[RPG]: Passages: Adventures Penned by Literary Giants, reviewed by Joe Sala (5/4)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12602.phtml

Joseph Sala's Summary:

Passages is not only a new Victorian game, but a door to many new worlds.

Go to the full review for more information.

[C.W.Richeson]

It sounds like a neat product!

Just an FYI, you might want to tag PDF reviews as "virtual downloads" and enter in the relevant PDF information instead of the book info. This product, as a PDF, is only $13.95 for example.

In your opinion, how was the editing on this product? Were there many grammatical mistakes or misplaced words?

[Keith Burkhead]

Sounds cool....one probably stupid question....is this a stand-alone D20 product, or does it require any WotC products to play?
Thanks,
KB

[Joe Sala]

I didn't notice any grammatical problems, but English is not my mother language, so maybe it's just me.

Passages is completely self-contained and no WotC books are needed to play it. In fact the system is quite different from D&D or d20 modern, so conversions aren't easy.

[MisterGuignol]

Could you comment more on the supernatural advantages available for characters? What kind of abilities do they cover?

[Dan Davenport]

A very informative and concise review, Joseph!

Regarding the Combat skill: does it cover <u>all</u> forms of combat, and what attribute(s) does it use?

[Joe Sala]

Mister Davenport, I'm glad you liked my text. No review is complete without the Great Reviews Reviewer's approval!

Anyway, there's only one Combat skill. It uses Dexterity and has three sub-skills: Attack, Defend and Initiative (the first two are compared when attacking, and the damage is based on the spread).

MisterGuignol, some supernatural advantages are: aura of fear, camouflage, ignore damage or natural weapons. So they're more supernatural powers than magic spells. Some of them can be used up to three times per adventure.

[Justin D. Jacobson]

Just a couple of notes:

First, thanks for taking the time to review they product. They are always appreciated.

With regard to Combat, the skill covers all forms of combat other than Grappling, which is its own skill. Combat is Dexterity-based and Grappling is Strength-based. However--and this is an important concept--the attribute associations for skills are simply the default. Per the rules, players may "negotiate" to use other attributes for a given skill check, and it's up to the Narrator to accept or reject the suggestion.

Joe, quick question: In the review, you say that "I have to think more about it, but after a first read the energy costs look quite unbalanced." Did you mean to say "unbalanced?" If so, I'm curious what gave you that impression, since I obviously put a lot of time in to ensure that they were balanced. Given the tone of the sentence and lack of an example, I'm wondering (hoping) you meant to say "balanced."

Finally, in regard to the call for adventure support for the Narrator, I will be posting a free full-length introductory adventure on the website within the next couple of weeks. I will also be posting recurring entries in "A Cast of Thousands" featuring write-ups for new literary NPCs each with their own adventure hooks.

[Joe Sala]

Justin, in your book you say that characters must be awarded around 10 energy points per adventure. Then they can buy the following advantages:

- +1 to an attribute check of your choice, including skill checks using that attribute (2 points)
- +1 to an attribute score (2 points)
- 2 hit points, 3 if Con is 15+ (1 point)
- 1 plot point (4 points)
- 2 skill points, 3 if Int is 15+ (2 points)

So, if I am not wrong, after only one adventure I can increase Strenght in 5 points, or even better, have a +5 in ALL Intelligence checks, including the related skills. So why should I increase skills? Don't you think that players will first increase all attributes to 20 before buying something else? (Yes, I now that munchkins are not the target for Passages, but anyway...)

Maybe I am missing something, so please tell me.

[Justin D. Jacobson]

Originally Posted by Joe Sala

Justin, in your book you say that characters must be awarded around 10 energy points per adventure. Then they can buy the following advantages:

- +1 to an attribute check of your choice, including skill checks using that attribute (2 points)
- +1 to an attribute score (2 points)
- 2 hit points, 3 if Con is 15+ (1 point)
- 1 plot point (4 points)
- 2 skill points, 3 if Int is 15+ (2 points)

So, if I am not wrong, after only one adventure I can increase Strenght in 5 points, or even better, have a +5 in ALL Intelligence checks, including the related skills. So why should I increase skills? Don't you think that players will first increase all attributes to 20 before buying something else? (Yes, I now that munchkins are not the target for Passages, but anyway...)

Maybe I am missing something, so please tell me.

I'm guessing the principle disconnect is in what constitutes an "adventure". My expectation is that adventures in Passages will be longer (in real terms) than what we think of as adventures in, say, Dungeons & Dragons. But what you're talking about is character advancement. If you think that advancement is too accelerated, simply award fewer points. The 10 points is explicitly a suggestion and is certainly not required.

As for the comparison between attribute check bonuses and skill bonuses, 2 cep gives you a +1 bonus in an attribute check or 2 skill points. The 2 skill points you can use to get a +2 bonus in one skill or a +4 bonus in a sub-skill (or 2 bonuses in two different sub-skills). So, it's an issue of increasing bonuses for greater specialization. Whether someone wants to get a +1 bonus in all Intelligence checks or a +2 bonus in Sabotage or a +4 bonus in Sabotage (Demolitions) is a matter of personal preference.