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Yet another delve into the OSR.
This one is good (and free).
Some of the artwork reminds me of the old Fighting Fantasy & Lone Wolf books.
The currency is silver pieces, not the usual copper, gold, platinum, etc, of other fantasy RPGs.
The download includes 2 character sheets (one fillable, the other ordinary).
Also includes 10 pre-made characters.
This is definitely worth downloading.
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interesting looking game i can't wait to see the finial product
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Even though it's a beta playtest version, it's very playable and presents a framework for numerous challenging adventures. The quality is that of a final product, pleasant to read, clear, structured, with just the right depth. The book is rich with gentle touches that you won't notice but will miss in many other small products.
I never played Original D&D and so can't compare the game to OD&D or verify their compatibility, but I see many attractive differences from other old-school games. One major benefit is selection of races and classes - not the vanilla human-dwarf-elf, but ten races from both sides of the usual moral scale; as for classes, there are also ten, including such picks as cultist and knight (inspired by Medieval more so than pop culture). Races and classes are written to really act their concept: for example, the knight lowers foe's morale rolls; the elf can't be surprised in forest setting; and the cultist perceives others' willpower, which is useful for interactions and combat. All the different things classes and races can do is a rich source for adventure ideas. When you have lizardmen who are great swimmers, you can have flooded dungeons. When you have knaves and robbers with black market connections, you can have black market.
The game gently stirs the game onto treasure-hunting, problem-solving, dungeon-raiding track. There's no focus on Good vs. Evil: "evil" races are not really different when your goal is surviving the dungeon. A wild random encounter with said races doesn't have to lead to bloodshed - with luck it can lead to a retainer contract. There is a solid framework for non-combat interactions and dealing with various hazards, and the combat itself is simple enough without exotic abstractions. The setting is technologically primitive, with no high-level NPCs and grand cities to take time from basic adventures. With a hint of forgotten apocalypse, it provides great potential for glory and treasure.
All and all, I think this game really deserves some glory among retro-bunch.
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Novarium is first off one of the most beautifully put together games than I have enountered in a long time. While this is superficial and largely unimportant it is worth mentioning up front. The art is amazing and the layout is eazy to read even on a computer screen.
It is the simple, elegant rules system that is both easy to learn and easy to follow. This is both a major strength and a minor weakness. It makes play easy and keeps things from bogging down in overly complex rules. On the other hand the system feels almost limited by that as well. There are no really complex combat maneuver rules presented in the rules. This leaves a lot of interperation up to the GM as far as what difficulty dice something should use.
The world is well put together. The design elements are solid and while the history could be epounded on a little more it's really not, especially for a free product, all that much of a detraction. In a sense it also helps with the dark ages feel of the world. The culture and religion are well documented and color the enite volume well which only serves to make the setting far more interesting.
The simple, class based character creation system is the only major detraction from the system. It is definately limiting in what a character is. There are only a handful of choices and only limited options to really customize the character. On one hand this forces the player to really role-play to make their character's unique and vital but for some players this is a major detraction, especially those who prefer dice mechanics to player interaction. On the other hand however, it does serve to reinforce the world rather well. The culture in the setting is very good about pidgeon holeing its citizens so the limited class options make sense in that respect, still a few more options would be nice.
Overall, it is a well put together system and an interesting read that is more than worth the price of admission. It's a rules-light system with an engaging and interesting world. Download Novarium and enjoy.
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This game is a great example of why independent developers are such a critical piece of the RPG ecosystem. The rule system is simple, easy to use and modify if desired. The setting is unique and extremely well tied together, providing both depth and breadth to play in. Characters can span concepts from jedi-style to small town gunslinger sheriff to a Taoist wardroid. Their campaign spanned events that call on stories ranging from Nausicaa to Serenity to Mad Max.
Best post-apoc sci-fi setting I've played, bar none. So good you'll feel guilty getting it for free.
Why is there not more of this?
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This is an incredible product. Image the best made core and world rulebook made by the industry giants... you know the two of them. Now, imagine its been simplified down to a flexible system.... and it is FREEEEEE. Beautiful artwork, wonderful mechanics, lots of background covered. I have to say, I downloaded both of Chubby Funster's free books... and was thoroughly impressed. For free products, these are very high quality and have lots of wonderfully evocative multicolor art from multiple artists. If this is any indication of the quality of Chubby Funster's work, I cant wait to see the other 5 products he has to offer that might actually cost a few dollars.
Just so you know, if this sounds too friendly, Ive never met or heard of Chubby Funster before today. I came across his free products, downloaded them, and became an instant fan. Please, give these products a chance, you will be glad that you did. I was in the middle of a MMORPG, when I got sucked up on this from my laptop. My character literally stood in the corner while I read this stuff... like some insolent child. Not since I downloaded C.J. whatshisnames Witchcraft have I been so entranced by a product.. and that was gritty black and white.
This review covers both of his free works, which I just downloaded and perused, Cascade Failure and Novarium. Ones an alternative to a good medival setting with a nice, simplistic system. The other is kind of a d20 post apocalyptic space opera... I know, just sounds intriguing. Check out both of them, did you notice they are both FREEEEE, and then give Chuggy Funster's products a try. I know thats where Im going after posting these two reviews up.
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This is an incredible product. Image the best made core and world rulebook made by the industry giants... you know the two of them. Now, imagine its been simplified down to a flexible system.... and it is FREEEEEE. Beautiful artwork, wonderful mechanics, lots of background covered. I have to say, I downloaded both of Chubby Funster's free books... and was thoroughly impressed. For free products, these are very high quality and have lots of wonderfully evocative multicolor art from multiple artists. If this is any indication of the quality of Chubby Funster's work, I cant wait to see the other 5 products he has to offer that might actually cost a few dollars.
Just so you know, if this sounds too friendly, Ive never met or heard of Chubby Funster before today. I came across his free products, downloaded them, and became an instant fan. Please, give these products a chance, you will be glad that you did. I was in the middle of a MMORPG, when I got sucked up on this from my laptop. My character literally stood in the corner while I read this stuff... like some insolent child. Not since I downloaded C.J. whatshisnames Witchcraft have I been so entranced by a product.. and that was gritty black and white.
This review covers both of his free works, which I just downloaded and perused, Cascade Failure and Novarium. Ones an alternative to a good medival setting with a nice, simplistic system. The other is kind of a d20 post apocalyptic space opera... I know, just sounds intriguing. Check out both of them, did you notice they are both FREEEEE, and then give Chuggy Funster's products a try. I know thats where Im going after posting these two reviews up.
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This product contains over 20 high resolution map images depicting a few gorgeous islands. The maps include the full-size islands in both jpg and png formats, as well as smaller "chunks" of the islands that make up the whole, all in both jpg and png formats. Included also are 11 icons that can be used to mark the map in GIMP or photoshop or some other image manipulation software of your choice. Overall I think the package is worth the price. The images are crisp, the geography is excellent, and the details are vivid. What's more, the artist generously allows the map to be used in commercial products with proper credit given. Sounds like a great deal to me. Of note, the zip file is around 105 megabytes in size, but I'm sure most folks have a connection robust enough to handle it. The individual files vary in size, with the jpg files being around 1.5 to 2 megabytes (the full map is 17 mb in jpg) and twice that in png.
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The system seems very familiar.
The most interesting thing is that you to earn tech points. A like i instead of a leveling system. It makes the phrase knowledge is power so true. That being said it demands quite a lot of the GM since he proberly will be getting the workload of keeping track of it all. (but it is still nice the players can keep track of the know-how on the . Still I knew one mechanic, and that is jumping (I may have missed it).
Nice idea for a campaign in the future wasteland, but I am not seeing the one-shot scenario in it.
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Fantastic product, with great depth and a very interesting setting and character creation system.
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The embedded links in the pictures and such killed it, sadly. Other than that, not bad.
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The game Cascade Failure has a very well written PDF manual along with beautiful images. Although I still haven't had the time to study it thoroughly, as much as I have read it has persuaded me to consider reading the rest of it as my first priority.
If you are looking for a worth playing game, I definitely recommend Cascade Failure to you. Last but not least, I am in contact with the creator of this game, Mr. Greg Christopher, on Google+ and find him a very good man apart from a brilliant game designer. In case you are interested, you can find him at https://plus.google.com/105771712753508502148/about.
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Leave it to Greg (aka Chubby Funster) to gift us with another free RPG. This time he gives us Novarium. It has it roots as a re-imaginating of sorts of Ars Magica, but with the Chubby Funster twist.
Players have their primary PC, and a secondary PC to use when their main is otherwise occupied off stage. This allows for the world to grow and time to progress. The last game I played that had multiple characters for the PCs stable was Dark Sun in it's first incarnation. I feel old now ;)
Production quality is, once again, what every professional should hope to release upon the public. It's made for ease of reading on computer screen or tablet. Fully bookmarked. Amazing art. Very well done.
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(review originally posted at tenkarstavern.com)
I love it when Greg - I mean the Chubby Funster Guy, puts out a new game, or releases an update to a new one. They are always well put together and full of amazingly evocative art. The RPG systems he designs are no slouches either.
Cascade Failure is his first RPG system to be distributed via RPGNow. It's a post apocalyptic sic fi setting build upon the OGL. If you are familiar with any of the OSR games out there, the basic similarities should ground you pretty well.
It's a 95 page PDF optimized for tablet and on screen reading. It is extensively bookmarked. There isn't an included adventure and the setting could use some fleshing out. Hmm, maybe the Funster can put out a setting book for this... hint hint ;)
You really can't go wrong by grabbing yourself a copy. It's free, yet better produced then most of the gaming products that put major dents in your wallet.
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I'll put my own comments in brackets. There are a lot of pretty graphics, but it ends up being a mash of ideas that don't follow through. For example, there are Mechs! And that's about it. They count as a generic vehicle you strap into and fire weapons using Dexterity. Presumably it's the same for a tramp freighter or a starfighter or anything else.
p.2 Dedication: "Julian Assange... Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, and John Stewart for speaking truth to power at a time when it is needed most." [For a first time author, what possessed you to throw politics into a dedication??]
p.2 Dedication: "Victor David Hanson" is supposed to be Victor DaviS Hanson. [If I read this *Dedication* typo in a store, I'd put the book down and assume it was an unedited mess.]
p.14 Liperato race: "They are extremely violent and self-interested... Even now, the young are still abandoned by individuals and cared for by the state." [This is in the same paragraph.] "Corruption is minimal due to high vigilance on the part of all public officials to ensure that nobody else is doing better than they are." [This is in the next paragraph. So these guys are an incredibly violent, self-interested species that would never cheat to get ahead? Besides the contradiction, I have no plot hooks here.]
p.34 This product seemingly is based on d20, but then it makes this change of direction where you have to roll UNDER a target number for success. In the Example, "Kuchit is trying to jump across a chasm... he makes a Strength test at a +2 bonus for sprinting. He has a Strength of 10, so with the +2 bonus he needs to roll a 12 or less to make the jump. He rolls a d20 and gets a 19. Rather than fall, he lowers his luck from 9 to 8 and adds 9 points to his 12 bringing his total up to 21. The 19 rolled is now beneath his total. He barely makes the jump and escapes a tragic death."
[In Combat, your opponent's AC is subtracted from your Attribute that's being used to attack them. We're bringing THAC0 back.]
p. 36 Crippled and Severed Limbs: "A wound that deals more than 5 points of temporary attribute damage to a limb will cripple that limb. A wound that deals more than 7 points of temporary attribute damage to a limb will sever it completely... Since this only applies to limbs, any amount of Constitution damage [e.g. against the torso] is never crippling or severing." [So I can't eviscerate anyone if I score a Chest/Stomach/Back hit?] "However, if this occurs with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma [e.g. Head/Ears/Face] damage, then crippling results in a coma (until restored) and severing will result in decapitation." [No eviscerations, but I can cut faces off?]
p. 45 Flame Throwers: If the operator of this weapon is damaged in *any* way, there is a 1-in-6 chance that the stored fuel will ignite and explode. [My fist is an ignition source? Or stepping on a bear trap in these low-tech, post anarchy times?]
p. 45 Stun Grenade: Anyone within the full damage radius [10 meter RADIUS?] is completely deafened and blinded, *with no chance for a save*, for 5 minutes. [So during the Great War, everyone must have been throwing these around versus Frag grenades. It's also $75 versus a High Explosive Rocket for $40. Why are high explosives so cheap?]
p. 50 Encumbrance: The most weight that any character can carry and still move is equal to three times their Strength in kilograms... Therefore an average person can carry about 10 kg without getting tired and a maximum of 30 kg (66 lbs) before they *cannot move*.
p. 51 Time: "In the wake of the collapse, exact timekeeping can be extraordinarily difficult... You might tell a friend that you will meet them on planet Lumbe next Thursday at noon. If they even show up on the right day, you might consider yourself lucky." [This may be a fluff paragraph, but you don't perform any sort of stellar navigation without a good grasp of time.]
p. 53 Drugs: "The likelihood that the user will become addicted to the drug is represented by an addiction factor. This is a dice that is rolled per dose of the drug consumed with the user becoming addicted if they roll a 1." [In the Example, Lirapto Pale Ale is 1d10. So I have a 10% of being *addicted* to pale ale on my first drink? Why would any group ever go into a bar?]
p. 73 Vehicle Combat: It's the same as melee combat. Roll under your attribute number then apply damage. But you get to say "I'm in a Mech" on occasion... except I don't see a price list for vehicles. CAN I almost buy a ship for $10,000?
p. 83 The Lost Fleet: This is a Faction, described as an abandoned fleet of warships that nobody is claiming except for a small group of survivalists. And that's it. It's a Faction that doesn't do anything except keep to itself... with enough firepower to level a planet.
p. 86 Gifts: Also known as "Feats." Why bother renaming it?
p. 94 Starmap: There is no scale.
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