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Badass $0.00
Average Rating:4.3 / 5
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Badass
Publisher: Stargazer Games
by adam a. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/18/2011 11:25:50

fun game needs a few tweeks. a simple scenario to introduce a gm. to the concepts of running on fumes and BP recovery. also for an inexperanced GM there is not enough padding on the setting for scenario section. the lack of a defined charactor sheet might also put a novice GM off running this game. but in all fairness the game is a laugh and if you can think in the setting the GM can do anything they want.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Badass
Publisher: Stargazer Games
by Andy H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/30/2011 14:45:11

"Kick logic to the curb and DO THE IMPOSSIBLE!!" ~ Kamina from Tengu Toppu Gurren Lagan

"Badass" is what it sets out to be: lite on the details, heavy on the badassery. Like promised, it kicks logic in the teeth and leaps onward in pursuit of higher things. It doesn't have particularly ornate or intellectual goals. It knows that its sole aim is awesomeness, and it does a good job of pursuing that.

The rules complexity of this game (which, by the way, is free, which is also awesome) is interesting. It doesn't have aspirations of being a toolkit like Wushu Open; instead, unlike many rules-lite systems, it has a very, very specifically geared focus. I like that, a lot. You won't necessarily be able to run different types of games with this system, but that's okay. You don't need to.

Character creation is very simple. You give your character a Defining Moment (the moment that made them become AWESOME) and a type (Kickass, Smartass, or Wiseass....or, fighters, thinkers, and smooth talkers). Then, you add "Flavas", which are more or less somewhere between classes and feats. They further define your character. Then you get Badass Points, which you spend to activate Flavas or to add to your roll (or, as the combat section notes, to increase your Initiative in the middle of a fight). That's it.

The core mechanic is equally simple: roll 2 six-sided dice...AND MAKE A FIST WHEN YOU ROLL IT. (Otherwise, you lose a Badass Point and the roll doesn't count.) Try and beat a target number. There's another important thing to note, though. Whenever you do something that is A: logical or B: fearful, especially if you want to save your own skin, that causes you to lose Badass Points. Because logic and fear are not (usually) badass. You also regain Badass Points through badass actions...or other things, such as having a flashback scene during downtime.

Character advancement is also simple. The only way that you gain XP (or, rather, Awesomeness, because "XP" is not a badass enough term) is by spending Badass Points. The more Badass Points you spend, the more Awesomeness you get, and you spend Awesomeness to get new Flavas or develop new Contacts.

That's it. Where this game truly shines is in the specific rules, particularly the Flavas. Take, for example, this Flava...

"Teacher - To teach an Average Joe to be a Badass is Badass in itself. Some Badasses actually spend time teaching in colleges, teaching courses like Archaeology when they’re not busy whipping cultists and punching Nazis in the face. Benefit: Once per game session, you may perform any form of deliberate or careful planning without losing a Badass Point."

Oh, and there's also a Flava that lets you arm wrestle the GM to change something in the game.

That's Badass. And did I mention it's FREE?



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Badass
Publisher: Stargazer Games
by Thomas B. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 06/15/2011 23:58:37

WHAT WORKS: It reminds me a little of WUSHU, but better, in the sense that there is more of a "game" to it, and I oddly like my games to have "game" to them. A good amount of text in the 28 pages, so this doesn't feel at all just thrown together. I could definitely see supplements detailing Flavas, Mooks and so on for Fantasy and Scary type games.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The term "Flava" really bugs me, but that's just a personal thing. On one hand, it's a tad too "meta" at parts for me to take seriously, but then, it also explicitly says it's not a serious game. Providing advancement rules for what seems to be a pick-up game seems odd, but I also realize that advancement rules would have been the first thing brought up if they hadn't been included.

CONCLUSION: BADASS certainly isn't the first attempt at modeling crazy, action movie stuff, and it won't be the last, although the "Average Joe" stuff is certainly unique, as far as I can recall. I don't like it quite as much as I do WRM or RAG, as I like at least a bit more detail in my games than this, but a couple of swell supplements like WRM had (and this is released under a Creative Commons license) and I could easily change my tune. This is one of tjose games I'd like to try, but I'm worried about, because I think the bits used to trigger more Badass Points could get old, fast, although the fact that they are all limited to once per fight or once per session certainly helps. Good effort, but from reading it feels both like it could be a bit tighter and a bit beefier...then, I think, it would really shine.

http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/06/tommys-take-on-badass.html



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Badass
Publisher: Stargazer Games
by Domriso M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/09/2011 19:47:02

A great game for short, action-packed bursts. And so freaking easy to learn! I already ran a game of it, and I got it half an hour ago.

Simply put, this is a must for any gamer. Even if only to play in between other systems, it is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise drab and depressing world.

Sudden new idea: Badass - Corporate Takeover. I'm running that one, soon.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Badass
Publisher: Stargazer Games
by Daniel H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/09/2011 14:42:00

Oh man, this game looks like a blast!

Super simple mechanics (opposed dice rolls with what amounts to a sort of dynamic dice pool called "Badass Points") combined with a really badass attitude should make this game a high-octane standard. In a group with the right attitude, this game would make a great break from the more serious RPGs where things like skills or careful planning pay off. (In fact, careful planning can cost you Badass points if you don't have a Flava that allows careful planning.)

Throw some one-liners and describe your attack (slo-mo attack sequences!) to boost your BP, and mow down mooks like there's no tomorrow. "Is that all ya got?"

Artwork is minimal but appropriate, and there's even an example setting and a bibliography for inspiration.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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