Console

Various (fantasy)
Self Published
2003
Complexity: 4

Console is a game about console RPGs.. I mean, it’s a game intended to be similar to console RPGs, it’s not about the development and/or playing of console RPGs--although that does sound like something I’d be interested in. More or less it’s a Final Fantasy fan game with some extras, and is actually the first in the Console series, followed by Super Console and Console: Handheld--which I have previously reviewed. So let’s set our expectations on fan game and dive in.

Khaotic

Join me as I review the 1994 science fiction role-playing game Khaotic. A game of psychic space travel, bio-mechanical monstrosities, and questionable design decisions.

Deadly Simple Role Playing System

Universal

Self Published
2011
Complexity: unplayable without significant user-generated content

Deadly Simple Role Playing System is an independently-developed universal system with a twist, it’s name isn’t a stupid acronym. This game is promoted as a “very easy to die in game, that is fun and flexible enough to fit into ANY world with a little bit of work,” and obviously if I’m specifically mentioning something in the introduction that means it’s going to come up later.

However, before I begin I should probably mention that I am on record on multiple occasions as saying that when a first-time designer decides to make a “universal system” it’s because they want to feel like they’re a game designer, but don’t want to have to do all the work associated with a fully fleshed-out game. Or they’re so conceded that they think their system is so amazing that they’re going to revolutionize the very concept of tabletop gaming. Although I will say that the creator of this system is probably not the latter.

Wizard Time

A Roleplaying Game of Arcane Arts

Medieval (fantasy) presumably
Self Published
2018
Complexity: only technically playable

Wizard Time is another one of those one-page RPGs I’m so fond of reviewing because they take very little time to read. Now I’m not entirely sure what I expected from this game, but I can say with a high level of confidence that it absolutely did not deliver. Aw snap, I’m not supposed to tell you the game is bad until the actual review. I’ve gone and killed the suspense.

I should probably warn y’all that this is going to be one of those angry salty reviews, as opposed to of the usual sassy but good-natured ones.

[Change in Ratings Format]

Hello all, I've decided to make a slight change in my rating and review format. Basically all that's changing is layout is being moved from the writing section to the art section--which has been re-titled "Presentation."
In this new format, the order in which content is presented will still be covered in the "Writing" section, but all aesthetic and readability qualities of layout--including use of tables, inclusion of helpful sidebars and summary pages, and things like typeface choice and column/page breaks--will be covered in the "Presentation" section. Also, I may now take cover art into consideration under Presentation--cover art was previously excluded from the "Art" score.
I've mainly done this in the interest of trying to keep my review scores semi-objective, as giving myself the authority to decide when art was "unnecessary" or "unreasonable to expect" is a little unfair. Also I've decided to be less generous in handing out N/A scores for Character Creation and Content. Specifically, anything where players need to make choices or rolls during character creation--or advancement--will now get a score, and "just make up your own stuff" will now get a 0/5.
I can't say how this is going to affect average scores, as it now makes it impossible to get an N/A score in a section in which a 0/5 is possible--and a lot of previous reviews did have an N/A in. Of reviews that I've updated to the new format, it has somewhat evenly raised and lowered scores. I'll most likely be updating the reviews for shorter--and lower scored--titles, and possibly the bigger, more in-depth ones eventually.

The House Always Wins

Modern (comedic, horror)
Self Published
2018
Complexity: 1

The House Always Wins is a game about characters in a house, trying not be be killed by said house, and failing. It seems that this game was made as a student project, as there is reference to material being added “post-in-class-presentation,” but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on it. The fact that is is a non-commercially-distributed product means I’m going to go easy on it.

Fleshscape

Post-Apocalyptic (weird)
Rooster Games
2017
Complexity: 2

The post-apocalyptic wasteland is usually depicted as a barren desert, although sometimes depicted as an overgrown forest or vast ocean. In Fleshscape, it’s made of meat.
If there’s one thing that gets my attention, it’s something I haven't seen before--hence the underrepresentation of traditional fantasy games in these reviews--and adventures in a post-apocalyptic meat word is definitely something I haven't seen before. Of course, now that I have seen it, any future meat world games will seem normal and uninteresting to me.