Quote from: ForgottenF on June 21, 2023, 06:41:55 PM

Quote from: KrisSnow on June 21, 2023, 05:28:25 PM
Looks like "Horizon: Zero Dawn".

That was my first thought as well.

Licensed IPs are Modiphius' bread and butter, and they've had some degree of success with their Dishonored and Fallout lines. I almost wonder if they tried to license Horizon and got shut down by Sony.

Mmm. It looked very generic and bland when I watched the video. This makes sense with all the "video gamey" mechanics and components shown in the vid.

Seems more like "Baby's 2nd RPG" more than anything else. The high production value, the heavy use of cards and tokens to make everything seem more 'tangible' and 'real' instead of having to use your imagination.

I'd hazard it's specifically aimed at folks whose introduction to RPGs is 5e and are looking to broaden their horizons... "Whoa instead of Fantasy it's Sci-Fi! Look at all these neat things I get to make my character with! It still uses D20s!"

It doesn't come across as 'woke' so much to me, but it does come off as very "Current Year" and awfully generic in it's implementation. The core set up for the game is awfully bland.... Humans stuck in a post-apocalpyse (But on another planet!) that wasn't all that bad.. and now they fight robots.

It's banking entirely on the production value and it's gimmicks to really sell it more than the setting itself... The Horizon Zero Dawn comparisons seem apt.... And really, when you're also putting "Fallout" out as one of your RPGs, making another Apocalpyse based one seems kind of silly by comparison.... Particularly when it's a Post-Apoc that isn't nearly as interesting...

But, if it's their own setting they can get away with more in that respect, there's probably all kinds of rules they have to follow in regards to the Fallout stuff they make.

In Modiphious's defense, I can't think of an RPG setting where the defacto antagonists are AIs off the top of my head. I'm sure they exist, but that's a pretty underserved market. And I tend not to give developers grief over inclusive artwork because I think it can be done well (as a metaphor for player type diversity).

Now, for the criticisms. You have nanobots, bioengineered horrors, tech zombies, and robots all at the same time? These flavors conflict, which will make the outcome bland. Pick one and stick with it. And no matter what you do, I think you'll find the 2D20 system holding you back because it's yet another game engine with bland narrative metagame currencies baked in. In my opinion, this game looks to be worse than awful; it looks to be inoffensively mediocre. I can't riff off it enough to enjoy a bad game, and it doesn't look to stand on its own merit.

Quote from: hedgehobbit on June 21, 2023, 09:23:06 PM

Quote from: ForgottenF on June 21, 2023, 06:41:55 PMLicensed IPs are Modiphius' bread and butter, and they've had some degree of success with their Dishonored and Fallout lines. I almost wonder if they tried to license Horizon and got shut down by Sony.

Given the thin margins on TTRPG material, I wouldn't be surprised if the license fees take a majority of the profit. It would make sense for them to create their own IP that they can use freely. Fantasy Flight Games did something similar when they reskinned their Star Wars game to their Descent world.

Also, you can make necessary changes so the setting/concept works better for an RPG, with the added benefit of it being a bit less of an obvious copy as a result of the changes.

Eclipse Phase has AIs as the main baddies.

I'd rather rub my eyeballs on a cheese grater. So fucking twee.

Looks like a board game with a molecule of RPGing.

Quote from: Fheredin on June 22, 2023, 07:34:16 PM
In Modiphious's defense, I can't think of an RPG setting where the defacto antagonists are AIs off the top of my head. I'm sure they exist, but that's a pretty underserved market. And I tend not to give developers grief over inclusive artwork because I think it can be done well (as a metaphor for player type diversity).

Now, for the criticisms. You have nanobots, bioengineered horrors, tech zombies, and robots all at the same time? These flavors conflict, which will make the outcome bland. Pick one and stick with it. And no matter what you do, I think you'll find the 2D20 system holding you back because it's yet another game engine with bland narrative metagame currencies baked in. In my opinion, this game looks to be worse than awful; it looks to be inoffensively mediocre. I can't riff off it enough to enjoy a bad game, and it doesn't look to stand on its own merit.

As mentioned Eclipse Phase has the Titan AIs and Nanobots.
Stars Without Number setting has the same.

The most surprising thing about the topic of this thread is that Modiphius actually created a setting for a change, rather than just nick an existing IP people would rather have played with anything else, only to straddle their garbage system onto it.

I wouldn't even give the OP's video views just cuz it's Modiphius.

Quote from: VisionStorm on June 25, 2023, 09:06:56 PMI wouldn't even give the OP's video views just cuz it's Modiphius.

That seems a bit harsh. I really don't care about any of their RPGs as I originally subscribed to Modiphius' YouTube because of their excelent Thunderbirds boardgame and their Fallout miniature game. Plus I appreciate their support of 3D printing which is something that few miniature game companies actually do.

BTW, there is a second video about Dreams&Machines which is an interview with the designers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVu9HBMsLSY&t=2640s