tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post7556161319229977733..comments2024-03-29T00:32:33.920-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: REVIEW: Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing (Part III)James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-55484198574372054192010-09-04T22:23:34.689-04:002010-09-04T22:23:34.689-04:00No monsters stats or magic items at all?
Nope -- j...<i>No monsters stats or magic items at all?</i><br /><br>Nope -- just guidelines for how to make your own. I found it a huge disappointment myself. I can certainly understand not wanting to repeat <i>D&D</i>'s approach, going for something more unique and customized, but at least give a few examples to show how one might use the guidelines. It's very odd that, in a game geared toward newcomers and that includes a 17-page example of play, we don't get even a single monster or magic item statted up.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68031196506749968792010-09-04T21:48:48.866-04:002010-09-04T21:48:48.866-04:00No monsters stats or magic items at all?
I must s...No monsters stats or magic items at all?<br /><br />I must say, that knocks LotFP several notches down on my "things to get when I have the spare cash" list.<br /><br />Whatever the "philosophical" reasons for the decision, it's a pretty crippling handicap to a fantasy game's utility.<br /><br />At least he included actual classes and spells instead of another reiteration of "Just make some up, I guess. Make sure they're, like, cool and stuff, though."Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-35322577834973568462010-09-04T20:11:50.949-04:002010-09-04T20:11:50.949-04:002) exploration-based, 4) location-based, and 5) sa...<i>2) exploration-based, 4) location-based, and 5) sandboxes all sound rather synonymous to me.</i><br /><br>Raggi does a good job of differentiating them. The differences might be too fine grained for some, but I think they're valid distinctions.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-73528618860857102882010-09-04T20:10:59.809-04:002010-09-04T20:10:59.809-04:00I think the Ref book is the weak link in the set, ...<i>I think the Ref book is the weak link in the set, but other people whose opinions I respect have had the opposite impression.</i><br /><br>I think it's <i>a</i> weak link, the Tutorial Book being the other one, but I recognize that, on both these points, my opinion is an outlier.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-49880502901731820662010-09-04T00:04:48.173-04:002010-09-04T00:04:48.173-04:00"five basic types of adventures: event-based,..."five basic types of adventures: event-based, exploration-based, personage-based, location-based, and sandboxes."<br /><br />2) exploration-based, 4) location-based, and 5) sandboxes all sound rather synonymous to me.Matthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17343263539473683579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12595821810700480442010-09-03T11:55:39.346-04:002010-09-03T11:55:39.346-04:00S'mon: I don't think any of them are goth,...<b>S'mon:</b> I don't think any of them are goth, but there is <a href="http://revolution21days.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-all-women-campaign-kicks-off.html" rel="nofollow">this campaign</a> already being run with Raggi's rules.<br /><br />I was a little let down by the campaign material myself, but I suspect Raggi's a bottom-up campaign designer, where I'm a top-down designer. In the final analysis, however, campaigns can more easily grow from great adventures than vice versa.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50328535189245721792010-09-03T01:32:59.823-04:002010-09-03T01:32:59.823-04:00Your reviews thus far have been really good. I...Your reviews thus far have been really good. I've caught Raggi's blog here-and-there, and was interested in his work. Your incisive critiques, coupled with your praise, make give me a lot to think about. I'm by no means an Old Schooler, but I appreciate the movement and your reviews have seriously made me consider picking this game up.Dave Cesaranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01454928720043301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-1286160302026300792010-09-02T21:49:21.553-04:002010-09-02T21:49:21.553-04:00I prefer the flogging of big words to the flogging...I prefer the flogging of big words to the flogging of wine preservers.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05078173255668986590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-13170357922158802962010-09-02T19:32:12.277-04:002010-09-02T19:32:12.277-04:00I think the Ref book is the weak link in the set, ...I think the Ref book is the weak link in the set, but other people whose opinions I respect have had the opposite impression. Weird world indeed. :)Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00155926145150934199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54263779566417630362010-09-02T19:11:20.686-04:002010-09-02T19:11:20.686-04:00James you use elucidate when clarify would have be...James you use elucidate when clarify would have been sufficient (once is fine, but you flogged it). Other than that, I enjoyed this review as I did the others.UWS guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01277557128674527225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58147184333457597482010-09-02T17:19:11.230-04:002010-09-02T17:19:11.230-04:00I was before I got married, anyway. :PI was before I got married, anyway. :PJimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-3584869358671129772010-09-02T17:16:55.414-04:002010-09-02T17:16:55.414-04:00It seems like a great game to play with goth gamer...It seems like a great game to play with goth gamer chicks uninterested in the heavy number-crunching and character-optimising needed by 4e D&D. I bet Raggi is quite the man about Helsinki. >:)Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01173759805310975320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60314161025112995942010-09-02T15:45:56.506-04:002010-09-02T15:45:56.506-04:00It's always interesting to read your perspecti...It's always interesting to read your perspectives James. I have to say that for me, the Referee's Book was my favorite of the volumes in LotFP, although that is in part because I'm most likely to use the LotFP material as inspiration with other rule sets, and this book is nothing but inspiration. In contrast to you, I found the discussion on monsters far more useful than that relating to magic items. The discussion of the purpose and defining characteristics of various classic monster types (e.g. humanoids, oozes, undead) I think stand as great rules of thumb on what sort of monster to select in a given situation, and how to best kit it out uniquely, while staying true to its fundamental theme. In contrast, the magic item section was little more than a statement of philosophy and then a long list of mundane items that might form the basis for a magic item, with almost no practical guidance on how to go about that.<br /><br />But overall, I find this book to be of a pair with another recently released volume, Luke Crane's _Adventure Burner_. Both volumes by in large amount to a personal conversation with a very experienced game master/designer, explaining clearly & concisely how best to apply the rules of their favored system to great adventures in their preferred mode. I find this sort of discussion just as invaluable as an experience referee as I think it would be to a neophyte, and far more valuable than an aloof or less personalized presentation might be.Rafialhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077298546098373938noreply@blogger.com