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Dungeon Questing
Publisher: MHGames
by Nathan E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/03/2016 07:57:11

Good light rule-set. It is a good blend for those who are familiar with Dungeon World and with FATE. It is more crunchy than DW because it allows more discrete progression, but it is good for those who want more D&D/OSR goodness in their game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Questing
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your kind review. Best regards, MHGames
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ERA: Epic Storytelling Game
Publisher: Omnihedron Games
by Nathan E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/15/2014 08:10:47

Very interesting system…you play a mythic/heroic character that we so often see in fiction - think Conan, John Carter, or Zorro. But it wouldn't be hard to use the system to play modern characters like James Bond or even supers like a solo Wolverine or Superman adventure.

Everything is based upon different dice (d4, d6, d8, etc). A character has Elements (5), Trappings (3), and Lore (5) - thing Abilities, Gear, & FATE style Aspects. Each one of these is tied to the five broad Elements: Fire (Might/Combat), Craft (Craft/Magic), Song (Charisma/Social), Granite (Wisdom/Knowledge), Ice (Agility/Stealth).

Adventures are built collaboratively - which is cool. There are seven scenes and each scene is tied to two Elements defining the conflicts that will occur within the scene. Storyteller and player both get to pick one of the elements in the scene. The following scenes cannot feature the same elements as the previous - so it is sort of like a puzzle, and it means that you have a robust story that just doesn't feature one element. Very cool!

Conflicts are based upon the elements of the scene. So a Fire/Craft scene could be a magical fight or even using might to overcome a trap. While a Granite/Ice scene might involve a puzzle that depends upon manual or physical dexterity. Each conflict has 3 phases - each with its own difficulty. You get to pick dice from your Elements (1), Trappings (1-2), Lore (1-2) to overcome the conflict. Once a die has been used in a conflict it can't be used again in that conflict.

No minis, no maps. Just story and a little dice rolling to add the spice of random results.

If you lose a phase of the conflict it is more about story that it is about damage - you're trying to create an epic story of your character's exploits. And when was the last time Wolverine died in the middle of a movie? Though heroes do get hurt, and there are rules for wounds - not unlike consequences from FATE. Wounds are tied to Elements too, and they increase the difficulty of future conflicts involving those Elements.

The game is designed for 2 players - Storyteller and the hero's player. However you can add a third by giving the hero a companion. Batman and Robin, Lone Ranger and Tonto, etc. They're noteworthy characters, but just not as powerful as the hero. Now that isn't saying they can't have their own spin-off later, but in the story where they are the companion they simply aid the hero. Cool concept, but might not be for every player.

The wrap-up: Era looks like a fun "rules light" system that could enable 2-3 people to play a quick "epic" game or two. It is also a very fun concept for story building and the adventure creation idea could definitely be used in other games.

I like it, I'd love to play it, and the price is right (but give the author and publisher a fair amount - it is a good book)!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
ERA: Epic Storytelling Game
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Wonder Core Rules
Publisher: JTeam Design
by Nathan E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/15/2014 08:09:34

Disclaimer: I am a friend of the publisher - I have gamed with them before and helped playtest the rules. Also, I actually read the document before release to help edit it.

Wonder is a no bells and whistles pdf - no art, and no graphics except a watermark and a few text boxes. The text is crisp and well laid out. The rules also flow well from one concept to the next and there are numerous links throughout to help you navigate. You get the rules, powers, a good example of play, a pretty good list of fantasy themed units, and a doc full of terrain templates that you can play with yourself to get the exact maps you want (cool).

The rules are simple and meant for quick fights between "minions" units only represented by their quality and "characters" who have four stats: quality, combat, defense, and wounds. While this seems too minimal to make it fun both minions and characters can have powers that can really make them unique. Mechanically all the stats are represented by different dice, from D2 to D12 giving you 6 different levels to play around with.

One of the unique features that I like is the Initiative and Action Point system. Not every unit will get to take action in a turn. The players bid for initiative and Action Points. The player with initiative can have their units perform some actions that the other player can't. Also, a player can spend an AP to interrupt actions of another player. This makes play really fluid and keeps everyone interested.

For combat - any units that are touching at the end of a turn fight. They both roll their die and the looser takes damage/consequences based upon the difference. Really easy.

You can really see some FATE influences in the game. From the battlemap which uses hexagon zones instead of distances, to minions only having one stat, and even the simple ladder system (though Wonder uses die levels instead of a bonus number).

It is like they mashed FATE and a wargame together, pared it all down, put a shine on it and came up with something pretty interesting and slick. Yes, it doesn't have art but it is a well put together product for a quick battle rule set. And it is PWYW released under CC-BY-SA. Excellent.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Wonder Core Rules
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