[RPG]: Summerland, reviewed by Lev Lafayette (4/3)

[RPGnet Reviews]

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14187.phtml

Lev Lafayette's Summary:

An thoroughly enchanting and exotic setting with strong archetypes, but needing significant development.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Evil Doctor]

Hi all,

I'm the author.

Cheers to Lev for the review, as usual your time is much appreciated . I'll leave others to pipe in with any comments, but if anyone has any specific questions that I can answer please fire away. Other reviews and discussions of the game can be found at:

http://grandexperiment.livejournal.c...w=65407#t65407

http://www.story-games.com/forums/co...ID=8502&page=1 - Item_16

http://www.ukroleplayers.com/forum/v...hp?f=18&t=5038

Cheers all,

Greg

[The Black Hack]

Um, mr Laffayette, I so like your reviews but boy is your writing sloppy!!

In this one in particular you don't even explain what kind of dice the system uses- I take it to be d6s because by your descriptions it sounds like the Beer engine (the GM gives a TN in dice and you have to roll under your Skill). If I didn't know the Beer engine, though, what do you think I'd have made out of this:

The difficulty of the action determines the target number that the score must succeed for success; from two dice for routine tests, to five dice for nearly impossible tests.

The score must succeed for success? You must mean "the score must not exceed for success". Or maybe something entirely different?

Then there's the last paragraph before your "overall rating" conclusion, that stops in mid sentence. And other stuff interspersed through the text like this:

There is a large selection of recommended source material is also provided

Where you obviously started to say it one way, then decided to say it another, then left bits of both ways in the phrase and forgot to come back and check it afterwards.

I hate to be the one to bitch about it and maybe all those are small and inconsequential mistakes, but if you put them all together your review starts to look like a jumbled mess and it's a bit unfair to the games too.

In any case, before you take out the flamethrower you should know I'm probably more aware of all that because I recently read many of your reviews, by clicking on the little number on the sidebar. I did say I like them. Please do something about the writing, yes?

[jehosephat]

Just what is the advantage to overcoming Trauma, if that makes you vulnerable to The Call?

It would seem that Drifters are more useful to a community exactly as they are: outsiders who can actually function in the Sea of Leaves and deal with any problems thereof.

[Evil Doctor]

Originally Posted by jehosephat

Just what is the advantage to overcoming Trauma, if that makes you vulnerable to The Call?

It would seem that Drifters are more useful to a community exactly as they are: outsiders who can actually function in the Sea of Leaves and deal with any problems thereof.

The idea is that you're right - that's just what communities want. But you, as a drifter, wants to join the community. They don't want you, but they desperately need you, so you have a lever to get what you want. In return you need them, as without the possibility of acceptance they have nothing to offer you. It is this interdependence that drives the relationships in the game forward.

There is a mechanical aspect of this as well, I can elaborate if you want.

Cheers,

Greg

[Lev Lafayette]

Originally Posted by The Black Hack

Um, mr Laffayette, I so like your reviews but boy is your writing sloppy!!

Yeah, my bad. I am quite apologetic both the authors and reviewers for the quality of my writing in this review. Not my best effort

The sentence "What is notable, and somewhat surprising, is that no specific" should continue with "background is provided".

[The Black Hack]

Thanks for the end to the phrase. And sorry for the bitching...

[dshagins]

Hi Greg,
Love the game, very well presented and the game mechanics and background have me itching to run it. I was wondering one thing though. What do you have in mind for the seas/oceans? They aren't detailed in the book which is ok for setting a game in say the midwest but I was hoping to set it closer to home (Ireland) and you can't walk in any direction for more than a few days without encountering the sea/ocean. I have my own ideas but i would quite like to hear your spin on it if possible.
Thanks,
Liam

[Evil Doctor]

Originally Posted by dshagins

Hi Greg,
Love the game, very well presented and the game mechanics and background have me itching to run it. I was wondering one thing though. What do you have in mind for the seas/oceans? They aren't detailed in the book which is ok for setting a game in say the midwest but I was hoping to set it closer to home (Ireland) and you can't walk in any direction for more than a few days without encountering the sea/ocean. I have my own ideas but i would quite like to hear your spin on it if possible.
Thanks,
Liam

Hi Liam,

Glad you like the game.

Oh that's interesting! Ireland would make a lovely setting, it's such a beautiful country. I would continue the themes of the landscape, maybe the shoreline becoming a huge morass of seaweed or kelp, swaying silently to the currents of the sea. The sea birds wheeling in the sky would take on a more menacing tone, becoming watchful and threatening, with the seals would also seemly study those in sight of the shore. I think it would be pretty easy to make the shore line an oppressive place, and perhaps to add a lure for the PCs, you could have a large boat moored off the shore with burning lights after dark - a community, protected but isolated in the waters....

Interesting!

What's your take?

Greg

[Godaikin Engineer]

Hi Greg, I have a quick couple of questions for you, not having read Summerland yet.

Is there a way for PCs to find out why the sea of leaves happened, and possibly reverse it?

(I realize the focus for the game is on a specific type of character who's working through trauma and interacting a certain way with the world and other people, and thus may preclude playing "any kind of character you want", but I'm curious.)

Also, are any "big answers" provided for the GM, as to what's going on? Personally, I find I can run settings much more coherently if I'm privy to the secrets.

Thanks!