The Wildside Gaming System: Fantasy Role-Playing Edition [Paperback]

Leigh Grossman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2005

The Wildside Gaming System is a flexible, innovative, ultra-realistic role-playing system designed specifically for adult and experienced gamers. Combining realistic and logical character development, realistic combat, and accurate historical elements, the Fantasy Role-Playing Edition is designed especially for Game Masters who like to create their own settings for swashbuckling heroics, magic, and adventure in a complex fantasy world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (June 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809511142
• ISBN-13: 978-0809511143
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,513,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Do it yourself Gaming, October 26, 2005

By 

D. Pierce (So. Cal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wildside Gaming System: Fantasy Role-Playing Edition (Paperback)

The game is flexible as advertised, and the system primarily uses 4d6 for skill rolls, combat, and attributes rolls.

The magic system is the most fleshed out, and it is almost jarring in its breadth and coverage compared to character creation, skill use, and combat. There are tables at the back for random stuff that I think is just odd given the hands off approach the game designer took to skill explanations.

Things I would have liked to see in the game are standard NPCs: One can assume from the text that 'normal' people would likely have an average attribute rating of 14 given that is the expected value of 4d6, but it couldn't hurt to get a sentence or two as well as campaign variant advice for power levels. Particularly when the author mentions these possibilities at the introduction of the book!

Another thing would have been nice to see is how the package deals were developed. I had to reverse engineer the cost savings to see if there were any easy to discern formula being used.

Overall, this game has some good parts - sheer number of backgrounds and package deal ideas, but leaves something to be desired between the emphasis on skills and magic. But if you like a flexible approach to gaming, try Tri-Stat from Guardians of Order, Hero System, or GURPS. These point based systems have more heft and breadth to them for flexibility.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Overly complicated and often lacking any sense, May 15, 2009

By 

T. Bannock (Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wildside Gaming System: Fantasy Role-Playing Edition (Paperback)

Background: I was a playtester on this game. I didn't get "burned" by it, the company, or the author, and in fact, I think the author was one of the best professors I've ever had the joy to work with. That said...

Don't buy it.

Complex systems within systems rule everything you do, but with all of this granularity, there's still no medical skills. Combat with multiple attackers ganging up on a single defender is handled by a completely random roll: no regard to character skill, equipment, etc. Damage is handled by huge spreads of charts that are not thoroughly explained. Entire subsystems are ignored or glossed over in the rules to the point that you can't play the game as it is written.

Example: one of the most common results on the damage tables is X number of stuns (with X being a random dice roll). Guess what? After reading the book front to back, neither I nor my players could determine what the game effect of "stuns" were.

If you compare the system to games even 30 years ago, it's not very good, never mind with the years of game design philosophy we now have. If you compare the book itself to other games, it's years behind in terms of layout, organization, and artwork (it looks like the art was just ClipArt pulled off the internet).

With some SERIOUS retooling, I might be able to recommend this game for fans of really old school (and fully-loaded-with-options) versions of AD&D, Rolemaster, and maybe old, old GURPS (but only the fantasy parts). As it stands now, though, I couldn't recommend this to anyone for any reason.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The most terrible game I ever played, September 23, 2004

By 

J. Egli - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wildside Gaming System: Fantasy Role-Playing Edition (Paperback)

I play tested this game with a group I game with and this is easily the worst written, ill conceived game that I have ever had the displeasure of wasting several hours of my life on. To be specific character creation is overly long and involved and results in average characters with almost no special abilities unless your a magic user. There is a decided lack of useful skills like the old standby's Sneak, hide in shadows(or just hide), heal, pick locks, pick pockets, and many others that adventuring parties need. Also I believe that the character creation is rather sexist in scope due to the penalty and bonus that female characters get.

Combat is similar as it takes forever also if you have the longest weapon you have an advantage and most likely will win. If you and your party gang up on the opponent six to one you have a random chance to kill him or have him escape or some other odd event.

I could go on forever but to put it simply your characters are average people not heroes, and they rarely get the chance to progress (as that too is overly difficult).