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Just a quick scribble.
There are some things I don't like here.
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Whilst the writing is very good, it's overly wordy, I think a good editor (like me) would have shaved a few pages off the manuscript. Obviously this is purely subjective and the next reader in line would probably disagree with me.
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I just don't like the basic Skill/Stamina/Luck system. It worked in the game books but with multi-player games, it's clear what the best mix is and the players will likely end up with similar characters because of this.
- Finally, the overall layout is not to my liking, it really does look like a word document. The artwork seems to be stock and, frankly, not very good. Frequently, paragraphs will be broken by random bits of art; a common one is merely a strange code: "GH08.12 arrow up". No idea. The point is they are superfluous, drag out the size of the document and should be removed.
However, it took about 15 minutes and half a page to house-rule it to the way i wanted. There's a reason:
This game is deceptively massive. And modular.
Massive because it effortlessly encompasses most sci-fi genres and games from Traveller to Star Wars or Tron and in those between. I bought Stellar Adventures because i wanted a more manageable system to run my Traveller games—I’m getting too old for all the work—and I can. Everything is here, star system creation, trading, interstellar travel, low-key. It's all I need.
It’s modular so, the bit of house ruling I did at the top of the game isn’t going to impact elsewhere because you can bolt on your choices where you like—the modues are practically self-contained.
A lot of work went in to this project and it’s shows. A clever design that covers a lot of ground. Excellent.
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This is a good book. It's got the immediately likeable trait that you could run it with just this book, ready-made characters are included within, and damagge and armour rolls are provided for for monsters and heroes alike.
Obviously a copy of the AFF rulebook would be needed if you wished to be a spellcaster, and you'd need a copy of Out of the Pit, if you want to use the random encounters effectively, but otherwise it stands on its own two feet (though the warlock himself might be a challenge to run).
The adventure doesn't deviate very much from the original gamebook, but it stil seems to work.
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Awesome book. The delicacies in described this are particularly astounding.
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Nice Book, and very informative. All artists were given credit too.
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I purchased this as part of a bundle of holding as I used to play maelstrom. This version is even better than the original all the career's are believable and I like the way abilities increase through 6 ranks, although needing 3 ranks to be competent at literacy makes it hard to develop characters that can read & write, which I suppose is what you would excpect in the dark ages
or early medieval. There is a mass of background and details on loads of herbs, this came with a variety of supporting materiel the beast of ledsham and north yourkshire moors for example.
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This system is deceptive in its simplicity. Despite the lightness of the rules, the mechanics are elegant, and there is a lot of depth here. There are no classes, but this is not a limitation - you define your own class through Special Skills and Talents.
Fighting Fantasy was my first touchstone for RPGs, and also for solo play. I certainly encountered Warlock of Firetop Mountain before D&D... those books led me to D&D, as a matter of fact. And those books also blew my mind. I remember the thrill of seeing the newest one when it arrived at my local bookstore. Citadel of Chaos. Forest of Doom. City of Thieves. Starship Traveller, a sci-fi adventure. And then, probably my fave, Deathtrap Dungeon. I can picture every cover. Absolutely epic moments in my childhood.
I play a lot of D&D. I also do a lot of solo gaming and create solo gaming products, and I've tried a lot of so-called "Rules-lite" systems. All of them have something to offer. DCC, Warlock, The Black Hack. They're all awesome in their own way. AFF, however, rises above all these I think. Deep? Yes. Old-school feel? Certainly. And rules-lite? Definitely. It takes you less than a day to learn the rules. And there's not many special rules you have to remember, in addition to the Core Resolution Mechanic. I'd list the extra rules I'm aware of so far thusly.
- THE MAIN ONE TO REMEMBER: Resolution/attack mechanic - Roll two dice, compare to Skill or Magic + Mods. If the roll is equal or lower, you pass.
- You can voluntarily test for LUCK.
- Monsters use SKILL when testing LUCK.
- Number of attacks for a monster (given in "Out of the Pit") refers to the maximum number of opponents that a creature can fight in one attack round.
- Invest your spell with a few more Magic Points if you want it to succeed. The Luck test by the target must be modified by the same amount.
The one thing that I didn't find in there was an explicit reference about how to avoid traps, but I thought it was probably the following method: - Avoid Traps = Skill + Dodge. If fail, take 1d6 STAMINA. That's how I've been playing it anyway.
Anyway, I know I've rambled a bit, but all in all this is an elegant and deep system which makes for incredibly satisfying gameplay.
Can't recommend enough.
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Another great set. It not only rounds out the other pirate sets, but it will also be useful with other sets for gunpowder and sail settings. Something for British (or French) soldiers to go against in a "Sharpe's" style game
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A solid treatment of an X-Com like response to hostile alien intrusions. All player Characters are humans with a couple extra “base” skills and two new optional skills. Since there are no arcane backgrounds there are no arcane skills. Several edges have been removed as not appropriate for the setting (including all Weird and Power edges). While no new edges are added, Leadership edges are expanded to cover the PCs as well as NPCs. Gear is appropriately laid out but is mainly focused on military hardware (and money is ignored focusing on assigned materials and limited options).
The game assumes players are mainly heading out to battle the invaders, collect bodies or prisoners, and return. Healing will primarily occur between missions with extra characters encouraged so a wounded character can (and should be) left behind to heal up if not at full health. Military rank is addressed, relying on character rank for advancement. Personally, I would change this as it doesn’t make much sense for a “squad” of 6 Captains to head out with no more than two other soldiers with them. Based on the focus, I would have kept the advancement in the lower ranks up to Sergeant. A new rule for ammunition loss is included that leaves it to a special dice rolled (die type based on the weapon) for each Shot taken. Fear and Panic are also addressed.
Gear is well written but does not follow the gear (particularly armor and armor piercing) progression in SWADE. Advanced Gear is part of the very nice BASE development rules. These allow the players to choose which advance their base receives (that they qualify for based on what they recovered from the mission) after each scenario. This includes both human and alien research.
The mission Generator has been given a lot of thought. Much like X-Com, this covers most of the basic entries – Crashed UFO, Alien Raid (called Invasion), Infiltration, Collaborators, Rescue, and Terror attack. Combined with randomizing where (both continent and location) the event happens and the recommended use of google maps to identify the combat area, this becomes a real treat! The scenarios are scaled to increase in difficulty as the number of missions (and thus, the rank of the PCs) increase however this might be too fast based on the fact the PCs, unless the same one is used in every mission (discouraged), will soon be left behind by the alien invaders. A game master might use the table as an average of the ranks of the PCs’ rather than the number of missions played for both the difficulty and the opportunities for Base Advancement.
The final section gives a nice Bestiary of Aliens including really nice survivor descriptions, from different points of view, as well as the statistics and powers. Only issue I have here is all the Aliens have boosted Toughness that is not recognized in the “Special Abilities,” ranging from 1 to 6 points.
Allowing this to be used for donations to Doctors Without Borders was inspired. It was well worth the price and can easily be adapted for other ideas in the genre!
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This book is fantastic. Even though it ostensibly contains options for expanding the Advanced Fighting Fantasy game, I would consider it an essential addition to the core rulebook. It manages to make various aspects of combat in the AFF game much richer and more engaging, while still retaining the simplicity that is fundamental to the system.
In addition to providing more choices to players in desgining and playing their characters, this book contains a lot of information useful to Directors in planning and running games, such as will help to keep even experienced players a little more on their toes.
I was also pleased to see material applicable to characters other than 'pure fighters' - for example, the inclusion of rules for combat magic, and mounts of various kinds.
Finally, the appendix at the end indexing rules and options from all the rulebooks published so far is extremely useful.
In summary, if you're a player, get this book even if you're not playing a straight fighter. It will enhance many aspects of your game, whatever your character. If you're a Director, just get this book - you absolutely will not regret it.
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I have all the first editions of the AFF system so wondered whether it was worth my while getting the 2nd edition version. I'm glad I did as everything seems far more slick and more straightforward. I'm working through the adventures from the original books using the new system, it is a shame these couldn't be included, but there do seem to be a lot of adventures written under the AFF system available.
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Awful. I was scammed by Drive Thru RPG. I paid for a hard copy to be sent, they said it shipped, but Purolater confirmed it never did. Drive Thru RPG refuse to contact me to resolve issue. Avoid buying anything from this company. They are a scam.
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Creator Reply: |
Hi,
Obviously this is beyond our control, but if you email me at admin at arion-games dot com, I will ensure that another hardcopy is sent to you immediately. I will then try and find out from DTRPG what has happened here.
Graham |
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DUNGEON MAGAZINE MEETS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
TheWarlockReturns is, naturally enough, a relaunch of the one published byby games Workshop in the mid to early 1980. This new version, like its predecessor, focuses on Arion Games Advanced Fighting Fantasy Games.
The beauty of this magazine it holds much needed information into the readers hands. They have sections Denizens Of The Pit, Jungle Mania, Mini-Adventures, Character Sheets, recent and upcoming releases and much, much more
This is a must have for anyone who enjoys the Fighting Fantasy Worlds. It is well put together magazine in either pdf or print version. Personally, I purchase both as each serves its purpose.
I would like to continue to see Stellar Adventures, and Titan sections. That said, I would love to read articles on AFF Horror and AFF Super Heros too!
I originally commented that I was willing to pay $40 for a subscription (4 issues a year). After reading issue 2, which appears to an oversight with the contents, I'd actually pay $50 a year for quarterly subscription. It's well worth it!
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From 1984 to 1986, Penguin Books and Games Workshop published 13 issues of Warlock, a magazine devoted to the Fighting Fantasy Books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. Warlock Returns is the spiritual successor of that long-gone publication, a quarterly devoted to Advanced Fighting Fantasy RPG. The Fighting Fantasy Books were a cherished party of my childhood, so I was eager to see if Warlock Returns lived up to my nostalgia-fuelled expectations.
Warlock #1 contains:
Denizens of the Pit: The inaugural edition of this regular bestiary column details the three races of chaos dragons. Legend holds that when Death walked the lands and breathed chaos into hidden places slumbering dragons were affected, transforming them into the various species of chaos dragons – the bilious Yellow Dragon, sinewy Orange Dragon, and the corrosive Purple Dragon, all of them warped by hideous mutation (roll on a chart; results ranging from tentacles to a breath of sulphur). Each entry hints at adventure by providing colorful lore regarding where these loathsome beasts have spread their foul influence. I love the originality of this article.
Jungle Mania: short, one-page article that offers equipment for use in preparing for expeditions into the wilder parts of Titan, including mosquito netting, mosquito repellant, machete (as a short sword, but +1 damage vs. plants and -1 damage against all others; clever) and blowguns.
Sizing Up Monsters: practical, well-considered advice for measuring adversary power levels to ensure balanced and enjoyable adventures. Great advice (especially for new Directors) offered in a really fun style.
Welcome to Arion is an eight-page adventure. Essentially, a playful god of mischief (think Mr. Myxlpyx from DC Comics) has decided the city of Arion is too orderly, too boring. To spice things up, he has placed a curse upon the city’s residents. Characters have to race around the city, solving a variety of riddles, in order to satisfy the god’s playful impulses and free Arion of the dark magic that has shrouded it. It’s a decent enough piece, and certainly boasts a unique set-up, though it really begs to have been fleshed out further.
Suggested Reading Material: What happens when a room description mentions a bookcase filled with exotic tomes and one of the players has the nerve to inquire about their contests? This article rides to the rescue, with 20 sample books. Very useful, and perhaps leading to new adventures. Notes and Letters from Arion provides 20 scripts that can be found on corpses, while picking pockets, or in a writing desk. They can used to add colour or inspire adventure; either way, they’re valuable. Another useful resource for Directors.
Authentic Chinese weapons, ranging from the Jian (a double-bladed sword) and fearsome Fue (wicked polearms, their blades decorated with mythic monsters) to the Shengbiao (a dart affixed to a long rope) and the famous dao (short sword). Accurate and balanced, this is an outstanding article.
In their Element, a map with brief room descriptions for an elemental-themed dungeon. Great inspiration for an adventure if the GM is willing to put some elbow grease into it. The map is pretty ingenious as it incorporates into its design symbols for the four elements, as well as the metals copper, silver, gold and platinum.
The Legend of Gareus, a comic strip featuring the cowardly anti-hero Gareus. The art is good, and there are a few chuckles to be had here.
Torra, a planet for Stellar Adventures. Ash and wind blow across great expanses of barren, inhospitable desert between the handful of domed cities. Residents of these cities are little more than prisoners; for most, travel between districts, let alone between cities, is severely restricted, and venturing off-world is virtually unheard of. The privileged wealthy classes maintain control through jackbooted law enforcement. The pressure being placed upon the lower classes is slowly building to a boil, and rebellion is a distinct possibility. The article forms the foundation of something interesting -uncaring oligarchs oppressing the masses in the cities and Mad Max-like nomads wandering the wastes between - just awaiting development by a Director and his players. It should be noted, however, that the setting isn’t complete; Warlock #2 includes factions on planet, necessary to providing a holistic view of the planet and its adventuring potential.
*Rounding out the zine is a well-designed character sheet
With well-written articles (several of them rules agnostic, making them useful in any fantasy rpg) and solid artwork, Warlock #1 more than lived up to my expectations. It’s a fine publication, a must for AFF Directors and of interest to gamers of other fantasy systems as well.
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Despite what the other review says, this is the newly drawn map of Titan, not the old one that's included in Arion's reprint of the book "Titan". It's of the same world, so it's very similar, but has got a few more cities (though still not as detailed as the old continent-by-continent maps in "Titan"), and notably has Gundobad located in Khul, which fans had speculated about for years.
Because of the process that was used by Steve Luxton (the same artist as the original map), a long time was spent making it as plausible as possible as real planet, including projecting it from a sphere instead of drawing it as a 2D map to begin with.
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Nice fanzine, with lots of good stuff and great quaity of the hard copies!
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