The Inside Scoop on Gaming

This is a very difficult product to effectively review for namely one reason – there isn’t all that much to it. The AGONE Gamemaster Pack comes with a four panel GM’s screen and a Poster Map of the Twilight Realms. That’s it. No booklet of suggestions, no adventures, no NPCs. Somewhat disappointing really.

Doing a Screen the proper way…

Firstly, to look at the screen, I have to mention that this is possibly one of the best GM’s Screens I have come across. Unlike a certain company that often produces GM screens missing vital tables and information - *ahem* Mrite molf mecksalted! Sorry, had tacos for lunch…– the AGONE GM screen cannot be criticized about missing anything important to playing the game.

The four panels are laid out fairly haphazardly, but each table is easy to read and clearly marked – so this isn’t such a major gripe. Of specific mention are the character and magic tables. All the necessary character creation tables are included – meaning that a GM is capable of creating NPCs in the middle of play without needing to refer to the main rulebook – best of all, these character tables take up only a quarter of one panel!

The Magic table also lists virtually every important calculation in a clear and easy to read manner – again listing things in a fairly logical manner – although the related ascendancy modifiers chart is on a separate panel.

But what really impressed me was the actual quality of the screen – this is a laminated screen! On both sides! This might seem like a small issue, but when you have dealt with roleplaying groups in a convention where some of the players are practically spraying pizza and soda all over the tables, this is a great thing to have.

The Bad…

Okay, firstly – the artwork on the game screen is nothing new – just a stylized reprint of the cover to the main rulebook. It’s a small gripe considering that it is nice artwork nonetheless.

The map is very beautiful – but simply not enough. It is a nice painted map that works as a prop and not much else.

My biggest complaint is simply that there is not enough in this “pack.” The original French version came with a short adventure included. However Multism chose to print the English version of this adventure in the main rulebook and decided not to replace it with anything else in the screen pack. It just feels like a bit of rip-off to me considering that the King of Spring campaign is a complete book and sells at three dollars less!

Summary

At the end of the day I find myself somewhat torn between recommending this product and just saying forget it. Essentially, if you can afford it and play AGONE, get it. The GM screen is extremely useful as a resource – but you can still play the game with the rulebook alone; just be prepared to be constantly referring to the book during play.

The map is a little excessive – it has no real practical use, but does look very nice and should work well as a centerpiece on the table while you are playing.

The rating I've given was a tough decision. The Screen is simply the best I have ever seen - and really deserves Style:4 Substance:4. But the lack of anything with the screen - considering that it costs more than a complete book from the same company - drops the subtance rating to 2. Not good enough for $16.

Ultimately I would have liked to of seen the sample adventure on the AGONE English website included in this pack, it would have made me feel that the expenditure was more justified than the existing product does.

AGONE Gamemaster Pack
AGONE Gamemaster Pack Capsule Review by Conan McKegg on 20/08/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 2 (Sparse) A contradiction in terms. How to make a great GM screen and how not to package it. Product: AGONE Gamemaster Pack Author: n/a Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Multism Publishing Line: AGONE Cost: $16 Page count: n/a Year published: ISBN: 2-84476-087-2 SKU: Comp copy?: yes Capsule Review by Conan McKegg on 20/08/02 Genre tags: Fantasy Gothic	This is a very difficult product to effectively review for namely one reason – there isn’t all that much to it. The AGONE Gamemaster Pack comes with a four panel GM’s screen and a Poster Map of the Twilight Realms. That’s it. No booklet of suggestions, no adventures, no NPCs. Somewhat disappointing really. Doing a Screen the proper way… Firstly, to look at the screen, I have to mention that this is possibly one of the best GM’s Screens I have come across. Unlike a certain company that often produces GM screens missing vital tables and information - ahem Mrite molf mecksalted! Sorry, had tacos for lunch…– the AGONE GM screen cannot be criticized about missing anything important to playing the game. The four panels are laid out fairly haphazardly, but each table is easy to read and clearly marked – so this isn’t such a major gripe. Of specific mention are the character and magic tables. All the necessary character creation tables are included – meaning that a GM is capable of creating NPCs in the middle of play without needing to refer to the main rulebook – best of all, these character tables take up only a quarter of one panel! The Magic table also lists virtually every important calculation in a clear and easy to read manner – again listing things in a fairly logical manner – although the related ascendancy modifiers chart is on a separate panel. But what really impressed me was the actual quality of the screen – this is a laminated screen! On both sides! This might seem like a small issue, but when you have dealt with roleplaying groups in a convention where some of the players are practically spraying pizza and soda all over the tables, this is a great thing to have. The Bad… Okay, firstly – the artwork on the game screen is nothing new – just a stylized reprint of the cover to the main rulebook. It’s a small gripe considering that it is nice artwork nonetheless. The map is very beautiful – but simply not enough. It is a nice painted map that works as a prop and not much else. My biggest complaint is simply that there is not enough in this “pack.” The original French version came with a short adventure included. However Multism chose to print the English version of this adventure in the main rulebook and decided not to replace it with anything else in the screen pack. It just feels like a bit of rip-off to me considering that the King of Spring campaign is a complete book and sells at three dollars less! Summary At the end of the day I find myself somewhat torn between recommending this product and just saying forget it. Essentially, if you can afford it and play AGONE, get it. The GM screen is extremely useful as a resource – but you can still play the game with the rulebook alone; just be prepared to be constantly referring to the book during play. The map is a little excessive – it has no real practical use, but does look very nice and should work well as a centerpiece on the table while you are playing. The rating I've given was a tough decision. The Screen is simply the best I have ever seen - and really deserves Style:4 Substance:4. But the lack of anything with the screen - considering that it costs more than a complete book from the same company - drops the subtance rating to 2. Not good enough for $16. Ultimately I would have liked to of seen the sample adventure on the AGONE English website included in this pack, it would have made me feel that the expenditure was more justified than the existing product does.