General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
The whole rulebook is full color. This first book is mostly rules, though it does have an overview of Westeros. This summer we're publishing the Campaign Guide, which is a 256 full on setting book (also full color).
VERY nice!
Not that there's anything wrong with black and white, i'm sure some folks like it better then fulll color.
The whole rulebook is full color. This first book is mostly rules, though it does have an overview of Westeros. This summer we're publishing the Campaign Guide, which is a 256 full on setting book (also full color).
I had convinced myself that I had become strong, since I refused to get into 4E. Too many 3.5E and for that matter probably several 3E books stacked up still to crack open.
This, of course, exposes that all as a blantant self denying lie. Oh, the humanity!!!!
The game is out next week. You got it as an ENnies submission. It should have arrived with some other GR books.
Chris,
Can't wait to get it. Do you have any idea about the book series? Did you get an outline for "A dance with dragons". Obviously I am not asking you to violate any NDA but can you give us any info about when it will be released.
__________________ Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and concientious stupidity--
I'm about halfway through so far and digging it. I was kinda 'meh' on the last GRR Martin book, so I was a little apprehensive. So far, though, it looks like they've done a good job of letting you keep some distance between the novels and the game world.
The dice mechanic is interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays. One thing that struck me as odd was the straight bonus for assisting another; I'd have seriously considered letting the assisting player roll a bonus die or something. A little more random and interactive than a straight bonus would be more fun I think.
Character creation is yummy, and at first blush it looks like they've accomplished a goal that many games blow off; namely, having characters of different ages be different and still reasonably balanced with each other. So a young squire just into manhood and a doddering maester can both be part of the same house, both contribute to the game in different ways, and not outshine each other. I'm sure there are ways to munchkin it, but it looks very well done.
To those of you who already have the book: how ceomprehensive is Westeros described? Enough to actually base a campaign there with a distinct SoI&F flavour?
Do we have information on who has sworn fealty to whom?
__________________ Want to see through my crystal ball and what's in store for 5E? Take a glance at my Dreams of 5th Edition
He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder. Tad Williams
Finally got to run this at NC Gameday last weekend. I think it went rather well, considering it was a brand-new system to everyone. I'll see if I can get some of the players to post their thoughts here as well.
There was a snafu at lunch that delayed a couple people, so we started almost an hour late for the five-hour slot. I had to nip and tuck some stuff, but we still got in a couple decent sized combats, a couple intrigues, and capped it with some mass combat.
I began with an attack on a village that was essentially the prelude to the main adventure. I had the players put away the pre-gens that were their 'real' characters and handed them sheets statted out as mook villagers. Aside from a brief moment of hilarity when they all decided to run, they quickly got into the spirit of things and fought until they were overwhelmed. The reasoning here was that it gave the players a chance to learn the basic mechanics in a no-risk situation, so that when their first fight came along with the real characters, I just had to teach the wound & injury rules and they were all ready to go. It worked pretty well, I think.
Then there were a pair of simple intrigues, with the heir to the House trying to convince his over-protective mother he was ready to lead an expedition, and his bastard half-brother conniving to come along.
Once they'd assembled their party, they went to investigate the fate of the village. Some nice RP with the factions jockeying for position, followed by an epic combat. It was the five player characters versus 12 'tertiary' opponents and 3 'secondary' level leaders. The mooks were a mix of melee, ranged, and beast. It was a little tought; when I'd playtested the encounter, I had six characters, so I probably should have dropped one of the leaders. It was a near thing, but the characters prevailed.
Having unconvered the plot, they then engaged in a little more intrigue to rally some House troops and take the fight to the enemy. We closed with a mass battle that left the enemy routed and fleeing the field.
So, other than House management, we got to experience the high points of the system. I really, really like the combat system. The variations in armor and weapon types lead to interesting combats. At one point, there were three characters each taking on one of the leaders. The longsword and shield guy was hitting but not penetrating the armor; the ball-and-chain knight was gradually whittling down the armor of his opponent, and the sneaky bastard with the stilletto snuck up behind and took advantage of its piercing attribute to bypass the armor entirely.
It also seemed to run very fast, especially the 5-on-15 fight. The fact that most were mooks helped, but mooks aren't the total pushovers here that they are in some games. A couple even lived long enough to try and flee after seeing their leaders defeated. Given everyone's unfamiliarity with the rules, I can only expect that a group with some fights under their belts would really zoom.
I've got a couple minor quibbles. There's some organizational oddities, and a couple things that really should have been spelled out in better detail (eg passive skills). The errata and discussion boards were helpful in resolving most of that, and overall there wasn't anything game-ending.
Alternatively, it can be like so: ASoIaF.
Grr.
Linear Mode
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