Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Fragged Empire: RPG Review


Fragged Empire
A concession of middle age, but I’m finally starting to warm up to space opera or, science fantasy themed RPGs. I’m still yet to delve into the major IPs. I haven’t read any RPG version of Star Wars, nor did Star Trek ever make it to my table. I’ve played Traveller twice. Admittedly, it’s taken awhile.

Disclosure: This review includes affiliate links. I receive a token % if you purchase something on the landing page. Thank you for your support.

While the excitement about Paizo Publishing's recent release of Starfinder is almost tangible… And on the cusp of Wade Dyer’s third successfully funded Kickstarter (in preorder here), now might be a good a time as any for closer look at Fragged Empire.

Fragged Empire certainly offers a distinct and unique space fantasy setting. A post-post-apocalyptic universe; far removed from the extinction of the human race, and one hundred years from the extinction of humanities genetically engineered descendant, the Archons. (Remember post, post.) Four distinct races/cultures, each of which the players have the opportunity to make a characters, fight for survival -in the cold, dark and war torn galaxy of Haven.

The setting is well done, and presented in my favorite way: A respectable amount of detail and good amount left for the GM to fill in. Stellar maps outline the Haven system and the major locations receive plenty of text. The setting and tone is also presented through a series of short stories between sections. While I usually skip past these, the two I read weren’t awful. In your average RPG product, they usually are... Sorry, “average RPG product,” the truth hurts. The GM should find plenty of ideas for crafting adventures and the GM section has short treatment of adventure hooks just in case. The most expansive aspects of this setting describe the history, cultural differences, and tension between the four playable races.

With character creation players have a choice of four races: the Corporation, Kaltorans, Legion, or Nephilim. Fragged Empire is for the most part a classless system. However, each race is somewhat scoped (due to genetic engineering) into specific role(s), and the creation guidelines provide 3 or more character (suggestions) templates for each.

Corporation characters will be left to subterfuge; the most easily accessed strengths being negotiation and social connections (and, have vital importance with this RPGs sub-system). Kaltorans will likely fill the role of the party smuggler or thief, though this species has a good amount of general utility. Legion will likely fill the role of solider or mercenary. While Nephilim and their cultural drive for genetic perfection is probably the most flexible species of the four. Each race has a specific template of (+/-) modifiers towards attributes, skills and other abilities.

Character creation with Fragged Empire is involving, requiring more than a few flips back and forth due to the amount of detail. The layout doesn’t help this and it extends to gear and other aspects. Players who are familiar with crunchier systems will likely spend extra time making decisions because of the wealth of material. Due to the intricacy (and importance) of character creation, players creating characters in a bubble, is not the best idea. Which, I’ll get to why in a moment. After the race is selected, players will distribute 18 points among 6 attributes, select 10 trained skills and select one Trait (special ability) from among one of the skills chosen.

Side Note: Fragged Empire doesn’t have a standard monetary system (Item A costs: credits/cash) instead, the game relies on an intricate series of system management tools, from everything to weapons, technological tools, to the capability of the starship the players will rely, to jaunt about the universe.

Last in character creation is calculating each character’s starting Resources, Influence and Spare Time Points. Resources will directly tie into each characters gear, weapons and equipment etc., including the number of specific items the character can have in their possession, as well as the care or maintenance of these items. The equipment available depends on how many slots (resources) the character has.


The combined number of Influence points (each character receives 1 per level, but maybe further modified by race, Trait selection or game rewards) will determine the ability that the group can utilize their starship, and maintain its capability mechanically and financially: repairs, maintenance and seeking service at a space station etc. If they player group is low on Influence, this will directly affect the type of weapons systems their starship has, as well as their ability to use its standard systems. Spare Time Points are used as a method to acquire upgrades and new equipment.

Though I’m covering it only in brief, I’ve never been in favor of system management (a sort of min-game) within a RPG, due to the break of immersion. The important question: what is the purpose of such a system? For Fragged Empire the answer seems to consist of two parts: Pushing aside the mundane details for more “epic” play and assisting the GM with managing the player group… But, there is a potential problem here, as player characters will likely manage themselves (or worse each other), in order to acquire the equipment they want and utilize a starship effectively, especially if the game goes longer than a few sessions. What’s in place seems more of a distraction, especially considering the game itself is built on cultural tension and it will be unlikely that players will want to create characters of identical race. While it might be slightly more efficient than a standard monetary system (admittedly as clunky as those are), it also takes some of the choices away from the player characters, which might be a good reason to implement such a thing if you’re in favor (promise I won’t judge you) of these kinds of limits. I will say, what’s present in this material is detailed enough and with a little common sense, chucking out the system management aspects, is certainly (and exactly what I would do) possible.

The core mechanics of Fragged Empire primarily utilizes 3d6+ the skill rank against a target number set by the GM. For a specific task, players are encouraged to select a skill which they think fits the situation, narrate their characters actions and may receive additional points (if the GM likes the description) based on the narrative. Each skill is well outlined in its suggested use and rules beyond skill rolls are more than covered with this system.

The PDF digitizing before my screen is 385 pages cover to cover. The look of Fragged Empire is excellent, due in no small part to the quality a frequency of full color illustrations. As mentioned, I’m not a huge fan of the overall layout of the text, but the writing itself is certainly above par.

(Disclosure: This review was originally published on Stuffer Shack [link to the site])
 
Overall, the Fragged Empire Core Rule Book receives a mixed review and it seems at almost every turn of the page something I like, is weighed down with something I didn’t care for. This is a top notch product and on par with the big boys, but the layout and overall arrangement of the material suffers in organization. The detail of equipment, weapons, and guidelines for creating starships, is well done, but acquisition is ruled by a sub-system, which I’d have no use of. The writing is respectable, the setting and cultural history elements are far above the mark of most settings, but at 385 pages the game suffers some bloat (though this is also tied to organization). Characters are well balanced (and not too unwieldy) and a campaign will likely be best served with a mix of each race, while at the same time cultural tension is a core theme throughout.

As excellent as it looks, Fragged Empire wasn't my cup of coffee... But the games certainly earned a RPG base, and it seems much more material is on the way. Whether or not you give this beautiful book a shot I'll leave to you.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Redemption RPG By Silent Spirit Game Studios: RPG Review

Redemption RPG
Welcome to a review of the portable document format (PDF) of the Redemption role playing game (RPG) and the Redemption Deployment Companion. Redemption was brought to print and PDF format through Kickstarter raising 4.6k internet bucks. You can purchase either product in print or digital format at RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com, as well as receive updates, notes/errata at Silent Sprit Studios website (here).
Disclosure: This review includes affiliate links. I receive a token % if you purchase something on the landing page. Thank you for your support.

Redemption is a military space opera RPG. The setting thrusts campaigners more than 500 years in the future. The human race has colonized mars as well as planets beyond our solar system. Innovative technologies have led to human expansion and exploration. The spearhead of humanity is the Terran Sphere Confederate Navy (TSN), which holds to the traditions and remnants of the (earth bound) Naval and Air militaries.

Humanity is locked in war with the Shohan, a technologically advanced star faring race. While the Shohan are the setting’s main antagonist, Redemption provides a double handful of unique alien races many of which have joined the TSN and are featured as playable character races. The setting and history elements of Redemption encompass over a full third the 300+ page mainbook.

While typically, I’m a proponent of setting; in Redemption the writing is bit overdone. In part this view is derived from the overall length and layout of the material, as well as the relevance of material which lacks certain details (the sort which this reviewer prefers), but it is also because what’s written is in need of a good old fashioned edit. The writing is thorough and for the most part of decent grammar, but the narrative of most subject headers meanders and is occasionally off key from what has been written before.

In short, the writing style overloads the game. Worse and concerning this reviewer’s opinion untenable, is that the setting includes narrative of location upon location: where this battle occurred, where these alien races live; this region of space is where this fleet patrols-so on and so forth and so on… However, Redemption doesn’t provide one single map! Instead there is this section, which “encourages you to DIY:

Stellar Cartography

"Transcribing existing star charts and postulating where drift will take them in the next 600 years would be lots of incredibly boring work, and we don’t want to do it. A much more interesting and interactive alternative is to use the following set of rules to generate your own stellar topography.” (PG 297)

Redemption is a good example of an RPG which (In my humble-all knowing, reviewer opinion) grew too big for its own britches. If I had a craw, something would be sticking in it.

Even the roughest map would suffice. Dots on page perhaps, but nothing? Nope-Nada… Well, if I have to make my own dots on page as representations of planets and systems I suppose I can, but I’d more likely throw the setting material out as well. I don’t need a set of rules to define systems which are already somewhat defined; I need a picture to go with what’s written. I’ve heard they’re worth a thousand words. The mind wonders, then it wanders. I’m going to sing now…

“I used to go swimming with bowlegged women, and dive between their legs!”

Moving on-



Deployment Companion
The mechanics of Redemption utilize variable Target Numbers (TNs) but the game includes a variety of story elements. Players and GMs who are familiar with story building RPGs should feel moderately at home. Yes, Redemption is somewhat a sand box. Most of its core elements, promote creativity over specificity. Despite my aversions, it presents this concept respectably well.In regards to the core game mechanics, the difficulty of a TN is determined by the characters ability rating and requires players to roll a set of specific dice (3d6-3d10 etc.) and tally the result. The fewer number of sides, in rolling a specific set of dice, the easier the check; for a successful check, the player desires to roll equal or less than the target number. This is opposite of most RPGs which focus mechanics on target numbers. The GM determines which set of dice are used in the roll and therefore the difficulty of the check.

The characters ability rating is determined by talents, skills, training and if they are using any tools or equipment, this may aid or inhibit the action being gauged. For beginning characters the number will be around 10-12 and ability ratings with experience cannot exceed 30. The GM may also decide to set the difficulty to 30 which is gauged “impossible,” but can be adjusted down by player characters through story elements built in the mechanics. Action Points can be spent to activate Tags, which could if relevant, lower the difficulty of a specific task. Players can also spend Action Points to Edit the Scene. For the most part both Tags and Action Points are defacto story building elements which player characters can introduce to develop and/or modify a specific scene.

Redemption incorporates this collaborative method from the beginning with character creation. Group Tags are decided on and shared by members of the player character group. Additional Tags are individualized to emphasize each specific character’s concepts and goals. This also entails that the theme of the game or story can be decided on from the jump, which I liked. Apart from Tags each character will have a number of Ranks (or points) to distribute among their core stats (attributes) which are used to further enhance character abilities and/or skills vs. specific checks and challenges.

While in concept Tags are an interesting way to emphasize character and ways in which players can add and change the story, I was disappointed in how they’re presented in Redemption. Certainly how Tags function is explained, but there are a number of Tags which are noted in the game that I had no comprehension of how they might work, because many of the Tags aren’t defined beyond a key phrase. For a game that emphasizes Tags, this is a pretty big hole.

NPC and character examples have different Tags as well as there is a short list of Tags which are race specific. Racial Tags are better explained however, due to the emphasis of Tags as a mechanic and story building tool, much more should have been written. At the very least, each of the Tags in the mainbook should have been made clear.

I must admit this is something I find very common in RPGs which involve role playing with collaborative story telling; some interesting mechanics without what I (subjectively) consider adequate specificity. To me this turns the game into something I would play into something I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Gygax-ism aside, while I’m certain in part this is to do with my subjective preference for medium to heavy crunch games, it also has to do with the game itself. In writing, if an RPG doesn’t show me how to play it then it must tell me-either of these work and most games have both sorts. Redemption isn’t the worst offender among RPGs but it certainly could use some refinement.

Certainly, I could throw Tags out altogether (or at least the ones I have no clue of) but its emphasis in Redemption leaves me feeling like I’m missing the point. Which may or may not be the case here? If Redemption wants my group to create their own Tags- (which in part it certainly does) then it should add some specificity to the ones provided and we’ll go from there. Without detail this leaves my review and the potential of playing this system out in cold space.

The Deployment Companion promotes a number of ways in which the player group can interact with the setting (again mostly through text) including some rules errata, NPCs and adventures. The supplement features three Ports of Call or physical locations and three adventures.

(Note: This review is property of Kenzer & Company. It has been republished here with permission.)

Similar to the lack of important details with the mainbook the Deployment Companion just doesn’t appeal. Ports of call have no maps and nothing to tangibly define them and the adventures meander too loosely for my taste. The only saving grace of this supplement is the NPCs and new Alien races, which are well done. Again this may have more to do with the sort of RPGs I prefer but while the writing is serviceable the products lack of specificity doesn’t engage my GM sense to have interest in running it.

So to conclude Redemption left me pretty disappointed. The setting detail concerning the various alien Xenology is very well done; while the rambling meandering presentation of the history and the lack of maps defining any of the stellar systems was a pretty big deal to me. What’s a space opera without space? While I was critical of how Tags are presented, as a game mechanic it is certainly something to work with. It has potential. Also good is the B&W illustrations, which I would have liked to have seen more of.

What can I say? Too much work is left to the GM and players for Redemption to find its way to my table. If you’re in search of a sandbox-space opera and familiar with RPGs of the story building variety, you might consider giving Redemption a try. If you do and quite literally so, more power to you.
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