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Showing posts from August, 2008

Albion's Ransom

Finally read through Albion's Ransom and was disappointed to find that a decent police procedural runs out of steam and has no real conclusion. It almost says "Find out what happens in Part Two!". It is also too full of the author giving us personal details, I don't care whether he's a pagan or not. I don't need to know credentials to know that the detail of the pagan rituals and ornaments is far too trainspottery and the history is through the lens of fantasy. The scenario is strongest when dealing with the trivia of a missing person investigation and actually I want to play that part of the game. Everything else is just tired and totally within the comfort zone of any White Wolf scenario published in the last decade.

Bliss: Ignition Stage

Finishing Solipsists has made me want to read all the other indie games I have piled up in the unread section. The first one to grab my attention is Bliss Stage . It's a pretty unusual premise, an alien invasion sends all adults to sleep and then their robot servants invade the earth through dreams and begin a warm of extermination. PCs are a ragtag group of children struggling to survive the apocalypse and strike back via stolen alien technology. I kind of like the way the players construct the premise of the game (something we've been doing with Burning Islands ) and setting up how they exist as a group and how they have managed to strike back at the invaders. At the moment the interjections from the personas are not working for me. For example there is one interjection that the Bliss GM is there to bring about consensus not to rule things in and out of bounds. It's a good point but it is one worth making explictly.

Hunter: The Vigil Quickstart Rules

I'm having a look at the Quickstart rules that were being given out round about free RPG day. I was thinking of buying a copy but I am now starting to think again as I can't help but think that the investigation stuff is handled a lot better in the Gumshoe system games.

Stunning Eldritch Tales

Currently reading this pulp inspired collection of adventures by Robin Laws and loving it. I am disappointed that he has managed to write the "right" Lost scenario that I have been struggling to do for a while. In fact probably the only problem so far is that all the scenarios are pastiches. Trail of Cthulhu should also get some straight ahead horror scenarios.