D4-D4 is a solid rules lite system based around a descriptive trait ladder. Players wanting rule lite system more focused on narrative than mechanical nuance will be quite pleased.
Post originally by flyingmice at 2004-11-08 07:50:11
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Hola Rob:
Great review! You've summed up the system nicely, and give a good, solid picture of the game. It's an excellent system and deserves this good a review.
Post originally by Underdog at 2004-11-08 08:33:12
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Full disclosure: I chat with the book's authour on IRC pretty often. But I'm also a raving FATE fanboy, so it all balances out.
Is d4-d4 similar to FATE or FUDGE? Certainly. Ask Kyle why he wrote his own game sometime, it's certainly inspired by FUDGE (to put it politely.)
The biggest difference is that a lot of the work in d4-d4 is done for you. You could probably get something similar (not identical, mind,) out of FUDGE. But you'd be doing a lot of work. You get a lot of material that you don't get with FUDGE from the start.
Combat is another. It's much, much more detailed in d4-d4. Whether this is good or bad is up to you.
There are a lot of other differences, such as the way character's traits interact, and the different probabilities in the d4-d4 mechanic vs. FUDGE dice (for you system monkeys out there.) I'm sure someone who knows the game better than me could list more.
If you're happy with FATE or FUDGE, that's dandy. They're both great games. I think d4-d4 is up there with them, but the only way you're going to find out for sure is reading it. Besides, it's eight dollars. As far as RPGs go, thats a steal.
Post originally by jay verkuilen at 2004-11-08 08:41:26
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A D6, sure, but a D4, except to be perverse? Nasty.
I mean, I have perverse desire to design a game that uses D4s, D8s, and D12s just to show them damn D6, D10, and D20 crowds what-for, but really?
I hate rolling those things and I'm rather dubious about their qualities as randomizers since I've seen players roll unreasonable strings of the same number over and over again with them. It's easy to drop a D4 without actually rolling it, intentionally or not.
Otherwise I agree the review is thorough. I don't think the game's really to my taste but it looks like it would serve its intended purpose well.
Post originally by Nawara at 2004-11-08 08:47:43
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I'm not sure what the problem with a d4 is (other than that you can't really buy packs of them in really cool colors like you can with d10s or d6s), so I'd like to stand by the d4 as a randomizer.
In fact, I'm using d4s for Tri-Stat Authority. D12? No... d4. It's so much better. All Tri-Stat games should run on 2d4, regardless of power level. It's so much better for running a realistic campaign.
Oh, and d4s don't roll around on the table like d20s do. D20s bounce and land on the floor about six feet away, even if you drop them from three inches above the table.
And d4s are a good weapon to use against burglars.
Post originally by Ezekiel Black at 2004-11-08 09:16:46
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I actually wrote up a gaming system that uses a d4 as well, but never really put it to use because it ended up way too crunchy with complex mechanics and whatnot. So I uploaded it into a 3 1'2 floppy, deleted it from my computer, set the floppy on fire, and chopped the remains in half with my katana.
Just Kidding.
Since I have well over 20 sets of dice (and can't really be bothered to count them all), I could care less which d of the normal 7 a game uses.
But I do have qualms with RPGs using "weird" dice mechanics, such as utilizing d14s, d16s, d18s, and d30s. Perhaps it's because I've never owned any of these (and have only seen a d30 twice), but these aren't mainstream dice, so I've never seen a reason to own them.
The only game I've ever bought weird dice for is Fudge. Otherwise, I'm sticking to the main 7.
"I've got it! The d2 system! It's genius!" - someone about to be beat to death with a wet cat
Post originally by Kyle at 2004-11-08 09:44:52
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Poor d4s. They get no love, man.
I know they don't roll too well. They just go "clunk." But let's face it, only d6, d8, and maybe d10 roll well. The d12 and d20 bounce all over the goddamn place.
It just gave the probability distribution I wanted. About 2/3 the time, you're within one level of your rated ability.
If the players "just drop them", then it's time to bring out the Hackmaster 's Smackdown Table... and put those cheating players in their place! Just roll them in a cup. That's what craps players do when they don't trust the other guy to roll properly.
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