I've already commented on the Gunslinger and liked it much. But here I am sorry to say that I must be the proverbial stick in the mud.
I must object to the ninja being a part of the Ultimate Combat! It seems like a nice and interesting class. But it is so setting specific that it doesn't belong here, it belong in the asian campaign setting (the name of which eludes me at the moment).
Now I like new classes as much as the next gamer, but we are not all as hyped by the idea of ninja as the average anime fanboy. And thus I find it inappropriate that those of us who isn't going to rush out to grab the asian setting must have the ninja pulled over our heads just because we actually want the other goodies.
Along the same lines I would like to protest against the idea of including various matial arts in the book. The Inner Sea just isn't a land of Ninja assassins and Shaolin monks. And such options should be kept in the appropriate sections. As much for people like me to avoid them as for the people that really want them should not be forced to buy two books when one should do.
I'm sorry to be a negative here, but I'm afraid that I must.
And yes, I would always go for pirate over ninja, just compare "Beverly Hills Ninja" to "Pirates of the Caribbean" and see what comes out ;)
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Sigh.
Now, imagine somebody runs a game not set in Golarion - and that's quite a lot of people. Pathfinder ruleset is slowly becoming THE ruleset, and as result more and more homebrewn campaign switch over. Not to mention Greyhawk, FR, 'Lance, 'Scape, 'Jammer and whatever else D&D setting fans that slowly convert to The One And Only True Way Of Pathfinder.
Now imagine somebody has Ninjas and Samurai there. Should he really be forced to buy a Golarion Campaign Setting book for that?
That wasn't me, I swear it!
Take your argument, and swap "Gunslinger" and "Ninja" and you've summed up my feelings. I don't like guns in my fantasy, but just like anything Paizo publishes, individual GMs are not going to use 100% of it. It's a toolkit, and Paizo shouldn't deprive lots of people who want Ninjas (or Gunslingers!) just because other people don't.
If you're not too keen on the fluff of a class, then refluff it.
Remember that UC is a part of the Core Ruleset, which means that it is designed to be setting neutral. So what is or isn't in the Inner Sea Region doesn't matter.
I've seen Ninja played and played well in Age of Worms.
Ninja can have a subsection here, but why can't Cleaves have it's own subsection in homebrew?
I stated it in another thread... what if the Samurai was a member of the stalwart Order of the Turtle Cavaliers?
(name silly? Order of the Rhino? Of the Dragon turtle? The Half-Dragon Rhino? the Half-Rhino Turtle?).
The same for the Ninja. Ninjas can be an Assassin sect, you can refluff Ki with Drugs, Luck, Inspiration, Mana...
More importantly, you are not forced to include everything. Options are..well. optional. But are there in the case you need them.
One could not like gunslinger in a PF game, but other people would love the concept, because they waited for it for a long time.
I think it's a good thing new and diverse stuff is added, instead of turn around the same things over and over.
Should he really be forced to buy a Golarion Campaign Setting book for that?
Yes. Sorry to be the grump, but he should. A proper campaign book shouldn't just be about this area or that area, it should be an all round book with pointers, ideas and variuos usefull and inspirational stuff. The guy buing the book should get far more than just two classes and a couple of weapons to play around with. He should get a wealth of things to inspire him and add to his campaign, not just a ninja and a samurai. And if he isn't inspired by the book in general, I am honestly sorry for his players, since they have a very uninspired GM.
And "Sigh" right back at you. It's not as snappy, nor as smart as you seem to imagine :P
Remember that UC is a part of the Core Ruleset, which means that it is designed to be setting neutral. So what is or isn't in the Inner Sea Region doesn't matter.
Hmm. Good point. I still doesn't like it though. But alas, I am merely one of many and I have had my say :)
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I think you're underestimating the amount of people who are very happy for Pathfinder, yet completely unmoved by Golarion (mostly, because they have their own established worlds or use other settings).
And oriental stuff isn't generic, universal material like the "Revisited" series are. It's VERY specific, and there are a lot of folks who play in worlds that don't have any Far East style content. Not to mention the whole "you got your lame anime in my western european RPG world!" approach.
Pigeonholing those folks into a very narrow setting product is a great way to turn them off.
Take your argument, and swap "Gunslinger" and "Ninja" and you've summed up my feelings. I don't like guns in my fantasy, but just like anything Paizo publishes, individual GMs are not going to use 100% of it. It's a toolkit, and Paizo shouldn't deprive lots of people who want Ninjas (or Gunslingers!) just because other people don't.
I definately agree about the gunslinger. I am an adult, and I can set aside the feelings of things I dislike.. but guns in D&D? (yes I know the rules have been around a long time, but every group I've been in has done the same thing- ignored them completely).
I have to say, it'll be hard to keep my head in the game at any PFS game where some gun toting twit comes rolling along. Ninja is just another 5 letter word for Rogue*, Samurai is jut another way to spell Fighter*.
Guns, to me, just do not fit the mood or theme of it all.
-S
*I meant, to someone In the living game world.. all the mumbojumbo class distinctions between the ninja and rogue, and the fighter and samurai will sum up to.. "oh, you sneak around" and "oh, you use weapons"- not that I think the classes are mechanically identical or anything.
Personally I'm not even sure why these are full 20 level classes instead of packages in the first place, that in itself seems to blow my mind more than anything. Give a rogue magical jumping and BAM you've got your ninja. Heck you've already got the ability to take vanish as a major magic rogue talent so....
...mah head asplode D:
+yes
Ironically, the Gunslinger feels pretty piratey to me, and the Ninja seems a little Ninja'ish to me. How will they be able to bind the pages without them tearing each other up? D:
This.
Puts everything in perspective.
Honestly, the ultimate Magic/Combat books seem full of things that should be optional, or are flat out alternate rules.
Honestly, the ultimate Magic/Combat books seem full of things that should be optional, or are flat out alternate rules.
These books *are* optional. They *are* filled with alternate rules. I'm personally looking forward to these options.
Ironically, the Gunslinger feels pretty piratey to me, and the Ninja seems a little Ninja'ish to me. How will they be able to bind the pages without them tearing each other up? D:
The Ninja appears next to the Gunslinger and one shots him.
But seriously, I did a search on Metagaming and the definitions were all over the map. Untill Pathfinder makes a ruling, it's a GM call. Pazio has every right to put 'options' in their books.
Honestly, the ultimate Magic/Combat books seem full of things that should be optional, or are flat out alternate rules.These books *are* optional. They *are* filled with alternate rules. I'm personally looking forward to these options.
Well, yes all non corebooks are optional, but these books specifically have things big enough that people won't want them in their campaigns, things like words of power, alternate health systems, steampunk guns, nijas etc... Most of these won't fit in every setting, and few settings will be able to fit all of them (Golarian does, but there you go.)
But it is so setting specific that it doesn't belong here, it belong in the asian campaign setting (the name of which eludes me at the moment).
Paizo doesn't have an Asian campaign setting. Their campaign world has a lot of countries on two continents that are all inspired by Asian myth and fantasy, but it's the same world.
And they don't put basic rules content into their Chronicles/Campaign Setting books. New base classes are basic rules.
So stuff like the samurai and ninja class belong into a book in the RPG line. Ultimate Combat is such a book.
Now I like new classes as much as the next gamer, but we are not all as hyped by the idea of ninja as the average anime fanboy.
So you can't make a simple point without being insulting and condescending?
"Anime fanboy" is quite derogatory to describe fans of anime (since fanboy implies an overzealous fiend, and not all fans of anime are that. I, for example, like the stuff, but that doesn't make me a fanboy), and not everyone who likes Asian culture and mythology is a fan of anime. In fact, I know a couple of guys who are a lot into Japanese and/or Chinese stuff (some of them are taking study courses in Universities) but they don't like anime very much.
I could as well go and call you a History Nut and make fun of your insistence to have only stuff inspired by European history and myth. (Actually, I could call you something else, but let's give Mr. Godwin a rest).
Does this name-calling accomplish anything? If you include "make people dislike you", then yes. But you're only undermining your own argument, since people will dismiss you as that stuck-up jerk who will go on about how those armours are all wrong for knights and druids weren't at all like Pathfinder depicts them, and generally set out to ruin people's fun.
And thus I find it inappropriate that those of us who isn't going to rush out to grab the asian setting must have the ninja pulled over our heads just because we actually want the other goodies.
Then don't buy the book. In fact, never buy any RPG book again until they invent the Bespoke Book Trade where you can decide just what goes into the books.
You're hardly the only one who finds something in some RPG book he doesn't like. If they removed everything just because some people dislike it, they'd have no books left.
Along the same lines I would like to protest against the idea of including various matial arts in the book. The Inner Sea just isn't a land of Ninja assassins and Shaolin monks.
And the PFRPG line just isn't a line that caters to the Inner Sea. The stuff in the RPG line is setting-neutral. The stuff always fits the Campaign Setting, but that's because they went the All Inclusive way. PFCS has something for everyone, chivalric knights next to rangers with firearms, modern warrior-wizards facing off monsters from ancient Greece's stories and Japanese ninja-types stalking Indian-style fiends.
Oh, and the very first product that was called "Pathfinder" included Asian elements (albeit small ones).
people that really want them should not be forced to buy two books when one should do.
Nobody forces anybody you know. If you seriously get nothing more out of Ultimate Combat than the two Asian-flavoured classes, by all means don't get it. Get the stuff out of the PRD as soon as it's added to it and print it out. Maybe get it into the word processor of your choice first to do some reformatting. A couple of pages with text on them and you're done.
Now I like new classes as much as the next gamer, but we are not all as hyped by the idea of ninja as the average anime fanboy.
So you can't make a simple point without being insulting and condescending?
"Anime fanboy" is quite derogatory to describe fans of anime (since fanboy implies an overzealous fiend, and not all fans of anime are that. I, for example, like the stuff, but that doesn't make me a fanboy), and not everyone who likes Asian culture and mythology is a fan of anime. In fact, I know a couple of guys who are a lot into Japanese and/or Chinese stuff (some of them are taking study courses in Universities) but they don't like anime very much.
I could as well go and call you a History Nut and make fun of your insistence to have only stuff inspired by European history and myth. (Actually, I could call you something else, but let's give Mr. Godwin a rest).
Does this name-calling accomplish anything? If you include "make people dislike you", then yes. But you're only undermining your own argument, since people will dismiss you as that stuck-up jerk who will go on about how those armours are all wrong for knights and druids weren't at all like Pathfinder depicts them, and generally set out to ruin people's fun.
This. This so many times.
Something I dislike about this forum and the hobby in general is the nigh xenophobia I hear when someone mentions the ninja or monk. I hear buzz words like "weeabo" and "japanophile" just because someone wants to see a ninja class. People try to hide it as "Its just like a rogue" or "It's too setting specific" but the reality is, most people dont want "this Japanese in my Pathfinder."
Why?
People will of course say they want things that aren't setting specific. Well what about the Gunslinger? I see more people complaining about the Asian themed classes than this class that makes you assume that there are firearms in your world. Firearms are heavily setting specific, yet its the ninja that sets people off.
Here is something else I've noticed on these boards. Why is it ok for someone to make a barbarian homage to Conan, or a rogue homage to Elric, or even a ranger homage to Aragorn, yet as soon as someone makes a samurai that is like Ruroni Kenshin or a fighter with an oversized sword like Cloud, suddenly they are shunned by the community. All of these are famous fictional characters (Ruroni actually being a real person in history) and yet because one isn't European, suddenly its "bad" and "wrong" and this weeabo needs to make a new character.
There was a game I was in where some one made a spearman fighter. He had based him loosely on Lu Bu (historical and from the game Dynasty Warriors) and was looking forward to his first game with him. As soon as he entered his character, the other players started the name calling. Some of what was said includes "Oh s*** sure is weeabo in here" "Hey this is DnD not DBZ. How about taking this Toonami s*** and go play BESM" and of course, the DM rolling his eyes at the spearman saying "You couldn't make something normal. Had to bring this anime s*** into the game". The player finally left, tired of people berating him. What's worse is, everyone in the store agreed with the DM! People said that the kid "ruined the campaign" and they are glad to not have him come around. It was disgusting and I quit that game soon after.
Sad part is, Im sure some people on these forums would probably not care, or worse, agree with the people above and that "weeabo" deserved.
/rant
Play skill based systems instead of class based systems and just tell Ralph Macchio to sit down and shut up when he asks about a katana.
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I don't really know much about the mechanics of these new "classes" but I would like to discuss my theory and how they could work...
When I say "Ulfen Ninja" what is your first initial thought?
Sounds silly right? You might think about Viking inspired warriors or the north, singing songs as they go into battle and reeking of honey mead? And when you hear Ninja you think of a japanese man in black pajamas wearing black paint over his skin, a cold, silent killer.
Lets try not to view these classes on how WE look at them stereotypically, but rather, as a "template". Forget all the "lore/fluff" that comes with it and lets just crunch the numbers.
I imagine the ninja class focuses on, well... assassination?
Now historically the germanic tribes (which has many overlapping Ulfen themes) either fought in open battle with the Romans, and usually lost, but also fought guerilla warfare at night (see Battle at Teutoberg forest).They wore little to no armor, painted their bodies black, and used wooden weapons to emphasize stealth.
See where I am going with this yet? Rolling a character that might have been part of a forward scouting group/guerilla warfare/terror tactics who happens to be Ulfen, and who wore little to no armor, painted his skin black, etc etc etc can also overlap some of the themes a "ninja" class brings to the table. A cold silent and utterly ruthless killer.
I guess what I am trying to say is to not use the imagery we know words like "ninja, samurai, gunslinger" and instead just take the core mechanics of this class and look at it as a template.
The GM sits down with all his players and goes around the table asking a bit about their new characters they made for a fresh starting game.
GM: "So Jake, what character are you gonna make?"
Jake is about to respond "Ulfen ninja!" but to avoid the possibility of ridicule he instead says...
Jake: "I made an Ulfen who focuses on guerilla warfare and assassination tactics. In short, and Ulfen with the ninja template".
Sounds reasonable to me. Try not to view these new classes as added foreign ingredients to a very rich Golarion, but instead, try to pull from the culture Golarion already has, and view these classes as a "template" and not a class. (though mechanically theyre the same, I'm just trying to apply a psychological philosophy to this.)
I hope all my gibberish made sense.
Ooooh! I get it! Someone who relies on stealth and deception and aims their strikes where they do the most damage. Yeah, we really need something like that.
When I say "Ulfen Ninja" what is your first initial thought?
WAY AWESOME!
Almost as good as my Rune Giant Ninja concept. I keep using that to scare my players ever since I saw the Asian touch on Xin-Shalast and its rune giants (and had a minor row with our Japanologist/Sinologist about whether it's Ksin-Shalast or Shin-Shalast. Maybe it's both, like the Xel-Naga in Starcraft) and put two and two twogether, uh, I mean, together.
Ooooh! I get it! Someone who relies on stealth and deception and aims their strikes where they do the most damage. Yeah, we really need something like that.
Yeah, it's not as if there were any other classes that sound quite similar or something.
whether it's Ksin-Shalast or Shin-Shalast.
Since it was invented by english-speaking people, I'd wager it's simply "Sin-Shalast" (with a voiced "S").
Is it just me, or does loading the so-called "Ultimate Combat" book full of "Random Asian-Themed Stuff We Meant to Put in PF Oriental Adventures" seem like an inexcusable case of bait-and-switch? Yeah, I'm aware they tossed in the Gunslinger as a token non-OE class, but come ON! Ninja smoke bombs and water-walking shoes belong in Ultimate Combat? Really????!!!!
Given the title, I was hoping for a lot more focus on combat in general, and a lot less focus on Japanese-specific combat and non-combat stuff. Is that unreasonable?
Is it just me, or does loading the so-called "Ultimate Combat" book full of "Random Asian-Themed Stuff We Meant to Put in PF Oriental Adventures" seem like an inexcusable case of bait-and-switch? Yeah, I'm aware they tossed in the Gunslinger as a token non-OE class, but come ON! Ninja smoke bombs and water-walking shoes belong in Ultimate Combat? Really????!!!!
Given the title, I was hoping for a lot more focus on combat in general, and a lot less focus on Japanese-specific combat and non-combat stuff. Is that unreasonable?
People have such knee-jerk reactions to things, rather than being patient and letting them play out. All they are playtesting is the classes, and 2/3 of the classes happen to be of asian origin, nothing saying they have to stay this way in your game. Also I would bet 100 to 1 that less than 10% of the book will be filled with "asian stuff", with most of it smattered in among everything else, like a katana being next to the scottish claymore or roman spatha on the weapon list. I have to agree with the post a few above, people do seem to get overly huffy about things of asian decent far more than of any other culture.
All they are playtesting is the classes, and 2/3 of the classes happen to be of asian origin, nothing saying they have to stay this way in your game. Also I would bet 100 to 1 that less than 10% of the book will be filled with "asian stuff", with most of it smattered in among everything else.
OK, let me get this straight. 67% of all the material seen from it thus far is "Asian stuff." From that, you conclude that less than 10% of the book will be.
I'm at a total loss for what makes you decide that.
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Is it just me, or does loading the so-called "Ultimate Combat" book full of "Random Asian-Themed Stuff We Meant to Put in PF Oriental Adventures" seem like an inexcusable case of bait-and-switch? Yeah, I'm aware they tossed in the Gunslinger as a token non-OE class, but come ON! Ninja smoke bombs and water-walking shoes belong in Ultimate Combat? Really????!!!!
Given the title, I was hoping for a lot more focus on combat in general, and a lot less focus on Japanese-specific combat and non-combat stuff. Is that unreasonable?
The preview is 18 pages of the 256 page count of the book. Let's give it a bloody long shot for 10 more pages of gun/oa equipment/feats, and we're left with 220+ pages for other stuff. Heck, most of it is listed in product description.
You can switch Paladins to Sohei. You can Switch Elemental Wizards to Wu Jen. Cannot you switch Samurai in just another order of vanilla western cavalier, if asian theme is unneded in the setting?
Really, there is A LOT of stuff to comment and fix in the playtest. What's people reaction 'til now?
"Asian themed classes UNCONCEIVABLE!!"
"Ninja is too stroooooong compared to rogue (ORLY?)"
"Class Bloat!!!".
Yeah. I definitively do not want new and diverse options in books. I want all the splats from now to next edition being the variant of the same 2-3 things. :(
The preview is 18 pages of the 256 page count of the book. Let's give it a bloody long shot for 10 more pages of gun/oa equipment/feats, and we're left with 220+ pages for other stuff. Heck, most of it is listed in product description.
OK, maybe it's insane for me to assume the preview is meant to be at all illustrative of the content. 67% of the preview is a rehash of OA stuff, so, if the preview is even vaguely representative, we'd be looking at some 150 or so of those 220 other pages to continue in the same vein.
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People have such knee-jerk reactions to things, rather than being patient and letting them play out. All they are playtesting is the classes, and 2/3 of the classes happen to be of asian origin, nothing saying they have to stay this way in your game.Is it just me, or does loading the so-called "Ultimate Combat" book full of "Random Asian-Themed Stuff We Meant to Put in PF Oriental Adventures" seem like an inexcusable case of bait-and-switch? Yeah, I'm aware they tossed in the Gunslinger as a token non-OE class, but come ON! Ninja smoke bombs and water-walking shoes belong in Ultimate Combat? Really????!!!!
Given the title, I was hoping for a lot more focus on combat in general, and a lot less focus on Japanese-specific combat and non-combat stuff. Is that unreasonable?
Then they should be something like the mystic assassin and steadfast knight classes (or, rather, archetypes). Not only the classes, but also their weapons get Japanese names and EWPs for no good reason.
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The preview is 18 pages of the 256 page count of the book. Let's give it a bloody long shot for 10 more pages of gun/oa equipment/feats, and we're left with 220+ pages for other stuff. Heck, most of it is listed in product description.OK, maybe it's insane for me to assume the preview is meant to be at all illustrative of the content. 67% of the preview is a rehash of OA stuff, so, if the preview is even vaguely representative, we'd be looking at some 150 or so of those 220 other pages to continue in the same vein.
You know, I used to consider logic a strong point of your suite, but I sadly have to reconsider that.
Then they should be something like the mystic assassin and steadfast knight classes (or, rather, archetypes). Not only the classes, but their weapons get Japanese names and EWPs for no good reason.People have such knee-jerk reactions to things, rather than being patient and letting them play out. All they are playtesting is the classes, and 2/3 of the classes happen to be of asian origin, nothing saying they have to stay this way in your game.Is it just me, or does loading the so-called "Ultimate Combat" book full of "Random Asian-Themed Stuff We Meant to Put in PF Oriental Adventures" seem like an inexcusable case of bait-and-switch? Yeah, I'm aware they tossed in the Gunslinger as a token non-OE class, but come ON! Ninja smoke bombs and water-walking shoes belong in Ultimate Combat? Really????!!!!
Given the title, I was hoping for a lot more focus on combat in general, and a lot less focus on Japanese-specific combat and non-combat stuff. Is that unreasonable?
Using that logic, why isn't the Paladin just called a Holy Warrior? Or the Cavalier a Cavalryman?
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Using that logic, why isn't the Paladin just called a Holy Warrior? Or the Cavalier a Cavalryman?Then they should be something like the mystic assassin and steadfast knight classes (or, rather, archetypes). Not only the classes, but their weapons get Japanese names and EWPs for no good reason.People have such knee-jerk reactions to things, rather than being patient and letting them play out. All they are playtesting is the classes, and 2/3 of the classes happen to be of asian origin, nothing saying they have to stay this way in your game.Is it just me, or does loading the so-called "Ultimate Combat" book full of "Random Asian-Themed Stuff We Meant to Put in PF Oriental Adventures" seem like an inexcusable case of bait-and-switch? Yeah, I'm aware they tossed in the Gunslinger as a token non-OE class, but come ON! Ninja smoke bombs and water-walking shoes belong in Ultimate Combat? Really????!!!!
Given the title, I was hoping for a lot more focus on combat in general, and a lot less focus on Japanese-specific combat and non-combat stuff. Is that unreasonable?
Fair question. The Paladin is not much like Charlemagne's henchmen and the word Cavalier brings along a lot of baggage that doesn't contribute to a knight class.
You know, I used to consider logic a strong point of your suite, but I sadly have to reconsider that.
Let me put it this way. Pretend my wife's stoked about Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant doing a romantic comedy, and there's a movie coming out with them called "Tender Sisterhood of Hearts and Flowers." Then we see the 9-minute preview, and six of those minutes consist of gunfire and explosions and people's brains being blown out all over the place. I get psyched, of course... but would this preview really get my wife to line up to see the movie? Even if the gunmen wear little heart-shaped pins and leave flowers as a "calling card," thus technically being true to the title, it's really not what she's been waiting for.
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You know, I used to consider logic a strong point of your suite, but I sadly have to reconsider that.Let me put it this way. Say everyone's been talking about Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant doing a romantic comedy, and there's a movie coming out with them called "Hearts and Flowers." Then we see the 9-minute preview, and six of those minutes consist of gunfire and explosions. Would this make the original group of people line up to see the movie?
1. It's a *playtest*, not a *preview*. I strongly recommend you to read the product description and the playtest document, which says: "This book is set to include a host of options for every character that picks up a sword, mace, or bow to fight off murderous monsters, as well as three new
alternate classes"2. RPG splatbooks =! movies. I hope I don't have to explain that one.
3. By your logic, APG should have been 100% about the six playtested classes. It wasn't.
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You can switch Paladins to Sohei. You can Switch Elemental Wizards to Wu Jen. Cannot you switch Samurai in just another order of vanilla western cavalier, if asian theme is unneded in the setting?
Really, there is A LOT of stuff to comment and fix in the playtest. What's people reaction 'til now?
"Asian themed classes UNCONCEIVABLE!!"
"Ninja is too stroooooong compared to rogue (ORLY?)"
"Class Bloat!!!".
Yeah. I definitively do not want new and diverse options in books. I want all the splats from now to next edition being the variant of the same 2-3 things. :(
Don't forget "Guns in my Pathfinder? NEVAR!!!11one!!" and then both "These guns are way too powerful! Broken!" and "These guns aren't too powerful enough! Who would use these when you can just grab a bow?"
By your logic, APG should have been 100% about the six playtested classes. It wasn't.
No. By my logic, APG should have been 1/3 magic stuff (judging from the oracle and witch), 1/3 feats and combat stuff (judging from the cavalier and inquisitor), and 1/3 "other" (judging from the alchemist and summoner). And guess what? It was pretty close.
I have decided since I don't like playing clerics no books should be printed on them ever....
Seriously the complaining about chocolate in the peanut butter is rediculous. Unless you are referring to organized play...just don't use the book and let the open minded people enjoy having more options.
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You know, I used to consider logic a strong point of your suite, but I sadly have to reconsider that.Let me put it this way. Pretend my wife's stoked about Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant doing a romantic comedy, and there's a movie coming out with them called "Tender Sisterhood of Hearts and Flowers." Then we see the 9-minute preview, and six of those minutes consist of gunfire and explosions and people's brains being blown out all over the place. I get psyched, of course... but would this preview really get my wife to line up to see the movie? Even if the gunmen wear little heart-shaped pins and leave flowers as a "calling card," thus technically being true to the title, it's really not what she's been waiting for.
Sure, if this were a book preview your criticism would make sense.
This is a playtest. That's like saying this movie Hearts & Flowers is asking a community of special effects experts to look at some of their footage and critique it to see if they have suggestions - and then being shocked the special effects specialists aren't shown mostly close up romance scenes...