One thing Dungeon23 did that I enjoyed was provide a ready framework to challenge my abilities. It was also more work than I would ideally like to do. That got me to thinking about a more reasonable challenge I could do that would provide some general benefit to people beyond just me.
2026 is (mostly) the year of the Horse, so I figured I would take this opportunity to look some gift horses in the mouth. hat said I also know I wont have the extra time to do 12 in-depth reviews so I will be a doing a very quick overview with the following general headings.
1.) A general feel for the game that is more descriptive than anything.
2.) An exploration of a single mechanic I thought worked really well for the game was about. If I was looking at the old Marvel FASERIP game I would delve into the Karma system and how it is both awarded and lost.
3.) A highlight of a single throw away line or rule that lifts above its weight. If I was to look at Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1e I would point out the fact that the incredibly powerful combat skill "Dodge Blow" is only available in the non-advanced (ie starting) careers with the "Servant" career. That is a fabulous bit of world building for the society of the game functions that only takes up a single line in a stat block.
4.) A piece of constructive feedback on one rule I think could be done better to achieve the desired goals of the game, which is different from what I would do with the game. If I were looking 2e, I would not therefore suggest splitting armour into being damage reduction and having a separate defense class to represent being struck (despite that obviously being my preference) but instead would suggest replacing THAC0 and a descending AC with an attack bonus and an ascending AC (there is a reason that became the norm even in the OSR). I suspect this will be the hardest part for me on a lot of these.
Gift Horse 26 Reviews
DCC Review
Shadowdark Review
Mothership Review
BREAK!! Review
Knave 2e Review
Outcast Silver Raiders Review
Mythic Bastionland Review
Upcoming Reviews
Pirate Borg
Thousand Sons
Index Card RPG
GLOGL
Dolmenwood