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Thoughts on Reign?

Started by PoppySeed45, August 09, 2009, 08:26:31 AM

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PoppySeed45

Just got this game and reading through and I feel vibes of many ideas here, old and new school so to speak. The dice are interesting, and the tactical element made in how you manipulate dice is very, very cool. Not terribly keen on the setting (though the nation write-ups are quite nice). The Company rules are interesting - there's areas where things seem thin, but overall, nothing that can't be eyeballed and dealt with.

Overall, I like it (and it's cousin, Wild Talents Essential Edition). Impressed by what I see here. It would make a nice non-standard fantasy game (and I am not a lover of games that use Elves and Dwarfs and such - Warhammer excluded ov course ;) ).

Thoughts? Feelings?
 

Warthur

I ran a REIGN campaign using a homebrewed setting (but borrowing the magic system because I quite liked it). It worked pretty well, and the Company rules are really useful, especially for "downtime" actions between adventures (and as a means of developing ideas for adventures).
I am no longer posting here or reading this forum because Pundit has regularly claimed credit for keeping this community active. I am sick of his bullshit for reasons I explain here and I don\'t want to contribute to anything he considers to be a personal success on his part.

I recommend The RPG Pub as a friendly place where RPGs can be discussed and where the guiding principles of moderation are "be kind to each other" and "no politics". It\'s pretty chill so far.

PoppySeed45

Quote from: Warthur;319454I ran a REIGN campaign using a homebrewed setting (but borrowing the magic system because I quite liked it). It worked pretty well, and the Company rules are really useful, especially for "downtime" actions between adventures (and as a means of developing ideas for adventures).

Yeah, the magic system IS nifty, isn't it? I mean the Paths of course - really fun. In fact, I had an all-wizards game I've got in my mind, and at first thought I might do it with Burning Wheel, but now that I have Reign...well, it'd fit super well, and more importantly, give each player a VERY different style to use for magic, which would make everyone feel individual, and yet, very magical (especially the Attunement effects - just, wow).
 

Warthur

Quote from: Mencelus;319456Yeah, the magic system IS nifty, isn't it? I mean the Paths of course - really fun. In fact, I had an all-wizards game I've got in my mind, and at first thought I might do it with Burning Wheel, but now that I have Reign...well, it'd fit super well, and more importantly, give each player a VERY different style to use for magic, which would make everyone feel individual, and yet, very magical (especially the Attunement effects - just, wow).

It strikes me that the Company rules could be very handy in an Ars Magica campaign - I like the way that, because they operate on a different scale from the character-level action resolution, you can drag and drop them into any game you want.
I am no longer posting here or reading this forum because Pundit has regularly claimed credit for keeping this community active. I am sick of his bullshit for reasons I explain here and I don\'t want to contribute to anything he considers to be a personal success on his part.

I recommend The RPG Pub as a friendly place where RPGs can be discussed and where the guiding principles of moderation are "be kind to each other" and "no politics". It\'s pretty chill so far.

Settembrini

It´s for lazy & bland DMs; a shallow experience.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Halfjack

We have a great time with Reign at our table. It's a cool setting and allows for a broad range of fun characters. The mechanisms built into the characters for driving their story interests make things surprising for the ref as well as the players. The combat system is fast and tactical.

This is my first choice for fantasy gaming. It transplants nicely to other settings with little work.
One author of Diaspora: hard science-fiction role-playing withe FATE and Deluge, a system-free post-apocalyptic setting.
The inevitable blog.

PoppySeed45

Quote from: Halfjack;319570We have a great time with Reign at our table. It's a cool setting and allows for a broad range of fun characters. The mechanisms built into the characters for driving their story interests make things surprising for the ref as well as the players. The combat system is fast and tactical.

This is my first choice for fantasy gaming. It transplants nicely to other settings with little work.

Yeah, I hear that for sure. That's one of the things I like with BW as well - things are a surprise for me. I know other GMs like "being in control" or some such, but in a way, as I GM, I want to "play" too, so to speak. Reign lets that happen since I also have to strategize with the way the dice work and all that.

@Warthur - now there's an idea. I have also a thought to build a magic system conceptually with say the Magic Burner, and then saddle ORE mechanics for it, then do an Ars Magica game.

The original idea in my head (which the players want for our second or third game maybe after the current campaign ends) is that the PCs are part of a "mages guild" that happens to sort of run the world (i.e. like in Earthsea). A particular village has a particular secret which one mage has found, and has asked the Council to send people to permenantly protect the secret. Cue sending in the PC mages and their "company" to defend that village and the secret within.
 

PoppySeed45

Quote from: Settembrini;319552It´s for lazy & bland DMs; a shallow experience.

I know I'm going to regret this but what is this thought based on? Anything of substance?

For me, Reign has me EXCITED to GM, for the first time in a long while. It's got lots of fiddily bits that are at the same time easy to handle (whereas Burning Wheel, a game I love, has fiddily bits that I often just find cumbersome to wield effectively, no matter how much I love it).

The way the dice work, plus the meta-level company rules, the martial paths, and the way magic works really interests me. Each one, in and of itself, is enat - together they give players and GMs lots of options on how to manipulate things. I'm not even getting into the Missions and Passions stuff - that's just icing on the cake (and frankly, as a carrot system, easier to bookkeep that BWs Artha).
 

boulet

Did you already download the two first years of our reign Mencellus?

PoppySeed45

Quote from: boulet;319677Did you already download the two first years of our reign Mencellus?

Not yet but I will be doing so. I got so happy with most of the other downloads on the Nemesis site that I forgot. When I get home tonight, probably.

Thanks for reminding me.
 

PaladinCA

Quote from: Mencelus;319663I know I'm going to regret this but what is this thought based on? Anything of substance?

None at all, considering the source.

PaladinCA

My experience with the system is much like the OP. I like the system but the setting isn't that appealing to me. The company mechanics are good, but I'd rather broaden them to a one to ten rating instead of one to six.

PoppySeed45

Quote from: PaladinCA;319713My experience with the system is much like the OP. I like the system but the setting isn't that appealing to me. The company mechanics are good, but I'd rather broaden them to a one to ten rating instead of one to six.

Now that's an interesting idea, though I had thought Greg Stolze kept the numbers capped on purpose - by putting them low, it forces players to go out and do crazy things (or at least roll some stuff) to some sort of bonus to resolves company actions.

To certain extent, I see his point - nothing should be a sure thing with stuff like this, especially on the company level. Looking at, well, any war in history, something somewhere flubs, or isn't enough, or goes badly, etc.
 

KrakaJak

I've enjoyed the Reign game I was a part of. The dice system is fun. Greg Stolze is a genius of fun dice mechanics (if Reign and Unknown Armies are any indication). It wasn't my book, so I'm not sure aout everything, but it's fun to play for sure.
-Jak
 
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Tommy Brownell

Quote from: Mencelus;319663I know I'm going to regret this but what is this thought based on? Anything of substance?

And what other games provide these shallow experiences, so we know to avoid them?
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