Just got the AGRPG starter set and can't wait for our first session. We have a regular group of gamers that has been playing AHLCG since day one (in 2016!), and our group is very invested in the Arkham Horror universe, largely because of the rich storytelling and not;e characters. While this RPG is clearly entry level, the contents and scenes create an easy roll-in to the fabric and tone of the Arkham Horror. For anyone who has played Eldritch Horror, Mansions of Madness, or a couple of AHLCG campaigns, the role of GM should come easy. Those games are very story rich, and investigators often spend time narrating scenes as the games progress. No, AHRPG is not Call of Cthulhu, which is rich and complex. But, AHRPG (in spite of the some errata, lack of index, etc.) has potential some great Mythos storytelling and adventures. Let's revisit AHRPG after we start to see longer campaigns and some new character creation.
It’s actually customisable. A group can cut down schools of wizardry to just one or two for beginners. As far as terrain goes, when I started wargaming I scrounged lots of scrap plywood and offcuts of beading that were useless to everyone but a modeller. I can remember using a 3” wide strip of plywood to make straight road sections to make a paved road . I had the pleasure of drawing offset paving slabs in 1/2” squares with a black biro and then painting over it with grey Humbrol gloss. My mates dad cut the curves like a rail track as he had access to a power jig saw. That was when we had Britain’s Toys to play with the confederate foot figures were 9d each.
@@StartYourDungeons I love the idea of this "single scenario" game. It's so easy to pick up and play. This game works for: - A break from a main game when a player is out for the day, or just for a change of pace. - A burned out DM can pick it up and run it for a preparation break. -A new DM can easily run it to focus more on the story telling and table dynamics without having to worry about the million other things. -A new group can run it to see if they get along as a group without risking the big adventure never finishing. - New players get this game so easily and it's a great gateway before explaining a different game's more complicated systems and character creation. Sooooo versatile. I really want to see them take this model and move forward with making other scenario based games. My wife wants "high fantasy" all the time, so I've been looking at the havoc engine and thinking about how I could write a scenario for her to run that's based in high fantasy.
FYI, I was one of the players. The quality of the physical product is fantastic. I like the characters, but there's a WALL of text to absorb on the PC sheet. I also like the dice substitution horror mechanic -- seems fun. One can tell that this is from a board game company: lots of chotskies to manipulate: dice, tokens, props, maps, slide puzzles, etc. (Slide puzzles suck in general but adding in the gamification for figuring them out -- make a skill roll to see how many tiles you can slide -- ARRRG!!!!!) I was hopeful that this was going to be more narrative than it ended up, as I'm not a fan of CoC's (stale) BRP either. I would rate a "C." I agree that boardgame and puzzle folks who are RPG-curious may really love it. (It was still fun to play as I love learning new games and Bryce is a super fun GM.)
@@savasavov1349 this is one of our earlier videos and we were still figuring out how to do showcase games. In our other Underworlds videos, we showcase the models, boards and cards a bit more. Also, this isn’t meant to be an in-depth look of the cards and models as much as an overall review of the box as a whole. We love Underworlds (I’m competing for worlds in it) but we don’t want this to be a video about in-depth gameplay or cards or warbands that goes over people’s heads who don’t play the game. There are other great channels like Agents of Sigmar who do that better. I’m sorry we disappointed you with this video but we hope you can enjoy our other ones and this is all great feedback for us to use for our upcoming videos.
@@StartYourDungeons I see, it is cool you are for long time around, your contend is watched and liked. However for me you need a second camera, may be2nd statief so to have better angel on the table and when displaying to be for the audience. You are making videos. Personally when I visit channels for boar games or video games i want to see what is the action, what are the components. I checked last 2 videos and it is slightly better. Keep the good work and improve. there are many other channels from which you may get inspired.
If you are interested in playing this game online, I recommend getting it on Alchemy VTT. The VTT is super intuitive to use and beautiful and you also get the original PDF of this game for your 20 bucks.
I am trying to get people into DCC but it is rough. Many people who have never been a dm have such a hard time seeing the issues with 5e and love their millions of options to choose from (that they are often too lazy read, actually).
@@Skullstarproductions I absolutely love it. The rules system is quite easy to understand and I was able to really get them down fast. I learned the game an hour before I ran it. Also the flexibility of the system means you can really play how you want to. I’d say it’s a good choice for new DMs
Can’t wait to play it! My one criticism is that something like 5 pages are dedicated to safety tools. It’s almost like the writers were not aware of the game they wrote. I think the general message could have been summed up like: this is a game about anti-nazi vampires on a mission to drink Hitler’s blood. If you’re the kind of person who is easily triggered by violence and racism, you’d be better off playing a different game.
I love OD&D, B/X, WhiteBox:FMAG, LL, (and older iterations of S&W Core) etc….but this newest iteration of S&W Complete, I cannot use even if I wanted…. It’s super, insanely crammed and the font size is insanely tiny! I’m saying this as a 50 yo with really good eyesight. No thanks. Never. 🤷♂️ S&W Core from a few years back, perhaps…. But still far much more WB:FMAG or, at least B/X or OSE. The newest S&W Complete is sadly going to have to be at the bottom of my list. (It ought not be) 😕
2 things : 1 not a starter box, it is the full game [but others have mentioned that]. 2 you can also buy the full rules as a hardback book, these are exactly the same rules, but come with only one adventure [which is a different one to those included in the box set. My advice: GM’s buy the core box set, and then the bestiary [which also gives more player race options]; players buy the hardback, which gives them a durable book and no spoilers if your gm runs the box set campaign. I come from a BRP background, so for me this is a great , simplified version of that style of system. It looks robust, which is important [some games that are more level based, can unravel at higher levels]. The deadliness keeps you on the edge of your seat way more in combat, and the random initiative and 1 action turns, while might sound strange to some, actually work great for player engagement, and more interactive group play. Really loving this game excited to try it out more.❤.
I felt whenever characters took stress I had to Crack open the book and look at choices and that interrupted the flow of combat a lot. Also I feel it could loose a stress track, 5 is a bit much.
I genuinely thought this was one of the best ttrpgs reviews I've seen- you actually ran the game, had great questions about it, and gave really good context. Very much appreciated!
Thank you so much! It’s our goal to always run the games before we review them if possible. We really strive to make the reviews thorough in terms of the questions we ask and the answers we provide.
I’ve been looking into this system and haven’t found a good discussion about it…until now. Very helpful video, your points are hitting on all aspects I’ve been thinking about, and the comparison to Infinity is spot on. I want to like that game for the minis, but I don’t have the patience to work in metal and the rules just seem like such a barrier to fun.
Totally understand that! Infinity was not our game at all, we tried to like but it never was to us. This is just a cleaner game to me and way more interesting
I can understand supporting an IP with your hard earned money, but around the 6:25 mark you discussed a PDF that you could purchase for ~$3 to use as a hand-out. If by chance you own the PDF of the book, which you get in many cases with the purchase of the physical product, you can make your own PDF hand-out pack(s) for free. It is super easy to take a PDF that you have purchased and simply make your own hand-outs with nearly any of the veritable tonne of PDF editors out there. Again, your money, your business... but $3 for something that literally takes you 1-2 minutes to create, seems like $3 you can keep in your pocket.
You can use any gang you like! The starter set comes with pretty much all you need for the Tyger Claws and Maelstorm to have a campaign. But each gang box will have everything they need card and model wise for a campaign.
Yeah, I'd just decided to NOT get into this after all the research. But you've just turned me around. I also have issues with Infinity. I want a cyberpunk campaign. So, thanks. My budget is about to be blown again.
I ran this game one time. We used the character creation rules based on making the players the characters. It turned into a situation where the parents in the group were primarily concerned with saving their kids, which is understandable. We ruled that horrible outcomes for family members in the real world, were going to be avoided. I liked the simple mechanic. I tried to track down the other versions of the game, but even though it was many years ago, I think it was already out of print.
That is a good way to do it! I think there definitely needs to be table talk for what is and is not allowed from this game. But I agree, the simple mechanics are great and offer some fun gameplay! We found the PDF version on Drive-Thru but we would love physical copies!
I couldn't find a physical copy at my FLGS, so I bought the PDF from DriveThruRPG. My only real complaint about Pirate Borg is that the bestiary feels a little "light". Do any of the supplements expand this part of the game?
It is quickly becoming my favorite OSR TTRPG together with Lamentations of the Flame Princess! I also had a great experience with a Pirate Borg one-shot! I have a lot that I have yet to try including Whitehack 4E, Lavender Hack, OSE (both Classic and Advanced Fantasy) I'm also very looking forward to trying Dolmenwood when it comes out PS: I'll be getting the Tome of Adventure Design Revised one day PSS: I'll be using this with Monster Overhaul by Skerples
Nice review. The fun thing is a lot of adversaries aren’t run as monsters, but as NPCs, so the GM can choose their actions. The fun thing is, the original game was a Swedish translation of a Chaosium game which used the d100 system.
great video! I found it looking for content while im debating getting in on the new gamefound campaign. I already have everything for the CMON game clash for eternia. but this does look pretty great...........I subbed! Please consider shooting one back my way :)
The game that came out 40+ years ago was called Dragons and Demons. It was a black A5 book with wonderful pictures in it. It was the D100 that was used. I still have it.
Thanks for making this video; I just picked the game up as an impulse purchase at Adepticon and didn't really know much about it, so this was helpful. I look forward to getting my minis cleaned up and giving the game a spin. I'm an OG Necromunda player and I've tried Infinity. Infinity = too complicated with beautiful models and the last Necromunda campaign I played in (Ash Wastes) I had to have 3-4 rulebooks open throughout every game. At this point in my hobby gaming life, I'm definitely interested in games that don't break my brain. lol
Love the Tshirt dude. (I love science). This 146 page item is worth your 35 bucks in hardcover. It's the same ole game, but well written and organized. As good as it's competition.
I finally painted all my minis and was allowed to get more. I drove to the neighborhood hobby store and picked this up. Time to get painting. The video game got me hooked on cyberpunk, since then I've run a ttrpg campaign and am stoked to get this going.
