Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5433105" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Magazine Issue 219: July 1995part 2/8Run!: Chase scenes. Like social combat, there have been a whole ton of experiments to try and get these to work in a way that extends the drama out and allows for tactical choices from the participants. It's something that can and has been played out in an exciting manner in other media, so why shouldn't it work for RPG's? Unfortunately, this article doesn't go that far, instead boiling things down to opposed dexterity checks with a bunch of modifiers. That doesn't give you a whole lot of choices when the crunch comes down, although you can certainly stack the odds in your favour by your choice of character and equipment. Come on, you could have at least factored constitution in, letting there be a meaningful difference between sprint chases and endurance pursuits. So this feels a bit half-assed and underdeveloped, relying too much on ad hoc DM oversight to make it interesting. Most disappointing. Out of armor: A bit more buckling of swash here. This one is slightly more player focussed, although it also talks about how to encourage the playstyle from a DM's point of view. This is accomplished by both encouraging more playful action as seen in the movies, and imposing substantial penalties on those who attempt flashy acrobatic stuff in heavy armor. In fact, it may overcompensate a bit, making the penalties too harsh, and would probably get complaints if you tried suddenly imposing them in an existing game. So once again, it's a cool idea, but I'm not sure I agree with the implementation. If I want a game built for fast paced swashbuckling action, I'll go for Savage Worlds these days. Pirate crews and retinues: Expanded followers tables. It's been a good few years since we had some of those. (issue 178) This time, the extra differentiation is kit based. Some of the complete handbooks implemented this anyway, (bard, ranger ) but most didn't, and it's the kind of thing that's easy to add onto those that missed out. So here's ones for the complete fighters handbook kits. Always seems to be fighters that come first when it comes to getting followers. Probably something to do with them not getting any other special abilities. The lists are pretty good, drawing upon the other complete handbooks as well, so the followers also have appropriate kits and equipment. I quite approve of this, even if like any followers table, you won't get to use it more than once a campaign. Now, can someone come up with a similar degree of variety for wizards or thieves? The factol's manifesto. Or how to sneakily introduce complex philosophical concepts to impressionable minds and make it fun. I wuv this book.The ecology of the black pudding: Another cool stylistic experiment in this series, as we see things from the perspective of both the creature, and the adventurers that encounter it. And the writer develops quite a distinctive voice for both sections, the relentless rhythmic pulsing drive of our worrisome ooze friend, and the amusing bickering and experimentation of our amateur adventurers (A group of 2? They're just begging for a swift death) It's interesting to see people who really don't have a clue what they're getting into, and the whole thing feels very true to games I've actually played, when the characters run across something unfamiliar with a bunch of screwage powers. Another highly entertaining entry in this period of resurgence for the series, which makes it scary, but also helps point out why creatures like this don't overrun the entire planet. Unless, of course, you want them too. Muahaha. A colourful weekend of euro-gaming: Roger Moore once again plays convention reporter, as he has done many times in the past. This time, he's off to england, along with several other special guests. As with Gary's trip over a decade ago, he finds UK gamers more polite and helpful than their yank counterparts, and the whole thing less rigid and centralised than the american Gen Con has become. There's plenty of amusing anecdotes related, most notably the incineration of poor Wesley Crusher. (for charity) This isn't nearly as big as last year's similar article, and there's no photos either, which makes it feel a bit shallow. All it really does is perpetuate stereotypes. Hopefully there'll be more to come in a few months time, and this is just a warm-up.</blockquote>

Verification