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For those who want to introduce black-powder firearms into a fantasy world, this is a well-crafted set of notes covering the Shootist character class and general rules for the use of firearms under the Labyrinth Lord ruleset.
The Shootist is treated as the firearms equivalent of a master swordsman, a combatant who focusses on mastery of but a single weapon - in this case the rather tempramental black-powder pistol or rifle (?Rifle... I think they really mean musket, given both the rules and the illustrations).
The claim is made that few people will understand the workings or use of these unreliable devices, which have a base 1 in 20 chance of exploding every time you fire one. At times I'm not quite sure how much the author understands of the workings of these early weapons, at times the text appears to be talking about matchlocks and then a stray cap wanders in. Overall, though, the general flavour is there, although it would be worth taking a moment to survey the early history of firearms and select the point that you wish technology to have reached in your game.
The final illustration shows a 17th century musketeer and, although he's a bit later than the general run of 'mediaeval' style technology prevalent in fantasy worlds, it's probably about the right level if you want firearms to play any meaningful role in your world. To fire one of them, you have to load it with a ball, black powder and wadding, ram this lot home with a ramrod, put a little fine powder in the pan and then ignite that to fire off the main charge within the barrel. Oh, and do remember to take the ramrod out! It's most distracting to fire it across the battlefield, and far less accurate than a musketball. The rules mechanics presented will accommodate this quite well, although it is only the very well-trained musketeer who can reload in a single round especially when in the middle of combat.
Good flavour of early firearms use with perhaps the need for a little informed fine-tuning to make it perfect.
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An interesting additional character class, the Star Ambassador is a mix of Jedi-style mental powers, diplomat with attitude, peacekeeper and Ship's Counsellor... each trainee is encouraged to develop whichever aspect of the role most appeals to them. All Star Abassadors have psychic abilities, whatever other talents they bring to the table.
There are three sub-classes that enable this in terms of game mechanics: the protector, the empath and the pilot. Protectors defend the crews they travel with and other members of the Confederation, by force if necessary. Empaths are more traditional ambassadors, using their psychic abilities and the Contact skill to influence everyone that they meet as they travel the space lanes. Pilots calm and unify the crews they serve with, giving them a bonus in ship-to-ship combat.
A useful class to have around if your game involves more than racing around the galaxy brawling with other life-forms!
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This book is only a buck and it is very simple. But don't let "Simple" translate into "not worth it". This book is filled with ideas for all the Basic/LL core classes. They are billed as professions, but if you are familiar with the old 2nd Ed "Kits" then these are very similar.
There are 6 per class and all provide some background, history and some mechanical bonus for the character. There is no balance issue from what I can see if everyone in the game opts for one or if there is some sort of DM-enforced obligation attached. For example the Exorcist Cleric should be obligated to investigate any claim of possession he/she hears. The other Professions can work the same way.
These are set out as flavor, but I think in the right hands these can really brighten up what would be an ordinary game into something very interesting.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Thank you for your kind review, Mr. Brannan. |
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In many ways the Bounty Hunter (class) is a better class for "Basic" Era Games than the Assassin is. The Assassin has a history in the "Advanced" Era and it has it's place, but a game aimed at simpler rules might not be it. That is why the Bounty Hunter (this book) is a good choice for Labyrinth Lord or any other Basic-era compatible game.
Like all the books from Barrel Rider Games this book presents a class, reasons why it can be used, and the associated skills and tables. The Bounty Hunter (class) then is part thief, part assassin and part tracker/ranger. Honestly it might well be the best of all the BRG classes.
Also, though, like the other classes, this one is missing some key information. Namely this book is missing the saving throw tables and to hit tables for the Bounty Hunter. I would suggest using the thief tables in both cases.
Other than that, this is a solid class.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Thanks as for your always even-handed review, Mr. Brannan. Your insights have been used to improve this product! |
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Barrel Rider Games (and I will admit I love this name) is in the biz (so far) of producing a new class for a buck. Not a bad biz to be in really. There is always a new class that can be made, there is demand and people will part with a dollar pretty easy.
The newest class I picked up is the Undead Slayer. I love undead and all the classes and trappings that go around them; so slayers and necromancers are great in my book.
This class is a very specialized one, against other monsters it has the fighting prowess of the a thief (which isn't bad), but it shines against Undead. I felt the powers it received were fine, I think I would have started them at lower levels to be honest. The feel of this class is akin to the ranger. It has some sneaking ability, some magic and bonuses to fight undead.
If the Cleric is modeled off of the Hammer-era Van Helsing, then this class is more along the lines of a Captain Kronos.
The class might be a little under powered in some respects to be honest. But that is only a read-through and the proof would be in the playing. For example it does have some thief abilities that would aid a party in non-undead adventures.
In earlier reviews of products from Barrel Rider Game I mentioned that I didn't see the Labyrinth Lord Compatibility License. That was an error. It is very clear on the same page as the OGL. This book has it.
I also mentioned that in some of the other classes that I could not find the to-hit and saving throw progression for the classes. I also could not find it in this one. There is only about a page and half of text and about a page of tables. I am sure I would have seen it. I suspect that the undead slayer uses the Clerical to hit and saving throw tables.
I would like to try this class out sometime. I think it would work well in the right kind of adventure. Care though needs to be given that it does not interfere with the cleric's role of hunter of the dead.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Timothy - Thanks for your purchase and for catching that formatting error regarding Attack Values and Saving Throws. This has since been corrected! |
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Again, I don't expect a lot for a buck. Barrel Rider Games though gives you a whole class for a buck.
This one is a bout Dragons as a class/race. Not Dragonborn or Dragonfolk, but full blown dragons.
Now my first thought is these characters could be unwieldy in a group of adventurers or even overpowered. That is best left to the Labyrinth Lord to decide really.
The book is five pages: Cover, 2 pages for the class, and 2 pages for the OGL.
This one does have the Labyrinth Lord compatibility notice.
There seems to be a bit missing though.
For starters there is no "To Hit AC" tables for the Dragon. Nor are there any Saving Throw tables.
Kind of need these in order to play the character.
I would have liked have seen a little on how to play this character class and what motivates them to adventure.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Mr. Brannan,
Thank you for your even-handed, honest review! I'd like to address some of your concerns and continue to receive honest reviews so that Barrel Rider Games can produce even better quality products. The Dragon's description specifically states that it uses the Attack Value and Saving Throws of a fighter. This is done to actually reduce page count, reduce redundancy and keep page count down.
When it comes to the power-level of the class, I have to admit that I hemmed and hauled over even publishing this for use with Labyrinth Lord. In the end, your state of leaving it up to the Labyrinth Lord was exactly what I had in mind. I also attempted to limit power by making it a class with fewer levels than Magic-Users or Fighters, to help keep Saving Throws and Attack Values down to compensate for their collection of powers.
I thank you again for your honest review and would love for your further input on future Barrel Rider Games products! I will take your concerns and points to mind when developing future BRG products. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
James M. Spahn |
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I don't expect a lot for a buck. Can't buy a bottle of Mt. Dew or a cup of coffee for a buck anymore. But you can buy a class.
This is the classic "1st Edition" class for Labyrinth Lord, but should be compatible with any number of other Old School RPGs.
You get a cover page (oddly formatted, but hey), fours pages of the class and the OGL statement.
The class has what you would expect, tables for advancement and assassinations. Also there is a bit on the use of poisons.
There are, unfortunely a few things missing.
In the missing must haves there is no saving throw advancement tables and no to hit advancement tables.
In the missing like to haves there is nothing on new weapons unique to the assassin. Nothing for example about the garrote, the time honored classic of all assassin weapons. This is almost a missing "must have" to be honest.
Also in there is no Labyrinth Lord compatibly license statement. I am not sure if it needs one, but I could have sworn that there should have been one.
So it has a lot of potential, but the publisher really needs to fix these omissions.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Mr. Brannan,
Thanks again for your well-thought, professional, honest review. As with the Dragon class you reviewed, both attack values and saves are referred in the class description as using the values featured in the Labyrinth Lore core book in order to reduce redundancy and keep the page count low. Labyrinth Lord compatibility is shown through the image on the cover of the book, just below the BRG logo.
As far as the garrote, that's a great idea! I can't believe the thought to include that slipped my mind! I'll be sure to go back in later and update this product to include this weapon. I thought poison was the "iconic" weapon of the assassin as poison, but your review is an example of how honest, even-handed feedback can help me improve the quality of my products! Please, keep the reviews coming, they really help make BRG fast, fun and free-spirited for all my Labyrinth Lord customers!
Sincerely,
James M. Spahn |
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I was especially excited to play in my first Labyrinth Lord game. When I looked over the basic classes, I was saddened to see that there just wasn't a class that would allow me to crush my enemies the way I wanted. Sure, with a paladin or a fighter I could see them driven before me but those classes rarely allowed for hearing the lamentation of the women. Thanks to this supplement, I can finally crush my enemies, see them driven before me, AND hear the lamentation of the women. Now I can finally solve the riddle of steel. THANKS BARREL RIDER GAMES!
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The simplicity of this product is what I appreciated, and it's free - so what's to lose?
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The PDF is 4 pages. One page cover art, one page with the three fighting styles, and finally two pages of legalese.
The actual mechanics could be written in one line; 'Pick either +1 defense, +1 damage or +1 to hit'.
While I appreciate the author's willingness to share, this is a bit on the thin side to be interesting.
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by Erin J. [Verified Purchaser]
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Date Added: 03/25/2012 12:54:58 |
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Loved it! It's going to take me a while to get through this book and incorporate it into the RPG lifestyle. It would be great to read and incorporate the rest of the series into my games.
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