The Inside Scoop on Gaming

This review originally appeared in Alarums & Excursions (http://thestarport.com/xeno/aande.html).

I picked up the new Pharos Press edition because I had been curious about this game for a while. I never read the original edition, so I cannot comment on the differences with this new one.

For $30, you get a rule book (Lighting Press 7.5"x9.5" format) and two decks of cards (b&w on cardstock) shrink-wrapped together. There is no index, but a good table of contents. The layout is functional, though many typos are present and the organization could use significant improvement. The art is lackluster, but they did an excellent job of using the art to enhance the text. The layout feels as if the artist read through the book already laid out and made a picture specifically for every page.

Lace & Steel takes Western Europe of the 1640's and adds magic and fantasy races like half-horses (centaurs), satyrs, harpies, various faerie races, and others. The fantasy races did not grab me. The pictures that show centaurs and harpies in human-like dress looked rather silly. While the faerie races could make for interesting encounters and adventures, I did not think they added much to the game. Fortunately, like the faeries, dwarves, and dragons in Castle Falkenstein, Lace & Steel's races are easily ignored.

Magic exists side-by-side with matchlock pistols. Magic use is restricted to those characters with high Magic Aptitude scores. Magic is broken down into a number of schools: alchemy, artificiery, astrology, demonology, hedge magics, illusion, mental disciplines, necromancy, and sorcery (used for magical combat). A number of sample spells are listed for each school, enough to get a campaign rolling. As with GURPS Voodoo, the selection of spells captures the feel of the campaign well.

The 2d6 based system is moderate to light in complexity. While reading the rules, I kept thinking how easy it would be to translate to Fudge. GURPS GMs would probably take the Swashbuckler supplement and mix in some Magic and Fantasy Races and do their own thing anyway. Character creation is skill-based, and though rolling for stats is expected, they include Stephen O' Sullivan's point-based system in the back of the book.

The rules themselves are unremarkable, but contain some good concepts for moving the game focus away from combat. For instance, characters can have ties or antipathies to other characters, romantic ideals, God and country, etc. These give temporary adjustments to actions and can wax and wane through the campaign. There are even rules for adjusting a character's self image and how it effects social interactions and repartee "duels."

The cards are used for duels: one deck for swords (and similar weapons) and one deck for magic. You can even use the cards for repartee duels. While the card-based mechanic does allow for players to use tactics in duels, they also (as the author admits) increase the luck factor. My other quibble with the cards is that integrating character skill into the system is not as smooth as it should be. The rulebook also includes guidelines for mass combats, including ship-to-ship battles and how to integrate the PCs' actions into the outcome.

Tarot cards, not supplied with the game, are used in character creation and generating adventures. As with Everway, the deck is used for inspiration and guiding the character's personality and motivations. A good idea that is not essential to the game as a whole.

Lace & Steel suffers from the "this is Earth with the serial numbers shaved off" wart that I very much dislike in 7th Sea. Unfortunately, there is not enough information given for a long-running campaign; even a map of the world has been omitted. To its credit, Lace & Steel is playable with just the one book and does not contain any "secret, for GM eyes only" information.

The rules include two major adventures plus a number of adventure seeds. The action-based adventure makes the poor assumption that the PCs will be pressed into service aboard a ship, but is otherwise a good intro to the game. The court-based adventure centers around a masked ball and realistically splits the plot between male and female characters, giving each gender different objectives and perspectives on the events leading up to and during the ball.

Lace & Steel is a fine game and its heart is in the right place, but one that did not grab my interest in the way I had hoped. I did not find it as dated as Paul King commented to me last issue. Some elements are very reminiscent of games published in the mid-late 90's. There is not enough information for the beginning GM, but it would be a good introduction for new players. While I cannot recommend the game for most experienced roleplayers, I do recommend it as a solid game of its genre.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Lace & Steel
Author: Paul Kidd Category: game Company/Publisher: Pharos Press Line: Lace & Steel (why is this a mandatory field?) Cost: $30 Page count: 182 Capsule Review by Patrick Riley on 07/03/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	This review originally appeared in Alarums & Excursions (http://thestarport.com/xeno/aande.html). I picked up the new Pharos Press edition because I had been curious about this game for a while. I never read the original edition, so I cannot comment on the differences with this new one. For $30, you get a rule book (Lighting Press 7.5"x9.5" format) and two decks of cards (b&w on cardstock) shrink-wrapped together. There is no index, but a good table of contents. The layout is functional, though many typos are present and the organization could use significant improvement. The art is lackluster, but they did an excellent job of using the art to enhance the text. The layout feels as if the artist read through the book already laid out and made a picture specifically for every page. Lace & Steel takes Western Europe of the 1640's and adds magic and fantasy races like half-horses (centaurs), satyrs, harpies, various faerie races, and others. The fantasy races did not grab me. The pictures that show centaurs and harpies in human-like dress looked rather silly. While the faerie races could make for interesting encounters and adventures, I did not think they added much to the game. Fortunately, like the faeries, dwarves, and dragons in Castle Falkenstein, Lace & Steel's races are easily ignored. Magic exists side-by-side with matchlock pistols. Magic use is restricted to those characters with high Magic Aptitude scores. Magic is broken down into a number of schools: alchemy, artificiery, astrology, demonology, hedge magics, illusion, mental disciplines, necromancy, and sorcery (used for magical combat). A number of sample spells are listed for each school, enough to get a campaign rolling. As with GURPS Voodoo, the selection of spells captures the feel of the campaign well. The 2d6 based system is moderate to light in complexity. While reading the rules, I kept thinking how easy it would be to translate to Fudge. GURPS GMs would probably take the Swashbuckler supplement and mix in some Magic and Fantasy Races and do their own thing anyway. Character creation is skill-based, and though rolling for stats is expected, they include Stephen O' Sullivan's point-based system in the back of the book. The rules themselves are unremarkable, but contain some good concepts for moving the game focus away from combat. For instance, characters can have ties or antipathies to other characters, romantic ideals, God and country, etc. These give temporary adjustments to actions and can wax and wane through the campaign. There are even rules for adjusting a character's self image and how it effects social interactions and repartee "duels." The cards are used for duels: one deck for swords (and similar weapons) and one deck for magic. You can even use the cards for repartee duels. While the card-based mechanic does allow for players to use tactics in duels, they also (as the author admits) increase the luck factor. My other quibble with the cards is that integrating character skill into the system is not as smooth as it should be. The rulebook also includes guidelines for mass combats, including ship-to-ship battles and how to integrate the PCs' actions into the outcome. Tarot cards, not supplied with the game, are used in character creation and generating adventures. As with Everway, the deck is used for inspiration and guiding the character's personality and motivations. A good idea that is not essential to the game as a whole. Lace & Steel suffers from the "this is Earth with the serial numbers shaved off" wart that I very much dislike in 7th Sea. Unfortunately, there is not enough information given for a long-running campaign; even a map of the world has been omitted. To its credit, Lace & Steel is playable with just the one book and does not contain any "secret, for GM eyes only" information. The rules include two major adventures plus a number of adventure seeds. The action-based adventure makes the poor assumption that the PCs will be pressed into service aboard a ship, but is otherwise a good intro to the game. The court-based adventure centers around a masked ball and realistically splits the plot between male and female characters, giving each gender different objectives and perspectives on the events leading up to and during the ball. Lace & Steel is a fine game and its heart is in the right place, but one that did not grab my interest in the way I had hoped. I did not find it as dated as Paul King commented to me last issue. Some elements are very reminiscent of games published in the mid-late 90's. There is not enough information for the beginning GM, but it would be a good introduction for new players. While I cannot recommend the game for most experienced roleplayers, I do recommend it as a solid game of its genre. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)