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Review video at www.dwighthurst.com/reviews
This is a simple concept with an in-depth and very detailed booklet that makes the game play exciting and fosters your creativity. The journaling strikes that balance of flexibility and randomization just about as well as anything I have ever played.
I am a psychotherapist and have recommended this game to several clients who struggle with traditional emotional journaling, and a method of getting out of their heads, and telling stories that put them into a mindful flow state. I definitely recommend this.
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A simple game that does what it sets out to do; create a framework for a school based adventure. very easy to pick up and run.
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I was fortunate enough to see the book in early iterations prior to the Kickstarter, and wrote up a full review of the content available at the time for the review website Sticky Bunton.
That said, the TL;DR version of the review is as follows:
The Good
Compared to the first edition of Iron Edda, this is a massive improvement. The layout is cleaner and more organized, the art is improved, and the book is overall more coherent. If you had issues with the first edition, they have been fixed here!
For Fate fans, you'll find that this is a rather approachable version of Dresden Files Accelerated (which tends to be challenging for non-Dresden fans), with a new "mechanic" tossed in via the Holdfast Creation. For anyone who's struggled with making a city that feels alive while also investing players into it, this new tech makes this chore much more interesting and interactive.
I'm also fond of how it's a viking-themed product that doesn't feel like every other bit of viking-themed material we've been seeing. There's a lot of nuances missed in pop culture that Tracy ensured were within these pages, and I'm all for it.
The Bad
My biggest (personal) gripe with the book is that there just isn't enough when it comes to the setting. We are told of other parts of the world, but in vague ways that lead to more questions than answers. We have some plot points, but not so much the how or the why. While I am usually against strict "by the book" when it comes to storytelling, I would like to know how the world works a bit more before I start tweaking everything.
The only other complaints I have rest with my ambivalence to the artwork (simultanesouly lovely but clunky at times) and the lack of new "tech" for Fate enthusiasts (as it can be viewed as a reskinned Dresden Files Accelerated with some new themes and mantles). Some newer entrants to the game won't see the latter, but the former is a mixed back.
The Verdict
I think any fan of the Fate RPG would want this on their shelves. It adds some codified rules while also bringing in an interesting setting that is well worth the read. There's some great ideas and twists to mechanics within the book, and the biggest limitations are caused by not having enough detail in certain spots.
I found it to be well worth the price of admission, and would strong suggest it if you enjoy vikings, mecha, and Fate.
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"And You Will Rest Your Head..." is a 2-page "game" that I think of as a thought experiment: one day at a time for 54 days, you create a sort of story about a fictional, deceased parent, embodying a character who having lost their last parent, is creating a journal about both good and bad memories related to that parent.
While it is something os thought-game though, I can't help but feel that this could be a potent, psychological tool for those who have lost a parent or any loved one, really... while I am definitely not a psychologist (or in any related field), it feels like a very powerful system for coming to grips with your memories of someone who is gone.
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I really wanted to like Iron Edda: World of Metal and Bone. I read the negative reviews and figured since it was a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) game that I’d be able to home-brew around them. After attempting to run several sessions it became clear that the flaws of this game outweigh the interesting bits.
The biggest issue, is that the setting and premise, of Viking style warriors riding giant bones and fighting Dwarven mechs is not supported by the rules at all. The best PbtA games have their mechanics centered around the premise of the game, but the playbooks and mechanics of Iron Edda are for a semi-historical, low-magic Norse flavored game and not for a game about epic warriors fighting legendary adversaries. The +Giant tag does not provide any mechanical effect by the book. I was treating +giant enemies and PCs like Apocalypse World gangs but then when I re-read the rules trying to figure out how to fix many of the issues I realized that was something I had added on myself and not something that was even hinted at in book, that a +giant creature would do additional damage and take less in return. The playbooks are not well balanced, tending to either be very combat focused or having nothing to do during combat, which quickly became an issue when I ran for my group.
Another big issue is since the game does not use either the standard six fantasy attributes like Dungeon World or the 5 Apocalypse World attributes (Hot, Cool, Hard, Sharp, Weird), it is extremely difficult to pull in moves and tricks, or anything really, from any PtBA game. But the rules themselves are pretty sparse, even for a PbtA game. Lots of moves are copied almost verbatim from Dungeon World and the game-master advice doesn’t add anything new, interesting or especially useful.
Overall, the only interesting thing I saw in Iron Edda was the wound system, but I am not sure if that was original to that game. If you’re really interested in the setting and concept, maybe check out the Fate rules version? I’m not at all familiar with Fate, but that set is at least better reviewed. The end product feels like it could have used an additional round of play-testing and GM advice more tailored to the game. When I got the Fate version for comparison, it was clear that many of the most polished parts of Iron Edda: World of Metal and Bone were taken from those rules. Otherwise, there are plenty of other PbtA games that are much better developed.
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I own most of printed Apocalypse Engine books and this is the one I like the least.
The theme of the book is a Ragnarok of sorts where dwarves rise piloting giant metal monsters. Not bad. Mankind responds rising the bones of giants (and the wrath of the living giants!) to fight back. Cool. Even elves are said to start using treant like suits of armors. Fine.
But then the writer lost focus and and kept on investing much of the little page count talking about clans and foreigners... in case you wanted to play with a roman-ish or celtic-ish character. The evolution and development of starter stories to the central premise is a long shot.
We got used to quality with games PbtA: Urban Shadows, Dungeon World, Monster of the Week, Tremulus, Spirit of 77, Legacy, City of Judas, etc. This book is clearly a sign that people started churning out books just to join the fad, without much foresight or care.
For the price they ask we deserve much more.
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I didn't like this product at all.
I really like Dungeon World. I've bought two other settings, both of which were very imaginative and fun.
This was just flat and dull.
First off, the cost versus the size. I take some ownership for this... I didn't look carefully to see that the approximately $40 book including shipping that I bought was about 100 pages. And describing it as 100 pages doesn't do it justice, as the pages are teeny-tiny. If this was a standard size book, it'd likely be about 50 pages. Which would be criminal for $20, let alone $40.
And the book is boring! The description of the book on DriveThruRPG was evocative, so much so that I purchased it. When I read it, though, nothing about it excited my imagination.
And some of the stuff in the description that sounded pretty cool, like giant pseudomechs piloted by dwarves fighting humans magically bonded with giant bones, have only the most superficial of descriptions in the book.
This book was bad. This is probably the only time I bought something on DriveThruRPG that I wish I saw at a store and skimmed through before deciding to make a purchase. I would dearly like my money back.
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This game is not really compatible with Dungeon World (nor does it require the Dungeon World rules to play), it's a Powered by the Apocalypse game that has some resemblances to Dungeon World. The game itself looks fine, but it's not Dungeon World.
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Iron Edda is an exciting, unique Campaign Setting that utilizes the Fate Core and Fate Accelerated Systems. Set in a version of Norse Mythology, unlike you've ever seen before, towering giants of metal and bone collide. Adventure takes place on varying scales of conflict in a world at war. Create you own Holdfast and use the plot points derived from it to craft a group of characters with a strong shared story.
If you’re a fan of Norse Mythology, or fantasy gaming in general, I urge you to grab this unique campaign setting. Please read my full review located on my blog Melvin Smif's Geekery!
https://melsmifgames.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/norsemen-giants-iron-edda-war-of-metal-bone/
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Originally reviewed at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2013/05/13/tabletop-review-one-shot/
One of the delightful things about reviewing role-playing games is getting to see what is out there and, sometimes, finding a gem or at least something that is intriguing. I first was intrigued by the title of this game, which in its complete form is One Shot: A Roleplaying Game of Sacrifice and Vengeance for Two Players, and the fact that it comes with its own soundtrack. Also, it is mercifully short and to the point compared to most role-playing games. The clear layout and straightforward writing also contribute to its ease of use. So, what’s it like?
Vengeance
One Shot is essentially a scenario with very basic rules to facilitate its play. It is not really a role-playing game in the traditional sense (cue arguments over what a role-playing game is…). It is quite unconventional, and I like that a lot. The premise is that one player will create and play a character who has been wronged by someone, and that wrong is going to be corrected with a bullet. This character is simply called “the Shooter”. For him or her, vengeance is on the menu, and it is best served very, very cold. The other player (it’s only a two player scenario) will basically act in the role most approximating game master, being in control of everything but the Shooter. They will control objects or resources, or the Shooter’s three relationships that he or she chooses and writes up on the character sheet. These relationships are close but varied, like parents or friends or something like that. Basically, the Shooter is maneuvering to get to the target, the one who must die, and the other player represents everything in their way. Friends may try to convince the Shooter to let go, parents may take the Shooter out for dinner and ask what’s wrong, the Shooter’s old high school baseball coach may stop by and say “Hey, a little bird told me you were feeling down. Let’s go out and grab a beer.” (the Shooter is over 21 at this point presumably).
However, the Shooter must continue on, pursuing the goal, the shot, the kill. The scenario rules leave it open as to how the Shooter wants to end things, it explicitly states that the ending is up to the Shooter. I wasn’t sure if the Shooter was allowed to walk away from the kill, but I got the impression that they weren’t. Once the moment finally comes, I think the target must die… at least, that’s how it is intended to go.
This Must Be A Game For Cigarettes
The language of the game is very interesting, and half of the PDF is dedicated to narrative, a flavor story to go along with the brief guidelines. I say guidelines, and not rules, because really, there are very few rules; everything is up to the two players except the initial premise of vengeance and that the Shooter must have a chance to take the shot at the end. The resolution mechanism is a single six-sided die, fitting with the simplicity of the scenario. If a five or higher is rolled, that is a success. Lower than five means that the Shooter will be confronted with a complication: some material object is needed or is in the way, someone wants to talk the Shooter down or otherwise sidetrack them, the Shooter becomes unstable or otherwise can’t think clearly or focus. These are all examples of complications. There are brief sections on the concept of the game, the goals for the Shooter, the goals for the “Forces” (everything besides the Shooter), and just a few tips for gameplay and setting. That’s it! It’s pretty cool, actually, that the game is so focused and seems to hammer home these ideas, and I really like it. I imagine both players sitting across a table from each other in a dim room, smoking cigarettes and watching the smoke curl up into the darkness while they play through the scenario. The guidelines and flavor text combine to give the reader a keen sense of the game. It’s highly thematic.
The soundtrack is another aspect I was very interested in, as I’ve only reviewed one other game that came with a soundtrack (that would be a soundtrack for Far West) and I really like the idea. As a composer myself, I am heartened to see music being thought about as having the potential to heighten the dramatic effect or immersion in the theme of a game. It’s great when game developers want a composer to write music just for their game, almost like incidental music for a play. This soundtrack clocks in at over an hour, with nineteen tracks… that’s a lot of music for one scenario!
This soundtrack is nice, as the tracks range in style from edgy to sentimental, and are of generally high quality. Listening to the soundtrack on its own is missing the purpose, as it will seem rather dull most likely; music that is meant to be in the background has to have the ability to be present but not distracting, and I think this music accomplishes that quite well. At times, it can feel like a track repeats the same simple motif over and over, and some of the instruments can sound very robotic and rather like the composer, Mr. Morris, was using a notation program like Finale or some other MIDI sequencer without much alteration. Unfortunately, this leaves some entire tracks and some parts of tracks bereft of that feeling of drama and utter humanity that otherwise pervades the game and the other music. Still, the soundtrack is a nice effort, and I think many feelings were successfully captured in it that might come up during the game. Tracks such as “Wet Sidewalks”, which is full of rain storm and late-night traffic sounds, seem to evoke the conflict within the Shooter, and the bleakness of the whole situation. Another track, “How Things Should Have Been”, is a departure from the foreboding sound of most of the other pieces, and possibly represents a happier time and place, where vengeance could have been as far away as the moon and all right with the world.
The Shot
What do I think about this game/module? I love it. I think the idea is cool, as the focus and direction of the game combine for a powerful punch of thematic suspense, drama, and horror. The only downsides I see are that it only supports two players and the resolution mechanism is extremely simple. Part of me wants to ask, why even have a resolution mechanism? Essentially, it only serves to randomly determine where complications will arise. Anyway, the soundtrack is cool, the layout and artwork are good (some really cool photos!), and it all just fits together neatly. It’s not pretending to be the next big game, it’s not over-reaching to be a comprehensive behemoth, it simply is what it is. If you’ve got yourself and one other player who would really dig a deeply thematic game with all the elements of an awesome revenge thriller, this title should be of interest to you. Cheers to Tracy Barnett, Tim Morris, and the team who put this product together, I think you guys did a great job. Thank you for… dare I say it? Innovation in the world of RPGs and creating something truly different!
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School Daze is quickly becoming my favorite system for one-shots and con games, bar none. It's simple enough for players to ramp up with quickly and feel comfortable, basic enough to introduce new gamers with and complete enough to keep us number-crunchers satisfied.
The game is a natural draw for imaginative roleplay and humor, and it's flexible enough that it can be applied to all manner of settings with a common core players can easily relate to. I definitely prefer it for more light-hearted games, but there's certainly potential for more somber roleplay and richer campaigns.
It is far and away the fastest system I've ever used. Games that would take twice as long in any other system (even simple ones) just fly by, which I chalk up to there being just enough structure that players know where to begin, but not so much that they get paralyzed considering all their options.
All in all, a spectacular system, with a wide range of potential. Highly recommended for those looking for light-hearted humor and a break from the ordinary.
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WHAT WORKS: Pretty book, simple system that’s not trying to do too much, or overcomplicate a simple process. And I absolutely love random charts, so that helps.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK: The list of Ranks seems too small, especially if you have a group of five or six players, all taking three Ranks. I’m not sure I’d wanna run a Buffy or Space School setting with this completely unmodified. The last gripe is technical, as the download is nearly 80mb for a 66 page book and my computer actually struggles a bit with it compared to other PDFs, especially of the same size.
CONCLUSION: Very professional presentation for a game that could easily make for a fun diversion, either short campaigns or one-offs. I’d be more inclined to go “Saved By The Bell” with it over “Buffy” or “Brick”, albeit I’d be tempted to venture more into Saturday Morning Cartoon territory than Saved By The Bell did. In essence, I’m not completely sold on it being quite as versatile as the author says (though there are a lot of folks credited as playtesters, so I may be dead wrong), but I do also think that it’s a lot more versatile than I initially thought. Pick it up if you want something simple and Completely Different from what you’ve probably been running.
For my full review, please visit http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2012/09/tommys-take-on-school-daze.html
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