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Tales of the Red: Strassengeschichten
198 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2023
1 person want to read
About the author
Mike Pondsmith
46 books92 followersMichael Alyn Pondsmith is an American roleplaying, board, and video game designer. He founded the publisher R. Talsorian Games in 1982, where he developed a majority of the company's role-playing game lines. Pondsmith is the author of several RPG lines, including Mekton (1984), Cyberpunk (1988) and Castle Falkenstein (1994). He also contributed to the Forgotten Realms and Oriental Adventures lines of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, worked in various capacities on video games, and authored or co-created several board games. Pondsmith also worked as an instructor at the DigiPen Institute of Technology.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 1, 2024
On the whole, these stories are good bases for quests.
More to the point:
Some are clearly underwhelming and I wouldn't have my PJs play them ("bucket of croque corn," "drummer and whale").
Others give ideas - like a kind of flash - for other quests, but I can't see myself playing them as such. For example, in "Nothing to Put on Your Back," giving PJs a corporatist suit as a quest reward, or starting a quest with a night market (to find the fixer). Most quests fall into this category and aren't playable as such, as there's often far too much detail, the story is a little heavy-handed, and at the same time, not worked out enough in places. Often, transitions are poorly managed, with the PJs having to go to a place because that's the way it is, and then that's that. Example: at Mister Rice Guy's in "On a Red Night."
Finally, two stories (out of nine) are pretty good and can be played. "A Night at the Opera" and "Watch Your Back" are likely to give everyone a good time, with some rebalancing.
NB: This review may seem a bit harsh, but that's because I'm a pretty picky GM who writes down all her quests. This book can really help those who have never role-played before. And even if you write everything yourself, there are a few mechanics to remember from these quests.
Sorry for the mistakes and the (made-up) quest translations, my book is in French.
More to the point:
Some are clearly underwhelming and I wouldn't have my PJs play them ("bucket of croque corn," "drummer and whale").
Others give ideas - like a kind of flash - for other quests, but I can't see myself playing them as such. For example, in "Nothing to Put on Your Back," giving PJs a corporatist suit as a quest reward, or starting a quest with a night market (to find the fixer). Most quests fall into this category and aren't playable as such, as there's often far too much detail, the story is a little heavy-handed, and at the same time, not worked out enough in places. Often, transitions are poorly managed, with the PJs having to go to a place because that's the way it is, and then that's that. Example: at Mister Rice Guy's in "On a Red Night."
Finally, two stories (out of nine) are pretty good and can be played. "A Night at the Opera" and "Watch Your Back" are likely to give everyone a good time, with some rebalancing.
NB: This review may seem a bit harsh, but that's because I'm a pretty picky GM who writes down all her quests. This book can really help those who have never role-played before. And even if you write everything yourself, there are a few mechanics to remember from these quests.
Sorry for the mistakes and the (made-up) quest translations, my book is in French.
Displaying 1 of 1 review