Delta Green Intro

I'm going to try to give an overview of this setting the best I can without spoiling the setting for players and GMs. This uses the same classic Call of Cthulhu RPG system that we already know and love. It is also D20 compatible if you prefer the D20 version of CoC. Delta Green is a secret government unit that technically doesn't exist. DG is usually referred to X-Files for Cthulhu and on the surface that wouldn't be a bad comparison but this goes deeper and more specific than X-Files. Rather than just investigating cases of paranormal activity, DG is only interested in cases directly related to the mythos. Cults, gods, Necronomicon spells, summonings, the Mi-Go, etc. Not just random UFO, ghost, or Bigfoot sightings (unless you somehow link them to the mythos).

The setting helps give a reason why the characters are together and are obligated to investigate. They aren't just nosey neighbors, they're agents and it's their job. It's more modern so players can relate more to the setting but it may give them a false sense of security. Just because the agents are more readily armed with guns they're still weak compared to the gods and monsters. Also because DG technically doesn't exist they aren't very likely to receive help from other agencies. Still, being agents they're obligated to uphold the law. This could be different for players use to playing carefree thugs. That won't go over so well here. Everyone has to do some in-depth planning before each move.

The beauty is how the setting ties in out modern world with the cases and weaves all the cases together into a complex web. Each story is attached to one huge meta-plot but it's not annoying about it as some setting can be. It's hard to explain but when playing the game you can tell they're bigger powers at work, you just don't know what. It being in our modern world it does hit some controversial subjects. Nazis, 9/11, wars, Project Rainbow, Roswell, and in later supplements Katrina. It handles these subjects maturely and appropriately for the game setting. Cults have also modernized. They aren't screaming cannibals or cloaked serial killers. They blend in more. They're "the man". An evil force trying to control everything through their gods..

I initially wanted to go in-depth like I usually go in my reviews but I really hate to for this. It would ruin the game for so many people and I feel everyone should play it at least once. I think just giving a brief overview of the Delta Green agency and what the setting includes is enough. The secrets should only be revealed as the game is being played. :)

More information about this setting and purchasing books can be found out at the publisher, Pagan Publishing's website here. Though I should mention that the books can be hard to come by. Pagan Publishing is a small publisher and the books are usually in high demand. I think the limited quantities help keep the setting special for die hard fans.

Polaris: Chivalric Tragedy at Utmost North‎ Review

This game is really different from most. Some people are even afraid to try it. The setting is awesome, the concept is neat, but there's a glaring difference from tradition RPGs. It's GM-less. I kinda argue that it's not and I'll explain later on. A major downside is it's pretty much 4 players only. It could work with 3 or 5 and probably be very successful that way but it was made with 4 players in mind. Don't have 4 players then you've already got a hurdle to jump over to set this game up.

First off the writing in the book is as if a noble from Polaris wrote it. At least that's my impression. Very artsy and romantic. This could bug some people and I can see where they're coming from but Polaris is a high-class society. I do think this was the author's goal. From that perspective the writing could help set the mood for the setting. Polaris itself was a city "on top of the world", in every meaning of the phrase. At the north pole the people only knew of night. They mapped and named the stars. Wrote stories about them and sang songs in their city made of ice. Then one day the sun comes bringing light and heat, followed by the moon. A series of events happen that make the royal family gets corrupt. They don't know how to react to what's going on. Bad behavior and bad decisions start being made by everyone. Most people are too self-involved to even care. Suddenly a giant pit to hell opens up in the middle of the city called the "mistake" and demons called the "mistaken" come out. Worse just got worser. The only people who care to do anything are the knights.

That's where the players come in. Each play the role of a knight but they take on 3 other roles as well.
Heart- The knight. Traditional PC role.
Mistaken- The demon and antagonist of the heart. Traditional GM role with the exception of NPCs.
Full Moon- Social and Hierarchical characters associated with the heart as well as minor male characters.
New Moon- Personal and emotional characters associated with the heart as well as minor female characters.

These roles rotate with the 4 players around a table. Because of this Polaris is not so much GM-less but that the role of the GM is rotated and shared among the group. 4 different hearts and mistaken and 4 different stories for each. If you wanted something completely different you could be disappointed, if you wanted something traditional in Polaris to recognize this could be a good thing. I think it's a fair median.

Each knight has 4 characteristics and 4 values. The first characteristic is Abilities which is what the knight is trained for or knowledgeable in. Blessings are magical, sacred, or useful items in the knight's inventory. Next is Fate which are significant events and people (not controlled by the Moons) in the knight's past. Last is Office which are titles or social ranks the knight has.

The first value is Ice. Ice is how much compassion the knight has for the world around him when fighting the mistaken to protect others. Light is how well the knight can fight the mistaken on a 1 on 1 basis. Ice and Light start at 1 and improve as the knight progresses. Zeal is the knights drive to save the world. This starts at 4 and goes down as the game progresses. Weariness starts adding up when Zeal reaches 0. This is the knights sorrow and frustration to continue fighting. Each knight will lose. That's another thing that could drive people away from this game. It's not about winning, it's about losing on an epic and poetic scale. It is a "Chivalric Tragedy" after all.

The core mechanic is a bit strange. PCs perform actions by saying key phrases. The heart and the mistaken debate and bargain for what happens next. It's essentially just story telling within the game system. If an aspect is used it gets checked off and must be refreshed to be used again. When a resolution can't be found using just key phrases the die come out. It is rolled. If it's to save others then the result must be lower than Ice to be a success. If it's to save the knight then it must be lower than Light. If higher than the appropriate score then the Knight loses the conflict, but gets an experience roll. The result is compared with Zeal or Weariness. If successful Ice or Light go up a point but Zeal goes down. If the rolled failed then just aspects get refreshed. The more experienced a knight gets the more corrupt they become.

The rest of the book is made up of appendixes. Variant rules, example aspects (highly recommended), examples of playing the game (also highly recommended), and stars. Because the night sky was a major focus to the setting knowing the constellations, stars, and their meanings is very helpful when talking to people, or finding some strange item or symbol.

As I said before this game is fun but not for everyone. It could be useful if a player isn't use to GMing and would like a shot but if more people aren't use to GMing the game could get bogged down. It's interesting and could be a good side-game. There's not a lot of number crunching involved so it has that going for it. The writing and the art are both provocative of the setting. In fact if you get this just for the setting you won't be disappointed. I haven't played this as much as I would like but I'm glad I own it. The game can be purchased here. You can even choose your own price!

Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition) Review

This is an indie game that has a decent size following. It's most appealing aspects are its setting, magic system and career system. Not that those are the only things to like about it but they're what sets it apart from most systems. This isn't a typical fantasy game however. This is geared towards a "swords and sorcery" style of play. Magic is less refined. Civilization is very basic. Monsters are mostly giant reptiles and birds. Mammals are sparse in Lemuria, including horses. The characters are more heroic because of who they are rather than the events they get involved in. The setting itself is less "romantic" than your typical high fantasy setting. The setting it comes with does give a hint of sci-fi because the world is set way after an apocalypse. So there maybe some ancient technology from the past the that people now wouldn't understand. The setting it comes with can come off as bland but that's the point. It's just to start you off and the group builds onto it.

For it being a small book at 110 pages it really is a full game that could last at least a few sessions. So if you're wanting a quick simple game that requires less dedication this would most likely work for you. It's a throwback to the old style where games had simple systems that were unique for each game, whereas today most games use a standard rules system like D20, Savage Worlds, BRP and so on. So yes you'll have to learn a new system but it's not a big deal to pick up because it's so easy.

Character creation is simple. Each character has four attributes. Strength, agility, mind, and appeal. Each player has 4 points to put into them. None can be higher than 3 and one can be dropped to a -1 to raise another by one point. Don't worry about having a 0 score in something. It doesn't mean you suck in that attribute it just means you're average. So overall each character is going to be above average in someways. Going along the lines of how bad-ass characters are in a s&s setting. Next are abilities. Brawl, melee, ranged and defense. Same rules as attributes so no surprises here. Characteristics are determined by what each player wants. Later in character creation careers, boons, and flaws can impact these so don't worry too much. Just put some notes how you want your character to be. Lifeblood is character health. It starts at 10 for everyone and increases a point for each point in strength. If it drops to 0 that doesn't mean dead, it just means unconscious. Don't let it fall in the negatives though or your character will eventually die.

Careers is where you add some back story to your stat block of a character. Think of them almost like classes if that helps but they are different. Each person chooses 4 and they act as skill sets. A barbarian career is going to give that character the knowledge of how to fight, hunt, and survive but they won't get anything in crafting, reading, or social. A noble career would be helpful in social gatherings, getting money, and maybe even playing politics if needed. There's 26 careers to choose from and players and GM could make up your own. When four are chosen put points in them just like the rules with attributes but a career can't have fewer points than 0. After careers are determined then characters origins, boons, and flaws are determined. Boons are positive bonuses and flaws are hindrances. They can be physical or psychological. When they come into play roll 3d6. For a boon drop the lowest, and a flaw drop the highest. So it's much easier or harder to succeed or fail. In the rules these are determined by where your character came from but they don't have to be. They're just a general guideline to go with.

The system is easy. Right out of the book it says
• Roll 2d6
• Add the relevant attribute
• Add any relevant combat abilities (if fighting)
• Add any relevant career (if not fighting)
• Add any modifiers
If the result equals or exceeds 9, your character succeeds. If the result is lower than 9, you fail.
A natural 12 (i.e. two sixes) on the dice is always a success.
A natural 2 (i.e. two ones) on the dice is always a failure.

Remember the target number for a success is 9. Depending on the difficulty of a roll a negative modifier could be given by the GM. So if a dice roll resulted in a 9 but a -2 modifier were applied it would still be a failure. This is where using boosts from careers, attributes, abilities, and boons come in handy so overcoming a negative modifier is easier. Combat is simple and fast. "Rabble" are just filler enemies that only take a hit to defeat. NPCs and villains are treated more like regular characters though NPCs are weaker. There are optional combat moves to keep it fresh. Weapons give a bonus modifier to attacks and range. Armor absorbs damage your character takes if hit but reduces agility so they can't doge as well. Nothing wrong with how things work, no surprises. Overall, simple and fluid. Lots of action can take place so it's not vanilla each time which can sometimes happen in a simple system. Also if a failure happens, depending on how bad it is, a GM can have some fun. It might be more fun to put a PC in an awkward and frightening situation rather than just killing them.

Characters can also get hero points for helping out, player gives a good story idea, or solving some puzzle. They're used to increase the power behind a success or lessen the effect of a failure. They can also be used to re-roll, lessen the damage of a wound, defy death, and so on. Something good will always happen in a characters favor as long as it's not too crazy. If a player is asking for a bit much I suggest raising the price of whatever it is they're asking for (2 or 3 points instead of just 1) rather than saying flat out no. GMs and players should be reasonable. Use these wisely but do use them. The game is much better that way.

When a quest is completed characters are rewarded with loot. The more creative and fun the loot is spent the better. Sure it could be spent on supplies but it's a good idea to party like heroes. After all supplies in the book don't have prices so it's vague how much they cost. If the party is good with the locals they'll be thankful and give them supplies in hopes they may help them out more. They better loot is spent the more advancement points characters are rewarded. These can be used to boost attributes, abilities, careers, boons, or drop a flaw, etc. Again anything good that will benefit a character as they grow.

Magic is really cool. It's an open magic system. Rather than casting spells from a book and expecting the same results, magic is random and ritualistic. Anyone with the magic career gets 10 magic points. The bigger the spell is (rated in magnitudes) the more magic points the spell will require. To reduce the requirements a ritual of some sort must be done. This can be gathering sacred stones, herbs, carving runes, fasting, self mutilation, up to animal and human sacrifice. The higher magnitude a spell the more extreme the requirements. Also the higher magnitude a spell is the harder it is to reach the target number of 9 because the caster will suffer a higher negative penalty on their roll. I like this because it's more creative and contrary to people saying it takes longer than just casting a spell, in practice it's not. It's quicker than what you would think.

There's a lot more to this game but these are the basics. I really enjoy this game because it gives a much different feeling than the average fantasy setting and system does. I like how it's a throwback without being as weird as some games from back then could be. It can be bought here (PDF), here (print), and free resources, including a free older version can be found here.