tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post114684091486220854..comments2024-03-27T22:32:17.055-05:00Comments on Jeffs Gameblog: random thoughts on new editionsJeff Rientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1147066417179955822006-05-08T00:33:00.000-05:002006-05-08T00:33:00.000-05:00Hmm. I can't comment much on the differences in D&...Hmm. I can't comment much on the differences in D&D editions, as I remember happily playing AD&D 1st with no idea what we were doing, and I associate 2nd very strongly with a single (excellent) campaign. I've never played 3rd, and haven't read it (or 3.5) in any detail.<BR/><BR/>I liked BESM 1st, but prefer 2nd for the sorts of campaigns we play.<BR/><BR/>GURPS 3rd was my college group's system of choice for many a campaign. I liked it a lot. It did accumulate a lot of sometimes-incompatible additions over the years, though. I really, really like the looks of 4th, but haven't put it through extensive stress-testing yet.<BR/><BR/>I suspect my thoughts will be more coherent after I get some sleep. Anime Central was this weekend, and as a staffer I was pretty busy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1147026280468431242006-05-07T13:24:00.000-05:002006-05-07T13:24:00.000-05:00Seriously, if you're not gaming with it don't wast...Seriously, if you're not gaming with it don't waste your money buying it all over again ... You'll be able to get the new maps and stuff free via the Mailing List anyway. Most of the new material is aimed at aiding character creation, so it wouldn't be of any use. Mostly the point of the new edition is to give Uresia a final home now that its BESM run is finished ... To let the folks who are gaming with it know that it isn't just vanishing into the night.<BR/><BR/>(Alternately, become a Cumberland Fire-Eater and get it for free in exchange for blindtesting, if you need a nudge to run it) :)<BR/><BR/>I've been pondering the editions thing ... Only a few have mattered to me. AD&D2 was my excuse to divorce myself forever from AD&D. Our group found several things about AD&D2 sensible and promising, but it was mostly a matter of timing ... Just as we were really heavily exploring into other fantasy systems, AD&D2 came along and dared us to buy another stack of books, and the Complete This-and-Thats felt bloodless for the most part, so that's where I parted ways with the game. I never looked back until d20 came along ... I tried it (ran some D&D, also ran some d20 Star Wars), and found it poor. My last D&D run - a summer ago - used D&D 3rd Revised Edition (the Elmore-cover boxes) and that was satisfyingly good stuff. Great times for all, including a couple of total RPG newbies. Party of 8th-level characters generated from nothing in 45 minutes, and that includes all their equipment and magic items? Suh-weet. Nobody missed having Feats or Kits or anything.<BR/><BR/>I still use Call of Cthulhu 3rd (Games Workshop edition). The only thing I bring in from later editions is making Lockpicking a skill distinct from Mechanic. I own the most recent edition ... but it weighs more and is a bit bulkier in my shoulder bag, so I don't carry it to games :)<BR/><BR/>I don't have strong feeling about most RPG editions ... I'm only a Traveller dabbler so it's all good to me. I like Hero for the sourcebooks and have never really figured out the system at all (we did blindtest on Sidekick and enjoyed that, though). CoC editions are mostly the same ... It's telling that I basically choose my edition because it weighs less.<BR/><BR/>I'm more edition-sensitive when it comes to more competitive games. Car Wars editions have mattered to me. Battletech changes mattered (Clans, double-sinks, etc).<BR/><BR/>BESM 2nd Edition was a strange thing for me because I loved the quirky fan-quality simplicity of BESM1 and it was strange seeing it transformed into a full-on-professional David Pulver design. Ultimately I fell in love with it (and Pulver got me to do Uresia, and I'm grateful) but even still I never used the optional systems (most notably the Skills rules) except when playtest required it. Not sure what I'll make of BESM3, but the "vanilla" version sounds promising indeed.<BR/><BR/>There's a running joke of mine that when Risus 2nd Edition comes along, it'll only be four pages because it bothers me that games always seem to get fatter as the editions roll on and if any game should be an exception it should be Risus.<BR/><BR/>I'm one of those people who think that RuneQuest peaked at 2nd Edition, but I'm not a RQ hardcore so I don't have a _strong_ feeling about it. I just liked RQ back when it was still meant to be enjoyed rather than appreciated.<BR/><BR/>When Harn got its own game system, that hurt Harn for me. Apologies for not digging up the diacritical mark thingy.<BR/><BR/>And stuff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1147004422504128702006-05-07T07:20:00.000-05:002006-05-07T07:20:00.000-05:00S. John, I'm interested in Uresia. It's a great s...S. John, I'm interested in Uresia. It's a great setting. But you've kinda got working against you the fact that I've already bought two versions of it and have yet to use either one. I still have this idea of a con one-shot or minicampaign of Mekton Zeta where all the PCs are Emerald Knights.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1146929469984861372006-05-06T10:31:00.000-05:002006-05-06T10:31:00.000-05:00I stress a fair bit over Uresia 2nd ... I'm consta...I stress a fair bit over Uresia 2nd ... I'm constantly drafting long sections of it, whittling those long sections down to a paragraph, whittling the paragraph down to a tossof line, translating the tossoff line into a joke tossof line, and then removing it entirely.<BR/><BR/>Really :)<BR/><BR/>That said, it isn't an RPG per se (yet) and I suspect I'm probably one of the only people actually concerned about it.<BR/><BR/>- SjohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1146860847896597382006-05-05T15:27:00.000-05:002006-05-05T15:27:00.000-05:00I have to agree on the Hero rules, I'm not a fan ...I have to agree on the Hero rules, I'm not a fan of 5th for many of the same reasons. One big one that gets me is that you take disadvantages to represent your character instead of powers if they are part of the races abilities. For example a character that is a giant, instead of growth always on it would be a physical disadvantage, huge, cannot fit into small places. They also put out a revised 5th edition, go take a look at it. I have seen phone books that are smaller. If I did not already know the rules there would be no way I would touch it. I have pretty much abandoned Hero after I saw that, and now you say there's a sixth on the way?<BR/><BR/>Other than that I'm not to much into the different editions. I do like Mutants and Masterminds second edition. Very cool, and shows you don't need a phone book of rules to have a good supers game.CAShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01337516491081160672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-1146845419816360772006-05-05T11:10:00.000-05:002006-05-05T11:10:00.000-05:00I did not get the new edition of HERO. What chang...I did not get the new edition of HERO. What changes were for the worse?Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.com