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G.I. Joe RPG from Renegade Studios- Some Thoughts  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)



<Famous musical chords from the 80's cartoon>
He fights for freedom where ever there's trouble, G.I. Joe is there! He never gives up, he stays 'til the fights won, G.I. Joe will dare!

<More dramatic chords>

As a child of the 80's, this was my jam! I loved G.I. Joe from the cartoon, to the toy line, to the merch, and beyond. When a special gift giving day came, you could count on me getting G.I. Joe! I honestly wish I still had it all, as I had so, so much. I would stage weeks long campaigns between the Joes and Cobra; an evil terrorist organization determined to rule the world!

Therefore, when I saw this was coming out I knew I wanted it. I saw it in my LGS but held off. I did some research on the game, watched some actual plays, and looked through the book. However, I waited about a year before I finally let my mag-pie nature get the best of me. I caved in and bought a copy. My inner-child said, "This I command!"

To get started, the books seems to focus around the "hey-day" of the G.I. Joes from the 80's with a cast of familiar faces. However, they seem to focus on the period of the TV show, but before the G.I. Joe Movie and Cobra-la. There is no mention of G.I. Joe: Extreme, Sigma 6, or Renegades.... which is just fine by me. The game leaves it open on whether you want to play the more light hearted 80's style cartoon for kids, a more gritty/realistic campaign ala the comic books, or something else. Therefore, you have Duke, Scarlet, Snake Eyes, but the scope seems to go all the way up to Slaughter's Marauders but not into the Iron Grenadiers or Serpentor. Those "in the know" will understand what all that gibberish means, and knowing is half the battle.

So, let's get into this...... YOOOOOOO, JOOOOOOE!

Of course, you can read all about it on my blog, but I put a few bullet points below:
https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2023/08/rpg-review-gi-joe-role-playing-game.html

This game uses Renegade Studios Essence 20 system. This is you use four basic stats, that then that gives you some points you can spend for extra dice in some skills. The core mechanics are D20 +some other dice looking for a Target Number to succeed. In addtion, the game uses a class, leveling, and FEAT style system.

Things I Liked
- Essence system is easy to grasp
- Robust character creation, including some personality pieces too
- Exploration rules
- Defeat does not equal dead
- Looks really cool

Things I Did Not Like
- Not a big fan of using D20 for this genre
- Lots of special and situational rules of questionable value
- Way too crunchy for a Saturday Morning Cartoon game
- Social is an after-thought with rules scattered in the Combat section
- Weak GM section

Meh and Other Uncertainties
- Online QRS and Character Sheets available
- This game covers a LOT of kit from weapons, equipment, vehicles, drones, and animal companions
- There is a basic Meta-Currency called Story Points
- Has a simple starting adventure for 4-5 Joes that takes about 4 hours to play

There are my thoughts in a nutshell.

This is not the way I would have approached the property, but I don't have a house system I need to use. This is way too crunchy for a Saturday Morning Adventure Cartoon game, or a Nostalgia game, and feels like it is just a re-skin of D&D 5E. That is to its detriment. The Class and Leveling system just does not fit that well. Specialists make sense so a form of "class" but the levels do not work very well. There is a lot of stuff going on in this game, and it seems way to complex for a casual game; and who is going to run a super serious game of G.I. Joe? I think the shackle of the Essence 20 system led them down the wrong path, and this game really needs to be more "Narrative" driven and casual. However, if you love Crunchy systems, than this could be your jam!

Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
Made in us
Focused Dark Angels Land Raider Pilot





New York

If you want a lighter, more “adventure cartoon” game, try GI Joe the card game (made by the same company). Obviously it’s NOT an RPG, but it captures the feel of the franchise pretty well, especially with the first expansion with the cardboard GI Joe base. Franchise aside, it’s a solid game in its own right.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Riverside, CA USA

I also grew up on GI Joe as a huge part of my childhood in the '80s & '90s, both the toys and the cartoon & comics. I think a pulp adventure type RPG system would fit in better, like Savage Worlds or FATE. Just change Nazis to Cobra, savage jungle pygmy tribes into savage swampland Dreadnok gangs. Snake people planning global domination from the center of the earth into...well...snake people planning global domination from the center of the earth.

Prime GI Joe is just 1980s jingoist modern pulp, might as well lean fully into that.

~Kalamadea (aka ember)
My image gallery 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

So, I wanted to build an intro-module for the game. I would never get a chance to play it if I didn't. Therefore, I made Into the Snake Pit as a level 1-4 series of linked adventures.



If that is something is of interest to you, you can check out the details on my Blood and Spectacles blog,

https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2024/06/rpg-design-gi-joe-module-into-snake-pit.html

and you can find it free on the Blood and Spectacles page on Drive Thru RPG.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/11064/blood-and-spectacles-publishing

It is pretty stat block and target number free. Afterall, you will need the rules of the game to play. It is mostly an urban setting and a linking set of adventures in the setting.

Let me know your thoughts if you try it, and let me know if you have any questions.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/06/05 16:12:03


Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
 
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