Cutthroat: The Shadow Wars RPG
a game review by Randy McIntire

Thieves. The very mention of the word may conjure up mixed emotions. While personally I detest real-world thieves, I've always had a fond spot in my heart for the classic "Robin Hood" tales. And as such, I fancy playing them in Dungeons & Dragons, Rolemaster, and any other FRPG I play. Their mystique and cleverness has always intrigued me. The elusiveness and adroitness seems so much funner than brawny, sword totting ego-mania (as opposed to conniving, shadow slinking ego-mania).

It all started in November of this year (1999), when the GM of our gaming group introduced a new game system to us. At the time we were playing an AD&D thief campaign that I was just getting used to. My character's backstab multiplier had recently been increased to x3. I was excited to see it in use. I didn't want to switch to another system in my shining hour. But I begrudgingly took a look at the cover of this new RPG -- "Cutthroat: The Shadow Wars".

I asked the GM where he dug this game up and he said he came across it on the Internet one day while looking for supplements for thief RPGs. After looking through the rulebook, I was impressed. For a "nobody" game company this game sure had it's act together. The cover was slick and the interior illustrations were very good. Closer investigation of the core rules revealed some interesting mechanics that played off of traditional style mechanics. I began to think that maybe this game *could* offer us a more interesting thief campaign to play in other than AD&D. A short time after, sure enough, our gaming group was fully immersed in this new game from Storm World Games.

I've broken down the key elements of the game for those mechanic freaks out there. Each element of the game is rated on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being perfect. The reason I did this is because there are things that bug me about the game, but I would not and could not call it "average" (as indicated in the Substance Rating), just as I could not in good faith say it was "meaty" or "excellent":

Core Engine (7/10): Skill driven, d20 (High) based. That is everything in the game is based on "the check". You roll 1d20 ("the bone") and add any modifiers. Then compare it to a difficulty number. Simple and easy to learn, with flexibility. Since I prefer d20 based games, this was right up my alley. Albeit not too creative, the system works fluidly and without too many problems. It features a clever "why didn't I think of that" attribute system that fully integrates into the skill system.

Combat Engine (8/10): Deadly and very deadly. My advise; don't fight unless you have too. If a fight does occur, resolving it is very simple and fast (I'm not just saying that either). I've played other so called "simple and fast" games before and this one is definitely what it says. The first trial combat our group did before we actually started playing the game went by very quickly. I was like, "What the hell just happend?"

The game does not use an ablative approach to damage (i.e. hit points). Each hit has a chance of killing it's target, regardless of weapon used or the target's toughness. Naturally, the bigger the weapon the more likely death will occur. Just as the bigger the target, the less likely death will occur. This is what makes up the Sudden Death(TM) combat system, the system used for CTSW. I found that the use of Luck points is the only thing that ends up keeping characters that fight alive through missions and adventures. So in a sense, that is sort of an "ablative" approach. Kinda. At any rate, it's still far more realistic than AD&D and still accomodates for that "heroic" element that keeps AD&D players from playing other realistic (read: complex) games.

Magic Engine (4/10): Underdeveloped, but promising. I like the system for it's freedom, but there's something that annoys me about it. Can't place my finger on it yet. I think I simply have the traditional AD&D spell system permanently etched into my noggin. The game does not use pre-made skills or spell lists. The players are given "Spellcrafting" rules on how to design custom spells based on a list of various spell effects. I think this was simply an attempt to skimp on the magic system. Our GM loves the system, because he can throw any type of spell at us and we can't say things like "Hey that's not in the book!" or "Fireballs can't do that!". So far, this aspect of the game is the only thing that dampened my impression of it (along with a few other minor things).

Setting (6/10): Interesting and intriguing. Provides a very good atmosphere in which to game in. While it is not as rich and diverse as some other commercial campaign settings, it gives allusions that there is "something else out there". It is very clear that this world has things going on being the scenes that are not being discussed in the rulebook. Perhaps additional supplements will fill in the gaps in the future. I hope so.

As for other aspects of the setting, it is rich with all your favorite beasties and fantasy races (well, almost all). Players can chose to be one of several races;

Drethmoch — giants from the northern wastes. They stand about 7 feet tall. Good head clobberers.
Elves — no fantasy campaign is complete without 'em. Chose from three types.
Humans — run o'the mill homo sapiens.
Rohyrians — albino-like humans from the deep forests.
Dwarves — not your traditional sort (they're actually small humans). Think carnival or Snow White.
Lupins — small elf-like creatures. Pranksters.
Skravoch — my personal favorite. Perhaps the most unique aspect to CTSW is the ratmen of Skaev.

Style (9/10): Excellent. It reminds me all sorts of fun things. I know it sounds weird, but it reminds me of classic D&D. The rulebook is actually very slick and professional looking compared to older D&D products — So I'm not quite sure where this comes from. There's also a "neo-fantasy" element to the game. It doesn't have a very strong medieval flavor, nor does it have a "high fantasy" feeling either. It's a gritty 90's version of a fantasy medieval world.

Prognosis (Average Score 6.8)— Above Average.
Overall, the game is very fun and I will continue to play through the campaign we are currently running with it. If the game proves to be well supported by the company that produces it (Storm World Games, Inc.) I will continue to play it indefinitely. I am a discriminating gamer and can be very critical on newer games and this one definitely has caught my attention. It grows on you like a bad wart. Well maybe that's a little too weird. Let's just say I like the game very much and am eager to see what's in store for it.

Just for the reader's reference, our AD&D campaign dissolved to play this game, since it provided a better gaming environment and is better suited for roguish campaigns. This game comes highly recommended if you like thief campaigns with a neo-traditional fantasy appeal.

Visit the Storm World Games website ( http://www.stormworldgames.com )
or the official CTSW website ( http://www.stormworldgames.com/cutthroat )
for more information on the game.