Product– Xcrawl Classics RPG (XCC RPG)

System- DCC

Producer– Goodman Games

Price– $41.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/499743/xcrawl-classics-rpg-xcc-rpg?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR–  Miss old school wrestling and RPGS?  HERE YOU GO! 100% 

Basics– FROM THE TURNBUCKLE!  Xcrawl is the crazy spawn of DCC and American Gladiators.  Players are crawlers in a world where magic happens, but Emperor Reagan used a DnD game to keep the masses in check.  I am not making that up.  You quest LIVE on TV for MONEY and PRIZES while dungeon judges or DJs put traps and monsters in your way.  Think a much more light hearted version of The Running Man.  Let’s look at this.

Core mechanics-  Can you play DCC?  Then you can play this.  If not, can you play DnD 3.5?  If not, we’ll teach you in about five minutes.  It’s D20 + numbers vs another number as the main mechanic.  Solid, fast and fun.

Character classes-  Like any other major DCC set, this one features several new classes.  We have the standard set of Fighter, rogue, wizard, cleric, but they are much more focused on combat and less outside stuff.  The fighter has two spiritual successors with one being all grappling and one being just about bringing pain to monsters.  The wizard gets a new class that is all about blasting stuff because Emperor Regean decreed it be (yes really!).  This book’s classes are much more combat based, but still have that DCC feel.

Mojo and Fame– DCC has luck where you can spend points to gain stuff, and this game has mojo and luck. Mojo is the favor of the crowd.  You do a signature move or do something cool, and you gain mojo. But, mojo isn’t for you-it’s for your friends!  You spend mojo points to help a buddy with a roll. It’s all about team work!  Fame is what you get as you become more famous.  You spend it to be recognized or get stuff out in the real world.  Fame is how cool you are.

Ok, now the review.

Mechanics or Crunch– Do you like DCC?  That’s going to determine if you like this.  Do you want simple 3.5 mechanics with just crazy stuff happening in the mechanics?  If you don’t, then this won’t be for you.  I love crazy and I love the DCC simplicity, so this is just more of a homerun for me. 5/5

Theme or Fluff– How much do you like 80s wrestling and the movie The Running Man?  That’s the theme of the world.  I am honestly a bit disappointed that the book isn’t more neon to drive the 80s aesthetic deeper into your mind.  But it’s a world where DnD was so popular that the God-King had to have geeks help him maintain social control through Wrestlemanina mixed with GenCon.  So, yeah, it’s nuts, but man is it fun.  5/5

Execution– Goodman games makes games that look like you would find them in the zine sections of a bookshop in 1985, but they are built and laid out like they were created in a major New York publishing house.  It reads fast with tons of pictures.  It’s searchable and hyperlinked, and the book comes with a reference book that I can give to players to help you make that level 1 character on the fly.  This is exactly what I want in a game.  5/5

Summary– I love what this book is, but I can promise that no matter how well its done, some of you will hate it.  If you need LotR levels of serious in your game night, keep moving.  No offense taken or meant, but this is not for you.  If you need Traveler or Shadowrun levels of crunch in your games, keep going.  You build your character by rolling a bunch of dice and then throwing the characters into a thing called a funnel.  Most will die, but your surviving person has a hell of a story!  If you like DCC and want some Kentucky Fried Crazy added to the mix, then this is for you.  Considering I’m writing this while watching the documentary on American Gladiators and have bored my wife with stories of 1980s wrestlers, this might have been made for me in particular.  Give this one a look if the theme and mechanics are up your alley.    100%