DriveThruCards.com
Browse Categories
$ to $







Back
pixel_trans.gif
Other comments left by this customer:
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory, Vow of Absolution
Publisher: Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.
by Jay [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/21/2024 17:07:47

EDIT (5/2/24): There's now a third version of the pdf, and it's now desrving of a 5-star review!

EDIT (4/25/24): The second version of the pdf is much improved. There's still some work to be done, but it's enough that I raised my rating by two stars.

This product follows the unfortunate recent trends for the Wrath & Glory line. The archetypes have terrible copy/paste issues (as an example, the Intercessor has the skills and gear of the Techmarine). Several pieces of gear are mentioned but not given stats (Heavy Melta Rifle, Plasma Incerator, Heavy Plasma Incinerator, Assault Plasma Incinerator, Astartes Chainsword). Of the weapons that do have stats, they are often riddled with errors (and, if you're an Intercessor, you'll find that NONE of the ranged weapons have the Primaris keyword). I spent a great deal of time reporting all of the errors in the Aeldari book only to see C7 fail to fix them in the update. With this, I sadly foresee the same. I can't understand why someone would give this book a 5* review when it's so badly done in its present form.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory, Vow of Absolution
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruCards.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Hi Jay, Thank you for the 5-star review. We appreciate your feedback and support! The Cubicle 7 Team
pixel_trans.gif
Warhammer 40,000: Wrath and Glory: Aeldari: Inheritance of Embers
Publisher: Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.
by Jay [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/01/2024 06:51:21

EDIT: 5/9/2024 Every complaint I had has been addressed. I am now comfortable giving this product a 5* review.

I really like what they're trying to do here. However, the current version, what they have actually provided, is a sloppy mess of a product. I can't even say it's just assorted typos or a few formatting errors in tables or even some copy/paste errors (like lifting melee weapon stats with flat Damage values directly from adversay profiles without taking into account that those already account for Strength). It's all of that and way more problems beyond those. Among other issues, the Rarity values need to be adjusted depending on where an item south out. For example, even accounting for keyword modifiers, it makes no sense that it's easier to acquire Kabalite Armour or a Wych Suit than to get a suit of Aeldari Mesh Armour when requisitioning wargear from the Ul-Khari craftworld. They give us four Aeldari groups(factions), and could stand to do four availability values for each item (including a "-" for groups that simply do not provide such items). There's more that needs fixing, a whole lot more, but I hope they update the title and I can come back and give a more positive review soon. UPDATE: I took off a star after the first pass of errata that fixes almost none of the issues brought up.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Warhammer 40,000: Wrath and Glory: Aeldari: Inheritance of Embers
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruCards.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Thanks for your feedback - we're happy to confirm that these issues have been resolved in the most errata which you can download now.
pixel_trans.gif
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound, Ulfenkarn: City at the Edge of Death
Publisher: Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.
by Jay [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/12/2023 22:36:10

It's very well cooked, even if I don't like the flavor. This product does a great job of taking Soulbound into a new direction. The enhancement of the Grim & Perilous rules along with a detailed setting/adventure (multiple adventures, really) is great. Locations and characters are interesting and just detailed enough to leave the GM some room to play. Unfortunately, I want my Soulbound to be about, well, the Soulbound, and this product specifically discourages such play. So, if you want something along the lines of the usual Soulbound gaming experience, give this product a pass. OTOH, if you want to play something closer to WFRP using a slight variation of the Soulbound rules, this product has you covered. I gave it the full 5 stars because I'm not going to knock it just for not being to my personal taste.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound, Ulfenkarn: City at the Edge of Death
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruCards.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
New Horizon: All-In-One Core Book
Publisher: Knights & Legends Tabletop RPG
by Jay W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/09/2020 00:49:32

New Horizon begins with a short Introduction that is pretty much what you see on its sales page. It throws teasers out of what’s to come and makes you curious to know more. There is perhaps a bit too much effort spent here trying to sell the work as an improved version of a previous work rather than letting it stand on its own. This continues with the Story section, which includes the line of “For starters, it focuses in overcoming its predecessors [sic] flaws, aiming even higher to make it truly unique.”

The next few sections—Concept and How to Play—are concise and appear to be written for the benefit of those with little or no previous exposure to roleplaying games. It touches briefly on table etiquette and dice along with advice like taking a 15-minute break to stretch each hour. It also introduces a few key terms, such as Adventure Teller (AT, what other games commonly call a gamemaster) and Custom Actor (CA, what other games commonly call a player character). Lastly, there are a few paragraphs on freedom of choice that describe players taking unexpected “forks” in the campaign, and something here seemed off to me when I first read over it (more on this when I get to the Campaign Section). Despite being brief, this section assures the reader that the following sections will explain everything in greater detail.

Next comes Custom Actor Creation. It starts by describing customization, mostly in the form of non-mechanical descriptors, and of the importance of creating a family tree for your character(s). The first step is to pick your character’s race. There are five races, and each gets two pages of coverage. The first page for each race is a piece of artwork. The art here ranges from mediocre (valkin, an angel-like race, and elf) to good (human, orc, and dwarf). The second page of each has one column of description with a bit of game stats (mainly an elemental weakness) and another whole column on “health & diet.” I was surprised that 50% of the text for each race was on how much & how often they needed to eat, and I found the described results for inadequate food intake very odd (e.g., elves catch the common cold from not eating properly). The rules had told me that all races (and both genders) start with the same scores in all stats, so I was not surprised that there were no such modifiers here.

After selecting race, a homeland must be selected for each CA. Six homelands are each given one-page descriptions. The effect of homeland on the CA is entirely non-mechanical, but the next section—Bloodline—is going to change that. Each character gains Strength from his father and Wisdom from his mother. I’m not sure why only those two stats are linked to Bloodline, nor why Strength comes only from the male side and Wisdom only from the female side, but that’s how it is here. You can make a family tree and carry on such traits (both good and bad) through generations. This is hinted to be necessary for when a character dies or becomes too old to adventure, so I expect that the campaign section will have an extended duration.

The next step for each CA is to select a class (an adventuring role) and an occupation (a mundane occupation). These each adjust stats, so a Warrior/Farmer (class/occupation) has greater Strength and Endurance. Occupation also determines a CA’s income. Both classes and occupations are tiered by level, and either or both can be abandoned at higher levels and replaced with new options. This means that a Level 1 Warrior/Farmer might become a Level 2 Templar/Stonemason and then a Level 3 Paladin/Councilman. The classes have some restrictions here, and a CA can only switch classes in the same category. I can follow this logic, but the fact that occupations have no such limits is very weird, as is the fact that occupations are tiered by level at all—apparently everyone has to start out as a Farmer, Fisher, or Bartender (the only Level 1 occupations).

Next come the special abilities. These are the cool abilities or spells that make the character special. This also starts to talk about Action Points (AP), but I didn’t fully understand this until I got through the combat section and the monster section. In short, while everyone can do basic actions all the time, the special stuff takes 2-4 AP, and that AP recharges slowly (1 AP/turn) so a CA can’t just spam the best attacks every turn. A total of twelve abilities—mixing spells and skills—of levels 1-3 included here. There is also a list of which guilds teach which ability, along with monetary costs for learning them.

Equipment comes next, and equipment is largely a set of modifiers to your CA’s stats. This works fine with the combat mechanic (which still hasn’t been explained at this point), but there is some real weirdness here. Every item has a level, and it’s not clear if you can buy/use gear of a level higher than your CA’s level. If not, then starting characters cannot use a Dagger—which is oddly better than a Sword—or a Kite Shield. Level of items determines how much they cost, and it is notable that items can be upgraded for additional cost. What I did not see was how much starting money a CA has, but the sample character seems to have spent 200K$, so that maybe the correct amount.

There are also expendable items that fill limited “slots” in a CA’s inventory. Each CA has three slots, and each slot can hold up to three copies of the same item. This means that a CA can carry 3 x Health Tonics, 3 x Elixirs of Endurance, and 3 x Panacea Droughts (9 items), but could not carry 1 x Health Tonic, 1 x Elixir of Endurance, 1 x Panacea Drought, and 1 x Antidote Brew (4 items) for no defined reason. Lastly are a few additional pieces of gear that seem to just function as Have=Pass/Lack=Fail narrative traits.

At this point, the CA is almost done. A page on noble titles and hit points gets you set to go. The very brief rules on fleeing from combat are tucked onto the same page as hit points. They are very easy to use, but also very easy to miss (more on this later).

Finally, comes the combat section. It’s very simple. There are three actions (basic, skill, and spell). Everyone uses the same basic, and it’s what you’ll use while waiting for your AP to charge up so you can get off a skill or spell attack. There is no tactical movement and no keeping track of positioning or range. It seems like a turn-based Final Fantasy fight to me. There are a few added rules for selecting hit locations, dodging, and counterattacking that are labeled as “advanced rules” and take up a single additional page. This section finishes up with a page of rules on breaking objects (quite possibly including the one your CA is using in the attempt to break something else).

Now comes the setting. It starts with some world data and a world map. There’s no scale on the map, but you are told the radius of this spherical world, so I suppose you could determine the circumference and place it on the equator to determine a scale. Still, why not just put a scale on the map? Page 51 gives a list of geographical features & regions, but these are one-sentence descriptions like “North Beach (A-7): This hard to reach northern beach, is known to have the best crustaceans.” It certainly doesn’t bog the setting down with too much detail, but some ATs are likely to want more.

There is a page on four diseases, including “Hepatitis V” which is apparently spread by vampires. Nothing much to say here.

The Bestiary covers pages 53-83. The spread of creatures seems fine, but I have two issues. The art is overall of low quality and inconsistent in tone. Some is moody black & while other pieces are cartoonish with bright colors and heavy lines. My complaint on the art may be subjective, but objectively speaking, there is no excuse for the organization of this chapter. Creatures are ordered by Level, but within each level they appear to be randomly sorted. For example, the Level 2 monsters appear in this order: goblin shaman, skeleton warrior, rottweiler, ghoul, harpy, direwolf, bandit, and saurian.

With the world and monsters detailed, now it’s time for the campaign. This is supposed to be the biggest selling point of this roleplaying game. So, how does it work? Well… It’s a scripted playthrough much like a choose your own adventure book that is read aloud by the AT to the players. There are several spots where the text breaks and there will be a bullet point with something in brackets like “*[Spontaneous Event] [Brawl Opportunity]” that tells the AT and players when to start rolling dice. Unlike a choose your own adventure book, there are no menus telling you where to pick the text back up depending on what you choose to do; the intention seems to be that you just keep moving down the page. Even if it were to tell you to go to a different section, doing so is going to be tough because Chapter 1 goes for 30 pages and each different location has a sequential timestamp—which implies to me that going out of order is really not expected.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The character creation and system are simple and easy to understand (once they are located in the text). New Horizon can serve as a basic RPG, but the real meat of the game (about 50% of the 180 pages) is in the campaign, and players that have exposure to mainstream RPGs will likely find it restrictive and limiting. However, New Horizon might be useful as a gateway to introduce beginning players to RPGs.

The organization of the pdf is poor. Rules are tucked in under headings that do not advertise them. This is compounded by the pdf not having an index and not being text searchable. If a reader does not already know where to find something in the book, it is going to be a chore to find it.

The authorial voice used in the text felt patronizing rather than a “casual conversational” tone, but some of this might come down to personal taste.

Lastly, New Horizon really needs the touch of an experienced editor. The many examples of poor grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure throughout the pdf made for a difficult read.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided with a free copy of the New Horizon pdf for the purposes of writing this review.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
New Horizon: All-In-One Core Book
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruCards.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Thank you for your review!
pixel_trans.gif
Hidden Worlds: Incursion
Publisher: One-Legged GM
by Jay W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/08/2019 07:22:08

First off, at almost 350 pages, this thing really needs bookmarks.

The book is obviously a labor of love by the author (with some prior groundwork by his friends), but the system is ugly. While it is based upon a single d20 roll, the road to getting to your modifiers for that roll is not an easy one to walk. Between Core Skills, Proficiencies, and other sorts of modifiers, it feels like it could have been elegant and then just went a little too far in trying to cover everything. They talk about The Curve as if it's something revolutionary, but it's nothing of the sort.

If you like random character creation, this one has it. There's too much randomness here for my tastes, but the randomness is also connected with making many choices; character creation is not simple. Many of the character options reminded me of Unisystem, but it gets too comlicated for my liking. The character sheet for the two sample characters are each 8 pages long!

In overall appearance I'm again reminded of some of the Unisystem games (namely Armageddon), and that's a compliment. Unfortunately the art isn't quite as appealing to me.

It's not a bad product, but I really feel it could have been better.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Hidden Worlds: Incursion
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruCards.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Jay, Thank you for your purchase and review. Yes it was a (LONG) labor of love. I'm so sorry that you found difficulties with the mechanics, or presentation of the mechanics. I will absolutely take a look at the issues that you brought up. As a note, the book format is 6"x9" and the character sheets are half-page sheets to keep in that size format. Full-size character sheets run 2 pages front and back. I hope this helps (at least a little)! Thank you, and have fun! Bryan
pixel_trans.gif
Paths of Battle
Publisher: Schwalb Entertainment
by Jay W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/23/2017 03:37:58

You get what it advertises: upgrades for the Berserker (minor), Fighter (significant), and Ranger (minor) along with the all-new Knight. The Knight fills a slot that the Paladin never quite did (IMO), and the upgrades to the Fighter make it a truly stand out choice for a warrior. I still wish it offered a bit more, but it's a good value for the price.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Paths of Battle
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruCards.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 6 (of 6 reviews) Result Pages:  1 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items