Post originally by Andy K at 2005-03-18 06:47:39
Converted from Phorums BB System
<i>I really like Dead Inside. It's different. Its cosmology is cool. It has a focus and it sticks to it. Its rules address that focus and the text explains how. The presentation is not as cohesive as it might have been, but it makes up for it with vision and completeness. If you're remotely interested in some fantastical, morally-charged adventuring, get Dead Inside.</i>
Absolutely. I too agree that it focuses a little on the GM preparing EVERYTHING, like a traditional D&D adventure... but man, that focus. It's there, baby. And because of that focus, plus the traditional GM interpretation, it means that traditional-minded hardcore gamers can easily get into it: And instead of jumping into bloody combat, minmaxing their fighting abilities, the traditional gamer can jump into healing, helping and giving, minmaxing their soul and humanitarian-effect abilities.
Post originally by Jack Conrad at 2005-03-18 07:45:36
Converted from Phorums BB System
I haven't read Dead Inside yet... however, from the description, it sounds very much like Wraith: the Oblivion published by White Wolf and now out of print...
Post originally by Jasper McChesney at 2005-03-18 08:01:41
Converted from Phorums BB System
Uh...pretty silly to say you disagree then, isn't it? I haven't read Wraith, so what sounds similar about them? From my impression, Wraith is very far from DI's premise of "Heal things and give them your stuff."
Post originally by Chad Underkoffler at 2005-03-18 08:59:57
Converted from Phorums BB System
Jasper, thank you! I appreciate this review.
Jack -- I can see why you'd say that. The initial drafts and bulk of material in DEAD INSIDE was written long before I saw a copy of WRAITH.
Indeed, I started reading WRAITH (because a playtester suggested the games dealt with similar issues) during the period where I was revising DI for layout. That was a pretty weird experience -- and, IIRC, Wraith's Shadow rules did influence DI's depiction of the Shadow Imago.
What was even weirder was reading Ron Edward's SORCERER while laying DI out for publication. It was like DI and SORCERER were two sides of the same mirror, and I'd never looked at the book before. Really, really freaky.
I honestly think you could run a kickass SORCERER game using the DI rules, and a kickass DI game using the SORCERER rules.
Anywho, each of the three games mentioned above, while sharing similarities, are very, very different -- I think the differences come through clearly when you read each. In any case, it's good company to be in.
Post originally by jian at 2005-03-18 11:15:16
Converted from Phorums BB System
Having only browsed through the two games, I'd have to bet that the games are similar because they draw from similar sources - Wraith having many elements taken from Freudian psychoanalysis and DI's taken more from the Jungian variety - which can be seen in the different meanings that the concept "Shadow" has in those two games.
Post originally by Chad Underkoffler at 2005-03-18 12:02:54
Converted from Phorums BB System
I couldn't put my finger down on why WRAITH shadows seemed "close, but off" to my initial idea. I'd say that's an excellent insight -- I did specifically adapt ideas from Jung in writing DI.
Post originally by William A. Peterson at 2005-03-21 18:40:37
Converted from Phorums BB System
Also similar, though far from identical, would be Nightlife, by Stellar Games (very likely out of print, by now, but you never know...).
Where it bears the most resemblance is in the quest for something you've lost (not played up quite as much as in DI, though), and in doing 'good deeds', and avoiding bad ones (like killing people) in order to earn 'Experience Points'...
Anything that has the Killer Munchkins falling all over each other to help little old ladies across the street is a Good Thing! :->
Where DI offers a strong focus, though, Nightlife was a little diffuse...
You could play a Demon, a Vampire, a Lycanthrope, or any of a number of other 'Monster' types, and it had a broad selection of Powers, to accomodate that notion...
but there was never a setting, really!
I've had a lot of fun playing Nightlife, through the years (mostly in spite of it's Game Mechanics), so this sounds somewhat attractive, as well...
Post originally by William A. Peterson at 2005-03-21 19:42:56
Converted from Phorums BB System
You can try www.stellargames.com , but I'm not even sure if the old website is still up!
It came out in the '80's, prior to 'Werewolf: The Apocalypse'...
Terrible art, miserable production values, limited distribution, and Game Mechanics that were pretty close to those of "Basic Roleplaying", by Chaosium, all hampered the success of the game, but it's got some wonderful ideas in it, even now...
Think of it as a lot like "Stalking the Night Fantastic" (aka "Bureau 13") played from the other side! {Okay, so you probably haven't heard of 'Stalking', either... Grumble, mutter, Kids today, et cetera}! :->
Linear Mode
