The Inside Scoop on Gaming

When shopping for a new, innovative RPG, consider dodging the huge game moguls and picking up something from one of the smaller companies. As a matter of fact, look at Two-Fisted Tales - it's free.

Two-Fisted Tales, by Matt Stevens, reenacts the madcap and lurid pulp stories of the 30's and 40's. A character can be a hard-boiled private eye, ala Sam Spade, or a mighty two-fisted scientist like "Doc" Savage. Feisty heroines and masked vigilantes all join together to go on wild adventures, battle evil, and fall madly in love.

Two-Fisted Tales manages to bring all of the excitement of rampage of the pulps to your living room table. The game system is amazingly simple and playable. Instead of using a fistful of dice, the game has a custom-made deck of cards that can be simulated with percentile dice, if you don't want the speed and style that come with the cards (or don't feel like making them). The system does not try to beat the players (or GM) with rules and statistics, instead allowing for near-instant combat resolution and quick tests of skill.

The character templates included with the game go on for pages, and cover almost every aspect of the pulps. Any character, from The Shadow to Tarzan, can be generated quickly and with ease.

The book does not include, unfortunately, any adventure hooks or ideas. The referee can access the Pulp Earth site for some ideas, but there is little support for the game right now. However, with thousands of pulps to choose from, a referee should have little trouble finding ideas to entertain his players and lead them on daring escapades against the forces of diabolical evil - and end in a cliffhanger every week, too.

Overall, the game is thoroughly playable and exciting, with all the feel of the pulps built into the rules. The lack of support material can be easily forgiven, because the game is excelsior on its own. And if you can't think of anything to challenge your players, go to the Pulp Earth site (http://www.columbia.edu/~mfs10/Pulp_Earth/index.html) and get all you need.

The game is available at http://www.columbia.edu/~mfs10/twofistedtales.html, Check it out - it's worth your time.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Two Fisted Tales
Author: Matt Stevens Category: game Company/Publisher: Free on the Web Line: N/A Cost: Free Page count: 124 ISBN: N/A SKU: N/A Playtest Review by Matt Drake on 11/04/99. Genre tags: Modern_day Diceless	When shopping for a new, innovative RPG, consider dodging the huge game moguls and picking up something from one of the smaller companies. As a matter of fact, look at Two-Fisted Tales - it's free. Two-Fisted Tales, by Matt Stevens, reenacts the madcap and lurid pulp stories of the 30's and 40's. A character can be a hard-boiled private eye, ala Sam Spade, or a mighty two-fisted scientist like "Doc" Savage. Feisty heroines and masked vigilantes all join together to go on wild adventures, battle evil, and fall madly in love. Two-Fisted Tales manages to bring all of the excitement of rampage of the pulps to your living room table. The game system is amazingly simple and playable. Instead of using a fistful of dice, the game has a custom-made deck of cards that can be simulated with percentile dice, if you don't want the speed and style that come with the cards (or don't feel like making them). The system does not try to beat the players (or GM) with rules and statistics, instead allowing for near-instant combat resolution and quick tests of skill. The character templates included with the game go on for pages, and cover almost every aspect of the pulps. Any character, from The Shadow to Tarzan, can be generated quickly and with ease. The book does not include, unfortunately, any adventure hooks or ideas. The referee can access the Pulp Earth site for some ideas, but there is little support for the game right now. However, with thousands of pulps to choose from, a referee should have little trouble finding ideas to entertain his players and lead them on daring escapades against the forces of diabolical evil - and end in a cliffhanger every week, too. Overall, the game is thoroughly playable and exciting, with all the feel of the pulps built into the rules. The lack of support material can be easily forgiven, because the game is excelsior on its own. And if you can't think of anything to challenge your players, go to the Pulp Earth site (http://www.columbia.edu/~mfs10/Pulp_Earth/index.html) and get all you need. The game is available at http://www.columbia.edu/~mfs10/twofistedtales.html, Check it out - it's worth your time. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Two Fisted Tales