LucasC
First Post
We haven’t actually played a game yet, that will come in another week or two, but I have read through the rulebook. Here are my initial thoughts.
The Good
The game looks interesting. I’ve never played O.L.D. so all the mechanics and such are unknown. I am looking forward to running (or possibly playing) N.E.W. game.
I also really like the guides in the latter part of the book that talk about creating custom content – creatures, races, careers, etc. I imagine that this will be a very good resource for GMs.
The countdown mechanic looks intriguing. I like it so much that, assuming it plays as awesome as it seems it’s going to, I’ll probably import some version of it into other games.
Several of the combat maneuvers look like they will make for interesting play. Particularly the penalties that stack up if you don’t keep moving, the crossfire mechanic and the covering fire.
Diversity of options – drugs, diseases, equipment, etc.
The Bad
I am not a fan of core rulebook mechanics structured around assumed setting elements. The only place I really noticed this in N.E.W. is regarding Psi-Corps. If there was a reason for it, OK, but there doesn't seem to be any game-advantage to assuming Psi-Corps will exist in every setting. It does, however, create a number of sections of core text that I’ll need to instruct my PCs to ignore as there won’t be a Psi-Corps in the games we play (psionics yes, Psi-Corps no).
More aliens, exotic technologies, bizarre player races and less fantasy (ogrons remind me strongly of ogres, borians are too dwarf/halfling, gobbers too goblin, etc.)
Things I’d Like More Of
Starship combat. There’s some guidelines for adjudicating it but this game needs starship combat rules. What would Star Wars be without some of the amazing dog fights? Hopefully there’s more coming here.
Compiled list of useful charts. There are many good charts in the book but they are somewhat scattered. Could use something like a GM Screen that brings many of these together.
Formatting & Editing
There were several spelling errors I noted but unfortunately my notes did not get saved. As I cross them again I’ll note them down so I can give you a page reference.
The treatment of SOAK is inconsistent. Sometimes it is presented in all caps, sometimes with the first letter capitalized and sometimes all lower case.
Consistency of ability checks is also inconsistent. Late in the document they were spelled out completely while the rest of the document they were abbreviated down to 3 letters. Again, I’ll make a note of these pages when next I come across them.
That’s all for now. Looking forward to playing a few sessions.
Lucas
embersds.com/blog
The Good
The game looks interesting. I’ve never played O.L.D. so all the mechanics and such are unknown. I am looking forward to running (or possibly playing) N.E.W. game.
I also really like the guides in the latter part of the book that talk about creating custom content – creatures, races, careers, etc. I imagine that this will be a very good resource for GMs.
The countdown mechanic looks intriguing. I like it so much that, assuming it plays as awesome as it seems it’s going to, I’ll probably import some version of it into other games.
Several of the combat maneuvers look like they will make for interesting play. Particularly the penalties that stack up if you don’t keep moving, the crossfire mechanic and the covering fire.
Diversity of options – drugs, diseases, equipment, etc.
The Bad
I am not a fan of core rulebook mechanics structured around assumed setting elements. The only place I really noticed this in N.E.W. is regarding Psi-Corps. If there was a reason for it, OK, but there doesn't seem to be any game-advantage to assuming Psi-Corps will exist in every setting. It does, however, create a number of sections of core text that I’ll need to instruct my PCs to ignore as there won’t be a Psi-Corps in the games we play (psionics yes, Psi-Corps no).
More aliens, exotic technologies, bizarre player races and less fantasy (ogrons remind me strongly of ogres, borians are too dwarf/halfling, gobbers too goblin, etc.)
Things I’d Like More Of
Starship combat. There’s some guidelines for adjudicating it but this game needs starship combat rules. What would Star Wars be without some of the amazing dog fights? Hopefully there’s more coming here.
Compiled list of useful charts. There are many good charts in the book but they are somewhat scattered. Could use something like a GM Screen that brings many of these together.
Formatting & Editing
There were several spelling errors I noted but unfortunately my notes did not get saved. As I cross them again I’ll note them down so I can give you a page reference.
The treatment of SOAK is inconsistent. Sometimes it is presented in all caps, sometimes with the first letter capitalized and sometimes all lower case.
Consistency of ability checks is also inconsistent. Late in the document they were spelled out completely while the rest of the document they were abbreviated down to 3 letters. Again, I’ll make a note of these pages when next I come across them.
That’s all for now. Looking forward to playing a few sessions.
Lucas
embersds.com/blog
