Trying out some indie RPGs...

[Greg K]

I haven't tried the other Dread game.

The other Dread game, Dread: The First Pandemonium and its standalone counterpart, Spite: The Second Pandemonium, are both critically acclaimed d12 dice pool based splatterpunk games (note: the two games are set in the same universe and can be tied together). When the creator left rpgs, he was kind enough to leave both games and the supplements available for free.

Dread: The Pandemonium: Demons have invaded our world. They began by slaughtering the inhabitants of a small town and then another. Now, they have infiltrated human society and are trying to bring about Armageddon. The front line against them are individuals down on their luck, who have hit or almost hit rock bottom and whom have survived a demon attack after being rescued by a mysterious figure. The players are some of these survivors granted supernatural powers with which to hunt down the demons. However, there is a twist and not everything is as it seems.
One reviewer described it as Tarantino filming Clive Barker

Spite: The Second Pandemonium: Angels have descended upon earth to cleanse it by instituting God's plan before it is time. They not only eliminate those guilty of sin, they kill the innocent sending them to heaven. The players are supernatural warriors granted powers to hunt down these angels. One reviewer described it as In Nomine if written by Clive Barker

 

[Nytmare]

Nytmare, the author/artist has told me that HoL isn't actually meant to be played. If you can manage it, I salute you.

Oddly enough, since I purchased it in about 1996, HoL is a book I try to read about once a year, a game that we have made characters for about a half a dozen times, and one that we have only actually sat down and played 3 indistinct times.

One of those 3 times really shouldn't count though, because the person running the game didn't understand that a role playing game didn't have to involve a group of adventurers wandering around in a dungeon full of twisting corridors, systematically going room to room, murdering random pages from whatever passes as a Monster Manual.

 

[Agamon]

how many times do I get to vote for Fiasco? That game is a riot, with no set-up or GM. Good times!

 

[Nytmare]

You know what isn't an RPG that we've been playing more and more AS an RPG? The Resistance. It's basically a GM-less version of Mafia/Werewolf that my group has been embellishing with more and more role playing and character hijinks.

It doesn't really give me the fix that a (quote/unquote) real role playing game gives, but with just a wee bit more tweaking, it could probably come close to Fiasco-esque-ness.

 

[Quickleaf]

Hey, I'm curious, has anyone played the superhero game Capes?

You know what isn't an RPG that we've been playing more and more AS an RPG? The Resistance. It's basically a GM-less version of Mafia/Werewolf that my group has been embellishing with more and more role playing and character hijinks.

It doesn't really give me the fix that a (quote/unquote) real role playing game gives, but with just a wee bit more tweaking, it could probably come close to Fiasco-esque-ness.

Do you have a link for that? I've never heard of The Resistance.

 

[Nytmare]

Do you have a link for that? I've never heard of The Resistance.

The Resistance | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

I've never heard of Capes, but the Savage World "Necessary Evil" setting sets my heart all aflutter. Basically, it's a super heroes game where an alien invasion just killed all the super heroes, and now the only thing standing between the aliens and world domination are the super villains.

 

[Piratecat]

I've never heard of Capes, but the Savage World "Necessary Evil" setting sets my heart all aflutter. Basically, it's a super heroes game where an alien invasion just killed all the super heroes, and now the only thing standing between the aliens and world domination are the super villains.

The Resistance is fantastic, although more of a party game than a RPG. Highly recommended.

Necessary Evil is an amazing setting that (and I don't say this very often) may be better off with a different rules set. It's hard to feel super in Savage Worlds; most Necessary Evil pcs I've seen have ended up only mediocre at their schticks. I haven't played myself, but I heard this complaint from 3 different folks playing in the setting, so I'm willing to believe it. That doesn't negate the joy that is Savage Worlds. I ran it as a '30s pulp game recently to great success.

Fiasco is cheap, and has a ton of free playsets. Just google "Fiasco playsets" to track them down. This was my favorite new game from 2010. You need the right players, though.

 

[Agamon]

Never thought of playing the Resistance as an RPG...there is aspects of it, in the Werewolf fashion, of course. It's a not a bad game.

 

[Nytmare]

Never thought of playing the Resistance as an RPG...there is aspects of it, in the Werewolf fashion, of course. It's a not a bad game.

The last time we played, we probably spent about 5 minutes alone just describing each of the missions. Like I said, no one should expect a full bodied campaign from the game, and the story can only get rehashed so many times till you've run through all the cliches that are making it fun, but the fact that the game is almost entirely verbal and cerebral makes taking that extra step really easy.

 

[Quickleaf]

Fiasco is cheap, and has a ton of free playsets. Just google "Fiasco playsets" to track them down. This was my favorite new game from 2010. You need the right players, though.

Could you elaborate more on that last point?