This is on my Amazon wish list, and I'll probably be purchasing it soon.

I'm not sure if GS is satire, homage, or involuntary humor, but maybe a bit of each:

---
Non-Prayer Characters (ノンプレイヤーキャラクター (祈らぬ者) Nonpureiyākyarakutā), also referred to as Non-Prayers, Non-Players, Non-Praying or the Unpraying[1] is a loose term used to categorize beings aligned with Chaos. Most antagonists in the series are Non-Prayers, including goblins.

Overview
The name comes from how they do not pray to the gods of order like Prayers, and such, monsters are generally classified as Non-Prayer characters. Individuals and people such as the Evil Sect and the Demon Lord are also classified as Non-Prayers due to their alignment.

I may buy just out of spite because I know the Right Thinkers will make every effort to try and sabotage this game. The anime is cool, my wife and I are currently watching it, and from the reviews on amazon the game seems solid.

Wow...It turns out Goblin Slayer is controversial even here. I read the manga, and do enjoy it, but I'm not going to claim it's some kind of amazing literature. Haven't seen the anime, but I'd review the manga as a fun slice-of-life fantasy serial with occasional loving nods to classic D&D tropes and lurching shifts into grimdark. It might not be entirely inaccurate to call it "bubblegum-pop Berserk", but like a lot of manga/anime, it skates by on being charming and basically inoffensive.

I do disagree with the idea that it's meant as a serious satire or commentary on fantasy tropes. There's a little dose of that in the early issues, but it pretty much dissolves as the manga goes on. I'll give the caveat, though, that from what I've heard the original light novels are considerably darker and more serious. For me, the chief appeal of the manga is precisely that it is almost completely sincere and without irony. The heroes are heroic, the villains are villainous, and the good guys always win.

As to the RPG, I'm reserved about buying it. Grim Jim did a video review, and I get the impression it's just a generic fantasy RPG with Japanese mechanics. That's to be expected though, since the Goblin Slayer setting might as well just be "Generic D&D Land". There's absolutely no reason why you couldn't run Goblin slayer in any old school fantasy game.

There's also the issue that the game is going to carry the baggage of the controversy around it. It's the same problem with Tales of Gor. I really like the Gor setting, but if I decided to run it, my more normie players are going to go Google the setting and get a bunch of misinformation back that I'm then going to have to waste time trying to disabuse them of.

Quote from: ForgottenF on August 17, 2022, 01:21:40 PM
Wow...It turns out Goblin Slayer is controversial even here. I read the manga, and do enjoy it, but I'm not going to claim it's some kind of amazing literature. Haven't seen the anime, but I'd review the manga as a fun slice-of-life fantasy serial with occasional loving nods to classic D&D tropes and lurching shifts into grimdark. It might not be entirely inaccurate to call it "bubblegum-pop Berserk", but like a lot of manga/anime, it skates by on being charming and basically inoffensive.

The way Goblin Slayer is singled out is completely over the top given its actual content.

Earlier in the thread I give my reasons why I think that is so - but it is completely ridiculous.

Quote from: Eric Diaz on August 17, 2022, 12:51:16 PM
I'm not sure if GS is satire, homage, or involuntary humor, but maybe a bit of each:

---
Non-Prayer Characters (ノンプレイヤーキャラクター (祈らぬ者) Nonpureiyākyarakutā), also referred to as Non-Prayers, Non-Players, Non-Praying or the Unpraying[1] is a loose term used to categorize beings aligned with Chaos. Most antagonists in the series are Non-Prayers, including goblins.
...

IMHO this kind of thing must be Japanese RPG conceits, as you see things like this throughout the book.

The Examples of play literally just call the PC's: Shield Fighter, and Magic Archer...

I feel it has a certain kind of charm to it.


It's interesting how the 2d6 based system does things just that bit differently than Western RPG's.

You have 7 ability scores: 4 primary; Strength, Psyche, Technique, intelligence. Then 3 Secondary; Focus, Endurance, Reflex.

But none of your checks use those scores directly. You use the number from the grid on the PC Sheet where the Primary, and secondary scores are added to together. These are also use to figure into 'saves' like Spell Resistance.

The classes: Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Scout, Sorcerer, Priest, Dragon Priest, Shaman. These classes with 'levels' work kind of like Barbarians of lemuria does careers as skills.

You also have your Adventurer level which is different from your class levels. Your adventurer level gets added into some rolls as well, depending...

Then you have your "skills" which are divided into "Adventurer" skills, and "General" Skills. Except that they work more like D&D style feats and WFRP Talents - depending on what they are doing...

Rolling high is king...

For a standard roll you add the relevant ability score combo, + relevant class 'level', + any skill that helps, +2d6. Combat uses opposed rolls.

The higher you roll the more d6's are added to the weapon d6's when rolling for damage. Damage can be reduced by Armor, or you can try to block it.

Spells do things similarly with the number rolled having an effect on how big an effect the spell can have.

Fate points can help your PC in these rolls.

Also, your PC's 'life force' = Hit Points. But when you are hit you don't subtract from your life force. You start adding 'wounds'. When your wounds are more than your life force score you start adding fatigue every round. When your wounds are more than double your life force; you're fucking dead.

You also have a Fatigue track, that runs off your Attrition track, that you check off every round of combat. i.e. You need to kill enemies FAST. Or you tire yourself out, and life starts to suck...

For a 2d6 game it packs some crunch!

Monsters have morale scores. (Just throwing that out there...)

It has a good index. Because you need it. The Japanese have different ideas about RPG organization. Grimjim spoke truth in his review; Everything seems to just run together, it does not have the 'page breaks' that a western RPG has.

Haven't really dived into the setting, monsters, or treasure sections yet beyond a quick skim. Although the setting which is called The Four-Cornered World dives head first into early D&D naming (or lack of) conceits unironically and with no apologies. It gives a list of famous people with 3-4 paragraph blurbs about them.

Their names? Literally: The King, Sword Maiden, Female Merchant, Female General, The Golden Knight (a place), The Elf With the Flower Crown, Hero, The Informant, The Knight of Diamonds.

The Japanese keep it Gangster.

Alert! I could not find any wilderness travel rules, or any delving, or exploration procedures. So obviously this is an incomplete RPG.

Yes, I actually own the Goblin Slayer RPG.   Ask me anything...

Thanks for sharing that info.  It certainly has raised my interest in the game.

It has Vampire Killer as a weapon option.

By name. There is a listing for a generic whip, and a listing for Vampire Killer, a holy whip that deals extra damage to the undead.

Badass.

It's interesting how Tunnels and Trolls' DNA has been baked into Japanese games. d6, the use of "saving throws" as feats/actions, etc as well as the feel of the setting. You could run Goblin Slayer with T&T more seamlessly than D&D. 7th edition would be a perfect match.