System Mastery
System Mastery
Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor
Jef and Jon review old roleplaying games
273 - Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth
Show update first, everything's been a bit late because of travel and the deadly scary norovirus, which isn't pretty. Sorry about that. Show news on this episode? The sound a shudder that indicates a man has seen too much, written down, thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 22
59 min
272 - City of Heroes Playtest
Gather up, all you various tankers, scrapper, controllers, uhhh... that healer one... I'm just kidding I loved this game. It's City of Heroes, sort of! Insofar as it's a Unisystem take on the popular superhero MMO. Some of one. This is just an old playtest doc. We talk about why and what and all the rest today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 6
1 hr 20 min
271 - Active Exploits
This was a tough read. Active Exploits is more of a toolkit than a game, but despite basically having every possible tool any kit could ever have, especially for a diceless engine, we still just aren't seeing how the numbers line up. But hey, who knows, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 22
1 hr 18 min
270 - Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game
I think... I think this is all of them? If you count the review of the Multiverse pre-test (we've skimmed the final version, it's pretty close), then yeah, this is the last of the Marvel licensed RPGs we hadn't covered yet. Saga edition, with the card deck and one of the two diceless systems. Is it cool? Will it Marvel? Do we have to start tracking down DC games now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 7
1 hr 16 min
269 - Strike!
This one is a little near and dear to us, we've used it to run Blimpleggers content in the past! Strike! is an RPG that sort of combines the very abstracted narrative structure of a FATE style game with the tactical grid combat of a 4e D&D style game, and for the most part, it works. Let's talk about how! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 24
1 hr 26 min
268 - Crime Scene Police Investigation
Starting the year off the right way, with a shovelware-style OGL game about playing as real cops. Real boring cops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 11
1 hr 3 min
267 - Mörk Borg
Whoa, the art and layout in this thing is cool! What about the rest of it? Is it also cool? Can love bloom on the retroclone-style battlefield? Well, let's read it and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 13, 2023
1 hr 8 min
266 - Cozy Town
Welcome to a charming little community where the townsfolk are all made up and the real world doesn't matter. It's Cozy Town, a game that we figured could not have a better title to fit the Sweater Weather time here at the show. Make a whole adorable village, populate it and plan their year of events and charming happenings. It's cute, basically. Super cute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 29, 2023
59 min
265 - Monster Care Squad
Oh boy it's time for Sweater Weather! You know, our now two year running thing where we review specifically non or low-combat games, helping folks learn that there's more out there than the traditional "sword goes into orc" model (you'd be amazed at what people on the forefront are putting into orcs these days), and we're starting this year with Monster Care Squad, a neat game about rescuing wounded monsters in a world that's evolved past some of the worst instincts of humankind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 14, 2023
1 hr 35 min
264 - Monsterhearts
Okay, I do have a few more books with Witch in the title, and yes the urge to do Strike Witches was fairly strong, but we've been wanting a good excuse to talk Monsterhearts for a while anyway and there's a witch skin in there so you know, you get what you get. It's the first edition of one of the biggest PBTA games, in which your high school gets all monster-fied and everyone's out to mess with everyone else! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 31, 2023
1 hr 17 min
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