Capsule reviews

Who doesn't like game reviews? Those are always fun, and it's been a while since I've put any up here. Scouring through my DriveThruRPG client for stuff I've consumed in the last few months, here are a few titles that are worth reviewing today:

• The Lost Valley of Kishar
• Coddefut's Stipule
• Magical Murder Mansion
• Delta Green: Control Group
• Over the Edge 3rd Edition
• Forbidden Lands: Raven's Purge

Reviewing is tiring work

Whew, that's a lot! If I want to cover all of those, I'm going to have to keep each one pretty brief. That works for you, right?

Concepts in game mechanics

Any serious GM is always going to have a few ideas about gaming stewing at once, and inevitably some of the ideas will relate to game mechanics.  So let's talk about a few of those.

Super-simple die systems

I'm always obsessed with the idea of simple mechanics.  When I can identify some mechanics that reduce complexity without sacrificing simulation, I'm happy.  I'm also trying to find ways to make the hobby more accessible.  One way that role-playing games can be a huge turnoff to a lot people is the complexity factor.

Rolling the old D2

Reading Blades in the Dark (see my pre-review) has helped me figure out some of the final details on a super-simple die mechanic. The idea is that it boils down to a single D6 roll.

An idea for the sandbox: no character progression

Sometimes, we are so used to traditions and convention that we forget to question them.  One that I've been re-considering lately, for the first time ever, is the idea of character progression.  I only know of one RPG where improvement of skill over time was not assumed to happen: classic Traveller. 

This was the rulebook I had back in the day

With that one exception in mind, I can't think of any tabletop RPG that doesn't have a system for character progress.  The main question that most rules answer is whether to have a class-and-level system, or track individual skill levels.  Games carefully consider what is the proper rate of character improvement.

But is this all absolutely necessary?