Things I LIKE about Mongoose

[Crothian]

There were a lot of positive reviews. Also the situation was somewhat abnormal.

Then why did you think you would hate it??

 

[Wraith Form]

I thought I would hate Paranoia XP. *snip* I heart this book.

MongooseMatt, any chance you'll release this (and any other of your "genre" lines, like Judge Dreadd, Jeremiah, the OGL books, etc) in Pocket Guide format? I'd be willing to try a small but less-expensive version of these--!!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Then why did you think you would hate it??

Because he's a commie mutant traitor! (Well was, this is now BiggusGeekus 2... the first clone has been terminated.)

The Auld Grump

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Then why did you think you would hate it??

2nd edition Paranoia was simply a great game. I've said from time to time that it is almost impossible not to roleplay during a game of Paranoia. I didn't think they'd live up to it. I thought that they'd offer their own take on the game and suckify it. In fairness, they did give their own take on the game. They just kept the gonzo "classic" elements as well. I was expecting a cover to cover "straight" version of the game, which would have sucked.

 

[Wraith Form]

2nd edition Paranoia was simply a great game. I've said from time to time that it is almost impossible not to roleplay during a game of Paranoia. I didn't think they'd live up to it. I thought that they'd offer their own take on the game and suckify it. In fairness, they did give their own take on the game. They just kept the gonzo "classic" elements as well. I was expecting a cover to cover "straight" version of the game, which would have sucked.

So.....you're saying that the suck-to-nonsuck quotient on the suckification scale was low, and that it didn't suck? Just clarifying.

 

[Crothian]

2nd edition Paranoia was simply a great game. I've said from time to time that it is almost impossible not to roleplay during a game of Paranoia. I didn't think they'd live up to it. I thought that they'd offer their own take on the game and suckify it. In fairness, they did give their own take on the game. They just kept the gonzo "classic" elements as well. I was expecting a cover to cover "straight" version of the game, which would have sucked.

But didn't trhe reviews tell you that this was not the case? I can understand being a little worried when it first came out, but the reviews especially on RPGnet have really been good and positive and the talk on Paranoia net and Mongoose's own boards was very positive about the new edition.

And it is a great game. Outside of a pair og PbP I doubt I'll ever get to actually play the game with a campaign but I still have gotten all the books they have for it. All of them have been just great.

 

[Turjan]

Let's look at my favourite Mongoose titles:

Encyclopedia Arcane: Constructs - It is alive! - This one made me like constructs
Encyclopedia Arcane: Chaos Magic - A bit scary, but with great ideas!
Encyclopedia Divine: Shamans - A somewhat different class concept
Quintessential Wizard - Simply an excellent book!
Quintessential Sorcerer - Finally a reason to play a sorcerer
Conan - Atlantean Edition - A classic !
The Road of Kings - Well, this one can be plundered even without the CS .

Edit: I completely forgot to mention Paranoia XP ! But of course, I don't know anything about the contents !

 

[BiggusGeekus]

But didn't trhe reviews tell you that this was not the case? I can understand being a little worried when it first came out, but the reviews especially on RPGnet have really been good and positive and the talk on Paranoia net and Mongoose's own boards was very positive about the new edition.

I confess to a degree of ... well ... paranoia. And I did not know of Paranoia net until this very moment. I should have suspected of its existence, but I didn't.

So.....you're saying that the suck-to-nonsuck quotient on the suckification scale was low, and that it didn't suck? Just clarifying.

So far, no suckage. If the book had been 100% "straight" I would have hated it. As it is, I kind of like "straight" and briefly kicked around the idea of running a "straight" game until I realized that would exclude trips to R&D and handing out thermonuclear cigarette lighters for the players to field test.

This book does not suck. This is a good, fun book.

 

[Wraith Form]

This book does not suck. This is a good, fun book.

Aha! So it's suckiosity was low! (I suspected as much from what you were writing.) High levels of suckiosity always sucks.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I am the first to admit that Mongoose was not my favorite when they first emerged on the scene. Maybe it was the sheer volume that was being released, maybe it was the fact that the slayers guides held little interest for me, maybe it was because they were all a bunch of Brits (not that there's anything wrong with that). Now with most companies, once I've written them off, I don't go back to them later. I'm just like that. Nothing personal, I just buy what I like.

So I'm not calling their early stuff substandard. I actually have a few books from that era and while some are better than others, there are definitely some usable ideas in all of them. But then they started doing some really neat stuff. The B5 RPG line is incredible. They were the second company to try to do a B5 RPG, and the first to deliver a quality product. It is a very playable game that has produced a number of very enjoyable supplements. I just got my hands on A Call to Arms and it is probably the most ellegant, well designed ship-to-ship combat systems I have seen. I now have the Excalibur mini, which I think is very cool and has a place on my desk.

OGL Ancients is pretty amazing. I would imagine OGL Western is also good, but I have yet to get it. The book on Hell, the book on the planes, and their new Monster Encyclpedia are all great stuff; very usable in any standard D&D campaign! Then there's Paranoia XP. I haven't played it, but it is a humorously written book that looks like the game would be a lot of fun. Signs and Portents is a magazine that has useful material in each issue.

Mongoose has come a long way in the last couple of years. They have continued to improve, and of the companies who have stuck around, they've gone right to the top of my list. I honestly haven't read the latest round of complaints, so I have no idea what that's all about, but I am continually more and more impressed with their products and the friendly people who make up that company. It doesn't hurt that they've published me in Signs and Portents either.