Lamentations of the Flame Princess Art Lamentations of the Flame Princess Art

Gaming books aimed specifically at referees are a tricky business organisation. On the ane hand, no ane is built-in a referee (or, at least, very few are), so there's an obvious need for "instructions" on how to get one -- a need that's all the more acute in old schoolhouse gaming, where the office of the referee is vastly larger than in its latter-24-hour interval descendants. On the other hand, one doesn't become a referee by reading a book, or even many books, no matter how well written. That's because good refereeing is more a matter of instinct honed through experience and, while refereeing books can be helpful, they're no substitute for simply running lots and lots of adventures over the course of weeks, months, and years. Refereeing is a articulate case of learning by doing.

That's not to say that at that place isn't a place for books on the theory and exercise of refereeing, but there'southward a real danger that they'll either be likewise "philosophical" and thus of express use in showing neophytes how to handle their responsibilities as a referee or as well mired in minutiae and thus of express use in explaining why a particular class of action is better for everyone involved in the game. When I was a younger man, referee's books veered too much toward the practical, right downwards to wasting infinite nearly deciding where a gaming group should meet and who should bring snacks. Nowadays, the trend is in the reverse direction, with lots of highfalutin talk derived from literary theory or using movies and Tv set shows every bit exemplary of good RPG campaigns.

The Referee Book included with James Raggi's Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing commits neither of those sins, only it'due south still far from perfect. That's admittedly a weak criticism, since even Gary Gygax'due south magnum opus, the Advertisement&D Dungeon Masters Guide, is imperfect, but Gygax's tome was published over three decades ago. In a sense, information technology created the genre of "referee's book" and and so its flaws must necessarily be balanced confronting its trailblazing nature; the WF Referee Volume has no such like shooting fish in a barrel out.

Earlier getting to that, permit me begin past saying that the book is 48 pages in length and easy on the eyes. Fine art is thin but bonny and the simple two-column layout is 1 I appreciate. The text is clear and I establish few obvious editorial or typographical errors. The tone used throughout can best exist chosen "conversational," though it often becomes more colloquial than I prefer. Some, I suppose, will appreciate this unpretentious style and I admit that it has benefits, simply, traditionalist that I am, I still prefer referee's books to have a somewhat more "aloof" presentation.

The Referee Book begins with an overview of the function of the referee and the fundamentals of the game. Information technology also includes brief discussions of "Rule Zero," a term nigh which I've already noted my dislike, equally well as discussions of randomness and the long route ahead in becoming a truly good referee. All in all, it's a promising offset and, quibbles aside, I think it does a solid chore of elucidating simply what a referee does in an old school game. Following this, there'southward a very good section about "the weird," what information technology means and how information technology can be evoked in a game. It's unfortunately a little more theoretical than I'd have liked, merely I suppose Raggi tin can rightly claim that his adventures already provide extended examples of the weird for referees to imitate.

A big portion of the Referee Book is devoted to gamble edifice and rightly then. Raggi identifies five basic types of adventures: event-based, exploration-based, personage-based, location-based, and sandboxes. Each blazon gets a brief word before he tackles elements mutual to all of them. He also lays out the elements of good adventures, including advisable obstacles and rewards, and cautions against the dangers of railroading. This is all very expert stuff and broadly consonant with most of what the old schoolhouse renaissance has been promoting over the last few years. Indeed, information technology's probably as good a sketch of what old schoolhouse gaming is all about as any I've read and it does so without reference to contemporary gaming, since it's written with a neophyte in heed.

Some other large section details "the campaign" -- meaning primarily the campaign setting -- and it's here where I remember the Referee Book starts to fall down. All the usual topics, like maps, religion, laws, languages, etc. are covered simply, even from the perspective of a newcomer, I'thousand not sure how useful this section would exist. Perhaps information technology's been so long since I needed this kind of advice that I can't tell that a very basic overview of loftier-level topics like this is indeed valuable, but, compared to the adventure design communication earlier, I found the section on the campaign quite flat and uninspiring. Meanwhile, the section on NPCs started off promisingly, just was much besides short. I would have much rather seen Raggi talk more about creating memorable NPCs than even so another discussion of cosmology or quasi-medieval social structure.

Since Raggi first made his proper name with his Random Esoteric Creature Generator, I expected WF to include something similar, albeit in a cut-down or at to the lowest degree more focused version. Instead, we go a mere four pages of rather terse advice on making monsters -- there are no "standard" monster listings in the game at all -- with special attending paid to animals, constructs, humanoids, oozes, and undead. I can't deny that I was disappointed by this, since I remain a big fan of his earlier piece of work (which Raggi references in the text) and which I expected to see used in some form in WF. This section besides lacks examples, which I think would have been invaluable in a game geared toward newcomers. On the plus side, Raggi does suggest a proficient alternative to level drain that I think retains the sting of this fearsome power.

Like the monster department, the discussion of magic items felt underdeveloped to me. I appreciate Raggi's contention that magic items should all be individualized and treated every bit "unique items of great ability" rather than D&D'southward very generic approach. I am sympathetic to his bespeak of view here and lean that way myself, but, if that is the approach one is going to take, I think information technology's important to provide more than details and examples on how that approach should exist implemented. That said, I call up Raggi did a better job in this department than he did with the monsters, but I however would have preferred some additional elucidation of how to employ the guidelines presented. The book concludes with some practical discussions about gathering a group and maintaining a campaign, besides equally how to convert material for other retro-clones to WF.

Before the release of WF, James Raggi was probably most well-known for his superb old schoolhouse adventure modules and, reading through the Referee Book, it's non difficult to come across why. The book is at its best and most insightful when information technology focuses on the creation and running of adventures. I found it far less useful when information technology shifted focus to campaigns and campaign settings. Some of that might exist because, as I noted, I'm an quondam hand and and then don't meet the value in some of the Referee Book'south discussions. If so, I think information technology only highlights the separate personality of WF -- clearly geared toward complete neophytes yet often containing "within baseball" theoretical discussions that probably don't hateful much to such gamers. I'll grant that it's a tough balancing act to maintain and that, to be successful, WF, at least initially, needs to attract experienced gamers likewise as beginners, so a split personality of some sort is probably unavoidable.

At the cease of the mean solar day, the Referee Book is a good effort and contains much of value, specially its discussions of the weird and how to create memorable and exciting adventures. It does, however, feel like a step downwardly from the thoroughgoing excellence of the two previous volumes of Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing. In terms of both content and utility, it's notably less first-class, even given its more narrow focus. That notwithstanding puts information technology alee of a great many other RPG products, both within the one-time school renaissance and without, so information technology's a limited criticism, but it'southward criticism nonetheless.

Presentation: 7 out of ten
Creativity: 7 out of 10
Utility: 6 out of 10

Buy This If: You lot're a complete neophyte to refereeing or an experience referee just keen to read another referee'due south perspectives on common aspects of this game function.
Don't Purchase This If: You're an onetime hand with no involvement others' approaches to refereeing.

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Source: https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-lamentations-of-flame-princess.html

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