Free RPG Day followup

Dungeons and Dragons 3.5
without the boring parts.

Anacronus, Alchemilla, and Kspaz walk into a nerd store*. No, it's not the start of a joke, it's the opening line for my article on our local Free RPG Day. Ours is at the Fantasy Shop in St. Charles. We went up there to get free swag and see demos on different Role Playing Games (RPG's). I got a one shot for Pathfinder (my favorite system.) as well as a dice tumbler, and a one shot for The Walking Dead game, (because I had an idea for a zombie game a while back and was interested in the mechanics.)

Then we signed on to play in a demo of Savage Worlds. Savage Worlds and I have a strange history. I was told of the RPG and how it was centered around story, and characters rather then rules. Dnd has a list of rules long enough to intimidate anyone coming into the game (which makes it hard for people to get into role playing at first.) So I bought it, the only book you need to run the game is $10. A plus since games usually cost anywhere from $50 to $200 to start.

Small in size and price,
Large in fun.

However after buying it we tried a few times to get a game going, but always had issues. Having someone who knew the game, and had a well thought out story helped a lot. This game was awesome, the combat is easy to pick up. And gives either side in the battle a chance to win. Luck plays a lot more of a role in Savage Worlds. Never in combat did I think "Okay we can take these guys", but neither did I feel like we had no chance to win. And this is coming from a group were one party member died.

The story was that of a team during the Revolutionary War, who was charged with finding a certain man who has ties to the British Loyalists (tories to those who know the era). Later we find out he is involved in the occult and, well I don't want to say all hell broke loose, but crazy things did happen. Very fun game, and it showed me finally how a session of this game should be handled.

So you may want to seek out Savage Worlds, I know Anacronus is a big fan of the system, and really I've always been waiting for a real game of it to judge how great it could be. This is an excellent system for people new to role playing, and for a group that may want to try different games every couple of weeks, but don't want to pay a lot for the different books.

I'll not say too much more so Anacronus can do a full review of the system someday.

*Nerd Store being my title for any store which deals in primarily in Board Games, RPGs (think Dungeons and Dragons not Final Fantasy), comics, ect.

Free Dungeons!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into your favorite comic book/gaming store, it returns!  They thought the madness would end after Free Comic Book Day, but it has only begun.  Gather your dice bag and your courage, for only the mightiest wizards and warriors can stand against the monstrosity that is...

That's right, this Saturday is the fifth annual Free RPG Day.  Retailers worldwide are offering promotional products (such as free adventures, quick start rules, even dice) from many different RPGs, including Dungeons & Dragons, White Wolf's World of Darkness, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, and much more.  Many stores are also having free RPG demos you can join and play in.  It's the perfect time to find that new RPG you're looking for or meet with others who play the same games you do.  Don't forget to support these stores.  If you find a new RPG that you can't wait to play, speak to one of the staff members of your local store and see if they have it, or, at the very least, if they can get it for you.

Hope to see you there, just don't touch my dice.