A very interesting premise. Has lots of potential for GM's that want to put the time into it.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This independent game is a unique exploration of the place where fantasy roleplaying and real-world magick interact. The author clearly has extensive knowledge of both kinds of head trips, and had the great insight that what they have in common is using imagination and will to shape a reality.

The most appealing part of The Swing is its concept and setting. If you've always wanted to play a character who was a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis, The Swing is perfect for you. If you've ever even heard of the OTO; if you've read the Illuminatus! trilogy, Foucault's Pendulum, or any occult texts; or if you're just looking for a rich survey of magical belief systems for a modern roleplaying game, you're likely to find quite a bit of inspiration here. The Swing's rule system isn't as compelling as its ideas, so you might wind up using it as a sourcebook for whatever modern supernatural game you prefer, and even as a sourcebook it's still a great value.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: 1- The presentation of the factions attempting to influence the Swing gives each a potentially sympathetic motive; the opponents are not simply avatars of evil, merely enlightened ones with a different but justifiable agenda 2- Evocative use & transformation of public domain art 3- Good support from the publisher: definitely get the bundle for cool additions that enhance playing the game<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: 1- "What Is Roleplaying?" sections are always awkward; the one in The Swing errs on the side of talking as if to a child, and the description that the game master (or "Sage") will play the role of "the bad guys" clashes with the idea I liked in #1 above. 2- The author mentions that players may find themselves modify the rules during or between game sessions. In a tantalizing analogy he suggests that this is itself a kind of magick: players use their WILL to shape the rules-reality of the game, just as characters use their WILL to transform the fictional-reality of their world. I was disappointed that this insight wasn't developed further: it would have been cool to see a single meta-mecanic that governed changing the rules and changing the world. 3- Flaws in spelling, grammar, and general proofreading; not more than usual for a RPG, but something I hope to see fixed in a later revision (since that's a great advantage of PDFs).<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Very ambitious product with some creative ideas. I have to admit that I haven't played it yet, but I want to after reading it.

Utterly good. A whole lot of detail, fun system, versatile to the point of being a little farstreched. Very good system.

Excellent! Great concept and original game system. Extensive rules for character creation, combat, skills and even a magic system. Looking forward to using in an upcoming gaming session as a break from the standard d20 enviorment. Looking forward to future expansions.