This is truly a unique and trendsetting game ? both from the standpoint of the setting and the comprehensive way in which the system is integrated with it. Dog Town won?t be for everyone, but if you like true roleplaying ? and the idea of a gritty, ultra-violent, ultra-realistic take on urban streetlife in the seventies - then this is for you.
Set on the streets of a fictional New York City ghetto of the seventies, the game, as the intro states, is inspired by movies like Scarface, SuperFly, Carlito?s Way, Goodfellas, Shaft, Death Wish, and Taxi Driver (and I would add the obvious Dog Day Afternoon and Midnight Cowboy), along with recent computer titles like Kingpin and Grand Theft Auto, and true-crime biographies like Murder Machine and Pimp. Don?t expect heroic fantasy, unkillable characters with superhuman abilities, or, in fact, your character to survive (or at least remain unmaimed) for very long. These characters, like their real-life counterparts, live day-to-day.
Reflecting the setting, there are ten basic character archetypes: the A**Hole [the language in the game is colorful, realistic, and adult], the Broker, the Dealer, the Heister, the Hustler, the Pimp, the Thug, the Thief, the Runner, and the Racketeer. (Characters can embody two archetypes.)
The real key to the game is the way the system models the genre. It?s not a rules-light system ? there are 10 attributes (with values ranging from -2 to 5, with 0 being average) and 10 derived attributes ? but it's not complex, and the attribues are all crucial to modeling the various physical and mental aspects (many combat- or at least confrontation?related) of a violent, street-smart character. Attributes are used to derive a target number between 1 and 20, resolved using a single 20-sided die roll.
The combat is ultra-realistic ? with essentially every hit being a critical that is described in excruciating anatomic detail by the charts for various types of attacks (Stab and Slash, Blunt Trauma, Chopping, Boxing, Street Fighting, Wrestling, and Karate). You?ve seen charts like these added on to fantasy games ? but here they are part and parcel of the setting. If your character takes a hit in a fight, you will know it, and he will have to live (if he?s lucky) with the effects of it.
The only reason I can?t give the game perfect marks across the board right now is because of the production shortcomings and the price ? which I think is a bit high for a pdf-published game. However, there is nothing else like this anywhere out there, so the money is well spent regardless.
<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Unique tone and perspective that really brings to life the setting and rejuvenates the roleplaying genre. Straightforward system that is completely integrated with the setting and style of play. Very comprehensive and well-interrelated rules that really bring the setting to life. PDF is bookmarked. Author already provided an update.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No print-only version. Provided version is definitely not suitable for efficient printing (but pdf owners get a discount on the POD version). Much of the artwork is only so-so. Layout is pedestrian. No Index. System isn't difficult, but explanation is a bit abstruse at times. There is a very detailed map of Dog Town included (including building interiors), but it was done in a paint program and is rather garish and difficult to decipher.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
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