The name's Davenport. I review games.

So the other day I'm sittin' at my desk catchin' up on the funny pages, when all of a sudden the temperature drops about 40 degrees. I'm just about to get on the horn with the landlady to complain about the A/C goin' on the fritz -- again -- when a message in blood appears on the wall.

GREETINGS, FOOLISH MORTAL, it says. ARE YOU PREPARED TO FACE THE HORRORS OF http://growlingdoorgames.com/chill.html">CHILL?

"I won't have much choice until the landlady fixes the damn A/C," I says. "And by the way, I hope you're gonna clean that up..."

I hear what sounds like a dead guy sighin'.

NO, FOOLISH MORTAL, the writin' says. CHILL THIRD EDITION.

And from outta nowhere, a floatin' rotted hand plops the core rules on my desk and disappears.

"Oh, right!" I says. "I heard about this. The horror game. I hear they really cleaned up the rules this time around, too. Sure, I'll be glad to give it a look."

I figured I'd better get to reviewin' it right away, too.

After all, the writin' was on the wall.

Substance

Setting

Chill presents a world in which pretty much everything supernatural exists in one form or another*-- collectively referred to as the Unknown --*and none of it seems to be benign.

SAVE

Standing against these horrors are the envoys of SAVE, an organization of out-manned and out-gunned but dedicated monster busters. The book follows this organization from its origins in Spain in 1789 through its global incarnation in the modern day, detailing its earliest encounters with the Unknown and its efforts to adapt to the threats it faces.

The game cleverly weaves the backstory of SAVE into several different styles of play. SAVE*has faced catastrophic setbacks in recent history, including disastrous infiltration by the Unknown, that have led many to question its traditional hierarchical organization and that have left some local branches cut off and believing that they are all that remains. New leadership has arisen that believes a web of semi-isolated cells, each with connections to only a handful of other offices, is the way forward.

In game terms, this means that PC groups can range from lone wolves like the Winchesters of Supernatural, to*members of an organization that can offer some information and resources but leaves them mostly to their own devices, to cogs in a vast bureaucracy.

The book covers SAVE operations on every continent -- yes, including Antarctica! -- along with supernatural hotspots to be found in each region. It also does an excellent job of answering questions about life as a SAVE envoy, right down to mundane matters like health coverage.

The Art

For the most part, envoys are normal humans who happen to have encountered the Unknown in some fashion. However, many possess a supernatural power known as the Art, which seems to occupy a kind of middle ground between magic and psychic powers.*As befits a horror setting, none of these abilities are particularly potent, but they're certainly useful -- some more useful than in previous editions, in which the rules jumped through some rather silly hoops to ensure that some obviously combat-worthy powers couldn't be used in such a way.

Creatures

The monsters of*Chill tend to follow folkloric rules when it comes to their destruction. As a result, this is definitely a setting in which it pays for the heroes to do their homework.

   
• Ghosts
  
  
     
  • Animal Ghosts
  
     
  • Barrow-Wight
  
     
  • Doll Master
  
     
  • Ghost (Common)
  
     
  • Poltergeists
  
     
  • Spectral Remnants
  
     
  • Uninvited Guest
  
  
  
  

   
• Lycanthropes
  
  
     
  • Astral
  
     
  • Infective
  
     
  • Inherent
  
  
  
  

   
• Monsters
  
  
     
  • Bloodybones
  
     
  • Bogey
  
     
  • Copycat
  
     
  • Digital Entity
  
     
  • Djinni
  
     
  • Hag
  
  
  
  

   
• Servitors
  
  
     
  • Brain Worms
  
     
  • Cursed Doll
  
     
  • Gamin
  
     
  • Puppet People
  
  
  
  

   
• The Undead
  
  
     
  • Animated Corpses
  
     
  • Lesser Zombie Master
  
     
  • Mummy
  
     
  • Stone Baby
  
     
  • Trundler
  
     
  • Zombie
  
  
  
  

   
• Vampires
  
  
     
  • Carpathian Vampire
  
     
  • East Asian Vampire
  
     
  • North American Vampire
  
     
  • West African Vampire
  
  
  
  

   
• Unique Beings
  
  
     
  • The Deceiver
  
     
  • Gandarewa
  
     
  • Pied Piper
  
     
  • Siris
  
     
  • Greater Zombie Master
  
  
  
  

The monsters have access to a dark counterpart to the Art known as the Evil Way. Unfortunately for the envoys, this is where you find the really nasty powers, as well as powers that simply invoke creepy special effects.

One noteworthy omission: demons. It seems the authors wanted to avoid dealing with theological matters. I can understand that impulse, but man... No demons in a game of classic horror smarts a bit to me.

System

Chill uses a simple percentile system with a degree-of-success mechanic:

   
• Rolling the target number*is a Failure.

   
• Rolling equal to or under the target number*but over half the target number is a Low Success.

   
• Rolling lower than half the target number is a High Success.

   
• Rolling a Failure with doubles (e.g., 44, 55, 66) is a Botch.

   
• Rolling a Low or High Success with doubles is a Colossal Success.

I definitely prefer this to systems that require more figuring of percentiles.

Tokens

Chill offers an unusual take on the Drama/Fate/Hero Point mechanic. At the start of an adventure, the GM sets out a number of 2-sided physical tokens of some sort -- one side "dark" and one side "light" -- equal to the number of players. These tokens represent the ebb and flow between good and evil during an investigation. All but two of these will start out as light. (Yes, this would seem to mean that a 2-person team starts out with a big problem.)

Players can flip tokens from light to dark to give the envoys some advantage, ranging from raising a target number to reducing damage to saving the life of an envoy. GMs can flip tokens from*dark to light to help the bad guys, from raising a target number to making the envoy's lives miserable in various creative ways. In addition, all Art powers require tokens to be flipped dark, and many Evil Way powers require tokens to be flipped light.

I get the thinking behind this mechanic, and in general, I like it; however, the bit about tokens governing the use of the Art annoys me a bit, mainly because I'm having a hard time figuring out how this should manifest in the setting. I mean, does using the Art really make evil more powerful? And is it really the case that a situation can be "too evil" (e.g., all tokens dark) for the Art to work at all? That would seem to make using the Art more of a dubious proposition than the rules suggests.

Character Creation

Chill offers three methods of creating envoys.

The first and easiest simply involves picking one of a generous 20 ready-made envoys. The second requires players to put some finishing touches on one of 10 templates.

The third, and most time consuming, is, unsurprisingly, creating an envoy from scratch. This involves spending an allotment of Character Points -- 80, 90, or 100, for new, experienced, and seasoned envoys, respectively -- on attributes, skills, the Art (optional) and Edges (optional), with optional Drawbacks providing additional Character Points.

The attributes are Agility, Dexterity, Focus, Perception, Personality, and Strength, all ranging from 20-80, with 40-50 being average. In addition, envoys have four derived traits: Willpower ((Focus + Personality)/2), Stamina ((Agility + Strength)/2), Reflexes ((Dexterity + Perception)/2), and Sense the Unknown (Perception/5).

Unlike any other attribute + skill system I've encountered,*Chill applies only a single skill to each attribute or derived trait (other than Sense the Unknown). In each case, if the skill is untrained, the envoy uses 1/2 of the governing attribute, and a trained envoy uses the full stat. Players may purchase specializations in these skills at Beginner (+15), Expert (+30), and Master (+50) levels. This method speeds up character creation quite a bit, and the skills -- Close Quarters Combat (Stamina), Communication (Personality), Fieldcraft (Dexterity), Interview (Willpower), Investigation (Perception), Movement (Agility), Prowess (Strength), Ranged Weapons (Reflexes), and Research (Focus) -- cover pretty much everything likely to come up during an investigation. I also like the fact that both Strength and Agility (in the form of Stamina) matter in Close Quarters Combat and that both Dexterity and Perception (in the form of Reflexes) matter in Ranged Weapons.

Players can then decide if they wish their characters to have any ability in one of the six Schools of the Art:*Communicative, Incorporeal, Kinetic,*Protective, Restorative, and Sensing. This first involves attuning to a given School, and attuning to additional Schools after the first grows increasingly pricey. Clearly, the intent is for most practitioners to focus on one School.

Attunement grants a single power that works automatically with the flip of a token. Then, the player chooses whether to purchase one or more of the four disciples associated with each School. These*do require a roll as well as a token flip to work. Again, the player may choose to purchase disciplines at Beginner, Expert, or Master levels, but here, the level of expertise determines how the power works. For example, the Restorative discipline Feat of Strength adds +30 to a Prowess or Close Quarters Combat roll at all levels. The difference is that at the Expert level, the envoy gets an additional success level, and at the Master level, the use of the discipline no longer risks damaging the envoy from the stress on the body.

Players next have the option of choosing Edges and Drawbacks. This is your typical advantage/disadvantage setup.

The final system-related decisions relate to Drive and Envoy History. Drive is the reason the envoy battles the Unknown. Envoy History is the envoy's past cases -- beginning with a single previous case by default -- and each chase provides either an arcane or personal takeaway. Drives and takeaways have both light and dark boxes associated with them that can be checked to make life easier or harder in various ways, once each per adventure. In the case of drives, the player chooses when to check either box, and checking the dark box allows him to flip a dark token light. In the case of takeaways, the GM decides when to check the dark box and gives various advantages to the monsters without a corresponding boon. I love the fact that the system gives the character's backstory an actual game system effect.

Combat

Attacks use a standard skill roll, with higher success levels resulting in higher wound levels. Those wound levels have a steep death spiral of wound penalties, but victims do get a Resistance check to mitigate damage.... if the damage isn't rated Catastrophic, in which case, no Resistance check is possible. The latter includes fire, falls, and high-caliber gunfire, so shootouts are particularly nasty. Actually, any combat is pretty nasty, which seems fitting for a horror game. However, if it's a more action-oriented brand of horror you're after, the book does offer an alternate rule allowing the flipping of tokens from light to dark to reduce damage levels. I like the flexibility in play styles that provides.

Trauma

A horror game wouldn't be much of a horror game without dealing with the effects of fear.*Chill handles this in a similar manner to Resistance checks to damage, except that there is no level of Trauma (fear damage) equivalent to Lethal damage. Unlike*Call of Cthulhu investigators,*Chill envoys will never be removed from play due to permanent insanity. They can, however, be severely crippled by penalties to rolls using psychological traits.

Trauma heals slowly on its own, or more quickly with psychological aid; however, envoys can clear Trauma levels more quickly by accepting temporary appropriate Drawbacks, which seems fitting.

I guess I'm okay with the "no permanent insanity" thing. This isn't mind-scrambling cosmic horror, after all. In any case, it's one less reason to have to come up with a new character in the middle of things.

Style

The writing manages to be both informative and entertaining, especially in the history sections. The book is in lovely full color, and although I didn't see any totally stunning examples of art, it does range from "good" to "very good". The book makes effective use of photography in places as well. The layout is top-notch and the index is thorough, making the book extremely reader-friendly.

Conclusion

This is one of those games that does what it sets out to do. I can't give much higher praise than that. I'm not altogether certain if this brand of horror is my thing or not, but if I were going to give it a go, Chill would be my game for it.

Quote from: Dan Davenport;900797This is*one of those games*that does what it sets out to do. I can't give much higher praise than that. I'm not altogether certain if this brand of horror is my thing or not, but if I were going to give it a go,*Chill would be my game for it.

Thanks for the review. Classy as usual.

Side note: I was very interested in the newest edition of CHILL, however I became a bit suspicious when people warned me that devs decided to introduce characters of alternative sexuality as SAVE agents, for no other reason than "inclusivity, yay!" When these gossips turned to be truth, and I found no redeeming qualities (meh mechanics, boring setting, written in equally boring style) I skipped the game altogether, because while I have no problem with any idea, poor application (and I count as such "just because, now support us, we're progressive") is enough to repel me.

Thank you Dan Davenport!

Did you play the original Chill? If so, how does 3e compare?

Quote from: JesterRaiin;900865Side note: I was very interested in the newest edition of CHILL, however I became a bit suspicious when people warned me that devs decided to introduce characters of alternative sexuality as SAVE agents

Chill has a history of "inclusive" NPCs. SAVE agents and NPCs in the various adventures would include lots of women, and plenty of non-whites.

Does 3e have any gay agents? If so, did they a good job with them?

Quote from: Spinachcat;900868Chill has a history of "inclusive" NPCs. SAVE agents and NPCs in the various adventures would include lots of women, and plenty of non-whites.

Does 3e have any gay agents? If so, did they a good job with them?

I have absolutely ZERO problems with inclusivity if it's properly done. The perfect example of that i can think about is Lord Fanny from the Invisibles comic series - a drag queen, bisexual guy, whose approach to sexuality is the way he obtains his powers.



CHILL 3rd is far from that. There are S.A.V.E. agents who are gay, trans, and cross-dress (if memory serves) for no specific reason other than being "of different sexuality". It's like somebody who wrote them thought about the sexuality first and foremost. I find it quite disturbing example of contra-inclusivity, actually. It's like it's hardly important who the character is, but HE IS GAY, Haloooo, He Is Gay, and we're fokken so sophisticated to include him (or her). And that's it. There's not much than that - a 2-dimensional mockery of a character defined by its sexuality which doesn't add a thing to the gameplay. I don't know why anyone (aside of those who fancy "the weirder, the better" approach) would've play such a character.

Bad application of what might be quite interesting concept, I'm afraid.

Quote from: Spinachcat;900868Thank you Dan Davenport!

Did you play the original Chill? If so, how does 3e compare?

I didn't, but I've read over it. The first edition bugged me in the way it glossed over the effects of weapons, and the second edition was just convoluted on the subject. Also, I didn't like how both of them seemed desperate to ensure that the Art couldn't be used offensively, no matter how obvious the application (such as superhuman strength).

Quote from: JesterRaiin;900865Thanks for the review. Classy as usual.

Thanks!

Quote from: JesterRaiin;900865Side note: I was very interested in the newest edition of CHILL, however I became a bit suspicious when people warned me that devs decided to introduce characters of alternative sexuality as SAVE agents, for no other reason than "inclusivity, yay!" When these gossips turned to be truth, and I found no redeeming qualities (meh mechanics, boring setting, written in equally boring style) I skipped the game altogether, because while I have no problem with any idea, poor application (and I count as such "just because, now support us, we're progressive") is enough to repel me.

I didn't mind so much, mainly because the text didn't beat me over the head with it (I'm looking at you, Blue Rose...).

Quote from: Dan Davenport;900890Thanks!

My pleasure, sir (hails a cab, orders the driver to ride to the Harry Angel's Bar. Just prior the departure mutters "damn rain, it always rains 'round these parts". The taxi disappears behind the watery curtain.)

QuoteI didn't mind so much, mainly because the text didn't beat me over the head with it (I'm looking at you, Blue Rose...).

I didn't find many interesting things in the corebook, and the writing style left a bit too much to be desired (I'm, obviously, non-native English speaker, so I tend to become lost when people pack too many thoughts into one sentence). Add such a dick move like quota filling (the way it was introduced made me suspect modern iteration of S.A.V.E. to be some sort of shady organization dedicated to forbidden sexual practices, not unlike the infamous Hollywoodian pedophile club) and you have the perfect recipe for "1/10 wouldn't touch with a ten feet long pole" as far as I'm concerned.

If I may be frank, I find your review far more interesting than the game itself.

I think 3E is a solid game. That said, a few things rub me the wrong way:
1. The organization makes finding specific rules difficult.
2. While most of the art is really good, it doesn't mesh with my vision of the game, formed from 1E and 2E (nor does the layout).
3. The cover doesn't work for me (a trivial matter, but still).
4. I don't like comics mixed with my RPGs unless that is an integral part of the game. In the case of Chill, it sets the overall tone of the game before reading it, and doesn't mesh with the other art in the book.

Quote from: Dan Davenport;900797I can understand that impulse, but man... No demons in a game of classic horror smarts a bit to me.

Except that's the way it's always been in Chill.  1st edition was very much the game of tongue-in-cheek 50's horror movies, and 2nd edition didn't have traditional demons either (Rax doesn't really count, as he was more background colour than an actual antagonist), favoring monsters as defined in folklore and non-campy horror films.  If you dredge up the old Canadian TV show Poltergeist: The Legacy, it's essentially Chill 2nd Edition: The TV Show.

QuoteChill offers an unusual take on the Drama/Fate/Hero Point mechanic. At the start of an adventure, the GM sets out a number of 2-sided physical tokens of some sort -- one side "dark" and one side "light" -- equal to the number of players. These tokens represent the ebb and flow between good and evil during an investigation.

FFG's Star Wars has the same mechanic.  It doesn't work very well there, either, in part because the "ebb and flow" isn't really perceptible at the game table.  The randomness of the dice tends to wash out any effect from the tokens.

QuoteThis is one of those games that does what it sets out to do. I can't give much higher praise than that. I'm not altogether certain if this brand of horror is my thing or not, but if I were going to give it a go, Chill would be my game for it.

This was my impression of 2E, too.  It's...workmanlike.  It feels...well, a lot like a low-budget Canadian TV show that feels sort of like that big-budget film you vaguely remember.

Comparing this with Cryptworld may be of interest.

Absolutely! I'd definitely love to hear Chill 3e vs. Cryptworld!!

I've enjoyed reading through Cryptworld, and from everything I've heard it's better than Chill 3e. Or at least, there's no compelling reason to choose the new Chill except that it is allowed to use the SAVE IP.

Quote from: The_Shadow;903512I've enjoyed reading through Cryptworld, and from everything I've heard it's better than Chill 3e. Or at least, there's no compelling reason to choose the new Chill except that it is allowed to use the SAVE IP.

Exactly my idea.

I was gifted with a copy of CRYPTWORLD and I simply see no reason as to why not call it the spiritual successor of CHILL.

The only problem I see is that the game features no specific setting, delivers no strong point of of gravity, that would give it all "a spin". Because of that, it seems like the perfect game for "Monster of the week" type of adventures, or perhaps "just another day in SCP Foundation", rather than a framework for a campaign.

It is worth noting, that its creators run blogs and often post a nice plot seed or a monster that'd work well with their game.

Quote from: JesterRaiin;903518Exactly my idea.

I was gifted with a copy of CRYPTWORLD and I simply see no reason as to why not call it the spiritual successor of CHILL.

The only problem I see is that the game features no specific setting, delivers no strong point of of gravity, that would give it all "a spin". Because of that, it seems like the perfect game for "Monster of the week" type of adventures, or perhaps "just another day in SCP Foundation", rather than a framework for a campaign.

It is worth noting, that its creators run blogs and often post a nice plot seed or a monster that'd work well with their game.

Personally I prefer a game to have no specific campaign world or setting as for my purposes those tend to be wasted pages since I'll seldom use that material. I'd rather have a 60-page rulebook that tells me how to run a Hammer horror game than 100 pages of which 40 is someone's clever or maybe not-so-clever idea of what a campaign world might look like. And if the price is based on the number of pages, so much the better.

Tell me, if you would be so kind, how does Cryptworld work? Can I play out a Hammer horror film or Fright Night or Gremlins?

That dice mechanic sounds a lot like CoC 7e.