Two Fisted Tales Roleplaying Game
From: Spectre Press
Reviewed by: Ron "Seawolf" McClung
Two Fisted Tales Roleplaying Game is a new Roleplaying Game Core Book (PDF Form)
from Spectre Press.
This may be an obvious observation, but since d20 hit the industry, there are a lot
of non-d20 systems now being published in PDF form. I suppose it's the
nature of the industry right now, with one system dominating it. However,
with the prominence of the internet within our "gamer" demographic,
many games still get noticed. Two-Fisted
Tales is one of those games you can get in PDF format. You can
also order it directly from Spectre Press in paperback format. This is a new RPG set in the 1930s heroic
pulp action style. It is designed to allow the GM to run any range of pulp
fiction action genres. From Call of Cthulhu horror to Indiana Jones
adventure; from Buck Rogers space adventure to gangsters in Chicago, this game
can cover it. I was impressed with the sheer
amount of information and obvious development time they seemed to have put into
this game.
From the website: "The game achieves the difficult task of covering the entire pulp 'super genre'
..."
The Core book starts out with a general introduction and instructions on how
to get started. This game is about the character you play, and it starts
you hip deep into those rules. It has an interesting system of measuring
the "power level" of the game universe the GM is choosing to run in -
from Gritty like Cthulhu to Amazing like Golden Age super hero comics.
This gives you a general idea of the range of possibilities in this game.
The
players have 21 templates to choose from. These are NOT classes as much as
starting points for your character concept. This is a character concept
based system. You can be an Amateur Detective, Costumed Vigilante, Ethnic
Sidekick, Flying Ace, G-man, Hardboiled Detective, Psychic Investigator and
several others. Each are given a general base ability score list, as well
as some other information including generic background, common quote and a
well-done artistic rendering. This section introduces the concept of
Specialties and Masteries, which are explained in detail later in the next
chapter.
This is no class system, however. The Templates are simply
guidelines. In fact, if the player doesn't find anything he likes within
the list of templates, he can choose the "Everyman" template and
customize it as he sees fit. Customization is possible through Hero
Points.
There are basically eight basic attributes or ability
scores - Brains, Luck, Mind, Muscle, Reflexes, Savvy, Status, and Weird.
The Templates already have base values in these ability scores. Each is
reasonably self-explanatory. Most of the physical attributes have a couple of
tables associated to them, used to look up derived values like carry capacity,
hand-to-hand damage and damage resistance. Each Ability Score ranges in
value with most not going over 20. However, in extraordinary cases, the
value does go over 20. There are two derived ability scores: Reputation
and Wealth.
There are no real skills, so to speak, but specialties and
masteries. Once again, the Templates start out with a set of specialties
and masteries. Each specialty and mastery is associated to an ability
score. Each specialty adds 4 to that ability score. A player
character can have specialties associated to Brains, Mind, Muscle, Reflexes, and
Savvy. These act as general areas the character is knowledgeable or
skilled in. However, masteries are more focused and intense areas
of study. A mastery would be what the character makes a career out of. There are
masteries for Brains, Mind, Reflexes and Savvy. Each character can have multiple
specialties and masteries for each ability score (although the character sheet
does not seem to allow space for that) but every mastery has a specialty pre-requisite.
Each mastery adds an additional 4 points to the ability score. In this system,
the higher, the better. The system is explained later.
Character
customization is possible through Hero Points. These are also used as
experience, magic points, to gain advantages, and a number of other things within
the system. Hero Points, for the most part, are going to be at the core of
everything the character does, from buying new specialties and masteries,
to acquiring new schticks. In customizing a character, one uses Hero
Points to raise ability scores, buy more specialties or masteries, or buy
schticks. Schticks are focused areas of ability or knowledge like gadgets,
magic or hypnosis. Conversely, a character can choose defects, which gain
characters more Hero Points. However, too many defects make the character
unplayable, naturally.
The Chapter on Money and Equipment covers the basic
equipment for the 1930s. It also has an interesting system for purchasing equipment
using the characters Wealth score. Instead of making a player keep track of
the character's current money, the Wealth score basically acts as a credit card
for anything the character wants to purchase. The GM looks up the
"EL" or expense level of an item, which will determine if the
character can buy it or not. Comparing the EL to the character's Wealth
level, either the character can buy it, loose one point of Wealth and buy it, or
not buy it.
In the equipment list, there are 16 melee weapons, 2 explosives,
and 14 ranged weapons. The weapons are relatively generic like
"Average Pistol" and "Big pistol," shying away from the detail
that some "gun-bunnies" like. Also included is armor and automobiles as well as other modes of transportation. There isn't any
personal equipment or anything else, which is understandable. Basically,
it has a Call of Cthulhu RPG-style minimalist approach to equipment.
From the website: “ ...with an elegant set of mechanics
...”
The core system uses d10s and playing cards. This kind of system makes it
fun to play the game.
There are two sets of combat rules: Basic
and Advanced. The Basic system is rather interesting and intended for
fast-paced play. Cards and dice factor in. The interesting thing about
Basic combat is that there is not initiative rolled. It is simply a single
roll for each opponent of two dice to determine a total. After factoring in the
penalty and the bonus, who ever is higher wins that round. Cards are
played to reduce damage or multiply dice. This system, as the name implies, is
basic and useful in a limited amount of situations.
In the Advanced Combat Rules,
initiative is used - a Mind roll. Initiative is rolled once per combat,
unless the player opts to re-roll initiative, which is an action that turn. A
turn is approximately 1 second long. An interesting approach to
initiative, however, is that declaration occurs first from the lowest person to
the highest. And then the person with the highest initiative acts first,
with the advantage of knowing what everyone else is going to do. Also in
the advanced combat system there is a short list of special attacks and integrated
with this system is vehicular actions as well.
Following the
section on Rules is the standard chapter on hazards, wounds, and healing.
From what I can tell, this appears to be quite a lethal system and this chapter
will probably be visited quite a bit. Following this, are several chapters advising
the GM on how to run a Two-Fisted Tale optimally. There is a chapter
called Hide and Seek, which explains to the GM what rolls he needs
to hide from the players. Also there is a chapter on Using Their Head,
which advises the GM on how to bolster thoughtful role-play in the game.
The next chapter is on handling NPCs, which touches on areas like romance, lying
and entertaining NPCs.
The next 5 chapters cover essentials for characters in
the pulp action genre - Gadgets, Martial Arts, Hypnotism, Magic and Animal
Pets. Each chapter is giving just enough detail to make that aspect functional
in the game without too many extra mechanics to make it clunky. However,
people that like Magic systems or detailed Martial Arts systems might be
disappointed.
The last chapter of the book is a GMs guide, providing random
plot generating tables, a guide to creating NPCs, a series of villain and
henchman templates, other random generating tables like location generator, a
special item generator, and advice to a GM on how to run a good session and
other helpful things. The book does include an index.
In conclusion, I
would say a lot of work was put into this system and I find it very innovative
and unique. I was inspired by some of the innovations in the system and may
integrate some of them into the systems I am running now. I may even run a
demo of this at a Con. The system to me comes across as fun to play.
The art is consistent and well done. I did not notice any major editing
problems in the book either. It's a well-done book with a well-done system
and for those that are big pulp fiction or pulp action fans, this is a game for
you.
For more details on Spectre Press and their new Roleplaying Game Core Book (PDF Form)
“Two Fisted Tales Roleplaying Game” check them out at their website
http://www.spectrepress.com, and at all of your local game stores.
Two Fisted Tales Roleplaying Game
From: Spectre Press
Type of Game: Roleplaying Game Core Book (PDF Form)
Written by: Matthew Stevens
Design by: Matt Drake
Cover Art by: Christopher Shy
Additional Art by: Jeremy McHugh, Matt Drake
Number of Pages:126
Retail Price: $ 9.00 in PDF format or $16 in printed format (US)
Website: http://www.spectrepress.com
Reviewed by: Ron "Seawolf" McClung
