Whimsy Cards - 2nd Edition Capsule Review by Larry Bullock on 24/07/01
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)
Need a way to get newbies involved with the game...

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Product: Whimsy Cards - 2nd Edition
Author: Jonathan Tweet, Mark Rein*Hagen
Category: RPG
Company/Publisher: Lion Rampant
Line: Supplement
Cost:
Page count: 4 ( 47 cards)
Year published: 1987
ISBN:
SKU:
Comp copy?: no
Capsule Review by Larry Bullock on 24/07/01
Genre tags: Generic

Whimsy Cards - 2nd Edition
Review
by Larry Bullock

What The?!

Whimsy Cards are a roleplaying supplement designed to allow players more input into the workings of a game. The basic concept is, sometimes players come up with better ideas than the GM, why not give them an outlet to use that creativity to expand upon the game?

The rulesheet (it's only a piece of large paper folded in half to make up a 4 page pamplet) is quick and to the point. Only the first 2 pages contain the rules--a section on notes To the Player, To the Gamemaster, Starting Out, The Deck, and Free Play. The last pages contain examples of use and ads for upcoming Lion Rampant products (Ars Magica (now published elsewhere), The Compleat Castle (don't know if I ever saw this), and (in the works) Mindscape.

So what do you do with them?

The basics of Whimsy use is simple, at the beginning of a game, the GM will give each player a number of Whimsy cards (usually a low number, especially for beginners). Anytime during the game, a player may elect to play one of their Whimsies.

When a player chooses to play a Whimsy, they take the description idea from the card and "play" it. For a brief, shining moment, the player is in charge of the game and can alter game events (encounters, NPC reactions, etc.). In order to keep the game in line, the GM is allowed to veto or edit the changes (in order to prevent adventure short circuit), and players can veto anything you do to their characters.

Here's a sample card:

A player may take the Sloth card to modify the story so that the caravan they've been trying to catch up with slows down (maybe a wagon lost a wheel or something) thus incresing the odds of catching it.

The bulk of the rules are there to make sure players and GMs know how to not let Whimsey's take control of a game. They are full of suggestions and examples.

The Bottom Line

Overall, the Style of the Whimsy Cards is Average. What do you expect from 47 cards (with average artwork) and a folded piece of paper? However, the Substance is Excellent. Whimsy cards are a great way to help introduce people to the world of roleplaying. Most people are used to games that involve cards (Monopoly Chance and Community Chest cards), and having a card with an idea of something to do can really help out a roleplaying newbie.

What do you think?

What do you think of Whimsy Cards or my review? Please use the forums to let me know.