Rating: 
Summary: DON'T BUY THIS ONE... THERE'S A NEW EDITION
Review: Okay, first of all, the printing advertised on Amazon is the OLD printing. There's a new version with the errata included. That asside, I originally refused to buy the Hackmaster RPG because the group I was playing with wanted to try it out and I didn't think it would take. I was much more interested in AD&D and just spent my money on 3.5 edition books.
However, Once I started actually playing the game, I couldn't help but get into it. The fractional attribute points that increase as you level is a wonderfil addition. Skills are handled better than 2nd edition AD&D and the Quirks and Flaw and Priors and Particulars are an awesome and unique addition that truly makes hackmaster a unique game, not just a comical rehash of AD&D. I have since purchased the Zealots guide and plan on buying the spellslinger's guide (note: the one advertized on Amazon is the older printing, you really want the newer one), the combatnt's guide (to my knowledge there is only the one printing, so feel free to buy it here) and the grifter's guide.
Kudos to Kenzer and company for this awesome product.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Effort
Review: This game is essentially an update of 1st and 2nd edition dungeons and dragons for those who prefer the original system to the new D20 system. As such, it does a nice job of collecting and representing those rules.On the other hand, the game is also a parody of those games. The writing is intentionally stylistically poor, the layout and organization can be daunting, and the book is incredibly obsessed with tables and charts and dice rolling. For example there are tables on whether your birth is legitimate, tables on how many siblings you have, and tables on whether your parents were competent as parents, and whether their parenting hurt or harmed you. While you can play the game straight as written, it still really is a parody. I know people who view the book as serious and run games using it, and I know people who bought it, laughed the whole time reading it, and have no intention of ever playing it. If you've never used the old Dungeons and Dragons systems before, be warned that the old systems were kludged together, inconsistent, and often counterintuitive. This game happily embraces all of these flaws, making it somewhat daunting for a newcomer to understand.
Rating:
Summary: This book is so Awesome!
Review: When I bought this book it was originally for the comedy factor. The I started to READ it. WOW! This book contains a cleaned up hybrid version of AD&D 1st and 2nd Edition with a LOT of additions and expansions. Several new Character classes and races are included plus SO much more. This is a lot more enjoyable than WOTC D&D! After I read it I went out and picked up The GM guide and several of the Hacklopedia's I cannot wait to run this! Plus the book is written brilliantly! It is not only easy to read, but also enjoyable! I couldn't put it down! There are elements of this book that include Gaming strategies and attitudes for play. Even if you don't play the game, if you play any RPG, you should get this book! There is a LOT in here about how to be a successful gamer and have fun. Good Job! Thumbs Up!
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