succeeded. This is the only blemish in an otherwise exemplary introduction to a wonderful game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
HackMaster Basic (free)
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Larry L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/01/2012 19:50:59

This is FRICKING AWESOME SO FAR. It is HUGE.... The Whole FRICKING BOOK HUGE. I am still reading and studying it. 200 pages. HOODIE-FRICKIN"-HOO.... GAME ON DUDES!!! This RAWKS.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by leo g. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/01/2012 11:30:41

Hoodie Hoo! Hackmaster for free!! What's not to like? Sure there is a fuller rules set with the full product and they want you to try this so you will buy Advanced, but this is actually a complete game on it's own!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by anthony r. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/01/2012 07:51:05

How did Hackmaster get by me all these years without me playing any of the previous editions?! If this new edition (5th) is anything like the past games then I have certainly missed out on a GREAT GAME. I like what I have read so much that I am going to try to get my gaming group to play this instead of our regular 2nd ed D&D game we play. The game system is quite interesting with the "Combat Rose " and the hybrid spell system that uses both spell levels and points for mages. Even the basic abilities make 3d6 seem ok. who needs 17s when 12s will do just fine! Over all HMb seems to be a well-thought out game system that will provide YEARS of FUN



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Kennita W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/31/2012 09:52:09

I find the system overly complicated. Needing to multiply by 2/3 (for example) rather than just roll a die and look up a result is a nuisance, as is needing to move/manipulate minis every second (especially annoying due to intention tremor from my MS). I was also annoyed by not being able to easily find basic information like what to do when two people have the same initiative roll. I'd be interested to see how long seconds take, and how long combats tend to run. It seems that with mny combatants on the goard, it could take quite a long time, and/or get incredibly confusing.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Jerry H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/24/2012 20:17:28

A lot of love and pride went into this product, but it isn't approachable to newcomers. Even experierenced RPG'ers will be confused by some of the lack of clearly defined rules. This may be a product of the overly dense formatting. It's not really different enough from regular D&D to be appealing.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Gregory W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/24/2012 18:12:11

I was hoping for a simpler fantasy rules. If you are too, don't look to Hackmaster.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 08/19/2012 11:03:38

The original HackMaster game was designed as a parody of contemporary role-playing, inspired by the games played by the characters in the popular Knights of the Dinner Table comics. Even then many gamers saw through the obligatory silliness to a sound ruleset in its own right, and with the advent of HackMaster Basic the game has grown up, to leave aside parody and present a game which is fun to play in itself. Fret not, though - if you do enjoy parody and a bit of silliness along with your fantasy, it's still here! So is the 'luck panel' for rubbing dice on (which never worked with mine, but your experience may differ!)

After some apposite opening remarks setting the context, we begin with Quickstart Rules for those straining at the leash to get playing. It is a simple and straightforward process with the options at each stage explained clearly. Although it will help if at least one person there has some idea of what they are doing, following the process through should enable players new to this game (or indeed role-playing itself) to create a basic character ready for play.

Next comes Chapter 1: Character Creation, which adds a lot more depth for those who are looking for more than a quick and basic start. The process is similar but permits for far greater customisation and choice by allowing players to allocate 'Building Points' to skills and abilities as they fine-tune the character to meet their desires. There's a lot of discussion to inform your choices here, so you will be aware of the ramifications of each decision during the character-building process. This part of the process details abilities and character race.

Chapter 2 discusses Honour. While it is initially derived mathematically from a character's ability scores, it represents how honourable he is and fluctuates during play depending on his actions - just as a real person's reputation is based on what he does and says. Within the game, a player is assessed (mostly by the GM) on how well he adheres to what is expected of his character's chosen alignment, race and class and also how well he portrays that character through role-playing. Alignment is important in HackMaster and this is reflected within the game mechanics by the Honour system. There is plenty of material here to enable you to know what is expected, and how to reflect character actions within the rules.

Part of playing in a way to earn (or at least, keep) Honour is to role-play your character's quirks and flaws, and Chapter 4 is devoted to addressing these aspects of a HackMaster character. All characters are required to roll for a quirk (mental trait such as a habit or a prejudice) and a flaw (some kind of physical defect, such as a prominent scar or an allergy). They are mostly mild in effect (although unlucky rolls against allergens can result in anaphylactic shock) and good role-players can capitalise on them to make their characters come alive - although that flatulent racist might not be the most popular character at the table!

Next, Chapter 4 takes a similarly detailed look at character classes. Choose from the basic four: fighter, thief, mage or cleric; and you'll find all the information that you need about the capabilities and limitations of your chosen class in this chapter. In like vein Chapter 5 examines the skills, talents and proficiences that characters can aquire at creation and develop during play. Using skills, including opposed checks, and the consequences of failure are also discussed. There is a wide range of skills that with careful choices can give well-rounded characters, not mere combat machines incapable of doing anything more than roam dungeons killing monsters and looting their treasure. To futher customise characters, talents - one-off special abilities - can be purchased, thus conferring the ability to blind-fight or an increased healing rate for example. Then come proficiencies, basically you know how to do a particular thing such as swing a sword or use a bow, or how to put on that suit of armour.

Chapter 6: Armour, Weapons and Equipment describes - and prices up - all the gear that the well-outfitted adventurer might require. There is also the all-important details for weapons about damage, reach and the like that you'll need when you come to use them in a brawl. This is followed by Chapter 7's comprehensive listing of mage spells, with all the details of how to cast them and what they actually do which the aspirant mage will require. Spells are listed by level and they also have a cost in Spell Points. Chapter 8 provides the same service for Cleric Spells.

Now characters are fully-created, dressed and equipped with weapons and spells, we move on to the all-important Chapter 9: Combat and learn how everything comes together in a brawl. HackMaster combat is designed to be lethal, and ought to be regarded as a last resort by any character with a desire for a long and happy life. This chapter is designed to ensure that once a brawl starts, a character who has studied it thoroughly should have a good chance of emerging upright rather than feet-first. This is when the marked adversarial nature of HackMaster, GM vs. Players, really comes to the fore: those NPCs are out to get you and the best way to survive is to get them first! It is also designed to be exciting even when you use the game mechanics, a refreshing change from games when you either fight mechanically following the ruleset or gain a cinematic effect by abstracting the rules so that they don't intrude on the action. Everything you need is here, clearly presented in a logical fashion - although it's going to work better if you learn at least the basics rather than have to refer to the book mid-brawl. As an added bonus, the customary 'combat example' comes in the form of a Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip... complete with annotations to show how the rules are applied at each moment.

Chapter 10 deals with miscellaneous rules... this is where you look if you want to fall off a cliff and find out how much damage you take, or how far your lantern light will penetrate a dark cavern. It's a motley assortment of rules for healing, the economy, and even aging effects (if your characters survive long enough to suffer them). That out of the way, Chapter 11 looks at detailed character backgrounds - given the distinct emphasis on ROLE-playing, it helps to know who your character is and where he comes from, as well as what he can do. While much of the information is drawn from die rolls on tables, if you don't care for the result you can use Build Points to amend the details.

Next comes Chapter 12: Dice. Eh? A whole chapter on dice? Well, they are important... and herein is the correct terminology, dice etiquette and a whole bunch of stuff you didn't know you needed to know until you read this! Even if like me you are a mathematician with a good understanding of probability it makes for an entertaining read.

Then you come up hard against a large warning: GAMEMASTERS ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT. Er, this is a rulebook, not an adventure. It's easy to understand why you don't want to read an adventure if you intend to play in it, or even if you might want to do so sometime in the future... but rules? Anyway, don't most people GM and play, rather than stick to one role or the other? If you ignore the dire warnings and threats, GM Chapter 1 describes HackMaster Monsters with explanatory notes showing how each monster operates within the rules especially regarding its combat capabilities. A nice, if basic, collection of fantasy opponents. This is followed by GM Chapter 2 on Magic and Treasure, which includes important details like the appropriate placement of treasure to generate the correct level of reward for your players. There are also details of magic items that may form part of that treasure, so that once characters find them the rules are to hand for their use.

GM Chapter 3: The Game Master which rather than providing the usual collection of useful advice on running games in general and this one in particular that most books present, encapsulates it all in the GameMaster Code of Conduct, which if nothing else is a good set of guidelines to the ethics of GMing. That's pretty much it, the book rounds off with a comprehensive index and a character sheet.

In summation, HackMaster has grown up, shed the more overt parody descending into silliness aspects of earlier books (well, perhaps not where dice are concerned!) and now presents a mature and balanced ruleset for those who want the best of 'old school' gaming blended with true role-playing. Even if you dismissed it out of hand before, it is well worth a look in this incarnation.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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HackMaster Basic (free)
by Christopher D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/16/2012 12:59:59

I would like to write a 10 page review, as the product deserves it, but I don't have time.

The team who put Hackmaster Basic together are absolutely fans of old school role playing games. Not for them is the level-a-minute, MMORPG-tribute RPG. They're not interested in playing Fighter/Mage/Thief/Demigod/Master of All characters. They are interested in rolling up an above-average character, and PLAYING. Fighting and scratching for weapons, armor, and Experience Points. When they hit 15th level, they want to feel like it's really an accomplishment. So when they set out to write a new rule system for the Hackmaster franchise, that's exactly what they did, and it's a wonder to behold.

The other reviewer has explained many of the mechanics, so I won't list them here. What I will say is that combat is fluid, taking far less time than AD&D, and feeling more....cinematic. In a past game, one of the dwarves in my campaign took a swing at a pirate, knocking him back 5 feet into a wall, hitting a candelabra, and nearly setting the place on fire. It took very little time to rule that, and the fact that Hackmaster uses seconds instead of rounds makes perfect sense when running and keeps things pretty simple.

Above all, this game is FUN. Hackmaster basic is a fantastic way to get into the series, and I highly recommend it.And now, aside from the time spent learning the rules, the game is free!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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HackJournal #33
by William W. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/12/2012 10:03:39

A great issue of a very well-done periodical - the formatting and art are excellent, and the material is very good. This particular issue focuses heavily on unarmed combat in HM, and also includes a bonus adventure for Frandor's Keep.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
HackJournal #33
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Dusk of the Dead
by erik f. t. t. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 12/03/2011 22:37:50

(review originally posted at TenkarsTavern.com)

The latest adventure for Hackmaster is Dusk of the Dead, for characters of levels 5-7.

Dusk of the Dead is made to work as a followup to Frandor's Keep, so it can easily be dropped into the setting presented there or used on it's own. Still, it works best with Frandor's Keep.

DotD doesn't have bookmarks, which probably aren't too useful in a short piece like this, but it does have hyperlinks. Some, admittedly, are links back to the Kenzerco website, but most of them are aids to navigate the adventure. I love me some hyperlinks, and I think they are well done for the most part. Heck, even the maps have hyperlinks back to the room descriptions.

The maps are excellent BTW. Nice use of B&W line drawings.

As for the adventure itself, it looks like a fun adventure for a Halloween themed nite of gaming. Still, I suspect it might be a tough for a party on the low end of the 5-7 level range.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dusk of the Dead
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Java Joint TPB
by Gokce M. A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/26/2011 02:37:12

Hey, it is time to club meeting. At Java Joint. Yeah. Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Wanna join?

I suggest that you join. All of the comic is great. There are 15 different subjects they talked about, which are important for Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literature fans. They are not real conclusions most of time, but they, you know, add another perspective. Being a compilation of back pages of Black Gate, a little lower quality is expected.

They are having good conversation about various books and all three character have their good ideas. This book is a good reading experience. I suggest everyone who likes humor and books to read this book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Java Joint TPB
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Bag Wars Saga TPB
by Gokce M. A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/26/2011 02:34:35

Bag Wars Saga is a "compilation" of KoDT strips published before. But as said in editorial, not an ordinary one. Hilarious jokes, hideous laughters and a war between DM and players. Beside that a great idea, even if it was joke, is there waiting. I usually LMAO or facepalm as I read KoDT. But this time it was some different.

I think that if that players were my player, I would kill them. Chop into small pieces and toss into some river. But this time, I saw that players writing a story themselves. An epic story, which when to time conclude it comes, gets you into laughter so much you may die of it. A real fight of wits IMO. I said after I finished reading, "Hell, why weren't they my players?".

I have some history reading comics. At last times I were losing my passion towards them, because they didn't felt alive. There were deus ex machineas here and there, there were evil guys and heroes (also some anti-heroes) but I was like "I don't feel like reading comics.". This one was so hilariously well that renewed my hope.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Bag Wars Saga TPB
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Harvest of Darkness
by John S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/01/2011 15:58:37

Harvest of Darkness is a 64 page multi-adventure supplement set in the Kingdoms of Kalamar. It contains four lightly horror themed adventures that are very loosely linked together and which were originally published as separate adventures. The adventures take up 32 pages, there are 16 pages of npc and monster stat blocs, two new magic items, a new spell, six new templates, some new monsters, a couple organizations and a discussion of lizardfolk in Kalamar. The final 16 pages are maps and black and white pictures of specific characters and scenes from the adventures that are to be used as handouts.

The gods and faiths used throughout the adventures were fairly archetypal and I easily thought up replacements for most of them in the Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms and Scarred Lands settings. The adventures are written by different authors and are for four different sets of levels. The links from one adventure to the next are very loose and the only theme is one of confronting evil.

The suggested party numbers and levels breaks down as follows: the first one is for three to six first-level characters, the second is for three to five third- to fifth-level characters, the third adventure is for four to six fifth- to seventh-level characters and the last one is for five to seven seventh- to ninth-level characters. This is odd because only a party of five characters will meet the exact design specs for each one, but this is understandable because these are a collection of reprinted adventures.

The advice for scaling the adventures is mostly limited to saying: adjust the power of the monsters to match the party levels. Unfortunately it includes no specifics on how to do so. In the first adventure there is a little advice on using the NPCs as support in the climactic battles.

The styles of the adventures break down as follows:

The first adventure starts off with interactions, investigation and possible conflicts. There are opportunities for the party to be hired by multiple people, many of them unsavory, and the consequences of having many employers. Some of the side investigations can lead to combat that is way beyond the characters capabilities, but combat can be avoided. Once the actual problem area is investigated there is a straightforward combat with the villains followed by a short victory break and then time sensitive emergency combats that will resolve the situation. This adventure ends with a definite horror theme that is done well. The only detraction here is that many PCs could cause logistical problems for the DM in the final conflicts if they are thorough with an axe and fire.

Many of the inhabitants of the small village are done out and can make interesting NPCs. One interesting aspect is the prevalence of openly evil but accepted npcs, including evil faiths and slaver hobgoblin merchants. The tensions and problems of interacting with these people looks promising for creating roleplaying opportunities.

The second adventure is a straightforward hook of help the good guys retrieve something that was taken. It is an underground crawl that is mostly problem solving with really tough almost insured death scenes for screwing up. There is some good intrigue involving what is really going on and successful parties will have a built in hook for the next adventure or an easy opportunity for the DM to introduce a hook for what he wants to set up next.

The adventure says that it can be used to bring first level replacement characters up to the level of the rest of the party and suggests letting them advance multiple levels. While it is possible for first level characters to navigate the entire dungeon and avoid the combats, it is more likely they will hit the first guardians who will slaughter first level characters pretty easily.

Also the head villain is poorly set up in many ways. He is a high wisdom cleric who has no access to spells. He has no feats to make the things in his dungeon. He has a ring with three blasts that his god recharges “as needed” and no other weapons or combat abilities except extra turning (while he has a 5 charisma). In his next door treasure room there are a magic weapon and an offensive potion. This is rationalized by his being mentally disturbed. If the characters figure out his puzzle he dies pretty instantly, but if they don’t he assaults them with the three blasts of his ring. This should be a party kill but if not he only has his untrained fists left to deal with the party. It is unclear whether his god would give him unlimited blasts in an ongoing battle. Since the puzzle could reasonably not be figured out in the time limit, I think he should have gotten normal spells used the weapon available to him, and not needed direct divine intervention for his item.

The third adventure has the party helping out find lost people and clear monsters from an area. This leads to interactions with the kidnappers and the party helping them out with the monster that is extorting sacrifices from them. An NPC who has gone up against the monster before joins the party and can provides some background. He can let the party know the monster is tough and when it is sleeping and therefore at its most vulnerable. Once the monster is vanquished there is an evil that gets released. Since it is powerful but in a weakened state, it will confront the party, but if it does not successfully overcome them quickly it will escape (and it has the means to do so realistically). This leaves a powerful villain with ties to the party for the DM to use as he wishes. The descriptions of the monsters lair are evocative and well thought out. There are areas to explore and traps and lesser minions to overcome. If the party is careful and strikes at the right time with power ups prepared, they should do well, if the monster is confronted at other times it could turn out very badly for the party. One detraction is that there are no guidelines for determining if the monster wakes up, some of the traps seem like they would be loud, and combats near the beast could conceivably wake it but these possibilities are not addressed. Also the ancient evil has a neat background story but no method is provided to introduce it to the party.

The fourth adventure is a straightforward dungeon crawl in an ancient tomb complex. It reminded me a little of the crypts in the original Ravenloft where there is treasure, traps and monsters with developed info on the stately dead to be discovered. Some of the encounters seemed like they could easily be overcome by smart, aggressive or just quick action by PCs. There is a little tie to the released evil villain from the last adventure but this is not developed and he is provided with no reason to be there or explanation of what he would be doing there.

After the adventures there is a good list of issues that the adventures may have left unresolved or repercussions of the PC actions that can be used as adventure seeds. Also there is information on various organizations, cults, and secret societies introduced in the adventures.

There are new templates for ghouls, pseudo ghouls, and four progressing types of pseudo vampires. The pseudo vampires are a particularly nice variation of the standard D&D type. I really liked the rules for the effects of not feeding, leading to specific weaknesses that still leave them potent threats. There is also the blood rage that overcomes them when they are hungry and they smell mortal blood.

There are new monsters including a conversion of the eye of fire and flame which is an outsider instead of an undead as I remember them from the 1e Fiend Folio. All the new monsters have only small stat blocs, not the full entries of the Monster Manual. Although they are not considered new monsters in the adventure, the lesser iron golems were a neat extrapolation of the common ones and I would have appreciated construction rules for these reduced golems.

There are new magic items and a new spell. The spell seems a bit high powered combining the essential effects of a Leomund’s secret chest and a temporal stasis for a fourth level arcane spell.

The 16 pages of imagequest images look like they will photocopy well and can be evocative. I particularly liked the pictures of the attacking harvester, the skeleton surprise, the sleeping beast, the sharjani (which would also work for a group of wights) and the area or item pictures. Some of the human people did not look quite right in their proportions and the average strength ranger has the biceps of a bodybuilder.

If you are looking for a couple good adventures with good supporting material, or want alternate vampires, I would recommend this adventure set. There are some minor problems with some of the balance, one of the cleric villains, and some of the tie-ins. There is no one story underlying the adventures so if you are looking for a mega adventure or themed adventures that can be used as a single cohesive substory in your campaign, this is not that product.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Harvest of Darkness
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Final Days miniatures game rulebook
by Ricardo N. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/23/2011 21:10:45

From my first read of the book, the game didn't look promising: "i go, you go" mechanic, card-based (which seemed to make solo play more difficult due to hidden information) bookkeeping for wounds, ammunition and other effects.

Then I played a solo test match based on the first scenario and was pleasantly surprised. The game flows quickly -- it was over in less than 30 minutes, and that was my first play after one read of the rules. Much of the bookkeeping can be simplified once you notice that many characters are built simple. Playing solo is possible -- just try to make the best use of all cards that are drawn.

The book has well-written, clear text that includes an index (always good, even if the page count isn't that high.) A quick reference sheet would have been useful too. The grayscale illustrations are nice and match the theme; the scenario flats that are provided are also good. I only wish they had included some counters for the characters too.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Final Days miniatures game rulebook
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