A
amerigoV
Guest
I don't like the skill and stat system not being additive like dnd or hollow earth expedition, or what have you. It was lame in my opinion being able to have a d12 willpower but a d4 guts and be scared of anything.
I had that as an initial reaction and have heard others say it. At low levels of play it shows up the most. But it does have a tie. You can increase your Guts score for 1/2 the cost (1/2 an Advance) up to d12 in your example. But if you only had a d4 in Spirit (their name for Willpower) then it costs a full advance to move the skill up past d4 (so there is an advantage/disadvantage built in).
Also, attributes are used alot in the system. If a skill does not fit, you use an appropriate attribute. Vigor and Spirit checks are used all the time in combat, and the strenght die (not bonus, a full die) is used in melee combat.
Like many thinks in SW, things make sense after you have played it awhile, but there are some things that you run into when you first play that go against gaming norms.
I liked the spell system alot, but my group wasn't imaginative with it at all unfortunately.
On this one, I'll use a saying off an old KiSS concert t-shirt that I had: "Life is like Sex, the more you put in, the more you get out." The magic system can make or break one's interest in the game. As a GM, l always push myself to spend 10-15 minutes on trappings during prep when a spellcaster is involved. You get cool stuff like Tarot Cards, Flaming/exploding Goblins (don't ask), Demons for a fallen priest, and all sorts of other cool things.