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Masks of Nyarlathotep
Publisher: Chaosium
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/23/2012 23:18:12

Masks is by far one of the most interesting and compelling adventures I have had the pleasure of reading and playing. I don't want to divulge too much of the plot for the sake of those who will still end up playing the game, but I will try to at least mention the high points of this adventure.

Masks presents a strong investigative / pulp adventure vibe, and while it is still the traditional and horrifying jaunt through the Cthulhu Mythos, there's plenty of travel, research and adventuring to satisfy the needs of many a gamer who enjoys the era of play. The presence of so many varied and interesting NPCs each with their own secrets and agendas that can run counter to the players in the most interesting of ways.

Masks is a tightly linked series of adventures that forms an entire campaign, and as such, it requires a lot of dedication from its players. This isn't a beer and pretzels adventure by any stretch of the imagination. Masks requires a lot of attention, care and note-taking to get through, and sometimes even the most careful investigator might end up in over his head.

I would highly recommend Masks of Nyarlathotep as an essential part of an CoC library. The campaign itself is long, and at some parts quite possibly unfair, but for a dedicated team of Investigators, it's all worth it for the memory of being able to take on Nyarlathotep and live to tell about it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Masks of Nyarlathotep
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Cthulhu by Gaslight
Publisher: Chaosium
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/06/2012 02:57:53

I’ve always felt that Call of Cthulhu works best in two possible eras: 1930′s and the 1890′s. Chaosium’s latest edition of Cthulhu by Gaslight is a gem of a setting sourcebook that I feel a lot of publishers could learn from. The detail provided gives a strong and accurate look at a given culture and atmosphere of an era, while injecting enough of the horror and wonder of the CoC brand to make it a must-buy for anyone who likes the era. There’s enough information on this book to make it worth getting even if you’re not running CoC, as it presents reference information that can fuel pretty much any Victorian Era Game as well.

This is an excerpt of a full review. To read the entire review, kindly visit the article on my blog at: http://philgamer.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/review-cthulhu-by-gaslight-3rd-edition/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Cthulhu by Gaslight
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Legend of the Five Rings: Imperial Histories
Publisher: EDGE Studio
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/27/2012 07:17:35

Imperial Histories is another must-buy for the L5R gaming group. The plot hooks are awesome, and all the eras presented are intriguing and present ample opportunity to elevate player characters into heroes.

Those who are looking for new mechanics will find them here, and fans who have been so patiently waiting for details on the Thousand Years of Darkness storyline will finally have the detail they were craving for.

I cannot recommend this book enough to fans of the game. Along with Emerald Empire and Enemies of the Empire, Imperial Histories is a solid addition to the line and manages to enrich the L5R line without coming off as just another attempt to make a quick buck.

This is an excerpt of the full review on my blog. If you'd like to read the entire review, kindly visit: http://philgamer.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/review-legend-of-the-five-rings-imperial-histories/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Legend of the Five Rings: Imperial Histories
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Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Basic Game
Publisher: Margaret Weis Productions
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/21/2012 09:53:26

All in all, The Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game feels like good, clean fun… as long as all of the participants in the game are willing to comply with a shared concept of what is acceptable or not in the context of the game. A lot of things, from the initiative to the character creation, is a cooperative effort, and I can’t help but feel that it takes a certain kind of maturity to really get the most of this game.

The system itself is easy enough to learn given time, but executing the game requires that players know when to lose gracefully, or roll with the punches when their character ends up stressed out or developing a trauma. Comic book fans might not really mind, to be honest, but I fear for those who tend to prefer mechanical supremacy.

That said, this is the first superhero rpg I’ve read in a while that has me interested in getting a few friends together and running something right now. It has all the things I look for in a system: transparency, speed, and flexibility, and with any luck, I can get a game up and running without much trouble and without needing any special software for it.

This is an excerpt from the full review on my blog. If you'd like to see the rest of my review, kindly visit: http://philgamer.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/review-marvel-heroic-roleplaying-game-by-margaret-weis-productions/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Basic Game
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Imperial Mysteries
Publisher: White Wolf
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 01/11/2012 19:38:29

Imperial Mysteries is perhaps one of the best supplements for Mage: the Awakening I have ever read. It makes for the perfect capstone supplement, revealing the nature of the higher states of existence, while keeping enough secrets and challenges to still make it playable. Archmasters are uniquely powerful but still incredibly human characters, making a campaign of this level something that is still compelling as opposed to just being the bully in a sandbox.

My only issue with the book is the fact that most of the artwork was reused from the Corebook or other existing supplements, but that's a minor nitpick. The cover art could have been better, especially after such impressive pieces for Seers of the Throne and The Tome of the Mysteries.

That said, I highly recommend this book to any Mage: the Awakening GM who is interested in the nature of Archmastery, and is looking to get a bigger picture to work with when it comes to the interaction of the Exarchs and Archmasters with the Fallen World. This book isn't just for playing being of this scale, but also offers advice on how they can be used as elements in a chronicle centered on non-archmasters in a way that doesn't feel like they're ST mouthpieces.

This is an excerpt from my full review on my blog. If you'd like to see the full article, kindly visit: http://wp.me/p5H0U-VM



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Imperial Mysteries
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Strange, Dead Love
Publisher: White Wolf
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 12/28/2011 18:42:32

Overall Strange, Dead Love makes perfect sense in the context of the Vampire: the Requiem line, and I feel that many a group would be missing out on a lot if they were to ignore the way that romance subplots fit in a Vampire Chronicle.

While the supplement itself doesn't have a lot in terms of crunch, dealing with a topic like this doesn't need a lot. If anything, the advice in the supplement is vital for people because you can't codify it with a lot of rules to muddy the emotion in the game.

I would recommend Strange, Dead Love to any V:tR Storyteller interested in adding an extra layer of emotional depth to their campaigns, and at a reasonable price.

This is an excerpt from the full review of from my blog. To read the rest, kindly visit: http://philgamer.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/review-strange-dead-love-for-vampire-the-requiem/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Strange, Dead Love
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Mistborn Adventure Game
Publisher: Crafty Games
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 12/18/2011 00:50:26

The Mistborn Adventure Game is by no means a simple game, but the rules themselves aren’t exactly “Crunchy” by definition. Crafty-Games has done an excellent job in making something that’s different from their usual niche yet without losing the same rooted foundations in sensible mechanics that I’ve come to expect from them.

The art is still in the excellent Black and White style of the Fantasy Craft books. There’s not a lot of it though, and some readers who have gotten used to seeing a lot of illustrations may find the book a little bare.

There are a few minor errors in the digital edition such “page XX” references but I believe that these will be corrected shortly.

Overall, the Mistborn Adventure Game is a genuinely pleasant surprise. Crafty Games has proven that they can put together a rules-medium game that remains faithful to its source. Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn setting is a refreshingly unique vision with exotic magics and a unique look and feel that doesn’t come off as trying too hard to be different. I highly recommend this game and I’m looking forward to running a campaign in this setting.

This is an excerpt of my full review from my blog. If you'd like to see the rest, kindly visit: http://philgamer.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/review-mistborn-adventure-game-digital-edition/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Mistborn Adventure Game
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the great review! We appreciate the kind words and attention to detail. :) Those missing page pointers and a few other foibles will be corrected before the book goes to press, and all editions of the game will be updated at the same time. (We had an unfortunate late-game version control issue, and didn’t have the time to go back and pour over every missing tweak before this early edition went out. Our apologies, but we’ll get ‘em fixed.) Thanks again! __ Alex and Pat Crafty Games http://www.crafty-games.com
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The WatchGuard Sourcebook 3e
Publisher: Xion Studios
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/29/2011 06:44:09

The sourcebook is well laid out, matching the visual aesthetic that people have come to expect from M&M products, with vibrant colors and professional-grade character artwork. My only gripe would be the font choice for the body text as the letters feel crammed to tightly together, making it difficult to read for very long.

That said, the book goes into the Summit City setting, with a map, an at-a-glance section, and a fully detailed history. The history is pretty well thought out, taking time to introduce the various names and events that matter to the setting.

The real meat of this sourcebook however, comes from the character bios. Heroes and villains alike are statted out, with each one being given a full treatment discussing their History & Origins and Powers, and a full M&M 3e character sheet to go with it. The character vary in power level, but the average is about PL 10, which is reasonable for many M&M games.

Even if you’re not entirely sold on the WatchGuard setting, each of these characters can be pretty easily lifted and dropped into your own M&M Supers Campaign with very little need to change anything save maybe a few references to the WatchGuard setting in their Bios.

Overall the WatchGuard Sourcebook is a decent addition to an M&M 3e Gm’s arsenal. The character bios alone are helpful in populating a supers campaign, and the scenarios can also be useful for those days when you encounter GM writer’s block.

New GMs or GMs who don’t have the time to put together their own setting may find this product more useful, as it does a lot of world-building from the start, while leaving enough for new additions to be painless.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The WatchGuard Sourcebook 3e
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the detailed commentary and overall very positive thoughts on this first major project of ours! It is truly a labor of love...! I'm curious about the font gripe -- have you tried it on multiple devices and/or using Acrobat or Preview to view it? The text should flow perfectly, and looks stellar, easy to read, on all of my devices (iPad, iPhone, Mac & PC). Curious. I hate losing a point for a program text-flow issue...! :) Still, thank you very much for taking the time to be so detailed in your review. More to come from the WatchGuard Universe soon!!
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Heavy Gear Blitz! Field Manual - Core Rulebook Revised
Publisher: Dream Pod 9
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/28/2011 19:20:17

The Heavy Gear Blitz! Field Manual - Core Rulebook Revised is exactly what it says in the tin. Stripped of setting fluff, the pdf presents an updated set of rules for use with all current and upcoming Heavy Gear Blitz products.

The PDF is clear and easy to read, but does lack bookmarks, something that would improve the usability of the product. That said, the rules themselves are presented very clearly, and the addition of flowcharts to handle some of the more involved mechanics is very helpful, especially to players who are still getting into the Heavy Gear tabletop hobby.

Those who are looking to pick this up should be made aware however that while the book has all the rules, it doesn't contain the army lists. For those, you'll have to pick up Locked and Loaded, or any of the other Army Books.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Heavy Gear Blitz! Field Manual - Core Rulebook Revised
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Stars Without Number: Original Core Edition
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/22/2011 07:36:15

Stars Without Number is perhaps the best old-school inspired sci-fi game I have ever had the joy of reading. The author, Kevin Crawford, clearly knows his stuff, and masterfully conveys the simplicity of old-school mechanics and merges them with the vast and nigh-limitless possibilities of the sci-fi genre.

Normally I’d approach a game like this with no small amount of skepticism. I came into the hobby at the tail end of the old-school rulesets, and the bulk of my gaming knowledge was firmly rooted in the 1995-2000 era. White Wolf and Legend of the Five Rings were staples to me, and while I was tangentially aware of the old school rulesets thanks to the old SSI gold box games and Baldur’s Gate, I’ve never really played them.

That said, I’ve found the rules for Stars Without Number to be fairly light, easy to understand and perhaps with an overabundance of tables. Character creation is simple, my first attempt to make a character with the rules for this review took me less than fifteen minutes, with an extra few minutes when it came to shopping for gear.

The game is class-based, dividing the characters to Warrior, Expert and Psychics, each with their own moderate to strong niche protection. While character generation might feel a bit flimsy to those more used to modern systems, I found the character creation rules of Stars Without Number to be a refreshing change of pace, given that it focuses only on the bare minimum needs, and leaves a lot of the fluff to be something for the Players and GM to agree upon, a practice that I heartily endorse.

The system is also equally simple, and doesn’t break any new ground as far innovation is concerned, but that’s alright. Even if it doesn’t innovate, Stars Without Number makes up for it by being exhaustive. From Psychic Powers to Starship Combat and Mecha, the game has a something from everything.

In fact, over half of the book is dedicated to GM tools in order to generate nearly anything. Worlds, Factions, Religions, Governments and Societies are just the tip of the iceberg. Each of these can be life savers for a GM trying to put together an adventure.

Stars Without Number belongs on a “must-have” list for any gamer. The mechanics are easy to understand, but have a remarkable amount of mileage when it comes to usefulness. The game comes with its own setting, but any GM worth his salt can use the system for just about anything.

New gamers and old hands alike will find something useful in this book, and I personally find that it will be difficult to not recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in running a Sci-Fi campaign.

If you'd like to read more review by me, come visit my blog at: http://philgamer.wordpress.com/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Stars Without Number: Original Core Edition
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The Aegis Project
Publisher: John Wick Presents
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 11/17/2011 22:35:20

Overall, The Aegis Project is a solid game with an interesting setting and a rules-medium approach. There are narrative gaming elements woven in with more traditional systems that make this something of a unique product.

The writing is clear and concise, and I feel that the game does hit all the right notes for a military-esque 80′s mecha game.

It requires input and a measure of proactiveness from the players but I feel that this is a good thing. The Aegis Project is easy enough to learn and can be picked up and run with a few hours of study and is suitable for most groups. The game is fairly self-contained and doesn’t seem to require further supplements to really make it shine.

The artwork is fairly bland but serviceable, but I feel that with additional artists or perhaps colored artwork, the product could be made even more compelling.

You don’t have to be a fan of John Wick’s work to enjoy the game, and even old traditional types like me can get into it.

This is an excerpt from my full review on my blog. if you'd like to read the whole thing, kindly visit: http://wp.me/5H0U



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Aegis Project
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Designers & Dragons
Publisher: Mongoose
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/29/2011 23:39:09

Designers & Dragons is a much needed look at the history of the hobby, tackling the individual histories of the men and women who worked in various companies which have brought countless hours of entertainment to RPG enthusiasts. The book isn't made to be read from cover to cover, but I did find the focus on individual timelines by company to be a fascinating look at what worked, what didn't and what is going on in the industry.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Designers & Dragons
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Tome of the Mysteries
Publisher: White Wolf
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/13/2011 09:32:15

Tome of the Mysteries is an excellent supplement, and could easily count as a requirement to any Mage: the Awakening campaign. The rules are sound, the options open up possibilities to take the game to other directions, and the discussion of Ethics and the nature of Magic are all so well done that they’re essential reading for players and GMs alike. If you were to get only ONE supplement for Mage: the Awakening, make it this one.

This is an excerpt of a full review available in my blog. If you'd like to read it, kindly visit: http://wp.me/p5H0U-4J



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Tome of the Mysteries
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Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster's Guide
Publisher: Green Ronin Publishing
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/05/2011 07:20:25

While not very crunch-heavy, the Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster’s guide is a remarkably comprehensive book that touches all of the facets of GMing superhero games in detail. It’s clear from the writing that the author, loves superhero stories and tries to give every single advantage to his readers in hopes that it will improve their game.

The book goes into remarkable detail about the genre and how to run it, and I can say that even novice GMs will feel much more confident about pitching and running a superhero campaign after reading this book.

I have to say that the book’s usefulness transcends the system, and I would easily recommend this book as additional reading for anyone interested in running a Superhero campaign of their own.

This is an excerpt of a full review on my blog. If you'd like to see the full review, kindly visit: http://wp.me/p5H0U-RO



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster's Guide
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Legend of the Five Rings 4th: The Great Clans
Publisher: EDGE Studio
by Jay S. A. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 09/26/2011 08:55:38

The Great Clans is a book without an ounce of fat. Every bit of fluff serves to further insight to the clan, and the accompanying mechanics gives ways for players to further customize their characters without resorting to having to pick up stuff from other Clans just to be unique. The writing is clear, informative and displays the love and dedication of the authors to a setting that they are eager to share to the reader. As with all of L5R's 4th Edition books, The Great Clans is also a work of art, featuring beautiful artwork, clear layouts and font choices that aren't a pain to read. GMs and Players alike will find a ton of things that can enrich their campaigns, and Alderac continues their winning streak with the 4th Edition of Legend of the Five Rings as the best edition in the history of the L5R RPG.

This is an excerpt of my full review from my blog. If you'd like to read the entire review, kindly visit: http://wp.me/p5H0U-Rr



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Legend of the Five Rings 4th: The Great Clans
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