This month you’ll see plenty of news and even op-eds drawn from my thirty-five plus years of game mastering. I’ll also do doing my damndest to bring a fresh RPG review every weekday; maybe even the weekends too. You can look forward to loads coverage of RPGs old, new, and even those on the horizon! I should share a quick note about the tweaks to our review format as well.
I find far too many RPG reviews boil down to simply rehashing a chapter by chapter breakdown of a game book (possibly with a short thumbs up or down paragraph at the finale) as opposed to actually tackling what’s interesting or noteworthy about the release. Or possibly what’s the same old, “Move along. There’s nothing to see here,” aspects of an RPG claiming to be revolutionary.
I’ll be the first to point out I’ve never been the sort to get overly excited or find myself feeling greatly negative toward mechanics. In my book theme, setting, and interesting ideas are what get my creative juices flowing about a roleplaying game and not how action resolution is simulated. Sure, I’ve encountered really cool new wrinkles and fairly crackpot wonkiness in the hundreds of RPGs I’ve read over the years but (outside of a very small handful) I’ve never run across something any GM worth their salt couldn’t improve upon a wee bit or house rule out a wonky mechanic.
I don’t believe there’s ever been an end all be all roleplaying game ever created and some of the best GMs can turn a crap RPG into a blast for the players just as quickly as a poor GM can sap all the life out of a great system. That’s just how it goes.
So keep in mind the reviews you’ll be reading will focus more on what makes the release interesting and possibly worth a purchase. I’ll look at what sort of gamers an RPG might be the best fit for as opposed to getting into the nitty gritty of what sort of mechanics a game uses to simulate grappling an enemy…
Also, if I can find the time (as if my hands won’t be full enough), I’ll even sit down to begin filming my guide to RPGs and game mastering video series I keep trying to squeeze in. No promises but I’m really going to try since I think it would be at least mildly entertaining.
So if you’re a long time visitor to The Gaming Gang get ready for even more fun! If you happen to be visiting for the first time? Welcome aboard! What kept you?
