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Macchiato Monsters $6.00
Average Rating:4.6 / 5
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Macchiato Monsters
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Jonathan [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/17/2024 21:12:03

Probably the most elegant Black and White Hack Hack, you're likely to see.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Michael I. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/05/2022 14:02:46

While I like the idea of the resource die, using it for literally everything seems exhausting and requires nearly as much tracking as the old fashioned rules. Mind you, the push your luck piece looks fun and the tables are perfect for improvising a one-shot but this is definitely not going to be my go to rules light fantasy rpg



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Greyson Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/26/2020 09:43:37

I only recently got into the OSR scene, and this has easily become my favorite system (next to Mörk Borg, which I like for different reasons). It's flexible, classless, and rules-light; it takes the best from Whitehack; it takes the best from The Black Hack; and it feels kind of like an OSR version of Everywhen. It's flexible enough that it could be easily hacked into many genres (like The Black Hack has). The only thing I want to see is more. I'm so glad I looked past the kind-of-silly name (because I love coffee anyway) and checked this out because it has exceeded my expectations.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Christopher G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/11/2020 12:38:48

A very interesting and rules light DnD system. It makes heavy use of tracking things through resource dice, which have a chance to drop down by a size each time they are rolled.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by ypikaye y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/08/2019 03:29:22

Tout simplement excellent ! Les meilleurs concepts des hacks sont rassemblés dans Macchiato Monsters, parfaitement ajustés et bonifiés. Un création de perso ouverte mais cadrée avec des choix forts et la logique de trait permettant tous les styles, combats rapides, l'usage d'un dé de risque (ou d'usure) poussé au max et un bon nombre de tables aléatoires bien pensées. La souplesse et la facilité de prise en main de l'ensemble m'a charmé immédiatement. Le hack "Café Noir" démontre tout le potentiel créatif de MM. Pour le prix c'est un carton plein. Bravo M. Nieudan !



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Michael D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/16/2019 07:46:45

I bought this on a whim and read through this several times. I really like how simple and flexible the system is. Converting monsters from D&D has proven remarkably easy (and entertaining!) using the 50 Shades of Macchiato Monsters given in the book. I am excited to be running my first adventure with this cool little system tonight!

I would like to to comment on the name - "Macchiato Monsters". I get the cuteness of the story behind the name, but it's taken me weeks to convince my players to take the system seriously enough to even try a session. The name just doesn't inspire respect and this game system deserves more.

Regardless, I anticipate a fun evening of exploration - perhaps many more!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by John D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/01/2019 10:54:57

In many ways, Macchiato Monsters is a periodic table of RPG elements brewed together with a single-minded dedication to randomness infusing the game. You’re going to be rolling a lot of dice. For everything. For the right group that’s going to be a lot of fun.

I would argue that it doesn’t improve on the White or Black Hack or feel as innovative as either of those games, but by taking their best elements and cranking them it carves out a space for itself. If you love usage dice, random tables, and improvisational gaming and co-creation, you’re going to dig it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you shouldn’t take it too seriously either. As an experiment, it’s really interesting and has a marvelous energy. Worth the cost of a latte.

My full review here.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Tore N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/04/2019 13:35:42

I've had a tone of fun playing the 'Zeroeth' edition, as a player and a GM. The present edition is even better. Macchiato Monsters sits comfortably between the known (it has D&D's six stats hit dice etc.) and the freeform. As a player you have a lot of choice when it comes to making and defining your character, but you still have to navigate some fruitful limitations created by random stats and rolls on the very creative equipment tables. It is easy to make the game fit your personal idea of fantasyadsventure (or other genres).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Sensible C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/03/2019 20:46:12

I've been a fan of $10 and under games for the last ten years or so. I liked "Worlds Apart" the most, but this is my new favorite. It's funny, witty, easy, and I love the fluff. It's easily worth the six dollars I paid for it. I laughed the entire time I read it. It's like you're in my head ;) That's fine, I know. I heard everything you said. AAA+++. I'm tired of dice and I'm substituting them for tarot cards and animal spirit cards instead. If you're a rules lawyer instead of a referee, don't buy this product. Nice references to coffee and Leviathan.

Hope that helps any creatures of the night, Sensible Cenobite.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Richard R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/27/2019 12:16:29

Fusing together the best parts of Whitehack and The Black Hack, Macchiato Monsters is a wonderful game that can be used for all sorts of fantasy action adventures. The GM resources are especially useful, no matter what system you're using.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Timothy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/26/2019 22:54:36

Macchiato Monsters is a fun, lightweight system that captures the feel of classic D&D in 58 pages – and that includes 14 pages of random tables, 50 monsters, and the OGL! The classless system allows you to build a character that fits your concept, providing they live long enough, of course. Combat tends to be fast, and at low-levels it can be qutie deadly. If you're looking for an OSR game that welcomes players using their creativity rather than what's written on their character sheet, Macchiato Monsters is worth checking out.

While it's not the first game to use a risk die (roll a die of a certain size, if you roll a 1-3, the die size steps down the next time you use it), I believe it features the most extensive use of this type of die in any game I've come across. Personally, I like this mechanic as it provides for careful resource management without having to individually track every coin, crossbow bolt, and ration.

The spell system reminds me of Vance's Polysyllabic Verbalizations from 13th Age or the ritual system from that game. Players have a lot of leeway in what effects their spells will have. There's a risk to failing to successfully cast a spell, however. It's not quite as gonzo as Dungoen Crawl Classics' consequences, but it adds an element of risk/reward when casting spells.

I'm amazed by how much content is packed into this book. It offers these little rules that are only a paragraph or two in length and cover a broad spectrum of scenarios that come up in a typical fantasy game. Morale, mass combat, random encounters, NPC reactions, chases, wilderness travel, retreating from combat, determining the weather, hirelings, sanity, stamina, and other subsystems are all provided in a consice manner. Often, the rule can be written with few words thanks to the nearly universal use of the risk die.

Even when I run other systems, I like to use Macchiao Monsters as a quick reference for how to handle situations. For example, I wanted to provide a unique magic item to a player recently, and assigned the item a risk die, rather than a set number of charges. Watching him weigh wether or not each use is worthwhile adds an interesting strategic twist that wouldn't be there if charges were simply be deducted from a total.

In a sense, this book is like a minuscule Rule Cyclopedia. It covers a broad range of situations in a small package.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by Whidou -. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/26/2019 09:35:56

The Black Hack may be the game that popularized the usage dice mechanic, but Macchiato Monsters is the one that made it reach its full potential. It is chock-full of clever uses for it, from magic and morale to weather and chaos. This reduces accounting to the bare minimum, and injects a fair bit of randomness into the game. A bit too much, even: trying to predict the outcome of a situation often becomes so challenging it can hurt serious play. Nothing ever goes as planned, surprising events are legion, the best way to enjoy it is to let go and go with the flow. It's the kind of game you play to have enjoyable light-hearted fun. The one time my group tried playing a grimdark fantasy campaign with it was quickly derailed by the Saturday morning cartoon-like zaniness brought in by the all-encompassing random nature of the game.

I haven't picked Macchiato Monsters as my system of choice because many parts of it do not suit my taste, but it is a great toolbox filled to the brim with good ideas ready to be imported into your home game. Here are some of the things that I did not like, but might not bother you:

  • Roll-under
  • I find usage dice for money awkward to use and more cumbersome than simply counting coins
  • The magic system requires quick an sometimes complex cost estimations on the referee's part, which can lead to frustration on both side of the table if handled poorly. You start getting a feeling for it after a few games, but it can still lead to issues every now and then.
  • A powergaming player will easily bring the game to its knees by abusing the DEX as king stat pitfall and the freeform elements. This can be avoided by picking carefully who you play with and ensuring that everyone is on the same boat as to the table's expectations. But, well, you know, it's always easier said than done.
  • Applying too many of the usage dice-fuelled optional rules makes the game too random for my taste by reducing the impact of player choice.
  • Healing magic is, in my view, handled poorly, but I have yet to see an HP-as-mana system that does it well. I don't have an answer on how to solve that besides forbidding it entirely, which is not satisfactory either.
  • Weak but hard to hit enemies are represented by a high HP count since there is no AC, which if find counter-intuitive.

Aside from those turn-offs, I found in Macchiato Monsters a wealth of well thought-out creative ideas:

  • Its mass-combat rules have become my go-to mechanic to handle these scenes in any game: it's quick and easy to use, delivering the outcome of a battle round in a simple glance at the dice.
  • The chaos table for botched spells is a nice variation on traditional miscast rules and provides incentive for the magic users to take into account the "ambient magic" of the places of adventure.
  • The equipment tables are an endless source of inspiration for new characters.
  • Detailed rules for hirelings and followers that give them both depth and a wide range of uses besides fighting and hauling the loot.
  • Simple and freeform character creation and building, letting imaginative players go wild while providing ideas and prompts to those whose lack ideas on what to play.
  • Goal-based XP for the group and individual characters to promote both team spirit and individual character development.
  • Quick and easy to use wilderness generation tables for on-the-fly exploring
  • And so much more!

Whether you like the game or not, you are sure to find something you like in it. Well worth its price.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Macchiato Monsters
Publisher: Lost Pages
by brian A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/26/2019 07:10:07

Macchiato Monsters is a fun, versatile fantasy adventure game inspired by and compatible with old school Dungeons & Dungeons and many modern OSR and DIY D&D games.

Players are free to construct exactly the character they want to play, down to creating their own abilities and magic. Equipment, resources and money are abstracted through depleting Risk Dice neatly sidestepping most bookkeeping. For referees, combat is mostly resolved through player rolls, monster details are stripped back to just the essentials so combat scenes are easy to run. The book is rounded out with many random generators for creating monsters, locations, people, maps, and plenty besides which will ensure the game keeps flowing.

It's a light, fun, system which can run exactly the fantasy adventure you always wanted to, or generate a new one on the fly if you don't have one ready!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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