Points of Light

Points of Light
by Robert Conley

The pdf can be purchased here:  https://goodman-games.com
It can also be purchased in hard copy from Ebay for about $10.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

First things first, I own this in hard copy and do not have the pdf.  One thing which jumped out me right away is that there is no copyright which I can see in this product.  I was trying to find the date this product was printed and I don't see this either.  Based on the game systems it is designed for, according to Goodman Game's website, the product is designed for 3e, 4e, or system neutral.  Seeing that the Wizard's versions of "D&D" are so unrelated to real versions of D&D, if this book is to be used, the DM is going to have to ignore the class and level information included.

Just an off-the-top conversion note:  I suspect that if the Dungeon Master was to keep the levels in this setting, don't adjust levels 1-3, divide levels 4-6 by half, and divide levels 7+ by three.  This book is in the typical Wizard's style "D&D", where every back alley bum, sleeping in the street has a class and a level.  Even after doing the above math, if it seems reasonable that the NPC should be a normal man, just set him to HD 0 and ignore the uber-bum issue.

With that out of the way, you, dear reader, probably want to know what this product is all about.  This book is 48 pages of mini settings; three are in the remains of a fallen empire, and the fourth is a vast swamp on an outer plane which the Acheron River flows through.

The book introduces a new class named Myrmidon.  There are no class-specific details other than stating it is a lawful evil version of the paladin.  Speaking of mechanics, the setting does a good job of steering clear of them, other than the inflated level and class mumbo jumbo.  I recall reading one spot where a saving throw vs. paralyzation (I think) was needed and all other saving throws are in 3e-speak - save vs. reflex, etc.

The first setting is called Wildland.  It is set shortly after the empire fell.  It is advertised as being similar to the Dark Ages of Europe.  The second is called Southland.  It is a relatively empty land, where brave characters might carve out their own realms.  The third is called Borderland.  It takes place after the primary gods of the empire had a falling out and now two of the gods' followers are warring with each other.  The fourth is called Swamps of Acheron.  It is a massive swamp where one of the gods holds sway and tests his followers when they seek advancement in the hierarchy.

Each of the settings includes its own map and I really like the maps.  Each map is made of 5-mile hexes and takes up one page (say 125 miles in one direction and 100 miles in the other direction).  The Swamps of Acheron takes up about half a page.  I spent a few seconds looking, to see if the maps fit together, and it doesn't seem that they do.  They seem to be set in different parts of the fallen empire.

The Wildland setting is centered on a two very large rivers which dump into the ocean.  There are two large forests, which make up a decent portion of the map.  Trade centers around the massive rivers.  The background here is that about a hundred years after the Bright Empire fell due to civil war, tribes of barbarians and humanoids invaded the formerly peaceful lands.  

Several tribes of barbarians and humanoids live and survive in the Wildland.  The scattered towns are the only really peaceful places to be found here - and they may not be peaceful if you don't follow whichever deity is in vogue.  There was a large nation of elves living in the woods but they have been chased out by the humanoids; only a small number of them are left.  The town of Delen is the one place where the various locals can meet and discuss trade, treaties, and the like.  Even humanoids are allowed in this town to make their cases in regards to treaties and to trade.  This town also has some stone golems, which are used to punish peace-breakers by drowning them.

Wildland is very much the stereotypical D&Dish fantasy setting - but with more barbarians.  I like this one but I prefer the following setting.

The Southland setting is primarily desert and steppes, with some small wooded areas and a large river.  There is also a massive bog, called Olden Bog, which sits near the main river.  This setting is set somewhere between 200 and 1000 years after the fall of the Bright Empire (text isn't that clear, here).  Ruins are scattered here and there.

We have the standard humanoid invasion from the previous setting, as well as an invasion of dark elves.  There are fewer towns that in Wildland and trade is more rudimentary.  The author expects the PCs to find a nice place to settle and then conquer territory, setting up their own trade routes, etc.

Some of the fun names in this setting include Blood Forest, Forsaken Plains, Nightshade Canyon, and Titan Head Mountains.  There is a very Black Company-vibe naming scheme with some of these.  

Overall, I prefer Southland to Wildland.   

The Borderland setting is very mountainous with scattered hills and a couple of small forests.  The setting includes four main areas:  the side fighting for Sarrath (god), the side fighting for Delaquain (another god), the side who wants to remain neutral, and the side which is just trying to rebuild from the war.

This setting is set up so the player characters can join one faction or another, or spaghetti western the whole thing and play each side off the other, while making that shiny, shiny gold.

I find the geography in this setting the most boring.  It is nearly all mountain or hill.  There is one major river which separates the two warring sides from one another.  Most of this section details the small number of settlements and which faction they support.

This is the weakest of the three standard, prime plane settings, in my opinion.  It isn't bad but I find the "new civil war, but this time it's god vs. god!" not to my taste.

Scattered throughout the first three settings are small inset maps of towns or castles.

The final setting is The Swamps of Acheron.  As I stated earlier, this one takes place on the outer planes.  This setting confuses me a bit.  It is set up so followers of Sarrath make a pilgrimage to this swamp to be tested for advancement in the god's hierarchy.

The land is a swamp, which is fed by smaller rivers branching off the Acheron, with some mountains here and there.  This setting clocks in at five pages and isn't all that exciting.  The monsters, of course, are more powerful. The 999 story tower is the best part of this chapter, it has a few big bads to keep the peasantry at bay, but no map, which is to be expected in a supplement which is so short.

There are four main civilized deities which are used throughout the settings, and one which the humanoid scum prefer.  The big religious conflict is between Dalanquin and Sarrath.  We have:

• Dalanquin - goddess of honor and justice.  Lawful good.
  
• Sarrath - god of order, discipline, and war.  Lawful evil.
• Thoth - god of knowledge and wisdom.  No alignment stated.  I assume Lawful neutral.
• Veritas - god of truth and law.  No alignment stated but I also assume Lawful neutral.
• Azeel - god of blood.  Some form of evil, presumably Chaotic.

Overall, I really enjoy this supplement.  I doubt I would ever use the 4th setting but the first three (especially the first two) can be used quite easily.  The maps are lovely and usable, but would have to be edited to remove location information about monster lairs before they can be handed to players.

⇨ GRIT: ★★★★☆:  This supplement certainly accomplishes what it set out to do.  The owner gets four short settings which can be used for a fantasy adventure game.  Even though I am not a big fan of one of the settings, no doubt there are many people out there who love that extra-planar stuff.  I believe the author did a good job of capturing four settings different enough for different tables but all related, more or less, so a DM can combine them into one larger setting (this will take work for sure, plus some mapping).  Nearly everything in this setting is going to require the DM to put in a bit of work.

⇨ VIGOR: ★★★☆☆: Each of the first three settings have quite a number of detailed encounters of various difficulties for parties.  Goblins here for the Chuds just leaving the farm to an old dragon with lots of loot for the Chads which our farmer Chuds hope to become.  The fourth setting is a bit lacking in these details.  This is not a module and it won't work as one but a competent DM can take what is here and keep the campaign going for a while.

⇨ GRACE: ★★★★☆: This is a pretty good-looking book.  The page backgrounds are a faded map and do not interfere with reading the text at all.  There is a fancy border at the top and bottom of each page which also does not interfere.  The maps are hexed-based and each hex has a 4-digit number on it, which makes finding a description a piece of cake.  The maps are gorgeous!  There are a few tables in the book for wandering monsters and rumors.  They are too dark and would be nicer if they were light and dark rather than dark and darker.
 

GORE (Generic Old-school Role-playing Engine)

GORE Generic Old-school Role-playing Engine

by Daniel Proctor
Goblinoid Games, 2007

It can be purchased from https://www.drivethrurpg.com  This appears to be pdf only and as I have it as a softback book, it was available in this format at some point, as well.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

GORE, written by Dan Proctor, is Goblinoid Games' contribution to the Basic Roleplaying (BRP) world, using OGL 1.0a.  Unlike the BRP "Gold Book", GORE is trim and sexy, weighing in at 52 pages.  This game includes its own license for 3rd parties to use called the GORE License 1.0.  As far as I know, Stuart Marshall's The Secret of the Whispering Wood is the only other GORE product, but I could certainly be mistaken.

If, dear reader, you are familiar with any other BRP game, nothing in GORE will come as a surprise.  For those of you who may not be familiar, all BRP games are percentage-based, where a skill of 40% means that your character has a 40% chance to succeed, barring any modifiers.

GORE uses the standard polyhedral dice.  It is an attribute and skill-based game without the need for classes or levels.  The ability scores are pretty much like every other game from the 1980s.  The two exceptions being Size (character's mass) and Power (force of will, and innate magical ability for setting which use magic.  The other attributes are strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, and charisma.  Scores are figured by rolling 3d6 for each, with an alternate method for higher-powered characters, which uses 2d6+6.  Hit points are figured by averaging constitution and size.

If an ability score needs to be tested, it is multiplied by 5 and the percentile dice need to beat this number.  Sometimes, characters will have to determine if something is successful when being opposed.  This is called Opposition.  The traditional arm-wresting is a good example.  To determine the % chance of success, the character pits his strength against his opponent's strength, looking a chart (the Opposition Table) which will give the actual chance the character will succeed.

Most tests the character will make, however, are based on skills.  Every character has a base % chance to succeed at any skill (5% for art, 35% for climbing, 15% survival as examples).  The Dodge skill defaults to the character's dexterity x 2.  Some skills, computers for instance, have a base % chance based on era.  In a standard fantasy setting, the skill would not exist; in a 70s blacksploitation movie setting, it might default to 5%, whereas a modern spy thriller setting might default to 40%.  Players may want to choose a profession for their character, which can be anything.  The book does have 25 or so professions, covering the most common genres.  The GM and players might need to brainstorm a bit for professions which are not included.  Each profession gives five to seven suggested skills.  Professions are not required, though.  Players can put skill points into any skill available for the setting.  Professions just give the player some things he can focus on for his character.

There are 35-40 skills or so in the rulebook, but not all will be available in all genres.  Some skills, for example Science, may require a specialty.  Characters get 250 points to spend on skills, keeping in mind that all skills have a base %, so if the player drops 20% into a 5% base skill, he now has 25% in that skill.  Make sense?

Improving skills is one of the great thing about GORE, and other BRP games.  Instead of gaining experience points and then at some point, voila! I'm a 3rd level dwarf, each skill is improved separately.  The two methods included are 1) the player gets to pick three skills he wants to improve when the GM says it is allowed, or 2) the player makes note when a skill has been used exceptionally.  In either case, the player rolls d%, and if the result is higher than the current skill level, it goes up by 1d10%.  No skill can be improved beyond 98% though, so there is always a chance for failure.

A roll of 00 results in a fumble.  A roll of 20% of the skill score results in a critical success.  In the case of our 40% score I mentioned in paragraph 2, this means that a roll of 01-08 is a critical success.  I think this complicates the game a bit too much.  Some newer BRP games rule that dice rolls which succeed, and are also doubles (11, 22, 33 for our 40% dude) are considered a critical success.  I prefer this.

 The Game rules chapter follows.  In includes the majority of situations which might arise in any genre.  Acid, drowning, and fire are pretty universal for any setting, but this chapter includes things that you may not consider until the situation arises.  Examples include air pressure, aging, and radiation.  In this chapter is also included fumble charts for weapons, which I believe should be relegated to the combat chapter.  In addition to fumbles, injuries, light blows, and the optional hit locations should also have been in the combat chapter.  Two rules to note here are poison and radiation.  These make use of the Opposition Table, pitting the potency of the poison or radiation against the constitution of the character.  A cool Radiation Exposure Table is included for what happens when a human is dosed with them good ol' rays. This table is for "realistic" game genres, though.  Gaining x-ray vision or learning to shoot eye lasers are not options!

The Combat chapter is next.  Players will quickly realize that GORE, and most BRP games, are based on RuneQuest, which is a rules-heavy combat-based game.  Place in combat is based on Strike Ranks (initiative).  Both the attacker and the defender roll their weapon skill.  Combatant A has 40% scimitar skill and Combatant B has a 30% hatchet skill.  Depending on how well each combatant rolls, determines the result of the attack.  Combat adds another complication by adding impale as a result, in addition to fumble, failure, success, and critical.  Every blow in combat needs to have a chart consulted to find the result.  If Combatant A is attacking and rolls a 36 (success) and Combatant B is defending and rolls a 02 (critical), then no hit is scored.  The crunchy factor of combat in GORE puts me off running the game.  If I was to run this game, I would disregard the table and find a much more streamlined way of judging combat.

There are a few other rules in the combat chapter for mounted combat, gun malfunctions and reloading, unarmed combat, etc.

Magic comes next.  Magic-using characters know a maximum number of spells equal to their intelligence attribute.  The ability score, power, determines if the character can learn spells, and how many Magic Points he has to power his spells.  By default, a power of 16+ is required to be a spell-caster, but like everything else, this can be adjusted for different genres.  There are nine pages of spells, including many old standbys from D&D or OSR games, such as web, purify food and drink, cure wounds, spider climb, and remove disease.  The more powerful offensive spells such as fireball and lightning bolt are not included.

We are now through page 44.  Page 45 is a one-page distillation of the rules called Lite GORE.  This is my jam!  GORE, excepting the painfully crunchy combat, is a smooth game.  It isn't "rules lite" but it is very close, by default.  Lite GORE tells us to ignore hit locations, serious wounds, and most skills.  It consolidates the 40 or so skills previous into 27, which will be trimmed again, depending on genre.  Initial skill points needs to be cut back for this abbreviated list.  The book recommends a maximum of 200 points for characters.  Unfortunately, the author didn't take this opportunity to take a virtual scythe through the combat mechanics and distill it down into a more simple form.

The next seven pages are equipment lists, broken down by time period.  Four of the lists are all rotated from portrait to landscape, making you flip the book to read.  This is an annoyance but the lists are serviceable.  

The book then ends with the two licenses I mentioned above.

⇒ GRIT:  ★★★★☆ This book includes nearly everything you would need to run a game in many genres.  I think it fails in a couple of regards, however.  It includes realistic rules about radiation but where are the rules for a Gamma World game?  I want my Hoops, dangit!  If you want to play a D&Dish game with both wizards and clerics with varying spell lists, you will need to do some work separating spells and probably adding some more.  I am giving it 4 stars since you will be able to run 90% of common game genres with just this one book.

⇒ VIGOR:  ★★★☆☆  Like the grit score, GORE includes enough, rules-wise, for a long-lived campaign.  Since this is a concise book of mechanics, there is no fluff.  If this game was genre emulation of one genre, the score would be 1 or maybe 2 stars.  Since it is trying to be a universal system, and the advancement mechanic is so very simple, GORE is solidly 3 stars.

⇒ GRACE:  ★★★☆☆ GORE is not a pretty book.  It is certainly competent.  The small amount of art included is decent.  The cover I like quite a bit, with the red on black Cthulhu chilling in the sea.  Most of the included line art appears to be a cat named David Sharrock, and is all Cthuluesque or snakemen.  I enjoy it.  The layout of the book could certainly use some work.  For example, the SCUBA skill is listed on the very bottom of a page, bolded, and the page has to be flipped to see the details.  This happens a couple different times.  The tables changing view is an annoyance.  I think that all tables could have been made readable in portrait mode.  The book is certainly more readable than some of its 1980s forebears, however.