The Short Version:

I really enjoyed this. Not only do I like the specific theme, but it also opened my eyes to some new ways of thinking about Fate in general, and how to think about scenarios, villains, and "The Bronze Rule."

The Longer Version:

http://www.rpgrambler.com/2018/05/rambler-reviews-slip-world-of-adventure.html

I generally find that some FATE worlds do it for me, and some don't, but just about every FATE world has something that I can borrow (steal?) for my game.

"Grimoire" was a pleasant surprise, all the way around. There isn't anything about this setting that I didn't like. Recognizing, though, that not everyone shares my exact tastes, here's a quick review. Yes, I'm a fan of this one, but I hope my review will suffice to let you know if "Grimoire" will do it for you-- or if it won't.

The most interesting mechanical twist in "Grimoire" is that it provides an entirely new spin on magic for FATE Core! If you're of a certain age (read: 'old'), you might remember the Eternal Champions line of fantasy roleplaying games by Chaosium, "Stormbringer" and "Hawkmoon," both based upon the fiction of Michael Moorecock. What set these games apart (mumble mumble, handwave) years ago is that their magic system was entirely based upon summoning extraplanar entities, beings which were generally much more powerful than the player characters, and then either bargaining with them or magically compelling them to serve you. This form of sorcery was dangerous, often as dangerous as anything else in the game, and that danger factor resulted in immensely powerful characters who were often doomed for dabbling in dark forces which they couldn't entirely control (mwaaa-hwaaa-haaaa, sinister laugh, and CUT!, fade to black).

Well, the magic system in "Grimoire" is a lot like that. Here, of course, the entities in question are reflected by Aspects, rather than a series of godlike numbers which dwarf the characters' own attribute ratings, making the imbalance of power between summonee and summoner a bit less daunting... at first. You see, "Grimoire" also introduces rules for 'indebtedness' to these malignant entities, so while the astral bugaboos that you summoned for protection might or might not pose a dire risk to you at the very outset, calling upon them for additional services does give them a bit of added leverage over you. These beings are a form of immense power, bottled up in your back pocket, which you hope to be able to use sparingly, if at all, all the while remaining mindful that the imbalance of power which leans in your favor today could shift away from you at almost any given time once you let the genie out of the bottle.

Honestly, you could port these rules over to any fantasy setting and have a complete magical system, ready-to-run, as long as you aren't hung up on the idea that magic = spells. If that's your thing, or if you want a magic system where the players have a more primary role in creating magical effects (as oppsed to the more secondary, behind-the-scenes role of conjuring and attempting to compel the entities which fill that more primary magical role), "Grimoire" might not be for you.

Setting-wise, the game does what it needs to do. Player characters are warlocks, capable of summoning daemons, malignant extraplanar entities, and that makes them valuable assets for the rich and powerful. A few factions are detailed in somewhat cursory manner, several places are described, and a couple of NPCs are identified. This should be more than enough background info for most FATE GMs to jump into. Character creation rules are suitably modified to support the rules for warlock magic and to support the setting presented.

Really, the meat of "Grimoire" is its unique magic system, which fully delivers upon its particular concept of how magic works in this game. The focus of this world is 100% about warlocks, who serve as a weapon in the arsenal of a powerful elite. You won't find elves or dwarves here, although of course it'd be a simple matter to Aspect some up if that's your thing. If you're looking for a dungeon crawl, or want something with an old-school D&D feel to it, I'd suggest the FATE Freeport Companion. But if you want a refreshingly different type of fantasy game-- one where magic is dark, mysterious, unpredictable, menacing, and more than a little dangerous-- this is a nifty little FATE world which stands tall on its own merits.

While I can't say I adore the system after trying it, I believe that to be a matter of taste. The quality of the material provided within the manual is solid, though. It's very clear throughout and gives reasonable examples. The fact that it consistently shows the same material as is available elsewhere in the text can be a good or bad thing depending on perspective, but I appreciated it.

Like I said, after playing with it a bit it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. That being said, for the price it's well worth a look if it's of any interest. If nothing else, it has fun ideas you can put towards campaigns in other systems if you fancy. Definitely worth a purchase if it seems of interest.

This is an interesting mess of a supplement. I'm hopefully going to be writing a more in-depth critique over the next few days, because I've got quite a lot to say about it, but here are some general points:

• Given that most of the introduction is centred around player consent and comfort, returning to that theme at the start of several chapters feels redundant. I'm glad this stuff's in here, and I'd definitely rather have too much than too little, but it comes back a lot.
• Somewhat related, and something of a nitpick: why is there a Dresden Files Accelerated page reference every time conditions come up, even though the introduction specifically notes that condition rules are available elsewhere (including in this very book)?
• The use of conditions in general is more often questionable than fully justified. They often come across as a much more complicated way of doing something that could just as easily be achieved with consequences, stunts, or some other existing feature.
• The book generally takes too long to say what it needs to. I'm not sure we really need, for example, a full six pages describing how to give a monster aspects and skills, which are already the heart and soul of the system. I don't have a problem with advice as opposed to rules content, but a concerning amount of this book isn't really either of the above.
• A particularly egregious example of this problem: four pages on gore. It's pretty much just "use aspects or the Bronze Rule, stunts can make people resistant because stunts can do things like that", but in far, far more words.
• Consumable aspects are fantastic. The whole survival framework is smart and well-structured, and it's easily the best chapter on offer; my only complaint is that survival games feel like they might deserve more space than a single chapter.
• The feminine horror chapter feels like a flabbier, less focused take on Sarah Richardson's excellent piece in the Fate Codex (which makes sense since she has a writing credit for this). The connection to femininity for a lot of the listed themes is tenuous or unclear, and nowhere is this more blatant than with feminine horror aspects: they don't feel distinctly feminine, and, worse, the supercharged fate points they grant completely undermine the sense of helplessness they're meant to evoke.
• The Scooby-Doo chapter (sorry, I can't think of it as anything else) is fun and looks mostly sound, but a framework aimed at children feels very out of place in a book with this title, this cover art, and the dark, mature material featured elsewhere. There's nothing wrong with it but I'm not sure it belongs here.

All in all, the Horror Toolkit is a solid attempt to justify Fate for a genre it's arguably not all that suited to. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it's definitely an interesting piece, and horror enthusiasts may find some broad ideas and advice worth using even if the specifics aren't always well-executed.

This is an excellent Fate Core supplement. The mechanics blend seamlessly with those of the core rules to provide the GM with the means to present horror in a game. You can take a little bit and add it to an existing campaign, or build a complete horror-themed world. The discussions of horror tropes alone are worth the price, and because the toolkit offers guidance as well as mechanics, it can be used in a system-independent way.

This is a "how to" guide, not a toolkit. Too low number of new mechanics and extras.

Morts is my first Fate setting, and as a Fate GM. It was exactly what my players were looking for: a dead-pan comedic low-but-not-no-magic post-apocalyptic zombie fighting setting. I can recommend for all because Morts exemplifies a modicum of tweaking Fate Core for beginners.

https://www.teilzeithelden.de/2018/04/21/rezension-dresden-files-accelerated-abstieg-in-chicagos-magische-unterwelt/

Dresden Files Accelerated ist bereits die zweite Rollenspielumsetzung des Hintergrundes rund um den Privatdetektiv und Magier Harry Dresden. Während Dresden Files RPG noch auf dem alten Fate basierte, verspricht die neue Version einen modernisierten, schnelleren und einfacheren Zugang – doch kann sie das Versprechen auch halten? Henning hat es sich angeschaut.

Wie der Name schon andeutet, basiert Dresden Files Accelerated auf der leichtgewichtigeren, schnelleren Fate-Version Turbo-Fate, im englischen Fate Accelerated. Turbo-Fate zeichnet sich unter anderem durch rund 250 Seiten weniger Regeln gegenüber dem überarbeiteten Fate Core aus.

Diese Verschlankung zieht sich auch durch die neuen Dresden Files. Die alte Version ließ komplexe Charaktere zu und wurde anscheinend mit der Leitfrage entwickelt: „Wie können wir die Welt von Harry Dresden möglichst gut simulieren?“ Die Leitfrage der neuen Version scheint eher zu sein: „Welche Action-Abenteuer kann ich in dieser Welt erleben?“ Und die Beantwortung dieser Fragestellung ist durchaus gelungen.

Die Spielwelt Die von Jim Butcher erdachte Romanreihe rund um Privatdetektiv und Magier Harry Dresden spielt in einer normal scheinenden Welt. Allerdings sieht diese nur äußerlich aus wie die Welt, die wir kennen. Hinter den Kulissen ziehen allerlei übernatürliche Geschöpfe an den Fäden.

In den Romanen ist es an Harry Dresden, seltsame Fälle zu lösen, die sich an den Schnittpunkten zwischen der normalen Welt und der Welt dahinter ereignen. In Dresden Files Accelerated können die Spieler entscheiden, auf welcher Seite des Schleiers sie spielen möchten. Die Weltbeschreibung ist umfangreich ausgearbeitet und ermöglicht so Geschichten, die weit über die Bücher von Jim Butcher hinausgehen.

Diese detaillierte Beschreibung hat natürlich ihren Preis: Die Hintergrundbeschreibung ist so gut ausgearbeitet, dass sie für alle Romane bis Blendwerk (Band 15, Englisch: Skin Game) etliche Spoiler enthält.

Die Regeln Für Dresden Files Accelerated wurde Turbo-Fate um einige interessante Features erweitert. Die wichtigsten möchte ich hier kurz vorstellen.

Zuallererst sind da die sogenannten Mantles, die man sich als eine Art Charakterklasse vorstellen kann. Mantles definieren besondere Fähigkeiten des Charakters und geben ihm zusätzliche Vor- und Nachteile, beispielsweise zusätzliche Stunts oder Startkonditionen, wie Verletzungen.

Mantles helfen dabei, Angehörige der einzelnen Gruppierungen (Vampire, Feenhöfe etc.) deutlich unterschiedlich zu gestalten, da sie teilweise exklusive Fähigkeiten erhalten, die andere Charaktere nicht so einfach erwerben können. Aus diesen Vorgaben heraus lässt sich wiederum mit wenigen Schritten ein vollwertiger Charakter generieren.

Die zweite Neuerung ist die Handhabung der Mächtigkeit der Charaktere. Die Charaktere werden dazu in Stufen eingeteilt, die Namen haben wie mundane, otherworldly oder legendary. Die Unterschiede zwischen den Stufen sorgen für Mali gegen stärkere Gegner, bzw. für Boni gegen schwächere.

Die dritte Neuerung betrifft den Stress, den ein Charakter einstecken, und die Konditionen, die er erleiden kann. Stress entsteht beispielsweise durch Schaden oder andere unvorteilhafte Situationen. Neben normalen Stress-Kästchen bietet Dresden Files Accelerated hier zusätzlich Konditionen an, die stattdessen abgehakt werden können. Grundsätzlich besitzt jeder Charakter die Konditionen "In Peril" (Engl.: "In Gefahr", entspricht bis zu vier Stresskästchen) und "Doomed" (Engl.: "Verdammt", entspricht bis zu sechs Stresskästchen). Wenn der Charakter Schaden erleidet, hat der Spieler die freie Wahl, welche Kästchen er ankreuzen möchte.

Dazu kommt noch die Kondition "Indebted" (In etwa: "Gefallen schuldig"), die nicht durch Schaden entsteht, sondern dann, wenn ein Charakter um einen Gefallen bittet und dem Gegenüber danach etwas schuldig ist. Diese Gefallen sind die zentrale Währung in der übernatürlichen Welt. Geschicktes Eintauschen von Gefallen kann zu Macht und Einfluss führen. Zu viele Gefallen schuldig zu sein, ist dementsprechend gefährlich und sollte vermieden werden.

Das eher narrative Magiesystem von Turbo-Fate wurde um die Möglichkeit erweitert, Verletzungen in Kauf zu nehmen, um Zauber stärker zu machen.

Die Regeln eignen sich hervorragend, um den Urban-Fantasy-Hintergrund zu unterstützen. Mit etwas Anpassung sind sie meiner Meinung nach sogar dazu geeignet, so ziemlich jeden Urban-Fantasy-Hintergrund zu unterstützen. Einziger Wermutstropfen: Wer keine narrativen Regelwerke mag, sondern lieber eine genauere Abbildung von Spielwelt und Charakteroptionen sucht, wird mit Fate oder gar Turbo-Fate nicht viel anfangen können.

Spielbarkeit aus Spielleitersicht Dresden Files Accelerated erlaubt es dem Spielleiter, Geschichten in der Welt der Harry-Dresden-Romane zu leiten, ohne auf eine bestimmte Gruppierung festgelegt zu sein. Es ist also möglich, sich komplett von den Romanen zu lösen und beispielsweise eine Geschichte am Feenhof zu spielen, in der die Menschen überhaupt nicht involviert sind. Der Hintergrund wird ausreichend beleuchtet, um diese Freiheit zu ermöglichen.

Mit Turbo-Fate werden schlanke und schnelle Regeln eingesetzt, die ohne viel Nachschlagen am Spieltisch umgesetzt werden können. Und wenn man doch einmal nachschlagen muss, hilft das Layout des Buches, schnell das Wesentliche zu finden.

Spielbarkeit aus Spielersicht Die neu gestaltete Charaktererschaffung mit dem Mantle-System bietet viele Optionen, während sie gleichzeitig hilft, die Charaktere auf die typischen Merkmale der entsprechenden übernatürlichen Gruppierung zu beschränken. Es entsteht wenig Overhead.

Das vom Turbo-Fate-System geerbte schnelle Spiel wird beibehalten und um interessante Varianten bereichert. Der Einsatz von Magie geht schnell von der Hand. Die Stress-Regeln sind ebenfalls schnell und einfach, bieten aber viele Möglichkeiten für Spielansätze.

Erscheinungsbild Das durchgehend farbig gehaltene PDF zeigt sich in einem Layout, dass stark an die 80er erinnert. Aufgelockert wird dies durch, stilistisch ebenfalls in die Ära passende, Grafiken. Dies ist aber kein Negativpunkt, das Layout ist übersichtlich und gut lesbar. Es bietet dem Auge genügend Abwechslung, so dass die Lektüre des Bandes nicht langweilig wird. Post-It-Zettel mit Anmerkungen und Beispielen durchbrechen den Fließtext und runden das Bild ab.

Am Ende des Regelwerkes findet sich, neben dem obligatorischen Charakterbogen und einem ausführlichen Index, eine zweiseitige Regel-Schnellreferenz zum schnellen Nachlesen, die man sich ausdrucken und zum Charakterbogen legen kann. Diese kann am Spieltisch, zumindest am Anfang, viel Zeit sparen.

Fazit Dresden Files Accelerated ist eine gelungene Neuauflage des Settings, angepasst an das actionreichere Turbo-Fate. Dadurch wird ein schnelles und actionreiches Spiel möglich.

Das Verhältnis von Spieltiefe zu Actiongehalt ist in der alten und neuen Version genau umgekehrt. Die Anpassungen und Erweiterungen, die Dresden Files Accelerated an Turbo-Fate vornimmt, nehmen diesem zwar etwas von seiner Geschwindigkeit, dadurch gewinnt das Spiel aber mehr Tiefe. Es kann dadurch die facettenreiche Welt der Dresden Files deutlich besser abbilden als das reine Turbo-Fate. Allerdings ist die Tiefe bei der alten Fate-Umsetzung deutlich größer – dafür ist die alte Version aber auch deutlich weniger schnell. Hier sollte sich die Runde überlegen, welche Umsetzung eher ihrem Spielstil entspricht.

Knapp ein Viertel der Seiten wird für die ausführliche Beschreibung des Hintergrundes verwendet. Dadurch wird es einfach, Geschichten abseits der bereits durch die Harry-Dresden-Bücher vorgestellten Fälle zu spielen. Die Einschränkung der Charaktererschaffung durch die Mantles hilft dabei, die Welt konsistent zu halten.

Insgesamt hat mir Dresden Files Accelerated gut gefallen, auch wenn ich mir an einigen Stellen etwas mehr Tiefe gewünscht hätte. Für gerade einmal 17,50 USD bekommt man eine umfangreiche Einführung in die Welt der Dresden Files.

Achtung: Das Regelwerk enthält viele Spoiler für die Romanreihe!

I logged into drivethru to take a look, "hey, look a new one of fate, let's take a look!". I read it and I love what is written here. I will buy it if it's published in my country and I'm already itching to play it. Action, comedy and a little 90's flavour, how can it go wrong?

I rait it 4/5 for now, till I play it and I recommend to everyone to give it an opportunity.

As a character creation system, it's brilliant. There are 20 ways to combine 6 approaches taken 3 at a time (without repetition and order doesn't matter). That makes a convenient deck size. The system ensures that all approaches are in the 0-3 range, that there'll be variety in the approaches, and that each character has 3 aspects and 3 stunts. Doling out cards ensures that we'll have a mix of character types.

The character system also strikes a good middle ground between other potential methods for creating one-shot characters. It's less time-consuming and less daunting than having players make up characters from scratch. It gives players some say in their characters instead of handing them pre-made characters.

I've started making custom character decks for various settings. I can fit the necessary information into a business card size. I can make a custom deck with two sheets of business card printer stock.

The situation generator has some decent variety, but not all cards are suitable for all audiences. I take some cards out ahead of time, depending on who'll be playing. For example, I knew that a certain father/daughter pair of players wouldn't want to see the "Currently naked" card come up.

I added some goal cards. Some players said they were at a loss about what to do or they had trouble recognizing when the game was over. A goal card gave them something they could focus on and run with, without feeling railroaded. It helped keep the action crisp and created a recognizable ending.

I enjoyed the feel of this system. It took some getting used to and the changes, though a challenge, were a nice addition to the current landscape.

Another "Teen angst, highschool sucks" game - (See monsterhearts, Young Centurions... (what is it with Evil Hat and pubescent 12-18 yearolds?.) . Now I am not, and never have been an American teenager. I have never been to a US High School. This is a game setting i'm frankly never going to use. The player buy-in from my mates is not going to happen.

Player Characters are teenagers segregated from a hostile and fearful "normal" society because of "superpowers" (which are SUPPOSED to be mostly lame).

The Gubmint is constantly watching them and can neutralise their powers and ship them off to boarding school for naughtiness.

The game is rated PG13 claiming to touch on drugs, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, spots, etc. but in the event all that is left to the GM.

On the plus side, the illustrations (which, I assume, are from the graphic novel of the same name) are nice and there are plenty of possibililies for good stories. The resented "control" of the Feds, the alienation from family and society etc.

This would work well as a convention game - especially for people who have read the book but for day-to-day play IMHO you'd need players with the maturity to handle the angst but who arent old enough to have forgotten their own school experience.

If ever a game sent me tumbling back with nostalgia and wishing we had a game back in my late teens, it was this one. Fond memories of using Choasium's basic roleplaying system to try to emulate high school paranormal investigators and not to disparrage those memories but, Monster of the Week would have made those sessions even more memorable. Powered by the Apocalypse the game walks players through creating a monster hunting team with indviduals of extraordinary magnitude to square of against whatever creature has come into confrontation with the team this week. The game sets up villainous arcs for the game master, a competent and entwined crew, and characters with depth and connections that have ideas how they relate to each other and the supernatural world around them right out of the gate. For monster hunting with a flair for action and adventure I have yet to run across a game that does it better than Monster of the Week.

Probably one of my favourite "worlds of adventure" to date! When I was done reading this book I genuinely wondered why Evil Hat suddenly produced a 100+ page book, only to realize it was a 45 page book that felt like it contained 100 pages worth of content.

Fair warning: I haven't played this yet.

Despite that, as a armchair gamer and a fan of the Fate system, I love the new ways this product pushes the system forward in support of thoughtful horror as the ordinary world twists into the surreal around the PCs, letting them seemlessly fight the scene itself, switch their character sheet upside down, fight psychics with magic and Bible verses, and benefit from both teamwork and selling out.

The product may shoehorn you into playing a hermetic Christian cultist in the deep south, but given the generic way its occult powers work, the rules for making demon pacts in-play, and the suggestion that the monsters you're fighting could be anything from angels to classical myths to urban legends, it should only take a few minor tweaks to let you play an independent Practitioner (mage), normal person who's not in the know at first, or even a monster yourself in any part of the world -- and its mythology -- you please.

It's spine tingling in the same way reading a WoD book is!