|
|
 |
Other comments left by this customer: |
|
|
 |
|
Pros: The adventure generator is awesome. Just so, so much fun. The art felt very evocative. Whole pages spent defining pulp archetypes, in game terms, which is very useful. Plus, new edges and hindrances.
Cons: I didn't care for some of the art. As well, there were references to "Advanced Classes" in the book, which I assume were left over from the conversion from the previous version of the game.
Overview: I bought Spirit of the Century, and really wanted to like it for my pulp fun...then I fount Two-Fisted Tales from Precis Intermedia Games, and found it to be way more to my taste. I bought Thrilling Tales on a whim, mostly because it was $1 (during a sale) and uses Savage Worlds, which I love...wow. I hope to use this book a ton over the next several years.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Pros: A fully realized "movie" adventure for Slasher Flick, if you want to run the game but don't feel comfortable making your own. A lot of nice little plot elements, and options for twisting the movie around to your pleasure, either because you don't care for the default, or because you would like to re use it.
Cons: Again, the art is a strike against it. My initial thoughts for Horror Island were higher before I read Bloodbath Hotel, which I feel eclipses it.
Overall: It is a nice adventure, feeling familiar without feeling like a complete ripoff of anything. That said, if you must buy just one Slasher Flick adventure, Bloodbath Hotel is the better of the two. However, if you like Slasher Flick and can buy both, this is still a worthy purchase.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Quick overview: Optional rules for Slasher Flick. If you like Slasher Flick, well worth your $2. If you don't, then stay away. That simple, pretty much. As a $2 mini supplement for the game, however, its great, but hardly essential. I'm going middle of the road with this rating due entirely to the fact that its useless if you're not into Slasher Flick, and incredibly optional if you are. Very well written, though.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Pros: Spectrum Games and genre emulation go hand in hand. The book is painstakingly designed to place you within the archetypal horror film with all the good, bad and cheesy that entails. The rules support the genre conventions, such as rewarding the player for acting stupidly in character, and even giving the "final girl" a bonus to ensure that she makes it to the end of the film...(as "final girls" often do").
Cons: Much of the art isn't impressive. The version of the PDF that I saw seemed a bit heavy on the ink, due to a large, black border the runs along the top and sides of the pages.
Overall: This is one of those games that I read and it made me really, REALLY want to play. I think, especially with some kind of board-game like visual representation, you could convince some of the more open-minded non-gamers to give it a shot, and possibly find some converts.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Pros: A very evocative attempt at emulating the conventions of 80s action cartoons in role-playing games. A huge improvement over the first version of the game, as well. At $16 its a great deal, catching it on sale is a steal. The rules give you options but stop just shy of being too crunchy.
Cons: Some of the art pieces, many of which were recycled from the first game, look way more like 90s comic books than 80s cartoons.
Overall: Aside from the art issue I mentioned, I had no other complaints with this product. It is genre emulation at its finest. The combat is abstract without being too "out there", the commercial break rules are a genius bit of metagaming. Very well done.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Pros: Very good modern horror RPG. Some nice, new takes on some classic modern horror archetypes, and an interesting lifepath system for character generation. I heartily recommend combining this with On Her Majesty's Arcane Service for maximum effect. Once you get past the cover, the interior is way more printer friendly than your average RPG. I'm a huge fan of the layout, but apparently most reviewers are not.
Cons: With this book alone, there's not much here to convince you to switch from Your Default Game if you are already doing modern monster hunting. On Her Majesty's Arcane Service adds just enough options to make the switch more appealing, adding in fairies and organization rules (which can be modernized with a little effort). The fiction isn't great, but that's not the main focus of the book, and some of the art is more mediocre than anything.
Conclusion: As stated, a very well-written RPG, made by a guy who likes to make games and doesn't have a whole production company to do it with. If you are wanting to get into modern horror, or your current game isn't clicking, then I offer a high recommendation. If you're happy with what you've got, and you have some money to spare, its worth picking up for possible inspiration.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|