tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post389576040313355184..comments2024-03-09T19:23:22.482-03:00Comments on The RPGPundit: RPGPundit Reviews: Machinations of the Space PrincessRPGPundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17267330191433119298noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-32414277228523558242013-11-30T17:04:18.736-03:002013-11-30T17:04:18.736-03:00I might pick this up, based on the review. Though ...I might pick this up, based on the review. Though the "pseudo hard" scifi approach of Stars without number probably fit better for me, sometimes I like a bit of crunch in the game.Weaselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05873440251698488032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-79161446570151422032013-11-30T02:33:20.524-03:002013-11-30T02:33:20.524-03:00Well, I appreciate that, though as you said, I don...Well, I appreciate that, though as you said, I don't review PDFs. Do you have any plans to release a print edition?RPGPundithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17267330191433119298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-52300075301044695342013-11-29T23:14:22.135-03:002013-11-29T23:14:22.135-03:00Hey Pundit, I know you don't officially review...Hey Pundit, I know you don't officially review PDFS but if you want a copy of my own Heavy Future setting, I'll be glad to email you one. I wrote it after reading Machinations of the Space Princess, drawing on a lot of the same material, just approaching things from a different direction and using different rules. Same goes for you, Grim- I've enjoyed most of the stuff you've written. <br /><br />chrisfieldotherverse@hotmail.comChris A. Fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861255455468441444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-83981730865960651512013-11-28T19:48:26.759-03:002013-11-28T19:48:26.759-03:00Thanks for your reply, and for submitting the game...Thanks for your reply, and for submitting the game for review. I hope you found it thorough and honest, and fair within the boundaries of my expressed bias. <br /><br />Maybe its true, that "sex and sleaze" are just themes you enjoy writing about and its not some kind of a 'front' or act or whatever; I'm not implying you are doing it as a kind of fake-out to intentionally get attention; but I do think you enjoy the attention.<br /><br />What surprised me is that this was not, in fact, a particularly "sexy" or "sleazy" game; I suppose that's good (from my point of view) because if it had been very sexually explicit I would have found it less useful, I suspect. I don't know if you were holding yourself back, or if you really thought the book was naughtier than it turns out to be.<br /><br />As for your setting; I think that there are much less hackneyed ways to treat a Matriarchy than what's implied in the (very brief) setting description. In the first place, there's nothing in the book that explicitly lays out the Urlanth Matriarchy as some kind of Femdom-bondage whips-and-chains male-oppressing institution; so likewise the notion of a male-supremacist rebellion seemed silly to me. I think a more interesting (and perhaps more daring) way to have handled it would have been a setting where 1000+ years of societal conditioning of women being the natural aristocratic governors at all levels of society (not oppressive governors, just the default assumption of women-in-charge) would have led to the (traditionally masculine) military taking up arms in the name of one princess or another. Creating a setting where the default assumption is that women are the social leaders, but that is neither some kind of heavy-handed feminist fantasy NOR an allegory for fears of "feminazis oppressing the men" would have been brilliant... plus doing that, and doing that well, would have pissed off the pseudo-activists in ways that playing-to-type never could.<br /><br />As for comeliness, I understand how it fits some concepts of cheap sci-fi; but again, I think there was an opportunity missed there; if you really wanted to use it, you could have set up mechanics that would have reflected how "attractiveness" would be a concept that is unusually (perhaps randomly) variable between alien species.<br /><br />Anyways, yes, take it as a win. 7/10 ain't bad, and no doubt Machinations is another interesting addition to the recent inroads the OSR has made in the Sci-fi field; a new direction that I think is quite worthwhile in presenting new options aside from D&D-clone-fantasy.RPGPundithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17267330191433119298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-70626735333477113872013-11-28T18:08:00.817-03:002013-11-28T18:08:00.817-03:00I know you're convinced I deliberately court c...I know you're convinced I deliberately court controversy, but really, no. Much as the offendo-squad sees what they want, so do you I think.<br /><br />Obviously, things that prey on my mind at the time tend to end up in what I'm writing but looking at themes from things like Heavy Metal I really wanted to emphasise the whole 'tough woman' thing and the obvious alternative side to that is a 'masculinist' opposition.<br /><br />I thought Comeliness important as, if you look at the source material you see a lot of beauty and a lot of ugliness (dump stat?) and aliens are either sexy in a way that appeals to humans or are attracted to/perving over humans. Again, look to the source.<br /><br />I'm not really an old-school person nor, really, a story game person. I fall somewhere in the middle. That's why the traits are choices - by default - rather than random. I did make sure the option was there though. Traditionally race and class (or racial class) are things you choose, so it didn't make sense - to me - to randomise the race traits. I don't see it as optimisation per se any more than choosing 'dwarf'.<br /><br />I see abstract or even absent mechanics as very much old school, like the process of picking a lock, examining it etc, rather than just making a roll. That's why the spaceship stuff is more of a guideline.<br /><br />You may not be into the sleaze, but again, that's looking to the source material. Look at the sex bot in FAKK2.<br /><br />I think the advice sections are still useful for some people. The community has changed, how to get games together has also changed. Not useful to everyone, but useful enough for some. It's also worth keeping in mind that with increasing PDF sales and less shops new and newish gamers don't have the same baseline experience as the old timers. <br /><br />I already write erotica, and am in several anthologies :P<br /><br />If you're lukewarm despite it being quite far from your personal taste, I'll take that as a win.GRIMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08222147769420307719noreply@blogger.com