Played this for the first time a few days ago - as someone who enjoys telling stories with DnD and similar tabletops, how your alignment moves over the course of the game, your skills and traits, and how well you meet your class and background goals can tell a pretty interesting story. The friend across from me played a Sociopath Chosen One whose alignment kept tending towards good because of the skills she was using, but eventually dropped down to Neutral Evil. We interpreted this as her orc boy fighting against his nature and trying to become a better person but ultimately failing. Anyways, I bought my own copy. Waiting for it to arrive now...
This game looks really fun and strangely original for a concept that has been around for decades, if only it was that much fun creating characters in other games!
There is a pad of paper featuring character sheets provided with the game so that you can write down your stats, gear, skills, and all of that at the end of playing Roll Player and use it in an official D&D or Pathfinder game.
Great review...love me some mathy games, and character creation was always my favorite part of D&D or GURPS. Seems like this game would be perfect for 2, 3, 4, or 6 players. With 2/3 you ensure no one is competing colors, and for 4/6 you mandate complementary color pairs. Looking forward to buying it.
Saw this at my local game shop and the name is what intrigued me. A little concerned about the price but will probably be adding it to my Christmas list.
Good to hear you have a background in RPGs, Tom. The name of the game is a reference to a disparaging term amongst people who play RPGs. If you have a player who only cares about the mechanics, they're a Roll Player instead of a Role Player (just chucking dice instead of acting). Very appropriate joke given the theme (making the best character, mechanically)
I have to say that in 34 years of Role Play Gaming, I have never heard anyone calling someone a Roll Player or being called a Roll Player. For a start it doesn't work because Roll and Role are homophones, you would have to write it down for anyone to know you were being derogatory.
It is in fact usually used in writing and not verbally. And I think you just grew up in a different community because I saw it semi reguarlly on forums.
Perhaps you havent engaged much with online RPG communities but from Usenet to RPGnet the term has a long (and divisive) history, it is, as you said, primarily a written term
Yeah, like others have said it is an online role-playing thing. I have heard it a few times before in real life, but only fro; and I mean no offense when I say this, younger gamers. I was very pleasantly surprised when someone at my LGS warned me about a problem player saying, " he is a R-O-L-L player, if you catch my drift"
I think technically we can all agree the artwork is quite proficient; form, shape, etc. However in many fantasy based entertainment there is a lot of commonalities in this style of art. Because of this the artwork gets "forgettable" since it's so common for the theme. I doubt Tom believes the art is technically unsound.
I wish that the class, backstory, and the alignment cards are thick and places you can put them on the template are also cutouts, so they don't slide out
Been checking out this game since it was on KS (shipping held me back). My only concern is the market deck (consisting 50+ cards), which seems to consist of approx 25% armor set, 25% skill cards, 17% weapons & 33% trait cards. Given that skills & weapons are the 'variable power' portion of the game, I'm not sure if there's enough, along with the replay-ability in terms of variety. The higher % of trait cards also seem to encourage better understanding of those cards & plan around them to score points, even before they're available for purchase. Could you give me some thoughts for that part? Thanks :)
I really like this game ESPECIALLY with the expansion. BUT I have I real complain..... the game should have had 5 player generic boards and double sided race mini cards like the alignment cards. 12 heavy cardboards are redundant....I am about to print my own version of player boards :P
If the designer did it that way, he would have also needed to provide the plus and minus stats for each of those races, since those are also printed directly onto the boards.
hmmm not to be rude but is too many bones better? that game, too many bones has a system like roll player but its different the dice are used for a skill tree and then the players fight monsters and a boss monster together.
The last Kickstarter update (July 7) had the games on a boat over from China. It shouldn't be too much longer before the game starts going into distribution. It is actually ahead of schedule the original delivery estimate for backers was October.
I'm an old school D&D player and always made fun of people min/maxing their characters. I wonder if I would dislike this game just based on the premise. heh
I’m in a Dice Tower video!!! That’s my face as the human :D
Very cool!
I've never heard such a negative positive review! It's a great game that really intrigues me when I heard about it last yr.
Played this for the first time a few days ago - as someone who enjoys telling stories with DnD and similar tabletops, how your alignment moves over the course of the game, your skills and traits, and how well you meet your class and background goals can tell a pretty interesting story. The friend across from me played a Sociopath Chosen One whose alignment kept tending towards good because of the skills she was using, but eventually dropped down to Neutral Evil. We interpreted this as her orc boy fighting against his nature and trying to become a better person but ultimately failing.
Anyways, I bought my own copy. Waiting for it to arrive now...
This game looks really fun and strangely original for a concept that has been around for decades, if only it was that much fun creating characters in other games!
Perhaps when playing 4 player, you should use 2 armor groups only. So each player has competition for armor.
so... this is *character sheet building : the board game* ?
Yeah. Im having a hard time getting past this theme.
Yes...and after you finish then you open Sanctum and continue playing...
Somebody must already be planning to use this as an actual character generation process for their RPG.... Heck, I'd do it if I still played D&D.
yeah, thought of that myself. would be fun.
There is a pad of paper featuring character sheets provided with the game so that you can write down your stats, gear, skills, and all of that at the end of playing Roll Player and use it in an official D&D or Pathfinder game.
Great review...love me some mathy games, and character creation was always my favorite part of D&D or GURPS. Seems like this game would be perfect for 2, 3, 4, or 6 players. With 2/3 you ensure no one is competing colors, and for 4/6 you mandate complementary color pairs. Looking forward to buying it.
I think when I get this i will require myself to play this before I play a RPG and I will use this character as who I play with
Saw this at my local game shop and the name is what intrigued me. A little concerned about the price but will probably be adding it to my Christmas list.
Tom, was this good enough to go into your collection? I'm always curious what % of your excellent ranked games wind up on your shelves.
Good to hear you have a background in RPGs, Tom. The name of the game is a reference to a disparaging term amongst people who play RPGs. If you have a player who only cares about the mechanics, they're a Roll Player instead of a Role Player (just chucking dice instead of acting). Very appropriate joke given the theme (making the best character, mechanically)
I have to say that in 34 years of Role Play Gaming, I have never heard anyone calling someone a Roll Player or being called a Roll Player. For a start it doesn't work because Roll and Role are homophones, you would have to write it down for anyone to know you were being derogatory.
It is in fact usually used in writing and not verbally. And I think you just grew up in a different community because I saw it semi reguarlly on forums.
Perhaps you havent engaged much with online RPG communities but from Usenet to RPGnet the term has a long (and divisive) history, it is, as you said, primarily a written term
+Schwarzeskreuz Absolutely, apart from MMORPGs (which tend to involve very little role playing) my RPGing life has always been spent around a table. 😀
Yeah, like others have said it is an online role-playing thing. I have heard it a few times before in real life, but only fro; and I mean no offense when I say this, younger gamers.
I was very pleasantly surprised when someone at my LGS warned me about a problem player saying, " he is a R-O-L-L player, if you catch my drift"
Illustrations by John Ariosa. I'm not sure why Tom thinks they're just "okay".
I gotta get a copy of this.
I think that's a pretty apt description of the art.
Yeah, I thought that art was amazing! I'm baffled...
Just my opinion, but the art is pretty static and the expressions are kinda dull.
I don't think the art is bad, just not exiting, you know?
The surprise for me was that he said the artwork for The Dragon & Flagon was "okay" as well.
I think technically we can all agree the artwork is quite proficient; form, shape, etc. However in many fantasy based entertainment there is a lot of commonalities in this style of art. Because of this the artwork gets "forgettable" since it's so common for the theme. I doubt Tom believes the art is technically unsound.
My family likes Thats So Clever! and I like D&D, so this looks like a cool mix-in of both.
I wish that the class, backstory, and the alignment cards are thick and places you can put them on the template are also cutouts, so they don't slide out
Sleight of Hand is the single best card in this game. Coupled with Concentrate, brutal combos.
Wow, sounds fun!
I would like to use this game as a tool for creating actual role playing characters...
Been checking out this game since it was on KS (shipping held me back).
My only concern is the market deck (consisting 50+ cards), which seems to consist of approx 25% armor set, 25% skill cards, 17% weapons & 33% trait cards. Given that skills & weapons are the 'variable power' portion of the game, I'm not sure if there's enough, along with the replay-ability in terms of variety. The higher % of trait cards also seem to encourage better understanding of those cards & plan around them to score points, even before they're available for purchase.
Could you give me some thoughts for that part? Thanks :)
Sounds AMAZING!! Although it doesn't seem to be available in Australia :( the struggle is real.
Ashlee Cramb it'll be available this week!
Well this seems interesting. :D
I really like this game ESPECIALLY with the expansion.
BUT I have I real complain..... the game should have had 5 player generic boards and double sided race mini cards like the alignment cards. 12 heavy cardboards are redundant....I am about to print my own version of player boards :P
If the designer did it that way, he would have also needed to provide the plus and minus stats for each of those races, since those are also printed directly onto the boards.
cool, man!
Do you think it would possible to use the player character created in this game in a table top RPG ?
If so witch one ???
Yes, the game provides character sheets bound together in a pad of paper so that you can transfer everything over to an actual tabletop game session.
D20 Yahtzee?
This looks great will this be at gencon?
Great reveiw. What's the game to my left of Battlelore?
left: Dungeon Fighter
right: Dominaire
hmmm not to be rude but is too many bones better? that game, too many bones has a system like roll player but its different the dice are used for a skill tree and then the players fight monsters and a boss monster together.
I'm really interested in this game. Only pre-order available and no Amazon yet... :\
The last Kickstarter update (July 7) had the games on a boat over from China. It shouldn't be too much longer before the game starts going into distribution. It is actually ahead of schedule the original delivery estimate for backers was October.
This game sounds fun, but it's sooo expensive as for what it is.
Sheesh - that backstory card is a bit close to the bone.
Excellent multiplayer solitaire :D you could also play it alone and it wouldn't make much difference. And the theme is very weak.
Great game for you min max players
I'm an old school D&D player and always made fun of people min/maxing their characters. I wonder if I would dislike this game just based on the premise. heh
What an odd looking dwarf LOL
Sometimes dude comes off a bit high almighty, stay humble bro...
this sounds like half a game you build the character and ............ oh thats it dull.
Wouldn't pay more than $20 for this lunch time filler game.
Yeah, me neither. And it's $40. At least in Europe. Not gonna buy it.
morons
uggh you made that roll your eyes joke several times.
aargh I simulates min/maxing and shopping!
The worst parts of an rpg lol
At least twice I saw a group at the club I attended spend almost the entire session shopping. Once for Shadowrun and once (amazingly) for Vampire!
oh there is no fighting in it, boring then
where's the game..?
Oh god... how proud he is that he has no clue what he is talking about... -.-