Note:  This review is based on the PDF version of the product.
So, I know that I’ve not written anything on the blog for a while, but David asked me to do a guest post.  Since I’ve just finished reading through the Cthulhutech Core Book, I figured I’d do a review.
The first thing that struck me was how high the production value is.  It was nominated for an Ennie for production value, and I’d be interested to see who actually won.  There’s unique art throughout the book, and all of it fits with the world they’re creating.  The layout is top notch, and the text is easy to read.
The second thing that caught my attention is the effort to blend together elements of two settings I love – H.P. Lovecraft and Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but they pulled it off.  The general gist is that someone’s perfected the Infernal Machine and turned it into an energy source.  This caught the attention of several entities, and they set the events in motion that led to the world of Cthulhutech.
When I was talking to Derek about this, one of the first things thoughts he told me he had about this is how it seems like more of a war game than a role playing game.  I can see where that criticism can come from:  many of the events in the game focus on the mecha pilots and the support structures for them.  As well, it seems like the designers wanted to accentuate the mecha aspect of the setting in the first book.  It does serve as a pretty big distinguishing feature from traditional games featuring the Cthulhu mythos, and it works in their favor.  There’s an entire chapter on the different types of Mecha, and an entire supplement that outlines their opposition.
The system that makes the game run – the Framewerk game rules engine – is pretty interesting.  Based on the number of die that you’re rolling, you can use the die in different ways.  I’ll leave it to you to read it, but there’s an element of poker in it.  It’s also very straight forward.  I’m going to be honest, I have a hard time dealing with combat systems in games.  This one is about as simple as they come.  They’ve added in some supplemental rules in the books that have followed the core book’s release, but I have no idea about them aside from the blurbs on the book pages.
The Storyguide (Dungeon Master, Story teller, etc) sections are very well laid out and easy to get through.  They start with a new history of the world and transition into different story telling techniques for their game.  However, they have some very good advice for folks that aren’t that used to running games.  As well, they delve into what they think are the proper ways to write your overall arc.  This advice should be in every book.  It’s a pretty nice alternative to some of the things I’ve seen (Or not seen as is the case in some books), and it helps get people that may not be used to running a game comfortable with how exactly to do that.
Now, I know some of you will want to know about the liberties that they’ve taken and the specifics of how some things work.  I’m going to be honest, you should just read the book.  The magic system is clean and intuitive with tangible effects for characters and setting appropriate availibilities for spells.  The mecha and Tagers (think mystical battle armor, but smaller than a mecha) are all very interesting with unique designs that are homages to their inspiration.
The other thing I want to say:  These guys gave complete reverance to the works that inspired their game.  That’s a great thing.  They took the ideas and worked them in such a way as to create a new and unique product that stands up well on its own.  You don’t need to know anything about the Cthulhu mythos or Rayxephon, and you can get right into this world.
So, all in all, I really like this book, and hope that everyone can support some rising stars in the industry.

Note:  This review is based on the PDF version of the product.

So, I know that I’ve not written anything on the blog for a while, but David asked me to do a guest post.  Since I’ve just finished reading through the Cthulhutech Core Book, I figured I’d do a review.

The first thing that struck me was how high the production value is.  It was nominated for an Ennie for production value, and I’d be interested to see who actually won.  There’s unique art throughout the book, and all of it fits with the world they’re creating.  The layout is top notch, and the text is easy to read.

The second thing that caught my attention is the effort to blend together elements of two settings I love – H.P. Lovecraft and Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but they pulled it off.  The general gist is that someone’s perfected the Infernal Machine and turned it into an energy source.  This caught the attention of several entities, and they set the events in motion that led to the world of Cthulhutech.

When I was talking to Derek about this, one of the first things thoughts he told me he had about this is how it seems like more of a war game than a role playing game.  I can see where that criticism can come from:  many of the events in the game focus on the mecha pilots and the support structures for them.  As well, it seems like the designers wanted to accentuate the mecha aspect of the setting in the first book.  It does serve as a pretty big distinguishing feature from traditional games featuring the Cthulhu mythos, and it works in their favor.  There’s an entire chapter on the different types of Mecha, and an entire supplement that outlines their opposition.

The system that makes the game run – the Framewerk game rules engine – is pretty interesting.  Based on the number of die that you’re rolling, you can use the die in different ways.  I’ll leave it to you to read it, but there’s an element of poker in it.  It’s also very straight forward.  I’m going to be honest, I have a hard time dealing with combat systems in games.  This one is about as simple as they come.  They’ve added in some supplemental rules in the books that have followed the core book’s release, but I have no idea about them aside from the blurbs on the book pages.

The Storyguide (Dungeon Master, Story teller, etc) sections are very well laid out and easy to get through.  They start with a new history of the world and transition into different story telling techniques for their game.  However, they have some very good advice for folks that aren’t that used to running games.  As well, they delve into what they think are the proper ways to write your overall arc.  This advice should be in every book.  It’s a pretty nice alternative to some of the things I’ve seen (Or not seen as is the case in some books), and it helps get people that may not be used to running a game comfortable with how exactly to do that.

Now, I know some of you will want to know about the liberties that they’ve taken and the specifics of how some things work.  I’m going to be honest, you should just read the book.  The magic system is clean and intuitive with tangible effects for characters and setting appropriate availibilities for spells.  The mecha and Tagers (think mystical battle armor, but smaller than a mecha) are all very interesting with unique designs that are homages to their inspiration.

The other thing I want to say:  These guys gave complete reverance to the works that inspired their game.  That’s a great thing.  They took the ideas and worked them in such a way as to create a new and unique product that stands up well on its own.  You don’t need to know anything about the Cthulhu mythos or Rayxephon, and you can get right into this world.

So, all in all, I really like this book, and hope that everyone can support some rising stars in the industry.