Torg: Tuesday Game Review

No, today isn’t Tuesday but this is a review of an old game named Torg that I’ve been newly introduced to.

My friend Murf is a RPG fanatic and the both of us, plus my other friend Steve, have been commiserating the inability to find a good RPG.  I haven’t played since I was 9 or so and having been away from pencil and paper RPGs in 16+ years is a burden.  There are many cobwebs to clear from the recesses of my mind.

I was pleasantly surprised a week ago with a phone call from Murf who wanted me to join a great newly run game called Torg that his pal Teddy was putting together.  I was skeptical until Murf explained the game.

Torg is unlike any other RPG you have ever played.  The Earth has been invaded by aliens and every country/continent is altered to reflect a different period in history with a film twist.  Most of North America looks like Jurassic Park. The UK looks like Robin Hood and Braveheart.  France is a cyberpapacy like a more religious Bladerunner (or like 40k by Games Workshop).  Indonesia has turned into every horror film you can imagine in a Victorian setting, can we say Jack the Ripper meets Dracula?  Egypt has become the 1930s complete with The Godfather, Indiana Jones, and Flash Gordon.

All this variation intrigued me so I joined the game.  This past Tuesday our band of 3, Steve opted to not play, met and began our first adventure.  Although only 2 of us were there we had a lot of fun.

Murf the fighter and I the scholar worked together, saved a damsel in distress from dinosaurs, rescued her father, tricked the lizards into giving us a precious device (that can save the world), had a journey to the center of the earth and out again to Egypt, stole a plane from a Pharaoh and blew up 2 Spitfires.  4 hours of play brought us to whatever comes next.

Although we need more players, who doesn’t, the quest has been challenging but not too difficult and all around fun.