Forking this into its own thread.
To catch everyone up:
I said
QuoteI keep hearing good things about this one [Two Fisted Tales]. Can anyone give me their perspective on this game, after having played it a bit?
Is this the kind of game I could take the players to the hot jungles of Venus to partake in a big game hunt of aliens one week, have them pursue Solomon's gold through overgrown ruins filled with pigmi blow-dart wielding savages the next week, and wind up crashing a runaway train into the lost city of Atlantis while being chased by assassins from the orient sporting Fu Manchu mustache's the third week?
If you've played them, how does Two-Fisted Tales compare to games like Spirit of the Century, Hollow Earth Expedition, and Savage Worlds?
FlyingMice said:
QuoteIt's an awesome game, one my players and I both love. It is exactly this kind of game - with my group it was fighting intelligent gorillas in the Amazon one week, crashlanding on a Himalyan glacier and finding Shangri-La another week, and tracking down giant Sumatran rats in the sewers of Manhattan the next. Easy to run and easy to play, and perfect for sweet pulp goodness. Best of all, not a trace of that self-conscious campiness I detest!
Pundit said
QuoteIts better than any of those. I like the mechanics best out of all those others you mentioned, and unlike SoTC, 2FT was written by people who actually understood what is appealing about Pulp.
And KrakaJack said:
QuoteUmmm...I've played Savage Worlds. Savage Worlds, to me, is a game of mini's action, inspired by pulp stories(in a good way). Two-Fisted tales is a game about playing actual Pulp Stories. The system directly emulates the kinds of stories you'd find in Doc Savage, The Shadow, Sam Spade or Conan. IME the majority of it is diceless but not systemless and the Dice and occasionally card play reinforce the genre spectacularly.
So, tell me more about the system. How does character creation, for example, function to emulate pulp stories?
Does the game come with a decent sample adventure?
I would also be interested in any info you guys can offer about two fisted tales, as im seriously considering buying a copy later this week.
I hate getting involved in these threads since I really don't like pimping my stuff, but I can at least answer the questions on content. I'll let other people speak to how good the game is, but as far as creating characters goes, you basically pick a template (like an explorer, martial artist, detective, or wild man) which has almost ready-to-use stats and specialties. You then spend points (depending on the reality level) to increase abilities, and add specialties/masteries and schticks (like hypnotic powers, magic spells, martial disciplines, etc.). Pretty simple, but it allows you to really customize the type of character you want. And if you don't want to use a template, you can pretty much build a character from scratch.
The system is d10 - d10 + abilities/specialties/masteries. You need to beat specified target numbers. Bonus (+d10) and penalty dice (-d10) may be added depending on the circumstances. 9s are rerolled and added. You can also play cards (standard playing cards) which are dealt before play. Depending on the suit played, you can add or subtract to/from a roll, increase/decrease damage, etc. Again, it's nothing complicated, but it emulates the grand fortune and proportionally equal bad luck that pulp heroes run into.
There's also templates for villains and random adventure generators. There are currently two adventures available for the game, both from the Gripping Tales of the Impossible series (#1 Requiem in the Depths and #2 Crisis at the World's Fair). A third adventure (#3 Peril in the Skies) is currently in the editing stage. Additionally, a Film Noir sourcebook (Mean Streets) is planned, as is a Golden Supers book. Don't ask when they'll be available though -- it's slow going.
What the hell - I'm feeling generous. Here's a coupon for $10 off the Two-Fisted Tales (http://www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=46) softcover directly from Precis Intermedia. Just enter 56MFEURWYY at the checkout payment screen to get the discount. Anyone on the site that's interested can take advantage of this coupon, but it's set to expire at the end of the month. You can also get the Brutes Fantasy Miniatures Microgame for free with it, so remember to select it in your shopping cart.
I don't pimp at random. I think its a good solid game, barring I haven't yet run it. I still often fall back to Adventure!, for pulp. I'm going to try this out in the future though when I get a chance to run another pulp game.
Quote from: Silverlion;328881I don't pimp at random. I think its a good solid game, barring I haven't yet run it. I still often fall back to Adventure!, for pulp. I'm going to try this out in the future though when I get a chance to run another pulp game.
I have not heard of Adventure!, what's it like?
Quote from: brettmb;328875I hate getting involved in these threads since I really don't like pimping my stuff, but I can at least answer the questions on content. I'll let other people speak to how good the game is, but as far as creating characters goes, you basically pick a template (like an explorer, martial artist, detective, or wild man) which has almost ready-to-use stats and specialties. You then spend points (depending on the reality level) to increase abilities, and add specialties/masteries and schticks (like hypnotic powers, magic spells, martial disciplines, etc.). Pretty simple, but it allows you to really customize the type of character you want. And if you don't want to use a template, you can pretty much build a character from scratch.
The system is d10 - d10 + abilities/specialties/masteries. You need to beat specified target numbers. Bonus (+d10) and penalty dice (-d10) may be added depending on the circumstances. 9s are rerolled and added. You can also play cards (standard playing cards) which are dealt before play. Depending on the suit played, you can add or subtract to/from a roll, increase/decrease damage, etc. Again, it's nothing complicated, but it emulates the grand fortune and proportionally equal bad luck that pulp heroes run into.
There's also templates for villains and random adventure generators. There are currently two adventures available for the game, both from the Gripping Tales of the Impossible series (#1 Requiem in the Depths and #2 Crisis at the World's Fair). A third adventure (#3 Peril in the Skies) is currently in the editing stage. Additionally, a Film Noir sourcebook (Mean Streets) is planned, as is a Golden Supers book. Don't ask when they'll be available though -- it's slow going.
What the hell - I'm feeling generous. Here's a coupon for $10 off the Two-Fisted Tales (http://www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=46) softcover directly from Precis Intermedia. Just enter 56MFEURWYY at the checkout payment screen to get the discount. Anyone on the site that's interested can take advantage of this coupon, but it's set to expire at the end of the month. You can also get the Brutes Fantasy Miniatures Microgame for free with it, so remember to select it in your shopping cart.
Thank you very much both for the answers and for the discount offer. That's much appreciated!
Quote from: Mistwell;329047I have no heard of Adventure!, what's it like?
Besides out of print?
It leans more towards low power Supers so, if that is the type of game you want to play, and you like dice pools, it works well.
=
Adventure is the White Wolf (Storyteller) powered pulp game it was the last produced of their Trinity/Aberrant/Adventure line, but the first chronologically speaking. Its got a lot of good dieas and a few bad. In general it is easy to sue (As most WW games are easy to use) and it used the most balanced version iof the WW system.
It sets up the pulp world they detail, but its primary use is pulp rules, not the bzrely detailed alternate Earth they use. You have three "classes" that is three types of pulp heroes and that gives you various access to abilities (with the caveat the GM can make versions of any ability for any origin. Of course I'd just ignore the restrictions anyway.)
The three types were
Daredevil/Heroic(skilled normal, with feat like abilities)
Mesmerist (psychic) and
Stalwart (Low powered superhero)
On top of that you picked powers/special abilities for each archetype/class (these could be things like you can take on several foes at once with no game penalty so they're marginal "super" powers at best)
Mechanically speaking you rolled stat+skill and looked ro4r 7's or higher, and you had to get so many of those to pass task checks. You failed if you didn't get enough.
It had a better bibliography than Spirit of the Century, but failed to provide enough information on multiple planes. A big failing in pulp games is to ignore that perfectly important part of the "pulp" era, the fascination with and wonders of air travel.)
I liked its basic mechanics better than FATE/SOTC system, which I think is why I've stuck with it more often than not, and it doesn't require weird reading of the dice, or new dice. (Hollow Earth Expedition.)
Understand, I'm not saying its better than Two Fisted Tales, just more comfortable. Plus I'm not fond of rolling and subtracting, even Alternity bothered me with that issue--it doesn't mean I won't run or like the game, just that its mechanics get me less enthused.
Quote from: Silverlion;329212Adventure is the White Wolf (Storyteller) powered pulp game it was the last produced of their Trinity/Aberrant/Adventure line, but the first chronologically speaking. Its got a lot of good dieas and a few bad. In general it is easy to sue (As most WW games are easy to use) and it used the most balanced version iof the WW system.
There was also a D20 version, which wasn't really as good mechanically -- lots of intriguing ways to chump the system -- but which did turn out to be a rocking way to run a pulp game for a bunch of friends who knew D&D but were leery of Storyteller systems.
Two-Fisted Tales is fast and intuitive enough to begin play with a minimum of fuss, and yet thorough and detailed enough (both in mechanics and fluff / context) to keep you interested for a good long time.
Literally, my only gripe is that the art is split between original art and what appears to be some public domain pulp illustrations, and there's a really noticeable difference in quality.
Really great game, IMO, well worth full price, much less with discount. :)
(If you're into the more noir end of things, Mean Streets, also by Precis, is really good too...)
Quote from: brettmb;328875What the hell - I'm feeling generous. Here's a coupon for $10 off the Two-Fisted Tales (http://www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=46) softcover directly from Precis Intermedia. Just enter 56MFEURWYY at the checkout payment screen to get the discount. Anyone on the site that's interested can take advantage of this coupon, but it's set to expire at the end of the month. You can also get the Brutes Fantasy Miniatures Microgame for free with it, so remember to select it in your shopping cart.
Wow. Just some more reasons why YOU ROCK MAN. :cool:
No I have no excuses left for not buying TFT.
That's really cool what Brett just did.
Thanks, man.
Hm. There is a tremendously good chance I will now be picking this up.
I ordered a copy along with the 2 adventures this afternoon from leisure games. So i now have something good to read through while im stuck without net access for a couple weeks...heck i may even get to play a game or 2 :)
Quote from: brettmb;328875What the hell - I'm feeling generous. Here's a coupon for $10 off the Two-Fisted Tales (http://www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=46) softcover directly from Precis Intermedia. Just enter 56MFEURWYY at the checkout payment screen to get the discount. Anyone on the site that's interested can take advantage of this coupon, but it's set to expire at the end of the month. You can also get the Brutes Fantasy Miniatures Microgame for free with it, so remember to select it in your shopping cart.
Another reason you rock, Brett. Well, generosity AND the great games.
That's a great deal!
The awesome thing about TFT is how scalable it is. I mean, we've used it for goofy Venture Brothers-esque one shots, but you can also really make it a grittier game. It also seems to really "get" pulp--I don't claim to be an expert on it, but if you're going for the popular references and stories of the 30s and 40s, such elements as Schticks make it very easy to get what you want.
In short, light but not hand-wavey, detailed but not a clunker mechanically. I'd say this remains probably my favorite Precis Intermedia product to date.
Such praise. It may go to my head :)
BTW, the upcoming Gripping Tales #3 has Sky Pirates.
Brett, out of curiosity, are the Gripping Tales written with pregens in mind, or designed for players to insert their own PCs?
Quote from: Tommy Brownell;329448Brett, out of curiosity, are the Gripping Tales written with pregens in mind, or designed for players to insert their own PCs?
Since characters are really easy and quick to make, players are intended to create their own. They are specifically pulp heroes for this adventure series.
Mean Streets is very gritty, and pretty much an essential book not only if you want to run a Noir campaign, but also a gritty Mobsters campaign.
RPGPundit
Quote from: brettmb;329450Since characters are really easy and quick to make, players are intended to create their own. They are specifically pulp heroes for this adventure series.
Excellent. I hate adventures built around pregens, because I can't use them without modifying the adventure a fair bit, because my players want to play their characters and not someone else's characters.
Quote from: Tommy Brownell;329900Excellent. I hate adventures built around pregens, because I can't use them without modifying the adventure a fair bit, because my players want to play their characters and not someone else's characters.
I feel the same way. There are some guidelines to the sorts of heroes the players should portray, but nothing too constricting.
Quote from: brettmb;329907I feel the same way. There are some guidelines to the sorts of heroes the players should portray, but nothing too constricting.
Very cool. I find that MUCH more usable. The gang had their interest piqued when I showed them the cover to Spirit of the Century, so I know I have interest in pulp style action among the group...
As I just mentioned in the Mean Streets thread, Brett got some of my money tonight...bought Two-Fisted Tales and Iron Gauntlets, now he's got me on the ropes about Mean Streets...=(
So with the deal Brett offered on Two Fisted Tales, I realized that I just couldn't pass it up. One of the first independent PDF games I ever bought was Earth A.D., so PIG has been on my radar for some time. All that time I was on the fence about TFT. It was one of those games that flitted about at the edge of my nerdvision. "Cards," I thought, yecch!" But I never really tried that hard to find out about the game for some reason. Well, I finally shook the cash out of the paypal kitty and my copy of TFT finally arrived today. I've been absorbing it rapidly. Man, I don't know why I avoided it for so long! I've been a fool!
While I waited for TFT to arrive, I flipped through my copy of Spirit of the Century. I desperately want to love that game, but there's just something about it that doesn't give me the same level of Holy Crap! excitement that just leafing through TFT this afternoon has. Maybe it's because part of me agrees with Pundit about Sotc missing the pulp mark and getting too tangled up in story fondling. Maybe it's because I never got around to buying fudge dice, I don't know.
Anyway, Thanks to everyone in this thread for helping me discover a new game! Most of all, thanks to Brett for pushing me off the fence with his great deal.
Quote from: hairygumby;333272So with the deal Brett offered on Two Fisted Tales, I realized that I just couldn't pass it up. One of the first independent PDF games I ever bought was Earth A.D., so PIG has been on my radar for some time. All that time I was on the fence about TFT. It was one of those games that flitted about at the edge of my nerdvision. "Cards," I thought, yecch!" But I never really tried that hard to find out about the game for some reason. Well, I finally shook the cash out of the paypal kitty and my copy of TFT finally arrived today. I've been absorbing it rapidly. Man, I don't know why I avoided it for so long! I've been a fool!
While I waited for TFT to arrive, I flipped through my copy of Spirit of the Century. I desperately want to love that game, but there's just something about it that doesn't give me the same level of Holy Crap! excitement that just leafing through TFT this afternoon has. Maybe it's because part of me agrees with Pundit about Sotc missing the pulp mark and getting too tangled up in story fondling. Maybe it's because I never got around to buying fudge dice, I don't know.
Anyway, Thanks to everyone in this thread for helping me discover a new game! Most of all, thanks to Brett for pushing me off the fence with his great deal.
Ya know, I am almost in the same boat there. In fact, I had just gotten Spirit of the Century myself a few weeks ago and, like you, just really wanted to like it...but was having some kinda barrier.
The PDF for Two Fisted Tales has been pretty sweet, and I'm really looking forward to the printed book (which will also have Iron Gauntlets, which I also want to check out, and Brutes, which I am hoping I can play with my son)...
My reactions once the physical order will ultimately decide how much more money I drop on PIG (Mean Streets and Ghost Stories are looking awfully tempting)...
It really is a great game. I can get away saying that since I didn't write it :)
Thanks!
Maybe I should run discounts on a regular basis :)
Glad to have been of service.
RPGPundit
Just a reminder that the $10 coupon I presented in this thread expires in a few days.
Quote from: brettmb;334817Just a reminder that the $10 coupon I presented in this thread expires in a few days.
If you like pulp games, and especially if you have tried Adventure! or Spirits of the Century and didn't care for them, you should probably take advantage of this.
And I don't mean to pimp myself too hard, but I wrote and illustrated the interior of More Pulp Villains for 2-Fisted Tales, so if you like the game, you might want to give that a look too. It has 8 customizable villains in it that will give you several different ways to use each of them.
Quote from: samurai007;334853And I don't mean to pimp myself too hard, but I wrote and illustrated the interior of More Pulp Villains for 2-Fisted Tales, so if you like the game, you might want to give that a look too. It has 8 customizable villains in it that will give you several different ways to use each of them.
And is a fun little booklet. ;)