|
|
| |
|
| ||
|
|
by S.M. Lease
To Dungeons Deep and Caverns Old - #2
First of all, I'd like to apologize for not reviewing RavenloftTM this month. However, I have two rather important reasons for avoiding the Domain of Dread: 1. I've already reviewed RavenloftTM for Dark Heart of the WoodBill-Gates-is-evil (I have an RPG column there as well). Though I did write the DHW column first, I was beginning to think that it would not be published by the time I started writing for Beyond Dominia. So I decided to rewrite the review, and included a preview in my first BD column. As soon as I sent the article in, however, Ley Druid (the maintainer of DHW) informed me that my article had been published. Oops. :-) 2. Though this reason is perhaps not as important, I had been planning my RavenloftTM review for OctoberI-hate-TM-symbols, in honor of Halloween. (The editor had told me that my first column would be published in September.) At this point, I'm still deciding what to do next month. Don't worry, I have a few ideas. I'm just trying to figure out which option I want to pursue. So again, I apologize. If TSR ever comes out with another RavenloftTM rulebook (which they will), I'll try to get my hands on one so I can review it for Beyond Dominia.
Okay, that was...long. On with this month's column. As you may have guessed, the title is a reference to the similarities between Advanced Dungeons & DragonsTM and AlternityTM. And speaking of similarities, why don't I start there. Like AD&DT--oh, forget it, Alternity has six primary character attributes. As always, there's Intelligence, Constitution, Strength, and Dexterity. Wisdom is now called Will and Charisma is called Personality. And Alternity has six main PC races: humans; fraal (tall grey aliens similar to the shorter ones found in virtually every book on UFOs); mechalus (similar to Star Trek's BorgTM, except the mechalus don't assimilate people); sesheyans (winged grey aliens); t'sa (reptilian aliens); and weren (hmm...Wookies after being given free samples by the Gillette Corporation?). Now then, if I think for a moment I can probably find more direct similarities between the Alternity and AD&D PC races. Humans are humans in both systems, of course. Both the fraal and the mechalus could qualify as elves - the fraal with their mystical qualities, the mechalus with their cool demeanor and strange powers, both races slightly removed from the mortal realm. The t'sa, being intelligent tinkerers, are probably the equivalent of gnomes. The weren, though much bigger, would translate as warlike dwarves. I'm not exactly sure what the sesheyan would be - they're pretty primitive (they were stone age nomads when discovered). But they might be converted into halflings, since both races seem to prefer their simpler lives. Finally, Alternity has optional rules for alien artifacts (magical items), "FX" (magic - they even say so in the rules), and psionics. This game also introduces some new and (IMHO) very interesting concepts. In the next few paragraphs, I will describe some of these concepts in detail. The first new concept is that of a second die added to some skill checks. Allow me to explain: in Alternity, the die used for Intelligence, Constitution, etc. checks is called the "control die". Under normal circumstances, the control die alone is used, to the exclusion of any others. But if a given task is especially easy or especially difficult, the "situation die" rules come into play. The situation die is basically just a modifier, and can be either a help or a hindrance. But instead of set modifiers such as +1, -2, etc., the situation die is usually something like +1d4, -1d4, +1d6, or anything else from -1d20 to +3d20. I think that this is a very interesting idea, and it's certainly better than the set modifiers in AD&D. The situation die rules allow both success and failure, despite any bonuses or penalties you might recieve. Another new idea is the introduction of "careers". Here's the basic idea: there are five "professions" - Combat Spec (fighter), Diplomat, Free Agent (thief or spy), Mindwalker (psionicist), and Tech Op. These professions represent a basic outline of your character's skills and abilities. After you pick a profession, you must also select an appropriate career. Where your profession gives you some idea of your character's strengths and weaknesses, your career fills in the blanks and essentially tells you what your character does for a living. As an example, let's look at Babylon Five's main characters (season 4 edition) through the eyes of Alternity. Commander Susan Ivanova and Lieutenant (Commander?) Michael Garibaldi are obviously Combat Spec/Soldiers (though Garibaldi became more of a Free Agent at the end of the fourth season). Doctor Stephen Franklin is clearly a Tech Op/Doctor. Captain John Sheridan is probably a Combat Spec/Soldier, although he definitely serves as a Diplomat/Ambassador when the need arises. Delenn, Londo, G'kar, etc. are all Diplomat/Ambassadors. And Lyta Alexander is probably a Mindwalker/Telepath. (Season 5 is pretty much the same, except that Sheridan is, I think, a full Diplomat/Ambassador; Garibaldi is a Free Agent/Spy; and Ivanova has been replaced by Captain Elizabeth Lochley, another Combat Spec/Soldier. Also, Zack Allen, a fourth Combat Spec/Soldier, is now Chief of Security.) So how is this different from AD&D's "subclasses"? Well, first of all, you don't have to have a subclass in AD&D. Every character created with the Alternity rules must have a career. Second, to my knowledge, AD&D's subclasses are nothing but lame outlines. Alternity's careers are much more detailed (and, may I say, much cooler). Last but not least, Alternity has rules for mutant player characters - PCs with strange attributes such as wings (for flight!), wild psionic talent, natural armor, and so on. These rules look very interesting and I look forward to using them in future campaigns. All right, we're in the home stretch now. Time for my closing remarks. My main problem with Alternity is that sometimes it's a little too specific. For instance, in the description for the mechalus, they say that the mechalus came from a world called Aleer and that a violent history caused them to shun emotion. (Hmm...sounds like something from Star Trek...can you say "Vulcan ripoff"?) Look, I wouldn't have a problem with this if Alternity revolved around one campaign setting. But this game is supposed to be capable of adapting to any campaign setting the GM cares to create. If you want to design an "adaptable" game, you can't be so specific. (Note to TSR: Fix this in Alternity 2nd Ed., please. Note to GMs: Just ignore the "History" section and create your own version if you want to.) Still, all in all, I think that Alternity is a nice little game with a lot of promise. The two essential reference books (the Player's Handbook and Gamemaster Guide) are informative, interesting, and fun to read. Good work, TSR, though it could use a little tweaking. My final ratings are below.
Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst possible rating and 10 being the best.
Overall Rating: 7.9
The opinons expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Beyond Dominia. Alternity, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and related items are the exclusive property of TSR, Inc., a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast. Star Trek and related items are the property of Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Viacom. Babylon 5 and related items are the property of either Babylonian Productions, Warner Brothers, PTN, or Turner Network Television. BillTM GatesTM is the exclusive property of BillTM GatesTM, IncorporatedTM. Read side panel before using, keep out of reach of children under 0.
|