[RPG]: Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium (Unrated Edition), reviewed by kaiserjez (4/5)

[RPGnet Reviews]

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14179.phtml

Jez's Summary:

Dread delivers a high octane thrill ride into the deadly world of supernatural violence. Not one for the squeamish but for those who hang on the game delivers in bucketloads.

Go to the full review for more information.

[arete66]

That's review 14 and counting...

Cheers,
Tom

[kaiserjez]

Originally Posted by arete66

That's review 14 and counting...

Which should be telling everybody out there that this game is well worth a look!

[arete66]

Yep. I figured out what it was about after about review 4, though. It's in Groundhog Day territory by now.

Cheers,
Tom

[Rafael Chandler]

Thank you for taking the time to review Dread! I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by kaiserjez

The author has pulled out all the stops in his text in this section and it's the first time I can ever remember actualy enjoying reading a spell list.

That's terrific. I really wanted each spell to feel like the climactic scene in a movie or TV show, which is why I added all that flavor text to the spell section. Glad you dig it!

Originally Posted by kaiserjez

Against average humans your PC's are gonna wade through large numbers without batting an eyelid, however as you're supposed to be protecting average humans from Demons then surely this won't be much of an issue?

True! However, the trigger/investigation/conflict/takedown structure requires the Disciples to go up against at least one group of humans before tangling with the demon. The ordinary humans are cannon fodder, and mostly exist to further the narrative, break up the investigation, and/or provide the Cabal with weapon upgrades. The player characters' ability to wade through large numbers of mooks also stresses how superhuman they are in the first place. Which is good, because it's a fond memory to hold on to when they finally meet the demon and get eviscerated.

But in Spite (the soon-to-be-released Second Book of Pandemonium), there's more gradation. Some humans have been touched by the supernatural as well, and though they're not all as powerful as the player characters are, they're nonetheless more of a threat than ordinary humans. This can really elevate the level of challenge during gameplay, and it keeps the players guessing.

Originally Posted by kaiserjez

Only let down by some poor illustrations (but then I am a total snob when it comes to artwork).

Point taken. Though the budget for Dread 2E was much higher than 2002's Dread 1E, I nonetheless had to cut a few corners. But given the success of the new version of Dread, I've been able to justify a larger budget for Spite, and the artwork for this new game is something completely insane. It's just sick. I think (hope!) that you'll like it.

Originally Posted by kaiserjez

This game has shot into my top 3 rpg's of all time.

Whaaa! Wow, that means a lot. Thank you! And thanks again for the review!

Shameless plug: Dread's now available as a PDF on DriveThruRPG.com and RPGNow.com. Only $6.66! And Pent (the collection of adventures and scenario hooks) is there as well. Crux (a magazine of fan-written material for Dread) is free from the Neoplastic Press Store on Lulu.com. For all of the above, just click on the link in my sig.

If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them here.

- Rafael

[Ahrimanius]

I have also discovered Dread recently.

It is also easily my favorite horror rpg and in the same group as my other 2 top games Fading Suns & Reign.

I am really hoping that Dread will see larger exposure in the future and really deserves to shine int the spotlight.

[xenopulse]

I bought the game earlier this week from RPGNow, and it might be the best $6.66 I've ever spent. This game is right down my alley: the PCs are highly competent, ass-kicking narrative maneuvers are supported and encouraged, and there are lots of player-empowering details (case in point: the GM can't kill off the players' Contacts; also, character death exists but with a good amount of choice for the players to make it meaningful and cool).

Excellent work, Rafael. Given the straight-forward rules, I'm tempted to run this at Gamestorm next weekend.

[Ars Mysteriorum]

This game richly deserves the praise it's getting, and I'm glad to hear so many in agreement.

I can't wait for Spite to come out...

[Tark]

First of all, this game DOES NOT use Jenga for in game resolution - that's a different Dread!

;______;