Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe: Stop spamming fireball 📓 RPG Review & Mechanics

Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe is an RPG published by Stephen Grodzicki in 2019. It runs 297 pages and serves as a low-magic, streamlined alternative to D&D 5e with more open, flexible rules and contains everything needed to play.
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Special thanks to Stephen Grodzicki for providing a review copy and patiently answering my questions. I received no compensation or consideration for this review. All opinions are my own.
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[@FireDrake77]

My group and I made the switch to LFG back in early February. I've got to say that this is by far the best system that I have played.

[@mateofantasma]

This game is fantastic. Hope it gets more traction now that people are looking for alternatives to DnD

[@freddaniel5099]

Returning to watch this video for two good reasons. Having watched it some while back before LFG really caught fire with me, it has since become a favorite of mine and I wanted to view what you had said about it in light of having some better knowledge of the game myself. Why, because I think you do some of the best reviews on the web and I value your insights and opinions. And yes, I am glad that I have just watched it again. You really nail it down here explaining what makes LFG Deluxe a game worth looking into. You hit upon many of the features that set LFG Deluxe apart and why I like it so. Your list of pros and cons are spot on imo, with an exception and it's a personal taste thing. The Vancian magic spell levels table doesn't bug me. Having gone back-and-forth with the concept over the years, I have finally "made my peace" with Vancian magic and grown to appreciate it. Roll under doesn't matter to me either, but if it bothers you, I can respect that. 😉 You don't really mention it, but the game's default setting is The Midlands, which I have been very impressed with as a flavorful GM friendly sandbox supported by lots of random tables and short adventures.

[@MrElliptific]

exactly me 10 months later!

[@richardextall2002]

I've turned away from massive, A4 rulebooks. I now want something that's small, light and compact. I've also become a massive fan of bullet-pointing and brevity. Big books are cool to read on a Sunday afternoon at home, but not for dragging to a roleplaying session across town or at a gaming table that you are sharing with maybe 4 or 5 other people.

[@benjaminloyd6056]

I recommend Electric Bastionland.

[@pickpocketpressrpgvideos6655]

Terrific review, thank you so much Dave for taking the time to do this :D Superb presentation btw!

[@bigbabydoof7657]

Damn, son, don't call it "Hasbro's flagship rpg," that still hits close...

[@jimbeam5607]

Dave, Excellent review as always. I greatly appreciate the thoroughness of your work here. I'm a big fan of low fantasy RP and this definitely seems to have an nice flavor to it along with some interesting mechanics. However, having 37 years of RPG experience, I've come to the conclusion that Vancian magic/spell slots should have been abandoned back in the early 1980s. I may still give this game a shot but the included magic system is a tremendous turn off to me, personally. Thanks again; stay well.

[@HybridPK_]

I'm glad I came across this video. I have been wanting to run a sword and sorcery type game for a while, and this overview piqued my interest.

[@JP6580]

Great review, man! I've been wanting to run this game for a long time now. It's great to see you cover it!

[@piotrp6793]

This is true hidden gem game, and there is sort of 2nd Editon on KS right now from the same authors: Tales Of Argosa. Have free playtest version of full book!

[@midnightgreen8319]

I'm a Dungeon Crawl Classics guy, but this looks like a interesting game. It's like DCC crossed with 5e.

[@jasonscranton2756]

Great thoughtful review as usual, thank you!

[@MrElliptific]

Thank you for this most comprehensive review. Very interesting and very well done. It's very easy to visualize the type of games you can play. Although, I might purchase this book because it looks like a solid and flexible system, ... and may even play it, I find it still too close to 5E and not enough to OSR for what I am looking for. I want now more freedom in my games to do as I think is appropriate for my character and not with a zillion of characteristics that will drive the solutions. So probably a buy on my side because I see it as a solid book that may actually replace my 5E sessions but not the type of book I'd truly be interested in.

[@rohanm7695]

Thanks for another excellent review!

[@Tysto]

This game is amazing. I don’t like the roll-under ability checks, & the dangerous magic is something I'd throw out, but so many other choices are just what i want.

[@kalleendo7577]

Awesome review! I'm looking forward to give this game a try

[@DaveThaumavore]

Check out the Discord mentioned in the comments. Lots of helpful folks there.

[@sixtyninemangler]

I feel like having spell levels separate than character levels is a good way to balance the power of magic. Memorizing a spell in advance is something I am not a fan of, but that's an easy fix.

[@DaveThaumavore]

Support the channel by joining my Patreon! www.patreon.com/thaumavore Newsletter sign-up: bit.ly/ThaumavoreNewsletter

[@solaries3]

Great breakdown!

[@DaveThaumavore]

Thanks!

[@hopefulhyena3400]

I have never and will never understand why spell levels is such a sticking point for people. It is just not that complicated. I mean, do people confuse character class with armor class?

[@ironwolf56]

It's Vancian casting in general. It's something we should have left behind in the 80s back with THAC0

[@yuvalgabay1023]

Tbh .its kinda ruind the magic behind magic . Spheres of magics seems to me like a batter system

[@sunsin1592]

Too many skills and fiddly bits; thanks for the clear explanation of the game. I'll just wait for Swords & Chaos.

[@midnightgreen8319]

I'm really interested in a close look at Swords and Chaos myself

[@freddaniel5099]

Another quality review! Thank you! I like LFG a lot, I just don't LOVE IT... like I think I should. LFG addresses many of my bugaboos with 5e and therefore promises to be a game I should enjoy - and I do enjoy it. LFG seems to draw inspiration from a number of other favorite systems - both older games like Tunnels & Trolls, and newer titles including Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. BUT... LFG just doesn't quite close the deal for me and explaining why is where I run out of words. Maybe it isn't quite deadly enough? Maybe magic isn't quite as corrupting as I would like? Maybe the default setting, Midlands, is a little too generic?

[@cameronorwin]

Funny, I think that I hold opposite views. It is a bit too deadly for me and magic is a bit too dark and dangerous.

[@primafacie5029]

Had a free version for while. Might as well buy it around Christmas

[@Swatman170]

Would you recommend picking this up for the GM section? It sounds like it has pretty useful stuff, even for 5e that you could largely reverse the tables for.

[@DaveThaumavore]

Short answer: yes. It’s the one of the most comprehensive and robust GM sections I’ve come across in a core book.

[@timkramar9729]

There is a page in back where they tie their spell names to the 5e equivalent.

[@PossumMedic]

Thanks for the review! :D I'm seriously considering backing Lowlife 2090 on Kickstarter but the roll under and print on demand options were holding me back! Still looks like a few things I wont be a fan of but enough cool elements to give it a try! :D

[@leadcultist2346]

what the background music at the beginning and end of the video?

[@not-a-theist8251]

That sounds like an interesting System

[@daddystabz]

How do you cast a spell with the way skills work?

[@isayjump4907]

Wait wait wait, you start the video by saying its low-fantasy then you say its like 5E and OSR? DND in general is NOT low fantasy :P (btw lovely video tho)

[@detectivelizard9532]

Halfling :)

[@Mankcam]

I don't dig the Roll Under D20 core mechanic, Roll Over D20 is just more intuitive. I also wish the Spell Levels were the same as the Character Level, or the Spell Levels were retitled as Ranks or something like that perhaps. But I love pretty much everything about this game, it reminds me of TSR-era D&D with a bit more edge and grit, which is pure gold. This feels how D&D should be.

[@wade616]

I thought it it would be "low fantasy". What I joke. ALL spells caster must make automatically rolls against a table. I do want some magic spells and blessings, but I thought they promised that on the cover where it actually says, "less magic, more grit". But wow! It's so far high magic that it is one of the highest magic system in any other system! Every time a spell or prayer is cast there must be a 1d20 roll and if the result is a 1 there then must be a roll on the "Dark & Dangerous Magic" chart. A few of results: "You grow a beard of tentacles which cannot control and will shrivel up and drop off after 1d3 days"., "Your skin oozes a foul-smelling mucus", "Your surface flesh begins to rot and fades away after 1d6 MONTHS". Less magic??? A roll every time a spell is cast??

[@brianjohnson1985]

This is great. The community needs options. Wotc and there version of d&d really blows. I do not buy or support them at all. They shit on gygax and arneson, if you go back to od&d and 1e everything in this crap they call 5e is already there. Stop wasting your money

[@erezamir7218]

Roll under is the deal breaker, counter-intuitive

[@lenni-hazels]

But it's nice because every single point counts and you really get to have specialists in your team. I wasn't sure about it at first but, having played half a dozen sessions of my own campaign with friends I now actually love it.

[@DAEDRICDUKE1]

oh god Pendragon d20 was roll under....I don't want to go back

[@erezamir7218]

@@erikmartin4996 I mean.. you can make a str check no matter whether it's roll under or over..

[@adzi6164]

are you really that allergic to roll-under, people? Don't wanna be toxic, but when people unironically dismiss roll-under as "counterintuitive", I cringe and start doubting if they even are able to learn rules.

[@DAEDRICDUKE1]

@@adzi6164 Roll under only works if the system contains it and has other ways of character progression. Dark Heresy is a good example off this, but once you reach 100 there is no where else to go. otherwise you get pendragon where you can "over" 100 and it turns into a slap fight of who can crit the highest first. I mean yeah there is literally nothing wrong with roll under (Also people who says it's counter-intuitive are being petty), but I would like to see a system that handles scaling better than rolling higher.

[@diegoarellanoartista2652]

first comment, hahahaha

[@richardextall2002]

The title 'Low Fantasy Gaming' really puts me off. Could they not think of a better name? - it's very uninspiring.

[@Sanguivore]

And to make things worse, they didn't even particularly deliver on the "low fantasy" aspect of it. There's a lot of things in here-including what I see of the art-that is very much high fantasy in every way.

[@captaindudeman3613]

I think its a somewhat generic but that could be the psychology behind it. Right on the cover as title is the intention and tone of play. I dont know if it helps it stand out in any way but there is an ocean of rpg content these days. We are certainly not starving for options for any flavor of an rpg experience.