8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Fan-Service RPG, But Lacks Mass Appeal, April 19, 2006
This review is from: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revised (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Core Rulebooks) (Hardcover)
Thanks to a fanatically loyal audience and the supernatural nature of the source material, the Buffy franchise has been squeezed and molded into all kinds of related products and merchandise. Toys, video games, soundtracks... you name it, Buffy's face is probably on it. While I'm not normally a fan of relentless franchise-milking, the world o' Buffy lends itself quite well to the table-top RPG format. Thankfully, the developers didn't drop the ball, and they've managed to create an interesting game system that captures much of the television show's charms, from the vampire face-kicking to the offbeat humor. The game lacks a lot of the 'hard numbers' stuff that many hardcore types prefer, and I doubt it will have much pull for anyone that isn't a devotee of the show. But for Buffy fans and anyone hunting for a quirky RPG that isn't a typical dice-fest, this would be a fine choice.
What I liked best about the Buffy RPG is how it shines a spotlight on my favorite character type: the average Joe/Jane. While many will be keen on role-playing as a Slayer, said Slayer will have a supporting team (just like Buffy) that helps her fight the forces of darkness. With that in mind, you can be a Xander-type who has no special powers and astonishingly mediocre fighting prowess, yet you can still contribute in your own way. The game uses a cute gimmick called Drama Points which allow characters to pull off feats beyond their normal capabilities. There's a special satisfaction in having your loyal little sidekick survive (and even thrive) in near-death situations, as opposed to being a monstrous sword-waving barbarian that kicks down doors and beheads every beast in sight without breaking a sweat. You can be a supporting character with special powers, of course, like a witch or a Watcher. You don't even have to have a Slayer, if you don't feel like it. But the game works best if you emulate the Scooby Gang model, and most gaming groups probably will. A good Director (the person running the game) will create situations where the non-Slayers can use their unique talents or quirks to solve dilemmas that supernatural strength alone can't handle. (Don't leave the Slayer hanging, though... toss in a demon or two that needs a good beating.) Needless to say, so-called munchkins who gauge their RPG enjoyment on how 'powerful' their guy is will not be overly fond of the game, unless they always get to be the Slayer.
Another of the game's strengths is the character creation method, with the excellent Quality/Drawback system. Qualities are positive traits or powers that you 'buy' with points, and Drawbacks are negative traits that you take on to give yourself more points to buy Qualities or statistic points with. Qualities/Drawbacks run the gamut, from physical prowess to glaring personality defects. Some of these are very well thought-out; for example, the Honor trait is considered a Drawback, because it can hamstring your character in certain situations. (For instance, Buffy would never take a pile of money if it came from a nefarious source, even though she'd theoretically use the money towards noble ends.) What makes this system so appealing is that it really helps the players define their characters right off the bat. Many role-players (especially rookies) have a lot of trouble coming up with interesting personalities for their new creations, and end up being 'some fighter guy.' The Quality/Drawback system will alleviate a lot of this, as players will find all kinds of interesting quirks to choose from, and will inevitably take on some entertaining Drawbacks to pay for a Quality they really want. Some players might even take on some Drawbacks for fun (lechery or greed, for example), which will make the game more enjoyable for everybody. Good stuff.
If the game has a weakness, it lies in the somewhat vague presentation of the overall rules. Many sections of the gameplay dynamics seem to boil down to 'the Director's discretion,' which adds a lot of flexibility, but puts a lot of weight on the Director to come up with reasonable rules decisions on the fly. Characters can have a lot of basic skills like driving or computer use, but by the end of that section, the manual basically shrugs and throws in a 'wild card' category that includes anything and everything. And adjucating Drama Points can be quite tricky. If these are supposed to create minor miracles, what are the limitations? The book does a pretty good job of outlining the power of the Drama Point, but players will inevitably come up with new possible uses that seem perfectly reasonable. Unless you want the game to come to a screeching halt during a major combat, the Director will need to have to make a serious yes-or-no decision pretty quickly. A Dungeon Master in Dungeons and Dragons has dozens of tables, charts, and piles of numbers which answer almost any question that arises with simple, hard data. "You're a Level 8 wizard suffering from a poisonous snake bite? Here's the number you need to roll to survive." A Buffy game Director doesn't have the same luxury. A good mantra is "it's just a game. Do whatever makes things more fun, as long as reasonable game balance is preserved." Even with that in mind, the Director should be someone with considerable RPG-running experience.
The overall presentation of the book is excellent. The production values are high, tons of memorable Buffy quotes are sprinkled throughout, and you get character sheets for every major character from the show's seven-year run. Buffy fans will enjoy thumbing through the book even if they never intend to play the game. Of course, many chapters (monster types, spells, etc.) seem underfed... so the developers can sell you supplement books, of course. This is par for the course in table-top gaming and I'm not going to whine about it, but if you plan on getting serious about the game, it will involve a fair amount of money.
When all is said and done, this is an easy product to rate. If you and your friends really enjoy the Buffyverse and role-playing, this is an easy thumbs-up. If you prefer combat-intensive games with a lot of dice-rolling and 37 kinds of swords, you'll probably be underwhelmed. Having a group of easy-going, creative people would help a lot as well. Nice work from C.J. Carella and company.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Buffy RPG, February 23, 2010
This review is from: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revised (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Core Rulebooks) (Hardcover)
A great little game system that does a phenomenal job capturing the spirit of the show. The rules are appropriately simple, and the action remains fast-paced without overpowering the possibility for real role-playing. The inclusion of drama points makes things interesting and helps the game to reach those heights of epic heroism that we've seen from the show. Ultimately it still falls to the GM to make things truly memorable, but this system allows you to do that.
The book itself is worth the price. Fantastic photos and snarky writing definitely captures the attitude of the series, and there's everything you need in one book (save a few D10s) to start playing right out of the gate.
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Revised Buffy, September 6, 2005
This review is from: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revised (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Core Rulebooks) (Hardcover)
I'm extremely excited about this book after talking to the Eden Studios guys at Gen Con about it. I proudly own the orginal run thru of the Core Book. I'm buying the Revisied book out of share fandom. Because its going to have the updated Charecter sheets for the main cast plus other updates thats happen to the storyline up thru Season 7. A nice way to give the book itself some closure. Cause it really didn't happen with the others.
Plus the real excitement for this book is, it brings along the expansion I and ever other die hard Buffy RPG fan have been waiting for, for a year!
~Sonja~
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