DEATHSTALKERS: PART ONE
Claiming to contain more than 600 pages of information, more than eighteen "unique" character races, a unique combat system, and a detailed world guide "Deathstalkers" has a lot to live up to. Does it? You be the judge.
PRICE vs. PRESENTATION:
Whenever I buy a game, one of my first concerns is getting some bang for my buck. That is to say, I like a product to be worth every penny that I sink into it. Weighing in at a hefty retail price of fifty dollars (US), one would think that "Deathstalkers" represented a paradigm shift in production quality. I mean for fifty dollar it must be one hell of book, right?
For your money you get a heavy duty 3-ring binder, 596 lightweight pieces of paper (I fight the compulsion to say that it is 20lb bond paper because I cannot be 100% certain that it is - but it sure looks like it),five loose inserts (all lightweight paper save one), and a map (printed on 11"x17" lightweight paper).
That's it. I'll also take this time to point out that the reference to 596 pages is not a typo, and is the first of many promises that "Deathstalkers" does not live up to. The back 'cover' (I use the word "cover" loosely) specifically declares that the rule book is over 600 pages in length, It isn't - falling short of 600 by four pages.
But, hey - the cheap physical quality of the rule book made room for some nice full color pages, right? Yes and no. There is some full color art available in "Deathstalkers", but it consists only of the map and the inserts which compose the front and back cover of the book. The 596 pages inside the book are rendered entirely in black and white.
Two of the loose inserts are "limited edition expansion pages". These are nothing more than preview pages from the (already available) expansion pack - making them very unlimited, if anything. One page details a new class and the other details two variants of the "Half-Wolf" race found in the rule book.
One of these inserts is a blank piece of neon orange paper (which really doesn't merit discussion), with the next insert (also neon orange) being a membership application for a "guild" which is not detailed in any way shape or form other than to say it exists. I think it's a mailing list subscription form.
Finally, the last insert (which I mentioned on the forums) is a nice...err...scam. The insert urges you to "be a true guild member" by helping to "spread the news of Deathstalker". It goes on to promise you a check in the amount of five dollars for every copy of Deathstalkers that you get a friend to buy. Sounds like a good deal, eh?
*Rant Begins Here*
It's not. If you look closely, you'll find that the insert is an order form (and oddly enough it's the *only* thing in the binder printed on heavyweight paper). That's right - you have to order copies of the game at the aforementioned cover price of fifty dollars, and then it's up to you to sell them. This is *not* a referral as some posters on the forum suggested.
If you order multiple copies of the game at fifty dollars each, you'll be investing a sizeable sum of your own money. If you end up not being able to sell them, you'll end up losing that same sizeable sum. You may very well receive checks in the amount of five dollars for every game that you purchase, but it doesn't amount to very much when you compare it to the hundreds of dollars that you'll be spending.
A question of legality also arises, as many states require you to obtain a licensee to sell goods at a retail cost. There is the possibility that selling copies of the game as an unlicensed retailer could sit you in jail or make you the target of a heft fine (usually in the six-digit range).
If you *do* decide to participate in the marketing of "Deathstalkers" and are not a licensed retailer - check your state laws prior to placing an order.
*Rant Ends Here*
Finally, we come to the map. Physical quality aside, the map is a sight to behold. This is a very well-rendered map, and Steve Hamaker deserves to be recognized for his fine work (and, in fact, I have it on good authority that he already has been). If you plan on playing "Deathstalkers", be sure to get this map laminated (as it won't take much abuse in it's current form).
That sums up the basics of presentation for "Deathstalkers". I ask again, is it worth fifty dollars? By the time I had examined this much of the game, my answer was a resounding "NO". I have, however, been known to be hasty when making judgments.
ART/POETRY:
The artwork (well, most of it) that can be found in "Deathstalkers" is amazingly good. In many cases I found that it is on par with, or far surpasses, the industry standard for such things (I especially like the pictures of the Juggernauts). It was, in fact, the artwork on the website which initially drew me to "Deathstalkers".
As some of you know, I'm not usually one to buy a game based on the quality of its artwork (an this is actually the first time in many years that I've done so). Where "Deathstalkers" fails as a game, it succeeds in as a portfolio, showcasing some very talented artists. Game designers, this notice is for you: If you're looking for some good artists, contact Dusten Sonnon, Lee Kohse, or Steve Hamaker.
Very simply, the artwork more than succeeds at conveying the dark and gritty tone that the designers intended for the game world. Sadly, on the same note, the art does a better job of conveying that tone than the section og the rules devoted to doing exactly that (more on this later).
Aside from the more traditional mediums of artistic expression to be found in RPGs, the folks at Cutter's Guild have also made extensive use of poetry. Described as "spooky, mood-setting poems", these poor attempts at poetry destroy any sense of mood that the graphic art so richly inspired. In fact, the only thing that I found truly spooky was that the poems found in "Deathstalkers" were actually published (but seing as how the poet is also the lead designer, I could see how it might happen).
The poetry is of the grade-school variety, attempting to rhyme every verse (and often, not doing a very good job of it), completely ignoring finer points of poetry. A fine example follow:
"There once was a man by the name of Fred
always very fat and he constanly fed.
But nobody knew that good ol' Fred
stole and ate the recently dead!"
More akin to poorly conceived limericks, the poetry is often silly, contrived, and (at times) not poetry at all. The poetry is best ignored in the interest of trying to read the rules without succumbing to fits of laughter.
Finally, there is the short fiction. Neither especially astounding or especially horrible, the fiction pieces weigh in at a nice "average". While they do add a little to the atmosphere of the game, you could easily ignore them and not have to worry about missing anything of note.
Well, after perusing the artwork, poetry, and fiction of "Deathstalkers" did you find it to be worth fifty dollars? Again, my answer was "NO". I did uncover a wealth of talented graphic artists, but I expected a game, and artwork alone (no matter how good) does not a game make. Still, I haven't explained the rules - the core of any game - and until I do so, I'd best not make hasty judgements.
CHARACTER GENERATION:
For those readers familiar with Palladium games, Rolemaster, and Warhammer FRPG, this will look very familiar. In fact, many reader familiar with these system may be suprised to find that certain aspects of all were nearly duplicated exactly in the "Deathstalkers" RPG.
The first step in generating a character is to select a character archetype. With over "eighteen unique races" to choose from, you'd think that this would make decisions hard. First of all, there are *exactly* eighteen races - no more. The cover blurb is fairly misleading in this respect. Second, the truth is that out of the eighteen races there are only a scant few that qualify as "original".
If you've ever played a fantasy RPG before, most of the races will be very familiar to you. The races that do qualify as unique are often ill-explained, and almost silly in many respects. A good example would be the "Half-Dead" race. There was some speculation on this in the forums and chat channel, so I've decided to sum it up here in the review.
The "Half-Dead" race, is actually not a race at all. They are humans, elves, dwarves, or a member of any other race that is "trapped between life and death". In short, it's more of a condition than it is a race. What is this condition? Well, the authors describe the "Half-Dead" as having a brain that is "truly alive" and a body that is not alive, but animated only by "the presence of their soul". In short, this condition could be described as...uh...life.
I've already decided that if I actually run a game of "Deathstalkers", I will simply ignore the existence of certain races (the "Half-Dead" being among them). Luckily, due to the near total lack of detailed information concerning the history and culture of many races, doing so is not very detrimental to the game world.
Once you have chosen a racial archetype, reading it will tell you the basic number of dice that you need to roll for each attribute, special abilities, languages, and class restrictions.
The next step in character generation is to roll the character's primary stat scores using the appropriate number of six-sided dice (as noted in the racial archetype). The ten primary stats are Knowledge, Mental Tolerance, Leadership, Courage, Strength, Endurance, Beauty, Agility, Speed, and Hit-Points.
After rolling the character's primary stat score, the next step in character creation is to determine punching and kicking damage, after which comes the next noteworthy step: choosing an alignment.
Now, I've never been a big fan of alignment systems, finding many such systems to be very restrictive and disallowing much in the way of character customization. If, however, I was ever forced to use one, and had my pick, it would easily be the Palladium alignment system. Thoughtfully, the folks at Cutter's Guild have very nearly cloned it in "Deathstalkers".
The alignments found in "Deathstalkers" are listed under three primary headings: Good, Neutral, and Evil. Under each heading, three specific alignments are given as follows:
Good:
Saintly-
Scrupulous-
Lawful
Neutral:
Heroic-
Neutral-
Selfish
Evil:
Corruptionist-
Diabolic-
Chaotic
The layout is a familiar one, and correspondingly, the definitions of each alignment are as well. In short, there's nothing new here, and very little that wasn't almost directly lifted out of the Palladium rules.
After choosing an alignment, you are ready to select a character class (referreed to as "CC" by the designers). As with the character races, there is not a large amount of originality present here. Out of 32 character classes, only a handful are specific to the "Deathstalkers" game, and these are: Deathstalkers (not to be confused with the demons of the same name), Grave Robber (yes, it's what you think it is), Juggernaut Slayer, Biotransmutor, and Battle Mage.
All character classes are grouped under one of three headings (Rolemaster fans take notice) as follows: Non-Magick, Semi-Magic, and Magick. Each character class lists associated stat requirements, class skills, shared skills, skill points, starting equipment, and class exits.
The class system in "Deathstalkers" is a strange fusion of concepts found in Palladium games and the Warhammer FRPG. The actual skill mechanic is nearly a carbon copy of that found in Palladium games, while the multiclass mechanic is plucked neatly from the pages of Warhammer.
After choosing a character class, you must buy skills for your character. All skills (class skills and shared skills) have an associated point cost, and must be "purchased" using skill points. The class skills are skills which are specialized in by a given class, and the shared skills are nothing more than general skills with a fancy name. As in the Palladium games, skills are ranked as percentages and many receive a starting bonus and per level bonus.
There is a very comprehensive list of skills (207 to be exact), which tries to be all-inclusive (and very nearly succeeds). Some of the more interesting skills include: Blather, Bull Sh*t, Clown, Coroner, Dowsing, Fire Eating, Lawyership (is that actually a word), and Torture.
While many skills were amusing additions to the hum-drum lists of skills found in many games, I found that a good deal of them were not very appropriate to some of the character classes presented in the rules, likewise, I found that many of them were substitutes for things that would be better left to roleplay (such as "Tell Jokes", "Impress", "Bull Sh*t", and "Standing Ground").
In the end, the skill system ends up being adequate, much as it was when I first encountered it some 10 years ago in the Palladium games. The multi-classing mechanic was much more to my liking.
Basically, the "class exits" of "Deathstalkers" are no different than the "career exits" of the Warhammer FRPG. Both work in the exact same manner, there has (as with much of "Deathstalkers" borrowed ideas) simply been a lot of rewording. I give the Cutter's Guild team points for this feature, I really liked the way that Games Workshop handled multi-classing years ago, and I still do. It's nice to see the ideas being used in other games.
Once you've assigned skills, you're ready to go adventuring. You will probably notice that I didn't include the selection of spells as part of character generation. I plan to cover this in part two of the review when I address the magic system as a whole.
After being walked through character generation, did you find "Deathstalkers" lived up to its many claims? I did (suprise) not. I found it to be a nice rewording of at least three games that I have already owned and played. Again, though, I may be a bit hasty in my judgment as I have yet to reveal the combat rules and setting for your approval.
And you're going to have to wait for it... this review is going to come to you in three parts (as noted earlier). I've realized that this is the *seventh* page of the review on my screen, and as such, I'm going to break it up into three installments. This installment covered the basic presentation of the book and character generation indepth, the next part will cover combat and magic, with the third (and final) part covering the game world and its denizens. See you soon.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)