...not the setting, that's sold. This is some of the best artwork I have ever seen for a role playing game (I may get the book even if I never play it). I find the backstory and culture very evocative as well. I found and read all the fantastic fiction, mythology and such I could get my hands on when I was a kid including Far Eastern, the Kalevala, and so on...like some others here I didn't stop with King Arthur, Greek mythology, and all the other familiar legends and stories. My father taught me to read with Robin Hood and the Wizard of Oz when I was 3 or 4, and I haven't stopped to this day. So naturally Shard has attracted my eye.
Right now I have some credit at nobleknight, and they have all the released Shard stuff except the big map. They also have Conan, Earthdawn, etc. I can only afford to buy into one right now. ($75)
So help me out. Tell me why this is a better choice than the above mentioned gamebooks.
About me and my tastes...partly my hesitation is caused by my dislike of martial arts, which in Shard seems to be a important facet of the culture and the game, perhaps unavoidably so. Partly the magic seems a bit too nebulous. Is any magic done outside the Dream Realm? How does that work? I don't quite understand from the Introduction packet (Please excuse my denseness). It seems to me that the way it is set up magic use would slow the game to a standstill... while the mage of the group was fighting a magical battle in the Dream Realm what would the rest of the party be doing? I have run into this problem before, in science fiction games where a computer hacker would be 'in the machine' and everyone else sidelined. How is this handled?
Having two types of damage seems cumbersome as does the very detailed hit modification table. Do you think I could you retain the flavor of the setting with a cut down combat and magic system, say similar to Stormbringer or Call of Cthulhu (which one of the authors mentioned in another thread)? It's not that I think it a bad system, I just prefer something with fewer bells and whistles. I have BRP in mind, or the system as is in a simpler form.
Anyway, thanks for any help.
Right now I have some credit at nobleknight, and they have all the released Shard stuff except the big map. They also have Conan, Earthdawn, etc. I can only afford to buy into one right now. ($75)
So help me out. Tell me why this is a better choice than the above mentioned gamebooks.
About me and my tastes...partly my hesitation is caused by my dislike of martial arts, which in Shard seems to be a important facet of the culture and the game, perhaps unavoidably so. Partly the magic seems a bit too nebulous. Is any magic done outside the Dream Realm? How does that work? I don't quite understand from the Introduction packet (Please excuse my denseness). It seems to me that the way it is set up magic use would slow the game to a standstill... while the mage of the group was fighting a magical battle in the Dream Realm what would the rest of the party be doing? I have run into this problem before, in science fiction games where a computer hacker would be 'in the machine' and everyone else sidelined. How is this handled?
Having two types of damage seems cumbersome as does the very detailed hit modification table. Do you think I could you retain the flavor of the setting with a cut down combat and magic system, say similar to Stormbringer or Call of Cthulhu (which one of the authors mentioned in another thread)? It's not that I think it a bad system, I just prefer something with fewer bells and whistles. I have BRP in mind, or the system as is in a simpler form.
Anyway, thanks for any help.