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The Main Event is an alumni of Dickinson College and The University of Miami Law School. He writes dungeon mastering advice in his Pain of Campaigning series. Now a practicing attorney in Maryland specializing in Wills, Trusts, and Estates, The Main Event is an aspiring author and always looking for new clients or avenues of publication.
2009 Retrospective on 4e: The Reality of the Relationship
2009 was the year I reentered the world of gaming in full force. During law school I kept an interest, but played pencil and paper RPGs infrequently, and only out of town. I eagerly followed and consumed all 4e materials. I applauded its newfound sense of balance and streamlined system for enhanced ease of play.
Then, I played it. Entering two games at paragon tier, I got to examine the system. It’s been fun. With streamlined simplicity it has given real number crunchers enough to min-max (though they lament the broken combos of yore) and the casual gamer the means to compete without being forced to spend too much time. For me though, some aspects of 4E stand out as ugly warts on a smooth and well conceived gaming experience. So now, the honeymoon with 4e is over. 4e and I spent our days in bed cooing softly in one another’s ear, and now it’s time to take stock of the situation. It’s time to codify my biggest gripes about 4e.
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First Impressions Review: "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay" 3rd Edition
Standard Disclaimers
I received this game as a gift, but not as a review product. I have never played any edition of WFRP and, in fact, still haven’t played this game. I’ve read through all the rules at least once, but I’m sure I still have a few misconceptions. I am very familiar with the setting, having played Warhammer (40k and Fantasy) avidly for about five years (1996-2001).
Good
For a game with a hefty price tag, WFRP is still a game that values economy. Its books are brief, covering the general rules without getting down to the nitty gritty of every character’s special powers. Players have a card or physical object representing every action they take, every adjustment to be made, and every passive ability they possess. There’s no excruciating references to a book needed, it’s all right there.
That sort of philosophy permeates the game. All actions are resolved based on totaling up various good dice (skill, ability, aggressiveness, conditions) and bad dice (conditions, defense) for one simple roll. As a GM gets more comfortable with it, it could become a powerful and versatile system. Tracking is done visually: there’s virtually no math (other than counting up results in dice pool) and completely and intuitively incorporates a number of aspects in the game.
Spell casting is a cool twist on the basic system that reflects the fluff of the Warhammer universe. Experience is simple and characters have something to advance after every adventure. In my estimation WFRP is a powerful, deep system that if used properly gives players and DMs a satisfying immersive and flexible system. [Read the rest of this article]
Pain of Campaigning: Literature and Adventure Planning
Despite stereotypes that say otherwise, gaming groups are not monolithic in their cultural consumption. Most groups have a few shared interests (anime, sci-fi movies, etc.) and a few niche interests (history, literature, comics, etc.) This can readily be used to your advantage. This is where I’m most likely to borrow (rip off) ideas directly from books, film, and television. My Running Man-inspired adventures ended up being such a hit that they are demanded in literally every game I run. Players can’t get enough of facing off against Buzzsaw, Dynamo, and Sub Zero re-imagined over and over again.
However, much of gamer culture is shared and it’s not very interesting to rip something off that everyone instantly recognizes and inevitably metagames for. That’s where literature comes in. [Read the rest of this article]
Review: "Fantasy Craft"
Fantasy Craft is a D&D 3.0 OGL full-service RPG that boasts a robust set of classes, innovative and interesting feats, and a refreshing skill-based system of spell casting. With systems for item crafting, downtime for players, acquisition of holdings, prestige, and reputation it fills a gap that many have criticized as absent from the current 4.0 rules set. Fantasy Craft is an excellent product, with great ideas, but realistically won’t manage to penetrate my busy gaming schedule.
Good
Whereas Pathfinder sought to ‘patch’ D&D 3.5, Fantasy Craft takes the core of the OGL 3.5 and uses it to build a game that could best be described as first cousin rather than a sibling. Frankly, I like it more than trying to salvage the most cumbersome aspects of 3.5, but even for those with affinity for the old stuff it’s close enough to warm the cockles of the nostalgic 3.5 gamer. There are plenty of classes, many of which are tooled for things OTHER than combat (gasp). The upshot is that Fantasy Craft spends ample time supporting things other than combat, so that these classes are viable.
Spell casting is done entirely with skill based system and encounter-based skill points. Tons of feats help customize your spellcaster’s abilities within this system so that no two spellcasting PCs should come out the same. “Divine” magic works in a sort of modified 3.5 domain style system (called Alignments) that provide a satisfying set of rules and flavors to separate the divine from arcane casters (to use 4.0 parlance). If there’s one place that the system is different than 4.0 is that different character types FEEL very different. For some, this is a great draw, for others this smacks too much of the unbalanced older days of D&D. For me, it’s a neutral aspect, I miss the variety of old D&D, but I’m glad that I can finally play a rogue and not suck ass.
Fantasy Craft’s treatment of social stats, adventuring downtime, holdings, and more are one place I would say its definitively better than any other rival I’ve come into contact with. It’s quite possible to cannibalize these aspects to fit into any d20 type game. It’s not a perfect fit into all games, but the rules on Reputation, Prizes, Favors, Holdings, and Down Time are well thought out, balanced, and satisfying numeric solutions to the rather difficult task of fairly adjudicating these sorts of actions in most fantasy RPGs. For anyone that has thought about taking their campaign away from the adventuring-only archetype this provides tons of great ideas and guidance to make that process simple, satisfying, and ultimately rewarding for both DMs and Players.
Bad
The system has its prestige/paragon path equivalents (called expert classes), but these are woefully limited in the initial book. With eleven base classes and only six expert classes it seems like most players would be forced trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Although the system freeing supports multi-classing akin to 3.5, this section is just very skimpy and unsatisfying. Moreover, Fantasy Craft dangles the existence of Master Classes (which I assume will be like epic destinies, but more ‘grounded’ in fantasy realism?) but provides no support for it. As someone that favors the paragon tier or equivalent thereof, the lack of content in this area is irksome.
Ugly
The biggest problem with Fantasy Craft for me, is the “buy in.” D&D 4.0 is a system that my gaming group adopted readily and enjoys. I enjoy it and I play in a number of ongoing 4.0 games currently. So, despite all my praise for Fantasy Craft, ultimately, I doubt I’ll put my money where my mouth is and start playing it. Moreover, although it takes the 3.0 engine to its limit, when you compare the very cool feats a lot of fighter/warrior/combat characters take and the ‘tricks’ they grant (AKA powers/maneuvers) these classes still end up seeming extremely confined to their 4.0 counterparts with a host of powers for every situation.
Make no mistake, Fantasy Craft is an awesome system with lots to offer, but for me, personally I don’t see it occupying a space in my gaming life. I fear that that very same concern is the system’s greatest hurdle to success as a stand-alone RPG alternative. That being said, this offering has me very interested in their upcoming Mistborn RPG as I am huge fan of the series.
Rating: B+. Hit!
Want to learn more about Fantasy Craft? Read on…
- Atomic Array: Fantasy Craft (Atomic Array 032)
- Game Cryer: Review by Chris Perrin
- Questing GM: Questing with Fantasy Craft
- allgeektout: What Fantasy Craft Has to Offer
- Campaign Mastery: Mine Fiction for Campaign Qualities
- Emerson’s Bookshelf: Fantasy Just Got Crafty
- Critical Hits: Critical Review
- Fear the Boot: Fear the Review
- Gnome Stew: What Fantasy Craft Brings to the Table
- Uncle Bear: Fantasy Craft Chargen
- Flames Rising: Dark FantasyCraft Review
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Being a Good New Player
So often the focus of my articles is DMing. However, in a few short weeks I will be doing something unusual: joining The Game’s regular D&D game. I’m going to run through the considerations of making a character for a game that has been run for a considerable time (the party is starting off paragon level).
- Basic Concept: This one is deceptively simple, but it worth noting. Just ask the DM any idiosyncrasies he’s using in the rules or setting. It really helps to at least give the DM a chance to guide you towards (or away) from stuff that’s not going to work well.
- Background: Even if you’re an active participant in D&D sessions its unreasonable to expect your character to show up in a ground and suddenly become the star. Keep this in mind, and leave an open ended and malleable background so the DM can easily fit you into his story, the other players have reason to accept you, and you have reason to join them. A mystery or powerful enemy are good hooks for a DM to use, but don’t make them too detailed. Give the DM just enough rope to hang you with as he pleases.
- Party Members: Find out what other characters are in the party. Nothing can turn a group against you like creating a character that makes another long-running party member irrelevant. Using the 4E nomenclature, this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t play another striker alongside with a melee Ranger , but it means you probably shouldn’t head to the Wizard’s character optimization board to make a sweet paragon half-elf dagger master that cherry picked the ranger’s twin strike feat and out performs him in every way in combat with two weapons. That being said, nothing wins you a spot in the party like actually doing something useful. Don’t be the new guy that makes a character that brings nothing to the table other than another person to placate. A new player does not have to be a combat monster, but definitely have a few things you can do to lend a hand. When you discover what the party has, make something that can fill a niche that they may need.
- Sharing Your Info: A lot of players simply announce their character’s name, describe them, proclaim their epic destiny, and then sulk when their goals and motivations are summarily ignored. Everyone wants to have their moment to shine, but the best way to do this is inform the DM about your character ahead of time, talk to yourself unobtrusively with other characters (in game), and then wait for your turn in the spotlight.
So, putting my own rules to use I came up with the following basic concept: A Deva Avenger that has not in fact recently died, but instead experienced some unknown trauma. In fact, the Deva has enemies now and can’t even trust their usual avenues of aid. Hence, they are sworn to the Raven Queen and are seeking outside sources of power from unusual, and perhaps risky, avenues (Paragon Path: Student of Caiphon). With enemies abound and some questionable allies my character is going to walk the fine line between Deva and Rahkshasa and traffic with immortals and higher powers. A lot of knowledge skills should adequate reflect his learned background, which he hopes will help him navigate the murky corridors of power. I then whipped up a quick short story to sum up what his existence to my new DM…. Enjoy! [Read the rest of this article]
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