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Post by oninowon on Aug 5, 2008 21:49:07 GMT -5
After several months of hounding my local FLGS and several more months of missed opportunities, I have in my hand.....wait for it...
THE BOOK!!!
I have only managed to skim the book but I love the multitude levels of play you can have in this game. You can play espionage, war (as a front line soldier), supernatural, and mechs of course! The setting kind of reminds me of RIFTS with its richly detailed setting where technology and magic mix and horrifying monsters/aliens are pushing mankind to the brink of extinction.
On a side note, I also picked up Clout (the weird poker chip throwing game) due to it being in the bargain bin (30 high quality poker chips for $1).
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Post by madtitan on Aug 6, 2008 14:11:05 GMT -5
I have looked at this game but never bothered. I do collect the RuneQuest books however by Mongoose Publishing along with the Slaine RPG. I like Mongoose Publishing although I was a little annoyed at them for dicontinuing Starship Troopers considering how much money I put into the bloody thing.
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Post by silverlion on Aug 9, 2008 9:25:19 GMT -5
Starship Troopers the minis game? Or the RPG? (I think they're planning on doing a Traveller powered version of the RPG) but admittedly the mini's game cost an arm and a leg to manufacture, I'm sure.
I've got CT on order for a friend for a gift.
Mostly because he loves Robotech and Cthulhu, and this seems like a fun hybrid of the concepts.
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Post by madtitan on Aug 9, 2008 10:59:04 GMT -5
Starship Troopers the minis game? Or the RPG? (I think they're planning on doing a Traveller powered version of the RPG) but admittedly the mini's game cost an arm and a leg to manufacture, I'm sure. I've got CT on order for a friend for a gift. Mostly because he loves Robotech and Cthulhu, and this seems like a fun hybrid of the concepts. I had the minis game and wanted to get my hands on the RPG but if they are bringing out a Traveller release of the RPG then I might just wait. Or just use All Tomorrow's Zombies supplement for All Flesh just so I can get some mileage out of these minis! LOL! |
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Post by oninowon on Aug 12, 2008 10:38:24 GMT -5
Mongoose Traveller is already at the stores. The cover reminds me of the 1st edition where it had no frills (just a black cover with the word Traveller written on it).
I'm not so much into hard sci-fi anymore. I like more cinematic like Star Wars Saga.
I felt Starship Trooper was too limiting. It didn't look like it had any factions outside the bugs vs the space marines.
Anyway, my friend my friend who is going to Gen Con asked me what he could pick up for me. I asked him to pick up Vade Mecum which really should have been included in the corebook but I guess they wanted to keep the cost down so they broke the material into 2 books.
I've finished reading through the book. The setting is awesome. I love it but the layout of the book is kind of disappointing. The chapters are not clearly defined and the transition of color art to B&W didn't translate well (the mechs suffered the most due to the size of the pictures and how grainy the artwork looks).
As of yet I don't know how well the Framewerk engine will do anime since this is my first storyteller system. It seems to be cinematic with control much in the hands of the players. It is another d10 system (the other rpg I own that only uses d10 is Dark Heresy) but it is not a percentage system. It uses a dice pool in which the player picks the best combo out of the dice rolled.
The more I read, the more it has in common with RIFTS. It has a 2 tiered damage system (another strike against it) much like SD and MD of RIFTS. The mechs, armored vehicles, and some creatures are on the Integrity scale whereas everything else is on Vitality scale. The game goes further with the introduction of BattleCruisers being yet on another scale, the Hull scale, but that aspect is used very little. So basically, 50 Vitality= 1 Integrity and 50 Integrity= 1 Hull. The Hull scale concept is mentioned as being temporary, meaning I believe, that they are still working out the concept. Unlike RIFTS, Vitality scale weapons can damage Integrity but it can't damage Hull.
Like RIFTS, combat is not passive. Combat is contested in which the attacker and defender both roll dice and the higher number wins. If attacker won, you take the difference and look up a chart to determine how many die rolls for damage. If the defender has armor, the defender rolls a number of die equal to his armor to prevent an amount of damage with the rest going to his Vitality. Armor is not degradable.
I like how they handled mechs. Like Star Wars Saga, the mechs are treated more like an extension of the PCs. Unlike RIFTS, there is no separate combat rules for mech on mech combat.
Like RIFTS, due to the varying power levels, the Story Teller has to focus his story and it feels more so in this setting than in RIFTS. It is much harder to justify a party consisting of a mech, sorcerer, and Tager in CT than similar groups would be in RIFTS.
The story parallel is interesting. Both have Earth being invaded by aliens and supernatural yet there is an important distinction between the two. CT, influenced by Lovecraftian concept, has a feeling of man slowly losing the war for survival whereas RIFTS is more upbeat with man slowly clawing itself out of near extinction and taking back the Earth.
Wow, look at me rambling on...
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Post by madtitan on Aug 12, 2008 20:09:40 GMT -5
I also own Dark Heresy as well as Warhammer Fantasy (which Dr. Banner runs) I also played the miniatures games and worked for GW so I know my 40K and Warhammer Fantasy. Also I am a HUGE fan of the Necromunda game by GW so if I can ever get a game of Dark Heresy going I will definately be using my minis for it.
RIFTS is and always will be a great game to me since it was the one of the games we would pull all nighters with and play back in highschool. Traveller I have been keeping an eye on since I frequent the Mongoose page waiting to see what RuneQuest books and Slaine RuneQuest are coming out next. Cannot wait for the Ducks RQ book!
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Post by oninowon on Aug 14, 2008 18:39:18 GMT -5
Mad Titan, I stopped by my FLGS and saw a supplement out already for Traveller. The supplement seems to focus on mercenaries.
I can't wait till my friend from Gen Con comes back. Here's hoping I get an advanced copy of the next supplement for CthulhuTech!
In trying to learn the system, I have been converting some RIFTS classes to the Framewerk system. It was pretty easy and I like the poker dice pool mechanics. That and the drama point mechanic gives it a better cinematic feel than RIFTS. I'm really interested to see how the mechs convert to the system. When I get that supplement from Gen Con, I can convert more classes (the psionic RCCs).
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Post by madtitan on Aug 16, 2008 7:19:46 GMT -5
Mad Titan, I stopped by my FLGS and saw a supplement out already for Traveller. The supplement seems to focus on mercenaries. I can't wait till my friend from Gen Con comes back. Here's hoping I get an advanced copy of the next supplement for CthulhuTech! In trying to learn the system, I have been converting some RIFTS classes to the Framewerk system. It was pretty easy and I like the poker dice pool mechanics. That and the drama point mechanic gives it a better cinematic feel than RIFTS. I'm really interested to see how the mechs convert to the system. When I get that supplement from Gen Con, I can convert more classes (the psionic RCCs). I had noticed on Mongoose's product page that a second Traveller book had come out. Still I have looked at that Cthuhultech and considered buying it. I might have to give it a look. As far as Traveller I probably won't pick that up until the Judge Dredd rpg is apparently released using the Traveller system this will be like the 3rd time I will own Judge Dredd RPG material! LOL! |
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Post by oninowon on Aug 16, 2008 12:48:16 GMT -5
I enjoyed the Judge Dredd movie and was tempted to pick up the rpg when I saw it at my FLGS years ago.
How many iterations of the game are there? I only know of the d20 version.
The owner of CthulhuTech has changed publishers. They will no longer use Mongoose which is ultimately good news. They are switching to Catalyst (the publishers of BattleTech). The good thing is that the switch allows them to print in color (not sure if Mongoose still can't print colors or if the cost was just too high).
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Post by madtitan on Aug 17, 2008 9:57:48 GMT -5
Before the D20 version there was the very first Dredd RPG and that was a system done by Games Workshop. Most of what was in that original series was ported over to the D20 version.
I was checking out the Cthulhu Tech site and looks very cool. I will probably pick this up once the Colour release of the Core rules are out.
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Post by oninowon on Nov 3, 2008 23:35:03 GMT -5
Hey Mad, just letting you know the colored hardcover versions of CthuluTech and Vade Mecum are out and both look beautiful! The weird thing is that the color version of the core book cost the same as the B&W version I have so I'm definately going to pick up the color core book too.
Vade Mecum is filled with awesome! It gives you optional rules to use for those who like a little more meat in a system. For example if you want more gritty, it has an injury table and hit location table. Another is the use of cards instead of dice. One option that got me excited was the cascades.
Cascades are meant to simulate the various martial arts so now I can more easily convert RIFTS unique fighting styles to the Framewerks Engine if I wanted to or simply create my own fighting styles.
I really like how they handled psionics. The more frequent you use it, the greater the chance that you'll reach the "burning." It is similiar to Juicers (of RIFTS) burning out. Psionics seems more powerful than magic but the risks are much greater.
The book introduces 2 more races and 5 more "classes." I put it in parenthesis because there really is no classes. The classes are really profession templates with their suggestive/required skills and assets/drawbacks.
The book expands on the mechs, tagers, dhohanoids, and monsters. You can even be a ghoul PC!
Finally, it expands on the setting itself going into more detail the various govt agencies dealing with the various threats.
So this book made the core book much more versatile in both gameplay and mechanics.
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Post by madtitan on Nov 6, 2008 17:19:01 GMT -5
Cool! Well I will have to see if I can pick it up soon enough. Have been busy with other projects at the moment. But this game has really peaked my interest.
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