I think this is the best OSR game to come out. It and the Mecha Hack will probably be the only ones I end up playing in the future. It's so clean and minimalist, but still has a lot of options.
I gotta say i love this too. My only issue is that skills and abilities all seem only really aimed for combat and have little to no practical use outside of combat scenarios. I think if they expanded the cosmic boons (gifts from order,chaos, and balance) list for out of combat scenarios even by a little bit then this would be table top gold.
This is my favourite OSR game, I have run one of my most successful campaign (on a previous edition). Special powers are wierd and give room for creativity to players. Solo rules definitely are useful in normal gameplay, I use theme as a GM when I want to randomise my story. This game is superb for more improvisational gameplay, poor stat blocks for NPC/Enemies are helpful in this. This is a marriage of OSR with more storytelling games, because when you fail your test you can still success with consequences. For me score is 9/10.
I love solo play because I can play whichever system I want. Also as a solo roleplayer I like the randomness of the story that unfolds moments before the PCs experience it. It’s really great to run the imagination wild and enjoy. You can stop any time, scrap and start a new adventure. Even though I have friends to play with I love to play solo because I can play anytime I want, try new systems, create new adventures, draw maps in between. It’s kinda relaxing 🙂
Very glad to see you do this review! I currently have a handful of core systems that i can easily integrate with one another @ the table & I'm always looking for new inspiration. I dont really look @ RPG's the same anymore, my interest in what can stand alone purely just doesn't fit the bill. Theres just so much great creativity, endless actually. Now adays when I indulge myself in a new system, Im finding more satisfaction with hacking & cutting out the bits I love for my personal homebrew. Life is short, lets be extraordinarily! Mork Borg Black Sword, fk yeah!
In this age of interconnectedness and digital media pushed at us from every vector I get a lot of satisfaction sitting down by myself with a concise set of solo rules and my own imagination. Really enjoying some of Blackoath's games for this.
Nice to see a review of this, I may acquire a pdf. An upshot of solo gaming is playing something your social group isn't interested in without having to find a new set of people. Also, you don't need to coordinate time and place with other schedules. And you can test drive a game to see if it's worth more time or persuading others to play. Finally, if you are an experienced gamer, it's a good way to kick the tires on a new system, before attempting to teach your learning disabled and or inebriated friends how to play.
Nice review, but I'd like to comment on a couple of points. Solo play is - or can be, there's no one way of doing it - different from both group playing _and_ novel writing. (In fact as far as I'm concerned it's much closer to the former.) I'm no writer, I hate writing. I love playing with my friends, preferably in person. I also like playing solo, it scratches a different itch. I have no desire to play online with strangers, to be honest. I don't think my preferences are symptoms of any malaise. It's OK if you don't understand the appeal of solo play, but why such harsh comments about it, then? As for the oracle. Yes, you could use tarots. You could use i-ching. You could use tasseomancy. Or you could use the tables in the book. Where is the problem in providing a tool?
Good points you made. I agree solo play scratches a different itch than group play or novel writing, I'd say it's closer to journaling. Something you write down for your own enjoyment. I too have no desire to sit and stare at a pc to play, nor play with a bunch of random people I don't know. The friends I have who are into fantasy rpg are mostly into the Heroquest and D&D board games, simple hack and slash dungeoneering with a standard set of characters. Games that are enjoyable enough but don't tickle my roleplay itch. Playing solo is not a preference, but I am simply the only one interested in creating my own characters and the roleplay aspect. I have several old D&D characters that I'd like to dust off and have go on adventures. I'm not a novelist, but I like the act of writing and I like to have something to look back at and remember their adventures. That's where the journal comes in, which simultaneously is a handy tool to keep track of all the events.
I have always had the same view as you have on solo gaming. However, it has changed thanks to Ironsworn. Now I like it but it is very different and does not give me the same as writting literature. It is more meditative in some ways.
Looks good but I agree that it seems a little pricey. On the subject of solo RPGs I'm still a fan of the solo adventure Gamebooks such as Fighting Fantasy and often find inspiration for my own adventures from them.
I'm british, so I too share an afinity for the "grubbiness" of British produced work, my own style is very much that but I really do love the clean lines of that mobeus/Métal hurlant style. Its just sexy.
An insightful and doubtless fair review of a game I own, having backed the Kickstarter, but not played, and may not be able to. On this point, if solo gamers are sad socially inadequate loners, as must be inferred from your comments on this practice that must be deemed more iniquitous than the more common solitary vice, how would you describe such individuals who do not actually play the games (through lack of energy, focus and other issues, probably including simple habit, rather than conscious choice)? Collectors, whom you also referred to, would appear to be the obvious answer, even if this is, to whatever degree, imposed by circumstance rather than a genuine preference. I am of course aware that the Samaritans are available 24 hours per day but doubt many of the volunteers understand the phenomenon I describe, let alone offer a gaming service.
As a fellow outcast/socially inept sufferer of assorted maladies, I would describe myself as a frustrated enthusiast. If I were to consider that I could plot my RPG genesis to around 1980 or so, I would also put forward "past it and discarded" as an equally valid descriptor. It is frustrating.
Regarding your question about the Oracle: Not everyone has Everway cards from 1995 lying around, and lots of folks don't have tarot decks either. However, we do know every RPG player has dice and can roll on a table. Also, Oracle tables can be tailored specifically for the game you are playing. Here is a great video about using a GM Emulator for solo play: ruclips.net/video/rksqvR-9cYI/видео.html
The book gives you average damage inflicted by enemies in a table; however, nowhere in the rules does it tell you how to decide on the amount of damage an enemies' attack causes. So, you could simply use that number (the average), or roll for the damage, or the GM could pick a number at or near the average.
![Doomed Alissar | BLACK SWORD HACK | World-Building & Solo Campaign Setup ["Session Zero"]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c8L8sjkGIFU/mqdefault.jpg)
I think this is the best OSR game to come out. It and the Mecha Hack will probably be the only ones I end up playing in the future. It's so clean and minimalist, but still has a lot of options.
I gotta say i love this too. My only issue is that skills and abilities all seem only really aimed for combat and have little to no practical use outside of combat scenarios. I think if they expanded the cosmic boons (gifts from order,chaos, and balance) list for out of combat scenarios even by a little bit then this would be table top gold.
@@HouseKarllThey also need more monstes
This is my favourite OSR game, I have run one of my most successful campaign (on a previous edition).
Special powers are wierd and give room for creativity to players.
Solo rules definitely are useful in normal gameplay, I use theme as a GM when I want to randomise my story.
This game is superb for more improvisational gameplay, poor stat blocks for NPC/Enemies are helpful in this.
This is a marriage of OSR with more storytelling games, because when you fail your test you can still success with consequences.
For me score is 9/10.
What campaign did you run?
I love solo play because I can play whichever system I want. Also as a solo roleplayer I like the randomness of the story that unfolds moments before the PCs experience it. It’s really great to run the imagination wild and enjoy. You can stop any time, scrap and start a new adventure. Even though I have friends to play with I love to play solo because I can play anytime I want, try new systems, create new adventures, draw maps in between. It’s kinda relaxing 🙂
Very glad to see you do this review! I currently have a handful of core systems that i can easily integrate with one another @ the table & I'm always looking for new inspiration. I dont really look @ RPG's the same anymore, my interest in what can stand alone purely just doesn't fit the bill. Theres just so much great creativity, endless actually. Now adays when I indulge myself in a new system, Im finding more satisfaction with hacking & cutting out the bits I love for my personal homebrew. Life is short, lets be extraordinarily! Mork Borg Black Sword, fk yeah!
In this age of interconnectedness and digital media pushed at us from every vector I get a lot of satisfaction sitting down by myself with a concise set of solo rules and my own imagination. Really enjoying some of Blackoath's games for this.
Nice to see a review of this, I may acquire a pdf. An upshot of solo gaming is playing something your social group isn't interested in without having to find a new set of people. Also, you don't need to coordinate time and place with other schedules. And you can test drive a game to see if it's worth more time or persuading others to play. Finally, if you are an experienced gamer, it's a good way to kick the tires on a new system, before attempting to teach your learning disabled and or inebriated friends how to play.
Nice review, but I'd like to comment on a couple of points.
Solo play is - or can be, there's no one way of doing it - different from both group playing _and_ novel writing. (In fact as far as I'm concerned it's much closer to the former.)
I'm no writer, I hate writing. I love playing with my friends, preferably in person. I also like playing solo, it scratches a different itch. I have no desire to play online with strangers, to be honest. I don't think my preferences are symptoms of any malaise.
It's OK if you don't understand the appeal of solo play, but why such harsh comments about it, then?
As for the oracle. Yes, you could use tarots. You could use i-ching. You could use tasseomancy. Or you could use the tables in the book. Where is the problem in providing a tool?
Good points you made. I agree solo play scratches a different itch than group play or novel writing, I'd say it's closer to journaling. Something you write down for your own enjoyment.
I too have no desire to sit and stare at a pc to play, nor play with a bunch of random people I don't know. The friends I have who are into fantasy rpg are mostly into the Heroquest and D&D board games, simple hack and slash dungeoneering with a standard set of characters. Games that are enjoyable enough but don't tickle my roleplay itch. Playing solo is not a preference, but I am simply the only one interested in creating my own characters and the roleplay aspect. I have several old D&D characters that I'd like to dust off and have go on adventures. I'm not a novelist, but I like the act of writing and I like to have something to look back at and remember their adventures. That's where the journal comes in, which simultaneously is a handy tool to keep track of all the events.
I have always had the same view as you have on solo gaming. However, it has changed thanks to Ironsworn. Now I like it but it is very different and does not give me the same as writting literature. It is more meditative in some ways.
This is a great OSR.
Jim can you please tell me what is the name of the music you used in background?
It was free with my video software and was one of many called melancholy. I'll see if I can find out more info
@@PostmortemVideo thanks, it will be very appreciated
Looks good but I agree that it seems a little pricey. On the subject of solo RPGs I'm still a fan of the solo adventure Gamebooks such as Fighting Fantasy and often find inspiration for my own adventures from them.
I'm british, so I too share an afinity for the "grubbiness" of British produced work, my own style is very much that but I really do love the clean lines of that mobeus/Métal hurlant style. Its just sexy.
An insightful and doubtless fair review of a game I own, having backed the Kickstarter, but not played, and may not be able to. On this point, if solo gamers are sad socially inadequate loners, as must be inferred from your comments on this practice that must be deemed more iniquitous than the more common solitary vice, how would you describe such individuals who do not actually play the games (through lack of energy, focus and other issues, probably including simple habit, rather than conscious choice)? Collectors, whom you also referred to, would appear to be the obvious answer, even if this is, to whatever degree, imposed by circumstance rather than a genuine preference.
I am of course aware that the Samaritans are available 24 hours per day but doubt many of the volunteers understand the phenomenon I describe, let alone offer a gaming service.
As a fellow outcast/socially inept sufferer of assorted maladies, I would describe myself as a frustrated enthusiast. If I were to consider that I could plot my RPG genesis to around 1980 or so, I would also put forward "past it and discarded" as an equally valid descriptor.
It is frustrating.
Yes, that about covers it. I’d say it feels good not to be alone but….
the arts great.
Regarding your question about the Oracle: Not everyone has Everway cards from 1995 lying around, and lots of folks don't have tarot decks either. However, we do know every RPG player has dice and can roll on a table. Also, Oracle tables can be tailored specifically for the game you are playing. Here is a great video about using a GM Emulator for solo play: ruclips.net/video/rksqvR-9cYI/видео.html
You can raise your attributes through experience, thus the 'lower' starting scores.
The book gives you average damage inflicted by enemies in a table; however, nowhere in the rules does it tell you how to decide on the amount of damage an enemies' attack causes. So, you could simply use that number (the average), or roll for the damage, or the GM could pick a number at or near the average.
“iM aLsO a wRitEr”
Ok... But I am. What's your point?
@elias1579 what's your problem??
yOu'rE alSO a kEYBoARd WaRriOR aND CNuT
You don't do a whole lot of research into the items you review, eh?
The idea is to review the product, as presented.