FFG’s Star Wars Roleplaying game

Bought it yesterday, and quickly skimmed it through today. Nice big pictures, with ffgswbbproduction values in place (price 30€ here in Finland). It feels like Star Wars, which is good. Clear instructions what to read and when – good again. Easily craspable concepts, superb!

However, the game uses special game dices of various sizes without numbers. Instead those have special Star Wars “language?” symbols on colored dice. Nothing wrong there, because mechanics should be easy and no calculation skills required by the player, and should promote the story driven methodology, than minmaxer’s wet dream of accounting.

But how on Earth to get players to invest 12€ to dice, which can be used only with this game? Most people I know it is not actually issue of money, but a principle. And how the,  heck gamemaster (or the one who runs the game) can differentiate easily the dice in his/her own adventure notes? Beginner’s Game itself uses colored images in the middle of text to tell what dice to throw. This remains to be seen.

image

This game needs really to be playtested.

Greyhawk weather forecasting

Long time ago, in a far away realm called Oerth there was a spell scroll of weather forecasting. More than once it has been lost to the daemons of the ethereal binary planes. Lately, it was found again. And not to be lost again, I the creator of this mighty spell, give You its wherabouts, to be known to all Oerth walkers. Even thou might be good or naughty.

Autumn’s game sale

Thank you Steam for many good cheap games on this year’s Autumn Sale. I found too many, and cheap games. Although, I still I don’t have the time, but I will keep trying. Less father, more gamer, only in the Dreamlands. At least, now I have the full set of of Orcs Must Die franchise!

Playing in Mythic Iceland

I have a long history of playing roleplaying games. I have bought games, which I have never played. Some are utter crap, while some have not found not enough interested playerbase, or I have been needed in other endeavours. I get often exited about new games, and start planning things. But often all falls apart, when something concrete should be done, as a game master for a test game. Or when another new interesting game hits the shelves. Most probably, I am always seeking the right game for me.

The players also want to play games with continuity (a.k.a campaigns), and I cannot promise that, before it has been properly tested. Not long time ago, we got excited about the Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying game (SIFRP), but it died before it could even truly get started, as the players had too differing visions of the game – how it should be played. The concept of one player being other’s master seemed to be too troublesome to some players to bear. Not forgetting the rules, which were interesting but had some too complex parts.

Then came the roleplaying in Mythic Iceland, and blew my feet off. It has the same elements as SIFRP of characters owning property and functioning in a society in other roles than plain adventurers (blood thirsty viking farmes), while still making all the player characters equal (of course there are slaves and concubines). The setting is based on “real” folklorish Iceland with low magic, with highly mythical flavour on top of it. The used rules system is the acclaimed BRP. This might be the next big thing for me to run!

Premium Dungeons & Dragons 3.5

Wizards of the Coast made a long waited reprint of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 core books (I – III), with added errata – called the Premium reprint. There is nothing new in those books, for them who had the previous 3.5 books already. I did only had the PHB, with almost all the books for 3.0 revision.

After serious thinking of, do I even need those anymore, I did order them, and finally received them yesterday. The books seems well made, and sparked old inspiration within me, while reading and leafing those through. Like these ten past years had not passed at all. Gladly there will be 3.5 D&D gaming on next Saturday after long hiatus, run by a friend of mine. Perhaps, I will do also some DMing in some near distant future.

The Saga of Xanos, the half-orc Mystic Theurge shall continue…