Apathy Blogs

White Wolf used to be a powerhouse in the RPG industry. They first released Vampire: The Masquerade in 1991 and by the mid-90s became one of the best known RPGs next to Dungeons and Dragons. Partly it was because the rules encouraged a different style of role-playing. It also had a unique world vision of supernatural beings hiding in the corners of the modern world. Inspired by such works as Anne Rice, I think White Wolf managed to bring a new set of role-players to the hobby. I believe that White Wolf contributed a lot to the growing popularity of modern Vampire movies and stories as seen in Twilight, True Blood, and Underworld.

So where are they now? Barely alive and on life-support, as far as I can tell. In 2004 they brought an end to their existing world, which at this point had grown to encompass Vampires, Werewolves, Mages, Wraiths, Changelings, and many more creatures of myth. Unlike GURPS, they released a new edition with a new world that was similar to the old one, but somehow not the same in many ways. So while the rules were a unified and reformed system that many players applauded, the world was no longer the same.

I can only really give a good comparison of the Changeling line. While I have played in most of the older systems, Changeling: the Lost is the only new system I’m greatly familiar with. From what I hear though, others experiences are similar across the board. The old Changeling: The Dreaming game is about playing a faerie. Every once in a while a human is born with the soul of a fae inside them. As they grow up they realize that they aren’t quite like other children. Their imaginings become real. So if you really believe there is a monster under the bed, it is there. Mortals can’t see them, but other Changelings can. The game is about keeping your child-like innocence in a cruel and uncaring world. Most of the games I played in where light-hearted and fun, filled with whimsy and amusement.

Changeling: The Lost is a completely different animal. You are mortals who are kidnapped by faeries and taken to an unreal world. You are forced to entertain the true fae in torturous ways. You finally escape your abusers and return to the real world to find that you have been replaced by a soulless caricature of yourself. The game is about recovering from traumatic abuse at the hands of fae and hiding from those sent to bring you back to their cruel embrace. It feels like a support group for abused children. It is horrific and depressing.

I can say that both of them are good games that explore interesting ideas. The problem is, the new “Changeling” is designed to almost purposely alienate the existing fans. It tries to draw in new players, so it seems like the people who really like it are those that didn’t like the original. For every person I’ve heard that likes the new version, there are at least two who were fans of the original that have been lost. That’s not a way to grow your fan-base. There are few people I know that like both. They threw out everything that their existing fans had grown to love and seemed to spit on it with distaste. The best analogy I can come up with is if Wizards of the Coast had released a new Forgotten Realms setting called “Forgotten Realms: The Deserting” which contained the Dark Sun campaign setting. Sure, it has familiar things such as elves and halflings, but all of the assumptions are different. If they wanted to start doing something completely different they should have given it a fresh new name. Exalted and Scion may or may not be to your liking, but at least people didn’t have false expectations over what to expect inside them.

So two years after the launch of the new World of Darkness line, White Wolf announced a merger with CCP, the company that makes Eve Online. As far as I can tell, this has slowed the release of books over the last few years and changed White Wolf into a more PDF oriented company. Most fans that I know are happily playing in the older world and waiting for White Wolf to return to them. In theory there will be a World of Darkness Online game, but there are few details about it. Will they try to push their new setting on people? Or have they learned and realized that fans want the old familiar universe back? I suspect that an MMO based on the new World of Darkness will do as well as D&D Online wish pushed the newer Eberron setting instead of going with the far more familiar and popular Forgotten Realms setting. Which is to say mostly a failure.

I do hope that White Wolf survives into the future. I have many fond memories of their games. I myself have to limit myself to some of their more unique new creations, like Geist or Immortals. Overall though, I think I now prefer the new Dresden Files RPG (more on this coming soon) as my modern supernatural game of choice.

For most of my gaming career, Steve Jackson Games has been a strong independent producer of role-playing games. They’ve always maintained a portfolio of interesting products like Car Wars and Illuminati. Their main RPG product has always been GURPS. The Generic Universal Role-Playing Game is the Swiss Army knife of RPGs. Designed to be modular, it is easy to adapt to any setting or genre you could want.

I’ve never been a die-hard GURPS fan. I always appreciated it for its utility though. Their supplements have always been top-notch and full of creative ideas. I use them to help brainstorm even if the system I want to use is totally different. Who couldn’t find a use for a book on Dinosaurs? Who isn’t fascinated by the myriad worlds of Alternate Earths? Who doesn’t want to explore Space? or Time? GURPS’s greatest strength is its willingness to go where no other RPG is willing to go. Places like Discworld, Cthulhu Punk, and even Bunnies and Burrows.

I will admit, there are only three games I’ve actually used GURPS for. I subjected my friends to “The Prisoner” and was amazed at how my players managed to recreate the first episode of the series without having ever seen it. I collected a large amount of GURPS Traveller to supplement my knowledge of the Traveller universe. My friends have also usually used GURPS for Super Heroes games, liking it as a lighter RPG compared to Champions.

So with my friends talking about another Supers game on the horizon, I went looking to see what is new in the world of GURPS. They released a new edition in 2004. It looks like it is nicely streamlined but still fairly close to the “original”. Ok, I mean the 3rd Edition because the first two editions came and went fairly quickly. 3rd Edition was the definitive version of GURPS for 15 years. So I’m a little saddened that after a flurry of releases in the first few years of the new edition it has died down to one or two books per year. I am happy that they are slowly putting their back catalog online as purchasable PDFs. I really hope that someday they make a deal with a print on demand company and make some of the really hard to get titles back in print.

Looking at Steve Jackson’s Annual Reports (2005-2010) Munchkin has entirely taken over the companies revenue stream over the last 6 years. Don’t get me wrong, Munchkin is a fun game. I just think it is a sad state of the RPG industry that when so many classic games are making comebacks (Earthdawn, Traveller, Shadowrun, etc.), GURPS is falling behind. It is true they are releasing a lot of smaller PDF titles, which is smart for them. I understand that a company has to stay agile and respond to their markets. They’ve stayed alive when many other game companies have come and gone. I am glad their Munchkin success is keeping them alive in this crowded marketplace. Maybe the problem is they’ve already covered a lot of ground. In this even more crowded RPG marketplace it is hard for generic to stand above the crowd.

In a way I feel it is partly my fault. Ok, not me personally, but me and the other gamers who once purchased GURPS books and haven’t been around in a while. Maybe I’ll submit a proposal for one of those PDF products; I have some ideas for a Space Atlas entry. I would also love to see Car Wars return in an easier to play game, but that’s probably just a dream. I do hope that whatever happens GURPS is still around in some form for another 15 years.

When I was fairly young my older sister’s friend told me about Dungeons and Dragons. I don’t really remember much of what she told me, only that by the end of that summer I wanted to play. I had some experience delving into dungeons as my favorite computer game was Hack, a rogue-like game that later evolved into Nethack. It was a very old school RPG, where magic items were identified through trial and error, or the lucky use of an identify scroll. When you died you got your name on a high score list and started all over again from level 1. Monsters get harder and harder the deeper you go. The dungeon was randomly generated each time, so no two games were a like. Ok, I need to stop talking about how awesome Nethack is so I can move on to the actual point of this article.

My birthday is in the fall and I asked for Dungeons and Dragons for my birthday. I didn’t get it. My mother wasn’t certain about it, so she bought me the Middle-Earth Role-Playing Game (MERP) instead. She’d read The Hobbit, so she figured it couldn’t be too bad. It was based on Role-master, which is not a beginner’s game. It was a great read and had fantastic art though. I don’t think I ever played a real game of it though, although I know I made some characters.

Shortly thereafter I convinced her to let me get actual Dungeons and Dragons. I think I started with the AD&D Player’s Guide (First edition, but we didn’t call it that since the second edition was a long way off). I shortly thereafter had the Dungeons and Dragons Basic Set (Red Box), the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide and In Search of Adventure (A collection of adventure modules B1-9). I only had myself and my cousin to play with, but that was enough to keep us going for a couple years. We didn’t have anyone older to play with or teach us the rules. We just read the books and muddled our way through.

So now I have a niece and nephew. They aren’t quite as old as I was when I started, but they are the age many of my friends started gaming. Their father is also a gamer, but he’s concerned about introducing true violence to his children this early. I can’t blame him, D&D is about murdering people and taking their stuff. Still, sometime soon I’d like to get them an introductory RPG product.

Wizards of the Coast has recently released A 4th Edition Starter Kit (in a red box). From what I hear it isn’t really a complete game. It doesn’t have a standard character creation rules book, it has a choose your own adventure thing that walks them through character creation. That’s neat to include, but a little red player’s guide would have been handy. I’m not convinced this is a good stand-alone starting set. It’s designed to get you to buy other books, not to be a complete package for more than 1 level of adventuring.

I am really curious about Green Ronin’s Dragon Age RPG. It looks like a better boxed set, with a complete game that is fairly rules light compared to 4th Edition D&D. If they were about 5 years older I’d be tempted to get it for them, except the dark in “Dark Fantasy” is probably not age appropriate. I would have to read through the book myself before getting it for them.

My love of Doctor Who makes me want to check out Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space. It has an advantage in that the Doctor never carries a weapon, and always tries to resolve things peacefully. Monsters may exist, but talking to them is usually an option. How many times has the Doctor tried reasoning with the Daleks? Of course, the price point is such that I can’t just casually get it for them on a whim. Still, it might be a strong possibility for a Christmas gift.

I also keep thinking that Traveller RPG could work with some guidance. Sure, there is the possibility for fighting space pirates. On the other hand, my brother-in-law will likely be running a game for them. You can easily run a more Star Trek The Next Generation style game that focuses more on peaceful exploration of the galaxy. Not quite the out of the box experience, but still quite possible.

So it should be noted that other than Traveller, I don’t own any of the above products myself. I’d certainly like to try them out sometime. Does anyone else have a suggestion for a less violent starting RPG? I really want something that is self-contained in no more than two or three books. It’s kind of too bad Bunnies and Burrows is out of print. Maybe I’ll just get them Squirrel Attack! instead.

Since my birthday is coming up at the end of the month, I went ahead and updated my Amazon Wishlist. Those of you who don’t actually know me may disregard this link.

I’m selling some of my older RPG books. Reasonable offers will be considered. Any that aren’t sold by the end of August are going on ebay. Buyer pays all shipping and any paypal fees. Contact deinol at gmail dot com if interested. If you have questions on specific books conditions, I’ll take pictures and send them to you.

UPDATE: All books are now on ebay.

I received a free pdf copy of Conflict Roleplaying for review. When I first heard about it, I was a bit cautious. I mean, I already have rules for how characters fight each other. After a quick glance through the book, I was already impressed. Conflict Roleplaying goes beyond characters fighting to explore the concepts of an arena game. It really takes the idea to a new level.

The core new concept are battle points, which rate characters and their gear. The game is really designed for teams of characters of characters to compete with each other in various games, like king of the hill or capture the flag. In fact, I would say that Conflict is to Pathfinder RPG as Team Fortress is to Half-Life. A great add-on the builds a whole new game out of an existing one.

There is also a lot of thought that went into making the arena more interesting. Most scenarios allow each team to purchase map elements to help customize the arena. These can be hindrances and traps, or beneficial areas for your own team. These help make any map different each time, and can be easily customized to suit your tastes.

I do regret that I haven’t had a chance to really play with the rules. Maybe when my party is between adventures I will have them bet on some games. They could build the teams and have money riding on them. A great way for me to take a break, make them do all the work for once.

I’m definitely looking forward to getting my hands on the box set. At $30 for the book and a map, it is a great value. I am also glad I already have Paizo’s Arena Flip Map. I know it isn’t an officially tested battle arena, but I’m sure it will work too. The best thing about this product is it makes you start thinking about different ways to use your existing game. That’s an A+ supplement in my book.

Apathy Rating: 4/5.

Want to learn more about Conflict Roleplaying? Read on…

• Atomic Array: Episode 042: Conflict Roleplaying
• Mad Brew Labs: Adding PVP Conflict to Pathfinder
• Apathy Blogs: A new way to play Pathfinder

Something New for Traveller

Twilight Sector is a sourcebook from Terra/Sol Games for the Mongoose Traveller RPG. I received a free review PDF and have not used it in a game yet.

Traveller is one of the oldest science fiction role-playing games. There have been many versions over the years; right now the most active and widely available version is by Mongoose Publishing. At its heart, Traveller is a game about space travel. Characters are usually the crew of a space ship. They may be mercenaries, free traders, outlaws or military. The idea is that there are countless worlds out there to explore.

It was originally designed to be a generic space role-playing game that could be used for any setting. Star Trek, Red Dwarf, Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape or many others could all easily be adapted to the Traveller rules. But a game needs an example setting to get people started. What started as a few example sectors of space grew over time to be known as the “original traveller universe”. I have seen a map of the Third Imperium printed out in a 56”x50” poster and it is overwhelming to behold. The traveller universe however, is just one possible setting you could use.

One of the things Mongoose has done is opened the production of supplements to third party publishers. It is an open license similar to the d20 license that Wizard’s of the Coast used to offer, or the GSL of 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. So Terra/Sol Games has created their own alternative universe for people to play with. It is really just a beginning, as it only details an area the size of a subsector. There are 7 systems and 2 starbases, each of which is quite detailed. They even have maps of each main planet and solar system. Even if you don’t want to use the detailed timeline and alternate history, these planets are worth borrowing to insert into whichever universe you do play in. The sector itself is meant to have a number of mysteries and it is left to the individual GMs to decide what the answers are. It can easily be worked into an existing campaign as a newly discovered region on the edge of known space.

Twilight Sector also focuses on mutants. There are both natural mutants and genetically induced mutants. There is a fairly detailed section on how to create characters of both types. I would have to use them in play to get a feel for the balance, but they usually have both positive and negative mutations. They can certainly add a unique feel to a game. I could see a group of mutants trying to fit in as an excellent basis for a campaign.

The book has served to rekindle my interest in Traveller. I myself will probably just borrow parts from it, as building my own universe is part of what I enjoy about the game. Twilight Sector certainly provides some interesting bricks for me to use though. The alternate history is an interesting read and full of good ideas. I definitely look forward to more books from Terra/Sol Games, as it is always refreshing to look at an old game from a new perspective.

Apathy Rating: 3/5.

Want to learn more about Twilight Sector? Read on…

• Atomic Array: Twilight Sector (Atomic Array 034)
• Game Cryer: Review by Chris Perrin
• The Zhodani Base: Twilight Sector – A new TU
• Apathy Blogs: Something New For Traveller
• Rogue Puppet: A Role Player’s Dream is Discovered
• Examiner.com: Review by Michael Shorten

Drop by Terra/Sol Games today!

Modern Maidens of Myth

When I became a patron for The Red Eye of Azathoth, I started keeping a closer eye on new Call of Cthulhu products. So when I got the opportunity to review Our Ladies of Sorrow, I jumped at the chance. In the interest of full disclosure I received the PDF for free and have not actually played through the module yet. On the other hand, I’m of the opinion that a GM has to get excited about a product with a read through or it won’t get played by many people. The PDF is quite a lot for your money: with 150+ pages and a trilogy of related adventures, it can be the basis of a short campaign. The art is only black and white line drawings. They are nicely done and probably helped keep the cost down.

In some ways these are not typical Call of Cthulhu adventures. It starts with a strange event and expects the players to want to investigate. There is nothing wrong with that approach, you just have to make certain that your players know what kind of expectations to have. It wouldn’t have been The X-Files if Mulder ignored strange occurrences around him, and this adventure would make an excellent X-Files episode.

In other ways these adventures are very different from your typical Call of Cthulhu fare. It has no real connection to the mythos. The primary antagonists are pulled from the world’s mythology. The main antagonists are a take on the Three Fates or Three Hags or many other stories about three women with magical powers. The author gives a few ways that they can be integrated more closely to the Cthulhu Mythos, but I think it stands better apart. Lovecraft experts and new comers alike will have their expectations challenged during the course of the adventures and I think that is half the fun of Call of Cthulhu.

The author definitely put a lot of work into this module. An appendix includes all the various mythological sources that the Ladies of Sorrow can be linked to. A fairly lengthy introduction gives one a sense for how the adventures are meant to be used. If the idea of running a modern supernatural mystery is appealing, this module is for you.

Apathy Rating: 3/5.

Want to learn more about Our Ladies of Sorrow? Read on…

• Atomic Array: Our Ladies of Sorrow (Atomic Array 033)
• Game Cryer: Review by Chris Perrin
• All Games Considered: A More Intimate Horror
• Apathy Blogs: Modern Maidens of Myth
• Critical Hits: Modern Gaming Scary Women
• Gnome Stew: by Matthew Neagley
• Bartleby: Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow

Drop by Miskatonic River Press today!

One of my first reviews was of the Pathfinder RPG Beta. It is probably a testament to Pathfinder’s growing popularity that it is, to date, my most read review. So with the release of the final game, I felt I should contribute my thoughts on the official product.

First a little background. When Wizard’s of the Coast released the 3^rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons back in 2000 they did something remarkable. They released the core of the rules under a license known as the OGL. This license, which is irrevocable, allows other publishers to create works that are compatible with the d20 system that was the basis of that edition of D&D. The idea was to make it easier for more material to be released for the system. This would in turn drive up sales of the core books and other supplements by WotC. A number of publishing companies were created specifically to take advantage of this opportunity, and a new era of gaming was born.

One unintended consequence of this open license was the possibility for other publishers to rewrite the rules of the game. There are now quite a few variant rule systems out there, from Arcana Evolved to True20. Some companies created even more drastic changes, creating totally different game systems from the d20 system. When Wizards released the 4^th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, they did so under a much tighter license. There will be no games like Mutants and Masterminds based on 4^th edition. Which is really too bad, because I think it would be a great system for a superhero game. But that is a discussion for another time.

With 3^rd edition retired, but still available under the OGL, Paizo stepped up to carry the torch. Pathfinder is the d20 revision that is most like 3^rd edition. It doesn’t chance the fundamentals of the game the way that Conan or Iron Heroes did. Instead the goal was to create a game that was mostly compatible with the old material. Paizo wanted to continue making 3^rd edition adventures and supplements, but wanted the rules to still be available in print. So they took the opportunity to tweak the system and clean it up along the way. The Pathfinder RPG was born.

Unlike most role-playing games, Pathfinder underwent a yearlong public beta. Anyone could download the beta version for free and provide feedback on the forums. 3^rd edition had already undergone one major revision in its lifetime, so the fundamental game is really quite refined. If you are looking for a drastically new system, Pathfinder isn’t it. It is more like a distillation of everything that made the d20 system great.

The book itself is physically quite impressive. It weighs in near 5 lbs and has 575 pages. It is in full color, and is beautifully illustrated throughout. It contains all the rules that used to be in the old Player’s Handbook and Game Master’s Guide. The book may have a hefty retail price, but the PDF is less than $10. There is also a rules reference document provided online for free. Paizo wants everyone to have access to the rules and give them a try. It is probably a little daunting for newcomers though.

I’m not going to go through a detailed list of how it is different from the old rules. The key changes I will point out are an easier skill system, a streamlined maneuver resolution system, and generally more options for character classes. Similar skills have been consolidated together and skill ranks now match levels directly. This is something I will port into any d20 game I use in the future. Special moves like grapple, trip, and bull rush all use a fairly simple combat maneuver system. Most classes now have more options to choose from. For example, sorcerers now can pick from several bloodlines which give them different bonus powers as they level.

I think the biggest strength of the system is also its greatest weakness. The d20 system has always been a very customizable rules set. Characters can mix and match classes at each level. There are a wide variety of feats a character can use to add variety to abilities. So while building a first level character is fairly easy, a new player joining a high level game for the first time can be overwhelmed with choices. If you want a game that has the potential for a lot of complex customization, this is it. If you are looking for a light rules system there are plenty of other good choices out there.

Paizo put a lot work into making this an amazing book and a great system. If you are interested in fantasy role-playing games, you should definitely check it out. It may not suit everyone’s taste, but the OGL will ensure that the d20 family will continue to evolve. The Pathfinder RPG another step forward in the evolution of the game.

Apathy Rating: 4/5.

Becoming a patron of the Open Design Project The Red Eye of Azathoth has rekindled my interest in Call of Cthulhu. This led me to poke around at Yog-Sothoth, the best source for news and information about all things Lovecraftian. Eventually I noticed a new trilogy of modules called Curse of the Yellow Sign. It is written by fantastic writer John Wick. I’m most familiar with his work from my days playing Legend of the Five Rings, but after reading this module I’m inclined to hunt for more.

First let me talk about Call of Cthulhu. This RPG has been around for as long as I have been gaming. The game is based upon the works of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors that expanded upon his ideas. One overriding theme to Lovecraft’s work is that there are things in the universe that the human mind cannot comprehend. There are terrible beings who barely even notice humanity, even when they are incidentally destroying or upsetting millions of lives. Against this backdrop characters are often expected to investigate mysterious occurrences, ancient ruins, and bizarre dimensions. Since exploring the unknown is a common theme the game is often set in the 1920’s and 30’s, the era in which Lovecraft wrote. In a time before satellite maps of every continent there were still places in the world to explore. There was room for massive pyramids in the unexplored Antarctic or complex hidden cave systems in the mountains around Los Angeles.

Call of Cthulhu is currently in its 6th edition, but the core rules really haven’t changed much over the years. The system is primarily skill based, with a simple advancement scheme where characters improve the skills they’ve used during a scenario. Unlike most role-playing games, more pages are spent dealing with a characters mental health than to combat. As characters learn more about the horrible things that lurk at the fringes of reality, they slowly drift toward madness. Role-playing insanity is one of the highlights of playing in a Call of Cthulhu game. More often a character’s career will end in the asylum than the graveyard. I have always felt this made the game best suited for one-shots, scenarios that are played out in one or two sessions. I’ve heard of people having longer campaigns, but I have never seen one.

Curse of the Yellow Sign – Act 1: Digging for a Dead God is designed to be played in a single evening as a standalone scenario. This might seem a little odd for part one of a trilogy, but the series is related by theme more than specific characters. The scenario comes with six pre-generated characters and it really should not be played without them. Unlike some adventures where premade characters are merely a convenience to get a game started quickly, much of the module’s story is built around the characters. The tension comes from the motivations and relationships that come with the characters. Many of the terrifying acts will be performed by the PCs against each other. Did I mention the player’s will be taking on the roles of Nazis?

The setting really starts quite simply. The group is a Nazi expedition to Africa whose goal is to secretly gather diamonds from a mine in the jungle before the British become aware of their presence in the area. A door with a gold symbol is uncovered by the workers, and when it is opened they learn a terrible secret. From there it is up to the players (with careful nudges from the GM) to do what they can to survive, and perhaps escape with some of the gold.

The scenario is definitely a sandbox. Probably half the module is advice on being a GM for a horror game. I should also emphasize the horror nature of the story. Unlike many Call of Cthulhu modules, there isn’t much of a mystery to discover. The characters may learn some horrible truths, but that isn’t the point. The point is to horrify your players and get them to be terrible to each other. Play on the player’s suspicions of one another; making just one character believe that another is betraying them is enough to spark everything into action. Whether they survive the night isn’t really as important as letting them have good interactions with each other.

As an inexpensive module this one is well worth picking up. If you’ve never played Call of Cthulhu this is a great way to try it out in a single evening. Just reading it made me want to run it. I just need to find six of my friends that I want subject unspeakable things to. Actually, what I really want is for John Wick to come over and run this scenario for myself and friends. I don’t think I can do it justice, but I’ll try.

Apathy Rating: 4/5.