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Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine
Publisher: Jenna Katerin Moran
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/20/2014 03:32:37

A unique RPG that rewards genre play over "winning." Characters can gain XP -- which is used to advance their personal and group story -- from evoking certain emotions, from working on side quests, and from doing things that fit the type of story being told. In a "Pastoral" game, you can gain XP from just sitting down next to someone and appreciating a sunset, while in an "Adventure Fantasy" game, you might gain it from getting into trouble over your head. Actions are diceless, resolved by skill level + how much Will you're willing to spend; essentially, the game uses the "mortal action" rules from Nobilis 3rd Edition, which are very clear and work well.

The end result is like if you mixed a dozen diverse animes with Adventure Time and My Little Pony. It's fun, it's immersive, and it excels at mixing characters. A player who wants a dramatic, serious PC can coexist just fine with one who wants a goofy, whimsical PC. The only challenge will be picking a genre that everyone can agree on (or blending the existing genres to come up with one of your own), but that's half the fun!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine
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Nobilis: Antithesis, Minibook 1i
Publisher: Jenna Katerin Moran
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/12/2012 16:48:50

Not only did this book help me understand Deceivers, it helped me understand Excrucians in general -- how they break through into reality, how they can be formed from the core of a human being, why they do what they do, and so on. That alone was worth the price of the book. But of course the meat of this supplement is the Deceivers themselves, and we get a WEALTH of information about them, particularly rules for building them from the ground up (with a clear and complete example), starting with an avatar/lifepath and ending with the actual attributes, bonds, etc. In theory, you could use this to play a Deceiver PC (and there are rules for that!) but in practice, this will help me (as GM) flesh out my Deceivers (and, to some degree, other Excrucians) and make each one a fully-developed character.

A strong recommendation for GMs, entirely optional for players (who may appreciate the general insight into Persona and be inspired by some of the concepts, which could equally apply to Nobles).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Nobilis: Antithesis, Minibook 1i
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Nobilis: The Essentials, Volume 1
Publisher: Jenna Katerin Moran
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/12/2012 16:40:47

I think it's hilarious that the largest complaint about this book from existing Nobilis fans is "They changed the art!!!" Why? Because this (third) edition changes so many major things. Literally half of the attributes have been replaced (goodbye Realm and Spirit, hello Persona and Treasure). Bonds and restrictions have gone from a mild weakness to one of the most expanded and important systems in the game. Chancels and Imperators are designed more loosely now, with no point system to min-max. Everything works BETTER in so many ways!

And I guess that's why people whine about the art. Because it's the only possible thing to complain about. (Well, that and the organization. I think this core book can be a little schizophrenic or ADHD in how it presents sections, even if those sections themselves are very clearly written. But that's not enough to knock off more than half a star, at worst.)

Well, I'm here to say that the art is GREAT! The relaxed, anime-style approach is exactly what Nobilis needed -- it's a wonderful change from the Serious Art Pieces of the second edition. I think it will help to dispel this notion that Nobilis is some pretentious, serious, intimidating game. Seriously, there are a LOT of gamers who look at Nobilis and think, "I can't run that. I wouldn't even know where to start!" and a large part of that is presentation. When the truth is, at heart, Nobilis really boils down to, "OMG I'm a demigod now. I can do cool miracles and stuff! I'M GONNA GO DO COOL STUFF!!! :D"

Nobilis can be played seriously or lighthearted, but no matter what, it's supposed to be FUN, and this new edition really puts that in the foreground. So five stars from me for taking an RPG I already loved and making it better, clearer, and more accessible. Thanks, Jenna and everyone involved!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Nobilis: The Essentials, Volume 1
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ICONS: Murder of Crowes
Publisher: Ad Infinitum Adventures
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2010 11:54:47

A dark, small-town adventure involving a little bit of investigation, a whole lot of saving people, and some run-ins with dark, spooky forces. (Obviously, I don't want to spoil the plot, so I'll just say that it's internally consistent, with no real plot holes, and is a nice mix of "supers" and "horror.") This adventure will work very well with low-powered, local heroes, but much less well as the scope of the campaign starts to widen -- it's hard to imagine (e.g.) Justice League members dealing with this situation. Icons uses the FATE system, which means that if you're even a little bit familiar with the FATE rules, it's easy to convert the game mechanics to any system you want -- I plan to use this adventure in my next GURPS Supers game, for example. Recommended.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
ICONS: Murder of Crowes
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d66 Spaceport City Names
Publisher: Jon Brazer Enterprises
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2010 11:49:58

This is a product? Seriously? This PDF is two pages long. The second page is just one giant ad. The first page is mostly whitespace, with some credits, and the "meat" of this product: a list of 36 spaceport names in the form of a random table. The names are basically just ripped off from existing sci-fi movies, shows, etc. I mean, "Alderanna"? "Serenity"? Gosh, why do these sound so familiar . . . ? It'd maybe be worth the 50 cents if these were truly unique or interesting, but as they're neither, save your money. Do not buy.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
d66 Spaceport City Names
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Creator Reply:
I'm sorry this does not appear to be what you were looking for. However, the description clearly states "Each list consists of 36 possibilities to get you out of a pinch." And while some are inspired by existing science fiction, others are unique. Again, I am sorry this this list is not what you were looking for.
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ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying
Publisher: Ad Infinitum Adventures
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2010 11:40:48

It's FATE Super Heroes! If you're familiar with FATE (the FUDGE-based system behind Spirit of the Century, Dresden Files, etc.), you'll find no real game-mechanical surprises here. The default assumption is that you'll be rolling characters randomly, and then trying to justify the combination of powers as coming from a single origin. (This may sound weird, but it could explain Spiderman -- "I have visions of the future, I can climb walls, and I'm a gadgeteering genius? Sounds like a spider to me!") Fortunately, there's also an option presented for point-based builds, so you can play the hero you actually want -- even if it is sort of an afterthought. The powers offer some basic variety, though there are quite a few actual comic-book heroes you can't build with it, and some super-abilities (like Tony Stark or Reed Richard's ability to invent crazy stuff) are handwaved or barely touched on. The system seems to price skill specialties being as useful as super-powers, which is a bit odd -- you're pretty much always better off having a power than a specialty -- and seems designed to justify super-normals. All in all, this is a solid game (largely because it's based on the proven system FATE), with an old-school feel, that handles super-heroes well -- as long as you're willing to accept a lot of GM interpretation and filling in the details. Recommended with reservations.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying
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Don't Rest Your Head
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2010 11:30:44

The setting/premise is a very flavorful and engaging one: By staying awake past the point of madness and exhaustion, your eyes truly open and you see the city "beneath" the city. There's a section on "sources of inspiration" in the back that name-drops Neverwhere, Dark City, etc., and I'd agree that this RPG does an admirable job of capturing the feel of a dark, surreal world layered over our existing one. The rules are a simple dice-pool affair, but instead of being based on skills and attributes, the number of dice you roll depends on how much Madness and/or Exhaustion you're willing to draw upon for the action. Both can give you amazing abilities, but at the risk of going just a little bit nuts or wearing yourself too thin. The game system is obviously built from the ground up to support the central themes, and it lends a synergy that ties the whole experience together. My only complaint is that the writing can be a bit quirky at times -- for example, the book opens with an Example of Play that was a bit hard to follow -- but only to the point where you might have to go back to reread a section after you've read the REST of the book for context. Strongly recommended.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Don't Rest Your Head
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Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Publisher: F. Douglas Wall Publishing
by Jason L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2010 11:22:17

An in-depth look at the land of Oz, incorporating TONS of detail -- I honestly didn't realize the books went into this much depth on Oz. The system is built to support the setting, with assumptions like "bonds of friendship are crucial" and "death is unknown." The game rules are very simple, but this fits the property -- you don't want to be looking up detailed grappling rules when the only real question is whether you can escape to the forest. (One exception is the magic rules, which are considerably more complex. I'm not faulting them, however, as magic is a VERY complicated subject, and you can't handwave the rules it if the PCs will be using it.) The included adventure (almost more of a mini-campaign!) is long, detailed, and looks enjoyable. I'm impressed with this book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
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