Ok, I've heard about this game by Palladium now, but I still don't know anything about it.

What's the deal with it?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;261683What's Dead Reign?

This is Dead Reign
   
Dead Reign™ RPG  
– The Zombie Apocalypse
Dead Reign™ is a game of survival, rescue and revenge. Player characters are both the hunted and the hunters as they battle the creeping doom that is the living dead and pray for salvation.

• Zombies have taken over the world.
• Zombies control the cities. Humans hide in remote wilderness areas.
• Zombies capture, keep and breed humans in food pens.
• Several different types of zombies.
• Humankind fights to rescue those they can, and destroy as many of the zombie abominations as they can.
• Player characters are ordinary people fighting for their very existence or bent on revenge.
• Is this the end of the world as we know it? Can Earth be reclaimed by humanity?

Hmm. Ok, I've never found Zombie games, movies or what-have-you to be particularly interesting. I was hoping it'd be something a little more unique.

Plus, didn't they do that already with bug-creatures in Systems Failure?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;262079Hmm. Ok, I've never found Zombie games, movies or what-have-you to be particularly interesting. I was hoping it'd be something a little more unique.

Plus, didn't they do that already with bug-creatures in Systems Failure?

RPGPundit

Sort of they had people that had bug deals implanted/attached that controlled/zombified them.

Although the zombie wave of entertainment has already passed. (I think they are a little late with this.) It is one of the few new products I'm interested in. This phrase particularly "Tips on fighting zombies and point-blank zombie combat rules." Did Kevin modify/expand on his rules for once? I'm interested to see if there has been changes to the core combat system. Heres the full add blurp as I recieved it the 30th.

 Dead Reign™ RPG – The Zombie Apocalypse
Finished and at the Printer – Ships November 14

The book is done and at the printer! Dead Reign™ may be the most frightening, compelling and fun to play role-playing game setting Palladium has ever produced. Another epic RPG you need to put on your "check it out list," "buy list," or "Christmas list." If zombies are your thing, we think you will fall in love with this game.

Brave human survivors refuse to lie down and die! They battle the walking dead on all fronts, watch each other's backs, struggle to forge safe havens away from the cities, rescue other survivors and fight without respite.

* Six Apocalyptic Character Classes (O.C.C.s), including the Reaper, Shepherd of the Damned, Hound Master, Apocalyptic Soldier, Scrounger and Ordinary People (40+ occupations to choose from).
* Seven types of zombies plus the Half-Living.
* Secrets of the Dead: Everything you need to know about zombies if you want to live!
* Tips on fighting zombies and point-blank zombie combat rules.
* Terror Cults: Survivor refugees or Hell on Earth?
* Death Cults, their Priests, power over zombies and goals.
* Retro-Savages and why they feed people to zombies.
* Resources, vehicles and equipment.
* 101 Random Scenarios, Encounters and Settings.
* 100 Random Corpse Searches and other tables.
* Quick Roll Character Creation tables.
* A powerful setting and many adventure ideas.
* Cover by E.M. Gist.
* Art by Amy L. Ashbaugh, Nick Bradshaw, Mark Dudley, and Mike Mumah.
* Written by Josh Hilden, Joshua Sanford and Kevin Siembieda.
* 224 pages – $22.95 retail – Cat. No. 230.
* A complete role-playing game.
* November 14th is the confirmed shipping date. Publisher, Kevin Siembieda, spoke to the printer this morning.

It's like frozen reign; except, instead of ice, you get corpses. They get it a lot in the Midwest this time of year.It clogs the storm sewers pretty bad. There's usually a run on pitchforks and skill saws at the home depot whenever it happens.

Quote from: RPGPundit;262079I was hoping it'd be something a little more unique.

Check out Splicers.  

Quote from: RPGPundit;262079Plus, didn't they do that already with bug-creatures in Systems Failure?

Dead Reign seems like SF with zombies instead of bugs.   It was a mistake for PB to let SF be a one-book game.   That setting has some cool potential.

Quote from: Ronin;262080Although the zombie wave of entertainment has already passed. (I think they are a little late with this.)

Zombies are always in fashion.   However, they are a low budget staple and rarely step outside that niche.

Quote from: Ronin;262080Did Kevin modify/expand on his rules for once? I'm interested to see if there has been changes to the core combat system.

If you look closely, there are little changes in most of the game lines.   Not enough to be a revamp, just a nudge in a direction.   I heard that there are some new additional rules for zombie combat, but don't expect any major changes to the core rules.

Here's what I heard about Dead Reign - straight from one of the authors on another message board:

He basically said he was proud of the original manuscript he turned in, and not so much with the "new and improved" version Kevin decided to rewrite it as.

He got the same treatment that many a previous Palladium freelancer got - the old "tell the freelancer you love their ideas until you get the final, completed manuscript and then tell them they suck and rewrite half or more of it" treatment.


Now, granted, there's still a slight chance that it might not suck.  But past experiences have indicated to me that this course of action tends to lead to a less than stellar product.

Plus, it looks like it's using the Palladium system, which we all know is a clunky piece of shit.

Quote from: jgants;262118He basically said he was proud of the original manuscript he turned in, and not so much with the "new and improved" version Kevin decided to rewrite it as.

1) Kevin may have ripped out all the cool parts.  I hope someone does a comparison/contrast between Rifter 40 and Dead Reign when it comes out.  Until then, who knows?

2) Palladium uses freelancers who are first time authors.   I used to be an literary agent's assistant.  Oy vey, first time authors vary in skill level to astounding degrees.   Publishers will buy occassionally good ideas that are poorly done if they believe they can be rewritten into something notable.

3) Rewriting is painful on the ego.  Personally, I have no interest in collaborating on a RPG project.   There is so little money involved that if I write something, I will just self-publish.  However, when you get paid for your work, you trade freedom for money.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;262127Plus, it looks like it's using the Palladium system, which we all know is a clunky piece of shit.

Except that it works perfectly fine when I run it.

Quote from: Spinachcat;262132Except that it works perfectly fine when I run it.

Well I'm glad you do, because I find it bothersome and fiddly.. I have always found character generation far too quixotic for my tastes, producing characters whose skills are far too similar (Everyone almost always has HtH and most of the guns skills if possible) but whose abilities vary incredibly wildly in power levels. Characters come out with huge lists of "+1 in this highly contingent situation" powers. No effort is made to balance RCCs and OCCs with one another, MDC is problematic, and so on.

I've played Palladium games and enjoyed them (I started gaming with TMNT), but it's generally in spite of many features of the system, not because of them. Edit: I would go so far as to say that Palladium has a lot of clever settings, but the system itself badly needs an overhaul.

Quote from: Spinachcat;2621321) Kevin may have ripped out all the cool parts.  I hope someone does a comparison/contrast between Rifter 40 and Dead Reign when it comes out.  Until then, who knows?

2) Palladium uses freelancers who are first time authors.   I used to be an literary agent's assistant.  Oy vey, first time authors vary in skill level to astounding degrees.   Publishers will buy occassionally good ideas that are poorly done if they believe they can be rewritten into something notable.

3) Rewriting is painful on the ego.  Personally, I have no interest in collaborating on a RPG project.   There is so little money involved that if I write something, I will just self-publish.  However, when you get paid for your work, you trade freedom for money.

And if we were talking about any other publisher, I might be inclined to believe your theories.

However, Kevin has a very long, very detailed history of forming his own ideas when someone pitches a book, not telling the author, then getting upset because what they turned in doesn't match what he imagined.  This usually takes two forms:

1. First, he changes his mind, after the manuscript has been written, on how big the book may be.  Sometimes by a factor of 50% or more.

2. Second, he decides to add in all kinds of crap he thought up that doesn't relate to anything the original author wrote.  Sometimes the stuff he adds is truly awful (see his contributions - such as the mutants - to Rifts Madhaven for example).

To repeat, Kevin does not collaborate on projects.  He simply has no concept of what being an editor really means, and takes a hatchet to everyone else's books to feed his own ego.

While I have no doubt the original Dead Reign manuscript needing some actual editing, that still doesn't justify what Kevin does.

Quote from: Spinachcat;262108If you look closely, there are little changes in most of the game lines.   Not enough to be a revamp, just a nudge in a direction.   I heard that there are some new additional rules for zombie combat, but don't expect any major changes to the core rules.

Oh I have looked closely.I drank the Pally kool-aid for a long time. I still enjoy the games. Though admittedly I havent played one in a year. But the little changes here and there, are so insignificant. That they might have well not been made.

Thats kind of why I was hoping Kev finally had started fiddiling with the system. At least to the degree to fit the subject matter better. Mean how will they treat the zombies tradishional weak spot, the head? I wnat to see how they treat that. Cause boy howdy if I have to do 120 SDC damahge to a zombie to kill it. Instead of being able to do a well placed head and instantly kill it. That will be shitty. So like I said I'm interested to checking out the possibility they have fucked with the system. Unfortunatly I doubt Kev has.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;262204I would go so far as to say that Palladium has a lot of clever settings, but the system itself badly needs an overhaul.

I agree totally with this statement. Even if they were to keep the basic parts but taylor it to the setting. You know like a better/faster way to resolve firing a barrage of 20 mini missiles in Robotech. Things like that.

Quote from: jgants;262205And if we were talking about any other publisher, I might be inclined to believe your theories.

However, Kevin has a very long, very detailed history of forming his own ideas when someone pitches a book, not telling the author, then getting upset because what they turned in doesn't match what he imagined.  This usually takes two forms:

1. First, he changes his mind, after the manuscript has been written, on how big the book may be.  Sometimes by a factor of 50% or more.

2. Second, he decides to add in all kinds of crap he thought up that doesn't relate to anything the original author wrote.  Sometimes the stuff he adds is truly awful (see his contributions - such as the mutants - to Rifts Madhaven for example).

To repeat, Kevin does not collaborate on projects.  He simply has no concept of what being an editor really means, and takes a hatchet to everyone else's books to feed his own ego.

While I have no doubt the original Dead Reign manuscript needing some actual editing, that still doesn't justify what Kevin does.

You dead on in all of that. Kevin is a micro managing son-of-bitch. Thats one of the reasons it takes books so long to come to market. He has to do everything. Palladium has too many lines for him to do this with. If he would just relinquish some control. For example he concentrated of Rifts and Robotech. While someone like Carmen Bellairelse focused on Heros Unlimited. Then maybe split a couple other lines off. He could put out more product. Instead to the snails pace that dominates now. Like Warpath, Kev announced he had the manuscript over two years ago. I remember the announcement that it was coming soon at the Palladium Open House two years ago. So wheres it at? Oh thats right he lost interest and something new and shiney distracted him. Editing zombie books, and cutting and pasting old Robotech books into new ones.

Now all that being said. I've met Kev, he a nice guy. He creates some awesome stuff. But his business practices, and the way he operates his company has driven me away as a customer.

Quote from: Ronin;262212I agree totally with this statement. Even if they were to keep the basic parts but taylor it to the setting. You know like a better/faster way to resolve firing a barrage of 20 mini missiles in Robotech. Things like that.

Ah yes, firing multiple shots: the Palladium player's equivalent of a twelve car pile-up during Friday afternoon rush hour.

In my case, it's figuring out skills during character creation, especially once you start taking stat-changing physical skills; when your OCC is two pages of exceptions to the base stat calculations (i.e. "Detect Ambush +7%"); and when you roll on the education tables and the result is something like "Pick seven additional educational skills from sub-tables 3,5, and 18, with no more than three skills per sub-table, each at +10%".