Troll Lord Games

I've been collecting old 1970s and 80s Space Gamer Magazines (published by Metagaming first and later Steve Jackson Games), and one thing I really liked about those mags were the "capsule reviews". They'd solicit small 2-3 paragraph reviews of RPG rules, supplements and modules and then publish about 8-12 or so per issue in the back.

IMO, this was a great source of information on new products and were a good "intro" before I ended up buying the product in question.

As far as I know, nobody (RPG mags) does this anymore...do they? What would the chances be of Crusader running these? Maybe pay submittors in Crusader issues or TLG credit (Troll Bucks?) for reviews?
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Always remember, as a first principle of all D&D: playing BtB is not now, never was and never will be old school.- Tim Kask, Dragonsfoot

Dragon did something akin to this in the 100-200 range, or so. I remember reading about Dream Park and Lost Souls that way.

Troll bucks sounds good, since they'll never give the real ones. Of course, an honest, and unbiased review should be given... and not slavish fanboyism, one way or the other. Heck, anything could be reviewed, really, from novels, to comics, to what the smell of a wet donkey is like, and it might, just might, be worth including. Hehe.

Below are the requirements for both Capsule REviews and Feature Reviews, along with a sample capsule review from the May/June 1985 Space Gamer to give everyone an idea of what I'm talking about if you didn't catch the TSG or Dragon reviews at the time.
Capsule Reviews

Most of the reviews we print are "capsule" reviews - 400 words or less. We want to run a review for every new SF or fantasy game or supplement.

Each capsule review should be five paragraphs long and contain:

(1) Basic information. Present these facts, in this order: NAME OF GAME (Publisher); price.

Designer. (If applicable: "Supplement to "Companion to ---," or similar note.) Format: list

of components, with sizes of maps and rulebooks, number of counters, etc.. Number of players; playing time. Publication date.

(2) General description of the game: background, the sides, course of play, special features, etc..

(3) Strong points. Discuss what is good about the game; in every game there is something worthwhile. "Fun" is a useless adjective. Be specific.

(4) Weak points. Every game has its problems, too. If the only faults you can find are minor ones, say so. If the game is fatally flawed, come right out and say so. If you can phrase your criticisms as suggestions for improvement, do so.

(5) Summation. Your overall opinion of the game. Who should and should not buy it, and why? Is the game worth its price?

All reviews must be signed; the reviewer's name will be printed. No game may be reviewed by its designer, by a playtester, or by an employee of the publisher. (Designer's articles are welcome, but must be billed as such!) Final note: If you can write a complete review in less than the full 400 words, by all means do so.

This review format is designed to encourage fairness and to give the reader enough information to let him or her decide whether he or she wants to buy that game. Keep that in mind when you write. This is a short review, not a complete analysis.

Featured Reviews

These are game reviews 1,000 to 2,000 words long. They should contain all the above information, plus whatever else the reviewer wants to say. They may be written in any format. A featured review may cover either a new game or one that has been on the market for some time. If Space Gamer has not already printed a capsule review, write one and submit it at the same time. We may even use both.

THE PALLADIUM ROLE-PLAYING GAME (Palladium Books); $19.95. Designed by Kevin Siembieda. One 81h" x 11" 272-page softbound rulebook. For two or more players; playing time varies. Published 1983.

The Palladium Role-Playing Game is a fantasy Role-playing system that allows players to adventure in the colorful and detailed Palladium world. Characters can be any one of 13 different racial types and choose from over 25 different character occupations. The racial type governs the number of six sided dice rolled by the player for each of the eight attributes (anywhere from two to five dice), with bonuses awarded for exceptionally high rolls. The occupation selected for the character determines the skills and limitations derived from the class. As a character gains experience levels, the expertise of certain skills also increases (an interesting mixture of level and percentage-based experience). Combats are relatively simple to handle, with very few modifiers applied to the 1D20 roll to hit.

The strength of The Palladium Role-Playing Game rests mainly on the plethora of material included in its pages. While the game system as a whole gives the impression that Palladium is just another Role-playing game, it is chock full of adaptable information. The number of magical spells, glyphs, and wards alone is staggering (at well over 350). The deity and religious sections are informative and interesting, complementing the Palladium world, its history, and inhabitants (something that cannot be said for a number of RPGs which attempt to add on religions as an afterthought or ignore them altogether both producing less-than-satisfactory results). A GM cannot help finding something that would benefit the local campaign. This is not to say that Palladium is not a good game system in its own right, but to serve as a reminder that there is more than one reason to pick up "another Role-playing game ..

The weakest link in The Palladium Role-Playing Game has got to be in its combat system. Keeping in mind that a combat system is simply a means to achieve a desired end, Palladium provides only a modified version of D&D combat, where its other rule sections prove to be a cut above its obvious progenitor. It does get away from the idea that hit points represent a character's evasive actions, stamina, and "trick maneuvers" as well as physical damage limits by dividing the two into Structural Damage Capacity (SDC) and Hit Points, respectively. It even provides an elegant yet simple system for resolving an attack, which basically requires the attacker to roll higher than the Armor Rating of the defender on 1D20. So far, so good. Where the system breaks down is in the application of damage. SDC, as it turns out, is really nothing more than a pool of hit points which do not cause serious injury to the character. Normal hit points are never affected until the SDC pool is reduced to zero. In effect, one must completely destroy (read: hack off) an opponent's armor and use up his trick maneuvers before physical damage is taken. Combats are drawn-out affairs where everyone has (un)godly numbers of hit points to expend before getting to the niceties of some good old-fashioned bloodletting. Personally, I have a lot of problems with Palladium's combat system - though I enjoyed almost everything else in the book, right down to the nasty little "dungeon expedition" into the Gersidi family tombs. While it might not be the latest in earthshattering designs, it was a lot of fun to read and play.

The Palladium Role-Playing Game is a game that aspired to greatness but fell just a little short of the mark. With the advent of RuneQuest, The Fantasy Trip, and Lands of Adventure, Palladium is just a little out of step. GMs who are looking to add spice to their D&D games, or who really don't demand a great deal of realism from game mechanics, should by all means pick up Palladium. But if you're searching for the ultimate in "realism" and innovative design keep looking.

-Jerry Epperson
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Always remember, as a first principle of all D&D: playing BtB is not now, never was and never will be old school.- Tim Kask, Dragonsfoot