Re: [DL] WoTC review of Deadland d20....

[nomad@hotpop.com]

On Mon, 03 Jun 2002, Derek Carmichael wrote:
> 
> That certainly wasn't very flattering.  Although in some ways I find it
> funny.
> 
> The author complains about the artwork being recycled, except for the cover
> (which he doesn't like as much as the Deadland's Players Handbook).  Why is
> that an issue?  If you've never seen Deadland's before the d20 book, how
> would anyone know?  (Except for whiny reviewers.  ;-)
> 
> My other "favorite" was this piece: "Some new skills have been added, all of
> which seem fairly reasonable additions for the world, and all have
> interesting uses. One notable exception is Tale Tellinı, which I find to be
> rather useless from a playerıs perspective. Itıs interesting, flavorwise,
> but skill points are probably better spent elsewhere."
> 
> "...player's perspective"?  Meaning it doesn't give them a combat advantage?
> BTW: Does d20 not have fear levels?

DL d20 has fear levels, but core d20 does not.  I dont know about CoC, I think
that does something with sanity...

I havent played DL Classic, but have been in a couple sessions of DL d20
figuring it would be a good change from the DnD and no one is going to have to
spend any time learning the new rules.  These are my thoughts of the game.
  1) I had never heard of Deadlands befor, so what do I care about the picture
of the font pitch of the book.  Like I realy give a rats patooty about what
font was used.
  2) The magic system threw me for a loop the first time I read it, and
allowed someone else to try that out.  Although it was fun watching the
Huckster of the party get caught in a bar fight after being caught cheating.
  3) Yes, it takes forever to reload a gun.  At first we were kind of sad
about that, until we realized how much more damage the guns do, and the fact
that armor is practialy nonexistant.  One bullet could possibly kill a 4th
level charicter.  Our group actualy noticed that in full effect when in a game
of Wierd Wars, our heavy gunner crit'ed some poor Natzi.  I think the poor guy
took enough dammage to kill him twice over.
  4) Tale Tellin did look pointless when we originaly read the book  while
waiting for the pizza guy.  I think the writer of the review probably did the
same.  Since going back over the book, it becomes clear that that opens the
door to so many other things that are going on, like Fear Level.n  With that
said, if you expect to be able to sit down, tear the plasic off the book and
have a game runnig half an hour later, you will be mistaken.

As far as errata goes, most of the problems that I've seen with Pinacles work
were printing errors.  As opposed to WotC that has changed the way spells
behave in their errata, or put 8 pages of clarifications in the second
printing of thier players handbook.  Then again I cant realy rip on either
company as the guys that did a post apocoliptic setting filled with magic and
mecha seams to have been so bad as to be contradictory.  I shalt mention
names, as I understand that they happen to be law suit happy...


> Maybe he should actually play the game? ;-)
> 
> Derek
> 
> > On 6/3/02 2:00 PM, "Jay" <jayg@penn.com> wrote:
> 
> > There is a rather scathing review of the Deadlands d20 system out on
> > Wizards of the Coast site.  Below is the link to the site.
> > 
> > http://www.wizards.com/D20/article.asp?x=dt20020513a
> > 
> > Jay
> > 
> >