

System Mastery
Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor
Jef and Jon review old roleplaying games
Episodes
Mentioned books

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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Aug 15, 2017 • 1h 20min
A State – System Mastery 101
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/system-mastery-101-a-state.mp3
This book is a grim, unrelenting slog. Punctuated by the kind of art that would be impressive if this book was a collection of screenshots from the first Fallout game, filled to the brim with grimy short stories where nameless murderers murder murderers for the joy of murderin’, and with about 14 of its dismal 200 or so pages given over to the rules. We hope you enjoy the review, as someone somewhere should have a bit of happiness, since we apparently cannot.
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Jul 31, 2017 • 2h 4min
D&D 3rd Edition – System Mastery 100
https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/system-mastery-100-dungeons-dragons-3rd-edition1.mp3
Well, it’s been four years. Honestly when we started the gimmick of doing D&D every 25 episodes we never thought we’d actually get as far as third edition. Here we are though! 3rd Edition D&D and all it’s accompanying rules-as-physics and expansive OGL accoutrements, laid bare for your amusement over way too much time. Thanks again for all the support, dudes! Maudlin, choked up us will see you again next year for tabletop WOW for babbies.
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