The Ninja Turtle RPG - It's a classic.
Written: Aug 05 '01 (Updated Aug 05 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Simple system, lots of supplements, very entertaining!
Cons: Out of print
The Bottom Line: A very simple and highly entertaining RPG!
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| curtisv632's Full Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness... |
The very first Role Playing Game (RPG) I ever played was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness (I will refer to it just as TMNT). And almost immediately, I was hooked on RPG games because of it. I was only 10 at the time, but the game was incredibly simple to learn, and extremely entertaining to play! Contrary to how the title of the game might sound, no you don't just role play the Ninja Turtles - but you can if you want. Either way, it is very unique & fun!
Background
The TMNT game was created in 1985 by Erick Wujcik, and is based on the comic books Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Turtle Tales. The game is owned by Palladium Books.
The Characters: Mutant Animals
What is different about this RPG game compared to any others I have played is you create a mutant animal to play. What this means is you randomly roll to see what type of animal your character is (or you can choose one). And you also randomly roll on a chart to see what has caused your animal's mutation. There are three possibilities: Random, Accidental, or Deliberate.
You are then given Biological Energy Points (BIO-E) with which to spend on your character and mutate it as close to human form as you would like. There are 3 stages (none, partial, full) of 4 human attributes you can mutate: Hands, Speech, Bipedal Stance, and Human Looks. You also get to choose how much you would like to increase your animal's size (or decrease in some cases, such as elephants).
The great thing about the game is the wide variety of animals you can play. You also don't have to mutate your animal much if you want, although it makes for many more game-play options. The more you mutate each attribute, the closer you are to being human. Of course you always retain some level of your animal origin such as through looks, and some animals even have special mutation options such as night-vision, retractable claws or advanced senses.
Attributes & Skills
The system used for TMNT is the standard one used for most Palladium Games. There are ten attributes in the game (including Structural Damage Capacity or SDC, and Hit Points or HP) which are very simple to learn if you are not familiar with them. They are all self explanatory - for example: P.S. stands for Physical Strength. Even if you have not played any RPG games in the past, the attribute system is a breeze to learn.
The skill system in TMNT is also very simple. Each character gets a designated number of skills to choose from a wide range of categories. Each skill is also defined in the book.
The Game System & Playability
TMNT is probably the easiest RPG game I have ever played. The front of the book even includes a "How To Play A Role-Playing Game" section which is very handy for brand new RPG players. Later on in the book the combat system is defined in a very simple fashion. And it is easy to learn even for brand new RPG'ers.
The TMNT system is great for two main reasons: It is simple and it is fast! Adventures can be played at a very fast pace and encounters and combat are no problem to execute. Characters can be created in as little as 15 minutes and then it's time to play!! And for Game Masters, there are even sample adventures in the back to get you started.
There is also a wide range of supplements available for TMNT which gives you a wide range of playability (including more animal types). You can play in an After The Bomb style setting, or even go back in time and play Mutant Dinosaurs with Transdimentional TMNT. Plenty of choice for a great system!
Final Comments
I have found myself returning to the TMNT game many times over the 15+ years that I have been playing RPG's. There are many other great games out there, but none can provide the unique fun & entertainment a game with mutant animals running around a present day world can.
TMNT is also great for those of us who don't have a whole lot of time to spare to play RPG games. This one is the first choice because of it's simple and fast system and funky player characters. And if you are a first time gamer, there are few RPG’s that are more simple and easy to pick up. For old and new RPG gamers alike, this one is a great pick!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
curtisv632
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Member: Curtis Voyer
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 30 members
About Me:
I'm a Software Developer, but I also enjoy writing! Been a while, but I'm baaaaaaack!
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