I picked up http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/ Witch Hunter The Invisible World RPG in excellent condition tonight at the used book store today. I gave the book a once over skim and so far I'm liking what I'm seeing. The RPG setting takes place in an alternative 17th century in which things that go bump in the night are real, and witch hunters are are called to do battle against the forces of darkness. My half hour read through doesn't really give me enough to truly judge the game, but there are a few things that stick out that I like.
Initial Likes
- Inclusion of a Faith / Hero Point / Damnation Point system that looks pretty interesting. The damnation point system looks really cool, where characters can more easily draw on the dark side to get out of trouble, but the easy escape comes at a price which makes characters more vulnerable in the future to attacks from the dark forces.
- The game system, which is a dice pool system, looks well done. I need to read up on the mechanics more to fully judge though.
- Most of the vibe of magic is evil in the game, I like that.
- High quality artwork, similar to Green Ronin / WHFRP stuff.
Initial Dislikes
- The initial story of Solomon and the Seal and the birth of the first order of magi comes almost straight out of the occult world.
- Although most magic in the game system is sinister, there is some magic available to characters, and the way this magic is organized to me appears more dangerous then just having the standard rpg magic systems if you are a Christian concerned that RPG's introduce young people to occult concepts. The game labels a lot bad but leaves a little bit open as good on the magic scene, and does it in a way that if a young person encountered real life groups using magic, the "good" magic in Witch Hunter would seem very similar, not so cool.
- Although Christianity is the main driving religion in the book, where Christians are going up against the darkness (which I really like), probably due to the politically correct culture and to broaden the appeal of the game to non-Christians (which I would assume to be most of the RPG playing community), this Christian aspect of the game is watered down and non Christian Witch Hunters are introduced. Faith points can be gained from all religious "traditions" (except satanism and derivatives) rather than just faith in Jesus. I understand why this was done but it still is kinda weak considering the game atmosphere.
I'm looking forward to reading the rules more and play testing the game.
Comments