tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52736590700930347082024-03-14T07:58:28.268+00:00The Free RPG BlogChampioning free pencil and paper RPG materialRob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-37708248257894810482016-03-15T12:00:00.000+00:002016-03-15T12:00:14.344+00:00Build your own monster in Fear Fetchers by Kevin Damen<a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/175332/Fear-Fetchers" imageanchor="1">
<img border="0" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" title="A gruesome fiend with reaching hands on the cover" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z59KnHQyIhA/VubGp6QwzFI/AAAAAAACGfE/sWQErVIX9hsY7OayN3VEbqtkMNjscdbkg/s1600/ff1.JPG" /></a><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/175332/Fear-Fetchers">Inhabit the mind of a monster</a> on a mission to collect fear from the houses of unsuspecting people. It's not-Monsters-Inc-but-it-is. Wonderful monster-building mechanics blend perfectly into a scarefest. One or two shot this game with a beer, glass of wine or goblet of BLOOD. Perfect for groups both small and large.
<h2>Monster Monster Monster!</h2>
Knead your monster from ashen brain putty by picking from a list of body parts. Your choices buff and nerf your attributes of Power, Sight, Sneak, Speed, Terror and Toughness as well as adding narrative-inducing extra rules. As your monster grows in experience, so too can its body parts grow.<br/>
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Like lifepath generators, monster carving is a process that requires time but rewards you with something unique. The number of body parts is satisfyingly large, allowing even the most tired brains a fighting chance of creating something excellent.
<h2>Mechanicals</h2>
Skill checks are dice pool: you roll a number of dice for the most appropriate statistic for your action. You take the three highest scores, sum them and compare to a difficulty table. Any 6s can be re-rolled (exploding die) to add to the total. Where there isn't an appropriate statistics, you roll "free dice", which increase depending on difficulty. <br/>
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Initiative is a simple Speed statistic check, highest going first. You can do two actions a turn: a movement and something else... such as going "Boo!".
<h2>It's more than just Boo!</h2>
<a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/175332/Fear-Fetchers" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="Neatly laid out but lots of white space and very big text" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eATiCuVnwL4/VubGpytNTNI/AAAAAAACGe8/3KjcM2DY9qghBGVXnCLx5iqP4hjFdchAQ/s1600/ff3.JPG" /></a>Scaring scaredy-cat human NPCs builds on this mechanic. Humans are defined by Bravery, Dread, Spotting, Power & Toughness. These are used during the act of a scare, which comprises of Building Dread, Being Spotted and Delivering the final scare. In essense, you want to give the human the willies as much as you can without being detected before jumping out. The human is scared, you collect their fear, that turns into cash.<br/>
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If you get into a fight with a human, you're doing it wrong. Three hits and you're out.
<h2>I fought the Lore and the Lore won</h2>
Where missions are on Earth, Monsters live in Spookington and it's more than just a Matrix loading program. There are different Overlords to work for, devices and limbs to purchase and hints of conspiracy and cunning. It sings of a wider world that your monsters inhabit rather than simply a clever monster building mechanic.
<h2>Gamesmaster love</h2>
With the players having all the fun, the poor GM is oft overlooked. The GM gets a special rule for when the players roll 1 (I'm not giving it away), which is brilliant. There are sample contracts, a bestiary (filled with humans), help on building your own missions and a sample missing called <em>The All-Hallows-Eve Conspiracy</em>, whose title alone makes me want to play it!
<h2>Free-friendly improvements</h2>
<a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/175332/Fear-Fetchers" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="In the few places where the spikey font is used, it can be pretty hard to read in blocks of text" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q69q2r3G33Q/VubGp7ZjUxI/AAAAAAACGfA/HsPYPXH8TC8mYL3EhRhW0FAvpzZfA0wnA/s1600/ff2.JPG" /></a>
Fear Fetchers does a couple of things that I feel can be tidied up to make it more free-friendly. There's a lot of empty space (not good for home printing), the tables are large, pages are numbered in the corner with little margin and assumes facing pages. My home printer and I fell out when I last tried to print odd facing pages. It had to sleep in the garage for a week.<br/>
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The index and appendix are great, I would add sub headings throughout to make navigation easier and avoid block-text of the "scary font" because that makes it hard to read (I'd leave the example contract as it is, though because being difficult to read is funny). I'd put the <em>instructions to print shop</em> on second page or back page. <br/>
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Finally, I would add little rough drawings of monsters throughout. It would lift the game and make it easier to sell to a player group. As the tone of the game is light, home-made scritchings are perfect.
<h2>Boo!</h2>
An excellent idea, well executed. The core mechanic might not be your cup of Earl Grey but you can swap it out easily enough, leaving much of what Fear Fetchers is about. Definitely worth a read and ideal for a Halloween pick-up game.<br/>
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Thanks for sharing Kevin.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-40970991348993748112016-03-08T21:00:00.000+00:002016-03-08T21:00:15.678+00:00There's a twist in Drama and Dice by Jo Walton<a href="http://jolindsaywalton.blogspot.co.uk/p/game.html" imageanchor="1" ><img title="A fitting dreamscape for Drama and Dice" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eiqin12Z9H8/VtRaP9kvI6I/AAAAAAACGXE/zl8Ir68LaVc/s1600/dreamsanddice.jpg" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" /></a><a href="http://jolindsaywalton.blogspot.co.uk/p/game.html">Jo Walton's generic RPG</a> has left me drifting, wide-eyed, naked and alone between conflicted worlds. Shave away the flowery language and you have a generic lite system with an interesting mechanic twist portrayed with humour and a gentle read.
<h2>The Core</h2>
Players pluck up to 10 skills from the ether of their imaginations. For my players, that's a dark purgatory filled with the shrieking souls of the damned. 100 points are assigned across them. One skill acts as a primary, which is the thing your character is best at. You get 20HP too. XP is used to improve your skills.<br/>
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All actions (including combat) succeed by rolling under your skill on a D10 (normal tasks), D20 (hard). Any dice combination will work, the more you roll, the harder it is.
<h2>Intrigued by Skill Burning</h2>
Every skill begins with a number of points equal to the skill's level. For example, you have "Punching" at 20 then you start with 20 points. If you succeed in an action (roll under), then the total you roll is subtracted from your skill points. Or you choose to fail and keep those points. You don't get those points back until you rest (or the GM says so). There is an intriguing situation this causes that I'm going to call <em>skill burning</em>.
<blockquote>Byrn has a Hacking skill of 30. He's really good at it. He wants to Hollywood-Hack to save the whole team. It's hard difficulty. He's asked to roll 1d10 + 1d20 and rolls 10 and 19. A pass. The table erupts, players are jumping up and down. He doesn't want to burn 29 of his 30 points but he has no choice and is left with 1.</blockquote>
In our example, Byrn can't use Hacking again because his skill is burned. He has to rest, have a bard play a song or get a Swedish massage. Hacking is no longer open to the group, they have to find another way.<br/>
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I like this mechanic very much but it does mean that, as a GM, you have to be very very careful with how you set up your scenes. A boss fight, for example, must offer the players multiple ways of defeating it beyond wearing down hit points to zero. It is one thing to force players to think of new solutions but you need to <em>ensure that other options are open</em>; and that is difficult.<br/>
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The advice is that the players can do imaginative and inspirational things to entertain the GM enough to regain points during the game. The GM then has to be careful to balance rewarding players who work around their burned skills, patiently waiting for a natural regain and those trying to force new points mid session.
<h3>Retrofit!</h3>
A mechanic of story points and skill burning can be retrofitted into just about any system. Most systems I read have a roll against target number and a concept of skills or attributes; most will delight the players when they narrowly succeed. Many fit the idea of giving the player the choice to fail for some benefit.
<h2>If you like</h2>
<a href="http://jolindsaywalton.blogspot.co.uk/p/game.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-asZiKRGlCVQ/VtRaP2ZbLEI/AAAAAAACGXA/U5u5-cWpQZk/s1600/dad2.JPG" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" title="Easy to read layout throughout." /></a>The lighter a system, the more focus it needs. The roleplaying hobby could boil down to 6 friends seated comfortably and just plucking everything from their imaginations.<br/>
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A game book that persistently reminds the reader that they can just ignore the rules and make it up smells like one that lacks focus. Instead of "You may sometimes", I would rather read "In situation X, do Y". Only add optional rules or attributes if there is mechanic or narrative benefit. This tightens the game and gives it focus. Drama and Dice has a focal point: the skill points, which should be bold, front and centre.<br/>
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Another sign of a lack of focus is when the introduction does not match the game as a whole. I was expecting Drama and Dice to give players more narrative control for drama. Instead, the players are forced to work around their character design. That is an interesting twist but I wouldn't say it drives the story any more than a normal skill check failure does.
<h3>Playing the mechanic</h3>
I think that most player groups would play the mechanic, not the narrative. I can imagine discussions "should I burn all 29 points on hacking or should I fail now so I can hack later? Will we get a regain?". That is not a decision based on the narrative being played out but on the mechanic; the narrative being a bi-product. I think that would suit my group of frenzied Berserkers; the risk, reward and choice is clear.
<h2>That single, excellent mechanic</h2>
Drama and Dice isn't a storygame as the name and introduct suggests. It is a roll-against-target-number system with the fascinating addition of burning up skill points and forcing players to find another way - to lose the very ability that defines them. Skill points is a resource control mechanic that can brutalise a player team's best laid plans and I'm all for that!<br/>
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Thanks for sharing, Jo.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-90767203277276237572016-03-01T12:00:00.000+00:002016-03-01T12:00:02.607+00:00Delicious, exploratory campaigns in Mythosa by Bruce Gulke<a href="http://www.mythosa.net" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" title="Mythosa - a free, deep campaign setting" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xg_BGgr-tOE/VsSFbGmBv2I/AAAAAAACE-I/J6gcfc_KNoc/s1600/mythosa-cover.JPG" /></a>
<a href="http://www.mythosa.net/">Mythosa</a> is a system agnostic game setting with a consistency and depth that comes with years of honing. It has recently made the welcome transition from web pages to PDF and I have spent a good few hours immersed in it. I'm reviewing a draft, so dutifully ignore missing images and the like.<br/>
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If you want to run fantasy and have neither time nor inclination to write your own world then Mythosa is ideal. If you're building your own campaign world and are short of ideas, then Mythosa makes a splendid template.
<h2>A world from the people out</h2>
Mythosa is a high fantasy world where a pantheon of good, bad, mischievous and down right nasty Gods take an active interest in the affairs of Humans, Dwarves and Elves. It's a world recovering from the a recent magical war, leaving the villains with the upper hand. Humans, both civilised and barbaric, strive to regain safety while Dwarves rebuild their ruined craggy empires. The Elves remain typically aloof. These three races are outnumbered by reams of player-fodder monsters.<br/>
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A rich, cyclical history gives precedence to the present day, a deep breath after a huge storm of war. Wars come and go, power is redistributed and common folk are left to pick up the pieces. History, like religeons, are not dwelled upon - there's just enough for plot hooks and campaign ideas before the book moves on. My imagination swelled with campaign ideas as I read.
<h2>A delight to explore</h2>
<a href="http://www.mythosa.net" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;" title="Charming maps begging to be explored" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6zwdolzaGM/VsSFbNF9SGI/AAAAAAACE-M/waWSsdOJgic/s1600/mythosa-map.JPG" /></a>Where Mythosa excels is in the breadth of the exploration. The map is charming and analogous to Europe and the Middle East. It's decomposed into regions, each having places to go with their own description. Abundant maps are provided and real world photos too for feeling. Mythosa is far from the common list of incomprehensible names. Skim reading and dipping in and out dragged me into the world, even though there is no story to bind it together.
<h2>The Devil</h2>
...Is in the detail and Mythosa has many world building extras that I believe layer more onto the feel for the world. Calendar, economy, cosmology, pronounciation guide, climate and even wines and spirits. You don't need those extras (grouped handily together under Miscellany) but they go to show the care and attention spent.
<h2>Is this just fantasy?</h2>
If I were to sit, write and launch a fantasy game world; it would strike somewhere between Tolkein, Martin and history. You can taste Mythosa's sweet heritage in a similar way. A blend of familiar seasoning and surprising spice. Mythosa would fit neatly into any D&D version or <a href="http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/warrior-rogue-mage/">WYRM</a>.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-77044791908752532872016-02-23T12:00:00.000+00:002016-02-23T12:00:27.930+00:00When is my RPG finished?<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJGPg9FNuhg/VsInTSr4EeI/AAAAAAACE9w/HAN-8gF-JkI/s1600/unfinished%2Bcastle.png" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; border:0 0 10px 10px" title="Is your game ever finished? Yes." border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJGPg9FNuhg/VsInTSr4EeI/AAAAAAACE9w/HAN-8gF-JkI/s1600/unfinished%2Bcastle.png" /></a>In this post I offer a practical way to find out if your RPG is ready to be played by others. I am going to assume that you've read my guide <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2011/11/how-to-write-free-rpg-prologue.html">How to Write a Free RPG</a> and that you have a strong concept in your mind. You must have this concept tied down if you are ever going to know if you're finished.
<h2>Is a game finished when you can play it?</h2>
A worthy sentiment but not useful. Most people can play their own game relatively early in the development. You skim over the gaps that will bring others to a halt. I shared the early version 2 of <a href="http://www.icar.co.uk/">Icar</a> online but I doubt anyone other than me would be able to run it. So, the ultimate test is to get <em>someone else to run it</em>.
Experienced designers "just know" when a game is finished, an intuition built over years of play and design. Experienced designers are busy designing, so it can be difficult to get feedback from them.
<h2>Are you finished questions</h2>
I wanted to attack this subject with a list of practical tasks. Follow the questions below and if you answer positively for each then your game is ready for others.
<h3>Do your mechanics cover the cool things in your concept?</h3>
This is the most important question. If you can't justify this one easily, you're nowhere near finished. Go back and make sure you mechanics allow the players to do the cool actions in your concept and remove any mechanics that do not help that concept forward.
<h3>Have you got examples for each of your rules?</h3>
If you can't explain it with simple examples, either you've not thought of a good way of explaining it or the system is too complex.
<h3>Can you build a character for it?</h3>
For many players, character creation is the first contact they will have with your game. Don't expect them to read the rules, chances are only the GM has.
<h3>What will the GM do for and during the first session?</h3>
Write a paragraph about the literal steps the GM has to do before and during the first session. Are there handouts to print? How do you imagine the GM will describe the rules? Will the GM need to create a setting?
<h3>Have you been through my Testing guide?</h3>
Go through the steps of my <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2012/01/how-to-write-free-rpg-chapter-7-testing.html">testing guide</a> as this will help point out things you might have missed.
<h2>Things to avoid</h2>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-maew5fCPdAA/VsInTdqkHSI/AAAAAAACE90/61jgjcr__9A/s1600/unfinished%2Blayout.png" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; border:10px 0 10px 10px" title="Feedback and layout can take forever." border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-maew5fCPdAA/VsInTdqkHSI/AAAAAAACE90/61jgjcr__9A/s1600/unfinished%2Blayout.png" /></a>Do not model the mundane unless it is a focus of the game. Every sentence in the background should invoke something in the mind of a GM: a plot line, an NPC idea or a place to visit. Those invocations should be in line with your core concept, if not then cut it out and paste into an "other ideas" document.
<h2>The "My Game is Never Finished" Procrastination Fallacy</h2>
I, like the rest of the internet, is thrilled that you will continue to work on your game after its release. PDF games have the magical power of being easily updated (unlike their steadfast print cousins) and as such are living, breathing documents. If you find yourself arguing that a game is never finished then the ugly scent of procrastination tends to fill the air. Just finish the game, get it out there and stop procrastinating. As sports shoes are known to proclaim: Just Do It.
I'm always keen to hear your feedback. Is there a practical measure you use to tell when you're finished? Please do let me know in the comments or discuss over on <a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/forum">1KM1KT</a>.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-87272552587922610092016-02-16T12:00:00.000+00:002016-02-16T12:00:23.039+00:00The Dark, Romantic, Adventures of Mary Sue by Michael Morrison<a href="" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="OM NOM NOM says your printer as it consumes all of your toner. YUM. HUZZAH! Says the printer manufacturer." style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T9UvqieupWk/Vrin1o2cikI/AAAAAAACEyc/ub8pGMJSozU/s1600/dreamscover.JPG" /></a><a href="https://morrisonmp.wordpress.com/downloads/">DREAMS</a> is perhaps the best shoe-horning of an acronym into an RPG that I've ever seen and it isn't wasted with this delightful, light, narrative driven RPG by Michael Morrison. Setting agnostic but best fitting the modern fantasy such as your might find in Twilight or Neverwhere. It's about Mary Sues.
<h2>Wait a minute: a Mary What?</h2>
A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue">Mary Sue</a> is a perfect fictional character that can perform incredible feats, usually because they are a vehicle of wish fulfillment for the author.
<h2>Rainbow defecating joy engine</h2>
Players will need to be perfect themselves to craft a flawless character of unutterable brilliance. If, like me, you have a slobbering wreck of a group who have forgotten how to walk upright, then you might (as a perfect GM) need to given them the assistance they so desperately need. Your magnum opus begins by writing a little fan fiction describing your Mary Sue and their unenviable niche in the world. They might have many extraordinary powers, or just one utterly useful one. <br/>
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<a href="" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="Easy to read throughout" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tHXP_0hvWXw/Vrin1ljkFeI/AAAAAAACEyg/gEsTBWOQkRA/s1600/dreams%2B2.JPG" /></a>A Mary Sue is defined by descriptive words called traits and organised into three layers. The first layer is <em>what we always see</em> and has three traits, the second <em>what we don't always see</em> and has two. So you could have a character who has the first layer attributes of happy, hard working and very clever and the second layer of beautiful and fascinated by the occult. Ideal for the moment where glasses are removed, hair unfurled and the booky nerd is transformed into a raging beauty that leaves the audience agog or launching thousands of ships.<br/>
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The third layer is your secret, a powerful catalyst for your character in the game. Hidden, personal and powerful in your hands or the hands of the enemy! If you reveal your secret in a scene, you get a new one or expand your character with a Wish fulfilment, which can be done only once and adds extra traits to your character. Name, description and other tiny details to bring your Mary Sue into focus and you're done. Lite games rely heavily on the characters being in relief and Lite story games all the more so.
<h2>Dramatic Actions</h2>
Your super-real character performs most mundane actions without question but on occasion, the GM (the jealous sort, they all are) will put some fiendish roadblock in your way. This calls for a Dramatic Action. Player characters begin with 4 Drama Resolution Points each (such as pennies). When a player describes an action, the GM gives a cost in points and if the player wishes to pass, they must pay by putting the pennies into a pot that the GM can then use. When the GM uses the pennies, they are given back to the players.
<h2>The Enemy of Printers</h2>
<a href="" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="Some simple typography can do the world of good to a game that is low on graphics." style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5jWWhxopzsk/Vrin1twZ9mI/AAAAAAACEyY/DX75FhPrKgM/s1600/dreams3.JPG" /></a>The DREAMS is attractively created in landscape but sadly has a toner eating grey background and a printer killing black background. The examples are well designed but I would like a list of one-sentence setting seeds. For example, the system would fit the stoner comedy movie format, Bro movies just as well as lampooning Twilight.<br/>
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I like that there is no random element but I would prefer a little more system so that the tactical choices between the players are more interesting. Stealing coins, donating coins, dealing coins, offering options on the future of coins, short selling coins, producing coins from behind an ear; the options are endless.
<h2>Beyond Satire</h2>
Most groups (including the barely humanoid scamps I fend off with a stick weekly) will use the system for satire but I can see real promise in using it for intense play. There is drama to be had in tossing coins into a hat and every player delights in their own character secrets. Even if the idea isn't your cup of chai, it is a neat mechanic and a novel idea that's worth a coffee break read.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-52307063190590434572016-02-09T12:00:00.000+00:002016-02-10T15:24:26.882+00:00Mellow Cyberblues City by Polar Blues Press<a href="https://ukrpdc.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/cyberblues-city/" imageanchor="1" >
<img border="0" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aach9AsYsYI/VrSr2Tex3mI/AAAAAAACErs/Xb8cbO7lygk/s1600/cybercitybluescover.JPG" /></a><a href="https://ukrpdc.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/cyberblues-city/">Cyberblues City</a> is a cyberpunk roleplaying game based on the <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2008/10/fudge-by-steffan-osullivan.html">Fudge system</a>. Laid back Cyberpunk is a phrase I didn't think I'd write today. Squeeze out the gritty, harsh realities of social disparity, lighten the mood with bad guys who really are just very bad people and frame with a system that is Lite, tried and tested and you have a neat, mellow, dryly humorous Cyberpunk RPG.
<h2>You, punk</h2>
Your neo-punked dead tree avatar rises from the brain soup with traits of Thinking, Fighting, Shooting, Strength, Reflexes and Cool. In the Fudge tradition, they are ranked GREAT (+3), GOOD (+2) and FAIR (+1).<br/>
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Your job in the team is defined by your role (Enforcer, Grifter, Ghost, etc), which jacks you up with bonuses and a career that gives you expert knowledge. The combinations produce some wonderful concepts: Radical Blogger Enforcers, Dentist Gunfighter or Lawyer Ghost.<br/>
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Gifts are abilities, skills or possessions that give you specific bonuses and there are a load to choose from such as Cyber Adrenal Gland, Martial Arts and Signature Weapon.<br/>
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Fate points are earned during play for doing cool things and are spent to give you bonuses when you need it most. Toughness is how much damage you can take before you fall over and default equipment tools you for the rain soaked neon streets.
<h2>Do you feel lucky, PUNK?</h2>
<a href="https://ukrpdc.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/cyberblues-city/" imageanchor="1" >
<img border="0" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THeRyj54wh4/VrSr2QIwvfI/AAAAAAACEr0/btJ4uBDLCGQ/s1600/cyberbluescity2.JPG" /></a>
The GM (definitely a suit, don't trust them) sets a difficulty on the scale of TERRIBLE (-1) to LEGENDARY (6). You roll two D6 of different colours (one being negative) one being positive and add them together along with Traits, Gifts, Bonuses and any Fate Points. <br/>
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Cyberblues uses Margin of Success (how much over your target you are) to determine damage. Damage is subtracted from toughness until you fall over. Once you're down, another dice roll shows if you're going to pull through. Initiative deals with the team as a whole and gives the opportunity for team-wide bonuses.<br/>
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Complex tests are multiple rolls to achieve a result and characters gain reputation in place of XP. There are Goon creation rules along with cinematic vehicle rules too.<br/>
<h2>Mellow Cyber</h2>
<a href="https://ukrpdc.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/cyberblues-city/" imageanchor="1" >
<img border="0" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_RSQ9xBeMc/VrSr2dz7IgI/AAAAAAACErw/UjlV5-EJ038/s1600/cyberbluescity1.JPG" /></a>
It is no easy task to create a Cyberpunk game that gives the genre a new take. The 80s/90s tropes are well embedded in culture now and the cliches flow like nanite through veins. The Mellow smooths out the rough edges of punk by the tone of the Gifts, Equipment, Traits, Roles and the sketched imagery throughout. A soft pencil is in stark contrast to the sharpness of the chrome it represents. There is little grit here and that helps give it the feel of a Cyberpunk that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Lebowski">The Dude</a> might approve of.
<h2>Mild Cheddar</h2>
Cyberblues City could do with some more depth of flavour. The City itself is thinly described and although the language is clear, it could sound a little more Cyberpunk, either by callout quotes or adjusting the names of things. A map and sample adventure would do wonders. I wonder if the gentle tone is a side effect of being the product of a design collective rather than a single vision.<br/>
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I'd like to see more examples of play to demonstrate the rules. Especially for vehicle combat. I can see it playing out really well in my head but I had to stop and think about it. It does a good job of describing Fudge, but those examples would help the game immensely.
<h2></h2>
Cyberblues City achieves what it sets out to do. It's a Fudge system game that adds enough punk sauce to make it feel Cyberpunk. I'd like more depth in setting but I did find myself smiling during my read through. If you have that dream spinning around your cortex and need a Lite system to run it then Cyberblues is for you!Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-15470200245125226252016-02-02T14:26:00.000+00:002016-02-02T14:26:16.314+00:00Free RPG authors should aspire to Krendel by William J. Altman<a href="http://www.krendel.net" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0px 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtW1I78NZss/VrC5y3vMa_I/AAAAAAACEpg/eMfe0nwnIB8/s1600/krendel-cover.JPG" title="Krendel is beautifully illustrated throughout with a mix of colour art and delightful sketches that have great movement" /></a><a href="http://krendel.net/">Krendel</a> by William J. Altman is a charming generic roleplaying game system with extraordinarily high production values. Aimed at experienced and new players alike, it leaves nothing to chance, taking painstaking effort to explain everything with exceptional examples.<br/>
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At 206 pages, there is too much joy to detail in a review but I hope to give you a skim that might urge you to download and plunge in.<br/>
<h2>Characters</h2>
Krendel provides you with an array of sculptors chisels to carve out your character. Concept first, motivations and temptations (with a list to boot) and relationships (with NPCs and PCs). Before you place your statues amongst your ornate fountains and topiary, Krendel provides a reason for your characters to be together.<br/>
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Strength, carrying capacity, health, XP and karma all act as you expect. Skills (learnt profession), Traits (natural abilities) and Powers (see below) describe your character. This is a great way to cater for different settings.<br/>
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<a href="http://www.krendel.net" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y08XYMSH_W0/VrC5ycjFTvI/AAAAAAACEpU/petU8Q_8E4E/s1600/krendel-2.JPG" title="I love the chapter heading colour, the layout is excellent." /></a>Skills are broken down into expertises and each have actions associated with them. This makes for explicit uses of a skill. If you've got Academics then rather than narratively convincing the GM that you're good at puzzle solving, there is an action Puzzle.<br/>
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Regardless of your setting, your player character is special in some way (as are you, dear reader). Krendel uses power mechanics to give extra actions, or improve the success, or do specific things at certain times. Your character has a power pool to govern their use. A big list of Core powers (common to most settings) is given and if that's not enough for you there is a whole book full of these powers, <a href="http://krendel.net/products/">also free to download</a>.
<h2>Generic mechanics, beautifully explained</h2>
<a href="http://www.krendel.net" imageanchor="1"><img style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NWaWXNxSwA0/VrC5yWRU-0I/AAAAAAACEpY/83yIziguytU/s1600/krendel-1.JPG" title="These diagrams give you a feel for the level of crunch in the system. Crunch I like, well placed crunch too." /></a>
The core mechanic is a simple target number. You take your skill, add 4 and any GM difficulty bonuses. You then roll a 1D10, equal or under the target number is a success. The neat bit here is that your level of success depends on how big the number is on the die. The bigger it is, the more successful you are and being really successful will give you extra actions or improve your combat. <br/>
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Failures are dealt with in a modern, narrative way; rather than "you swing and miss the troll", you have "you hit but you've made the troll really cross, it's dropped its knitting and sharpening its bone crunching teeth on some granite". <br/>
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There are modifiers for help from other player characters and karma to spend to improve the outcome. Damage is served on a platter of types including bludgeoning, corrosive, sonic, badger and mental. It can be lethal, subduing or permenant (can't heal from it). Extensive rules for grids and miniatures allude to its old school, war game heritage and there are attractive pcitures to drive home the details.<br/>
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Effects and conditions describe limitations (temporary or permenant) that befall your character and are grouped by type. For example, Mutations include effects of cancer, evolutionary and splicing - all with their own rules.<br/>
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Equipment can be damaged and has a level of quality. You might also be holding an artifact, with magical abilities too. There is an enormous amount of equipment to gorge on! There are crafting rules for players to boost their tooling with setting appropriate effects on play.
<h2>Take my hand</h2>
<a href="http://www.krendel.net" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5Q7DwbtXVA/VrC5yfiQMNI/AAAAAAACEpc/pe2vVkejZ_k/s1600/krendel-3.JPG" title="There are so many evocative sketches, I liked this one as it reminds me of my player's negotiating technique" /></a>Krendel doesn't hang the GM out to dry, but instead guides them through the steps needed to make a setting. A lot of the items in this section would be appropriate for any game system. Scenarios, game balance and encounters are all explained with environment effects thrown in too. There are species (making up a monstrous manual of sorts).<br/>
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As your approach the end, you'll find a quick start and primer, example characters, species creation, an index and back cover.
<h2>New to roleplaying?</h2>
The writing of Krendel really does lay itself bare for people new to roleplaying, although the language is more appropriate for older readers. I imagine a GM picking up Krendel but I can't imagine them reading through it all. Do new to roleplaying gamers have the staying power for big rulebooks now? <br/>
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The core mechanic is simple but the complexity lies in the combinations of modifiers and actions that build up with skills, powers, traits, species, effects, weapon artifact. For a new player to remember all the actions modifiers they have isn't easy. The examples could do with being tied together with an example of play.<br/>
<h2>Add it to your collection</h2>
Krendel is clearly a labour of love, illustrated throughout and rammed with lists. You are probably an experienced roleplayer, begin at the quickstart at the back. It is a huge piece of work that clearly took an enormous effort to complete. The diligence to complete a game of <strong>magnitude</strong> with such <em>clarity</em> is exceptional. If you're tired of lite systems that force you to invent everything yourself, give Krendel a try. If you just love to read RPGs then the writing of Krendel is a delight.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-53475950585985441302016-01-20T12:15:00.001+00:002016-01-20T12:15:14.129+00:00Flipping Lunch Box Heroes by Jackson and Stogdill<a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/142028/Lunch-Box-Heroes" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JccF5SixN0/Vp93ai31X-I/AAAAAAACESI/jx4oaQAgG-Y/s1600/lbh.jpg" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" /></a><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/142028/Lunch-Box-Heroes">Lunch Box Heroes</a> by <a href="http://www.msjx.org/">Matt Jackson</a> and <a href="http://www.frugalgm.com/">Christopher Stogdill</a> is a coin flipping generic roleplaying game system wrapped around a flipping neat dice-pool-but-not-dice-pool mechanic. Bold, focussed and malleable, it's flipping well instantly likeable.
<h2>Flipping characters</h2>
You have Brawns, Agility and Brains. Yes, you, the flipping reader. Well done you. You like pain I know, so you chart that with Fortitude (how much of it you can handle) and Hits, for when the pain really does flipping hurt. Those are common to all characters.<br/>
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The player needs to get their thinking caps on to choose some flipping skills and gear. Gear is different from just "stuffs in my flipping pockets" because gear gives you a bonus. It's that magic sword with +1 of nasty paper cuts rather than 20ft of flipping rope your players demand even in a Minecraft flatland.
<h2>Flipping mechanics</h2>
Attributes, skills and gear are measured in coins, which is the number of coins you have to flip for a check. Heads are passes and you're aiming for a target number of heads to pass (1 is easy, 6 is impossible). That's the flipping. The player tries to combine an attribute, skill and gear to flip as many coins as possible so focussed characters are best.<br/>
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Draws, criticals, fumbles, healing, magic and experience points are all dealt with curtly and with common flipping sense.
<h2>The flipping sugar that fills me with joy</h2>
The flipping rules is roughly a page of reading, the rest is help. Help for The Judge (the GM/Ref/DM), examples of play, how to rip monsters out of other flipping RPGs. It's so neat that the whole system fits on a single flipping page, included at the back. I like the cover too, it has that unapologetic scruffiness that Lite RPGs do so well.
<h2>Flipping injuries</h2>
<a href="hthttp://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/142028/Lunch-Box-Heroes" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zWcogkrM_ho/Vp935JkbGjI/AAAAAAACESQ/9lc3JKE5zSE/s1600/lbh2.JPG" style="float:right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px" /></a>Have you ever seen me flip a coin? No? It's not something you'll see twice because I'll have your eye out. I flip a coin the same way a snake juggles. Although the system is fast, (counting heads), the act of flipping isn't. If you're flipping 5 coins for an action, that's going to take time. It points out that you could use any even dice and count evens but then you'd be using a system much like every other. It's the flipping that's novel.<br/>
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I'd like to see some more use of typography, perhaps two columns, more paragraphs and the language can be simplified to make it easier for new or younger players. An extra picture or two would help - in the same style as the cover. I also don't think it's important to state that the game is about flexibility and having fun at the top. If a prospective player/GM has downloaded it, they know what a Lite system is all about. If not, they'll never be able to run it as the players will get stuck on creating their own skills (standard drawback of Lite systems).
<h2>Flipping Conclusion</h2>
Lunch Box Heroes, is Lite, novel <em>and familiar</em>, well written and presented with plenty of assistance. It is different enough for you to download and read, print out the final page and fold it into your grab bag for when your GM is off gallivanting around Vegas.
<h2>One last thing...</h2>
You might recognise Christopher Stogdill from the excellent <a href="http://www.frugalgm.com/">Frugal Gamer blog</a>. If you don't, then shame on you. Add him immediately to your feed reader. Don't use a feed reader? What is this, 1997? Oh, you get your English butler to read this out. Well, of course you do. Get him to read it out to you.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-83108560932655656982015-01-26T21:03:00.000+00:002015-01-26T21:08:48.929+00:00Ebon by Greg Porter uses a directed graph for the character... I'm not joking!<a href="http://www.btrc.net/oddsrpgs/ebon" imageanchor="1" ><img class="review-image" border="0" title="Ebon by Greg Porter uses a directed graph to define your character" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i3_BBrV0ROE/VMaqI-AdfPI/AAAAAAAAvw0/kKBT8vvdgPI/s1600/ebon-page-one.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.btrc.net/oddsrpgs/ebon">Ebon</a> is rare. It's rare to find a character mechanic that is surprising, unique, woven into the system and described in two pages. Attributes, secondary attributes and skills now look so... well... pedestrian. I'm going to jump straight into the gorgeousness.
<h2>The heart of the graph</h2>
Aspects describe your character and flow from one to another like snaking rivulets on a rain sodden window. The river flow begins with Primary Aspects that describe raw talent, slither through Secondary (honed talents), slosh into tertiary aspects (broad life experiences) before sploshing into Reserves, which represent your ability to withstand hardships.<br/>
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The Aspects are arranged for you in a lovely directed graph (see below), the three primary ones (Body, Mind, Spirit) being in the middle. These are filled out with a delightful point assign technique where you begin with choosing a tradeoff between the three primary and then flowing the numbers down across the others.<br/>
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<a href="http://www.btrc.net/oddsrpgs/ebon" imageanchor="1" ><img title="Inspired use of the directed graph to show a flow around the character. Love it." border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11GGSHw-2PA/VMaqI4lhwZI/AAAAAAAAvw4/oWT9izbjmsc/s1600/ebon-graph.jpg" /></a>
<h2>Familiar ground - ish</h2>
The system is a dice pool: target number is between 1 and 6, roll D6 equal to the Aspect, at least one of the die you've rolled must be larger or equal to target. Each die over the target improves how well you've succeeded, each 1 gives you a narrative drawback.
The damage you take, be it meaty-stab, brainy-ache or some other, it is all managed using the subtleties of the Aspect graph. Brilliant!
<h2>The horror, the horror</h2>
Horror is neatly categories into your everyday, communal-garden mundane blood, gore, violence; and spooky Cthulhu-esque supernaturality. Each bounce of different parts of the Aspect tree. Magic and Piety is used to fight their respective horrors. Experience raises aspects and you recover lost reserve over time. There's also a gear table.
<h2>Shortcomings</h2><a href="http://www.btrc.net/oddsrpgs/ebon" imageanchor="1" ><img title="It's just two pages and this is the second page, of two. Two pages. Got that? Two pages. Amazeballs." border="0" class="review-image" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lWHwnsAf7a0/VMaqJGaRGLI/AAAAAAAAvxE/jFSr_Up3jPQ/s1600/ebon-page-two.jpg" /></a>
Ebon is micro and so you're going to have to work quite hard to run it. Some of the language could be simplified. I don't think Aspects gain anything from being called Aspects rather than attributes and defining Endeavours (types of action) isn't that useful. This would leave more room for examples or a slightly larger font. A not-too-arty type could make the most amazing character sheet out of the Aspects graph.
<h2>Fizzing thoughts</h2>
The core idea of attributes (Aspects) that feed other, less important, attributes is inspired. It made ideas and possibilities buzz around my head. The graph Greg has provided is excellent at horror but what about Sci Fi? A tweak here, a tweak there and it could be used for any genre. For the more crunch inclined, how about getting the players to lay out their own graphs? You could end up with less regular shapes.
<h2>I did a PhD in circles and arrows</h2>
When was the last time you read a system that made you feel like you wanted to write a whole new one? Ebon's directed graph of Aspects is beautiful thought out and I would love to use something like it. Graphs are not just for plotting, they're for characters too.
Greg, thank you for sharing.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-29928148340245246182015-01-01T22:58:00.000+00:002015-01-01T22:58:29.642+00:00Homebrews are personal: Legends of Ryllia by Michael Morrison<a href="http://morrisonmp.wordpress.com/downloads/" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" class="review-image" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CYtFlTjQTOY/VKXJfYjmITI/AAAAAAAAQc4/3bKDBzkBmQg/s1600/legendofryllia-cover.png" title="Legends of Ryllia cover" /></a>Michael Morrison uses sticky globs of paint <a href="http://morrisonmp.wordpress.com/downloads//">Legends of Ryllia</a> to fill the canvas of Ryllia. A homebrew pulled from that fizzing place in all our minds where the campaign world really <em>lives</em>. Michael bravely states:
<blockquote>Ryllia is my home</blockquote>
The races and places are landmarks in both game and his life and I feel privileged to be a part of it for 108 pages. Ryllia isn't tight, the system isn't novel but it has something more precious: a soul.
<h2>It begins with the past</h2>
History informs Ryllia's current state. A creation myth scoops up lush lumps of antiquity to intertwine the fates of races. The loci of this rich history is The Curse. The old immortal races, jealous of the new mortal races (humans), got together to wipe them out. It backfired spectacularly and each old race suffered their own unique drawback, from hoarding to hedonism. These races exist in the modern day at odds with the effects of The Curse; powerful yet broken enough to retain balance.<br/>
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The campaign world is rich and plump; brimming with wild jungles, dark unexplored forests, sunny archaepelagos, towering citadels and scarred mountains. The races are neatly describes and broadly humanoid. My favourite race is the Myrwinn, an intelligent race of flying rats whose culture differs in each nation. The Myrwinns below are from the Great Forest.
<h2>Magic</h2>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Db1lCjQ5Abs/VKXNI1eS7YI/AAAAAAAAQdk/RwdmC7ol5Gc/s1600/legendofryllia-myrwinn.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img class="review-image" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Db1lCjQ5Abs/VKXNI1eS7YI/AAAAAAAAQdk/RwdmC7ol5Gc/s1600/legendofryllia-myrwinn.jpg" title="Myrwinn from the Great Forest" /></a>Split into world shattering Greater Elements of Wind, Water, Void, Deep and Fire and then the wear-flowers-in-your-hair powers of prayer, songs and hugs in front of a log fire (I made that last one up). You pick an element (called an Aspect) and stick with it. There are no spell lists to pour through but a good set of examples of the <em>kind</em> of things each element can do. Magic has sensible limitations and if you do quite a lot of magic, you're going to pick up quirks. In magic systems such as these, the player's imagination is key and I think Ryllia gives just enough to fire the imagination without snuffing it out by over-specification.
<h2>Creating a Legend</h2>
Not the title of Tom Cruise's autobiography but character creation. You don't actually create a legend, though; that will happen through the course of play but you do create a budding hero-to-be. The creation steps lead you through nicely, although I think picking race and nation is rather difficult because it requires that everyone reads the entirety of Chapter One.<br/>
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Attributes and skills are point buy with a dash of D6 points too. Your Attributes are Sight (awareness/intelligence), Joy (charisma) and Life (strength/dexterity). Spark adds a player chosen ability, such as "Always makes a dramatic entrance". You can have as many Sparks are you can afford. Mystery is used to generate plot hooks for your character. The more you have of it, the more the referee can pull out of the blue. I am not sure I like this one as an attribute as I think that players should all be given their turn in the spotlight. Professional skills are decide-your-own and combat skills are choose-a-style.<br/>
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Boons and banes are advantages and disadvantages and latch onto an attribute. A player decides a little description and a value (boons and banes must balance). Use these during play when appropriate.<br/>
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Story Points are awarded for making the story more interesting and a Legendary rating charts your progress in the game. The higher your Legendary rating, the more difficult you are to kill. Both Story and Legendary points can be used to save yourself or bend the narrative.
<h2>Mechanics</h2>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gOKiB-u_LDM/VKXOEwCoI8I/AAAAAAAAQeI/dC1fHudYbWQ/s1600/legendofryllia-citadel.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img class="review-image" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gOKiB-u_LDM/VKXOEwCoI8I/AAAAAAAAQeI/dC1fHudYbWQ/s1600/legendofryllia-citadel.jpg" /></a>Based on skill, attribute, modifiers, a D6 and a target number. Exploding die on a 6 and if your equipment is particularly nasty you can roll more than one D6 and pick the best. Combat has initiative and then you choose how much of a pool of points you assign to offence and defence. When you attack, use the attack number with a D6. When defending, use the defence. There's more but nothing startling here. The background is rife for reimplementing in your own favourite system.
<h2>Now to say the difficult bit</h2>
No-one will love your campaign world like you will. That accepted, you can move onto making it easier for others to play. Ryllia is a great campaign world and deserves its bolts tightened to improve its accessibility. I don't know if Michael intends to return to it but hopefully this little list might help others struggling to move from "the brain dump" to a work more easily consumed.
<ul><li><a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2011/11/how-to-write-free-rpg-chapter-6.html">Organise your contents</a>. Introduction passages should avoid.</li>
<li>Be consistent in your terms. If you have an ancient warrior race called the Gumbys then avoid using "that old Warrior Race".</li>
<li>In introductions, keep the number of made up names to a minimum. Use as much common English as you can. In the detail, use the common names</li>
<li>Split up races and locations.</li>
<li>The players won't ready all the background before building a character, so write short paragraphs for each nation/race choice.</li>
<li>Put all the chatting-to-the-reader in an appendix at the end.</li>
<li>If the relative locations of places are important, include a map. Could be a photo of a scribble on a napkin but it makes a big difference.</li></ul>
<h2>Charm</h2>
Campaign worlds that turn into games are full of charm and heart. Reading Ryllia stirred something up that peeled out a smile. Reading it is like reading a mirror on the campaign worlds of each and every one of us - personal, loved and inhabited as a time shared with cherished friends. I do hope Michael returns to it, to <a href="http://morrisonmp.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/legends-of-ryllia-an-old-and-new-project/">help it mature</a> rather than leaving it to languish.<br/>
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Thank you for sharing, Michael.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-64463187112234108392014-06-24T12:00:00.000+01:002014-08-28T13:18:13.449+01:00Punk AND Cyber in Always Never Now by Will Hindmarch<a href="http://always-never-now.tumblr.com/" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8S2fg61ItWo/U6Vr0gZ700I/AAAAAAAAQJw/9Q92dlBu8gU/s1600/anncover.jpg" /></a><a href="http://always-never-now.tumblr.com/">Always Never Now</a> by Will Hindmarch successfully fuses cyber and punk, augmenting <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/">Lady Blackbird</a>'s system and adding twists. Split into player's handbook and scenario for the GM, it's deep, familiar and exceptionally well thought through. Good writing draws you into the dark world of mega-corporations that - worryingly - is starting to look like our own. Like it's inspiration, Always Never Now is billed as a single scenario but I think that plays down the huge amount of gaming it will spawn.
<h2>Choose a character</h2>
Always Never Now comes with six pre-made character that build a refreshingly interesting cyberpunk team: ex corporate security, counter-intelligence ninja, inter-corporation operative, spy infiltrator, engineer tank and paramedic surgeon. The balance is excellent between them; each are handy in a fight and there is enough separation and overlap to make a subset selection work as well as a whole team. Having spent years cajoling the misanthropes around my table to build a coherent team, I bow to the masterful balance.<br />
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The descriptions are excellent and character imagery (funded by <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wordstudio/always-never-now">successful Kickstarter</a>) are apt and excellent. Players will have these character sheets on the table during the whole game, so making them evocatively beautiful is very important.
<h2>System of words</h2>
<a href="http://always-never-now.tumblr.com" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5JOwyERoMU/U6VtZSqpjjI/AAAAAAAAQKQ/EuYl3MnVon4/s1600/ann-3.png" /></a>Always Never Now takes Lady Blackbird's rules and performs back street bionic augmentation. For those unacquainted with <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/">Lady Blackbird</a>, it combines the semantics of words that describe your character and die rolls. Your character has a number of traits, broad descriptions of a skill area. Each trait has a number of <i>tags</i>, which are more specific things that character can do.<br/>
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For example, the Trait <i>Infiltrator</i> has the tags <i>Stealthy, Perceptive, Quick, Subtle, Agile</i> etc. It is up to the player to negotiate for as many dice as possible.<br />
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When a player needs to perform an action, they begin with a single die (any will do) and add one extra die for the appropriate trait and then another for each appropriate tag. Each die has a 50/50 of being a success (use 4+ on a D6, or odds/evens or your choice!). Difficulty is set by the number of successes you need.<br />
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When you fail an action, the GM will assign you a condition, one of: Angry, Exhausted, Impaired, Hunted, Trapped, Recognized. These drive the narrative, adding flavour to the story. Each Character also has a Key, which is a facet that is particular to that character. When you use that Key during play, then you pick up experience points to spend later. An example key is <i>Key of the Comedian</i>, the character makes jokes and when they're funny - they get an XP. Finally, each character gets an Edge that they can use once per session to help die rolls in certain situations or steer the narrative.<br />
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The rules are well explained and the examples are both informative and setting-flavoured.
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<h2>A story game, with a story</h2>
<a href="http://always-never-now.tumblr.com" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgf9HbT9s-I/U6VuI2KpVdI/AAAAAAAAQKk/YNL6Tg2bsMA/s1600/ann-1.png" /></a>
Story games that fail to incite story trigger an allergic reaction in me. Always Never Now requires no anti-histamine. The <i>scenario file</i> that accompanies the <i>player file</i> is a complete adventure that you can pick up and run straight away. This is the crux of Always Never Now - there is a lot to read but it's so well written that it is a joy. There is a little fat to trim in the player file but it never gets in the way.<br />
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The scenario is formalised and organised into a series of scenes. After each scene, the players can choose from a number of new scenes depending on the clues they uncover. They can also have a recovery scene where they plot, plan, rearm and get ready to punk it up some more. Coupled with a neat diagram that acts as an in-game aide-mémoire, it's a neat way of presenting a scenario to a GM. A simplified <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose_Your_Own_Adventure">Choose Your Own Adventure</a>.
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The setting is luscious. Twisting and embellishing the familiar, regressing some aspects and progressing others (the secret of good cyberpunk). Technocracy are a ruling elite, driven by complex whims and power thirst. Megacorps and subsidiaries sprawl over a broken earth and a good balance of available technologies. The opening paragraph in the introduction is one of the best I've ever read.
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<h2>Fine tuning</h2>
<a href="http://always-never-now.tumblr.com" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QPmgaNfmJBg/U6VuJAtH4CI/AAAAAAAAQKo/mDoRsmGe3kM/s1600/ann-2.png" /></a>
The cover of Always Never Now does not adequately represent the high quality of the insides and for me, that's a problem. After click download, it's the first thing that the a prospective GM is going to see and they really should be more WOW'd by it. I'd make a montage of the character art at the very least. The long form of writing is difficult to use as a reference; a contents/index would help, as would more sub headings and better marked examples. I wonder if some might not get the movie references, so I would hyperlink those to Wikipedia. There's a neat description of roleplay for newbies but as I imagine that 90% of the readers will have played before, a quick jump link to the story game specific stuff would be handy.<br />
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I like the descriptions of Details, Beats and Moments as a description of building a successful scene but the writing gets a little fluffy round there and I think tightening it up would make it easier to understand. On first read through, it feels like rules bloat when it isn't at all - just putting definitions on techniques to help those people who have not had much control over the narrative before.
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<h2>
Always Now, not Never</h2>
One-shots might put you off but Always Never Now is no ordinary one-shot. It's a self-contained cyberpunk campaign that is ready to print-and-run. The standard of writing is high, which is vital for a good story game and although it might need a little boiling down in places, the depth and breadth of setting is a delight. If you have a bubbling interest in running a story game, then Always Never Now is an excellent choice.<br />
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Thank you to Will for sharing.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-9712313590538961322014-06-02T23:09:00.000+01:002014-06-02T23:09:27.866+01:00Rewired Revised by R.E. Davis is tasty Cyberpunk. OM NOM.<a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/games/rewired" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" alt="Rewired by R E Davis"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gMVWWD45aIk/U4zviK7cjXI/AAAAAAAAQH0/X5lEyMBjr6I/s1600/rewired1.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/games/rewired">Rewired Revised</a> by R. E. Davis is not the "Quick and Dirty Cyberpunk RPG", it is "The Free Cyberpunk RPG of perfect proportion". A solid system, well written, well presented and lots of <a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/">support</a>. Join me in a punk voyage from brain-jacked cortex static to Irish Stew. Yes, Irish Stew...
<h2>The taste of character</h2>
Before jacking your punk up to the retinas, you need slam down 13 points across your Chrome (strength), Wires (reflexes), Signal (influence) and Data (intelligence). They're attribute carrion to Awareness, Initiative, Toughness, Defense, Firewall (cyberspace rating), Carry Capacity and Edge. Not yet washed out by cortex static? Slap down mad skills, pick some perks; they'll turn you from forgettable Joe to gutter celebrity in a heartbeat.<br/>
<br/>Perks can be things you are, mental powers or upgrades to your festering carcass. That's all preamble to your gear. Guns, armour, vehicles and drones; mods and hacks aplenty. Get tooled or fall - and fall fast.
<h2>The feel of system</h2>
<a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/games/rewired" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7FwZdpVWrAA/U4zviHitv8I/AAAAAAAAQIA/rnDkN_6wPf4/s1600/rewired2.jpg" /></a>This ain't no 8-bit hash, this is a salted 256 SHA. Its genes are spliced from the rain soaked streets (<a href="http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/">WyRM, RAG</a>) and glimmering corporate enclaves (<a href="http://www.faterpg.com/">FATE</a>). Cut and shut by a backstreet game hacker <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0014501/">street preacher</a> called <a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/author/revlazaromail-com/">Rev. Lazaro</a>. Don't ask where he got the parts, just be happy that it all works together.<br/>
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Snatch your cubes and chuck three D6, add skill, add mods and best a target number, or some other gutter lunatic rolling against you. Best wins. The bigger your diff, the more it hurts. And it will hurt bad. Death is easy. Stun will make your fall over, wounds mean you don't get up again. It's passionate combat scrawled in charcoal across virgin paper.<br/>
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If lady luck elopes with your best friend, burn your Edge to chuck another cube, absorb some hurt or demand your own story. The toxic consumerist eagle is fed with wealth and the law is laid down for hot car chases.
<h2>The look of punk</h2>
Rewired is a looker. Easy on tired eyes; lifted with enough glyphs to remind you tired post-modern middle aged spread what punk is. The GM (who's a corporate sararīman) gets drugs, NPC generation, hacking and help with awarding those poor player suckers with points they crave. The book? Neat. Navigable. Paged. Cover. Credits. No contents, no index, not needed. His <a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/">cyberspace site</a> has tonnes of content.
<h2>The scream of data</h2><a href="http://chaosgrenade.com/games/rewired" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nWmj9EYM5yA/U4zviOxfvFI/AAAAAAAAQH4/KJZoYis81G8/s1600/rewired3.jpg" /></a>
Ever heard a 56K modem? That's data in pain. Rewired's system is solid. You could hack it into any setting and for me, that's its Achilles. Renaming attributes isn't Cyberpunk enough. When I need a hit of Cyberpunk, I need the system to feel like the grim, gritty, high-tech dystopic nightmare. It's ragged in places but only in typography, not in heart. I want my Cyberpunk to be further into my future, not <a href="http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/">Gibson</a>'s; I'm already in <i>his</i> future. I prop up gin soaked bars cursing <a href="http://rpggeek.com/rpg/337/cyberpunk-2020">Cyberpunk 2020</a>'s identical entropic fate.
<h2>The smell of success</h2>
Rewired is the Irish Stew of Cyberpunk roleplaying games. Enjoyed all over the world under a million different names. Filling, familiar, dependable. Call it Scouse, Goulash or Burgoo it's still a meat stew. You recognise all the ingredients, so you can get on with just stuffing your face. OM NOM NOM.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-50583026440208529042014-02-11T12:00:00.000+00:002014-02-11T12:00:00.731+00:00Simplicity by Dave Zajac isn't simple but it is resplendent<a href="http://www.swordfin.com/simplicity" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VtRMc2gVLgI/UvfrXdkFYWI/AAAAAAAALRQ/pRsvd7TeNA0/s1600/simplicity.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.swordfin.com/simplicity">Simplicity</a> by Dave Zajac (aka Swordfin Games) is a fantasy roleplaying game system for those who have an inner wrestle between modern fantasy roleplaying games an old school ones.<br/>
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In the 70s corner is your flared corduroy self with huge mutton chops, tight rainbow jumper and CND medallion. In the modern corner is you in neon Lycra and electric blue Anime hair. You want both. You want the comfortable feel of the stripey sweater your wife burnt and you want the Lycra catsuit you should have stopped wearing years ago. Can Simplicity give you that? Old school but modern? Like retaking high school when you're 40?
<h2>It's not</h2>
Simplicity isn't. Great name but not true. It's not a monolith but it's not simple. That's OK, I like my RPGs like I like my salad: with some crunch. I'll explain as I go through but let's get that out of the way. If you want simple, pick up <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2009/03/brain-off-risus-on-anything-rpg-by-s.html">Risus</a> or <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2010/09/warrior-rogue-mage-so-good-i-nearly.html">Warrior, Rogue and Mage</a>.
<h2>No races, No classes</h2>
The first old school trope to be jettisoned are classes and races. Your avatar is built old school style from Body (dancing, carrying, punching), Mind (thinking, arguing, magicking) and Spirit (cajoling, cavorting, commanding). Each is a number between 8 and 23, which gives a modifier and other side-effects such as how much you can carry. From there, you calculate speed, damage reduction, health, equipment and abilities. Abilities (skills) use a skill tree system and each ability changes the rules of play in some way (more on this).<br/>
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No wishy-washy story-driven life generation or other such modernity here. It's stock old-school.
<h2>Die!</h2>
<a href="http://www.swordfin.com/simplicity" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JNdSw7Pw7YE/UvfrXuKCA-I/AAAAAAAALRU/O28xYs_fYyE/s1600/simplicity2.jpg" /></a>Performing actions in Simplicty <em>is</em> simple: roll d20, add modifiers larger than 10. If you're hitting something, your weapon will have a die to roll, subtract the enemy's damage reduction (based on armour) and they take that many hits to their health. The old school is booted again with levels being the decision of the GM, not through hacking monsters.
<h2>So, where is the complexity then?</h2>
<a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2012/01/how-to-write-free-rpg-chapter-5-system.html">I harp on all the time</a> about crunch entering through the back door. A resolution mechanic can look innocuous (this certainly is) but once you add the skills/abilities to the game, the number of ruling combinations explodes! <strong>I like this sort of crunch.</strong> It works for me.<br/>
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This does make the system more complicated because the folks around the table have to keep track of all the effects on the rules of the different abilities. Complexity has also crept in with book keeping (weights for everything, including coinage).
<h2>Things that curl my nose</h2>
The rulebook feels scattergunned with rules. I would prefer a more ordered layout, particularly extracting all the inline rules (actions, combat, magic) out of character generation and into another chapter. I'd much rather refer to the combat chapter during character generation than have to root through character generation during a combat. I'd also like examples made obvious, perhaps by boxing them out. I'd like some more pictures too. Dave drew the cover, which is lovely! Let's have more of that.
<h2>Charming <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir">Terroir</a></h2>
<a href="http://www.swordfin.com/simplicity" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6vT-aYm--U/UvfrXs5KMbI/AAAAAAAALRY/oTXkPqzAww0/s1600/simplicity3.jpg" /></a>Not terror, you heathen; <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir">terroir</a></em>. The book grows out of excellent writing, a neat and not-fussy layout, a GM section that tells you how to build monsters and balance a game. There's even a map. Dave goes further on <a href="http://www.swordfin.com/simplicity">the website</a>, where you can download a starting adventure, character sheet and optional rules. There's even a back page. If you fancy buying a hardcopy (which I view very much as a time saver for cash-to-burn hobbyists like me) then he <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/simplicity-core-rulebook/18747911">provides that too</a>.
<h2>Simple is not always good</h2>
It is a laudable goal to create a simple roleplaying game. However to create a playable game with just the right level of crunch is no less worthy. Simplicity isn't and that's OK. That's more than OK. This is a well written RPG that has the crunchy elements of the old school while chucking out other tropes with cavalier freedom. It sets out to modernise the old school without washing out any flavour and I feel it succeeds that tricky goal with aplomb.<br/>
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Dave, thank you for sharing!Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-59309810160633674232014-01-06T15:00:00.000+00:002014-01-06T15:00:00.942+00:00Monkey Hangout #2 is coming. Your questions please!It turns out that the 1KM1KT monkeys are not just text based figments of my imagination and that there are fully fleshed out figments of my imagination, which was a relief. The <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2013/12/chatting-about-free-rpgs-in-first.html">first monkey hangout</a> was so much fun that we've decided to do another.
<blockquote>Monkey Hangout #2: Sunday 12th January 2014, 8pm GMT</blockquote>
<h2>Lots of ways to join in!</h2>
We're a community. Not the kind that paints your fence for you but the kind you can banter with and get childishly excited about the same stuff with. Here's how you can join in:
<h3>1. Join on camera</h3>
It's first come first served and I think 6 places (including me) is the limit. As you can see from the video, we're all <em>exceptionally beautiful people</em>, so I am sure you'll fit. You will need a camera with headphones (microphone feedback is horrid without them), <a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5322">sign up on the thread on 1KM1KT</a>, install the Google Plus plugin (only takes a moment) and be prepared to be answer a bunch of questions.
<h3>2. Join in on the chat room</h3>
The whole thing is streamed live, so you will be able to pop into the chat room. That's quite easy to do, get onto Google Plus, pop over to the Free RPG Blog page and you'll see a Hangout On Air with a link. Clicking that will send you through a page that you can enter text in a box! It's as easy as that. You can ask us questions and answer them too. Drop in, drop out, we don't mind - it'll be great to have you there.
<h3>3. Ask questions beforehand</h3>
Do you have a question you would like the Monkeys to answer? Have you got a burning thought about free RPGs you MUST have answered? Do you want to watch 6 people squirm uncomfortably at an impossibly hard question? Then ask away here or in the multitudinous methods you have open to you. Or hold onto it for the day and drop it like a question bomb.
<h2>The timezone is rubbish!</h2>
Yes. Since I found out the planet was a sphere and the sun shone on it at different times, life has been a wholly more complicated place. For me to run one of these for those in the "+" timezones requires a little bit more planning because it means morning in UK time. With a small child obliterating the house, that requires a little more planning and backup from The Mrs. It will happen as there are a bunch of RPG authors on the planet's posterior I'm very keen to chat with.
<h2>Can't make it?</h2>
No problem. Doubtless there will be more. If you think it's kind of fun to watch, it's 100 times more fun when you're there.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-39507628143545005902014-01-03T20:52:00.000+00:002014-01-03T20:53:09.627+00:0019 pocketmod RPGs - Harder Than Granite competition entriesThe <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2013/10/harder-than-granite-24-hour-rpg.html">2013 Harder Than Granite</a> competition set a high bar. Complete an RPG in 24 hours, during November 2013, in <a href="http://www.pocketmod.com/">pocketmod format</a> and with no-numbers. What's more, being the greedy sort that I am, I wanted character sheets, front pages, indexes (if possible) and everything wrapped in a beautiful wrapper. The mind bending <a href="www.1km1kt.net/rpg/heist_aces">Heist Aces</a> by Fred Bednarski <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2014/01/and-winner-of-harder-than-granite-24.html">won</a>. Thank you to all those that took part.<br/>
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I'm proud to list the entries with a lightweight review-ette of each. In alphabetical order.
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<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/a-flask-full-of-gasoline"><h2 style="clear:left;">A Flask full of Gasoline</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/a-flask-full-of-gasoline"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wEmwI_RLds/UsW7aowc5bI/AAAAAAAALOY/5U54k8GVpns/s1600/flaskfullofgasolinesm.jpg" title="Flask full of Gasoline by Dyson Logos" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
A Flask full of Gasoline by <a href="http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/">Dyson Logos</a> is a gritty, bare chested, manly game that me laugh over and over on each read through. It uses ingenious mechanics that mesh snugly with the theme of over-the-top Tarantino machismo. It includes booze too (and not the only game to do so), that washes flavour over the whole game. Jason "Chainsaw Aardvark" Kline and I had real trouble deciding between this and the winner Heist Aces (below).
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/agents-of-spectrum"><h2 style="clear:left">Agents of Spectrum</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/agents-of-spectrum"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3fS-lDNxIbQ/UsRBdsPMoXI/AAAAAAAALNI/S2fOl5uFA9s/s1600/agentsofspectrum.jpg" title="" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; clear:left; margin-right:1em;"/></a>
Agents of Spectrum by the unstoppable Geoff Lamb is set in the super-secretive world of SPECTRUM. Spectrum are CIA/Men In Black organisation that keeps all that magic we know to exist hidden from civilians. As senior civil servants (who thought that job could be exciting?), you are in line to become "Control" but to do so, you need to make sure your Field Office is better than all the others. Uses Candy Land coloured cards with a simple mechanic of colour matching for actions.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/alpha-unix"><h2 style="clear:left">Alpha Unix</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/alpha-unix"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gr8K7LTXWPg/UsRBdcfD_bI/AAAAAAAALNE/2BpGXk_HzeA/s1600/alphaunix.jpg" title="Alpha Unix by Moriaty Games" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; clear:left; margin-right:1em;"/></a>
Alpha Unix by Moriaty Games mashed the Matrix together with Groundhog day in a big bowl of delishousness. A succulent setting where numbers are not just shunned but will drop you deep in digital doo-doo. Computers use numbers, by writing them down you're only helping them. You're not HELPING THEM, are you? Alpha Unix is all setting and it's all good. Lovers of Paranoia will feel at home in Alpha Unix. Take or leave the mechanic, the setting is worth a look.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/artifacts-and-ambitions"><h2 style="clear:left">Artifacts and Ambitions</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/artifacts-and-ambition"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iTa9hGoLy_w/UsRCpJVaAsI/AAAAAAAALNY/XCPvJKc20ow/s1600/artifactsandambitions.jpg" title="Artifacts and Ambitions by gnapo" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; clear:left; margin-right:1em;"/></a>
In Artifacts and Ambitions by <em>gnapo</em>, sentient artifacts aid humans using the awesome power of magic! As a player, you play both PUNY HUMAN with ambitions and a magical artifact. There is a lot of trading of powers and promises between the Artifacts and the PUNY HUMANS, who are ever-so selfish and grabby. Oral contracts fly about like tweets in a revolution with imagination running riot.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/the-bodhisattvas-smile"><h2 style="clear:left;">The Bodhisattva’s Smile</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/the-bodhisattvas-smile"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HM9wEo_M3Ng/UsW0JMG29XI/AAAAAAAALNo/kToStj2PXeU/s1600/bodh.jpg" title="The Bodhisattva’s Smile by Michael Wenman" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
The Bodhisattva’s Smile by <a href="http://vulpinoid.blogspot.co.uk/">Michael Wenman</a> (who <a href="http://vulpinoid.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Contests">live blogged the experience</a>) is a novel story game that charts the pilgrimage of an NPC and the players jostle to be the one to aid the pilgrim with their sycophantic persuasion. It's a unique idea that delves into the soul and what it is to be human. Worth a couple of reads to understand what is required. Make sure you grab <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw_Nzs7zUft1c1UzUFZrT1FOTWM/edit">The Mandala of All Things</a> first, which makes the game much easier to understand!
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/daring-adventures"><h2 style="clear:left;">Daring Adventures</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/daring-adventures"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VgiJBMZGLjY/UsW1t93JADI/AAAAAAAALN0/7sck3Yp0Puo/s1600/daringadventures.jpg" title="Daring Adventures by Kris Newton" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Daring Adventures by Kris Newton is a ram-packed supers game that eschews numbers in favour of cards and the cheeky use of a pot of tokens (sort of counting but not really - ish). Not only do you craft you own super hero but you also get to craft the villain too, giving this compact game an element of replay. Keep this gem in your GM bag for that supers pickup game you need.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/dwarfen-veterans"><h2 style="clear:left;">Dwarfen Veterans</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/dwarfen-veterans"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgIABUt94qk/UsW4aGkH-iI/AAAAAAAALOA/ASifvKVKxcM/s1600/dwarfenvet.jpg" title="Dwarfen Veterans by Anastylos" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Don't be put off by the simple cover to the beguiling Dwarfen Veterans by Anastylos. It's a wonderful idea: Dwarfs sitting around a tavern table with tankards in hand recounting battle fought long ago. The better the description, the more visceral (and humorous) the more chance you have of winning. <b>Use this idea in your fantasy game right now!</b>. Might be especially fun if your group like to have a beer or two at the table and need a neat way to end a session while "four sheets to the wind"!
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/heist_aces"><h2 style="clear:left;">Heist Aces (Winner!)</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/heist_aces"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yzHR_4kAHh0/UsW5_5BFZvI/AAAAAAAALOM/unEK8EBcv68/s1600/heistaces.jpg" title="Heist Aces by Fred Bednarski" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Heist Aces by <a href="http://level27geek.blogspot.co.uk/">Fred Bednarski</a> <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2014/01/and-winner-of-harder-than-granite-24.html">won the competition</a>! It's a beautiful high tech heist game that has depth and complexity. There are no numbers in the document whatsoever, it leads you through the act of setting up and executing a Heist. It offers great replay value and I understand that Fred is looking to expand the concept (I certainly hope he does). It's also Fred's first design (although I found that out only after judging). Congratulations, Fred.<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/house-of-unusual-size"><h2 style="clear:left;">House of Unusual Size</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/house-of-unusual-size"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ltyBgnM7444/UsW8-8yRppI/AAAAAAAALOk/W5M22SBPMTw/s1600/houseofunusualsize.jpg" title="House of Unusual Size by Shae Davidson" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
The House of Unusual Size by Shae Davidson is a chunky, imaginative setting in a small package. The characters explore vaulted rooms, musty corridors and dank passages of a huge house Dickensian house. They take it turns to be a spotlight player while all the other players throw horror at them. It's a smashing idea that would belong in any campaign.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/keetons-journey"><h2 style="clear:left;">Keeton's Journey</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/keetons-journey"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eec8DyKEQVw/UscXfrCwO8I/AAAAAAAALQE/2McZ8hmjwcc/s320/keetonsjourney.jpg" title="Keeton's Journey by Andrew Hauge" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Keeton's Journey by Andrew Hague follows the journey of Keeton, a wandering medicine man from ancient Japan. Inspired by Mushi-shi, it has a neat mechanic where it uses the spots on a old-fashioned D6. But wait! You said! Dice! Spots! Numbers! But no... Keeton's Journey uses the shape of the spots. The '4' is the box, for example. Very clever stuff. I've needed a system to run a bit of Kung-Fu Panda and this is it.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/keetons-school-for-arcane-arts"><h2 style="clear:left;">Keeton's School of Arcane Arts</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/keetons-school-for-arcane-arts"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-88pOy1hLZ3M/UsW_9Ue391I/AAAAAAAALOw/grde5SBNEYo/s1600/keetonsschoolforarcanery.jpg" title="Keeton's School of Arcane Arts by Alec Henry" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Hogwart your face clean off in the magic-em-up-ery of Keeton's School of Arcane Arts by Alec Henry. Built around the ingenious idea of drawing your spells in the form of simple shapes on paper, handing those spells to the GM and then when you want to cast something you have to remember the shape. The GM then compares your pre-drawn spell with the one you've hurriedly handed over for accuracy. The less accurate your copy, the less beneficial the effect. Oh the fun you could have with this!
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/make-the-king"><h2 style="clear:left;">Make the King</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/make-the-king"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sMuEZ3__TOo/UsXEAPRLZRI/AAAAAAAALO8/aLqiuQ1qrIw/s1600/maketheking.jpg" title="Make the King by Davide Pignedoli" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
The King is dead! Actually, not quite! But he will be soon. Make the King by Davide Pignedoli is a game where each player has a shot at becoming the next King and must convince the poor, dying monarch that they are the best choice. Mechanics take the form of comparing mugs of tokens and this game is a good diversion for players who like to get their claws out.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/pockets-full-of-adventure"><h2 style="clear:left;">Pockets full of Adventure</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/pockets-full-of-adventure"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X4sPwi9WCck/UsXEcv0dnJI/AAAAAAAALPE/ZPbUB7BTslY/s1600/pocketsfullofadventure.jpg" title="Pockets Full of Adventure by Stan Taylor" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Keeton has discovered universes in the pockets of his trousers! Stan Taylor's Pockets Full of Adventure allows you to explore those dimensions. Some are large, some are tiny but all are jam packed with things to find. Character creation is a single sentence and the mechanics revolve around flicking to a random page in a book. How brilliant is that?
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/pocketful-of-heroes"><h2 style="clear:left;">Pocketful of Heroes</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/pocketful-of-heroes"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FYWAN15C5ts/Uscc_v4_9kI/AAAAAAAALQc/GkxxGHxvhmc/s320/pocketfulofheroes.jpg" title="Pocketful of Heroes by Geoff Lamb" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Geoff Lamb's (yes, again) Pocketful of Heroes is a supers game but I like more than just for that. The system is very neat, using a card deck with randomly dealt suits to match up with statistics and then using the same suits again for the actions. It has a superdude on the front and the adventure is a supers one but I think the game is a neat generic system that is well written, described and presented.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/prophecy"><h2 style="clear:left;">Prophecy</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/prophecy"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCAGaSP9Wmw/UsXF2FXRMUI/AAAAAAAALPU/_vDmpkUW-Fs/s1600/prophecy.jpg" title="Prophecy by Anastylos" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Prophecy by Anastylos plays upon the use of tarot cards to generate each character's personal story and token passing as a way of controlling the narrative. Your character is described by adjectives and the mechanics use a choose-to-lose mechanic that gives the player control. If another player doesn't like this idea, they must choose a fist. Some tokens are success tokens, some are fail tokens. When you run out of success tokens? Well, have a guess.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/quest-ions"><h2 style="clear:left;">Quest(ions)</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/quest-ions"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxXt2Qk2nw8/UsXHUbVtM2I/AAAAAAAALPc/fpQYZHR80W0/s1600/questions.jpg" title="Quest(ions) by Jonathan Lavellee" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Quest-ions by <a href="http://gamishdesigner.blogspot.co.uk/">Jonathan Lavellee</a> is a cunning fantasy system that uses the pocketmod booklet itself in the mechanics. A player can choose a page from the booklet upon which there are action words which make up the choices for that round. Ingenious! The GM is rotated (not physically) and your character is defined by a combination of Body, Mind and Spirit and they are used to narrow down what types of actions you can do.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/star-punk"><h2 style="clear:left;">Star Punk</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/star-punk"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oQ7q_knoKKY/UsXMOd2wWMI/AAAAAAAALPo/fy1zQM2LN7k/s1600/starpunk.jpg" title="Star Punk by Emmett O'Brian" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Star Punk by <a href="http://www.theartifact.net/">Emmett O'Brian</a> makes you work hard. First, you have to create your larger than life characters. Then (if that wasn't enough), you have to create the world on which you live. After that (if you still have any energy at all), you have to battle the evil Keeton. Taking damage is all about taking new "conditions" (disadvantages) that can only be removed with good roleplay. It's light, it's got an adventure and it's Sci Fi.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/super-robot-go"><h2 style="clear:left;">Super Robot Go!</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/super-robot-go"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RSjUtpt5Ec0/UsXNCzOadeI/AAAAAAAALP0/1It0Q9LoLxM/s1600/superrobotgo.jpg" title="Super Robot Go! by Geoff Lamb" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Climb inside a mech and live out your Pacific Rim fantasies in Super Robot Go! by Geoff Lamb. It's a super-lightweight giant robot game that focuses around the lovely Mech drawn in the rules. Mechanics are ably provided by Fudge dice, comparing the amount of positive and negative dice. It's got some neat mechanics and an adventure too. Scratch that giant robot itch I know you have. Just don't scratch it with a giant robot, that won't end well.
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/witch-hunt"><h2 style="clear:left;">Witch Hunt</h2></a>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/witch-hunt"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FeDKwEp6Ay4/UscadV0jRjI/AAAAAAAALQQ/pR6igq5ZF_s/s320/witchhunt.jpg" title="Witch Hunt by Geoff Lamb" style="float:left; margin-bottom:1em; margin-right:1em; clear:left;"/></a>
Grab your pitchforks and head off into the forest to hunt the witch. Why? Because she's evil. Why? Because she does bad stuff. Why? Because. Geoff Lamb's game puts you in the shoes of ordinary folk (they won't mind) and see you heading of in narrative to hunt evil. Why? ARE YOUR FOUR YEARS OLD?! Candy Land card decks control the theme of the narrative, GM sets the scene and the players riff off each other.<br/><br/>
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Are you in this list and have a blog that I didn't link? Argh! My apologies. Please get in touch in any of the myriad of ways open to you.
Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-216424306948823252014-01-01T17:00:00.000+00:002014-01-02T20:40:18.868+00:00And the winner of the Harder than Granite 24 hour competition is...<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/heist_aces" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OFALKOQ0G4c/UsQLV2Y7m7I/AAAAAAAALMA/K8FGl-34bmg/s1600/Untitled-heistaces.png" /></a><h2><a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/heist_aces">Heist Aces</a> by <a href="http://level27geek.blogspot.co.uk/">Fred Bednarski</a></h2>
A Pocketmod game about running a high tech heist that uses an innovative combination of Post-It notes and playing cards. System and setting are intertwined, it uses no numbers and is in a single pocket mod (counting for kudos only). My only concern is that it is difficult to understand on the first read through but then I really wanted to read it through again.<br/>
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It ticks all the boxes: uses no numbers whatsoever, is in pocketmod format, professionally laid out, includes extras such a front page, A4/Letter format and character sheet. It is laid out in a style that adds to the flavour of the whole game - which is <i>really difficult</i> in a pocketmod format. An email has blasted out of the Google mail cannon to <a href="http://level27geek.blogspot.co.uk/">Fred</a> with a £30 Amazon voucher to follow. Congratulations, Fred!
<h2>Close call</h2><a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/a-flask-full-of-gasoline" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f8hT8aYW7GE/UsQLWCt6YXI/AAAAAAAALME/qWwQ7V24VQ0/s1600/flaskfullofgasoline.png" /></a>
There were 20 games to whittle down (full list coming) and Jason "Chainsaw Aardvark" Kline found ourselves at the same two. Heist Aces and <a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/a-flask-full-of-gasoline">Flask Full of Gasoline</a> by <a href="http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/">Dyson Logos</a>. We both loved Flask too for it's gritty humour and drinking game antics. We had to split hairs between the two games, the only divider being that there were no reference to any numbers in Heist Aces at all. That's it! Sadly, I can't spot for two lots of prize money.
<h2>Honorable Mention</h2>
<a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/tag/geoff-lamb">Geoff Lamb</a>, who gave us <b>four</b> (yes, 4) wonderful games under very difficult circumstances. Thank you for entering with so much gusto, Geoff!<br/>
<br/>
Commiserations to all the other entrants. The Monkeys at <a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/forum">1KM1KT</a> whooped with poo-flinging thrill at the inventiveness of the entries. The challenge was insanely tough this year and I am gleeful that so many stepped up to it. Well done to you all.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-77372741378014024512013-12-01T21:54:00.000+00:002013-12-01T21:54:19.359+00:00Chatting about free RPGs in the first Monkey Hangout - now on YouTubeYou know what's weird? I've been talking to Chainsaw Aardvark on 1KM1KT for 7 years and in my head he looks like an Aardvark in black and white, holding a chainsaw. That's weird. BUT WEIRD NO MORE! Chainsaw and some other luminaries from the Monkey community got together on Google Hangouts to chat RPGs. We got to actually talk face to face rather than waiting for a reply on a thread. It was delightful and refreshing and my face still hurts from smiling.<br/>
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<iframe width="500" height="340" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gCfiVmIiTAk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/>
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It was rough around the edges (I'd never done one before) but everyone threw themselves into the spirit of it and it was so wonderful to actually chat with people I've shared so much headspace with.<br/>
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<b>Thank you all for making time to join in!</b><br/>
<h2>Feedback please!</h2>
I'll be watching it through again soon, collecting links for the notes (I'll update this post and the YouTube video for posterity). I'd love to hear what you think of the Hangout. Did you like the format? Did we try to cover too much? Was it too slow? Too fast? Did we need to bring the sexy a bit more? All feedback welcome.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-70188748340990103302013-11-13T21:14:00.000+00:002013-11-13T21:14:27.493+00:00Five By Five by Jeff Moore. Again. Why? Because...<a href="http://fivebyfiverpg.blogspot.co.uk" imageanchor="1" style="float:right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zAP5LxT8kkA/UoPpSXZT8VI/AAAAAAAALHY/naSElyfarYA/s1600/5b5cover.jpg" /></a>Déjà vu is a sign that they've changed something in The Matrix. Don't panic! No need to check to see if the doors or windows are still there, this déjà vu is caused squarely by a re-review. I've <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2010/08/five-by-five-by-jeff-moore-making-me.html">reviewed Five By Five before</a> and it was so good that I shaved my head, grew a beard, started a cult and sacrificed a whole software engineering team of virgins. There is now a new version (#3) and I can see the engineers have already started running.<br/>
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<a href="http://fivebyfiverpg.blogspot.co.uk/">Five by Five by Jeff Moore</a> takes a simple mechanic with some delightful properties, builds a system on top of it and then shows you how to play it with example settings.
<h2>Traitoration!</h2>
Characters scooped from imagination goo are baked into Traits. A Trait is a thing you're good at doing. Combat Traits cover getting oily and hacky and can be of type Interrupt, Attack, Defend or Resist. Non-combat Traits cover everything else from flying defusing a ticking atomic bomb in the last 3 seconds through to throwing together a gourmet three course feast from the tins at the back of your cupboard.<br/>
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The <b>Trouble Trait</b> is curious, it's the Trait that defines what you're bad at. That's joyous! Think of the fun you could have, especially if you collaboratively create your characters: let the players give the Trouble Trait to <i>other player characters</i>. *Evil Laugh*<br/>
<h2>D5</h2>
<a href="http://fivebyfiverpg.blogspot.co.uk" imageanchor="1" style="float:right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B1aEbDGND-Y/UoPpSYJ0V-I/AAAAAAAALHg/pPJQDFOrK6U/s1600/5b5one.jpg" /></a>The core of Five by Five is that it uses D6s but you count 6 as 0. So you get a D5. To do any action, you roll two of these blighters and <i>multiply the result</i>. Each Trait has a rank, which is a target number and you have to roll under that. The fact that you have a zero in there means that 30% of your rolls are always a success, no matter how rubbish you are at something.<br/>
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The pesky GM will toy with the target number depending on the lunacy you're getting up to and critical fails are rolling the same number on each die. Karma points are used to make tasks easier and are earnt by using your Trouble Trait.
<h2>Choppy, Stabby, Smashy</h2>
Combat is new in Five by Five. Those characters with an Attack Combat Trait will hit more often. Damage is recorded by wounds, the bigger the weapon and crapper the defending armour is, the more chance you're going to get hit. You have a few other choices to do with combat styles and those choices augment your chance of hitting. It's got just enough tactical choice to make it interesting without getting bogged down in tonnes of rules.
<h2>MORE!</h2>
There's a GM section, lovely Creative Commons art and TWO, yes TWO example adventures! One set in high fantasy and one for a supers campaign. My usual complaint about generic systems is that without a setting or two, it is very difficult to understand how they might be used. Five By Five now picks that complaint up off the floor and nails to the wall for all to see. There's a contents and an explanation of the mathematics at the back.
<h2>Prolific like Silicon</h2>
<a href="http://fivebyfiverpg.blogspot.co.uk" imageanchor="1" style="float:right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SIrkUxANgHU/UoPpSfVGtSI/AAAAAAAALHc/e3-Zm3_yoo8/s1600/5b5two.jpg" /></a><a href="http://dreamsanddragons.blogspot.co.uk/">Jeff creates</a> in the way other people breathe. He is blogging new ideas and extensions to the rules all the time. They are options, of course, but how lovely to have options at all! Jeff supports his game with the same effervescent vigor by which he creates them. If you follow blogs (duh!) then follow his, the gush of ideas is thrilling.
<h2>Not Perfect</h2>
I'm almost impossible to please. I like the stark black and white graphics but prefered the old two-column layout. I would rather like a border too, when printed black text on a borderless page gets a little lost. Sometimes the graphics inline don't really match with the meaning of the text and although I appreciate this is difficult with Creative Commons imagery, one must take care of where to put the images. The text headings should be different sizes to indicator chapter and section. There is a little too much preamble before the game begins. It has its own website, so it doesn't have to be all in there.<br/>
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Combat needs more examples and I think the language sometimes strays away from being generic (such as Sword and Board not being appropriate for Sci Fi campaigns). That's a problem that most generic RPGs have. The use of "segments" in combat also got me thinking about the use of non-standard language in RPGs but that's a post of for another time.
<h2>Recommended</h2>
Five By Five still ranks with my favourite generic RPG systems. It uses a solid core mechanic that is easy to pick up and has some brilliant mathematical outcomes. Enough crunch to be a system without smashing your teeth.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-41424310153830978152013-10-09T22:52:00.000+01:002013-10-11T11:50:51.870+01:00Harder than Granite 24 Hour RPG Competition<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-85e2RYKDjZk/UlXIZTVO9BI/AAAAAAAALEA/maFhGqVhD4M/w480-h640-no/480x640granitehard.jpg" title="The 2013 24 Hour RPG Competition, it's granite hard!"/>
Welcome to the 2013 24 Hour RPG Granite Hard Competition! Hosted at <a href="http://www.1km1kt.net">1KM1KT</a> and sponsored by The Free RPG Blog.<br/>
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Yes, yes, it's a fantastically difficult one this year but not only do you get the chance of winning a <i>lovelys fats £30 Amazons Vouchersis</i> but you will also qualify for <a href="http://nagademon.com/">NaGaDeMon bragging rights</a>. I know you love a challenge because you've read this far without your eyes popping out.
To be in for a chance of winning £30 in an Amazon Voucher:
<h2>1. Write a roleplaying game without numbers.</h2>
<h2>2. Write it in the Pocketmod format</h2>
Find out more about what on Earth a <a href="http://www.pocketmod.com/">Pocketmod is here</a>.
<h2>3. Spend 24 hours writing a roleplaying game during November.</h2>
<h2>4. Make sure you include an NPC called Keeton in your game.</h2>
<h2>5. Upload your game to 1KM1KT by 00:00 (GMT) 1st December 2013.</h2>
<h2>6. Make a thread here on 1KM1KT about your game.</h2>
(Optional but we'd like you to, please put it in the special 2013 Forum.)
<h2>7. Check back on 1st of January 2014 to find out who the winner is, or check on The Free RPG Blog.</h2>
<h2>8. You can use more than one Pocketmod booklet but kudos will go to those with a complete game in the fewest.</h2>
<h2>What are the rules?</h2>
Apart from the list above, you must obey the 24 hour RPG rules. The judge's decision is final. £30 will be in Amazon vouchers, emailed to you.
<h2>I want the £30 to pay my D&D habit! What is it judged on?</h2>
Poor you! Our panel of monkeys will be judging you on:
<ul><li>Must include an NPC called Keeton</li>
<li>Innovative: Is it a clever use of the small space?</li>
<li>Complete: Is it complete? Could you run it?</li>
<li>Attractive: Is it pleasant to look at?</li>
<li>Professional: How much effort went into layout and style?</li>
<li>Extras: Did they include actual cover, index, character sheet or any other cool things you get in a proper RPG? Yes, even in a Pocketmod!</li></ul>
<h2>I'm late to this party!</h2>
That's a shame, we might run another competition soon. If you wrote a 24 hour RPG but didn't get it in before 00:00 GMT 1st December 2013 then we'd still like to see it.
<h2>I want to do it again!</h2>
Enjoyed it so much that you want another go? Are you bonkers? Yes? Then please do! Have another go. Enter as many times as you like! I'm not paying for the therapy you might need at the end of it, though.
<h2>I want to keep working on it after time is up</h2>
Please do! Submit what you did in 24 hours and then please do keep going. You won't get any feedback on the extended game from the judges until after the competition but there are plenty of others on <a href="http://www.1km1kt.net/forum">1KM1KT who can help</a>.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-85922476781763536432013-05-21T12:00:00.000+01:002013-05-21T12:00:16.784+01:00Wushu Open by Daniel Bayn kicks bottom - through a window on fire<blockquote>I jump, grab a red paper light fitting, swing across the room and boot the first mook through a flowery paper wall, I roll with the momentum over a sloshing fish tank and connect my fist into the face of another.</blockquote>
<a href="danielbayn.com/wushu/freebies.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" alt="Wushu Open is a text document. So it all looks like this." src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjUlDUde6kE/UZjhxKqu14I/AAAAAAAAKyI/UKDSbfHyw_Y/s320/wushu.jpg" /></a><a href="http://danielbayn.com/wushu/">Wushu Open</a> is an action movie roleplaying game system. A system that encourages you to do that. A system that rewards you for doing that. Wushu Open is the no-frills-and-free, creative commons version of the commercial-but-indie <a href="http://danielbayn.com/wushu/books.html">Wushu system</a>. Ideal for action movie settings from Hong Kong action theatres to derivatives such as the Matrix. The rulebook is plain but I implore you to forgive that and read it; as the system breaks preconceptions in the most mind shattering manner.
<h2>Put reality away for a minute...</h2>
Daniel demonstrates that realism isn't always good. In most systems realism causes negative modifiers to outrageous acts of heroism. Negative modifiers make cool stuff less likely and so players are rewarded less. A good point, I think. I've certainly seen the benefits of chaining up reality in the cellar when playing with my <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/p/my-games.html">Shared Pool</a> system. In Wushu, the core mechanic is based on that principle.
<h2>It's a core mechanic, you say?</h2>
Everyone describes what they are doing and then everyone rolls. What you describe will automatically happen, how it advances the scene depends on the roll. A solid storygame mechanic. You're aiming to roll under your character's most appropriate trait (rated 1-5) on a D6. Here's the clever bit: you roll a D6 for each cool detail you include. For my example earlier:
<blockquote>I jump, grab a red paper light fitting <b>[D6]</b>, swing across the room and kick the first goon through a flowery paper wall <b>[D6]</b>, I roll with the momentum over a sloshing fish tank <b>[D6]</b> and connect my boot into the face of another mook <b>[D6]</b>.</blockquote>
My pool is 4 dice. The GM and player decide what a die-worthy detail is and you limit the number of dice to speed up or slow down a scene (for dramatic effect). I find that this kind of reward works brilliantly with players who are engaged at the table as there is a tangible benefit for coming up with entertaining and interesting actions.
<h2>Choppy and Kicky</h2>
When in combat, you fight Mooks and Nemeses. Mooks can be dispatched without an opposed check and damage ticks down their "Chi" as a group. When Chi runs out, the remaining Mooks take to their heels or are all unconscious or realise they're the bad guys and surrender. Either way, the scene moves on.<br/>
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Nemeses are taken on <i>mano-e-mano</i> basis. Nemeses are like player characters. When rolling combat, you split your dice between attack dice for doing damage (called Yang) and defence dice for soaking up damage (called Yin). Every success removes a point of Chi until you're exhausted. Choosing a balance between Yin and Yang gives a clever tactical choice.
<h2>Freedoms</h2>
As damage relies on narrative, you can choose whatever weapons fit your character and the setting. There is no initiative or advancement either. Your character begins with a Weakness trait that gives your character depth too.
<h2>Stuck between free and a paid place</h2>
Wushu Open feels unfinished. The system itself is complete but as a game, it needs expansion to get over that hump to finished. And here lies the difficulty: if the free game was complete then there would be little need to buy the full price game (which isn't expensive). I would like more examples, an evocative layout, sample adventure, contents page and some images.<br/>
<blockquote>The reviewer runs up a chair onto the table and launches a simile laden paragraph at one reader while slapping the foundations of another.</blockquote>
As the game has a Creative Commons variant, so there is no reason that someone else couldn't take Wushu Open and make these updates. However, you could well argue that a well put together Open redux would affect sales of the core Wushu game; as the sort of person who would do a redux, I would not like to sour Daniel's goodwill. This issue is not unique to Wushu Open but any free RPG that is shoulder to shoulder with a paid product.
<h2>Super whizzy choppy</h2>
I regularly red "GMs should reward the players for imaginative play" and although experience points can serve that purpose, Wushu uses that tenet as a cornerstone. To demonstrate the opposite, Wushu penalises players who do not engage at the table. How many games can claim to that? Wushu is a novel system for action movies and is worthy of its following.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-29781529794786831892013-05-14T12:00:00.000+01:002013-05-14T12:00:01.402+01:00Light and tight: Mutants and Machineguns by Robertson Sondoh Jr and Daniel Marcus<a href="http://experimentalplayground.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/mutants-machine-guns.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="Mutants and Machineguns cover - I love the black and white art style, would love to see more!" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cgPdXK1_H30/UY9jux3-41I/AAAAAAAAKv0/pbtiLiGkyjc/s320/mandm.jpg" /></a><a href="http://experimentalplayground.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/mutants-machine-guns.html">Mutants and Machineguns</a> is a modern world political drama set in the West Wing of the Whitehouse. Ha! Only joking. Had you fooled for a moment there. Didn't I? No? Oh.<br/>
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Mutants and Machineguns by Robertson Sondoh Jr and Daniel Marcus does what is says on the tin. A light hearted, light weight game set in a grim yet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzo_journalism">Gonzo</a> post apocalyptic future teeming with mutations and, errrr, guns. It is also comes in a <a href="http://www.pocketmod.com/">pocketmod</a> format. It's also in <a href="http://experimentalplayground.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/mutants-machine-guns.html">Spanish and French</a>. It is a delight to read and leaves you wanting more but like all lightweight games, is there enough here to make it a game?
<h2>Brevity</h2>
<a href="http://experimentalplayground.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/mutants-machine-guns.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="Clear text throughout" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0-6uzVZZF8/UY9ju1E8gsI/AAAAAAAAKvw/90f1urArJCc/s320/mandm2.jpg" /></a>Characters have four attributes: Combat, Physical, Mental, Social; 8 points divvied up, maximum 3, minimum 1. 3 races: Pure Human, Mutant Human, Evolved Animal; decides hit points and mutation.<br/>
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Mechanics: Sum 2D6 and attribute, succeed if large than a target number. Critical fail on rolling a 2, critical pass on 12. When attacked, target number is 9 by default and called Defense. Experience between 1 to 3 depending on adventure difficulty, spend it on hit points, Defence or abilities. For combat initiative, sum 2D6 and combat, highest goes first. <br/>
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That's the majority of the mechanics. I wanted to see if I could be more succinct than the game without losing meaning. I'll let you be the judge of that, dear reader! Those mechanics are common but that's OK because they make way for the interesting stuff.
<h2>The Interesting Stuff</h2>
Mutations! Who wouldn't want them? Telekinesis can be fun in a cafe, extra arms lets you quad-yield SMGs and Dual Brain doubles your mental power. And there are more. Not lots more; enough for characters to be individual.<br/>
<br/>In combat, you are confined to a linear map (see picture). This <i>sounds</i> awful but it allows there to be a tactical choice without resorting to the complexity of grids or hex systems. A clever balance of enough map to be tactical but not so much that you need to create mechanics for dealing with it. If you ever wondered "how do I cater for maps in my super-lightweight RPG" then this is it.<br/>
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<a href="http://experimentalplayground.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/mutants-machine-guns.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" title="At first, I felt that the linear map was rubbish but having thought about it, I think it's superb!" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jlliSz3k0sY/UY9kMicY1jI/AAAAAAAAKwA/M0n7auH0AT0/s1600/mandmmap.jpg" /></a><br/>
<div style="text-align:center; font-style:italic">The linear battle map, I'm a big fan of the art style</div>
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The specter of radiation pops up as a check against your physical attribute. If you fail, you get some radiation points. Radiation kills humans and mutates mutants before killing them. It's nasty stuff. Who says that roleplaying games can't be used to teach people about the real world!
<h2>Hungry for more</h2>
Lightweight games do the same to me as a single bite of chocolate. It melts into your brain, you get the sugary endorphin rush and then you crave more. I crave more of Mutants and Machineguns. I want a game world. I want more critters. I want more of the delightful art.<br/>
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There is more than enough game here to make it a game I just want more. Gonzo Post-Apocalypse is such a superb idea (Fear and Loathing in Fallout?) that is demands expansion. Expansion without losing the essence of being a small game. That's a huge demand - but a worthwhile one.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-50486658290768786512013-05-07T21:07:00.000+01:002013-05-07T21:07:30.248+01:00Crank up the intensity in Siege by Andrew Smith<a href="http://tabletopmanifesto.blogspot.com.es/p/siege.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PeHK-PzOEK8/UYlcv1WMsxI/AAAAAAAAKr4/CbELm8hAd64/s320/siegecover.jpg" /></a><a href="http://tabletopmanifesto.blogspot.com.es/p/siege.html">Siege</a> is a one shot story game where the players play all the parts in a hostage situation: Captor, Hostage and Police. Negotiate peacefully or waste the hostages. Make peace with the captors or nuke them from orbit. Feed the media circus or shut them out. Overpower your captor or reason with them. Moral ambiguity is explicit: cops can be bribed, the captor is following a good cause, the hostages are villains. It's got tight, emotive focus but does it work as a game?
<h2>Character Creation</h2>
With smaller number of players, the GM is both hostage and GM. With more players, roles are added in order. Your character has two Resistances: Patience, Resolve and 2 Abilities: Wit and Action. Patience and Resolve measure how emotional fatigue drains out of your character through the story. Wit and Action are more like traditional Attributes intelligence and strength-dex-etc.<br/>
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You then pick a core expertise, which outlines the sort of things that you character can do (without being too broad). These add modifiers to checks when you use them. Examples for the police include sniper or negotiator. This is a public area of expertise, you also get to have two secret ones that you can reveal at any time. The GM is final arbiter, ensuring the chosen areas are not too broad.<br/>
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The Captor character gets to choose why they took hostages. The GM and player playing the Captor work together to set this up in secret. Like all good movie hostage situations, this reason will be revealed at some point for dramatic effect.
<h2>Gaming story style</h2>
The GM establishes a scene and the players take it in turns to narrate what they are doing. Scenes can be proposed by players too. This continues until a character performs an action that can be opposed by another character. This is called a decision point. Actions are resolved by rolling 3D6. <br/>
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Choose the relevant action statistic and pick up that many D6s. You then add one die for Resolve and one for Patience. Roll them all. Choose the highest die and add modifiers. Highest score wins. If rolling against a non-player then 6 or more progresses the story in the character's favour (player narrates). Less than 6 and the GM gets to choose. Wounding is descriptive with a modifier to future actions.<br/>
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The Patience and Resolve dice need to be coloured differently. If you roll 1 on one of these dice, the relevant score decreases by one. This is how you run out of Patience or Resolve. That's exceptionally neat.
<h2>Are we in a relationship?</h2>
<a href="http://tabletopmanifesto.blogspot.com.es/p/siege.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-k3x7IJNAE/UYlcv_gvMCI/AAAAAAAAKr0/JavLYd0wQjQ/s320/siege2.jpg" /></a>Sympathy is a statistic that charts how characters feel toward each other between +2 and -2. Sympathy is used to modify checks. If you have negative Sympathy for the Captor and perform an action against them, you get a bonus. I like the idea but getting my brain round the positive/negative strength took a while. Using Twists, Siege allows you to change roles halfway through the game. Brilliant.<br/>
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When a character runs out of Patience, they can only make Action tests (lost their wits) and when they run out of Resolve, their next scene must be their last. Bleeding resolve will force the game to end through narrative. Tracking Patience and Resolve in this way brings the game to life.
<h2>Feedback</h2>
<a href="http://tabletopmanifesto.blogspot.com.es/p/siege.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-muNyPUAO00k/UYlcvba5rYI/AAAAAAAAKrw/Ip0m6JbthPs/s320/siegeback.jpg" /></a>The game is well written throughout, although the language at times is a little "happy-jolly" for the subject matter, I would keep it grittier. I would opt for a smaller font, two columns and a narrower margin. This would considerably reduce the page count, and shorter line lengths will make it easier to read. I would move the page numbers to the middle (no need for facing pages as there is no spine-friendly background). I would put rules in boxes to make them easier to refer to. <br/>
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The credited imagery is very well chosen (a superb front cover), I would perhaps use smaller images and let text flow around them. The examples are well labelled as such (being indented) but I would like to see some more of them - especially around basic actions and the end-game. As the GM is used as a final source of ideas in many cases, I would include a bunch of inspiration lists. Andrew has done this for "Why take hostages" and it works brilliantly.
<h2>Intense</h2>
Siege is crafted to be an intense experience for players with their serious heads on. The core novel mechanics of Patience and Resolve ultimately drive the story. Siege is a blank canvas for the GM to seed ideas for the team, so preparation is required. It's a one-shot that should be savored. A single lamp in a dark room, a soundtrack of crickets and then dig deep to find your own moral compass. You might get flashbacks from it days after but then that's what makes it worthwhile.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-16951656990700660272013-04-30T12:00:00.000+01:002013-04-30T12:00:03.672+01:00Nights of the Crusades by MJ Alishah is brimming with eastern promises fulfilled<a href="http://aethericdreams.com/nightsofthecrusades.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K3R6VYLw9FQ/UX7LfhaNVrI/AAAAAAAAKqw/W47xiKmHjRM/s320/notc1.jpg" /></a><a href="http://aethericdreams.com/nightsofthecrusades.html">Nights of the Crusades</a> by M.J. Alishah is a gorgeous, rich fantasy roleplaying game set in a mythic-historical world of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights">One Thousand and One Nights</a> and crusades. Lavishly laid out, delightfully illustrated and painstakingly researched, it is a thick tapestry of a game. The core rulebook is free and subsequent modules are paid for; but this is of no consequence. The flesh of the 100 page core rulebook will sink you deep into the world of scimitars, psychotic Knights and Djinn dunked in realistic grit. A story game feel with campaign aspirations and the most atmospheric book I've read in a long time.
<h2>Your character is a prism</h2>
Character creation begins with psychoanalyst questioning. Why are you here, what drives you? Tell me about your childhood. Did you fancy your mother? I felt like it was going to ask me to point at somewhere on a doll. You then pick allegiances, made up from faction (which side of the war), religeon, classes and an organisation (such as a gangs and so on). Each carries a "disposition", which is a positive/negative level of influence. The Knights Templar love you now but after you've gutted a hundred of them while they slept, they may not invite you round for tea and biscuits again.<br/>
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Skills (facets of a character that grow over time) called Expertise and are grouped together Communication, Knowledge, Melee, Ranged and Vigor. There's a big old list to help you pick and the groups are what you roll against, a bit like Attributes but not.<br/>
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<a href="http://aethericdreams.com/nightsofthecrusades.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wx09CqAuv1o/UX7Lh0Cgx9I/AAAAAAAAKq4/k6VLx-YUqyg/s320/notc2.jpg" /></a>Wealth allows you to purchase things but it is a statistic in itself. Being robbed, hoodwinked or bribed will all affect this Wealth statistic. If Wealth hits 0, you roll on a brutal table of poverty. If your Wealth hits an upper limit, you roll on a prosperity table, which can mean you get robbed. You lose? You lose. You win? You (might) lose. Brilliant. This creates wealth as a charming game effect beyond a custom bling suit of armour with gold boots.<br/>
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Finally, your character is fleshed out by depleting Wealth with <i>stuffs</i>. I have a frankly filthy fetish for equipment lists and Nights of the Crusade satiates it. You can buy servants, books (with spells and skills inside), formulas (for alchemy) and intoxicants (for stoners). It is nice to see stoner culture getting RPG representation.
<h2>Gameplay</h2>
The core mechanic is Expertise group plus modifiers versus a target number (called the Apex) with criticals on a 1 and 10. There are slightly different systems for combat and non-combat, the difference being the actions you perform and the outcomes. For example, if you're negotiating (typically non-combat but not for my energy-lance-it-from-orbit-negotiation player group) then actions include Appeal, Dismiss and Fortify; the outcome being your argument is accepted. <br/>
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Combat has initiative (called Awareness Test) and you can do a number of actions a round. You choose from a list of actions that include every sort of combat you might want. Injury is descriptive ranging from "That tickles! Oh, you meant to hit me..." through to "Can someone unscrew my helmet so I can scrap my brains off the inside".<br/>
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Flavour is added through details like Hostile Stance, where your character tries to get into the right mood for slotting someone up a treat. Hostile Stance is an opposed action and can give modifiers in either direction. A lovely touch. On one side you might have had a bad day and want to take it out on the poor target. On the other hand, you may have got laid that morning and rather just eat a big lunch and doze the afternoon away.<br/>
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The trauma of hacking foes into bite-sized giblets must also be taken into account, there's a wonderful table that reads like one of my players' medical report. In a long term campaign, your character is likely to turn bonkers but it will be fun watching them do so.
<h2>The importance of story</h2>
<a href="http://aethericdreams.com/nightsofthecrusades.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ikMdS7rt-o/UX7LkF27lBI/AAAAAAAAKrA/fs_o6rqUDlw/s320/notc3.jpg" /></a>In Nights of the Crusades, stories are mechanised to produce a resource called Pearls of Wisdom. A story is like an adventure, made up from scenes of Adventure, Drama or Mystery. A character is a focus of a scene and generates Pearls of Wisdom for engaging in Adventure, Drama or Mystery. Pearls are spent like XP. This is where the story game feel comes in.<br/>
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Symbols of Power are another neat mechanic that allows your character to grow in importance. You buy Symbols of Power with Pearls of Wisdom and see you equip your own Fief (patch of land) with libraries, marketplaces and so on.
<h2>Depth</h2>
Excellent writing and research is married perfectly in Nights of the Crusades. The world of the Middle East during medieval times is illustrated with descriptive text throughout. The imagery is good but it is the snippets of story that describe the lives of real people that bring it to life. I can imagine crafting a war weary Knight longing for the green grass of Normandy or a "Desert Loving English" Lawrence-of-Arabia character obsessed with desolate golden sands and war. Huge effort has gone into describing the horrors of medieval war and life with sensitivity, care and a style that draws you in.
<h2>A little more reference</h2>
<a href="http://aethericdreams.com/nightsofthecrusades.html" imageanchor="1" ><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fL33vjICU5o/UX7MQVmQ9pI/AAAAAAAAKrI/qGuzbLuJ4hY/s320/notc4.jpg" /></a>RPGs have a difficult line to walk between being thematic and a reference. Nights of the Crusades is all about theme but is a pain to use for reference. Even referring back to the book for writing this review, I had to dig through blocks of descriptive theme text to get to the nub of a rule. Other games solve this by having rule callouts, appendices with cheat sheets and the like. The book should also cross-reference itself. I love having all the Expertise areas at the back but there should be a page reference in character creation. It is fine to have players jump back and forth to make a character but make it easy for them.<br/>
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My other concern is with naming. When designing a game, you must strike a balance between naming things in line with the theme and using standard roleplaying terms. If you name everything with standard terms, your game reads like every other. If you make up a bunch of new terms in keeping with your theme then this acts as a barrier to experienced players getting to grip with your game. For example, I would like Expertise areas to have more middle-Eastern sounding names, "Communication Expertise" sounds like the sort of thing a business analyst would write.<br/>
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The beautiful layout is a little low in contrast in places, and one or two of the sketches should probably be omitted. I would tend to put weaker art toward the back of the book. Also, the map (which has scale in days - great!) needs to demonstrate the difference between land and water.
<h2>Production wealth</h2>
Nights of the Crusades is a paid-for-product that is given away for free. It is clever marketing - but no trick. The core rulebook is <strong>not</strong> a taster product but a fully fledged roleplaying game that will offer thousands of hours of play. I view the extra modules more of a donation for thanks than a crutch to make the game walk. The mechanics include a few unique touches but is a familiar description-heavy roll-versus-target number affair. <br/>
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It is the setting that glows. Every sentence leaps from the page and stops you. Makes you think. What was it like living back then? What if the One Thousand Arabian Nights were true? To spawn those two questions alone makes the game a success.Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-72673673388759072002013-04-25T07:31:00.000+01:002013-04-25T09:56:25.901+01:00Gods of Gondwane by Dariel Quiogue lets you ride a Velociraptor!<a href="http://hariragat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/gods-of-gondwane-is-on-rpgnow.html" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KnaDklNHpp0/UXjKDOMBU8I/AAAAAAAAKqg/7T5P46VNKvU/s320/gondwane1.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://hariragat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/gods-of-gondwane-is-on-rpgnow.html">Gods of Gondwane</a>: dinosaurs, humans, aliens, machines, living gods and behind it all a race of turbo-pillocks called The Shapers. Got your attention? You're probably aghast at the thought of thrusting all that into a single game, I was. How could it possibly hang together coherently? How can a single system handle that much imagination juice?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>Setting First</h2>
Dariel R. A. Quiogue is a <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2008/11/lost-in-smaragdis-by-dariel-r-quiogue.html">setting-first</a> type of chap. He paints Gondwane not with dainty bristles but with pregnant clods of rich paint. Gondwane is a land lost in time, created by a race of time-travelling mega-ball-bags called The Shapers who are desperately trying to find out why mankind will eventually supplant them. Mimicking Dariel, the Shapers lob civilisations together in an experiment to understand what makes mankind so jolly good. The Shapers watch the experiment for a while and when humanity shows that they are the best (again), The Shapers 'reset' Gondwane in an Etch-A-Sketch ending. What utter gits.<br />
<h2>You are human(?)</h2>
You are a human, born into this melting pot of exploration, survival and the wonder of the unknown. As a human, you might be from Modern Earth, Gondwane's latest experiment cycle or a previous experiment. Character creation is descriptive, concepts and ideas are forefront. Your character are defined by Roles (e.g. Toothbrush salesman), Assets (e.g. Charming) and Hooks (e.g. Compulsive liar). Your character's pulp-iness is measured by your "Guts". You assign points to these attributes, each point representing a D6 die you roll. <br/>
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The rules guide you through, making plenty of recommendations, which does take the chore out of descriptive character creation. It is important to cater for the brain-worn gamer at the table, who wants to riff off suggestions rather than pull ideas from the blue and Gods of Gondwane hits the mark spot on with this.
<h2>The Devil is in the Detail</h2>
<a href="http://hariragat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/gods-of-gondwane-is-on-rpgnow.html" imageanchor="1"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3ePGCDgm1g/UXjKDfewUlI/AAAAAAAAKqc/6-yPeMNBjns/s320/gondwane2.jpg" /></a>Dramatic systems require detail and as players, you will spew vat loads to earn bonus dice. Only actions that can be contested require a dice check. It is a solid dice pool system where you roll a number of D6s equal to your most applicable character Role, the enemy does the same. The one with the highest die wins. If you roll the same highest die, you narrate to too-ing and fro-ing of a dramatic draw and roll again. The winner narrates the victory.<br />
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You may add Risk dice, which are D6s of a different colour. You can ask the gamesmaster for up to three to help succeed in your action. If any of those Risk dice land the single unblinking eye of a 1, then something's gone <i>quite wrong</i>. Your Asset dice can be tapped to boost the pool you're rolling. Once your Asset dice are depleted, you need to perform an appropriate act to replenish them. Combat is a narrative to-and-fro and without hit points, the winner of the fight kills the opponent. Our heroes have a chance to save.<br />
<h2>There's always more</h2>
The setting is sumptuous, the empires a numerous and feel ancient. Gods of Gondwane is not just about cruising around on a pet Velociraptor, slotting up hairy neanderthal man, there are ruined remnants of civilisations from previous experiment cycles. My favourite is Megastyros, the City of the Dreaming Lords who are addicted to dreaming. There's a bestiary (which are dinosaurs), a list of further read, example character builds and a sample adventure! Everything is laid out neatly and the writing is good throughout.<br />
<h2>Disarming simplicity</h2>
<a href="http://hariragat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/gods-of-gondwane-is-on-rpgnow.html" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lCAR66RPj8E/UXjKDRMYUnI/AAAAAAAAKqY/nN7YK4wD0vU/s320/gondwane3.jpg" /></a>The mechanics are simple and narrative but I think the sections describing skill checks could be rewritten more plainly and simply. I think it is best to assume the reader is stuffing their face with cookies while they are reading the mechanics and not really paying attention.<br />
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As an author, I would give the game another read through as there are a few instances where rules are referred too but have since been removed. My long suffering Icar proof readers have found many instances where I have deprecated a rule or term and not removed it everywhere.<br />
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I would include a list of plot hooks too to help the new GM to transition from the sample adventure into a large campaign. The layout could do with a tweak: increasing line spacing, moving the contents to the front, increaing the bottom margin (so that page numbers are easier to pick out) and modify the spacing between pictures. I appreciate that these tweaks can take <i>forever</i> but I believe that attention to detail can lift the quality.<br />
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Did I mention you can ride a Velociraptor?</h2>
Gods of Gondwane is more than a pulp one shot, it is coherent blend of ancient themes, superstitions and adventure. The system (called Vivid 4.0) labors capably under such a gluttonous insanity. I am wary of games that use exploration as a core goal as exploration is a bi-product of playing any campaign RPG. It is a bold gesture to claim that exploration is an end in itself but reading Gondwane, you can't help but be drawn into the setting and imagine exploring its broken history. Dariel fulfills the promise of exploration with <i>so much to see!</i> It is an imaginative, magical delight and I urge you to give it a read. Thank you Dariel for sharing!Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273659070093034708.post-10802133959043551002012-11-20T09:24:00.000+00:002012-11-20T09:24:01.916+00:00How to use a plan to create your RPG<img border="0" height="400" width="267" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zvU-1nh4foI/UKq7X54atDI/AAAAAAAAKak/_jIZfzEQkPA/s400/theplanneversurvives.png" title="The Plan never survives contact with reality. The game never survives contact with the players." />Having a plan is the best thing you can do when you're engaged in any task that has an end point, like creating an RPG. There's no point in having a plan if you're not going to use it. My NaGaDeMon plan spontaneously combusted at the weekend but I'm still calm. I'm calm because I'm organised and that allows me to make a new plan. The plan is dead. Long live the plan! Let me explain how I do all that.
<h2>What's in a plan?</h2>
A plan (in the sense I'm going to use it) is a method of achieving your goal, including time spent, your other commitments and what it is you're going to actually create. I do not view the plan as carved in granite, unchanged against any storm that mother nature throws.<br/>
<blockquote>A plan to me is a malleable friend that helps me control my fear of not finishing. </blockquote>
A friend I get to abuse, cut bits off, mock, reshape at will and set fire to. It's my plan, after all. Plans help show you what's possible from the outset and when things go badly, put into perspective what you have already done and what you can still achieve.
<h2>Set out your goals</h2>
You need to know what it is that you're going to try and achieve before you start. Obvious? Yes. Until you try and do it. On the surface, NaGaDeMon's goals are quite simple:
<ul>
<li>Create the game in November.</li>
<li>Finish the game in November.</li>
<li>Play the game in November.</li>
<li>Talk about your experience. </li>
</ul>
Those rules get applied depending on what you're creating and who you are - for example we each have our own perception on what "Finished" is. Goals are only useful when you can measure yourself against them. When you get rules like NaGaDeMon, it's best to extend them to make more tangible ones.<br/>
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NaGaDeMon is a competition against yourself, it's only your point of view that counts. My <em>additional</em> goals are:
<ul>
<li>Create an RPG, system, setting and enough resources to play it with the mimimum amount of winging it*</li>
<li>Put it in a PDF</li>
<li>Make it look nice (with pictures)</li>
<li>Put it somewhere where people can get at it</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size:80%">* This is my personal definition of finished, which I only ever apply to me**. <br/>
** Except <a href="http://www.icar.co.uk">Icar</a>, which will be finished when the proof readers are done with it.<br/></span>
<h2>Make a list of tasks</h2>
What goes into an RPG? Fortunately, I made a <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2011/11/how-to-write-free-rpg-prologue.html">handy guide</a> on how to do just that. I used the sections of the guide to write down a big list of tasks. I broke down the tasks into items just large enought that I could finish a task in one evening. Or thereabouts. Do not keep the plan in your head, write it down. Your brain has got enough to worry about.<br/>
<br/>
<div style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://trello.com/b/1SKikq0z" imageanchor="1" style="margin:0 auto;"><img title="The marvel that is Trello. Amazing that it is free and just so very useful!" border="0" height="173" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WDqYoHvLum0/UKq1lmOIZvI/AAAAAAAAKZk/3JuYO0GI0FY/s400/guide-plan-rpg.png" /></a></div><br/>
<br/>
Right from the start, I used Trello to organise ideas and tasks. You can <a href="https://trello.com/b/1SKikq0z">check the board out with having an account</a>. Each card on Trello has a checklist that I can tick off as a I go. Some of the research I did on my smartphone (reading Wikipedia), so I could tick them off at any time.
<h3>Organising my columns</h3>
The columns in Trello are really handy for keeping my on track. I use:
<ul>
<li><b>Roadblocks</b> - for problems, things I must address but cannot think of a solution just yet. Kept in plain view, I can see they exist but they do not block my progress.</li>
<li><b>Must haves</b> - any task that is required to meet my goal.</li>
<li><b>Like to haves</b> - tasks that would be nice to include but not required for the goal.</li>
<li><b>Batshit crazy</b> - any ideas that crop </li>
</ul>
I move the cards as I progress, keeping the things stopping me (roadblocks) in clear view. I also like to track crazy ideas. By writing them down, I get to work on them later rather than being sidetracked during the project.
<h2>Estimate task length</h2>
With my list of tasks, I estimate how many "evenings" each item would take. I used "evening" as a measure of time because I tend to get time after my 3 year old son has gone to bed. I worked out that in about 10 evenings, I could have the system and setting done. Knowing how many evenings I had was imperative for the next step...
<h2>Work out time left</h2>
Using your own measure of time, work out how much time you have until the deadline. For NaGaDeMon, at the start of November, you have 30 days. Or 29 evenings for me. Once you have that raw number (which will look really big in a moment), take away any commitments you know are comming up. Now you have the <em>best case</em> amount of time. You won't get to use all of that because life happens. Now the original <em>raw</em> number looks really big.<br/>
<br/>
For me, I took the 29 evenings (raw number) and started hacking:
<ul>
<li>Removed evenings where I had family commitments (4 evenings)</li>
<li>Removed evenings where work might need me (5 evenings)</li>
<li>Removed evenings where I do other things (such as GMing! - 5)</li>
</ul>
Which left me with 15 evenings in the best possible case. I knew I wouldn't get all that time because life gets in the way but at least I had a feel that there was only so much I could expect of myself given that I had 15 evenings in the best possible case.<br/>
<br/>
My estimate was 10 evenings, so 15 evenings should be enough.
<h2>Negotiate more time</h2>
With existing commitments, try and negotiate time off. Do so as early as you can. Last minute cancelling of events doesn't keep you any friends, especially if it is to do a fun hobby task.<br/>
<br/>
Mrs Lang, the dearly-loved-long-suffering-non-gamer-wife-o-matic-unit mk1, is very understanding about my gaming problem and as such can be negotiated with. Normally, with a delicate application of crap movies and chocolate, I can negoatiate a whole day at the weekend where she disappears with offspring #1 (of a 1 part set) to leave me in peace to create. I am much more productive during the day. I also took a day's vacation too.<br/>
<h2>Set milestones</h2>
Milestones are mini-deadlines by which you know that you need to have done certain things. Splitting up a big project into a series of smaller deadlines gives you a sense of a achievement in bite size chunks as well as allowing you to chart your progress.<br/>
<br/>
I set milestones for:
<ul>
<li>Deciding on the setting and system</li>
<li>Writing the system</li>
<li>Writing most of the setting (enough to play)</li>
<li>Playtesting - important to set up front because other people would be involved</li>
<li>Layout and graphics. Do it <a href="http://www.thefreerpgblog.com/2011/11/how-to-write-free-rpg-chapter-6.html">last</a>.</li>
<li>Writing blog posts, although I felt those milestones could go by-the-by</li>
</ul>
<h2>Make the plan fun</h2>
Completing tasks should have a reward. Be it the pleasure of ticking a box on a check list, putting a sticker in a potty training task or a chocolate treat. If you hit a milestone, treat yourself; perhaps get a pizza one night or if you're hard up for a few brain cells, watch the latest episode in the Twilight saga. I like ticking off items in my lists, which is another reason that Trello is perfect for me.
<h2>Re-evaluate the plan regularly</h2>
The plan needs to be checked regularly, even early on when you have it all fresh in your mind. Keep updating it. Live throws stuff at you, expect it and expect to change the plan. The plan doesn't mind being hospitalised for a bit.
<h2>Plan on fire? Make a new one</h2>
If you find that your plan has combusted then that's OK. Making a new plan out of the ashes of the old one is a great thing to do; you know where you were unrealistic and you know what is feasible. You are nearer your goal, so there is less to estimate.<br/>
<br/>
Wife Unit #1 took ill on the day that I was going to have alone to do graphics and my day off never materialised. But I was not disheartened. I didn't panic. I just took a look at all my lists, realised that I had jolly well completed rather a lot and <em>brought my playtest date forward</em>.
<h2>Do you make plans?</h2>
Do you make plans? What works for you? Is there any planning technique that is particularly useful or to be avoided? Did you make a plan for this year's NaGaDeMon? Rob Langhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377928640392467606noreply@blogger.com1