Not Broken, Don't Fix

Short Review:

Break!! is a well-designed game that reminds me a lot of Redbox Hack, and a little of 13th Age, and as I like both of those games a lot, I'm quite well-disposed towards Break!! too.

(Much) Longer Review:

This is going to be mostly positive, so let's get what I don't like out of the way first.

The book is massively overwritten. Every little bit and process -- except, oddly, the d20s on the page edges -- is explained in exhaustive detail. It's 470+ pages and it doesn't need to be 470+ pages.

BUT.

If Break!! were my first role-playing game, if I were new to the hobby and needed explanations for how to do things or how rpgs worked, then all of this extra detail and instruction would probably be quite useful. So yes, to my old brain and eyes it's Too Much Writing, but I'm not everyone, so I can let this one go.

I would have liked a bigger monster section. What we do get is good and explains how monsters work, and even how to reskin them to make new, different creatures, but I would still have liked seeing a few more examples. One notable gap is a Level One Sword Fodder type creature. A goblin/kobold/skaven type. Again, there are a couple of creatures that could be modified into that role, but it would have been nice to have one to use out of the box. Not that there is a box.

Something else there isn't is a Frog condition, which seems like a terrible omission, but I suppose you could hack that back in.

And that's it. That's everything negative I have to say about Break!! Now on to the positives. You may want to get a cup of tea or your local equivalent.

The classes callings are all interesting and look exciting to play. They have enough similarities with classic D&D types that they are familiar, but also have enough differences or twists to feel fresh and exciting. The Raider is sort of a D&D ranger, and sort of a D&D monk, but also quite unlike either. The Champion is more or less a fighter, except they are also good at cooking! Cooking the organs of slain monsters, yes, but cooking nonetheless! The Factotum is probably the most unique, a sort of support class calling upgraded to a full player class calling, part skills expert, part tactician, part pack mule, and like nothing I've seen in a fantasy rpg before. It's these classes callings and their unique abilities that make me think most of Redbox Hack and 13th Age; I like them a lot.

The mechanics seem good and robust. There are lots of options, but the basic rules are quite simple, based around single d20 rolls with only a couple of modifiers; like 13th Age the players will have more to remember and track than the GM will -- although some of the monsters can have complex abilities -- which should let the GM get on with running the game. Although not complicated, there is a lot of content, but the organisation is excellent; sections and subsections are clearly and intelligently marked and finding things in the book should be quite easy. Everything is in one book too, which will always win points from me.

There are WFRP-like damage charts (like!), magical corruption for spellcasters (like!), and a magical allegiance mechanic (like!) similar to that found in Elric!/Stormbringer (like like!). There's even a section on colossal enemies -- as in Shadow of the Colossus (very much like!) -- with evocative but simple rules for climbing on and fighting such huge creatures.

(That's it over there. One page. That's all you need to explain a whole sub-system. Imagine that, Call of Cthulhu 7...)

The GM section is very good, full of basic -- see above -- but solid advice on running games, and also what look like excellent tools for generating adventures and setting, with some examples to get you started, or to just rip -- not literally, please -- and run from the book.

Break!! also looks great. Grey Wizard's anime style art is lovely and does an excellent job of conveying the intended feel, although I should point out that if anime's not your thing then there's almost nothing baked into the game itself that forces that sort of style. You could run this as a depressing and obstinate Dark Souls type game with no problem. If you wanted. Anyway, good art! There are also plenty of narrative comic-style pages, which is something I always like to see. More rpgs should have them.

(I am available.)

Grey Wizard's book design is also good and clear. It does feel a tiny bit like a school science textbook -- smells a bit like one too -- but the art does take the edge off that. And there's nothing wrong with science.

In Conclusion (thank fudge for that):

Anime and computer game fans will of course find Break!! right up their alley, but there's also a lot to like if you enjoy fantasy role-playing games but are looking for something a bit different to the D&D style.

I very much like the look of this game, enough so that it's making me run it, and I haven't run a role-playing game in a looooooong time. That's a recommendation you can take to the bank.

(Don't do that.)

Arbitrary score: 4 chocolate wafer fingers out of 2 chocolate wafer fingers.

You can buy Break!! here and follow the Break!! blog here.

Break(!!)ing Bad(ger)

I've had a good look through Break!! and I'm putting a review together, but for now let's just say I like it very much and I'm considering running it. Maybe.

Before unleashing it on my group I thought I'd give character generation a try to see how it goes. I went for random rolls throughout, and this is what I got:

Ylkinee, aka, "BADGER":

CHIB (anime halfling, in this context) RAIDER (sort of like a D&D ranger mixed with a D&D monk, but not really)

Might: 9
Deft: 10
Grit: 10
Insight: 7
Aura: 7
Attack: +1
Defence: 11
Hearts: 3
Speed: Fast
Inventory: 8 (+3)

Abilities:
Like the Wind, Hunter's Focus, Sidestep, Easily Overlooked

Badger can use light and medium armour, small and standard shields, and all weapons (although as he is Small, some options are restricted)

Background and History:
Badger is from the BURIED KINGDOM, and speaks HIGH AKENIAN as a bonus language.

Badger was a FIELD SAPPER before he was an adventurer, with Purviews (+2 bonus) in ARMY MACHINE WORKINGS, GETTING BEHIND ENEMY LINES, and SPOTTING STRUCTURAL WEAKNESSES.

Quirk:
SURVIVOR (enhanced healing, but a greater chance of accidental injury, because he's a bit overconfident)

Gear:
A common rural item, a spade, a bomb (!), a demolitions kit, a functional outfit, a standard weapon, an adventurer's bag (+3 inventory space), and 1 coin.

And that's about it. With random rolls the entire process took about 10 minutes start to finish, which is pretty quick. Choices open up at later levels ranks but even then it's not too complex. The many interactions between class, species, background, and quirks mean that it is unlikely that any two starting characters, even of the same class, will be alike. I'll be interested to see what my group comes up with if and when we play.

Me and Rollo (or, Despatches From an Alternate 1997)

Last night/this morning I dreamed of a forgotten Britpop-era banger, circa 1997, from a band with the initials "FF".

It was a jangly, jolly, upbeat number, somewhere in Feeder or Supergrass territory, and although I don't recall most of the song, I do remember the chorus:

Me and Rollo, me and me and Rollo,
Me and Rollo, me and me and Rollo,
Doing lots of puff and going to the disco! (hey!)

I can't imagine Radio 1 letting that one go out without editing, even in the hedonistic 1990s.

I have a vague feeling that despite the overall jolly attitude, things did not end well for the singer's friendship with Rollo, but alas, the details are lost to the eye-rubbing haziness of waking up and facing the dread of being an adult.

The Cleverest Amphibian of Them All

If you like purple-clad turtle tech geniuses as much as I do, then there is a new design in my merchandise shops:

You can get the design on some bits and pieces like notebooks, stickers, and so on here, or on clothing (and some other bits) here.

(I get a little bit extra from each sale from the latter site.)

Get Starmer

Well, I know Keir Starmer isn't popular with every section of his party, but this seems a bit harsh.

Fight Ongoing

After what seems like ages* Fight On! magazine returns with issue #15!

I've got a couple of pictures in there, plus a comic strip with Jonathan Linneman. Fight On! is where I started in rpg art and writing, so it's good to see it return. Let's hope #16 isn't too far away.

You can get Fight On! #15 in pdf here and print here.

*(That's because it has been ages! I think #14 came out in 2014!)

Doomed?

So Robert Downey Jr has returned to Marvel to play... Doctor Doom.

Huh. I didn't expect that.

It's an interesting choice, and I'm intrigued to see how it's done. Evil Multiverse Tony Stark is probably the most obvious and least inspiring approach, but we'll see.

If I'm honest, I don't really care who's cast in the role, as long as they don't squader the character. Doom has far too much potential to waste as an end-of-film boss. He can be an intellectual rival and/or annoying estranged "uncle" for the Fantastic Four. He can operate on a political level alongside Wakanda. He can even be a national hero in Captain America stories. I've always enjoyed the weird interactions he's had with Spider-Man in the comics, and wouldn't mind seeing something like that on screen; imagine Peter Parker getting an internship at the New York branch of DoomLabs for example.

I'm a little concerned that RDJ is stunt casting and that he's only going to be around for one or two stories, when there's so much you can do, and so many stories you can tell, with Doom, and not just as an antagonist. Doom is a complex, ambiguous sort-of-villain, like Loki or Magneto, but with even more potential. I hope to see that reflected on screen.

Peter Hook Spambot Carnival EX Plus α

The Acorn Afloats, and so I must answer, albeit a month later.

PETER HOOK, aka PETER THE HOOK, aka HOOKY PETE, aka the SOUL FISHER: Armour 14 (as leather), Move 150’, 2* Hit Dice, 9hp, Big Chuffing Hook 1d10, Morale 6, Number Appearing 1. Immune to non-magical damage and weapons.

PETER HOOK may have been a man once, in the distant past, or perhaps was some sort of pixie or sprite, but is now a cruel and predatory spirit. He sneaks into your home at night and, if you sleep with your mouth open, he reaches in with his big shiny fish hook and snatches out your soul! You live, but as a cold, flat, emotionless robot-shark person, perfect for a job in the financial sector.

PETER HOOK keeps the souls in jars and then trades them for trinkets, the sort of garish junk you find in seaside shops; the tackier, the better for PETER HOOK.

• Very quiet: effective Stealth of 3 in 6 (LotFP rules) and surprises on 1-4.
• Immune to non-magical damage and weapons.
• Sees perfectly well in the dark.
• Can open any door or window using his hook (see below).
• Cannot cross a line of salt.
• Cowardly, and must make a Morale check if discovered sneaking about, or if attacked.
• Knows all the entities that desire souls, and how to contact and find them.

The Soulless: Those with their souls taken by PETER HOOK have Charisma and Wisdom scores of 0, or the lowest possible value, if your game doesn't like 0 statistics. If the soul is recovered, it can be "drunk" to restore the original values. Can you drink someone else's soul and get their statistics? Try it and find out!

Peter's House: A green wooden door you don't notice unless you concentrate. Perhaps it's down an alley, perhaps it's in the corner of a garden wall, perhaps it's in your house! The door leads through interdimensional space to a cramped grotto packed full of soul jars and PETER HOOK's assorted trinkets, few of which have any value; there is a 1 in 12 chance of finding a single normal treasure item, generated as you like.

Peter Hook's Hook: A huge, shiny fish hook. It's an Oversized item, a two-handed weapon, and counts as magical for the purposes of damage immunities. Anyone but PETER HOOK finds it unwieldy and has a -2 penalty to attack rolls, and only PETER HOOK can use it for fishing souls. The hook also picks any door or window, even magical locks.

And for Troika! and similar games of fantasy fighting:

SKILL 8 (10 for sneaking purposes)
STAMINA 8
Initiative 1
Armour 0 (but immune to non-magical damage)
Damage as Greatsword

The Soulless: Victims have a LUCK of 0 and can never regain LUCK by normal means, although a generous Referee may allow magic items to provide a boost.

Peter Hook's Hook: Two-handed; counts as magical for purposes of damage immunities; imposes a -2 Attack Skill penalty to anyone but PETER HOOK; unlocks any door or window, even those sealed with magic.

Gracie Is Pregnant

In Star Trek IV: The One With the Whales -- the best one -- it's suggested that in the Kirk era Starfleet doesn't recognise cetacean intelligence; over the course of the -- best -- film Kirk's crew go on a quest to find whales to solve an extinction-level problem, and along the way discover that they are not simple animals, but sapient beings capable of higher communication.

Given the "new life and new civilisations" thing it's reasonable to assume that the events of the film lead Starfleet and the Federation to formally recognise cetacean intelligence.

In other words, is Star Trek IV the secret origin story of Cetacean Ops?

(Oh, and it's technically 21 years since I started the blog! Crikey! Although the first few posts weren't very meaningful so I'm not sure they count.)

Going Over to Sutekh's House

Oh, I didn't write any more about the 2024 series of Doctor Who after all. Oops.

Oh well. I enjoyed it anyway.

I thought the finale, "The Legend of Ruby Sunday"/"Empire of Death", was very good, and there was lots to love. Bonnie Langford's Mel almost stole the episode, and confirmed how wasted she was in her original episodes. Sutekh himself came across very well and I quite liked the "controversial" cgi jackal form, which did much better "acting" than you tend to get in cgi monsters, even more so at this sort of budget level.

It was a bit disappointing that the Doctor defeated Sutekh in basically the same way he did it in the original story, even though that didn't work, as the episode explains, but I'll probably be long dead and unable to complain the next time the villain appears so I'll allow it. I did chuckle when he was defeated with a lead and a whistle. Jackals aren't quite dogs, but close enough for the pun to work.

It was also a bit naff that Sutekh's attack was more or less the Blip from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which was not helped by the turning-into-sand visual effect, or by the episodes being broadcast on Disney+, but I can let that pass. Let's call it an homage.

(Although one difference was an almost throwaway line that suggested Sutekh's victims remained conscious after being "dusted" which is nice and creepy... but alas not at all explored.)

I have seen a lot of claims about the Doctor's solution to the not-Blip also undoing the Flux, bringing Gallifrey back, and so on. I don't think there's direct evidence of that, and all that was undone was Sutekh's Sands of Death™ attack, but there's enough ambiguity there that I could see it being used as a mechanic to bring back any dead characters or locations in future stories.

My only real problem with the finale is that everything builds up to the Doctor going to find his granddaughter Susan at long last -- it's even explored in the dialogue! -- and then he... doesn't. It's a very odd creative decision, that.

I do have one final observation. If Sutekh has been hiding inside the TARDIS since 1975, then...