I will admit I did enjoy the Deluxe edition better in one way, but it's one there was nothing you could do anything about.
The Deluxe edition was special in a way no other OSR/new old school/whatever product for me, it felt like the beginning of something new, like the transition from preserving the path to forging our own path based on it. For me the Deluxe edition was the OSR's coming of age moment.
So, yeah, Grindhouse can't compete with that. It's like asking anything after the original DMG to hold the same significance.
But most of the changes I like and the rest are neither here nor there. I'll use the new rule book more at the table but I'm undecided on if I like the rules and magic books together or not. Certainly it doesn't make a huge difference either way.
Love the color plates, though. That's what sold me on Rifts back in the day. While I think lots of games over emphasize art I think color plates are a great way to convey things with art.
I love the new cover...it is much more effective in conveying the idea that horror and the weird tale inform this game more than mainstream fantasy.
I used to work as a commercial photographer. On many a day I would spend all day trying to take a picture of something for a catalogue like a clock radio on a desk and the art director would be saying, "move it a little to the right... move it a little to the left... turn it clockwise a little... make the foreground lighter and the background darker... etc., etc.," and, by the end of HOURS and 15,000 different versions the last picture of that clock radio (which would be the one destined for the catalog or ad) would look almost exactly like the first one I took.
It makes one a little cynical about listening to everyone's opinion simply because you run the risk of running yourself ragged trying to please people who don't really know what they want anyway.
And what is a metal pencil? Does it write loudly? Make the user's fingers bleed?
I will admit I did enjoy the Deluxe edition better in one way, but it's one there was nothing you could do anything about.
ReplyDeleteThe Deluxe edition was special in a way no other OSR/new old school/whatever product for me, it felt like the beginning of something new, like the transition from preserving the path to forging our own path based on it. For me the Deluxe edition was the OSR's coming of age moment.
So, yeah, Grindhouse can't compete with that. It's like asking anything after the original DMG to hold the same significance.
But most of the changes I like and the rest are neither here nor there. I'll use the new rule book more at the table but I'm undecided on if I like the rules and magic books together or not. Certainly it doesn't make a huge difference either way.
Love the color plates, though. That's what sold me on Rifts back in the day. While I think lots of games over emphasize art I think color plates are a great way to convey things with art.
I love the new cover...it is much more effective in conveying the idea that horror and the weird tale inform this game more than mainstream fantasy.
Who needs full-color art when you can have little golf pencils instead? Really now.
ReplyDeleteWere these like, really cool, Metal pencils or something? Can we expect really cool, Metal pencils in the next edition?
ReplyDeleteI used to work as a commercial photographer. On many a day I would spend all day trying to take a picture of something for a catalogue like a clock radio on a desk and the art director would be saying, "move it a little to the right... move it a little to the left... turn it clockwise a little... make the foreground lighter and the background darker... etc., etc.," and, by the end of HOURS and 15,000 different versions the last picture of that clock radio (which would be the one destined for the catalog or ad) would look almost exactly like the first one I took.
ReplyDeleteIt makes one a little cynical about listening to everyone's opinion simply because you run the risk of running yourself ragged trying to please people who don't really know what they want anyway.
And what is a metal pencil? Does it write loudly? Make the user's fingers bleed?
Mine was definitely metal. I used it to carve 666 into my forehead as soon as I opened the box.
ReplyDeleteI loved the look and feel of the Deluxe edition. My wife even liked the production quality a lot, and she is not a gamer.
ReplyDeleteStill on the fence about ordering the Grindhouse edition but I suspect my willpower will only last so long. :-)
But the pencil was a really cool touch
Fortunately I have an emergency supply of golf pencils for just these sorts of occasions.
ReplyDeleteA quick trip to Ikea ( and I don't even need to go inside) and I have all the mini pencils I will ever need!
ReplyDelete