tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post4255439674071191414..comments2024-03-28T15:54:00.960-07:00Comments on B/X BLACKRAZOR: White Hot StarJBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-45014108648057154722015-05-26T18:17:33.370-07:002015-05-26T18:17:33.370-07:00I appreciated your review as well. All I could fi...I appreciated your review as well. All I could find was the echo-chamber reviews that gloss over details you addressed. Many of those reviewers seem to be friends or business partners of the game producers as well, which obviously makes one question their objectivity, the more so when they all read like "White Stars is the best game ever for sci fi!" My impression was that it's basically D&D tries to do Star Wars, which to me seems a mismatch of rules and setting. Anyway if I wanted Star Wars I have WEG already and it's the real deal. I was hoping for a more generic and adaptable sci fi game, but the absence of scientists as a class points back to Star Wars rather than most other sci fi I have read and enjoyed. Indeed it seems heavily influenced by TV and movies rather than any books or magazines. I think I'll just stick to the original Traveller for my non-Star Wars sci fi games and use Star Wars for my Star Wars games. Not really sure I get the point of White Stars. I already have D&D and there's nothing stopping me from introducing spaceships if I want that.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-74676989082795460762015-05-21T21:33:03.467-07:002015-05-21T21:33:03.467-07:00@ Venger:
Huh...my contract email is no longer on...@ Venger:<br /><br />Huh...my contract email is no longer on my blogger profile. I'll have to fix that.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-22175160578534703162015-05-21T13:00:33.540-07:002015-05-21T13:00:33.540-07:00Hey, JB. I want to send you something but don'...Hey, JB. I want to send you something but don't know how to reach you (other than commenting here). Please email me at: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com<br />Venger Satanishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-81239695351466908902015-05-20T04:39:21.235-07:002015-05-20T04:39:21.235-07:00ugh indeed!ugh indeed!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12461200770128731885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-37265077721739438222015-05-19T23:30:34.880-07:002015-05-19T23:30:34.880-07:00@ KR:
Um...yeah. Not sure if Tenk managed to read...@ KR:<br /><br />Um...yeah. Not sure if Tenk managed to read my whole post. I spent only one paragraph of my review comparing "spooky similarities" between WS and an (old) project of mine, and I can't see anywhere in my criticisms where I said *I* could have done it better. <br /><br />But I suppose I'll have to post some kind of rebuttal. Ugh.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-83799070959606136372015-05-19T19:45:19.947-07:002015-05-19T19:45:19.947-07:00I came over here from Tenkar's Tavern (even th...I came over here from Tenkar's Tavern (even though I also subscribe to this blog). I'm glad this review is more substantial than Tenkar gives it credit for. It's nice to see a review of this game that isn't all adulation.<br /><br />I bought White Star, and I like it (especially for an $8-$10 investment), but I had my own little annoyances with it. For one thing, the non-human classes are largely cut-and-pastes of S&W Whitebox classes (well, except for the robots). This results in all big, beefy alien PCs having the ability to see in the dark and all magical alien protagonists being able to find secret doors (are those even a thing in most space opera?)<br /><br />Basically, it looks like Spahn sometimes adapted his source material in Whitebox for the genre, and in other places just ported things over as is with the serial numbers filed off.<br /><br />That said, White Star does a great job of stirring the nostalgia for a certain generation. The decision to go with Star Wars plus a sci-fi kitchen sink universe was a brilliant marketing decision.Kevin S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06076147424768269913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-38355308481566700152015-05-19T18:21:23.587-07:002015-05-19T18:21:23.587-07:00I second JB in thinking you should publish your se...I second JB in thinking you should publish your setting, be it as a supplement or own game. I liked reading your take on aliens...Chris Dunlaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00863800987873564666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-3908772320420796152015-05-19T17:35:35.087-07:002015-05-19T17:35:35.087-07:00@ Faol:
Ok... I see what you're talking about...@ Faol:<br /><br />Ok... I see what you're talking about.<br /><br />Let me think about if (and how) I want to address that.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-33544668395208122832015-05-19T17:31:07.736-07:002015-05-19T17:31:07.736-07:00@ Faol:
Um...what?@ Faol:<br /><br />Um...what?JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-48056782683177239482015-05-19T16:51:00.979-07:002015-05-19T16:51:00.979-07:00Yeah, I was kinda taken aback by Tenk's readin...Yeah, I was kinda taken aback by Tenk's reading of this review. It seemed like he took the most uncharitable reading possible and read theoretical discussion as if it were bitterness (and others have taken up that reading, too). I see it more as referencing the thinking you'd already given to the topic and using that as a springboard to discussing the failings of WS (which, I hasten to add, are not crippling ones in my opinion). If we can't discuss where games fail, how are things going to improve over time? Why does all criticism have to be cheerleading these days?<br /><br />Anyway, I think that Tenk has a lot of emotion invested in WS, which is cool, but I think that it interfered with his ability to read this review objectively.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-14845385172513898812015-05-19T16:42:29.577-07:002015-05-19T16:42:29.577-07:00Yeah, that was my problem with Mystics and Scienti...Yeah, that was my problem with Mystics and Scientists in Warriors of the Red Planet, too. (Which is not, by the way, to say that it's bad or that I wouldn't use it when playing that game.) I'd like to see a new approach that tries to catch the specific flavor of the thing, rather than recycling the old method that was designed for a different flavor.<br /><br />No, what I'm doing builds on S&W:WB, but it needs to incorporate some rules to emphasize the setting. From little things like a mechanism to cause ray guns to be knocked out of peoples' hands (which happens a <b>lot</b> in the source materials) to big ones like the invention rules, I want the rules to serve the concepts, and not just be something that is hashed out really quick.<br /><br />Also, in addition to <i>X-Plorers</i> and <i>Stars Without Number</i> there have been <i>Hulks & Horrors</i> and <i>Tales of the Space Princess</i> (note: not <i>Machinations of the Space Princess</i>, which is more like <i>Heavy Metal</i>). Not sure why people forget all of those.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-26347988557835527162015-05-19T15:55:24.420-07:002015-05-19T15:55:24.420-07:00Kickstarter (;
Seriously, look forward to the pos...Kickstarter (;<br /><br />Seriously, look forward to the post.<br />dervishdelverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13803513672258666141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-83985062720073536182015-05-19T15:02:31.790-07:002015-05-19T15:02:31.790-07:00@ Venger:
You're very welcome. And thanks for...@ Venger:<br /><br />You're very welcome. And thanks for reading!JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-12966747808207930402015-05-19T15:01:25.924-07:002015-05-19T15:01:25.924-07:00@ Faol:
And just BTW: I love your take on psychic...@ Faol:<br /><br />And just BTW: I love your take on psychics and would prefer to see what you're describing instead of the MU/cleric knock-offs of White Star. But that's just MY taste preference.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-45065316250931553832015-05-19T14:59:40.231-07:002015-05-19T14:59:40.231-07:00If you can build your game as a supplement to Whit...If you can build your game as a supplement to White Star or X-Plorers (all these things have OGL-type attachments) you might as well go ahead and do that. If you need a system that's substantially different, build it from the ground up.<br /><br />Regardless, we can always use another flavorful look at space.<br />: )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-29899969872142664512015-05-19T14:57:25.432-07:002015-05-19T14:57:25.432-07:00@ Dervish:
Looked over my KWN supplement (which I...@ Dervish:<br /><br />Looked over my KWN supplement (which I haven't done since, oh, about June 2013). The thing IS nearly complete...I think I stopped working on it (in part) due to work on 5AK, and in part wanting to use a more "original" game system than the ol' B/X chassis. Well, that and I realized I was going to surpass X-Plorerers' page count with my little "supplement," even without artwork, table o contents, etc. by about 20 pages.<br /><br />Anyway, the first 40 pages or so are pretty much ready for posting. You can expect the first installment in the next day or so. Maybe I should make it a "Patreon thing?"<br /><br />Nah.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-66279974005241805252015-05-19T11:30:09.548-07:002015-05-19T11:30:09.548-07:00I appreciated your take on White Star. It's n...I appreciated your take on White Star. It's nice to get an insider's opinion on the OSR du jour. Rather than sour grapes or bitterness, I see it as unvarnished real-talk. Thanks for adding your two cents, hoss.<br />Venger Satanishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-85225124453269470742015-05-19T08:11:10.719-07:002015-05-19T08:11:10.719-07:00Wait, Gary's went out of business? *looks up s...Wait, Gary's went out of business? *looks up stuff on interwebs* Ah, a year ago. I haven't been to Greenwood in over a year. Looks like he retired. Ah, well, at least there's still The Dreaming.<br /><br />The release of White Star has had me in a tizzy of sorts. Well, deeply questioning whether I need to go on with Spectacular Science Stories/Rockets & Rayguns (still haven't picked which of those I should use). I think that you've answered, though - White Star is Star Wars plus D&D, while SSS/R&R is intended more as Northwest Smith and Eric John Stark meet up with Qui-Gon Jinn and Dr. Zarkov and fight against Charlie X and Emperor Ming. So, yeah, I'm going to have XP for cash because that's what Northwest Smith and Eric John Stark (in the same way as Conan or Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, which is to say, off-screen in the written stories, but explicitly their described goals) are after, and they are my central figures. I do want to support Qui-Gon and Flash Gordon, though, so I'm going to add something else as well (probably the "Achieving Goals" XP from Warriors of the Red Planet). Dr. Zarkov has his own approach, not necessarily related to XP.<br /><br />So, yes, I have a Scientist class, alongside an Adventurer and a Psychic Warrior.<br /><br />I want my Psychic Warriors, actually, to be more like Blue Öyster Cult's Veterans of the Psychic Wars. So, I'm probably going to include a lot of telepathy and not much telekinesis, if you see what I'm saying, and add in some kind of Sanity/Wisdom damage mechanic. "All the scars are on the inside", indeed. I should work more on the Psychic Warriors, I've been spending most of my time on the Scientists.<br /><br />Plus, of course, my ADD-like gaming habits keep sending me back to older projects (like the Fantasy Wargaming and Top Secret retroclones) and making up new ones for me to waste time on…faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-84218932470697194702015-05-18T19:30:12.210-07:002015-05-18T19:30:12.210-07:00Every once in a while I have a hankerin for someth...Every once in a while I have a hankerin for something Scifi and SW Whitebox has always been a favorite of mine. But, despite all the attention, I really have no interest in this spin off.<br /><br />I'm actually disappointed that X-plorers has gotten side lined (maybe dropped would be more appropriate to say) through lack of support. It's a great game that is easily house ruled and adaptable to most situations.<br /><br />My sons a Star Wars fan (me, I'm more a Buck Roger's guy), so I tacked on some psionics to X-plorers with some prerequisites and called them Guardians of the Galactic Order. I even came up with some simple spaceship design rules for the few games we played.<br /><br />So yeah, I'd be interested in what you would post on the subject.dervishdelverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13803513672258666141noreply@blogger.com