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I bought the Hackmaster Players Handbook the other day and read it cover to cover. Granted, that's not a typical procedure when getting a new RPG, but this was supposed to be a funny, satircal look at roleplaying games. Or so I thought.

I'm familiar with Knights of the Dinner Table much in the same way I'm familiar with the television show ER. I know it's popular, has a large fanbase, and what its subject matter is. In the case of KOTD it's obviously about geeks playing RPGs. That's where my experience ends. I've never actually read the comic, or had any idea what Hackmaster was supposed to be. The local gamestore owner told me it was "hilarious" and based on a game the characters in KOTD play. What the hell, I thought, 30 bucks for a huge book full of humor.

The cover looks like the old AD&D Players Handbook. I got a chuckle out of that. So far so good. Opening the book, I was presented with a dedication to Timothy Garrett "Gary" Jackson, Sr. I have no clue who the hell that is, but another slightly familiar picture gave another chuckle. Then, "Reality Check, A Disclaimer". Something about not taking this game seriously, blah blah blah. For a game of satire, it is sure trying to be Politically Correct. The joke at the end of the disclaimer didn't do much to make me think otherwise. Another page turn and a fake letter from Jo Jo Zeke that is intended to be humorous, but isn't. I started to get worried at this point. The Introduction reminds me of the old PHB, but with attempts at being funny. Granted, some of it IS funny, but there is a sense of "We mean this to be funny, but it's still a real game". In fact, the rest of the book carries on in much the same manner. There are gleams of truly hilarious material overshadowed by "But you can actually play this, please take us seriously!" garbage that makes the whole thing a pain in the ass to read. Appendix L: All Things Dice is a prime example. While tongue-in-cheek, there is an attitude that really makes you think some of the writers believe this crap. Maybe that's intended (like I said, I never read the comic), but it's still annoying.

From a purely mechanical standpoint, it's a mish-mash of AD&D 1st and 2nd editions. Anyone familiar with those games should be able to play Hackmaster without any problem. There isn't enough difference in HM to bother buying it if you already have most of the 1st edition books (if, in fact, you want to actually play the game). I get the sense that the designers were responsible for SenZar, then got a license to actually do an AD&D game, but that's just me.

Overall, the book is reasonably attractive, the art is decent (the illustration depicting the various races in a barroom brawl on page 26 is priceless) and the writing is clear. It's just not that interesting, or that funny. For 30 bucks, even if I have no clue what HM is supposed to be and have never heard of KOTD, I should be moderately entertained. Paranoia is a game that I still read today and laugh outloud. Hackmaster will, at most, get a smirk or a grin from time to time.

My own opinions on this game are probably irrelevant to the millions(?) of KOTD fans out there who will gleefully buy it and laugh their heads off. As such, I don't intend that they even read this review. For the other gamers who have seen HM sitting on the shelf and have pondered buying it, one word of advice: Don't. At 400 pages, it's quite a thick book, and actually seems like a good value for your RPG dollar, but after the initial "Haha, it's AD&D" phase is over, all you're left with is a huge book of cliches and stale jokes we've all heard for 20 years.

Hackmaster Players Guide
Hackmaster Players Guide Capsule Review by Brad Everman on 27/07/01 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 2 (Sparse) Hackmaster: Genius Work of Satire Or Thirty Dollar Mistake? Product: Hackmaster Players Guide Author: Jolly R. Blackburn et al Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Kenzer and Company Line: Hackmaster Cost: $29.99 Page count: 400 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 1-889182-36-2 SKU: K&C2100 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Brad Everman on 27/07/01 Genre tags: Fantasy Comedy	I bought the Hackmaster Players Handbook the other day and read it cover to cover. Granted, that's not a typical procedure when getting a new RPG, but this was supposed to be a funny, satircal look at roleplaying games. Or so I thought. I'm familiar with Knights of the Dinner Table much in the same way I'm familiar with the television show ER. I know it's popular, has a large fanbase, and what its subject matter is. In the case of KOTD it's obviously about geeks playing RPGs. That's where my experience ends. I've never actually read the comic, or had any idea what Hackmaster was supposed to be. The local gamestore owner told me it was "hilarious" and based on a game the characters in KOTD play. What the hell, I thought, 30 bucks for a huge book full of humor. The cover looks like the old AD&D Players Handbook. I got a chuckle out of that. So far so good. Opening the book, I was presented with a dedication to Timothy Garrett "Gary" Jackson, Sr. I have no clue who the hell that is, but another slightly familiar picture gave another chuckle. Then, "Reality Check, A Disclaimer". Something about not taking this game seriously, blah blah blah. For a game of satire, it is sure trying to be Politically Correct. The joke at the end of the disclaimer didn't do much to make me think otherwise. Another page turn and a fake letter from Jo Jo Zeke that is intended to be humorous, but isn't. I started to get worried at this point. The Introduction reminds me of the old PHB, but with attempts at being funny. Granted, some of it IS funny, but there is a sense of "We mean this to be funny, but it's still a real game". In fact, the rest of the book carries on in much the same manner. There are gleams of truly hilarious material overshadowed by "But you can actually play this, please take us seriously!" garbage that makes the whole thing a pain in the ass to read. Appendix L: All Things Dice is a prime example. While tongue-in-cheek, there is an attitude that really makes you think some of the writers believe this crap. Maybe that's intended (like I said, I never read the comic), but it's still annoying. From a purely mechanical standpoint, it's a mish-mash of AD&D 1st and 2nd editions. Anyone familiar with those games should be able to play Hackmaster without any problem. There isn't enough difference in HM to bother buying it if you already have most of the 1st edition books (if, in fact, you want to actually play the game). I get the sense that the designers were responsible for SenZar, then got a license to actually do an AD&D game, but that's just me. Overall, the book is reasonably attractive, the art is decent (the illustration depicting the various races in a barroom brawl on page 26 is priceless) and the writing is clear. It's just not that interesting, or that funny. For 30 bucks, even if I have no clue what HM is supposed to be and have never heard of KOTD, I should be moderately entertained. Paranoia is a game that I still read today and laugh outloud. Hackmaster will, at most, get a smirk or a grin from time to time. My own opinions on this game are probably irrelevant to the millions(?) of KOTD fans out there who will gleefully buy it and laugh their heads off. As such, I don't intend that they even read this review. For the other gamers who have seen HM sitting on the shelf and have pondered buying it, one word of advice: Don't. At 400 pages, it's quite a thick book, and actually seems like a good value for your RPG dollar, but after the initial "Haha, it's AD&D" phase is over, all you're left with is a huge book of cliches and stale jokes we've all heard for 20 years.

Hackmaster Players Guide