GLoG reviews 4

Overview here. I know, only 3 this time, sorry.

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BONEPUNK, by BaaL

OVERVIEW Jesus, 4 pages in and the theme really punches me in the face already! Bonepunk is a newer(?) hack about the dead and damned making their way through an adventuring life. With saturated pages and flavorful woodcarved art reminiscent of Dia  de los Muertos, this is a wondrous romp through a broken and bleak world.

FLAVOR 4.5. If you didn't guess it, this is a real winner. The word "necrografts" should tell you all you need to do. Check it out. A truly natural fit with Patrick Stewart's Lichjammers.

PLAYABILITY 3.5. I'm definitely interested in this game, and it intrigues me, but it wouldn't be the first one I'd take off the shelf to explore.

COMPREHENSIBILITY 3.5. There's more cruft than I would like, but I can identify what I would cut from a game easily, which is a good thing. Otherwise, seems like a really clean and easy system!

OVERALL 4.25. I don't like to give out quarter points, but this is where Bonepunk belongs. A cut above a standard 4, but yet the world isn't quite in full enough focus for me to appreciate it as much as Vain the Sword, so it remains below a 4.5. Still, a phenomenal product with a lot of love put into it and an admirably tight focus and commitment to theme.

THINGS TO STEAL The character creation skillfully blends many inspirations and principles, from Electric Bastionland to Dungeon World. The entire hack is brilliantly focused on theme. The GM section has three nice bullet points that form the core of the setting, which is a BRILLIANT idea that I will be stealing and you should too. There's some great classes and mechanics in here. This one is definitely worth your time.

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GRAVEROBBERS, by D. G. Chapman

OVERVIEW Not a GLoGhack, but a game from a blogger I've been following for a short while. A gothic game of crime and larceny in the shadows of the House. The alpha rules, plus designer's notes, all fit on two pages, so the game is incredibly light, and uses a deck of cards, an interesting twist that could help create further immersion into the grubby Victorian world.

FLAVOR 4. There's scant worldbuilding throughout, but I rank this a 4 because of how vividly I "see" adventures in this game. The flavor draws on influences, and I can tell that this game is an exercise in genre emulation. Life is SUPER cheap- you can die in character creation, in preparation, during a heist, and more.

PLAYABILITY 3. There's a lot of cool stuff here, and it seems to emulate supernatural Victorian heist pretty well. I would definitely want to explore this longer-form style of day by day RPG play. If someone proposed a game, I would definitely not say no.

COMPREHENSIBILITY Unfortunately, 2. I understand the basic principles, but the specifics and the loop still evades me. I want more examples- another page's worth of a play example would do this game a HUGE service. As of yet, I could not hope to run this without playing it with myself for a little bit, and I don't know if this game is worth that for me.

OVERALL 2.5. I like the principle, and there's a lot of good groundwork there that has the space to create a lot of innovation, but as of yet, it's a little too unrefined for my tastes, and I don't "get" the picture yet. That said, this game still intrigues me, and I'm excited to see where it goes!

THINGS TO STEAL I can't really make a bullet list, this game takes the typical RPG structure and tips it a little sideways in a charming way, saturated in heist flavor. Check it out if what I've said thusfar intrigues you.

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MOONHOP, by Type1Ninja

OVERVIEW This is the go-to hack when people ask how far GLoG can be stretched. A future-fantasy hybrid where the visual identity and mechanics are punchy and distinctive. Mechs and wizard teeth and interstellar hopping collide in an appetizing, lightweight stew.

FLAVOR Inevitably a 4. All the setting is between the lines, keeping it from a 5, but what's there is evocative. I don't think a single person imagines the exact same game or world looking at this, but the DNA is there for a really unique experience. Blacksmiths in space? Sign me up!

PLAYABILITY 3.5. I like this system quite a bit, and while it isn't my first choice, I would not turn down the chance to run it or play it.

COMPREHENSIBILITY 4. SUPER lightweight, and every rule is parsed down to the literal bare minimum. I could run this RAW with little problem. However, there are some (rather important) things missing I would have to rule. What happens if I occupy 11 inventory slots? The rules do not say. This game will lean on your ability to make rulings a little, but if you're okay with that, this will serve you well.

OVERALL 4. One of my favorites, the simplicity is an asset, and it's a truly charming game I think everyone should check out, at the very least for inspiration.

THINGS TO STEAL HP rerolls every session, another killer race list, cover as armor, the light combat system, simplified GLoG wizardry, interplanetary travel rules, the mastery of the implied worldbuilding, and just how parsed down it all is

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...and I've now got a backlog of 2. If you have a GLoGhack, or a favorite hack, or any sort of free, lightweight game that you want to see a review of (and really, I just want to act as free advertising and a reference guide to anyone looking for something specific to steal), leave it in the comments or @ me on the OSR Discord. Thanks so much, and happy gaming!