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Prime20: The Easy RPG
by randall l. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/11/2013 14:34:00

I recently had the pleasure of reading Beach House Games' new roleplaying system: "Prime 20." Over the years I have introduced literally hundreds of people (usually young people) to roleplaying and one of the biggest hindrances to their understanding has always been cumbersome rules. This rule system comes in at a slim 32 pages making it quite user friendly. The author of the game, Tim Beach, emphasizes fun and flexibility for both the players and the gamemaster and his rules are set up to facilitate that for those who are willing to accept them at face value. I think this game system would be a great one for new players and a gamemaster who already had a modicum of experience or at least was well read with a vivid imagination.

The system uses only a single d20 although Beach does give options to those who might prefer to use six-sided dice instead showing that the author is as flexible as he would like the users to be. The game purports to be usable with a wide variety of settings: fantasy, pirates, ninja and wild west to name a few; and the author promises future books to add details to these settings. The basic book contains 6 player character races and 12 monsters that may oppose them. There are two characters sheets which could be easily copied.

this does not appear to be a game for the many "rules mongers" out there. Mr. Beach keeps it as simple as he possibly can and it makes this system a breath of fresh air. The only detracting elements were a number of typing/editorial errors (I counted 6) none of them a disaster which I am sure will be corrected in a later errata. I wish Beach House Games good luck with their new system and look eagerly forward to future books dedicated to the Prime 20 system



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Prime20: The Easy RPG
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Prime20: The Easy RPG
by Hamilton R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/12/2012 00:17:17

Prime 20 is a reworking of sorts, drawing on elements of OGL D20 games and "refitting" them in a more-sensible fashion. However, I write reviews for three reasons: does the game deliver on it's advertised promise? does the layout appeal to the senses? and is it worth the cost to purchase it as is? I also like to deliver quick, simple answers, so here we go. (Each issue listed below will get a "+" mark if it is a positive remark, meant to cause the reader to purchase the game for that reason.)

    1. Does it deliver on "learning OGL games quickly" or "learning OGL stripped down to its essence"? I review these two issues, because the other advertised claims are ambiguous and can be fulfilled or not fulfilled by one's opinion of this game book as it applies to the OGL games others play. In short, it is more accurate to say that Prime 20 actually replaces other OGL games, and in this case, I think this is a good thing. (I tend to like cinematic, loose-ended RPGs and I shy away from mechanic-heavy rule-sets. Rules can get in the way of playing a game, and Prime 20 does a good job of explaining that.)
  1. Does the layout appeal to the senses? The book is a mere 34 pages of material (including a few pages of cover art and TOC); however, most of the pages contain mostly text with some simple line art illustrations. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it is just a disappointing aspect of the layout. In short, remember you are paying about 36 cents a page for a short-story project, where you could get a larger book for less money. Remember: RPGs are games and they are books, and that means they are also an art form. Art is important in a visual medium: Prime 20 fails to impress in the visual design respect, especially since I have experienced this game via PDF only. It feels bare-bones when read, and it's layout is juvenile: it needs work. (Not meant as an insult, but as information).

  2. Is it worth the cost to purchase this? To me, it is BARELY worth the cost, because the raw data is very useful and I will use the rules as written, with some minor tweaking. I don't like the current artistic effort so much; then again, I am a graphic artist by trade (perhaps I am too critical, for it is a better effort than most independents have provided. It's the PRICE versus quality that kills it for me.)

The bottom line: a great idea implemented in a poor manner for a rather large price. It feels complete and unfinished at the same time. Although I will use the rules, I am not happy at the cost to attain them.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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