Post originally by access.denied at 2003-09-01 11:24:55
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First of all, let me be clear that from your review, the game strikes me as something utterly atrocious. Perhaps just because my priorities are different, or because some details just seem to scream "AVOID!!!" at me (Golgotha Kinslayer, for one--I could easily imagine him duelling with Killfuck Soulshitter). And the whole game looks to me like an unholy mixture of d20 and Rolemaster.
Anyway:
1)What are character levels for?
2)What damage mechanics is there? I suppose it's accumulative (per level) hit points, but it's not at all clear from the review.
3)Is combat as dice-roll heavy as your review suggests? (roll to hit, roll to parry, roll to damage, possibly roll armour resistance and/or initiative)
4)If the only crit mechanic is always hit/double damage, is there a difference between the "awful things that can happen on a crit" and awful things that can happen on any hit?
5)Skills that have no associated game mechanic seem to me to simply lack a resolution system; many games nowadays assume that the character succeeds (without rolling) at actions that s/he is skilled with (cf, for example Unknown Armies). The problem surfaces when the situation is not normal--in your blacksmith example, how can the GM determine if a character can forge something out of a hitherto unknown metal (GM fiat is fine by me, but it doesn't seem to fit with the other game systems as described in your review)?
6)You claim the game places emphasis on social interaction, and yet it seems that system is much more geared towards combat--the reputation mechanic, from what you described, seems like a pale echo of the one used in Ars Magica (a game, btw, which does not focus on social interaction--although many Ars Magica campaigns do).
7)In one sentence you claim that combat interrupts often lead to bidding wars, in another that they are uncommon. Which is it?
Post originally by Richard Wells at 2003-09-01 17:01:30
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The email provider of the reviewer is listed at lost-souls.everyone.net. The email addresses for contacting Lost Souls are also listed coming from lost-souls.everyone.net.
Post originally by James P at 2003-09-02 01:49:58
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I seem to recall a couple of reviews on here by a guy called 'Golgotha Kinslayer'.
I can't believe he lacks the balls to put his real name on what should be his Magnum Opus.
... however, as a game, this strikes me as being terribly derivative, badly researched, and crap. If I wanted dark fantasy, I'd go with Stormbringer any day.
Post originally by James P at 2003-09-02 02:11:28
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Having had a quick snoop around on the WWW, I find out that 'Lost Souls' is a LARP group who play a modified version of White Wolf's Laws of the Night. It all seems pretty much the same as your average Sabbat game (yes, I used to do MET too), with a couple of rules modifications.
These rules modifications seem to do only one thing - take away the 'no alcohol or other substances' and the 'don't interfere with the public' rules as presented by White Wolf. The Lost Souls seem to be genuinely proud of the fact that they are not sanctioned by any established MET LARP, and what's more, take pleasure in 'gatecrashing' those groups' games.
Yes, folks - those 'moronic LARPer' legends out there aren't all fake.
Now that we have established that Midian comes from a background of immature baby-bat pseudo-MET 'roleplayers', I think we can understand why this game seems so bad.
Another thing, having looked at the 'Lost Souls' website I can find no reference whatsoever to a printed copy of the rulebook. Indeed, all the rules are available on the website, but there are too slim in volume to fill even a modest rulebook.
I might be wrong, and there might be a printed version of the game, however 'Lost Souls' don't seem to be at all interested in advertising the fact on their own website.
A far more likely reason for this is that the reviewer is full of crap.
Post originally by Leroy Van Camp III at 2003-09-02 10:51:02
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Given that the author of the book seems to have actually put his name in the credits as "Gologotha Kinslayer," do these kind of juvenille antics suprise anyone?
Post originally by Vibropod at 2003-09-02 16:56:26
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Looks like it
I looked up Golgotha Kinslayer's review. His listed email address is.
kinslayer@lost-souls.every1.net
Looks close enough to me.
It sure wouldn't be the first time I caught an author responding to criticisms in a review I wrote for his product, pretending to be an impartial person.
I caught an author responding to criticisms in a review I wrote for his product, pretending to be an impartial person.
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