[RPG]: Qin : The Warring States, reviewed by Sammael99 (4/5)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12349.phtml

Benoît FELTEN's Summary:

The most detailed and playable RPG set in Ancient China available.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Destriarch]

This sounds like a very interesting game that I shall probably acquire if it reaches this country in printed form. However, one thing puzzles me slightly. The review states that if both yin and yang dice roll the same, the result is an automatic success. Does this not mean that there is a one in ten chance of automatically succeeding at a task? This seems rather high. Is there some other mechanism to prevent automatic success from being unbearably common, or is it merely that the game encourages an over-the-top Wu Xia style atmosphere in which impossible feats are a near-daily accomplishment?

I am very tempted to try using Qin as a basis for a 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' style RPG - does it contain any rules to help simplify mass combat situations such as where two opposing armies battle it out face-to-face? This would be an absolute must for a Three Kingdoms campaign.

Ash

[Sammael99]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

This sounds like a very interesting game that I shall probably acquire if it reaches this country in printed form. However, one thing puzzles me slightly. The review states that if both yin and yang dice roll the same, the result is an automatic success. Does this not mean that there is a one in ten chance of automatically succeeding at a task? This seems rather high. Is there some other mechanism to prevent automatic success from being unbearably common, or is it merely that the game encourages an over-the-top Wu Xia style atmosphere in which impossible feats are a near-daily accomplishment?

I am very tempted to try using Qin as a basis for a 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' style RPG - does it contain any rules to help simplify mass combat situations such as where two opposing armies battle it out face-to-face? This would be an absolute must for a Three Kingdoms campaign.

Ash

Ash,

I didn't want to go into too much detail, but any double apart from 0 is a critical success. A double 0 is a critical failure. And yes, I'd say it's a consequence of the cinematic style of the genre.

There are no mass combat rules in the core book but I understand that the upcoming Art of War supplement will feature such rules. That supplement should be out in France in September (I think) and I suspect its US distribution will depend on the success of the Core Qin book in the US.

Hope this helps !

[Neko7C]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

This sounds like a very interesting game that I shall probably acquire if it reaches this country in printed form.

Sold in Gencon Indy and then distributed in september by PSI.

However, one thing puzzles me slightly. The review states that if both yin and yang dice roll the same, the result is an automatic success. Does this not mean that there is a one in ten chance of automatically succeeding at a task? This seems rather high. Is there some other mechanism to prevent automatic success from being unbearably common, or is it merely that the game encourages an over-the-top Wu Xia style atmosphere in which impossible feats are a near-daily accomplishment?

It's not an automatic success but a critical succes. If your opponent makes a higher critical success, he wins.

does it contain any rules to help simplify mass combat situations such as where two opposing armies battle it out face-to-face? This would be an absolute must for a Three Kingdoms campaign.

Ash

It will be on the sourcebook to come "The Art of War"

Hope I answered your questions ...

[ironick]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

This sounds like a very interesting game that I shall probably acquire if it reaches this country in printed form. However, one thing puzzles me slightly. The review states that if both yin and yang dice roll the same, the result is an automatic success. Does this not mean that there is a one in ten chance of automatically succeeding at a task? This seems rather high. Is there some other mechanism to prevent automatic success from being unbearably common, or is it merely that the game encourages an over-the-top Wu Xia style atmosphere in which impossible feats are a near-daily accomplishment?

I am very tempted to try using Qin as a basis for a 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' style RPG - does it contain any rules to help simplify mass combat situations such as where two opposing armies battle it out face-to-face? This would be an absolute must for a Three Kingdoms campaign.

Ash

Wouldn't that be a 1 in 100 chance, or 1%? You'd need to get the same 1 in 10 roll on two dice. Of course, then you'd need to take out the probabilty of the double 0 result, but it's still much less than 1 in 10.

My question is this: does the color the the higher die affect the result at all? In other words, are their Yin results and Yang results, or is there no distinction?

[smascrns]

Allô Ben,

Excellent review. In the end I didn't follow your advice in Paris, I didn't buy Qin, but I will eventually in the future. The question is, is there any major difference between the original French game and the English translation? Which one should I pick?

[amnesiack]

Originally Posted by ironick

Wouldn't that be a 1 in 100 chance, or 1%? You'd need to get the same 1 in 10 roll on two dice. Of course, then you'd need to take out the probabilty of the double 0 result, but it's still much less than 1 in 10.

My question is this: does the color the the higher die affect the result at all? In other words, are their Yin results and Yang results, or is there no distinction?

You have a 9% chance of a critical success on any roll. When rolling 2d10, there are 100 possible combinations that can occur. You critically succeed on 9 of them, thus 9%. 00 is a critical failure, so there is a 1% chance of that occuring as well.

[ironick]

Originally Posted by amnesiack

You have a 9% chance of a critical success on any roll. When rolling 2d10, there are 100 possible combinations that can occur. You critically succeed on 9 of them, thus 9%. 00 is a critical failure, so there is a 1% chance of that occuring as well.

You're right, I was thinking a 1% chance of getting any particular double result, not a double in general. My math-fu is weak this far past high school.

[Destriarch]

Originally Posted by Neko7C

Sold in Gencon Indy and then distributed in september by PSI.

I've never heard of PSI, do they advertise and distribute to the UK at all? I expect I shall have to rely on Leisure Games importing a copy if they don't.

Originally Posted by Neko7C

It will be on the sourcebook to come "The Art of War"

Good stuff. Is it too much to ask for a 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' sourcebook too? It must be out of copyright by now, being thousands of years old hehehe. The world definately needs more RPG's containing Lu Bu, Xiahou Dun, Zhuge Liang and all our other fave ancient Chinese warriors.

Ash

[HinterWelt]

Originally Posted by Destriarch

I've never heard of PSI, do they advertise and distribute to the UK at all? I expect I shall have to rely on Leisure Games importing a copy if they don't.

PSI is a fulfillment company, IIRC, associated with White Wolf. They would handle distribution to companies like Esdevium.

Bill