The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Well...I must say since recovering from my last review, this was a breath of fresh air. I read up on a review of this from a Mr. Breton Stron and thought to myself, "What kind of game could fit into every possible genre tag?" Didn't take long after it arrived and I flipped through when I realize these guys were really onto something. "The game of game systems", as me and my friends have called it. Not too impressive on layout and format, but a good book much like an attractive lady makes up for the appearance. So what's in a book that's over 500 pages you might ask? Let me explain.

When I said, "The game of game systems" I meant it, I am in a group of seven guys and 3 girls, all recent college grads, so we're no dummies to this. The authors write on a sophisticated level to the extent that they know their target audience and they are directing it straight towards them, the long time rpg fans who grew bored of everything else on the market. So this is more than just a $50 investment, you probably should get a few "cheap" game systems, maybe out-of-print ones. Try writing to the authors of the rpg price guide I reviewed to see if they'd sell theirs for "book value"(heh heh). And run players through different game systems. Either that or run them through different forms of media, the book includes something called "The First Book Of Worlds" a book that has a number of different scenarios which I'll review in my next review, which I should also mention is a free bonus. That book includes some stuff from popular literature like Robin Hood, A Deadly Game, just to name a few plus some one called Naga World I believe to be an original concept by the authors, which was the strongest one. OOPS...I am getting to far into the next review, let me elaborate on the book I am supposed to be.

Multiverser is great, it ties all those dust-collecting games I have collected over the years and the ones I would give an outstanding review to still today into one well defined system. The authors also seem focused on making the same impact AD&D did on us, I am not sure why, but if I could offer any advice it is to stay clear of making something based on the success of something else and make something original, that philosophy only works for soft drinks. So far, we've got a game that ties all games together, and you may be asking how does it do this? Easily, well...sort of. The authors provide lots of explanation in dice curves, modifiers, etc., but I think the key lies in the ability score system. Everything is divided up in a way that any game can be converted because all game system stats are covered. In fact a game like AD&D which has proficiency slots, these slots would fall into a stat to make it easier. May sound unappealing through my words, but believe me, you'll like how it flows. This game is also written as an "I" game, since our characters came from other games, we never had the chance to try a starting character, but the rules as outlined are as past reviews have stated, there is room for improvement, so although an "I" game you advance in ability. >p> Does anything make this game original other than the system itself? Yes, absolutely. "Bias", something that affects items when they go from scenario to scenario is fun to toy with. "Scriff" is something else, something you get infected with that causes you to verse from world to world instead of dying, the concept which the game revolves around.

I saw this book has been in print for about a year and it was not listed in the price guide which I reviewed, maybe because the numbers are low in print, but I am not sure why this is. Based on the reviews I saw, there have been a lot of sales on this product. I expect to buy a second, mainly because they are signed and numbered, and I usually do this with rpgs I feel are collectable. This book has got the most promise as anything I have seen in 20 years and I'll stand by every word of it. Great work guys, I expect the relative unknowns who wrote this book will make a name for themselves with work like this.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Multiverser: The Game
Author: E.R.Jones and M. Joseph Young Category: game Company/Publisher: Valdron Inc. Cost: $49.95 Page count: 515 ISBN: http://members.aol.com/NagaWorld/mv.html Playtest Review by Grover Penn on 12/30/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Historical Horror Far_Future Space Comedy Anime Espionage Conspiracy Post-apocalypse Old_West Vampire Gothic Asian/Far_East Diceless Generic Live-action	Well...I must say since recovering from my last review, this was a breath of fresh air. I read up on a review of this from a Mr. Breton Stron and thought to myself, "What kind of game could fit into every possible genre tag?" Didn't take long after it arrived and I flipped through when I realize these guys were really onto something. "The game of game systems", as me and my friends have called it. Not too impressive on layout and format, but a good book much like an attractive lady makes up for the appearance. So what's in a book that's over 500 pages you might ask? Let me explain. When I said, "The game of game systems" I meant it, I am in a group of seven guys and 3 girls, all recent college grads, so we're no dummies to this. The authors write on a sophisticated level to the extent that they know their target audience and they are directing it straight towards them, the long time rpg fans who grew bored of everything else on the market. So this is more than just a $50 investment, you probably should get a few "cheap" game systems, maybe out-of-print ones. Try writing to the authors of the rpg price guide I reviewed to see if they'd sell theirs for "book value"(heh heh). And run players through different game systems. Either that or run them through different forms of media, the book includes something called "The First Book Of Worlds" a book that has a number of different scenarios which I'll review in my next review, which I should also mention is a free bonus. That book includes some stuff from popular literature like Robin Hood, A Deadly Game, just to name a few plus some one called Naga World I believe to be an original concept by the authors, which was the strongest one. OOPS...I am getting to far into the next review, let me elaborate on the book I am supposed to be. Multiverser is great, it ties all those dust-collecting games I have collected over the years and the ones I would give an outstanding review to still today into one well defined system. The authors also seem focused on making the same impact AD&D did on us, I am not sure why, but if I could offer any advice it is to stay clear of making something based on the success of something else and make something original, that philosophy only works for soft drinks. So far, we've got a game that ties all games together, and you may be asking how does it do this? Easily, well...sort of. The authors provide lots of explanation in dice curves, modifiers, etc., but I think the key lies in the ability score system. Everything is divided up in a way that any game can be converted because all game system stats are covered. In fact a game like AD&D which has proficiency slots, these slots would fall into a stat to make it easier. May sound unappealing through my words, but believe me, you'll like how it flows. This game is also written as an "I" game, since our characters came from other games, we never had the chance to try a starting character, but the rules as outlined are as past reviews have stated, there is room for improvement, so although an "I" game you advance in ability. >p> Does anything make this game original other than the system itself? Yes, absolutely. "Bias", something that affects items when they go from scenario to scenario is fun to toy with. "Scriff" is something else, something you get infected with that causes you to verse from world to world instead of dying, the concept which the game revolves around. I saw this book has been in print for about a year and it was not listed in the price guide which I reviewed, maybe because the numbers are low in print, but I am not sure why this is. Based on the reviews I saw, there have been a lot of sales on this product. I expect to buy a second, mainly because they are signed and numbered, and I usually do this with rpgs I feel are collectable. This book has got the most promise as anything I have seen in 20 years and I'll stand by every word of it. Great work guys, I expect the relative unknowns who wrote this book will make a name for themselves with work like this. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Multiverser: The Game