Post originally by Roy Morgan at 2005-03-09 00:03:32
Converted from Phorums BB System

"I could not possibly disagree. The game is chock full of cool options, loaded with killer firearms and sweet armor, and possibly the most juvenile game book I have ever read"

Gotta back you there, Matt. As impressive as the game looked from a skim-through, it disappoints on depth and roleplaying. Though blowing stuff up after a bad night at work is still good fun if you can find the right group...

"(I abstained from The Game That Shall Not Be Named)."

Dungeons & Death Stars... ahem, Star Wars D20 with the Arms and Equipment Guide?

"However, even with the writing apparently targeting ninth-graders, I found the game to be quite interesting, with surprising depth in the options for players. I have not played Shatterzone, though I may go look it up now that you mention it."

Shatterzone is worth having, though the original books are getting hard to find. Though there's a PDF of the Shatterzone Universe Guide available at RPGNow, with a D6 conversion guide in the back if you prefer a simpler system.

"As to Shatterzone: having played it, I'd have to say that it's a lot less gung-ho than Battlelords. (Not that that's saying very much. )"

Very true, that. Though between offbeat characters and the mayhem they could get into, I've said more than once that a Star Wars RPG group I ran for a while would have been a better Shatterzone group. Havoc seemed to follow them around like their own starship's ion trail.

"Perhaps it was due to the fact that the system is toned-down TORG, our group was really surprised just how much it HURTS to get shot in Shatterzone. So, avoiding fights tends to be a good thing whenever possible -- not exactly the Battlelords mindset. "

Yup. The game system later got its own life as Masterbook, but didn't survive more than a few years, despite a few good games with the Masterbook label on them. But yes, it's very easy to get hurt in Shatterzone OR Masterbook. Either have decent combat skills, or stay out of fights! Of course, that's not always possible, especially if a job you take sends you into danger. And how many DON'T?

And Battlelords has that trait in common with Shatterzone. It takes it to a higher extreme, but the principle is the same: wade in blasting, the powers that be will sort 'em out. At the right time and in the right place, that can still be a recipe for a good game.