Grubman Sez: Review of Familiars, the role playing game of magical pets!

[tewalker13]

Your reviews are some of the best I've seen so far, I like your presentation and especially how you give both core mechanics and info on how the game runs itself (very helpful), the endings with the quirks about the game and what could go wrong are good as well

[DBezio]

@tewalker13 Thank you :). I hope to get some more out as soon as "real life" calms down a bit.

[umbra682000]

I wanted to compliment you for the choice of music in this vid. Not only you managed to pick my favorite genre, but it also the kind of music you would hear in Mevania.

[DBezio]

@umbra682000 I have very wide and diverse (some say “weird”) taste in music. That song was done by on of my favorite bands, Eluveitie (there is a link right under the video). They are a pagan metal band, but fairly unique in that they use more traditional instruments and also do more folk sounding stuff. This song is off of Evocation 1, which is an acoustic album that is much more folk (with a little pop) than their usual offerings.

[VoraxTranstellaris]

Sounds fun. When I first read about this game I didn't give it much attention as I got the impression for some reason that it was too rules-intensive considering the subject matter. I'd say it doesn't need much more complexity than say a 1PG game from Deep7.

[umbra682000]

thanks for the review Dave. It was hilarious and you make a lot of good points. Yes, "Foxfire" (the promised supplement) is almost completely written, but GG is a one man operation and I have been focusing on my best selling miniature games and that put Foxfire on the back burner. Eventually I will put that out of its cage :-)

Andrea (Ganesha Games)

[VoraxTranstellaris]

@umbra682000 I was thinking this would be cool to run in a modern-day or Victorian era urban fantasy setting. Though modern-day would rather diminish the role of the church there could be other witch hunters about.

What will this "Foxfire" supplement deal with exactly?

[umbra682000]

@VoraxTranstellaris Foxfire deals with the wilderness. A lot more animal types to play ad a few scenarios. Focus is on Foxes, hawks, Badgers, Wolverines, Weasels, Wolves etc. The kind of familiars you would find hanging around a Druid or a healer.

[VoraxTranstellaris]

@umbra682000 Neat. The setting of Firebird Productions' "Mythic Russia" would be cool to set this in.

[umbra682000]

@VoraxTranstellaris I heard some group was using it to play the "Golden Compass" books. If the GM is willing to wing a few details, it is easy to just transfer the game to another era. In modern days, you also get the element of experiments on animals so you might even add an evil corporation/mad scientist trying to harness the powers of familiars for their own ends.

[Samwise7RPG]

I enjoy the humor in your reviews. Poor Old Yeller... hehe.

It is an interesting concept for a RPG. "HUMPS" :) 13+ sounds a little high, but maybe that is just because I am thinking of BOL with the 2D6 that only needs to get to a 9+.

[DBezio]

@Samwise7RPG Thanks :). It does require above average rolling. But, like most RPGs, there are ways to get bonuses, improve attributes, cooperate, ect. Also, you are only rolling for difficult tasks, not everything. Opposed rolls are usually much more important, and you don't need to roll as high for those.

[Samwise7RPG]

@DBezio Thanks for the clarification. I enjoyed the video. :)

[VoraxTranstellaris]

@DBezio How do opposed rolls work?

[DBezio]

@VoraxTranstellaris It’s simple; just roll 2d6+ appropriate attribute + any modifiers. Whoever rolls highest wins. Ties go to the action initiator. The GM will assign the attribute or any modifiers if needed.

[umbra682000]

@Samwise7RPG the idea is that you just roll for out of the ordinary things, and get bonuses for cooperation with other PCs. Yes if you want to try something wild and out of the blue on your own, it's gonna be a hard roll.

I am Italian and English is a second language to me so I probably missed the negative connotations of HUMPS :-) They sounded enough of an animalistic thing.

[Samwise7RPG]

@umbra682000 That makes sense. It really does sound like an interesting unique concept for a game. Well done. :)

[VoraxTranstellaris]

@Samwise7RPG In fact, I know of only one other game with the same concept, "Another Fine Mess" by Grey Ghost Press, which runs on Fudge.

[VoraxTranstellaris]

@Samwise7RPG I think in BoL the attributes are lower than in this game.

[Samwise7RPG]

@VoraxTranstellaris If the stats are higher than 13+ would be easier to hit. Sometimes I thought the 9 in BOL was a bit low at times.