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Post by jeffb on Jan 21, 2022 14:58:58 GMT -6
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Post by Starbeard on Jan 25, 2022 16:08:06 GMT -6
I dabbled in Rifts and was big on TMNT back in the day, but don't know anything about Palladium Fantasy. What are the differences between 1st and 2nd edition? The 1984 edition seems more interesting just because it's from '84 and therefore probably closer in style and look to the other Palladium stuff I know and the other fantasy games I like to play, but would the 2e books be a good addition anyway?
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Post by jeffb on Jan 25, 2022 18:24:07 GMT -6
failed my concentration/coherence check due to lack of sleep ...here's some rambling:
1E PFRPG vs 2E PFRPG is like 3.0 D&D vs 3.5. On the surface much seems similar, but the devil is in the details.
1E was revised into 2E to be compatible with all the RIFTS sub systems and uses the SDC mechanic for everything (characters, monsters, etc). 1E is more deadly because of this- and plays out faster in combat.
2E revised many of the skills, especially combat skills- that seems to be a sticking point for many detractors of 2E.
2E introduced a PPE (power point) system for castings spells (vs castings per day of 1E)
There are many more differences, but in general, 2E is just a more complicated and crunchy version of 1E. I prefer the PPE system of 2E, but otherwise I'm all about the 1st Edition. It seems that among PFRPG fandom, 1E tends to be preferred by the majority.
One thing that bugs me-1E includes all your basic monster stats in the core book (undead, humanoids, etc). These were removed in 2E, and the 2E Monsters & Animals book (Monster Manual) didn't include most of them. Weird. So you can just grab the core 1E book, and it's all you need to get started.
The 2E art is generally of higher quality (Though I'm a huge fan of M Kucharski in 1E PFRPG, who also did MSPE for Blade/FBI, back in the day)., and there is much added lore about the PFRG game world in the 2E core book.
2E books in general are easier on the eyes for legibility, layout, and ease of use.
The 2E revised and expanded versions of Old Ones and Adventures on the High Seas (both IMO, are must haves for PFRPG either edition) are clearly superior- better layout, readability, and the expanded adventures and world material is worth it. That said, the 1E versions are still excellent books for DMs to steal liberally from, no matter what fantasy game you play.
Bottom line, I prefer the 1E rules, but use the 2E versions of Old Ones and AotHS- I fudge numbers as needed. I have the 2E books as well.
Adventures in the Northern Wilderness is also a must have, IMO. It's "Fantasy Canada" in the format of a couple of somewhat fleshed out full adventures, regional lore, and tons of adventure hooks/ideas (which all Palladium books are notable for- no handholding, just a ton of ideas). The area is home to a race of very large anthropomorphic wolves (Wolfen) whose society is similar to Ancient Rome and despises humans. I hate "furries" of any sort in any game (lion people, cat people, mouse people, dog people, etc) , but the Wolfen are extremely well done.
EDIT- so If I had to make a recommendation- I would advise to get the 1E starter and bonus collection. Potentially years worth of adventuring material there, whether you use the PFRPG rules or not. one odd thing is that the GM KIT is a 2E product-unsure why they dumped it into the 1E collections. But it will give you a look at how 2E differs from 1E.
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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 25, 2022 19:23:01 GMT -6
The power creep in 2e is ridiculous. IN that edition there's no reason to play a fighter because your Warlock can have the same combat abilities (via HtH: Martial Arts) AND summon rivers of lava at will by 5th level.
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Post by Starbeard on Jan 25, 2022 20:25:50 GMT -6
Thanks! It sounds like I will enjoy the 1e books a lot. I'll look up how much the 2e bundle will cost to pick up the relevant books of interest, and maybe scour the internet to see what the cost would be for just buying them individually.
It's an exciting bundle. I've always wanted to give Palladium Fantasy the old college try, I had a great time with Rifts and TMNT/ATB. Despite any wonky rules or imbalances we always had very memorable games.
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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 25, 2022 20:29:02 GMT -6
Thanks! It sounds like I will enjoy the 1e books a lot. I'll look up how much the 2e bundle will cost to pick up the relevant books of interest, and maybe scour the internet to see what the cost would be for just buying them individually. It's an exciting bundle. I've always wanted to give Palladium Fantasy the old college try, I had a great time with Rifts and TMNT/ATB. Despite any wonky rules or imbalances we always had very memorable games. The world is fantastic. The rules are of their time, both 1e and 2e. 1e is very much a houseruled, somewhat powered up and more codified AD&D. 2e is very much the gonzo superpowered late 1980s/early 1990s approach to gaming. For my money, 1e plays much better with each class having its role to play. While I've never been big on Vancian magic, it works better in the case of PFRPG than the later PPE-based magic does. |
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tedopon
Newly-Registered User 
Posts: 86
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Post by tedopon on Jan 26, 2022 14:33:50 GMT -6
We played a good amount of both editions in high school and early college, along with TMNT, BtS and Robotech. The rules have not aged well, IMO. The sourcebooks, especially Old Ones were great, though.
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Post by thegreyelf on Feb 4, 2022 11:21:14 GMT -6
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Post by flailsnail75 on Feb 27, 2022 16:44:21 GMT -6
1e Palladium Fantasy is in my opinion criminally underrated. It’s an awesome game and probably my go to for fantasy gaming. The way that armor and combat works is so simple but makes combat so much more fun. The magic using character classes are also so good. I’ve never seen anyone else make a role-playing game with that number of character classes, and every character class is not just a copy of another one with different spells but I totally original concept. I know a lot of people don’t like this game but I thinks it amazing.
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