15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One Giant Leap for Roleplaying, July 30, 2000
This review is from: Alternity Player's Handbook (Alternity Sci-Fi Roleplaying, Core Book, 2800) (Hardcover)
While the cover price of the Alternity Player's Handbook is a bit steep ($29.95), one finds very quickly that it's worth every penny. The last product line to be released with the TSR logo -- though the company had, by this time, been purchased by Wizards of the Coast -- Alternity is a marked evolution from the cluttered, slipshod rules set of Dungeons & Dragons, the granddaddy roleplaying system of them all. The physical quality of the products is high and the material itself is more than solid.
Designed to be the science fiction counterpart to venerable old D&D, Alternity has been given a two-book treatment very similar to that game's, splitting out the rules into a Player's Handbook and a Gamemaster's Guide. All the rules necessary for play are located in this, the Player's Handbook, while all the little fillips, extras and tidbits a GM might need are conveniently gathered in the other volume. The end result of this is a coherent, tightly-packed book filled with good stuff and nothing but the good stuff, from character generation to combat resolution.
As the division of rules is elegant, so are the rules, themselves. Alternity was intended to be a "generic" system, capable of application in a wide variety of subgenres, from Clancy-esque technothrillers to the broad-scope space operatics of Star Wars. A system with a great deal of consistency and flexibility was called for, and Alternity delivers. Using a single mechanic that is incredibly utilitarian -- rarely calling for reference to a table or a chart, and usually involving no more than two dice at any given time -- the game shreds the conventional wisdom that TSR is incapable of putting together a game that can compete in today's marketplace. Learning the basics of Alternity takes no more than a few minutes. Potential players could start a game the same day they buy the book, and that's good design.
Alternity is so flexible, in fact, that any setting from any other science fiction source (game, book, television show, or movie) can be adapted with a minimum of effort. No more need to jam one's head with conflicting rules sets! Take the material and bend to fit. Alternity can take the hands-on with no problem, whatsoever.
For those that don't want to do the legwork themselves, the system "defaults" to TSR's own Star*Drive campaign setting, selections of which are available in the Player's Handbook in the form of alien race archetypes. If nothing else, Alternity simply reeks of possibilities, the kind that get wheels turning in whatever way it can. What more could someone ask of a game of imagination?
When it comes to science fiction roleplaying, there are many options to choose from. Alternity, a fine game from the old masters of the roleplaying world, is the solid choice to make, no matter your inclinations. Easy to learn, easier to use, Alternity deserves your attention.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Look out... TSR has spawned a masterpiece., June 26, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Alternity Player's Handbook (Alternity Sci-Fi Roleplaying, Core Book, 2800) (Hardcover)
Once every few years, somebody creates an RPG so close to perfect that it redefines how RPGs think, work, and play. Alternity, kudos to Bill Slavicsek, is one of those games. Alternity's one of the games which is so well-designed that even a cynic like me has to apply effort to complain about it. In a single well-written [and illustrated and proofread!] volume, Alternity's Player Handbook acquires the sheer creativiy and diversity that it took AD&D decades to match. The rules are the simplest TSR's concocted to date; PC creation is almost totally freeform, with a system that almost has more skills than uses for them all; and a balanced, equalizing system to prevent "bad" PCs from being rolled up. Even technology up to 2625 is created, leaving few stones unturned. My only complaints? A little more leeway in the dates Progress Levels change would be useful, and another table or two in the back might be nice. The real problem, however, seems to be with the gadgets and guns: it's too easy to accept charge rifles or whatever as the be-all and end-all instead of templates to default off of. In the grand scheme of things, these trivial flaws are irrelevant. The Alternity Player's Handbook merges the style of TSR with the quality of Wizards of the Coast, creating something to set the standards for years to come.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best RPG out there, August 5, 2000
This review is from: Alternity Player's Handbook (Alternity Sci-Fi Roleplaying, Core Book, 2800) (Hardcover)
I have never played a better roleplaying game. The dice rolling system is incredibly simple, and creativity is heavily encouraged. My only complaint is that TSR or WotC or whichever decided to stop printing accessories for the game. While they are allowing independent freelance items through, they themselves have greatly impeded upon the progress of a great game.
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