Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Mich in the Downgeon
Tag: Review
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Distal RPG Preview
Product– Distal RPG
System- Distal RPG
Producer– Wrel
Price– free here https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/wrel/distal
TL; DR– DCC and DnD5e had a more realistic baby! 93%
Basics– For Edervale! Distal is a new RPG currently being kickstarted. The writer has provided a MASSIVE preview that includes a lot of character options, several pregens, and even a short adventure. Let’s break it down for a review.
Basics- This is a d20 rpg. You have five statistics and a combination of 20 skills and knowledges. When you want to do anything, it’s D20 plus the statistic for checks or D20 plus the statistics and the bonus for the knowledge or skill. That’s it. Common things are a DC8 most are a DC10, and things can get EXTREMELY hard with some things being a DC22.
Dice steps- Like DCC RPG, this system uses dice steps. Distal sticks to normal dice with the dice chain being d4-d6-d8-d10-d12. No funky dice here!
Character creation- This system has a ton of options and a ton of randomness if you want it. Characters choose a race/lineage and a class. There is also a background. Backgrounds provide what you would expect: additional skills, items, and knowledges based on the life events you experienced. What makes them interesting is you can also randomly roll on several charts to randomly build a background! No traveler death during character creation though!
Combat- Combat is round based, but not based on your normal initiative score. After the GM determines who has the drop on the other side, each side does one action, then the other side does an action, alternating between the two. Characters get the expected actions in a combat round with a move, an action, and smaller things like techniques that are quick actions. In addition to the checks above, characters have an attack bonus based on their class, and it’s just D20 plus that bonus to attack. Damage is dice based like DnD with bonuses based on your statistics. The interesting change here is damage reduction with armor. Armor doesn’t really provide a bonus to defense, but reduces damage taken. Each armor provides a damage reduction die. If you roll a 1 on that die, then you don’t reduce much damage and the die gets one step smaller. Go too small and the armor is completely broken!
Willpower- Characters have willpower dice as part of their character class. These dice are gained at the start of combat and through other events, or as my favorite: story candy and buying the GM beer. When a character wants to add just an extra bit of extra to a D20 roll, a character can spend willpower and roll their willpower die to add the result to their total.
Magic- Magic is very similar to DnD5e. Characters either prepare spells once a day or know so many depending on their level. In either case, the caster can cast so many a day depending on their level and then they are out for the day. Characters might not be able to cast a lot of spells, but spells are extremely powerful with the ability to easily kill a first level character straight out!
Death- Death is PERMANENT! There is no resurrection. If your guy dies, hes dead! You do get deathmarks, however. When you drop to zero hit points, you begin to die and take a deathmark. These build up as you continue to die and each time you fall down again. You can remove some as you relax, but get too many and eventually you will not be able to get back up again, EVER!
Alright, thats the basics, let’s dig in.
Mechanics or Crunch– This is an interesting RPG. It is not a copy of either DCC or DnD5e. It is VERY close to both, but in good ways. It’s not brutal nor gritty, but it is more realistic as damage hurts bad and death is close. The mechanics are simple. Maybe a bit too simple and you don’t get a ton of skills, but that’s by design. Combat is not too simple, but simple enough to make the game flow easily. Overall, it’s good, but not the most original RPG this year. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff– The fluff of this world is interesting. The preview doesn’t provide everything for good reason, but what is presented is good. It might not be the most original setting as it feels like many of the classic RPG setting pieces I know and love. It sticks with the more usual suspects like undead, monsters, and dudes with militaries being the bad guys, but those are fun things to smack back into place to save the world. Not the most original setting, but still a fun place to play. 4.5/5
Execution– This is a solid preview. There an OVER 100 PAGE document showing the system and world WITH HYPERLINKS! There is a full adventure with at least four premade characters. This is exactly what I want when I see a new RPG kickstarter. It’s new, but shows what’s to expect. I love what I’m seeing, AND IT’S ALL FOR FREE!. 5/5
Summary– Used to love DnD5e and I love DCC. This RPG is a solid mix of those two right down the middle. Simple mechanics with just a D20 plus numbers, but skills and knowledges for all. A simple world where there are bad guys and how the world addresses that. It’s the most new in any category, but it is done well. I can already see the first source book as the one group is summoning undead and those undead are running around, and I didn’t see a player character undead race. Given what I’ve seen, this will turn out to be a solid RPG that will get my silly friends to be a bit more serious and my serious friends to play a bit more loose! 93%
Ring Side Report-RPG Unboxing and Review of Mythwind
Ring Side Report- RPG review of Friends in Need
Product– Friends in Need
System- Shadow of the Weird Wizard
Producer– Schwalb Entertainment
Price– $2.49 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/475523/Friends-in-Need?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR– Solid start to a campaign. 98%
Basics– The blacksmith’s gone MAD! The kind hearted man has attacked and been contained but why… Can the heroes save the town from some deeper lurking threat?
Mechanics or Crunch– This is a pretty simple adventure, but solid enough to jumpstart a campaign. The adventure has exploration, combat, and social parts to allow the characters of all types to shine. It’s gonna be a bit hard, but Schwalb Entertainment adventures tend to be a bit killer. Complaining about that is like complaining that spicy food is spicy. It’s balanced for what it’s aiming to be, but still fun for those looking to get into the system and maybe even a campaign. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– Again, this is simple but what Schwalb wants in his adventures for this setting. It’s heroic with little to no gore and moral ambiguity. It’s just the heroes finding the cause, finding the solution, and killing bad guys along the way. Solid fun for a hero. 5/5
Execution– I like what’s here, but that’s contingent on there being more in the future. Right now, the item this links to is prepublication. If you want some Weird Wizard, then this is a good enough document (it even has a map!) that will get you playing in about 10 minutes. That’s good, but the layout is a bit lacking. Also, and this is a pet peeve, I want pregens. Give me at minimum a party of four with a better option being eight, two of each base class. They don’t even exist on Schwalb Entertainment’s website. That would make getting this play started even faster, and make getting my friends in even easier. That said, for the price you get a solid adventure with a map to explore. It’s good, but when fully published, it will even be better! 4.75/5
Summary– I do love me some “shadow” system by Schwalb. This is a good, but uncomplicated intro to his vision of how to play. It’s got the three pieces of a good adventure, and will let all the different characters shine. If you need Game of Thrones levels of background and intrigue you will be disappointed by this adventure. For the execution, it works, but this is a prerelease. It’s also pretty cheap, so even if it doesn’t massively change after layout, it’s still enough to justify the price. So far, I’m happy with how this system is working. 98%
Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Around the World in 10-15 minutes
Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Symptomatic
Ring Side Report- RPG review of The Hidden Library
Product– The Hidden Library
System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed or DnD 5e
Producer– Beyond the Horizon
TL; DR-Good library fun for free! 95%
Basics– Moonlight library madness! Our heroes are hired to infiltrate a library that only appears at night. Can the heroes get in, get the goods, and get out while nature fights them at every turn?
Mechanics or Crunch– This adventure is well balanced and has several different pieces for the players to play with. There’s combat, social, and a big skill test to find the hidden book. Many of the combats use standard creatures, but there are custom encounters and haunts as part of this adventure. Overall, it’s a well done crunch. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– Beyond the Horizon is building a world adventure by adventure. This adventure builds off other published adventures and characters they introduced, and the continuation is appreciated. And as in the crunch, there are social and skill tests to let different players get into the action. It might need a bit more box text to build into the story, but overall it’s well done. 4.75/5
Execution– I like what’s here, but this needs a bit more to be amazing. I like the text and pictures. I have one minor issue with the layout as I think the background color is a bit strong and partially distracts from the text. I like the fact that the adventure has a separate bestiary with all the different monsters in it. I HATE when a book tell me to go somewhere else when I paid for this book! The one issue that might hurt this book is the lack of maps. Other adventures from Beyond the Horizon have had maps, so that might have helped here. But it’s hyperlinked and reads fast, so my only issue is I want more. 4.5/5
Summary-The Hidden Library is a solid adventure where my real only issue is that I would like more content. The crunch is good, and the company is building a world piece by piece leading to something bigger. I’m enjoying what is coming out. I would like a bit more story and maps, but if you have some generic maps you will be fine. And for the price of FREE get this one ASAP! 95 %
Ring Side Report-Board Game Review of Digsaw
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%
Throat Punch Games 