Is the G.I. Joe RPG being serious? 🇺🇸 RPG Review

[@Vagran]

Leaning into the Comics as opposed to the cartoon was probably a smart idea. They had some amazing stories when I was reading it in the mid 90's.

[@ribbitribbit4707]

You could do either with the game. I would prefer to play it like the comics.

[@AlexanderOsias]

I'm a big fan of the Marvel comics, and I also enjoyed the early IDW run! More eager to pick this up now...

[@shanegross9976]

The Devils Due series was good too and has some amazing artwork.

[@Krix6426]

The comics are the only cannon. The cartoons were fun for kids, but Cobra was a joke. Cobra in the comics is way different.

[@mccallosone4903]

the comic was far superior to the corny cartoon

[@Nerdahedron]

I am happy to report that I actually did use action figures to run the one-shot game in the book. We had a large enough play space to work with, so it ended up working out nicely. Foam board makes for handy ways to give you a floor plan for a small room at that scale. Combining that with some toys ended up working out in a way that was pretty awesome! As to the system, we found it easy enough to work with. We'll probably adjust how assigning gear works eventually, but the basic idea worked out okay. Vehicle combat is actually using almost the same rules as character combat, so as rough as it may look on the page, it worked out fine in practice. We did a short one shot that had some of that too, and it was as easy for us as the regular ground combat. We did drop the Renegade rule that moves the vehicle on it's own turn, though, as that one is a little extra. Being veteran gamers who play a lot of different things, adapting to the rules was pretty easy overall. The adventure in the book is actually an excellent way to teach people the game while you play, though there is a bit of a confusing part for the GM where they are expected to measure enemy progress vs the players. I handwaved that and it worked out fine. The players found the specialization rule a bit tougher to adapt to, but shifting was quite to pick up for the players. I'm not sure where it stands with brand new gamers, but as a D&D 5E player, I found it significantly easier than 5E, and my group is looking forward to playing again.

[@DaveThaumavore]

Nice! Yeah, I think people should never hesitate to drop rules as needed. Playing RAW is not as important as having fun.

[@MichaelHolland]

Maybe I missed it but the RPG uses the same art for the characters from the GIJOE Classified Toy Line. They're tied together. As a collector, CLASSIFIED has been a difficult line to collect, but its aesthetic is second to none.

[@lilspoon5116]

when rolling a specialized skill, you pick the highest of the skill dice rolls not add them up.

[@Critical_Pixel]

Tempted to pick this up and reskin it for an XCOM campaign.

[@rpgchronicler]

Id love to combine it with a mecha-esque game using a similar system as i want to go armored core.

[@himurogentoku7117]

Brilliant idea, John!

[@robertlombardo8437]

Why not both? I did an XCOM 2 deep-mod and made the whole Joe team. Fighting for freedom over land, air and space!

[@lweaver2988]

This will probably end up being a wild goose chase for you, but if you are interested in internet archeology. "First contact: Xcorps" is an Xcom rpg in every sense except for the official branding. only problem is finding the pdf or physical copy.

[@maxpocalypse]

Cartoon Action Hour is what you're looking for. The cartoon is the more widely known incarnation of the property, but the comic book is the far longer running, and far more "official" take on the setting/characters to most people who are still "active" fans, I would think. And in the first issue of the comics, Cobra kills an entire village just to distract the Joes.

[@maxpocalypse]

The comic also debuted around the same time as the cartoon, and always had a completely separate tone. So, the comic was already "grown up" when the cartoon was still on, etc.

[@TimKirk]

Yep. CAH is up to it's 3rd Edition and it handles the more cartoon style of gaming.

[@ComicGladiator]

Ah, a man of culture I see. CAH poops on this rigid DnD knockoff from a great height, because it's designed to emulate 80's cartoons.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

I've been an "active" fan all of my life and IDW is TRASH that they couldn't even write witout killing 10 JOEs. It's the cheapest device IN writing. If you're impressed, that ain't a good thing.....

[@maxpocalypse]

@@mikejonesnoreally So Larry Hama, who created the classic Marvel series, and has written the entire recent IDW series is trash, eh? Good to know.

[@dangarthemighty0980]

I'm looking forward to Transformers ttrpg from Renegade as well using the same Essence20 system. Transformers was one of my favorites as a kid growing up in the 80's. Thanks for the video Dave.

[@dane3038]

Genre agnostic systems really shine for something like G.I. JOE. Try GURPS or Savage Worlds.

[@venrondua]

Great job Dave. I’ve been watching your stuff for a while and can see your quality continually increasing

[@DaveThaumavore]

Thanks! I try.

[@DungeonMasterMike]

I've yet to dive in, but hope to soon. This is a new RPG that ,honestly, could have benefited from a Beginners Box Set: 4 pre-gens ready to go, a single map, some dice and a quick one-shot adventure: it just makes things so much easier to learn and digest while playing. I'm a little concerned about all the "crunch" involved, considering I have to run it, but I think its a system that we can have fun with. There will be a hurdle in sharing just one book, and trying to get 4 people to make characters (again, the benefit of a basic beginners box would have been so useful here) but I guess that is the bane of all RPG's that launch with a book only. Will players invest? I guess that is way up in the air at this point. But I hope to have some short adventures with the series; unique one-shots that don't demand a lot of time and energy, and something fun we can return to a few times a year. But damn...a Beginners Box would have just been perfect.

[@chrischriskidnicky6088]

Maybe they have pre gens on the website?

[@TheBarnBards]

Great vid, Dave! "Knowing is half the battle..." - you got me thinking about that 2" x2" grid to facilitate the GI Joe figures..that would be dope azz!

[@KyleMaxwell]

Thanks for (correctly) noting Gygax as *co* creator of D&D.

[@Mistwalker801]

I've ran a homebrew mini-campaign to try it out, pretty fun game! In terms of flavor and feel, it does feel a bit like it lends more towards the comic than the campy Sunbow cartoons (or even the DiC era ones to a lesser extent), but then again I loved the Marvel comics as well as the IDW/Image revivals; then again, it does have the room and capacity to make it run campy, especially since the system itself is very player friendly/forgiving and enemies brought to zero are "defeated" rather than killed according to the book (so it can be described as they instantly retreat or pull their chute once they reach zero). One campy quirk I kept on my homebrew was that a random player would have to play out a PSA with their character to close out the session ;-P

[@wallacebonner7939]

Just a note, with specializations you roll all the dice below your current skill die, and take the one with the highest number, not add them all up together.

[@kidoliva]

Thanks for all the effort you put into this. I don't really see a market for this. It would take a Critical Role style show playing this weekly to garner support.

[@himurogentoku7117]

We are preparing to try the GI Joe one Dave. I particularly love the Essence20 dice roll mechanics, it does feel like heroic actions. I'm not too fond on the mechanics and bits that it borrowed from D&D5E namely the progression by level and the gridmap dependancy. The book is indeed real fun to read.

[@hjk7833]

Can you please explain what you mean by, "It does feel like heroic actions." Why I ask: I do not play RPGs and I've considered getting this for my son who wants to get into RPGs and has watched and read some GI Joe with me. I'm leaning against it because it looks too complex, but the "heroic actions" thing might appeal to us somewhat, depending upon what that means.

[@himurogentoku7117]

@@hjk7833 Sure thing HJ. It is easy to get successes and critical successes in the game because of the dice mechanics, HJ. The characters will success a lot (even more so because the GM is the one who choose the difficulty number) and the game will feel like a larger than life heroes stories. But you and Dave are right. GI Joes is a considerably complex TTRPG and need heavier management from the GM especially because of the NPCs and vehicles full stat blocks. But the core rulebook itself is pretty nice and a good read for every GI Joe fans, HJ. What do you think, HJ, Dave?

[@hjk7833]

@@himurogentoku7117 Thanks. This helps. As he is only nine, I'll steer clear of this one unless/until he fully embraces rpgs. He has been begging for D&D, so I picked up the starter set on the cheap the other day. Tomorrow our family will try it out together and see how it goes. I suspect it will be a tad too involved for them and we'll look for an alternative that is simpler to start with.

[@himurogentoku7117]

@@hjk7833 I agree, HJ. Oh, D&D 5E Lost Mines of Phandelver Starter Set is a great product. Good choice. I am particularly fond of the adventure story myself, HJ. Please do tell us how it goes. I am more than happy to help you more if you have any more questions or hit certain obstacle when Game mastering for TTRPG, HJ. If you want a significantly lighter rules TTRPG, do check another Dave ttrpg review video about Tiny Dungeons 2E. That one is a simple and easy one both to run and play too, i have played that one. And Dave, if you are reading this. It's time to review ICRPG Master Edition, brother. I believe this one is suitable for HJ's needs too.

[@himurogentoku7117]

@@hjk7833 But i do agree with you, start with the biggest and household name first, D&D 5th Edition and if you want something you can start exploring other TTRPGs. I hope you and your family have a great fun, HJ! Best of luck being Dungeon Master for your family!

[@jcraigwilliams70]

26:59 Star Wars medical droid 2-1B has infiltrated GI Joe.

[@euansmith3699]

General Perks was always my favourite Joe.

[@ComicGladiator]

I love Private Parts myself.

[@Maehedrose]

I am actually more interested in this game now than I was before.

[@cheevocabra]

I mostly gravitate towards rules light or narrative RPGs nowadays, so there's basically no chance I'll ever play this, but I think I might get this book because I love GI Joe so much and it seems like this system was designed with lots of love for the IP. I have my own homebrew Joe system based on the WEG d6 system where every player creates and switches between 3 to 5 characters and this book seems like it'd have a TON of inspiration.

[@samchafin4623]

Yikes! These rules just make we want to play GI Joe in ICRPG, or maybe rewatch the show, and come up with a fun PbtA version.

[@sith7183]

Great review. I grewup with Gijoe as well. I plan on running my campaign based on Gijoe Resolute.

[@manofaction1807]

You can play a COBRA team, as well. The game structure is so damn good that it's a true RPG at it's best!

[@jackleg2007]

Good review. The only reason I believe certain characters, like Storm Shadow, were not statted was due to some copyright, or such.

[@ColeCash-17]

At present time just collecting the miniature figures. got the hero pack and have the villains pack on order (set 1 in both cases) does anyone know if there are any more figure packs being made?

[@mamunestor]

A lot of the character art is from the classified action figures. Much of the art was done by GI Joe comic artists. The character designs show the classified designs from the first few waves.

[@silvermknight]

I kind of like this for running a Gundam game. All of the vehicle and weapon customization could work really well for customizing mobile suits.

[@manofaction1807]

The G. I. Joe game is great. You can be an hard core, or casual fan. The game handles it perfectly. It was pretty cool to see the new characters, Foils, and NPC's. I can't WAIT for some vehicle and character sourcebooks!

[@stanleyteriaca2184]

If Cobra Comandor a threat level 20, would Serpentor be a threat level 22? What about Nemesis Enforcer? Would a threat level 24 be too much? Or Globious, the leader of Cobra La?

[@DaveThaumavore]

Those numbers seem right I guess. But by the time you’re at 20, it hardly matters.

[@stanleyteriaca2184]

@@DaveThaumavore Just openly pondering. We'll see Nemesis Enforcer when we see stats for Sargent Slaughter...basically never since Slaughter is copyright WWE.

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@stanleyteriaca2184 I think any GM worth their salt could probably write up a Nemesis Enforcer stat sheet. They don’t need Renegade’s contract writers for that.

[@stanleyteriaca2184]

@@DaveThaumavore That's true.

[@ComicGladiator]

We do not speak of the animated movie!

[@FellVoice]

How do you make permanent changes to your personal equipment? Thanks.

[@Sitharos]

I still wanna know where the stats for the Joes are. They have the Cobras, but I want the stats for my favorite GI Joes.

[@johnnysizemore5797]

Notes from a G.I.Joe Green shirt; As my letter head states quite clearly, I'm a huge Joe fan. I watched all the Joe Cartoon Series(S1-fell in love with it: S2-it was okay, hated how they treated some of the originals: RSeries- nice attempt at a reboot based on the Movies before Snake Eyes), every single Movie they've put out(pretty good attempt at a reboot, but seemed to lack story direction), read every single comic book(Both Marvel and others, though I tend to lean towards Marvel a little more) and bought every toy they ever made, save the U.S.S.Flagg. I'm honestly looking forward to trying to play this game.. This is Private Trevelyan signing off, YO JOE!

[@UndeadDomain]

Hey, if you wanna look into more Renegade Games I would suggest Outbreak: Undead 2nd Edition. A very good, deep system of Hardcore Zombie Simulation.

[@ronwisegamgee]

I like that they made skill levels as dice instead of modifiers, because it puts the math in front of you instead of in your head. Kind of a shame that there are a bunch of fiddly bits that force a group to a bunch of adjustments to the net skill die used if you want to capitalize on the rules-as-written. Other than that, to me, the juice is not worth the squeeze. If I wanted to RP G.I. Joe the cartoon, I'll use Cartoon Action Hour or Quick & Dirty RPG System. Never read the comics and a more-serious version of G.I. Joe that's bloodier but retains the same cast is immersion-breaking to me.

[@ComicGladiator]

Another man of culture.

[@sourcespores2]

Not sure who was asking for this game 30 something years later, but still interesting. Well edited entertaining video!

[@TheSantaman101]

How much does this game rely on miniatures and a grid map? I like the idea but when I heard 5e my first thought was "it probably won't feel as dynamic as a more narrative setting"

[@Azaul]

Full disclosure, I'm one of the game's designers. Miniatures and grid is the default, but I've played it very well without a battlemap. You can check out the Order from D.I.S.O.R.D.E.R. actual play on the Renegade KZbin channel to see a gridless play experience of the G.I. JOE RPG.

[@ejsmith7626]

Wall posters are great. I might still buy them seperately just for a bigger size

[@DaveThaumavore]

Support the channel by joining my Patreon! www.patreon.com/thaumavore Sign up for my newsletter! bit.ly/ThaumavoreNewsletter

[@TeskoLove]

It's a bummer a company like Free Leauge or Modiphius didn't get this IP. Both are really good about adapting IPs to their systems. Heck, it wouldn't have been too much work for Modiphius since Achtung! Cthulhu has a great pulpy feel with just enough crunch that would fit GI Joe well.

[@strangebeer]

I had exactly the same thoughts regarding the Power Rangers Game. We wanted a fast moving light hearted (even silly) game ,,, what we got was something the players couldn't really be bothered to learn and I felt missed the spirit of the original Power Rangers show.

[@mccallosone4903]

the old gijoe commando attack game came with a giant board that would make a fun battlemat

[@admiraltiberius5231]

I was really excited when I first heard about this game but I'm still not sure if it's something I'd buy. I am definitely interested in it if it's on more the comic book take than the cartoon though. What I'm most interested in is GM support. If I'm having to do a ton of research and writing just to get a game going them in more likely to stick with a system I already have. I believe there's a huge Joe following but I'm not sure Renegade hasn't just slapped a name on a game to sell it. Idk. Anyway, thanks for the review.

[@brandonr8269]

GI Joe could rival Deadpool if Hasbro re released the media in a gritty, animated style. There's too many characters who matter to look for Hollywood actors. Make it 14+ and make 16 one-hour movies that run every other Saturday in the theatre for 32 weeks. At one hour, it's a quick matinee and charge half price.

[@Webshooters1]

Not GI JOE specific but the games share DNA and you can do crossovers but Renegade kinda stumbled out of the gate with Power Rangers as it came out first which is the book I have and I have Transformers on pre-order. Basically when it came out there was alot of missing errata and things that flat out were not clear and they had to spend a good bit of time fixing that post-release but they did and even included a free preview of how to make our own monsters (yet they never stated Rita and Zedd who are on the cover of the book and in several pieces of artwork throughout the book). I saw a preview of the table of contents for the TF one and it looks alot more polished if you ask me but I'll have to look for myself when the pdf comes out on August 2nd.

[@alexstoner4446]

i bought the book, i havent read it completly yet, my group stuck in d&d 5e. im hopeing transformers when i get it is compatable with gi joe system. the vehicle combat might be streamlined useing transformers rules

[@banesbox]

We need a ThunderCats RPG.

[@DaveThaumavore]

I’d review it.

[@nubzcosplayart9456]

I’d love that!

[@weirdwwii8775]

Great review, brother. Not my flavor of GI Joe but I still have Hamma's comics to get the fix! Yo Joe!

[@meatbyproducts]

IDW g.i. Joe sales were horrible and IDW lost the right to make g.i. Joe and Transformers last year

[@DaveThaumavore]

Ouch.

[@maxpocalypse]

IDW is still putting out books for both, though....is there a deadline for the end of the rights?

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@maxpocalypse end of 2022, according to Google search

[@maxpocalypse]

@@DaveThaumavore Yeah, I saw that…thought I posted a link to an article about a little bit ago as a mea culpa? Ah, well, sorry!

[@meatbyproducts]

@@maxpocalypse they lost them in 2021, but still able to finish through the end of 2022 I think.

[@golobulus]

I would love to play in a Cobra team. I wish they had this element, but the problem with that is that if Cobra wins, it's pretty much game or campaign over, because Cobra operations are pretty much about taking over the world. If they succeed, what else is there?

[@DaveThaumavore]

Cobra-la or whatever could be a threat. Cross-overs too, like maybe Decepticons start encroaching,

[@golobulus]

@@DaveThaumavore Perhaps a Joe/Cobra team up like against the Gamemaster or Joe/Red October team up

[@eldritchmorgasm4018]

I need to watch a playthrough of this, with the minis I already saw pictures of + some 3D terrain, and I wouldn't mind some houserules about some details like ammo & health. Never read the modern comics, only know some of the 80s/90s stuff, including the animated show, and the 2 modern live-action movies, of course. Heard about the boardgame, which also has (big) minis, but the game doesn't realy impress me. Probably fine for children.

[@thejedimaster78]

I grew up on the GI Joe cartoon and am a huge fan so I picked this up. The artwork and overall quality of the book are top notch. I havent had a chance to play the game but I have read it. My main concern is it might be a little clunky in parts.

[@OGNoNameNobody]

I would try this just to see what Joe would come out if modeled after my own military service.

[@kalleendo7577]

Awesome!

[@Network-23]

Bought a copy, ran through it some, wanted to play immediately, started watching other groups playing, here on KZbin, & had a character in mind since. Have yet to find anyone to play with, however. Any fellow geeks in San Diego need another Joe, by chance...? 😬🤓

[@TheRealNeomorte]

I would highly recommend the GI Joe Resolute as an animated reference for the game.

[@furagnar]

Prolly won't be seen so late, but when this was started WotC wasn't trying to put itself out of business and Hasbro didn't want to bear the burden of putting out a game that didn't have a 50 year old legacy to destroy. So licensing out the IP was a safe way to make money while letting someone else pay the overhead.

[@Sanguivore]

4:56 That dude straight-up has a Nerf Vortex Nitron, LOL.

[@Azaul]

Yeah, Hasbro recently rebooted the G.I. JOE toyline as 6" action figures, and the first couple of waves used Nerf designs for their guns.

[@Sanguivore]

@@Azaul That's really interesting! Thanks for the info! :D

[@mikejonesnoreally]

@ 1:19 The HACKS that murdered Snake Eyes so Hasbro could attempt to sell a limited edition CORPSE?? AW Hey-UL NAW!! THAT's what this RPG is based on? Thanks for the VERY short vid an' saving me some dough too!

[@DaveThaumavore]

Glad I could be of service.

[@arc0006]

I bought the core rules and the Cobra book. I took a look over the rules and I don't really like it. Oh well. The art and paper quality is great.

[@BonusEggs4Sale]

In real life, the US military industrial complex is more like Cobra. Wild!

[@unintentionallydramatic]

Preamble: I'm not through the review yet, but what I noticed is that they seem serious about respectfully reviving the franchise. There's a bunch of new cartoons, many of which are free and legal to view on YT and having an RPG is really good news as well. I'm of the opinion that a balance of revival, reinvention and from-the-ground-up creation is the ideal way of doing this messy thing we call having a culture.

[@ccggenius]

I think Renegade got the RPG license as part of an agreement for the board game license. Hasbro seems to be backing away from anything that would've been under the Avalon Hill brand, and Renegade has been CRUSHING it with the Power Rangers license, so why take the risk when someone else can pay them for the privilege of rolling those dice? Should also add, apparently d20 modern 5e is live on kickstarter right now, and has a bunch of movie licenses like Rambo and The Crow, so if this isn't quite D&D enough for you, you have options.

[@KaybeCA]

I was an 80s kid and used to be a huge GI Joe fan, with a bunch of figurines and vehicle toys. Unfortunately, and maybe this is the fact that I've been very immersed in Free League's super efficient streamlined rules for their games, but Essence20 looks WAAAAAAY too crunchy. As in crunch added for the sake of crunch. This seems counter to how most RPG companies treat game design today and instead feels more like something made in the 80s. Not a fan.

[@konradgoscicki6649]

First thing I did when I came across iconic villains stats, was skipping to Zartan and looking into how many languages he can speak. "Any." I was amused. PS: Are you planning on reviewing Power Rangers RPG?

[@DaveThaumavore]

I’m not.

[@Bl00dwerK666]

Starting a Cobra campaign in the next couple weeks.

[@DaveThaumavore]

COBRAAAA!

[@DavidVanmeterDutch]

Does it seem solo play is possible?

[@DaveThaumavore]

Yeah just grab a GM emulator like Mythic and you’re good to go.

[@riggler2]

You keep referencing the cartoon. The cartoon, while cool, was garbage compared to the comic where Joe's get captured and sent off to a gulag, and even die....in the 80s version. The Marvel comic is the real appeal of G.I. Joe.

[@furagnar]

More than likely, Hasbro didn't know if a toy brand was going to translate well into an RPG. So they didn't want to endanger WotC's profits. Licensing the ip allows them to avoid spending money and that get any profits from the sales.

[@b.o.4492]

Thank God WotC was not involved. Just ordered a bunch of it and enjoyed this video. Still love the cartoon but the comic books were always better.

[@GarredHATES]

The corporate commander!

[@jzeits]

START WITH THE MARVEL COMICS RUN OF GI JOE.

[@marcinmalczewski310]

Cannnot weait for Transformers from Renegade Studio

[@paulmacdonald5135]

The food and water is the same as D&D

[@DaveThaumavore]

Cool.

[@theniteowl7777]

i liked it.

[@mikeharrison6039]

This would be great for a metal gear game

[@mccallosone4903]

the cartoon mostly stunk. the comics by larry hama were where its at

[@hjk7833]

I was considering picking this up because my nine year old wants to get into RPGs and he's been watching and reading some old GI Joe with me lately.Gotta say, I'm really disappointed with the direction Renegade has taken this and won't be purchasing it. It's a shame and a real missed opportunity in my opinion. Based on what I've seen in this review and elsewhere, it seems it's made for hard-core RPG gamers with, as you say, a GI Joe skin over it. Why? It reminds me of something Larry Hama (author of the GI Joe comics and in many ways father of GI Joe) said in an interview some decades back. When asked about the age level he writes for, he acknowledged Marvel comics at the time were marketed and written for about the 10-13 year old demo. Then he added: "My problem with the fans is that they're trying to see something in the medium that's not there--trying to rationalize their involvement in something that they should have given up when they were fourteen . . . They take it too $@m% seriously. Read real books."

[@dakotah7683]

Mechanically meh