Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000ad Review

Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 Advertizement is the 4th roleplaying game to explore the world of Judge Dredd and Mega-City I as depicted in 2000AD. Not only that, it lays the background and the core rules for any number of comic strips to announced in the pages of the long running British weekly comic, including ABC Warriors, Rogue Trooper, Strontium Canis familiaris—and more. The focus of Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  though, is firmly on the post-apocalyptic, dystopic satire of the police state—or 'Gauge state'—that is the setting of Estimate Dredd. Published by EN Publishing post-obit a successful Kickstarter campaign, Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD shares some comparisons to earlier iterations of roleplaying games based on the Judge Dredd licence. Like Judge Dredd: The Function-Playing Game from Games Workshop, it uses its own mechanics, in this case existence powered by the Westward.O.I.N. —or ' What'south OLD is NEW '—dice pool mechanics. Like The Judge Dredd Role-Playing Game, the d20 System version from Mongoose Publishing, that it allows players to create ordinary citizens and perps, as well equally Judges, and similar Judge Dredd, the Traveller version also from Mongoose Publishing, it allows the creation of Psi-Judges, Tek-Judges, and Med-Judges as well every bit Street Judges from the offset. Another difference betwixt Estimate Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  the previous iterations is that information technology is set in 2099, and then a few years earlier in the timeline of Mega-City One.

A Player Grapheme in Estimate Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  is divers by a fair number of factors. At the narrative level, this cistron is a descriptor, 'A[northward] [Historic period] [Trait] [Species] [Career] who [Claw]' which sums up the character, for instance, 'An elderly egotistical Orangutan Fence who enjoys a real cigar'. On a mechanical level, a grapheme has eight attributes—Force, Agility, Endurance, Willpower, Intuition, Logic, Charisma, and Luck, equally well every bit two secondary attributes, Reputation and Psionics. He volition accept any number of skills, ranging from Bookkeeping, Light Armour, and Insight to clairsentience, boinging, and amour. Now all of these take a rating, typically four for the average Human and each has an associated die pool of six-sided dice, typically two six-sided dice for the rating for four, which a player or the Referee rolls for character or NPC to undertake an action. A character will also have various Exploits, substantially talents and abilities gained from a character's species and various careers, such every bit Pacification from the Applied Violence grade a Cadet Judge can take at the University of Law which grants bonus baton damage or Art Savant from the Scrawler (graffiti artist) career which improves his Reputation with fellow Scrawlers. Lastly, a character has a Form, which is a measure of the number of Careers a character can have. Typically, this is set up at five for beginning characters, and likewise limiting the number of careers a character have, it besides limits the size of the dice pool a player can roll for his character.

To create a character, a player selects a species and its exploits, then 3 species skills. He then chooses v careers. From each he chooses 2 of the listed skills, either the Aim or Feint Exploit, and one more universal Exploit. Adjustments are fabricated to Aspect and Skill rating as the player makes his choices. Each Career also adds one or more years to a graphic symbol's age. The process takes a little fourth dimension and is slightly fiddley, but a player is given a lot of options to create an interesting graphic symbol and a Referee to create interesting NPCs.

Our sample Player Character is Ookie Whithers, a Chimpanzee who grew upward and lives in Apetown. Since he was a Juve he has been an associate of the Chimpolini crime family, only never rose high in its ranks because of his dear of gambling. He has a minor record every bit a Juve and in more recent years has get a nark for the Section of Justice. He e'er has a book running on all manner of events and is never seen in the same waistcoat twice.

Ookie Whithers
A Suave Chimp Fence who tin can never pass up a bet
Historic period: 23
Grade: V
Careers: Juve Gang, Gamer, Pongo, Fence, Nark

Strength 5 (2d6) Agility v (2d6) Endurance iii (2d6) Willpower 2 (1d6) Intuition viii (3d6) Logic 5 (2d6) Charisma 9 (3d6) Luck seven (3d6)
Reputation 3 (2d6) Psionics 0 (0d6)

Health 11 Speed 19 Jump 10'/v' Carry 80 lbs. Initiative 3d6
Melee Defence 11 Ranged seven Mental Defence 11 Vital Defence seven

Skills
Bookkeeping 1 (1d6), Appraisement ane (1d6), Backbiting two (1d6), Brawling one (1d6), Carousing 1 (1d6), Forgery 2 (1d6), Gambling 3 (2d6), Insight 1 (1d6), Movies ane (1d6)

Exploits
Agile, Fallacious, Feint, Smashing Bound, Lucky Escape, Natural Climber, Turn a profit, Rock Common cold Stare, Thrower, Weak-willed, What'southward the Program?, Where the Action is, Zero-g

Where creating a denizen or perp blazon graphic symbol is supported by a broad range of options—though there is no equivalent of the ex-prisoner who has washed time, the options for creating a Judge are more proscribed. A Judge has to exist Human or a Clone, must take Buck followed by two advanced courses, such as Basic Psionics or Denizen Manipulation, and then Rookie. The final Career is a Judge Career such as Med Gauge, Psi-Gauge, Street Approximate, or Tek-Judge. More than options are available in terms of Speciality Judge Career, which include Block Judge, Crime Scene Processor, Interrogator, Wally Squad, and more. These become available if the Referee is planning a game with more experienced Player Characters, and equally, a Referee could reduce the number of Careers to just four if she wants to outset a campaign with Rookie Judges.

Our sample Estimate is a clone taken from the same biological fabric as Judge Dredd. He wants to emulate his genetic stock and be a Judge worthy of his forebears. On the streets he relies upon his presence and his intimidating manner, and when that does not work, is a dab hand at pacification.

Gauge Leonov
An Alert Street Judge who wants to be worthy of his clone source
Age: 24
Grade: Five
Careers: Cadet, Denizen Manipulation, Applied Violence, Rookie, Street Judge

Strength 7 (3d6) Agility five (2d6) Endurance seven (3d6) Willpower vi (3d6) Intuition 8 (3d6) Logic 6 (3d6) Charisma 5 (2d6) Luck 3 (2d6)
Reputation 2 (1d6) Psionics 0 (0d6)

Wellness 34 Speed nineteen Jump 10'/seven' Carry 140 lbs. Initiative 10d6
Melee Defence 18 Ranged 7 Mental Defence 11 Vital Defense 11

Skills
Bravery 1 (1d6), Boxing 1 (1d6), Clubs ii (1d6), Hardy i (1d6), Insight 1 (1d6), Interrogation one (1d6), Intimidate 3 (2d6), Constabulary iii (2d6), Low-cal Armour one (1d6), Perception 1 (1d6), Pistols 1 (1d6), Riding one (1d6), Running ane (1d6), Tactics 2 (1d6)

Exploits
Ingrained Skill Package, Fast Healing, Academy of Law Curriculum, Phonation of the Police force, Pacification, Obey the Police force, Freeze!, Feint, Knockdown

Mechanically, Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  uses W.O.I.N., or 'What's OLD is New'. This is a dice pool system which uses six-sided dice, the size of the dice pool existence adamant by a character's attribute, skill, and the quality of equipment used. This is then rolled and the results totalled to beat a Difficulty Score, which can range from Like shooting fish in a barrel or vii all the fashion upward to Mythic or forty-five. A typical Difficulty Score will be Routine or ten, Hard or xvi, and Demanding or twenty-one. If 3 or more of the dice rolled are sixes, and then a critical effect has been achieved. The number of die rolled can be adjusted by Complications , such every bit shooting at someone behind cover, scaling the side of a building in a snowstorm, or simply non having the right equipment.

However, whatever the size of the dice pool a player or Game Master has built, the maximum number of die rolled is adamant by a Player Character or NPC'south Course. For nigh Thespian Characters, this will be v. Further, the player or Referee tin can spend dice for various effects. In combat, this volition typically be to increment damage, at a cost of two die from the pool to add an extra dice to the damage roll, but many Exploits likewise crave dice to be spent. For example, Bullheaded Shot enables a grapheme in encompass to shoot at an opponent without looking at them at a cost of two dice.

The mechanics also cover common situations like chases, applied science problems, hacking and computing, tailing, and more. Countdown situations, such equally a Estimate being critically injured and in danger of dying or picking a lock before a guard patrol comes in sight, are handled past dice pools. The dice pool is rolled from plow to turn, each roll of a six reducing the size of the puddle, until the pool is depleted and the upshot of the inaugural counting down is triggered.

Each Role player Character also has a Luck pool of die equal to the number of dice derived from his Luck attribute. These dice are spent on a 1 for one basis to add to an attribute check or to reduce the size of an opponent's attribute cheque, reduce damage dice suffered or increase damage dice inflicted, and to trigger Exploits. The expenditure of one Luck volition also grant a grapheme an extra activity, purchase off a Status (typically suffered in combat, but it may as well come from an surround), and so on. Luck dice do need to be of a different colour as unlike ordinary dice, they explode on a upshot of half dozen or more. Luck dice can typically be replenished once per solar day.

Combat in Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  is designed to exist a tactical skirmish organization, ideally using miniatures and a gainsay map, although it need non be run that way. The rules comprehend position, overwatch, flanking and crossfire, dual-wielding, and more. Also as accounting for the environment and its effects, such as a snowy street or underwater, the rules as well add Stunt Areas, like a hanging cable, a patch of ice, or a banister, which a grapheme can take advantage of. Using a Stunt Area non only grants a bonus to a character, often a bonus to a damage whorl, merely also nicely captures the comic book experience activity of Judge Dredd.

Psionics are covered through the Psionic aspect and its dice pool, plus skills such equally Biopsionics, Clairvoyance, Telepathy, and Teleportation and their associated abilities. So Clairsentience covers Hypcognition, Necrophony, Gainsay Precognition, and Retrocognition, whilst Telepathy covers Empathy, Mind Control, Mindprobe, Mindread, Mindwipe, and a whole lot more. These are powered by Psionic Power Points—derived from the Willpower and Psionic dice pools, and are learned through taking a career like a Psi-Judge or a Psyker. The rules themselves are workable, just being covered in simply iii pages feel brief every bit if waiting for the full supplement on the subject.

Overall, the mechanics are workable and at their core, are easy enough to understand. Obviously, situations similar gainsay or handling chases or psionic encounters will complicate things, merely not overly so. In play, a player volition need to need to pay attention to what his character's Exploits can do to become the virtually out of W.O.I.N., whilst in general, West.O.I.N. does feel as if it should exist more cinematic than it necessarily is, but elements of the mechanics, such as various Exploits and Stunt Zones do push Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  towards a comic volume style of play. Rules are provided should the Game Master want a cinematic manner of game.

The list of equipment for Approximate Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  covers everything that a Judge would use, from the Birdie lie detector to Riot Foam Cutters, as well as civilian and criminal gear, including Bat Glider Suit and Spray Paint Aerosol. It would accept peradventure been useful if the equipment issued or available to Judges had been more clearly marked.

The setting of Estimate Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD —Mega-Urban center 1 and across, is given a good overview earlier focusing on item locations in the metropolis, each of which is pleasingly accompanied past suggestions every bit to how to utilize that location. Notwithstanding, for a roleplaying game which focuses on law enforcement, the section on crime and punishment and the list of crimes and their typical sentences is at all-time curt. It does not help that this section is hidden in the book or that the list is not repeated in the appendix of tables at the back of the book.

For the Game Principal, there is solid advice on running scenarios and campaigns fix in Mega-Urban center 1, besides equally capturing the temper of the setting, types of campaign and scenario, and treatment opponents and rewards. Suggested entrada types include Citizen- and Perp-based campaigns likewise equally Judge-based campaigns. Rules are provided for the Game Principal to create her ain foes, monsters, and other NPCs, as well as listing typical foes, ranging from Blitz Agents, Citizens, and members of Citi-Def to Tek-Judges, Vagrants, and Workers. Sadly, the choice of foes does non include any of the classic criminals and enemies faced by Estimate Dredd himself, which is undeniably disappointing.

Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  includes a starting scenario or 'Law-breaking Blotter'. This is 'State of the Empire' and revisits the very start Estimate Dredd comic strip back in Prog #2 of 200AD when Judge Dredd went into the ruins of the Empire State Building to arrest 'Whitey', the barbarous leader of a gang of perps who killed Judge Alvin. It can be run with a team of Judges going into auscultate the perp, but it could also be run with a group of perps doing a retrieval job for a local hoodlum or ordinary citizens who become in search of a missing child at the incorrect time. It is primarily an exploration and gainsay scenario designed to showcase the rules more the satire and humour of the setting. However, that bated, it works well enough.

Fortunately, Guess Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  too provides a number of farther Criminal offence Blotters for the Game Master to develop. Whether information technology is investigating a break in at a Munce foodstuffs laboratory or a potential block-war, all five are nicely detailed and include guidelines on how to run them for Judges, perps, or citizens. The quintet also delve further into the setting of Mega-City One and provide some nifty action for all character types.

Rounding out Gauge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  is an appendix of various tables for the game. The appendix also includes a set of pregenerated Judges ready to play 'Land of the Empire' and the other Crime Blotters. The Lawmaster and the Lawgiver, the famous motorbike driven by all Judges and feared handgun wielded past all Judges retrospectively, are also given their character sheets of their ain here. Fans of Gauge Dredd as a roleplaying game volition be pleased to note that the Lawmaster is designed to complement a Estimate rather than outperform him.

Physically, Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD is breezily and brightly presented. It needs an edit in places, simply 1 clever characteristic is that each chapter is colour-coded for easy reference and access. Some other enjoyable characteristic of the design is that comic strips are used to illustrate aspects of the rules, including a sample of play and graphic symbol cosmos. The use and choice of artwork taken from the Judge Dredd comic is also well done, capturing a lot of its activity and tone. Nevertheless, the layout of Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  is just a picayune too decorated and fussy in places and it is hard to observe things despite the inclusion of an index.

There are a trio of omissions from Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD . One is the aforementioned menagerie of criminals, enemies, and foes faced by Judge Dredd. Another is rules for vehicle combat, which really would have complemented the guidelines for handling chases, their lack significant that the Game Master will have to improvise in order to bring the Lawmaster into play, something that happens often in the comic strip. Lastly, there are no rules for handling arrests, which feels really, actually weird given how intrinsic that is to the setting of Mega-Urban center One and what a Judge will be doing from 1 shift to the next. Now, there are skills which tin be used, such as Intimidate and Exploits, to handle arrests, but really, not having a give-and-take of it is a major omission.

Ultimately, the omissions in Estimate Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  hateful that it is not the best treatment of Judge Dredd in a roleplaying game. Not all of those omissions are insurmountable, and it is likely that there will be supplements which will address them in the future, merely their absenteeism just does not feel right. However, there is a peachy deal to like nigh Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD . It presents 3 different entrada options—Citizen, Perp, or Gauge, and supports all three with the means to create a wide range of character types and multiple scenarios which tin can be used in all three campaign types. The W.O.I.Northward. mechanics are serviceable, and the rulebook brightly and breezily captures the tone and energy of the comic strip. Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000AD  might need more than fleshing out than a cadre rulebook really should, but as an introduction to the setting and the offset few games in the setting, it more than adequately lays the groundwork and sets everything up for roleplaying in Mega-City One of the Judge Dredd comic strip and the various roleplaying treatments of 2000AD comic strips to come.

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Source: http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2020/11/judge-dredd-iv.html

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