OBAM: First Impressions

[Jake Norwood]

Okay, so the book is out. Now's the part where Brian and I hold our breath and say "Whaddyathink?"

So, what do you think?

Jake

[Lebo77]

Hef are nasty.  Even more nasty then before.  Great-Ape HEF? Yeah, a product of a twisted mind.  


Yours.

:-)

Actualy, so far it looks great.

[Sir Mathodius Black]

THIS THING IS A STINKING PIECE OF......!!!


No actually this is really great I like it alot!!!!!!

Good work and Kudos to everyone who made this!!!

Thanks,
SMB

[Shadeling]

It is definitely a slick product. I think the layout is nice, the art is very good, as well as the creature entries. The creature hit tables are especially useful. My only gripe is the text in some areas seems fuzzier if you know what I mean. But that is just a small complaint. Overall an A product.

[Jake Norwood]

The text in the tables is a hair fuzzier because of download size--those tables are all images, not text proper. If it's a serious problem I can supply larger files at a later date. The current ones do print fine, however.

The print version is crisp as can be, the file weighing in at 345MB!

Jake

[Shadeling]

The text in the tables is a hair fuzzier because of download size--those tables are all images, not text proper. If it's a serious problem I can supply larger files at a later date. The current ones do print fine, however.

The print version is crisp as can be, the file weighing in at 345MB!

Jake

Nah, not a problem at all...like I said, just a minor gripe.
Wow, that is a hefty file!!!

[Angaros]

While I haven't seen the product at all, I must ask you Jake -- why did you choose to make images out of the tables? What application has been used for the page layout? :) Just a question...

[Brian Leybourne]

Hef are nasty.  Even more nasty then before.  Great-Ape HEF? Yeah, a product of a twisted mind.

Heh. Actually, that idea came about when I wanted something really really nasty to throw at my players. They were heading through this forest and being really cautious and careful, looking everywhere and expecting to be ambushed.

They didn't look up though... ;-)

Brian.

[Darth Tang]

First impression, having the option for a 'no-art' pdf would have been welcome, as it would have cut the file size, download time, and printing cost without detracting from the overall impact.

Too many 'story-fluff' page fillers. Agan, they added download time and ink expediture, and added nothing.

As to the meat of the supplement, it is a decent 'monster manual'. However, TRoS' greatest weakness is that the combat system focuses on a man-to-man 'duel', and OBAM had, of 143-odd pages, only pages 26-30 on human versus non-humaniod combat. Monster descriptions are fantastically plentiful elsewhere in the RPG business. What is needed, especially for TRoS, is rules expanding the combat system from the man-to-man duel orientation into a system suitable for a fantasy campaign. As it is, using the srock TRoS/OBAM rules, there is no real difference between fighting a human(iod) and a non-humaniod creature. Thankfully, the TRoS system is well-suited for user expansion and improvement, but in the end, this costs Driftwood. In my case, as a GM with six players, the requirement to expand/modify means that my handouts to the players  eliminates any need for themy to buy any Driftwood products. Thus, seven users, and only one book and one pdf sold.

[Lebo77]

Hummm... Elephant hef...  Oh the evil...

[Jake Norwood]

Actually, tang, there's another 20 pages devoted to man vs. beast in the form of the appendix. And why would you want more rules? Yikes.

Jake

[Darth Tang]

The appendix apears to be tables for damage to non-humaniod creatures, and target lcations. The latter are especially nice, I might add, with large quad, small quad, serpent-type, and avian. Very well done. The generic damage table and poison tables are very good too. Its not the quality of work I'm questioning.

My problem is this: I'm using the TroS melee system in a Fading Suns campaign, where melee takes place more often than a tech-based game might suggest. This is to prepare my players for our return to fantasy.

What I have learned so far, is that the basic rules do not protray human versus non-humaniod, natural-weapon-using creatures very well at all. This was why I was waiting for OBAM before switching back to fantasy. Yet OBAM has a very generic rules set for natural weapons users, and only a few manuevers suited to natural creatures. If you run a campaign where combat is always weapon-using humaniods against weapon-using humaniods, or natural creatures, TRoS/OBaM works. If you have intelligent natural-weapon-using creatures, the system is seriously lacking. And since I'll be running in a different system than the TRoS game world, it is a serious issue.

I'm faced with either modifying the system to put the same 'feel' of combat into man-versus-creature that TRoS has put into man-versus-man combat (which will mean that few, if any follow-on supps Driftwood puts out will be applicable to my campaign), or dumping TRoS and resuming my search for a realistic, playable, and enjoyable melee/primitive missile combat system.

Its not an easy decision.

[Sir Mathodius Black]

Well first off we all know that TROS is an easily modified system to use.  second, i think the rules are fine, i dont see why they would be all that different in the first place.   they could have alot of wacky, wierd stuff for fighting animals but it isnt like we need any more complicated rules.  i think they made it like it is for simplicity and so that people already farmiliar with the system can pick it up and use it.  

i suppose youll either have to use your imagination or just make the alterations you want if its going to work.  in any case,, jake, i think you did a superb job.

[Ben Lehman]

Just got the PDF last night...  Hardcopy will come someday...

  Very Early impressions:  I liked it.  I liked the animal maneuvers, and although I haven't had a chance to look over the damage tables, they seem reasonable, although the organization seems a little haphazard (harder to look effects up.)

Good, Bad, and Ugly:

  Good: The monsters descriptions are very cool, and seem maximally useful.  The selection is quite good.  Plot hooks and ideas galore, which is exactly what a monster book should be.  The animal manuevers and stats are quite good.  The damage tables are workmanlike and good.

  This is everything that I expected from a TRoS monster book, plus a little more.  The poison rules, for instance, are unexpected and sweet.

  The Bad:  This is longer than "the good" section, because I feel more need to explain myself, not because I dislike it.

  The monsters are huge, which is fine, but it would have been nice to see more things statted under 7 in some attributes.  These things screamed "Call of Cthulu style TPK" at me, which is not so great for most games.

The generic people stats are very... generic, and honestly a bit disappointing -- they seem to mostly be a bunch of 4s and some social comments.  While this is fine for a generic template, it is less useful to me than more unique stats would have been.  My games don't usually need 50,000 average beggars, but it does need one interesting one.

  I wish that there had been some more discussion of the tactics playing one larger, high-toughness, creature against a number of smaller opponents, just as there was a discussion of pack tactics.  The strategies are very different, and not immediately obvious.

  The organization of the book was strange.  I can forsee problems finding things during play, especially if they are in different sections.  While I can appreciate the groupings, alphabetical listings (probably seperating the magical from the mundane) would have been more useful, to my eye.  (Is a succubus a fey or a otherworldy thing or a..?)

The ugly:
The damage tables.  Ugh.  I know that the print form will be clearer, and I hope.
Great-ape Hef...
Although what I really want to see is a great troll-beast riding into battle on a horse-hef mount.

Good show, guys.  I'm looking forward to the hardcopy.

yrs--
--Ben

[Ben Lehman]

The animals on the damage tables are just too cute!  How can I hurt that little puppy dog?  oooh...

yrs--
--Ben