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Viking Death Squad
Publisher: RUNEHAMMER GAMES
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/27/2022 18:33:33

I can't recommend this enough. This is a crystalline distillation of the best concepts of ICRPG (also inspired by mobile computer gaming) in order to create a brilliant melding of system and setting that is fun, action oriented, colorful and exciting. And the best part is the system SRD and license is included so you can use it for your own projects. The setting itself -SciFi grimdark post-apocalypse on Earth and in Orbit - is painted in broad strokes so you have ample opportunity to customize it to your own liking.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Viking Death Squad
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Four Against the Great Old Ones
Publisher: Ganesha Games
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/29/2020 23:26:40

A lot of excellent content and potential here, but there are production issues and the game can easily beome a die-rolling exercise.

  • Can't search the formatted version (you get a plain text version without art as well)

  • No bookmarks or hyperlinks for either version (and this has so much content to refer to you really need it). And there's some special bullet character that isn't showing up properly.

  • The characters and encounters are very interesting - but they all just end up as a die rolling combat exercise, so this can easily get boring unless you are going to flesh out the narrative extensively and houserule the reactions of the NPCs - or run this with a GM (which would work extremely well).


Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Four Against the Great Old Ones
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carry. a game about war. revised edition
Publisher: ndp design
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/07/2014 23:22:05

1 for Presentation

Make sure you look at the Preview because that's exactly how the entire game book looks - all 76 1/2 sized pages of it.

So have fun going blind trying to read it. I'm not going to waste either my time or my eyesight.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
carry. a game about war. revised edition
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Victory Decision: Future Combat
Publisher: A.D.Publishing
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/13/2013 19:10:57

So far, I don't see much SciFi about these rules. They are really just the same as the WWII rules with a few cosmetic changes to fit the SciFi theme - eg Walkers are essentially just tanks that ignore rough terrain; "Drones" are referred to but not defined (a standard Drone Strike is considered Precision Artillery - but there are also "Drone" teams in the lists with no explanation I can find about what makes them Drones; there's an additional reference about AI-controlled drones - maybe those are supposed to be robots; Robots are listed once - where it says you can just consider your soldiers to be robots controlled by AI instead of humans; Lasers do additional damage when then hit (with no explanation as to why).

So if you want to play WWII-style battles with SciFi miniatures, I guess this is the way to go. But it really adds very little to do with with either future (or even near future) combat.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Victory Decision: Future Combat
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Modern Naval Conflicts: 1980's/Falklands Expansion
Publisher: Naval Warfare Simulations
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/02/2013 00:00:00

Indispensable supplement to Modern Naval Battles, especially if you want to do the Falklands.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Modern Naval Conflicts: 1980's/Falklands Expansion
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Engage: Spaceship Combat
Publisher: Red Wyvern Games
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/02/2013 00:00:00

Looks like a nice, playable game with lots of potential - but the movement and firing arcs are very simplistic and will require modification to be true to the Star Trek universe. And no one ever responded to my post on their forum, so you're on your own.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Engage: Spaceship Combat
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MODERN NAVAL CONFLICTS 1970s
Publisher: Naval Warfare Simulations
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/02/2013 00:00:00

I have all the modern naval rules sets extant - and this one looks like it will be my favorite. It has the detail of Harpoon, but the playability of Shipwreck. I hope we'll see additional data and scenarios for current and near future conflicts. In the meantime it looks like a lot of Surface Battle Group info could be adapted.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
MODERN NAVAL CONFLICTS 1970s
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Quick Intermediate Level Skirmish
Publisher: Irrational Number Line Games, LLC
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/08/2013 21:04:05

It's "loses" - not "looses."

Looks like a nice, simple system.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Quick Intermediate Level Skirmish
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Ghost City Raiders
Publisher: Vulpinoid Studios
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/03/2013 23:40:47

Ok - because I'm interested in RPGs, I bought the core rules, a scenario, and a character just to see what this actually is. Essentially it's a simple RPG (with standard-style attributes) that uses cards both instead of dice and to abstractly represent different locations. You compare a drawn card to an attribute when you want to move between locations (or defeat a barrier between two locations), search, attack, etc. That's all the core rules provide.

What gives it "color" are the individual scenarios and characters that you can buy (all centered around a post-apocalyptic world). The idea is that it's portable and quick to play.

The real guts lie in the character booklets - these have nice presentation and all the rules for that character's skills and abilities.

I think that's a great idea in general. However, there are a few things I don't like.

You get pocketmod formatted and standard formatted versions of the rules. However, both have grey backgrounds that are just going to use more ink and don't add anything to the presentation. I have no need for a pocket mod version - but the regular version would work on a smartphone.

I don't want to have to bring along a deck of cards - and as the image of a game in progress shows, standard cards certainly take away from the aesthetics.

Also I would market it differently. Instead of selling everything separately, sell packs consisting of the core rules, a scenario and two matched characters for $3. Sell a deluxe version of the scenario with printable tiles and characters for another $2.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Ghost City Raiders
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Dog Town: Core Rules
Publisher: Cold Blooded Games
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/12/2005 00:00:00

This is truly a unique and trendsetting game ? both from the standpoint of the setting and the comprehensive way in which the system is integrated with it. Dog Town won?t be for everyone, but if you like true roleplaying ? and the idea of a gritty, ultra-violent, ultra-realistic take on urban streetlife in the seventies - then this is for you.

Set on the streets of a fictional New York City ghetto of the seventies, the game, as the intro states, is inspired by movies like Scarface, SuperFly, Carlito?s Way, Goodfellas, Shaft, Death Wish, and Taxi Driver (and I would add the obvious Dog Day Afternoon and Midnight Cowboy), along with recent computer titles like Kingpin and Grand Theft Auto, and true-crime biographies like Murder Machine and Pimp. Don?t expect heroic fantasy, unkillable characters with superhuman abilities, or, in fact, your character to survive (or at least remain unmaimed) for very long. These characters, like their real-life counterparts, live day-to-day.

Reflecting the setting, there are ten basic character archetypes: the A**Hole [the language in the game is colorful, realistic, and adult], the Broker, the Dealer, the Heister, the Hustler, the Pimp, the Thug, the Thief, the Runner, and the Racketeer. (Characters can embody two archetypes.)

The real key to the game is the way the system models the genre. It?s not a rules-light system ? there are 10 attributes (with values ranging from -2 to 5, with 0 being average) and 10 derived attributes ? but it's not complex, and the attribues are all crucial to modeling the various physical and mental aspects (many combat- or at least confrontation?related) of a violent, street-smart character. Attributes are used to derive a target number between 1 and 20, resolved using a single 20-sided die roll.

The combat is ultra-realistic ? with essentially every hit being a critical that is described in excruciating anatomic detail by the charts for various types of attacks (Stab and Slash, Blunt Trauma, Chopping, Boxing, Street Fighting, Wrestling, and Karate). You?ve seen charts like these added on to fantasy games ? but here they are part and parcel of the setting. If your character takes a hit in a fight, you will know it, and he will have to live (if he?s lucky) with the effects of it.

The only reason I can?t give the game perfect marks across the board right now is because of the production shortcomings and the price ? which I think is a bit high for a pdf-published game. However, there is nothing else like this anywhere out there, so the money is well spent regardless. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Unique tone and perspective that really brings to life the setting and rejuvenates the roleplaying genre. Straightforward system that is completely integrated with the setting and style of play. Very comprehensive and well-interrelated rules that really bring the setting to life. PDF is bookmarked. Author already provided an update.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No print-only version. Provided version is definitely not suitable for efficient printing (but pdf owners get a discount on the POD version). Much of the artwork is only so-so. Layout is pedestrian. No Index. System isn't difficult, but explanation is a bit abstruse at times. There is a very detailed map of Dog Town included (including building interiors), but it was done in a paint program and is rather garish and difficult to decipher.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dog Town: Core Rules
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Creator Reply:
A belated thanks for the comment, I'm glad you liked the game. The book has now been re-edited and now includes several quick reference sheets for GM and player convenience. Jonathan Ridd Cold Blooded Games
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Zombie Apocalypse
Publisher: Game Werks
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/24/2004 00:00:00

I bought this because it is advertised as simple, straightforward set of rules suitable for miniatures. It's so simple, however, that it's closer to a boardgame like Zombies!!!. I like the system, but I don't think it's worth anywhere near $5.95. $2.00 maybe - if they added maps, detailed scenarios (there's one very simple one included), and maybe a campaign system.

10 of the 22 pages are devoted to "Gear" cards and zombie markers (b/w and extremely basic in appearance), designed to be printed and cut out, so there are many duplicates. They cover basic items (crowbar, shotgun, first-aid kit, etc.), but nothing particularly imaginative. The front and rear covers take up another 2 pages, the Table of Contents 1, and the scenario 2 (of which one is 90% blank). The rules themselves consist of only 8 very sparse pages.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Very simple, straightforward system.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Not much else provided but the system. Way overpriced for what you get. This was made all the more obvious since at the same time I purchased this I also purchased HardNova from PIG - 74 pages of extremely well-thought-out, written, and presented content for only $4. Even the $1 HardNova enhancement pack blows this one away.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Zombie Apocalypse
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/29/2002 00:00:00

I've been looking for a fastplaying, fun - but not limited - set of Superhero rules for some time. I was beginning to think that you couldn't get all of that in one game. However, it looks like Vigilance has done just that with a wonderful adaptation of the d20 system. The only downside to the rules is the presentation, which is a bit drab and uneven.

As for the free module - a terrorism scenario - I don't think it gives a very good idea of the true possibilities of the system. I plan on using it to run broader, four-color style games, like the classic comic books I grew up with.

There are a lot of d20 superhero games coming out, but this one will be hard to beat.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Vigilance
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Book of Broken Dreams
Publisher: Bloodstone Press
by John K. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/24/2002 00:00:00

If you own Call of Cthulhu, you need to buy the Book of Broken Dreams from Netherland Games (who also did the excellent Primal Codex). This d20 supplement provides not only a real-world explanation of and usable game mechanisms for topics like personality types, stress, and insanity, but also includes a number of psychologically inspired spells, three similarly inspired prestige classes (the Dream Weaver, the Lunatic, and the Mentalist), as well as a template for Nightmare Creatures.

While the supplement is nominally written for D&D, almost everything is suited to CoC and could be used with little modification. Of course it will also add a darker and more realistic turn to a fantasy setting as well.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Book of Broken Dreams
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