System Mastery

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Episode 17 – Don’t Look Back: Terror is Never Far Behind Apr 23, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/systemmastery171.mp3

SystemMastery 17 – Don’t Look Back: Terror is Never Far Behind

Don’t Look Back is a mid-90s Horror RPG, featuring hilarious send-ups of your favorite 80s horror film tropes! Oh no wait, that’s just the cover. The actual text appears to be a middle school math book with some surprisingly opinionated digressions about what constitutes a “techno-nerd.” With a name like this, we didn’t really expect a realism heartbreaker of a game. Dig in with us as we discuss the first RPG we’ve seen to use absolute values (note, the math kind, not the moral kind) on this week’s System Mastery Podcast!

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System Mastery 16 – Scion: Hero Apr 08, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/systemmastery16.mp3

In today’s installment of System Mastery we seek to determine if one dad could beat up another dad, assuming the dads were Susano-O and Papa Legba. We’re reviewing Scion, a White Wolf game of thoroughly modern godlings in a modern world, battling titans to stop hell on Earth or some damn thing. Special guest host Claire joins us in our discussion of a stereotype battle to determine if this book’s Japanese gods of anime could be more offensive than its bloody bloody blood bloods of Mesoamerica.

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System Mastery 15 – Indiana Jones RPG Mar 26, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/systemmastery15.mp3

This week, we test the very limits of what defines an RPG, with a game that removes a core element to the concept. There are seven characters in this game. There is no character creation in this book. There is however a lot of high adventure, archaeology, and … light sexual abuse of a student. We review Indiana Jones, the 1984 RPG from well-remembered developer TSR.

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System Mastery 14 – Street Fighter Mar 05, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/systemmastery14.mp3

Editors Note: Before pressing record on this podcast, I had to press Forward, Down, and Down-Forward. We take a look at the 1993 White Wolf storytelling classic, Street Fighter. A grim parade of cheap stereotypes, or a surprisingly charming fighting system? Can’t it be both?

System Mastery is always looking for suggestions. If you have a specific old RPG you think we should discuss, love it or hate it, let us know in the comments below.

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System Mastery 13 – Urban Arcana Feb 17, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/systemmastery13.mp3

The worst thing about this book is right there in the picture. Someone really had a …fascination with drow, and their apparent immediate abandonment of spider-themed fetish gear for spider-themed raver gear. The best thing about this book? Nearly everything else! Join us for a surprise example of a D20 product we didn’t hate in today’s review of D20 Modern: Urban Arcana.

System Mastery is always looking for suggestions.

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System Mastery 12 – D20 Modern Feb 07, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/systemmastery12.mp3

Seriously, another edgy urban game with no magic or sci-fi elements at all? Well, almost. D20 Modern wants to be every game for everyone, as long as it’s not D&D. We discuss Stat Heroes, the most boring feats ever, and a crazy wealth system in today’s episode. Tune in next time as we do our first expansion review, as well. We’ll be tackling the crazy awesome or awesome crazy D20 Modern: Urban Arcana, the one with the gnoll pimp.

System Mastery is always looking for suggestions. If you have a specific old RPG you think we should discuss, love it or hate it, let us know in the comments below, find us at https://www.facebook.com/systemmastery, or email us at SystemMastery@gmail.com.

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System Mastery 11 – Haven: City of Violence Jan 22, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/systemmastery11.mp3

Delivered straight to your grim, gritty earholes, System Mastery brings you a review of Haven: City of Violence. This “hyperkinetic action simulator” boasts a three-line deep Wikipedia page that tells of it’s glorious record as “the first game to be optioned for a movie before the game was complete!” They probably should have just stopped writing at that point. We talk racism, sexism, Sepultura, wicked sweet wrestling moves, and more in this ultra-realistic 11th episode. Enjoy!

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System Mastery 10 – Exalted Jan 10, 2014

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/systemmastery10.mp3

Seriously, just look at that. It’s ridiculous. That’s the cover of one of the supplements. They wanted you to buy that book. They didn’t want you to hide it a featureless brown paper bag and try to smokescreen the purchase with a Snickers bar and one of those Bic lighters. Anyway, this week we read and discussed Exalted, the White Wolf anime demigod simulator. Can you wear a maxi pad instead of any sort of pants in this game? Probably!

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System Mastery 9 – Legend of the Five Rings Dec 17, 2013

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/systemmastery9.mp3

Guest host Brian joins us to discuss Legend of the Five Rings, a game of swords, sorcery, swords, etiquette, and swords. It’s one of those katana things. We dig into the vast array of clans and the tiny array of classes that make up this surprisingly good Asian-themed RPG.

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System Mastery 8 – Skyrealms of Jorune Nov 20, 2013

Show notes

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/systemmastery81.mp3

We dug pretty deep to find this game, a sci-fi/fantasy far-future romp on a distant planet where all the magic is colored orbs and there are three different sizes of humans! Come with us as we grapple to understand the deepest reserve in history of sci-fi fantasy names, dig into a graph-derived combat system that we still don’t quite get, and for some reason spend a lot of time talking about breakfast cereal mascots. We understand the writer of this game is a fantastic guy, so apologies to him in advance!

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