The Inside Scoop on Gaming

ISBN #: 1-887920-00-5
Cost: $20.00
Pages: 240
Format: Softbound; Color Cover; B&W Interior.
Mr. Taylor begins his introduction to The Legend of Yore RPG (hereafter referred to as TLoY) by stating that the game systems and campaign world contained in the book have been in playtesting for _ten years_. After reading the book and playing with the systems, I can honestly say that it shows. The book's content is excellent.

The first chapter, titled "The Legend Begins," mainly consists of a wonderful short story by A.J. Hernandez which frames the volume very well. It accurately portrays the flavor of the campaign world, in addition to showing the real-world implications of the game system. After reading this story, I thought, "Wow, I hope the system is just like this!" Indeed, I was not disappointed in the least.

Character creation consists of several steps, but none is difficult. Firstly, roll percentile dice to determine race (including human, elf, goblin, dwarf, giant, troll, or half-breed) and ethnicity (for instance, the ethnicities of goblins include: kobold, hobgoblin, and orc). Next, look up the race and write down whatever skills the character receives by virtue of being a member of his or her race and/or ethnicity. Following that are rolls for: homeland, birth date, background (i.e., Nomad, Villager, or one of the Sedentary backgrounds - Slave, Bandit, Entertainer, Sailor, Artisan, or one of many others).

Thereafter, characteristics are generated. The process is simply a matter of rolling 2D10 for each of seven characteristics. Thereafter, it is necessary to do some collateral figuring (mostly by referencing a few tables, but the eighth characteristic - "Combat" - is figured by adding three other characteristics and dividing by three). None of this is complicated, and any gamer should find the steps to be routine.

Now it's time to select a profession. TLoY offers many different professions, and each has its own skill list. Each year beyond puberty spent prior to adventuring, the character receives one skill level. So, for instance, if one wished to play a 28-year-old human (in the game, humans reach puberty at 14 - other races reach puberty at different points), one would be allowed to select fourteen skill levels from the appropriate professional skills list. Next, secondary skills are purchased. Finally, such things has handedness, starting money, character name, and starting spells are determined in order to round out the character.

The game system itself is very straightforward. It is all based on percentile rolls. Target numbers are computed by multiplying the skill level by five, then adding the relevant characteristic. To determine success, roll percentile dice and compare - if the result is less than or equal to the target number, the task was a success. Otherwise, it was a failure. Critical success occurs when the character's target number is achieved exactly. Critical failures (called "fumbles" in the game) occur when a result of 00 is rolled. There are also simple rules for opposed skill usage, for using default skills, and more.

The game system is completed by rules for everything from character advancement (experience, skill increases, and characteristic improvement), aging, healing, and much more. Then, the system moves on to the fairly detailed (yet easy to use) magic system, which is point-based.

The last half of the book provides the campaign world, known simply as "The Known World." A hand-drawn map is presented, as well as good essays and data on the land, people, cultures, animals, monsters and deities of the region. Detailed price lists are also included. It is clear the author spent a great deal of time developing the world fully. GMs (called GODs - Game Operations Designates - in this game) and players will appreciate the level of detail and the number of adventure hooks provided.

Throughout the book, the writing style is friendly, easy to read, and professional. The type font and point size used for the main text are good. The grammar usage, phrasing, and sentence structure mix are all above-average for the industry. Reading TLoY is a pleasure.

Now that I've sung the praises of this book, I must spend a few minutes on the bad things about the product. Firstly, it could have used another editing pass. While there are no gross errors (i.e., things a spelling checker would catch), there are a few problems here and there with properly spelled, incorrectly used words. Secondly, the book includes no introductory adventure. Thirdly, the book contains a few erroneous rules (all of which are covered in a single-page errata sheet). Fourth, the character sheet itself has errors, as it doesn't have spaces available (or enough space available) for all the information the rules require. Fortunately, a better character sheet is available from the authors.

But, all of that is minor. The major problem with the book is that the presentation does not live up to the content. The cover is very lackluster. The interior are is a mish-mash of good drawings and art of lesser quality. The page layout is poor, and the sections aren't broken up very clearly. Overall, the visual cues of this book say, "I'm a mediocre product," while the game itself screams quality.

I fear this poor presentation will cause many gamers to pass up an excellent game, as they won't bother to read the book after glancing through and seeing the poor production values. I truly hope that the book is not doomed to obscurity because of these factors.

I was able to speak briefly with the Galileo Games folks while at GenCon, and I was told a GM screen - complete with four adventures - is planned for release sometime soon. They also pointed out that the book has a registration certificate in the back, which, if sent in, will entitle the purchaser to free errata sheets, as well as notices of new products as they are produced.

I look forward to future products in the TLoY line, and I hope Galileo Games is able to secure better art and create a better layout for the next printing. The game itself deserves to become one of the great RPGs of all time, and I heartily recommend it to those interested in a wonderful fantasy gaming system with an equally superb campaign world.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Legend of Yore
Author: Brennan Taylor Category: game Company/Publisher: Galileo Games Incorporated Capsule Review by Joe Walsh on 08/15/97. Genre tags: none	ISBN #: 1-887920-00-5 Cost: $20.00 Pages: 240 Format: Softbound; Color Cover; B&W Interior. Mr. Taylor begins his introduction to The Legend of Yore RPG (hereafter referred to as TLoY) by stating that the game systems and campaign world contained in the book have been in playtesting for _ten years_. After reading the book and playing with the systems, I can honestly say that it shows. The book's content is excellent. The first chapter, titled "The Legend Begins," mainly consists of a wonderful short story by A.J. Hernandez which frames the volume very well. It accurately portrays the flavor of the campaign world, in addition to showing the real-world implications of the game system. After reading this story, I thought, "Wow, I hope the system is just like this!" Indeed, I was not disappointed in the least. Character creation consists of several steps, but none is difficult. Firstly, roll percentile dice to determine race (including human, elf, goblin, dwarf, giant, troll, or half-breed) and ethnicity (for instance, the ethnicities of goblins include: kobold, hobgoblin, and orc). Next, look up the race and write down whatever skills the character receives by virtue of being a member of his or her race and/or ethnicity. Following that are rolls for: homeland, birth date, background (i.e., Nomad, Villager, or one of the Sedentary backgrounds - Slave, Bandit, Entertainer, Sailor, Artisan, or one of many others). Thereafter, characteristics are generated. The process is simply a matter of rolling 2D10 for each of seven characteristics. Thereafter, it is necessary to do some collateral figuring (mostly by referencing a few tables, but the eighth characteristic - "Combat" - is figured by adding three other characteristics and dividing by three). None of this is complicated, and any gamer should find the steps to be routine. Now it's time to select a profession. TLoY offers many different professions, and each has its own skill list. Each year beyond puberty spent prior to adventuring, the character receives one skill level. So, for instance, if one wished to play a 28-year-old human (in the game, humans reach puberty at 14 - other races reach puberty at different points), one would be allowed to select fourteen skill levels from the appropriate professional skills list. Next, secondary skills are purchased. Finally, such things has handedness, starting money, character name, and starting spells are determined in order to round out the character. The game system itself is very straightforward. It is all based on percentile rolls. Target numbers are computed by multiplying the skill level by five, then adding the relevant characteristic. To determine success, roll percentile dice and compare - if the result is less than or equal to the target number, the task was a success. Otherwise, it was a failure. Critical success occurs when the character's target number is achieved exactly. Critical failures (called "fumbles" in the game) occur when a result of 00 is rolled. There are also simple rules for opposed skill usage, for using default skills, and more. The game system is completed by rules for everything from character advancement (experience, skill increases, and characteristic improvement), aging, healing, and much more. Then, the system moves on to the fairly detailed (yet easy to use) magic system, which is point-based. The last half of the book provides the campaign world, known simply as "The Known World." A hand-drawn map is presented, as well as good essays and data on the land, people, cultures, animals, monsters and deities of the region. Detailed price lists are also included. It is clear the author spent a great deal of time developing the world fully. GMs (called GODs - Game Operations Designates - in this game) and players will appreciate the level of detail and the number of adventure hooks provided. Throughout the book, the writing style is friendly, easy to read, and professional. The type font and point size used for the main text are good. The grammar usage, phrasing, and sentence structure mix are all above-average for the industry. Reading TLoY is a pleasure. Now that I've sung the praises of this book, I must spend a few minutes on the bad things about the product. Firstly, it could have used another editing pass. While there are no gross errors (i.e., things a spelling checker would catch), there are a few problems here and there with properly spelled, incorrectly used words. Secondly, the book includes no introductory adventure. Thirdly, the book contains a few erroneous rules (all of which are covered in a single-page errata sheet). Fourth, the character sheet itself has errors, as it doesn't have spaces available (or enough space available) for all the information the rules require. Fortunately, a better character sheet is available from the authors. But, all of that is minor. The major problem with the book is that the presentation does not live up to the content. The cover is very lackluster. The interior are is a mish-mash of good drawings and art of lesser quality. The page layout is poor, and the sections aren't broken up very clearly. Overall, the visual cues of this book say, "I'm a mediocre product," while the game itself screams quality. I fear this poor presentation will cause many gamers to pass up an excellent game, as they won't bother to read the book after glancing through and seeing the poor production values. I truly hope that the book is not doomed to obscurity because of these factors. I was able to speak briefly with the Galileo Games folks while at GenCon, and I was told a GM screen - complete with four adventures - is planned for release sometime soon. They also pointed out that the book has a registration certificate in the back, which, if sent in, will entitle the purchaser to free errata sheets, as well as notices of new products as they are produced. I look forward to future products in the TLoY line, and I hope Galileo Games is able to secure better art and create a better layout for the next printing. The game itself deserves to become one of the great RPGs of all time, and I heartily recommend it to those interested in a wonderful fantasy gaming system with an equally superb campaign world. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)