Tag: RPG

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Marvel Multiverse RPG Core Rule Book

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Product– Marvel Multiverse RPG Core Rule Book

System– Marvel Multiverse RPG

Producer– Marvel 

Price–  $19.99 here  https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/535688/marvel-multiverse-rpg-core-rule-book?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Solid heroism, but some fumbles on execution. 92%

Basics- AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!  Marvel Multiverse RPG is the latest RPG featuring Marvel comics.  Will the heroes be successful, or will evil triumph?

Basic mechanics and stats: This is a 3d6 system, kind of.  The basics are roll 3d6, add a modifier from their base stats, and see if it hits a different modifier.  But one of the dice is the Marvel die.  This die does not have a one, but a second six on the logo.  If you roll that logo its a fantastic result.  It can be a fantastic success or a fantastic failure, but it can also be something better than expected.  After the roll and addition, if you roll the DC, you succeed.  Below, and you fail.

Trouble and Edge: Good and bad situations affect the roll.  Good situations or spending a character resource called karma give the character an edge.  Edge allows a character to reroll the lowest die on a roll.  Bad situations or spending karma give trouble.  Trouble forces a character to reroll the highest result and take a worse result.  Trouble and edge cancel, and a situation can have multiple edge or trouble resulting in multiple rerolls.

Combat: Combat is the same we all know and love in RPGs.  Players roll initiative, and any character getting a fantastic result gets a bonus round.  Each round, a character can move and do an action.  Actions are grabs, attacks, or other things that take about six seconds.  Attacking is the bulk of those actions, and it functions just like all other RPGs.  You declare who you are attacking and how.  Melee is simple, and weapons work like all other RPGs.  You are aiming for a DC based on the stats the other character has.  The big change is damage.  Damage is based on the Marvel die and multiple multipliers.  Characters add their rank and their base stat together.  This is the multiplier for the Marvel die.  Then, if it’s a melee attack, you add your strength again to damage.  Damage reduction is also interesting.  It reduces the multiplier, and if the multiplier falls to 0 or below, the attack does no damage!  

Powers-  It wouldn’t be superheroes if they didn’t have powers.  Power is like feats and magic spells in any other system.  Each one tells you exactly how to use it. Some require the use of focus.  You can think of focus like magic points in other systems.  You can use focus to power your powers while you have some, and resting gives you some back.

Ok superheroes, let’s get to the breakdown!

Mechanics or Crunch: This is an interesting twist on a 3d6-based system.  I’ve played multiple d6 systems, and while this has heavy GURPS vibes, that’s ok.  It’s inspired by, not stolen from, that system.  It does enough of its own thing with the Marvel die to keep things interesting.  Also, 3d6 keeps the system from being too swingy as d20 systems can be.  I love me some DnD, but the d20 can crush you.  3d6 does a nice job of keeping the 9-11 average.  I don’t necessarily love the add-then-multiply-by-a-different-thing approach, but it’s ok.  It does make the more powerful characters MUCH more powerful than the rabble!  5/5

Theme or Fluff– Do you like Marvel comics and movies?  That’s the single answer if you like this RPG.  If not, then you won’t like this theme.  The book has a lot of background on the universe and provides multiple heroes, villains, and universes to play in.  Considering that Spider-Ham gets a shoutout, it’s deep enough for most casual fans to learn stuff.  This book is solid enough for an intro to the world of Marvel Comics.    5/5

Execution: Here is where I have some issues.  The book is well written and easy to read quickly.  But there are no hyperlinks.  It’s a big book, and there is a lot to flip through with no linking in 2026.  Also, the book features multiple heroes and villains, but it lacks an adventure.  The company gives away an adventure and characters to play with, but it doesn’t link to them on Drive Thru on the game’s main page.  It’s on a second page that you have to search for.  Help me run this system for my friends!  Don’t make me search extra!  3.75/5

Summary– This is a good book with some smaller problems.  I like the mechanics and the theme.  Those are solid and will get you playing quickly.  But the lack of modern conveniences hurts the production.  Also, the lack of a simple adventure and characters to play as hurts, too.   It’s not enough to keep me away, but be aware that there are those things, and they have them ready, but not linked on the page where you buy the book.  That’s a forgivable issue, but something you need to be aware off.  92%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Sunfall RPG testplay

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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

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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%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-08: The Haunted Corridor

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Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-08: The Haunted Corridor

System– Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo  

Price– $8.99-here https://store.paizo.com/pathfinder-society-scenario-7-08-the-haunted-corridor/  

TL; DR– Good, ol’ dungeon crawl. 97%

Basics- Let bygons be bygons!  The lodge, once destroyed by the elves, is being rebuilt with their blessing.  Your job is to clear it out.  What could be left in that old lodge?

Mechanics or Crunch: This is a straight-up dungeon crawl.  There are places to explore, things to find, and people to kill along the way.  There are social interactions, but it’s a bit simple.  Not bad, but this will fill more time than some of the simple adventures we’ve seen before.  4.75/5

Theme or Fluff– I love some dungeon.  No dragons in this one! But it’s still got a lot to explore. There are THREE different maps for players to get through.  That’s honestly impressive, as I’ve played similar adventures where you only get through one.  It’s jam-packed!  5/5

Execution: I love everything here, but I want them to include more.  Paizo does this well, but they reference things not in the adventure.  Those are online.  It’s easy to find, but I’d still prefer to have it all in one place.  4.75/5

Summary– I love a dungeon crawl.  It’s a fun way to run through combats, find things, and see ancient history. It’s a good time, and your players will enjoy it.  I’d like a bit more in-depth social interactions, but dungeon crawls don’t have much social interaction.  I’d like all the stuff in the book, but it’s easy to reference.  It’s a simple adventure for players to explore, report, and work through together.  97%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Drakonym: Core Rulebook

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Product– Drakonym: Core Rulebook  

System– Drakonym  

Producer– Crossed Paths Press  

Price– $27-here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/539841/drakonym-core-rulebook?affiliate_id=658618  

TL; DR– The game is interesting, but ensure you acquire all the supplementary books for full understanding! Rating: 78%

Basics- Let’s ride dragons! Drakonym is a long-awaited release from Crossed Paths Press. The core rules are relatively deep, so let’s break them down.

Base Mechanic– This game uses a d6-based mechanic. When you attempt a test, you gather dice equal to your relevant attributes, roll, and count the fives and sixes. A five counts as one success, while a six counts as two. You can have boons, where each boon allows a four to count as a success, and banes, which subtract a five for each bane. Boons and banes cancel each other out.

Shadow Dice and Hero Points- Both heroes and the GM (referred to as the Herald) can influence the rolls. Heroes accumulate hero points, which can be spent to add to a roll, reroll, or even change the narrative. The shadow die is a d12 that the Herald may ask a player to roll. This die can have various effects, such as doing nothing, ensuring a complete failure, or making success inevitable.

Combat– Combat in this game is straightforward. Heroes act first, followed by monsters, unless the heroes are surprised. Each hero has three action points per turn, with different actions costing varying amounts of action points. For example, a quick attack costs none, but subsequent quick attacks will cost more. Any unused action points accumulate. When you attack, you roll the appropriate dice based on the action and count successes as described above. Your level of success determines damage according to a tier system, where each tier has three points. Defense points can be spent to reduce damage to a lower tier or avoid an attack entirely.

Magic and Might– This system features two subsystems to facilitate player actions. Players can cast spells, each with varying mana costs, and can supercharge a spell with additional mana for extra effects. Players regain 2 mana each turn. Additionally, some classes use grit, which functions similarly to mana for physical actions. Both allow players to perform impressive feats of arcane skill or mighty deeds of strength.

Dragons- The game is called Drakonym because players get to command a dragon! You can direct your dragon to perform various actions, sharing both actions and hit points. You also have the opportunity to customize your dragon as you grow within the system.

Ok, now onto my thoughts.

Mechanics or Crunch: This system is simple but adds complexity that can be cumbersome. I enjoy d6 systems, and this game offers a fun approach to using six-sided dice for both combat and tests. However, I find that even the most common monsters have high hit points, such as 9 HP, which can drag out initial combat encounters. I appreciate the unified roll system, where all rolls—whether for skills or combat—use the same mechanic. However, having to reference different charts for damage calculations is somewhat inconvenient. Overall, it’s solid but raises some concerns regarding larger monsters. Rating: 4.25/5

Theme or Fluff– While I like the concepts presented, I think there’s a need for more depth. The world-building is limited to a few pages, and much of the context is provided in other books. If this is the only book you acquire, you may feel somewhat lost. Questions arise, like why you get a dragon and when you access some of the cool subclasses. The world story is present but covered too quickly, making the mechanics the primary focus and undermining the overall world-building. Rating: 4/5

Execution: This book performs well technically, but I feel some pieces are missing. While actions are listed, they aren’t described thoroughly enough for clarity. I lack details on how character leveling works and why I receive a dragon. It feels reminiscent of many games where the character is presented as “the chosen one” with a flashy reward from the start. I would appreciate a bit more guidance on the rationale behind the game mechanics. There are additional books that may clarify these points, but on its own, I feel a bit muddled. Rating: 3.5/5


Summary– The core book for Drakonym serves as a decent player handbook, but relying solely on it may lead to confusion. You need more context to understand how to run and play the game effectively. The supplementary books provide important information, so it’s advisable to obtain those as well. While what is included is decent, it requires further development to offer a complete game experience. Overall Rating: 78%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Scalemail Quickstart

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Product– Scalemail Quickstart

System- Scalemail

Producer– Earl of Fife Games

Price– FREE here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/534210/scalemail-quickstart-guide?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Numenera and Final Fantasy had a 5e baby! 97%

Basics– Off to adventure!  Scalemail is a new RPG on kickstarter.  Let’s break it down and look at the pieces.

Base mechanic- Scalemail plays like most of your D20 spinoffs with one big difference.  You roll a d20 and try to hit a number called a DC.  But, instead of adding a static bonus, you roll a different die and either add or subtract from the d20.  The D20 is called a chance die and your other dice range from a d4 to a to d12.  These are your mod dice.  Each attribute you use has a modifier die which range from no dice to a d4, d6, d8, then a d12. If the attribute is negative, you subtract the die instead of adding it. 

Combat- Combat in Scalemail is very much in the vein of all D20 systems.  You roll the chance and mod dice with steps for surprise.  And then from high to low you go!  Each turn you get a major and a minor action.  Major is attacking and casting spells.  Minor is moving or opening doors.  Simple!  Where the hard Numenera comparison begins is with how contests are decided.  You attack?  Roll the dice.  You defend?  Roll the dice.  Both are against a static DC on the monster you are attacking or defending against.  Damage is equally as fast.  You beat the DC?  Do a heart of damage.  You beat by five?  Do two hearts of damage.  A goblin has 1 heart, and an orc might have two.  Most heroes have three.  Simple and fast.  You have more armor?  You get higher value dice to roll defence.  Simple and fast.

Magic-Magic works like Final Fantasy and 5e cantrips.  You have some spells where you can that you can keep casting forever.  These are simple spells that don’t do impressive things, but might ping a goblin off the rocks above you.  The more impressive spells might need mana.  Most spells don’t require more than one mana, and you might start with three.  You cast the spell, and if it succeeds, you spend mana when the effect happens.  Again, its a chance(d20) and modifier(attribute die) roll.

Ok, off to my thoughts.

Mechanics or Crunch– This game feels like a lot of the other games I’ve played.  But, I enjoyed those too.  This is a blending of the characters doing things of Numenera, the simple addition of 5e, and the mana based magic of Final Fantasy.  I love all those things, so I like what’s here! 5/5

Theme or Fluff–  The quickstart comes with a story, maps, and even multiple characters.  The Scalemail book doesn’t have massive lore drops in the main book.  It’s more focused on mechanics.  But the story has an interesting world to play in.  It’s not the most comprehensive world that can exist, but Its got some fluff to draw the characters into a story.  It’s characters are also interesting enough to make me want to know how those people came into existence.  Scalemail might not have a ton of worldbuilding in the quickstart guide, but I’m intrigued by what’s here. 4.5/5

Execution– It’s free.  That right there is enough reason to download.  But, it’s free with maps, multiple characters, and a book that gets you playing in about 10 minutes. is enough to make this a solid project.  Check this out!  And the kickstarter for the PDF alone is $15.  You might not get out of McDonald’s for that much. 5/5

Summary–  This is a fun product.  It’s got simple mechanics that play fast.  It’s got interesting, if generic, fantasy appeal.  It’s got amazing production for a free product, and the real product is much less than I’ve spent on takeout.  I want a bit more of the world, but this is a taste of what will be in final.  So, I think this is something you need to check out quick!  97%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-06: Brastlewark at War Part 1: The Gnome Defection

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Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-06: Brastlewark at War Part 1: The Gnome Defection

System- Pathfinder 2nd ed

Producer– Paizo

Price– $8.99 here https://store.paizo.com/pathfinder-society-scenario-7-06/  

TL; DR-Go save gnomes!  95%

Basics– Let’s explore…. no wait, OFF TO SAVE THE GNOMES!  This adventure takes place on the border of Cheliax, and your job is to enter, get the gnomes, and get out!  Can you do it without opening up the mouth of hell itself?

Mechanics or Crunch– This adventure has some solid skill challenges, combat, and social, but there isn’t much exploration for an outdoor adventure.  The skill challenges are fun and are a fun part of running in the woods.  The social is another solid addition that helps the players learn about the world around them.  Combat is good, but maybe a bit too easy.  The nature navigation is pretty low key here.  I’d almost like a map and a bit of a hex crawl for outdoor fun in this one.  But, what’s here is a solid.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  The adventure moves the world forward in fun ways. The story of the war with Cheliax gets an interesting point of view as gnomes take center stage.  Halflings and slavery are a common enough staple of Cheliax adventures, but I haven’t seen as much about the gnomes.  If the players want to dig in, they can get some insights and have a fun time along side killing a bunch of hellknights and woodland monsters.  Solid fun!  5/5

Execution– This adventure is a bit of a mix of the old adventure style and the new.  There are pictures in the back of most of the monsters and pictures in the back giving their stats.  Most of the time. Some monsters get the treatment of “see another book”.  That’s annoying.  Print it here and just be done with it.  Don’t make GMs hunt down other things online.  But the rest reads fast and is easy to understand.  It’s good, but bring more into the book itself.  4.75/5

Summary–  This is a fun, light adventure.  You get to be good guys with no real moral quandaries aside from deciding what happens to something at the end.  And even that’s not a major bad choice. Go save those gnomes, and have a blast doing it.  95 %

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pumpkin Spice Quickstart

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Product– Pumpkin Spice Quickstart

System- Pumpkin Spice

Producer– Acheron Games

Price– free here https://www.acheron.it/en/pumpkin-spice-a-magically-cozy-rpg-info/ 

TL; DR– Want to run a coffee shop in a wholesome Shadowrun world? 100%

Basics– It will be ok.  Pumpkin Spice isn’t the normal RPG I play.  The world is not on fire.  The galaxy is at peace, and the only thing that really needs doing is prepping tomorrow’s donuts.  Maybe a coffee machine is on the fritz, but you can fix that.  Pumpkin Spice is about working at a magic coffee shop that preserves the magic font at its center.  It’s not high stakes action.  It’s not about stress.  It’s Animal Crossing meets Shadowrun.  There is magic.  There is a mystery, and there is a light noon rush.  Let’s break it down.

Base mechanics-  This is a d6 system, but not how you think.  Each face of the d6 is a different type of magic ranging from authority to imagination.  When an action requires it, you roll dice equal to the type of magic you want, and hope to get that result.  If you get one of those you hope for, like needing authority, a 1 on a d6, to deal with an angry customer, you hope to get at least one 1.  You get it, you get what you want.  You don’t, it might work out, but it’s less favorable.

Magic types and abilities- when you make a check, you have a trait you are tied to.  If you roll the trait you are tied to, you can spend one magic to change it to any result.  You can also work in reverse.  Change any face into one you are tied to.  But, there is only so much magic in the shop.  The shop has 10 magic.  When it gets to zero, it might dry up!  As your goal is to preserve the magic of the shop, that’s bad!

Ok, let’s discuss it.

Mechanics or Crunch–  This is not crunch heavy. It’s very much a simple RPG dealing with small problems.  The mechanic of just rolling a few dice and seeing what happens is an interesting one.  Not bad, but not the monster of crunch that I’ve seen.  And that’s ok.  It fits with the laid back nature of the game.  This isn’t fighting devils in the off hours of Charmed.  This is Animal Crossing, and that’s fun for a laid back day.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– Again, it’s a simple day.  This isn’t life ending.  The worst thing happening is maybe the souffle doesn’t rise.  Maybe it’s still edible, but just not as pretty.  That’s the scale here.  If you need to relax and not save the world today, and just craft some puff pastry and give them out to friends, then this is the game to play.  5/5

Execution– This is a quickstart, so I can’t comment on the whole book.  But, what’s here is well done.  It’s laid back.  There are simple descriptions, simple symbols, and a day of just relaxing in a book.  The book reads easily and is pretty to look at.  It’s intriguing for a quickstart, so im looking forward to the full book. 5/5

Summary– This isn’t my typical choice for an RPG, but that doesn’t mean I won’t play or join the crowdfunding.  It’s VERY different from my usual games of sadness and monsters.  But, that’s not bad.  This seems cozy, and that’s the goal.  You and your friends run a coffee shop where you save magic in a fantasy world with all the fantasy tropes.  It really is Animal Crossing mixed with Shadowrun.  100%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: Return of the Ripper

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Product– Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: Return of the Ripper

System- DCC RPG

Producer– Strange Quark

Price– $9.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/497675/dungeon-crawl-classics-horror-return-of-the-ripper?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR-Want “From Hell” in DCC that becomes Dreamquest of the Unknown Kadath? 99%

Basics– Only the legend will survive. Return of the Ripper is a gothic adventure set in Punjar.  Women are being killed,and the players are on the case trying to stop more murders and figure out why women are being killed at night.  Who or what is causing these murders and what is their goal?

Mechanics or Crunch–  This has classic gothic horror DCC mechanics all over it.  It’s a festering city where crime means random encounters, corrupt cops mean fights you need to avoid, and an investigation where your abilities will be put to the test.  It’s got city exploration, social encounters, all kinds of fights, and even hexcrawl!  VERY IMPORTANT!  This is a campaign.  Characters will progress and grow as they explore Spittle-Fields.  And there is a lot to explore.  The book presents all kinds of encounters for the characters to have.  It’s balanced or as balanced as the OSR and DCC can be.  This book has solid crunch for the players to sink their teeth into. 5/5

Theme or Fluff– This is a long engaging story where it starts with Jack the Ripper and moves into crazy places, different dimensions, and navigating the politics of the undercity.  It’s not a mess, and that’s the most important thing. There is a lot here, and the authors present it in a way where you can follow it and present it to your players.  Players can do all kinds of crazy things, and those options are presented.  Some of those are bad ideas, but bad ideas never stopped players before!  Honestly, this is a sprawling city and eventual dimension hoping adventure where the GM and players get a bunch of fluff and story to dig into and enjoy. 5/5

Execution–  This is a solid adventure with a few minor issues.  This book has amazing maps, arts, and tables to make the reader able to get what they need semi-easily.  I have heard criticism of DCC books being a bit word heavy.  It’s got the standard DCC RPG two column layout with art along some of the pages’ sides.  I kind of wish there was more art to some of the pages.  The good thing is this book has an absolute TON of materials for the GM.  The bad thing is there is so much it’s hard to break it up, and a bit more art on some pages would help.  The art that is there is awesome, and the maps are amazing.  But, breaking up the text in all the DCC books would help.  The second minor criticism is the order.  It’s about 30 pages into the book before we get to the plot.  That’s the amount of background, random tables, and encounters that are presented.  I would like story first and extras second, because after the story there are more appendices.  So, moving all the awesome extra stuff to more appendices might help a bit.  But, what is here is fantastic.  Solid art, maps, and diagrams to help the players know where they are, and the GM be able to follow the action and where different things happened.  It’s a murder mystery, so it’s paramount that the GM knows how things are happening.  This book doesn’t confuse the GM so that the players won’t get confused either.  Solid stuff in this book!  4.8/5

Summary– I loved the movie “From Hell.”  This is the DCC RPG adaptation of an older module with massive additions that expand it from a one-night adventure to a multiple-month campaign.  There is a lot here, and the players have places to explore, plots to foil, and a major evil to end. The crunch is fair and what I expect for DCC RPG. The story and fluff are fun, and the execution is good with a few things I would possibly change.  If my problems with the book are not enough book, then this is a good adventure if you want to stop the ripper in Spittle-Fields.  99 %

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Oath Hammer Quick Start

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Oath Hammer Quick Start

System– Oath Hammer

Producer– Broken Blade Publishing

Price– free here  https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/511285/oath-hammer-quickstart?affiliate_id=658618

TL; DR-Want Shadowrun rules in The Hobbit? 87%

Basics– Time to take back our home! In Oathhammer, players take the roles of dwarves, elves, humans, and many other fantasy races as they attempt to take back the dwarf home island long ago seized by the orcs.  Let’s get into the basics.

Base mechanics- Oathhammer is d6 pool based system.  For any action, a player takes an attribute and a skill, adds them together, adds penalties, and then rolls that many six sided dice.  The novel part of this system is the dice colors.  Different dice colors are assigned based on skills and abilities, with the least skilled dice only succeeding on a 4 or better and the best dice succeeding on a 2 or better.  These are small dice pools where a single success is needed for really simple actions and five successes are needed for really difficult actions.

Combat– Combat is teams based.  When combat happens, one character on each side makes a leadership check.  Going from high to low, that side decides if they will go before or after any group.  Combat is much like other dice pool games.  A character rolls an attack and a defender rolls a defence pool.  If the attacker wins, the net difference is carried over as damage.  The attacker then rolls weapon damage dice with any successes being carried over into more damage.  Lastly, the defender will roll armor dice, with the weapon reducing the number of dice the defender rolls.  The defender’s successes reduce the damage, and any remaining damage reduces grit or the hit points of the character.  When a character is reduced to 0 grit, two six-sided dice are rolled and a chart determines if it’s just a flesh wound, or if the character dies.

Magic– Magic is cast till you can’t.  Magic is a basic roll as above, and contested effects are determined by spell.  When you roll a 1, you build up stress.  Too much stress, and you can’t cast any more.

Character building– Characters are built by choosing a race, class, and oath.  The race gives you some bonuses and penalties to your attributes.  The class gives you some basic abilities and skills as well as what dice you roll for each action.  Finally, your oaths give you roleplaying opportunities and if you follow them, you gain experience points. 

Character advancement–  When you complete adventures and follow your oaths, you gain experience.  Those points are spent to increase your attributes, skills, and even buy new skill features.

Ok, thats the basics, let’s get into my thoughts.

Mechanics or Crunch- This is an interesting system, if a bit fiddly.  I love d6 dice pool systems.  It’s satisfying to throw a bunch of dice at a problem.  That said, the different dice colors are a tad fiddly.  Nothing too crazy, but you need to keep the different dice separate, and that’s not as much fun.  But it works, and it’s still fun to do.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff-  Honestly this world feels like The Hobbit, in all the right ways.  You have dwarves who are fighting to get their homeland back.  You start as just random dudes, and can end up wielding huge armies who conquer the orcs to reclaim your homeland.  It’s a solid world to explore. 5/5

Execution– The book works, but it’s got some major flaws.  It’s beautiful and easy to read.  The sections are well laid out and enjoyable.  The big things I hate are for a quickstart are it’s not realy a quick start.  There are no pregens nor is there an adventure.  It’s an advertisement for the system-which is good, but it’s not a thing I could give my friends and jump in in 20 minutes.  We have to build characters and an adventure.  I couldn’t even find pregens on the website. I’d prefer almost no rules if you give me a game in 20 minutes. 3.5/5

Summary-I like The Hobbit and Shadowrun, and this is the mix of them.  The base mechanics work here, if they are a little bit fiddly at times.  The setting is pretty and well defined.  The only thing I don’t like is the lack of a real quickstart.   What’s here will draw you in, so it does its job. But, you won’t be able to play this game without more products and more work.  Aside from this, I love what I see.  87%