Let me start out by saying that I am a huge sci fi fan. There is just something so cool about sci fi games, I don't know what it is but when there is a sci fi game I am drawn to it like a magnet.
So when I was given a chance to check out Starcluster I was equally excited. I had never really had the chance to lay my hands on a game that covered so much ground before. Sadly with life being so hectic lately I have not yet had the chance to run the game, but I am hoping to change that here in the next couple of weeks. Thus, this will be a capsule review.
I know that there is a stigma about .PDF games and many people are hesitant to buy a game that they are unable to check out first to make sure it is what they are looking for. However, if you are a fan of space/sci fi games then this is worth checking out for $10.
The game's modular design does make it very difficult to find your way around at first. You have to search for the .PDF file with the character creation rules and then open another one with the rules for playing the game. This could be difficult for the newbie players/game masters, because finding their way around could take too long and possibly turn them off to this type of setup.
Another thing that really detracted me was the full page art found in many of the different .PDF files. While art in game books is cool, there are many pages of full page art which if you are having to use your own printer to print the pages (If you choose to print it out) this can not only slow down the process but also eat up a great deal of printer ink.
Another thing is that you have to get many of the other modules to really get a good deal of information about the world as a whole. So in a sense it will cost you more then $10 if you really want to get more detailed information about the world of Starcluster.
Wait a sec, didn't you write a sentence that basically recommends that the reader purchase and download StarCluster? Well yes I did as a matter of fact.
This game has many good points about it as well, so if you are in to sci fi this game would actually be really fun to play. Sure, it may have its faults but what game doesn't? A little reorganizing would really make the layout much better then it currently is.
Character creation in StarCluster is very detailed, so characters are not just stats and numbers. You almost feel as if the characters really are living breathing characters. You basicly can set up the events that your character will experience in the future and when the time comes act out the experience.
The game lists plenty of technological items for players to use, however much of the time it is simply listed with no description. The skills have no descriptions which can be troublesome if there are questions about what exactly you can do with the skill.
Starcluster is a good game overall which could stand some reorganizing to make finding the things you are looking for easier but overall is a great game. From a layout point of view the game seems a little rushed to be put on the market, but with a little work the game. The layout made the game hard to read because things were not always clear as to what does what and often you had to dig to find things. When I am able to actually run the game I will do another review of the actual process of play.
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(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)