Ex Machina (TriStat)

[BSF]

OK, I'm looking through the ENnie nominees and this one catches my eye. Looks cool! One problem though, I know nothing about Tristat. Sure, I could go download it and figure it all out. I've got no problem looking at new rules systems. But I thought that maybe there are other folks here that would be interested in hearing about TriStat and about Ex Machina.

So EN World, share with me your experiences. Tell me a bit about TriStat and sell me on Ex Machina. What are the strengths/weaknesses of the system? How easy is it to introduce to otherwise myopic gamers? (Presume a D20 comfort zone.) As GM why should I look at this? Why should my players look at this? And finally, what makes Ex Machina cool? It's been nominated for an ENnie and this is good enough for me, but sell me on it.

 

[Crothian]

may I present the reviews?

 

[Berandor]

What I heard about TriStat was very nice. It's a generic system that uses dice pools, and depending on the genre of the game, the dice you use change. So a realistic game with humans might use d6, whereas a superhero game might use d12.

I didn't get very far into the mechanics, but what I saw seemed extremely flexible. I could tell you more if the Game of Thrones RPG had been on time, because it's got both d20 and TriStat rules, but what i saw and what I remember seemed quite nice.

The base rules are a free download, by the way.

 

[Aus_Snow]

http://www.guardiansorder.com/pdfs/goo_TriStatdX.pdf

Indeed they are free, right there.


Haven't really looked through it much myself. But I think I will, soon.

 

[BSF]

Crothian, love the reviews. I use them a lot. I'm looking for the hard pitch from the fans.

 

[HellHound]

Ok...

How about this one:

I really dislike TriStat. I've run several games using it, and it is -not- my cup of tea.

That said, I make one exception now. Ex Machina. The book is BRILLIANT and head and shoulders above the competition as the best CyberPunk-styled RPG to ever hit the market. The writting is amazing, the settings are evocative and showcase the variety of environments for CyberPunk settings and play.

It blew me away. I bought it and fell in love instantly, and then fell ever more in love every time I read through it.

Once again, this is coming from a fan of the classic CyberPunk 2020 RPG, and someone who dislikes TriStat / dX.

If you like or are interested in CyberPunk, this is the game to buy.

 

[BSF]

OK, I have read some of your preferences for CyberPunk. So this is a pretty big statement in that context.

So what is it about TriStat that you don't like Hellhound?

 

[HellHound]

I disliked how TriStat only has... 3 stats. The game system, at heart, is pretty rules lite...

And honestly, I can't even remember anymore. I know that in running 16 games of Sailor Moon, I got more and more annoyed with the system until I dropped it.