Post originally by SteveC at 2004-02-10 09:58:03
Converted from Phorums BB System
I just had to take a moment to respond to your review. This looks like a game that could be either very interesting or incredibly bad, depending on the quality of the writing.
In terms of _your_ writing, it always amuses me when someone starts a review with "please pardon my spelling and grammar," since it means it will likely be better than about 90% of the reviews I read.
This was a detailed, thorough review, and a very good example of what I like to see on RPG.net. I know what the game is about, the system it uses, the world it is set in _and_ the systems the reviewer prefers. That last one is very important for me, especially for new reviewers who I don't have a history of reading. I also liked the fact that you separated the overview of the game from your opinions (for the most part anyway).
Anyway, my summary is that your review will make me take a look at this game when I would not normally have done so. I can't think of much higher praise to give a review, other than the obligatory "let's see some more!"
Post originally by David Barrena at 2004-02-10 15:34:28
Converted from Phorums BB System
SteveC wrote:
"This looks like a game that could be either very interesting or incredibly bad, depending on the quality of the writing"
If my opinion counts, I think the writing is very good, the game is very interesting AND (even more important) very playable.
"My summary is that your review will make me take a look at this game when I would not normally have done so. I can't think of much higher praise to give a review"
Post originally by John Fleming at 2004-02-12 05:31:33
Converted from Phorums BB System
I'd been planning to buy the game anyway, being a fan of both the urban fantasy genre and UA. But this review would have made me buy it even if I'd never heard of Chad or DI before.
You needn't worry about your English, David. Your writing is that of a well-educated, intelligent person whose grasp of the language exceeds that of many native speakers (including mine, before my morning coffee)!
Post originally by David Rhode at 2004-02-12 14:46:53
Converted from Phorums BB System
This sounds like a rather interesting game. I'd like some more information on the 'soul cultivation' idea, though.
You say, reluctantly, that the players are rewarded for portraying moral characters, because the only way to grow in power in the game is to behave Virtuously.
So, are there villains in the game?
Are there powerful villains in the game?
How does a villain become powerful if they wind up destroying their souls through their Vice(s)?
Would casually evil real-world people, say muggers, CEO's, etc., be 'Dead Inside' in game terms, if they were encountered as characters?
Is there some aspect of evil or Vice associated with the player characters, seeing as they start out with no soul? What is the motivation or realization required in the character's frame of reference for deciding that today is the day he or she is going to go out and start trying to get a new soul?
I hope those aren't too abstract. I rather like games that encourage moral debates among the players, and this one sounds interesting.
Post originally by Maltese Changeling at 2004-02-12 20:58:58
Converted from Phorums BB System
Chad will do a better job of answering these questions than I (I've only looked at a friend's copy of the rules--my book is still en route to me).
There are villains in the game. If they're unsuccessful at acquiring sufficient Soul Energy to combat the Soul Decay their vicious acts generate, then they become Qlippoth--moral vacuums consuming whatever Souls they can find to maintain their existence on this plane.
If the villains are careful--if they balance their villainous acts with virtuous ones or if they act through proxies, lessening their responsibility for their deeds--then they can manage their Soul Decay. For example, they could provide services to others in exchange for Soul Energy to replenish their stores.
I also believe that losing your Soul through your own vicious actions is one of the harder ways to become a Dead Inside. A casually evil PC or NPC just isn't going to shatter his Soul-stuff candy coating--you have to be spectacularly dissipated or twisted.
I also believe that the circumstances that lead to a Dead Inside's decision to cultivate his soul are highly individual ones--dependent on the stories that the player wants his or her PC to experience. So I can't really give you a standardized trigger for this situation.
Post originally by Chad Underkoffler at 2004-02-17 22:15:58
Converted from Phorums BB System
Rob hit the high points adequately.
"Are there powerful villains in the game?"
Yup.
"How does a villain become powerful if they wind up destroying their souls through their Vice(s)?"
They're very smart (as Rob mentions proxies and "soul economies of scale," or very in tune with their Shadow (basic drives -- food, sex, safety, dominance).
Which makes them all the more scary.
"Would casually evil real-world people, say muggers, CEO's, etc., be 'Dead Inside' in game terms, if they were encountered as characters?"
Not usually. They're probably just (bad) Average People.
"Is there some aspect of evil or Vice associated with the player characters, seeing as they start out with no soul?"
Every character has a Virtue and a Vice, representing the strongest higher and lower drives within them.
"What is the motivation or realization required in the character's frame of reference for deciding that today is the day he or she is going to go out and start trying to get a new soul?"
It's called Discovery, and it's part of character generation. Also, the setting reality is that being Dead Inside while within the Real World is depressing, painful, and socially-crippling for most normal soulless folks.
Linear Mode
