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Old 08-24-2014, 01:50 PM   #31
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

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For even more extreme results, allow Godlike Extra Effort: Xia can spend as much FP as they want on extra effort, and you multiply the effective penalty by the FP spent. (Example: If you spend 4 FP and take a -15 penalty, treat it as though you'd taken -60 to your extra effort roll.) Be warned that this will risk turning xia into warriors that explode brilliantly once, then are weak for the rest of the fight. :)
And now that I've read your article in full, I can say that you handled Extra Effort for xia exactly the way I meant it to be handled when I wrote up those abilities and the Focus rules. Nice work! I hadn't thought of the Alternative Abilities hack, but it makes perfect sense and makes impressive wizards a lot more affordable.

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Old 08-25-2014, 12:19 PM   #32
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

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I'm looking forward to adopting the Ham Clause. Disadvantages are a big part of how we design characters, and my players love working them into the adventures.

I'm a little suprised that simplified Gun skills didn't make the cut. Handguns, long-arms, and Launchers cover pretty much everything you can hold, and Gunner (mounted machine guns) takes care of the rest. I _like_ this idea, especially since it allows fast, simple character design AND elaborate perk upgrades to allow you to better use full-auto shotgun pistols, or laser rifles but not regular rifles.
There are two relatively simple reasons for the absence of the firearms skills overhaul:

1. Ten for Ten is explicitly about "supplements I wrote in the 2004-2014 period," not Hans' ideas. Hans could have explored the topic of firearms skills in Revisiting High-Tech, but he was very short on time.

2. That would steal some thunder from Pyramid #3/65: Alternate GURPS III, which was uploaded only a few months ago. We asked everybody contributing to Pyramid #3/70 to limit revisiting to supplements with "GURPS" on the front, to avoid cannibalizing the 'zine.
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Old 08-26-2014, 10:59 PM   #33
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

I do a detailed review of this issue over on Gaming Ballistic.
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Old 08-27-2014, 06:32 AM   #34
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

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I do a detailed review of this issue over on Gaming Ballistic.
A very detailed review! Thanks for the honest assessment of each article -- I like how you explain exactly where your ratings come from, and why, while critiquing each aspect.

EDIT: Tweeted.
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Old 08-27-2014, 06:42 AM   #35
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

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A very detailed review! Thanks for the honest assessment of each article -- I like how you explain exactly where your ratings come from, and why, while critiquing each aspect.
Hmm..."Matt's writing sucked" HEY!

(Oh, "Matt's writing sucked me in". OK, then.)

But, yeah, good review. Detailing the criteria provides utility for the reader who doesn't share the same priorities. 8/10.
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Old 08-27-2014, 07:16 AM   #36
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

Had some interesting parts, well written for what they were, but parts were recap on existing GURPS supplements, and others just weren't niches I play in GURPS.

Wasn't personally applicable overall.
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Old 08-27-2014, 07:49 AM   #37
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

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A very detailed review! Thanks for the honest assessment of each article -- I like how you explain exactly where your ratings come from, and why, while critiquing each aspect.
That was a big plus for me, too. And a bit surprising; I hadn't thought of my historical explanations as an actual attraction in my writing. Useful to know otherwise.

Bill Stoddard
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Old 08-27-2014, 07:53 AM   #38
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

Personally, I found the issue to be average, which says a lot for the average quality of the 'zine! There was no "hero" article that justified the issue by itself, to me, but all of them were well done.

Little of it will be directly applicable to me though, and that's probably why I didn't rate it higher.
  • Destination: Abydos
    I wish there was more meat in it, because the amount there is is SO tasty. I'm going to import Abydos into my Dungeon Fantasy setting. Of course, the mass combat part was not interesting to me, but the rest was pure gold.
  • Ten for Ten
    Since I own all the listed books and use many of the rules there presented that are applicable to my games, this is not so useful for me.
  • Gaming in the Ancien Régime
    I liked it, but I'm never to use it at the table. Well written though.
  • Into the Wilderness
    If only this had been part of the adventure when we playtested it ;). Seriously, for those running the module for the first time, this is great.
  • Elemental Xia Champions vs. the Shenguai
    Nice to have. I still feel that Chinese Elemental Powers are a bit underpowered for Monster Hunters, but it's easily solved, simply allow Godlike Extra-Effort. The monsters are awesome though, very nasty and appropriate!
  • Horde Ninja
    Sorry Peter, but I'm not that into ninja. I find that the way you handled the law of conservation of ninjitsu was ok, but I expected more. I would have given them increasing ninja abilities as their numbers dwindled, instead of a simple bonus.
  • Revisiting High-Tech
    Personally, I don't really care about minute changes to the guns rules. The changes are ok, but the chances of players ever using them in my games are close to nill.
  • Random Thought Table: Beyond Your Imagination
    As usual with RTTs, it's well written and thought provoking, and might spawn a new campaign, or two, but it's never something that you can take and use straight away. I feel that Pyramid needs more "buy it and use it at the table after 20 minutes of reading, tops" material. I usually make my articles with that goal in mind. That's not to say that RTT doesn't have it's place. I will probably steal some stuff for my games from here.
  • Odds and Ends
    The usual tidbits that could not fit in their own articles, for Gaming in the Ancien Régime and Random Thought Table, and as such, they share the rating with the article that spawned them. I miss Murphy's Rules though.

So again, average when it comes to Pyramid. No article is a disappoints, but usually there's at least one article per issue that makes me jump in and recommend it to everyone.
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Old 08-27-2014, 08:04 AM   #39
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuroshima View Post
Personally, I found the issue to be average, which says a lot for the average quality of the 'zine! There was no "hero" article that justified the issue by itself, to me, but all of them were well done.

Little of it will be directly applicable to me though, and that's probably why I didn't rate it higher.
  • Destination: Abydos
    I wish there was more meat in it, because the amount there is is SO tasty. I'm going to import Abydos into my Dungeon Fantasy setting. Of course, the mass combat part was not interesting to me, but the rest was pure gold.
  • Ten for Ten
    Since I own all the listed books and use many of the rules there presented that are applicable to my games, this is not so useful for me.
  • Gaming in the Ancien Régime
    I liked it, but I'm never to use it at the table. Well written though.
  • Into the Wilderness
    If only this had been part of the adventure when we playtested it ;). Seriously, for those running the module for the first time, this is great.
  • Elemental Xia Champions vs. the Shenguai
    Nice to have. I still feel that Chinese Elemental Powers are a bit underpowered for Monster Hunters, but it's easily solved, simply allow Godlike Extra-Effort. The monsters are awesome though, very nasty and appropriate!
  • Horde Ninja
    Sorry Peter, but I'm not that into ninja. I find that the way you handled the law of conservation of ninjitsu was ok, but I expected more. I would have given them increasing ninja abilities as their numbers dwindled, instead of a simple bonus.
  • Revisiting High-Tech
    Personally, I don't really care about minute changes to the guns rules. The changes are ok, but the chances of players ever using them in my games are close to nill.
  • Random Thought Table: Beyond Your Imagination
    As usual with RTTs, it's well written and thought provoking, and might spawn a new campaign, or two, but it's never something that you can take and use straight away. I feel that Pyramid needs more "buy it and use it at the table after 20 minutes of reading, tops" material. I usually make my articles with that goal in mind. That's not to say that RTT doesn't have it's place. I will probably steal some stuff for my games from here.
  • Odds and Ends
    The usual tidbits that could not fit in their own articles, for Gaming in the Ancien Régime and Random Thought Table, and as such, they share the rating with the article that spawned them. I miss Murphy's Rules though.

So again, average when it comes to Pyramid. No article is a disappoints, but usually there's at least one article per issue that makes me jump in and recommend it to everyone.
Yeah, this better says what I felt. :)
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Old 08-27-2014, 08:20 AM   #40
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival

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Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company View Post
Hmm..."Matt's writing sucked" HEY!

(Oh, "Matt's writing sucked me in". OK, then.)

But, yeah, good review. Detailing the criteria provides utility for the reader who doesn't share the same priorities. 8/10.
Yeah, I like that part of the reviews too as each of us have our own tastes and priorities. I think he describes it well enough for anyone to estimate how well they will like it rather then a lot of reviews where you have to rely on how well you know the reviewerrs taste.
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