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The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG
Publisher: R. Talsorian Games Inc.
by Rufus D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/04/2018 18:55:22

I've been following the development of this book ever since it was announced, and I was skeptical about it from the beginning. I'm not overly impressed with the previous works of the creators, so there is definitely some bias here, but I try to divorce myself from it as much as possible.

The Looks 2/5

The book is not a nice book. The layout feels puritan, and unadorned, sometimes confusing. It isn't unreadable, or distracting... But really there is not much to say about how this book presents itself. Almost all of the art is taken from the various CD Project games, which results in artwork of varying quality, lacking a strong aesthetic element all together. It just looks cheap. Uninspired text boxes, boring headers, and art taken from other sources... Meh.

The System 3/5

Not having played it yet, these are my first impressions of the system. It looks like it should work. It isn't an inspired system, or anything new, but it was changed enough so the setting fits with it comfortably. A single strike could end the career of an adventurer, or indeed any NPC, and the world of the Witcher lends itself really well to games where the system might not the the most important thing... It is crunchy, but it is mostly a question of understanding the rules and utilizing the right ones in any given moment. Since combat seems like something that ends very quickly, and has lasting consequences, much like in the novels, the tension leading up to the confrontation is where the game will truly shine. Character creation is really nothing new, but it creates flavorful characters with interesting backstories (as much as rolling on tables constitutes creating characters... I digress... It gives a good baseline) that fit into the world. The classes are fairly limited in their uniqueness, but they all sound kinda useful, and allow your character to develop a personality.. You won't be overshined by your own abilities in this game, that's for sure. Overall, it seems like system that does the job... like an old shovel. It might not be pretty, or fancy or new, but it can dig a hole. What else do you want?

Faithfulness 4/5

I'm not gonna talk about the setting, instead I will talk about how the setting is represeted in the book. Pretty good actually. You have descriptions of all major powers and places, something that this setting was missing A LOT. It isn't an encyclopedia of knowledge, but it is better than anything we had before. The monsters are given dual descriptions, both from the point of view of the everyman narrator of the book, Rodolf Kazmer, and from the POV of a Witcher, giving you both flavor and information in an entertaining manner. Rodolf also talks about pretty much everything else in the book, giving you his 2 copper pieces which makes a surprisingly interesting read, and helps the potential players orient themselves within the setting. The game is clearly drawing strongly from the CDProjectRed version of the world, which is apparent in many cases. I don't think this is a problem, because: A, it is a curated and more cohesive version of the setting, B, it is obviously tied to the success of the franchise for most places in the world. The few discrepancies between the world of the novels and the games, I am willing to let go.

Overall, I would recommend this book if:

  • You are interested in playing in the world of the Witcher (with any system), and want to use the setting described in the book.
  • You are interested in playing with kinda crunchy game systems, and like gritty, dark fantasy settings where things can go seriously wrong quickly.
  • You are bored with D&D, and you want to experiment with some new variations on the fantasy genre, and you don't mind spending a few bucks on the book.

Don't buy this book if:

  • You are into rules-light, narrative systems
  • You want to play the heroes journey in a high fantasy game
  • You never played an RPG before. Seriously, this ain't for beginners.
  • You like products with strong aesthetic values. You will never take this book out to admire it's beauty.

PS. Do yourself a favor and read the novels and play the Witcher III. If you enjoy fantasy, you will have a great time with either of those.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG
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