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Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 4: Napoleonics
by Zachary H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/09/2013 19:27:51

These turned out perfectly on a regular inkjet printer with cardstock, and saved me a ton of money and time in trying to afford or scrounge up British and French army minis for my upcoming game. Precis Intermedia continues to make top-notch products for underserved niches in gaming--I'd recommend check out the rest of their Disposable Heroes line!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 4: Napoleonics
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Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying
by Asen G. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/01/2013 15:45:19

5 stars! The system actually can cover a multitude of genre and settings, and retains an element of chance without dice, via the different levels of Effort used. The rules are unified well, no matter the actions, and this doesn't feel forced! And then there are the setting and genre books for it. I'm quite fond of some of them, and since they have to devote little space to system - the text is already a system - they're quite packed with information!

(As an advice, though, the GM should probably scribble the difficulty of the task down after determining it, and reveal it after the player has decided the Effort used. It only takes a sheet of paper that you can also use to scribble notes on). Besides, it's free! Try it, you've got nothing to lose even if you don't like it - but if you do, you have found a very sleek, very adaptive system that's to your liking!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying
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The genreDiversion 3E Manual
by Hamilton R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/16/2012 04:46:35

GD3E is a good system -- but there are a few major flaws within the rules.

Game mechanics are fine until they deal with Hit Points, Health, and Damage management. These issues are too complicated for the type of system that it pretends to be. If you can rework the health and damage, as I have, then it gets another extra star in the rating.

Also, GD3E is based on Active Exploits, a diceless variation of this system. My question is: why two systems for the same game? and why not in the same book as well, or more specifically, why not one book for one system? Why does the one book that explains this concept cost about $8, where as the diceless edition is free?

Another pet peeve I have is when I have to write my own skill and feat lists, when a game does not include these lists within its text. GD3E does not have an easy list of skills and feats (as such), so you will have to write these things down, in order to review what skills are available at character creation. It seems like an unnecessary, yet vital chore for me to perform. Make the lists, fer' cryin' out loud!



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
The genreDiversion 3E Manual
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Lords of Olympus Diceless RPG
by Alexander L. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 09/27/2012 07:34:18

Originally posted at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/09/27/tabletop-review-lords-of-olympus/

So I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with Greek Mythology. When I first saw God of War, I nearly jumped through the roof with excitement. Unfortunately, most RPGs I’ve seen don’t really cater to that particular interest. Sure, there’s the odd minotaur or two, but it’s mostly elves, goblins, and the like. Lords of Olympus appealed to me for this reason alone.

Also, I was intrigued by the diceless aspect of the game. I’ve played a couple of home made diceless variations, but never an actual published title. I was very interested how the rules would work for character creation, combat, and basic gameplay. Add in the fact that characters play as demi-gods right off the bat, and this is one interesting premise for a game.

Let’s start with the character creation process. At the beginning, each player is given one-hundred points. The first thing to do with these points is to bid on the game’s four primary traits. These are ego, might, fortitude, and prowess. Ego governs the use of mental powers, might is a measure of pure physical strength, fortitude determines how long you can stay in battle, and prowess is all about physical skill and cunning. When I say players bid on these traits, I mean that they bid in order to get the highest ranks. Each trait comes with three basic ranks and then some higher ones for further specialization. A mortal rank in fortitude means you’re going to die easy, while a first class rank in fortitude means you can fight for days on end with no problem.

When bidding, players submit secret ballots with their bids. The gamemaster (GM) then announces the high bid, and then plays the role of auctioneer. The books gives a very specific example where the GM riles the players up and tries to convince them to raise the bid as high as he/she can. Whoever gets the win gets the highest class, while the others rank down based on how much they’re willing to spend. So, if the top bid was ten points, that’s what it would cost to get a first class rank. If the second highest bid was six, then that would be second class. Players can buy up to a higher class, but they will end up being slightly lower ranked than someone who bought that class first.

It should be noted that this system is well designed for pitting the players against each other. The game is, in fact, designed for characters to act independently, and therefore look out solely for their own self interest. This certainly is a unique way to set things up, and it will take a special group to play this game properly. I mean, there technically are provisions to make the game a team effort, but the author clearly doesn’t want this to happen.

There are a number of powers and abilities that can be bought with extra points. Of key note here are abilities that allow you to alter probability, travel between worlds, and even create new worlds. Player characters start off incredibly powerful, as you may have gathered. They’re meant to fight supernatural creatures, deal with the politics of the gods, and stake their own legacy. It’s also worth mentioning here that there is no one setting you have to adhere to. The game uses a multiverse. Each universe has its own rules for science, magic, and the like. One minute you could be in classical Greece, and then the next you could be in a laser pistol duel in the year 3000. The Greek pantheon is what binds them all together, as they are the only true gods.

When it comes to performing tasks and fighting battles, it’s all about those traits I mentioned earlier. In a straight up fight, someone with a high prowess is going to win most of the time. In a psychic battle, the winner is the one with the best ego. However, the game is designed so that through conversation, the player can attempt to maneuver themselves into a favorable situation in the event an opponent has a higher rank than them. For example, ducking behind cover can make it hard for your opponent to hit you, or getting them to walk on a patch of ice could tip things in your favor. In this way, performing tasks requires descriptive comments from both the player and the GM. The less specific you are, the more likely that things will turn out against your favor.

Advancement is also fairly unique. The GM seems to hold onto characters sheets for the entire game, thus giving players nothing to do but roleplay. When it comes time to “level up” as it were, the GM assigns points to the players. The players than make a list of the advancements they’d like to make and rank them in terms of importance. The GM uses this list to grant them new abilities. Also of note is the fact that the GM is to hold a private meeting with the players to discuss these advancements. This furthers the idea that this game was designed to be competitive from the ground up. After all, what other reason would there be for the players to keep these things secret?

More than half of the book is dedicated to a full on encyclopedia of divine Greek figures. The Titans, Primordials, and Olympians are all accounted for. Each of these characters is given traits, personalities, allies, foes, and histories. The player characters are likely to be children of the gods, and this can come into play. For example, Hera might have something against a son of Zeus, and therefore go out of her way to make life hell for him. The list of Greek figures contains even the most obscure characters. It’s pretty darn comprehensive.

My biggest problem with the game is that it all but actively endorses cheating, bribery, and collusion among players and GMs. Additional points can be handed out to players who do something to help the game outside of the game. The book mentions a player being awarded points for bringing snacks for the group. This opens the door for a player to pay a GM off and/or blackmail them in order to get a better character. I’m sure stuff like this happens in other games, but this book seems to outright welcome it. The fact that the GM has complete control over everything in the game is pretty damning as well. The GM makes all calls as to whether a plan succeeds, what kinds of skills a character is likely to have, what a newly discovered world will hold, etc.

What this game requires is trust. The players have to trust the GM implicitly, and he/she needs to take the trust very seriously. If not, this game can disintegrate rapidly. Also, in a competitive game, there are moments when only one player will be actively roleplaying. In these times, the other players are likely going to need something to do so as to avoid boredom. They’ll likely play some other game. That’s just odd.

Overall, it’s going to take a very particular group to play this game and play it right. For those that do get into it, I’m sure the sense of freedom will be exhilarating. If you’re part of a group that’s looking to avoid a mess of stats and instead focus on playing a role, this game is worth checking out.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Lords of Olympus Diceless RPG
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the review. I just wanted to clarify a few points: The game doesn't actually encourage players to cheat OUT OF CHARACTER, nor is the player bonus for snacks either obligatory or a "bribe." It is one of many ways that players can get extra points IF the GM agrees along with a long-term commitment to do so. It's not like "I'll buy the GM a KFC bucket and get 10 points." It's about "Jerry brings the chips and dips for everyone every week, so we should compensate him with 10 points." Thanks again.
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Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 08/28/2012 12:03:06

I am not a fan of diceless systems. I like the random element and the joy of rolling dice. For me diceless systems remove something that I consider to be part of the joy of RPGs.

That being said I am sold on Active Exploits. It is diceless and it weighs in at a whole 72 pages, it is a great game. Any style, genre or scope of gaming can be covered in these very simple rules. It reminds me a bit of Fate.

What I like about this game is it truly seems to be universal. While the focus seems to be action, I could not think of anything you couldn't do with it. There is a assumption of modern games, doing fantasy or sci-fi might take a bit more work.

The mechanic is rather simple and would work great with the right players.

If you and your group are more into "Role" playing than "Roll" playing then you certainly can't go wrong with this. I would also grab this as helpful guide on how to resolve action without always going to the dice. In this respect it is a great read for any gamer or game master.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying
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Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying
by Gregory D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/08/2012 12:59:56

I actually kind of liked this system. I am not that big of a fan of diceless rpgs, but it is so simple and fun that I cant help but like it in some ways.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Disposable Heroes Modern Gangs Statix 1
by Philip S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/25/2012 23:14:34

This colorful set includes a good deal of variety, drug addicts, maufiosos, thugs, bloods, crips, and men that can stand in for mercenaries. Also, it includes an investigator, police/security, and even two men in SWAT armor. I finally managed to get color prints of these on cardstock, and I must admit they're of a very good quality and have a good deal of character, yet are generic enough to be used as standard NPC's in games as well. I'm very happy with this one, but then, I've grown to expect this kind of top-notch quality from Precis.

Keep up the great work!

PS: Is it possible to make requests? And if so, how might i be able to? :3



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Modern Gangs Statix 1
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the feedback. You can either make a post on the Precis Intermedia message board or use the contact form (www.pigames.net).
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New World Disorder: Zombie Apocalypse! PDF
by Dan P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/08/2012 15:41:12

Nice little add on. Wish there was more support for NWD.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
New World Disorder: Zombie Apocalypse! PDF
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Disposable Heroes Western Statix 1
by Will H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/28/2012 20:44:39

These figures are really great. This set has a lot of townspeople and heroes you might find in a typical western whereas Western Statix 2 has more action heroes that are better for Deadlands and similar settings. Buy them both and you can't go wrong!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Western Statix 1
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Disposable Heroes Western Statix 2
by Will H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/28/2012 20:41:26

Beautiful figures! I bought these for Deadlands. The first set had more "typical" western characters, but just about every one of the figures in this set look like they belong in a Deadlands game. Great work!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Western Statix 2
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Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 3: Planetary Militia
by Will H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/28/2012 20:39:20

Lots of characters in whatever format works best for you. Turns out that these Planetary Militia look a lot like modern military and can be used for them too. I decided to buy them for a Stargate game (modern air force personnel) and was very pleased with my purchase!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 3: Planetary Militia
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Brutes Fantasy Microgame PDF
by Ricardo N. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/25/2012 18:41:42

Brutes is a simple set of miniature skirmish rules. The system is similar to the one used in New World Disorder, also from Precis Intermedia. However, in this case the focus is on small parties of the Brutes, which are various fighters with different abilities and equipment. Personally, I like the action system used in this game as it allows a variety of actions apart from moving and shooting (or fighting in close combat.)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Brutes Fantasy Microgame PDF
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Disposable Heroes Fantasy Statix Collection [BUNDLE]
by Craig D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/25/2012 15:28:45

I found it a great purchase. The bi-flats are great have made up literally hundreds. I am using some to play a home made version of Hero Quest, and for role playing games. I am now starting to make up small armies to try out several fantasy rules sets I have to see if I like the rules. If I do then I may buy the necessary miniatures - a really low cost way to explore the hobby. But putting several of the guys in different poses on a base tp form a unit - it looks pretty good. I flock or colour the cardboard base and it is dam cool looking The counter sets I am using them (still playing around with the scale) to make my own armies for some board games I have and am making up - endlessly options - cannot say to much on the opportunities these figures have opened up for me. The quality of the figures themselves is cartoonish but this is the great bit they are over the top a little, like Games Workshop figures and this is what you want in a fantasy world - it is fantasy after all. Great purchase - I am looking for - please give me flying knights.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Fantasy Statix Collection [BUNDLE]
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Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 1: WWII
by Alessio S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/18/2012 04:22:10

Very useful tool for my campaig. I hope to see soon a Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 2: WWII with the stand-ups of the armored vehicles of WWII!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Disposable Heroes Soldier Statix 1: WWII
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HardNova 2 RPG (PDF Collection)
by Stephen Y. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/06/2012 05:51:00

A simple RPG system with a space opera theme. Some good races for players to choose from. The PDF includes: spacecraft system, gimmicks, skills, background, everything included. The supplements are good (more than for Earth AD.2).

The extra supplements are cheap, and worth buying.

Well worth the £4.74.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
HardNova 2 RPG (PDF Collection)
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