Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Pick a Pen Gardens
Author: fineyoungmisanthrope
Ring Side Report- RPG review of The True OSR – Obsolete Shi**y Rules
Product– The True OSR – Obsolete Shi**y Rules
System- The True OSR – Obsolete Shi**y Rules
Producer– Tin Hat games
Price– $25.00 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/454627/the-true-osr-obsolete-shi-y-rules-eng?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR-What the hell just happened? 87%
Basics– Why don’t we fight about the rules! OSR is to RPG as metal is to music. OSR is an EXTREME rules light RPG. Let’s break this down.
Base Mechanics- This is a d10 based system. You want to do a thing? Roll a d10 and add a bonus from the associated statistics. You get a 6, you succeed! Or not, if the Master(GM) decides the number is higher, or if he or she is just mad that day! This is a rules based game, but not the kind of game where there are many rules.
Combat- Combat is quick and simple. All characters roll initiative. Then in initiative order, you get 2 actions. Actions are moving, attacks, reloading, and anything else you might want to do. When you do an action, you can make it heroic by spending XP and roll on an epic table where you may be awesome or completely fail!
And honestly that’s it!
Mechanics or Crunch– This is an interesting one that might be too streamlined! The game is VERY theme heavy and rules light. It might be so rules light that new players might not know how to play, much like early DnD needing a friend to bring you into the cult because the rules were so obscure. That said, it aims to be very punk forward and rules light. And in that it succeeds. What this book does have that is amazing is over 100 pages of random tables full of crazy things for the players to interact with. However, I feel that the rules-light nature hurts it a bit when new players are learning what the hell is happening! 4/5
Theme or Fluff– You can say many things about OSR, but you cannot say it has no theme. This book oozes theme. It’s like hitting a rock concert after hard drugs in a spray painted van. Every page is full of crazy things, art, and words. It is an assault on the reader how much is going on on each page-in a fun way! 5 /5
Execution– This is a good book with one unforgivable sin. This is a fun book, but not a book that honestly reads easily. I “think” I know how to play by reading, but the layout makes following everything a bit hard. There is amazing stuff here, but the disorder overshadows the text. It honestly verges on the distracting sometimes. Also, there are multiple random characters, but I wonder if those are pregens or NPCs. Does it matter? This book also doesn’t have an adventure. Give me an adventure to play out of the box please! 4/5
Summary– Someone once said, hippies were mean people cosplaying as nice people and metalheads are nice people cosplaying as mean people. This book feels like that. The book is a full-on assault on the senses, but it’s fun. The layout of the rules are kind of all over the place and hard to follow but they are there. Also, they, meaning the author, the rules, or even the community of OSR players, don’t care if you use them or not. It’s more about crazy gonzo fun. And that is where the book succeeds. This is pure grab your buds, hope you played right, but if you had fun you had fun! It is not balanced in any way, nor is it any sort of guidance in how to run the game. But that’s not the kind of game this is. If you want some even-more-crazy-than-DCCRPG old school tabletop fun, then give OSR a try. If you need even a hint of structure, then this might not be for you. 87%
Daily Punch 7-12-24 Adverse Interactions arcana skill feat for Pathfinder 2nd Ed
time for level 12!
Adverse Interactions Reaction Feat 7
General Skill
Prerequisites master in arcana
If you know how it works, you can know how it doesn’t work! Once per day, when an arcane spell is cast that you can see and are aware of, you can attempt a counteract check. If successful, you prevent the spell from being cast and the caster loses the spell slot as if was cast.
Thoughts?
Daily Punch 7-11-24 Aided Aim positive quality for Shadowrun 6th Ed
Who doesn’t love an aimbot!
Aided Aim
Take the time to line up the shot.
• Cost: 8 Karma
• Game Effect: You may perform a second aim minor action to gain another die on the attack roll.
Thoughts?
Daily Punch 7-10-24 Arcane Potion arcana skill feat for Pathfinder 2nd Ed!
time for level 12!
Arcane Potions Feat 7
General Skill
Prerequisites master in arcana
There HAS to be an application from one of these textbooks! Once per day, you can make a arcana check in place of a crafting check to make an alchemical item with the bomb trait following all crafting rules except for cost of that item and that it only takes on hour to prepare the item. If you succeed you produce the item of that level that last for one day.
Thoughts?
Daily Punch 7-9-24 Born Athlete positive quality for Shadowrun 6th Ed
No stopping you!
Born Athlete
You are just that damn fast!
• Cost: 12 Karma
• Game Effect: When performing an Athletics test, you gain a point of Edge that must be spent on that test, or it goes away.
Thoughts?
Daily Punch 7-8-24 Arcane Dilatant arcane skill feat for Pathfinder 2nd Ed
More acrobatics, and times for the one for level 10!
Arcane Dilatant Variable actions Feat 7
General Skill
Prerequisites master in arcana
You’ve picked continue to learn even more! Once per day, you can choose an arcane 1st level spell that is not uncommmon and attempt a DC25 arcana check. If you succeed, you cast the spell using as many actions as that spell normally takes. You use either your Charisma or Intelligence as the spell casting ability and are considered an expert to determine spell casting attack or save DC.
Thoughts?
Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Tales of the Red Dragon Inn
Ring Side Report- RPG review of When the Wolf Comes: A Vikingverse Roleplaying Game
Product– When the Wolf Comes: A Vikingverse Roleplaying Game
System- Shadow of the Demon Lord
Producer– Schwalb Entertianment
Price– $19.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/443491?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR-Solid sci-fantasy Viking Shadows of the Demon Lord fun. 99%
Basics– Where will you be when the wolf comes?! When the Wolf Comes is a semi-post-apacalypic, semi-fantasy, semi-futuristic Viking version of Shadow of the Demon Lord. This book covers everything from basic mechanics to how to run a full campaign. Let’s break this down.
Mechanics or Crunch– Do you like Shadow of the Demon Lord? Do you like Vikings? Do you like Space Vikings? Then you will like this. This is just Shadow of the Demon Lord extended to its next evolution as the game moves forward in a solid way. My one minor issue that is more a personal view is that the end mythic paths are tied to race. That’s not even bad, just my personal taste in the issue. The mechanics work and the new stuff here is fantastic. One of my complaints in TTRPGs in recent years is that character progression was too linear. This version adds gifts which are akin to feats. And I love it! This version fixes my one issue with this system, so this is a solid improvement on an already excellent game. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– The opening of this book is from Schwalb himself praising the author. This is a solid introduction to the world the author created and ancient Norse as a whole. It’s a world like our own, but with a split a thousand years ago. This also isn’t just a reskin of a Norse god textbook. One of the races you expect, dwarves, is not here. Now you have robots. Robot servants, so if you want to explore the themes of slavery in your game, have at it! The base classes are different, and the classes that build off it are all different as well. This is not just a can of paint on an existing Shadows game, it’s a whole new world to play in. 5 /5
Execution– This is a solid book with one semi-unforgivable sin. The layout is excellent. The art is amazing. And, the book reads well, fast, and fluidly. I can find what I need as the hyperlinks guide me easily. There is guidance for new GMs and how to play the COMPLETE system. This is not just a fluff book, but honestly the whole Shadow of the BLANK system. There is even an adventure in the back to play right away! The one thing I want that is not here is four to six premade characters. I know Shadow characters are easy to make, but give me them so I can slam them down and have my friends play in exactly 10 minutes. Aside from that one, minor issue, this is a fantastic book. 4.9/5
Summary– The most unkind thing I can say about this book is it’s simply a splat book for a different version of Shadow of the Demon Lord. But that does not do this justice. Any time there are robot dwarves that are not just brass spray painted dwarves with some gears stapled on by another name, but a real, honest to god servitor race with their own issues and even capitalism killing them so you the homeowner have to buy the newest model if you want your floors vacuumed like a roomba with a death sentence, I am hooked. This takes the simple Shadows gameplay I love and builds it out to a completely new world with new themes and mechanics to explore. I even get my feats! It’s not a massive part of the world, but even that small change adds new things mechanically to the system. I love how the book is put together. The one thing I want Schwalb Entertainment to do is give me pregens and it will be a near perfect book. If you even just like the Shadows system and you even just barely like Vikings or you just want to learn more about Norse mythology, then this is the book you need to pick up. 99%
Daily Punch 7-5-24 Arcane Physiology arcana skill feat for Pathfinder 2nd Ed
More acrobatics, and times for the one for level 8!
Arcane Physiology Feat 7
General Skill
Prerequisites master in arcana
You’ve studied enough magical beasts to learn a bit of how to handle a normal body. Once per day per ally, you may make a Arcana check in place of a Medicine check to do the treat wounds action.
Thoughts?
Throat Punch Games 