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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Geek Messiah on August 27, 2006, 12:39:05 PM

Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Geek Messiah on August 27, 2006, 12:39:05 PM
I am a fan of the Unisystem (I have mostly used it via All Flesh Must Be Eaten) and I am curious if there are any other fans out there.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 27, 2006, 02:11:02 PM
What the fuck?! NO; the administrator explicitly HASN'T decided that... I can't figure out what the fuck is wrong with your account, Geek Messiah, but I'll get to the bottom of this. I think it may be the spambot, reacting (OVERreacting) to your posting of a certain URL.

The only problem is that I don't have the technical knowhow yet to figure out how to un-block you; the spambot appears to ban people differently than the way an admin does, because when I check in the admin section it would appear as if you were a viable user, yet clearly your messages are being blocked.

Where the fuck are Pooka or Gruff when you need them?

RPGPundit
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 27, 2006, 03:11:30 PM
Ah, ok fixed now. Thanks Gruff.

RPGPundit
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Zalmoxis on August 27, 2006, 03:31:53 PM
Never played it, but I have heard good things about it.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Geek Messiah on August 27, 2006, 03:46:07 PM
Quote from: ZalmoxisNever played it, but I have heard good things about it.

I have run it and would love to actually play the game.   Trying to convince someone to run it so I will have my chance.

Are you into Zombies/Horror movies?
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Zalmoxis on August 27, 2006, 03:48:59 PM
Quote from: Geek MessiahI have run it and would love to actually play the game.   Trying to convince someone to run it so I will have my chance.

Are you into Zombies/Horror movies?

Somewhat. I like classic-style horror movies, including the "plodding zombie" genre of the original Dawn of the Dead. I'm also really into Lovecraft and Poe. Many of the newer generation of horror flicks, like Saw and the various "slasher" movies, do nothing for me though.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Geek Messiah on August 27, 2006, 04:04:18 PM
Quote from: ZalmoxisSomewhat. I like classic-style horror movies, including the "plodding zombie" genre of the original Dawn of the Dead. I'm also really into Lovecraft and Poe. Many of the newer generation of horror flicks, like Saw and the various "slasher" movies, do nothing for me though.

That is the very nice thing about "All Flesh Must Be Eaten" because it simply gives you the Zombie Framework in which you can form you All Flesh game around.

Easy and very nice system.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: joewolz on August 27, 2006, 07:07:41 PM
Another Unisystem fan here.  I love AFMBE, and Terra Primate has a special place in my heart...I'm one of the few people I've met that has actually run a successful campaign of it.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: PhishStyx on August 27, 2006, 10:08:43 PM
I'm a huge fan of WitchCraft, Conspiracy X, and the Cinematic versions, especially Angel.  I have AFMBE too, but I'm only so-so on the zombie stuff.

Occasionally, I even get to play! (though not in months now)
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Hastur T. Fannon on August 28, 2006, 05:22:40 AM
I have Buffy, Angel and "All Flesh..."

Unisystem Lite has a special place in my heart.  For me, playing the game actually feels like a Buffy spin-off
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Geek Messiah on August 28, 2006, 05:08:07 PM
Quote from: Hastur T. FannonI have Buffy, Angel and "All Flesh..."

Unisystem Lite has a special place in my heart.  For me, playing the game actually feels like a Buffy spin-off

  I have run All Flesh Must Be Eaten and I am lucky enough where I actually get to play in an AFMBE game.

  Not that I have a problem running the system, just enjoy playing every once in awhile.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Mcrow on August 28, 2006, 05:11:10 PM
I like AFMBE and have played many times, I also own Con-X.

I like the system, it's simple but not to light.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: GRIM on August 28, 2006, 06:02:48 PM
I like everything about Unisystem EXCEPT how it runs.  The character creation etc was very intuitive and fun but during play it just feels somewhat wishy-washy for me.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Knightsky on August 28, 2006, 06:54:33 PM
Another Unisystem whore here.  I recently ran a Buffy campaign, and I'm currently playing in a Witchcraft campaign.  Also, I'm using the Cinematic Unisystem rules to run a space opera PBP game on another forum.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Dominus Nox on August 29, 2006, 03:17:30 AM
Quote from: Geek MessiahI have run it and would love to actually play the game.   Trying to convince someone to run it so I will have my chance.

Are you into Zombies/Horror movies?
If you like horror movies with zombies, try an odd little one called "Lifeforce".
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Hastur T. Fannon on August 29, 2006, 12:45:09 PM
Quote from: Geek MessiahI have run All Flesh Must Be Eaten and I am lucky enough where I actually get to play in an AFMBE game.

If you want a truely intense Deadworld (and I do realise I'm plugging it too intensely and I'm going to stop doing this - honest), a lot of AFMBE refs have picked up Year of the Zombie just for ideas

If "All Flesh..." has a weakness it's that it tends to treat the zombies as adversaries whereas most zombie movies treat them more as an environmental hazard (exception: Evil Dead III).  It's the other humans that are the bad guys
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Spike on August 29, 2006, 05:09:47 PM
I first ran into unisystem when Witchcraft was sold on the shelves of FLGS's everywhere in teh 90's.  To me it came across as (at teh time) too focused on one style of play (the witch angle) and using a rule set that was essentially R.Talsorians' Interlock, with all the same flaws and none of the basic intuitive scaling ( eg, 1-10 stats and skills... in unisystem if you have a 10 you broke the game)

I picked up both AFMBE and conspiracy X recently. While I still hold that Witchcraft is not my cup of tea by a long shot, I realize that I was judging the system by the setting.  Yes, Unisystem does it all. Blandly but competently.  Conspiracy X is far more playable than the original version, though I think they missed a trick with the affiliations.  

To sum up: Unisystem, bland but competent. I'd play in a Unisystem game if I liked the setting and the players, but it doesn't sit up and make me say :I MUST RUN THIS GAME!!!! WOOT!
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: PhishStyx on August 30, 2006, 02:25:31 AM
Quote from: Spike( eg, 1-10 stats and skills... in unisystem if you have a 10 you broke the game)

What do you mean "broke?"



Quote from: SpikeTo sum up: Unisystem, bland but competent.

Yeah, that's the point of the system. Easy and quick to play so that you can focus on the important setting stuff.

Also at the moment, the game really puts more focus on the Rosicrucians, which has it's own book, than the Wiccans, which doesn't.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: JamesV on August 30, 2006, 05:12:34 AM
Played Angel for a while and had a blast, Unisystem really just ran smooth and in the background so we could concentrate on the action.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Spike on August 30, 2006, 05:00:54 PM
Broke:

Every version I've seen the standard 'Max' for an attribute is five, with the possibilty to go over.  Even in the high power stuff, sevens and eights are considered pretty bad ass, and for a reason. Thus, if you have a ten, you are probably playing a very high powered character who is min-maxed twinked out the rear to get to that ten, and given the scale of the game mechanics you are nigh unto unstoppable by any ordinary means in that 'feild', and possibly virtually unplayable in any situation not based on their favorite attribute.  That sort of Broke.


It wasn't meant to be a condemnation of the game system as 'broken' merely a comment that players are very likely never to see a ten in a stat the way the game is scaled. It's the same sort of broke as Runequests infamous 'wheelbarrow of weapons' or CoC characters that take a van full of dynamite everywhere they go, the Broke of player stupidity.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Geek Messiah on September 02, 2006, 11:36:05 AM
Quote from: PhishStyxYeah, that's the point of the system. Easy and quick to play so that you can focus on the important setting stuff.

Also at the moment, the game really puts more focus on the Rosicrucians, which has it's own book, than the Wiccans, which doesn't.

I totally agree.  A system that is easy to play and enjoyable and doesnt get in the way.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Akrasia on September 07, 2006, 03:02:46 PM
I love Angel/Buffy.  

If only I could find some interested players ...:(
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Mr. Analytical on September 07, 2006, 05:07:18 PM
Have run a couple of campaigns of Buffy with some success.

I really adore cinematic unisystem's simplicity and its terribly untrendy desire to be invisible making it in effect the heir to BRP.

However, I think it's really difficult to go "hors piste" with.  If you're playing in a setting with support you're fine but for the GM if you want to create your own setting you have to spend hours cooking up packages for the characters to take.  That makes for excessive amounts of prep time and as a result it still isn't as good as BRP because with BRP all you need is a character sheet and you're good to go.

I once tried to run a home-brewed cyberpunk thing and I just gave up because of the need to put together all these packages of modifiers and characteristics.   Oh sure, you can give the characters free reign and give them the Angel book to work with but it just isn't the same... in those cases you wind up with the same slightly empty feeling you get from all exclusively points-buy systems; because you don't have any clear choices to make in character creation your characters tend to lack a certain amount of definition.

I'll also say that I really don't like the way Eden have run the system.  They know damn well that a sizeable chunk of their fanbase buy the books for the changes to the system so they bring out whole books around one additional rule.

If they'd bring out a proper rulebook for it with ALL the rules you're likely to need and loads of different templates it would be fantastic.  But instead it's drip... drip... drip...
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Silverlion on September 07, 2006, 07:02:42 PM
My zombiepocalypse game is using Unisystem Cinematic (BUFFY) because frankly  I'm not fond of the bean counting essence, endurance, etc and lack of drama points in AFMBE--I think AFMBE is cool on its own, but I think the Cine-Uni system is more robust for the kind of play I'm after.
Title: Any Unisystem Fans out there?
Post by: Geek Messiah on September 07, 2006, 07:09:40 PM
Quote from: SilverlionMy zombiepocalypse game is using Unisystem Cinematic (BUFFY) because frankly  I'm not fond of the bean counting essence, endurance, etc and lack of drama points in AFMBE--I think AFMBE is cool on its own, but I think the Cine-Uni system is more robust for the kind of play I'm after.

Cool.  I would love to hear more about the game you are running