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Review of Deathstalkers
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Overview Deathstalkers weighs in at a hefty 600 pages! A quick scan of the book yields a layout that is easy to navigate and kind to the eyes. The art was very well done and its placement was such that it enhanced the section around it. In many cases, images were offset by a text block which gave enticing bits of background knowledge abut the world of Deathstalkers. A rather detailed table of contents is provided to help the reader navigate the 610 pages of the main rulebook. There is no index, although the thoroughness of the ToC should help people find what they are looking for.
Philosophy One thing I always check for when scanning a new game is playtest and design notes. In graduate school the challenge of my professors went as follows: “Justify yourself, writer!” Basically, what is the point of this project? What niche does it fill and how thoroughly was it developed? I was unable to locate playtest credits, although the introduction provided an explanation of Deathstalkers’ philosophy. From the title, Deathstalkers, I half expected a game full of lurid depictions of violence and depravity. Fortunately, the game was designed not to emphasize “adult” themes, but designed to handle those situations when they did arise. The world of Deathstalkers is a dangerous one and Mike Whitehead wanted to make sure that the mechanics and setting reflected this. Basically, Deathstalkers does not gloss over the horrid situations and creatures adventurers are likely to encounter. Rather, the game attempts to treat those instances with profound respect.
Characters Deathstalkers is a class based character creation system. You generate Attributes with dice, select a race, and then a character class. Pretty standard stuff on the surface, but a closer look yields some interesting innovations. One that I liked in particular was the Courage attribute and how it differs from the others. When building a character each attribute is assigned a certain number of dice to generate a level. You roll 4d6 for Agility, 3d6, for Strength, etc. Courage seems to get short-changed by only having a single d6 assigned to it. I like this because characters in Deathstalkers face some pretty scary stuff and the occasional Courage check could mean life or death. I like the fact that lower level characters will have inherently less courage than their higher level compatriots. Also of interest is that Courage is the only attribute that can increase during play to reflect the cumulative effect of facing down various threats. I enjoyed the rich, varied nature of the races available to players. Even races considered to be monsters, and therefore canon fodder, are given a thorough examination. My personal favorite are the Gobllyns, with males of the species being hideous and vile, while the females are rather comely. Not since Talislanta have I seen so many intriguing races. As for character classes, there are 33! Each is extremely detailed including the determined Deathstalker who is pledged to spend their life tracking and killing the fell creatures which stalk the world.
Combat Melee is an in-depth process combining a variety of special moves, maneuvers, and stances. Taken as a whole it may seem daunting at first. I was reminded of the first time I ever read Role-Master. Nevertheless, combat is a HUGE facet of fantasy role-playing games. That being the case, why not create a detailed set of rules to handle it efficiently, yet in a way that offers the players a variety of opportunities to move and attack? Anyone who grows tired of the standard, “I swing my sword, where are my dice?” will love the opportunity to crank back their sword arm and attempt an “All Around Swing,” an attack which allows a combatant to damage each and every adversary that surrounds them. Useful for exterminating Gobllyns and other pests. True to its nature as a grim role-playing engine, Combat in Deathstalkers can be gritty indeed. This is especially nice for players who do not feel challenged in battle unless the GM spends hours devising uber-beasts to assault the players. Call me silly, but I think a warrior should always sweat in a fight, be the opponent rabble with a spear, or a terrifying demon.
Setting and Tone The world of Deathstalkers is a dark one where the light of purity slowly fades against the encroaching tide of evil. While foreboding, such an environment offers an excellent opportunity for heroes to perform truly epic deeds. The rulebook offers a myriad of details on deities, monsters, and world background.
Summation I truly believe that Deathstalkers and its hefty page count offers role-players a single, quality resource for hundreds of hours of enjoyment.
