Beta Test Blast!

As I’ve blogged previously, I’m involved in some of the development of The Secret Fire RPG. I ran my first game of it at ORC (as Maze Controller or MC) on Saturday and it went really well. You can see the footage from the Beta Test game of TSF here : WARNING: it includes much geekery, dice, Coca Cola (who aren’t sponsoring us despite the product placement – neither are Illegal Jacks), and also my visage.

The system itself is very simple if you’ve played D&D before and hearkens back to those games that really made your players think before acting: too many games these days rely on a complicated series of feats, powers and very little roleplaying: every character in TSF has a specific role in the universe and they are rewarded for their traits. Combat is nice and immersive too, and for once players were thinking about protecting their flanks (and the magic user!).

I’d originally only intended to be a beta tester from the outset, but having played the system I’ve gotten more involved. I may not be so hot on the old rule systems but what I can do is add flavour!

One final thought: I finished Against the Odds as the 4e ruleset wasn’t going well. TSF may allow me to rejuvenate it (and me!).

Published by Bill Heron

Wannabe game designer and would-be author. I've been playing RPGs for over 25 years and have recently started creating my own RPG called Mandragora: Ashes of Freedom. I also run a number of RPGs: Cthulhutech, Call of Cthulhu, WFRP, and D&D. I'm active in the Edinburgh RPG community at http://orcedinburgh.co.uk and regularly play RPGs.