I just got this product earlier tonight, so I haven't had a chance to use it in an actual game situation, but I'm really impressed. What this product really does is provide "crunch" for what might otherwise seem like "fluffy" encounters. You get a straightforward but robust system for resolving "debates"--verbal rather than violent confrontations--using standard d20 concepts (skill rolls, DCs, etc.). The system rewards, but does not demand, "improv" style role-playing for these encounters. Thus players who like to "speak for" their characters will gain bonuses, but players who simply want to describe what their characters are doing without wording their actual speech will still have the success of their actions driven by the character's abilities, not the player's oratorical skills. Using these rules is very much like staging a combat encounter, only the maneuvers are rhetorical ploys. Great stuff.
<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: "Crunch" for resolving verbal confrontations. Success depends on the character's statistical abilities (plus die rolls, of course), not the player's acting ability.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The guy on the front cover. He doesn't really look like he's up for much "debating."<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>
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