I just got it and give it a once over.

Quoting from a review of Rotworld:

QuoteThe mechanics, with their use of the Action Table, look more complex  than they are in practice. The problem with both the mechanics and their  use of the Action Table is twofold. First, there is an almost  bewildering number of conditional rules that apply to the various  situations and skills that can come up in play. Second, the Action Table  is essentially focused on combat. It is meant to, and it does, work  with the use of skills, but to actually interpret the results of any  skill role the Corpse Master has to look elsewhere in the book. Which  can only slow game play down…

Do you agree/disagree, and why?

QuoteThat said, when it comes to combat, perhaps the aspect that players  today will find the oddest is that mechanically, no weapon in the game  does any damage. Rather, the damage is essentially derived entirely from  the results of the skill roll. Thus the weaponry tables in Rotworld  are all about range modifiers (which do affect skill), reload time, and  rate of fire.

This is intriguing. Does this mean there is no accidentally hitting someone when you miss your intended target?

QuoteOne interesting mechanic using the Action Table involves a  defendant’s action when being fired upon. When this occurs, the  defending character has to roll a ten-sided die to determine the Defence  Column that the attacker is rolling against, but can influence this by  expending Luck to make it a higher Defence Column and thus make himself  harder to hit. This is a pleasing way of handling a character’s attempt  to dodge.

Does that mean there's no way to affect your Defence through combat training?

The full review: Reviews from R'lyeh: The 1980s RPG Undead?


Another thing I was wondering about is, does Cryptworld cover the zombie horror survival subgenre as well or is there no overlap whatsoever between Cryptworld and Rotworld?

Quote from: 3rik;691897Quoting from a review of Rotworld:

Do you agree/disagree, and why?

I disagree with the part about bewildering subsystems. The rules call for many straight percentile rolls for resolution, and most of the ones that don't use the Action Table in some way. The Action Table is a powerful tool for resolving things in game, and once you get the hang of it it's easy to use the table for new situations. I say this with all honesty, I think the Action Table probably achieves the best balance I've seen from any universal system in terms of balancing complex and simple resolutions. I think it holds up as one of the most innovative RPG systems even today. As far as interpreting results, I think he meant because the action table is printed in the book for some resolution you would have to flip to the back, but this is easily remedied by keeping a print out of the table handy.

Quote from: 3rik;691897This is intriguing. Does this mean there is no accidentally hitting someone when you miss your intended target?

If firing a missile weapon into melee you absolutely can hit someone you didn't intend.

Quote from: 3rik;691897Does that mean there's no way to affect your Defence through combat training?

No, you can increase your defense in melee combat, but it works by shifting the column of resolution in your favor, not as a percent dodge. You can't really increase your defense against missiles except to use cover intelligently.

Quote from: 3rik;691897Another thing I was wondering about is, does Cryptworld cover the zombie horror survival subgenre as well or is there no overlap whatsoever between Cryptworld and Rotworld?

Cryptworld includes zombies as a monster, but has none of the campaign advice or ability to customize zombies as Rotworld does.

Thanks for asking!

I'll probably pick up a copy once POD becomes available on DTRPG.

The Action Resolution Table is not a problem, really. It's just a way to determine level of success. But wouldn't it work just as well if you would directly use the roll result instead of the margin of success? The goal would be to roll as high as possible, but rolling over your target number would still mean a failure. This would get rid of calculating the margin of success. I may be overlooking something, though.

Quote from: 3rik;692379The Action Resolution Table is not a problem, really. It's just a way to determine level of success. But wouldn't it work just as well if you would directly use the roll result instead of the margin of success? The goal would be to roll as high as possible, but rolling over your target number would still mean a failure. This would get rid of calculating the margin of success. I may be overlooking something, though.

Yup, you are overlooking something as the margin of success directly determines the result. Just rolling over/under the target number is pass/fail. The Pacesetter Action Table system determines how well you do. (Also, the defender's skill -- if in combat -- has an effect on your success, but that's another conversation.)

Let's say you have a three guys, all with the Pistol skill and armed with a standard sidearm. All have a base DEX 40%, but one is a Specialist (+15%); one is an Expert (+30%); and one is a Master (+55%).

They all shoot at the same target, and they all roll a 50. Defender rolls a 5 for Missile Fire Defense on the table.

The Specialist with his 55% hits, but only barely with a 5% difference. On Defense column 5, he scores a Light result (grazed him), and the defender takes 2-20 points and 2 wounds.

The Expert with his 70% also hits with a 20% difference. On Defense column 5, he scores a Moderate result (bullet went through a limb), and the defender takes 4-40 points and 3 wounds.

And the Master with his 95% hits with a crushing 45% difference. On Defense column 5, he also scores a Moderate result, and the defender takes 4-40 points and 3 wounds. But the defender is also knocked back 5 feet and potentially losing anything in his hands.

And the guy who's never shot a Pistol in his life? He uses Unskilled Melee. Let's say, for easy math, that his USM is base 40%. He gets no bonuses. He rolled the same 50. And he missed.

Put this way: Most RPGs have a hit/miss system. If you need a 15 to hit and you rolled a 15, 17, or 19, you hit. Your roll has no bearing on the degree of success. With the Pacesetter system, that initial To Hit roll determines how WELL you hit. Making your roll by 40 gives you a MUCH better result than making it by 5. And your success at directly equates to that.

And for Non-combat Skills, the margin of success determines how much information you dig up while investigating, how well you've bound someone's wounds who's injured, how well you jumped that chasm, etc.

Quote from: sniderman;692397Put this way: Most RPGs have a hit/miss system. If you need a 15 to hit and you rolled a 15, 17, or 19, you hit. Your roll has no bearing on the degree of success. With the Pacesetter system, that initial To Hit roll determines how WELL you hit. Making your roll by 40 gives you a MUCH better result than making it by 5. And your success at directly equates to that.

And for Non-combat Skills, the margin of success determines how much information you dig up while investigating, how well you've bound someone's wounds who's injured, how well you jumped that chasm, etc.

Ugh, that's not exactly true. D&D and its near cousins have hit/miss systems, but a lot of things have degree of success. (Going back to early games of the 80's at least.)

Anyway, I'm glad to see the game, I just wish it had a better name :/

I don't think trying to roll high but under your level changes anything, probability-wise, except that rolling higher leads to a higher level of success instead of rolling lower. Of course, in that case, rolling the same result would lead to the same level of success for all three shooters. (This is all keeping in mind that rolling over your level still means failure.)

Many people use this blackjack method to quickly determine the result of opposed rolls in d100 roll-under systems, rather than calculating margins of success and comparing those because it's faster. I don't see why you couldn't use the blackjack method to determine levels of success as well.

Goblinoid Games is now accepting submissions for a future supplement that will feature new Things and Unsettling Powers for the CRYPTWORLD RPG! Current plans are for a release in the late summer/early fall, so the deadline is approaching faster than a pack of ravenous Ankle Biters. If you have a favorite Thing you'd like to share with a Fearful World, click the link below and download the Submission Guidelines. And if you're hesitant because you've never statted up a Pacesetter monster before, the guidelines offer some helpful suggestions on how to create your own Things for Cryptworld.

Looking forward to seeing what crawls out from under your bed!

Submission Guidelines for the new CRYPTWORLD Monster Book