Ring Side Report-Board Unboxing and Game Review of Everdell Duo
Category: Ring Side Report
Ring Side Report- RPG review of SagaBorn
Product– Sagaborn
System- Sagaborn
Producer– Lone Wanderer Entertainment
Price– $9.95 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/422906/sagaborn-roleplaying-game-v-1-5?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR– Fun, but not beginner friendly. 83%
Basics– Time to adventure! SagaBorn is an old school/slighly modern RPG set in the world of Uteria. This RPG offers an interesting mix of old and new RPG mechanics. Let’s break this down
Basics– Know 3.5 DnD? Then you know this. This system is d20+ modifier vs a DC. The modifiers are what you know and love with base attack bonus + ability modifiers + maybe magic weapon bonus to hit guy. Its a well worn and comfortable as your favorite shirt.
Skills and levels– Characters max out at about level 8, but there are epic levels if you want to continue the game. Characters get skill points. You can have skill points equal to your level +1 in any area. Then you get expertise points as well. These are like subskills within a skill or specializations. So a skill check is your ability modifier + skill points in an area + expertise points if applicable +d20. Again, it’s that same game you know how to play.
Magic- Magic is different. This is much more like the later final fantasy games and less like DnD. You have a pool of mana, you cast spells with different amounts of mana, and the magic happens. DC for saves is based on the amount of mana a spell takes, so mana spent is close to the spell level/rank.
Ok, thats the basics, Let’s review.
Mechanics or Crunch– SagaBorn is an interesting mix of DCC and DnD 3.5. If you love 3.5, you will get the game you wanted with this one. For the DCC crowd, you might not get exactly what you want. DCC is more rules light. This has more character options and such, and that might annoy the old school gamer who just wants to take 3 levels in dwarf and smash the orc int he face. I don’t hate what’s here, but it does feel a bit like its aiming for a niche that others might not know about. The simplicity feels a bit muddled with the complexity of some mechanics. Again, its not bad, but its not streamlined DCC nor is it granular Shadowrun. 4/5
Theme or Fluff– SagaBorn has a world, but it doesn’t get the love that it deserves. This book spends a lot of time on the races, but the world doesn’t get nearly as many pages. It’s here and the world gets covered, but There isn’t as much as I would like to really know the world. This feels like a good meal I didn’t get enough of. Good, but feed me more. 4/5
Execution– This book does not do the sins that a lot of rules light, simple systems does, but its got some rough edges. I get hyperlinks and easy to manage text. There is art, but I would like a bit more. The things I want more of are some descriptions of mechanics. It feels a bit muddled. Also, some of my background made this work for me, but newer players will need help to really understand what is happening. Not bad, but this book needs more to be user friendly. 4.5/5
Summary-This is an interesting mix that needs niche players. If you want a DCC rpg with a bit more complexity, then this works. If you want DnD 3.5 with a little bit less complexity, there you go. SagaBorn does exactly what it sets out to do, but make sure you want what it is offering. Newer players maybe shouldn’t start here alone, but with some help, they will have a blast. Check this one out if it’s exactly what you are looking for. 83 %
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Cthulhu Awakens: The AGE RPG of the Weird Century
Product– Cthulhu Awakens: The AGE RPG of the Weird Century
System- AGE RPG
Producer– Green Ronin
Price– $29.95 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/454809/cthulhu-awakens-the-age-rpg-of-the-weird-century?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR-A few small issues keep this from a perfect book. 93%
Basics– The end comes NOW IN AGE! Cthulhu Awakens uses the popular Call of Cthulhu Setting and mixes it with the AGE system. Let’s dive into how to play and then the review.
Age Basics- AGE takes a lot of inspiration from GURPS. Basic tests are three six sided dice with one being a different color or standing out. When you do anything, you roll 3d6+focus+ability, add, and then see if you hit the target number. Ability is just like ability bonuses in DnD or Pathfinder. Focus would be best thought of like feats. That stand out die is used for multiple things, but indicates how successful you are with a 1 being barely successful on a success and a 6 being AMAZING successes.
Stunts- The more important role of the different die is stunts. When two of the three dice, including the stunt or standout die, are the same, you use the stunt die to get special events. You spend the number on the stunt die to get bonus things like spraying more damage, hitting more creatures, bonus to next roll, reducing damage to yourself, and so on. For perspective, this happens about 42% of the time on average.
Sanity- The interesting thing in this game is how the Cthulhu monsters affect the character beyond just ripping them to shreds. The loss of sanity also means gaining in understanding the mythos. The more you lose yourself, the more you gain in powers. These might be Faustian bargains, but power’s power!
The rest- This system uses the 3d6 and stunts for almost everything. It’s very fast and simple, but allows for interesting and crazy things to happen. From there it’s just like any other RPG system with HP, damage, and sanity being drained by monsters in the world.
Mechanics or Crunch– AGE is an interesting one. It’s fun and fast, but might not be for me. Character growth is somewhat limited as you don’t level past 10. It’s classless, so you can mix and match anything you want. But you do get kind of stuck into siloes as you grow. This is not a problem, if you want that. The notion of gaining power from exposure is fun. Overall, this is a good system, but might not be for me. 4.75/5
Theme or Fluff– This game is less Call of Cthulhu and more action Pulp Cthulhu. Characters fight the apocalypse, which is fun, but that is not quite what I want in a Call of Cthulhu adventure. I want more people to go absolutely mad from seeing things, and less gaining acceptance and power from seeing monsters crawl out of different dimensions. However, that’s more my opinion on the matter and not an indictment of the system. 4.5/5
Execution– This has ALMOST everything I need for a solid RPG book. The book reads well and has a fun story. Its layout makes it engaging and easy to read. The book tackles difficult issues with care, dealing with mental health, offensive games, and HP’s racism. The book is hyperlinked. It’s even got not one, but TWO adventures having both a 1920s adventure and a modern day one. It doesn’t have characters. I’d forgive that as there is a free intro RPG, BUT that one only has pregens for one time setting. The stuff that’s here is fantastic, but the stuff that’s missing is felt. 4.75/5
Summary– This is a good book with a fun RPG, but small things keep this from perfection. The mechanics are not quite what I want; hoping for 40% chances to occur so you can do cool stuff can annoy you. But when they happen, it is awesome. The theme isn’t quite what I want. I want more helpless horror, and this is more punching the Dark in the Face. And lastly, the book does fantastic execution, except no pregens. Most of my gripes are in how I want a game to be, but not necessarily in AGE being bad. It’s honestly fun, and quick. Not my cup of tea, but if you want to punch Cthulhu in the face with power you got when you went crazy, then this is the RPG for you! 93%
Ring Side Report-Board Unboxing and Game Review of Unrest: Uprising Expansion
Ring Side Report-Board Unboxing and Game Review of Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Starfinder Society Scenario #7-06: Archives of Eternity
Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #7-06: Archives of Eternity
System- Starfinder 1st Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $5.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq03kpf?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-706-Archives-of-Eternity
TL; DR-Good worldbuilding, but a bit short. 98%
Basics-Time to keep exploring! Archives of Eternity continues the main metaplot as the Starfinders continue to explore Aballon. This time an old archive is found. Who was there, why where they there, and what secrets are hidden in the archive?
Mechanics or Crunch– This is a very story forward adventure. If you are a combat monkey, then you might not enjoy this adventure as much as some others. The combats that are here are good, but they tend to be kind of short. That’s not bad as the math that’s here works well. But, if you wanted four hours of just crunch, you will be slightly disappointed. 4.75/5
Theme or Fluff– The story is the main focus of this scenario. I’m saying this because the whole point of this adventure is to explore a long lost archive of materials. And with that, it succeeds well. Several questions are answered, but many more are presented. That’s fun world building for the Starfinder society. 5/5
Execution– This is the Paizo I know and love. We have solid layout with solid text, with solid pictures, and an overall ease of reading. This is the Paizo quality I love. 5/5
Summary– Starfinder society for 1st ed is almost done. I love what’s here, and Paizo is giving this world a fun sendoff. These adventures are key to helping with that send off. It’s not perfect, as its maybe a bit too story focused. I like the story, but some of my more combat oriented players were a bit disappointed. It won’t take four hours, but it will build out your Starfinder experience. 98%
Ring Side Report-Board Unboxing and Game Review of Wondrous Creatures
Ring Side Report-Board Unboxing and Game Review of Unrest
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Starfinder Playtest Scenario #4: Rescue at Shimmerstone Mine
Product– Starfinder Playtest Scenario #4: Rescue at Shimmerstone Mine
System- Starfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $5.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq04v06?Starfinder-Playtest-Scenario-4-Rescue-at-Shimmerstone-Mine
TL; DR-Good, but outside flaws hurt the adventure. 95%
Basics– Hey Kid, want to find some miners for us? Rescue at Shimmerstone Mine is a quick adventure for level 15 Starfinder 2nd Ed characters. Players are contracted to find some missing miner after communications went dark. What happened in the mines?
Mechanics or Crunch– It’s high level Pathfinder/Starfinder 2nd Ed content by Paizo-it’s good. The math works well here as it’s more of the classic formula with players attempting to find all the missing miners. There are fights, traps, and puzzles for them to solve. Mathematically it works well. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– For what it is, it’s a solid adventure. This is a three hour adventure, so if you want more story, you will be a bit out of luck. It is an engaging story of a mine that went crazy and understanding why the mine exploded into crazy riots is part of the Starfinder RPG system and Starfinder universe update, but the adventure’s story works well enough all on its own. For a short adventure, it’s a fun one. 5/5
Execution– Paizo did a good job here, but dropped the ball in some very serious ways. It’s hyperlinked, well laid out, yadda yadda and the standard good things that Paizo does. But, there are serious issues as well as some minor issues. The minor: the adventure says there are x number of miners and you will not find that number. That’s minor, but it drove a player of mine mad! The majors are Paizo didn’t put in a separate picture page for the NPCs. They do that in the Pathfinder and Starfinder adventures, but why not here? It’s even more of an issue because they literally put pictures of the NPCs in the text. Give me a page with them alone to show the players. But the biggest sin here is the lack of pregens. Paizo wants players to make level 15 characters. No, give me some you think my players would build. You did it for level 1 and 5, but why not 10 and 15? You can find them online as people are making them, but that’s a big issue here. This is a good adventure with some serious outside execution issues. 4.25/5
Summary– I like this one, but the flaws are here. In terms of pure math and crunch, it’s solid workmanship showing off the system. For the story itself, it’s fun and expands the world. For the execution, there are a few faults. No pregens is a big red flag. GIVE ME THOSE PREGENS! Make this plug n’ play for tables! Beyond those issues, it’s a good adventure that will play in 2-3 hours while expanding a bit on the world. 95%
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Xcrawl Classics RPG (XCC RPG)
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%
Throat Punch Games 