[RPG]: Dreamwalker: Roleplaying in the Land of Dreams, reviewed by Dan Davenport (3/5)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11546.phtml

Dan Davenport's Summary:

Some rules need streamlining, but a combination of setting and system perfectly designed with game play in mind and a nearly limitless premise make this game a bargain in print and a steal as a .pdf.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Asklepios]

I kind of hate the way that magical energy in so many settings is called "Mana". Its like referring to it as "Energy" or "Essence" and says so very little.

Given the dream context the game could so easily have thought up a more interesting name, like Maia or Oneiros.

Otherwise sounds quite intriguing, and the scope is nicely focused. The weird thing is though that after reading the review I feel very little need to buy the game, and could quite easily steal the idea wholesale.

[BethDragon]

Great review as always, Dan.

Although I have to say....I could have pulled out a flamethrower?!? *sigh* I have yet to use a flamethrower in any of your playtests.

It was a very easy-to-jump-into game, since I basically got involved close to playtime. Quick read and the prestatted are all interesting (except for, perhaps, Boogyman.) I prefered the low-violence resolution and that if you start pulling stuff out of thin air, you might cause the Dreamer to wake up and ruin your chances. I like it when one has to be sneaky.

I had a lot of fun playing the drug addict rich spoiled girl. *thinks* This is the second rich spoiled girl I think I've played in the Playtests. I'll have to see if I'm getting typecast. *grin*

Beth

[Dan Davenport]

Originally Posted by BethDragon

Great review as always, Dan.

Thanks, Bethy! *HUG*

Although I have to say....I could have pulled out a flamethrower?!? *sigh* I have yet to use a flamethrower in any of your playtests.

Yup! You could have pulled out a flamethrower. Although considering from whence you pulled that "concealed" .44 Magnum, I think you'd have had a rather difficult time explaining the same trick with a flamethrower...

It was a very easy-to-jump-into game, since I basically got involved close to playtime. Quick read and the prestatted are all interesting (except for, perhaps, Boogyman.) I prefered the low-violence resolution and that if you start pulling stuff out of thin air, you might cause the Dreamer to wake up and ruin your chances. I like it when one has to be sneaky.

Actually, you don't always have to be. That's the great thing about the game: it all depends upon the dream. If you were in a high fantasy dream, you could have been throwing Mana around left and right, for example. And in some dreams, destroying the Taenia hive is the denouemet, so all-out violence is pretty much okay.

I had a lot of fun playing the drug addict rich spoiled girl. *thinks* This is the second rich spoiled girl I think I've played in the Playtests. I'll have to see if I'm getting typecast. *grin*

All I know is that it was really something to hear a Beth character say, "When do I get my fix?"

You did a great job. Everybody did. I hope we can continue that game sometime.

[pspahn]

Dan, thanks again for the review. You addressed everything pretty much. I have only one minor correction in regards to:

>Playtest: In retrospect, this is probably the best reason why PCs might not want to create the most powerful weapon possible – the greater the damage caused, the more likely the Dreamer is to wake up. Still, even that limitation doesn’t apply >after the dream's denouement.

Actually, the limitation still applies, it's just not as bad. On page 78, under Achieving the Denouement, once the denouement is achieved, the Dreamer's effective Courage rating (and thus the amount of damage from one attack) is doubled. So you can do more damage, but there is still a chance that the Dreamer will rebel.

I'm glad everyone had a good time in the playtest. I've found this game to be one of the easiest to run, no matter what system we used. Certainly the easiest one to design adventures for. For awhile, we were rotating GMs every adventure or so, using the same Dreamwalking team (with the current GM either running his character as an NPC or having him sit out the mission) and it was pretty neat to see what the other GMs came up with. The supplements expand gameplay even further.

Just wanted to say thanks to your playtesters, too. I appreciate you all taking the time to give it a try.

Originally Posted by Nigel Tam

I kind of hate the way that magical energy in so many settings is called "Mana". Its like referring to it as "Energy" or "Essence" and says so very little.

Mana was easiest and most easily recognizable. There are a lot of other weird names to remember in the game, so I tried to be simple when I could.

The weird thing is though that after reading the review I feel very little need to buy the game, and could quite easily steal the idea wholesale.

Ha! And Dungeons & Dragons, and Star Wars, and Vampire, and Werewolf, etc.

Pete

[Dan Davenport]

Originally Posted by Demonspahn

Dan, thanks again for the review. You addressed everything pretty much. I have only one minor correction in regards to:

>Playtest: In retrospect, this is probably the best reason why PCs might not want to create the most powerful weapon possible – the greater the damage caused, the more likely the Dreamer is to wake up. Still, even that limitation doesn’t apply >after the dream's denouement.

Actually, the limitation still applies, it's just not as bad. On page 78, under Achieving the Denouement, once the denouement is achieved, the Dreamer's effective Courage rating (and thus the amount of damage from one attack) is doubled. So you can do more damage, but there is still a chance that the Dreamer will rebel.

Thanks for catching that, Peter. I realized I'd overstated that after the fact.

Originally Posted by Demonspahn

I'm glad everyone had a good time in the playtest. I've found this game to be one of the easiest to run, no matter what system we used. Certainly the easiest one to design adventures for. For awhile, we were rotating GMs every adventure or so, using the same Dreamwalking team (with the current GM either running his character as an NPC or having him sit out the mission) and it was pretty neat to see what the other GMs came up with. The supplements expand gameplay even further.

I'm hoping to continue the game with some tweaks of my own -- that "Price is Right" rolling we discussed, d20 instead of d100, and maybe streamlined stat blocks for human NPCs.

Hmmm.... Actually, a tweaked version of the Waste World mechanics might work well for Dreamwalker. (But then, I say that about a lot of games. )

Originally Posted by Demonspahn

Just wanted to say thanks to your playtesters, too. I appreciate you all taking the time to give it a try.

I was relieved to get in that playtest. It really came down to the wire. As you know, I had the review written aside from playtest comments, just because the playtests kept falling through for various reasons. I finally got that one together late in the evening last Saturday.

Originally Posted by Demonspahn

Mana was easiest and most easily recognizable. There are a lot of other weird names to remember in the game, so I tried to be simple when I could.

I have to agree with Peter on that one. Jargon for the sake of jargon is a big turn-off for me. (Which, by the way, made me happy to see the game use the term "Game Master". )

Originally Posted by Demonspahn

Ha! And Dungeons & Dragons, and Star Wars, and Vampire, and Werewolf, etc.

Heh.

That's one of the tricky things about reviewing RPGs as opposed to, say, card or board games: there are always plenty of things people could "just do on their own" without the need for a given supplement, or even for a given game. It's just a matter of how much work you're willing to do.

[BethDragon]

Originally Posted by Dan Davenport

Yup! You could have pulled out a flamethrower. Although considering from whence you pulled that "concealed" .44 Magnum, I think you'd have had a rather difficult time explaining the same trick with a flamethrower...

All I know is that it was really something to hear a Beth character say, "When do I get my fix?"

Aww, I thought my best line was this:

[Heidi] *whispers* "Otis, keep a lookout on the stairway heading downstairs."
[Dan] Otis: "Okay. Uh... Why are we whispering?"
[Heidi] "Because I am very paranoid..." *pulls pistol 'magically' out of cleavage* "and I'm armed."



Beth

[Dan Davenport]

Originally Posted by BethDragon

Aww, I thought my best line was this:

[Heidi] *whispers* "Otis, keep a lookout on the stairway heading downstairs."
[Dan] Otis: "Okay. Uh... Why are we whispering?"
[Heidi] "Because I am very paranoid..." *pulls pistol 'magically' out of cleavage* "and I'm armed."



Beth

That was your best line, yes. But "When do I get my fix?" was your most unBethlike line.

(Oh... and now you all know from whence she was lamenting not having pulled a flamethrower. )

[Snowblind]

Great review, dude. Enjoyed it muchly.

[Dan Davenport]

Originally Posted by Dead.Blue.Clown

Great review, dude. Enjoyed it muchly.

Thanks, DBC!

Incidentally, I noticed the Morrigan Press link in your sig. Did you do any work on High Medieval? And were you at their GenCon Indy booth?