Hi, Tom,
Thanks for the terrific review! I think you really nailed what Dread is all about. I'm not sure, but I think you're the first critic of this new edition who also reviewed the
first edition (what, five years ago?). It's really interesting to read your thoughts about the evolution of the game.
I agree with the points you've made about organization. Obviously, there's a lot that I could have done differently. I'm still learning about layout and organization.
A minor clarification: if you roll multiples, you actually add the value rolled to the number of instances. So if you roll 3,6,6 then you have rolled two 6s, and you get an 8 (6+2). If you roll a 2,8,8,8,9, you've got three 8s, which means an 11 (8+3). It's all in section 2.1.4 on page 32.
Another minor point: Pent is a sourcebook that contains several ready-to-run scenarios, and it will be released in a few weeks. Spite is the Second Book of Pandemonium, and contains information about angels, zealots, government agents, and a number of other adversaries. I'm looking to release Spite before the end of the year.
Thanks for the kind words about the spells, demons, and scenarios! Those are really the heart of Dread (along with the low-drag rules, which I've been stripping down over the past five years). And again, I really appreciate the time it took to write such a thorough review!
If anyone has any questions about the game, I'm more than happy to answer them here.
-- Rafael