Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Village Pillage Big Box!
Tag: Review
Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-16: A Star’s Journey
Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon
System– Starfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $5.99 here https://store.paizo.com/pathfinder-society-scenario-7-16/
TL; DR– Most of the map wasn’t used. 73%
Basics- Where’s Star? An ally of the society has gone missing. Can you find him? What took them?
Mechanics or Crunch: The adventure is balanced, but there just isn’t much. The players have a fight with some intro monsters, a small puzzle, and then a final skill challenge. Those are all balanced, but it needs more. Give the players and GM more to do. 4/5
Theme or Fluff– The story here is light. The story shows something new, but even that is small. The characters meet something new, but then that’s about it. Even the reason why Star is missing really isn’t explained, just solved. That’s all due to the time constraints of the new adventures. What’s here is good, but it needs more. 4/5
Execution: What’s here is good, but it needs more. The standard Paizo polish is on display, but It needs more. This adventure used the exact same map as the last published level 1-4 adventure. That’s not great as almost ALL the level 1-4 use that, but then again, most of that map didn’t have stuff to do in it. No descriptions of anything. Couple that with a small gripe about names, and this was five bucks for less than two hours of game. 3/5
Summary-Everything here is ok. The encounters are ok. Social is ok. Puzzles are ok. It just too short. The goal is 2-3 hours. This is maybe 1 hour if you don’t mess around. I do online gaming and even with tech issues, a biobreak, folding sourdough, and wrapping up after, this was two hours. The fact that most of the map lacked descriptions is also a major issue. I can get past the map being reused again, but the fact that it’s not even covered makes this a problem. Add more to these adventures. Nothing is bad here, but it just needs more.73%
Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Pies!
Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Starfinder Society Scenario #1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon
Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon
System– Starfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $5.99 here https://store.paizo.com/starfinder-society-scenario-1-02-mystery-of-the-frozen-moon/
TL; DR– Good, but length hurts product and story. 83%
Basics- What’s on the moon? A new moon has been discovered, and there are ruins there. What else could be stirring on the frozen moon?
Mechanics or Crunch: This adventure has a decent mix of combat, skills, and some social. There are multiple NPCs that you get to know. They don’t do much, but they help set the scenes for future adventures. The combats are simple. There really are only two. There is one major skill challenge as well. I don’t hate this, given the design philosophy of the Starfinder society now. It’s short, but there are the key pieces I want. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– There is a lot of story in a small package. The story is light, but the adventure sets the stage for the future. You meet multiple characters. Those characters are there to help you learn the next pieces in the next adventures. That’s again, not bad, but aside from some social, two combats, and a skill challenge, the story is light. It does end on something big, so it works well enough. 4.5/5
Execution: Paizo is losing the Paizo polish to the internet. The adventure features new creatures, as in any good Star Trek adventure, as they explore a new planet. But it’s missing pieces, like pictures of the major NPCs. I can’t find pictures of somethings anywhere. Also, this adventure is 6 bucks for about 2 hours of RPG. That’s kind of a lot for missing pictures of one of the two things you fight. 4/5
Summary– This adventure is good, but the changes in Paizo’s organized play are hurting the product. The short adventures are ok, but it means there is less here. I also have fewer physical products to look at or show the players. Those changes hurt the product. I enjoy the story and adventure, but the constraints hurt the product. 83%
Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Get Baked!
Ring Side Report: RPG Review of DCC Day #3: Chanters in the Dark
Product– DCC Day #3: Chanters in the Dark
System– DCC RPG
Producer– Goodman Games
Price– $6.00 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/395901/dcc-day-3-chanters-in-the-dark?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR– Good DCC up till the end. 90%
Basics- Who calls from below?! Chanters in the Dark is a one-shot adventure where the characters are drawn into a world of intrigue and subterranean threats. Will they be able to save everyone, or will the things from below eat them all?
Mechanics or Crunch: This adventure covers a lot of places, but fumbles a bit at the end. The bulk of the adventure is urban, as the players meet new people, possibly kill them, and then have to escape. The escape is the least fun. Basically, the characters have to run away. It’s not as exciting as a final fight, but it does make thematic sense. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff– This is a good mix of exploration, combat, and skills, but the end is less fun. The town the players explore and the religion they may attack are both fleshed out. It’s a very meaty adventure for a book this size. The one issue is the end, as the players just run. Nothing else, but climb quickly. That diminishes the other parts. Not enough to not make it fun, but I saw some players lose some interest. 4.5/5
Execution: DCC polarizes some with its layout, and here it’s a bit less troubling but still old-school. There are multiple pages of two columns. It reads more easily than the real old-school, but if you are annoyed by the basic layout, this will not win you over. I would like more art, but what’s here is solid. 4.5/5
Summary– This is a good adventure that fumbles in the last minutes. The bulk is lots of fun , but I’d like the end to be a bit more active than a few rolls. It works as a story, but a bit more would be fun. That said, I enjoyed it and suggest everyone check this one out. 90%
Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Nature Amazon Rainforest!
Ring Side Report-Board Game Unboxing and Review of Goats and Goblins!
Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Sunfall RPG testplay
Product– Sunfall Testplay
System– Archmage Press
Producer– Paizo
Price– FREE -here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/archmagepress/sunfall
TL; DR– A solid introduction 100%
Basics- THE AGE HAS ENDED! Sunfall is a solo RPG, much like a choose-your-own-adventure. It’s set in an Aztec setting, and you awake with no memory of what has happened, but you must attempt to save humanity. Let’s look at the basics.
Basic mechanics and stats: This is a 2d6 system. You have three stats: might, agility, and will. These give you a +2 to +6 on the 2d6. Then you compare. You succeed, go to one page. Fail? Go to another. Simple and sweet.
Player resources: Players have three major resources: health(hit points), stamina, and spirit. Health is hitpoints. It works exactly like in any other RPG. Stamina and spirit are used when you do actions. Stamina for physical and spirit for mental/magic. You have none, and you either can’t act and have to take a breather round in combat, or other bad things happen.
Combat: Combat is also simple. Each round, the creature you are fighting does something. It can follow a round-by-round script or roll a die at random to select an action from a list. You can then choose to parry(harder) or evade(easier), but if you evade, you don’t get to attack back! When you attack, you choose an action and spend stamina or spirit. You then roll 2d6, add the might or will attribute, and then see if you hit. If you hit, you roll the dice for the weapon or spell, and then damage happens. If you are hit, you subtract your armor from the damage.
Talents- As you play, you will possibly earn talents. Think of these like feats. You gain abilities that let you be extra cool.
Ok, now the breakdown
Mechanics or Crunch: This is a choose-your-own-adventure book with dice. That’s the good and bad. If you have that, then this can’t be for you. The bad is that the combat is pretty simple. It’s you rolling to defend, and you roll to attack. It’s simple. You can’t do the crazy stuff you can do in Pathfinder, as the GM doesn’t exist here. But you do get to play Pathfinder without a GM. The mechanics are simple but fun. I liked the choose-your-own-adventure books when I was a kid, and I didn’t know they had those with dice until I was in my 30s (I grew up in a small town!). So, the simple mechanics only make me like this more. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– Do you like Aztecs and their mythology? I do. I crave new settings. Old school DnD is fun. Fantasy Europe for the 100th time is not bad, but if you promise me four whole books of settings where you have crazy stuff I’ve NEVER seen before, you have my complete attention. I will admit my ignorance about how awesome the Aztec world was. I’m looking forward to this book to not only entertain me with the story, but draw me into a whole history and mythology I know nothing about! 5/5
Execution: Ok, this is a choose-your-own-adventure book, so I am looking for exactly ONE thing: hyperlinking! And it had it! The book can’t have art on every page, but you won’t read this book page by page. It’s got enough to tell a story when it needs to. But I’m just glad I can choose an option, click, and BAM! I’m there! Solid work. 5/5
Summary– The simple summary is to go check out the Kickstarter. It’s free. Honestly, after that, the next question is “do you like choose-your-own-adventure books?” If not, then maybe stay away. Both the author and I completely understand that this book can’t be for everyone. I love sushi, and not everyone likes that. But if you have even a hint of love for the days when those books dominated middle school, as they did mine, or if you love or want to learn about Aztec mythology, then you need to check this out. And the final cost for all four books, digital, will be $68. That’s honestly not bad for four books. You can get them all fancy and leather-bound, but I’m a digital kid. So, I will go digital and use as many hyperlinks as I can! 100%
Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-05: Silver Bark, Golden Blades
Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-05: Silver Bark, Golden Blades
System– Pathfinder 2nd Ed
Producer– Paizo
Price– $8.99 -here https://store.paizo.com/pfs-scenario-6-05/
TL; DR– A lot here that players won’t see! 100%
Basics- What’s up with the forest? In this PFS adventure, the players enter a forest that normally isn’t a problem, but no one can leave now. Why is that?
Mechanics or Crunch: This is an extremely random adventure. The major events are the same, but the pieces move around a lot. Heck, there are two different maps for the final dungeon crawl. And that’s impressive! The mechanics are as balanced as they can be, but most players will need multiple players to see all the monsters, all the traps, and all the places that are in this one. But that is not bad! I really enjoyed the crunch of this one. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– The major story beats don’t change, but the pieces move well. There are two completely different end maps and three different end bosses. All of these have their own completely novel stories to play with and through. That’s a ton of effort that most won’t see. I love the pieces the writer added to this story to keep it fresh. 5/5
Execution: It’s a PFS adventure, and it’s one of the older ones. It’s solid. Good pictures, good layout, good execution. 5/5
Summary– As an oldtaku, old anime geek, I love the steps into the Lantern Lodge. This adventure is no different. You have an evil corrupting a village, and the forest itself steps up to stop it. You got lots of new evils, lots of places, and lots of traps, as well as an overarching story that ties those all together. This scenario is a solid few hours of PFS fun. 100%
Throat Punch Games 