Hello boys and girls out there in TV land
I know I have been scarce for over a month now (what do you mean you hadn't noticed???). I had been in hospital following a bad auto accident that fractured four discs in my back and nearly killed my wife. We are both on the mend, but between rehab and the pain, I have not been gaming a whole lot, nor have I gotten much of a chance to post anything.
Being the lil' rpg addict that I am, I have been using this time to catch upon several games that I have been sent these past few months but never got around to reading, let alone playing. I was sent the three books comprising the Marvel Universe RPG. it is actually a cool system (diceless, though, the horror!) that is designed to be fast and versitile. It succeeds, although a lot of the actual nuts and bolts are nebulous and needs the GM and players to describe the outcomes of their own actions, as well as exactly how their skill specialties work. The only difficulty was in the rules for creating new characters, which seem a little tough for a game that is aimed at newbies. The adventures provided in the books tend to be a bit overwhelming (in the main rulesbook, the bad guys in the initial adventure include the Brotherhood of Mutants, Bullseye, AND the Green Goblin!). Still, it is a solid and fun game that gives you tons of stats, maps, histories, and essays concerning all aspects of the Marvel Universe.
I also got to leaf through Oathbound. Although it has been out for a couple of years already, I never got to read it before. It is a LOT of fun. Highly original fantasy with more new races than you can shake a staff of the Magi at. If you ever wanted to play a housecat who is also a 6th level necromancer, check this game out.
Finally, the folks at my local games shop sent me a free copy of the brand new CONAN RPG!!! This game is so authentic that it even SMELLS barbaric!! (no, wait, that's just me. nevermind) It is a complete game system in and of itself, not tied to D&D and not requiring the d20 corebooks for use. I have just started to read it and so far I have been very impressed with the genuine feel that the writers have for the works of R.E. Howard. I will talk more about it after I have read it through a bit. In the meantime, all I can say is that it is making me want to strap on my hauberk, sharpen my khopeh, and go out and slay the infidels! A really cool read.
