Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Shadow, Sword & Spell books, PART 2

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ 1 Comment

Last week I reviewed Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basics, Expert, and Threats. Here-https://throatpunchgames.com/2015/01/19/ring-side-report-rpg-review-of-shadow-sword-spell-books/ This week let’s dig deeper by looking at Player, Gamemaster, and an adventure The Stew.

Product– Shadow, Sword & Spell: Player

System– 12*

Producer– Rogue Games

Price– ~$5.25 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/127666/Shadow-Sword–Spell-Player?term=shadow%2C+sword+%26+spell%3A

TL; DR– Hard to follow the last book, but still well done. 93%

Basics– You know what players want? Lots more options! This is another splat book in the same vain as Shadow, Sword & Spell: Expert. It covers a ton of new additions to the system from rules about honor and reputation to new options for martial arts. The biggest change in this book is the change from human-centric to now introducing the full gambit of new races.

Mechanics or Crunch– I really like this one for its mechanical additions to the system. The 12* system really expands itself nicely into all the new subsystems, skills, and mechanics. I also enjoy the addition of templates for quicker character generation. The system is pretty easy to build characters, but the templates really do add a nice touch to the system. Well done! 5/5

Theme or Fluff- S,S&S:Player adds a ton into the system, but this book doesn’t add as much to the story. S,S&S:Expert added the world to the game. S,S&S:Player does have story for all its elements, but it’s less than the last supplement. Not bad, but it’s hard to keep up with a whole world. 4/5

Execution– S,S&S:Player shows that Rogue Games has grown as a company. It’s still the smaller book style with nice spacing, but now with better art! The production quality on this one is much nicer than the previous books. Well done! 5/5

Summary– This book is a good book, but the victim of how good S,S&S:Expert was. The production quality is better, but there are fewer stories in this one than Expert. However, if you’re a player and your GM has made his/her own world, then Player have some amazing options for you! Also for less than a Happy Meal, this is well worth it. 93%

Want more Shadow, Sword & Spell? Here you go!

Product– Shadow, Sword & Spell: Gamemaster

System– 12*

Producer– Rogue Games

Price– ~$5.25 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/133788/Shadow-Sword–Spell-Gamemaster?term=shadow%2C+sword

TL; DR– Lots of different topics in one book including the dreaded psionics. 97%

Basics– Well, your players got some options in S, S&S: Player, why not you, the GM? S, S &S: Gamemaster give the GM more options for his/her games. This book also introduces the controversial psionics to the game. However, most of this book is more rules options that you don’t have to figure out on the fly.

Mechanics or Crunch– After working my way through the entire S,S&S/12* system, it’s fast becoming one of my favorite systems. 12* is really well done, and expands nicely by adding new skills to accommodate new options. Psionics operate just like magic except you have a pool of points you spend from. DONE! The book also expands on the rules for running kingdoms and domains, adds ship combat, and provides new multiverse rules. All the rules all work well and give some really nice rules that a GM can use and not have to devise on the fly. 5/5

Theme or Fluff- The book has rules on how cities work, but I would have really liked if the book revisited the different cities from S,S&S:Basics and Expert to provide some examples on how those cities should work. That’s not bad, but now I have the numbers to describe what they are and revisiting would help a bit. What this book will be really remembered as this is the multiverse and psionics book. What’s here is full of different descriptive options on how the multiverse could works. And then the book goes crazy by describing deep math physics in chapter to demonstrate the multiverse. As a PhD, I loved this! You might not enjoy this as much. But, if you want some options to throw at your PC’s from the quilted universe model to old school 1st ed. DnD, here you go! As for psionics, I was a little surprised to see this here and not in S,S&S: Player. The authors describe why this is here since the addition of mental magic makes games a pain, but it does stick out a bit. It is described well and given some nice story elements, but it is a bit off in this book. 4.5/5

Execution– Just like in S,S&S: Player, the art budget really helped this book. It still has the small book style with nice font and good layout. But, focused art and even asides for math really made me enjoy reading this book. 5/5

Summary– I really liked this book. It’s up there with S,S&S: Expert on how happy it makes me. The 12* system really shows its versatility by easily just adding a whole new class mechanic here without any real growing pains. The city system is well done and reminds me of city stat blocks from Pathfinder. The multiverse has a section for discussing how real multiverse could work with included simplified math! That warms my heart! 97%

And the last S,S&S book I have- THE STEW!

Product– Shadow, Sword & Spell: The Stew

System– 12*

Producer– Rogue Games

Price– ~$5.25 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/84047/The-Stew

TL; DR– A few errors in a pretty nice, standard pulp story. 87%

Basics– Looking for adventure? The Stew is an adventure for the 12* system where the players wander into the town of Flatrock as mercenaries for a wizard. In town, the players learn about a rash of disappearances. Will the players protect their charge and find what’s happening is Flatrock?

Mechanics or Crunch– This is a fairly simple adventure. It’s a town full of people to talk to, a tower the wizard in interested, and the cause of the disappearances. The adventure doesn’t add any major mechanics, but uses the basic mechanics to great effect. Players get to face off against everything from social encounters to magic nicely rounding off all the mechanics of the system. You won’t spend all your time in magic duals or social combat, but everybody will get a chance to shine. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff- This is a simple adventure. Players are trying to understand what’s going on and keep their charge safe. It’s not Lord of the Rings epic, but it does have good points that keep the storey going. Honestly, a party that works well together and doesn’t mess around will have this whole adventure done in four hours. That’s not bad for a one shot adventure. There is a reveal that you might see somewhat coming, but that’s not handled poorly either. Also, I do like how the different chapters of the book are named based on different types of dinner courses. 4.5/5

Execution– The Stew works well, but has a few problems that hurt things. Some of the NPCs don’t have all their stats. Some characters don’t have stats that let them use the weapons they are carrying. However, all the named characters get nice pictures that you can show your players. Overall, the adventure works, but some elements are not as clean as I would hope. Also, this adventure is priced as much as the core book. That’s a bit steep for an adventure that is relatively short. But, that’s not a major complaint as the total price is still less than a Big Mac. 4/5

Summary– Rogue Games has put out some quality, and this is no exception. It’s a bit short and a bit pricy compared to the other books. But, what you do get is a fun mystery for the players to solve, some psychological terror, and a nice dose of combat and social deduction. It’s not at A Game of Thrones level of storytelling, but it is well thought out. If you want a good intro adventure for your players, this is a great place to start. 87%

Ring Side Report-Board Game Review Star Realms

January 22, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Star Realms

Producer– White Wizard Games

Price– $15 here http://www.amazon.com/White-Wizard-Games-Realms-Deckbuilding/dp/B00HRGMPIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421897585&sr=8-1&keywords=star+realms

Set-up/Play/Clean-up– 15-20 minutes (2 players, but multiplayer options available)

TL; DR– Lack of theme hurts an excellent game. 83%

Basics-Ready to rule the galaxy? In Star Realms, two players face off by trying to destroy the authority and fleet of the other player. Each player starts with 50 authority and ten cards. These ten cards are eight one-trade cards and two one-attack cards. Players have a hand of five cards. On your turn, you can play as many cards from your hand as you want to give you trade (money), attack, more authority, or other effects. From the pool of trade and attack, you can spend trade to buy as many cards as you can from a row of five cards set between the players and attack the other player. Cards you buy are placed in your discard area. Each card you buy will have a trade cost and can be one of two types: bases and ships. Ships function just like the starting cards providing trade, attack, and authority. Bases function like ships except that they are played in front of the player and act as a shield for an amount of damage. Both of these may also have faction abilities and scrap abilities. Faction abilities provide additional resources, but you have to have another ship or base in play of the same faction to trigger the ability. Scrap abilities permanently remove a card from your deck, but provide you with a onetime ability. With your attack you can attack bases first, then the player’s authority. At the end of your turn, you discard all cards you cannot play, and then you draw a new hand of five cards. If you cannot, you shuffle your discard pile and draw from the new stack of cards. Play continues like this until one player has zero authority left, and the other player wins!

Mechanics– This is a game like magic made by two guys who won the pro tour. They knew what they were doing when they made this game. It’s sleek, quick, and full of tactics. You get all the fun of combo building for magic with a onetime price tag for a trip to McDonald’s. 5/5

Theme- Here is the weakest part of this game. The rules don’t have much more than a simple paragraph on what’s going on. The factions are never really discussed in any detail. The cards have some great art and flavor text, but aside from that there is no theme or story here at all. It’s just deck building. 2/5

Instructions– The game is easy to play, and even easier to learn. The rules are less than a double sided sheet of paper. Honestly, I sat down with a sealed box, and was playing in five minutes. My wife who hates to have to learn new games on the fly absolutely whooped my butt. That’s a testament to how good the rules are. 5/5

Execution– It’s a box of cards with two rules sheets. The best part is the point cards. Rather than have you write down your score like in magic, this game has double sided cards for your points. It takes a bit to get used to as they are double sided 10/20 and 1/5 denominations, but it’s a nice touch. However, the card stock is a bit low quality. I’ve played about five times now, and some of the cards are already bending and ripping. 4.5/5

Summary– I feel a little bad about the score of this one. It’s honestly an awesome game, but the severe lack of theme in this one really hurts it. It plays quick and teaches as quick. I think I’m going to have to buy some card sleeves because this one isn’t as well put together as some other card games. This is a fun game, but don’t come into this one looking for any story. 83%

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Shadow, Sword & Spell books

January 19, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ 4 Comments

Time for a three part review! Shadow, Sword & Spell-Basic, Expert, and Threats!

Product– Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic

System– 12*

Producer– Rogue Games

Price– ~$5.25 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/83073/Shadow-Sword–Spell-Basic

TL; DR– All the stuff I love in an RPG 94%

Basics– How about some good, old fashion pulp fantasy! Shadow, Sword & Spell is an old school RPG with some new mechanics and a serious side of Conan. It’s a simple system, but simple in a smart way. It’s also human focused. Let’s look at the first book, and possibly the only book, you need to run the system-Basic.

Mechanics or Crunch– This game doesn’t have a ton of moving parts, but let’s look at the different things presented here:

Base Mechanic- This system used a 2d12-based, roll-under system for all tasks. Basically, for any given task you determine an attribute from your character (like brawn for swinging a sword) and a skill (melee for the sword) and add those two numbers together. That’s the number you need to roll under on two twelve sided dice. All tests are resolved this way. Its quick, it’s easy, and I’ve just taught you the entire system in 30 seconds.

Degrees of Success– From above, you need to roll under a target number. BUT, what I really like about this system is the degrees of success really matters. In your standard DnD Game, hitting the orc with a 10 on the d20 really doesn’t change how dead the orc is compared to a rolling a 15. However, in this game, you count how far under the number you needed to roll. If your opponent wants to dodge the attack, he/she/it rolls under its quickness and dodge scores, and counts the degrees of success (if any). The target’s successes are subtracted from your successes, and if you still have hits, you hit the target and that number of net hit is multiplied by the weapon damage of your weapon. This system uses NO other dice. Thus, a hard hit is one where you are way below your own target number and they completely flub their defense roll. It’s interesting, almost as if you run the race against yourself. I like that a really good roll has a really good result. This works for everything from sword fights to battles of wits with the king.

Magic-It wouldn’t be fantasy if it didn’t have magic. And it wouldn’t be pulp if magic didn’t cost you something! In Shadow, Sword & Spell, all magic will cost you some vitality (hit points), and some will cost you sanity. Just like before, it’s all roll under your proficiency with a spell, compare your successes to their successes, and do an effect. Unlike before, that magic system here is cast till you pass out. You cast a spell, you lose some life. Keep going, and you might kill yourself! I love that in a magic system! The magic is broadly divided into two different categories: common spells and alchemy. Common spells are the magic you know and love that will rain fire or heal your friend. Alchemy is your potion brewing, elixirs, and poisons.

Hooks and Story Currency-Lately I’ve been on a kick of giving some narrative control to my players. I love ideas like hero points and inspiration from the big two. Most 3rd party RPGs are adding this in as well. This RPG is no different. In this game you get hooks. Hooks are one line descriptors that describe your character. This can be “I will never let an innocent suffer” to “if it doesn’t pay, I don’t play“. They don’t need to be noble or even nice, but they do tell the GM what you will do with your character. When you follow these hooks you get action points. Action points let your character cheat: raise your target number for your roll, become proficient in a skill, or whatever you might dream up. It’s pretty simple, and doesn’t need much explanation, but this does make me happy to see this added to another system.

Vitality-Vitality is your hit points. What’s interesting about this is that as you lose vitality, you also gain negatives. I’ve taken a few hits in my day, and as I take a hit, I wear down. Lose a percentage of your vitality; you gain a -1 to all tests. Lose more vitality, and you gain more penalties to all your target numbers. “More than none, ready to run” isn’t realistic, and I appreciate the gradual reduction in your abilities when you get hurt.

Summary- This system is a combination of all the things I like to see in an RPG. It’s got a combination of dice rolls that provide a more stable average for your rolls. Its mechanics are simple enough to grasp in five minutes. It’s got magic that doesn’t require a college degree to understand and explain. It’s got player narrative control, cast till you pass out, and damage reducing your abilities. And most importantly, its use of roll under target numbers is a well executed, general mechanics for all its tests. This last point is the most important. When I teach RPGs to new players, the vast number of different mechanics at play tends to be the most confusing. Here, I can just say, “Roll under those numbers, and tell me how much lower you were.” And it’s done! That right there is the best part of this whole system. The only thing I would like this game to talk about more is how to build fights fairly. The book doesn’t go too in-depth on how to make a combat. It discusses running a combat, but not how to set one up. 4.8/5

Theme or Fluff- For a third party pulp book, this book actually has a really well done amount of fluff! I honestly wouldn’t have expected a whole world to play in to come from this book. The book has a lot of ground to cover from teaching the system, to giving all the math a GM will need to run this effectively, but the book actually invents its own world that you can use right out of the box. Yes, the world is pretty much what you’d expect from Conan and Lovecraft fan boys. But, I’m a Conan/Lovecraft fan boy, so I’m on board. I did feel like there should have been some kind of divine magic as the arcane and the alchemical are good, but don’t explain some of the cult magic you’d read about in the old school pulp. 4.75/5

Execution-This is a really well done third-party product. It’s not perfect. I’d like a bit more guidance on how to set up fights for my players, and I’d like the art a bit more focused. However, there is a decent amount of art for a small company. It really breaks up the text well. I never felt bored reading this book. And the book even comes with an adventure. For the price, this is well worth it for a complete system. Also fun, the system books kind of look like pulp books. They’re short books with some simpler covers. That simplicity isn’t much but it really does tie things together. 4.5/5

Summary– This is a well done system. The math behind everything from after dinner quips with the queen to killing all her guards is simple. I like the race with myself mechanics. The books are executed fairly well also. It has LOTS of white space. Look, I tend to get some flak for that. I’m supposed to like reading RPGs if I LIKE RPGS. But, I like when a book doesn’t make itself a chore to read. And the sleeper hit of this whole package is the word that is discussed here. If you want your own pulp world, the book helps you with that, but if you want an out of the box setting ready to roll, here you go! All said and done, I’m really impressed with this game. 94%

How about some more Shadow, Sword & Spell?

Product– Shadow, Sword & Spell: Expert

System– 12*

Producer– Rogue Games

Price– ~$5.25 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/89294/Shadow-Sword–Spell-Expert

TL; DR– A textbook splat book example! 97%

Basics– How about some more Shadow, Sword & Spell? Now ON EXPERT MODE! Expert is the truest definition of a splat book. It’s just more of the stuff you want for your S, S&S game. Expert adds rules for everything from managing a kingdom to making new monsters. Expert also adds to the world and expands on the places you can conquer, explore, and control.

Mechanics or Crunch– This book is crunch-tastic. Honestly most of the book is new subsystems to add to your game. These are not mandatory subsystems, but they are ones your GM would have to custom build on the fly if, say, you wanted to tax your fiefdom and raise an army to go conquer your neighbors. Now, these are all the d12 mechanics we know and love from Basic, but now you have a set in stone from the designer’s rules for how to do it. Also, rules for monster generation are really useful. 5/5

Theme or Fluff- Expert is larger than Basic, and Basic has to explain how to play the game! That said Expert explains the rest of the world and has maps. I loved how Basic had a world to play in. And now I love that Expert makes the world truly a world. It even expands on all the fiddly bits of the world. It’s not down to the level of favorite fish of a region to eat, but it’s done well enough and taken from the pulp sources that you could find that information. For a book on adding subsystems to a game, there is a ton of new story to add to your games. 5/5

Execution– Expert is done extremely well, but it could use a bit more. I’d like a few more examples with some example characters and groups to help me understand the subsystems it adds a bit more. What’s here is good, but it needs a few read-through’s to get its point across. Also, I am happy to see art and white space to break up texts, but as with basic, I would like a little more consistency in the art. While in its execution Expert stumbles, Expert falls from perfection to extremely well done. 4.5/5

Summary– I really like this book. Now just like the authors of Basic said, you don’t need this book. But, you most likely will want this book. No pulp game could be complete without a battlefield and a fiefdom to command! Now you get nitty-gritty rules for that! I’d like a few more examples and some more art, but overall, this is what a splat book should be. 97%

And more Shadow, Sword & Spell, but this time it’s the monster manual!

Product– Shadow, Sword & Spell: Threats

System– 12*

Producer– Rogue Games

Price– ~$5.25 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/102515/Shadow-Sword–Spell-Threats

TL; DR– A well done monster manual 93%

Basics– Every good game needs a monster manual. Sure, Basic had a small one, but here are a ton of different threats (see what I did there!) to throw at your players.

Mechanics or Crunch– It’s a bunch of monsters that all follow the rules set forth in Expert. The abilities are all defined well and you will know how to make them. I would kind of like a repeat of the rules from Expert on how to build a monster, but honestly that book’s cheap, so go buy that one! 4.75/5

Theme or Fluff- I like the monsters here. They all feel pulpy, but they don’t get too much write up. A common set up is one page for a picture and one page for stats and description. Descriptions get the short side of that stick. The description does give you something to work with, but I would have liked a bit more. However, the book does describe a few new villainous organizations for you to throw at your players, so Threats does build on the story of the campaign setting. 4.5/5

Execution– Threats does have some problems, but overall it’s well done. There are a few typos and other minor problems. Also, just like Basic, no real advice is given for how to build a fight. But that is par for any pulp fantasy RPG course. Even with those minor complaints, I am really happy with one thing: EVERY MONSTER GETS A PICTURE! I hate having to describe each monster and then point at a general monster of that type. The pictures are not perfect, but at the very least they’re in there! 4.75/5

Summary– Every good system needs a monster book. And this is just a well done monster book. My problems with this one are minor. I’d like game specific art for each thing, but some are is better than no art. Also, while other monster manuals teach you to build the monsters, Threats expect you to look at Expert to know those rules. Those are not bad, but just know that going into this one. Overall though, what’s here is well done and well worth your five bucks. 93%

Ring Side Report-Board Game Review Hawaii

January 17, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Hawaii

Producer– Rio Grande Games

Price– $150! at Amazon-Good Luck anywhere else! http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Grande-Games-469RGG-Hawaii/dp/B007515EVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421289771&sr=8-1&keywords=hawaii+board+game or FREE at Board Game Arena!

Set-up/Play/Clean-up– 90-120 minutes (2 to 5 players)

TL; DR– In depth strategy from a simple game. 85%

Basics-Are you ready to become the big Kahuna? In Hawaii, players battle to see who will be the next best chief. Hawaii is a game with several different sides to it. The main goal is most points. There are a few ways to go about that though. Each player has several different villages that they can grow to score points at the end of the game. To get points for each village, it has to be long enough to reach the tiki for that column it reaches and have a Kahuna at its start on the beach. For now, just think you have to have a start point marker as well as a distance marker for the villages. To get village tiles, the players take turns gathering people, places, gods, and resource tiles from the main island. This main island has several different buying tiles that are separated randomly into three rows. Each turn during set up, you randomly select different cost tokens for each tile. The last buying space on each tile will show the maximum total cost to all these tokens. If you ever draw a token that would put the total cost over the maximum cost, then that token is flipped upside down and placed in the fishing lagoon as all tokens have a cost side and a fishing side. Cost tokens are also placed on all the order selection spaces besides the first one. This game has a two sided economy for these tiles. You have to play to move to a place with feet and pay to buy things at a tile with shells. To move to a tile, it costs feet. To stay on a tile, costs feet. To go back to the beach is free. Players then go in turn order moving to the tiles and buying what’s there by moving onto one of the cost tiles and placing that location in one of their villages on their own player board. Therefore, cost tokens limit what can be bought each turn. Further complicating things when you buy a tile, you can decide to pay double the cost of the cost token you moved to. If you do this, you buy the more amazing side of the tile for the location. The more amazing sides reduce costs, give your extra points, give you extra money, and in general are better. At the beach players can use boats (something that you can buy from a tile) to go to the islands. These islands give you point as well as locations and money to spend. Also at the beach players can use boats to get the fish tiles that were placed in the lagoon earlier. And finally, players can move on to the turn order track to determine next turns order. While this seems pretty simple, what compounds this is the spending requirements for each round. Each round a token indicates how much players have to spend to get more points. Whoever spends the most gets more points, second most gets slightly less, and then anyone who at least spends the minimum gets a point amount too. However only the token and fish tokens you have count for this spending requirements! Thus if you spend double to get the better version of a tile, it only counts for the original amount. This massively increases the strategy of the game as buying the most expensive thing might backfire in a large way, and deals are an even more amazing values you have to really look for. After all players are on the turn track, the round ends, players get points if they spend enough, the turn spending token indicates how much money everyone gets for the next round, and new spending tokens are placed on all the different buying locations. At the end of the fifth round, players count up points from their villages, and the player with the most is the big Kahuna and next chieftain of the tribe!

Mechanics– When I played this the first time I hated it. I constantly got mixed up in the rules, didn’t understand the general mechanics, and overall was a mess. However after really dissecting this one, it’s amazing. The two different resources are an amazing way to make the game stand out. Feet and shells are not tradable. There is no exchange rate between movement and money, and this makes you have to really decide what parts of your villages you need and must built to win. And built you must. Your village not only gets you end game points, but it also gets you more resources each round. This game forces you to think on about three fronts as well and have to second guess all your opponents to make sure they don’t move to the spot you need next. It’s not perfect as a runaway victor can easily destroy everybody else, but that’s a problem of the other players not seeing the strategies and values that are available. A well versed gamer will decimate a new players, but this game despite having some randomness, is a hard Eurogame. It’s not perfect, but it is some great, thinky fun. 4.5/5

Theme- There is a lot of different Hawaian things here, but not everything feels like it belongs. Surfers reduce the amount have to spend each round to get points by 2 or 4 shells. I don’t know why. Some huts get you extra feet. Also why? What is in this game does feel like something that would come from a tribal island group. They tokens and board all do feel like Hawaian stereotypes. That’s pretty fun. However, I’m not sure why I have feet and shells. Is my chief like Homer Simpson and after too much work, he’s tired for the day? It’s not a perfect fit, but some aspects do feel like they fit. 3.5/5

Instructions– Rio Grande Games does a good job explaining their games. This game has not one, but two rule books! One book gives the basic rules, and the second explains all the pieces in depth. I like that. The game has some sticking points, but honestly, by rereading a few times, you can easily figure out what’s going on. 4.5/5

Execution– The pieces are not bad. It’s well done cardboard with some good wooden tokens. The box is pretty decent, and the components hold up to some wear and tear. It’s not perfect as it’s a bit small, and you have to shuffle some hard cardboard pieces, but overall it’s reasonably well done. 4.5/5

Summary– Time for a personal story. My mother player this game online-once. The next time I come home, she had BOUGHT a physical copy of the game! She paid the over $70 for this game and loves everything about it. Now, we make a point to play this game when I get home. It’s honestly a fun game that has some amazing depth. It’s not perfect as some aspects don’t quite make sense or are not executed as well as may be needed. However, if you see this game online or at the GenCon Game library, pick this one up. When you know what you’re doing, it’s a fast paced game with lots of levels to it that will have you thinking on your feet the entire game. 85%

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Dues for the Dead

January 15, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Dues for the Dead

Product– DDEX 1-04 Dues for the Dead

System– Dungeons and Dragons 5e

Producer– Wizards of the Coast

Price– FREE

TL; DR-An amazingly long dungeon crawl! 93 %

Basics– The dead walk, and that’s a problem for the priests of the dead. Adventures are called to the Valhingen Graveyard to find the cause of these undead. Will you answer the call?

Mechanics or Crunch– Mechanically, this game pretty much a by the book dungeon crawl. It’s a fun romp that does have a lot of undead in it. As a low level adventure, it’s got all the greatest hits you can expect. Don’t expect a ton of new content, but get ready for a fun catacomb crawl. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff- You know what I want out of a four hour experience? I want a crazy long dungeon crawl! This adventure covers an extreme amount of ground. Honestly, go big or go home! There is also a ton of encounters and a ton of roleplay. The players work with an acolyte who is a reluctant addition to the party. She doesn’t steal the show, but she provides an awesome counterpoint to just having to kill wave after wave of monsters. No one will be bored during this adventure. 5/5

Execution-Hay, it’s free! That gives this some slack. Usually I expect more pictures from a RPG product to break up the text, but for these free productions I’m ok. The layout is ok, but I would like a bit more content spotlighted such as items, gold, and room highlights with either bold text or subsection on room descriptions. That is a constant complaint I have for the current Adventure League adventure format, but again for free content, I’m pretty happy with what’s here. Also, the adventure comes with two different maps: an awesome one of the whole catacombs and another of just the final encounter. That helps groups that want to play up-close and tactile and for groups that want to play theater of the mind. It’s got my constant complaints for layout, but all and all, it’s a good product. 4.5/5

Summary-I’m kind of biased on this one. My favorite characters to play are clerics, and my favorite enemies to fight are undead. Let’s write an adventure to me specifically! Sure there are a few problems with layout like no art to break up text and honestly this is a by the book dungeon crawl, but this is a GOOD by the book dungeon crawl. It’s large, has great roleplaying moments with your constant acolyte companion and “other” things that pop up over time, and build on the current story arc well. I had a blast running it. My players have always had a blast playing in it. And now none of us can wait to see what’s next! 93%

Ring Side Report-Board Game Review Nightmare

January 8, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Picture from magisterrex.wordpress.com

Product– Nightmare

Producer(s)– A Couple of Cowboys and many others

Price– ~$10 at http://www.ebay.com

Set-up/Play/Clean-up– 60 minutes exactly! (2 to 6 players)

TL; DR-90’s-riffic horror game on a VCR! 90%

Basics-Ready to play MY game? Nightmare is a big bowl of the early 90’s in a VHS cassette. Yes, I said a VHS cassette. Go dig in your garage and find a VCR. In Nightmare, each player takes the role of some poor damned soul ranging from a werewolf to a vampire. This is chosen by the tombstone you randomly draw from a bag. Also from this bag, you draw a number that you slot into your tombstone. You then place your character on the board on your gravestone. Next, each player then writes down their worst fear with china markers on the nightmare cards. These cards are shuffled, placed on the center space of the board, and then the game begins. Players start the VHS tape, and the Gatekeeper gives you the rules. When he’s on the TV, all play stops. When he’s not on the TV, you roll a six sided die and move. The Gatekeeper will randomly appear during the game, given random orders or outright be a pain to just one player! Players try to go around the board as fast as they can collecting chance cards, time cards, and fate cards. Chance cards are random events that might give you keys. Time cards give you specific times and an action that range from taking extra turns to yelling out loud to scare everyone to get them put in the black hole (basically jail from Monopoly). Fate cards are random cards that give you extra powers and opportunities to win keys. The goal of the game is to earn all six of your keys that grand you extra powers, move to the center of the game board exactly, and reveal to top nightmare card. If it’s yours, you instantly lose. If it’s not, you win! If the game goes sixty minutes, then the Gatekeeper wins, all the players lose, and the nightmare is just beginning!

How about a picture of the Gatekeeper?

From www.kotaku.com.au

Mechanics– This is roll to move madness. You will roll the dice as fast as you can to move your characters as quickly around the board as possible. Let’s face it, this is not modern (or good) game design. The cards that you get are completely random and might not be helpful at all. And, if you really want to remove all the fun from the game, you could easily memorize what times the Gatekeeper pops on screen and work out the math of how to win. But, that’s not fun. This game is an experience, not a Spiel des Jahres candidate. 3/5

Theme- This game is theme. From the instruction that tell you to dim the lights, to the Gatekeeper constantly messing with the players, you WILL experience some scares from this game. It’s like a haunted house in a board game. 5/5

Instructions– For as much crap as I give this game, the instructions are not bad! They leave a few holes, but overall, they teach the rules pretty well. Also, if you compulsively have to debate the rules of a franticly moving game, then this game is not for you! 4.5/5

Execution– The box looks like a coffin. That right there should set the tone. The pieces are all nice plastic. The board looks creepy. The game even comes with a felt bag to randomize the pieces. The designers went an extra mile to really put out a quality game. 5/5

Summary– This is pure, uncut nostalgia for me. I got this game for Christmas when I was 11. When I moved, it was destroyed by some flooding. I picked this game up for 8 bucks at a con, and that was the smartest move I’ve made in a while! I love this game! It’s become a tradition with my family that we now play this as the last game I play when I visit home for Christmas. Not even close to the right season for ghouls, but I don’t care. Honestly, for 10 bucks on ebay, you can’t beat this retro game! It’s the most theme you’ll get all year. And, you get awesome early 90’s special effects! Now you just have to find a VCR. 90%

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of PFS Scenario #6–06: Hall of the Flesh Eaters

January 3, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #6–06: Hall of the Flesh Eaters

System– Pathfinder

Producer– Paizo

Price– ~$ 4 here http://paizo.com/products/btpy9986?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-6-06-Hall-of-the-Flesh-Eaters

TL; DR– A short dungeon crawl. 87%

Basics– Time to go to the Shackles! Among the Gloomspires rests Sevenfingers’ treasure hoard. A new finding by the Pathfinders will allow the explorers to find the proper shifting island where the hoard is buried. Can the Pathfinders survive the island the treasure is hidden on and explore the dangerous depths of the cavern below it?

Theme or Fluff-This adventure was a fun one, but the fact that it was in the Shackles or dealing with pirates wasn’t a main focus. It is more of a dungeon crawl. But, the dungeon isn’t that large, so it’s hard to get going as you’re done before you almost start. It’s fun, but you will have to add your own pirate focus to get the theme of a dungeon crawl for pirate treasure to come through. Also, this is the first part of a few adventures on this island. There is a record screeching halt in one area as the map basically give the equivalent of an invisible wall to hid the next adventure. This will be filled in in later adventures, but I really don’t like having to tell my explorers not to explore! 4/5

Mechanics or Crunch– As I said in the theme, this is mostly a dungeon crawl. Before the Dungeon is a short above ground section, but there is not much to do after an encounter happens up there. In the dungeon there are some unique events and traps that make some of the later encounters more interesting. The encounters that do happen are well balanced. But, as a dungeon crawl, it’s pretty short and easy. 4.5/5

Execution-What is here is well done. I like the spacing of the text, the maps, and the general layout. I’ve written before that I would like more description in these encounter blocks, but that is a general issue I have with all the PFS documents. 4.5/5

Summary– This is a short, fun dungeon crawl. It’s pretty linier, but that doesn’t make it bad. If your players want to start some adventures in the Shackles, this isn’t a bad adventure to start a quest line off of. I would have liked a bit more as it felt short, and a down to business party will get through this in less than two hours. As a GM, it ran smooth, and my party had fun. That’s the mark of a good adventure. I don’t like invisible walls in an RPG, but I am curious what the next adventure will be. 87%

Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Skull & Shackles Adventure Deck 2 – Raiders of the Fever Sea

January 2, 2015January 11, 2015 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ 1 Comment

Product– Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Adventure Deck 2 – Raiders of the Fever Sea

Producer– Paizo

Price– ~$20 here http://paizo.com/products/btpy95dj?Pathfinder-Adventure-Card-Game-Skull-Shackles-Adventure-Deck-2-Raiders-of-the-Fever-Sea

Set-up/Play/Clean-up– 30 to 60 minutes per scenario (1 to 6 players, five scenario)

TL; DR-BEST AD SO FAR! 98%

Basics-Let’s be bad guys! In the last adventure deck, the pirates get their first ship. Now it’s time to be real pirates. Loot as many ships as you can, earn the favor of Tidewater Rock, and go on an adventure in the deep sea!

Mechanics– The game really ties the theme to the mechanics. It still has the randomness that somewhat hurts the theme, but the new mechanics really hit the theme hard like a sledgehammer on a tack. Pirate hunting with the chance of catching the attention of the authorities? Awesome. Having to find a particular villain to open up a dungeon? Even better! It’s a well done adventure deck! 5/5

Theme- This game really hits home the theme. It has lots of piracy with the mechanics to back it up. Also now new mechanics for the specific missions are introduced to really make a dungeon crawl come alive. Well done! Do this more often! 5/5

Instructions– The base instructions are all you get besides the stuff on the cards. I still want a sheet with more story and instructions for the game. What is on the cards is good, but I still want a bit more. Also, explaining who the characters are, especially the allies, would help me get a bit more into the feel of things. 4.5/5

Execution– Tell you what, Paizo has heard some of what I’ve said and this proves it. It’s a card game, so it’s got good card stock and art. Fine, I expect that. But you know what, SIDE OPENING FLAPS! I can open up the package while not destroying the box. Here is your five for that. 5/5

Summary– This adventure deck is the best adventure deck so far for either season of the card game. I felt like a pirate. The mechanics are slick. The theme is awesome. THE BOX OPENS ON THE SIDE! Well done! 98%

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of PFS Scenario #6-08: the Segang Expedition

December 31, 2014 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ 1 Comment

Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #6–08: The Segang Expedition

System– Pathfinder

Producer– Paizo

Price– ~$ 4 here http://paizo.com/products/btpy9a1w?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-6-08-The-Segang-Expedition

TL; DR– A good mix of combat and roleplay. 90%

Basics-Time to hitch a ride! Funds for the Pathfinder Society are low after the adventures in the Worldwound. Now Pathfinders are working with new allies to find old archeological sites. Can you find and explore a new site while working with and befriending some new patrons?

Theme or Fluff-This is an interesting one. It’s two separate missions. Befriending one of two patrons while still finding what you want in an island Jungle. As a dungeon crawl alone, it’s not that best one I’ve played. As a pure roleplaying experience, it’s not complete either. But this one combines the two well and really does have something for the combat monkey and the thespian in your groups. It’s not perfect in either, but it does a good job balancing the fun. 4.5/5

Mechanics or Crunch– The adventure provides a new mechanic for how to befriend one of two wealthy backers. My players constantly tried to keep finding ways to secretly befriend both. You will have to think on your feet with this one. The combats are quick, and the adventure does give some extra mechanics fun for allowing players to go hunting from a hunting lodge. For its fights and non-combat encounters, it’s reasonably well done experience. 4.5/5

Execution– My main problem with this PFS scenario is the same problems I have with all of them. Paizo only publishes PDF adventures for the society. Paizo try to keep all the adventures a set length, but honestly, the PDFs could be infinite length providing all the rules I need to run the adventure from how the spells work to basic random dice rolls. This adventure lists a bunch of different creatures, and I have to have the books to look them up. Why not just give me the full stats? It won’t hurt to expand a few extra pages and give me those stats, since I know more and more people are now running adventures as PDFs off tablets. It’s just a pain to have to dig up all my books to get one stat for from one book and another stat from another book. Otherwise, the text if sized fine, the art is good, and generally, I have what I need to run this adventure. 4.5/5

Summary– I liked this one. A father and a son-in-law are off hunting and the players act as guards while still trying to be Pathfinders. I can see repercussions from last year’s Pathfinder’s affecting the future, and I like it. The adventure itself is fun, has roleplaying and combat well done, and fits neatly within the time frame for a PFS game. I had a blast and so did my players. Well worth running at your tables. 90%

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Urban Steampunk

December 23, 2014December 23, 2014 ~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product-Urban Steampunk

System– Uber RPG

Producer– Uber Goober Games

Price– ~$ 13 here http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/100785/Urban-Steampunk-ber-RPG-Steampunk-sourcebook

TL; DR– Ankmir is a fun playground, but this book isn’t full of player options. 85%

Basics-You can’t have steampunk if you don’t have a Victorian city full of machines! This book provides a perfect city of steam Ankmir to play in/destroy while giving GM’s the options to build their own world.

Theme or Fluff-Much like the other setting books by Uber Goober, this book does a great job of building three different worlds in the same city. Uber Goober sets up a world of steam tech, a world full of rebels, and a world for magic all in the same city. Whatever game you want to play, Uber’s sets up the world and gives good background for a great setting to start your own game. 5/5

Mechanics or Crunch– And here is where the book suffers. Just like Steampunk Uncharted, this book isn’t a splat book for characters. There are few mechanics discussed here, but don’t get this book if you just want more player options. There is a great deal of information regarding all the different important population information a player could want if you want to get super crunchy in your story. It’s a story book, but that aspect is done well. 3.5/5

Execution-This book could use some more pictures to distract from the walls of text. But the book does have lots of maps, so that helps. There is textbook problem here as many pages are just two columns of black text on a white background. That doesn’t draw the reader, but what is here is set up as best as it could be giving the amount of art that is in this one. Each area gets a description, how to play in the three types of steampunk, story seeds, and persons of interest in the area. 4.25/5

Summary– As with Steampunk Uncharted, if this book and the core Uber RPG: Steampunk book were put together, they would add up to one amazing book. Uber RPG: Steampunk introduced the city of Ankmir, but this book expands on the main city presented there. Ankmir is a fun playground to run around in, but if you only want new stuff for your characters, you might want to look at the other books by Uber Goober. 85%