Eldritch Rpoleplaying Game by Dan Cross and Randall Petras for Goodman Games

Cost: $13 USD Size: 98 pages

Overview: Rules assume a basic understanding of what an RPG is and how they work. Game style is cinematic/fast-paced and focused more on storytelling than rules. Character creation is accomplished by means of a point-buy system with the standard fantasy races.

Dislikes: 1) The character sheet is seven pages long. 2) There are a few minor mis-spellings in the text. 3) The whole "skill trees" system seems like it was borrowed from Rolemaster Standard System. 4) The text of the book uses a lot of abbreviations and may require multiple readings to comprehend. 5) No monsters mentioned in this book. (This book was listed in the "all-in-one" section of RPG now) 6) The campaign setting was covered in less than 3 pages. (This book was listed in the "all-in-one" section of RPG now)

Likes: 1) The challenge rating for skill checks is random. Just like in real life, sometimes you have unbelievably good days, and other times the deck is stacked against you. 2) Some interesting ideas regarding the types and sources of magical abilities. 3) Default campaign setting has a celtic flair to it, which is a welcome change from the standard generic fantasy setting. I am assuming that at some point in the future, a more detailed treatment of the setting will be released as a separate book.

The bottom line: A lot of people think that a 3 of 5 is a non-review, but in this case it is my honest opinion. Eldritch has good points and bad points. I think the game could have used a little more time in playtesting.