Hello and welcome to the weekly. Scroll a podcast brought to you
by the adventure. Archive, my name is Ryan and
with us we have our hash rule. We were, we were trying to
decide this earlier, still quite special but now almost regular
Guest Kirby of disaster, tourism.
How you doing today? Kirby, I'm doing wonderful.
Thank you for having me yet. Again, we love having you here a
wonderful Insight. Wonderful Critter.
Listen, if you're listening to this and you haven't checked out
disaster, tourism games from Kirby, you should definitely go
check all of their stuff out. What's the, what's the website
disasters, or not games, right games?
Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
Games is such a good dot to have four games.
It is it is a great dot yes for sure?
Yeah, that's nice. I was lucky I was there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wonder, I wonder.
What else he snags stuff. There's a lot.
There's not cat girl. I there.
That's an actual. No, that's an actual TLD.
Yeah. I almost bought one because just
because it's fucking amazing. Hey, listen, you gotta do what
you gotta do, but I would not hold it against you.
If you had a curvy that cat girl So um so today, today we're
talking about a game. I think I think I might have
recommended this one but you were like oh fuck yeah that's a
good one. I think this one and it is going
to be packs and blades from Lucas Rollin.
This is a Like rules light os are inspired more cocky and
fantasy. That we're going to go over
today. It's a little slim but wonderful
witch. Was my nickname in high school
but yeah before before we get into that I know there's a
little something. There's also something called
the dead horse. Yeah why don't you tell our
audience about that? Sure yeah so we got the the dead
horse magazine issue. One is coming out or is that
coming out yet but it's coming out soon and submissions are
actually closing on Monday. May A first.
So if you're interested in submitting something to the dead
horse, it is TT, R BG adjacent, so it does not have to be TR V,
G related at all, if you don't want to.
And it's basically just anything you want to write fiction,
poetry game entry if you want setting photographs art,
drawings, whatever. And you can send them to
submissions at disaster tourism games.
Is there a theme for episode 1? Yes, the theme songs I should
have known that issue. Won't ye shiwen.
The theme is uncanny horror, it's kind of looking like the
magazines just going to end up just being a whore magazine in
general, but this is a full-fledged magazine of
submissions from people from all over the place.
And we got I think over 40 submissions almost now.
So we've got a lot of pick through which is great.
So really excited. That's what's up?
Yeah, so If you would like to do some missions, go to exactly
where Kirby said and as that, you know, hits release.
And what not, we will be talking about that here on the weekly
scroll to because we are definitely looking forward to
that. So again, I close this Monday.
So go check that out. And if you write anything in
that genre, that is TT RPG adjacent.
You should definitely submit to that.
You might, you might. Yeah, you might might see the
weekly scroll there a little bit, maybe not, maybe not
submission button. And in other ways.
So we'll see, we'll see. And then I think there was a
click this forward. There was one thing I wanted to
kind of, show talk a little bit about before we get into this,
just because I was so, so excited for it.
I mean, I'm gonna kick to another window here for it even
though I think your windows messed up but we do know it's
fine. You wonderful, you beautiful.
I wanted to show off this little It'll bad boy.
This is worm hack from Farrell Indie Studio Charlie fur Graves
this kind of burst out of nowhere.
Charlie put up like a piece of art.
It was like, maybe I'll make a game, the news, like, hey, I
made a game and then it was physical, and then it was in my
house. So I think that all took like,
two, three weeks. So really, really awesome.
I'm going to turn the blur off a little bit on this because I
always forget to get to do filling time.
It is so beautiful piece of art on the front.
This is a small-scale Fantasy war game with role-playing
elements of Dungeons and decrepitude.
Light rules, for ease of play were - verminous characters,
cooperation and competition veteran scenario.
Compatible Monsters. Magic and more, this is great,
little xion. I really love this.
I love the like quasi-war. Give me elements in Tip-Top
role-playing games. And if you've never seen Charlie
four Graves art, it is Crazy good, really?
Really love their stuff and it's just, it's just a great little
zenon's. It's all the stuff you need for
really rules light, play, exploration, and all that.
So it's a it's a it's a beautiful little thing.
That's very excited for it, definitely worth it and really
hope there's more content for that.
I think there is funding some stuff to do more content for it
so you should definitely go check out fairly Indie studio
and try to figure of stuff and there are so many at that so we
can get some more content. But I just wanted to show that
off a little bit because it's Oval and look at the color for
those in podcast land, you got to check this out.
Just for this color is beautiful.
All my God is so good and even like when it printed it's so
like robust like it's just a really really beautiful like
it's a chartreuse you know that's what it.
Yeah. And it's at all it's gorgeous.
So anyway that's that is warm hack.
Its it looks wonderful very, very excited for that.
Very glad to have in hand. I think we'll we will hundred
percent be talking about this on the podcast at some point.
And in fact, in fact, I might have, I might have got like,
like three copies one for me, one for a hunter and then this
other one on my hand here to give away when we talk about it.
So not, not on the schedule yet but it will 100% be there sooner
than later. So, warm hack, curly hair
Graves, fairly in studio, check it out.
And I think, I think that's about all we got to to get the
stream going. My name is Hunter.
We're on that window. I forgot to change one window,
you know, it's funny. I just noticed that too.
One of the last times you were here, I left Kirby on for like
three quarters of the episode before I realized.
Oh wait, this is Hunter told me that.
Yeah, so so you got to be Hunter momentarily.
But yeah, I mean it's it's one we just hop into one, we happen
to pack some blades. You ready for this?
Yeah, let's do it. All right, let's fucking let's
fucking do it. Gave me through.
So Lucas Rollins packs, and Blades, more cocky and fantasy.
I really, really love the, the cover art.
This is windblown bearded man. And then on the zeen itself,
Elf. It's a whole scene of a this
bearded person on a boat battling a creature.
I believe they're like swooping down from the sky there's like
Spears striking into them and stuff.
Really great piece of art. I'm very cool.
You know, I wonder who does who did the cover to do?
It doesn't specifically listed. I think they're all.
I think it's all. Public domain?
Yeah, this is, this was a great great use of piece of public
domain art. Sells the book like honestly
when I saw it, that was one of the reasons I wanted to pick it
up was because of the cover. Same Heart, same and you you
before we get going. What is your, what is your
experience with this game? Because like I said, when I,
when I said, hey, how about this?
You were like, oh yeah, absolutely.
What's up? What made you want to jump on
this one and read through this one here?
Well, this was probably the first like actual Like rules
light. Osr, like Zine that I read.
I had, you know, I owned more cord and the black hack and Vera
Troika and various other. So on, quote, unquote, like
rules, like, you know, Sr games, but those are books.
Like, there's lots and lots of pages with lots and lots of
content in them. And I think this was probably
one of the first, probably, not the first, but one of the first
osr ziens that I I read that was just a full rule set within just
I don't know. What is this?
Like 20-something 3000 case 36 pages but yeah, and when I read
through it, I was just like Really impressed with how
minimalist it was like extremely.
So, but even so the task resolution system that we'll
talk about in a little bit like it has this like very
reminiscent crunchy feel to it, you know?
And it leaves room for lots of narrative play which I think is
very cool. That's not always my favorite
thing but I do actually really like the way that it works in
this game. And it inspired me to write
weird, which was kind of one of the other reasons.
Why would you mention it? I was just like, oh fuck.
Yeah, let's talk about that one. Know, it's fucking good game.
So yeah, cuz cuz weird is a great game.
If you are, if you haven't checked it out from disaster
tourism, you will find it and disaster some dye games but
great great game that's got some great content coming out for it
too. So it's really neat that this
inspired that and those we Through.
If you've read both, you'll see you'll see a little bit of that.
So that is really neat. It was cool when you said that
because I was like well then yeah that's exactly what we're
going to do then. Yeah.
So see ya and then Lucas raw lemon is good.
People should definitely check them out on the tweeters and
whatnot. But so going in as we said, the
cover is beautiful. You know, this probably I think
it's probably domain are like they said really, really
fantastic, really vibrant? Really sets the mood for what
you're planning to get. And here.
The bottom says, They minimalist, a minimalist, sword,
and Witchcraft, RPG, for campaigns and quick sessions.
So I like I really like the like the in Pages here, this design
uses this like like dark Reds and oranges and blacks.
It almost reminds me a little bit of like like blood under a
microscope kind of just thinking.
Yeah yeah it's like I'm definitely magic but also blood.
That's what It's kind of want to look in that but I like how dark
it is. I like the tones, how it's very
almost like maroon red and like a dark orange.
Like it's it's really dope. Edited by a Wayne.
I'm say canepa and I believe I'm going to scroll all the way to
the bottom of quick just to make sure I'm not completely wrong.
Yeah. Gravity side from gonti ho.
So who does amazing stuff on everything.
So it was cool. See them on this project and
then we get to this introduction.
Great piece of art here again with introduction, kind of
overlaid on it and white which like links into the white page
or charge. I really like the way that
that's done throughout the book. So as, as Kerry said, this books
only like, what, like, what did you say, 30-something Pages.
Maybe it's 36 - the cover. Yeah.
And there's not, I mean, yeah, there's not a lot on each page
if this was like, you know, size, 12, double line, this
thing would be like 10 pages. But yeah, but regardless it's
it's a nice little light system. So Paxson blades is a genre
influenced RPG, combat and advancement system.
About slaughtering bizarre monsters from the depths with
blades and making packs with mystical spirits to channel
magic as a minimalist RPG. There are no rule systems for
initiative movement, tracking time, equipment prices Etc.
It is up to the judge to determine these things perhaps
with input from the players and decide how to rule on such
things as they arise and as appropriate to each scenario.
So this definitely feels more like a framework from which, to
build upon. Pain as opposed to a complete
game which is kind of how we're just kind of word works.
So well yeah, yeah yeah I like that.
I, you know, as I was rereading this I was remembering what was
what was inspiring me to come up with the concepts that I had for
weird and that was a big one. Right there was just that like a
lot of these and it was as I was learning these these concepts of
osr play and osr. Thought, you know, it's kind of
like this internal game Loop and all these.
And I talk about this stuff a lot before.
But like those things being just left to the table to decide are
such a such a, it's such a nice. Lack of rule like I just love
that stuff. Yeah, I really like.
Having games like that. But I don't think I'm capable of
making a game like that, because it makes me just go away.
I like, I need a, I need to do just a bit more and then it
turns into something bigger than it needed to be.
But we're gonna regardless, I love having that firmer from,
it's a bill because I really like doing that, you know, for
me sometimes it can be a little difficult to start from scratch,
but the second I get like a seed, I can just run with it
which is really nice. So Frameworks like weird
Frameworks like This. It's like I can see I can see
using this and exactly what I would add.
As I'm reading it. I'll go who I could do this with
that. I can do this with that.
So it's really, it's really nice to have So that's the
introduction and then more art. I love these like just pitch
black circles all over the art like it's very like I don't know
why it feels very evocative to me but I love this like what
kind of that Because mine doesn't.
I wonder if I have a previous weird.
I think I have a previous version.
Yeah. Maybe you got like first because
I did, I did notice, there was actually a font error in this
print, and I wonder if that if he re-released it.
Where did you see an error on the task?
Resolution on the test resolution chart in the little
grayish blue thing it says partial success but there's a
van Terror and mine where? Yeah, yeah the it says s 770
might has sxx access. That's so wild and has mining.
Oh, where's mine has? You probably can't insult
blurred out, but it says like Like pee.
And then the, a has a little thingy on it.
And I has a little dot on it, and then it says s77.
Yeah. Yeah.
So yeah. Yours is s, XX minus s i7 7.
That's just weird. Yeah, include leads to different
printings. Interesting.
Yeah, I found a couple near little, like, van errors in here
and I was like, I wonder if they have reprinted this.
Like, I was actually thinking that earlier this morning or
this afternoon, when I was reading it again.
And, um, but yeah, I didn't even notice that the All times I've
read through this, maybe because I primarily read the PDF but
it's interesting. I'm curious.
What would What would you create that I assume in export, if
there was like a font, you didn't have an exporter when it
goes to PDF or something or didn't like pull it correctly,
it would it would do that. But, but anyway, so let's, let's
immediately look at some real quick.
Do we have bookmarks? We don't it's only 30 pages.
So it's not a huge knock. You don't really need them for
something that's 30 pages and there is not a table of contents
on the Z in this mall, which I mean, I'm not gonna, I'm not
gonna do too big of a knock on that because as it being only 30
pages as we said even within those 30 pages, there's maybe
ten pages of actual stuff because you know, as you get to
page five, right? They just half a page of Art and
then, it is literally three sentences.
Yeah, yeah, for yeah, you know, and this, I love this.
So, like, here's here's some of the thing with layout, right?
You either have something, where there There is like, little
white empty spaces on a page that could easily be a federal.
Take a little piece of art or there is Big space on a page
that you fill with just a little bit of words.
And I like either one is fine but when you have like a page
that's mostly filled and you have a little blank section that
to me is something you could fail versus like this where you
have just a little bit of words. A big page.
So like this reminds me of, like, into the odd, the way that
the word pages on that work or even like when we read him bows
him. Bose has big kind of empty pages
with like little blocks of text on it.
They're like not like necessarily dead in the middle
and I like that style where it's like minimalist in the, in the
style. Yeah, it's a good way to
reinforce the, the game style which I think is It's great and
I think it put some emphasis back on to that half-page piece
of art to it allows that to really like give you more Vibe,
you know? Yeah.
So characters can choose to follow aspects of two paths, the
path of the pact or the path of the blade, hints packs and
Blades. You may advance in either path,
but during character creation as well as throughout the campaign,
both during character creation, and as well as through the
campaign path advancements will occur as a result of training
role playing, and as part of Adventures, Again really nice
choice of our there are here. The thing that sometimes gets me
with using public domain art is the inconsistency in Styles, can
sometimes be kind of you either need to go crazy.
So it's a million different styles or it needs to be like so
similar. You can't really tell the
difference because kind of anywhere in between there when
like you try to get similar and it's not quite there, it feels
Feels like you notice that, right?
I like to not notice if it's different people, but this this
piece of art, is great across a spread.
It's like a woman on a sitting on a rock with a sword stabbing,
what looks like a giant frog, right?
In the mouth um and is bleeding. And this page is for
advancement. So advancements are the basis of
customizing your character and they should occur.
Two to three times per session is up to the judge to give
players opportunities for advancements to occur.
You begin play with one advancement in either path of
your choice. See each path for more
information. So Packs or blades.
What do you, what would you? What would you go with?
If I was making the character, I would pick packed.
My spy find Magic. To be usually it's a bit more
complex. But I like the especially in the
rules, like games, the extreme open-endedness of magic, or in a
lot of rules like games. I love being extremely creative
or attempting to be extremely creative and I've often find it
open-ended magic systems like this.
Warm offer a lot of opportunities for that kind of
thing. Yeah I really like systems that
use like non Vance Ian like That allow you to.
It's like magic is more a guidance that you can build upon
as opposed to restrictions on something like I feel like games
like five you where it gives you a spell list and gives you all
the very specific ways in which you can do it and the range in
which you can do it and the tools you need to do it and the
exact outcomes for which you do it at the levels and once you do
it is so restrictive. It's so restrictive.
So like you said, I think the rules light magic that let you
kind of just go off, feels really cool.
And I think this one does a really good job of that.
So yeah, for sure some examples of advancements.
You find a Tome describing a new pact with the spirit of the
fairer world and is a pact advancement or you receive
training from an expert mercenary and fighting dirty
with daggers that is a blade advancement to tour.
And then the task resolution system, I wouldn't mind
advancements. Being a little bit later in the
book. I think, I mean, again, you read
the whole book is one and then you come back to it.
But I think if this was a little bit farther after character
creation and about an after even like the task tough, I'd
understand like the basis for which like how much advancement
you need to advance. Yeah.
But I think that's valid but I also feel like it's such a It's
like the rules are so simplistic that it almost makes sense to
put this right after you talked about how Packs work and and
Blades work with your paths because it's like just the next
part of that, you know what I mean?
Yeah, I feel like it was if it was a whole other section with a
like a few pages of rules than maybe.
But yeah, well and and you know, again, it's only like 30 pages
of really 10 pages of information on it.
So like the The order in which it is done.
It is less important than it is looking at a page book.
And, you know, it took you 40 pages to get to something, you
go. Oh, that's a rule.
That would be nice earlier. So the task resolution system.
So this is what you, what you really like about the game or
something that you've said, a couple times to on, are doing a
read this one for us and tell us why you really like the task
resolution system. Yeah, packs and Blades uses a
sliding to D6. Task resolution system tasks,
are divided into four difficulty tears, and their default
reference value numbers, easy average hard and impossible
tasks. Default reference value is
always three times. Its difficulty tasks, can
include attacking an enemy sneaking past the guard,
negotiating with a pirate for passage climbing a tower and
more I'll just keep going with the next paragraph core
mechanic. When attempting tasks player
simply roll two, six sided dice together and add the total of
both dice success is determined by how well they roll in
relation to the tasks reference value.
A tasks RV is a precise measure of its difficulty to achieve.
While each difficulty tier has a default reference value for
total success. This value can be lowered or
raised during the game through path abilities and narrative
Advantage. When a reference value is
changed the range of Success is also changed.
Consult the task resolution table to determine the new
ranges for success and failure. So I do I like this the system
here. The only thing that I don't like
about this is I feel like it almost overcomplicates. itself
just like just a little bit like the table is extremely helpful
if any of those numbers were actually necessary but Like if I
was going to put, if I was going to make this, I would just put
like for a difficulty of to in the First Column there 5 plus
would be an RV in the second column 6.
Plus would be the RV, you know? Like, I feel like and I'm not
knocking this at all, because the table looks like a role
master table, and it's Gore. It's gorgeous.
And it's it gives you that feeling of the crunch that you
want, when you are trying to like emulate one of these types
of games, But I do think it just overcomplicates itself a little
bit in how its presented, but the actual play itself is not is
not complicated at all. And the only other thing I have
a an issue with. So to speak is calling something
a new term like reference value. And there's a couple other games
that I've read recently where they have, like, come up with
their own new like to letter acronym for their like
difficulty thing. And And it's that's this is a
personal thing. You don't really have to do that
like it doesn't take anything away or add anything in my
opinion, either way. It's just for me personally I'm
like just you know, you don't have to come up with a new thing
that somebody has to learn what the RV is now.
Right. You know, for that's my personal
feelings on that. Yeah.
So so specifically for reference value that, you know, reference
value doesn't bother me because you are I feel like you're
referencing the chart. So it is like a reference value.
That's fine. What, what, what gets me is?
I agree like 80% of the time that if term already exists,
it's okay to just use that term, but it doesn't bother bother me
when they use a new term. What bothers me.
The most is, when they use a new term, that has an abbreviation
that already exists. So, like HP4 hit protection,
will never not bother me because like HP already exists.
So, So, with reference value since it doesn't exist in my
mind, already plugging a new thing in doesn't bother me but
having to like, take something out to plug a new piece in that
has the same thing, gives me because like heat protection
could just be called armor protection and that would make
my brain work better but calling it a Pap that's action points in
Final Fantasy. So yeah, but I that doesn't work
in like he doesn't exist in teach RPG.
So I'm fine with that. But you know what I mean?
Like, I don't mind new words. And yeah, but so this that
didn't really like, I totally get where you're coming from, it
didn't register but I can see how that's, that's a thing I
would say a couple of things. 12 T, 6 is my favorite fucking game
said, dice ever period? Like if you've not, if you never
read qd6 from Adam vas, it's a great great, great, tiny little
Xena. I highly recommend you all look
into it. It is Adam vas, just kind of
like waxing about how fucking awesome to d6s and how there's
like an infinite number of fucking way.
As you can use to D6 as a system, like this is.
So, for example, you can use the classic powered by the
apocalypse 226 mixed success with kind of like, set numbers.
You know, you can use neck or knowledge.
Use is to D6. And an interesting way with
like, doubles is like crits, and all sorts of stuff, fucking all
of the Soul, Muppet stuff with orbital blues and and best.
I buried a bunch of games use to D6 but have like a lot more like
a set 9 difficulty and above 9 is successful, 09 to failure.
There's a million ways to do it. This is an interesting way to do
it. I like it, I want to play it but
in this kind of the same thing you were talking.
I feel like there's almost a just this midget bit of over
design in this where I like If something honestly is less than
a three, I don't even feel like there's a need to roll for it as
one of those things where like I would never have someone role
for like a dc5 on a D20. You know?
I mean so like I feel like on the far ends of this it gets a
little bit out there as far as like partial success.
For example, I'm on. Like the the to difficulty is,
is just a four and then failures are The reason to, it's such a
narrow margin and if you have any like, and I'm to D6, like
the lowest could possibly role as a to.
So what you have is like the lower, like, basically a crit,
fail, one above a correct fail, and then you hit your success
levels. So statistically even if you
have a plus one to anything it's like pretty hard to fail.
So again, I'm not this is I want I really this is a game that I'd
really love to sit down and do with.
And I'm talking about sidequest a bunch where I really want to
play. This really feel the mechanic a
little bit more, but I feel like I don't see why you couldn't
just do like Kind of almost get rid of the RV and just do like
that. Make success with like, you
know, at 7:00 and 10:00 and stuff like that.
And it would kind of like, even the same way really even.
I mean, he references the actual difficulty, and what the on page
eight? Like, literally what the actual
requirement for a total success is right there in the paragraph.
So it wouldn't have been hard to add a second paragraph of Or
even even kind of take away the chart and add a paragraph that
is just like here's what an easy is partial success failure, you
know, total success kind of thing and like listen I like the
chart. I think it's cool looking and
yeah, it makes sense. It doesn't not make sense.
I just like I said, I feel like it just overcomplicates itself
in presentation, honestly. It's not even about The mechanic
itself. Yeah, well and then the the flip
side to what I just said to argue the point, I just made is
referencing another game that I mentioned a second ago, him,
Bose added a, it's a, it's a D20 system, but one of the things I
dislike most about D20 systems and one of the things I love
about 286 systems is in D20 system, every role is a 5%
chance, so you can be the greatest person in the world at
something and fail, At the same percentage as someone who is the
worst person in the world at. It can succeed to a point, you
know what I mean? Like, the range is so big that
5% is 5% with to D6 since you have a bell curve.
You, everyone has kind of this level of, like, ability.
And then anything you do beyond that is exponentially more
important because like, a plus 2 on a 2d six system is huge.
So being better at it feels bigger than 5.
But what what? What They added in him, bows.
What? Max Max land are added in him.
Bose, is this window of partial success to a D20 system that I
really loved? What's interesting about this
specifically, I'm talking about the mechanic, not the
presentation, like you just said, is, it's kind of a mix of
of the of a couple of things. I said earlier about to T6 where
instead of it being like a flat mix success system, you have the
kind of like difficulty value setting of like a best left
buried where but instead of it just being a I have like this
exactly what it is. This is kind of stacked
difficulty level and then a window of partial success versus
failure that I do enjoy a little bit.
I think it's just a little bit Starker on a 2d six system
versus a D20 system because the window, even if it's bigger, is
smaller, right? Because the window, as I said at
the lowest is one number and the window at the highest is like
four or five numbers. So it feels like I said, it's
really it's interesting. I'd like to see it play out.
I love partial success. It's interesting to have a mix
of those two things where you have a tiered difficulty level
with a tiered window of partial success and a tiered, when of
total success, it's just interesting using, you know
what, I think. I almost think that a 2d 10
system with this window so there's just a little bit more
range would be an interesting tweet to this but again I love
to 26. This is really interesting.
I like them. And I like how unique the
mechanic is. I would want to sit down at the
table. I think just as a, from a, from
a strictly, like, theoretical this eye versus outside
perspective. That that's what I'm curious.
Whether it's just just the tiniest bit over designed or
whether it's fucking perfect. But this is one of things we got
to play for it. Yeah.
Any thoughts, feelings? Our emotions about that?
No, I totally agree. I I used to definitely be in the
same boat as you as far as the swingingest of the 5% on a D20.
But now I'm back on that I'm back on it on the other boat
where I just like, I like the swing and that's because it
makes things more unpredictable, which I think is more fun.
Personally, not necessarily less predictable.
We're not unpredictable, but less predictable, right?
But you know, it depends on the game.
Like, I feel like with a 2d six system, especially if you're
looking at, like, PBT a style narrative game, it makes sense.
When you if you want your characters to be, you know, good
at good at specific things, it would make sense that a dice
system would support that with a bell, curve type role, right?
Or even one of the reasons I really like fantasy age a lot.
I don't know if you've ever read fantasy age by Green Ronin but
it's a really great really great D&D kind of offshoot I guess
it's not really an offshoot but it's like their own None of it,
but it uses a 3D six system and it's fantastic.
I have I have all of the books for Fantasy age, like I'll it's
one of my favorite RPGs and their whole thing with that was
designing a game that was specifically tailored with a
system that supports a character that is good at a thing that
they're supposed to be good at, you know, and I like that a lot,
but well now now that I've kind of gone off and didn't done my
own thing. I've gotten gotten to the point
where I just, I really like the unpredictability or less
predictability of a character's success because of where they
are and what they're doing, right?
Like if I'm in a dungeon fighting monsters, even if I'm
pretty pretty experienced, it's still going to be pretty
unpredictable and what the outcomes might be.
So yeah, but I know I lack. Solemnly, long enough for that.
No, yeah, no II completely what I mean, this is the core
mechanic of the entire game. So I think spend a lot of time
on this neat. Yeah.
I you know II totally get where you're coming from.
I mean I know that like you know, Hunters big fan of, I
think D20 roll under is is Hunter's bread and butter.
That's his favorite to D6 is mine and I totally get like this
swing me aspect of it. I think that the what I love the
most about like the to D6 system, especially one like,
this is the partial success for me is the Perfection.
We're like, you know, you can always fail forward as a GM in a
D20 system but partial success. The fail forward aspect is
ingrained into the mechanic of the game, and I think that's a
really stands out to me versus having an impetus on, you know,
kind of like, all right, you did it?
Hit your number one, flip? Yeah, kind of feel.
Yeah, but yeah. So, so the core mechanic of the
game. As we said, really comes down
to, to D6. And then a tiered level of
success, with a tiered level of partial, success added to it,
which Again, really interesting. And I think this would, I'd be
curious to run this game and then run the exact same game
adapted to a 2d 10 system for just a little bit bigger window.
And I'd really like to see how that plays out.
I also want to want to want to sit down and go through like
some 2D 20 games because I've read some of those and I like
those are interesting. So yes.
So that is the core mechanic. That's what really gets this
game moving forward and again as we said this is just theoretical
chatting and stuff like this. I don't really The critique
necessarily for this at all. I just think it's interesting to
look at, I'd be curious to talk to Lucas little bit about the
intent and what they wanted to do with this or what inspired
them to want to do, like the tear to D6 system.
I'll post a post PBT a game if you will.
Yeah, but yeah. And also the art has moved into
in this section, which I dig that it's kind of like section
by section into kind of like a wood.
Carving background for that and there's still some consistency
through each section. Have you noticed that he reuses
the art? Then ask resolution system and
then this next page are the same and the following page are the
same piece of art and the same, is it just a different parts of
it and then yeah, it's different parts of it and then the next
section path of the blade. The next, I think two pages are
the same and then after that the next three pages of the same
piece and then after that, I think that they're different
after that. But yeah, it seems interesting.
I had never noticed that until like literally a minute ago when
I was little On the road again. And I was like, oh my God, I
actually real, I think that's really fucking clever to use
because one of the things I just said earlier was like, I don't
like when there's like a lack of inconsistencies.
Yeah. Take a big piece and you just
use chunks of it is so smart because it's literally can't get
more consistent. They literally the same piece of
art, that's really clever. That's a really nice.
Very cool. Um, it's a smart, it's a really
smart way to do that. Nice catch.
So, Going on to the next. So this is a little bit more of
an explainer on the system that we just talked about.
So, maybe it'll say, you know, everything I just said it was
dumb, but there's a section on one D3.
If you are ever told to roll a 1, D 3, simply rho 1 D6, then a
divide, the result by 2, then round up, when you roll a D3.
What how do you? How do you do it?
I used my dc1 DC-3. That's a cop-out.
Um I just roll a D6 and then I I just do the math real quick in
my head like you know 1 and 2 is 1 3 or 4 is through 2563 but I
also just use my dc33. I should buy.
I'm a spot. Almost bought a box of I think
of DC the other day because I got in my DC dying Earth.
Have you? Did you have a nice bag that now
remind me? Remind me show that to you after
The stream we should show it off on streams on time because damn
people went hard on the stretch goals and those boxes are pretty
well show that off on next episode or something.
It is we need to read DCC at some point now that we did
hyperborean a nice, a nice big fat game.
I feel like we can we can do like a like a bigger the that's
the only thing that's kept us is is games like that?
That are like like so fucking big to try to fit into one
episode when we can do two and a half hours on a 20-page theme,
it's hard to do two and a half hours on a six.
Under page book, you know, I mean, well, the good thing about
these cc is it's only actually like 30 pages of rules, the rest
of magix. Yeah, so so one D3, if you're a
total one, need to redo what we said before.
So, task difficulty, difficulty, tear and reference value for
total success, our tiered on here, and this is kind of like a
mini reference table for a D3 and 76, which is interesting
that they do, the exact same thing for a D3 for these six,
but presented in Three different ways, like that reference value
table versus this. Just kind of like, you know,
kind of standard table, so easy as a difficulty, dear of to, and
a reference value for the success is a six averages.
Difficulty, three rv9 hard difficulty for our V12
impossible is difficulty, 5rv 15, and a success.
Whenever you succeed on a task, it is either a total success or
a partial success. A total success is achieved when
ever you roley Equals whatever your role equals or exceeds
reference value, a partial success has a variable range
within its difficulty tear as shown on the task resolution
table. If the task is a partial
success, that is successful but it will have consequences to
remove the judge. So standard partial success.
You know, PBT a post ppta, there's an example here which is
always nice Del Nero the Swift, great fucking name attempts to
climb a difficulty three wall. If they'll near has roll total
six to eight, She achieves a partial success.
And if her total is 9 or higher, she has seized a total achieves,
a total success. A roll of five or lower is a
failure. And then on combat tasks, the
effects of success and failures and combat are determined in the
comment section. So read the comment section.
So really. I mean that's what it comes down
to. The whole core mechanic is a
it's like PBT a but tiered there's what it comes down to
pvta with like a role Master results table kind of thing.
There we go. Yeah.
Yeah so yeah so immediately. So this is so we're getting into
narrative advantages here. I am a big fan of narrative or
situational Advantage. I really like the concept
especially in rules like games of and especially in 286 systems
where like the the numbers that you can add to to D6.
Is so small in comparison because the math Not perfectly,
but roughly on advantage. On a D20 is about plus five
minus five. So that's a 25% increase and
decrease chance of success or failure in on a D20.
But if you add a plus 3 to a 2, D 6, if your, if your success
number is 10 or higher and like a pvta, your chances of success
increases by like I think something's like 75%.
So I think basically, it plus one or minus one is about a 25%
swing, which is roughly advantage and disadvantage on a
D20. Yeah, so it's 1 vs. 5 basically
which is which is, you know again bad math.
I'm not great at it. But those are the rough
estimates. Don't come at me or do that's
fine. So narrative advantages players
can and should be encouraged by the judge to creatively,
describe their actions depending on how creative the Action is
describe the judge may choose to lower the reference value by 1
or 2. Thus.
Increasing the chance of success.
Simply look, on the task resolution table and Slide the
left one or two columns from the original containing.
The reference value note that the range of a partial success
changes as well. Alternatively, if a task would
normally fall into one difficulty tear, but
circumstances, make it more difficult.
The judge can declare the RV up by one or two.
So I like it thoughts. Yeah, I really Like the way that
this works, because it keeps the math on the referee side, which
I think is always fun because then the players are just
rolling their Dice and hitting their targets, like that's the
goal. You don't have to worry about
adding modifiers to your dice rolls or, you know, adjusting
how many dice you're rolling or whatever?
It's just always, you're always just rolling to D6 and your
skills modify. What the judge is Going to give
you as their as their task difficulty, which I think is
great. I like that.
I have no other thoughts because I think it's a great way to run
to run a game like this. Yeah, you know, what, what
jumped out on this table to me and this is, this is a me thing,
this is not a critique, this is a me thing I cannot do.
The so for example, on the end of page line to it says,
depending but it's d e Dash because that's the end of the
line and then it goes to pending on the next one who I can do.
It's because the whole all of the text has been fully
Justified. Yeah, which is, yeah, it
automatically does that. We need to full justification
and have certain settings on. Yeah, I can't who it breaks.
My I love visually looking at the page because the ends are
the whole reason for Justified, but it drives me insane when
something is split across two things.
The interesting part is it really doesn't slow down the way
your brain reads it. But for some reason, all those
old ashes on the side, Just it just hits me in a spot that
doesn't you know it's not the most enjoyable feeling, it's not
bad. And again this is not a
critique, this is purely a me thing but I'm just not a fan of
Justified regardless. So and again the same piece of
art again but a different section of the art again, super
clever fucking way of using the same big, great piece of art and
keeping sections thematically. That's just so smart, I don't
know why I said it a little thing.
That's very smart. Yeah.
So I mean, I feel that. Oh, yeah.
Oh yeah, for some light. Like this, this is a perfect way
to do it. Especially didn't get like a
nice. Big high res where you can use
big chunks of the art. Yeah, really smart.
So path of the blade. And then there's a blade on the
page and it's a great page to because it's like a lot.
It looks like there's almost a black kind of like hurt me
background and then you see the hilts of a very decorative
almost like Rapier looking thing popping out, really gorgeous.
So this is the path of the blade.
So as we said before you are, you can either do Path of the
packs or path of the blades, hence, the name of the game, but
this is getting into the blade. So you followed a rigorous path
to learn your Martial skills, blood drips from your weapon and
you know how to use it to eviscerate your enemies really
nice little bit of a little flavor bit to the it's nice it's
nice. What again real quick side note,
when you the Adderall is obviously hitting already,
right? So when you have something
that's so rules light like this Just having one or two lines can
really increase the Vibes. And so it is not Joe, doesn't
read like an SRD, you know, for sure.
So when you gain a path advancement and choose a path of
the blade, choose one weapon to apply the advancements benefits.
To, for example, you could choose long.
So we're dagger, bow Etc. Each weapon will have a
different advancement value depending on how many times you
advance with it. I'd lie really like that a lot.
Yeah, that reminds me of old school.
MMO players like in World of Warcraft, when you had to when
you picked up that new weapon and you've been working on your
sword skill and then you got a one-handed axe from the dungeon.
You just ran and it's way better than the sword.
You got to go down like level 10 and durotar, some bullshit and
beat up a bunch of pigs so you can get better with the axe.
I like that. I love that.
Yeah, yeah, it's really, it's really neat that they tie
advancements on like specifically to that weapon and
Then lives you just said like you really have to like
eventually if you really want to keep going and really focus on
that weapon or you could just jack-of-all-trades it and
anything. If I can pick up, you're just
like, you know, a bit of a master.
It's really, I like that. And I like the way that the
blade and the path and as we get to path will see a bit more, are
kind of like a symmetrical. Like it's not like you don't get
the exact same things on both and once this magic ones just
played like they do like to completely different things and
I really I really loving games do that where you can like dig
into your the thing that you're good at, in a way that Like
emphasizes that thing. So when recording your path of
the blade advancements, you should note each weapon.
Separately upon your first advancement in the path of the
blade. When attempting tasks related to
your path of the blade weapon, you reduce the reference value
of the task by one every time you advance in this path.
But the same weapon it is reduced, Again, by minus 1 up to
a maximum of three times, for a total of minus 3.
I like this. I like this a lot too, because
it leaves so much room for interesting uses of your
weapons. Especially when it's, you know,
when attempting a task related to the path of the blade weapon
like that obviously is combat, but also, if I'm trying to break
down a door and I have a war hammer, my Warhammer skill is
relevant here, so like at least I would make the argument that
it might be. So I think that's a really cool.
It's a really clever way to handle.
It's kind of things. Yeah, I like it.
And I like the, you know, when you're doing a to D6, as I said
earlier like you kind of like threes or what you really max
out on a G6 because realistically anything you want
to do once you go past three. Like it's almost impossible to
either like nod to or to do, you know?
Like you get to a point where I mean if you like in PBT for
example like if you have a plus for right like in and you know
to ones is a failure. Anything that's not a failure is
at least a minimal is at least a minimum success because you got
two plus four. You know you're getting to a
point where, you know, you're basically impossible to fail at
things. So 3 is where it stops.
Oh I've had I really like that. Obviously mechanically, Lucas
knows what he's doing and that you can you can get 2 - 3 also.
I don't think it's really like it's not impossible to get to a
minus 3 in a weapon and then get to start working on another
weapon. And it gives us are working on
another weapon until like, you'd really can become a master of a
lot of weapons. If you play this, you know, for
a even even, you know, four or five sessions, you can have
them, weapon maxed out, and just be a pro, another piece of that
same art and again, like, I it's so so smart.
I love it. So the first one was kind of
like just the edge of the hilt, the second.
Age. They have paid just like really
focused in on the hilt. And then this third kind of like
half page is the hand above the the weapon.
But you still see the sword in a little bit.
And then on the very next page, there is this little piece of
public domain art. That's got a two crossed
gauntlets over a over a sore that looks.
Recently familiar. And yo when I was, when I was
reading this today, I looked at that and I was like, fuck.
Hey listen, there's great, there's gray piece of public
domain, aren't you seeing a lot? There's a lot of skull pieces
that are unlike the Thousand magazines is because they're
great pieces. But it is interesting.
I think this is the first time that they use, like a graphic on
a page, that wasn't like a piece of art, but it's just like a
graphic instead. Yeah.
So, you know, interesting and I I'm curious why they didn't just
use a another piece of art for like the final piece and they
use a little different page, it just kind of makes it stand out
a little bit but that's, you know, that's also fine.
So whenever you tame a total success while making rolls with
path of the blade, you pull off a special feet Row 1 D6 on the
following chart and apply its effect immediately so we're
sitting straight up tiered success.
Partial success is like a yes but obviously but if you are
using your path of the blade and you get a total success which is
not a critical, it's just a total success.
This is just a success without failure which again is tiered,
two different things you get to do a special extra ability which
I like and I also like not having to necessarily like take
a bunch of different Feats. I mean I don't mind that either
but it's cool in a system this light that you can just roll a
D6 and do one of these extra cool things which is knee.
Yeah. So ultralight critical table.
I like it. Yeah.
And I mean, and D6, obviously
fits with the 2D six. So it's cool.
So, on a one, you gain insight into your opponent's weaknesses,
and you receive a -2 to the RV of your next role against your
target, which is again, as we said, it's a solid that's a
solid chunk of points against somebody you a number to you,
perform, your action with uncanny speed, you may
immediately act one more time, really great.
Your opponent is weakened if his next attack is successful, its
damages or just by one step to a minimum of no damage.
That's nice for your opponent is stunned.
They cannot make counter-attack X in response to partial
successes for one round and five.
You are strike was extremely effective.
Increase the tier of wound dealt by one step.
If it was already a severe wound, add an additional
moderate wound to the damage dealt and 6.
You get to pick I like that. I like that.
Creating a crit. Let you decide what you want to
do, and I'm pick your head and then we get to the path of the
pact magic and all its Glory. So you OT obtained.
A vision of the Dark World of spirits be they marvelous
Sinister or from another plane of existence granting you ways
to invoke them and ask for favors through a mysterious
packed when again a path advancement and choose a pact of
the path. Path of the pact.
Yeah, select one Spirit. You have a pact with to apply
the advancement benefits too. For example, you can choose a
salamander mortise the decrepit, Etc, each Spirits, Pat will have
a different value, depending on how many times you advance with
it. So, and path of the blade that
you get different weapons. And in path of the pact, you get
different benefits for the spirits for which you have
contacted. This feels like What warlocks
could have been, you know, in in the later, editions of the
world's most marketed roleplay game world's greatest role
playing game. I want to add one to your thing
by saying, I love Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
Exclamation point F5 e + 23 + I need.
I can tell myself I need to add 70 more for all the episodes
that we we did before. But fuck wat see in the
pinkertons. Yes, I know.
Right. So when a recording your path of
the pact Spirit packs who you should note a each pack
separately upon your first advancement in the path of the
pact when attempting. Tasks related to a spirit, you
have a pact with your reduce, the reference value of the task
by one every time you advance, you know, you reduce it by 12
2003. So the core mechanic is the same
but the ways in which you can use these these the the This
pack for the spirits is very different than you're going to
use it with your blades. Clearly because one is a blade
in one is a spirit. That's really, you know, the
core difference between blades, the spirits.
So how magic works? So you were talking about, you
would go path because of the way magic work.
So why don't you tell us? Hurry my friend.
How does magic work each Spirit? You see Le packed with has a
name and a mystical domain over which it has influence.
When you invoke your pack to channel magic, the effect must
relate to the Domain each specific type of effect may only
be invoked from The Same Spirit. Once per day, the judge has
final say on whether an effect is too similar to an to another
previously, invoked effect a spellcaster, may only have one
effect active at a time. For example, vote is the vote,
is the ruthless invokes salamander a spirit of fire
asking for Flames to shoot from his fingers, salamander, grants
vote us' request with a successful role.
Partial Or total success. Once a specific effect has been
granted to the spellcaster the same effect can no longer be
channeled during the same day. However, other effects related
to the same Spirits domain are still possible such as a wall of
flames, or spontaneous combustion for a spirit with
influence, over the fire domain. All magical invocations, have a
domain and effect and a duration.
A domain is a descriptive term that identifies the sphere of
influence of the spirit, which the spellcaster has made a pact
with an effect, is essentially a spelt, any magical effect
invoked from the spirit must be associated with its domain,
effects are up to the judge to agree to but can include many
diverse phenomena. The duration is how long an
effect lasts and is dependent upon the narrative.
The judge final say on how long an effect lasts, so yeah, I'll I
love that because essentially, like magic is just completely up
in the air like you can you can just know my page popped popped
the staple. Oh well I have a I have a book
stapler, I'll fix it, essentially I could just we
cannot we can have decided that there were several spirits that
are for some reason, influencing our story or I can just come up
with one when I started. We make my character you know
and I like the I like the salamander example.
I just think it's cool. Fucking word is cool.
Fucking word. Yeah and it's also great book
but yeah I just I love that. I like that spell.
I like the Spells or effects are only useful once a day.
I think that's pretty neat to be honest.
I feel like I would want to know why that's the only thing I
would want to know, you know, like it doesn't really matter
but like as far as like the actual game goes, but me I want
to know like in game in Game World.
Why would that be the case? You know, there is there a
reason for that but it doesn't really have any effect on me.
But yeah, I love that I love. Any kind of magic system that is
extremely open ended like this, there's just so many ways you
can use a spirit that has dominion over fire so many ways.
I love this matching system, couple of things that we like
about it first, though. I'll say if you, if you name
something something and then say it's essentially this other
thing, it could also just be that other thing.
Like if you say effects and which is essentially a spell you
could, you could just call it a spell that also works too.
But you know, I love completely open-ended magic but I also like
the restrictions that this puts on it.
The clay. Because if we were talking about
something like acid, Mages acid, Mages literally, you can travel
the fucking Universe with your magic.
Like, there is no bounds to it. And I feel like for this really
rolls like game with these like small advancements in this
world, I feel like the the only use.
So, basically, you make up, you make a pact with the spirit and
then you can ask the spirit to Grant you something, excuse me?
And then you can No longer. As you said, you can use it once
a day but you can do the same thing with a different Spirit.
If you really wanted to like, you do a wall of fire with
Solomon door, you can do wall of fire with Bob if you if you
wanted to but you Bob the fire another one.
Yeah, you can't do another one with Salim and or right, really
like that. It's got this restriction on it
because I feel like it keeps players feeling small which I
really enjoy. I don't, you know, one of the
biggest knockers On another game out there is that you really the
only in the game at final level is to kill and become Gods.
You know what I mean? Like and in this yet never
become a God. All you can do is get a, you can
just get a little little tighter you know, with your with your
spirit and then go make friends with more spirit.
I like that. There's a restriction on it.
That's just this once a day because it really tells you that
like they you they'll Grant you Something but like in small
doses, you know, so I like a very open-ended system that does
work. These kind of like restrictions
into it to keep you feeling like low level.
Like I think low-level old-school d and e is like so
much fun because of how like quasi whore it is and how weak
you are versus the world and with the world not balanced you.
And I like this whole style of play here where you can never
become a fucking god of the thing you're doing, you can just
start to become better at other things.
Things. I love the way that this rule
system adds in. Basically, the only way to
really quote-unquote Advance is to really just expand your
horizons and learn more things and I really enjoyed that and I
really like the way that basically I love opening in
Magic that has a little bit of a curbing to your ability to
become God, you know, so I think really clever way to do it.
So um and then we have another page.
This also has a graphic on top so I like the consistency from
page to page at the end of it. It's got like a spell book on
the ground. So example of spirit, domains
can include air water, Earth, fire, Death life, chaos
protection, teleportation mind Etc.
Judges and players are encouraged to work together to
create their own, dig it examples of invoked.
X damage healing enhancement and curse.
I really like those is like core examples and so damaged, 1 D6
automatic damage, see the damaged section.
It's not hyperlink to that section.
Is it as fine? Healing 1 D6, wounds healed, see
the wound section. Enhancement, reduce the RV of
all the targets, tasks by one D3, which that can be fucking
big and then curse, increase the RV of all the targets, tasks by
one D3. I like I like, That they're kind
of, like, I could see this on, like a, like a, like a like x y
and x. Y scale.
Yeah, so damage versus healing and enhancement versus curse.
You could really, you know, fall on that.
I really like the the jobs that and then there are packed feet
when you attain a total success, same as before roll a D6.
So these are interesting things, this is an interesting page
here. It's one of the only Only pages.
I think that has the writing on top of a piece of art.
I could be wrong. It's the first one I think we've
seen so far versus writing on like a space.
So one the magic asked Grant you a deeper spiritual connection.
You receive a - 200x role to you cast your Spell's Supernatural
speed. You may immediately Act One More
Time, a lot of these mirror, The Pact of the pack the bath.
So actually, this feels like a little bit less asymmetric than
I think, I stated previously. A lot of it, kind of like
mirrors it in a way that like makes it Right?
But is still very similar three. Your spiritual connection is
spectacular. Your spell achieves maximum
possible effect for your Patron, is very flattered by your
exploits. You can invoke the same effect
once more the same day. Oh, thank you to do.
So there is a possibility of double effects with your Feats,
which is cool. So your Patron.
Oh I read that one. Already five.
Your spiritual connection is so deep that your body becomes
Ethereal for the duration of your invocations effect.
You are immune to harmful effects unless they can also
harm ethereal creatures and six you get to choose.
So, those are good effects again, I think they really
rounds out what you what you can do and I like how well that
works. So yeah, I the only thing that I
wish was here and I need to check salamander the book real
quick and see but we're not reviewing the book Solomon door,
so it's irrelevant. But the only thing that I wish
was here was I wish that there was risk with your packed, you
know. They I think that it It would be
difficult to balance this though.
Balance can take a shit but it would be difficult to balance
this against the the Sim with the Simplicity of this system.
It would be difficult to give the packed some kind of slight
Edge over weapons over blades, but having the possibility of
having a defect, or Of response from the spirit that you're
trying to speak with. I don't know if it's necessarily
even makes sense. But for me, whenever I like
whenever I'm thinking about magic, I'm always like, how can
the gods fuck you up? How do I, how can they be like,
no, not this time, you know? Yeah, I don't disagree.
I think something like a Gosh, if you had even something along
the lines because this is kid, this is campaign play.
Really? You know, it specifically says
you do campaign with this, right?
If you had something along the lines of like if you get too
many like you know 2's you know, Snake Eyes, you build up
disfavor with your with your spirit and me too many of those
in the spirit will flee you or something like that?
That's how we cool. Yeah, that would be it.
Sounds like you need to write some 3pp stuff for Acts in
blazes are right pack, some planes.
I this is great, like you could easily do so much.
Good content with this. Yeah, I wonder how much, what
additional contents out there Beyond Salomon door for this of
people have done because the eye, this is.
So just right for for, for stuff really.
Excited for ya combat is what we get to.
I've noticed on the comment page one if it's in the book to page
24. Mmm-hmm No, it's not.
So it's just on my PDF. All of the pages have like, you
know, the, you know, the word combat, like the, the pages,
like half white and then the the header to it is white clipped,
right to the edge. Oh yeah, so it kind of looks
like the white feeds up over the art but for some reason on my
PDF, there's a tiny line that separates this one.
So it's not quite connected, but it's not in the book.
So that's not that's not anything.
So, Getting into combat and how combat works specifically.
So combat actions such as attacks are just special tasks,
so doesn't work any differently. Combat is, you know, combat is
combat. So, you roll to D6 against an
opponent's reference value to hit them just like any other
tasks. Each opponent has a reference
value to be hit based on their difficulty player characters.
Have a starting difficulty of two which is our V6.
The second player characters have to which is rv6.
So we go to the table. Right.
So specifically. RV is your total success number.
Yes. So when I look at the table
under right directly under to, it'll take you up to partials,
its failures of two and three, partial success, at 4 and 5, and
total success at a 6, that's where we're starting here and
their difficulty increases by plus one.
For every four combined path advancements.
They have. So if you advancements, it's
harder. Difficulty increases by plus 1
for every four combined pass. They have for example, a paths
or to packed Salomon door. Fire three character would have
a difficulty of three rv9 while a path dagger, three sword.
Three Hammer, three spear one character would have a
difficulty of for our V12. This is breaking my brain for a
second. So for example, a path sword to
pack salamander fire three. But have a difficulty of three.
And why is that again? So difficulty increases by plus
one for every four combined. So that's a five.
So that gives you a plus 1 because 5 is resorted to if the
reason it's for is because each difficulty number has four
columns. So it keeps that add a base
number. So difficulty to you start with
a, with an RV of six difficulty, three start with an RV of nine,
difficulty for the character would start with an RV of 12.
So the reason why it's every four is so that you don't end up
with a weird like 2.3 there to point to where you have an RV of
7 for some reason, right? I think that was just his way of
trying to simplify that. Oh wait, no.
So they each, they all have a, they all have three, right?
Is it three or four? And then and then it was, and
then the fourth one kicks over to.
That makes sense 03. Yeah, I'm sorry not.
Yeah, the fourth one kicks over. That totally makes sense.
So every time you hit the next advancement you jump up in the
difficulty level but so, tell me if my brain is being dumb right
now. So the better you get over all
the harder. Because Of You, the harder you
are to hit. So, the did that your characters
difficulty is essentially your armor class.
Yeah. Okay.
That because in yeah. Okay.
That makes sense because my brain went why are we making it
harder to hit stuff? And it's not.
That's kind of, this is to be. This could have been written a
little bit more clearly, as far as that goes because the
previous sentence is each opponent has a reference value
to be hit based on their difficulty.
Now, if you were to contextualize the next sentence
that makes sense, but it still could be.
I think maybe just a tiny bit more.
Clear, but it doesn't not make sense.
I don't disagree with you. Yeah.
My brain immediately went to. This is how I hit stuff.
Not. This is how I get hit.
Yeah. You look at the very last
sentence as you just said, it says, about being hit, like,
value to be hit. So yeah, makes sense makes
sense. My brain was just done for a
second, so that's cool. So the more you advance the
harder you are to hit makes perfect sense.
Make sense of them system makes sense within the values used
within the rules, so possible attack results.
So we're talking about total success, partial success, and
failure on a total, the attacker adds the effects of a feet to
the damage or effect, which we've already gone over the
tables on a partial U deal damage to the opponent but you
will suffer a counter-attack from your target or any other
continents. The judge feels is appropriate
instead if your opponent hits you with partial success.
This will not also Grant you You a counter attack.
So I like that, I like specifically the comma after the
first sentence and then the extra bit because one of the
things I love most about to D6, but one of the things that's
hard with partial success, if you haven't played with it, a
Totten is the concept of a GM action, not just being a monster
reaction to the thing that you just did.
So if someone punches you in the face with the partial success,
right? Or punches a monster in the
face, your GM action doesn't have to be the monster punches
in Can the face, it could be a completely different monster
attacks. A completely different thing or,
you know, poison gas to spilled or whatever.
Any other Consequence, the judge feels is appropriate instead so
this doesn't always necessarily mean Monster Hits back.
If you hit monster and I really like that that is specifically
laid out even in just like a half sentence.
So really important in this system to have that kind of
Freedom Beyond just head back because at that point you might
as well just do defense roles and stuff.
So and then failure your it does not hit and you receive an
automatic damage from your opponent.
If you made a melee attack at the attack has a magical effect
that judge decides what happened.
So I like that damage chart damage is dealt in the form of
light moderate and severe wounds.
So the wound system is interesting, this is another
really interesting part that my brain took a second to get and I
like it. It's really interesting.
So damage is still in the form of light moderate and severe one
so levels of damage. The highest value of the two
dice rolled from a successful attack role is used to determine
the attacks damage as follows. I like that mechanic, obviously
that I know you enroll when you roll to t6i.
Now I've I've seen it kind of pop up in, I think, maybe two or
three games, but this is done in a completely different way.
You're not taking the damage of the highest roll, you're taking
the highest roll number on your to D6.
Comparing it. And then and then the damage is
this kind of like abstracted you know, light moderate.
And so on your if your highest died on a tack is a 1-2-3, you
deal a light wound on a four to five ET La Mota ruined on a six
you deal with severe wound. So it's not direct amount of
damage. There is no HP necessarily.
It is the number of each of these types of wounds that you
can have. So yeah.
So for example Nice. For example, for example, of
play would have been nice right there, specifically, but if you
roll, like, let's say you have an RV of of seven, right?
And you hit that with a four and a three, right?
You forward is your highest die, right?
So you would look at four to five which is a moderate wound
so you deal a moderate wound. Yep.
I like it, I really like it. You know I'm like, With how
abstracted this game is with the way that like magic words and
stuff like that, I like that you're not looking at a specific
like HP. Number two, just chip away at
something or kind of, which is interesting because I was
thinking about this earlier before the stream started,
actually in how this is almost like, it's almost like literary
math. You're going to do here like
because they are light would moderate as we'll see in the
next pages. Like white wound, moderate wound
and severe wound are actually numbers and that you have to
track but they are like narrative and how they happen
and when they happen which I think is really interesting.
Yeah. But I also like that it's it's
not, it's not like you just have 10 and everything you do,
reduces it. I like that.
It splits it into multiple types.
I think for a lot of rules light system, I think that adds up A
variety, which feels in my mind, like, well, then you're making
it more complicated, but it is in, which is, which is nice
because I light it is. So, yeah, I think that I'm not
sure which system it is. I think it might be Cipher
system, but I think that that has something similar to this.
And I know that whichever system is inspired Jeff Baker from
Happy Jack games to do something very similar for their game.
The Crypt has opened which is coming out in this year
sometime, but I've seen In how it works and he has a very
similar wound table on like the character sheet.
And you can essentially that get like, a certain number of each
type of wound before your characters is dead, which is
it's really cool way to like, kind of track that.
Yeah, I really, I really like it.
I think it's clever. I think it's good.
It's a good use of it for that to.
I'm excited for the game of the cover, looks cover art.
Hmm, looks amazing artist, so good.
Um so we're we so if this is ever situation where more than
one degree of damage would be dealt or a severe wound would be
increased to the next greater step of damage instead add one
moderate wound to the base damage.
I like that, it sounds like an edge case, I got that with and
it's cool. And then automatic damage,
anytime a rule calls for automatic damage, simply roll a
D6, and consult the table. While I get wounds characters
and opponents have health points measured in Means which are
divided among three tiers at character creation.
Roll, 1 D6 this value. Determines your number of light
moderate and severe wounds. You have light wounds equal to
the roles. Total you have moderate wounds
equal to half your role, rounded up and you have severe wounds
equal to your role / 3 round it up.
That's a very small number to divide those ways, right?
So like, for example, like if you roll a 1 D6 and get it to,
you would have to light wounds one moderate wound and one
severe wound you. Yeah, I feel like it could I
feel like you could have just not had most of that paragraph
because it's, it was I feel like the paragraph actually,
complicates the table, that's next to it.
Which explains the paragraph. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong,
but I was just thinking like, I'm just thinking like you have
severe wounds equal to your role / 3 rounded up.
It's like, well, you have a D2 number of severe wounds like
that's what you have, you know. Like that's yeah.
And the table set the table shows you exactly.
What. Like, you know, it's roll a D6
for your for your, like I'm not knocking the it'll I just feel
like this is another, in my opinion, another small example,
just slight over complication. And of mechanics that aren't the
don't really need the over complication, you know, I know,
I know, I don't mind it. I like the concept of like 1/2
and the third, because I like thirds, and and 26 is another
thing that really hits my brain about thirds.
But I also if I didn't have that paragraph and I just looked at
the table, my dumbass brain would go, but why?
Fair enough. I don't know like why, why does
the six, get a three and a two and I don't know how long it
would take me to go. Oh, you know what that's half
and that's the third, you know, I don't mind.
I like, I don't I see what you're saying.
I don't mind it personally, but I see I absolutely see what
you're saying. Because again, for those in
podcasts and what we see next is a table that explains all that.
So you have four Columns and six rows.
No four rows and six columns, whatever.
So it's a D6 roll, and then the number of light wounds number
modern rooms. And I'm trying to think I'm
trying to remember and Excel at work, like, which one is Rosa?
Which one's called? Um yes.
But when you have to highlight them, you go this way and that's
what's breaking my brain. But yeah, so D60 light wounds
moderate. So for at one, if you roll a 1
you get a 1 1, 1, 1 1 because that's how that's how math
works. If you roll a three you have
three two one, right and he goes X and there's something between
them. Just not saying all, if you're
all six, you get six, light wounds, three, moderate ones and
to severe wounds. What's crazy is how small a D6
role is and how vastly insanely different, your two characters
would be. If someone rolled a 1 in summer,
roll 26, Because You Are The Fucked, if you roll a 1.
Yeah, very much. So yeah.
And then there's teeth graphics on this page, which I enjoy
teeth graphics on the last page, which I enjoy.
And then this OnStar that they using is very teeth e.
I have and he's teeth on a patch on my battle jacket.
Nice, I need to get a battle jacket.
I got somebody got in patches and then there is a second page
of white text on a piece of art, which is fine.
Whenever you run out of wounds of a particular type any
additional damage, you take all that kind, instead treated as
damage to the next available wound here.
So if you run out of light, wounds, if you take a light
wound, you have a moderate wound.
I like how clean and simple. People that is, it makes
absolute sense that you've taken so much of us of a lighter
damage that taking more of it makes sense.
It will become moderate it because you're already hurt so
much that the next hurts more like, that's so clever.
Yeah, I love it. I really love that.
So for example, if you are out of light wounds and would suffer
another, I just said that's exactly what I just said.
So good example because that's where my mind went and then
there's that exact example basically.
I you Kris too. But it says, if you ever run out
of severe wounds you die. So that's your, that's your
death state, right? Is when all your severe wounds
are gone, you done dead. So if you, if you have to severe
wounds and you get to severe wounds, you're dead, but you
could also get six, light wounds, and then your three
moderate ones and then your two, three ones and be dead.
So how do you recover dim wounds?
And then we're basically we're almost done so recovering wounds
wounds recover. Every time your character is
able All to rest, the judge will determine what constitutes rest.
I love that. Every time you can put your game
GM, discretion judge decides like to a point.
I really enjoy that because it's like I am not going to have a
whole table of what rest means figured out after each rest were
all 1 D6, you're a cover of number of wounds from each tier.
As if you had generated wounds for a new character with your
role, you may never recover Over more wounds in an old Maxim.
I love that. Great healing, yeah, super easy.
Extremely simple. Like, remember how you made
wounds just do that? Just do that again.
And if you fill it up, then you can't go over.
Easy, duh? Yeah, duh, there's an example
here. We just did the math.
We don't need that increasing maximum wounds.
After you gain any to path. Advancements were a 1 D6. + 2.
If there's old is greater than your care, actors, current light
wounds, this becomes your new light wound, value every two
additional path, advancements, you gain roll 1 D6, adding plus
2 for every two path advancements you have That broke
my brain. For example, if you have for
path, advancements Row 1 E, 6 plus 4.
And if you have six path, advancements for a 1, B, 6 + 6.
And so on use this new value to calculate your maximum light
modern, severe wounds. When resting you never add these
bonuses to Healing. So wait wasn't after you gain
any to path, advancements. Row one is it comes to you can
now roll 1 D6, + parentheses every to path.
Advancements, gotcha. If there's always greater than
your characters, current light wounds, it becomes an alignment
value. Every two additional Grant to
gain role when he six adding plus 20.
Yes. Okay, okay.
So, basically, every time every
you roll 186 to heal and every wait a minute acting into don't
know. So every time you get your
second path advancement you can re-roll the Number of wounds you
have and if it's better, you get better.
So if you roll a six on the start, you never get better
because that's literally the maximum so got you.
Oh, so you're shooting for a six each time.
So armor. Armor adds to the number of
wounds and each character's wound, tear, these wounds are
consumed first. If you run out of wounds,
granted by the armor, it is rendered useless.
So, this automatically makes me think armor points.
Yeah, right. Right?
Arm cell phones. Yeah.
So so wounds so armor is not soak.
It is a set number of points that you can exhaust and the way
it works is basically it just add armor, just adds to the
wounds that you can take by type and they get used up first.
So it's like temporary wounds until the range P.
Yeah, Yeah. Tim Page previously so plate.
Armor adds plus to light medium and severe.
So to across the board for everything solid chain armor is
+2 light and medium and +1, severe leather armor is +1,
light medium and severe and then a shield is plus 12,
light/medium and severe and shield stack with other armor
type. My only my only question with
that. My only concern with that my I
will say knock for this. Also, real quick love the next
full page, where it's just a really close up view of like
armor, like right at like the elbow shoulder chest, I think
that's the same piece that The Sword and the other pictures OU
3. Sure, I'm pretty sure it is
here. So, my only problem with this
entirely is and I know it's a light system, but there is no
unless I'm not screwing far enough ahead.
There is, why wouldn't everyone just her plate armor?
Because there's no mechanical both thinking the same exact
thing, there's no mechanical reason not to the that was that
was my I feel like armor. In this system at least armor
are in this book. Armor is the only thing that
feels like tacked on. It's a game with a game that's
so tightly designed and like a really, really well crafted to
like work together with itself. Armor feels like, oh shit,
there's armor in these games. How do I make that a thing to
and it would work fine what I would have done. done is just
say plate armor adds plus 1 2 or plus 2 to your RV of any task
related to I would just say any task honestly, unless it's like,
that's where we would start to get a little bit more difficult.
Like, you'd have to be like, you'd have to clarify like plate
armor would have to, would add +1 2 or plus 2 to any RV.
That is combat-related. I would just say combat, we're
movement-related chain, would be +1 to the same leather armor,
you would maybe get -1 to combat RV and then Shield is just A
plus one to combat. Like, you know, that would I
feel like that would honestly have solved that problem.
If Amina. Maybe not those exact things but
something like that. Yeah, I'm torn on this because I
like the idea of this increase of wound.
The other thing that this immediately starts to build in
is a couple of things. One is armor, becomes a
resource. You are always hunting for
Right? So you created a game now of
armor hunting because as soon as you my assumption, yeah, if you
run out of wounds granted by your armor and is rendered
useless. So if you're wearing plate
armor, It will soak to light wounds and media, Moon, and
severe wound, and then be trash. So narratively, you got broken
at summer, you need to ditch it and now you're hunting for more
armor because your armor is now gone versus like a soak system,
right? So, I like the idea, but I feel
like this, I feel like this is a weakest part in the game because
I feel like you could also as you just said, make increase
your RV by one, increase your RV, you know, by, you know,
because Doesn't even need to be a whole difficulty.
That's the other thing with the table that kind of hits me,
right? So at right under the to write
your Mick, success value is at a five, but the next one over your
mixed success value is a six the next and over your so your RV,
go 6, 7 8, right? And then you hit 3, so that it
becomes a 9, right? And for becomes a 10.
So every every time you go up a difficulty RV increases by total
of 3. So 2 is 2 6 3 is 9 right.
Like Like you could have just had these things increase just
bump over a couple. I think that's basically you
were saying, right? Just like yeah plate.
Yeah, plate armor, make sure be big play with.
Just make your RV more difficult when you're trying to accomplish
tasks and it gives you plus 2D all your wounds, you know,
right? The other, the other thing
though is instead you could always have instead of like you
could cut this, boom section on entirely and just have your RV
to hit move over. Right?
So like if your difficulty right is add a flat to right where
your RV is a 6, you can have you know, leather be a seven.
You know what? Honestly probably break this
down to just like light and heavy, right?
Light adds you know one TRV. So you go from a six to a seven
heavy, Ed's to drv and I would have light armor, not have any
difficulty. Like any thing that, you know,
Gets rid of it. But on heavy, I would have it be
like, maybe like a minus one RV to anything that requires like
speed dexterity acrobatics, or anything like that up to your
judge. You know what I mean?
You're literally rocking Play-Doh.
We're not doing backflips. You know, any way I like I like
the way that it works with the wounds because I personally like
that I like I mean as you know and very few other people know,
right now I'm a big fan of armor breaking and you having to find
it. So I think that the way that it
works is actually really cool. I just feel like there needed to
be like just one just a negative or a bonus to various things,
you know? And That was a, that's kind of
it. That's the thing too.
Is like it's just, it's this implied, it's just implied.
So mechanics will always inform the way that you play.
There's of cotton subconsciously or consciously, the way that the
written and then the way that they're applied, right?
So like since there is no real like a quipment like there's no
burden system, there's no nothing, right?
So like it really comes down to the judges discretion for how
much you can carry it, right? But and and even how you can
acquire the plate armor, someone could make it really, really
difficulty difficult to do that. I wouldn't mind a little bit,
just a smidge, a sentence or two even on like how or why, but the
fact that there really seems to be no specific penalty to the
difference, from a shield, all the way to Plate armor but the
difference in what you get for it is crazy.
Big like is really feels like there's something missing.
But again, as soon as you do start like this to me, I don't
know this. If this this I don't know why.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is feels different to
you. This does not feel like a
dungeon delving game to me. This feels like more of like an
open world Exploration with some combat game.
So then having a armor system that becomes armor hunting like
feels a little bit more like this.
You, this really breaks are this really makes combat feel like
kind of the most important part because you're going to
constantly be looking for. Or armor so you can fight.
So I don't I just the the extrapolation of where this goes
can really like inform the way that the game is played and I
just don't necessarily want my players to just be constantly
armor hunting as their stuff breaks into this specific game
in a dungeon delve game. I'd be like fuck yeah, break
that shit all the time. Be a hunting for that like, fine
armor, rip it off a body, you know, stuff like that.
But I don't, I think the biggest knock on this and we both I
think I think you're going. Tremont is that there is no
penalty for wearing plate armor. Yeah.
And like I think I can see perhaps I can see his intention
if and I'm going to be generous because I don't know what his
intention was. I don't want to say that this
was just tacked on at the end. I think when I said that earlier
I should have I should have clarified.
That that's how it feels to me. I don't think that I doubt that
Lucas was like, oh shit. I forgot armor.
Let me just throw that in there at the end, right?
I think that thinking about it, like, An Expendable resource and
even just something that you don't always have.
Like, you don't always have armor.
Is it fair is a fair way to look at it.
If you don't have the, the the negative effect of having played
armor like, you know, oh shit. We're hunting this Griffin
across this mountain range and we stumble across a dead guy who
was also doing that like, six months ago.
And he's wearing some plate armor, which one of us is going
to wear this, right? Like you know I feel like that's
a valid way to look at it from a like I'm more I guess optimistic
and objective perspective. I'm still I'm still like I wish
that there were negatives to it but I feel like maybe That could
be where he was coming from, you know, because it's such a such a
limited and Expendable resource that, you know.
Yeah. I but I wouldn't even minded
then if it said that, you know, default is leather and anything
beyond that is like it difficult to find or something.
But I feel like then that's creating world-building.
So like but what do you want to do then?
Like, are you doing but there's also been some world-building in
here with Salomon door and like we do packs and stuff a little
bit of flavor text. So I don't like you, I don't
feel Feel like this is tacked on, you know, like like you just
had to clarify that a little bit.
I just feel like this might be the like the least developed
part and I wouldn't have minded, just a little dad, just a
smidge, a smidge more here. Yeah, so that's armor.
And then we have examples of opponents.
So light, wounds of enemies will always be three times their
difficulty use the formula for determining player character.
Starting Health to determine enemy wounds judge, can have
special abilities that are encouraged to interpret these.
How are these? He basically bad guys, Work this
image. Good guys work, which I like
that. I like that having to create an
entirely separate system for Monsters or having some like
goddamn fucking, like hidden super-secret algebraic formula
for how fucking like, see ours work, fucking 5e.
But but I like it and it. But I and again, the light
wounds of an enemy's will always be three times their difficulty.
So poor poor, a him play. A goblin is a difficulty one.
So there are light wounds are three so then you would
reference the D6 chart I guess from before.
Is there ever a time? I light ones are the same
because in know they're always going to be.
Friends because this is the same number that you rolled.
So you would just look at the reference chart for light wounds
and you would see three light to moderate one severe.
I like that. I think that's so cool.
That's so fucking clean. Like difficulty to so light 16
you know which means six light means three moderate to severe
and a Oh shit. So yeah, so you're bad guys.
Will far exceed, how good you're good?
Guys can get very quickly because so for example, like the
or cues is a blade which is a scimitar which is minus one RV,
right? But if you let's what's the
what's the highest difficulty thing that's listed here is that
that for but Dragon. Yeah, so Cyclops is 3 but dragon
is for which means that their light wounds would be 12 which
then also makes a text Planar 4 3 and 2.
Because if you get to like 20 light wounds, you have to divide
it by half and should be 10 and a third would be math and
sevenish six-and-a-half. Yeah.
So like yeah. So like seven.
So seven and then so explaining the hardest thing on here Dragon
difficulty for it's got flight its large.
It's got a blade when Klaus. Is our - for RV fire breath -
for RV all damage plus one step wounds twelve moons light wounds
12 modern 16. Severe for the only thing I
think on here that kind of gives me pause is I would not have
mind a whole nother paragraph explaining a little bit more of
how to use the special abilities in a again.
Oz and most important way but unlike the weather doesn't break
the game. So like when you go from Goblin
difficulty one, that's all you got.
And suddenly dragon has flight which okay get it large.
Okay. Get it, but blade marked as
Claus - 4 RV and then fire breath - for all damage up.
One step there's no frame of reference for the amount of rvu
increase and decrease kind of for this specific abilities for
that guy. So I feel like Really, really
crafting, and really needing to know the system and the players
before craft a big Baddie, like I would have to run this game, a
bunch to feel comfortable making a dragon or a dragon.
This character I feel like it's for the most part.
It feels like it's just the difficulty as far as with the
minus RV would be. Except there are obviously not.
There are a few exceptions to that rule here, but that's what
I'm looking like. The dragon is a difficulty for.
It's got - for RV site. Clops has difficulty three.
It's got - three RV, but then translators difficulty, 3 - 2
RV. That's kind of how, that's
probably what my rule of thumb would have been if I was gonna,
you know, run themself off the road like that.
Like a rough because orc Shaman, Right Above It difficulty to,
but it's spell is a minus 2R V. That's not a bad like yeah.
And and then will the orcas difficulty to Scimitar minus 1,
r b. So, it feels like roughly the
difficulty and then you could tweak it up or down by one.
That's not bad. That's not a bad thing, but I
wouldn't mind that. In here, where you see what your
special abilities are roughly, your difficulty, you know, plus
or minus one RV that might have been like a nice little thing to
add just to give a little bit of context for character building,
but, you know, again, yeah, the only thing, the only other thing
I have here is what the hell is? Oh ok, NVM all damage plus, one
step I got it. Okay, when I read that the first
seven times I had no idea what the fuck plus one step man.
I thought like does that mean? It moves faster like My
assumption and tell me if this is something you think before
you tell me what it is waiver. So if you when you roll your
wound, if you roll a 2 for light, you actually get a
moderate wound. Yes, I think that's what it
means. Yeah, that's what you thought,
right? Yeah, so roll your damage but
then increase up by one. So if your moderate, it's always
severe. And if it's severe that sucks
for you. I mean, it's either that or it's
or it's oh no, you know what? I think it actually is I think
The on the table on the reference value table, the all
of the damage that players are dealing against the dragon are
plus one. Difficulty up the table.
That's maybe because I feel like the I feel like you used the
word step in reference to that before in reference to the
table, but the other thing that damage is it's related to
wounds. I think if it was UND step, it
would totally make sense but damn it.
But damage always just rolls a D6, right?
Is there ever a time? You don't just roll D6 for the
image because you pick the wound tight?
I don't think so, right, I think you might so that, I think it
might even be better for all wound.
One step or or if you roll a three it's a four.
Yeah, that's probably what I would do.
I don't know. So Lucas, if you are listening.
Tell us, tell us what plus one step means.
Like, I would imagine example. But yeah, yeah, I wouldn't have
minded even just one. Well, I mean, got to have a
little bit of a bestiary, I want to know.
Yeah. If he if these specifically,
because I think the next page, I mean it might be an end page but
like it's empty. Oh, no.
This is a beautiful page in the book.
I would not have minded like, So examples of player, great,
especially in rural State systems, that letting you need
to kind of like sharply a little bit.
I wouldn't have minded a page of just like, here's a dragon.
This is why the difficulty is, this is why the damages?
This is why the fire breath is this.
And this is, you know, we all damage plus one step like pick a
big Baddie, they break down why you did it.
Just once as an example of building one, I think that would
have been really, really helpful here.
But we can also probably Lookin Like Salomon doors something and
see other Like Batiste at blocks and but I feel like that's a lot
of extrapolation of like, let me research on how it works, to try
to feel how it is versus just like a couple of lines of might
have explained it. So that would be helpful to have
but there it is. But I love this very last page
here. So if you actually look at it in
the spreads in the book, it's this big old page of this like
very Scenic thing again, like really giving you the flavor and
then in the bottom right hand, It says, welcome to the world of
packs and blades. And I like that because the
first time I looked at it I was like this could be on the front,
but I love that. Basically, they just gave you
all the rules and then just opened up a door for you.
And said, welcome now. Go like I love the the mm.
That's the implication to me is just go, but this as just a
graphic thing is such a gorgeous, it might be my, it's
my favorite. Spread the game.
I don't know if there's another But like, this is just beautiful
to me was just that little thing in the bottom, right?
That really pops off this like Dark Art page, it's great.
Yeah. And then then we get to those
beautiful dark blood orange in papers here.
There's a list of all of the art Pages here, are all the people
from which the public art domain was done and then graphic design
by gun Tio back page, which is again, the spread for the cover
art and that's the game. That's a game.
I love that we can do two hours to do a 30-page game.
But I really, I really love digging into these like, rules,
I games because we can really sit and in dig and talk and go
back and forth. Like it's, I really love these.
So we're going to hop over to to our scores for this game right
now. Boom.
And for those that don't know, generally, when we review a
game, we use a five metric system, it's art and style.
Layout, ruleset originality and value, but we've decided, oh,
and we still need to schedule that too.
But we have decided for ziens because there are a lot of
scenes. We did like over the course of
last year where we didn't give those the Xena rating because
the zine just wasn't big enough for realistically to meet all of
those metrics or meet the minimum requirements.
We felt for the metric. So we felt it would have been a
disservice like because there are some really great games out
there That are only like five pages long so there's not room
for as much art as something like a fucking cyborg, right?
So, like giving that a score, we felt would have been just mean
like a disservice and it didn't, you know?
So for a long time, we were talking about potentially doing
a set of Z scores and 100, I finally sat down and actually
did that. So, this will be the second game
we review that uses the zine metrics for instead.
So, instead of five, we use three metrics, and a lot of,
it's basically a lot of those five metrics simplified, and
then, In a little bit little bit different.
So the first is visuals so that is in the previous metric that
would be art and style and layout all together.
It's just when you look at the book it's what you see from the
book. So on ziens like this that are
small enough to be counted as eans.
We don't give as much of a knock or things like not having
hyperlinks in something like that.
That's still in there as part of like, layout things a bit.
But when the thing is only like 20 Heat is long.
You don't need hyperlinks to reference the book really as
much, so it's not as important, it's still nice.
If you do it, listen, do it. Anyway, please, or even like
bookmarks or something. But again, when the page when
it's only 32 pages long and it takes you, three flips to get
back to page, like 14. It's not as important.
So visually we're talking art style layout, how you feel, when
you look at the book, ruleset core, mechanic for a Z4, the
core for a Zine because really the rules, make out a little
boy. Open it.
Since you don't have a lot of other stuff, but then there's
also one for Vibes. So Vibes is kind of a mix of
originality into a bunch of other stuff.
So, Vibes is, when you look at through the book and the zine
itself, the way it's written the way, the art is the way
everything is really comes down to like How much does the whole
physical thing in your hand and reading it?
Make you want to play the game and how much does all of that
also feed into the game itself. So if this is more cocky and
fantasy, how much does this make you feel like you're playing in
the world of Michael moorcock like what are, what are The
Vibes you get from the game? You got good vibes, you got bad
vibes, but it's also mix of just like, if you go through the rule
set, you can do knocks on the role set but to sum rule set
give you Vibes. So it's a very, very abstracted
thing. So you just feel it out, you
know? So these jewels on packs and
Blades. It is all, are we still on
itself out of tens? Yes.
So, max can be 30 here. Yeah, so visuals.
So it is all public domain art, which I mean, I do like, you
know, but are you know that commission and stuff like that?
But I understand. That's expensive.
But, you know, there is, you know, again, when we do out of
10, for each of these five just means bang average.
Five just means if you pick up an average seen how much art it
has and how it looks and how it stuff like that. 5 is average,
not bad, it's literally just average.
So something to get up to like 8, 9 and 10 and needs to be
really fucking good. Compared to every Xena you've
ever looked at. What are you just initial
thoughts? Not necessarily A score.
Your thoughts on visuals. I mean, it's it's I mean, I
wouldn't say it's extremely good but I do.
I do like the layout. It's clean.
It's easy to look at the artwork is beautiful.
It's all public domain art, but it's still like, it's well,
well, well selected to fit and as we discovered together each
like section kind of has its own like art piece.
That is kind of moved around. I do think there's a couple of
spots like it on page. Page 28 and then page 10.
It's like the, it's literally in the exact same position.
Like it could have been possibly, you know, maybe
increase the size of that picture and like, use different
parts of it there. And even on page, I mean, like
page 13 for instance is a great example of the difference
between page 1013 is great. I like that, but Paige, a tan
Ten or like it's the exact same but overall I think it's, I
think it's pretty good. I like it a lot.
It's clean. It's easy to read, it's
extremely easy to read and it looks really nice.
I think visually, if we bring it down to really like art and
style and layout like we have on the other one.
I think the layout is super strong.
I mean gun Toews fucking. I hope I'm saying that right.
I hope that their The The J is HSN that and if I'm saying that,
I think it, I think it is a very much apologize for that, but
they're stuck a fucking great. Like, gravel, like layout
person, like whenever I see their name on a Zine, like, you
know, it's going to be really fucking nice.
So I really enjoy the way it's laid out, but I do think, I
mean, I do have to knock. I mean, I love in pages but I
do. I do feel like I have to knock
any Zine that uses. So okay, so let's let's come
from this from a different thing.
So we Goten down we go five up or five down so we started a
five and that's average. And if something exceeds the
average by some way we go up, right?
And this and this explain to the audience.
Not so not just a you Kirby, this is just in general.
So this is how I do my brain tries to work.
It is five up not 10 down so we're not taking away from
something that's perfect. We're starting on average and
moving up or down. So for me, I really love it.
I think I think the cover is still like the cover of my life,
a dislike my But it is public domain I do.
I think it's clever the way that they use the pieces that they
used, but I think that as you said, like if you flip the page
from one to the next, it's the same exact spot, just part of
it, shopped out, even just that page because when they do use
the blade one, they do use different pieces of it.
So I don't, you know, I think the layouts really solid.
So I think that jumps up to a 6 for me, but I think the art is
pretty, pretty average for like, 30 pages in that uses public
domain art. I don't think there's anything
crazy that sticks out and I don't think anything crazy.
Like, really good, you know what I mean?
Like, it's public domain aren't that's and that's totally fine,
using some graphics. But I think, I think the layout
really adds, like, a point for me, does anything else for?
You know, I was kind of between a six and a seven to be honest.
And I'd go with the six just because, you know, that noticing
that that art East was like duplicated and a couple of other
things were just kind of like, At least in my copy.
Specifically there's a couple little errors but I feel I think
that they were all correct and so but I'm going to go off the
one I have. So I'll say I'll give it a 6 for
that. Yeah, I think I agree.
Yeah. I think I think the sex is good
for this again. I mean it's not an art scene.
It's not, that's not where the the, you know, the the emphasis
is I think, I think it's definitely enough art and I
think it's well selected art to give you the feel of the game.
In to evoke some stuff. But, you know, I think that's
about what what you need for that.
So now rule set so we've never we're never going to give a 10
you know 5 is average, ruleset 55 is something where you're
like, this is interesting. I play this, you know, antenna
is. Oh my God, this changed my
entire life, this has become my identity.
Now, you know, a couple people out there that only do DCC do
that or you know the entire five.
You community play a new game but ruleset overall objectively
Again, starting at a five and going up.
What are your what are your thoughts?
Not really stands out. Yeah.
What really stands out plus and minus.
I like the way that the resolution system works a lot.
I think that it's a tad. Like I had said a few times to
Tad over complicated, not even in the actual rules themselves
just in the presentation of the rules.
I feel like there's a little bit of a complication as far as that
goes. I don't know if that's since
we've kind of condensed the categories.
I'm just I don't know if that's necessarily about the rules but
it's the presentation of the rules.
So what's interesting is RV chart is the only chart done
like that and every other Charlie block is played out like
columns and rows. Yeah, and then the armor stuff
was kind of like a for me. It was it.
I could see it. I can see it without it, like I
could see it with some Changes. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm
at. It's so I like I like it you
know. I like it though.
That's the thing is like I really really like it.
I think I think this is What's interesting is, I really love?
So 36 of my favorite. I don't know if anyone knows
that and I'm going to be listened to the podcast.
All our heard me, literally say it earlier, but this is a really
fun interesting. Kind of more unique way than
what I've seen a different to T6 systems use.
Because like I said, a lot of times, it pure make success, you
know, in the PBT a style or it's pick up, pick a difficulty and
get up or down to it, right? You picked like a nine or
something like that and go up or down to it and then there's a
million others. But that's a lot of where things
lump in I do. You like how there is a and the
more I read, the more I think and stuff like that, I do like
how there's an interesting tiered mix access to it.
But again I do feel that like because of the way our V has to
work for things like wounds and various things.
I feel like a lot of those lower numbers.
I got genuinely feel like a lot like like we're two starts in
the one before too and stuff like that.
Feel Feel like, I guess you have to have it on the table, but it
feels like there's almost unnecessary nist to it like
having like one level of partial success and stuff like that.
Like I said, I love the way it works.
I'm curious how if you read after this entire game to 2D 10
system. So there's just a little bit
more range. I feel like I'm I'm curious how
that would change gameplay and I'm curious how that would
change The tiered success into a wider range of those things
because you could really, I mean, to D6, really wraps
everything into threes. You could do to d-10 and still
kind of have a lot of Threes because it then you get to like
a 369, you know, damn good time, but you could drop off, you
could drop off basically the whole low section and just break
it into three, six nine with 10 just being like, It, you know,
pure critical successes and everything which would make
another interesting aspect to the game of just like the the
highest level of Triumph or something like that.
Again, that's just a curiosity. I'll I enjoy the system.
I think like you said, armor is a bit of a man for me.
I think that was the weakest part.
I think that the way that the waxwork obviously, it's called
packs and Blades. I think it's really clever.
I think magic would really fucking shine in this and I do
still really like the way that Where is the page where it
talked specifically about? So path of the For example, a
path sword to act three. So one thing that maybe I missed
over it is in my mind, I immediately went to if I'm
packed to the blade. I'm all blades.
If I'm packed to the path, I'm all path.
But clearly that's not the case. Clearly, you can mix and match
your characters, which I really like.
But I don't know if that was spelled out and I don't think it
was expired, but I think it made it appear as though, let me look
at this real quick, so to look at the introduction here and it
made it feel like No, no. Okay.
On page 5, it does say you may advance in either path.
Both during character creation as well as throughout the
campaign. Yeah, I feel like that was just,
that was just kind of glossed over.
Yeah, we lost it on my several read-throughs of this.
So yeah, but I love that because you create a system, you create
a world, where everyone can be sword, Mages, you know, not like
that. That's fun.
That's cool. Long story short, I'm I'm
jamming because the coffee's hit me super hard.
I really enjoy the rules. I really want to play.
I think it's really fucking clever.
I think there are a couple of knocks that I have on it.
I would really want to develop armor in a more interesting way.
I do think the concept that that of this being like a framework
that you can put into other, things does lessen some of those
things before because it's really just like, here's some
stuff. You can use it added into your
things. This isn't a complete game, it's
not meant to be a complete game, but I'm Where are you at in
scores for, for photos? I was leaning towards the six, I
think it's I think it's good. Like I said, I like it, it's not
my favorite system but I do really like the system a lot.
I mean maybe I like a 6.5 that's probably where I was I was I was
really feeling like a seven for this so if you're at a 65 we
could easily give this is and yeah we can do so.
Yes, I'm because I really do like and I definitely want to
give props. Stu the unique mechanic that I
haven't seen before and I might exist out there but I haven't
read before like a 2d six tiered partial success instead of just
a standard pvta numbers and how everything is extrapolated off
of that. I do I do definitely want to
want to recognize that. That is a really interesting new
to me core mechanic. So I think a 7 feels really good
for this. Um, and then vibes.
What are your general Vibe Z? And this is really abstracted
across. Everything really comes down to
like, how much does reading this and looking at it make you want
to play the game, you know? Honestly, it does make me want
to play it a lot, especially after talking through it, more
with you and not just reading it on my own.
I also really like As we were discussing the armor stuff.
I started to think about the appellee actual application of
this game in a campaign and thinking of it more like a
monster hunter Style game, which is kind of really what the
introduction says, it should be right here, you're about
slaughtering bizarre monsters from the depths, right?
Like, I think this could be a really fun game to run like just
a campaign style hunting like The Witcher or some shit like
that. Like you get you get a job to go
out in this fucking mountain range and Hannah Griffin like I
was making as an example before or go find this like ogre in a
cave somewhere that's terrorizing local Farm.
Like that's your that's your quest for the for the day.
Like that's your game session. I think this this Kind of a
really good thing for that. I don't know how well like the
weird packs with God's could like as far as like lure wise or
story-wise narratively might blend in with the actual like
application of those rules in that specific way of play.
But I think I do think that this is kind of a great game for
that. Kind of kind of game side.
Makes travel on what you say a little bit they're like if
you're out in the The forest hunting weird creatures.
There's going to be Spirits all over.
Yeah, yeah I mean so like you can find it for a spirit and
your domain could be you know I wouldn't say nature because
that's very broad. But even if it's just plants and
then you're growing thorny stuff around the Griffins like that.
Yeah, actually, you'd like just completely changed a lot of my
perspective on this, just by just by what you just said.
Like I mean, it's more cock not The Witcher.
But like I think using that and even the way that The Witcher
Works where You're really swinging.
Her sword a bunch, but then you get little bits of like your
fucking little thing magic stuff but you can I really really like
that whole concept. Yeah.
Studio just Studio Ghibli RPG. Yeah you can see a Princess
Mononoke style. You know, thing in here to a lot
and plus it's like Michael moorcock to.
So like you gotta you know, there's all just calling up more
cock in fantasy gives you an entire world to play in an
entire set of books and stuff to play in the world too.
But Again, so the thing to that's really interesting about
this versus other games is, right?
This is this is a Zine game versus like a book game and
that's very specific to like if if Lucas sat down with this and
added 20 more pages and made it, you know, like a 50 60 Pages
game. Put a little bit of World
building in extrapolated a little bit on the rules and
stuff like that. Like, that would be an entirely
different experience and I also I would love to see that stuff,
but it is unnecessary. Like this is the epitome of what
I think. Like a Zine game that you can
buy go. I love this part.
I'm not as big a fan of that Parts.
I'm definitely going to use parts of this and my campaign.
Like, I think this is perfect for that entire style entire
vibe to literally go. This is the Z, and this is a
framework. There's a little bit of world
things that it gives you a tiny bit.
Like just a little bit of a nudge in a direction and then
you run with it. It, I think that's perfect for
what this is, and I really think that that was the intention was
bogus. So for that, keeping that in
mind for what this is and not, you know, going well it's not
this. Again, The Vibes are high on
this. The fact that 90% of it does
read like an SRD, the art the layout, and then, the little
bits of flavor that tossed in definitely elevated for me.
Yeah, The Vibes are good for this.
I make, I want to play this game like and the cover as you said,
makes me go. Boom.
Yeah. And it also made me really want
to go. I want Salim and or, you know
that stuff it in its in the freaking mail, I should have
bought it forever ago, that is not for me.
So what are your, what are your thoughts on Vibes?
I'd give this a solid. I'd go.
I'd honestly be pushing an eight honestly.
As far as like, my my desire to actually play this based on what
I have said today. Yeah, you know, I can date was
exactly where I was in my head to like, I think, I think The
Vibes are are great for this, you know, I think I think this
is, I think this score here is really, really solid for how I
feel like a lot of these like rules, like, kind of more
framework, easy names are, you know, like it uses public domain
art? So like that's not, you know,
it's supposed to evoke but it's not going to be the strongest
point. It's not, it's not going to be
okay. It's not an art Gene.
The rule set is a really solid. 27 is a really solid score for
for a really ultralight rule set.
And then Vibes are high to play it.
Like, I feel like this is this is exactly kind of what I
expected from this and and how it felt.
So, when I actually look at the math for this because I can't
just go 777 because that's how it would actually work, 6, plus,
7 plus 8 is exactly at 21, I think, 21 out of 30 is a really
solid score for exactly and And it pretty much exactly what I
expected this to fall in. Yeah.
So yeah. Any any thoughts on that feels?
Good feels right? Yeah, no 21 is good.
I like it. I feel the same.
Yeah, yeah. So so that is packs and blades
from a Lucas real, mmm. The minimalist 0s are inspired
sword in witchcraft RPG, for short campaigns and quick
sessions. I think you know what I think is
the most important thing is I think that Lucas accomplished
what he wanted to do with this. It feels exactly.
It feels really good. The only thing, the only I think
the only thing that's going to stick with me as a potential
just like knock from this is I want to develop armor a little
bit more. Everything else like I'm going
to run exactly as is but I think if I was going to run this, I
would do it the way the armor works.
But then I would want to feel how it could be developed
slightly and I feel like the best way would be slight.
Harvey tweaks in the way that your head or the in the
difficulty of the ways, you accomplish things, but I feel
like that's the only thing I take away from this without, you
know that. But otherwise I want to play it.
We're going to play it. It's on the fucking list.
Yeah, for sure. So that's it.
That's our episode for today. Really like it, like this game
if you liked what you heard from all of this.
Thank you. We appreciate your your your
feelings on that but also check out more of Lucas problem stuff.
You know, I really debated doing First, as many BX, because many
BX is a much more developed came from Lucas.
I think it's their current, like, kind of like magnum opus
for what they want from a game. It's really fun.
It's really interesting. You definitely should go check
out all of their other stuff but you know, we should probably do
a link. I'm positive that they have a
niche page and it's probably Lucas R.
LM, not itches on the like that. It's just like, check check out
their stuff. Yeah, it's literally Luthor.
It's literally Lucas real. Mmm.
Mitch L ucas rol. I am dot itch.
You can check out all of the stuff they have a lot of
fantastic stuff. Some free stock art.
I mean ebx SRD a lot of great stuff including mini BX and and
you can also get Jim analogy which I have on my shelf packs
and Blades is only $10 for for the PDF of that.
And you can find packs and blades on a bunch of spots, I
think ratting. You taddy.
So Muppet. All sorts of stuff.
They are. Unless I'm completely Leeteuk on
my m-my, my ass. I believe there is a big part of
the RPG lat light in community. Yes.
Yeah, as is going t 0. So great stuff.
I think, what do you we talk about dead horse.
What do you got? You got anything, anything else
Bruin that you want to that? You want to talk about anything?
Just want to shout out here at the end.
Yeah Guild sort of Magic For Hire is coming out very, very
soon. I will be publishing the digital
version of it. It this week, probably
fulfilling it for backers and then publishing it immediately
after. And then hit print and then
we've got dead horse. Submissions close on Monday
night. So gimme stuff uncanny horror
doesn't have to be RPG. Related submissions at disaster
tourism dot games. I've got a new Skirmish game
that is about to be finished already.
And I'm very excited about that. It's currently in private play
testing, but it's going to be amazing.
Got a lot of other stuff in the works, but that's all for now,
very excited, very excited for all that stuff.
The disaster for him Kirby, who makes great stuff.
Definitely go check out all that stuff.
It's really nice to sit and be able to talk to you about this
especially someone who's like actually created a lot of games
actually put stuff out and really dug through and is a
great part of the community as well.
It's really nice to sit down and really big especially in these
shorter ones where we have a little bit more time to you
know. Oh spend 35 minutes on like the
Quarry again. It gets its really nice to do
these little Zine sometimes even though we do like doing bigger
games. But great to have you on again
Kirby as always, we are the weekly scroll podcast.
You can find us at Twitter at weekly underscore scroll.
That's where you're going to find out what we're playing next
and find a lot of that stuff on the dot weekly dot.
Scroll on Instagram is where you find all of the scores for all
of our games. And you know all of the you know
week the Twitter will give you a future.
Instagram will give you the past.
And uh, please go to the adventure archived on YouTube
that is the, you know, umbrella organization here.
That Weekly scroll falls under. We also do a PS.
We also do a bunch of other stuff so go check that out and
hit that subscribe button and really helps us out.
We would appreciate it and check everything out.
That is us that is our episode Hunter will be back next week
and I believe the plan as of right now is to finally do
blades in the dark. So we'll see how that goes.
And we will see you all next week Kirby.
It's again, your wonderful. Thank you for being here.
Thank you and goodbye everybody.