Let's Talk... Rangers of Shadowdeep

[Mr. White]

Long ago I sold off Advanced Heroquest, it was my favorite tabletop adventure game. I'm not going to go chase nostalgia with expensive purchases and repaint models I painted long ago, so looking at a potential modern substitute (co-op fantasy adventure), my eye is on Rangers of Shadowdeep. I know this isn't a dungeoncrawler like AHQ, and please don't suggest other dungeoncrawlers, but I have some questions about RoSD.

1) Can this game run with a GM or is it co-op only?
2) Are there tables and rules for creating your own scenarios?
3) How replayable are the adventures? Has anyone played through the book multiple times?

What are you general thoughts on the system as a co-op game system?

Thanks!

[snitcythedog]

1) Can this game run with a GM or is it co-op only?
2) Are there tables and rules for creating your own scenarios?
3) How replayable are the adventures? Has anyone played through the book multiple times?

THis is from my experience. 
1.  It can be played both ways.  With a GM it will be a bit more fun IMO as the monsters will be a bit more intelligent. 
2.  It gives you a framework not tables as such.  You can create your own campaigns but they can take some time to tweak so the scenarios work.
3.  You can replay the scenarios. I have not played them all yet but the scenarios have worked well each time they have been played and they were not repetitive.

[OpForOverlord]

1) I've run RoSD as a GM many times. It works really well, like a low prep, miniatures heavy RPG. I'm considering adapting the system and running all my Convention games that way.
2) Once you've played/run a few games it should be fairly easy to write your own scenarios.
3) I usually play a scenario solo before unleashing.. I mean running it for my friends. There's enough variables in the events charts and the swinginess of the combat and skills checks, that individual games will feel adequately different.

I finally picked up all 8(!) expansions, now that there's a compilation on the way so there are plenty of missions and scenarios to go.
If you plan on doing co-op or running games for more than one Ranger, consider using the "challenge level" rules for each scenario. Having two player activations before the creature activation is definite advantage, so throwing a few more monsters out will help dial back the easy mode.

Good Luck!

[Burgundavia]

I'm busy running a RoSD adventure (Temple of Madness) in Sellswords, but at least for this module, you absolutely can play it multiple times (well, we are  because of dying characters). It just as fun the 2nd and now 3rd time around.

[OpForOverlord]

Oh, forgot to mention there is a dungeon crawler expansion for RoSD.

[zemjw]

I've played a couple of games of RoSD and I did enjoy them.

One problem I had, however (and I have this with a lot of McCullough's stuff) is that the game is focused on the Ranger, with the rest of the bunch closer to red-shirts than real people. I've never quite seen how that works in a co-operative game, as one player would dominate. However, as people are obviously doing this, I must be missing something. It is on my to-do list for this year, so maybe I'll have better luck this time.

There are other solo games that seem more even in terms of character powers, eg Five Leagues from the Borderland and Sellswords and Spellslingers (both also on my to-do list). There are plenty of threads on those games in this very forum, so it's worth having a look through them before deciding.

[blacksmith]

Hi Jack, I've only played the 2 first scenarios but here are my 2 cents:

1) It's a solo game and you can play it also co-op or with master, but I think with master will work better as a solo gamer you have to prepare the settings of the scenario so you don't have surprises when you play it. Actually, I'd love to play it with a game master and me not knowing what it's coming.

2) No AFAIK, but people is creating their own scenarios.

3) That depends a bit on you, but I wouldn't play it more than once as they are almost like a book to read. However, as Burgundavia said, it could be more replayable if you use a different combat system like Sellswords. I was thinking about doing the same as him but with FUBAR.

PS. I don't like its d20 system. It's too random IMHO.
Cheers,

[ced1106]

> One problem I had, however (and I have this with a lot of McCullough's stuff) is that the game is focused on the Ranger, with the rest of the bunch closer to red-shirts than real people.

Just to add, in Rangers, each player controls a group. The size of each Ranger group is smaller with more players.

> PS. I don't like its d20 system. It's too random IMHO.

Same here, even though a d20 is a "percentage chance to succeed" and is used in RPG's. Not sure.

> 3) How replayable are the adventures?

I'd say not very, unless you're used to playing the same scenario multiple times. You do have a table of random this-and-that which, at least, makes it not entirely predictable. I tried the first scenario (and another poster said this as well), found that crossbows controlled too much of an open board (3x3 board, crossbows have 2" range), and shot the enemies pretty far away, unless they appeared around the corner. Each scenario (and McCullogh does this a lot) often has a unique terrain element, and it's annoying to proxy it just for one scenario, after spending $1000+ on a terrain collection.

Sellswords and Spellslingers is good for $8, although I went through the ten scenarios (no scenario generator) in about a week. 5L and Lasting Tales have campaign events to add to the scenarios, and both are pretty flexible with terrain and your miniature collection.

[mikedemana]

PS. I don't like its d20 system. It's too random IMHO.
Cheers,

I am glad I am not the only one. Although I WANT to like McCullough games, I absolutely detest the combat system. The comparative dice scores are simply not intuitive and incredibly misleading. I roll a 18 and you roll a 19. I'm screwed. You roll a 10 and I roll a 1. No sweat. At least that's how it was in Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago.

I am assuming it is the same in Rangers, but I could be wrong...

Mike Demana