Much as I like the original BTSN it sort of got lost in the shuffle after Rifts came out, then mutated then became a cancer upon the gaming scene. Okay I exagerrate, but Siembieda has beaten that game like a dead horse.
But I though BTSN was a great game at the time and the us eof the venerable Palladium rules is okay because they do work...they just lack some elegance. It is too bad that they decided to cut the game shortly after the first edition...hopefully it will be successful and supported...
Re: [RPG]: Beyond the Supernatural, 2nd edition, reviewed by MrNexx (4/3)
Quote:
Originally Posted by maasenstodt
Not a bad review, though I was disappointed that no mention was made of the victim rules that I feel were a valuable part of BtS 1st Ed.
There were, unfortunately, no victim rules, but you can easily transplant them to 2nd edition without any modification.
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Comparisons, please?
By now we're spoilt for choice for settings and systems for contemporary occult/horror/conspiracy games: Kult, Witchcraft, Conspiracy: X (GURPS or Unisystem), various other GURPS offerings, Delta Green, Unknown Armies, and the WoD, new and old, among others. Where does BtS (v2) fit into (or stand out from) the genre spectrum? How is it similar or different, better or worse? Anyone?
(Right now my largely uninformed guess is "closest to Witchcraft (no surprise) with a (somewhat improved) Palladium system and a fair bit more fanboy ueberness". Typical Palladium big-setting-with-a-bit-of-everything, quite close to being semi-generic, on the outward-facing/optimistic/mission-oriented end of the genre. How good is my guess?)
Last edited by Leo Comerford; 08-15-2005 at 03:30 PM..
Reason: Refined the question
Re: [RPG]: Beyond the Supernatural, 2nd edition, reviewed by MrNexx (4/3)
Quote:
Originally Posted by maasenstodt
Not a bad review, though I was disappointed that no mention was made of the victim rules that I feel were a valuable part of BtS 1st Ed.
The focus of the game has shifted slightly... It's now about people standing up and using their inner strength (usually embodied as psychic powers) to fight the supernatural. These people may have been victimized, but they're not victims - they're heroes.
The lack of magic rules fits in this setup, too - magic in BtS2 is about bargaining with dark powers. Heroes rely on their own strength to get by.
Really, BtS is no longer a generic horror game - it's now a game of supernatural adventure and heroics.
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By now we're spoilt for choice for settings and systems for contemporary occult/horror/conspiracy games: Kult, Witchcraft, Conspiracy: X (GURPS or Unisystem), various other GURPS offerings, Delta Green, Unknown Armies, and the WoD, new and old, among others. Where does BtS (v2) fit into (or stand out from) the genre spectrum? How is it similar or different, better or worse? Anyone?
(Right now my largely uninformed guess is "closest to Witchcraft (no surprise) with a (somewhat improved) Palladium system and a fair bit more fanboy ueberness". Typical Palladium big-setting-with-a-bit-of-everything, quite close to being semi-generic, on the outward-facing/optimistic/mission-oriented end of the genre. How good is my guess?)
Pretty close. Its justification for the continued existence of the supernatural in the world is brilliant. Even my Palladium-hating friends were impressed.
As for the tone, see my above post about heroics.
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Re: [RPG]: Beyond the Supernatural, 2nd edition, reviewed by MrNexx (4/3)
Nice review, even though this isn't something I'm likely to buy -- I'm fine with WitchCraft.
Actually, by your description, BtS sounds a bit like Chill, but with more buff psychic powers. How much of the focus is on "traditional" horror monsters like vampires and werewolves, and does the game describe all of their abilities in terms of psionics?
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Re: [RPG]: Beyond the Supernatural, 2nd edition, reviewed by MrNexx (4/3)
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattyHelms
The focus of the game has shifted slightly... It's now about people standing up and using their inner strength (usually embodied as psychic powers) to fight the supernatural. These people may have been victimized, but they're not victims - they're heroes.
The lack of magic rules fits in this setup, too - magic in BtS2 is about bargaining with dark powers. Heroes rely on their own strength to get by.
Really, BtS is no longer a generic horror game - it's now a game of supernatural adventure and heroics.
There's no doubt that the new edition's singular focus is heroic play. I think the previous version had that option, but provided an additional, equally valid option in the form of victims rules. Thus, I don't think the new version has shifted its focus but rather narrowed it.
As for magic, isn't the use of PPE, which powers spell use, derived from a character's own endurance ("strength")? If so, I don't understand your second point. I hope you might elaborate.
Re: [RPG]: Beyond the Supernatural, 2nd edition, reviewed by MrNexx (4/3)
Quote:
Originally Posted by maasenstodt
There's no doubt that the new edition's singular focus is heroic play. I think the previous version had that option, but provided an additional, equally valid option in the form of victims rules. Thus, I don't think the new version has shifted its focus but rather narrowed it.
I said shifted because it took that small piece and greatly expanded on it - there is much more material in this edition than the first, but it is all about being the hero. Either way, I think we're saying the same thing... In narrowing its focus from generic horror to heroic supernatural adventure, the game has become a sharper, but specific, tool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maasenstodt
As for magic, isn't the use of PPE, which powers spell use, derived from a character's own endurance ("strength")? If so, I don't understand your second point. I hope you might elaborate.
Mechanically, a bit; thematically, no. It's in the source material and, based on what Siembieda has said, should become clearer in the magic sourcebook, where the sinister workings of magic should become clear. Magic is going to be a dangerous business to mess with.
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