Hey everyone!
First off I apologize for my long absence from this blog. I have been having a series of setbacks health wise that keep me from really doing as much creatively as I would like. That being said, I am back and hope to return to posting here frequently.
Today I bring you a review of a game called Glimpse the Beyond by Travis Legge. GtB uses the tag-line of being a roleplaying game of Cosmic Horror. In a field full of monster-hunting, massive unthinkable horrors, and magic this game does a good job of keeping things simple while still providing enough ideas and options to keep a campaign going.
Glimpse the Beyond is powered by the Myriad RPG System originally created by Ashok Desai. The basic theme of the game is that there are unspeakable horrors that exist just beyond our normal perceptions and only a certain type of enlightened individuals, the Mages, understand what is really going on. Now, I understand that this isn't an entirely new idea for a game, Travis does a good job of keeping it interesting through a combination of short fiction and examples here and there.
The overall system is a skill based on with a point-buy system used for character creation. All rolls made in this game are done by rolling d6's. One does not add the results of the individual dice, rather they use the single highest result and compare that to the Target Number in order to determine success. There are of course modifiers and good rolls allow the character to have a better margin of success. In addition to the standard character creation and mechanics section there are decent combat rules including vehicle combat guidelines.
The sections I like the most are the Magic and Creature Creation mechanics. This is where the game gains most of its own flavor and becomes most interesting. The spells use the same basic mechanic as the rest of the game but there are enough spells available to keep Players interested and give them variety between one another. There are the obligatory combat spells but there are also many others that allow the Mage to influence what is going on around them and definitely give them an edge over normal people.
The creature section not only gives you a decent amount of pre-generated monsters, but there are several pages of guidelines for creating your own creatures. Personally this is what I like best as I like to make up my own critters but most games don't give you a lot of information on how best to do it to fit in the system.
All in all I really like this game. The only drawback I have is some of the artwork. I am not against the CGI created work rather I think that most of the art could have a darker, more sinister feel rather than the somewhat glamorous style some has.
So, in closing, I give Glimpse the Beyond a 4.5 rating. It is one that I hope to try out soon with my group and look forward to seeing what else Travis comes up with for it!
