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Courage and Steel (Erlik's Saga Book 1)
Publisher: Four Fools Press
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/14/2017 23:04:26

The first night I got it, I read the first section. There's a fight between the main character and his cousin. The fight and the immediate aftermath were cool, but... I guess it didn't grab me. I am a fan of the Vikings show on History and it seemed a bit too much like fanfic to really spark my interest. When I got back into it, once he was out and about in the world it became a lot more interesting.

Things I really liked: 1.) The tidbits of archaic vocabulary. It was just enough to keep the ruleofcool without getting distracting. 2.) Usage of the vrykolakes. I always thought that undead monster was rather cool but rarely encountered in any DnD I ever played. 3.) The illustrations are also great.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Courage and Steel (Erlik's Saga Book 1)
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The Super Hack
Publisher: Simon Burley Productions
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/08/2017 03:09:36

I am a big fan of The Black Hack system. I have bought several of the various hacks on OBS. This was my first purchase of anything in the Supers genre. I think it has lots of potential but didn't quite hit the sweet spot for me.

The four character classes are a great encapsulation of the genre. Bricks, Blasters, Crimefighters and Uniques are all great choices for the names of the classic tropes of the genre. Very evocative and succinct. I felt that Bricks and Blasters were a bit underpowered though. It seems like you could build a Unique that could potentially outdo them but I have yet to playtest this game yet.

The Powers are also boiled down to a mere 20. I think this was a solid representation of what you'd need to play a satisfyingly diverse Supers game. Re-fluff a bit here and there perhaps, but quite good. i think some further examples of how to re-fluff powers into fitting various "Rationales" would be helpful.

One thing that bothered me about the basic TBH system is the Usage Die mechanic. I know some people love it, but I think sometimes it's too fiddly. It especially annoys me when the character's core coolfactor is pegged to a Usage Die. For example, the Brick starts off with Superstrength at Grade 1 with a Usage Die of D10. Grade 1 allows the character to lift 1 ton and it doubles at every additional grade thereafter. So, by the UD mechanic anytime the character throws a punch and uses his (sort of minor) Superstrength he's gotta roll a Usage Die.

Added to this sort of nerf UD mechanic frustration is that a Level 1 Brick could only achieve a Grade 2 rating of Superstrength but a Unique could feasibly have a Grade 4 or 5 (with a lower Usage Die of D6 though). Also, the Uniques seem to increase in overall power as they level faster than the other classes.

Also, some further utilization of the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic would be cool. And, maybe some bits about developing adversaries. Dunno... I'm probably just rambling now.

I see a lot of hope for this little game. Lots of cool stuff happening and it definitely wears the The Black Hack badge well. So, Simon... please update/tweak this one. Also, maybe adjust the layout a bit to improve the text flow/ease of reading and general aesthetics. I would gladly pay another $2 for an updated version.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Super Hack
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Portal Rats
Publisher: Parenthesis Press
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/17/2017 04:50:55

I love it. A very good use of The Black Hack. I never got a chance to play Planescape but have read through some of the books and recognized a lot of potential in it.

Some things... 1.) There are a few typos and formatting errors. Nothing glaring, but there are a few things you could tweak. 2..) I really, really love what you did with the character background generation and the addition of the Adventurer as a class. Please consider expanding the document with additional colorful backgrounds as time goes on. I think you might suggest somewhere that not all characters will be "human", I think it's in-between the lines but you might want to state it clearly (even just as an official suggestion from the writer). You might take the racial aspect one step further by pulling some ideas from The Lamentations Of The Space Princess SRD. I thought the way they handled race in that was very creative and quite in the spirit of OSR DIY gaming. 3.) As an illustrator/artsy type I found it a bit sparse (I know that is common in TBH games but...). I wish there had been at least some sort of map of the multiverse and perhaps a more emotive cover more in line with the other TBH products. Maybe something black and white with funky glyphs on monoliths overlooking an alien vista... but that might be too grimdark. If you're looking for some interior art, please check out my stuff here on OBS. :^)

Seriously a great game though. I can't wait to run it for my friends who haven't yet accepted the greatness of the TBH system.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Portal Rats
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the critique, Jeremy! Glad you enjoy the game!
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Rogue Planet
Publisher: Brent Spivey Creations
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/30/2015 08:46:48

While the presentation is excellent, great art and graphic design throughout, the system is not the Apocalypse World Engine. I think the publisher should fix that. I mean, I'm not totally disappointed, but this isn't what I thought it was going to be. The book was listed as Deal of the Day and time was almost out so I bought it based on the cover and the system it is billed as using.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Rogue Planet
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Creator Reply:
Hi Jeremy, Sorry that you got something other than what you were expecting! Please send me an email through the contact page on my website, and I\'ll make sure that you\'re taken care of. http://bombshell-games.com/about/contact/ Thanks, Brent
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Stars Without Number: Original Free Edition
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/19/2015 22:43:41

A whole lot of awesome here. And it is a wonderful service to the community that this edition is FREE. Wow. Definitely worth having.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Stars Without Number: Original Free Edition
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Future Visions Art Book Sneak Preview
Publisher: Palladium Books
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/12/2014 04:27:21

Very cool! And, a great idea! I think Palladium's recent art has really been quite awesome. I'll definitely get this PDF when the full version is ready.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Future Visions Art Book Sneak Preview
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MurderHobos
Publisher: Brent P. Newhall's Musaeum
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/19/2014 20:36:11

I dig it. Lots of great design ideas here.

Cool stuff... 1.) Your characters have special things they can do something somewhat akin to 4e but without any bloat whatsoever. This rocks. 2.) Simplified and streamlined die mechanics that remind me a bit of Dungeon World... very cool.

Not so cool stuff... 1.) Healing potions can blow up and make you sick, etc. Kinda funny but also might get in the way of a serious game. However, if you're going for a beer and pretzels kinda thing, watching your party throw up blue chunks and emit noxious gases could be pretty awesome. 2.) The bit about everything having gold, gold, gold! Well, this reminds me too much of being in Legend of Zelda or some other type video game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but in a more serious game it could stretch the suspension of disbelief too far into gonzo-land. And that being the experience system as well isn't quite my thing.

But yeah, in general two thumbs up for this one!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
MurderHobos
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Pits & Perils
Publisher: Olde House Rules
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/20/2013 00:38:51

There are some neat ideas in this and the overall presentation is good fodder for nostalgia. In some ways it reminds me of Searchers of the Unknown and World of Dungeons. Both are cool, minimal and eminently hackable if you like 'Lite' RPGs by the way.

One thing that kind of bugs me about this is the combat system. It appears the odds are totally stacked in the PC's favor. In the combat example provided in the rules section, a Level 1 Fighter has 10 hp and an Orc has 3. I dunno, that seems a little much. I would probably house-rule this game a bit to say that all weapons start at a base D6 for damage, -1 for Light Weapons and +1 for 2-Handed Weapons instead of the provided system of 1 hit equals 1 damage unless it is a critical or the weapon is 2-Handed, etc.

I'd also consider having Armor represent damage reduction of a sort rather than adding to a character's HP. That just seems odd. I could be wrong but it seems like the rules are stating your Armor gives you a one time layer of temporary hit points?



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Pits & Perils
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Creator Reply:
Jeremy, thanks for posting, and thanks for your interest! Now, to answer your questions... Bonus hits from armor worn are not temporary. They are lost in combat and recovered through magic, miracles, and rest, just like the ordinary sort: For game purposes, bonus hits from armor worn represent the skill and training needed to use it properly. Such hits are activated when the armor is equipped and recovered through magic (miracles) and/or rest. In other words, magic instantly restores the endurance and stamina needed to benefit from armor (i.e., bonus hits). Rest does the same thing, only it usually takes much longer... That said, wounded characters cannot simply replace armor to regain lost hits, as this does not represent damage to anything actually worn. In the spirit of old-school, these details are left to the referee! P&P achieves simplicity by consolidating multiple rules into a single mechanic. For instance, armor class and hit points. In this case, hits negate the need for armor class, and enemies might be harder to kill because of physical toughness, skill, and/or speed as the referee (and the narrative) dictates. This also recreates a point in gaming history when RPGs were first emerging from the war games they came from. Of course, bonus hits are lost when the armor is removed. However, wounded characters never fall below 1 hit when this happens, per the basic rule book. This game is al about house-ruling, and it sounds like you have some great ideas of your own! That\'s the old-school way!
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Adventurers! Revised 2Pages Edition
Publisher: GRAmel
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/02/2013 00:24:00

I really like this game. I'm a sucker for 'Lite' systems (M20, Risus, SoTU etc.). There were a few things I was confused by though. Namely, with the Transmutation Power, especially the example in Personalizing the Game: Transmutation (Werewolf). And also, some of the monsters in the Bestiary seem to have more or less points than they ought to, For example, the Ogre has a Str and Agi combined total of 6, to calculate End one should add 3 to that but the Ogre only has 7 End not 9. Their Def is also 1 higher than it ought to be, although it is easy enough to assume they have Light Armor.

I'm definitely looking forward to see what these guys come up with in the future.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Adventurers! Revised 2Pages Edition
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Infernum - Book of the Damned
Publisher: Mongoose
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/26/2013 03:12:01

Haven't played it yet. But, have read up to 40 or so pages and so far I am very impressed. Good writing and art. Great concept. Well executed. I'm surprised I didn't hear about this one earlier.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Infernum - Book of the Damned
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Trailblazer: Teratologue
Publisher: Bad Axe Games
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/09/2013 11:21:44

I will surely update this, but right now... after a cursory flip through the PDF, I am a bit disappointed at the lack of art. Don't get me wrong, there is art... and it is quite good. However, there is also lots of blank space where it would appear art was supposed to be placed but it didn't make it into the final product.

Please put in more art!

I really appreciate this company's effort and vision!

Great work guys... but more art! :^)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Trailblazer: Teratologue
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OSRIC Pocket SRD (PDF)
Publisher: Usherwood Publishing
by Jeremy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/14/2013 22:52:53

It's a pity I can't give it a 4.9. It looks awesome... but... it is a pretty big PDF. Is there anyway to reduce the size?



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
OSRIC Pocket SRD (PDF)
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