How's the Eldritch RPG in actual play?

Aus_Snow · May 5, 2008

Read a bit about this one on RPGnet, but I'd like to know a bit more. Sounds like it could be a good fit for those times when a zero prep one-shot is just the thing.

Who's played it, and what are your impressions?

Baumi · May 5, 2008

I can't give you a playreport since I only got the book last week, but I have to say that I don't think that it is a good fit for a zero prep one-shot.

The Problem (besides the ugly, uninspiring art, the unnecessary complex/long Charactersheet and nearly no setting Information) is that there are no Equipment besides Weapons and Armor, no prices and weight for even that and worst of all there are no Monsters/Creatures/Sample Enemies to use. If you use a Setting you already know and use the prices from another game than it is no big deal but having no default Monsters does make it very hard for game without preparation.

Aus_Snow · May 5, 2008

Ah, really? No monsters at all?

Damn. Oh well, anything else cool or otherwise about it?

Baumi · May 5, 2008

I didn't had the chance yet to read everything, also the bad Art and missing things stopped my enthusiasm for it, but it is not all bad!

The base rule seems easy and interesting (I really like that there are no differences between Attributes and Base Skills but everything can be split to Specializations and Masteries, in fact most Test are rolled from a combination from your Main Skill+Specialization+Mastery) and while there are no Monsters, there IS a system for generating them for specific Challenge Ratings.

Also the Magic works freeform (you learn Schools like Harm and Summoning and can cast spells on the fly), but you still have many ready-to-use Spells in the book.

The Character Generation is point-buy, so you are not restrained by classes, but on the other hand you don't have the advantages of classes (niche protection and balance) ... if that's good or bad depends on your preferences.

So all in all, while it is not good for no prep Games, it could still be great for planned Adventures/Campaigns. If they would have only made the book a bit thicker to include the missing things, swapped out the Art/Layout and used Hardcover than it could have been a GREAT game for everyone, now it's more a rough diamond that still have to be polished.

Hstio · May 5, 2008

There's an actual play thread on the general board at RPG.net (sorry no link).

Hstio

Ace · May 5, 2008

Thanks for the info. I was going to take a look at it, but no monsters = no sell.

If/when a bestiary comes out I'll take another look.

jdrakeh · May 5, 2008

Baumi said:
The Problem (besides the ugly, uninspiring art, the unnecessary complex/long Charactersheet and nearly no setting Information) is that there are no Equipment besides Weapons and Armor, no prices and weight for even that and worst of all there are no Monsters/Creatures/Sample Enemies to use. If you use a Setting you already know and use the prices from another game than it is no big deal but having no default Monsters does make it very hard for game without preparation.

For some people, many of those things aren't an issue. . . note that C&C didn't include any setting-specific information or monsters in its core book, either (there was a free PDF of sample monsters, though honestly, that's not much different that using an existing monster manual with Eldritch). C&C did, however, include a price list. . . which seems to be a rather unusual choice of things to exclude from Eldritch (though, technically, such things are not at all hard to come by elsewhere).

Grogtard · May 5, 2008

Hstio said:
There's an actual play thread on the general board at RPG.net (sorry no link).

Hstio

Here's the link

Picked up Eldritch as well. Haven't played it yet. No monsters is a slight draw back but the system is simple enough to quickly crank out various beasties. Plus they've started a Wiki for fan contributions.

Baumi · May 5, 2008

It's not the same situation as C&C since you could use AD&D/D&D Monsters with nearly no conversation, so you already had thousands of Monsters when C&C came out. Later there came also it's own Bestiary....

But as I said, there is at least a System for creating the Monsters in the book and I somewhere read that there is a wiki for the game with a Monster chapter. So you are not completly lost in the system, but it is hard to use for an ad-hoc adventure.

If it was only about the Monsters it wouldn't have been such a big dissapointment for me, but it was simply to much with the missing Equipment/Prices, the ugly Art (which gave me no feeling for the game at all) and the unnessasary long and hideous charactersheet (the first thing I look in a new book). If I wouldn't have bought it online I would certanly left it in the shop, even if the main System might have been the best thing since sliced bread.