From: tsouth@techbook.com (Todd South)
Subject: Re: Reviews: Dangerous Journeys, Dreampark
Organization: TECHbooks --- Public Access UNIX --- (503) 644-8135
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 05:31:21 GMT

In article <712281180@tyranno.cs.duke.edu> jek@duke.cs.duke.edu (James E. Kittock) writes:
>
>Comment: In some sense, the _Mythus_ tome contains at once too much
>and not enough.  I can't believe I am saying this, but I almost wish
>_Mythus_ had been a boxed set of booklets, rather than one phone-book
>sized tome.  Although booklets get annoying, this IS the first edition
>of this game, and boxed sets worked well for early editions of D&D,
>Call of Cthulhu, etc.  Further, separating out the core rules would
>make incorporation of Mythus with other Dangerous Journeys milieux an
>easier task.  Another thing, assuming I was to play the game
>regularly, would I really want to carry around "beginner's rules" and
>two sample adventures all the time?  These things REALLY don't belong
>in the fundamental book of the system.e

Agreed.  The system includes too much in one book.  This can be very
cumbersome when initially analyzing the game.  I'm still trying to 
figure out most of the Heka rules because they are not well outlined
or organized.

>Combat -- I have neither tested nor even digested this part of the
>game yet, since it doesn't interest me all that much.  As Chris Pound
>pointed out, the armor system is complex, possibly overly so.
>Fighting skills are handled through the basic skill system, with
>skills like "Fighting, Hand to Hand, nonlethal", "Fighting, Hand to
>Hand, lethal", etc.

I think the problem most GMs will have with this game is that it
relies strongly on the PCs (opps, HPs) honestly keeping track of 
their own armor damage reduction values, etc.

>GAME WORLD
>
>Until the separate book on the Mythus world, Aerth, comes out, only
>bits and pieces about the world can be guessed at, but it is basically
>an "Alternate Earth" (or perhaps just a misspelled Earth...).  If you
>like that kind of thing, it should be really interesting.  If you like
>radically different game worlds, well, too bad.  Aerth has an
>adjoining land of Phaeree which is where mystical things come from.
>Aerth also has a subterranean world and, yes, a hollow interior.  Just
>what we needed.  The setting is a typical High Fantasy mishmash of
>Medievalesque and Renaissance-like stuff along with Elves and Dwarves,
>etc.

This, IMO, is the strongpoint of the whole game's flow.  If you know
world history/mythology this really is a nice change of pace to see
a game world which is basically 1000 years behind present day Earth.
While any GM can make a world of his own with this flavor, having a
commercial publication do a lot of the groundwork for you is nice.

One thing I really hate about starting new game worlds is there's
always so damn much background to learn.  Sure, the DM/GM knows everything,
THEY usually WROTE IT!!!  But, as a player I like being able to walk
into a game where I can play a Selt and feel a real association with
the character.  Also, if I want to play an 80 BC Chinese campaign
I have a lot more background material to pull from than one or two
books from the game company.

>-- 
>James Kittock   --   Duke class of 1992    --    Computer Science/Mathematics 

Good review, James!  Aren't you graduated yet!?!

Todd South

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