Review: G.I. Joe: Rumble at the Rift- Renegade Studios/Avalon Hill

 

My faithful readers know that I make goals and objectives for each year.  I typically try to stay close to what those goals say as I navigate all the twists and turns that happen over the year.  They are guidelines to help keep me "On Track" because a lot of new, shiny stuff comes out that can derail me from what I am trying to do.

If you squint and look sideways, you can see that picking up the new G.I. Joe: Rumble at the Rift boxed set for Heroscape was on my Goal list.  Honest!  Right there it says that I will be picking up a new wargame!  Heroscape is a wargame..... maybe.... I guess we are going to find out!  

This is a recent colab from Avalon Hill (Hasbro) and Renegade Studios.  This was not even on my radar when 2026 started and I was watching Gundam: Assemble and Wizards of Morcar in this category more than anything else.  However, I foolishly watched a review by Ash on Guerilla Miniature Games and.... well..... I ended up buying way too much G.I. Joe. 

I justified it because: 

1. It is small game that I can play in a small space.  Right?  Right?  I am not sure. 

2. I can use it to draw in future wargamers with a simple Dudes on a Board style game

3. I love G.I. Joe and I have wanted some minis to paint that could fit into my collection for a long time

4. I can use them in Model-vs-Model skirmish games, maybe even some I am making! 

5. I have the RPG! I can use them for that!  Right!  Right!  

Ultimately, the truth is that I was weak and I caved when I saw some of my old favorites available to purchase and go pew-pew with!  The nostalgia was strong. I know nothing about Heroscape except that it is a kinda wargame/board game hybrid that is NOT Heroquest.    

Are you ready to fight for freedom wherever there is trouble?  Do you know and that's half the battle?  Can the world oppose the deadliest of foes?  Let's find out.....

Things I Liked

First off, you can get this game one of two ways.  You can pay to get it in regular unpainted plastic OR you can pay a bit more for factory pre-paints.  The exception is Serpentor (which I got for free because I ordered too much stuff) who is only pre-painted.  Generally, Heroscape is always pre-painted.  You can see a sample of the Pre-paint up above and..... it's not bad.  It is three colors and a base.  Everything seems to go where it is supposed to go.  I think I could paint it better with some washes and some highlighting BUT if I was a noob painter I probably could not.  Therefore, it could be good for non-painters to get started.  However, I am glad I got the unpainted version so I can do it myself for the rest.  

As far as I can tell, this is the full rules for Heroscape in this box.  This is not an abridged or shortened version. The game also comes with a few scenarios to represent the Rumble at the Rift. 

The interlocking hex maps are pretty cool, and I could see them being useful for other games IF you get enough of them together.  The rules also use height changes to slow characters as they move, and you do get some minor bonus for attacking from higher ground. 

The advanced game has an "Opportunity" attack mechanic.  When you leave a square adjacent to an enemy, they can attack you.  This means you can come and go in melee, but there is a cost to trying to leave before the foe is finished.   The idea of being "adjacent" to an enemy comes into play a lot in the rules.   

Trouble Bubble Sighted!

Things I Do Not Like 

Proprietary dice.  Boo!  They are similar but not exactly like Heroquest dice.  How do I replace these when they get worn or I lose them?  They have three skulls, two shields, and a blank face.  There is also a standard d20.  Skulls for attacks and shields for defense.  

The movement rates of the characters maybe too large for the size of board they provide.  For example, the board lay-out for Mission 2 is 14 hexes across, but Scarlet can move 6 per turn!  That means she can cover the whole board provided in two turns.  However, I also get the impression that you are suppose to use other Heroscape sets to make a bigger board overall.  Some players also move farther than their range!  Of course, changing heights can slow you down too.    

This game uses a hex based map with levels, but then uses True Line-of-Sight for targeting?  You do gain a +1 attack dice if you are attacking from the high ground.  I look forward to the Revenge of the Sith version of Heroscape!  

Despite my joking they do say that LOS is drawn from behind the model's head, therefore creating a subtle combat arc.  No measuring angles here, nice.  In addition, each unit has a "hit zone" that you have to be able to see to target.  Sadly, this zone is pretty much any part of the model that is not gear.... i.e. hands, feet, etc.  Therefore, you can target Duke's hand as he is pointing.  Instead, they should probably just have highighted their torsos.  That said, the base sizes may limit this.      

     

Meh and Other Uncertainties

The advanced rules add a lot of detail beyond the basics!  For example, they specify where you draw LOS from, how many stacks tall they are for hiding, order markers, special rules per models, squads, wounds, points, etc.  It is practically an entirely different game than the basic one.  The entire rulebook is 9 pages (4 Basic and 5 Master), but it packs a surprising amount into that space.   

Each model has a star-shaped card that covers everything you need to play the model.  It is even used in game by placing the activation token on the cards to dictate the activation in the game.  It is theoretically possible to have more cards in a force than activation markers, this would force you to prioritize who is doing what... in theory.  In practice, your best units would probably hog those, but I can see situations where you would have to decide who and what order.  Choices, choices, choices. 

There are special items called Glyphs that you can place on the board.  These are essentially "power-ups" that models can collect.  There are also two walls that are specified to be Height 7, so units with a height below that can use them to block LOS, bigger can not. All GI Joes are smaller than 7.   

Each model gets special rules that they can use to affect the game play.  For Example, Cobra Commander can move freely up to two spaces away from an opponent that injures him and does not kill him.  All the units seem to have some sort of "special" gotcha rule.

These nuances, special rules on each figure, and points system means that you could probably spend a decent amount of time and ink talking about combinations and "gameplay" tactics for such a simple game.  That alone could make this a very long-lived game.  Players can debate which units work best together, if something needs a nerf or is broken, and all the other chit-chat that games like D&D, Warhammer, and Battletech use to keep people engaged even if they are not playing.   

Final Thoughts

The game easily covers the 4Ms in basic ways.  Movement has some detail with adjacent squares and elevation changes.  Melee and Missile is treated exactly the same, but has some nuance due to being able to move away freely, obstruction, and wounds to avoid instant death. Morale is very basic with either being active or destroyed.  However, units with higher wounds can "stay" in a fight longer.  

In the advanced game, they add nuance with very few words.  These nuances add a surprising amount of subtlety to a relatively simple and straightforward game.  Things like activation order, LOS vs Target Zone rules, Adjacent rules are all good ways to force meaningful choices in an organic and simple way.  These rules are an exercise in KISS and all the "rules" come on the units you buy.      

Tournament ready?  No.  Good enough for mutual friends tossing dice?  Yes.  Siblings who always compete against each other to be the best?  Probably not.

I think I learned a lot as a designer from reading these rules.  I came into this review expecting to laugh the rules part of the game off but found myself impressed with the had managed to pull off in just a few pages.     

Until next time!

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RPG Review: My Little Pony: Role-playing Game- Renegade Studios

 

My wife got this as a gift for her birthday, so technically this is not my copy.  However, it resides in our household so I decided that I could give it a read and let you all know what I found.  I am somewhat familiar with the franchise, as I was a watcher of the O.G. version way back in the late 80's.  I have also seen the re-booted Friendship is Magic show.  However, I would not call myself a Brony by any stretch of the imagination.  

My Little Pony has proven a popular enough I.P. that this is not the only My Little Pony (MLP) RPG on the market, and it probably won't be the last.  However, the version I have is published by Renegade Studios and uses their proprietary Essence 20 system.  This is the same system they use for Transformers, Power Rangers, and G.I. Joe.  You can read a lot of my thoughts on that system in my G.I. Joe review, and those thoughts pertain to this game too.   

To me, it looks like a modified D&D 5E system but instead of straight bonuses to checks, it uses a bonus dice that gets larger the better you are at something.  It has a lot of other similar yet appropriately re-named mechanics as 5E after that.  For example, instead of Advantage/Disadvantage they call it an Edge or a Snag.  

This has a couple of advantages.  First, it is easy to transition established D&D players to this system as it is essentially the same.  Second, all of Renegade's systems are cross compatible.  You can have G.I. Joe characters, MLP Characters, and Power Rangers all in the same game without any real issues if you wanted a Saturday Morning line-up adventure.  However, the disadvantage is that the game system can be a bit crunchier than you might want for a cartoon-based game.     

So, since a lot of that was recap to what I said about the other Essence 20 systems, let's take a closer look at what this game does to make it feel like Friendship is Magic! 

Things I Like

The introduction chapter is narrated by Pinkie Pie, which changes this section up a lot for those who have read a lot of these types of "What is an RPG" sections before.  Keeps it a bit fresh and really highlights the tone of the game.  What is that you say?  Well, this is a game about telling a story where you work together as a group to solve problems and to explore the world of Equestria with friends. Simple really. 

Sometimes, I think the Essence 20 system Renegade uses can be a bit much for someone new to RPGs.  I imagine some of the folks who get this book might be beginners.  To help facilitate them, they have a set of 6 pre-gen characters at the end of the book called the Renegade 6 that you can print and play with right away.  In addition, the game comes with a first adventure called "Stealing Thunder".  This is a good way to help players learn by doing instead of sitting down and reading an entire book.  In the Intro, they go Chapter by Chapter to give a summary and let newbies know which chapters should be read by who and why.  For example, the Game Master and any players who have Magical powers should read Chapter 8: Magic.   

There are two special mechanics to encourage Ponies to work together.  The first is some simple rules for Group based tests, where Ponies make skill tests appropriate to a challenge.  If half or more succeed that is a success.  The second Mechanic is that all Ponies can use a resource called a Friendship Point to create a Friendship circle, that gives all the Ponies in it benefits when they are a part of it.  By working together, they have a better chance of assist, help, and heal. 

Modifiers take the form of Dice Shifting in this game.  As you assign ranks in skills, these ranks give you additional dice to roll with a d20.  Modifiers increase the size of these bonus dice up or down to add (or subtract) from you d20 roll.  There is a nice ladder on page 113, that goes from Auto-success to auto-fumble!     

The basics of a Character are the 4 Essences.  However, if you want to be a spell-caster you need to use a single point of essence to create or improve your spell-casting ability.  Therefore, magic is a sacrifice from other physical capabilities to create a trade-off.  In addition, spell-casters can always try to dispel another casters magic as a contested skill check.    

Wealth and acquiring gear is an abstracted concept in this game.  Most day-to-day items you can just assume you have available.  Wealth and resources are a standard test where some Perks, Roles, and backgrounds might give you an advantage. There is also a section on having pets as well.  I am a bit sad, because I know at least 1 of my players MUST HAVE A PET in every game.    

The game has a really good breakdown of how to create Conflicts in the game including the Goal, Obstacles, Rewards and Consequences, Participants, and Scope of the challenge.  It also breaks down that a challenge may cause physical Health damage but is more likely to cause stress that reduces a character's Essence temporarily.  This represents mental stress.    

Since a big part of the game is exploring Equestria and the setting, I am glad to say that this book has two sections on the topic (Three if you include the enemies section).  There is a whole section on Exploration and what that means.  This includes diseases, the environment, and other details.  Then, there is a chapter on key locations in Equestria to be explored!  Often times, this pillar is overlooked in a game, but not in this one!  The Friends and Foes section also lays out NPCs from the show and some potential threats to Ponyville.  These all help populate the world.  

The section for the GM was not very helpful.  It was better to read the starter "Stealing Thunder" adventure to get an idea of how the game was to be played.  It had good examples of conflicts and combats that made sense in the world of the Ponies.  It also was useful to understand difficulty levels and various tests.  

I was also disappointed that there was no dedicated section about resolving or using Social skills, even though it is obviously a key part of the rules.  They seem to just the same as standard checks with no meat beyond that.  Since a few Roles lean heavily into Social as does the game itself I felt like this was a big omission.  The section on Conflicts helps, but the core of the Social Pillar focused on standard checks only. 

Things I Don't Like

This game has too many rules and is far too crunchy for a game of My Little Pony!  For example, the core concept of Cutie Marks giving a higher skill dice when it applies to a situation is a good, solid, simple rule.  However, what makes up your Pony is so much more!  There are a lot of skills and a lot of special rules for a new person to recall.  The higher the level the more to recall! 

For example, they have 6 sample characters to get you started.  Looking at one of them there are..... 8-10 special rules per character from a combination of sources.  Many times, these can be somewhat specialized or situational bonuses.  They really needed to streamline this down for ease of play into core ideas.  This is before you even get into Essences, Defenses, and Skills to recall as well.  Too complicated for what this game is trying to be.  You should not need a front-and-back page character sheet for this type of game.   

There are a couple of pages for rules about weapons!  I think the focus in on using them as equipment more than against other creatures, but the rules do cover it.  Seems a bit Un-Pony like to me, but I guess bad guys can use them too. 

This game talks about using battle maps!  AHHHHHHHHHHH!  This does not feel like it should be a game where tactical elements and positioning should be a thing.  The Combat section is far too long for a game like this with a level of detail that should not be required.  However, it does specify that when you go to 0 Health that doesn't mean you are dead, just defeated.  However, this whole section seems more complex than a Saturday Morning cartoon about Friendship should really be.   

Meh and Other Uncertainties

Like other Essence 20 systems, character creation is actually pretty simple.  Your character needs an Origin, Influences, and Role.  Origins are if you are an earth-bound Pony, a Pegasi, or a Unicorn in this game.  Influences are like backgrounds that helped shape your character that comes with some situational bonuses and some ideas for RPG.  Your Role is basically your class that comes with various Class features.  

Unlike the G.I. Joe RPG, the Roles in this game do not match 1-for-1 as closely to D&D classes.  They take the form of a "Spirit of...." and grant situational bonuses.  Most of these are more social focused and conflicts in this game are more about social interactions than actual ficticuffs.  They have:

1. Spirit of Generosity - More of a Buffer character

2. Spirit of Honesty - A Social class

3. Spirit of Kindness - A healer and de-buffer of foes

4. Spirit of Laughter- A battlemaster of performance with a variety of tactics using expendable resources. 

5. Spirit of Loyalty- A sentinel and bodyguard type of class

6. Spirit of Magic - A Caster class

This game uses a Fumble and Critical Success rules.  Fumbles are on a failed test with a d20 roll of 1.  Criticals happen when you roll a success and the highest number on your bonus die. A bit different than D&D.  

There are three spell levels but only specialized Ponies will get to the third level of spells.  The basic level has about 12 spells in 4 categories, the next level has about 8, and the last, most difficult level has 8 as well.  There is also rules for making and using Magic Baubles like Healing Salves and more powerful items.    

The game has a very simple meta-currency called Friendship Points.  These allow players to re-roll dice, trigger special effects by class, active a Friendship Circle, avoid hits, and get hints as needed.  The GameMaster is encouraged to hand them out based on good role-playing and other generally playing in a way where Friendship is Magic!    

Final Thoughts

To quote the introduction: "How can fate be so cruel?  All I ever did was love you, my shiny clicky magical math rocks!" 

This game showed some development and improvement compared to the G.I. Joe. rulebook from Renegade.  It did a better job explaining Conflicts and non-combat oriented parts of RPGs.  I think it also broke-away from the usual Essence 20/D&D 5E framework a bit more than usual.  The Roles especially seemed more thought-out for the type of game being played.  

However, this game is still a bit too complex for beginners, a bit too rules-heavy, and way too focused on combat for what I was expecting.  I would imagine combat should be resolved by a few simple dice rolls and decisions more like a Powered by the Apocalyspe style game, and less like a tactical combat focused-game like D&D.  I think it makes too little of the Social and moral issues of MLP to focus on the easier "physical" conflicts.  However, very rarely do they settle conflicts in MLP this way.  This is not a Military Fantasy show like G.I. Joe!  

My wife would be a first time GM and my group is asking her to run this.  As a first time GM, I think this game needs to beef up the GM section AND make it a bit simpler to run for newbies.  As it stands, I think it will be a challenge for her to run all the mechanics and manage all the character abilities as presented in the book.  Afterall, she is a casual fan of the show and mostly likes it for the color palette and more of a casual RPGer.     

That said, I think this could be a nice change of pace for a short campaign or palette cleansing 1-off for a long running group of RPGers.  I could also see the reliance on the known Essence 20/D&D 5E framework could also make for some fun Convention games of this.  However, as written it is more of a game for experienced RPGers than I expected.   

Until next time!

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RPG Review: G.I. Joe: Role-Playing Game - Renegade Studios

 

<Famous musical chords from the 80's cartoon>

He fights for freedom where ever there's trouble, G.I. Joe is there!  He never gives up, he stays 'til the fights won, G.I. Joe will dare!  

<More dramatic chords>

As a child of the 80's, this was my jam!  I loved G.I. Joe from the cartoon, to the toy line, to the merch, and beyond.  When a special gift giving day came, you could count on me getting G.I. Joe!  I honestly wish I still had it all, as I had so, so much.  I would stage weeks long campaigns between the Joes and Cobra; an evil terrorist organization determined to rule the world!  

Therefore, when I saw this was coming out I knew I wanted it.  I saw it in my LGS but held off.  I did some research on the game, watched some actual plays, and looked through the book.  However, I waited about a year before I finally let my mag-pie nature get the best of me. I caved in and bought a copy.  My inner-child said, "This I command!"  

To get started, the books seems to focus around the "hey-day" of the G.I. Joes from the 80's with a cast of familiar faces.  However, they seem to focus on the period of the TV show, but before the G.I. Joe Movie and Cobra-la.  There is no mention of G.I. Joe: Extreme, Sigma 6, or Renegades.... which is just fine by me.  The game leaves it open on whether you want to play the more light hearted 80's style cartoon for kids, a more gritty/realistic campaign ala the comic books, or something else.  Therefore, you have Duke, Scarlet, Snake Eyes, but the scope seems to go all the way up to Slaughter's Marauders but not into the Iron Grenadiers or Serpentor.  Those "in the know" will understand what all that gibberish means, and knowing is half the battle. 

So, let's get into this...... YOOOOOOO, JOOOOOOE! 

Things I Liked

Character creation is robust and gives you some elements to build a "character beyond the numbers" but also gives your character a good group niche.  You define things that influenced your character, which can lead to some role-play hang-ups, and bonds.  Your Origin is also fairly well fleshed out as part of creation and that feeds into "Roll-play" as well as the "Role-play".   

The Essence system is pretty easy at its core.  You roll a d20 and a d? based on your skill level and add them together.  You are trying to beat a Target Number with your roll.  The multiple dice allows you to remove some of the randomness of a straight d20 roll, and also eliminate some of the ridiculous "gimme" rolls of straight bounded accuracy. Core attributes give you essence points for skills.  If you do not have a skill dice, you roll 2d20 and pick the lowest; basically a disadvantaged roll.  Specialization allows you to roll a lot more dice when it applies.  Modifiers tend to take the form of skill dice shifts up and down. Most TNs are between 10 and 25. 

There is a whole chapter dedicated to Exploration as a subject.  It includes rules and gives some good details for extreme conditions, eating, disease, etc.  This makes sense as there is also an entire chapter on locations to go along with the exploration.  

The rules specifically say that being "defeated" does not mean dead.  It means you or your foe are defeated.  That could be just having your spirit broken, your will to resist shattered, being unconscious, too injured to go on, or dead.  I like that the defeat consideration can be made to be narratively appropriate for the situation. 

I enjoyed the look of the book, the themed asides, the details about the Joes and Cobra, the "lore" and the artwork a lot in this book.  I also appreciated the built-in book mark and the hardcover.  This is a hefty tome, and one I could easily use to take-out a Cobra Trooper. I felt like I was getting a lot of content for my money.  Sure it didn't have every single Cobra operative, every vehicle, etc. that I wanted, but they need to have some sort of limit on things! They have the key ones for sure.    

Things I Did Not Like

This game uses the Renegade Studios Essence 20 system, which is essentially a D20 system.  This system is also used with Power Rangers, Transformers, and other Renegade Studio games and is there house system.  I have no qualms with the system itself.  However, the way it is implemented applies a Class and Level style system with characters gaining Feats as they go up in level (With re-skinned names).  I am not a fan of this approach for modern and Sci-fi games as it makes odd distortions that do not mesh well with "modern-aesthetics" and ubiquitous firearms IMHO.    

Character creation is a bit heavy on special or unique rules that can only be used situationally in-game, and I could see some short campaign where the situational rules never really come-up at all.   

The game allows players to decide how "grim and gritty" they want their game to be which is fine in theory.  However, in implication this game is surprisingly crunchy!  I know there is a loud and vocal subset of players who prefer that style, but this is way too crunchy for me to have a casual 80's nostalgia game.  Plus, entry level Joes are.... not that great at what they do sometimes.  You may want to start at a higher level, but that still leaves a lot of fiddliness that would be hard to teach someone "on the fly".

Reading the example of 3 Joes using an APC against some Trouble Bubbles was eye-wateringly complex.  So much, that I mentally decided that I would need to abstract using vehicles a lot in game.  Very fiddley, but it probably helps some people know "exactly" what they can and can not do and how to do it mechanically.  I am not that type of RPG player, and want a bit more narrative flow and a lot less specificity.   

Interestingly, there is a whole section on Combat, and a whole section on Exploration.  However, there is not a whole section on Social.  They primarily leave that covered by the general skill system.  There are some benefits and rules that apply to Social situations, but no dedicated section on how to use it in game.  It looks like they approach it as just another form of combat, only with words. 

Finally, I was not a huge fan of their GM section.  This is a fairly complex game, and the few pages they devote to how to run it properly are.... generic at best. There are plenty of adversaries, enemy vehicles, and the like provided.  However, not much on how to actually structure, run or balance the game.  

Meh and Other Uncertainties  

I was able to find some QRS and Character sheets for the game on the Renegade Studios website.  The character sheets are a good start, but you will want some extra paper to write down what some of the special rules actually do.  

There is a lot of kit, equipment, drones, animals, and vehicles that your characters can access in this book!  Again, a lot of special rules and fiddliness but also a lot of room for customization as well.  As your character goes up in level they can access more and more of this type of stuff.    

The game has a basic Meta-currency called Story Points.  Players start with 1 per character, and earn more as a team for certain situations.  GMs can use this to help NPCs last a bit longer by changing defense stats, re-rolling bad rolls, roll as if Specialized, etc.  These are intended to even out the chance of really poor rolling and keep the story flowing.  

It has a simple adventure for beginning Joes to get use to the game, and lets them explore G.I. Joes HQ.  It estimates using 3-5 characters over about 4 hours.  Pretty much has everything you need to play it in the book.   

Final Thoughts

This was an interesting read.  It definitely leans into the "crunchier" side of RPG design, and follows the well-worn D&D paths with a few diversions.  The Character Creation is deep enough for those "Min/Maxxers" out there, but also gives character focused designers a lot to hang their hat on.  I appreciated the options they offered and how they led to a personality and mechanical benefits.  It also fit the theme of each G.I. Joe being a specialist.    

Overall, the Crunchy route is not the path I would have taken for this property. Instead I would have gone much more rules-lite with an emphasis on conditions and allowing a broader skill use.  Action would have been much more narratively driven, as it is intending to create new stories based on the G.I. Joe Media.  However, I also understand that is not to everyone's preference, but I think would capture the "feel of the genre" of fantasy, military-lite action with specialists in TV/Comics.  This feels WAY to structured for that type of genre.  However, that could be MY game play/design preference showing. 

I can see why they went the route they did.  You might think in a Fantasy, Military style game that tactical combat would be pretty important.  Tactical elements like where you are compared to others, ranges, vehicle combat, etc.  However, at the end of the day you want to simulate kids' playing make-believe more than playing Stratego.  This game leans heavier into the the "tactical" side of RPGs than I would like, BUT such approach might make it more appealing to existing D&D players.  Time will tell.   

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. 

 

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