Sell me on A Game of Thrones RPG

[Kyuss Knight]

So George R.R. Martin has got me hooked. I am so engrossed in the Song of Ice and Fire. The world just really intrigues me. The near absense of magic is one of the aspects that makes me think playing in Westeros would be really cool. Particularly, the idea of running a campaign where all the characters had taken the black. So you wonderfuly opinionated folks of Enworld, give it to me straight, is the book worth it?

 

[Stormborn]

The book is fantastic, very well done, lots of good add on rule sets the fit the flavor and tone of the first book(s) of the series. However, it is very different than DnD (IMO) and given its cost you are going to want to see if you will have players who want that kind of game before you shell out the bucks. Unless you are like me and just love reading game books and new mechanics, or are such a die hard fan that you must have it, I wouldn't buy it w/o beign sure I would run it. Also GOO is gone, and the future of any supplements is in doubt (I heard GRRM was looking for a new publisher to develop it, but who knows) if that affects your purchase.

 

[Theron]

I very definitely believe so. To my mind, it's the best "gritty" implementation of d20 to date. I'm trying to seek out some posts I've made about it in other fora, but I'm not having a lot of work (one board is down, another's search function is hosed), but the short answer from a random guy on this board is Yes, it's worth it.

 

[Cam Banks]

AGOT is an excellent book. Among the changes the authors have made to the d20 system are eliminating ability score bonuses to attack rolls, going instead with feats that allow you to add different ability score bonuses to specific weapons (Tactics lets you add Intelligence bonus, etc). There's a greater focus on such things as Shock (take too much damage in one blow and you fall unconscious), shields (which keep you from being hit), and so on. Armor acts like damage reduction, also, and there are maneuvers you can employ to get around it or strike to a vital area.

The character classes in the book are ideal for the setting. I can't think of any character in the books that can't be easily and effectively built from the rules provided, which I suppose is the point of a licensed RPG!

Cheers,
Cam

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

+1 on the "yeah, it's good" posts.

I bought this book last week on drivethrurpg.com. I haven't read all of it, but what I have seen looks good. I could see a problem with trying to lock into the stories of the books and railroading the players, but that's a DM problem, not a problem with the system(s) in the book.

I ran part one of a two session adventure set "beyond the wall" using regular DnD 3.5 recently. I wish I had waited to get this book before starting the adventure. It was a spur of the moment thing (the scheduled DM "skipped" the session), but it was not quite what I wanted it to be. However, the players had fun and are looking forward to finishing up the adventure. The session inspired me to buy this book . . . one I put off for a while because of the cost and (potentially) lack of players.

 

[Kyuss Knight]

Ok, I think I am sold. Now the next question is: Do you think the deluxe edition is worth the price of admission?

 

[toddbanister]

Overall: There may not be a better book on a given setting out there in my opinion - period. Yes, to me its that good. Also as noted above, GOO is now out of business which is a huge bummer. But in regards to AGOT, this really isn't that big of a problem as everything (or 98%) you need (and more) is in that one book. Sure there might be a minor thing here and there in the later books that would be nice to see in official print but given the tools that this book provides, you can easily create/convert it yourself.

Deluxe Ed: Depends upon yourself and what you like. If you are only going to run a d20 campaign then it might not be worth it as the only difference in the books is a writeup from GRR Martin himself and the complete TriStat rules in the back (only in the Deluxe game). But, even if I never actually use the TriStat rules, I absolutely prefer my Deluxe copy to my standard copy for the "feel" of it. With the leather cover (and the nice alternate coversheet), this book feels awesome in my hands as I read it. Yes, the leather cover might not be important for the value of the game, but to me, it is totally worth it for the value of the book. I gladly paid $100 for the deluxe edition and there is no question that it is the "prize" book in all of my insane RPG collection. You will not be disappointed.

Todd B.

 

[Stormborn]

I decided not to get the Delux ed specifically because I wasn't interested inthe tri-stat rules and didn't feel that the specail cover was worth the price. If I had found it on sale, however, I might have been tempted.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Personally, I don't think the deluxe version is worth it - unless you really like Tri-Stat (but then, I'm not keen on that system myself).

But either one, overall? Absolutely, yes.

I've said it before, but I may as well again: It's one of the best d20/OGL products made so far.

It's awesomely detailed, faithful to the source material, stunning to look at. . . I'm not a reviewer, but if I was, my assessment would just slot in alongside the host of 5-star reviews that have gone before.

 

[el-remmen]

I found it worth it for the Reputation and Influence rules alone, which I have ported over to my D&D games.