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This is a simple (not simplistic) easy-to-learn game of tactical starship combat (in two or three dimensions). It is customizable (both in the rules difficulty and the ship design); it is adaptable (large fleets or small), and it is fun (one playtest with a friend had several nail-biting moments). Poor grammar and the lack of bookmarks do not detract from the fun and replay value of this gem.
Writing this review, I can't help but compare to the other two tactical space combat rulesets I've played: Starmada and Full Thrust. Both are GREAT games that would also earn 4-star reviews. (I played Star Frontiers Knight Hawks many years ago, and I own Slag! but haven't yet played it). It's hard to rate these rules against the others out there, because Firing Solution is more complicated and detailed in some ways and much simpler and more basic in others.
Compared to Starmada and Full Thrust, Firing Solution is easier to learn on first skimming the rules. FS rules are simpler and more basic than Starmada or Full Thrust. The simplicity of the rules make it very easy to add optional rules, such as 3-Dimensional combat and rolling to bring weapons to bear. Love hexes? Hate 'em? You can play this with a hex grid or no map whatsoever with no changes to the rules.
There is a core mechanic involving rolling 2D6. You get a number between -5 and +5. One die is negative, one is positive. This did not take much getting used to, and when we added 3D movement it made a lot of sense (as the elevation levels are -5 to +5 as well). Ship's traits (such as thrust, defenses, etc) also have ratings in this exact range. It helps keep the rules simple and easy to recall during play.
Throw in the 3D combat, and suddenly your big gun might be completely useless--elevation is very important in 3D, and your dorsal Big Freakin' Gun can't shoot at anything below you. But you can always roll your ship.
Movement seems to place a lot of emphasis on forward momentum. I am guessing that the assumption is the ships have been accelerating towards each other in order to get into combat range, so if they are moving forward of course they will have to spend Speed points between turns and elevation changes. As I said before, ships move forward. There is no vector movement here (I don't mind that at this rules level). Given the simplicity of the rule mechanic, I'm not sure that vector movement would be difficult to house rule. To add complexity (something the rules allow for at every stage of the game turn), there are movement orders (such as Full Stop, Defend, Self Destruct, etc) that have concrete results on the game. Again, I am sure that it would be easy to create your own house-ruled movement orders.
Ship customization is a snap. Really. But again, it's not boring or overly basic. Weapons and defenses, as the description states, follow a rock-paper-scissors approach. Energy weapons (long range, medium damage) are stopped by Shields; Kinetic weapons (short range, great damage) are stopped by Armor; Guided weapons (precise) are stopped by Point Defense. Call them whatever you want (Phasers, blasters, proton torpedos, whatever)--they all do the same thing. Each weapon can have other characteristics that produce modifiers to their range, damage, potential for critical hits, etc. Unlike in Full Thrust, it is impossible to build an uber ship that cannot be defeated. (To be fair, FT has been around so long that people have had time to find the loopholes in the rules; something about massive amounts of drones). As the rules say, no ship excels at everything. Good fleet balance is the name of the game.
Combat is fast-paced and easy to keep track of. You need lots of 6-sided dice of different colors (for keeping track of elevation and rolls when using the 3D rules). FS plays a little more quickly than Full Thrust and Starmada; the damage system seems to have a little more depth and description. The gameplay definetely has a simpler feel compared to the other systems I've played. This is neither a strength nor a weakness ... it just depends on what you're looking for. Oh, and this ain't Saganami Island Tactical Simulator. That's way out of the ballpark on complexity (but give it a try if you can).
Every ship belongs to an Empire, which grants bonuses and imposes penalties to certain ship characteristics. The Empires are each composed of one race (Humans, bird-people, badger-people, and bugs--an overly simplistic descripion. The fluff text is pretty good). Humans don't get any bonuses or penalties. Don't like the empires as written? Make your own. Pick what you want them to excel at and suck at, and as long as the bonuses and penalties add up to 0, you're fine. It would be fun and easy to make, for example, the Galactic Empire and the Rebellion from Star Wars; the UPF and Sathar from Star Frontiers, etc.
There are brief fictional excerpts from the bridge of ships during combat; these open each chapter. The lack of punctuation (or the wrong punctuation--a period in place of a question mark, for example) is appalling. There are a few run-on sentences, one of which is in the rules. It took 5 reads to figure out what they were trying to say. Punctuation is missing in many places in the rules. My grammar ain't perfect ;) but I expect a little effort to make the text readable. That's a pet peeve of mine and it's the only reason I didn't give this game 5 stars. It just makes it look like the authors didn't care about the quality of their product. And it is a good product. If Digital Alchemy is going to become a viable force in the Indie gaming industry, they will issue an updated pdf with (at least semi-) proper grammar and punctuation. Luckily, 90% of the abysmal grammar is in the fictional chapter openers. The rules are otherwise clear and easy to pick up.
The learning curve is not as steep as Full Thrust or Starmada (it's not very steep for those rulesets either)--especially as regards ship construction and fleet building. All other things being equal (good opponent), the gameplay basically delivers the same level of challenge and playability.
Ultimately, Firing Solution won't be permanently replacing Full Thrust or Starmada as my ruleset for tactical space combat. But I will definetely play it often. The authors attempt to provide a set of rules for space combat that are easy-to-learn, fun, customizable, and able to simulate some complexities (such as 3D combat and movement). Their final product meets these goals.
If you are looking for a game that has good challenges built into the rules that is easy to learn, quick to play, and easy to customize, Firing Solution might be exactly what you are looking for.
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I've already raved about Bloodstone's class offerings (see the Sentinel and the Knave), so I won't go into much detail here. Just three words: Flexible, Customizable, Innovative. Your Savage/Barbarian can be a rager, a leader, a survivalist, etc. These Primal Heroes classes follow through on their product descriptions, and you don't have to take levels in three classes to qualify for a prestige class just to gain a certain ability. I will be purchasing any future Primal Heroes offerings from Bloodstone.
The setting is described as Bronze Age on Bloodstone's website, but these classes can be easily dropped into any existing setting. There are two pdfs included, one with nice graphics and decent art, and a printer friendly version.
One beef: The product description states "Only $2.50," but as I write this review, up in the corner the price is $3.50. Check out rpgnow if you're seeing the higher price. But honestly, it's great value either way.
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I picked this pdf up (as well as Primal Heroes: the Savage) after I bought Primal Heroes: the Sentinel. I think Bloodstone Press is really on to something here; the classes allow for a high degree of customization. With the Knave, you can create a traditional Rogue, Assassin, Bard, or your own unique twist on a knave-ish character. Spellcasting at various levels is optional, and some of the abilities are tiered, which gives the knave something to shoot for at higher levels. The base class has the Rogue's BAB and hit points, decent saves, and each level allows for the addition of an ability; feats can be substituted. For more details on the setting and flavor, check out my review ofhte Sentinel. Put the Sentinel, Knave, and Savage together, and you have the beginnings of a complete and flexible class system. I'm looking forward to the next class offering by Bloodstone!
Note: the players' ability to customize each class, while very well-balanced and not at all overpowered, might effectively eliminate the need for prestige classes. The selection of abilities is that good. For me, this is a positive direction.
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Dragon magazine did a Sentinel core class (a neutral good paladin variant) shortly after 3.5 hit the stores. I thought it was a neat paladin/ranger hybrid, until I picked up PRimal Heroes: The Sentinel.
This is essentially a good-aligned wilderness warrior with a variety of talent trees available. As the product description states, you don't have to spend your entire adventuring career trying to qualify for a silly prestige class. The talent/ability progressions allow you to craft many different types of sentinel; you can choose favored enemies, turning abilities, combat style (just to name a few) and different combinations of different abilities allow a high degree of customization.
The pdf has a printer-friendly version, which I read first ... then I realized that this is part of a campaign world (Axiom?) which is Bronze Age (hence the name, Primal Heroes). The world itself is intriguing. For example, one ability is Rebuke Clean Creature (like an evil cleric rebukes undead); clean creatures tend to be non-evil aligned creatures and PC races; then theree is Turn Unclean Creature (undead, evil outsiders, etc) ... Clean/Unclean suggests a campaign world designation, and left me wondering if there was a worldbook for Axiom. Some very intriguing stuff in here. Bronze Age trappings notwithstanding, this class could easily be dropped into any campaign; put this together with the Knave and Savage classes (also from Bloodstone), and you have the beginnings of a very flexible class system.
After a pretty thorough reading, I'd have to say that the classes and abilities seem balanced, although I haven't had the chance to do much playtesting yet. I'd recommend this product to anyone who has been there, done that in the d20 system and is looking for a customizable class.
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Midnight is a very creative take on the OGL content for D&D--classes, races, and the magic system are significantly altered, giving a game that is actually a lot of fun to play. Add to that the flavor of the setting, and you have a game that is (my opinion) more D&D than the actual D&D. Heroic paths and restrictions on magic and equipment create a built-in sense of desperation in the game mechanic. The dark forces aren't just stat blocks ... they are malevolent beings who have plunged an entire world into darkness. This is one of the few non-WotC d20 settings that truly competes with the original, and ties Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved for being the most original, most enjoyable way to play fantasy d20. Kudos to fantasy flight for supporting such a great product.
I don't give this 5 stars for 1 reason only: no bookmarks. I bought the pdf because I didn't want another book to lug around, and aside from not having bookmarks, it's a top quality file.
And to the reviewer who gave this item 1 star due to the price ... I don't see the logic in your being angry about how much you decided to pay for something; I mean, you knew how much it cost before you bought it, didn't you?
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I bought this pdf after seeing a Star Wars conversion to Savage Worlds on the internet. I read the conversion first, and I was amazed at how intuitive the system seemed to be.
The "Savage Worlds Revised" pdf claims to offer "Fast, Furious Fun!" After creating a few characters with friends and playing through a few scenarios, I have to agree. Character creation is very easy, and there are many options (Edges and Hindrances) you can use to customize your character. Combat and skill use are both quick to learn, yet surprisingly complex (but not complicated). There are even mass combat rules for those really large-scale battles.
This book does not use a setting (which is, IMHO, a strong point), but it does present a good mix of fantasy races to give players something to start with. There is some very useful advice on converting other settings to Savage Worlds--not to mention a wealth of information on creating your own! Savage Worlds gives far better advice on creating your own setting than many products that are written solely for that purpose. There are also plenty of representative weapons, armor, equipment, and vehicles for fantasy, modern, and future campaigns.
Reading the pdf, I found myself immediately thinking of several game settings that would be fun to play using these rules. I think the pdf is great value for your money. For some examples of converted systems, there are several fansites out there. This book really seems to have struck a chord with the gaming community, which is testament to this system's unique take on roleplaying. You could conceivably fight the battle of Helm's Deep AND reenact a famous lightsaber duel all in one night, and still feel like you're right in the action.
Constructive Criticism:
The book struggles a little when dealing with conversions. Players are advised to stick to the simplicity of the system by not adding too many new edges, skills, and hindrances; giving more options to choose from risks weakening all characters (hear that, Wizards of the Coast?). Yet, many of the published conversions for Savage Worlds do just that: add a host of new edges, skills, and hindrances. What would really help would be a sample conversion of a well-known setting (although copyright laws would probably prohibit this)--maybe using Deadlands. Barring that, I would have appreciated additional advice on adapting aspects of other systems (skills/feats/classes) to Savage Worlds skills, edges, and hindrances.
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5 Reasons to buy this RPG:
- Mark Smylie. He designed, wrote, and illustrated this RPG himself. You don’t get that kind of creative unity in most RPGs. Having everything under his supervision really made for a faithful transition of Artesia and the Known World to a roleplaying game. Smylie’s art, which you can also find in the Artesia comic books and some Wizards of the Coast products, never fails to amaze. Some of the art is taken directly from the comics; much of it is original. It’s all outstanding, and it’s 99% in color. There is some nudity (male and female), but it’s tastefully done.
- The setting. (this RPG assumes you have not read any of the Artesia comic books, and introduces you fully to the world. You need never pick up the comics—but you should!) The Known World is a complex blend of innovative mythology and religion, well-realized history and politics, and a compelling sense of the fantastic. The entire first half of this 350+ page book is devoted to the setting; it really draws the reader in, and creates a world in which you can’t wait to adventure. There are beautifully-drawn color maps of the Known World, with detail maps of more central areas. Interspersed throughout are illustrations of people hailing from various cultures, giving you a good idea of what the various humans look and dress like. The various religious cults, and how they manifest in different cultures, are described in detail. I really enjoyed the equipment section—particularly the armor. There are over 2 dozen suits of armor, all with names that evoke a history (example: “Daradj three-quarter bannerman’s harnessâ€). You can also construct your own from the various pieces—and Smylie has done his homework on armor (very cool if you are detail-oriented). There is a bestiary with more than enough opponents to get you started. The nations and their relationships are covered in detail—including the buildup to war. All in all, you get the feel of a world where something really important is about to happen, and you will be a key player. At this particular point in the Known World’s history, war is about to erupt, and there are many different possibilities for a party of PC’s to make an impact as history unfolds. And to really help you kick things off, there is an introductory adventure for beginning characters, “the Witch’s Price.â€
There are also several follow-up products slated for the coming year (including mass combat rules), so there looks to be plenty of product support available. The website has downloads, a forum, an art gallery, and a release schedule.
- The Fuzion game mechanic. Artesia is an example of the mechanic being creatively adapted to the setting, not vice versa. I’m pretty slavish to d20, but I have been inspired by the way the mechanic was adapted to the Known World. The result is that game play actually brings out the feel of being in the Known World. I think d20 really would have stifled this setting, and I’m having fun playing outside of the box. (For those of you who MUST have d20, I believe there will be a d20 adaptation soon).
- Magic. Magic in the Known World is not traditional (as in D&D traditional): any character can use incantations; magic is not restricted to wizards (although you can create and play a wizard, who would be more skilled in magic). Rather, magic is part of the natural world, tied to the gods and the spirits. As a result, magic comes across as more fantastic and unusual. More advanced characters are, of course, more skilled and have more options.
- Overall, this is a great book. The layout is beautiful—every page draws the reader in with color borders and backgrounds. Smylie succeeds in getting a lot of information across in a very presentable manner. (All the color will be hard on your printer cartridges; but then, so will printing any 350+ page RPG). I can’t say it enough: this is a beautiful book. I could read and campaign in the Known World for a long time.
My only beef with this pdf is that there are no bookmarks. For a pdf of this size, bookmarks are really a necessity. But the excellent layout helps to offset the inconvenience.
I give this book 5 stars. My previous reviews, all several months back, were done on a scale of what was available at the time. Artesia: Adventures in the Known World has really broken the curve for me; I haven’t been this excited about a fantasy RPG since 3rd edition. Buy this book, read, play, and enjoy!
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OK, right off the bat, I bought this item at its sale price, $4.99. So I feel like I got a bargain, and here's why:
- Ranger class fix. If you thought the 3.0 ranger was broken, and the 3.5 "fix" even more broken, check this book out for the Ranger options alone. There are new fighting styles (two-handed weapon and spear). There are also ranger subclasses (such as the explorer) that give new abilities. Each of these variants can be further changed with a non-spellcasting option, granting even more abilities.
- Variant Druids. Different foci, spell lists, and abilities allow you to play some interesting takes on druids. I thought this section was a little weaker; there's nothing here you couldn't do with the right feat and spell combos, as well as the right prestige class. But it is thorough and well-balanced.
- Excellent new advanced tracking feats. Your Ranger can tell what someone's motives and tendencies may be just by tracking them.
- Neat takes on all the different types of terrain. Each type has its own chapter, with sections on what monsters frequent them, what roles monsters play in the ecosystem, and challenges unique to that terrain. There are also new types of hazards, requiring a saving throw at varying time intervals while in the terrain. Fail the saving throw in a Wasteland, and you get a contagion, for example.
Bad points:
The pdf is not bookmarked, which cuts the effectiveness of an otherwise good reference book. The art is somewhat sparse, but of good quality. I have not usually been a fan of the "Legends and Lairs" series, but I think this one is, so far, the best of the bunch. Again, there is nothing here a good DM couldn't engineer without this book. At the original price of $27.95, I'd say avoid this book; but at $4.99 you get a lot for your money--grab it while it's on sale!
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Don't let the good quality art on the cover fool you--the portraits inside are mostly nothing like it. Out of 100, I got about 10 portraits I would use for PCs/NPCs. The rest are poor quality lineart with little or no shading and oddly proportioned features. With the plethora of good artists at their disposal, Mongoose could have assembled 50 or even 25 good-quality portraits, and I would've paid twice as much for them. As it is, I got 100 ideas for NPC character concepts, as well as some gratuitous nudity.
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It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, even with a gaming system that is so user-friendly. I had an attack of nostalgia for those "red box" D&D days--not because the rules are at all similar. Rather, there is an introductory feel to the rules and their explanations. There are plenty of examples in the task resolution section. And while the setting is vanilla (although you can play a centaur without level adjustments), you can customize it using their rules for custom races and professions. Combat is streamlined and easily lethal--especially if the overkill rules are used. There are several levels of combat options depending on how cinematic you want the fighting to be. There is a bestiary with all the old favorites (and a few new ones), but not extremely well-illustrated. Otherwise, the art is mostly of good quality. This book is a fun read, and it promises to be fun to play. It is highly customizable without having the overwhelming number of options of OGL. There's even an OGL conversion document you can get from the company's website.
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Just an amendment to my earlier review: when I bought this product, I was already aware that the grammar was abysmal (It's actually rare in this product to find proper use of definite articles). If bad grammar is your pet peeve, you will be annoyed by reading the definitions of abilities, etc. Because the classes are so well-balanced, and the price is so reasonable, I still think this is a 5-star product.
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I just bought this pdf, having seen some of these classes originally posted on the WotC boards a long time ago. This pdf introduces 2 new classes and completely rebuilds the paladin class. The first class, the Knight, is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to play a noble, heavily-armed, dedicated fighter. The Knight's fighting and leadership abilities (and high skill points) are balanced by a rigid code of conduct, and fewer bonus feats than the fighter. The Scourge is another good build for those who like to play evil characters--many builds are possible, from the evil walking tank to the devious manipulator to the hated tyrant. This is a great class with which to build some villains you love to hate. Where the product really shines is with the rebuild of the paladin. There are two levels of customization: first, the dedication (there are several "types" of paladin, each of which gains different special abilities as they advance). Second, there are special abilities to choose from at different levels regardless of paladin type. There are many possible combinations here, and I think the author did a great job of maintaining game balance with all the different options. In fact, I think these classes are better balanced than many of the variant classes offered by WotC and other big-name publishers. As someone who prefers to play fighter-types, I found a lot of inspiration here.
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This book is very good at what it aims to do--creating memorable, detailed, and imaginative combat encounters (not to mention combat-focused characters). You can create virtually any kind of combatant imaginable--especially with the highly-customizable man-at-arms. The magic system (which some people over on the malhavoc boards claim is broken) is actually easy-to-use, and lends itself well to a low-magic setting. If you don't mind keeping track of details, this is the most thorough and creative d20 combat system you'll be likely to find.
I was grateful that they incorporated the "reserve points" idea from Unearthed Arcana ... now the party does not need the obligatory cleric--one less stock role to fill!
Complaints:
DMs will need to do a lot more homework preparing encounters--especially if the party has a hunter (probably the least flashy, but most intriguing, class in the book).
Aside from the cover illustration, I did not enjoy the art in this book (others might disagree with me). While the artist represented new "iconic" character concepts very well, a lot of the proportions were off (check out the weapon master's malformed head, for example). But we're not buying this book for the art.
Because the combat system allows for so much flexibility (anything you can imagine, you can attempt), there are a lot of new mechanics to learn (keeping track of numbers and different types of tokens, for example). I'd hesitate to call the combat system "clunky" (that's reserved for Shadowrun 3rd edition), but you'll need to come up with systems to keep track of tokens, terrain features, etc.
If you don't want to do as much homework, or learn new mechanics, I'd recommend the Book of Iron Might, which allows you to do many of the same things by taking different kinds of feats.
All in all, a great product, and you can't beat the pdf price.
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I had been waiting for this book for months, as it seemed Martin's next novel was never going to come out (November now, I think). Having read through the pdf twice, I was very impressed. I liked Guardians' take on the low-magic setting: there is no spellcaster class ... feats are used to cast spells. Anyone who wants to play a high-powered Vancian mage will not find what they are looking for here. Instead, magic is unknown, mysterious, and dangerous ... and in this book, it looks like it will be playable. The other classes reflect Martin's setting very well ... and no one class seems to steal the spotlight (which can be a problem with novel adaptations). There is an interesting Reputation mechanic added in to reflect the Machiavellian nature of Martin's politics. Combat also is slightly modified from the core rules to better fit in with the fact that Martin is not afraid to kill off his characters! The latter half of the book is devoted to setting--there are excellent descriptions of the major characters (and many minor characters as well) along with stats for the major players.
Artwork (mostly color) was almost consistently excellent (with a few exceptions). The pages have a parchment color with a border, which will eat up ink. But the pdf is easy to navigate, fun to read, and faithful to the setting. It will also be a good intro to Westeros for those who have not read Martin's novels.
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Anyone who's read my review of the d20 FS core rulebook will know I love this system ... I think it helps this setting come into its own. You get some excellent prestige classes--the True Knight and the Manifest Light Commando are particularly interesting. New equipment and new feats help round out the package (ready to fly some Marauder armor?). The art is consistent and of good quality (mostly B & W). For those of you who like the setting, there is plenty of material to flesh it out even more ... one of the final sections includes "Day in the Life" stories for several different character types. All in all, a great addition to the FS d20 core book. I got more than enough information, and didn't feel like I needed to go scrambling for more supplements.
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