DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Five by Five

This product is no longer available from DriveThruRPG.com

Average Rating:4.3 / 5
Ratings Reviews Total
1 2
1 3
1 0
0 0
0 0
Five by Five
Click to view
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
Five by Five
Publisher: Dreams and Dragons
by Michael J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/16/2016 17:24:24

All right. I probably would have rated it better if the author hadn't improved this system in his Hero DxD, for supers. Since I read Hero first, it had to pale by comparison.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Five by Five
Publisher: Dreams and Dragons
by Michael C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/24/2014 13:10:38

Up front: I've known the author since the early 1980s and he is a friend of mine and we are now game-testing a superhero version of this system online. But having said that I enjoy this game system. It is very open ended and the GM and player have a vast sandbox in which they can work together on characters and scenarios. It's a rules-lite game that requires more imagination and less flipping through the book to see what plusses or minuses your feat actually gives you. And I like the dice system - a unique take on the usual d20. Nothing wrong with ployhedron dice, but this is a nice change of pace!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Five by Five
Publisher: Dreams and Dragons
by Michael A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/17/2014 09:27:34

I find the concept of this easy and quick system very appealing. Also liked the idea of a trouble skill. This is the original version of these rules,which I find to be better and more enjoyable than the updated version of the 5X5 system. This system sparked many ideas for future game play



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Five by Five
Publisher: Dreams and Dragons
by David H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/27/2013 14:41:35

The rule book is clear and well annotated. I enjoy the system as given. Would be a great way to introduce players to role playing for the first time. The sample adventures were unique, but lacked good situations for non-combat trait use.

There is a depth to skills that is character dependent, the more skilled you are, the more likely to roll under your characters target number - much like Gurps. Where there is an automatic fail in 5x5, fails which are not automatic (a roll of the same number on both D6) can be overcome with Karma - which is generated by rolling an automatic fail.

They then flip this for skills your character is grossly unskilled (or handicapped at), rolling a double is the only way to succeed and you get a karma for making it. "[Tr] Trouble: This is something that other people seem to be able to do without much difficulty. But not you. This always gives you trouble." This strikes me as a nice way to round out a character, a hydrophobic air-man character for example, really shouldn't be attempting to swim. A vegetarian might have Trouble eating meals with any meat in them.

I enjoy the combat system, it's got a depth to it that I find missing in many role playing systems which rely on attack vs AC or another relevant static number. "The Combat Traits are: Interrupt (act before the enemy,) Attack (successfully hit the enemy,) Defend (negate the attacks of an enemy,) and Resist (shake off the effects of damage to keep fighting.)" Armor only reduces the likely hood of critical damage. However characters are not massive wound tanks as depicted in some role playing games, in 5x5 combat is harmful and threatening. Despite the simplifications and low hit points, with some of the examples presented in the game the rules provide a good format for experimentation and customization. However the rules as stated are probably best used in tightly focused scenes with a limited number of opponents rather than large amalgamations of opponents.

The magic system was a bit of a disappointment, after having enjoyed the combat section so much. Some better examples or even two samples of combat magic would have been appreciated for scope and reference. If I used this system I would think long and hard about allowing magic, perhaps adapting a more familiar setting. Attaching target numbers to a short list of spells which are supported by a few general traits comes to mind.

One detail that was over looked.

Page 13. Task Rolls has a line regarding rolls for actions without traits, which is clarified in the section Rolling Unskilled. However this section does not exist, as written. It is covered on the top of page 14 in the section All Other Tasks. But not with the exact phrasing giving on page 13.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Creator Reply:
Thanks for your feedback. I corrected the typo on page 13 ... thanks for catching that! I plan to produce various supplements for Five by Five in the future. I will give serious consideration to a magic supplement that can introduce a "real" magic system. Thanks again, for your support! (Oh, the revised doc also includes a new rule for cooperative task resolution!)
pixel_trans.gif
Five by Five
Publisher: Dreams and Dragons
by Matthew H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/26/2013 22:09:28

Five by Five is the best short game I have read in a long time. I came across this game at exactly the time I have been thinking about how The Last of Us' has changed how I think about games. Five by Five is the answer to that question. Why is that? Firstly; the basic essentials missed by so many games: Bookmarks, clear rules examples and uncluttered layout. Five by Five has all of these. Secondly; its concise! 48 pages gives me the rules, two adventures and an explanation of the math behind the rules. Nice. Thirdly; great rules! The dice mechanic is roll 2d6 and multiply, low is best. Six = 0 and is an auto success. Rolling doubles is an autofail with a side reward to offset the pain. The combat system is dynamic with interesting tactical options. Fourthly; A Trait system is wedded to a set of defined combat skills to empower characters for any genre. A Trouble Trait rewards the player for pushing their character outside the comfort zone and is an easy win for emulating genre's that can by surprisingly difficult in RPGs, eg; theI'll be back in a moment' action in survival horror. Finally; Five by Five made me wanna play it. This is the icing on the cake. Plenty of games tick some or even all of the first four boxes, few tick all of them. This is the best game I have read since STALKER RPG and I consider that game the high tide mark in game design and writing. So I give it 5 stars. It is cleverly compiled, gets to the point, has great rules, interesting character design opportunities and I want to play it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 5 (of 5 reviews) Result Pages:  1 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates