1 comments about Battlestar Galactica Quickstart Guide (Battlestar Galactica).

1. I purchased this and ran it for my group. Not bad at all. It uses the same system as Serenity the RPG. It is just a module for starting off the series. Not real heavy on setting. Rules lite.
   
   My group had a lot of fun escaping Caprica during the initial Cylon attack.

5 comments about Resident Evil 3 Nemesis: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. I have played through Resident Evil 3 about 40 times now. Itis one of my all time favorite games (along with R.E.2), but it wasn'tuntil I had beaten the game a few times when I got this. I boughtthis guide because I kept on dying against Nemesis and wanted help.Well, then I started finding secret items throughout the game, andpretty soon I became the unstoppable player to the point where Istarted to yell down at Nemesis even before we started to fight.

   I,before this, never knew how to use red herbs, how to make gunpowder C,or the best weapon arrangements. He also went into detail of maps andscenarios that I may never get myself into. He clearly had allplayers in mind when writing this. I learned the secrets of theseries even after I had gone through this game before and itspredecessor about 25 times. This is the perfect aid for people new tothe series, new to this title, and for the hardcore veterans whothought that they had reached playing perfection (like me).




2. Hate to have to say this, but I've gotten better help in a game from the opposing pitcher. Not only did it not help, but it was hard to muddle through. Prima should hire good writers even if thy don't intend to put out good guides.



3. This guide was not very helpful to me at all. Almost no detail in the maps, didn't help out with puzzles (thats not too big but it could've explained how to get the solution), some screenshots in the wrong place and some misleading information.

   First of all, the walkthrough is very dull. It'll tell you how to get to certain areas, but I found several screenshots in the wrong place, and the walkthrought moved very quickly. There wasn't enough detail to tell me what I'm running into. They don't tell you how enemy placements work, or what items could be replaced as.

   The Quick-Decisions card was nice, but I could've gotten along without it. Also, the guide doesn't tell you what items nemesis drops. While it would tell me sometimes, something was always missing.

   The puzzle solutions that they claim to be there, aren't really there. They hardly tell you how to get to a solution. For example at one point in the guide when your searching for a password it reads and I quote "Just look around for a while and bingo! (That's not the password)." The problem with this? What am I looking for? I don't know! It just tells me to look around. Every other guide I saw told me EXACTLY what I was looking for at that point in the game.

   The maps are from the ingame so of course they have no level of detail in them, making the maps useless. The only thing this guide really did state to me were the secrets. However, it didn't cover too much about the rankings or the mini-game.

   My Advice, VERSUS BOOKS and BradyGAMES made a guide to RE3 and they're much better than this. (The BradyGAMES guide even tells you what's in Jill's diary!) So you might want to looke away from Prima for this guide.




4. Some of the best information in this book is the Live Selection tips. They tell you exactly what will happen and which would be a waste of time or not the best choice. I think this is a time saver. Also, it gives nice tips on what you should dump or take with you in certain situations so you're not running back and forth to save rooms wasting time.

   Also good information on how to fight nemisis and where enemies are lurking so you're prepared when you go in rooms and around corners.

   The problems I had was the maps which could read the room titles or anything other than jsut D22, D16 or U46. That's pretty confusing when you're on a timer or running from an enemy-- you could get lost and have too backtrack right into them.

   It doesn't tell you exactly how to solve the puzzles, claiming they change every time the game is loaded. Okay, I buy that, but there were other things also that were unhelpful. For example, with the boss fight nemisis after the trolley accident, it says to keep throwing mine throwers at him to get him to drop the grenade launcher.

   I played this scene AT LEAST 20 times in a row before I discovered that hitting him in the chest with mine throwers until empty, then hitting him with freeze rounds brought him to his knees. Basically, the book reminds you throughout to master the dodge--which I STILL can't do, and you will be okay. The fight with the grave digger is the same way. It's not about dodging, it's about
   *speed*. As soon as you turn on the power to the ladder, get over to it and press X and it will ask you "do you want to climb up the ladder?" It's like at this point the games stops to ask the question--stopping the grave digger too.

   You answer yes, and you go on up, you don't have to deal with the GD anymore because the game never stops in that capacity. I have learned that beating on the controller for the Dodge hasn't really helped me yet. However, this book isn't completly useless. It helped me enough that I could play comfortably without getting stuck or frustrated, and I was able to finish fine. If you can get it used, do it.




5. This book isnt helpful theres no higly deatailed maps its a mess and it dosent have much solutions lik it dosent help u out with soultions at all

No comments about Advanced Gamemaster's Guide.

2 comments about Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Slayers Handbook (Buffy RPG).

1. At the beginning of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Core Rulebook," writer and designer C. J. Carella acknowledges that the reader of this volume could just as easily be a Buffy fanatic as a veteran of role playing games. Indeed, Carella considers it a safe assumption that anyone who gets to page 194 of this volume is a fan of the show (but he sees advantages for those who are not). Of course, I am the former, although I do remember an evening with college friends trying unsuccessfully to get me hooked on Dungeon & Dragons and my daughter and I have attempted the Buffy the Vampire CCG game a few times (I am happy just to collect the cards). Certainly, Carella has put together a gorgeous volume. On top of that, the role playing game, part of the Unisystem, might actually prove to be fun as well.

   The "BtVS RPG" covers a lot of ground (by its own admission), from rules to stats to descriptions to backgrounds. There are eight chapters and an appendix: (1) "It's the Slayer's World, We Just Play Here" contains introductory sections, notes about role playing, a list of conventions, and a brief recap of Seasons One through Five of the television series (note, breakdown is by season rather than episode specific); (2) "Some Assembly Required" covers character creation and provides the game stats for the main characters as well as a gallery of Archetypes (e.g., New Slayer, Demon Hunter, and Former Vampire Groupie); (3) "Rules, Borders, and an End Zone" provides the rules of the game, teaching you how to play the game, when to use dice, detailing character development, and explaining the importance of Drama Points; (4) "Playing With Primal Forces" explains the upside and the downside of magic in the Buffyverse; (5) "Sunnydale After Dark" goes over both the favorite hotspots in and around the home of the Hell Mouth and the major Guest Stars of the show such as Joyce, Amy, Jonathan, etc.; (6) "Children of the Night" covers all of the vamps, demons, and other Big Bads from the show's first five seasons, providing such great details as character motivation (e.g., Glorificus wants to go home but Drusilla is just a "Whimsical nutjob"); (7) "Episodes, Seasons and Drama" is for the Director of the game and provides guidelines on how to create storylines and run games; and (8) "Sweeps Week" provides an actual adventure for the "BtVS RG" game, to be played with the Archetypes. Finally, the "Appendix" helps you hone your Buffyspeak and also provides useful charts and tables, a glossary, an index and conversion notes from other Unisystem games.

   Christopher Golden, who has written some of the best "BtVS" novels along with the comic book and "The Watcher's Guides," writes the Foreword to this volume, which is basically a teaser for a role playing game. My son, who has considerably more experience with role playing games than I do, assures me this is fairly basic stuff and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a natural for this sort of fun. It is well established that "BtVS" is my favorite television show and I am fascinated by the details for the role playing game Carella has developed (e.g., the idea that guidelines are providing for "Breaking Things" tickles me). I also like the idea that playing the game can be developed in terms of Episodes and Seasons as well, providing a grand narrative structure to the fighting and biting. For those who love both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and role playing games, this Core Rulebook as to be a treat.




2. "The Slayer's Handbook" is a supplement for the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" role playing game. The inspiration, of course, comes from the episode "What's My Line?: Part Two," where Buffy was astounded to find out that Kendra has been reading the Slayer's handbook and demanded to know why Giles had not provided her with a copy. This version has not been passed down by the Watcher's Council but is the product of game designer C. J. Carella, writers Timothy S. Brannan and David F. Chapman, assisted by some able quotemeisters.

   Included in the "Slayer's Handbook" includes background on being a Slayer, tales of the Slayers, and advice for Directors on using Slayers in their games. You will also find new character creation ideas, qualities and drawbacks, equipment, and more character analysis, as well as guidelines for alternative settings in a Slayer-oriented game, including different places, times, and histories. There are also three ready-to-play mini-settings for Slayers of all shapes and sizes as well as a complete Episode continuing the plotline begun in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Corebook." While the information is geared towards the role playing game, there is also a concerted effort to make sense out of the Buffyverse as revealed in the television series over the first six seasons. This is actually a good starting point, because the seventh season in general and the final episode in particular totally rewrites the rules for Slayers.

   Be aware that these books go beyond the Buffy canon, but explicitly so. So while you get character information for the Chinese Slayer and the New York Slayer along with Kendra and Faith, but new creations such as the Reluctant Slayer, Dark Slayer, Slayer Heiress, etc. This volume also provides character type heroes (e.g., Rebel Without a Clue, Slayer Gunslinger), white hats (e.g., Wannabe Shaman), and sundry Hellworld critters (e.g., Behemoth, Flesh Rider). The back of the book contains character creation basics and updated tables for qualities and drawbacks, armor, combat maneuvers, and base damage.

   Be aware that there are a couple of more supplemental volumes out there, "Monster Smackdown," that covers vampires, demons, and major villains from the show, and "The Magic Box," which explores the history of magic and supernatural in the Buffyverse. There is also a Corebook out for "Angel" as well.

2 comments about Arms & Armor (D&D d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement).

1. I have been role-playing quite some time now, and this book is definetly one of the better guides for fantasy I have seen. It flatout gives you the information, with some very nice accompanying artwork. There are many new weapons, new styles of armor that intrigue the reader, new materials for making the armor/weapons, and great descriptions of the featured items.



2. In a normal fantasy setting, you realy can not do without decent armor and weapons, however there is many sources where you could find information on that part.

   I will not spend my money on this (poor) quality art and only reasonable information. The only part of the book that could potentaly draw your attention is about new materials for armor and arms.
   Still even that information can be found in other books as well...

5 comments about Clanbook Cappadocian (Vampire - the Dark Ages).

1. The writing and the stories of this book is great. But after reading everything it leaves you to wonder and want to know more of what happened to the Caps-. It needs to be more elaborate. Its a ok book to start a Cappadocian character.



2. Good for background info, like all the clanbooks. Don't feel like writing a huge review, the Cappadocians aren't exactly on the top of my list of favorite things to play.



3. The Capps. have been long forgotten because of the Giovionni. This clan book gives a great insite into this lost clan. Their powers aren't described very well but thats because no one knows any of them to find out what thier powers are. This book was written as more of a information tool for the capps rather than as a source for their powers. If you want to find out about the downfall of the capps get the transylvania chronicles and go through that and you will find out what happened.



4. I don't know if there is a revised book out yet, but I do know that the Cappadocians are back and mad. They are the Harbingers of Skulls, in the revised vamp paradigm. They always rocked and now they are even cooler. But I don't know if they have their old Necromancy powers or not. They use to be able to remove a vampire from torpor, an awsome feat for any vamp.

   I think I'll wait for the revised but I wouldn't mind having this one either for historical information on them.




5. As per usual, White Wolf keeps us intrigued with it's World of Darkness (even if they have discontinued this particular line). I especially enjoyed the mention of the Giovanni Bloodline, and what happened to the Cappadocians in the modern nights.

1 comments about *OP Hunter: Fall From Grace.

1. This books is THE resource for level five edges, finally giving players a good chance on achieving them. It also includes a number of incredibly powerful (for Hunter, anyway) Divine and Corrupt edges, as well as suggestions as to how these alternate level fives would be achieved.
   Save this book for when you've been playing for a very long time, as it seems geared for spectacular ways to end a chronicle. For the majority of your chronicle, the level five edges presented in the corebook and nine Creed books are much more suited to the theme of the game, and the players guide already gives the storyteller enough information on how to portray an NPC with one.
   Unless your chronicle depends heavily on the Messengers being agents of the divine, and having their antithesis trying to corrupt the imbued, it really isn't that necessary. A very cool book though, and necessary for any Hunter fanatic to round out their collection.

5 comments about Silver Age Sentinels: D20 Edition.

1. I've never played MnM however I promise that complaintsa against the game are unfounded. The only ishue I have with this book is the title. Silver Age Sentinels is confusing (another reviwer was confussed) Although it can be used for the silver age (or golden age or any time setting) the setting that comes with the book is modern day. Guardians of Order used the name silver age to inspire silver age values.
   
   Now onto the book. I find that after eading the game mechanics chapter an expeirenced D20 player will take ro the modifications to the system easily. The main change to armour was made for an obvious reasons. If having a high strength would increase your chance to hit than charecters like Superman and the Hulk would hit every time and deal tons of damage. Instead the system uses reduction.
   
   The attribute system has covered every power my group has thought up. The book contains a "unique attribute" but we've never needed to use it. The attributes cover all advantages from heat vision to being rich.
   
   A commen complaint is that the system has no feats and/or uses an original skill set. For starters the combanation of "combat skills" and attributes cover any D&D feat. If you really want feats GoO has provided an attribute called "feat" on the website. Also the book uses an orignal skill set. If this really bothers you so much it is possible to simply use D&D skills.
   
   Over all this book is a great buy if you're into D20 Supers. I cannot compare it against MnM because I've never played however I can promise that most complaints about this book unfounded.



2. I have had the opportunity to play MaM and SAS and I have taken great pains to try and construct a SaS universe. This alone should tell you, gentle reader, which system I prefer.
   
   SAS has an excellent background on comic book trends as well as a mission statement for superhero characters. The name is meant to recall a certain era in comics, but the system is designed to be as current as you'd want to be.
   
   The character creation I find to be very friendly to D20 players and Champions players, unlike MaM, which I found to be Counter-Intuitive. A negative is the character class system which is skewed, unless you make everyone "Adventurer" or simply assign 10 CP/level gained. Again, Champions players shoud feel very comfortable with the free-form system and D20 players can easily adapt rules systems or the lack thereof with what is given.
   
   Powers are done in a very straightforward way. If you want to be tough, you buy armor that reduces damage or you purchase a power to give you more hit points, rather than depending on bonuses to an abstract "Damage Save." If you want to be super-strong, you buy points for Strength, rather than "Super-Strong" power (as in MaM). Skills can be a little confusing, but defects are pretty well defined and (for some this is a hearbreaker) they disallow psychological disadvantages for the most part, reasoning this to be an RP decision rather than a mechanical one (which I support).
   
   It has nice flavor pieces, but is a little lacking in the equipment department, I admit. YMMV, but I feel that the gadgeteering, equipment, et cetera sections of the book needed work. More equipment and toys would've gotten this book a better rating IMO, but they have plenty of sample characters built with their system, some iconic (like American Sentinel and Caliburn) and some unique (Like Pan&Belle and Green Ronin).
   
   SAS is very friendly for experienced RPers, I find, and as long as the GM takes care in letting his players create characters, you will have no problems and many happy games. I give it 4 out of 5 stars, marking off for lack of raw equipment data, a generally mediocre approach to tech / gadget heroes, and poorly-balanced character classes.



3. I must first tell all who read this that I am disappointed in this book. Classes for superheroes sounds like a good idea but having purchased Guardians of Order's BESM D20 earlier and in skimming through this book I felt as though I had bought that book twice inadvertantly. The history and explanation of comics and more specifically the silver age were nice but all in all it was not enough to justify the price of admission.
   
   If you want a really good D20 style superhero game, then there really is only one choice. I bought SAS to compare it to M&M. Mutants and Masterminds is the better system hands down. The archtypes in Mutants and Masterminds gives you ready to play characters. And if the archtype is not exactly what you wanna play, well, the system itself allows you tweak the archetype and customize the characer to your own vision. In order to do that with Silver Age Sentinels you need to multiclass. Many of the characters in the main book are multiclassed. From now on, if I get any SAS book it will be to convert its contents to M&M.



4. There are things I like about this book and things that I don't. The pros of the book include a detailed and interesting setting with loads of heroes and villians, maps, and world history. Rather than just tell you the history, the book provides you with mock-ups of files, news articles, a short story called "Training Day" and an essay on the history and evolution of comics. This part of the book earns and A from me. Character creation is a whole other creature. Personally I don't have a huge problem with character classes. If you want something generic to work from, there's the Adventurer class that can be used for any hero. There are a lot of skills to choose from (which can be a boon or a drag depending on how you view things). Powers can be modified for varying effects to create just the feel you want for your character. Personally though, I found some of the rules confusing (as I do with a lot of D20 books) and trying to figure out how many points you'll spend on a given power when you modify it takes a fair amount of math. It's not nearly as bad as some other systems out there, but you will be spending a fair amount of time working on character creation. Honestly I can't say much for how the game plays because I was frustrated with how character creation was going I switched games (Mutants & Masterminds) where character creation is still bogged down in math, but not to the same degree as SAS and I found the language was simpler to understand. I'll give this part of the book a C. I keep the book for the setting, history and other materials I use for reference, not for the game itself. It's not a bad purchase, and I may even get back to it to try it for a full campaign sometime. But it's not high on my list.



5. This book I thought looked awesome and was my answers and prayers to a superhero game. After buying the book, I saw how annoying it really is. OK I can understand the classes, and levels for a character that is all fine and dandy. The powers are very confusing how some of them actually work, and making up a character takes WAY TOO LONG and gives you a headache. There is no support for this game due to the company packing up and going bye-bye due to lack of money (wonder why?). M&M is the way to go, this book is just... "eh"... will say its a good reference book for other superhero games. Good history of about comics in the beginning.

5 comments about Star Trek Roleplaying Game: Player's Guide.

1. This book is one of two core books, the other being the Narrarator's Guide. This book is full-color, with pictures from the original Star Trek all the way through Voyager and Enterprise. It has just about every gadget you've ever seen, and some you haven't, available to characters. Classes include Trader, Rogue, Starship Officer, Warrior, etc. If you're a Star Trek fan and enjoy roleplaying, do yourself a favor and get this book!



2. First, let me say that I bought this for the Trek content and for inspiration as a writer and may never play the game. I have played some previous RPGs (none Trek) so I can still evaluate it as one - I hope. Anyway, this appears to be a complete player's guide. Unlike some games, everything you need is here, and sourcebooks are extras not essentials. There are ten starting species to play: Humans, Bajorans, Betazoids, Cardassians, Klingons, Ferengi, Trill, Vulcans, Talaxians and Ocampans. Each matches what we have seen in the show in their attribute modifiers and special abilities, although Vulcans have so many that some were cut. The action is done by rolling dice once, adding your character's skill score, bonuses and penalties and then comparing the result to the number needed for success. Everything your characters can do is expressed in a skill, and the range of skill coverage is very good. Characters also have edges and flaws, character traits that help define their personalities and affect their skills. Finally, each character also has Courage points. These represent heroic action and you use them to add to your rolls, either to prevent failure or boost the level of your success. (I would love this feature as a player.) There are seven basic professions: Diplomat, Merchant, Mystic, Rogue, Scientist, Soldier and Starship Officer. There are elite starship officer professions for every one we have seen in the shows. There are other elite professions that can be entered by anyone meeting their prerequisites. This system manages transfers like Spock from Science Officer to Commander to Ambassador and then probably either Envoy or Spy, all as a Starship Officer. All in all, the system really captures the feel of Star Trek characters.

   The guide has a number of flaws. Least annoying first, there are a number of canon errors, which is surprising considering how much trivia the Decipher staff know about Star Trek. It was enough to bother me a little, so some fellow Trek reviewers may be driven crazy by it. As has been mentioned in most reviews (such as on rpg.net) the chapter and section order is really bad. The sections on character mechanics and level advancement should have been consolidated and in front. Character Development should probably have been in front of Professions, since you would use them in that order, and the non-starship elite professions should have followed the basic professions. The worst flaws are outright errors in presenting the mechanics of the game. There are edges listed in training that were renamed or eliminated by the time the Traits chapter was written. There are errors in the examples supposed to clarify how the game works. The level advancement rules are sometimes unclear. The Starship Duty ability is, according to the FAQ on the web, importantly more limited than it reads in the Guide. This needed a much more thorough editing before printing.

   These problems are irritating, but they are fortunately simple to resolve. The character generation system and the skill test system are solid and very simple to implement. The guide also explicitly states that the players can create their own skills and edges, and even rules for doing so, and that the Narrator can change the type of skill test as he sees fit, if necessary. Should I ever choose to play, I would be very happy to use this system. As a collector, the insight into the skills and abilities of the character types, especially the elite professions, was worth the price. Also, nearly a third of the guide is given to chapters on equipment, starships, the galaxy and the Federation. Those sections were really interesting and informative. As a player I would give this a four for the errors, but as a collector I give it five stars.




3. This is the best. I'am a narrator and I own all of those decipher manuals. This is the best rpg I ever played. Not just the best of trek rpg ,but the best of all I have played, and I have played almost all.
   Perfect rules, Perfect manuals (that explain deep the ST universe and clear all on the rules for roleplaying and starship battles, spece astrogation or space hazards), perfect universe : what u are looking more? I have only a thing to say: buy it, and play.



4. This is the first book of the Star Trek RPG series. In this volume, it gives you the basics of character creation and gameplay from the player's point of view. It's a pretty simple and flexible gameplay system. However, there are a few complaints about this book. First of all, I feel that it wasn't organized very well. There isn't a checklist for character creation (I had to get that from another GM), so at first it's a little confusing. You have to jump around to different chapters to get all the information you need on character creation. Even just adding a checklist would have helped a lot. A second complaint is that a lot of skills, especially racial skills and abilities, are not listed on the character sheet, so again, you'll have to use resourses created by other GMs or make your own.
   
   Even though this book has weak points, they can be overcome with resources available on the internet. Just be warned, this book only presents the game from the standpoint of the player. While the book claims that the game is playable with only this book, it's very difficult because there are no adventure seeds, or even many races or creatures to play with. If you're planning on running a game, you'll definitely need to pick up the Narrator's Book as well.



5. I was very leery for a while to buy this product after the LUG debacle but was was very glad I did afterwards. Decipher put together a great psuedo-d20 d6 sytem RPG that is easy to play with tons of Star Trek backround in it that will please gamers and fans alike I think. In fact only a non-trekkie would be crippled when reading the many in rule Star Trek references from all the series except Enterprise. As other reviewers have stated, this book focuses on character creation and has little in the way of Narrator tools and it is best used with the Narrators guide. Fan books, maps, galaxy guides, technical manuals, creature guides etc. from Star Trek all are very useful one might say essential to this game as well. In short the pictures, backround, rules, and system are all excellent with this Star Trek license game and I give it my highest marks.

2 comments about Coming Full Circle (Call of Cthulhu).

1. Coming Full Circle is yet another excellent sourcebook of Lovecraftian horror produced by Pagan Publishing. This book contains a wealth of game-related material on the more legendary myths of New England. Here the witch, the phantom, and the vampire of ancient legend take center stage to the sanity- blasting eldritch horros of the Cthulhu mythos. Additionally, this sourcebook offers great material for psychic investigators (ala late Fox show "Millenium"). I highly recommend this book for serious players and readers of Lovecraftiana.



2. This is a solid collection of non-Mythos CoC scenarios set in New England in the late 1920's and the 1930's. It would be easy to change it to earlier in the 1920's if desired. There are four scenarios which can either be played separately or linked to form a modular campaign. It's an especially good choice if your gaming group does not have the time or inclination to plow through an extended, continous campaign. The scenarios feature plenty of investigation and roleplaying, as well as possibilities for combat. It's classic supernatural horror brought to gaming.