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Referee's Aid 4: A Guide to Star Systems
Publisher: Mongoose
by Simon E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/02/2015 16:47:49

The book contains what I call "narrative" discussion of what is in a star system rather than science-based tables on how to generate the details of worlds and moons in a system. Example: a very thin atmosphere is like being on top of Everest (0.3 atm pressure) - you won't die instantly, but you will get light headed in a few hours and need medical assistance.

Well, all of that is true, but I can work that out for myself being a science nerd (as most Traveller referees are in my experience). So if a prospective Traveller referee is weak at science then they may find this useful, but for me it was the least useful book I have bought from Mongoose.

For me, as a Referee Aid, it was one star. However, I can see that it might be useful to let some of my less-scientific players read bits - but that usually means that I have been too lazy to verbally describe the world during play.



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Referee's Aid 4: A Guide to Star Systems
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D6xD6 RPG Core Book
Publisher: Lester Smith Games
by Simon E. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/29/2014 06:17:13

I (like many others) am a Kickstarter backer for this product.

The character generation system is quick - a big plus point for some people.

The skill system requires you to add (or subtract) the modifiers to the highest D6 and then multiply the result by the second dice roll - which I have discovered takes some people a lot longer than just adding them together. For some people this makes every game feel like a maths test at school, even if you give them a "cheat sheet" with the per-calculated results on. When you keep having to work out "what is 5 x 4 with a DM of 2 for a focused skill?" you find it interrupts the flow of action. The answer is 28.

But I did not buy d6xd6 primarily for the rule system, I bought it for the many Settings. There are four in the core book (so, less than $1 for each setting), and many more are planned - as Lester says on p34 of the book, you can visit d6xd6.com for an ongoing list. For me the setting are inspirations for characters, plots and a "little bit of something unusual" to sprinkle throughout my Traveller campaign. While I could use some of the settings in a D&D-type game it would be harder, but for me I find that many of the Settings can be used to inspire a evening (or two) of interesting play. And if a particular setting "clicks" with your group, then you can develop more of it on your own.

If you are like me, and find the Settings are where your interest lies, also check out the Protocol games. These use a story-telling game mechanism (no dice rolls at all) that some gearheads find hard at first - a bit more $ per setting than d6xd6, but each one one offers multiple play opportunities. So far, Joan of Arc is my favorite by a long way.

But, back to the d6xd6 core book. No d6xd6 setting has the detail needed to present the epic scope of a campaign spanning 50 play sessions - that will require the DM to put in lots of effort. Instead, consider d6xd6 the RPG equivalent of one of those card games that you spent $20 on and play occasionally when your regular DM fails to turn up. When you put it like that, $3 is a good price.



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[4 of 5 Stars!]
D6xD6 RPG Core Book
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