And now, for something totally gamist and mindless...

[Bankuei]

This weekend, I tried out a new homebrew I pulled off the web.  I tried out the Zodiac rpg, which you can find at: http://www14.brinkster.com/zodiacrpg/

This system is designed to emulate the Final Fantasy series of videogames in feel and style, and it does it well.  This game does for me what D&D should've done and it fufills the mini-munchkin in me and gamist to their hearts' delight.  The entire system is about combat, in fact, the only resolution mechanics are the combat mechanics, and the skills rules are optional.

My entire group and I, having all been bitten by the electronic crack known as Final Fantasy 10 were in the mood for this.  What had started out to be a 4 hour session, turned into a "only in the days of highschool" 8 hour marathon session...without stopping to joke around, or eat(with three high metabolism folks all together...).  

The system itself runs quickly, with most combats resolved in 5 to 10 minutes, and of course, boss fights lasting 20 - 30 minutes.   The major portion of our time got devoured in the multiple level-up sessions, as players agonized over what technique/spell to build next(yaay for level 1-19 in one sitting!).

Zodiac doesn't give you any pregen monsters or items, but instead rules for making your own, so players had a field day with that("I've got 'Mutated Bio-Armor', yaaay!", "My blessed prayer beads act as a Guard, deflecting attacks with mystic energy", etc).  Likewise, there is no pregen abilities/spells, so you build them with a system not unlike the Mekton Z construction rules(with less math).

Since actual concept is "divorced" from the game stats, our heroes included a mystic warrior, whose attacks stunned the enemies by causing nightmarish flashbacks of regret, and a summoner who seeks out all the "forgotten and lost" summons(usually the dark and twisted ones), with spells such as "Oubliette" and "Shib-Na-Gurauth" with appropriately Lovecraftian effects.  

The only thing to watch out for is that the math in the game can get crunchy.  Still, it was easier for me to deal with than trying to remember the Attack of Opportunity rules for D&D.  It didn't take long for players to get the math down tho, and we were running pretty fast.

All in all, I can say we had a great time, and will probably make a 3 session mini-arc of this.  

Chris

P.S. As a quick side note, this game has put the nail in the coffin of converting me to the rule of "Reward Now!" like Ron says, "Story Now!".  Between the Pool, ROS, and Scattershot, I'm now all about seeing immediate rewards and benefits rather than "experience/reward at end of session".