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Paranormal Investigators & Exterminators (PIE)
Publisher: Genius Loci Games
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/08/2016 14:39:23

Good adaptation of the Ghostbusters intellectual property to the wonderful Mini Six system. Includes modifications to Mini Six rules appropriate to the setting, new ghostbusting equipment stats, and a decent introductory adventure. Hope to see more like this!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Paranormal Investigators & Exterminators (PIE)
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for the review John; it means a lot. Be assured as well that there will be more PIE to come.
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Thank you so much for the review, John! I am happy you enjoyed the first foray of the PIE team.
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Beyond the Wall - The Wicked Dark
Publisher: Flatland Games
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/15/2013 19:02:23

Yet another welcome addition to this already excellent RPG. This expansion includes rules for introducing goblins, the wicked fae, into your game. (These aren't exactly Tolkienesque goblins. Just as the dwarves and elves in the previous expansion, these goblins are more in line with the low fantasy of LeGuin and Alexander). Details on goblin magic, templates for various goblin-kinds, traits to add variety and depth to your goblin creations, and instructions on designing your own goblin-infested warrens for your adventurers to explore are all provided.

In addition, you're provided with an excellent scenario pack that allows you to quickly roll up any number of goblin-infested adventures for your young heroes. As with the previous scenario pack, the various generators let you up and running in no time (the cave generator is particularly fun).

For the price of FREE, Flatland Games continues to provide excellent material, worthy of greater critical attention from the RPG community.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Beyond the Wall - The Wicked Dark
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Beyond the Wall - Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings
Publisher: Flatland Games
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/31/2013 16:18:03

A welcome addition to this already excellent RPG. This expansion includes six new playbooks for fae characters, four of which are multi-class:

Dwarven Adventurer Dwarven Rune Caster (multiclass) Elven Highborn (multiclass) Elven Ranger (multiclass) Halfling Outrider (multiclass) Halfling Vagabond

You also get new fae-themed spells available to any mage, and a bevy of additional NPC's, from tiny pixies to mighty faery lords, to incorporate in your campaigns.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Beyond the Wall - Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings
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Cogs, Cakes & Swordsticks
Publisher: Modiphius
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/24/2013 14:47:27

Elegantly written and light in design, the rules perfectly match the genre and period. I hope to see more from this author.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Cogs, Cakes & Swordsticks
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rpgKids (v1.5)
Publisher: NewbieDM Press
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2012 18:00:56

We've tried several RPG's for kids, but so far, my children have liked rpgKids the best. Some reasons why they responded well to it:

First, the entire ruleset comprises 4 pages, with one page of optional rules. The rest of the PDF gives advice on running games with kids, a full-length adventure, character sheets, colorful tokens and maps, etc. So, the simplicity of the game is probably one of the strengths to which my kids responded. Combat consists of a simple opposed roll. The game employs classes that are abstracted into three categories: melee, ranged and magic. The classes themselves are also rather abstract (Healers, Sword Fighters, etc.) with minimal characteristics to differentiate them. There are no attributes (i.e., no STR, DEX, etc.) to track. There are no hit points or weapon damage points, because every attack (melee, ranged or magical) does the same damage: Once a PC or monster is hit once, he is considered "Hurt," and if hit twice, he’s "Knocked Out." There's a simple healing mechanic to allow PC's to get back into the fight.

The simplicity might make the game sound dull, but I found that it allows the GM (presumably an adult) to shape and adapt character concepts and actual gameplay for dramatic effect, a mechanic which the game encourages. As simple as the game is, it wasn't always a cakewalk for the PC's to accomplish their goals, so having the freedom as a GM to do a bit of modification (and even hand-waving on occasion) to maintain drama and keep the story moving is a strength, I think.

One last thing which differentiates rpgKids from other kid games is the quality of its adventures (there's an Adventure Pack, in addition to the full adventure included in the game). Mind you, we're still talking about adventures written for 4-7 year olds, so have realistic expectations. However, unlike the insipid nature of the adventures in some other kids rpg's, these have depth, both in terms of gameplay and story. No insipid rat hunts in cellars!

My kids thoroughly enjoyed rpgKids. They were able to quickly grasp the nature of the character classes and adapt them to suit their needs (e.g., a Sword Fighter is easily shaped to be a mace-wielding dwarf, a Healer can be a robe-wearing priest, and a Wizard can be Gandalf or some necromancer). They were also able to quickly get into the action -- not bogged down by rules, they let their little imaginations fly. As GM, you just roll with their moves, and fun is had by all.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
rpgKids (v1.5)
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BareBones Fantasy Role Playing Game
Publisher: DwD Studios
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/13/2012 02:17:21

In the 30 years that I've been playing B/X D&D, I have tried many other fantasy RPG's. Some have been quite good; others, not so much. However, no game had dethroned B/X D&D as the core in my gaming until now. BareBones Fantasy is that good. It has old-school sensibilities implemented with modern mechanics. You can learn the system in short order and get right to playing a highly cinematic, intense gaming experience that doesn't get you bogged down in the minutiae. Wait, you say, you want minutiae? Or you want to customize the game? BBF is highly customizable; its simplicity belies depths of complexity just waiting to be unleashed. Couple that with solid support from its developers at DwD Studios and you get a system that will serve you well for years to come.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
BareBones Fantasy Role Playing Game
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Plasma Base System
Publisher: Kunlun Mountain Studios
by John C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/09/2012 13:16:11

This product was severely disappointing. Plasma Base System (PBS) promises a simplified, old-school system. But it has two significant flaws:

First, claims to the contrary, PBS is not an old-school system. I think the author might have confused rules-light with old-school roleplay, a mistake many others make. What distinguishes old-school gaming from modern rps's is not that they're simpler (many were, but others decidedly weren't), but that they're much more geared to GM interpretation and have wider latitude in what you can do w/ your character. PBS is decidedly modern in this regard, with heavy reliance on skills and on multiple, heavily-defined classes. Any old-schooler knows that these two characteristics alone move a game out of the old-school camp.

Second, the game is indeed simple; your $5 buys you two pages. That's right, count 'em; two. Now, I have no problem with reducing complex rules to a few pages; in fact, I prefer rules-light approaches, which is why I took a chance and purchased this. The problem is that this rules system is incomplete. The magic system, for example, is woefully inadequate (listing a total of 9 spells). Other basic rules are just plain missing from the system. For example, you have to get their Expansion, another $5, to get the rules for basic things like races and alignment. I haven't purchased the Expansion, but if it's another 2 pages, you have to pay $10 for a (possibly) complete system that can be had for free elsewhere.

Many of you are probably already familiar with the excellent MicroLite20 system, a free system designed to be usable with the majority of the OGL/d20 material. It's a distillation of modern d20 rules that allows you to plug into all the rules, supplements and adventures already published for the the world's most famous fantasy roleplaying game. If you do an internet search, you'll discover that MicroLite20 has been adapted to multiple fantasy systems and licensed properties, as well as to multiple genres, from superheroes, spies and science fiction, to western, pulp and horror. If you're looking for what PBS promised, a rules-light old school system that is simple and straight-forward, you can do no better than the MicroLite74 system, now in it's third edition, from www.retroroleplaying.com. In their own words, "Microlite74 recreates the style and feel of that very first ("0e") fantasy roleplaying game published back in 1974 using somewhat more modern rules." Best of all, it's free.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
Plasma Base System
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Creator Reply:
Good point about the lack of old-school mechanics, and duly fixed. However, I don't get the impression you gave the rules any more than a cursory glance. I would ask you to give them a shot, particularly with a beginner gamer. If not, I'm sorry you didn't like the Plasma System, and hope you enjoy some of Kunlun's other offerings (most of which are free).
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