Designed by Olivier Legrand and inspired by an idea conceived by Paul Elliott, M&M is a masterpiece of role-playing satire that is fully playable (at least inasmuch as D&D has ever been). Not only are there two editions from which to choose and multiple supplements for each, but they are interspersed with hilarious commentary and excerpts from the letters column of Griffin magazine. As a whole, M&M is a monumental work done with professionalism, humor, and style.

For years I have been toying with the thought of running historical or mythical role-playing games set in ancient Greece in a serious manner, and I still intend to do so (armed with Fudge, GURPS Greece, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and other sources), but I think Mazes & Minotaurs is perfect as a light alternative.

I am seriously thinking about running M&M at a convention this year. The problem is which edition to choose…

Curséd multiple editions!

One of the things I like most about Risus is the way it lends itself to the rapid creation of interesting and entertaining characters. There is no muss, no fuss, just the essence of a character that is understandable at a glance and easy and fun to role-play. That alone makes Risus a thing of beauty. The approach it encourages is one that is eminently suited to Fudge, too, and it might not be a bad idea to think of similar fun, quick, systematic approaches to character creation for that game as well, possibly even creating a gallery of such characters in the same manner. ‘Tis food for thought.

The winning entry is excellent, but the first three runners-up are quite good, too.

Speaking of reviews, it was this very same site that I found a review of Federation Commander, which I mentioned in a previous article. My biggest complaint is still the price. No, I take that back. It’s the bundling. If I could buy all the components I want separately (rules; miniatures; ship system displays for most Federation, Romulan, Klingon, Gorn, and Tholian ships) and ignore those that don’t interest me (maps; counters; ship system displays for Kzinti ships and some of the sillier ship designs of the standard interstellar empires), then there is no question that I would be spending my money on it. Until that happens, though, I’ll pursue my plan of buying only the miniatures and adapting the rules of Full Thrust to my Star Trek starship combat needs.

Och, and I almost forgot: Tabletop Gaming News also mentioned that Star Fleet Universe (otherwise known as starfleetgames.com) has undergone a major redesign, and a bonny one it is.