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TRUE-d6 - printed edition
Publisher: Nerdura Games
by Arthur [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/05/2025 19:51:45

I did not initially think a game that uses only a D6 could have enough mechanical depth to keep me engaged, but I have been completely blown away by True D6; it's a real, actual old school game system, not just "roll a dice and handwave stuff" like I was expecting. In fact, I bought up Kogarashi, Craving, and True D6 +1 the same day after reading through this book because I was just that impressed. I hope to see more supplements and other genres covered by this system because it's a real gem that I would like to stick with.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
TRUE-d6 - printed edition
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Faster Than Light: Nomad
Publisher: Stellagama Publishing
by Arthur [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/28/2024 11:23:31

I initially dismissed FTL Nomad when it first popped across my suggestions thinking it was yet another one of those "Traveller clones with a few slight tweaks" type games. I recently gave it another look after someone else described it as more like "Barbarians of Lemuria crossed with Stars Without Number" (two of my all time favorite games) and fell in love with everything I saw. While I wouldn't quite describe it as "the Sci-Fi BoL" it's close enough so that I get the comparison; you have a few traits that you quickly assign a few points to, pick a career and some perks, then start rolling 2D6's to make things happen. Likewise, it isn't as comprehensive as SWN either but again I see the comparison in all the randomized charts provided. Overall I can definitely see FTL Nomad as becoming my new favorite default Sci-Fi RPG, and I hope to see many more supplements and even other genres covered by this same engine in the future.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Faster Than Light: Nomad
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your excellent review!
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One-Shot RPG System Rules: Modern Horror
Publisher: One Shot RPG
by Arthur F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/04/2022 19:20:35

I first downloaded one of these One-Shot RPG booklets some time ago thinking it was a supplement for OpenQuest. Flipping through it a little bit I was intrigued by the concise ruleset and the sheer giddy enthusiasm of some of the supplements that went with it. I decided to show it to my group to see if they would be interested in trying it out for a session.

My pitch didn't go over so well. Although I understood the basic system well enough there was just something about having a base percentile skill and then adding a modifier based on difficulty my group just didn't go for. Really, I think the main issue was that these are a bunch of longtime RuneQuest/Call of Cthulhu/BRP players that simply like having one basic skill number they can look at on a character sheet and immediately know what to roll under, and they just weren't enthused about doing anything differently or newfangled when it came to D100 based game systems. Ah, well, so much for that- it was hardly the first time I was interested in trying something out that just didn't grab the others. And so I moved on.

...Except that I didn't. Days passed. Weeks passed. And somehow my thoughts just kept coming back to these small One Shot RPG booklets. Maybe there was something about those trimmed-down skill lists that made me question "do we REALLY need all those BRP style skills for a game that will probably only last a session or two?" Or maybe it was those outrageously fun adventure covers that made me feel like a kid looking through bargain bin VHS tape covers and finding gems such as Dagon or Beastmaster all over again. Somehow, I just couldn't let go of what I had seen in these OSRPGS games. There was something there that just... Really made me want to play them.

And then, randomly one day on the drive back from work, it hit me; I could "repackage" the way the mechanics are done without actually changing anything. See, by default let's say that you have a fighting skill of 20%. In this game system you would then add a 50% (for a total of 70%) if you were attempting a normal task, or you might add a 30% (for a total of 50%) for a challenging task, etc. For whatever reason it was the idea of adding variable bonuses that was throwing my group off... So what I did instead is just went ahead and pre-calculated the 50% to each skill so that they were all simply listed as what you would need to roll under for a normal task. That way if someone attempted a difficult task they just subtract 30% from what was on the character sheet instead of trying to add various bonuses to the base number.*

In short, I just made the character sheet look more like something more familiar to a longtime BRP player and that was it. Mathematically it was all the exact same thing.

I made a second pitch to the group and this time it went over much better, so now I have a game all lined up to finally try this system out! I'll be running The Covenant of Dagon in a week or so, so I'll post how things went there afterwards.

But you know, whether that game turns out well or not I would still recommend that anyone gives this game a chance. I've been gaming for nearly three decades so I've seen games come and go, and I can spot a work of gaming quality and love. I believe that the One-Shot RPG System has both going for it.

*In case I'm not explaining this well, under the "precalculated" system a new character has one skill at 80%, four at 70%, and eight a 60%. Now you just subtract from those numbers when rolls are more difficult. For whatever reason subtracting penalties (rather than adding bonuses) just felt more 'right' to a bunch of old school "roll under" grognards even though nothing is really mathematically different.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
One-Shot RPG System Rules: Modern Horror
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for the review, Arthur. I really appreciate it. Like you, I've encountered groups (including my own) who prefer to know the total % by looking at their character sheet. I liked your solution - I typically just force players to give it a try, knowing that after 1-2 game sessions, they'll get it. Your approach is much more player friendly and creative! I think you've captured the essence of what OSRPG is all about - the video store was one of my favorite places as a kid, and you never knew what surprises were waiting for you. OSRPG adventures are a homage to all the types of stories that I love. The Covenant of Dagon (inspired by Shadow Over Innsmouth) contains some of my favorite elements 1) isolated location 2) characters are in over their heads 3) there is a mystery to be solved 4) relationship-driven NPC interactions and 5) Shoggoths :). One piece of advice that came out of some recent playtesting - I had a group that didn't want to go back to Gillman House. The solution I came up with was that Victor told them about the two pistols he left in his luggage - the promise of a firearm worked like a charm (this, of course, assumes the characters don't already have guns). Sounds like you've got a lot of experience, so I'm sure you'll have a blast. Please let me know how it goes. Also, if there are any genres or types of stories you'd like to see in the future, let me know. I'm always looking for inspiration. You can reach me at oneshotrpg.gm@gmail.com or reach out on Discord (Phzoul#5624). All the best. David
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The Age of Shadow: Campaign Guide
Publisher: Crooked Staff Publishing
by Marshall W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/24/2022 07:55:18

Age of Shadow is the setting I just keep coming back to whenever I want to run an OpenQuest game even years later. Wish there had been more suppliments for it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Age of Shadow: Campaign Guide
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Romance of the Perilous Land (first edition)
Publisher: Trollish Delver Games
by Marshall W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/14/2016 22:21:10

Using the (excellent) Black Hack as a base, Romance of the Perilous Land has a much tighter focus and also fixes up a lot of rules. The result feels like more of a 'NextGen' Black Hack rather than just another derivative or re-skinning. That said, the author demonstrates a very keen sense of how to add more content to the base game without increasing the complexity- a very tricky thing to pull off as well as this game does.

This is, without doubt, my favorite product to come from the "Hack" family of games thus far and I'd love to see more games of that line follow this approach. Highly recommended!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Romance of the Perilous Land (first edition)
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The Age of Shadow: Role-playing Game
Publisher: Crooked Staff Publishing
by Marshall W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/14/2016 22:04:44

This amazing gem of a game really doesn't get enough love.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Age of Shadow: Role-playing Game
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Adventurers! Academy
Publisher: GRAmel
by Marshall W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/14/2015 23:59:17

As wildly popular as young adult fiction is these days, I've been kind of baffled that there aren't more game systems aimed at that market in recent memory. Adventurers! Academy does just that by providing locations, rules, and NPCs for running 'Harry Potter' style games using the Adventurers! rules. Characters start out as young adults at the academy and must survive their way through graduation, dealing with many staples of YA and fantasy fiction along the way; light-hearted quests, bickering houses and inner circles, kind and malevolent faculty trainers, fantasy versions of high school tropes, intrigue between the academy and the royal court, and of course the inevitable return of the Lich King upon which everything is founded. (None of these perils, of course, are quite as terrifying as the upcoming Spring Festival dance!) Adventurers! Academy is a pretty big departure from the other Adventurers! settings which are focused more on pulpy action and darker settings, and I think this departure gives the system a chance to show off how versatile it can be. Bottom line- this just seems like good ol' goofy fun. I might even have ranked it higher except that the creature cards are a little too setting specific, consisting mostly of NPC faculty and rivals for the PCs to navigate so they might not be of much use for someone just looking to pick up a few extra monsters for their own setting. In other words, I'm not sure there's a lot to borrow from this if your're not already a fan of the genre. Still, I can definitely recommend this one overall.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Adventurers! Academy
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