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From: lasko@regina.DEC
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Review of TOON (Steve Jackson Games)
Message-ID: <3782@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 30-Sep-84 15:50:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3782
Posted: Sun Sep 30 15:50:35 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Oct-84 03:48:57 EDT
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how notice them, picking up Plot Points for being silly, or following
 their Beliefs and Goals.  Plot Points can then be used to improve on Skills 
 or Shticks.
    The mechanics are simple also:  To use a Skill or a Shtick, make the level
 of the skill on two six-sided dice.  The rules state that two always succeeds,
 and give lots of special cases for twelves (If you roll a twelve when using
 your Break Down Door skill, the door disappears, or wasn't locked anyway, 
 etc.)  Fighting is a little more complex:  both characters roll their Fight
 skill, and if only one succeeds, the other takes a die of damage.  If both
 succeed, or fail, the fight goes on, until you drop from exhaustion.
    And what happens when you lose all your Hit Points?  You Fall Down.  That's
 it. TOON characters never really die, they just Fall Down, and have little
 stars dance around their heads.  Three minutes later, the character can get
 up, and keep going.  
    The rules are written in a tutorial style: it starts with a few simple
 rules, then a short adventure, then give you the rest of the rules (with
 lots of examples along the way), with more complicated rules set off
 by stars.  All that takes the first 36 pages.
    The next section of the book talks about being an Animator, and how one
 can set up a TOON adventure, plus guidelines for handling typical cartoon
 plot devices, such as Illogical Logic, Boggling, Sawing through Branches,
 Coincidences, Independent Shadows, Instant Fine Print, Sound Effects,
 Portable Holes, and lots more.  All of it is highly entertaining reading.
 This section, combined with the four adventures at the end of the book, give
 you a good idea on how the game should be played: SILLY.
    In the beginning of the book, there is a message for "Experienced Roleplay-
 ers", and I quote from it here.  "TOON isn't like any other roleplaying
 game you've ever known.  In most RPGs, the idea is to plot and plan--to
 think before you act--and to make sure your character survives... Forget
 All That.  Survival? Who cares? You can't ever really die, so you've got
 nothing to lose by jumping right into the thick of things...Think before
 you act? No chance...the action in a TOON game should be fast--insanely
 fast.  Remember, you're supposed to be a cartoon character.  When was the
 last time you saw a cartoon character do something logical?  ACT before you
 THINK"
    There are some inherent problems with the game:  the Fighting rules may
 be a little too abstract for some players, timing and sequencing of character
 actions can get to be a burden, and the nature of the game limits you to 
 twenty to thirty minute sessions.  The latter is probably it's biggest fault:
 I can't see spending an entire evening playing cartoon after cartoon--but it
 is great for a short break in a longer role-playing session!
    When you get down to playing it, it's insane.  The Animator should be
 someone with a devilish talent for the silly, and the players should have a 
 taste for the unusual.  But where else can you get a bunny rabbit, a Little 
 Green Man from Mars, a dim-witted detective, and a dachsund together for a bit
 of role-playing fun?  I highly recommend this game.

Tim Lasko
{decvax, allegra, ihnp4, et. al.}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-regina!lasko