Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Digsaw
Tag: Review
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Shadow of the Weird Wizard
Product– Shadow fo the Weird Wizard
System- Shadow of the Weird Wizard
Producer– Schwalb Entertainment
Price– $19.99 here https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/457226/shadow-of-the-weird-wizard?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR– A LOT more but not what some expected. 99%
Basics– Family friendly fantasy Schwalb! Shadow of the Weird Wizard is Schwalb Entertainment’s family friendly fantasy RPG. Let’s look at the basics then the breakdown.
Base Mechanics- This game is d20 based with the normal base numbers you would expect. There are only four attributes (strength, agility, intelligence, and will). The interesting part is your abilities directly determine a bonus to any roll. If you are asked to make a will roll, you look at your will attribute, subtract 10, and add that number to a d20 roll. So if you have a will of 13, then then the bonus is +3. Simple. This goes for everything from attacks to opening a lock. The number you are aiming for most times is a 10 for a success.
Boons and banes- Aside from a d20, the other die this game uses often is a d6. If you have an advantage in a situation, then you roll a boon or a d6 and ADD the value to the d20 roll. If you have a disadvantage you roll a bane or a d6 and you SUBTRACT the value from the d20 roll. If you have multiple boons or banes, you roll multiple dice but combine only the most extreme penalty or bonus to your d20 roll. Boons and banes counteract one another, so two banes and three boons mean you get one boon on the roll.
Combat- Combat is a bit simpler than Shadow of the Demon Lord. Here, each side takes a turn with the GM or Sage going first. All their NPCs go first moving, attacking, or casting spells, and then the players can choose whatever order they want to take. Each turn a player can move and take an action. These actions are attacks, spells, and anything else a player can think of.
Leveling up– This is the biggest change Schawlb brings to the world of RPGs. Leveling up in all the Shadow games is simple and occurs quite often. After a four hour adventure, you level up. Not after multiple sessions. Not at specific XP levels. Just after every completed game. Leveling up is also predictable. Level 1 and 2 you get levels in your base class or your novice path. Level 3 and 4 you choose an expert path. 5 is back to your novice path. 6 is your expert path. 7 and 8 are a master path. 9 is your expert path, and finally 10 is the master path final level. The classes/paths are split into four basic areas: fighter, rogue, wizard, and cleric, and this is the same for both the expert and master paths as well. So you can be a novice cleric, then a mountebank (rogue), and finally an alienist (wizard) and the flow will be fun and works well.
Ok, now my breakdown.
Mechanics or Crunch– I like the Shadow games. This is no different. This one doesn’t have the slow/fast turn mechanics of the Shadow of the Demonlord, but that will make this appeal to a wider audience of gamers. Aside from that, this game’s goal is to be fast. Schwalb wants to make an approachable game that flows fast. And this does. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– Schwalb is not known for being family friendly. His other stuff is just bizarre and gross AND I LOVE IT. This is meant to be a very different experience. It’s well done, but if you want the gothic horror of Shadow of the Demon Lord, you will be disappointed. However, if you want a family friendly game then this is the Schwalb Entertainment that you would bring to the table. 5/5
Execution– This is a solidly put together game that meets all the base requirements I need and want in a book. There is art that breaks up text blocks. There is a solid layout to ease reading. And there are hypertext to make this a breeze to move through quickly. The one thing I do not like is the lack of a walkthrough of making a character and leveling up. I know it’s not hard, but those things are something I think really helps the new players. That said, this is a near perfect book for production. 4.9/5
Summary– I have always loved what Schwalb Entertainment puts out. It’s a very different philosophy compared to other RPGs and companies. This is no different, but it is a change from the normal tone of Schwalb. Not bad, but different. You have to know exactly what you are getting here. This is a player book, not a full system book. The original Shadow of the Demon Lord was an all in one book. This is not that. If you think that this one book will do it all, you will be disappointed. But this book doesn’t skimp on content as you get a crazy amount of things for your money. I just would like a few more examples for perfection. 99%
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-04: Equal Exchanges – Necessary Introductions
Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-04: Equal Exchanges – Necessary Introductions
System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $ 8.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02esl?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-504-Equal-Exchanges-Necessary-Introductions
TL; DR– Good with a few issues. 90%
Basics– Let’s go make friends! The Pathfinder society wants to make friends with a dragon, and YOU get to make the introductions. Don’t mess up, because you can be flamebroiled and are tasty with ketchup!
Mechanics or Crunch– The adventure has all the pieces where they should be and they generally work well. There are about 3 fights, a couple traps, and a skill challenge. Those are all mechanically done well. The skill challenges are not as much fun as they could have been, because my players tend to feel like they want them to just end by accomplishing X solutions before Y events. I can dress that up, but the repeated challenges can get boring in a hurry, so I just let them succeed if they do well enough. Overall what’s here is good, but it has a few issues. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff– This adventure is a pretty simple story where the normal dungeon crawl is flipped. Instead of going into a place where you are NOT supposed to be, you are invited into this one. However, some elements feel a bit crammed in. I like the goblins making kimchi, but they are not really needed and it detracts from the overall flow. My players didn’t really explore much; why would you just explore a person’s house if they are waiting for you? Also the last fight just doesn’t need to happen. Maybe having a hallway fight with OTHER robbers would be a better way to endear the kobold butler to the players? Something to consider. 4/5
Execution– Pathfinder by Paizo? Yeah this is gonna be a slam dunk. I might not be crazy about the 9 buck price tag, but for five people to get 3ish hours of entertainment, then I’m a bit more ok. 5/5
Summary– This is a decent adventure that will tie to something bigger. And that’s the whole hope of organized play. It’s a fun ~3 hour adventure where the players get some fights, some social encounters, and some skill tests. It’s well put together, but a few issues crop up along the way that prevent perfection. Some are system choice issues and some are flow issues. None are going to hurt this in a fatal way, but maybe change an element or two to make this a better experience. 90%
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pericle: Gathering Darkness
Product– Pericle: Gathering Darkness
System- Pericle: Gathering Darkness
Producer– Long Dog Games
Price– $ 150 here https://www.periclethegame.com/products
TL; DR– Not quite Gloomhaven 83%
Basics– Friends cancel for DnD? Long Dog Games got a game for you. Pericle: Gathering Darkness is a 1 to 4 (kind of) tabletop RPG with maps and miniatures provided. You use an app to guide the monster’s turns, and you respond to the world. Let’s break this down.
Mechanics- This game uses a D10 based mechanic for all skill and attack rolls. One side is automatic failure, one side is a critical success, four sides are normal successes,and the other four are numbers 1 to 4. When you do an action, if you have no skills the successes are the only ways to succeed. If you have skill in an action, you can roll that number or a success to succeed.
Characters and leveling- While this is an app driven game, there are multiple ways to build characters. There is a basic character generation system which lets you choose abilities and races however you want. The game also comes with several pregenerated characters so you can just hit the ground running.
Combat– Combat is run by the app and the tabletop. The app will randomly decide what side goes first, either players or enemies. Then the game goes into movement for one side, movement for the other side, then based on initiative each character and enemy will go. A very important thing to consider is the Embattled condition. If you move and are in the forward arc of a character, you are embattled and stop your movement. For my old school, 3.5 DnD friends, if you would provoke an attack of opportunity using the facing rules from the front, you are embattled. Also important, some actions like ranged weapons and spells cant be used if you move more than 1 hex.
Magic- This is an interesting use of magic. Magic is cast till you pass out! When you cast a spell you take damage and exhaustion. Each spell specifies an amount of damage or an amount you can vary for different effects. The damage is hit points, but you mark down the damage as exhaustion as well. When you rest you heal all exhaustion and that same amount of damage.
Let’s go into the breakdown.
MAJOR LET DOWN! This game says it’s for 1 to 4 players, but that means 3 to 4 characters. If, like me, you only want to play one character, then you have to play 3 to 4 players. Which means, I might as well play DnD… You can play 1 person, but then you have to run four characters. That makes me angry on a personal level when I can’t just run one character and my wife run one character, so all scores max out at 4.5 for this one!
Mechanics or Crunch– Overall this game is done well,but it doesn’t quite hit all the points I was hoping for. The d10 based mechanic is an interesting one. It works decently well, but sometimes the embattled condition is more tiring as facing always does slow a game down. The addition of magic using HP is a fun way to let casters go wild while still keeping a bit of control in the system. If you like facing based combat, you will love this. I’m not as much of a fan. 4.25/5
Theme or Fluff– This game is an interesting mix of a choose your own adventure and a dudes on a map combat game. The crunch is good, and for the most part the story is interesting. You are slaves sold into being gladiators. From there the story continues as your choices alter what happens next. Like any RPG campaign, some things are always going to happen regardless of your choices, but overall, I do feel like I was playing a game with my buddies. 4.5/5
Execution– Here is where I think I will get the biggest flack for my opinion. I was not as impressed as I hoped to be. The game provides several maps and acrylic miniatures. Those are ok. Some do not match the pictures the game uses, and that causes some problems, but I don’t think what I got was worth 150 bucks. Next, the app is a choose your own adventure book online. It’s not a stand alone app, but a website that runs combat. That’s ok, but some things are voiced with standing pictures on youtube. And that’s ok. I don’t need multi million dollar voice actors and animated cutscenes. But only some things are videos. Many are just text. This goes as far as not even given pictures to all the named NPCs. Even some of the tutorial isn’t voiced and is basically me reading the text in the rulebook on a screen instead of reading the rulebook. The app is also interesting as you have to mark if you embattled a character. You can go backwards and it will adjust a character’s actions, so if you miss someone being engaged in a fight, it will correct their actions. That is a nice touch. Overall, I just felt that several maps and an app where, at most, I get four choices at a time felt like I wasn’t quite getting my money’s worth. See our unboxing here: https://youtu.be/PCMDwvbBow0 3.75/5
Summary-I love games where my wife and I can be on the same side and play an epic adventure. This game gets me most of the way to where I want to be, but isn’t quite it. The mechanics are good, but a bit like grinding gears. The story is good and interesting. What I got in the box and what I got on the app is ok, but not quite enough. To put this in perspective, my favorite co-op RPG Gloomhaven retailed at about 150 and 12 bucks more for the storyteller app to read me the box text. This is about that price and I feel I get less. And two players can just be two players and play. What’s here is ok, but I am automatically let down when I see I have to play multiple characters. This is fun, but know EXACTLY what you are getting in the game! 83%
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Tinny Dungeons
Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!
Product– Tinny Dungeons
System- Tinny Dungeons
Producer– ArchmageArispen
Price– $ 33.72 here https://www.etsy.com/listing/1476249256/tinny-dungeons-minimalist-pocket-rpg-in
TL; DR– Good, but maybe a bit too tiny! 87%
Basics– How about an RPG that fits in a sardine tin! Tinny dungeons is a micro RPG. Let’s break down the game and what’s here.
Mechanics- This game’s basic mechanic is d6. You roll a number of dice equal to a a stat and if one is equal to the difficulty number (2 for easy and up to 6 for amazingly hard), you succeed either dealing damage or negotiating with the queen.
Characters- The characters have three stats (strength, dexterity, and mind), an AC for attacks, hit points, a weapon with a relevant skill, and one special skill. It’s a Tinny RPG, so don’t expect much more!
World-The world is a few additional cards with locations with descriptions, peoples, and monsters. Again, it’s TINNY, so don’t look for 500 page books of world lore!
Let’s go into the breakdown.
Mechanics or Crunch– This is a fun game, but I feel I’m missing a few things. It’s micro, so you don’t get much more than one power per character. That’s fine, but leveling and other things are left out. I don’t know how to level or build characters. Nor do I know the price of basic goods. It’s minimal, but a bit too minimal. What’s here is well done, but what’s missing is important. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff– My thoughts on the mechanics also echo here. What’s here is amazing, but what’s missing is something I notice. The characters are a business card and carry a lot of world with them as they have a fun picture, power, and stats all provide a bit of world building. The maps and locations give world building as well, but I’d like a bit more. Give me a basic quest to run through rather than a simple seven room dungeon. This may seem harsh, but there are only 14 cards in the box, so there is a room for two more to give me a “save the princess from the goblins” quest. All that said, I do love what is here, just want a bit more. 4/5
Execution– Much like the above, what’s here is good, but it a bit small. I get that the product is small, but it’s too little. For the price, you get a metal case, 14 cards, two dice, and a pencil. All those are well done. And to be fair, I pay a lot more for games without even pencils, so I have to give this game credit for that. I just want a few more cards with a bit more stuff to explain the world. Sell me a 30 card expansion pack with more world and rules, and I’d honestly buy it! See all the pieces in our unboxing here: https://youtu.be/F_jxmYU_suE 4.5/5
Summary– I love small RPGs, and they don’t get much smaller than this one. This is a solid RPG if you want a one shot dungeon crawl. It’s a limited system, but it does what it set out to to. I’d like a bit more to help me build on, but if this came out at the bar, I’d happily play between eating chicken wings. It’s not a weekend killer, but it is a fun time with my one power priest. 87%
Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Overboss Duel
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder One-Shot #3: Head Shot the Rot
Product– Pathfinder One-Shot #3: Head Shot the Rot
System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $ 9.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02aoq?Pathfinder-OneShot-3-Head-Shot-the-Rot
TL; DR-This is what I want more of. 100%
Basics– AIM FOR THE HEAD! Head Shot the Rot is a one-shot drop-in game for four PCs set in Alkenstar. It’s a glorious “Kill the bad guys, save everyone!” kind of adventure.
Mechanics or Crunch– This is Night of the Living Dead in Pathfinder. You have some zombies and you have some people. You get some skill checks, some combat, and some social. That’s all the pieces of the game I want. And I’m happy! It’s solid mechanics with 3rd level PCs and some monsters that can tear them up if they screw up, but enough firepower to make sure that doesn’t happen. Finely balanced as all things should be. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– You start in a bar with your buds, bad happens, and you kill it. Save the people, get the money. That’s the story and there is enough in the adventure and maps to build that into a fun place to play and explore even if you don’t go far. The PCs and I had a blast with this one. 5/5
Execution– It’s Paizo. They know how to lay out a book, make nice art, make it easy to read, and get me the information I need in a hurry. It’s 10 bucks, which is a bit pricey, but it filled four hours. This beats the movie test of if I went to the movies with the same friends, would we spend more. So, I don’t feel ripped off here. It comes with art, maps, and PCs – all the toys I need to literally just drop in Roll20 and play. 5/5
Summary– Some days you crave Game of Thrones level intrigue, and others you just want a bunch of zombies, a gun, and a goal. This is the latter. I loved everything here. It’s a fun one shot where all the players get what they want out of this, while I had fun and did not need hours of prep before. Hey Paizo! Make more of these, and then connect them to each of the adventure paths. I’d buy them! 100%
Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Overboss
Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Draft & Write Records
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Society Intro: Year of Unfettered Exploration
Product– Pathfinder Society Intro: Year of Unfettered Exploration
System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $ 8.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02eqo?Pathfinder-Society-Intro-Year-of-Unfettered-Exploration
TL; DR– Too much money for a too short adventure. 77%
Basics– And we’re walking! This Pathfinder Society adventure features you as a tour guide to a multidimensional maze where you guide a new venture captain to a lodge, then help round up some little elementals all while trying to be on time for his party.
Mechanics or Crunch– Paizo understands its mechanics. The game itself works well here, but the adventure is a bit short. What is in this adventure is about two fights and several skill checks to help multiple different players feel involved with a bit of exploration thrown in. Solid work overall, but a bit short for my players as no players felt too challenged and a few checks cleared the adventure with no problem. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff– The adventure works, but it feels off. We have a new guy who wants to see a place. Cool, but there is a random fight, some random elemental stuff, a kind of random handout, and a random place that doesn’t feel all that connected. It works, but my players and I felt that it was a bit disjointed. Furthermore, it didn’t really introduce any major metaplot or content. It was a decent distraction and having more pure noncombat adventures would be fun, but this wasn’t that nor was it pure combat adventure. It felt like too much of a mix. 3.5/5
Execution– I was the most disappointed here. The adventure works with classic Paizo layout and text doing their good job as always, but there is too much text and not enough guidance with some things being tried but not really working. First, there are random things that happen. Good! But use the random event charts that we had in previous chapters rather than just have three options for the GM to pick. Same goes with where the main NPC wants to go. Add in a chart where he says where to go, describe the location, and have a random dice roll. The main bulk of the adventure is in a maze. Which is fun, but doesn’t have a massive location, but maybe just set pieces. There are places that I don’t feel were all that connected nor did the riddle handout really help me or my players with it. The price of the adventure is high, but they are now including all the information I need to run it. However, the map they give is too big and can’t work on Roll20. It also has a grid, so I have to fight with Roll20 to line it up. PDFs can remove the grids, so I appreciate those. But, here I am paying for a product that isn’t quite getting me what I want. Honestly, if these were just set piece locations as they wander the maze, I feel that would make this run easier and make the maps small enough to upload to Roll20. I appreciate what they gave me, but for almost 1/3 the price of their regular adventures, this costs a bit too much. 3.5/5
Summary– Overall, this works. It’s a fine enough adventure, but it’s short, a little disjointed, and the add-ons are a bit wonky. I don’t hate this, but I feel some aspects hold this back. Some small changes in organization and flow could help this be a top notch adventure. You can easily run this, and you and your party will have fun. But, don’t expect this to run for the full five hours. 77%
Throat Punch Games 