The Inside Scoop on Gaming

One might think Forge: Out of Chaos got it's name from the fact it is forged out of the chaos called Dungeons and Dragons second edition. It seems to have taken the game and sampled it like what is done in current music trends. Though not bad at all in content, it runs like a customized AD&D campaign and let's see why that is.

The book begins with a back story, nothing spectacular but an entertaining piece. It next goes into the stats. The stats are where the Dungeons and Dragons "sampling" is most visible. Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence are present. Ensight is basically Wisdom. Stamina pretty much is their pseudonym for Constitution. But they've added a few: Awareness, which is perception; Speed which is just that; Power, magic ability; and lastly Luck, a stat-based saving throw. Very inspired by the first RPG to become a household name.

The next major part of the book was the races. The races in this game are somewhat puzzling. There is little balance involved. Some are really playable and I could see running parties where everyone would want to play one particular race. Others wouldn't interest players at all and are weak by comparison. On the flip side of the coin, the system allows for race alterations and this nearly makes up for the off balancedness of them.

After races, the next part of the book that really stood out was skills. The section on skills was extremely well-done. It has such an adequete amount of material and is not overdone. definitely the strongest point in the entire book proving to me the writers show a lot of promise.

The next section that runs a close second as well put-together was the referees' section. Very workable for any referee and a lot of good information densely packed into a minimal amount of pages. Definitely another strong point of the book.

Following the referees' section is the magic section. The magic they have created is done very interestingly and pretty good. Although, not too original it is more traditional. The type of magic you have depends on the school you study under that stems from different gods. The system in itself is excellent(spell points determined by level). And since I have the comparison throughout the review, the mages in this game seem a lot more powerful than the ones in AD&D, but that can be viewed as good and bad. Although I am praising this part of the game, I also feel it is the most flawed. In the opening story we are given the idea that magic is a rarity, almost in the way psionics was in the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons. For being so rare it takes up two-thirds of the rulebook. It just doesn't add up in my mind.

The final section to be reviewed is the monsters. Somewhat likeable, but nothing more than typical RPG monsters. They don't seem inspired and almost like a rushed product at the end of the book. If you want monsters that are original try Multiverser: The First Book of Worlds and look in the Trystan's Labyrinth section.

Overall, the layout is extremely impressive and very professional(keep up the good work!). The art is great and a throwback to art of earlier rpgs. All in all, the book seems to be the beginning of something. I definitely will continue to support the line because I feel they are on the right track and do a good job of listening to their customers and critics. I have exchanged emails with them frequently on the status of their review and they answered with prompt response.

I look forward to reviewing the World of Juravia through their new club membership program ($9.95/yr) which Basement Games releases source material over the course of the year. This material includes:

1) 26 Dungeon Architects - small 8-10 room structures for the Ref to alter, adapt, and use.

2) 26 Agminsters - new discoveries, skills, roots, etc.

3) 26 Tales From Cross Haven - rumors about what is happening in the world.

4) 4 Mini-Modules - small 8-11 page illustrated scenarios that are designed to last 3-5 hours.

5) 5 Kingdom Packets that include economies, judicial systems, towns, cities, people, trade routes, etc.

#s 1-4 plug into #5 to make an "evolving" campaign world. Members can come to the site each week, download material, plug it into their campaign, and run with it. Over 300 pages of source material, which I feel is a bargain.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Forge: Out Of Chaos
Author: The Brotherhood(Mike, Paul and Mark Kibbe) Category: game Company/Publisher: Basement Games Unlimited, LLC Line: Forge: Out Of Chaos Page count: 202 ISBN: 1-892294-00-1 SKU: BGU 1001 Capsule Review by Willard Bowzer on 07/01/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	One might think Forge: Out of Chaos got it's name from the fact it is forged out of the chaos called Dungeons and Dragons second edition. It seems to have taken the game and sampled it like what is done in current music trends. Though not bad at all in content, it runs like a customized AD&D campaign and let's see why that is. The book begins with a back story, nothing spectacular but an entertaining piece. It next goes into the stats. The stats are where the Dungeons and Dragons "sampling" is most visible. Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence are present. Ensight is basically Wisdom. Stamina pretty much is their pseudonym for Constitution. But they've added a few: Awareness, which is perception; Speed which is just that; Power, magic ability; and lastly Luck, a stat-based saving throw. Very inspired by the first RPG to become a household name. The next major part of the book was the races. The races in this game are somewhat puzzling. There is little balance involved. Some are really playable and I could see running parties where everyone would want to play one particular race. Others wouldn't interest players at all and are weak by comparison. On the flip side of the coin, the system allows for race alterations and this nearly makes up for the off balancedness of them. After races, the next part of the book that really stood out was skills. The section on skills was extremely well-done. It has such an adequete amount of material and is not overdone. definitely the strongest point in the entire book proving to me the writers show a lot of promise. The next section that runs a close second as well put-together was the referees' section. Very workable for any referee and a lot of good information densely packed into a minimal amount of pages. Definitely another strong point of the book. Following the referees' section is the magic section. The magic they have created is done very interestingly and pretty good. Although, not too original it is more traditional. The type of magic you have depends on the school you study under that stems from different gods. The system in itself is excellent(spell points determined by level). And since I have the comparison throughout the review, the mages in this game seem a lot more powerful than the ones in AD&D, but that can be viewed as good and bad. Although I am praising this part of the game, I also feel it is the most flawed. In the opening story we are given the idea that magic is a rarity, almost in the way psionics was in the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons. For being so rare it takes up two-thirds of the rulebook. It just doesn't add up in my mind. The final section to be reviewed is the monsters. Somewhat likeable, but nothing more than typical RPG monsters. They don't seem inspired and almost like a rushed product at the end of the book. If you want monsters that are original try Multiverser: The First Book of Worlds and look in the Trystan's Labyrinth section. Overall, the layout is extremely impressive and very professional(keep up the good work!). The art is great and a throwback to art of earlier rpgs. All in all, the book seems to be the beginning of something. I definitely will continue to support the line because I feel they are on the right track and do a good job of listening to their customers and critics. I have exchanged emails with them frequently on the status of their review and they answered with prompt response. I look forward to reviewing the World of Juravia through their new club membership program ($9.95/yr) which Basement Games releases source material over the course of the year. This material includes: 1) 26 Dungeon Architects - small 8-10 room structures for the Ref to alter, adapt, and use. 2) 26 Agminsters - new discoveries, skills, roots, etc. 3) 26 Tales From Cross Haven - rumors about what is happening in the world. 4) 4 Mini-Modules - small 8-11 page illustrated scenarios that are designed to last 3-5 hours. 5) 5 Kingdom Packets that include economies, judicial systems, towns, cities, people, trade routes, etc. #s 1-4 plug into #5 to make an "evolving" campaign world. Members can come to the site each week, download material, plug it into their campaign, and run with it. Over 300 pages of source material, which I feel is a bargain. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 3 (Average)

Forge: Out Of Chaos