Tag: RPG Review

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Cypher Preview FREE!

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Cypher Preview FREE!

System- Cypher System

Producer– Monte Cook Games

Price– FREE here  https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/534071/cypher-preview-free?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR-A solid product introduction.  100%

Basics– Don’t call it a comeback!  The Cypher System is getting a kind of second edition!  Not really, but kind of!  Monte Cook games has released a preview of their second edition of the game, so let’s dive into the preview of what’s the same and what’s changing.

Base mechanics– This isn’t changing.  Your Game master says a thing is level x.  You multiply that x by 3 and need to roll over that on a d20.  You have abilities that knock down that level by an amount and you still attempt to roll over that on a d20.  Still slick and easy to learn.

Effort –  This isn’t changing.  You have three pools to draw resources from.  You have Effort that reduces the amount you need to spend on a power.  You can spend from your pool to use a power or to reduce the difficulty level of a skill challenge.  You spend 3 points for the first level, reduced by effort, and 2 points per level after that.  Still slick as always.

Damage and armor– Here’s comes the big changes.  Armor now acts like an ability, reducing the level you need to go against when you dodge or block.  Also, damage now comes in three flavors as you have minor, moderate, and major.  You have three minor to a moderate, and three moderate to a major.  Once you have three major, you are knocked out.  Previously, damage went against your pools.

Cyphers- Cyphers are another big change.  Cyphers used to be more object based.  Now they are more like spells you can use each day.  Furthermore, they will also will focus on more subtle cyphers that are constant powers that provide a change to your character.

And that’s it.    

Mechanics or Crunch– I honestly welcome these changes.  The cypher system was fun before, but I felt the loss of points from my pools really hampered my character.  By changing the damage to go against something else, hit points if you will, it lets those points be used for waht they were meant for.  Also, armor reducing the level feels a bit more cypher system than it reducing damage.  This also lets heavy armored foes be possibly damaged by lighter weapons as previously heavy armor meant light weapons were useless. I look forward to its full implementation.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– So, you can’t really judge this product based on its theme because it really doesn’t have any.  You can’t judge it on a document updating the math of the world.  -/5

Execution– This document is pretty slick.  I feel like I could honestly start using this stuff in my current cypher games just based on this.  It’s easy to read and understand.  It’s also pretty, using art from across all the different properties that Monte Cook Games makes.  5/5

Summary– Monte Cook always gets about 100 bucks from me every year.  They put out a kickstarter for something, I throw money, and then stuff shows up later.  This year will be no exception.  I like the update to the system and it shows growth of his original idea in positive ways.  This is something you need to check out.  It’s free, so why not!  100%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Legend in the Mist – Learn-to-Play Comic Book Adventure

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Legend in the Mist – Learn-to-Play Comic Book Adventure

System- Legend in the Mist

Producer– Son of Oak Game Studio

Price– FREE here  https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/532463/legend-in-the-mist-learn-to-play-comic-book-adventure?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR-Solid way to learn a system. 97%

Basics– Apocolypse fantasy!  Legnend in the Mist is a rules light RPG that is much more Roleplaying than rollplaying.  It’s a fantasy setting of a long forgotten world fallen on hard times as people emerge fromt he primal forests of the world.  let’s dig into the mechanics

Base mechanics– This is a 2d6 system mych like Apocolypse engine.  When you do anything, you roll 2d6, add numbers, and hope for a 10 or better.  A 10 means a solid success. Between a 6-9, you succeed, but there is a drawback.  Less than 6 means only drawbacks.  Legend in the Mist is more “yes, and “ and less “does a 20 hit the AC” type of system.

Tags and Powers– Your character in this game has a number of tags.  Tags are short descriptions of yourself like a DnD ranger would have Wilderness Survivor as a tag.  Each tag has three powers tags and a weakness tag.  Going back to the ranger, they could have stalker, Nature bonded, and deft with a bow as power tags, but have loaner as a weakness tag.  When you do an action, you count the number of power tags that help and subtract from that the number of weakness tags that hurt.  That number is what you add to the 2d6 above.  

Conditions and ending encounters– For every power tag you have, you add one to any level of success you achieve.  If you attacked with that ranger above, rolled a 12 on 2d6, and had four power tags that helped you, you could put the status wounded on an enemy with a rank of five.  If you only rolled a 7 total with those four tags, you would still wound that enemy, but you might also gain the headache one condition as you got bashed in the head on the attempt.  Conflict either social or combat ends when a condition goes far enough one way or another.

And that’s it.    

Mechanics or Crunch– This RPG has fun mechanics, but you have to want it.  This is a very fluff heavy mechanics RPG.  That’s completely fine, and fun, but is it what you want?  I’m fine with this, but it might be a deterrent for some players. 4.5 /5

Theme or Fluff– This is a phenomenal product for story.  It’s a comic that teaches you the game.  It’s a comic that teaches you the world story.  It’s everything I love for an intro product.  5/5

Execution–  This is a choose your own adventure comic book.  It’s not hyperlinked, but when you do things, you roll dice, and click the move to page box to move to the result.  I love it!  This is the product I would have wanted back in 3rd grade when I read choose your own adventure books.  Good art, solid writing, and ease of reading makes this a near perfect product.  5/5

Summary–  The Apocalypse engine is a funny thing.  RPG have always been a meeting of the theater kids and the mathletes and the strange creations of those two.  This RPG is much more theater kids product with less math and ability to power game.  That’s not bad, but make sure this is what the group wants.  The product itself is amazing, and it’s fun to go back and play a choose your own adventure book.  For the price, you need to check this book out!  97%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Dreadnought RPG

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Dreadnought RPG

System- Dreadnought RPG

Producer– Liminal Artifact

Price– FREE here https://liminalartifact.com/  

TL; DR– Rules light horror. 90%

Basics– Don’t worry, you are already dead.  Dreadnought is a simple RPG of horror and monsters beyond the waves.  Players attempt to solve problems, get gold, and serve the gods in this simple RPG.

Base mechanics– This game has VERY simple mechanics.  Players roll 2 d8s when they want to do anything.  This action is called a move.  The Dread maker (DM, nice!) rolls a die: either a d4, d6, or a d8, and you compare.  If one of the player’s dice is a larger number, they succeed.  If both succeed, it’s even better, and if none beat the DMs dice, the player has a problem!

Characters– Players get four different archetypes that range from pirate, aboriginal fisherman/warrior, fleshwizard, or paladin.   You have NO stats.  The archetypes give you different moves that other characters don’t have.  You also have the same number of hit points called wounds as everyone else.  When you get four wounds, bad things start to pile up quickly!

And that’s it.  It’s very rules light, but action forward!

Mechanics or Crunch– This is a simple RPG with simple mechanics.  I don’t hate what’s here.  It almost feels like a GMless system with how few rules there are.  It’s got all the elements of a standard RPG, but with almost no rules to it.  I’d like a bit more description of things, but it works.  Then again, I think the goal is to be as rules light as possible.  4.5 /5

Theme or Fluff–  This book feels like Mork Borg had a baby with Scary Stories to tell in the dark and it was raised by Lovecraft.  I like the art and tone.  It feels dark and dreary.  And it’s supposed to.  5/5

Execution– This book choose style over substance, and it might have hurt the overall project.  I like what’s here, but I also have been playing RPGs for almost 30 years.  I know what to expect.  If you are completely new, this might not be the best book for you.  The theme is everywhere, but the flow of ideas is a bit off if you don’t know what each section generally is.  I can follow, but newer players might need a few read throughs to understand.  I also feel some sections are not as clear as they should be.  Furthermore, it’s all digital, but there are no hyperlinks.  Help me navigate this book!  Lastly, I must commend the book as it’s got an adventure that you and your friends can start playing in about 20 minutes. This book is rules light, and the adventure reflects that.  Good, but help the newer players see what this is about.  4/5

Summary– Style and execution are a hard mix.  I love what’s here.  The atmosphere and crazy mechanics are a fun way to approach challenges.  It’s random as hell, but that can be fun.  However, I feel this book needs some editing to really help newer players get into it.  This is more indy rock and less top 40 pop.  If you love that kind of thing, you will absolutely love this.  Especially if you love horror!  However, if you want nice clean tables and combat flow charts, then you will be a bit lost.  But, don’t fear the nonstandard.  Check this one out even if you’re not sure you’ll like it because it’s free!  90%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Bounty #15: Treasure off the Coast

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Pathfinder Bounty #15: Treasure off the Coast

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $24.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02akz?Pathfinder-Bounty-15-Treasure-off-the-Coast 

TL; DR– A solid intro. 100%

Basics– Why not make money!  It’s time to speed run an adventure!  You meet a quest giver in a bar, and she offers you money to get some treasure.  How could this go wrong?  

Mechanics or Crunch– This is a basic paint by number adventure, and that’s not a bad thing.  You have some social interaction, then some skill challenges, and lastly some fighting.  It’s not the deepest interaction, but if you want a quick con demo, this is my go-to.   5/5

Theme or Fluff–  We got devil worshipers, boats, and water goblins.  There is enough story and fluff here to draw you in for the hour.  Again, don’t expect crazy levels of detail, but there is enough to have fun for an hour-long game.  5/5

Execution– It’s a Paizo one-hour, one-shot.  Decent story, decent pictures, and a simple map.  I get out of this exactly what I expected.  5/5

Summary– I do a lot of evangelizing for PFS, and when I’m at cons where people just don’t know what RPGs are, this is the adventure I’ve landed on bringing with me.  Bar, quest giver, boat, skill test, fight, wrap up.  This is exactly what I expect from a bounty, and I love this one.  100%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $24.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02epv?Pathfinder-Adventure-Rusthenge 

TL; DR– A solid single town dungeon crawl 98%

Basics– Where is the dead guy from from?  A man walks to the village and dies.  You join a village elder to find where he came from, why he died, and how to stop the death toll from rising!  Why is everything rusting and falling apart along the way?  

Mechanics or Crunch– I love solid low-level, one-town adventures.  You end up in a town, and within a short bit are delving the dungeon.  The fights are fun, but balanced.  There are not just fights but also enough things happening to give the bard and the rogue something to do.  There is not a ton happening outside of town, so the exploration based ranger will be a bit bored, but it’s balanced in enough ways to make this a solid play.   5/5

Theme or Fluff–  We’ve got cults, traps, undead, and the friends we make along the way.  There is a story the players can unravel and build upon to have a blast.  It’s not one note, but it is a dungeon crawl for most of the adventure.  That is always a blast.  5/5

Execution– This is Paizo!  They know what they are doing.  BUT!  I feel one thing was left a bit loose. There is a way the players can mess with a major end event, but they won’t know about it till they get there.  I feel the GM is in the same boat.  I’d like that emphasized a bit more.  Aside from that, this is a fantastic adventure. 4.75/5

Summary– This adventure honestly feels like the first Diablo to me.  You have a town where bad stuff happened, and you have to delve a dungeon under it to solve the problem.  AND I LOVE IT!  I had a blast, the players had a blast, and the story came through.  It’s got a slight problem, but overall, I’d suggest this to any GM who wants the One town, one dungeon experience.  98%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Savvy & Swagger

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Savvy & Swagger

System- Savvy & Swagger

Producer– Beyond the Horizon

Price– Free or more if you want here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/525596/savvy-swagger?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– The more you stab, the more you succeed!  97%

Basics–  YARRR WE ARE THE PIRATES WHO DON’T DO ANYTHING!  Savvy and Swagger is an EXTREME rules light RPG about being a pirate.  Do crazy stuff, pirate around, and play children’s games to drink rum in game while you drink rum in real life and have a blast.

Base rules- You have exactly two stats: Savvy or Swagger.  When you want to do anything, you subtract that number from a difficulty.  You then insert that many daggers into a Pop-Up Pirate toy ( https://www.amazon.com/TOMY-T7028A1-Pop-Up-Pirate/dp/B00000JICB ) Pirate pops?  You fail. He doesn’t, you succeed!

Thus concludes the entirety of the rules!  

Mechanics or Crunch– Do you like Dread?  Do you like rules lite?  Do you want a one session game?  This is somehow Lasers and Feelings with fewer rules.  But, I’m down for this.  Stupid, fun is still stupid fun, so embrace the simple rules!  5/5

Theme or Fluff–  This is simple, but it has heart.  You build characters via selecting descriptors and then do that.  The GM can make a game in three d6 rolls.  Then you do stuff.  You can not expect 900 page dissertations on the nature of socioeconomic status of Pirates and local cultures in here.  This is Pirates of the Caribbean levels of reality.  It’s Saturday morning cartoon fun.  Considering how many Saturdays I spent as a kid watching those, this is just pure fun.    5/5

Execution– I LOVE this product and the layout, BUT I have one major issue.  Good layout, easy to read, fun background.  All solid product.  My big BUT is the product description on Drive Thru RPG talks about needing a pop-up pirate toy.  The one page rules does not mention that.  That’s an issue because I bought this, threw it into my google drive and read it a week later COMPLETELY confused on how to roll stabbing on a d6!  I’ve got a lot of D6, but I don’t know what you mean by that. Once I checked the product description again, it completely worked. Add the mention of the toy, and this is a 5/5, but now it’s 4.5/5

Summary– Sometimes you need a Kobolds ate my Baby or a Lasers and Feelings.  I love me a solid 40+ session RPG with rules so thick they absorb light due to their gravitational pull.  But, sometimes, you just want to roll dice, be silly, and do something even sillier.  That is this game.  Go be a pirate.  Heck, you can get this for FREE if you want to try before you pay.  So, there is LITERALLY no reason not to go get this now.  Honestly, now I’ve got a pop up pirate coming to my house from Amazon because of it. 97%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Grave Robbers of Thracia

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Grave Robbers of Thracia

System- DCC RPG

Producer– Goodman Games

Price– OUT SOON!

TL; DR-A great intro to an adventure series!  100%

Basics–  Where are they going?  The dead walk and towns disappear.  Where did they go and can you save your town?

Mechanics or Crunch– God I love a good funnel.  I also want to get a good quick intro to Thracia.  This gives me the mechanical intro to DCC and whittles down the players.  This is a solid, basic funnel.  5/5

Theme or Fluff–  I don’t know much about Thracia, and this gives you the basics of the world.  The world can’t be fully explained, but you get some monsters, some gods, and a fun intro to the world.  It’s enough to hook you for more.  5/5

Execution–  This is Goodman Games.  They know how to write adventures and their audiences.  I love everything here.  5/5

Summary–  This is a good funnel by a good company.  I also love fighting undead, so this is a match made in heaven.  After this adventure, I can’t wait to hop into the larger Caverns of Thracia adventure!  100%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-17: Stranded on Yesterday’s Tide

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day! 

Product- Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-17: Stranded on Yesterday’s Tide

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer- Paizo

Price- $8.99 here  https://paizo.com/products/btq03tyu?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-517-Stranded-on-Yesterdays-Tide 

TL; DR- Solid story with a divisive 1st act.  93%

Basics-  TIME LOOP!  When the god died, time ran in a circle.  What happens to those stuck in it?  Can you get them out?

Mechanics or Crunch- The adventure is a good one, but influence is a dividing factor.  Influence encounters are something that divides players.  It’s a mechanical way to make social encounters work, but some players absolutely hate them.  This starts with one.  That will either make you love this adventure or start off weak.  From there it gets better and enters surprising levels of Cthulhu mythos.  And that’s always fun. 4/5

Theme or Fluff-  Mystery, into combat, and then Cthulhu.  That’s the ingredients of a solid four hours of fun. I love the story and enjoy everything it has to offer.5/5

Execution-  It’s Paizo.  They know this.  they know how to lay out an adventure.  5/5

Summary-  I enjoyed this one but not everyone will.  The influence-focused encounters will make some players mad, but others will find their stride. Then it’s combat and skills to win the day.  Those are always fun, so all players will enjoy everything after the first act.  Fun, but something to keep in mind.  93%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-14: Twice in Steel

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product-Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-14: Twice in Steel

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $8.99 here  https://paizo.com/products/btq09hnx?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-614-Twice-in-Steel 

TL; DR– Good but LONG!  87%

Basics– The demons are gone, but very much not forgotten.  The Pathfinder Society hunts for a lost cultist who might restart the Worldwound.  Will you stop her in time?  

Mechanics or Crunch– I love a good hex crawl.  You have some crazy side events, some social, some skill, and a few combats.  The math all works out.  Also, this has probably my favorite event in a PFS scenario: IF YOU STEALTH, YOU AVOID A COMBAT!  It’s not an “it happens later” thing, it’s “you bypass a combat.”  Everyone has something to do in this adventure and the math is solid.   5/5

Theme or Fluff–  This is a hex crawl, so there are lots of things that can happen.  The issue is there are LOTS of things the players might miss or can happen.  As a GM, you have a lot to run in a higher level PFS adventure.  And as a GM you have keep the players on task to get this done within four hours of a con!  It’s REALLY easy for this one to run off the rails if the players go in the wrong direction, miss hints, or even just don’t get all the pieces.  More direction would be nice and even a bit more variety of things to encounter for fights. I love the story and the idea, but this one you have to keep a solid watch on for time. 3/5

Execution–  It’s Paizo.  The adventure reads fast has its own map for the players and the GM, and is organized well.  This is the stuff I want in an adventure for an organized play.  5/5

Summary–  The main issue I and a lot of people will have here is the length of the adventure.  It’s solid, and I WANT more hex crawls in PFS.  But, direction and time are lacking in this one.  Players can easily go off on crazy chases, and that eats precious time off the four hour PFS adventure clock.  But, the other pieces are fantastic.  Maps, monsters, things to do, and even new friends to meet make this a fun adventure for higher level characters.  Make more hex crawls, but maybe provide more directions in the future ones.  87%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-23: An Agent’s Obligation

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product-Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-23: An Agent’s Obligation

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $8.99 here  https://paizo.com/products/btq027rn?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-223-An-Agents-Obligation  

TL; DR– Short but fun! 98%

Basics– Where are the agents?  Cheliax is not a welcoming place, but when you find friends, you take them!  But what happens when agents go missing?  Who’s killing Pathfinders?

Mechanics or Crunch– This adventure is fun, but we are starting to get up there in power!  There are some harder fights here, so Pathfinders need to be prepared.  There are also changes where combat is not the only way forward.  What the players decide to do is all up to them, and that also allows for interesting flexibility in the adventure. 5/5

Theme or Fluff–  The story to this one is good, but failure can break the immersion.  This is a “follow the trail” adventure.  That’s good, but the issue is if the players fail.  If they fail, they can talk to the host who invited the Pathfiners and she will save them.  That’s ok, but it breaks the immersion a bit.  Also, this adventure is good, but a little short depending on the players’ actions.  Make sure they know that if they play smart, then they play quick!  4.75/5

Execution–  This is classic Paizo.  Solid execution, easy to read, fast to set up, and good to run.  5/5

Summary–  This advances the Pathfinder Story, allows for player choice, and if things go well, the players feel smart.  But, if it’s a bad day, then it will be a lot of asking.  I like the choice.  The combats can be hard, but not too bad if the players prepare.  If not, it will be a hard day!  98%