[RPG]: Bacchanal, reviewed by Victor Gijsbers (4/4)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12073.phtml

Victor Gijsbers's Summary:

Offering a serious opportunity to explore themes of lust and sexuality, Bacchanal is a tiny but surprisingly good game of turn-based narration. Fill your glass with wine and dice, assemble mature friends you trust, and follow the god Bacchus into the wild orgies of a decadent Roman empire.

Go to the full review for more information.

[mrlost]

..but how exactly does the dice mechanic work exactly? The description sounds vaguely similar to Dogs in the Vineyard only with more wine. I'm not certain I grasp how the god dice fit into the game, do they represent themes that are introduced when the dice are rolled? Why are the dice rolled is there a target number system or contested rolls?

You mention that there is a booklet that lists results. Could you provide a example of what kind of results are contained within?

[Victor Gijsbers]

I'll be happy to answer your questions, but don't forget to take a look at the free version of the game, which can be found here.

The dice mechanic is simply this: everyone has a number of dice in his or her glass, generally something like 3 to 7 Wine dice and 0 tot 3 non-Wine dice. As an example, let us assume that I have 5 Winde dice (d6s), Bacchus (d8), the Accuser (d8) and Venus (d4). When it is my turn, I roll everything and look for the highest die.

Now, I can have all of the following results:

- Several dice are tied for the highest, and all of these are Wine dice.
- Several dice are tied for the highest, and some of these are not Wine-dice.
- A Wine die is high.
- Bacchus is high.
- The Accuser is high.
- Venus is high.

Depending on which of these six possibilities I roll, the rules will ask me to describe a different scene. Thus, if it's a tie between Wine dice, I'll read:

This Is Where the Party Is
If your high roll is two or more tied Wine dice, select one of the available
non-wine dice and add it to your glass. Narrate the presence of that
character into your current location, and the details of a surge in thrills
and excitement. If there are no non-Wine dice available on the tray, select
one from the glass of another player.

If I had the Accuser high, the result would have been:

If your Accuser is the high die, describe him confronting you, and reveal
or elaborate upon your crime. Change of scene. And add a Soldier to your
glass.

Each die has its own unique associated result; so if you have Bacchus in your glass, and you roll him high, decadence will surge. If you have Pluto, crimes will be committed. Venus will take sympathy on you and bring you to your Companion. And so on.