review Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Neitherworld Stories

May 21, 2008

Pretty gaming books

Yesterday, I got my copy of Dreams of the First Age. For those who don’t know, this is an Exalted box set that was just released. You know how lots of fantasy settings have the ancient empire or whatever in which magic was free, ridiculously powerful artifacts were created, and all that? Exalted has one of those, too: The First...

May 12, 2008

Attention Shadowrun Fans…

If you like to mix your cyberpunk with elves, go read Justina Robson’s Keeping It Real. I’m in the middle of it now, and I’m enjoying it. The premise of the setting is that there was a quantum explosion in the near-future that ripped a hole into other (magical) realities. A quote from one of the Amazon reviews, “I found...

December 27, 2007

First Impressions

I got my Paizo/Green Ronin sale order in yesterday: The Freeport Trilogy, Denizens of Freeport, SpirosBlaak, and Temple Quarter (for under $14 total with shipping. not bad.) Work is still insane, so I only really glanced at them. First impressions: The Freeport Trilogy: Not really my first impression. I’d seen it before. Will I find use for it? At least...

December 2, 2007

Movie and books

I’ve been feeling vaguely sick for the last few days, so I’ve been unmotivated to do just about anything… including blog. Last night, a few of us went to see Beowulf. We saw it in 3D, which was sort of interesting. Overall, though, I found the CGified style of the thing distracting. The men looked significantly more real than the...

November 2, 2007

October is over

…and I have to say that neither Dungeon nor Dragon impressed me. Ampersand, however…

October 22, 2007

Losing the digital initiative…

Gleemax Alpha? Very clearly an Alpha version. Try to find/navigate a single WotC staff blog. I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. Dungeon and Dragon? Not horrible, but so far mostly articles that are either columns that Wizards has been giving away for free for awhile now (Save My Game, Design and Development, Steal this Hook, etc.) or...

October 22, 2007

Rules Compendium

Yesterday I bought a present for Angela and I: a copy of the Rules Compendium. The book compiles rules from various sources into an easy to read format that is alphabetized by topic. Intermixed are essays on rules-design and anecdotes about how rules resolved into their current form. I think it will be good for both of us, but in...

July 19, 2007

Star Wars Saga Edition Review (Episode II)

Feats: Feats are very similar to basic d20. The “+2 bonus to two skills” feats have been removed. Skill focus gives you a +5 bonus. Bull Rush has been renamed Bantha Rush. Also, you get a lot of feats. Every other level in a base class gives you a bonus feat. Every third character level gives you a feat.The Good:...

July 18, 2007

Star Wars Saga Edition Review (Episode I)

We interrupt Silly Template Week to bring you actual content: Thoughts on the Star Wars Saga Edition. For those of you who don’t know, this is the new Star Wars rpg that is based off of streamlined d20 rules. Back in the late eighties, I played a bit of the West End Games d6 version of Star Wars. The books...

July 6, 2007

Full Circle

The Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords is growing on me. At first, I sort of thought it was an Exalted clone in D&D clothing. My first impression wasn’t wholly misplaced, but I think that the primary inspiration was a bit closer to home. Ultimately, my take on Bo9S is that it is an alternative magic system for D&D....

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