GLoG reviews 1

    Obligatory "this is my opinion" preamble, you're on a blog so you should know that. Keep in mind that if I reviewed it, I liked it enough to read it all the way through. In every GLoGhack there is something valuable and super cool, and I will do my best to point out what things those are at every turn. Getting on this list meant I want to see more of what you're putting out and are invested in your hack being the best it can be. Here is the matrix for my reviews (numbers on a scale of 1 to 5):

OVERVIEW I chat about the system, giving my impressions and understandings of the mechanics and world.

FLAVOR A 1 is a totally generic system I could see working in any game. A 3 means I can draw a picture of a scene from a game after reading, but the world is subject to interpretation. A 5 is a game sourcebook that doubles as a world manual.

PLAYABILITY If someone suggested they wanted to play a game with a 1, I would not join the game. With a 3, I would play if offered, but not on my own. With a 5, I would like to play it someday. This scale can go above 5- a 6 means I will bring it to my table, and a 7 means I have brought it to the table.

COMPREHENSIBILITY A 1 means I could not grokk even the basics of the rules. A 3 means there was a lot I couldn't wrap my head around, but could still feel good running it. A 5 means that I understand the game forward and back.

OVERALL Just because some other scores are low doesn't mean I don't genuinely enjoy a game. This is a standard one-to-five of my overall impression of a game.

THINGS TO STEAL A short list of mechanics, ideas, and concepts to steal- after all, this is GLoG!

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LIBRA, by Archon

OVERVIEW A modern occult RPG based off of a Delta Green like premise and an innovative core mechanic, based off of Zener cards. Based off of a 2-class core and incredible flexibility in the core mechanics, this is one of the most interesting and out-there GLoGhacks I've seen. It has as few rules as it needs to make a playable game, an incredibly admirable aim that makes this game read fast and easy.

FLAVOR 3. The look and feel of the heroes is unmatched, and the adventure bullets and descriptions are great, but I keep finding I never understand what the heroes are up against. Monsters? Other organizations and psychics? Eldritch terrors? Some combo? A sample adventure or two would help, and would be super cool- I want to see more of this setting for sure.

PLAYABILITY 3. This is a great idea executed pretty cleanly, and if I got the opportunity to play or run it, I would certainly not decline, though I'd love to have more info to back me up going into an experience (see the other bullets).

COMPREHENSIBILITY 2. The mechanics that were there were plenty clear, but I don't think I could improvise in a complex novel situation, which happens incredibly often in my game. Especially given how strong the central mechanic is, having to improvise in a way that detracts from that would weaken the integrity of the game. More advice on improvisation would be appreciated.

OVERALL 3. A great game, and one that's really good at what it does, I just want MORE of it so I can congeal my picture of what stories this game is designed to tell.

THINGS TO STEAL This is a masterclass in upending the assumptions of roleplaying game resolution and building something new and flavorful from the ground up. When I think occult government experiments, I think Zymer cards. When you're making a game designed to fit a niche, try thinking about a different way to exemplify that story. A game about a dad and a son bonding and overcoming adversity that uses a game of catch with a football as the central mechanic? A game about nobility based off of coin pools (like dice pools, the more coin you can muster the better)? A game about trouncing the sewers where you have to reach into a box and guess what you're touching? Return to the base of your concept, and build your game around that.

Also, the setup of the Psychic class is intuitive, flexible, and easy to remember. It is one of the best ways of framing a magic class in GLoG I have yet seen.

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NUCLEAR OOZE, by Micah A

OVERVIEW A grungy, dark hack, clearly very inspired by Goblin Punch's worldbuilding in the best way. The pages are dark and edgy, filled with pseudo-industrial art, that makes you wonder if the world is truly as it seems, or if is the darkened and apocalyptic ruin of an oil-soaked world (especially given the title).

FLAVOR 4, not for completeness of worldbuilding, but clarity of mental picture you get from reading the rules and looking at the document. I immediately see landscapes of towering, rusted machinery and broken earth, chainmail-clad warriors and sleep-deprived mages combing the wreckage for coin and keeping an eye out for mutated demons.

PLAYABILITY 2. All and all, this is very close to orthodox GLoG, which generally doesn't appeal to me very much. Someone would have to sell me on the world or the adventure to get me to play (which, if it were anything like the flavor in the manual, would have the potential to be a terribly enticing draw), but I wouldn't say yes just on behalf of the system itself.

COMPREHENSIBILITY 3.5 I'm not proficient in orthodox GLoG, and a lot of what's here relies on that fluency, but it would be easy enough to pick up on, especially with a copy of a character sheet in front of me. I feel like I could run or play a game if I had to. Loses points for having character creation after the core mechanics. You fly in the face of the natural RPG order!

OVERALL 3. Again, great game, great flavor, lots of good tidbits, but the fact that it runs on orthodox GLoG really drags it down for me.

THINGS TO STEAL There's a great downtime section full of flavorful and useful options that you should check out if you're designing a robust downtime system. The Race table is phenomenal- Unman? Dungeon Rose? Electric Ghost? Sign me up! In the back, there are some terribly useful and flavorful tables. If you steal nothing else, this hack is full of great tables you can cannibalize.

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YAGH, by Walfalcon

OVERVIEW A scrappy, wild three-stat hack with a big dose of irony and random sprinkled into the low fantasy. Defined by headings written in a low-resolution SUPREME logo, which is perhaps the most memorable piece of graphic design I've ever seen in a GLoGhack, perhaps in recent life.

FLAVOR 4. Again, like NUCLEAR OOZE, the flavor doesn't come from what's written, it's a gestalt effect. I get the impression that this game doesn't take itself seriously, it is a funhouse dungeon made into rules, but that doesn't stop it from being punchy and having a lot of impact. Like most casual DnD campaigns.

PLAYABILITY 4. The more I read, the more interested I am to see just what would go down if I got a group of rowdy-ass players together, found a generic, small dungeon, and let them loose with these rules. It's got this terrific commitment to speed, simplicity, and strong choices that I admire dearly.

COMPREHENSIBILITY 4. Simplicity is my friend here, and while there is a bit I'll have to look up and feel out in play, for the most part, it all reads easy. Order is a little wonky at times- why have weapons and XP after classes?

OVERALL 4. It's got a great niche, and the simplicity is inspiring. One of my favorites thusfar.

THINGS TO STEAL The "friendship ended with DnD" image should adorn every GLoGblog. The up-front, no-frills, no-nonsense tone of the rules is incredibly clear. The core system is clean, and while I myself would rearrange the stats, it works very well as a lite framework upon which to build. The classes are great, especially the paragraphs of background with the red highlights- leaves just enough to the imagination to get it firing all cylinders. Steal that formatting, if nothing else.

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BONES, by The Guy Whose Name Gives Me A Stroke To Type Out

OVERVIEW The game that started me on my GLoG journey. Looking back for the first time in months, as I've been tinkering with MARROW, my take on this premise, it'll be interesting to see how my experience has colored this game. If I recall, the inherent worldbuilding is for an Aztec Underworld, but it reads just as odd fantasy on a casual read. 3 stats, with each stat operating as an inventory.

FLAVOR 2. I can't really see a scene in my mind, but it's definitely got some proto-world elements built in,  like the race list and dedicated drug/hallucination rules, so there's that little bit of groundwork upon which to build for your game.

PLAYABILITY A few months ago, this was 5.5. I made MARROW, my hack, because BONES lit a fire in my brain. But looking back now, that number drops to a 4. There's a lot of cruft here that could be further cleaned, and a lot of vestiges that could be cut and congealed, that keep this good game from being a great one.

COMPREHENSIBILITY 4.5. The author knows that everyone who is reading has a lot of context in both RPGs and GLoG, and so the tone of the writing caters to those warrants, which makes things quite clear and easy to grokk. I could run a RAW BONES (ooh, now THAT's fun) game and not feel terrible about it.

OVERALL All in all, 4.5. Not perfect, especially as I look back, but the fact that it lit a fire and inspired me enough to carry me here is enough to give it a great score.

THINGS TO STEAL Well, where to start. I found a lot of inspiration in stats-and-inventories, and counter to Obsillypitchman's experience, I've found it to work smoothly and intuitively. Mental inventories are particularly interesting to think about and add to your game, as are mental HP pools. This game lays out a lot of generic mechanics (hexcrawling, reaction rolls, morale) cleanly and simply. All in all, this hack is great food for thought. Plus, I forgot how good that trinket table was.

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That's it for today! I've got a lot of fun hacks piled up to read through. I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below! Thanks, and happy gaming.