[RPG]: Exquisite Replicas, reviewed by San Dee Jota (2/3)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13883.phtml

Shelby "D.J." Babb's Summary:

Exquisite Replicas is a good game, but now without flaws. It offers a gritty, urban horror game, with a dark take on mental illness, paranoia, and perceptions of reality. The mechanics actually add to the game in ways a more generic system wouldn’t, and the setting has some gems to offer as an idea mine. But the game also feels like it’s not-quite-ready, relying on GM creativity to flush out setting elements the game should have considered better. And it practically begs for just a few more pages of supporting material, pages which could have better filled the book than its (admittedly good) art currently does.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Abstract Nova]

Thanks for the review. It was fair and impartial, and you did an excellent job covering what you liked and disliked about the game.

I would like to respond to a few points that you raised:

The reason replicas were not included in the “threats” chapter is because they are absolutely identical to the originals they are copies of; therefore, the stats for these things are the same as originals. The game also strongly implies that the replicas are not dangerous in and of themselves (e.g. they won’t all “switch on” one day and attempt to takeover the world). However, this is not explicitly stated so that each GM can handle the replicas as they see fit. Leaving some of game’s questions unanswered was very much a conscious design decision. The intent was to keep things open to interpretation by different GMs yet provide them more than enough skeleton to work with. It’s a fine line, and whether ER successfully walks this line is open to debate, though I believe it does. That said, the core questions (in my opinion) are satisfactorily answered in the book.

Regarding appearance: The layout was chosen for aesthetic reasons. I respect that my choice might not work for some, but I wanted to clarify that it was done (for better or worse) for reasons other than padding page count. If anyone is curious to see the layout, the preview at www.abstractnova.com shows off the border design, text, margin, white space, etc.

You’re absolutely correct that having the character sheet in the chargen chapter and the back of the book is a bit redundant, especially when it’s available online. I should have filled that last page in a different manner.

If anyone has any questions about the game, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Best,
Lee

[Mechante_Anemone]

Good review! I found it very helpful and clear.

I would like to try this game if someone ran it at the club.

[silenceindigo]

Interesting,balanced and unbiased review, nice work.

It came to my mind from reading the review, Shelby, that you may simply not be the target audience for that game since "straight background answers" appears to rate high on your criteria. It seems that Exquisite Replicas surfs on the current indie game wave rather than its mainstream D&D4 and kin opposites. Several points listed as negatives (e.g. how much weight can someone lift for a given Strenght score), I would consider positive and likewise the art emphasis is a strong point in my book. Though I agree that lacks in setting information is my main gripe about small-press RPGs in general. This review provides solid ground to form a first impression for a profane like me. Thanks for the review!

"De gustatis et coloribus non disputandum"; difficult to please everyone !

Erick
Silence Indigo, game designers
www.silenceindigo.org

[Abstract Nova]

The background setting for the game is fleshed out and gives the GM more than enough to work with. It's only a few questions that are left unanswered. The big unanswered question is: Are the replicas of people innately evil or not? I didn't want to "officially" answer this questions for GMs as I think the unknowable is more frightening. Additionally, Exquisite Replicas is about the tough moral choices the player characters must make. To have the book definitively say the replicas are evil or not makes the moral decisions easier. If the players knew for certain that the replicas would one day perform some insidious function, it makes how they deal with them less of a grey area.

In my opinion, all other questions are minor and easily answered by each GM. What happens if the characters eat replicated food? Are replicas of people sterile? If they breed with a human, will there be offspring? What will the offspring be? Again, I could have provided an official answer, but decided not to.

Best,
Lee

[San Dee Jota]

Originally Posted by silenceindigo

It came to my mind from reading the review, Shelby, that you may simply not be the target audience for that game since "straight background answers" appears to rate high on your criteria. It seems that Exquisite Replicas surfs on the current indie game wave rather than its mainstream D&D4 and kin opposites.

Maybe. I think what bothered me wasn't that it didn't answer some questions as much as it ignored their existance outright. It does cover all the big questions of the setting though with canonical and open-ended answers, but offering more interpretations and possibilities is never a bad thing in my opinion. That said, while I didn't mind brainstorming answers for minor questions for my game (it practically dares me to answer them) I can see how others would be turned off by the game for that reason. It's a pro and a con depending on the GM.

Originally Posted by silenceindigo

Several points listed as negatives (e.g. how much weight can someone lift for a given Strenght score), I would consider positive and likewise the art emphasis is a strong point in my book.

That's one of my two litmus tests for new gaming systems. The first being "can a guy with a shotgun kill frail Aunt May with one hit", which ER passes, and the second being "do I have any idea how strong (or smart) someone is, in real world terms", which ER doesn't do so hot at. That's not to say the system doesn't work, it does and I tried to convey that there were some things I truly enjoyed about the system, but it strikes me as a system that could use just a bit more work. For others, not a problem at all.

Originally Posted by silenceindigo

"De gustatis et coloribus non disputandum"; difficult to please everyone !

Agreed. Hopefully someone reading this review will have an idea if the game is for them or not. Glad you liked it!

[venusboys3]

Noticeably, this game is from the same folks who put out Noumenon... one of my favorite purchases of the past year.
Noumenon also thrives on unanswered questions... it's a tabula rasa to paint your own ideas on...
This relationship, however tenuous, to Exquisite Replicas suggests it might be something I'd really like... and, like Noumenon, have a hard time finding other players who have the patience for it.
Still, sounds like something I'm going to have to check out for myself...

[jeremywolf81]

The problem is one person's "ooh unanswered questions how wonderfully mysterious" is a lot of other's "unanswered questions, did the authors even try to make this work?"

[Abstract Nova]

Exquisite Replicas is a lot less "out there" than Noumenon. In Noumenon, the big questions are left unanswered; the game asks you to make it your own. With Exquisite Replicas, the backdrop/setting is very fleshed out; only a few questions are left unanswered (as D.J. and I mention in posts 5 & 6 of this thread).

Best,
Lee