FFG L5R Beta rules playtest.
Oct 7, 2017 18:35:39 GMT -8
Post by SirGuido on Oct 7, 2017 18:35:39 GMT -8
Just had our first playthrough of some rules, you can find it here.
My first takeaway now that I've played with the rules a bit is that the rules are nice and clean.
My biggest problem right now is the "opportunities" mechanic. There are a TON of them that are available and it hard to know which one to use. There are basic ones, skill specific ones, situation specific ones, and even technique specific ones. I imagine once things get moving these are going to be like feats. Too many to keep track of.
My favorite part of the rules is the way they handle conflict. All conflicts are handled the same way. Social, duels, skirmishes, and even mass combat all use the same conflict scene mechanic. This makes it incredibly streamlined and I like it very much. A close second is the 20 questions. They have specifically set up the 20 questions so that as you answer the questions you are making your character. Every step of the process gives you a ring increase, a skill increase, an advantage, a disadvantage, a backstory item, or a narrative choice. Every choice you make in each step informs who your character is becoming.
The game is definitely crunchy for sure, but they have added in a ton of narrative elements which I enjoy very much.
Now... on to the big question everyone is wanting me to answer. "What about the dice?" Personally, I don't get the thing with the dice. I mean honestly, buy a set of dice. Get over it. Anyone want to guess what my FLGS' biggest selling item is? Yep, dice. Regularly old everyday 7 piece polyhedral sets are his number one seller out of those, followed by d6 bricks, then d10 sets, the odd dice needed for some of the OSR games(d30, d7, d5, etc its a big thing in our area), and last are the FFG dice. I can see a set of the new L5R dice being around $15. No big deal really. Or $5 for the app(oh and btw the app makes it really easy to learn the symbols). Speaking of the symbols, there are 4. 4! Success, critical success, strife, and opportunity. The first two are self explanatory, strife is a thing that accumulates and results in what are called outbursts(they don't resolve every turn), and opportunities are extra things that can happen on your roll. Either success or failure can give you opportunity options.
Overall, I'm liking what I'm seeing. Its definitely different than anything I've played before so there is a learning curve and plenty of stumbling blocks. I look forward to playing around with it some more.
My first takeaway now that I've played with the rules a bit is that the rules are nice and clean.
My biggest problem right now is the "opportunities" mechanic. There are a TON of them that are available and it hard to know which one to use. There are basic ones, skill specific ones, situation specific ones, and even technique specific ones. I imagine once things get moving these are going to be like feats. Too many to keep track of.
My favorite part of the rules is the way they handle conflict. All conflicts are handled the same way. Social, duels, skirmishes, and even mass combat all use the same conflict scene mechanic. This makes it incredibly streamlined and I like it very much. A close second is the 20 questions. They have specifically set up the 20 questions so that as you answer the questions you are making your character. Every step of the process gives you a ring increase, a skill increase, an advantage, a disadvantage, a backstory item, or a narrative choice. Every choice you make in each step informs who your character is becoming.
The game is definitely crunchy for sure, but they have added in a ton of narrative elements which I enjoy very much.
Now... on to the big question everyone is wanting me to answer. "What about the dice?" Personally, I don't get the thing with the dice. I mean honestly, buy a set of dice. Get over it. Anyone want to guess what my FLGS' biggest selling item is? Yep, dice. Regularly old everyday 7 piece polyhedral sets are his number one seller out of those, followed by d6 bricks, then d10 sets, the odd dice needed for some of the OSR games(d30, d7, d5, etc its a big thing in our area), and last are the FFG dice. I can see a set of the new L5R dice being around $15. No big deal really. Or $5 for the app(oh and btw the app makes it really easy to learn the symbols). Speaking of the symbols, there are 4. 4! Success, critical success, strife, and opportunity. The first two are self explanatory, strife is a thing that accumulates and results in what are called outbursts(they don't resolve every turn), and opportunities are extra things that can happen on your roll. Either success or failure can give you opportunity options.
Overall, I'm liking what I'm seeing. Its definitely different than anything I've played before so there is a learning curve and plenty of stumbling blocks. I look forward to playing around with it some more.