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The Good:
- Very nice alternate Powers system.
- Very good options for Edges and Hindrances as well.
- Some nice new equipment options.
The Bad:
- Doesn't quite live up to the promise of the Interface Zero book.
- Zeeks feel more "essential" to me than some of the alternate races in the main IZ book, to the point that I think I would have largely preferred this material (the mechanics, especially) being in there instead.
- The Occupations section opens up some new options that make the occupations from the main book feel a bit lacking in comparison.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-zeeks-psionics-in-2088.html
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The Good:
- I still love the trademark layout.
- Written clearly enough that even someone who isn't a baseball fanatic figured most of it out without doing any outside research.
- I love the random charts for "life events".
- Simple enough system with nice options for some extra oomph.
- Rules for playing through games, or simulating them with one roll.
The Bad:
- Not "bad" per se, but you do need to know at least a fair bit about baseball.
- There were some editing issues at the time of the review, but the author has since fixed those.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-tools-of-ignorance.html
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The Good:
- Very nice supers universe with actual time progression, rather than Marvel/DC "floating time".
- An extensive history built to a jumping off point for your own campaign.
- As usual, the characters manage to feel inspired by existing comic characters without ever feeling like rip-offs.
The Bad:
- Some key players are still left undefined.
- The editing could have used much closer attention, as there appears to be two pictures that were swapped, at least one missing picture and noticeable typos.
- No table of contents or index.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-usher-dossiers.html
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The Good:
- Great amount of detail and ideas on using the Mafia in an RPG.
- Complete, fictionalized city to drop you in, ready to play.
- Some humorously great options for Shortcomings, like Mama's Boy.
- Just about every page is packed with information.
The Bad:
- The system doesn't come across as gritty as advertised.
- It can veer into Player vs Player pretty easily, and that can be disruptive to some groups.
For my full review, please read: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-crime-network-cosa.html
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The Good:
- Some great new options for genreDiversion games, such as Cliches and some cool new gimmicks.
- Incredibly useful chapters on Mob structures, as well as crime and punishment, including step by step breakdowns of trials.
- Three complete adventures, plus eleven nearly complete adventures and 21 sample characters, ready to be used as PCs.
The Bad:
- Lacks the same "punch" as other genreDiversion games, like Ghostories and Bold & Brave.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-mean-streets-expanded.html
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The Good:
- Options packed on top of options
- A ton of useful material, including 9 complete adventures and 21 sample characters
- An implied setting, but nothing hardwired, so you can pick and choose as you like
- A large number of sample monsters, as well as the tools to devise your own
- Great price, especially for the content
The Bad:
- Some of the naming conventions on the monsters are perhaps confusing
- The title is fairly misleading as to the sheer depth of play available in this book
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-ghostories-expanded-rpg.html
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THE GOOD:
- The MasterDeck is pretty cool.
- The MasterDeck is included as a PDF, and available to order in print.
- I dig the Advantages/Compensations system.
- A comprehensive, step by step checklist (with worksheet) for making Special Effects.
THE BAD:
- No character sheet.
- An odd attribute scale.
- No setting material, and no real examples of NPCs, monsters, etc.
For my full review, please read: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommys-take-on-masterbook.html
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Creator Reply: |
Thanks for the review. Just a correction: the character sheet is on PDF pages 24 and 25, plus you can download a remastered sheet from the Precis Intermedia web site. |
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The Good
- Very focused concept brings the feel of certain westerns alive.
- Some great reference material on westerns, both cinematically and historically.
The Bad
- $10 for the main game, which only takes up 50 pages of a book that's only 70.
- None of the alternate settings feel anywhere near as good, or as appropriate, as the primary setting.
- For those who hate such things, it's full of "fiddly bits" like poker chips and playing cards.
For my full review, please read: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommys-take-on-dust-devils.html
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The Good
- I love the concept of warriors from all cultures chosen after their deaths to fend off Ragnarok.
- Very elegant mechanic in which one roll determines speed and success.
- Interesting grounding in Norse mythology to provide enemies, powers, etc.
- GM section shows a surprising amount of diversity in adventure types.
The Bad
- The in-character fluff is overdone. There are points where there is a page of flavor text to set up a paragraph of information.
- The first two chapters needed a more brutal editor to trim them down.
- Some organizational issues, especially in the early part of the book.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommys-take-on-valherjar-chosen-slain.html
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The Good:
- A rip-roaring Depression era pulp setting that manages to avoid re-treading well-beaten paths.
- Some great new Edges and Hindrances.
- Very interesting, supernatural twists on existing historical events.
- A setting section filled with plot seeds above and beyond the Plot Point Campaign.
The Bad:
- Unfortunately, it doesn't feel very "noir".
- The cover art falls shy compared other Savage Mojo releases.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2010/12/tommys-take-on-noir-knights.html
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The Good:
- Proof that there is "Life After Legendary"
- A TON of character options including some great Edges.
- Just a gorgeous book.
- The best Savage Worlds Hindrance ever.
The Bad:
- Some may be put off by some changes in common terminology.
- Out of the "comfort zone" of PDF pricing, though the print is MORE than reasonable.
For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2010/12/tommys-take-on-savage-suzerain.html
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Now, for all of my apprehension about Dragon Men as a PC race, I have zero problem using them as monsters.
Half a dozen variations on Dragon Men for use as antagonists...and you will want the Player Races PDF, because it references some of the Edges and Hindrances from there.
They are split pretty evenly among fighter types and arcane types (with one being a priest), with an even split of two extras and a Wild Card for each type.
Probably the most interesting variant is the drakeherd...a flightless dragon man who uses a saddled drake as a mount in order to take flight.
The Sorcerer Lord is particularly scary, boasting an impressive slate of Powers.
These could make for some good, interesting adversaries in the right campaign, although I definitely think the spellcasters are far scarier than the warrior types.
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On one hand, I am not a fan of "dragon men". On the other, this was apparently the runaway winner of a poll on the Misfit Studios blog about what race should get covered next, so there you go.
This is six pages on playing Dragon Men in Savage Worlds, who may or may not be directly descended from dragons.
Dragon Men, by default, gain flight, but they also gain "Breeding Hindrances"...a defect that the Dragon Man is born with. In addition to some of the common Hindrances, this can include having Thin Armor or blunt claws and teeth...or being unable to use their breath weapon without a Vigor roll first.
There are guidelines for Dragon Men variations based off of the dragons that have appeared in previous Misfit Studios Savage Worlds supplements as well.
A whopping 23 new Edges are present, which can tweak the PC's powers and abilities as desired, though some of them are "merely" Improved versions of other Edges.
The Small Cone Template makes an appearance here as a potential template for a Dragon Man's breath weapon (they can take on different shapes and sizes depending on the Edges purchased).
Finally, Dragon Man Scourge Armor is statted up.
I'm still not a HUGE fan of the idea of Dragon Men, but I cannot deny that this is an impressive amount of material, bringing a race in completely from scratch and dropping it alongside other Savage Worlds fantasy races, and still for the same $1.55 price tag.
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