JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Dork 20 is a d20 accessory that gives players a little extra when they come to the table. The deck consist of 56 cards that grant players an edge with abilities that they can use when they play the card.
These cards are illustrated by John Kovalic and feature his cast of Dork Tower. Each one has a title, a quote or humorous comment from the comic series and game effects. The cards are bordered by a edge that looks similar to the Player’s Handbook or any number of those books which have copied that gem studded style. One of my cards, Holy Moly doesn’t have any illustration on it. I don’t know if that’s a printing error or intentional.
The packaging isn’t my favorite either. I really hate this dual style card box. This is a 56 card deck broken into two stacks so instead of just flipping the cards back into the deck when you’re done, you’ve got to break them back into two stacks. Something I haven’t liked in any of these card games. If playing cards follow a standard where you just fold them up and put them away, I think someone needs to take a cue from that. It’s time wasting to split the deck up unless I throw the deck box itself out and just go with the old rubber band solution.
The effects of the cards range from minor to major and not all of them are without hindrances. For example, Mighty Thews provides the character either a increase in Strength of Constitution by +5 for an encounter but then inflicts a negative one point of intelligence that takes a day to heal. Other stat boosting cards provide similar bonuses and penalties.
All of the cards are different, but there is some carry over. For example, Vital Blow can be used to automatically confirm a critical hit while Weeping Wound makes a successful hit into a critical threat.
My problem is I’m not quite sure how I would use these cards. The instructions seem simple enough but I have rules lawyers in my group so I wish Atlas would take the attitude that my boss does. “You have to treat these people like they have no brains.” For example, “All players start the game session with four cards dealt from the Dork20 Deck.” Seems simple right but does that mean four random cards? Does that mean four cards at the start of every game session?
If you give cards out every game session, why a section on earning cards? If some of your games are like mine and you’re only playing for three to five hours, how many cards could you go through? You can only hold four cards at a time and if you use one, can buy new ones for 100 x character’s hit dice. Can you buy a card if it would make you lose a level? You can also be awarded cards by the GM for performing heroic actions or doing something in the true spirit of roleplaying of “Just because the GM is feeling merciful.”
Some optional rules add a little interest to the game. For example, since the players are a little tougher with the cards, the GM can decide that they get treated as if they were one level higher than they actually are for experience points calculations. Another optional rule is that for every card the player uses, the GM gets one random card from the deck.
I like the concept and the cards are amusing with the art and slogans many gamers, including myself, have come to love. Because the d20 rules are so similar between so many different variants of the OGL system and d20 Modern and d20 itself, most of these cards can be used with almost no changes in those variant systems.
With all of the optional rules for making characters more durable though, ranging from Action Points in D20 Modern and Unearthed Arcana, to the variant style of Action Points in Arcana Unearthed, I’m not sure how balanced using these cards in addition to those points would be. The lack of details, like random cards or selected cards, as well as campaign session versus start of individual games, is also a little sloppy. A couple sentences would’ve cleared that up right away.
For gamers looking for that extra edge, I suggest picking up a pack and giving them to the GM with a sly smile. “I’ve heard this make the game more enjoyable” you can say as he looks through the Dork Tower illustrations. “Real simple to use and fun for everyone.” Just don’t be disappointed if he approves them only if the party allows the GM to use them as well.
These cards are illustrated by John Kovalic and feature his cast of Dork Tower. Each one has a title, a quote or humorous comment from the comic series and game effects. The cards are bordered by a edge that looks similar to the Player’s Handbook or any number of those books which have copied that gem studded style. One of my cards, Holy Moly doesn’t have any illustration on it. I don’t know if that’s a printing error or intentional.
The packaging isn’t my favorite either. I really hate this dual style card box. This is a 56 card deck broken into two stacks so instead of just flipping the cards back into the deck when you’re done, you’ve got to break them back into two stacks. Something I haven’t liked in any of these card games. If playing cards follow a standard where you just fold them up and put them away, I think someone needs to take a cue from that. It’s time wasting to split the deck up unless I throw the deck box itself out and just go with the old rubber band solution.
The effects of the cards range from minor to major and not all of them are without hindrances. For example, Mighty Thews provides the character either a increase in Strength of Constitution by +5 for an encounter but then inflicts a negative one point of intelligence that takes a day to heal. Other stat boosting cards provide similar bonuses and penalties.
All of the cards are different, but there is some carry over. For example, Vital Blow can be used to automatically confirm a critical hit while Weeping Wound makes a successful hit into a critical threat.
My problem is I’m not quite sure how I would use these cards. The instructions seem simple enough but I have rules lawyers in my group so I wish Atlas would take the attitude that my boss does. “You have to treat these people like they have no brains.” For example, “All players start the game session with four cards dealt from the Dork20 Deck.” Seems simple right but does that mean four random cards? Does that mean four cards at the start of every game session?
If you give cards out every game session, why a section on earning cards? If some of your games are like mine and you’re only playing for three to five hours, how many cards could you go through? You can only hold four cards at a time and if you use one, can buy new ones for 100 x character’s hit dice. Can you buy a card if it would make you lose a level? You can also be awarded cards by the GM for performing heroic actions or doing something in the true spirit of roleplaying of “Just because the GM is feeling merciful.”
Some optional rules add a little interest to the game. For example, since the players are a little tougher with the cards, the GM can decide that they get treated as if they were one level higher than they actually are for experience points calculations. Another optional rule is that for every card the player uses, the GM gets one random card from the deck.
I like the concept and the cards are amusing with the art and slogans many gamers, including myself, have come to love. Because the d20 rules are so similar between so many different variants of the OGL system and d20 Modern and d20 itself, most of these cards can be used with almost no changes in those variant systems.
With all of the optional rules for making characters more durable though, ranging from Action Points in D20 Modern and Unearthed Arcana, to the variant style of Action Points in Arcana Unearthed, I’m not sure how balanced using these cards in addition to those points would be. The lack of details, like random cards or selected cards, as well as campaign session versus start of individual games, is also a little sloppy. A couple sentences would’ve cleared that up right away.
For gamers looking for that extra edge, I suggest picking up a pack and giving them to the GM with a sly smile. “I’ve heard this make the game more enjoyable” you can say as he looks through the Dork Tower illustrations. “Real simple to use and fun for everyone.” Just don’t be disappointed if he approves them only if the party allows the GM to use them as well.
