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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Core Rulebook

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Core Rulebook

List Price: $40.00
Your Price: $26.40
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Beautiful Book
Review: As usual for Eden Studios, this book is visually stunning. It's a joy to just look at. Combined with its review of the first five seasons of the show and the large ammount of backgroun material, the book could be of interest even to non-gamers. As an rpg, it's quite fun. Using a streamlined version of C.J. Carella's Unisystem, the mechanics run fast and fun. They simulate the "reality" of the show well and are easy to learn and use. The GM can run the game without needing to roll a single die if desired. As to characters, you can play Buffy and Co. or you can design your own Scooby Gang with or without a Slayer. It all depends on how canon you want your game to be. While the book supports modern day games, it can easily be set in different time periods. I'm running a game with just my wife in which she plays a Slayer in a pulp-adventure style 1930s setting. The only limit is your own imagination.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I do not have to play the game to enjoy the Core Rulebook
Review: At the beginning of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Core Rulebook," writer and designer C. J. Carella acknowledges that the reader of this volume could just as easily be a Buffy fanatic as a veteran of role playing games. Indeed, Carella considers it a safe assumption that anyone who gets to page 194 of this volume is a fan of the show (but he sees advantages for those who are not). Of course, I am the former, although I do remember an evening with college friends trying unsuccessfully to get me hooked on Dungeon & Dragons and my daughter and I have attempted the Buffy the Vampire CCG game a few times (I am happy just to collect the cards). Certainly, Carella has put together a gorgeous volume. On top of that, the role playing game, part of the Unisystem, might actually prove to be fun as well.

The "BtVS RPG" covers a lot of ground (by its own admission), from rules to stats to descriptions to backgrounds. There are eight chapters and an appendix: (1) "It's the Slayer's World, We Just Play Here" contains introductory sections, notes about role playing, a list of conventions, and a brief recap of Seasons One through Five of the television series (note, breakdown is by season rather than episode specific); (2) "Some Assembly Required" covers character creation and provides the game stats for the main characters as well as a gallery of Archetypes (e.g., New Slayer, Demon Hunter, and Former Vampire Groupie); (3) "Rules, Borders, and an End Zone" provides the rules of the game, teaching you how to play the game, when to use dice, detailing character development, and explaining the importance of Drama Points; (4) "Playing With Primal Forces" explains the upside and the downside of magic in the Buffyverse; (5) "Sunnydale After Dark" goes over both the favorite hotspots in and around the home of the Hell Mouth and the major Guest Stars of the show such as Joyce, Amy, Jonathan, etc.; (6) "Children of the Night" covers all of the vamps, demons, and other Big Bads from the show's first five seasons, providing such great details as character motivation (e.g., Glorificus wants to go home but Drusilla is just a "Whimsical nutjob"); (7) "Episodes, Seasons and Drama" is for the Director of the game and provides guidelines on how to create storylines and run games; and (8) "Sweeps Week" provides an actual adventure for the "BtVS RG" game, to be played with the Archetypes. Finally, the "Appendix" helps you hone your Buffyspeak and also provides useful charts and tables, a glossary, an index and conversion notes from other Unisystem games.

Christopher Golden, who has written some of the best "BtVS" novels along with the comic book and "The Watcher's Guides," writes the Foreword to this volume, which is basically a teaser for a role playing game. My son, who has considerably more experience with role playing games than I do, assures me this is fairly basic stuff and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a natural for this sort of fun. It is well established that "BtVS" is my favorite television show and I am fascinated by the details for the role playing game Carella has developed (e.g., the idea that guidelines are providing for "Breaking Things" tickles me). I also like the idea that playing the game can be developed in terms of Episodes and Seasons as well, providing a grand narrative structure to the fighting and biting. For those who love both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and role playing games, this Core Rulebook as to be a treat.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I do not have to play the game to enjoy the Core Rulebook
Review: At the beginning of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Core Rulebook," writer and designer C. J. Carella acknowledges that the reader of this volume could just as easily be a Buffy fanatic as a veteran of role playing games. Indeed, Carella considers it a safe assumption that anyone who gets to page 194 of this volume is a fan of the show (but he sees advantages for those who are not). Of course, I am the former, although I do remember an evening with college friends trying unsuccessfully to get me hooked on Dungeon & Dragons and my daughter and I have attempted the Buffy the Vampire CCG game a few times (I am happy just to collect the cards). Certainly, Carella has put together a gorgeous volume. On top of that, the role playing game, part of the Unisystem, might actually prove to be fun as well.

The "BtVS RPG" covers a lot of ground (by its own admission), from rules to stats to descriptions to backgrounds. There are eight chapters and an appendix: (1) "It's the Slayer's World, We Just Play Here" contains introductory sections, notes about role playing, a list of conventions, and a brief recap of Seasons One through Five of the television series (note, breakdown is by season rather than episode specific); (2) "Some Assembly Required" covers character creation and provides the game stats for the main characters as well as a gallery of Archetypes (e.g., New Slayer, Demon Hunter, and Former Vampire Groupie); (3) "Rules, Borders, and an End Zone" provides the rules of the game, teaching you how to play the game, when to use dice, detailing character development, and explaining the importance of Drama Points; (4) "Playing With Primal Forces" explains the upside and the downside of magic in the Buffyverse; (5) "Sunnydale After Dark" goes over both the favorite hotspots in and around the home of the Hell Mouth and the major Guest Stars of the show such as Joyce, Amy, Jonathan, etc.; (6) "Children of the Night" covers all of the vamps, demons, and other Big Bads from the show's first five seasons, providing such great details as character motivation (e.g., Glorificus wants to go home but Drusilla is just a "Whimsical nutjob"); (7) "Episodes, Seasons and Drama" is for the Director of the game and provides guidelines on how to create storylines and run games; and (8) "Sweeps Week" provides an actual adventure for the "BtVS RG" game, to be played with the Archetypes. Finally, the "Appendix" helps you hone your Buffyspeak and also provides useful charts and tables, a glossary, an index and conversion notes from other Unisystem games.

Christopher Golden, who has written some of the best "BtVS" novels along with the comic book and "The Watcher's Guides," writes the Foreword to this volume, which is basically a teaser for a role playing game. My son, who has considerably more experience with role playing games than I do, assures me this is fairly basic stuff and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a natural for this sort of fun. It is well established that "BtVS" is my favorite television show and I am fascinated by the details for the role playing game Carella has developed (e.g., the idea that guidelines are providing for "Breaking Things" tickles me). I also like the idea that playing the game can be developed in terms of Episodes and Seasons as well, providing a grand narrative structure to the fighting and biting. For those who love both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and role playing games, this Core Rulebook as to be a treat.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Spend Some Time With It
Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying game (BtVS RPG) is a strong attempt at adapting Joss Whedon's world to your roleplaying needs. New roleplayers note: You will need to gather 3 to 6 friends (4 or 5 work best). One friend will take on the role of Director, the person who runs the game. The rest will be the players, otherwise known as Cast Members. The Director creates stories (Episodes) set in the Buffyverse. The Cast Members are the heroes (like Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow) who must face the Big Bad of the evening and, quite probably, save the universe.

You can play in Sunnydale. You can play elsewhere. You can play Buffy. You can play another Slayer and her friends. Or you can ignore the Slayer and simply play White Hats or even soldiers of the Initiative. (The possibilities are nigh limitless, actually.) The style of play is entirely up to you and your friends.

You will each need a ten-sided die, which is easy to find locally or online. You'll need a pencil, scratch paper, and of course snacks to share with the group.

You will also need TIME. I personally feel that in order to create a good Buffy game (or any roleplaying game) you must commit to continued attendance. You need to meet on a weekly basis in order to watch your characters grow in a satisfying way. (I didn't like the TV show after only seeing one episode. It took several before I became a Buffy fan. Continuity matters.)

Most reviews of BtVS RPG and in fact the Core Rulebook itself tell you that it only takes about an hour to learn the rules and start playing. BIG LIE. Especially if you're new to this hobby. It will take you at least an hour to get through the book. Then it will take time to comprehend the rules, even though this system is much simpler than many games on the market. It will take even more time to memorize the important rules that you will need to keep the game flowing smoothly.

On top of that, your Director should spend A LOT of time preparing before each session. If the storyline in which you will toil has been whipped together in a few minutes, chances are there won't be much fun to be had. The best Buffy stories occur because extensive effort has been invested in the plot.

Don't let that scare you. The time will be well spent. You won't regret it. I'm willing to bet that roleplaying will become a lifelong hobby for you, if it isn't already.

-----------------

First, the negative stuff:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game didn't work for me the first read through. The Uni-System itself filled me with questions. I didn't think that the designer gave enough examples of his thought process. If this is how I, an experienced gamer, felt while reading; how would someone who has never before roleplayed feel?

If you're a new gamer, let me suggest that you're likely to experience frustration along the way. You will be creating a Buffy character using strict rules for spending points. . .but then you come to picking your (what's known as) "Combat Maneuvers," and the Core Rules abruptly set you lose, telling you that you don't have to spend points. You are told to simply pick and choose the maneuvers you want. The game designer doesn't guide you here AT ALL. So, yeah, you might feel a bit lost. I mean, why not go ahead and pick ALL the Combat Maneuvers? Why only a few? It would have been nice if the character creation system guided you in this decision.

Then there's combat, a staple of the Buffy experience. The combat system isn't literally "fast and furious" as promised. There is a lot of adding and subtracting and keeping track of how many attacks you've used, defenses employed, etceteras. And what if you didn't write down a Combat Maneuver on your character sheet and suddenly want to use it while fighting a vampire? In this case, you've got a couple of formulas to "quickly" figure out, both to-hit and to-do-damage. Talk about slowing things down! It'll make you wish you'd chosen ALL the Combat Maneuvers to begin with. I can't find any reason not to, other than the pain in your hand that will result from tons of writing.

As a side note, there comes a point in the text when the author humorously asks if you've noticed the list of Combat Maneuvers on your character sheet. If you haven't, he tongue-in-cheek chides you for being unobservant. The real joke here is that the game designer himself wasn't paying attention. The BtVS character sheet DOES NOT list Combat Maneuvers. It leaves space for you to write them down yourself. Space to write does not count as a "list."

Back on topic: the Core Rules needed more examples of combat. For example, if you choose to have your character AIM his weapon, the rules state that your attack will take place "near the end of the turn." Kind of vague. And what if your character is the last to attack that turn? Does the aim/shot take place at the same time? Or does it take place near the end of "next" turn?

If you don't already know, as a player you will tell your Director what it is you want your Buffy-like Cast Member to do: break down a door, research a demon, fast-talk the principal, sneak past a vampire, or whatever. Your Director judges the situation and then tells you to roll a ten-sided die and add it to your Cast Member's appropriate Attribute and Skill to determine how well the action succeeded. The Director will usually tell you something like, "Subtract two points" or "Add one point" to the total. That's basic. But sometimes the Core Rules instruct you to ONLY add the Attribute. . .and it's unclear as to why. There aren't adequate guidelines to help Directors make such a choice.

Again, I as a reader needed more examples. Explanations, too.

There are rules for fear tests to determine if a character wigs out when something scary happens. These usually involve adding your Cast Member's Willpower (doubled) to the roll of a ten-sided die. The problem is, even a non-heroic character (Willpower 2) only has to roll average (a 5 or a 6) to keep from wetting himself. Facing your fear in the Uni-System is pretty easy. It doesn't translate well into horror.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure out how Buffy got the wiggins when her mother died during Season Five. Double an Attribute, don't double and Attribute, apply a -5 modifier--none of that worked. Buffy's Willpower (9) is too high to explain such an event. The game designer should have provided us with better modifiers.

Here's something about BtVS RPG that is both good and bad: Ability Scores. Guest Stars (non-player characters) aren't as detailed as Cast Members. They have Combat, Brain, and Muscle Ability Scores, static numbers that the stars of the show must beat with their own heroic die rolls. This speeds things up, of course, and that's good. It's way unrealistic, even for Buffy, and that's bad. Under this system, a bad guy might have a formidable Combat Ability Score of 15, but this assumes he can fire guns, use swords, dodge, AND fight with kung fu excellence-- all at 15. It makes Guest Stars a little too generic. What if your Cast Member is fighting a cop? Does the cop know how to use an axe as readily as his revolver? I don't think so. . .

--------------

Now the positive stuff:

It is because I spent so much time trying to wrap my brain around this game system that something finally clicked inside me. I then realized that this is a game that centers on storytelling, not set-in-stone mechanics. I THE REVIEWER with no power invested in me am giving you the RIGHT to do with this system what you will. Play with the game mechanics. Tweak the die rolls to suit you.

I wrote the Buffy editor, and that's pretty much what he told me: tweak the rules to your liking. Roll an Attribute (not doubled) in tight situations, such as if a car falls on Buffy and she needs to use her Strength to push it off of her. Although Attribute rolls, when not aided by Skills, are usually doubled, I myself tend to call for a straight Attribute roll in my game whenever a hero is being severely tested. If he or she is put in sudden peril or in a situation that falls out of his or her realm of experience, I'll ask my player to roll the Attribute without doubling it.

You or your Director might make a different call. That's the nice thing about BtVS RPG. It's very much about how you interpret the rules. Once you get a feel for what the author intended, your best judgment will suffice. It took me too long to realize this, unfortunately. I actually wrote the game company not once but two times. (And the authors responded; they care about their customers.)

Enough about mechanics.

The Core Rules are contained in a hardcover book that is a pleasure to read. Not only are the pages beautifully decorated with clever font, unique illustrations, and lovely photographs, the writing itself captures the flavor of the universe. The prose is funny, it's hip, it's Buffy. You don't need to read the binding to know which game you're playing.

There are only 17 Skills in the game. That's all you'll need. This is not a complex system; it's cinematic. You won't need an in-depth GURPS approach to Buffy. And when you find that your character is lacking in ability, you equally find that he or she has something called Drama Points.

A Drama Point is similar to "luck in the bank." Spend one when you need to 1) increase your chances of succeeding at an action, 2) increase how well you succeed at an action, 3) lessen damage that enemies inflict upon you, 4) twist the plot in your favor, 5) come back from the "dead", 6) do anything, actually, that puts the fantasy back in reality. There's nothing new about Drama Points. Some game systems call them Hero Points. But a rose is still a rose. . .Drama Points belong here in Buffy. The game designer knew that.

I can't call the first edition of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game perfect. Yet I'm confident that you'll break it in. Use and abuse the rules as you see fit until they truly do fit your gaming style. I once again must say this, particularly to new roleplayers. If you're confused while reading the Core Rulebook, shrug your shoulders and go with the flow. During the game itself, don't stop to argue over technicalities or you'll kill the "Buffy" feel. Storytelling is much more important than "rules lawyering." BtVS RPG gives you the freedom to recreate the Buffyverse as it was meant to be. . .Buffy-licious.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice Addition to any RPG Library
Review: I am an avid gamer for over twelve years. I love collection all types of RPGs cause you never know if you will find something useful.

I just got this book and think that my group and I are going to give it a swing. It looks like there are many posiblities for some great roleplaying. I think if you like the show and you are a gamer, you'll like this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great resource but the cost and game system drop it a star.
Review: I've been a role-player for over 20 years now and have easily read over 50 different game systems. This book is HEAVY on atmosphere but a little lacking in providing game mechanics. There is enough here for a very experienced GM to run a game but new or moderately experienced GMs may have trouble jumping in and handling the game system. My players had a hard time understanding that you may not play out every kick and punch, especially when the action is so fast and furious in the TV show.
I also found the price high for a basic RPG book. Getting it through Amazon garners you no discount either. The cover price is [money amount]and you pay exactly that (luckily it's cost gets you free shipping).
Don't get me wrong, this is a great time and they really do capture the feeling of Sunnydale and its various personalities. Don't go into this game thinking it will be easy to master in a heartbeat. Give it some time, read it thoroughly several times and then go for it!


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