Author. Game Master. Lover of nerdly things.
My channel has won the 2019 & 2023 Gold ENNIE Tabletop Award.
I mostly talk about Tabletop RPGs.
My sidekick is Jack the NPC.
REVIEW POLICY: I don't review a game until I've personally played it. I won't play it unless I believe it'll be a good fit for my group. In short - I review what we play, and we play what we enjoy.
I do not do "sponsored reviews" (i.e. paid infomercials pretending to be reviews).
Sending me a free product in no way guarantees a positive review, or even a review at all. If I read it and don't think it's a good fit for us, we won't play it. Or it might not fit into our play schedule or current campaign.
If you wish to request a review, pitch it. Sell me on why I want to play it. 90% of the Review Requests I receive fail to say what the game/adventure even is.
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We're playing Kult for the first time next week. These videos are gold for getting me ready to run it ^^
It is not for everyone…. But it is an interesting game.
In the example with cannonballs the player didnt outsmart the dm. The physics should have made this trick almost usless. Lets assume that shrinking the cannoballs decreases their mass. When the shrinked cannonball is shot from the pistol and goes through the anti-magic ring its mass incrases and thats the only magic that happens. And since energy cannot be created nor destroyed (in fantasy settings magic may do it but in this example the only magic that happens is the ball getting biger and heavier) the cannonball has the same kinetic energy as it did when it was smaller. The formula for kinetic energy is E=(1/2)mv'2 m-mass v-velocity. Lets assume that the cannonballs weigh 200 kg and that its smaller version weights 0,05 kg. The energy before enlarging equals to the energy after enlarging thus the enlarged bullet moves around 63 times slower than when it was small. If it started of at 300 m/s it now only has around 4,8 m/s which is 17,3 km/h (10,7 miles/h) So your handy cannonball is only suitable for close combat. If I got something wrong feel free to correct me.
Frankly the PbtA inspired rules turned me off I think the lore, setting and maturity are great, but I really can't stand the awkward PbtA rules if I run it I convert it to CoC, with some modifications.
Honestly it really sucks that the Kult series didn't do as well as you had probably hoped for, this has been a super cool series, though admittedly it is a series for a game that while it seems super interesting and unique, I also have no real interest in playing or running Kult, PBTA in general just doesn't really do it for me.
Finally convinced some friends to try cyberpunk 2020. Lured them in with the premise of doing a heist on an automated cargo ship and they were sold. Game session is tomorrow and they don’t know I’m pulling this surprise onto them lol. If they don’t see it coming its on them at this point, I did the same thing when I got them to try call of Cthulhu and ran Dead Light as the scenario instead of the obvious bait of the invitation they received to perform for the opening of an occult museum in New Orleans (I was running it in modern day and the investigators were in a band). Still not entirely sure if they’ve forgiven me for that one but they at least said they had fun
One of my favorite rules comes from World of Darkness: Story based progression of skills, abilities, features, levels, traits. A character improves at something they do often, or or practice at. They acquire spells and skills in story, instead of simply going up a level by milestone or murder-hoboing and then magically min-maxing and knowing things that they didn't before. Making players work for character progression can make them more attached to a character, encourage role-play, and preserve immersion.
Man, I love these kinds of rpg videos and for Traveller no less! Thank you!
Thanks Seth - especially for the reminder about the main empowering theme of Kult as opposed to CoC, where people too frequently gloss over (or fail to grasp) humanity's nihilistic despair in the face of utter insignificance. Great series. So pleased you did this.
Looks like the Lost Caverns of Tabasco is getting a 5E redux in their upcoming book, Quests from the Infinite Staircase.
There was a Hellraiser RPG in the 90s - a horror heartbreaker. It’s called The Whispering Vault. You can still find the PDFs for purchase on Paizo and the paperback copies on Lulu. Interesting setting. Very 90s I-Listen-To-Nine-Inch-Nails vibe, but cool and pretentious to varying degrees based on your perception. The solid dice pool (or step system?) needs tweaking; the characters were supposed to be very capable but felt weak. The previous editions of Kult, though, had such an evocative vibe - particularly in the short stories. I remember one where this guy winds up in a time warp, Ohio, nightmare McDonald’s with dripping syrup coffee and frightening old people. Hah. If I recall correctly, the previous system took a common European model and style. The style was to mostly stay in the background and allow the story have the foreground using a simple roll under a stat type of d20 system. And horror games need to do that - stay out of the way of the story and support it at times - which is why I actually prefer Delta Green’s system over CoC 7 (which is still great).
I watch your videos because they're Seth Skorkowsky videos, not because I'm a huge fan of the games you discuss. A quality review is worth seeing even if the viewer knows they don't care for the system reviewed. There are a number of games I'm unlikely to play that I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on. The emphasis on numbers has lead to a large number of similar talking heads saying similar things about similar topics. I love that you're distinct and unique, however much I know that you, too, are trying to make a buck. Aren't we all...
Oh, french subtitles ! Much appreciated. Thanks Seth ! Sorry to hear this video series has been underperforming. It's a shame, really. For what it's worth, know that you got people into Kult (me and my players at least !). I hope this won't prevent you from reviewing more Kult content. Regarding monsters, I would just like to add that fortunetaly the book contains all the tools the GM needs to create their own creatures and NPCs (minus the rules about magic, that is). So yeah, more examples would have been nice but at least Helmghast didn't leave us totally in the dark. Regarding content, I've recently heard about an official campaign called Eight Cruelties that is exclusive to the spanish version of the game. Hopefully, this will be translated to other languages one day. Anyway, I just love Kult. It has become my favorite RPG to run and I owe you that. So, thank you Seth!
I almost always DM but I love to play when I can. If rolls are getting fudged I do not have fun on either side of the screen. If the DM can fudge rolls to "enhance the experience", then who decides what determines it is that? Why can't the players fudge rolls to enhance the experience, if that's all it is? The DM's subjective idea of what "should" happen or would be "more fun" is no better than the players'. There's no game I would enjoy when it isn't played fairly, and fudging rolls isn't fair. Also your skits are disingenuous. A real fudging event is terrible in my experience. Giving the players "What makes the best story" is subjective and can't be used as justification for cheating on the dice. Just stop trying to play a game and write a book if you aren't going to let it be organic and dynamic.
This is Great, Thanks Seth!
After many years, I finally completed my collection by adding legends and lore to my shelf. Imagine my disappointment.
Just a curiosity thing. Why is it that Seth seems to utterly refuse to use his left hand/arm in any of these early videos?
Best campaign we did in our early days was everyone played a kobold.
Thanks for giving us the lowdown on fun new TTRPGS
Sorry to hear these Kult videos have been underperforming for you, Seth. Your Traveller series in this template is some of my favorite content on your channel. Best of luck to your future passion projects.
I went ghost hunting once. It was mostly sitting in the dark, being cold and missing my bed.
I really loved that you began this series, and i'm happy to see it's conclusion. I never heard of Kult before your videos and boy, did it strike my fancy, i really like it, although i agree with you about the lack of tools, which makes me a little sad. A "similar" game that I've found out about is Vampire: the Masquerade (5e), not only is it about vampires (which i dearly like), it also has a similar "for mature audiences only" vibe, being roleplay/storytelling heavy, being about humanity (or the lack of it), etc. Have you ever heard of it? or played it? I would very much like to hear your opinions on this game xD
Its a shame about the magic because even first edition kult had magic rules and spells in it. In the core book
I've watched most parts about Kult. But honestly while I'm a fan of you, the game it just failed to entice me.
0:30 Sad :( I enjoyed those episodes.
I hear you. But... ...I recall 3 villains who didn't 'permit' interruptions; Keyser Sose/The Usual Suspects Dr. Hannibal Lecter (movies & TV) Dr. Anton Phibes (both movies) ...you do good work; keep it up... The Daril Perilous
ROIS DES TOMBES.WARHAMMER 9:LIVRE D'ARMÉE : BLACK COVER.
PIT HIM. IT'S A REBUKE .!
NIHON. HAG :
EXTREME CUT .
MISS A SESSION FOR WHATEVER REASON .
TEST OF THE WARLORDS.. COMPANION SET C1 .
16:08 "pick an adjective to describe your character." Does Magnificent Bastard count as an adjective?
for 3 tier outcome systems, i also like having the “mixed” result being more rare. like in a 2d6, a dice total of 7 equaling a “mixed”. which is something like 17% for the same reason as you, its tun to come up with a complication, but if that happens too frequently it does feel like it takes a lot of “brain power” and instead of a novel opportunity for imagination, can begin to feel like a slog.
This looks like a well paced, action packed adventure. Definitely going to bring this to the table, and may even adopt it for my Star Wars campaign.
Good on Jack for reminding us that 'mature' also means responsible.
Jack, my sweet summer child, this is the "Final Thoughts" video... It means this is where your story ends, along with whatever was chasing you... Unless, of course, Seth will bring more Kult videos cuz I love this setting and to listen about it!
Thank you so much for mentioning that KULT is exhausting for me as a GM. I need to come up with a lot of ideas on the fly, that are interesting and make sense in the greater plot. Since this takes place in our world now, the possibilites of players are already way more than many other RPGs, by just using smartphones for everything. And since I drive for over 2 hours to get to our rare gaming sessions, it's not worthwhile to play shorter sessions. While I had a lot of fun with pre-written one-shot adventures, I find it not easy to run my own campagin. This is something that was missing for me in the modern mythos podcast episode, where you mostly asssumed that people would play prewritten material. It is still a very cool game and let us explore themes that just do not exist in many other games. Thank you for covering it on your channel!
it's like quantum leap but, the bodies it hops die.
Man, such a lovely review (and series), it really does justice to, imo, the best TTRPG out there by far. I do agree with your complaint about magic, especially since an entire book covering it was announced a long time ago. I wonder what may have caused its postponement, @Helmgast and Peter Nallo? All the more so given that, for one of the former editions, three extraordinary books on magic were published, which heavily relied on the way actual ceremonial magick and Western esotericism work, something that fits wonderfully in a game that borrows so much from Qabbalah for its mythology (two official ones: Beyond the Boundaries: The Conjurer's Guide to Death and Time & Space, and Heart Mind & Soul: The Conjurer's Guide to Passion Dreams and Madness; and one fan made: Liber Caos (only in Spanish, I belive)). I still own those and they are just sensational, I have yet to see something magic-related that remotely comes close to them in the TTRPG world. So why not update them, improve them, and re-relese them as it was done masterfully with Et in Arcadia Ego? Hope to see something delving deeply into magic, and worthy of the masterpiece that Divinity Lost already is.
I'm going to borrow the voice of that one antique store owner from that Call of Cthulhu you ran, but make the accent slightly French.
Like many have said, it's a shame the series hasn't done well, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it like many others. Many of your videos have influenced me to pick up Call of Cthulhu, Traveller, and even Kult, as I saw how passionate you are about them, and just how awesome they truly are. When I can pull my home group to Kult I will be revisiting this series! Thanks again Seth, and keep up the great work as always!
Kult is very much not my bag, but I have enjoyed hearing about the game nevertheless!
Ah yes, the right wing view that the religious right wants to shut him down.
I've been really interested in Kult but know I wiil never run it for my players. I am taking ideas from the setting though.
I showed my husband episode 1 of this series to see what he thought of giving Kult a try His response was that it just isn't for him. It's like dark chocolate, and there's such a thing as *too* dark. Which I get. Maybe someday I can get to try Kult but it might be a while before I get there.
The complaints around success levels is where Blades in the Dark et al do things really well by feeding into 'clocks'. It has crits (multiple 6s), full success, qualified success and failure (no fumble but all fails feel like this). Having good and bad clocks you can nudge by different increments or in the case of qualified success, nudging both a good and bad can really help the GM manage outcomes of rolls without having to improv everything Not sure if it fits well with Kult's vibe, but I've used this mechanic in other systems with decent results
Seth - after watching this video, I ordered and just received the paperback version of Alien: Colony War with the adventure included in the back. BTW, you did a great review of the adventure module!! Thanks for the heads up!
Seth too
Skip is about my age range so i really relate.
Jack without a hat is....weird!
The lack of official scenarios is unfortunate, but luckily Kult is rule-lite enough to allow porting scenarios from other systems over fairly easy, most notably Call of Cthulhu. A Kultified 'Unland' from Fear's Sharp Little Needles is what got me into Kult, and a lot of other Stygian Fox stuff is very suitable for Kultification. I could see all of the scenarios from 'The Things We Left Behind' working very well, if not better, in Kult than CoC.