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Wizards & Mystics (Fantasy Add-On)
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/12/2021 09:52:44

As with the other products in this line, this book has some good ideas. The Arcane Backgrounds in the core book are very much the same. There is no difference between Magic, Miracles, and Psionics other than the name and the casting skill. That is boring. The assumption is that you will get some flavor from your setting (that is the general idea of the core book -- it gives the basics and you build upon it). This helps to give you some ideas on how to make something interesting and gives good mechanical guidelines on how to accomplish it. I have used some of the aracane backgrounds in this book and come up with a few of my own, and it has greatly added to our games.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Wizards & Mystics (Fantasy Add-On)
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The Mutation Deck DELUXE
Publisher: Just Insert Imagination
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/02/2020 22:13:37

I have used this deck in a couple of campaigns. It is fun to draw cards and see what mutations people get. I recommend allowing more draws than cards you keep, and also allow for trading if more than one player is drawing for their characters. Trading them is part of the fun.

These cards are for the Deluxe edition. I have tweaked them a bit for my preferences, especially for the campaign that they are being used in, but that in no way reduces the sheer awesomeness of this prduct. It is like watching a movie or TV show, or reading a book. It is very likely that even if yo uare a big fan there is something that you would change, and since this is for a game, I do change it to fit what I want the end result to be.

What I am doing in my current campaign setting is that I have people choose from the table of options that lets them outright choose a number of specific mutations (I hve super powers using something like the Gifted Arcane Background and certain powers require specific mutations). Or they choose fewer, but then get each fewer card translated to 3 draws and 2 cards they keep out of those. They get the Advantage for free, but also get a Minor Disadvantage. They can take the Major and get a point as if for taking Hindrances (but does not count as part of that 4 limit).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Mutation Deck DELUXE
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A Guide to Vampires (Savage Worlds)
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/14/2020 21:58:53

Everyone has their own ideas about what a vampire should be, whether it is in a game, book, movie, or TV show. I personally lean more towards the old Vampire the Masquerade style, which is also similar to Anne Rice's vampires in many ways. I bring this up as we all look at gaming products with our own bias whether or not we realize it. That said, this is a well-written book. Sure, I prefer that vampires are "merely" paralyzed when staked in the heart, and not turn to dust, but that does not detract from this book. Many people forget that their own preferences do not alter the quality of a book's content. The book should be based on its overall quality and overall value, and that is why I give it a solid 5.

This book has good content. The layout and, from what I noticed, the editing are both pretty good. It is pretty thorough and is meant to be used as a toolbox to add vampires -- even player character vampires (come on, most players would want to be one!) -- to a campaign. It has more than enough to run a one-shot or a short campaign, and it has some good ideas to form the basis of a longer-term campaign.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
A Guide to Vampires (Savage Worlds)
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12TM: Green's Guide to Ghosts: Savaged edition
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/12/2020 13:24:15

Do you want to hunt ghosts? This has the material that you will need to do it in a gaming session.

This was a great resource as I ran the Degrees of Horror plot point campaign (and many side adventures) for ETU. I would recommend getting all of the 12 to Midnight adventures. This, like all of the 12 to Midnight material, is well thought out and well written. I think that any others that plan to write adventures would use their works as an example of how to write good advenrues and gaming material.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
12TM: Green's Guide to Ghosts: Savaged edition
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Savage Worlds Adventure Edition: Combat & Chase Quick Reference Chart
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/05/2020 18:18:40

I bought these in print from Pinnacle. I have a set for every player. Even though they are on card stock I have put them into hard plastic sleeves. That makes them even more useful for the players. These are great aids. I also have some other aids printed out for players that are also placed into hard plastic sleeves. While these did not have everything that a player might want to know rules-wise they are a very good thing to have as a handout.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition: Combat & Chase Quick Reference Chart
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Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/05/2020 18:13:27

I have played many, many systems since the early 1980s after I started with the Red Box Basic Set for Dungeons and Dragons. I have seen some very complex games, some very simple games, and many variations in between. Around 2007 or 2008 I had gotten a pdf of the (then) current edition of Savage Worlds, It seemed to be too simple for my preferences at the time. So I decided to pass on it. I think that I deleted it as I have not been able to find a copy of it.

Around 2009 - 20010 my go-to-game was Mutants and Masterminds. It did some things very well but choked on others. Before that my go-to game was GURPS, which was my go-to for about 10 years. I was not satisfied with either of those. I could not put my finger on what I was looking for, but both of them were not it. Someone in a GM Advice gaming group had recommended Savage Worlds. I decided to give it a try. It became my go-to game since the summer of 2010. Savagew Worlds looks like it is a very simple game in comparison to the games that I mentioned above. However, this is very decieving. It is a very customizable "engine".

Aside from the faster game play, what stands out to me as a GM and a player is the character creatiopn and progression. Like GURPS and Mutants and Masterminds, the same "math" is consistent through the entire character management process (be it creation or advancement). I like how each Advance is worth the same. That is my key dissatisfaction with level-based games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Taking a level in one class is not the same value as taking a level in another, and each level is not interchangeable. For example, say that you have 19 levels in Fighter you cannot take one level in Wizard and be equal to another level 20 character. In Savage Worlds each Edge is worth an Edge. If that is not the case, the Edge needs to be revised.

Savage Worlds fits my preferred play style and my own GM style.

It is designed to be customizeable. If you do not like something, change it. But before you do, consider why it is a rule. There are many times that I wanted to change a rule (especially the first year or two that I played) only to find that the rule as written is actually better than I had realized. It LOOKED like a "dumb" rule but in practice it was actuially a very good rule.

There were sevearl rules that I had tended to use, some of them I came up with on my own independently, in previous editions but they have become the official rules for this edition. That was nice to see that what I had been "house ruling" is now official. As such I really like the new edition and I would highly recommend it over the previous editions.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
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How To: Skill Specialization
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/05/2020 20:06:01

I gave it 5 stars becaue people think that if it is not that it should be ignored.

Befiore i go further, I will add that I like the art.

If I were to be honest, I would give the content 3 stars. Why? Because, to me, it feels like something that would be in a blog post, adding about that much to a game. That saiid, when considering whether or not to use the rule, having considered this content will help you keep your game fun without making a bad choice. Several years ago I was against the specialization rule as it felt like punishing the characters and giving them an advancemnt tax just to do things that they should already be able to do. Later on, it clicked. It is just redefining the zero. I have used the specialization rules in a few campaigns and, while I agree with most of this content, there is one point that I disagree.

wholeheartedly feel that Common Knowledge should use it in every game. It used to be just a Smarts roll, but SWADE made it into a skill. At first I was not so sure. But then I realized, if it always has a specializaiton then it can give the cahracter a flavor. You could go by concept with an all-in-one like "Elven warrior" or you could branch it out a bit in your campaign, giving Elves "Elf" for their cultuier and "Warrior" (or whatever) fior their profession. I have found that to work very well for the past several campaigns that I have used it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
How To: Skill Specialization
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for the honest review! Yeah, the fact that this almost feels more like blog content is why I placed it in the $0.99 bracket—helps pay for the art and gives me a little lunch money for 8 pages. Common Knowledge was one I sort of waffled on whether or not it really benefits from Specializations, generally speaking, and eventually I settled on no. I agree with you that Common Knowledge should ABSOLUTELY take the character's background into consideration—cultural heritage, education, profession, and so on—but I feel that's best relegated to Familiarization penalties and situational difficulty penalties on a case-by-case basis (for example, a getaway driver should have a steeper penalty to figure out how to blend in at a fancy gala than his upper middle-class girlfriend, but she'd likely have a penalty to recall information about the city's crime bosses than he would). There were two reasons for that decision, I think. Just from a practical perspective, Specializations that might be appropriate for Common Knowledge really vary from setting to setting, just like Occult or the arcane skills, and in some cases it may even vary from character to character based on their background. Further, "general knowledge" of the world around a character is very rarely trained or specialized (in the mechanical sense) since the little things people may or may not pick up on often tends not to tie directly back into the core of their identity; some people tend to know some trivia that seems well out of their niche. Then from the "redefining zero" perspective (excellent wording, by the way), it feels odd that your average PC would be effectively Unskilled when rolling to see if he knows the capital of the next country over (d6–2 mathematically works out to be almost identical to d4–2 when you take the Wild Die into account) unless they are *particularly* well-versed in geography. If he DID take a Geography Specialization, then he is effectively Unskilled when Googling something on his smartphone, or recognizing cultural holidays, or how to compose himself in fancier company, or how to do his finances... etc., etc. Most characters really don't need to invest skill points to have a fighting chance of being somewhat aware of the world and customs around them—being that unaware is more of a defining trait of a character (the Clueless Hindrance) than a default assumption, both in fiction and in life—plus, lacking Specializations also lends towards fun little occasions where a character may roll well on something unexpected and tie something into his backstory. Why does the mercenary in the deep South of Deadlands know that Ottawa is the capital of Canada and that it's a Commonwealth country under the King? Maybe he dated a girl who used to live in Canada for a while and just held on to that trivia. Hope that helps explain the thinking behind it. Thank you again for your feedback. :)
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Tactical SWADE: Modern Gun Options
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/18/2020 14:50:01

The various roleplaying games have mechnaics that affect weapon statistics. In some games you will get a great degree of variety as even the most minute of details have a game effect. The scale of Savage Worlds has frustrated some gamers as, looking at the core book, there are not all that many weapons listed. They could list more, but most of the weapons listed would look fairly the same. The weapons in the core book tend to be the "averages" for their class of weapon. In Savage Worlds, a +1 is a Big Deal, and +2 is an even Bigger Deal. This is because, compared to the d20 systems, +1 (Savage Worlds) is comparable to +2 or +3 (d20) and +2 (Savage Worlds) is comparable to +5 (d20).

Tactical SWADE offers several options that make firearms be a bit more than their average offering and it does a good job at it. These rules are a reasonable extension to the existing Savage Worlds core framework. While I would like to see more content, I am not going to deduct a star to punish the author for not adding more. That is rude and unfair. I feel that this is well worth the money -- and I would be willing to pay more for additional content.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Tactical SWADE: Modern Gun Options
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Powers Grimoire: Power Modifiers
Publisher: Misfit Studios
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/06/2020 23:54:47

People have different criteria for reviewing an item. As such it is hard to understand why a particular rating is given. Many reviewers will take away stars as a product is "now what I was looking for", which is unfair to the author. I give this 5 stars because I felt that it is a sold product given the cost and amount of content. Like the SWAG products on the market at this time, most Misfit products tend to be fairly small and focused. That is okay as it does what it sets out to do, and be dropped into a game as desired.

This product has mostly power limitations, a concept that expands well beyond the two examples that are provided in the SWADE core book. While I might not personally use most of the modifiers very often, I have added the contents of this pdf to the "approved" list for when I run for my gaming group as they add style to how different characters might cast their powers. I like the SWADE approach to power modifiers and that negative power modifiers, or limitations, are permanent modifiers for a Power. I feel that they add a lot to giving game mechanics for making variations of the same Power. It is better in my opinion to use one or more modifiers as opposed to reading 30 different variations of the same power scattered between 27 books like some systems do.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Powers Grimoire: Power Modifiers
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Companions & Familiars (Fantasy Add-On)
Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/06/2020 23:42:03

Most of the SWAG pdfs are very simple, which is fine for what they do. This one stands out as a very thorough document on the subject of companions and familiars. I consider this a must-buy and Pinnacle might consider acquring it and integrating it into the SWADE version of the Fantasy Companion. Even though it is geated towards the assumption of fantasy characters it will be easy to use for other campaigns. I am thinking about using it for drones and robots in a more futuristic setting. The sample characters and Companions are full of good ideas.

One more thing that I would add is that you could easily use it to make buddies, being like normal characters that are built on 28 points instead of the 32 for animal companions. These buddies would be created like normal charactrers except they pay for their Race and their Attribute points are not preallocated to 5 and their Skill points are not preallocated to 15. The 4 fewer points is that they would not have the three default disadvantages of an amimal companion. This way you could have your primary character have an Extra buddy that can go on adventures with them, and not hve to wait until Legendary to take a Sidekick.

This pdf addresses the concerns that have come up over the years when players want to have an animal companioon, a familiar, or (with my suggestion above) a second character.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Companions & Familiars (Fantasy Add-On)
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Savage Ghost Ops
Publisher: Broken Rat Games
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/06/2018 15:32:14

This book made me want to start playing after just a few minutes of reading. There is some good material in this. Granted, what each reader will get from any given product, and the value of the content, is subjective for each individual reader. It is hard for a reviewer to let a reader know if the reader would get something of value from the product as what we take from a book is subjective.

I like the Edges, Skills, and Hindrances. I like to mix and match as needed between Savage Sources and these will make some good additions to my Savage campaigns.

I also like the guns and equipment. There is a bit of "gun and gear porn" in this book, which is something that Savage Worlds tends delegate to a setting book. It is hard to come up with decent game stats for things that exist in the real world because there are many factors involved, which only matter if the game system accounts for it.

Overall I think that this book handled characters and gear rather well. Those were my main focus for the product as a reader: what can my character do, and what can I do it with?

Most of the book is, understandably, allocated towards giving us some good information so that people can game in a modern spec ops campaign. There is enough to run some missions and let us blow up some bad guys. I usually prefer other genres (anything but modern) but I am thinking that I will play these missions and the missions from the mission packs. I have also noticed that the publisher is fast with comments and takes this product seriously.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Savage Ghost Ops
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Feats Reforged: Vol. I, Core Rules
Publisher: Total Party Kill Games
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/27/2013 16:36:14

I cannot say how many times I have passed over the "lame" feats because they do not do very much overall. As the description says, these feats level up with you.

Do you look at those skill feats like Alertness? They are good at low levels, but later on they are kind of a waste of a feat. That no longer is the case. Alertness gives you a reroll at level 7, and two rerolls at level 14. While that is not game-changing in itself, it does let you get a bit more out of that "wasted" feat.

I was surprised at how many feats become expanded in this way. While it specifically ignores the basic armor and weapon proficiency feats, it does help to make all of those feats into something that is worth considering.

Combat feats get little boosts as well. Fighters and characters that want to use them (such as Weapon Finesse) will find some happy little boosts. These help to keep these character concepts viable even at higher levels.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Feats Reforged: Vol. I, Core Rules
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High-Space Battlemaps: Firelight Scout Ship
Publisher: StoryWeaver
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/27/2012 16:17:54

It is hard to know what to expect when getting a ship design and map pack. There are several other similar lines already available from this site, two lines that come immediately to mind are Futura Armada and the line by UKG publishing. I really liked those two.

This one does not disappoint. I can see this in use in a gaming session, which is the entire point of the product. My only complaints are:

1) I would like to have it already tell me what sort of Aquisition level this is, so I know at a glance if it is right for my gaming group. This is a really good way to see just how "good" a given vessel is at a glance.

2) It would be fun to see a pre-made crew, maybe with some sort of plot hooks or something so that it can be plopped into a game. Of course, this part is not necessary, especilally considering the price. I figure that it is easier to sell more desings than designs with crwws that may or may not be used by a given group.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
High-Space Battlemaps: Firelight Scout Ship
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High Space Core Rules Beta
Publisher: StoryWeaver
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/13/2012 10:08:34

Today I was very happy to find a product on Drive Thru Rpg / RPG Now that took several of my gripes about starships in RPGs and fixed them to work with Savage Worlds. I am so happy because I have been looking for something like this for many, many years. I have a love of spaceships, spaceship combat, and space soldiers. I love military sci fi novels, and FINALLY I can play them with the right tone and system (in this case, I find that Savage Worlds does it best).

I am usually not so much of a fan of a product that I tell everyone about it, but I am freaking happy! As I said, I have wanted to have this at my gaming table for many, many years. I just had to get it. I am VERY glad that I did as the character book is just what I was going to wite myself (or try to, as this is really good). The space combat and starship system are also really good. Instead of feeling like someone slapped them onto the game with duct tape, Story Weaver fit it to the Savage Worlds system rather well. I was just thinking about coming up with something earlier today and the product came out just in time. It was what I was going to do, and much much more and better.

High Space Character Manual

Initial skill points are 12, but you pick a background edge and what is called a Cultural Edge. The Background edge is a profession, like Bounty Hunter, Criminal, or Explorer. The Cultural Edge basically spends the three “lost” skill points for you. This helps give a baseline cultural background, which helps people to account for that when making a character. In some cases it is three different d4 skills. In others it is a d4 skill and a 1 trait bonus. It is a good idea and could be used for any campaign setting. Personally I would make what it is calling a Background Edge a Profession Edge instead, and just require a Profession Edge, as I can see a character use those out of the Savage Worlds book, especially in other setting. I can see why they are called background edges, as they for a character’s background, but that is somewhat confusing as Savage Worlds already uses Background edges, but they are not used in quite the same way. No, again it looks like they should be Professional edges.

There is discussion of the various skills to be used in the setting. Examples are given for specific versions of Boating and Piloting, for example. We also get new skills as Philosophy, Programming, and Psychiatry.

There are new Hindrances such as Retrovirus. There are new edges, with a couple for Hacking being noteworthy. There are rules on robots and cybernetics, and gland drugs. There are rules on what is called Equilibrium. Apparently cryo-sleep can make you go crazy. Who would have thought?

There are a bunch of cool high tech weapons, armor, equipment, and vehicles. Just looking at the book this far is making me want to play the Colonial Marines from ALIENS or maybe a Spartan from HALO.

High Space Fleet Manual

Starship construction is based on the Wild Card characters that will crew it. A Novice is worth 1 point and a Legendary character is worth 5. This total is called Acquisition points. The number of Acquisition Points will then determine how many free Edges and Trait Points that are available to design the vessel.

Then you spend the Trait points on 5 attributes. Maneuver, Computer, FTL, Displacement, and Quality. The Displacement is the mass of the vessel. D4 is a starfighter, d12 is a supercarrier.

Then you pick Design Edge, which is basically a “race” for a starship. I am not sure why it has that name, I would call it Starship Class, myself. A Design Edge gives a basic modification, such as a Warship giving a bonus to Quality but a reduction in Pace (Pace is derived from FTL). It also gives Payloads and Hard Points based on the Displacement rating. A warship has more hard points than payloads, a cargo vessel has only payloads. The payloads are used for equaipment and cargo space while hard points are used for weapons. Ships can have hindrances and edges. Many of the edges also have a cost in payloads or hard points.

Starship combat has maneuvers such as Slingshot which lets you use a nearby planet or asteroid to fling your vessel by at a quicker rate and Align for Impact that gets you an AP bonus for versus damage for a collision. Gunner maneuvers include Improved Firing Solution and Defensive Firing.

Further Musings

The ship can have an AI. This can be a Wild Card in itself. I would have it be a NPC or a PC’s side kick, If it is a primary PC, I would have it have some sort of edge to have an android body (where as the Android is the actual PC) or have an a side kick for the ship, either an engineer that really loves the AI or something, maybe just some other character for the player to use when off the ship. It can get really boring when you are stuck in port while the party goes on without you.

What about a character that wants to have a personal starfighter that is stationed on the ship that the party flies around? I could see a character using the Ace edge for this. That in itself is not a problem, but how does one determine Acquisition points? Do you split it between your personal vessel and the carrier? Going with the Fast, Furious, Fun, I would just make an edge called “Personal Vessel” that allows a character to use his or her own points for both a personal vessel as well as to the main vessel. A character could in that way add double if that character has no desire to have a personal vessel, such as the character that remained on the carrier would do while the rest of the party suited up and took off into their own starfighters.

The books could also do with some examples. Several example ships would be really nice. Those could be used as pre-made ships and also showcase the results of the design system. There could also be a few examples of crews and their vessels.

An excel spreadsheet to track the starship would be great. Knowing me, I will make a goof usrr friendly one easily enough. A Hero Lab user source file would also be great. If not already made, I guess that I will do it as well because I want it as it is. I would post both to my website for sharing

It is good that it is still a Beta at this point and perhaps some of my musings and comments could help to make the final product better overall.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
High Space Core Rules Beta
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Victory by Any Means Campaign Guide (First Edition)
Publisher: Victory By Any Means Games
by Jeremy S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/25/2006 00:00:00

I bought this in October 2005, and I have been playing in two PBEM games for quite some time. While it is written to be able to be a campaign system for a tabletop wargame (such as for playing, say, Babylon 5 Wars or Star Fleet Battles with your friends), it works rather well as a play-by-email game.

The game is really easy to play and the learning curve is not too steep. I learn the rules as I need them. At least in the two games that I am playing, it takes maybe 20 - 30 minutes per week for each game.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: It is a really good system for wargaming campaigns, regardless of what you use for the tactical combat.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: A few more examples and slightly more direct text in some places. There are times that I think that I know what the rules are saying, but I like to be 100% certain.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Victory by Any Means Campaign Guide (First Edition)
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