System Mastery

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/system-mastery-110-paranoia-xp.mp3 A madcap dystopia that has more accompanying memes per square centimeter than anything short of Dungeon and Dragons itself.  Is Paranoia worth braving the swamp of people at the store endless parroting stuff about friend computer?  Actually yeah, kind of!

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/system-mastery-109-mermaid-adventures.mp3 Let’s talk about RPGs for kids.  Or more accurately, one RPG that is basically for kids.  It might be a little heavy on Ariels and light on editing, but Mermaid Adventures manages to remain a charming and accessible game for kids, without somehow shoehorning in transformation fetishes or weird political viewpoints, an apparently difficult trick, at least according to the rest of the industry.  We examine this game within. Don’t forget, if you want to buy any of the games we review (or any games, I’m not picky) use the DriveThru RPG link in our sidebar, we get a cut of those proceeds.  Awww yeah.  Now I know you aren’t seeing the link because you have adblocker installed like everyone else on the internet, but hey, couldn’t hurt to ask.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/system-mastery-108-dark-continent.mp3 Dark Continent is the RPG of … well venturing into Africa and killing a bunch of people.  I mean that’s vaguely frowned upon (unless you are playing a Belgian), but it’s still pretty much expected.  Also, it stars the biggest package that they could afford for cover art.  Look at that thing.  It’s like there’s two Mt. Kilimanjaros in the art.  Oh also the rest of the art is old woodcuts and newspaper cartoons.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/system-mastery-107-werewolf-the-apocalypse.mp3 Awoooooo White Ween continues!  Awoooooooo!  Today on System Mastery we introduce you to the colon-free world of Werewolf the Apocalypse.  I mean, there’s some colons. Werewolves probably have colons.  I bet they poop constantly on the lawns of corporate criminals and polluters and so on.  What I meant was that the title lacks a colon.  So it’s an instruction, and werewolf is just a verb.  Apply werewolves directly to the apocalypse.  Anyway, this book was weird, this post is weird, happy White Ween to all and to all a good night.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/episode-105-minds-eye-theatre-requiem.mp3 Ah, truly the most joyous of holiday seasons is upon us!  Happy White Ween!  Today, we cover a game that turned out (well after we started reading it) to be a sourcebook.  Whoops!  We are bit in the butt by our lack of research yet again!  Oh well, we bravely soldier on in true Ween spirit to cover Mind’s Eye Theatre: Requiem, a LARPing guide for the thoroughly modern vampire.  Too spooky, indeed.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/system-mastery-104-living-steel.mp3 Brought to you by rocket scientists hellbent on pure unadulterated realism, Living Steel is basically Heinlein by way of Games Workshop, with probably a few too many tables (which is a nice way of saying for sure definitely too many tables by a lot).  Gird your mega loins to battle Vissers and Spectrals along with System Mastery with our review of Living Steel.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/system-mastery-103-gear-krieg.mp3 Are you looking for a game of two-fisted derring-do and rousing pulp adventure?  You’ll be sure to find it in some other book.  Gear Krieg is an RPG companion to a similarly titled tabletop wargame, based on the functional Silhouette rule system and featuring … well, World War 2 for the most part.  Also Edison and Tesla.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/gamma-crawl-x-4.mp3 Oh my goodness after a long hiatus the adventure continues.  I mean, sort of.  We recorded this a long time ago. In a measurement system I call “Broken Computers,” we recorded this episode two broken computers ago.  As always, we are joined by our GM Quinn (of Swallows of the South and various other podcasts) and friend of the show Brad, to adventure in the far-flung mutant madness that is the arenas of Gamma World.  In this extra-long episode, we encounter a massive wall, a southern gentleman, and a big room full of slimy trash.  

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/system-mastery-102-king-arthur-pendragon.mp3 Yay, a game we didn’t hate!  This is a very specific sort of RPG, in which you play as a knightly dynasty during the Morte D’Arthur romantic tales.  Will you be a good Cymric Christian soldier (yes, probably) who spends their time collecting taxes, having kids, and very, very occasionally fighting a bear (again, yes).  A sort of vague magic system and NEW RULES FOR CELTIC KNIGHTS also included.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/system-mastery-101-a-state.mp3 This book is a grim, unrelenting slog.  Punctuated by the kind of art that would be impressive if this book was a collection of screenshots from the first Fallout game, filled to the brim with grimy short stories where nameless murderers murder murderers for the joy of murderin’, and with about 14 of its dismal 200 or so pages given over to the rules.  We hope you enjoy the review, as someone somewhere should have a bit of happiness, since we apparently cannot.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/system-mastery-100-dungeons-dragons-3rd-edition1.mp3 Well, it’s been four years.  Honestly when we started the gimmick of doing D&D every 25 episodes we never thought we’d actually get as far as third edition.   Here we are though!  3rd Edition D&D and all it’s accompanying rules-as-physics and expansive OGL accoutrements, laid bare for your amusement over way too much time.  Thanks again for all the support, dudes!  Maudlin, choked up us will see you again next year for tabletop WOW for babbies.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/gamma-crawl-x-3.mp3 This time on the continuing adventures of Occulus Vive, Teddy Rustbin, and Yu-go the Nyarlathotank we find our heroes faced with a fiendish trap and pitted against the fiendish Bird Brothers in a fight to the…death? Listen and find out on the newest episode.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/system-mastery-99-sailor-moon.mp3 Moon Prism Power!  Right?  Right?  That’s what she says sometimes?  Look this is weird for us.  Not our usual thing.  So we brought in a ringer!  A guy that’s watched all this and even played this game, and also I guess he’s our boss sort of, James D’Amato of the One Shot Podcast Network.  He’ll help us tease out the meaning of all of this! By the way, don’t forget to check out James’ kickstarter, Dungeon Dome!  He’s fundraising to run a rad series of live gladiatorial RP games with a collection of colorful live teams of podcasting friends, and he needs your help!

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/gamma-crawl-x-2a.mp3 On today’s episode of Gamma Crawl X, our heroes encounter a slimy surprise, followed shortly thereafter by Deadstone the Gatekeeper.  Enjoy!  

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/system-mastery-98-legendary-lives.mp3 The countdown to episode 100 begins!  This week, Legendary Lives.  Just another heartbreaker you’ve never heard of?  Maybe.  Does it commit several of the weird sins of old game design?  Oh absolutely?  Can you play as rad snake dudes?  YES!

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/system-mastery-97-exquisite-replicas.mp3 You know what we forgot to do in this one? Make fun of that Anonymous motto about how they’re legion or whatever.  I guess we just forgot.  Oh well.  This is a game that reimagines the internet hacker collaborative or whatever as a bunch of insane homeless people fighting invisible extradimensional invaders.  That’s certainly worth some points for originality.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/mad-max-x-crawl-1.mp3 As demanded by the public (and the Patreon) we have begun our first ever Actual Play series, Gamma Crawl X.  In this show, we are joined by our GM Quinn (of Swallows of the South and various other podcasts) and friend of the show Brad, to adventure in the far-flung mutant madness that is the arenas of Gamma World.  In this episode, we introduce the format and create characters.  And soon, the actual game begins.  

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/system-mastery-96-nexus-the-infinite-city.mp3 Man this city is so infinite, it’s like you don’t even know.  Crazy aliens rub shoulders with alternate humans in this early 90s kitchen sink style game with a great roster of now-famous authors.  Also we make fun of each other.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/system-mastery-95-200-word-rpg-winners.mp3 It was a blast to help judge this year’s 200 Word RPG Challenge to assist David Schirduan in his yearly scheme to elicit all kinds of creativity from the online RPG community.  And while they were all fun to read, we did eventually settle on a few winners this year.  Our part in the rewards process was an episode dedicated to the winners, and here it is!  Please enjoy this rare glimpse into the world of friendly, happy, positive System Mastery.

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/system-mastery-94-purgatory.mp3 Warning: This episode is for mature gamers only.  So if you think the word “Boogers” is still pretty funny, maybe you should wait til we review the RPG adaptation of the Sega Genesis classic, Boogerman.  Til then, this is a cute little game that incorporates a lot of Heaven/Hell mythology with … oh let’s just say all of the LARP suggestions you’d find in a Mind’s Eye Theater Book.