DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Other comments left for this publisher:
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
Spectaculars Core Game
by Piers B. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/20/2023 17:33:32

I've run two sessions, and already this is far and away the best RPG to capture the feel of comic book superheroes.

Great work.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Spectaculars Core Game
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
by Freddie B. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/22/2022 10:59:03

This game is amazing, it's focus on pick up play emakes it perfect for the days when you are a few players down. The scenarios are well written and include lots of fun details the players can uncover to help them on their final job which is always dramatic. One of my favourite aspects is the character cration, you can be up and running extremely quickly, yet the Cartels and Specialities give enough prompting for some creative RP and memorable characters.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Spectaculars Core Game
by Rusty N. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/02/2022 16:56:01

A pleasure to play! A pain to print. The title says it all though. This game is truly spectacular.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Spectaculars Core Game
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Spectaculars Core Game
by Brett M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/05/2022 13:16:05

After sifting my way through a handful of supers games trying to find the right one for me, I believe Spectaculars comes the closest to a perfect fit.

The layouts of the Rulebook, Setting Book, and Adventure Series are excellently done which makes the game all the easier to learn and set up.

The rules themselves are either elegantly simple, or highly evocative of superhero themes and tone. The Continuity / Retcon mechanics are particularly inspired as are the Team Popularity rules.

If you're hunting for a more freeform, improvisational, quick-and-easy supers game, look no further!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Spectaculars Core Game
by Benjamin F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/21/2020 09:17:03

This is my favourite Superhero RPG to date! More indepth review can be found on my blog https://heretic30k.wordpress.com/2020/06/13/spectaculars-rpg-review/

Do get the physical boxes set though for the full experience!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Spectaculars Core Game
by A customer [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/22/2019 18:40:19

I've backed this on KS, but haven't had the chance to play it yet. What sold me was the ease of creating a character (choose an archetype and a job/identity based on your chosen setting - street, supernatural, futurist or cosmic - a role in your team - they too come as setting archetypes - and 1-3 powers, personalize your choices a la Apocalypse playbooks, and voila!) as well as the numerous world-building tools you get to fill-out with your players, either beforehand or through discovery by going through the adventures provided for all settings, all of which will remind you of classic superheroes tropes. Since much is customizable, including the villains, there's a lot of replay value here. I use that term on purpose, because with all the cards used to play, as well as the set advancement limit (after a number of games your character will retire, although it might not mean he won't come back in another form), Spectaculars has a strong boardgamish feel to it. As for mechanics, its also quite easy. Roll percentile dice equal or below a set number (from 90 to 50%) provided by your ID or your Powers, add Advantage and/or Challenge dice to see if you get a Boon or a Drawback as well and that's it. Combat uses Initiative cards shuffled each round and damage is your dice roll substracted from your Resistance (this is the only thing i'm a bit worried about since you only have 100 of those, so a couple of hits will knock you out, although it resets each new scene.) You will also have to thwart Villain's objectives and stop Complications from progressing during each scenario, gaining hero points to help you along. Outside of combat, you have Interludes to deal with personal stuff - each character has Aspirations and Turmoils just for that. Success in the adventure means personal and team progress and eventually story rewards, which range from extra hero/resistance points to new powers/costume/HQ/Fame or, after a while, retirement (in a number of delightful ways) and possibly a new Origin (you are encouraged to experience every setting with a new character, even every adventure if you want to, especially if you use the suggested random ID/powers choice. In fact, they recommend not to have two PCs with the same ID/Powers or Role during a single session, so as to not steal each other's thunder.
To go with all of that, there's a good section about GMing the game and building your setting. Our group has converted our Smallville PCs, which I felt where the best candidates to do that with, seeing how both games are very cinematic, to Spectaculars and I'm looking forward to giving it a spin next week. The only other negative point at this time, with only the PDF available, is that you might need to print a lot of things in order to play, which might put off some people.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
by Jon S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/26/2019 02:04:19

I picked the boxed set up at Origins as I ran into Rodney Thompson there and he was able to go into detail on what the game was about. It really is a complete RPG in a game box. You invite some friends over, pull the box off the shelf, have the players pick character cards, the GM reads up on the heist, and you go! I've run it only once so far and had some trouble with pacing, but everybody had a good time!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Dusk City Outlaws: Neon City Outlaws
by Paul O. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/21/2018 13:23:09

This has a very Shadowrun feel to it, though with cyberpunk and tech being the overarching feel over any sort of magic. The new Cartels feel great for the setting, more so the adjusted specializations fit well even with just minor changes to some to make them fit better.

If you like Dusk City Outlaws and Shadowrun or other cyberpunk settings, give this a shot. It will make for a great experience.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dusk City Outlaws: Neon City Outlaws
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
by Josie J. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/02/2018 23:04:40

Had a great time the first time I played this with friends. The streamline characters are very quick to get togethr and so it is a great 'pick up and play' type game where you can just bash out a session in an evening with no follow up required. I like to think of it as a problem solving game, you have a problem, a time limit, some tools, go fix it. I love the open endedness of it that really lets you craft a solution the has to move with the times (well, complications) to get the desired outcome. The art in the books is very sleek and appealing and the overall themeing looks great. The setting document is really impressive in length and detail. May take me a couple of weeks to slowly get through it but it is also fun to read so it won't feel like a chore :) The judge rule book comes with 8 ready to go scenarios which are great to get you on your feet but they are a little skin and bones in that since it's so open ended your players are bound to think of something off script :)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Dusk City Outlaws Core Game
by Eric B. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/31/2017 11:37:55

My 5 Star rating is based on the fact that the game is a blast - and sets out to do exactly what it says to do. It is perfect for a one-shot thief type game. Character creation is slick, you pick a cartel and specialty and you are ready to go. The cartels are roughly based off of hollywood versions of actual crime syndicates, so two-sentence summaries are all it takes to understand them. The mechanics are incredibly clear - percentage with the possibility of getting boons and challenges. Luck, Influence and heat markers to determine player and DM intrusions in the story. That's it. It feels like a great crime movie or book (Loch Lamora, Tales of the Kin, etc).

From character creation to end of the heist, we played "The kidnapping job" in about 2.5 hours and had a ton of fun. The mechanics, timing and open-ended nature give players the room to be incredibly creative and help craft the story. Resolution is simple, and the "heat" mechanic is a great reminder for the DM to throw in complications and twists on the fly.

The city is huge - which does create some issues for a pick-up game in giving flavor to city districts. This isn't much of a problem if you have the time to read the city guilde in detail.

The game master is provided with ample tools to help keep the game flowing "on the fly."

CONS: My rating is based on what the game set out to do -- easy to pick up and run a one-shot. The downside is that it is a bit more challenging to turn this into a campaign. Character progression is fairly week and the flat skills for success make it difficult to differentiate challenge. I'd love to see a "campaign book" that solves this problem -- how can a character rise from a good rogue to a top dog? Ideas for stitching "heist" style scenarios into a longer campaign, and a bit more of the dynamics between cartels.

Edit I thought a bit more about the flat skill success (simple percentage chance). It does work in a game like this. Ultimately, you want your characters to succeed, but with complications. This mechanic does that well. If you do want to increase the difficulty, you can add "luck" to the obstacle. This forces the need for multiple successes...and opportunities for more complications.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 10 (of 10 reviews) Result Pages:  1 
pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Hottest Titles
 Gift Certificates