First up, a game I am eager to check out once it's been stripped of other people's settings...
6. Monte Cook's Cypher System
Cypher System currently powers The Strange and Numenara, two games that look fascinating if you're in to fiddling with other people's specific settings and preconceptions. I am intrigued at the idea of a stripped-down version of the rules that lets me do what I want with it.
Next, one which I am quite excited to see even if I am leery as to whether or not I'll adopt it immediately, is....
5. Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
Coming in a "Player's Guide" and "Keeper's Guide" (I think the Keeper's Guide has the whole game), this is the first siginifcant revision to the CoC game system in its history, with the mechanics ditching the 3-18 stat block for core stats in favor of an entirely percentile system. This is likely to annoy the old fans while being a smoothing of the process for new one....if you, like me, have ever had to explain the concept of attributes in CoC and BRP and how they relate to the statistics rolls then the idea of merging the two won't seem so far fetched. Either way, I look forward to seeing what it all looks like, while crossing my fingers that there aren't too many intrusive new mechanics or systems designed to "fix" the pass/fail skill check "problem" like Trail of Cthulhu in favor of a less exciting point pool mechanic.
CoC 7th edition has the PDF out....I haven't snagged it yet, sort of holding out for the print edition first, but that doesn't mean you can't take the plunge.
Next we have....
4. Fantasy Hero Complete
I've raved about this already, but needless to say its a redux of the Hero System 6th Edition rules with a hard focus on fantasy gaming. Hero System may yet be something I can get played at my game tables with a focused book like this! Here's to crossing my fingers for a Star Hero Complete next.
Next we have the long past due but eagerly anticipated....
3. Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls
Ken St. Andre, Liz Danforth, Bear Peters, Rick Loomis and Steve Crompton are all among the fabled caretakers of Tunels & Trolls, and they've been working for better than a year now on producing a definitive edition of the game. It's taken a lot longer than anticipated, at least partially because the scope of the book moved from a "best of reprint" to a "totally revised edition with so many bells and whistles you'll go deaf" but the drafts released so far look amazing. I really, really hope this game comes out soon.
After that we have....
2. The End of the World RPG
Fantasy Flight Games just keeps on giving, this time with the first of four planned End of the World RPGs, #1 being on the Zombie Apocalypse. Future books will focus on the Wrath of the Gods, Alien Invasions and the robot apocalypse. This may fill a void left by Eden Studios more or less falling off the radar in recent years.
What could be more exciting than that? How about my top pick for 2015, one which I am already looking at the PDF for as my wife bought me the special edition package in print for an Xmas present (gotta read it fast before Santa finds me on the naughty list!). It is...
1. Mutant Year Zero
Modiphius has reprinted this updated and revised version of a classic Swedish title I had only heard about until now. The book looks to me to be the definitive word on post-apocalypse gaming, with a excellent middle ground established between Gamma World, Aftermath and Fallout. I will likely be writing a lot more about this one soon!
While you only need the Keeper Rulebook to play Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, there is a lot of material in the Investigator Handbook that's not in the main rulebook. This includes new occupations, experience packages, investigator organisations, equipment and lots of background material on the 1920s. It's all optional material, but it should prove useful.
ReplyDeleteGood to know....I planned on getting both anyway, but it might provide motivation for my interested players to get their own Investigator Handbooks, too.
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