I'm Back !

Ok, after a long absence, a change house and a huge amount of packing and unpacking, I am now back.

Within the nest week or so I will be posting on "The Shadows Over Sol" and "Equinox" RPGs, as well as an update on "Shadows of the Demon Lord" a game we are currently playing.

Till then ........

Co-Operative play games

I have found as I get older that I much prefer co-operative style roleplaying games over the old style GM vs Players style of games like D&D.

By co-operative games I mean games where the whole group, GM & players have direct input into the game and the story. The GM may have initial input through setting up the sandbox for everyone to play in, by it is a co-operative effort by the whole group who decides how a game moves forward. 
The GM may have to step in to keep the game moving forward if it seems the players are waffling on a bit much and starting to argue about how many angels can fit on the head of a pin, but he/she should act more as a Game "Moderator" rather than a Game "Master".

** rant mode on**
As we all know there are some GMs who take the "Master" bit very seriously. It is their game and players should obey the rules set down by the Master. Some players prefer this style of game because it is an "easy" path to follow. They can concentrate on ubering up their character, knowing the GM has set all the encounters match the encounter level of the group, so if everyone plays their role all should go well. Independent thought is kept to the minimum and player decisions are limited to how they will deal with the next monster. This model for RPGs is very popular, successful, and lets face it, this is the model for the vast majority of computer and online games.
** rant mode off **

Co-operative games come in many styles, depending on the degree of control that players have to influence the story.  For example, in the 6d6 game system the players have direct control over what advantages are suitable for a contest and can overrule a GM decision if they feel it is wrong or unfair. The process is simple and quick with anyone, including the GM, allowed to put a point up for discussion and a simple majority deciding yes or no, with a minimum of discussion.

Mutant Year Zero is also a co-operative game in that most of the time the players decide what, where and what they do 90% of the time. MYZ also includes a meta-plot and special zones which the GM can throw in add to the mix to add that bit of spice to the game. The best of both worlds :)

Blades in the Dark is a very player driven game. The players characters are part of a crew of villains out to eat there way up the criminal food chain. The players decide how, when, what and who they are doing to do to achieve their goals. Once the players decide on an objective, it is the GMs job to set up obstacles, with differing degrees of difficulty and consequences for partial success or failure. The players decide what skills they are going to use and the risks they are prepared to take to overcome these obstacles. Players and the GM can negotiate on risk factors and consequences. It may seem a bit complicated but the rules explain it much better than my ramblings. and really it is a quite simple and elegant system.

Blades in the Dark is a Kickstarter project which has a huge number of extras to come. I don't expect to see the main rule book it early next year, but the quick start guide is out and very playable. If the QS is any guide the full rules should provide a rich and varied backdrop for the game.

The One Ring continued

This is a follow on from my previous posts on a number of RPGs, including The One Ring, and concentrates on what I found I very much liked about The One Ring.

The One Ring is definitely NOT D&D or any of the D&D derivatives out there.
For example, although you may have several encounters during a session you should only expect to have a combat encounter, on average, ONCE every two SESSIONS ;-) Normally you try to avoid combat as much as possible and only fight when you have no other choice.

This is very much in line with the Tolkienese style which can be read in the books and seen in the movies.

When there is no choice up to fight, The One Ring, provides you with an heroic system (basically simple with many options) in which you decide on the strength of your attacks balanced by the vulnerability of your character to counter attacks. Again very Tolkienese, and excellently done.

The game is devised to work on the premise that usually the company will have one Adventure (comprising 4 - 8 episodes) per year followed by a Fellowship Phase. In the Fellowship Phase you get to tell stories, sometimes go home to let the folks a home know you are still alive, undertake special projects and spend those Advancement and Experience Points you have accumulated on your latest adventure.

There are two types of experience points. Advancement Points come form using your Common (non-weapon) skills successfully over the course of your adventure. Experience Points are awarded for attendance, achieving, or at least moving towards, your companies goals and bonus points at the end of an adventure.

Advancement Points are used to improve your Common skills.
Experience Points can be used to increase your Wisdom or Valour (thereby gaining extra talents) or increase your weapon skills.

Another very Tolkienese style feature is Journeys. Traveling between various places tales time and effort. The One Ring makes this interesting and, sometimes exciting. The group plots there route on the player map, the Loremaster calculates the time and distance involved. The players take various roles (Scout, Look Out etc...). The distance, terrain, and locations define how many tests are required and who (what role) is required to make skill rolls. Threats may be encountered, which must be overcome or avoided, again by the various roles. The important thing is that there are no random Encounters on Journeys, you may have Encounters but only if the Loremaster wishes the company to have an Encounter. Threats result from random rolls but Encounters only happen if the Loremaster wants one.

Although the rules on Journeys are detailed, they are usually, in real time, completed quite quickly, although they may take up quiet a bit of "game" time and distance.

I could easily write many more paragraphs on The One Ring but the above is what stands out for me and makes the game stand out from the pack of standard fantasy RPGs.

Bash! Fantasy Kickstarter

If you are interested in supporting the Bash! Fantasy Kickstarter then just go here
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1632750816/bash-fantasy-legends-of-steel/description

It is quite cheap ;-)

IMHO Bash! Fantasy is much better than the Barbarians of Lemuria, a game with a similar, but I think inferior, system.

Just a Short Note

I have decided, unless something new really pops out at me, to not put up any new game reviews in the short term. Instead I will be posting more details on things that impress or interest me most in the current 15 games already on the block. These won't be full details of whole games, rather interesting snippets that jump out at me :)

The first up with be "The One Ring" but that won't be till next week ........

What to make of the first lot of games ?

OK I have put forward a few games that have taken my fancy (15) and one game system (Bash! Fantasy). We will ignore Bash! Fantasy for the moment as it is really the system I am looking at, although the new addition does come with its own setting.

So the 15 games all are of interest to me and I would be happy to play any of them, but I think I should put my money where my blog is and list them in the order, at the present moment, I think I would prefer. Really, there is very little between any of the games but here it is in reverse order .....

15. Mutant Epoch: A good game with plenty of options, maybe to many. Lots and lots of support material.

14. Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition:  Another good game, but it will probably be a couple of years before all the promised books see the light of day. So that was a major factor in its ranking.

13. Vow of Honor: Difficult to rank, but may not appeal to the group ??

12. Broken Rooms: This one is hard to classify, but an excellent game none the less.

11. Hunt the Wicked: A better fit for the group, I think, than Vow of Honor.

10. Better Angels: Really good game just not sure my group could get the being good while doing evil vibe ?

9. Shadow of the Demon Lord: A very good old style fantasy game, mixing various fantasy rules system. I could easily run it and be happy to do so.

8. Clockwork Dominion: This would be my goto game for Steampunk adventures. Like the cards instead of dice. like the setting setup.

7. Hellas: Worlds of Blood and Stone: If the group wanted a SF game this is probably the one I would push for.

6. Atlantis: The Second Age: If it wasn't for The One Ring and Fate of the Norns, this would be my pick as a fantasy game. A more traditional style game than the other two and there is nothing wrong with that.

5. Metamorphosis Alpha: Certainly the easiest of the post-apocalypse games. An oldie but a goodie setting and you can play a mutant plant.

There is really nothing to choose between the top four, all are really excellent games. Honestly there is not much to choose between any of the games .....grrrr.....ahhhh.

4. Corporia: Just a great cyperpunk/shadowrun style setting, with a strong, but uncomplicated, set of rules. Plus the King Arthur twist in the tail/tale.

3. Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok: Only ranked three because there are still a couple of books to come. Could easily be played now with the material currently available.

2. The One Ring: The fantasy game of, my, choice. Clean system, great background, a whole campaign ready to roll.

1. Mutant Year Zero: I like the rules, the "enclosed" nature of the initial setup and just the whole atmosphere of the game.


So that's that from me for the time being, there are new games on the way and many slightly older games to look at, but for the moment I will take a few days off ;-)

FATE OF THE NORNS: RAGNAROK

Reviews
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15901.phtml
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/16/16323.phtml
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcrmD69CrEA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjhsQqsFmQ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfNXQlhQB78
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrudUmrLXXk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfXPEUsI0sw
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4C1wV2J2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNlaiu8SQkw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A6ouWJRl9k
 

OK, this is my last game for my first tranche of possible future RPGs and I have left one of the best for last :)

Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok is easily the most beautiful RPG book (really series of books) ever produced and one of the most innovative and flexible rule systems (using rune stones instead of dice) to appear in a long time. The rune system may seem different, because it is, at first but is fully explained with lots of examples. Once you master it, it is fast, flexible and fun, and you will wonder why you ever needed dice ;-)

The game is backed up by superb background material so you can fully immerse yourself, and your character, in this mighty saga of Gods, Giants, Men and Monsters. The game is written by Andrew Valkauskas a Nordic scholar and roleplayer, who has been working on the game for 25 years. This edition is actually the fourth edition of the game and the first to use the rune system.

As you can see above, apart from the reviews, is a series of youtube reviews and tutorials which will give you a much better handle on the system than I could write here.

Character creation is straight forward, but leads to a wide variety of character. Enough to satisfy even the most picky player.

Be warned that to get the most out of FOTN you do really need to read the background material. This is about 65 pages, but before you throw your hands up in horror, pull out your hair, beat your chest and cry out your lamentations, it is more like reading a graphic novel than masses of text. It is filled with evocative art to help you out ;-)

Honestly it is, IMHO, pointless creating a character or even playing the game without a good understanding of the setting.


This is an A+++ game :)