gaslight compendium

[Bloggard]

howdy,

please see my post here for context:

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=126861.msg1602739#msg1602739

so ... I have most of FFoL (4 pdfs and 3 h/copy).

where I've ended up is wanting to have a kind of weird west setting with steam-punk / lost-world tech.' and goth. horror critters ...

I think I can do that with FFoL (core rules / gothic horror / wasteland warriors), but have also come across the GASLIGHT compendium again ... which looks as tho' it might also be interesting.

it's pricey for the PDF, although the h/ copy seems to be available from Caliver for the same price.

There is very little about it 'out there' - I've come across this one comment on a blogpost:

Scottswargaming said... Its an interesting game system capable of handling a lot, but the compendium, as name suggests, is a mesh of three varieties of the rules which is confusing to a beginner... its also a little tricky just to pick up and play as you have to work out the stats for all your troops and vehicles and monsters first...

anyone with experience of the rules and could comment? And it's a mesh of 4 varieties in actual fact, right?

I know there's a free starter pdf of the rules, but I'm not seeing enough there overall to decide if it's worth stumping  up £40.

thanks

[mysteriousbill]

I'd get the books individually. They make more sense and are easier to handle that the Compendium

[Bloggard]

yes, I'd seen that suggested elsewhere, but I'm not seeing them individually available either as pdfs or h/copy.

tbh, I suspect they don't really cover 'gothic horror' as such, so probably aren't what I'm looking for anyway - but thanks for the reply; appreciated.

[The_Beast]

Agree with all of the above, and if you are good with FFoL, by all means your reasoning seems sound.

Personally, I will continue to play FFoL games as my fellows enjoy it, though I tend to prefer GASLIGHT w/ personal fudges, and have been thinking anything VSF Gothic/Horror would be even better in some other direction.

I don't have the Empire whatchamacallit, but think In Her Majesty's Name would fit the bill, as it has Gothic strains throughout, and has a whole book devoted to same.

Sorry if that ends up not to your point...

Doug

[Pijlie]

The Compendium actually includes several rulesets IIRC. Besides the GASLIGHT skirmish rules it also includes the Big Unit rules (huge landships and such), an RPG system as well as a Skyships of Mars ruleset.

So you get a big book with stuff in it you might not need.

That aside, the GASLIGHT skirmish rules are a good way to play weird Wild West (or any Weird Pulpy setting) as it enables you to design any weird monster or machine you'd like. The possibilities are endless.

[Bloggard]

thanks for the further comments and thoughts @ The_Beast and Piljie.

I certainly have IHMN (or maybe at my brothers) and I remember buying the gothic supplement from snmstuff (pdf I think).
I also bought the EotD rules yonks ago, the requiem supplement too, but didn't get anywhere with them at the time...

I think with those and IHMN it's the fluff - I have trouble getting past that kind of stuff if it doesn't strike a chord with me ...

that's the good thing about FFoL having the settings agnostic core rules I guess.

I guess the consensus is that the Compendium isn't the best place to start with Gaslight if you're not already pretty familiar with its individual components ... So will leave it for now.

[v_lazy_dragon]

I like the compendium, simply because it saves me from transporting around half a dozen little GASLIGHT rulebooks  'back in the day'. Great if you want to switch across sub-systems and use RPG lite stats for your hero one game and have them fighting aboard a giant steam tank the next. But to get started an individual copy of the original GASLIGHT might be better, possibly with the pulp 'To Be Continued' supplement

[Bloggard]

it's clear from what you're all saying that they're great rules ... but, it would appear, too difficult to pick up in a user-friendly (in newb terms) way, at least here in the UK.

[Cat]

I've watched a number of Gaslight games being played, and the system looks great.  I got the Compendium and it is a bear to try to slog through and decipher which parts of the rules go with which of the three systems.

If I ever tried to run a game with it, I would go through the book with a highlighter and mark the bits that apply so I could find the right rules when trying to do a quick look up.

[Pijlie]

Yes, the problem with the Compendium is that they did not include the different rulesets consecutively but made chapters (like Mustering your troops) that then include sub chapters for each specific ruleset. That way each ruleset is chopped up and spread out throughout the book. Innovative, but not very accessible....

[Bloggard]

thanks @ Cat and Pijlie for your comments.

big thank you to v_lazy_dragon who informed me of the original 'individual' books being available on ebay uk.

the pile of rulebooks grows ever larger ....   

[mysteriousbill]

I've seen some of them on sale at Miniatures Market

[zebcook]

Disclaimer: I'm friends with the guys who wrote Gaslight.

It's a great set of skirmish rules. If you want to get a taste of it for free, they did a set of quickstart rules. You can download it here for free:

http://www.bucksurdu.com/Personal/documents/GASLIGHTQuickStart.pdf

Plus, there are other helpful downloads on the site.

[Bloggard]

@ Zebcook.

thanks - had got there through google and d/loaded the quickstart - as mentioned above, not enough there for me to decide on the £40 h/copy compendium.

kind of moot now, as I have copies of the original bks on the way from ebay.

[Bloggard]

well, did indeed end up with 4 vols. from the original run of rulebooks.

partly 'I was expecting some(thing) bigger' - they're A5 booklets. Which is fine really, and more practical than other sizes arguably, but doesn't help in the (perception of) value for money stakes, when second-hand they've set me back £50

But more to the point - interesting mechanics which i can  see working very well, once you're in the 'zone' with regards to specc'ing figures / critters, but I'm not seeing explicit allowance for gothic horror / spellcraft (unless it's in the 'RPG' book, which I haven't looked at much yet I must admit - and if it is, not sure that'll work too well for purely 'skirmish' gaming).


So, on the back-burner for now. But good to have them, and I should give them more of a chance at some point down the line.