Blue Rose fast-play rules are up

[Jeremy Crawford]

Guys, a lot of us really, REALLY want to like this product...was it necessary to make it us wade through so much cotton candy to get to anything worthwhile?

The main purpose of Blue Rose is to model the kind of fantasy found in the novels of Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Diane Duane, and others--a kind of fantasy with a large audience but with little representation in RPGs.

For those not interested in that genre, there's plenty of crunch: a Mutants & Masterminds-style damage system, a magic system based on The Psychic's Handbook, very open-ended classes, an implementation of the d20 Modern wealth system, and more.

 

[Krieg]

I understand the concept behind the book, it's just that now that I am actually seeing what that translates to I am not sure that I will be able to survive the fluff to get to the crunch.

Was any thought ever given to doing a core book using the mechanics & then doing genre related supplements afterwards?

 

[Jeremy Crawford]

Was any thought ever given to doing a core book using the mechanics & then doing genre related supplements afterwards?

The intent for the game has always been to wed setting and rules material in a single book.

 

[Ranger REG]

For those not interested in that genre, there's plenty of crunch: ...a magic system based on The Psychic's Handbook,...

It has similar mechanical resemblance but certainly not derived from the product, or else they would have cited the source in the OGL's Section 15 Copyright Notice.

I like it but my concern is about learning spells through scrolls and spellbooks, a la D&D.

 

[Turanil]

The art looks good to me... except for the title's font. I don't understand how professional graphic designers can come up with such cheesy hideous titles (bad font with a quick Photoshop inner bevel). It's a scandal. It's the same as on the Psychic's Handbook cover that had a really good illustration, but odiously ugly title.

 

[Zoatebix]

Man! You've got a good eye, Turanil. Remind me to look you up if I need layout done on a cover.

 

[Aaron2]

The art looks good to me... except for the title's font. I don't understand how professional graphic designers can come up with such cheesy hideous titles (bad font with a quick Photoshop inner bevel). It's a scandal.

I like it.


Aaron

 

[JimAde]

I like it.


Aaron

So do I

Heap, thanks for the explanation. I get it, now. Your reference to "cute psychic animals" puts me in mind of Anne McCaffrey's (sp?) Dragonriders of Pern books. Do you think she'd fall into this category as well?

Anyway, seems like their target audience is there for the fluff, using the crunch as a simple expedient to character development and story. I note that the sample characters have at least half their space devoted to personality, background and "fluffy bits." That's cool, but the rest of us will just have to wade I like the "save vs. damage" mechanic and the Arcana system looks really interesting. I'm planning to mine it for possible inclusion in my non-romantic "kill monsters and take their stuff" game.

 

[Cam Banks]

It really is interesting to see the reaction to this game from "standard" D&D fantasy gamers. A lot of folks are weirded out by it, or think it's overly flowery and full of cheesy content. There's a huge stigma applied by (mostly) male fantasy fans to romantic fantasy in this vein, making it the subject of nervous laughter or mockery. I can't say as I find this terribly shocking. But then I also don't think those people are the target audience.

I had some difficulty with Mercedes Lackey's novels, but my wife on the other hand really loves them. I had to think about what my trouble was, and it was the assumptions I have about what fantasy is, what it should include and what's considered to be a failure of a fantasy book to live up to that. I've become a lot more open to the thematic elements presented in Blue Rose, but I may still have a little way to go before I embrace it completely.

I'm a George R. R. Martin type of fantasy fan. I think there's a way to make use of Blue Rose to play out GRRM's books, but it would also require quite a sharp turn in the expectations of the genre. Over on rpg.net, poster Kevin Mowery has recently (and cleverly) summarized the A Song of Ice and Fire series by GRRM as "romantic fantasy gone horribly horribly wrong". That's something I can sink my teeth into.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[WayneLigon]

Well that would explain the "interesting" prose in the fast play rules.

Guys, a lot of us really, REALLY want to like this product...was it necessary to make it us wade through so much cotton candy to get to anything worthwhile?

Is the final product going to be as difficult to get through as the preview?

Yea, it was a bit more overwrought and cheesie than I'd have liked. I found myself groaning every three words.

[head scratch] Are y'all talking about the adventure flavor text as if it were the entire preview? Other than that and page 3, there isn't any 'cotton candy' in the entire preview; it's your normal rules stuff.