
System Mastery
Jef and Jon review old roleplaying games
Latest episodes

Dec 20, 2017 • 1h 12min
Extreme Vengeance – System Mastery 111
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/system-mastery-111-extreme-vengeance.mp3
On today’s episode we discuss Extreme Vengeance, an RPG dedicated almost entirely to recreating the feel of gung-ho action movies (there is a sliver reserved for unrelentingly dragging Hulk Hogan). Big guns, big biceps, and actually well-thought out rules to follow.
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Dec 5, 2017 • 1h 5min
Paranoia XP – System Mastery 110
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/system-mastery-110-paranoia-xp.mp3
A madcap dystopia that has more accompanying memes per square centimeter than anything short of Dungeon and Dragons itself. Is Paranoia worth braving the swamp of people at the store endless parroting stuff about friend computer? Actually yeah, kind of!
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Nov 21, 2017 • 1h 7min
Mermaid Adventures – System Mastery 109
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/system-mastery-109-mermaid-adventures.mp3
Let’s talk about RPGs for kids. Or more accurately, one RPG that is basically for kids. It might be a little heavy on Ariels and light on editing, but Mermaid Adventures manages to remain a charming and accessible game for kids, without somehow shoehorning in transformation fetishes or weird political viewpoints, an apparently difficult trick, at least according to the rest of the industry. We examine this game within.
Don’t forget, if you want to buy any of the games we review (or any games, I’m not picky) use the DriveThru RPG link in our sidebar, we get a cut of those proceeds. Awww yeah. Now I know you aren’t seeing the link because you have adblocker installed like everyone else on the internet, but hey, couldn’t hurt to ask.
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Nov 9, 2017 • 1h 11min
Dark Continent – System Mastery 108
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/system-mastery-108-dark-continent.mp3
Dark Continent is the RPG of … well venturing into Africa and killing a bunch of people. I mean that’s vaguely frowned upon (unless you are playing a Belgian), but it’s still pretty much expected. Also, it stars the biggest package that they could afford for cover art. Look at that thing. It’s like there’s two Mt. Kilimanjaros in the art. Oh also the rest of the art is old woodcuts and newspaper cartoons.
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Oct 24, 2017 • 1h 36min
Werewolf the Apocalypse – System Mastery 107
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/system-mastery-107-werewolf-the-apocalypse.mp3
Awoooooo White Ween continues! Awoooooooo! Today on System Mastery we introduce you to the colon-free world of Werewolf the Apocalypse. I mean, there’s some colons. Werewolves probably have colons. I bet they poop constantly on the lawns of corporate criminals and polluters and so on. What I meant was that the title lacks a colon. So it’s an instruction, and werewolf is just a verb. Apply werewolves directly to the apocalypse. Anyway, this book was weird, this post is weird, happy White Ween to all and to all a good night.
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Oct 10, 2017 • 1h 8min
Mind’s Eye Theatre: Requiem – System Mastery 105
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/episode-105-minds-eye-theatre-requiem.mp3
Ah, truly the most joyous of holiday seasons is upon us! Happy White Ween! Today, we cover a game that turned out (well after we started reading it) to be a sourcebook. Whoops! We are bit in the butt by our lack of research yet again! Oh well, we bravely soldier on in true Ween spirit to cover Mind’s Eye Theatre: Requiem, a LARPing guide for the thoroughly modern vampire. Too spooky, indeed.
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Sep 25, 2017 • 1h 13min
Living Steel – System Mastery 104
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/system-mastery-104-living-steel.mp3
Brought to you by rocket scientists hellbent on pure unadulterated realism, Living Steel is basically Heinlein by way of Games Workshop, with probably a few too many tables (which is a nice way of saying for sure definitely too many tables by a lot). Gird your mega loins to battle Vissers and Spectrals along with System Mastery with our review of Living Steel.
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Sep 12, 2017 • 1h 4min
Gear Krieg- System Mastery 103
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/system-mastery-103-gear-krieg.mp3
Are you looking for a game of two-fisted derring-do and rousing pulp adventure? You’ll be sure to find it in some other book. Gear Krieg is an RPG companion to a similarly titled tabletop wargame, based on the functional Silhouette rule system and featuring … well, World War 2 for the most part. Also Edison and Tesla.
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Sep 2, 2017 • 1h 40min
Gamma Crawl X – Episode 4
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/gamma-crawl-x-4.mp3
Oh my goodness after a long hiatus the adventure continues. I mean, sort of. We recorded this a long time ago. In a measurement system I call “Broken Computers,” we recorded this episode two broken computers ago. As always, we are joined by our GM Quinn (of Swallows of the South and various other podcasts) and friend of the show Brad, to adventure in the far-flung mutant madness that is the arenas of Gamma World. In this extra-long episode, we encounter a massive wall, a southern gentleman, and a big room full of slimy trash.
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Aug 29, 2017 • 1h 10min
King Arthur: Pendragon – System Mastery 102
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/system-mastery-102-king-arthur-pendragon.mp3
Yay, a game we didn’t hate! This is a very specific sort of RPG, in which you play as a knightly dynasty during the Morte D’Arthur romantic tales. Will you be a good Cymric Christian soldier (yes, probably) who spends their time collecting taxes, having kids, and very, very occasionally fighting a bear (again, yes). A sort of vague magic system and NEW RULES FOR CELTIC KNIGHTS also included.
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