CRPGs vs. Table top RPGs

 

Something has come up.  And that is my feeling on table top RPGs and computer RPGs.  Obliviously, there has been some good ones on both sides.  For me, it's the Elder Scrolls series and the Dungeons and Dragons game.  I play both, although I have been playing table top more as of late.  And I'm still looking forward to the Elders Scrolls 6 game from Bethesda Studios.  So, the question is, which is superior to the other?

 Actually, the table top experience is actually superior to the computer RPG experience. At least, until Wizards of the Coast decided that their audience is toxic and they decided to expand their player base.  They show this with bad writing, bad illustrations, and bad editing.  So, lets talk about computer RPGs first, obviously they have the upper hand, correct?

 Computer Roleplaying Games

 Actually, I should be showing Starfield up there.  However, I don't play Starfield, I'm looking forward to playing Elder Scrolls 6.  Obviously, computer gaming has advanced since the first four Ultima games.  You've got first person view along with beautiful landscapes and modularity.  You can mod Skyrim, and many people have. I also modded Skyrim. I added new things to my Skyrim that I liked.  Skyrim, being a first person CRPG, has revolutionized leveling.  You choose your skills as you go up and you also customize your character to how you like.

With me so far?  Good.  The Elder Scrolls series is one of the best series for computer gaming.   They have four things going for them:

* Their Creation2 Engine.

 * Modified games.

* Exemplary graphics.

 * (Usually) good stories.

Skyrim is great to play and is a good diversion.  And while I can modify my game, no one Skyrim is the same (modually) as another Skyrim. However, the game gets old and it's tiring to play the same game after a few years.  So you hope that the next BethSoft game will be as good or better than the last. 

Tabletop Roleplaying Games

 So we come to tabletop RPGs.  So to me I get more satisfaction from running a tabletop roleplaying game than playing one on computer.  Sure you get amazing graphics (thank INVIDIA for that) from a computer RPG.  And sure you see amazing spells as flashy.  I mean look at your computer screen.  The difference is, with a tabletop game, I'm telling my own story.  And my players interact with that story. 

I'm currently running a Shadowrun 4th edition game and playing in a Rolemaster game.  Sure, I'm doing it over roll20, but very few people in my area have time to play face to face.  Although a face to face game is ideal, roll20 is a backup. 

So, what is the problem with Wizards of the Coast?  Well, they lie to their customers.  They treat their customers as toxic.  They consistently pay for bad illustrations, and they blame us for their shortcomings.  Still, I think that Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition is the best version to play.  Although other people may think that older or newer editions are the best to play from.  However, D&D 3e allows for greater player customization.  This way, my players can make different fighters, different Wizards, and different clerics.  All this based on their feat selections.  It's a win-win situation.

So, are CRPGs better than tabletop RPGs?  It's mostly how you play both games. 

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos Review

 

My first Basic Dungeons and Dragons product review.  The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is the first in a series of Gazetteers done for the Known World, the campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons (BECMI).  It's also called Mystara, but that came later. Anyhow, is the product worth it to buy?  Lets find out.  This product was written by Aaron Allston for TSR.  Cover artist was Clyde Caldwell.  I got a hard copy from Lightning Source and also a pdf copy as well.  Note, if you buy the hard copy, you will find that the cover has a lot of red (magenta) in it.  The hard copy is paperback instead of hard back.

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is a small book, and comes in three sections.  The Introduction: where Aaron talks about the book.  The Gazetteer Section and finally the Adventures section.  Which is for the Dungeon Master.

Introduction.

Here, Aaron says he is pleased with the book.  He mentions that fantasy worlds often grow in leaps and bounds.  The world started with a map and a few lines of text in D&D Expert.  But that has grown into the Known World through published adventures that TSR, inc. had put out.  A lot of these adventures are available on Drivethru.   He gives thanks and shout out for a few adventures that he referenced to put together the Grand Duchy. 

Part One: the Gazetteer Section

Here is where the most of the detail about the book was written.  You get into the Grand Duchy's history, some of which is for the players to read.  And you also get into region's customs, cultures (there are two human cultures: one is the Traladara culture and the other is the Thyatis culture), and also talk about the demi-humans of the Grand Duchy.  The history of the region is recounted.  How the Traladarans had a golden age, but that came to an end.  How Thyatis conquered the region, and how a duke traded favors for the land.  You also get into detail about the economy of the Grand Duchy.  A calendar was made, and a list of NPCs for the land.  A lot of information was packed into sixty-four pages.  Which was an astounding feat for writers for TSR.

The Adventures Section

 This is for the Dungeon Master or DM.  It lists some adventures you can run for your players.  They are all short form, allowing the DM to use his creativity to flesh out and present to his or her players.  At the end of the section are the maps detailing the Grand Duchy, castles, cities, and other items. 

Hits

TSR at this time, relied on a full color cover.  Inside, they use a fortified tower to add visual interest.  The book is laid out in three columns.  The type is ten points small, and the art is awesome, even though it's black and white art.

Misses 

The (new) hard copy's cover has a lot of red tones.  Which takes away from the original.  The maps are printed in 81/2" by 11" inches, and it can be a little confusing at first when you see these maps.  Otherwise, if you like Mystara content, I would start with this Gazetteer.

The Future

Again the future is uncertain.  Although I will tell you that I'm buying the trademarks and copyrights to ten (10) D&D worlds.  One of these worlds is Mystara.  So I can say with confidence that the first project we are working on is the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.  

Dragonlance Adventures Review

 Here we come to Dragonlance, the High Fantasy world created by Tracy Hickman for TSR.  Today, I'll be reviewing the Dragonlance Adventures book for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons first edition.  Dragonlance is a world of war shaped by love.  At least I'm paraphrasing what Dragonlance is about. The setting of Dragonlance is the world of Krynn.  A world smaller than our Earth.  Although I wish it could have been bigger.  Dragonlance Adventures was originally written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis.  It was published in 1987 by TSR, inc.  I borrowed the book from a friend, fell in love with the setting.  Now years later, I bought my own copy of the game world (I'll be working on a review of the DLCS (3.5e) later).

 Dragonlance began as a series of modules, starting with  Dragons of Despair and ending with Dragons of Triumph.  That was forty years ago. 

 What it contains 

Dragonlance  the book is separated into chapters. The first part of it deals with the Universe of Dragonlance as the people of Ansalon see it. The dragonlance world is on three philosophic pillars: Good, Evil, and Neutrality.  There are three philosophies of these pillars are: Good Redeems its Own, or the law of Paladine, the supreme Lawful Good god; Evil Feeds Upon Itself, or the law of Takhisis the Dark Queen; and Both Good and Evil Must Exist in Contrast, which is the law of Gilean, the supreme Neutral God.  A fourth law exists that is important: The Law of Consequence: which was given by the High God himself.  A proper Dragonlance campaign is built around these four laws.  Promoting the power of truth over injustice, good over evil, and granting good consequences for good acts, and bad consequences for evil acts.

The next section talks about one's lot in life. There are three new classes in Dragonlance that are discussed: the holy orders of the stars, the knights of Solamnia, and the Wizards of High Sorcery.  A member of the Holy Orders of the Stars worship one of the eighteen true gods of Krynn. Which are manifested as constellations in the sky.  The knights of Solamnia is an order of knights dedicated to Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and habakuk.  The Wizards of High Sorcery gain their power from one of the three moons that orbit Krynn.

Besides the dragons, which are divided into good and evil dragons; there are three races of Krynn created by the Gods to represent an ideal.  The first of these are the Elves, which are created by the good gods of Krynn.  For them, they can choose good or evil, but mostly choose good.  Ogres, which used to be the most beautiful of all the races, were created by the evil gods of krynn.  They allowed their abuse of power to warp their minds and bodies.  The last of the races to be created where the humans, created by the gods of neutrality.  They were given the right of free agency, to choose good or evil themselves.  After these races came all the others.  Gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, dwarves, kender, and so on.  Some of these came about because of the Greygem of Gargath.  Others are offshoots of the original races. The draconians, however, are a perversion of Good dragons.  Although late in the War of the Lance, the ritual that created the evil draconians was performed on evil dragon eggs, creating good draconians instead.

  

As we continue with going into Dragonlance Adventures, one learns that alignment has a definite effect on what is available.  A Wizard of High Sorcery, for instance, has his or her spells chosen from different schools based on his or her alignment.  A White Robe is limited to certain spells which are considered good.  A Black Robed wizard is also limited to certain spells which are considered to be evil.  A Red Robed wizard has the greatest amount of spells to choose from.  Alignment is also tracked in the game based on the players' choices.  In one dragonlance game I was in, I played Raistlin and he eventually became a good guy in the game.

The new classes are eventually discussed after races.  Each new class is renumerated.  Beginning with the Knights of Solamnia. There are three orders of knights, beginning with the Knights of the Crown, then the Knights of the Sword, and finally the Knights of the Rose.  The knights of Solamnia are three orders of knights for good on Ansalon.

The Tinker gnomes come next.  Most, if not all, Gnomes are tinkers.  They constantly love to make new contraptions.  Their technology rivals that of Victorian England; and they have never seem to advance higher.  Their contraptions also prevent the other nations of Ansalon from developing technologically past the Steel age.

After that is my favorite class on Krynn, the Wizards of High Sorcery.  Basically they are magic users, but they draw their powers from the three moons of Krynn.  The Orders of High Sorcery are also divided into three: the White Robes of Solinari, the Red Robes of Lunitari, and the Black Robes of Nuitari.  Those wizards that wear the white tend to be good, those that wear red tend to be neutral, and those that wear black make wickedly evil choices.  Of course, the Wizards of High Sorcery may choose their order, and the color of their robes, after taking the Test. After that, a few new spells are described according to the D&D game.

 After that, the Holy Orders of the Stars are discussed.  There are three orders of clerics on Ansalon.  There are the good clerics, which represent the gods of Good.  Then there are the neutral clerics, which represent the gods of Neutrality.  And finally the evil clerics, which represent the gods of Evil.  Each draw their magic from these gods of their order.

 Next, the races are given statistics.  But the races' origins are explained in this section of the book.  I have already mentioned their origins before in detail.  But there are some differences that should be noted. 

 

If the Elves were united on Krynn in the past, in the present day they are divided. The elves are divided into the Silvanesti elves (high elves), the Qualinesti (wood elves), the Kagonesti (the wild elves), and the Dargonesti and Dimernesti (or sea elves).  All of them are created to be good, by the Good gods.  However, they have been divided and not united as one race.  Which is a shame, really.  However, they are one of the few races that can go up to the Towers of High Sorcery and learn magic.

The dwarves come after the elves.  The dwarves are divided into a number of clans. But for game purposes, the dwarves are divided into Hill Dwarves, Mountain Dwarves, and Gully Dwarves.  There are evil dwarves, but they aren't included in Dragonlance Adventures as a race you can choose to play.  After this, comes the Ogres as player characters.  The ogres are divided into Irda and Minotaurs as playable races.

Character skills are discussed as a final on the Character chapter. After that we get into the unique Creatures of Ansalon.  The first of these creatures are the draconians.  Starting with the spell wielding Auraks, then the Baaz, and the rest.  Each of them a perversion of Good dragon eggs. After that, we get AD&D stats of the other creatures of Krynn.  Of course, most of these new creatures are described in more detail in later products.  Of important note are the dragons. Each of the dragons of Krynn are noted, and each are power incarnate.  After that, two of the Gods are described as dragons, Takhisis and Paladine.

 Ah, so much material packed.  We go on to the world that was.  This chapter describes the world of Krynn in the past.  There is even a map provided as Ansalon as it was during the Age of Might.  This chapter goes into detail about Huma, Magius, and Fistandantilus. It also talks about Astinus (who looks like Gilean for some reason).  After that comes a section of magical items in Krynn.  Included are potions, scrolls, medallions of faith, and other items.

Then comes the chapter on the War of the Lance. Here, the heroes of the lance are described, and along with the world of the Dragonlance Saga.  While these characters are also introduced in the Dragonlance modules (and yes, I bought them from Drivethru), their older and more powerful versions are given here.  Also given is a map of the continent of Ansalon during the War of the Lance.  After that are appendices given of what AD&D monsters are in Ansalon, a race chart, a character alignment tracking chart, and other important tables and charts.

In Conclusion

In one hundred twenty-eight pages we get the whole lands of Krynn and everything you need to run a game for AD&D.  And both Tracy and Margaret has packed a lot of information about the world of Krynn and how to run it for the AD&D game.  However, the material in this book is, rather, dated.  Of course, the DM's Guild supports the world of Krynn for D&D 5th Edition.  And people have been putting out works for Dragonlance for D&D 5th.  However, with the new direction Wizards has going for 5th Edition onwards, Dragonlance seems dated and packaged for a different audience.

So, what about Dragonlance in the future?  Well the future is uncertain.  It really seems that Wizards isn't taking care of their brands very well.  They are probably changing them for their new vision of D&D.  One thing is for sure, Dragonlance classics, as this book, are available on Drivethru for print and digital.  I suggest buying a copy of both.   After all, Wizards won't change the old books (including the DLCS, which will be reviewed later.)

Advanced d20 Magic Review

 

Advanced d20 Magic cover

 

Advanced d20 Magic is the best magic system for Dungeons and Dragons, hands down.  A no level approach to magic, it's a system that does require math to work out.  All you are doing is add and subtract for this game system -- simple mathematics, really.  No Calculus is needed for this system.  This system is devised by David and Michelle Lyons for the Slayers d20 game by Guardians of Order (now owned by White Wolf, which is owned by Paradox Interactive).  Now, in this version, David and Michelle Lyons brings the magic system of the Slayers fully to regular D&D.

How the System Works

The system, called Dynamic Spellcasting, works by treating every spell at default like a spell you can cast at a single action as a stilled and silent spell.  As long as you are prepared to resist the drain (this part works like Shadowrun's magic system).  You cast a spell, and then you make a fortitude save to resist drain.  In BESM d20 games, this means you suffer drain of your energy points.  In regular d20, if you aren't using the optional Spell Points system from Unearthed Arcana, you suffer non-lethal damage for casting a spell.  How much damage depends on how powerful the spell is.

By Anthony Cournoyer.

A spell like fireball (Casting DC 31) will have you resisting 1d10 damage, for instance.  While a spell like wish (Casting DC 101) would have you resisting 16d10 damage.  As a result, you'll have more success casting spells with a lower Casting DC than a higher one.  Each spell has a Casting DC.  Which is the Difficulty Class of your fortitude drain.  But don't worry, you have the tools to reduce the punishment.

Forms and Focusing Agents

The system presents a number of forms to increase your chances of casting a spell. These include Invocations, Incantations, and Rituals.  An Invocation is one where your mage casts spell by invoking it's name -- loudly.  Everyone will know what kind of spell your casting when you invoke the spell while gathering it's energies.  That gives you a +5 bonus to your roll.  Another thing you can do is make an incantation.  This means you ritually chant while gathering the spell's energies.  This offers another +5 bonus to your roll. They stack, guys.  Additionally, you can cast it as a ritual, which offers a bonus depending on how long you do the ritual. That also stacks.

Additionally, you can add a focus to the roll.  This can be either basic (like a Divine Focus -- ie. your holy symbol) or an expendable focus (like bat guano for fireball).  These can offer +2 or +1 (or both) to your roll. Finally, you can make an investment of body (sacrificing hit points) and/or an investment of mind (sacrificing a number of experience points to cast your spell).

Metamagic Feats and Dynamic Spellcasting

 Two metamagic feats are included in the Casting DC of each spell -- Still Spell and Silent Spell (see the D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook or Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).  You can cast any spell as one standard action as a still spell and silent spell.  The invocation and incantation forms just makes this easier. Adding any other metamagic feat (or a combination of metamagic feats) to your spell increases it's Casting DC.  Thus it makes the spell harder to cast. But worth it if you can pull it off.  

There are other rules to consider.  There are rules for cooperative casting, multiple spells, what happens if two different spells are cast -- and if they cancel out. There are rules for spell resistance, and controlling the magic if you fail your fortitude saving throw. Learning a new spell takes a number of slots.  A spell like goodberry would take one slot to learn, while wish would take four slots to learn. 

By Shaman's Stock Art (Anthony Cournoyer)

Even learning new spells are easy with this system.  All you need a copy of the spell and/or a teacher.  You learn the spell with a basic Knowledge: Arcana check or a Spellcraft Check with a DC that is -10 the Casting DC.  Thus, learning fireball only takes a DC of 21 to pass.  Easy enough, so far.  Inventing a spell with this system also is easier. You just need to work with your DM/GM and he sets the learning DC, and you have to pass the check to learn the spell.

Magical Characters

This chapter shows how you can use the system with existing rules.  For instance, it balances out the Dynamic Sorcerer class.  And then there is the magic attribute, and that is handled by this system.  Plus, each magic using character class in regular d20 is converted to this system.  For instance Sorcerers have 80 slots to learn spells, but get magical drain resistance.  Wizards can learn any spell they please, and divine spellcasters take one round to cast their spells.

Magic Items

There is a system for handling magic items. Again, you have to roll against DCs to make magic items, but you can add the spell needed and make the required investments of mind to make the magic item.  Easy peasy.

Converting Spells

Finally, there is a chapter on converting spells from other d20 System products (or Pathfinder 1e products!).  It's simple, check the spells base Casting DC, check what priority the spell has -- remember if a Wizard or Sorcerer gets the list, it's first in priority. Second, check see if it requires a focus of some sort, or a ritual form.  Then check if it requires an investment of mind or body.  Then check it's level to see how many slots it can take.  And wholla -- you converted the spell!

As an example, a spell taken from More Magic and Mayhem, the spell corruption!  Corruption is a first level warlock spell that normally takes 1 standard action to cast. This makes the Casting DC 20, since it is a Warlock spell -- it's treated as a sorcerer/wizard spell. Since it is a first level spell, it takes one slot to learn.  Easy enough!

So, since this is a great system -- it's compatible with all editions of D&D and Pathfinder -- why can't you get it from DriveThruRPG?  Well, I don't know what happened, but the only way to get Advanced d20 Magic is second hand.  You have to download it off the internet for free in order to enjoy it. Believe me it's worth it.  It will take your game to the next level, yes.

Eberron: Secrets of Magic

 

EBERRON

THE SECRETS OF MAGIC CAMPAIGN

Some say that the ability to command great armies is power.  Of course, Queen Aurala of Aundair certainly commands armies to do her bidding.  Some say physical strength is power.  Just look at the physical might of any Warforged.  Or anyone that has practiced body building to great extent.  Certainly physical strength is power.  However, the wizards of the Arcane Congress has a better idea of power. Their saying: Scientia est Potentia . . . Knowledge is power.

Welcome to the Secrets of Magic campaign!  A campaign beginning in Aundair, but the travels of the party might take them outside of Aundair in search of power and magic. The heroes (the PCs) start off as magic using classes that have completed their apprenticeship, i.e. level one.  They are about to start their Journeyman stage of their mastery of magic.  Their masters of magic have taught them magic and they are ready to start their journeys.  On their journeys, the PCs must learn new magic and become masters in their own right in order to reach their goals.

Campaign Dynamics

 This is a Pathfinder 1e campaign.  To be frank, it's centered around a group of arcane magic users that have attained their apprenticeship and have graduated to Journeymen.  The player characters are expected to start out as magic users (wizards, sorcerers, summoners, etc.) but may discover other paths as they accomplish their goals.  As time goes on, as they journey, they will come across new magic. 

For this campaign, the following books will be used:

* PATHFINDER Roleplaying Game, Core Rulebook: The bulwark of the campaign.
* Advanced Player's Guide: Summoner class, other class options, and new spells.
* Advanced d20 Magic: Contains the magic system we will be using. It's a simple system of add and subtract.  It's not available on Drivethru, so you will have to download it.
* Unearthed Arcana Specifically, the Spell points optional rule. On page 156. After reading the rules in Advanced d20 Magic on drain, it should be easy to understand why we are using spell points.
* Ultimate Magic: Magus class and new spells.
* Advanced Class Guide: Arcanist class.
* Eberron Campaign Setting: This contains the basics of the world we are using for this campaign.
* Races of Eberron: Talks about the four new races introduced in the ECS.
* Five Nations, especially the chapter on Aundair.

 

Classes Allowed: Wizard, Sorcerer, Arcanist, Summoner, and Magus. Multi-classing into other classes is possible. Just not the Gunslinger. Gunpowder doesn't exist on Eberron. Just remember that the Arcanist, Summoner, and Magi has to be converted to Advanced d20 Magic. Should be easy, after looking at how the other spell using classes work. I'll be willing to work with you. NO CUSTOM CLASSES!

Races: Any race in the Eberron Campaign Setting book and Races of Eberron book works out fine. Kalashtar also work as a choice, just remember this game is centered on spellcasters. Just remember, some Warforged feats work best as Alternate traits.

Character Creation Dynamics

* Purchase method; 20 ability points.
* Two traits.
* Average starting gp.
* 1st Level
* Starting spells from Advanced D20 Magic and the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. You will discover more powerful magic on your journey. Try to choose starting spells with 1 slot to learn.
* You start off knowing each other as friends and/or colleagues. Your friendship between each other should grow as the campaign progresses.
* Alignments: Any of the alignments are possible -- but try to stay away from evil alignments, I'd like to play all the bad guys.
* Character backgrounds: You can use Ultimate Campaign to generate your background. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can get a copy of Central Casting: Heroes of Legend by Paul Jacquays and generate your background using that.

Okay, that should cover everything. You start on your journeys as Journeymen. You won't be acknowledged as a Master until you reach 10th or 15th level. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook Review

 Today, I'm reviewing the Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook by Catalyst Game Labs.  Alright, to me this is the best incarnation of Shadowrun since FASA first published Shadowrun in 1989.  In this game, you have a lot of options to make your character unique to others.  And strangely enough, 2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of this game, and so Catalyst Game Labs has since released Shadowrun: Sixth World.  Or sixth edition, to be fair.

 Shadowrun is a Roleplaying Game like Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, and Rolemaster.  Although its set in a dystopian world where magic has returned and there is high technology in the form of cybernetics, computers, and other things.  Shadowrun is a mixture of Dystopian Cyberpunk and Tolkien Fantasy.  The game is inspired by Bladerunner, Minority Report, Neuromancer, and the Tolkien novels.

Man Meets Magic and Machine

The premise of Shadowrun is simple.  You play a character called a Shadowrunner.  Someone who lives in the outskirts of society.  The world has changed in fifty years. Corporations weild the power of nations, the cities are sprawling metroplexes, and as I said before, magic has returned.  The USA lost it's western states to the native Americans in a great war of magic and machine called the Great Ghost Dance.  And humanity has changed since the awakening in 2011.

Elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls had thrown off their human disguises and joined the ranks of humanity.  And other things changed since the coming of Halley's Comet.  Humanity even further changed, introducing the Changelings into the mix (which have strange genetics, some even have reptilian appearances.)  As magic returned, so did the means of using magic.  Magicians -- from hermetic mages to shamans -- do magic in the streets.  And there is a world wide internet called the Matrix, which has become wireless.

As a Shadowrunner, you run the streets doing missions for the Corporations. These can include industrial espionage missions, bounty hunting, magical investigations, and other missions.  The GM should be inspired by James Bond, the adventures of Jack Ryan, and a host of other movies and television shows.  There is a cold war between corporations, and your character is in the thick of it.

Shadowrunners are originally thought of as terrorists, but they are operatives that are typically outside of the law.  They run the shadows, they are in the shadows, and they are equipped with magic, guns, computers, cyberware, and bioware.  Enhancements that allow them to do their job.

 

The System

Shadowrun uses simple six sided dice as it's core mechanic.  You roll six sided dice to resolve tests. The GM may set a target number, and usually you have to roll 5 or better to get a success.  The more successes you have, the better you are at that test.  Although sometimes lady luck can go against you, and if you roll more 1s than 5s or 6s, a glitch can happen.

Frequently asked questions: 

Are there classes?

No, there are no classes.  There are some sample characters which you can draw inspiration from.  From a Bounty Hunter to a covert ops specialist, to a combat mage, to a hacker, to a technomancer (someone who can interface the matrix without a Comlink), to a street samurai, and others.  They show what can be made with the system.  Unlike D&D, Shadowrun doesn't use classes.

Are there alignments?

No, and that's part of the game's charm.  D&D introduced the concept of aligmments, and games could be black and white.  In Shadowrun, there are only shades of gray.  Your character has no alignment, so you can play the character the way you want.  Want someone like James Bond? You can.  Only you aren't pigeon holed into playing a character in a way that Aligments can.  It's your character, you're free to play that character the way you want.  Of course, you have to deal with the consequences of your character's choices.

How does Magic Work?

Magic works differently in Shadowrun.  Every spell has a force rating that you can normally cast.  These ratings are typically from 1 to 6.  And sometimes can go beyond that. A magician can know many spells (typically about twice your Spellcasting skill at character creation).  And there are many spells to learn. Magic typically has a line of sight range.  You can cast an unlimited number of spells, but eventually that can take a toll on your character.

 

  How does the Matrix work?

The matrix works like a wireless network across the whole world.  Just like we have wireless phones, and wireless networks, so the Matrix is a vast wireless network.  It's been wireless since 2064 in Shadowrun.  Your character is a hacker or a technomancer.  The hacker still relies on a computer called a Commlink to access the matrix.  While the technomancer can do it instinctively without a Comlink or other computer.  The hacker uses programs to interact with the Matrix, while the Technomancer uses complex forms and sprites.  Programs (and their technomancer counterpart, complex forms) can have ratings up to 6.

 Conclusion 

Shadowrun is a good game, it has been for nearly 40 years.  It has been a cyberpunk RPG that has endured beyond other games like it.  Like Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red.  It's premise is simple, and you can create a whole number of characters using SR4A.  Thankfully it's on Drivethru, the game is cheep to get into.  The core rulebook only costs 15 dollars on Drivethru, and you can get the core sourcebooks for less than 60 dollars.  

Exalted 2nd Edition Review

 

Hi everybody!  I thought I should review Exalted Second Edition!  Exalted is part of the Storyteller system by White Wolf, and it's a different take on Fantasy Roleplaying Games than other games.  You see, Exalted takes it's cues from world literature.  This includes the Bible, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Ramayana, Journey to the West, Arabian Nights, and Anime. So, instead of starting out like Frodo Baggins -- with nothing and little experience, you create a super human character called an Exalted.  In fact, in this game you will be playing Solar Exalted -- humans that carry a divine spark provided by the Unconquerable Sun.

What's in it?

The first chapter introduces you to the setting of Exalted.  Which is not set on a globe, but a flat planet called Creation.  At first, it starts with the Primordials, who made Creation and the gods.  Then they made the various races of Creation, including humanity.  Then the gods grew dissatisfied.  They took the best of humanity and exalted them with their essence.  The result was a Superhuman.  The Unconquerable Sun created the Solar exalted, the Moon created Lunar exalted, the planets created the Sidereal exalted, and the elemental dragons created the Terrestial exalted.

Then the gods with their exalted humans made war on the Primordials. After many years of war, the Exalted triumphed.  But not without the Primordials cursing the Exalted with a terrible curse. After that, the Exalted ruled over creation.

But after a time, the curse wore powerfully on the Solar exalted, and the Terrestial exalted rebelled against the Solar exalted and overthrew them.  Mostly at the urging of the Sidereal exalted. It was to save Creation.  But now, after a few thousand years, the Solar exalted are returning.

The second chapter talks about character creation. The character creation is similar to other Storyteller games by White Wolf.  Including Werewolf: the Apocalypse. You begin with a concept and are given free reign to create your Solar Exalted. He or she can come from any nation or creed of humanity.  He or she is a superhero, that's for sure, but he or she probably doesn't know unless she was instructed by a mentor.

You start with a concept for your character, then choose a caste (which is analogous to Character Class in other roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons or Palladium Fantasy), then choose a motivation.  After the core of your character is chosen, then you decide attributes.  The game allows you to develop between mental attributes, physical attributes, and then social attributes.  You decide which your character excels at.  Like other roleplaying games -- Attributes in Exalted are your ability scores (in D&D), or attributes (like Palladium Fantasy).

After that, you choose your abilities.  These are your skills, and they are divided after which Caste excels at. Dawn abilities are warrior abilities.  Zenith abilities are priestly abilities.  Twilight abilities are spellcaster or wizard abilities.  Night abilities are thief or rogue abilities.  Finally, there are the Eclipse abilities which are social abilities.  Of course, you may also specialize in an ability to two.

After your abilities are determined, your advantages are determined.  These include your background, your charms (which are superhuman abilities), then you determine your virtues -- which are an aide in roleplaying. After that, you apply your finishing touches which include your character's willpower, her intimacies (another aide in roleplaying), essence and health levels.  After your solar exalted character is created, then you work with the storyteller to work about a background story, called the prelude.  There are also some basic questions to ask about your character.  After all this, an example of character creation is recounted. After that, there is a character creation summary.

Chapter three describes the traits used in the game. This chapter also contains a discussion of each Caste of Solar Exalted. Starting with Dawn, which are the warriors of the Solar Exalted. After that, comes the Zenith caste, which are the priests. After that is the Twilight caste, which are scholars and wizards.  Night comes after Twilight, who are thieves, assassins, and rogues. Finally comes the Eclipse Caste, which are diplomats and social butterflies.

After that, the attributes are discussed.  As said before, the attributes are a total of nine, divided into three.  Physical attributes are your character's body capabilities, while social attributes are their looks and charisma.  Finally there are the mental attributes, which include perception and wits. After all this are the virtues -- a roleplaying aid.  Then the flaws.

After the flaws come the Abilities. All the abilities denote the Solar's skills.  There are five abilities for each Caste. First the Dawn cast abilities are given, then the Zenith abilities, and so on. After the abilities, the backgrounds are discussed.  And each background works like the backgrounds in other White Wolf storyteller games. Then Essence and willpower are explained.

Then comes Chapter four: Drama and Systems.  This chapter discusses how the game is played.  It's the longest chapter in the book.  Although the first rule of the game is to have fun.  The second is if you don't like it, you change it for your game.  Then the rules, and how they interact with your character, are discussed.

After this comes chapter five. Which includes all the Solar Charms, combinations, and sorcery.  Here, the superhuman abilities of the Solars are discussed.  And there are several charms for each skill. You can create combinations of charms for your solar character.  It is here that certain spells are discussed as well.  After chapter five, comes chapter six, Storytelling.  This chapter talks about telling the story for the game, and it's invaluable for the storyteller (or game master).

As a storyteller game, Exalted does not disappoint.  But the game assumes that you already know how to be a storyteller (or GM).  The chapter goes over game styles and other things the storyteller needs to know. Including action and experience.  The comics help here too (there are comics included in the core rulebook).

Chapter seven deals with antagonists.  The examples in the book cover everything, including a small bestiary.  Of course, there are other books (like Exalted: the Infernals, the Dragonblooded, et. al.) that can help you round out antagonists for your games. Finally, chapter seven talks about disease, and how different diseases (including leprosy, consumption, and hysteria and others) affects your game.  There is two diseases for each virtue. 

by Immanuel Giel.

The last chapter deals with items in Creation.  Everything is bought and sold by the Jade standard, which is different from other fantasy roleplaying games (D&D and Palladium Fantasy uses a gold standard). This depends on how many dots in Resources you have.  The more dots, the more you can create your panoply with.  After all this, there is an index.  There is a map of Creation both in the back and the front of the book.

Conclusion

 This game, Exalted Second Edition, is White Wolf's better game.  It's the best, better than Werewolf or even Vampire.  The game allows you to play over the top heroes in an over the top setting.  You aren't playing monsters, but super-heroes in an fantasy setting.  It's a storyteller game, though, and requires some thought to play.  Despite it's flaws, I recommend it for adults (it's marketed to adults). It's not good to start with, although if you are a kid reading this, I suggest starting with Dungeons and Dragons or Palladium Fantasy.

Combining Barsoom with Lothlórien

After reading all of the posts on the Palladium boards and the Savage Worlds RIFTS boards I can world build a little.  The game is set in the New West setting for RIFTS, and my wife wants to play a nude elf cowgirl.  The game system we are using is Savage Worlds, the setting is RIFTS from Palladium.

by Mezzotint on Shutterstock.

I'm figuring a dude ranch in Southern Utah (like the one above is in Zion National Park).  She wants to be based in Moab, Utah, however, but we'll talk about it.  The changes everyone is suggesting is either cosmetic or mechanical, however.  The trick is creating a culture that combines Barsoom with Lothlórien.  Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote Barsoom to be an exotic Mars.  The Martians wore harnesses and very little clothing (their harnesses are their only clothing).  Something my wife approves of.  Remember, she's a nudist and wants her character to be nude in game.

Lothlórien is an elven forest found in the Lord of the Rings. The magical nature of the kingdom is protected by Galadriel's ring. I'll figure more out of the setting once I talked to my wonderful, nude wife. I'll be world building this for her.  And North America is a big place in RIFTS.  The most powerful nation, the Coalition States, only takes up a small part of the Heartland of America.  The rest is considered to be wilderness by the Coalition States.  There's room for an elven kingdom in Utah.  Even if they are nudists.

Barsoom and Lothlórien

My wife had the great idea of playing in a Rifts game (campaign) as her first introduction to roleplaying games.  She wants to play RIFTS mostly because she had read my entire Rifts library and wanted to play.  She wants to play an elf cowgirl in the New West (a setting where the Old West comes to life in RIFTS, see my Rifts: New West review below).  Not just any elf Cowgirl, but a nude one.  My wife is a nudist and yes, I'm very lucky.

This is the first time for her playing any sort of Roleplaying Game, especially Rifts.  I already reached out to the gaming community.  Both at the Palladium Forums and the Pinnacle Entertainment Group RIFTS forums for some ideas for creating an elf community that is based both on Lothlórien and Barsoom.  And both communities have responded with ideas of their own. I was surprised that she picked RIFTS as her first foray into Roleplaying Games, actually.  RIFTS is not an easy setting to grasp, but then again she read my entire library and picked both the New West setting and the Atlantis setting as places to start a campaign in.

Rifts Atlantis Review

Cover by Keith Parkinson

Ah, Atlantis.  Atlantis is my second favorite setting for Rifts®.  Kevin Seimbieda wrote Atlantis and a lot of good ideas flowed to him. Atlantis is the lost continent, the ancient enemy, the place of lost secrets. And in the Rifts Earth it has returned with all the magic and technology. Returning to KS' vision of Atlantis is not exactly coming home for me.  Although I know a lot about Atlantis (I studied Atlanteology). Rifts World Book Two: Atlantis is a book with good ideas.  Ley line storms, true Atlanteans, Bio-Wizardry (an advanced form of genetic manipulation), Rune Weapons and ultra technology, this book is an unique setting for your Rifts® campaign.  Since my wife wants to play in a campaign featuring Atlantis, I thought this is a good book to review.  It's one hundred sixty pages long.

What's in it?

Atlantis contains a lot of good ideas.  It begins with a diatribe from Erin Tarn about Atlantis, and how she will predict war with Atlantis and the Coalition states.  Although the CS is over extending itself in the Heartland of America, the war would not go well.  Atlantis returned after millennia and the Splugorth -- aliens with a Cthulhu Mythos inspiration -- had already conquered Atlantis.  They built their city of Splynn and it's become a haven of trade and commerce through out the Megaverse®. When the Atlanteans returned, they found that their continent had been conquered by these alien beings.  Also, Atlantis is adjacent to the Bermuda Triangle, a region of sea that has become very dangerous to sail.  Called the demon sea, the place is an unsettled region.  It typically can appear in different worlds at different times, and sea monsters roam the area.  And true to Palladium system fashion, there is a random table you can roll to see what happens while you are on the Demon Sea.

Next are the ley line storms, and they are storms of energy that happens along ley lines.  The random tables provide occurrences that can happen along a ley line.  Then Atlantis is talked about.  All of it is wild imagination, even the Splugorth that conquered Atlantis is just imagination.  Good imagination, I should say!  Then the Atlantean race is discussed, and are given an R.C.C. treatment (in Savage Rifts, they are an alternate race that you can apply an Iconic Framework to).   After this, the various nations of Atlantis are visited.  With a dragon city, a gargoyle kingdom, a refuge, and then the kingdom of Splynncrith are all detailed.

Splynncrinth is a Splugorth, a mighty being that looks like a shuggoth from the Cthulhu mythos. He enslaved everyone and has built a mighty financial empire that rivals that in power of the Coalition States.  He built a market where everything and anything imaginable is bought and sold.  He also enslaved the humans of Atlantis and sells slaves from all over the Megaverse.  Is Splynncrinth powerful enough to conquer Earth?  Most probably he is.  But his financial empire is enough to satisfy him, for now.

Atlantis Map by Will-Erwin.

 

Player Options

There are a lot of player options in this book.  New Racial Character Classes (R.C.C.) such as the true Atlantean, the Atlantean Nomad, the minions of the Splugorth, including: the Highlords, power lords, and others.  Oh the Splugorth slaver and the blind Warrior Women are detailed in this book.  Also included are the Kittani, and other options.  Including some slave stock (which more are detailed in Splynn Dimensional Market). After that comes the OCCs.  Including Tattooed men (of which there are four different types).  And so far humans, neanderthals, and elves may become tattooed with magic tattoos.  Stone magic is discussed, along with Bio-Wizardry.

Bio-wizardry itself is described as disgusting.  As it is used to manipulate the DNA of a person, animal, or whatever.  (Splynn is a big place).  It's a magical science that includes transmutation of a person.  Then there is a transmutation table.  After that, various bio-wizardry items are discussed.  Some of these are just strange, others are beneficial.

Then there is a section of bio-engineered parasites.  These include the brain feeder, the mystic leech, the mind slug, heart worms, zombitron, and others.  Then there is a section of symbiotes.  Including the chest amalgamate or chest thing, the elom, mind link, and pathic healer, talo mind worms and others.

By Gaius31duke.

Then comes the bio-wizard weapons.  And there are many.  From items that can be used to control slaves, to P.P.E. batteries that are powered by captured and enslaved fairy folk.  Then rune weapons are discussed.  After that, futuristic vehicles and power armor are introduced!

Conclusion

This book contains a lot of information on Atlantis as a setting for your Rifts campaign. Most of it is imaginative, wildly so. The city of Atlantis has been renamed the city of Splynn. And it's ruled by aliens and D-bees.  There is a lot here for the setting and should be a good starting place for GMs.  A good book for your Palladium Rifts game.  I give it seven stars out of ten.

Savage Worlds Rifts: The Tomorrow Legion's Guide

 

Ah, original Rifts.  Good setting, very good setting, but the game mechanics was something of a fusion of AD&D and Chaosium Basic Roleplaying. While it worked when I was a teen and a little later, today it's dated and in need of a overall.  Fortunately, the Savage Worlds team approached Kevin Seimbedia one day and said they like to do Rifts for Savage Worlds.  Well, Kevin thought it would be a good idea and so we have Rifts: the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide. While most players would play Rifts with a different system, the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide contains all the rules for playing Rifts in Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE).

Kevin is a gregarious and generous person.  And while I liked him when I met him, he will not open Rifts up to third party publishers.  I don't know if he will use the Open RPG Creative license, although it would be awesome if he did.  Rifts is very imaginative: Man just rose from a Dark Age, although illiteracy is common in the Coalition states.  The world is not how we see it.  The world is beset by the rifts: doorways into dimensions and far away worlds. The Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide contains all you need to get started with a Savage Worlds Rifts campaign.  Of course you'll need the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition core rulebook to play.

What is in it?

Savage Rifts still does not contain classes, but most of the classes in Rifts were converted into Iconic Frameworks for Savage Worlds.  These iconic frameworks work like the Occupational Character classes in Rifts. And as Savage Worlds does not use levels, there are no levels for these classes. But don't worry, you can improve your character using the Savage Worlds RPG.  The iconic frameworks include: Burster, a pyrokinetic; combat cyborg, a being built with cyber-bionics; crazy, a person with cybernetic brain enhancements; Cyber-knight, Rifts answer to the D&D paladin; dragon hatchling, yes you can play a dragon!  Glitterboy, a futuristic warrior in a power suit; Juicer, a person that uses drugs to enhance their performance; Ley-line walker, technically a wizard; MARS, catch all for iconic frameworks for the doctor, headhunter, and others. Mind melter, a super psionic person; Mystic, a man of magic that creates miracles like a priest; finally Techno-wizard; a man of magic that can create gizmos.

After all this, some of the Rifts dimensional beings and aliens are discussed. These include: the Altara blind warrior women; D'Nor, the devil men; dog boy, a genetically enhanced dog; Fennodi, or cactus men of the West; Grackle Tooth, a dee-bee found mostly in Canda; Lyn-Srial, an eagle like humanoid with bat wings.  They are found in the West too. Of course, you need a psi-stalker, a mutation among humans that feed on magical and psionic potential; Quick Flex, a dextrous human like alien.  And of course the simvan, which are found in the Lonestar state.  Finally, the Trimador is discussed.

  After that we get into traits.  These include new abilities, like Anti-personnel and nimble; and a few new attributes for a Savage Rifts game.  Including strain, and super strength.  And then there are new skills: like Cybernetics.  And there is discussion of how existing skills work in the Savage Rifts setting.  After this, languages are discussed.  Including American and Elvish/Dragonese. 

New hindrances and edges are discussed.  Although magical edges (such as the Weird Science edge) are discussed in the magic chapter; this section discusses how some edges are reconfigured for the World of Rifts. It also includes new edges.  Many new edges, including some that are iconic.

The next chapter deals with Gear. Player characters may start with a lot of gear already, depending on which iconic framework is chosen.  Then gear in the game is discussed.  There are a lot of items in Rifts listed.  Plus, you can use gear from Savage Worlds.  Then there is a section on Armor, after that power armor is discussed (this includes the Glitter-boy armor).  Then we have a section on weapons. Many different weapons. 😀

Gear also goes over vehicles.  There are several vehicles to choose from. Including robot vehicles. After vehicles are discussed, we get to the cybernetics section. And several cybernetics are discussed.  Like organ replacement and strength upgrade.  Everything you need for your character to have cybernetics.  Of course the Atlantis module talks about bio-wizardry.  That I will be reviewing at a later date.

By sakkmesterke, on Shutterstock.

Chapter three discusses the new setting rules in Rifts.  These include: Blaze of Glory, rules that state when the character using it goes to die.  Blood and Gore, like it says.  Death and defeat; when the player character decides not to use the Blaze of Glory rules. Siphoning PPE rules (from another individual to cast a spell), includes rules for blood sacrifice.  Rules for technical difficulties are put forth.  After that, vehicle fatigue rules are discussed.  And that rounds out chapter three.

After that, rules for magic and psionics is discussed in Chapter Four: Psionics and Magic.  First, some basic rules -- like how spells work with mega-damage rules (yes, mega damage is discussed in Savage Rifts), and basic rules for strain are discussed.  After that, the arcane backgrounds are also discussed how they work in Rifts. There are some changes rather than those discussed in Savage Worlds. Ley lines and how they work are discussed.  Then there is a section on rituals and items that can be used for rituals.  Including PPE batteries.  Then some rules regarding magic spells in powers in Rifts are discussed.

Finally, in Chapter five the hero's journey rounds out the chapters in Savage Rifts. This chapter goes over various hooks you can use for your character's background.  These include body armor, education, close combat weapons, and other tables.  After these are discussed, we get an index.

Innovations from Vanilla Rifts  

One thing you've got to remember is that the Savage Worlds system is completely classless. Well, what I mean is that they don't have classes.  While vanilla Rifts does have classes, occupational character classes -- or O.C.C.s; and (if you're going by the 1990's version of Rifts like I do) racial character classes or R.C.C.s. So, what did Pinnacle do with this sort of situation?  Come up with Iconic Frameworks!  That is one good innovation right there.

The iconic framework in Savage Worlds Rifts allows you to pick a "class" while allowing you some customization.  While vanilla Rifts allows for some customization through skills -- you are still playing that O.C.C. or R.C.C.  And while vanilla Rifts was a step up from the class system of AD&D and the skill system of Call of Cthulhu -- the probability that you will end up with two different Glitterboys in Savage Rifts is very high.  Customization is par excellence in Savage Rifts that you might end up with a Glitterboy who can do magic (Arcane Background: Magic) and one who can do psionics (Arcane Background: Psionics).  The frameworks are there to provide you with a scaffold to build your character with.  It's kind of like a class, but then it's not.  You're not defined by your framework in Savage Worlds Rifts.  You are allowed to come up with any kind of character you want: the framework is there to help you leave the occupational character class of Rifts behind.  In fact, you define the character you want to play.

If you want to play a gunslinger with psionics you can (in fact, the Psi-Slinger is an iconic framework in another, later SW Rifts product.)  If you want to play a cowboy who does magic, it's very possible to do that (Empires of Humanity details the cowboy and the gunslinger).  Each iconic framework "is a package of powers, special abilities, Edges, gear, and other character elements that define an iconic
role within a setting. In the case of the world of Rifts®, where characters begin with incredible capabilities and devastating machines of war as a matter of course, the Iconic Framework is a necessary tool to help represent these ideas while still working within the core ideas of Savage Worlds."

An iconic framework is there to help you make the character you want.  How different races are handled is another innovation.  While you can select a race in Rifts (human or Dimensional Being, like elf, orc, or simvan), some of these are considered Racial Character Classes in vanilla Rifts®.  That means it has it's own skills and other things to consider.  In Savage Worlds, you can choose a race and then choose a framework.  This means you can play a simvan cowboy, a grackletooth mind melter, or a "mutant" dog crazy (the dog boy is actually genetically engineered, something I'll discuss once I get to Rifts: Lone Star). Each race in Savage Worlds Rifts is just an option to pick.  To help you customize your character to your tastes.  And yes, you can still play a dragon hatchling.  Except it's an iconic framework, not a race.

One other innovation over vanilla Rifts is how skills are handled.  In  vanilla Rifts® you roll percentile dice and hope to get under a certain percentage.  Savage Worlds handles skills differently.  You roll a die.  The better the die, the better the probable outcome.  Rolling a skill with a d4 in it is a lot different than rolling a skill using a d12. It can provide different results than rolling a percentile die (note: I know skills in Rifts are varied in their application -- one skill might just raise your Physical Strength, another might raise your Physical Prowess).

Cybernetics is another important innovation over vanilla Rifts®. You can still get cybernetic implants, but you are simply restrained by a mechanic called strain.  Strain tells you how you may recover from cyber-surgery.  Although some systems are unlimited, some are not, and some may require a basic cybernetic implant.

So, mega-damage.  Is it in there?  Yes, it's in there. A weapon in Savage Rifts that can do mega-damage is considered to be a heavy weapon in Savage Worlds.  Armor capable of having MDC is considered to be heavy armor in Savage Worlds. One problem with vanilla Rifts® was that you had different scales of damage and most weapons did mega-damage.  In Savage Worlds, this is handled differently. The damage scaling is more realistic.  A hand-held Wilk's laser weapon does not do mega-damage in Savage Worlds. Therefore, if you shoot a regular Joe with your laser weapon in Savage Rifts®, you aren't going to suddenly turn him into a pile of ash. He'll be hurt, but he won't automatically burn up.  However, a mega-damage weapon -- like a rail gun -- does gritty damage per Savage Worlds' rule systems.

Potential Psychic Energy, or P.P.E. and Inner Strength Points, or I.S.P.  Are they in Savage Rifts®? Yes, they are.  P.P.E. can be transferred like it is in vanilla Rifts®, and there are ways of cultivating your personal P.P.E.  Usually everyone has P.P.E. (this includes Mystics), and psychics have I.S.P.  This is discussed in the Magic and Psionics chapter, including a discussion on each Arcane Background (Gifted, Magic, Miracles, Psionics, or Weird Science).

Conclusion

So, you're a Rifts player of the original system. Maybe you enjoy the original system.  And you are curious of how Rifts work with the Savage Worlds system.  And they did their best translating Rifts to Savage Worlds. It's beautifully laid out in living color.  And it looks well done!  I suggest you get a copy of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition and this book to begin a campaign.  Savage Worlds and Rifts work well together.  There are no levels, that's for sure, and no alignments. But Savage Worlds brings Rifts up to date and nearly into the 21st Century.