I recently ran the quickstart from Gallows Corner, and rather than do a regular GM report, I asked to use my player’s play report and add inline GM commentary to it. I’m calling it Behind the Screen, but I’m sure there’s something better, haha.
Has anyone else played it? What do you think of the combat?
I’ve also run a couple one shots (A Spark Takes Hold). It’s good, we had fun.
The setting and art get me really excited. I like that it’s grounded in historical events. I like the trades. I like that it evokes a Robin Hood vibe. I haven’t received my physical copy yet so I went to the office depot to print out the art and a booklet for each trade (highly recommended even if you have the book).
I had to rewrite the adventure to use it at the table. The NPC cards are good. But, information about the same location or NPC will be spread across the booklet and often buried in prose, which is written in a narrative style, but doesn’t seem to be meant as read-aloud text.
The rules are fine. The combat works for a narrative game where the most important thing is that sense of tug-of-war between up-beats and down-beats. It doesn’t provide many levers for dynamic combat. The trade skills are good. My favorite mechanic (that I didn’t get to try in a one shot) is “progression by rabble rousing” so that as the game progresses you play less of a character and more of a mob with a charismatic leader.