"Larger Than Life Demo" Topic

Here's the first installment of a demo for Larger Than Life the new Pulps rules set from Two Hour Wargames out later this month.

PDF link

Ed… You are SUCH a d@mn tease!!!

I'm going to have to check LTL out.

Still coming out later this month, right?

Within two weeks I believe.

Ed

How will the combat rules differ from "Astounding Tales", ".45A" and "Rugged Adventures"?

The Shadow,
Sorry, can't answer that question. I've never looked at any of them so have no idea how they treat combat.

Not to say they aren't fine rules but I try NOT to look
at other rules so not to lose focus of what I try to do.

Sorry I can't be more help.

>Not to say they aren't fine rules but I try NOT to look
>at other rules so not to lose focus of what I try to do.

>Sorry I can't be more help.

No need to apologize. Your point of view is interesting though. I would have thought that a game developer would *want* to look at the other available rules, especially the free ones like "Rugged Adventures", to avoid duplication.

I would have thought that a game developer would *want* to look at the other available rules, especially the free ones like "Rugged Adventures", to avoid duplication.

As opposed to some folks that look to duplicate existing rules. :)

>As opposed to some folks that look to duplicate existing rules. :)>

Every once in a while you'll see some outstandingly unique rules sets, like "Gloire", that are far removed from the typical "walk 2 inches…run 4 inches…roll a 3 or better to hit…-1 for cover…-1 if target is moving" type of standard with slight variations, that are worth grabbing. Howard Whitehouse' "Astounding tales" has cinematic point of view that's interesting too. So it's rules like these that I'll buy and try to avoid rules that I could have written myself in my sleep by asking about them first.

The Shadow – I'm assuming that you've not played any Two Hour Wargames before. Well the mechanics are derivatives and improvements on those I've used for the past eight years in one form or another. You can download Chain Reaction 2.0 for free off the website. It's an older set and somewhat dated when compared to recent THW products but still a fun game.

link

Second installment of Looking For Harry the LTL Demo

PDF link

I can't say that I've seen the same of all adventure/pulp type games that have been released over the last decade or so. Some of them are great, others fell flat (maybe the rules were good, but they had no period feel for me), I'd place still others in the category of "nice bunch of ideas, difficult to run if you aren't the author". I suspect Ed's rules will be in the first category.

Playability, fun, and the right feel are hallmarks of good design, in my opinion, and Ed's got it in spades.

-Aurelian

"I can't say that I've seen the same of all adventure/pulp type games that have been released over the last decade or so. Some of them are great, others fell flat (maybe the rules were good, but they had no period feel for me"

I agree that some so-called "pulp" games have nothing whatsoever to do with the "pulp era", so it's not surprising that any fan of films, radio programs, comic strips and "pulp magazines" from the 1920's through the 1940's would be disappointed with them.

"Playability, fun, and the right feel are hallmarks of good design"

"Playability" is subjective. There are very popular board wargames, like "Advanced Squad Leader", with *absurd* amounts of detail and rules, and the fans of that game and it's modules wouldn't have it any other way. A high level of detail can *add* to the "right feel" of a game.

Some of the "mods" that i've written for "45.A" have "fleshed out" specific characters like "The Shadow" and "Tarzan", but were challenged by some players as being "unbalancing" for the game. I said "so what. Let those characters work alone without a team". That would change the philosophy of the game quite a bit…and it would add a layer of detail, but at least the characters would be more fully realized. So IMHO, there should be *enough* detail and complexity in a "pulp" game to make the characters recognizable, no matter *what* that level of detail and complexity, to make the game enjoyable.

The Shadow – Interesting comments. LTL is pretty player friendly like all THW games in that you can tweak and add to them to fit what you want to do. It's your game and can me molded to fit.
If you could email me at

twohourwargamesatyahoodotcom

I'd appreciate it. I have a question I'd like to ask.