Kleptoreview: Has a couple of features worth borrowing for campaigns in other games, but not quite enough there to justify its purchase solely for inspiration.
Post originally by The Fiendish Dr. Samsara at 2005-04-25 14:37:42
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Gosh darn, that’s a good idea. This is the way I read most game books anyway. You might have opened up a whole new way to review—maybe I’ll review some “Al-Qadim” stuff that I would never ever run in D&D. Keeno!
Post originally by Wyvern at 2005-04-27 01:18:17
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Good job for a first review; nice concept, solidly written. It's a pity this wasn't posted just a few weeks earlier; I could have pointed out that the GWPH was available as a free PDF download at www.drivethrurpg.com.
You mention that you're not a d20 fan; what are some of the games you *do* like?
In the spirit of constructive criticism, there are just a few typos I'd like to point out:
"breathing the of the world"
"the, say, the body of toaster"
Also, it's "Eberron", not "Ebberon" and "adaptations", not "adaptions".
Post originally by Wordman at 2005-05-03 07:46:07
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Thanks.
I posted the review right when drivethru put up that PDF, but it took the PRG.net people a very long time to publish my submission, for some reason.
As far as games I like, I tend to be focussed more on story than system. I like flexible characters, so class-based systems usually bother me. I used to be a big Shadowrun head and am currently running a funky Exalted campaign. I absolutely love Unknown Armies and Octane, but have not had a chance to play them.
As for the typos: arg! There does not seem to be a good correction mechanism on the site, so it looks like they'll be immortalized.
Post originally by The Blue-Coated Highwayman at 2005-05-06 11:21:12
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So far, the only class-based system I've seen that allows for a lot of freedom in the creation of characters is the True20 system used in Blue Rose (the RPG of Romantic Fantasy) by Green Ronin. It uses three classes, the Adept (spellcaster or psychic), the Expert (skill-intensive characters, such as thieves or diplomats), and the Warrior (fighters, rangers, monks, any heavily martial class), with one or two predetermined feats and all other feats chosen rather than tracked on an advancement chart. All the advancement charts track are attack bonus, Defense bonus, number of focus skills (determined by class), and saves. You get one new feat per level that you choose, and multiclassing has no penalties. Certain feats are available to certain classes, though there's no penalty for multiclassing.
Don't know if you've got any interest in romantic fantasy, so I'll mention that the game is at RPGNow for about $16 if you want to cannibalize the system. There's also rumors of a True20 rulebook in the works on the forum at the Green Ronin website. You might want to check it out.
Post originally by Troy812 at 2005-05-06 14:04:29
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Good review. I think that is exactly what I want when I read a review. I don’t want descriptions of the cover or endless reviews of each chapter. I want just what you wrote.
What can I use in MY game?
What can I steal from it?
That IS what’s important.
Also I like your outlook on the story as a whole. So you take a book of rules and basically see the ...story behind it. Very insightful. That is just how I read new games/settings.
Numbers, Charts, Game balance... only come into play for me after I have been seduced by the overall story.
I bought the book right after it came out and ... well I just didn’t dig it. No enough science fantasy enough for me.
Linear Mode
