Thanks for this, just got my set and was confused why the spines didn’t match like in the mockups. I was thinking I was crazy, appreciate the confirmation 🤙
My favorite Traveller is the original black box, creating the setting based on inspiration from chargen. That said, you've sold me on this. I have been using the Stars Without Number tables for ages now and would like an alternative. Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing this. I've been on the fence picking this up, because money is tight right now. But it looks well worth the price. Packed with really useful looking game material. And I am planning on kicking off a new campaign in COC. This book looks like it will be a huge help in getting that rolling.
Absolutely love your coverage of Traveller 2E. I bought this as soon as it was available, both because I want to immerse myself in game in greater verisimilitude but also, well…the sheer nerdery of it.
I bought this book a few months ago (just after the physical book came out) and it is a great resource. My only real quibble is related to the shipyard annual output section - I see that as being affected more by the TL (automation) and Efficiency of the system than by the Importance Index; over the past year or so I've been doing a lot of personal research around the shipping industry and bigger ships don't necessarily take longer to build than smaller ships, it depends much more on the complexity of the design - for instance it may only take 6 months to complete a large container ship, but a cruise ship of the same size would take 18 months and an aircraft carrier of that size would take 6-8 years.
this one rapidly shot up my to buy list to the front pew (and now awaiting it to be shipped to me) once I got the fabulous Rim Expeditions book and once I read that .. I thought to myself I need this book and can really use it. It helped a lot that watching Geir's Mayday 2024 interview video done CyborgPrime and reading his internet posts on the Mongoose forum you can tell this is a dude who has it all together and wired tight. I've started reading the PDF of this and have to say, very well done and will be extremely useful.
@@RPGImaginings actually to me the World Builder's Handbook is the natural extension to Rim Expeditions. That I got because of the Solomani angle, but suppose it also would really come in handy with the Deepnight box set which I haven't got as being a bit more in tune with Charted Space and its races and not as much the great unknown and void outside it. Not yet at least. The area directly rimward of the Solomani Confederation is sort of chock o' block full of undetailed systems just waiting to have this book thrown at them.
"...and there was a schism within Judge's Guild where some of the original members said some really racist things online... OH NICE A RIBBON!" Made me laugh. Also, great review.
I’m reminded of that one time someone tried to do an assassination by putting a rattlesnake in the targets mailbox, and it almost worked in killing them, but the snake didn’t leave the area so they would have been caught.
It seems like you're self-selecting a lot of good content out of your gaming? I mean, do you. I'm pretty sure there is some saying about judging books based on the cover?
He pretty objectively treated a lot of people, especially women, like crap. He was a biological determinist who thought that women were not pre-disposed to gaming. It is well documented that he ran an incredibly sexist workspace in which women were openly degraded. He was certainly intelligent, but intelligence does not absolve someone of how they treat people. He was very clearly a small town, every man, and he acted like it. That is not a compliment. He was not a genius. He acted like a genius. His first attempt at DND was unrefined and incredibly confusing. Other people fixed it. All of the best parts of DND came from Arneson and others. I can keep going if you want. Here's my question back: Can you explain why you LIKE Gygax, knowing that he said and did a bunch of terrible crap? And you can't use YOUR nostalgia as a defense.
wait, you are not just hands and a voice? jokes aside, great preview as usual. I sadly cant get it for a while, once again. (no money left and currently stuff of another rpg that cant wait cause limited. but plan to get cult books in a bunch again anyways. unless i cant resist heh) okay - absolutely love the cover still. love that it has nysalor. (cant wait for the upcoming illumination rules). the art work, again, makes me just drool. like the moon phases on the side. and yeeesh, they reprinted the red moon maps of the guide here, well done chaosium. (i have the guide, but it just makes sense and great for people not having it). didnt expect such a cult write up for the bat, but guess it makes sense. LOVE it. excuse me, batwings??? i think one my gfs will like this. now i cant wait till we get the official lunar empire sourcebook (and i know, the dragon pass one is even still shrouded in mist) agree with ur end sentiment.
When I heard about this book I was hyped, and a little disappointed. Really excited for the book, but I had just wrapped up my Ruinquest Lunar campaign the previous month. My party had insisted on playing as the Lunars, but joined Fazzur's Rebellion as soon as they discovered they owed the Red Emperor taxes.
loving it and will buy it. been playing runequest since the mid 80s. starting with the avalon hill editiion. The current edition really defines Runequest
thanks for a glimpse of this game. the art is fantastic. however, the game world is bland and limited. not very impressed with the mecha game mechanics. very vague. character types are A-typical to many sci-fi of similar genre. I'm sure that as the game developers add content, the setting will improve. as there are already a dozen plus mecha RPGs that have been published over the past 45 years and were well made. only a few have withstood the test of time. I'll pass on this version as it is too vague for my taste in RPGs.
aside from the battletech titles of Mechwarrior rpg, a time of war rpg and Destiny rpg. Robotech rpg rifts rpg mekton mekton Ii heavy gear cav strike BESM metal gear solid Titan legions (rogue trader) gamma world star frontiers I'm sure there are more that I'm not remembering at this time. but the genre has been well covered over the past 40 years. granted, some of these are not as good as the game you reviewed. but it gives a comparison to make an assessment. my top 3 of these: Mechwarrior 2nd ed rpg BESM Robotech rpg
@@bruced648 Great list. The only one we may agree on is Mechwarrior 2E. But I would also never spend time playing MW 2E. And that is my point. You and I have big differences in what we like in Mech RPGs. You want way more fluff (and I'm guessing probably more crunch) than this game provides. Part of the reason why I dislike (and despise) some of the games you listed is because of the overwhelming backstory and the crunch. I LIKE vague. It is more room for imagination. But hey, it is ok to disagree. MANY ttrpg gamers prefer rules-light variants within genres. And that is ok. Salvage Union provides a nice entry point for people to tell the kinds of stories they want to, with a level of gameplay that they prefer as well.
@RPGImaginings like anything, I can agree to disagree. just as you have your preference and I have mine, that doesn't make either of us right or wrong. this game may evolve into something absolutely fantastic. for your gaming, I hope this gives you the joy you are seeking. part of my preference is the game mechanics. the genre matters, but if I don't like the resolution process, then I lose interest. good luck!
Thankyou for this excellent review! Salvage Union is the Mech RPG we always wanted too, and we've been delighted to bring it into the world and share it with the community.
are there any modifiers for dice rolls or is it entirely random? Like if my character has quick reaction speed can I get a bonus to initiative rolls, or am I beholden to the die itself for all these actions/events
Kaiju, I think is the word you were looking for, in reference to giant monsters. I've never been a big mech-based Sci-Fi fan, but this one has piqued my interest. I especially like that they're more human scaled, as opposed to Voltron, Battletech, or Neon Genesis. Heavy Gear was a game from the 90s that had a very different vibe to this, but also featured more human-sized mechs, which work better for me. This reminds me a bit of Ian McQue's art, and of Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines novels. I get the sense that it would be about building community and such, which I dig. And rules light, which I dig. So many mech games I've seen like to get bogged down in crunch. Quest was a game I wanted to pick up, but it was the wrong mix of difficult to acquire and expensive.
Thank you for your great review, It's the book I'm probs most proud of design wise and I spent a long time trying to understand real life navy tactics, uniforms etc, I really wanted to get the right vibe down :)
Hello RPG Imaginings! I've been excited to check this out, specifically the DCC version! Upon opening the original book, its upsetting to see Alexander as the first to put in his 2 cents worth, but then again it also brings up the opportunity to recall his true intention. I feel its important when understanding Jennell Jaquays's influence on our hobby, that we also hear about that guy trying to take credit for her work. Thank you for speaking out & saying what needed to be said. Much respect to you. 3D6 Down the Line!
Regarding dictatorship : in ancient Rome, the dictatorship sounded not as bad as nowadays. A dictator was nominated during hard times in order to re-establish order; the dictator was nominated for a limited time and had to give power back once his mission accomplished. I suggest that you consider this word in orca's culture as in the ancient Rome 😉
I'm willing to bet that they might all be sourced from the same place, just sold in different ways. But I could be wrong. No difference in quality, IMO.
Thanks for this unboxing. I was really on fence about this box set. Not sure when I'd ever run it, but MAN! I think it's a need, not a want for me. Thanks for sharing this
Yep. How about you? I expressed an opinion about the idiot move of a game designer that seems to think he's above accountability and is well known for having a pretty fat head. A real small fish in a big pond, all things considered. Do you think people are above accountability? Do you think it's right to take credit for what other people are known for after they die? Think carefully before you answer. This attitude among gamers that game designers aren't accountable for their words or actions is bullshit. Hell, you're trying to hold ME accountable for something I say in a recreational video, but a game designer is perfectly fine for a brazen attempt at mis-crediting ideas?
@@CScott-wh5yk Yep, I get it. People aren't allowed to express opinions on the internet you don't like. Bonkers to do so. And yet...I am doing so. And you can't stop me. Uh oh! Sarcasm aside, I'm allowed to be expressive in my videos and you're allowed to not watch if you don't like them. My format isn't going to change. My energy isn't going to change. So, if you don't like those things (perfectly fine), just don't watch. You not watching is a far better use of everyone's time than you taking the time to whine about what you don't like.
I got the full range of modiphius Conan range and the art and character building system was wonderful as was the amount of detail into the world. However I just did not like the 2d20 system seemed to get in the way of the game. Did not know about GURPS Conan so may check it out. Personally I think the DCC system would be awesome for Conan and would love to see them do a setting box like they did for Dying Earth.
Happy birthday, and thank you for sharing this gorgeous effort to keep our hobby's history alive and current. Good on Goodman! Oh, and given your killer ominous voiceover skills, I'm gonna need a daily posting of you reading something out of the book. 😆
