Indiana Jones RPG

Emirikol · Oct 13, 2012

I just checked out the old Indiana Jones RPG. There are a lot of copies out there in various forms.

Anyways, it seems a pretty neat and simple system for cinematic play. I like the Lucky Breaks or Bad Breaks ideas. They remind me of WFRP 3rd edition's comets and chaos star rolls.

Anybody have any modern thoughts on this game?

http://rpggeek.com/rpg/726/the-adventures-of-indiana-jones-role-playing-game

http://the-lost-and-the-damned.664610.n2.nabble.com/Indiana-Jones-TSR-RPG-rules-PDF-td7410926.html

Emirikol · Oct 13, 2012

Any house rules would be welcome too. I'm planning on running it for my kids.

Riley · Oct 13, 2012

I haven't played or even read the game myself, but I found this very interesting:

I Waste The Buddha With My Crossbow: TSR's Indiana Jones Game Does Not Deserve Your Smack-Talk

Crothian · Oct 13, 2012

I think Adventure d6 works as a good clean up for the system. The Indiana Jones book Artifacts though is a great resource for any 20th century treasure hunting type game.

Emirikol · Oct 14, 2012

See, that review is exactly what I'm talking about. This game looks downright fun..plus you can still find it in various places. I've looked for the west end games..and it's somewhere on Amazon.

There's something about a game system that doesn't have to be 784 pages and get's to the point that appeals to me here. Also, the GM doesn't have to cross reference 74 charts.

There's somethign like the feel of the game FIASCO here, where the players create the story and the game system isn't so hung up on itself. The irony is that the Temple of Doom scenario does force players through it's mould..but that's kinda the point..kinda like those Dragonlance scenarios.

I like it already and can't wait to run it for the kids 7-11.

jh

Nytmare · Oct 14, 2012

This was unfortunately a game I owned waaaaay back when we couldn't play role playing games cause all of the mothers of my circle of friends had been convinced that role playing games were devil worship.

But man I read the HELL out of that rulebook.

RobShanti · Oct 14, 2012

I never played or read the game, but I read a review somewhere that said you're limited to playing the pre-gen characters, who are the movie characters. Is that so? It seems like an easy fix, but maybe not.

Nytmare · Oct 14, 2012

There was a second book that had character gen stuff in it, but the first book didn't have any rules for it at all. You were limited to the standard cast of characters from the movies.

RobShanti · Oct 14, 2012

Ah, cool. Yeah, I remember waaaaaaaaay back when the game was first published, and I was interested in playing it, but never got my hands on it. I loved (and still love) Indiana Jones, and was intrigued by the game, but despite having such fun with Star Frontiers, I was leery about other TSR products, given my distaste for the Boot Hill mechanics, and didn't pursue it too zealously.

Now, having had great success in running pulp games with Champions' Justice Inc. rules, and even more success with the more simplified and streamlined White Wolf Adventure! rules (and having Spirit of the Century still unplayed on my shelf for years), I'm wondering -- does the Indiana Jones game lend itself well to a wider range of pulp stories, or is it tailored just toward running treasure-hunting expeditions in trapped dungeons?

Emirikol · Oct 14, 2012

I burned through all the rules last night. It's a variable success mechanic (like WFRP3 or the new Star Wars FFG game). I haven't played the old Marvel Superheroes game for a millenia, but it has that success grid.

You have 6 stats and skills/area of expertise. If you're skilled in an area, then your stat success chance doubles (this reminds me of D&D 5e playtests in simplicity).

There are only 4 variables to success: Bonus (2x stat), Normal, @50%, @25%.

This game was way ahead of its time in terms of enhanced success ratios. I suppose the Marvel game pioneered it.

jh

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