The Inside Scoop on Gaming

A quite impressive game which I found on the net at http://alpha-bits.ai.mit.edu/people/luke/cinis/index.html , Cinis is at present free for download at the location listed. This game presents a number of interesting ideas in an number of areas, and although I have yet to see how they bear out in play, they look like they will provide an improved environment over most games I am familair with

Character Creation

The first thing I noticed was that the classes function in a much different way than in most games. A player picks an occupation from a list of initial professions, and puts twelve skill points in his choice of skills allowed for this profession. This represents the first twelve years of his life. Next, he may choose to remain in the same profession, or change. All professions have certain entry requirements, and many require a roll to see whether a person can enter. You may change professions up to once a year, and each year after 12 you put a number of points equal to your Motivation in the applicable skills. You may continue this process as long as your GM will allow, but stats start to degrade at ages 21 and up. Stats are on the 3d12 scale for humans, whom the game is mainly assuming you will play. Other races exist, but their cultures are less developed and most professions would not make sense with a non-human.

After characters enter play, the classes they had during their development have no more role save to descibe their work. I like this because when an character has a Class and Level which determine what they can do, the mechanics are very hard to ignore, which detracts from the atmosphere. In Cinis, only skills and stats matter, and skills develop by use or training in a manner which resembles the way it would work in real life, but this mechanic looks like it could use some work.

Setting

This game is set in the world of Tigmar, a basically medieval setting where magic is outlawed and priests tend towards a fanatical bent. The setting is well detailed, and has a lot of possibilities. Several religions with a good feel for them exist, and the world is described with a lot of detail on various places with a realistic feel.

Magic

Here I was suprised again. Instead of giving lists of spells, it gives four fields, Physical, Spirit, Quality, and Modeling, and several Tools in each one. To cast a spell, you pick the tool which corresponds best, pick the amount and type of force, and apply modifiers for area, range, and duration. A few sample spells for each tool are provided, but you will have to make more on your own. This system is very difficult to learn, but has great potential. The only type of traditional spell you can't create is the old magic missile, lightning bolt sort of magical artillery, but I always thought that sort of thing makes magic lose it's magical feel anyways. The Quality field seems somewhat overpowered, and Modeling seems weak, but only playtesting will tell for sure. The section on Ritual Magic is next, with rules on magic rituals and a couple dozen examples, but I think the section could use more development especially on what types of components are needed and what happens if substitutions are made, but it is sill fairly good. A section on Alchemy deals with creating potions, poisons, and other such things, and gives a nice set of rules on how to do so. The section on Priestly magic is fairly good, containing Prayers and Rituals for various types of priests, but with only the existing prayers a wizard would have quite an advantage in flexibility over a priest, and a section on priests of Pranity, the second main religion, is notably absent.

Combat

The combat system uses no hitpoints, instead relying on a combination of penalties, stunning, and specific types of wounds to various parts of the body. The system takes account of armor on various parts of the body, bleeding, and shock, and uses Damage Tables which seem to me to be very similar to Rolemaster Critical charts. I wish more creatures were provided, but they are not too hard to make. Two things I like about this system are that a character who is the best known swordsman in the world is still just as hurt by a hit with a weapon as anyone else, and that combats tend to be quick affairs where the characters can get seriously wounded or killed. Sections on sleep deprival, fatigue, and starvation are also present, and seem fairly realistic.

Layout

The rules of this game exist as .pdf files, not books. I have some problems with the way some things are scattered around, so I wish the character creation section and the professions and skills were together instead of seperated by sections on money and the cost of goods, and the section on Faith magic should be with the rest of the priest stuff, but these are all minor gripes. I would suggest you find this game on the net and get it yourself. I am looking forward to trying it with my group.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Cinis
Author: Luke Wiesman, Todd Stewart Category: game Company/Publisher: n/a Line: n/a Cost: free for testing Page count: 329 Capsule Review by Eric Eves on 03/04/00. Genre tags: Fantasy	A quite impressive game which I found on the net at http://alpha-bits.ai.mit.edu/people/luke/cinis/index.html , Cinis is at present free for download at the location listed. This game presents a number of interesting ideas in an number of areas, and although I have yet to see how they bear out in play, they look like they will provide an improved environment over most games I am familair with Character Creation The first thing I noticed was that the classes function in a much different way than in most games. A player picks an occupation from a list of initial professions, and puts twelve skill points in his choice of skills allowed for this profession. This represents the first twelve years of his life. Next, he may choose to remain in the same profession, or change. All professions have certain entry requirements, and many require a roll to see whether a person can enter. You may change professions up to once a year, and each year after 12 you put a number of points equal to your Motivation in the applicable skills. You may continue this process as long as your GM will allow, but stats start to degrade at ages 21 and up. Stats are on the 3d12 scale for humans, whom the game is mainly assuming you will play. Other races exist, but their cultures are less developed and most professions would not make sense with a non-human. After characters enter play, the classes they had during their development have no more role save to descibe their work. I like this because when an character has a Class and Level which determine what they can do, the mechanics are very hard to ignore, which detracts from the atmosphere. In Cinis, only skills and stats matter, and skills develop by use or training in a manner which resembles the way it would work in real life, but this mechanic looks like it could use some work. Setting This game is set in the world of Tigmar, a basically medieval setting where magic is outlawed and priests tend towards a fanatical bent. The setting is well detailed, and has a lot of possibilities. Several religions with a good feel for them exist, and the world is described with a lot of detail on various places with a realistic feel. Magic Here I was suprised again. Instead of giving lists of spells, it gives four fields, Physical, Spirit, Quality, and Modeling, and several Tools in each one. To cast a spell, you pick the tool which corresponds best, pick the amount and type of force, and apply modifiers for area, range, and duration. A few sample spells for each tool are provided, but you will have to make more on your own. This system is very difficult to learn, but has great potential. The only type of traditional spell you can't create is the old magic missile, lightning bolt sort of magical artillery, but I always thought that sort of thing makes magic lose it's magical feel anyways. The Quality field seems somewhat overpowered, and Modeling seems weak, but only playtesting will tell for sure. The section on Ritual Magic is next, with rules on magic rituals and a couple dozen examples, but I think the section could use more development especially on what types of components are needed and what happens if substitutions are made, but it is sill fairly good. A section on Alchemy deals with creating potions, poisons, and other such things, and gives a nice set of rules on how to do so. The section on Priestly magic is fairly good, containing Prayers and Rituals for various types of priests, but with only the existing prayers a wizard would have quite an advantage in flexibility over a priest, and a section on priests of Pranity, the second main religion, is notably absent. Combat The combat system uses no hitpoints, instead relying on a combination of penalties, stunning, and specific types of wounds to various parts of the body. The system takes account of armor on various parts of the body, bleeding, and shock, and uses Damage Tables which seem to me to be very similar to Rolemaster Critical charts. I wish more creatures were provided, but they are not too hard to make. Two things I like about this system are that a character who is the best known swordsman in the world is still just as hurt by a hit with a weapon as anyone else, and that combats tend to be quick affairs where the characters can get seriously wounded or killed. Sections on sleep deprival, fatigue, and starvation are also present, and seem fairly realistic. Layout The rules of this game exist as .pdf files, not books. I have some problems with the way some things are scattered around, so I wish the character creation section and the professions and skills were together instead of seperated by sections on money and the cost of goods, and the section on Faith magic should be with the rest of the priest stuff, but these are all minor gripes. I would suggest you find this game on the net and get it yourself. I am looking forward to trying it with my group. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)