Customer Reviews

Game Master's Screen (Serenity Role Playing Game)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've never used the GM screen--I stick with my favorite RPG rules for the setting--but the deckplan of Serenity is a beautiful piece of art. It's not just useful for playing out fights on shipboard, it sets the mood at the table and makes players think about where their characters are working on board.

The screen arrived on time. When I first opened it, there were several things inside: a plastic cover around everything for protection, then another paper sleeve covering (like on a hardcover book, but thinner.) Inside of that was a poster-sized map of "Serenity" and "aces and eights", a cardboard piece to prevent bending during shipping, and the actual game master's screen.

The screen itself had artwork on the outside of the battle between the Alliance and the Reavers, with Serenity in the middle and a logo above her. The artwork was reasonably detailed--the ships around serenity look as if you were watching an analog TV, while Serenity itself was detailed and clear. There is still detail on the other ships, just a little fuzzier. However, all of this artwork wasn't why _I_ bought the product; I got it for the information and tables inside.

The inside of the screen is covered end to end with tables and information, from Natural Healing to Plot point rewards to a skill/specialty list, and far more. There are only two errors that I can find with the screen: there are two places with exactly the same information on movement, and the special combat notes on Aim. The book says that you can aim for up to three turns and take no other actions. Each turn is considered a +1 skill step. The screen says basically the same thing, but says that you aim __FOR__ three turns, take no other actions, and get a +1 skill step. These problems are small when considering; just remember to read the book's aim and use that. There is nothing I can think of for the movement, but it does little to hinder gameplay since they are the same.

I can't remember seeing that the blueprints of the ships were included, so that was a nice surprise. As far as I can tell, the map was accurate and detailed. It has all levels of the ship. One thing to note though is that it doesn't have inch by inch squares, if you play that way. (I know that the official game doesn't, but you may.)

And now I come to why I rated this 4/5 stars. Both items were in acceptable condition, but it seemed like the screen was secondhand. It had several bumps and wear marks on it, but it was probably during the move. It was really very little to worry about, I just felt it was worth noting.

This last part is just a list of all of the tables inside of the screen.
-Natural healing
-Derived attribute rolls (init, resistance, etc.)
-Healing Difficulty and Wounds
-Plot point Rewards
-Defense
-advancement
-plot points and Dice steps
-extraordinary success damage
-skill/specializations list
-special combat notes
-MOVEMENT------------------------------
-armor
-melee weapons
-ranged weapons
-action difficulty
-wound penalties
-plot points and story impact
-MOVEMENT-----------------------------
-range increment modiviers
-cover
-called shots

GM Screen: Love the screen - has everything one would need and expect on such a tool and the front art is not cheezy (like most game screens where you get tired of looking at the same ridiculous elven wizard for weeks on end).

Map(s): Worth every penny just for the beautiful maps alone but for one small issue... The grid scale is not 1" as would be expected (like D&D or Star Wars minis) and there is no standard grid inside the ship.

At first glance it seems to be gridded - but upon closer inspection it is revealed that the "grid" is just the repeating pattern of various sized rectangular and square deck plates (1/3", 1/2", 2/3") in some rooms and hallways. Based on the visible 2" grids in "the black" around the outside of the deckplan one could argue that the map is a roughly 2" base grid scale (think heroscape figures scale) - but clearly the items (such as beds and chairs) are more in the 2/3" range (like warhammer fantasy figures). I recommend using a blue ultra fine point sharpie and a very large ruler to "connect the dots" between the space grid lines inside the ship to avoid confusion with the deck plate lines if it becomes a problem for your group.