Mythic is simply amazing!!! It does EXACTLY what it's meant to. You can create adventure ideas if your stuck, you can play solo, gm-less, create surprises in mid-game, and it truly is compatible with EVERY RPG as long as you know the rules to that game. Honestly, the only down-side to this is that it doesn't have a human mind. Mythic is a great value and if you're looking for a way to simulate a GM, whether it to be played solo or with a group where the usual GM wants to actually play, this will successfully fulfill your needs. I caution you though, having a human GM who comes prepared and knows the rules and scenario like the back of your hand can't be beat by anything. Although Mythic is a very close second. I would go into how it works but previous reviews and the description itself sums it all up so I won't waste your time. All you need to know is that this system DOES work and it's so simple to use that your cat could probably use it as long as you could teach it how to play the RPG game of your choice.

I purchased the bundle Mythic RPG and Mythic Variations because I was intrigued by the GM Emulator for solo gaming. Solo play that's not based on choose-your-own adventure? That's worth checking out.

To boil it all down, Mythic RPG is a generic RPG system for storytelling – the GM Emulator for running games fits on just one page, consisting of a Fate Chart (to ask questions and receive yes/no answers), a Focus Table (to put a direction on something unexpected that happens), and two Event Tables (to better define something unexpected that happens). Mythic also presents rules for free form and point-based character creation, combat, and suggestions for keeping track of everything – NPCs, plot threads, and even procedures like skill checks once they've been established in the game. There are also brief sections on world-building, character advancement and converting other RPGs to Mythic. Mythic Variations mainly focuses on running games in different types of genres (mystery, horror, epic, of your own making etc.), each of which tweaks the Focus Table and brings in some additional rules changes to encourage the desired effect.

Of all the parts of Mythic, the GM Emulator is the core value here, which the author supports with crisp and clear writing and extensive examples. The Fate Chart also doubles up for opposed rolls, which looks as if it would fit cleanly into Mythic character creation and combat. For me, these sections fall flat. Point-based characters suffer under a clunky, generic 7-stat system with free-form strengths and weaknesses, plus abilities (skills) tacked on bearing no relationship to attributes. A storytelling game like Mythic should have thought differently about PCs, building them around concepts and motivations. For example (though I don't own the game), I think WotC's Everway did PC creation for storytelling right. The Fate Table can double up for simple opposed rolls (e.g., “did I beat my opponent?”), but for combat, it's a boat anchor. i.e.: Pull together and compare stats on the chart, roll to see who goes next. Pull together the stats, consult the chart again, roll to see if you hit; pull together the stats, consult the chart yet again, roll to see if the opponent is wounded. Various factors might shift the rows and columns depending on the rolls, guaranteeing that it's a new table lookup each time. I do like the designer's concept of dropping initiative in favor of free-flow combat. But I find the combat system as it stands unplayable.

I gave the game a lengthy, multi-session solo whirl with the GM Emulator and the great Savage Worlds system, turning loose a pulp street-level superhero named “Grayslade” in Boston. To date, Grayslade still hasn't managed to track down his nemesis, Zombie Master. Instead, he ended up on the trail of art thieves, questioning his way through the seedy underworld of the city... he finally tracked down, stalked and cornered a crime boss who was “in the know”, finding out that the theft was financed by terrorists to distract the police from their real target: Just as the crime boss dropped this revelation, the terrorists' bomb shook downtown Boston. [...] Grayslade did end up finding the artwork (but it had been intentionally destroyed after the theft. It had been soaking in a full tub of water in an abandoned apartment); helped apprehend the terrorists (who had holed up in a TV station to broadcast their strange demands); and was sent to the hospital at least twice. There are also numerous other threads that have yet to be closed. These were good solo sessions from a storytelling standpoint. But what you read is what you get: Using the GM Emulator is like writing the story as it happens, and it doesn't compare to live pen-and-paper sessions.

The Final verdict: $12.90 for the Mythic Bundle – even with lots of stuff I'll never use, the PDFs are a good value at little more than the cost of a movie ticket or a restaurant meal. I've gotten a couple days' worth of rainy-day entertainment out of this bundle, and am not done with it yet, so it was well worth the cost for me. If you're interested but on a really tight budget, buy the GM Emulator, combine it with your favorite RPG, and skip the rest of Mythic. To its credit, the GM Emulator doesn't just do “yes/no”, it can also throw in unexpected surprises. The author also deserves credit for his detailed presentation of how to use the GM Emulator most effectively. But even at its best, solo play with the GM Emulator is more like a writing aid than a real-life RPG session. Also notable is that even though the layout is good, some of the artwork in the Mythic RPG is not just downright bad but inappropriate -- and the book would have been better off without it (Mythic Variations' artwork is decent). In my book, it's a middling 3 stars...

Essentially explains how to create a plot point campaign - even solo play. Even if you don't use Mythic RPG, the scenario and campaign creation is worth it alone.