Interesting lookng game

[Morfedel]

Interesting looking game.

I read the reviews of the game on RPG.Net, and looked over the starting pdf; it looked like a rules-light system with what little I saw, but then the reviews says its a rules heavy system. So, my impression is wrong, I imagine.

I like the looks of the mechanics, at least at its basic level. Also, I am very interested in the lifepath system; while I suspect that I'd head in other directions as far as running a game mechanic, I might well pick up the system just to adapt the life path; in fact, truth be told, I have been playing around with an rpg idea, and at least on a conceptual level it looks like you stole from me! :P

Anyway. Thought I'd poke my head in and post about it. Is your game on gamestore shelves, or order from the company only?

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

While we wait for Luke, I'll chime in about the lifepaths ...

Luke, you're familiar with Traveller, right? The game which invented the lifepath method of character creation. How about Cyberpunk and Mutant Chronicles?

Best,
Ron

[Valamir]

Rules light, Rules heavy...doesn't really mean much unless you know what the favorite system is of the person using the term...i.e. relative to what.

BW is a die pool system, a pretty straight forward one with some interesting twists.  Unlike other die pool systems where the TN is set by "difficulty" or by Skill Level (like TROS), its set by level of supernatural power.  So a normal joe with a mundane ability in Weaving is rolling against a Target Number of 4.  The Goddess of Weaving, however, also has the Weaving skill but at a divine level, so she might be rolling the same number of dice, but her TN is only a 2.

Like TROS it has a combat system that operates differently from the regular skill rolls.  Its also one that relies on alot of different moves and combinations though it attacks them from a slightly different direction.  The unusual thing is that combat moves are preplotted completely blind and then performed in the order they were scripted.  I don't quite "get it" from the perspective of being able to visualize how it works in practice, but I look forward to trying it.

All in all I'd put it at about the same rules density as TROS, so heavy or light depending on how you'd categorize Riddle.

[Luke]

Luke, you're familiar with Traveller, right? The game which invented the lifepath method of character creation. How about Cyberpunk and Mutant Chronicles?

Never played Traveller. Saw a rulebook ONCE, I think. Maybe.  Seriously, I have heard a ton about this game, but I know absolutely nothing about it.

Cyberpunk. Read the old paperback rules. I think I still have them. I loved them, but they were unplayable. Definitely inspiring, though. Lifepaths were randomly generated from what I remember. This drove me to fits.  That's about as much a lifepath system as Marvel Superheroes' random power generator (which I adore, btw). Also, Warhammer Fantasy RPG was a big inspiration. Loved the idea of their careers. Hated the execution. All bets should be off when in game! It was too cookie cutter/level/class stuff for me. So I guess I lifted bits from Cyberpunk (especially Steel. Cool was the best stat since Intuition in MSH).  And homaged WHF RPG.

What's Mutant Chronicles?

All in all I'd put it at about the same rules density as TROS, so heavy or light depending on how you'd categorize Riddle.

Not my initial assessment of my game, but I will take being measured up to The Riddle of Steel any day!

It's funny, TROS, while an amazing game, makes me woozy when I think about playing it. It is soooo much a matter of taste and preference.

Rules light, Rules heavy...doesn't really mean much unless you know what the favorite system is of the person using the term...i.e. relative to what.

Yah, agreed. Let me see if I can shed some light on my heavy-light factor.
I think the BW system is pretty straight forward: Roll some dice, did they meet the magic number? Then you win.
What I tried to do in all the attendant sub-systems was create a feel for what was going on through the rolls of the dice and what game rules were in effect. Especially the enforcement of TIME. A very "simulationist" attitude, I know. But I also know that I get really bored when a mechanic/roll is supposed to represent something new or different, but you are really just making the same roll in the same way over and over again. So I try to spice it up a bit, without getting too crazy. This is not MERP/Rolemaster! But it ain't MSH, either.

Speaking of which. I have just done a revis of the Artha system...and... it is more complex! Yay! More rules. Don't worry, it's completely optional. However, to balance that weight, I have also cooked up a simple/quick resolution combat system that I adore. And it scales rather nicely up into small "gang" fights. Think Yojimbo.

I'll post 'em here if you're interested.

-L

[Luke]

Anyway. Thought I'd poke my head in and post about it. Is your game on gamestore shelves, or order from the company only?

You can order the game from me here.

or you can pop on over to rpgmall. We're on the hotsellers list!

thanks for your interest, btw.

-L

[Bankuei]

Hi Luke,

Just got my copy today, did a brief run through and wrote up a character.

My observations-

Rules-
Simple, but crunchy.  The books are complete, thorough, and a bit intimidating(to me), but then again, I'm a fan of rules that can be summarized in a single page sorta guy.

I really dig the Fork rules, and the various HK movie/comic references.  The refusal to rate artistic endeavors is also funny.

The Combat rules seem really interesting, and from both a martial arts and gamer(gamist as well) view point, I dig the various strategies that go down.  The damage rules kinda scare me though, but hey, I'll have to see them in play to see how they run.

I really dig the culture neutrality of the rules, which means if I want to play Marmaluk raiders against the Crusaders, Egyptians vs. the Hykos, or a tale of a Chinese warrior-scholar, I don't have to add extra rules.  Cool.

The Lifepaths totally make sense to me, and work a lot better than the Cyberpunk or Warhammer ones, and they also allow you to really describe your character's life while doing so.  I also dig the "no restriction" on how you make your character(old, young, etc.).

Um, other than that, excellent presentation.  Nice layout, no typos I've seen yet, so it looks really professional.  The artwork is pretty cool too.  

Chris

[Ben Miller]

Hi.

I'm interesting in getting hold of a copy, but I looked on rpgmall and they want to charge me $25 for delivery!

Anyone know of a retailer in the UK?

Ben

[Luke]

Hi Ben,

No retailers in the UK, unfortunately.

I can ship it to you Airmail for $13 USD. If you want registered airmail, that's $20 for shipping.

So $27 or $35 USD. Paypal is the best method for payment.

thanks for your interest!
-Luke

[rafial]

Like TROS it has a combat system that operates differently from the regular skill rolls.

Just a quibble, BW combat is in my experience just an extension of the regular skill roll mechanics.  But other than that, Valamir's description of it is quite fair.