Totally worth the price.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=88778&affiliate_id=10748
This one is for Scot!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Sheen
This might be the coolest product I have seen in a long time.
Totally worth the price.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=88778&affiliate_id=10748
This one is for Scot!
Totally worth the price.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=88778&affiliate_id=10748
This one is for Scot!
Review: Witch Hunter: the Invisible World
Witch Hunter: the Invisible World
I have a real love-hate relationship with this game. I played it right after it first came out at Gen Con and thought the game was great. The rule system was easy to pick up in game and I liked the dark history feel of it. It felt like one of the modern horror games that I loved to play set in the 17th century. I bought a copy then and there and took it home. Once I started reading through it all I was less enamored with it. The funky alt-history never worked for me, and as a player that likes to play witches in many games I disliked the vibe of the game that all witches were evil and had to be hunted.
Also on future playing I began to dislike the system. I sold the book to a friend about 6 months later. I wanted to give it another chance so I picked it up at DriveThruRPG about a year after I bought it in hardcover. I have given the game it's due attention (bought it twice in fact) and still could not make it work for me. To be 100% fair I think that has much more to do with me than this game.
I think there is a lot of really good material here. A lot of things I would love to use elsewhere, maybe running it under WitchCraft or True20. The book itself is well laid out and just a cool book to look at. The PDF here comes in both the full version and a printer friendly one. There is a vague World of Darkness feel about it and it does remind me a bit of Mage the Sorcerers Crusade. I do like the magic system here and I do keep coming back to the game wanting to do more with it.
Character creation is very good, I like the spells and the magic system. The overview of the world is very nice and I like the background information on the Orders of Solomon.
There is an odd mix of new and old thought in this book, some of them contradictory. Examples: The Sumerlands are mentioned (from Wicca) but witches are supposed to be all evil. Werewolves are shown with a pentagram etched into their hand/paw but that is something that only came out in the movies. The Aztecs are still around, even if other parts of history depicted here could not have happened unless the Spanish had had a firm hold on the New World.
The book has a ton of atmosphere, and you know right away what this game is all about.
A few things I like:
- Atmosphere. Like I said it has oodles and gobs of it. Solomon Kane left feeling "eh", but this one, you know right away what you are doing.
- Closest thing I get to a WoD-like game set in a period I really wanted to try.
- Support, the Paradigm Concepts website has tons of cool things, in fact seeing the website made want to seek this game out when it was first available at GenCon (2007 was it?) I bought a book there and then later bought the PDFs.
- Solomonic-based magic systems always rock.
- Beautiful book.
- The Orders, I can see why the exist, what they do in the world and why someone (the PC) would be part of one.
Things I didn't like, but could easily live with:
- Very WoD in feel and execution.
- Dice pools. Don't like them, but I can live wit them.
- Talents seem very "Feat" like. I like feats mind you, just not everywhere.
- would have liked more monsters.
- "Satanists". Too many modern conotations. I would have prefered to see "Diaboloists" (which the book does also use) or "Luciferians".
Things I didn't like:
- Some of the alt history doesn't make sense, even with magic. But that can be an opinion.
- I dislike the entire black & white-ness of the good and evil here. If it were just that I would say it is an artifact of the times they are trying to emulate and be fine with it. But I like to play "good" witches also and the rules (or my interpretation of them) didn't support that.
And by good witches I don't mean spiritualists or animists or alchemists. I mean witches. That practice witchcraft, worship the Goddess and all that. Granted that is MY bias and maybe this is not really the game for this.
- Along with good witches (and the spells for them). I'd would have liked to see evil members of the Church. Sure their are "foils" in the shape of the Jesuits. But I work for a couple of Jesuit universities, I was not buying it as a real attempt to make them evil. Rather just overly dogmatic in their views.
In the end, I am going to give it 4 stars out of five. I think it does what it does well, even if it leaves me scratching my head at times. It is an attractive book and the online support and community for it is really top notch. I would have given it 3, but everything I think is "Wrong" with it is really my own bias.
I have a real love-hate relationship with this game. I played it right after it first came out at Gen Con and thought the game was great. The rule system was easy to pick up in game and I liked the dark history feel of it. It felt like one of the modern horror games that I loved to play set in the 17th century. I bought a copy then and there and took it home. Once I started reading through it all I was less enamored with it. The funky alt-history never worked for me, and as a player that likes to play witches in many games I disliked the vibe of the game that all witches were evil and had to be hunted.
Also on future playing I began to dislike the system. I sold the book to a friend about 6 months later. I wanted to give it another chance so I picked it up at DriveThruRPG about a year after I bought it in hardcover. I have given the game it's due attention (bought it twice in fact) and still could not make it work for me. To be 100% fair I think that has much more to do with me than this game.
I think there is a lot of really good material here. A lot of things I would love to use elsewhere, maybe running it under WitchCraft or True20. The book itself is well laid out and just a cool book to look at. The PDF here comes in both the full version and a printer friendly one. There is a vague World of Darkness feel about it and it does remind me a bit of Mage the Sorcerers Crusade. I do like the magic system here and I do keep coming back to the game wanting to do more with it.
Character creation is very good, I like the spells and the magic system. The overview of the world is very nice and I like the background information on the Orders of Solomon.
There is an odd mix of new and old thought in this book, some of them contradictory. Examples: The Sumerlands are mentioned (from Wicca) but witches are supposed to be all evil. Werewolves are shown with a pentagram etched into their hand/paw but that is something that only came out in the movies. The Aztecs are still around, even if other parts of history depicted here could not have happened unless the Spanish had had a firm hold on the New World.
The book has a ton of atmosphere, and you know right away what this game is all about.
A few things I like:
- Atmosphere. Like I said it has oodles and gobs of it. Solomon Kane left feeling "eh", but this one, you know right away what you are doing.
- Closest thing I get to a WoD-like game set in a period I really wanted to try.
- Support, the Paradigm Concepts website has tons of cool things, in fact seeing the website made want to seek this game out when it was first available at GenCon (2007 was it?) I bought a book there and then later bought the PDFs.
- Solomonic-based magic systems always rock.
- Beautiful book.
- The Orders, I can see why the exist, what they do in the world and why someone (the PC) would be part of one.
Things I didn't like, but could easily live with:
- Very WoD in feel and execution.
- Dice pools. Don't like them, but I can live wit them.
- Talents seem very "Feat" like. I like feats mind you, just not everywhere.
- would have liked more monsters.
- "Satanists". Too many modern conotations. I would have prefered to see "Diaboloists" (which the book does also use) or "Luciferians".
Things I didn't like:
- Some of the alt history doesn't make sense, even with magic. But that can be an opinion.
- I dislike the entire black & white-ness of the good and evil here. If it were just that I would say it is an artifact of the times they are trying to emulate and be fine with it. But I like to play "good" witches also and the rules (or my interpretation of them) didn't support that.
And by good witches I don't mean spiritualists or animists or alchemists. I mean witches. That practice witchcraft, worship the Goddess and all that. Granted that is MY bias and maybe this is not really the game for this.
- Along with good witches (and the spells for them). I'd would have liked to see evil members of the Church. Sure their are "foils" in the shape of the Jesuits. But I work for a couple of Jesuit universities, I was not buying it as a real attempt to make them evil. Rather just overly dogmatic in their views.
In the end, I am going to give it 4 stars out of five. I think it does what it does well, even if it leaves me scratching my head at times. It is an attractive book and the online support and community for it is really top notch. I would have given it 3, but everything I think is "Wrong" with it is really my own bias.
Am I a 2nd or 3rd Generation gamer?
I am an old school gamer, I started in 1979 with a copy of the Holmes Basic set (Blue Book) and the AD&D Monster Manual. I kicked my gaming into high gear the next years though with the Moldvay Basic.
I learned from guys that learned from their older brothers. I played with a guy that had learned how to play from Gary himself using the White Box.
I am certain I am not a 1st Gen. Those are the luminaries of our hobby. The 2nd Gen either learned at their feet as Plato did from Socrates. OR are they all part of the 1st generation? I guess I must be the 2nd generation removed from the source.
I know plenty of "old school" players that were not even alive when even the first Red Box was out. I know plenty of just plain "old" players that love the newest games. So age is not the issue I think.
Where are you? Can you trace your gaming lineage back to one of the Old Great Masters? Should that even matter?
ETA: Cyclopeatron has a nice list of the Generation of Gamers.
http://cyclopeatron.blogspot.com/2011/03/defining-six-generations-of-d-players.html
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Justice is Blind, Issue 3: M&M3 / DCA
I have mentioned before about how pleased I have been that Mutants and Masterminds 3 and DC Adventures share the same system. Here is one of those reasons.
My latest super-hero character Justice.
Justice, as she is known is a Paragon, of the likes not seen since Superman left he Earth and Wonder Woman retired. Many know she is the newest force for Truth, Justice and the American Way, but not many know that she shares more with the those paragons of old than a costume design.
Justice is also Astra Kal-El, daughter of Superman (Kal-El) and Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira.
I have detailed Justice in previous posts. Her introduction and Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Ed stats, and stats for the BASH! RPG.
I like her M&M 3.0 stats as well and think this is the best system for her. Issue 3 of "Justice is Blind" would deal with her current troubles of establishing herself as her own hero with some flashbacks of her time on Themyscira.
Justice - PL 10
Strength 11, Stamina 10, Agility 4, Dexterity 2, Fighting 5, Intellect 3, Awareness 3, Presence 4
Advantages
All-out Attack, Attractive 2, Benefit, Alternate Identity (Astra Kal-el, Astra Kent), Benefit, Wealth (well-off), Connected (Bruce Wayne), Defensive Attack, Languages 1
Skills
Athletics 1 (+12), Close Combat (Grab) 2 (+7), Deception 2 (+6), Expertise (Law) 4 (+7), Insight 1 (+4), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 3 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+6), Ranged Combat (Heat Vision: Blast 8) 3 (+5), Stealth 4 (+8)
Powers
Flight: Flight 8 (Speed: 500 miles/hour, 1 mile/round)
Heat Vision: Blast 8 (DC 23; Distracting)
Invulnerability
Immunity: Immunity 10 (Life Support)
Impervious Defense: Impervious Toughness 5
Super Senses: Senses 8 (Acute: Vision, Hearing, Distance Sense, Extended: Vision, Hearing 2 (x100), Penetrates Concealment: Vision; Limited (Lead))
Super Speed: Quickness 4 (Perform routine tasks in -4 time ranks)
Super Strength: Enhanced Strength 2 (+2 STR; Limited (Lifting only))
Offense
Initiative +4
Grab, +7 (DC Spec 21)
Heat Vision: Blast 8, +5 (DC 23)
Throw, +2 (DC 26)
Unarmed, +5 (DC 26)
Complications
Power Loss: Exposed to Kryptonite
Secret: Is the daughter of Wonder Woman and Superman. Raised by the Batman.
Secret: Secret ID, Astra Kal-El, aka Astra Kent.
Weakness: Magic
Languages
English, Greek
Defense
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 10, Toughness 10, Will 3
Power Points
Abilities 80 + Powers 49 + Advantages 8 + Skills 13 (26 ranks) + Defenses 0 = 150
What I like about Justice is she has power, she has a pedigree even (daughter of Wonder Woman and Superman, trained by the Batman) but she is still young and she does not always know what she is doing or what she needs to do. She only knows that she sees injustice and suffering in the world and she needs to do something about it. She is not an brooding, agnsty hero, but she is a dedicated one and maybe even a bit of a naïve one. She just knows she has to do something. No existential struggles with her, just action.
Now here is to seeing if my regular GM will let me use her in one of his adventures one day.
ETA: I updated her based on some conversations
My latest super-hero character Justice.
Justice, as she is known is a Paragon, of the likes not seen since Superman left he Earth and Wonder Woman retired. Many know she is the newest force for Truth, Justice and the American Way, but not many know that she shares more with the those paragons of old than a costume design.
Justice is also Astra Kal-El, daughter of Superman (Kal-El) and Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira.
I have detailed Justice in previous posts. Her introduction and Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Ed stats, and stats for the BASH! RPG.
I like her M&M 3.0 stats as well and think this is the best system for her. Issue 3 of "Justice is Blind" would deal with her current troubles of establishing herself as her own hero with some flashbacks of her time on Themyscira.
Justice - PL 10
Strength 11, Stamina 10, Agility 4, Dexterity 2, Fighting 5, Intellect 3, Awareness 3, Presence 4
Advantages
All-out Attack, Attractive 2, Benefit, Alternate Identity (Astra Kal-el, Astra Kent), Benefit, Wealth (well-off), Connected (Bruce Wayne), Defensive Attack, Languages 1
Skills
Athletics 1 (+12), Close Combat (Grab) 2 (+7), Deception 2 (+6), Expertise (Law) 4 (+7), Insight 1 (+4), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 3 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+6), Ranged Combat (Heat Vision: Blast 8) 3 (+5), Stealth 4 (+8)
Powers
Flight: Flight 8 (Speed: 500 miles/hour, 1 mile/round)
Heat Vision: Blast 8 (DC 23; Distracting)
Invulnerability
Immunity: Immunity 10 (Life Support)
Impervious Defense: Impervious Toughness 5
Super Senses: Senses 8 (Acute: Vision, Hearing, Distance Sense, Extended: Vision, Hearing 2 (x100), Penetrates Concealment: Vision; Limited (Lead))
Super Speed: Quickness 4 (Perform routine tasks in -4 time ranks)
Super Strength: Enhanced Strength 2 (+2 STR; Limited (Lifting only))
Offense
Initiative +4
Grab, +7 (DC Spec 21)
Heat Vision: Blast 8, +5 (DC 23)
Throw, +2 (DC 26)
Unarmed, +5 (DC 26)
Complications
Power Loss: Exposed to Kryptonite
Secret: Is the daughter of Wonder Woman and Superman. Raised by the Batman.
Secret: Secret ID, Astra Kal-El, aka Astra Kent.
Weakness: Magic
Languages
English, Greek
Defense
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 10, Toughness 10, Will 3
Power Points
Abilities 80 + Powers 49 + Advantages 8 + Skills 13 (26 ranks) + Defenses 0 = 150
What I like about Justice is she has power, she has a pedigree even (daughter of Wonder Woman and Superman, trained by the Batman) but she is still young and she does not always know what she is doing or what she needs to do. She only knows that she sees injustice and suffering in the world and she needs to do something about it. She is not an brooding, agnsty hero, but she is a dedicated one and maybe even a bit of a naïve one. She just knows she has to do something. No existential struggles with her, just action.
Now here is to seeing if my regular GM will let me use her in one of his adventures one day.
ETA: I updated her based on some conversations
Review: White Plume Mountain Dungeon Tiles
I love the old-school modules, I love the new school systems. The trouble is that one of the things I enjoy about the newer systems is the use of minis. I love mins, my kids love minis. But I don't have enough dungeon tiles to always run these classic adventures or the time to make my own. That is where Red Pub Games comes in. I was searching for some material on White Plume Mountain, which I plan on running soon, and to my pleasure I found this product.
At 37 pages and 50 cents this will save me hours of either looking for the right dungeon tile or trying to make my own. I just print them out. IF I need to write on them, no problem, I can print out a new one later.
I am quite pleased with this product and want more.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Epic Dragonslayers
A couple of the Dragonslayer characters hit 19th level over the weekend.
I let my boys play two characters each, but sometimes the characters can vary. My oldest has a cast of 6-7 that he uses two at a time. Well both boys now have a character each that are 19th level. The lowest ones are still 15.
I am planning to let them take ALL their characters for the final battle with Tiamat. Yeah, yeah I know, not really a good role-playing experience for them and more of a roll-playing one, but it is the final battle and the last time they will be able to use any of these characters.
Plus I have a couple more adventures I want them to do before that big battle.
So I am considering using the Epic Level rules.
Anyone have any insights, tips, suggestions?
I let my boys play two characters each, but sometimes the characters can vary. My oldest has a cast of 6-7 that he uses two at a time. Well both boys now have a character each that are 19th level. The lowest ones are still 15.
I am planning to let them take ALL their characters for the final battle with Tiamat. Yeah, yeah I know, not really a good role-playing experience for them and more of a roll-playing one, but it is the final battle and the last time they will be able to use any of these characters.
Plus I have a couple more adventures I want them to do before that big battle.
So I am considering using the Epic Level rules.
Anyone have any insights, tips, suggestions?
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Message
That is the name of this story my oldest son has been writing. His teacher is very proud of him and so are his mom and dad! But beyond how cool that is, today during our Dragonslayer session he ran "The Message" for the very, very first time as a game. This was his very first time running a D&D game and frankly I thought he did really well.
We took the Dragonslayers, including his own character as a quasi DM-PC (I'll help run him) and I got a chance to play my witch again. The one I rolled up back when D&D 3.0 was new and my witch book was in playtest.
The adventure was simple enough. We (the characters) had to cross Druid Woods and deliver a message (thus the name) to a Baron on the other side of the forest. Simple right? What could go wrong? Well we were attacked many times in the woods by kobolds, hobgoblins and (much to my joy) a rogue druther and an evil treant. Of course the Baron had been kidnapped and we needed to save him from being the main event in a sacrifice to Tiamat. We saved the Baron (who turned out to be a Neutral Blue Dragon in human form) and we were attacked by a huge adult red Dragon (in my boy's world Reds and Blues hate each other so much that they will work with anyone to defeat the other).
Baron saved, returned home and the message delivered. It really was great fun. Liam (my oldest) said he toned down the Red. We got the initiative on him and dealt what I felt was a respectable 64 hp damage to it. Then he turned around and did a 48 to all of us on his first attack (and that was with the elemental protection my witch set up). He toned the dragon down a touch and we all came out of it more or less intact.
It was really, really fun. Liam did a great job and it was nice to not only see him running a game and doing a good job, but also running an adventure he wrote all on his own.
Connor (my youngest) also got in some good playing too. We found a gold necklace and I said his character could have it for his girl-friend, to which he replied "What girlfriend? I am too busy adventuring to have time for one of those!" And when we fought a fire elemental he told us that "I hate these guys, when I was younger they attacked my village and killed my mother." No idea where that came from.
Maybe next time we will hit the mountains.
We took the Dragonslayers, including his own character as a quasi DM-PC (I'll help run him) and I got a chance to play my witch again. The one I rolled up back when D&D 3.0 was new and my witch book was in playtest.
The adventure was simple enough. We (the characters) had to cross Druid Woods and deliver a message (thus the name) to a Baron on the other side of the forest. Simple right? What could go wrong? Well we were attacked many times in the woods by kobolds, hobgoblins and (much to my joy) a rogue druther and an evil treant. Of course the Baron had been kidnapped and we needed to save him from being the main event in a sacrifice to Tiamat. We saved the Baron (who turned out to be a Neutral Blue Dragon in human form) and we were attacked by a huge adult red Dragon (in my boy's world Reds and Blues hate each other so much that they will work with anyone to defeat the other).
Baron saved, returned home and the message delivered. It really was great fun. Liam (my oldest) said he toned down the Red. We got the initiative on him and dealt what I felt was a respectable 64 hp damage to it. Then he turned around and did a 48 to all of us on his first attack (and that was with the elemental protection my witch set up). He toned the dragon down a touch and we all came out of it more or less intact.
It was really, really fun. Liam did a great job and it was nice to not only see him running a game and doing a good job, but also running an adventure he wrote all on his own.
Connor (my youngest) also got in some good playing too. We found a gold necklace and I said his character could have it for his girl-friend, to which he replied "What girlfriend? I am too busy adventuring to have time for one of those!" And when we fought a fire elemental he told us that "I hate these guys, when I was younger they attacked my village and killed my mother." No idea where that came from.
Maybe next time we will hit the mountains.
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