Let's Review: HERO 6th Edition

What is it?:

HERO System is a (technically) universal system, but heavily focused on super heroes and related stuff.

The setting:

Technically, the HERO system has no setting as such. However, they have been known for their Champions setting for several years. You can use the game to create any sort of setting you want.

While designed for super heroes, the game can be used for other things and has been used for some different settings. The one that I have is called Day After Ragnarok. Yes, I'll be doing a Setting Showcase about it in the future.

The system:

Before I get too much into it, I need to mention the different versions of the current system. There's the “basic” version, which is only 134 pages. And then there's the “complete” version which is published in two hard back tomes that take up over 700 pages. Originally, I bought the “complete” version when it came out and I've never used it. I'll talk about that later. For this review, I'm going to be using the “basic” version of the rules.

And there's a lot of rules. Oh... Are there rules...

But, first, the HERO system is a point buy system and uses d6s for all rolls. Including 1/4d6 and 1/2d6.

Before you start making characters, you have to figure out which campaign type you're going to run: Heroic or Superheroic. There is a big difference between the two. In a Heroic campaign, your characters can go out and buy guns and flashlights, but you shouldn't be taking too many Powers. However, if you're playing a Superheroic campaign, your character has to pay points for everything. Pick up a gun and want to keep using it? You have to pay the points and design the weapon using Powers.

When it comes to spending those points, there's a lot to deal with. The first thing is Characteristics, of which there are a ton. There's six basic “stats;” Strength, Dexterity, Constistution, Intelligence, Ego, and Presense. Then, there's some combat related ones; Offensive Combat Value, Defensive Combat Value, Mental Offense, Mental Defense, and Speed. Beyond those, there's; Physical Defense, Energy Defense, Recovery, Endurance, Body, and Stun. To improve these, point costs are different. Of course, the more combat related ones are more expense ones to raise.

After that, you can spend your points on Skills (which are based on your stats), Perks, and Talents. These are more important for Heroic games, but still useful for Superheroic games. Just, not as much.

Skills get complex, as you have the number based on something like 9+(Stat/5), so you want to make sure that your stats are high enough to actually have an impact on your skills. They also say you want to reduce the amount of stat checks you make, increasing the importance of skills in the game.

To figure out what you need to roll for combat, you have to check a chart and compare the attacker's OCV and the defender's DCV. Rather than, you know, having both make rolls against their stats.

When it comes to the big part of the game, Powers. Not only do you have a GIGANTIC list of Powers, with variables in each one, there's a list of Advantages and Limitations to modify the Powers and their point costs. These point costs can become decimal points, so you have to figure out if you round up or down. Adding to the fun you're already having.

When you make rolls, any bonuses and penalties are applied to your stat or skill, not your roll itself. I've seen this done in other games and I can't understand it for the life of me. I can see why people think of things that way, but most people think about it the other way; meaning what the dice show.

So, you've read all this, and you're probably wondering “Okay, so how many points do I get?” Well, if you're playing a Heroic campaign, they suggest 175. Not bad. Enough to make a pretty solid character, from what I've seen. But, if you're playing a superheroic campaign, the bar is set at 400 points. Now, you can also get points by taking Complications, giving you more to your total. I tried making a Super Hero using the basic book and gave up after an hour. I'd estimate that making a character would take about two to four hours, depending on your experience with the system and the type of campaign you're wanting to play.

When it comes to combat, you get to act a set amount of times per turn, based on your Speed. For every point of Speed, you get to act that many times per turn (roughly) to a maximum of 12. And initiative is based on your Dex. The higher it is, the sooner you go. If there's a tie, you roll off. So, if you have a high Dex and high Speed, you're going to go first every time, twelve times per turn. And the first turn of every combat starts at the last segment, so everyone gets to go. Because you get to act during set sections of each turn, based on the Speed, but they kind of jump around. It's really damn confusing to look at, let me tell you. Of course, there are full actions, half actions, and zero actions you can take, so it looks like combat is going to chew up most of your time.

But, there's more. There's always more in this game... There's two kinds of damage: Normal damage and Killing damage. They're handled roughly the same, but if you're only designed to take Normal and you get hit with a lot of Killing, well, been nice knowing you.

Is it worth it?:

No.

I hate to be negative, but this game is needlessly complex. A friend of mine said that statement is “redundant” and he's not wrong.

My final thought is: This game is the bastard child of GURPS and Battletech.

However, if you want a very detailed system, that can handle any power you can imagine, this is probably the game for you. God help your poor soul.

Deadlands - The Ferner Five: The Road To Hell

Are you ready to start the Devil's Tower Trilogy? I hope you are. It all starts with The Road To Hell. And we all know what that's paved with...

Chapter One: A Journey Of A Thousand Miles...

If you're reading along in the book, you'll see that this chapter is for the Marshals (so you player types stay out). As such, I'm going to skipping over the information there as I don't want to spoil the ending for those who haven't read or played this adventure. And, as always, if you're going to be a player in this adventure, come back after you finish it so you can see how the professionals do it. Okay, I'm kidding, but these guys really did this one right.

Once again, I've run this adventure with more than one party and it's been a few years since I did it with these characters, so you'll have forgive any mistakes or gaps in memory. Let's get started, shall we?

We return to the Ferner Five arriving in Salt Lake City, having a nice quiet journey from the fair town of Baracho (translation: the Marshal wasn't in the mood for more sidetracks). As the train pulls into the station in Salt Lake City, the posse is beset by dozens of Mormon “Elders” trying to spread the good word of their faith. Penwood is dismissive, Ming kind of smiles and nods, Heinrich pretends to not speak English, and they take one look at Deiter and change their minds. Or he Overawed them. Or both. Meanwhile, Phil got off the train, grabbed his bags and just pushed past them, vanishing into the crowd. Phil had his own adventure and is Sir Not Featured In This Film. Sorry for you Phil Fans, but his does get more involved as the adventures continue.

Once they had cleared the platform and entered the city proper, they began searching for lodging for their visit. Ming made some money, and got an excellent cover, by being Penwood's valet and carrying his bags. With the standards and large stacks of cash they carried, Penwood and Heinrich put everyone up in the Salt Lake City Hotel, the best place in town. It's $12 a night, which is pretty hefty, but it's worth it. The only bad side is that people seem to have nightmares when they stay...

After figuring out their accommodations for their stay, I had the map spread out and let them where they wanted to go. Only Penwood's player had really read up on the town, but I would read the sections aloud when someone asked about it. They made their plans for the next day, as they were tired from their travels and the thought of spending a night in a real bed was appealing, so they retired early.

The next day, they broke up into teams and had them do what they wanted. There was a visit to Smith & Robard's, Hellstromme's show room, Warwick's Books & Manuscripts, and a few other places. Having noticed the soot covering most everything, and hanging in the air above the Junkyard, Penwood bought face masks for everyone. Awful kindly of him. But, it ruined some of my fun. Marshals, you know what I'm talking about.

After they did their exploring and shopping, they all returned to the hotel and sat down for dinner. And drinking. Thankfully, there were no “soiled doves” involved this time. This time... And they bedded down for the night.

Chapter Two: Sign On The Dotted Line

After a good night's rest (with everyone making their rolls, the bums), they sat down for breakfast in the hotel and discussed their plans.

And that's when an Indian man (as in, from India, not the misnomer the Native Peoples of the Americans were given, I know it's a little confusing) sat down at their table. He introduced himself as Mr. Hanuman and said that he represented someone who would like to hire them for a job. Instead of answering their questions right away, he pulled out some papers from his valise and I got to drop some information about each character's backstory in front of the group. All while trying to do the British accent of Hanuman. I thought I did alright, but you'd have to ask the players what they thought.

Anyway. After cowing the posse, he told them he would only tell them that they were to be hired to find a stolen item. The item was acquired legally and required the utmost confidentiality (even from law enforcement), thus they would need to sign an NDA before getting any more information. After a bit of hemming and hawing, they agreed and signed the forms. The promise of $10,000 in gold or goods also sweetened the pot.

And that's when Hanuman dropped his little bombshell. They would be working for the illustrious Doctor Darius Hellstromme. There were some worried looks around the table, followed by some questions. Hanuman explained that a very large black diamond, the Heart of Darkness, had been purchased by Dr. Hellstromme and then stolen. He gave the posse an article about the gem to read (which Penwood's player read aloud for everyone) and let them ask more questions. He explained that there was a dummy gem in Hellstromme's manor that someone had already tried to steal, but had been caught before it was taken. The thief didn't know very much and it was kept quiet. Meanwhile, the real gem was being held at Hellstromme Industries Plant #13, the luckiest of numbers as we all know, and it had been stolen not too long ago. At the posse's request, he set up a time for them to look over the plant and ask questions of the few witnesses. That being a relative term.

After Hanuman left the posse, they discussed what to do. They agreed that they would take a look at the plant. I believe the idea of talking to the sheriff as discussed, but they thankfully turned away from that idea (brief aside, the last group that I had went to the sheriff right away and properly fucked everything up).

Once they had picked up some last minute things, they arrived at Plant #13 and got to investigating. Thankfully, they all had a high Search skill, as well as doctor. They found several leads and got a list of the missing items. Their search turned up some unusually shell casings, the smell of methane, and the odd burn pattern. The autopsies turned some some more clues, mostly that one had his head smashed to pulp and another had been tortured with a knife for a bit before finally dying. All in all, they did a good job of collecting the information.

Sadly, there were no witnesses to the robbery, as a mysterious fire had broken out right before it happened. One of the guards did remember seeing what looked like a falling star right before the fire broke out...

The list of missing items included the MAXIS suit (a steampunk suit of power armor), the Clockwork De-Moler (I love this thing, by the way), the shooting knives, the Steamjack (a steam powered jackhammer), the Quadpiston (a rough and ready steamwagon), and, of course, the Heart of Darkness.

Chapter Three: The Hunt

With these clues in hand, they began the search. When they started, I told them that there were a few important places they could visit shown on the map. Ming's player said something about Cat's Used Goods and earned himself a Fate Chip for that bit of insight. I was actually surprised that he had guessed one of the places right off the bat. Since they went to several places, I'll detail them in separate sections:

Cat's Used Goods -

When the posse arrived, they found Cat to be a bit polite but a bit standoffish. They didn't look like her usual customers, so she was on guard. Thankfully, Penwood had quite the silver tongue and good arguments, so she told them that the Clockwork De-Moler was stolen and they didn't want to harm the person who took it. They did have the misfortune to deal with the “Well-Intentioned Louts” and got kicked out. But, not before finding out the most important information, that the items had been recovered from Sludge Creek.

Sludge Creek -

Following up on this lead, they found the remains of the Quadpiston, but not much else. Since they looked like they had money, some of the down and out folks offered to sell them some information. Penwood tried talking them down, but was still able to get the information they needed about who had pushed the Quadpiston into the creek. It was group of men (and possibly a woman) that pushed it in. One of them was really hairy (which the posse started to assume was a werewolf, which I didn't correct them of) and another looked like a pit fighter by the name of Zik with a big steampunk cyberarm. The two who took the stuff from the top of the Quadpiston, people down on their luck like the person they were talking to, left town with the money they got from selling the stuff to Cat.

As the posse had been so tight-fisted about their money, I didn't give them all of their hints. They had near $10k between them and these were the people who had to live near a creek so polluted, it would burn you. Call it karma...

Granny Smith's Arms Factory -

When investigating the odd shell castings (.44 Evens, for those of you who care), some of the posse ended up at Granny Smith's, as she's very well known for being able to supply rounds for the oddest of weapons. Penwood was there, because he thought he should pick up more rounds for his .454 revolver. He managed to slip in a question about the casings, talking about how it involved “murder most foul” or something like that. He got three names: Slimy Pete, Walter Hot Iron, and someone else I forgot. Only one of those names were a lead, but I didn't tell them that. I always use Slimy Pete and every posse chases that red herring. I don't know why.

The Monkeywrench -

When you're dealing with mad science, you need to go to where the mad scientists are. So, Ming and Heinrich (I think he was the one to go, being a mad scientist and all) went to this bar to throw some money around. While they were there, they heard that Dr. Brunhoff had finally completed one of his battlesuits and it was expected to be shown publicly soon. Asking some follow-up questions, they learned that he was part of a mad scientist Co-Op in a hacienda outside of Salt Lake City proper.

On the way out, Ming brushed up against one of the caulk boards that lines the walls of the bar and accidentally erased something. Thinking quickly, he wrote in something random in Chinese. As he hurried outside, he heard exclamations that the equation had now been solved. I have to say, I loved this little joke. And that earned him another Fate Chip.

The Co-Op -

As the posse arrived to this location, they were greeted by the sound of heavy gunfire and screams. So, not that unusual for the rest of the Weird West, but out of place in a mad scientists lab. Okay, a little out of place. As they got closer, they saw a man in a powered armor suit blasting away with a Gattling gun arm and smiling like a loon. So, we started combat. Ming went first and ducked into the first door on the right. This led to something that could distract the mad man, possibly giving them an edge. Then Penwood popped around the corner with his bolt-action rifle and fired. It was a hit. Head shot! The only place that wasn't armored, by the way. And then started rolling damage. And kept rolling. Because his dice exploded. All told, he did 30(!!!) damage to the poor bastard's noggin and it exploded like an over ripe melon. After this show of force, they were able to get all the information they wanted from one Dr. Brunhoff...

Dr. Brunhoff spilled his guts, telling them about how Dr. Gerlach (a former assistant of his) was working on something similar for Dr. Hellstromme. Then, Brunhoff was approached by Doc Snead of Marshal Rex's gang about how to deal with automatons so they could steal the Heart of Darkness. Turns out, it was the same the the MAXIS was being put together. In exchange for some rockets and information, they made a deal. When the gang stole the Heart, they'd give Brunhoff the MAXIS.

In a cop show, this would be the moment the “case broke wide open.” But, there was a bit more than that to it...

The Steamer -

Now, before I talk about this one, I've had this encounter happen twice, so my memory is a bit mixed up on what happened this time...

After doing a bit of investigating, the posse figured out that one of Marshal Rex's gang would hang out in the Steamer, a bar in the Junkyard. It's named that because of some leaky pipes that fill it with steam. Original, huh? Anyway, the posse tracked down Casper Zed, the hairy man from before. They confronted him and he told them he'd talk with them outside. They thought he was a werewolf, but he was a huckster. Well, he tried to put a magical whammy on them, but failed. Which was lucky for them, as the posse had no magical back-up of their own. Walter Hot Iron, the guy who used the odd rifle caliber, backed up Casper, but he was taken out without too much trouble from the posse. Gunplay was their forte, I guess you could say. They put a few holes in him and started making him talk. He squealed like a pig and told them where they could find Marshal Rex and the rest of the gang.

Which leads us to...

Chapter Four: The Showdown!

Time for the big, climatic battle of this adventure, folks! Now, given how fast things were going, I figured the gang was unaware of what was happening, but this posse was ready for some heavy combat, so I had Rex use his Unholy Host power to summon up four Walkin' Dead and give them shotguns. I figured I could always give them a boost if I needed it later.

Somehow, the posse tracked down Phil and roped him into helping. Which was another reason why I upped the encounter.

As the posse approached the old smelt works the gang used as a hide out, Dieter and Phil were up front. When the Walkin' Dead appeared, Deiter tried to Overawe them, but it didn't work. You can't scare something that's already dead. The fight was on. One of the zombies got a shot off before the posse took them down. The fight was over really quick. Even I was a little surprised by how quickly.

During the fight against the Walkin' Dead, Phil landed an axe blow right at the neck of one of the Walkin' Dead and cut it clean off. And it kept moving, trying to bite Penwood's foot. There were Guts checks all around. Thankfully, the succeed.

As they enter the works, the posse split up. Phil and Deiter took a set of stairs on the outside of the building to the second floor. Meanwhile, Ming and Penwood took the front door and Heinrich took the back. The fight went something like this:

Penwood squared off against Elvira Santiago, the lady who used the blades on the worker in the plant. He got stabbed in the leg pretty good.

Heinrich, after waiting for everyone else, got the drop on Zik and stopped him from putting on his arm, making the fight so much easier.

Ming helped take down Elvira. She hid behind some piles of scrap and threw knives. As there were six piles of scrap, I rolled a d6 and made a note that she was behind pile #3. I had Ming roll when he pushed one over, to see which one he pushed. He rolled a 3. Fuck me running... So, he was able to knock her down and do some damage. The wounded Penwood was able to put his gun on her and she surrendered.

On the second floor, Phil and Deiter (as well as Deiter's damn monster of a wolf dog, I'll explain later) went up against Marshal Rex himself. Phil's axes and Deiter's bullets were enough to make him throw down his guns so he could live to see another day.

All told, this whole battle took maybe an hour of play time, from start to finish. What could have taken a lot longer, and been a lot harder, was made easier because of dumb luck and good thinking. I'm not angry, not at all. It was still satisfying for everyone involved. I think this was when I started to figure out two things: Phil was their lucky charm and these guys wouldn't be blundering into too many stupid fights.

After taking down the gang, they did some searching. Again. They found some money and some notes. It turned out that the gang had been hired by a man named Stone (did you feel a chill? I hope so) to bring the Heart to Lost Angels. They sent Doc Snead to LA to turn the rock over to Stone. So, they never would have found it there. The sheriff turned up a short time later and hauled the gang away.

In the morning, the posse turned up to tell Hanuman what they had found. Overhearing a conversation, they get paid only $500 for their work. However, Dr. Hellstromme is willing to pay the remaining sum, if the posse is willing to travel to LA and retrieve the Heart of Darkness and bring it back. The posse, not being fools, took the offer. Which will lead us to the next part of the adventure: The Heart O' Darkness!

Brief note: The posse used their money from the gang, the reward money, and some of their own cash to buy a fully kitted out steam wagon, as well as a Velocipede for Deiter. As they got ready to leave the Junkyard, they found that Phil had been playing for a Skullchucker team and earned enough for Velocipede of his own. And kept the snazzy Worm Leather to protect him if he fell off.

Sources Say: Compendium of Weapons, Armor, and Castles

Name: The Compendium of Weapons, Armor, and Castles

Produced By: Palladium Books

System: Palladium system

Genre(s): Historical, Fantasy

This book is the reason why I started this series. Because this is a very interesting source book, but I didn't know what series I had that could accommodate a review of it. So, here we are.

This book has what it contains what it says on the cover. It details weapons, armor, and castles. So, review done!

Just kidding!

The book starts with weapons. It breaks them up into hafted weapons and clubs, maces, knives, miscellaneous and exotic weapons, polearms, spears, swords, and then a bit about rapier hilts. Each of these sections gives a brief description of what they define as belonging to each group, some history, and then some information about each weapon. Or most of the weapons. Explaining how they were used and by whom. While these are short, they're really interesting. The next part is a “spotlight on the Middle East” which is mostly a list of that was used by the Egyptian empire, as well as a map of the empire circa 1450 B.C. After that, they talk about bows and crossbows.

This chapter starts with a definition of the stats they give each weapons. These stats contain not only damage, but how many hands it takes to use them, length of the weapon, mass, and then things like durability, throwing distance, parry bonus or penalty, and all that good stuff. It's not bad, and clearly designed for the Palladium system, but might be converted to fit other games (probably D&D). These entries do contain a hand drawn picture of each weapon, but they're very small and not exact.

Next up, we have the stuff on armor. It goes into the history of European and Asian armor, talking about how they're made, and how well they protect. Now, the best thing about this section is the art. Several different types of armor are drawn, with the period and region of origin, and they are done very well. They might not be one hundred percent accurate (especially since this book was published many years ago), but they do enough of a job to get the point across. Even if they aren't perfect, I really do like them, and I can point to them and say “armor like this.” The book as a whole is very much centered on Europe, but I do have to give them credit for including some pictures of armor and warriors from Asia, the Americas, and Africa. There's not a lot of them, but it's nice to get some sense of the differences between the various nations of the world and how they armed and protected their fighters. There doesn't seem to be much of an explanation about why some nations had different things, given the resources, cultures, and other factors, but since I do my own research, I can live with it.

The final section is dedicated to castles. And siege weapons. But, first, castles! Quite a few castles. Of course, they're almost exclusively from Europe (noticing a trend?) but they cover tons of history. There's a map of a Roman Legion encampment and they go all the way to the last castles to be built. You know, after the cannon was built in mass.

Each castle has a picture of the exterior, a map of the interior, and a brief history. Since they cover the whole of most castle building, you can see the various ideas and concepts that were included and expanded upon as things went on. It is interesting to see how much things would change in a short amount of time. There's a lexicon of terms used, which is useful for all sorts of things. Sadly, the maps of the castles don't have a grid on them with a scale. So, they're not perfect.

All in all, this is one of those “maybe” books. I picked it up because it was cheap and I'd been curious about it since seeing it years ago. I do like the art and the history, but I'm not sure how useful it's going to be for me. I don't have any of the fantasy RPGs for Palladium, so that does eliminate some of the usefulness. And I don't really play fantasy games in general anymore. However, I know I will get some use out of it. They didn't just tear down all of the castles, you know? I could use it as a guide for something in a futuristic setting, like having to steal something from some rich jerk that has moved into (and modified) a castle.

The weapons, while not perfect, are cool and some of the pictures are really nice. The hilts for rapiers is a full page. It shows how they changed over time.

If you're curious, check it out before you buy it. If you play a lot of fantasy, you can use this to add some new things in and throw people off. Even if you don't want to use the stats, you can use the different designs to show how different countries do things. Just a thought.

Blast From The Past: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG

Heroes in a half shell, turtle power!

As a child of the 80's (yes, I just dated myself, deal with it), that phrase brings up fond childhood memories. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were huge back in the day. I recently rewatched the live action films, and I forgot how dark the first one was. That's because it was based on the original comics, much like this game.

This being a Palladium game, they don't waste a lot of time with setting and background. They start with the classic “What Is Roleplaying?” introduction, then there's the stats, and then the usual random tables. When it comes to creating your characters, you can roll on the random animal tables, then the table for cause of your character's mutation, and finally education. All of the skills and combat rules are the same as in every other Palladium game, so if you're familiar with one of their games, you know what this one is like. The next part is what makes this game unique, the BIO-E Point system. This allows you to make your mutant animal in whatever way you want. You can make a normal rat that's as smart as Einstein and has massive psionic powers. Or you can make a dog that's mutated to appear almost totally human. Or the kinds of creatures you see in the cartoon show, humanoid but still animalistic. Once you get your character mutated, know what education they have, and get the skills figured out, you're pretty much ready to go. There's no classes for you to pick, just education levels you start out with. These give you the skills you'll need, as well as your combat skills and the like.

The art is mostly taken from the original comics, and even includes a few pages from one of them. If the art isn't directly taken from the comics, it looks close. It's very dark, rough looking stuff that adds the to feeling of the game.

Since this is one of Palladium's older games, it's only 112 pages, like Robotech. However, unlike Robotech, there's a host of NPCs and some adventures. These are really cool. There's an adventure based around another popular cartoon show of the time, the Carebears. Except evil and dark. Because 80's? I don't know. There are some other enemies, some from the comic and show, but most are those they made. The do have the Ninja Turtles themselves. Somehow, they're only 5^th and 6^th level, while Splinter is 12^th. I suppose they made them low enough so you could play them if you wanted to. This is something different from the Robotech RPG, where they wanted you to play your own characters.

They did put out a few supplements, including Mutants Down Under. These books expanded the world and rules, but I don't have any of them. And they're not easy for me to find.

And that's about all there is in the book. There's some random tables to use for making your own villains and evil organizations for your players to go against. So, what else can you do with it?

The best use for this book is to use it as a supplement for Heroes Unlimited and Rifts for creating mutant animals. Since this book is long out of print, it's not easy to find. However, the rules were reprinted in After The Bomb, which itself started out as a setting for the game. But, now it's own game that you can find much easier. And I think that setting works better for the ideas.

If you really want to play with the “Ninja” angle, you can get a copy of Ninjas and Superspies and put the two together. You could have an entire order of mutant animals that use one form of martial arts.

If you want to have some real fun, you could take the concept of the Howard the Duck film (as of the time of this writing, Marvel hasn't made a version in the MCU yet) and use that. What if there was an alternate reality where other animals reached anthropomorphic forms and created a civilization? Now, what if they started experimenting with dimensional travel and somehow end up in the normal world? That could be an interesting take on the mutant animals in the normal world. Your villains could be people who want to experiment on the animals or learn the technology to travel between dimensions. You could really have fun with the “fish out of water” angle and play it up. It's up to you.

Another idea I had was what if some company created a bunch of mutant animals to work as cheap labor? And treat them like crap? Now, you can make your characters be freedom fighters, working to free their bothers and sisters from slavery. It's something that's in the book already, but you can make the whole game focus on it.

My last idea is humans or animals mutating into these TMNT type animals. There could be a virus or something unleashed on the world, causing these changes. Maybe it also makes some super powered people, too. You could turn it into a post apocalypse setting, a super hero setting, or a dystopia. Totally up to you.

And that's about all there is. There is a ton of supplements for the game, which do expand it, but I don't know what exactly they do. It's worth investigating, if you're interested, just keep in mind that the game diverges greatly from the movies and cartoons. This isn't a game for kids. Well, at least off the shelf.

I think it's sad that this is the only RPG we've gotten from the TMNT setting. I suppose you could use another system to create it, but I don't know. If you are interested in it, check it out, but you'll probably pay quite a bit for it. I found a copy, used and in only okay condition, but it was $40.

Deadlands - The Ferner Five: The Town of Baracho

Welcome to Baracho, cowpoke!

Before we get started on this part of our tale, there are two things you should be aware of: First, I wasn't running the game, I was playing Phil for the first time. Second, there was a lot of alcohol involved both in the game and around the table, so my memory isn't perfect. You have been warned.

Chapter One: Founding Day!

After waiting for a few days, the railroad finally sent out someone to find out what happened to the train and discovered the survivors. A series of stagecoaches were sent out and brought the survivors to the next stop along the line, the sleepy little town of Baracho.

As the posse arrived in town, we were all but assaulted by the bunting, flags, and people. It turned out that their arrival coincided with the town's “Founding Day” celebration weekend. We were told that there would be a series of games and contests the next day and we were more than welcome to sign up for these activities. There was a quick draw competition, a shooting competition, a contest of strength, some wrestling, a contest involving throwing axes, and a horse race. After what had happened, I think the posse was ready to let off some steam and have some fun. But, first, we really wanted the chance to spend the night in a hotel with a real bed. There was some light drinking, but we kept it under control. This time.

Chapter Two: Let the games begin!

After a night of rest, our posse was ready to start having some more fun. I'll break down each activity, who was involved, and what happened.

The Shooting Competition-

This one involved Phil, Dieter, Penwood, and... I don't remember. Phil wasn't a good shootist, so he missed three out of six cans. Penwood and Dieter were able to pull it off and went to the next part. From there, it was choice between precision shooting and quick draw. Dieter went for quick draw and lost. Penwood shot a playing card side on and won. He earned a quick draw holster for his troubles.

The Strength Competition-

This was Phil and Ming. I'm happy to report that Phil's 4d12 Strength went wild and he threw a stone with a chain in it all the way into a house (he said “sorry!” so it was all okay). Ming wasn't nearly as strong, but he tried his best.

The next part was arm wrestling and Phil dislocated Ming's shoulder, as Ming went Bust. With help from Penwood, they were able to pop it back in place. Phil bought Ming several drinks later than night to make up for it.

The Throwing Ax Competition-

This was another one with Phil. He was actually build for this, as I gave him Throwin': Unbalanced and four axes. He won handily. I can't stress enough just how much the dice loved Phil. The last round was between Phil and a town deputy, Joseph Eyes Like Wolf. When Phil won, Joseph gave him a special axe.

The Evening-

Now, we're going to talk about some stuff, but keep in mind that we were a bunch of guys and we were being historically accurate...

So we went to a whore house. I'd also like to point out that we, the players, were also very drunk by this point. I honestly don't remember who suggested it, but we all went for it. The characters then proceeded to catch up with the players in terms of drinks and got their rocks off (we faded to black) and that was the end of the day.

Day Two: The Hangover

Oh, you can only imagine how the posse felt. I think at one point Phil had a keg of beer in his hands and pair of women on his shoulders. The rest of the posse ended up in similar situations. It took them quite a bit of time to pull themselves together in the morning. Except for Penwood. The cultured Brit had kept himself under control, had a pleasant evening with the Madam of the brothel, and woke up bright and early to get himself a horse for the race that was scheduled for the day. He was all excited, but the rest of us weren't really up for it, in or out of character. Instead, we nursed our hangovers and then went back to the brothel for more “whores and ale.” No joke.

The Rest Of The Wait:

The group spent the next few days waiting for the train to show up and hung out around town, not really doing much. The players were drunk and tired, so we kind of skipped out on the rest of planned adventure. That said, we did have a lot of fun with the competitions and I would recommend doing something like this as a side track for any posse.

Once the train showed up, the posse boarded and began moving towards Salt Lake City...

Building Silent Hill: Cast Of Characters

Welcome back. Are you ready? I hope so...

Last time, I talked about the things I enjoyed about Silent Hill, the games and etc. Let's talk a little more about that. Beware spoilers for the first three games, if you haven't played them... You've had, like, 20 years...

As I mentioned, I really enjoyed the first three games. And a major part of that was the characters... Well, except for one, but we'll get to him in a minute. In the first game, you were playing a man named Harry Mason, just trying to find his child. Of course, it wasn't that simple. Playing as Harry, you were drawn into a series of disturbing events, nightmarish locations, and interacted with a few unusual people. All of this kept me engaged. Of course, I didn't get the best ending the first time through, but I went back for more. Several times.

In the second game, you played a man named James Sunderland. Now, since I'd played the first one, I knew I was getting into something weird. And the game did not disappoint. Silent Hill 2 was a worthy successor to the first game, with a major twist. If you don't want a spoiler, just skip to the next paragraph. Unlike the first game, you weren't playing some noble man. No, you were playing a man who murdered his wife, and then came to a town because he received a letter from her, and thought he could make it better? Who knows. He was going a bit crazy, so what we thought was going on might not have been the truth. Either way, the first time through, I almost didn't finish the game after the big reveal.

In the third game, you were playing a girl named Heather. A young teen just living life, until ghosts of her past came for her. Well, perhaps ghosts from her past lives would be a better phrase. She has to deal with monsters and the madness of the Order of Silent Hill, and then the God within her. Because it turned out she was the girl from the first game. While short, I think it's one of the best of the series. I've played it a few times and gotten all the endings (all three).

In the comics, the original ones, they introduced several new characters. They made Christabella, who was something between Cheryl and Sadako from the Ring series. I didn't find her all that original, but I liked the series as a whole. The character I really liked was Dr. Troy. A psychologist who tries to prove to his patient that the horrors of Silent Hill weren't real, he ends up trading his soul for the patient's safety. From there, he becomes part human, part eldritch monster. When he appears from that part on, he's oddly calm (usually), while inflicted all sorts of terrible tortures upon innocent people.

There's several other characters I really liked. The artist was one of the best, in my opinion. The soldier was good, but very much an archetype, rather than a real person. Of course, the interplay between him and the singer was what made that story so good. I thought about including Lauryn, but I'd have to include Christablla, too. And, while Lauryn is interesting, she's a lot like a darker version of Heather. As a brief aside, a Witchcraft campaign centered around the Mad Gods, using Silent Hill from the comics and story of Lauryn and Christabella as a basis, would be great. I might work on it later. Might.

After thinking about all of the games and the comics, looking at the characters, I started making a list of the characters that I thought were important to the world I was working with and I had enjoyed. Since I'd already decided on using The Order, I knew that Heather and the people related to her story were going to be involved. That means Heather, Dahlia, Claudia, and Cybil would be a big part of the adventure. Since I loved the second game (as many people do), I wanted to include James, but you can't have James without Maria or Mary (or both). I also wanted to include some characters from the comics, but I had to make sure they meshed well with the Order plot I'm going for. The two that I felt could really add something to the plot, or be useful, were Dr. Troy and Mordecai.

Now that I've got a list of characters from the game, I had to figure out how to work them all into the plot. While I did develop some new characters for the game (more on that in another entry), I wanted to start looking at what these characters I picked represented and what roles they would play.

For the Order, we have Dahlia and Claudia. Of course, they're both dead in “canon” such as it is. But, as Silent Hill 2 shows us, death isn't always the end of things. Even in Silent Hill 1, we saw Lisa up and walking around, and she was probably dead. So, yeah, I can do what I want. From there, I thought that Dr. Troy and Mordecai could be added to the Order's side of things as well. Their motivations and origin would have to be a bit different, but they do fit rather easily. I think by having these characters, each working towards different goals, can add some depth to the game and throw the players for a loop. Because you do need to have some twists and turns in Silent Hill. I also decided that if I was going to include The Order, I'd need to include Heather. My idea was that it would be good to have a character the party could interact with that wasn't completely insane or out to kill them.

Outside the Order, I had to work in the characters from Silent Hill 2. These characters had a completely different history and story, not really connected to the Order and the mythology of Silent Hill. In many ways, Silent Hill 2 is a true stand alone entry in the series. Which meant that I was going to have to think a bit more about them. As the Order was shaping up to be my main focus, I made the decision to make the Silent Hill 2 characters just cameo characters. I know, some people might not like it, but it thought it was a good idea. And it would throw some red herrings to the players. And, when you have James, you get Pyramid Head...

After I've figured out which characters I'm going to include I needed to look at what kind of characters they would be and what powers they would have. In the core book, they introduced the concept of Miracles, but those might not wok for a group of evil cultists. In All Tomorrow's Zombies, they did include a much more streamlined system for psychic powers. I decided to use a mix of both for the Order's powerful people, meaning that the more powerful members would be Inspired characters. For most of the other characters, I made them Norms. That works as many if the characters are normal people. Dahlia is definitely a Norm. For the main characters of the past games, I thought Survivors would work, as they had to survive some terrible things.

For making the characters, I used the core book and One of the Living for most characters, and then (if they had special powers), I would use the powers from All Tomorrow's Zombies. When it came to making Dr. Troy, I added in some zombie aspects, to give him the things I needed. And to make him a little more horrifying.

I made a mix of Norms, Survivors, and Inspired characters. Some will be allies and others will be enemies. I've been trying to make sure that they don't outside the players and their characters, because that's not fun for anyone. While the players' characters can't have powers, I've made sure that those enemies who do don't overpower them.

I've also designed some new characters, ones just for this game. It's all part of the story I've been putting together, and I'll be discussing that in another entry, but I've designed these characters as almost mirrors of the ones from the game. Think of it as a cycle, doomed to repeat itself. At least, until the Order is destroyed completely. Or perhaps the town must be destroyed? It's suggested that Silent Hill suffered some sort of catastrophic event between Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2. But, I don't like that idea too much. Feels too much like the movie, you know?

I've also tried to give each NPC different motivations, adding some complexity to the encounters. Some serve the Order, some combat it. Others are unaware of it, and a few want to take control of the town. I was trying to do something similar to the first game, where you came across different people, but didn't know how they fit into the plot for some time. I wanted to enhance the surreal feeling by having people just kind of wandering around and you wouldn't know if they were important, and if they were, why they were important. I've put some “fan service” characters in a red herrings. If you played Silent Hill 2, you should remember Eddie. I remember when I first played it, I kind of related to Eddie. And then he went nuts and you had to take him down. Since the players are aware of the history of the games, they'll know who Eddie is when they run across him. But, will they be able to trust him? I'm hoping they'll be suspicious of him from the start, unsure about what he's going to do. And I'll be keeping exactly what I'm planning for him under my hat until it happens. He could be a boss fight, like in his appearance in the game. Or he could be an illusion, used by the town or the Order to lull them into a false sense of security. Or it could be something totally different, something far more terrible. And that's what I like about using these known characters. You think you know them, but you don't. 

You know, I almost thought about not including any NPCs and just had the town be empty, like in Silent Hill 3. But, I knew it would just be a dungeon crawl, and my idea was becoming close to that already, so I knew that having the players interact with others would keep them from devolving into muderhobos. You rarely come across NPCs in dungeons, so I hope the tonal shift keeps that at bay.

So, I've selected and built my NPCs. I've got a rough idea for a story. But, what's next? That's right, the monsters...

Mastering The Game: Getting Started

Hello and welcome to (yet) another series here on Bearers of the Word!

This time, I'm going to try and do some stuff about running a tabletop RPG. What it takes to do it and what I've found that works. As I'm sure you know, these are only my opinions and what I've found that works for me. Which doesn't mean that it'll work for you. But, if it helps, great. That's what I'm here for.

Today's topic is an important one, especially if you're just starting out: Know The Game

The first thing, the very first thing, you need to do is buy the system. Don't pirate it, don't you dare steal it, take a deep breath and pay for it. I know that some people like to “try before you buy” which I can understand. But if you want that game to still be around and for the company to still produce supplements for it, you have to give them money. It's just the facts of a Capitalist society (note that I'm not saying I agree with such a system, we just happen to live in one). Some companies have sample versions of their games out there, and some will give away their core rules for free. But, as someone who does “artistic stuff” I fully support feeding starving artists. Also, companies need to make money to survive. If they're not making money, they're not going to be around for long. So, that means shelling out for their products. That said, if you are on a budget, I can't fault you for looking for used copies online or in your local book stores. If you can, buy the supplements for full price from a friendly local game store.

Now that you've paid your hard earned bucks for the system, what do you do with it? I always sit down and read the core book cover to cover. And then read it again. And again. Now, go over the parts you didn't understand and read them again. And then go over combat a few more times. And then make a few characters. I know, that's a lot of reading, but if you're going to be running the game, you need to know the rules backwards, forwards, and upside down. When you're going to be running the game, the players are going to be looking to you when the game starts. Speaking of which...

Try to join a group that's already playing this game:

I know that's not always possible, but you should make an effort. If you can't find a game to join, look for reviews (like the ones I do, shameless plug) or videos on YouTube involving the game. Not only can you learn some tips and tricks from watching or reading others and their experiences.

If you do join a game, don't try to tell the GM/DM what to do. Play to have fun (which you should be doing as a player or a GM). Try to make some interesting, but not too weird, characters. Experiment with combat rules, non combat rules, and other things. See what the system can and can't do. I suggest playing a caster, divine and arcane, a melee fighter, a skilled rogue type, and a face or charismatic character at least once for each, if possible. In D&D, I've never played an arcane caster or a rogue (neither one really appeals to me), but I've been part of enough groups to have seen their abilities in action to pick up what they can and can't do, as well as how to handle their abilities. If you can't play everything, at least observe and ask about how they work.

If you want to play the game you've picked, but can't find a group that's playing it (online or in your area), you might still want to join a group that is playing something else. It's okay. Most of the basics of roleplaying don't matter what game you're playing. But, it's up to you.

Also, if a group gives you a bad vibe or makes you uncomfortable in any way, leave. Don't try to suffer through it. Don't hope it'll get better. Just leave. Most groups don't change very much, especially if someone new joins. You can ask them or talk to them about what makes you feel uncomfortable, but don't be surprised if they just pay you lip service or ignore it entirely. I've heard my fair share of horror stories about groups and had an occasional bad experience, so I have no problem walking away. There's always someone better out there. Just look for them.

If You Can't Join A Group:

For whatever reason, you might not be able to find a group that's playing the game you want, or any game at all. It happens. Or, you find a group that sucks and you have to abandon ship PDQ. Don't worry about it. If you can, get a few friends together and sit down and make characters together. Then, just do an arena of sorts. You can just have the characters fight each other. This will give you a good sense of how combat works. Then you can have them try and make some social rolls to influence each other. Just do a bunch of things that use the very basic rules, but don't try running a game quite yet. Take the time to just experiment with the system and how it works. Because you're still learning the system, you'll need to look things up a lot, so you don't want to bore your players doing it. If everyone is there to just try things, it won't bog things down while you're just fooling around.

Once you've got a decent handle on playing the game, now you need to sit down and start working on figuring out how to run the game. I use GM's screens a lot to keep track of rules I need, but you should make your own notes and charts of rules you use a lot and the ones you have trouble remembering. I also make notes about any rules I'm not comfortable and jot down possible solutions for them. I'll warn you against making changes to rules right now, keep an eye on things and see how they work first. You'll want to know how combat works, how skills and abilities work, and what sorts of things common monsters can do. If you want, you can use my second suggestion above and have people make characters, and then run them against some low level monsters in an arena. You'll get a sense of what to expect when you start the game proper, but you can also do it by yourself.

The reason I suggest all of this is because when you're running the same, you have to keep things moving along. If you're looking up everything when someone wants to do something simple (like slip out of the back of the tavern when the guards enter through the front door), it distracts from the game. Knowing the basics of the rules is important. Don't stress about knowing every spell and ability right off the bat. When you do get your group together, feel free to make a note of what abilities and spells they're taking and look them up together. Go over them together. Then, when you're planning things, you'll have that list and some idea of what they do so you can keep it in mind. Noting the book and page number is important for quick reference. With all of this said, you're going to have to look things up (a lot in the beginning), so don't stress about it too much if you have to look things up. Just try to minimize it as best you can.

Now that you know the basics, you've either played some or fooled around on your own, what do you do? Well, I'd suggest looking up advice on YouTube or on other blogs. You can look up general advice on games or information for the game you're looking to run. Trust me, there's a video about every game out there, even if it's just one. If you're a regular reader here, don't be afraid to ask me questions about the games I've written about. Really, I don't mind...

The last bits of advice I can give you are these:

Start Small:

Not every adventure needs to be some grand epic from day one. There's a reason why people talk about killing rats in the tavern basement. It's a simple adventure for low level and doesn't require a ton of planning to do. You can go hunt kobolds in a cave, run down goblins in the woods, or fight some street thugs outside the church. I strongly believe in the KISS philosophy: Keep It Simple Stupid. As time goes on, you can build to the epics, but don't start that way, especially for your first game. Start them at low level and you'll progress with them.

Don't Be Afraid To Say No:

Early on in my days as a GM, I would allow anything and everything. Which lead to so many headaches. Now, I limit books and say “No” to things that I find unbalanced. Don't be afraid to do the same when you're just getting started. As above, Keep It Simple Stupid. Once you learn the rules and how things work, you can let people branch out more as you'll be better equipped to handle the wrenches they want to throw in your gears.

Expect The Unexpected:

When you're running the game, the players are going to throw you off. It's going to happen. It's a fact of life. Don't try to force the party to do what you want them to do, make them feel like they wanted to do it in the first place. There's tons of what ways to do this, but I think the “All Roads Lead To The Dark Tower” is one of the best. You want the players to go to Evil Tower, right? Well, no matter what direction they go, it leads there. But, they're going to do things you can't prepare for. So, just have a few ideas written down of what else you could do. There's still a chance that they'll avoid those, too. So, just be ready for anything.

Take A Break:

So, the party has gone completely off the rails, haven't they? Told you it would happen. Well, what now? Take a break. Give them 10-15 to go pee, get food, look over the books, etc. While they do that, you frantically scramble to pull something out of your hat and hope for the best. Don't punish them, but roll with what they want to. That's why you take a break. It lets you calm down and think about what to do. It's okay. As much as I emphasized not slowing things down, it's better to give everyone a break if you need it. That way, they don't feel like you're slowing things down. They have a chance to kick back and don't feel like they're waiting on you. Does that make sense?

Write In Sand, Not In Stone:

When you come up with an idea for an adventure, don't make it set in stone. The players will smell it and run the other direction. Okay, it's not that bad, but you get the idea. Your players want to have agency. Give it to them. Or at least the illusion of it. If they don't want to do what you think is fun, do what they think is fun. I bet you'll have fun, too. So, don't come up with a massive, through, completely outlined adventure. Instead, come up with a list of goals and different ways they can reach them. For example, you want the characters to discover that the head of a corporation is up to something dirty, give them several ways to figure that out. Hacking his email, digging through his trash, finding his mistress and questioning her, or putting the squeeze on his assistant, whatever else you can think of. The best way to put it is that adventures don't have right and wrong answers, they're multiple choice.

Don't Be Afraid To Talk To Them:

When my groups are going way down rabbit holes that I don't know if they're ever come back, I stop them and say “Folks, there's nothing here, it's time to look at other options.” Some people don't like this, because they say it ruins the narrative or whatever. I disagree. I get tired of letting them chase their tails around for the better part of two hours because it's not going to go anywhere. Just because there are multiple ways to find information doesn't mean that EVERY answer does. There's also taking the very, very, very long way around. Since they're heading towards a dead end, and no one is going to enjoy that, don't be afraid to take off the GM's hat every once in a while and let them know they're on the path to disappointment or on the road to nowhere.

Well, I hope that helps. If you want me to keep talking about this sort of thing, let me know. If you have something you want me to talk about in this series, feel free to leave a comment below.

Setting Showcase: Slipstream

Name: Slipstream

Produced By: Pinnacle Entertainment Group

System: Savage Worlds

Genre(s): Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, Pulp, Sword & Planet

Commander Cody. Rocky Jones. Captain Tomorrow. John Carter of Mars. Flash Gordon. Barbarella.

You might know some of these names. You might have seen some of their movies. But, the names you're not familiar with are probably from old Serials. “What are those?” I hear you asking. Good question. Back in the old days of motion pictures, the studios would show parts of a long movie before the feature. It was so you would come to the theater each week to say current on your favorite Serial, even if you weren't excited about the movie. And hopefully you've figured out where the name of these came from by now... Before we go too much further, I do have to mention that not all of these were science fiction. Just the best ones.

Most of these old Rocketship Serials were made in the 1930's, but they continued into the 1950's as TV shows. Back when still stuff started, they didn't have a whole lot of information about space and all that. Or the writers just didn't care. And Slipstream embraces that wholeheartedly.

Slipstream is set in the “exit” of a black hole. Yeah, it isn't so much “soft science” as much as it is “squishy science.” In this area of space, there's mostly breathable air, so you don't have to worry about the vacuum of space.

The area is filled with the remnants of worlds consumed by black holes, pieces large enough to hold an atmosphere and some gravity. These worlds are inhabited by a variety of different races, most based on the humanoid form. There's bird men, lion men, weird blue skinned people, and robot men; just to name a few.

These races ply the space lanes in rocket ships, shoot rayguns, and try to make a living. Several of the “Fragments” (the bits of planets) are inhabited, but a few are devoid of intelligent life. While you can play a handful of aliens, there's a ton more out there, like shark men and spider people, but these are suppose to be enemies, not allies.

Speaking of enemies, Slipstream is under the fist of Queen Anathraxa, a beautiful and deadly ruler. Her forces include her Handmaidens, Primals (ape men), and Minions, who are brainwashed human men. Yeah, we're going there. You see, Anathraxa is a cruel queen, but doesn't pay too much attention to the daily lives of her subjects. Her forces travel from fragment to fragment, collecting taxes... And males. Yep. It's like that. They don't let the players know what happens to the men she takes, but given the setting, it's not hard to guess.

There's also a fair amount of pirates, mad scientists, and other bad things running around in Slipstream. There's even a mysterious alien race that the GM can adapt for their own game, as they're left nebulous for that reason. Plenty to explore and adapt for your game. You can choose to deal with minor threats and the like, ignoring the Big Bads of the setting. It's up to you and your group.

All in all, the setting isn't too different from the source materials. The same elements are there, but updated for modern sensibilities (mostly). If you're not familiar with the genre, you might find it a little weird and out there. If you do, I suggest you give it a shot. The old science fiction stuff was a product of its time, but it can still be fun for modern games as it's the same sort of high action and adventure you want to play. Clearly, this game is an action game, not really an intrigue sort of thing. You have an evil overlord, her despicable minions, and a fair amount of freebooters and pirates. Doesn't mean that you can't do it, but you have to get into the spirit of the genre. Think old time pirates, but in spaaaaaace!

The rules, new Edges and Hindrances, are designed to get into the spirit of genre as well. There's one called “I'm With Him” for your weak science types, for one example. These Edges and Hindrances help you get into the mood of the game and make your characters match up. There's a lot of combat and leadership, of course. It really gives you a lot of options for what kind of dashing heroes you're going to play. Because you're going to be playing Big Damn Heroes. That's the genre. 

Now, I'm going to have to talk about the book itself. It's a hardback, which is really nice, and durable. But, there is a minor problem. The information for the inhabitants of the fragments, their stats, is in the player's section of the book. With a note saying that they're not for players. Then, there's a quick overview of each fragment for players, with a little widget to signify what technology level the fragment has. And then there's a much larger section about each fragments... Um, What? Why waste a page in the beginning with the stats for the creatures and races, when you're going to put in a larger section that has most of the information for it? I don't have a problem with the little overview part... If it was where the stats are in the player's section. I know this might seem like a small beef, but as an experienced GM, I do not like having to look at three different parts of a book when I'm in the middle of a game.

Which reminds me of another problem I have with the layout of the book. In the GM's section, there's a ten part campaign for you to run, dropped pretty early on in this part of the book. A series of adventures that has a massive effect on the status quo of the setting. And then they give you a chart, after all of that, which random encounters and other adventure ideas, that either require you to have run the campaign or will be worthless if you already have. Seriously. Some drop hints about Anathraxa's dark secret... Which the players will already know if they finish the campaign. And others will be like “If you saved this person in this part of the campaign, this adventure should happen.” Yeah... Because players always do things the right way...

All of this said, I do like the book and I like this setting. Since this uses Savage Worlds, it makes for a dramatic and dynamic type of game and that really matches the setting. This genre of science fiction has fallen to the wayside and the people behind this setting are clearly fans of it and tried to do right by it. If you're a fan of Serials, you will enjoy this game. If you haven't watched them, I suggest doing so. MST3K did a few of these during their old days and you should be able to watch them that way.

There's also a Player's Guide for the game, which I haven't checked out yet, as well as some more adventures on Pinnacle's website.

Blast From The Past: Army Of Darkness Card Game

Good. Bad. I'm the one with the gun.

If you haven't seen Army Of Darkness, I suggest you stop reading this review and go do that. And slap yourself upside the head for good measure.

Now that everyone has seen this gem, let's talk about it. Sure, Army Of Darkness was a sequel of a remake of the original Evil Dead (it's complicated). It's one of those cult classic movies that everyone seems to have seen. It's a classic. I mean, Duke Nukem stole one of his lines from Ash. One of the quotes in the All Flesh Must Be Eaten core book is from this movie. Eden Studios even snagged the rights to make a RPG (which I sadly do not own but will acquire if I can find it for cheap).

So, I like the movie. I can't even remember how many times I've seen it. It was common to pop it in during parties when I was in high school. My friends and I used to quote it and discuss how things worked, like the chainsaw hand, the Death Coaster, etc. In short, you could say I'm familiar with the movie. That's why, many years ago, I bought the AoD card game when I happened upon it for $20 at my friendly local game store. Because, why not? My friends and I were fans of the movie, we played board and card games, and it would give us something else to play. Sadly, my friends at the time seemed to enjoy dismissing anything I liked out of hand (why the fuck was I friends with these people? Seriously), I never really got the chance to play it much. In fact, the box was destroyed and my copy of the rules were lost. Thankfully, I found a PDF of the rules and printed them out. I also put the cards in sleeves and then put them in a nice sturdy box.

Recently, I had a chance to play this game with my new group of nerds, so let's talk about it, shall we?

The first thing about this game is that it is most definitely a Munchkin clone. You can attack monsters and other players. In fact, it seems to be expected. Okay, yeah, that makes sense...

To make the game a four player game, they had to give you plenty of characters to use. In addition to Ash, there's Sheila, Arthur, and Henry. The cards double sided, so you have “Ash” and “Evil Ash” with the exact same abilities. Since Arthur and Henry really didn't have the “heel/face turn” that Ash and Sheila did, they just have two different pictures of them. The “Good/Bad” mechanic is actually pretty interesting. Since the obvious goal of the game is to get the Necronomicon, there's different goals for Good and Evil. If you're Good, you need to defeat all of the monsters in front of you and have the book. If you're Evil, you need to have at least five monsters in front of you and have the book. Isn't that fun?

When it comes to the cards, there's only a few: Monster, Item, Ally, and Event. Monsters are to be defeated, Items and Allies give bonuses to combat rolls, and Events are anything else. Each turn you can only play one card, so you have to pick what kind of card you want to play very carefully. One other thing is that Items and Allies can be lost when used or if you lose, so you have to be very careful when using them. You can have more than one in play, but can only have one of each face up at any given time. And you really need to have them to defeat most of the monsters. Defeating the Monsters requires rolling a d6 and getting above the required number. They go as high as 8, which is the same required to defeat another player.

Since you can screw over the other players, you can place monsters in front of any other players. The person playing Henry is about to win because he has the Necromonicon and no monsters? Drop a really tough monster right in front of him. The other thing is that your hand size is also your health. Lose your fight against a monster, or another player, and lose a card. Lose your last card and then you flip your character's card. This can make it harder for someone to win, if you keep making them switch between Good and Evil. Remember, it's inspired by Munchkin.

All in all, the game is pretty simple and can be something fun to place for a change of pace. Or in between other games. However, it's not the best. The wording of the rules and the layout of the cards isn't the greatest. While having your card hand be your health is interesting, it's too easy to have people keep attacking you just to keep you down. Of course, I wasn't the biggest fan of Munchkin. I swear that every time I played, some jerk would go out of his way to target me for no real reason.

If you want to pick this up, it's not a bad choice. It is fun. A little confusing, but fun. Just make sure that everyone is on board for some fuckery...