DMG is out next week!
Showing posts with label DriveThru. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DriveThru. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
AD&D 2nd Edition Player's Handbook now at DriveThruRPG
It looks like will be getting all the reprints in PDF format afteral.
The AD&D 2nd Edition Revised Player's Handbook just went up.
The Monster Manual and DMG should follow in the next couple of weeks.
The AD&D 2nd Edition Revised Player's Handbook just went up.
The Monster Manual and DMG should follow in the next couple of weeks.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Christmas in July
DriveThruRPG / RPGNow / OneBookshelf is running their Christmas in July Sale.
Lots of great deals going on. I even have plenty in my wishlist that went on sale.
So much good stuff really it is hard to know what to recommend. Chances are good that something you have been wanting is on sale.
Lots of great deals going on. I even have plenty in my wishlist that went on sale.
So much good stuff really it is hard to know what to recommend. Chances are good that something you have been wanting is on sale.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Review: Revelations of Mars
Revelations of Mars (RoM) is the newest book in the Ubiquity universe and the newest from Exile Game Studio. Like Space: 1889 I got in on this one via the Kickstarter. I am going to spend some time looking at both games, but today I want to focus on RoM by itself.
Revelations of Mars is a nice thick tome. Or it will be when my hardcover comes in next week. The PDF is a healthy 224 pages. Color covers and inserts, but mostly black and white interior. Like it's older brother, Hollow Earth Expedition, this works well for the style and feel of the book. What is that style? Overtly it is Pulp Action, like HEX, but there is a good helping of "Sword and Planet" and "Planetary Romance" action here as well as, and this is fun, 50s sci-fi mentality. In fact while reading this I kept thinking more and more of the staples of 50s UFO invasion movies. I am not sure if that was the author's intent, but it is what I got. I had ideas for this game, but now I am thinking "Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Journey to the Seventh Planet" (ok that was early 60s). The Mars of RoM is closer to the Barsoom of Edgar Rice Burroughs than say War of the Worlds.
This book is also a sourcebook for Hollow Earth, so you will need the Core HEX book to play.
Chapter 1 covers Characters which gives more material for Mars based and Mars travelling characters. We get the expected run of Martian nobles, nomads and even robots. There are plenty of new Talents and Flaws. Everything from four arms, dual brains, Vrii-based talents and more Atlantean-based ones. Looks like we are in for a treat here! There are also Robot and Alien creation templates.
The Sample Characters/Archetypes are in beautiful full color and done really, really well.
Chapter 2 Supernatural Powers is another chapter I was eager to devour. This covers psychic powers. Everything from psychic healing, precognitive powers and pyrokinesis. Mix in with the Hollow Earth books and you have quite a bit of psychic powers to cover most situations.
Chapter 3 details more Equipment and weapons. For you fantasy role-players out there here is your list of swords, maces, flails and spears. Everything required by a Sword and Planet story. Not to worry, there are still "blasters" and "ray guns" to be had as well. Naturally. There is even Martian Red Steel that can be used in some weapons.
Chapter 4 Vehicle Combat covers all the new craft one can find on Mars. My favorite are the sky ships. Not a huge fan of pirates, but these are cool.
Chapter 5 is all about Martian Natives. Several races are covered. There is the expected four-armed "green" Martians (the Dheva) but there are plenty of others. There are insect-men (well, beetlemen), Grey Martians which do remind me of "Greys", Apemen, Purple Martians (that new!), dinosaur men, the Vrii, which are like giant crystal formations and finally the Red Martians. In a interesting choice the Red Martians are related to Atlanteans. There is a lot here and I am not doing it justice by any means.
Chapter 6 follows with The Red Planet, background on Mars. Mars is very much a dying world. That is the same story we get in the Barsoom books and even in DC comics, so that much is familiar. There is also a feel of Vance's "Dying Earth" here too. First we cover how to get to Mars. There are your standard weird science rockets, but also projection from the Astral Projector, Atlantean Portals (which I rather like to be honest) and the good old fashioned abduction. The bulk of the chapter details various locations on Mars and the inhabitants. Very nicely detailed.
Chapter 7 Atlanteans details these ex-pats on Mars. Not only their involvement on Mars, but also their involvement in the greater Solar System. Even if you don't want to play on Mars but want more information on the Atlanteans for your Hollow Earth Game then this is a great, must read chapter. Several Atlantean "Gods" are also detailed and how their affairs affect Mars.
Chapter 8 Friends and Enemies covers the various peoples of Mars and what Earthlings can expect. Several unique characters are also discussed.
Chapter 9 Bestiary is exactly that, the beasts and monsters of Mars. We have a number of "Earth-like" creatures, some different sorts of Dinosaurs and lots of insects. There are some near-humanoid creatures as well. There are even "sand worms". There is some more modern influences here as well. The bestiary is more "Avatar" than it is "This Island Earth". There is nothing wrong with that, though with the lack of water and plants I don't see many of these creatures, save the bugs and scavengers, living long at all.
Next is a Sample Adventure, Revelations of Mars. I won't say much (spoilers!) but it is for human characters coming to Mars. That makes good sense really.
The appendix covers some inspirational books of the Planetary Romance sort. The usual suspects are here; Herbert, Vance, Howard, Burroughs, Zelazny and Wells. But there are others worth looking to. Comics, movies and TV shows are also mentioned. As with the other games in this line books are given the most attention.
There is a good index and list of Kickstarter backers.
A few full color "ads" and a full color map of Mars.
Honestly there is so much in this book that you could easily make a completely Mars-based campaign. Just traveling from city to city would be adventure enough. Thankfully the book covers more than just that. Exile really has something nice here and I hope to see more in this line. Could a Venus book be in the future? Hope so.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide
The last book of the trinity that got many of us on this road was released in PDF today.
Dungeon Master's Guide
No more need to haul my books to the 1e game. I can just bring a tablet.
Dungeon Master's Guide
No more need to haul my books to the 1e game. I can just bring a tablet.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Monster Manual released on PDF
WotC has released the 1st Edition Monster Manual on PDF for the price of $9.99.
Looks like that is up from $9.95 when it was originally released. Damn inflation!
The Monster Manual was the first RPG I ever read. The one that started this whole crazy business for me. I judge every RPG I pick up against how the Monster Manual made me feel. Does it ignite that fire of excitement and creativity? Will I spend hours and hours reading the pages?
Looks like that is up from $9.95 when it was originally released. Damn inflation!
The Monster Manual was the first RPG I ever read. The one that started this whole crazy business for me. I judge every RPG I pick up against how the Monster Manual made me feel. Does it ignite that fire of excitement and creativity? Will I spend hours and hours reading the pages?
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
AD&D 1e Players Handbook on DriveThruRPG
That's right. The book that started it out for so many of us is now on DriveThruRPG.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17003/Players-Handbook-1e
This is a big deal really.
Prior to this the wisdom was that the reprints would not be released on PDF.
So I supposed there is hope that some PDFs might get reprinted. Maybe.
But in any case the Gary's Magnum Opus, AD&D, will now be available as PDF.
Also if you are playing the newest edition of the game, Unearthed Arcana has Psionics for the price of a click.
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/awakened-mystic
The days of complaining about Wizards not giving us what we want are over.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17003/Players-Handbook-1e
This is a big deal really.
Prior to this the wisdom was that the reprints would not be released on PDF.
So I supposed there is hope that some PDFs might get reprinted. Maybe.
But in any case the Gary's Magnum Opus, AD&D, will now be available as PDF.
Also if you are playing the newest edition of the game, Unearthed Arcana has Psionics for the price of a click.
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/awakened-mystic
The days of complaining about Wizards not giving us what we want are over.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Review: CC1 Creature Compendium
I love monster books. The Monster Manual for 1st Ed AD&D was my gateway drug to D&D addiction. I can still just sit there and read and reread monsters. So when a new monster book comes along and promises the same level of thrill and excitement as that first time. Well I pay attention.
New Big Dragon Games Unlimited is saying just that.
CC1 Creature Compendium
"Remember those flashes of inspiration that electrified your brain when you first picked up that hardback volume of monsters all those years ago?" Richard LeBlanc begins this new monster book right where I need to, reminding me of the absolute JOY I had holding the 1st Ed. Monster Manual in my hands for the first time.
This book doesn't quite fill me with that joy (that is a TOUGH act to follow) but it does come close and for the price it is a damn fine book.
So what does this book have? Well it is 94 pages total and over 200 new monster for your Old-School game. Which system? All of them, or nearly enough. Each monster is "dual" stated for 0e/1e and BX. Simply read the stats that work the best for you and take what you need from the other. Sometimes there is no difference. For example an AC of 3 in AD&D is roughly an AC 3 in BX and the monsters will either list 3 or some other close number. Movement rates are easy to convert of course and alignments are different systems, but all in all it is still nice to have.
There are a lot of fun monsters here too. A mix that reminds me of the old Fiend Folio to be honest. Even the art, which is good, reminds me of the FF a lot. Every monster is illustrated, or if they are not I didn't see it. So a lot of art.
Of particular use are the two appendices.
Appendix A gives us Treasure Types by Edition. 0e, 1e, HB and BX. Subtle differences in each, but best to line up what you are doing.
Appendix B gives us the monster XP totals for various editions as well. 0e, S&W, BX/BEDMI, LL, 1e and OSRIC. Great to have.
If they wanted to capture the feel of reading the old MM then they were successful. If you love old school games and monsters then this really is a must buy.
I am curious to know what people think of the dual stating.
New Big Dragon Games Unlimited is saying just that.
"Remember those flashes of inspiration that electrified your brain when you first picked up that hardback volume of monsters all those years ago?" Richard LeBlanc begins this new monster book right where I need to, reminding me of the absolute JOY I had holding the 1st Ed. Monster Manual in my hands for the first time.
This book doesn't quite fill me with that joy (that is a TOUGH act to follow) but it does come close and for the price it is a damn fine book.
So what does this book have? Well it is 94 pages total and over 200 new monster for your Old-School game. Which system? All of them, or nearly enough. Each monster is "dual" stated for 0e/1e and BX. Simply read the stats that work the best for you and take what you need from the other. Sometimes there is no difference. For example an AC of 3 in AD&D is roughly an AC 3 in BX and the monsters will either list 3 or some other close number. Movement rates are easy to convert of course and alignments are different systems, but all in all it is still nice to have.
There are a lot of fun monsters here too. A mix that reminds me of the old Fiend Folio to be honest. Even the art, which is good, reminds me of the FF a lot. Every monster is illustrated, or if they are not I didn't see it. So a lot of art.
Of particular use are the two appendices.
Appendix A gives us Treasure Types by Edition. 0e, 1e, HB and BX. Subtle differences in each, but best to line up what you are doing.
Appendix B gives us the monster XP totals for various editions as well. 0e, S&W, BX/BEDMI, LL, 1e and OSRIC. Great to have.
If they wanted to capture the feel of reading the old MM then they were successful. If you love old school games and monsters then this really is a must buy.
I am curious to know what people think of the dual stating.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
What are YOUR Favorite NEW Old-School Adventures?
For the longest time I go on and on (and on and on...) about my enjoyment of the many of the old school games.
But I am really doing my contemporaries a huge disservice. So today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite old-school adventures published within the last few years; aka the OSR adventures.
The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen
I have talked about this one a lot. It's a meat grinder and just a crazy, gonzo adventure with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It is great fun and you can read more of my experiences here, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2014/10/into-lair-of-vampire-queen.html
The Shrine of St. Aleena
Another great intro module and a great intro to what Old School Gaming can be.
I also covered this one here, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2013/10/review-shrine-of-st-aleena.html
Oak Grove Whispers
Another great intro module set outside of the City of Domvay (and included in the special edition print versions of the book). If The Shrine of St. Aleena works for you then give this one as a try. This is more straightforward.
Dwimmermount
A lot can be said (and has been said) about this mega-dungeon/campaign, but one thing is for sure. Autarch really saved this project. I am not a huge fan of mega-dungeons, but this really is a must have. I think in the end what sells me on this project is it's vision. Sure it could be described (and has been) as a monumental act of hubris OR you could look at it as a commentary on how the OSR solidified 70s and 80s nostalgia into a post-millennial marketing tool. It might not be the best at saying what we do, but it is an honest look.
Castle of the Mad Archmage
This might be the closest we will ever get to exploring Castle Greyhawk. Yeah it is not perfect, but the effort and work here is beyond reproach and it is a damn fun adventure. This is also on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Dwimmermount. Like the other mega dungeon this is the vision of one man, in this case Joseph Bloch. Though were Dwimmeromount received much hype CotMA just quietly got published with no drama. When Bloch has done Kickstarters they have been on point, fast and he usually gets people their materials WAY before he promised he would. This is also a good example of the OSR ethic. There is still nostalgia here but it took a different path.
No Salvation for Witches
I will be honest. I find most of James Raggi's adventures to be unplayable.
Not due to content or anything like that. I just believe that the GMs job is to help characters to greatness, not stick them into an adventure where they have no chance of winning. I don't mind a meat grinder now and then (see Vampire Queen above) but not a design philosophy centered around fucking with the players. Tomb of Horrors was a one time deal, not a template for every adventure.
That being said I like No Salvation for Witches. It still has the same art quality one expects from LotFP and the adventure still has buckets of gore, but author Rafael Chandler brings some of the same splatter-punk horror the he demonstrated in his own Teratic Tome (which would make a good add-in for this). I like the setting and the plot is something taken out of the most salacious accounts of the witch trails. Well if those accounts were embellished a little by Clive Barker.
NSFW (cute) is set in LotFP's pseudo historical Europe, but frankly I would rather take it and set it in the world of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea to give it that "older and colder" feel that AS&SH does so well.
Liberation of the Demon Slayer
Venger As’Nas Satanis has a reputation comparable to James Raggi. Liberation of the Demon Slayer does nothing to change this. Also this adventure is something I might like to run under Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. There is a mix of demons, devils and Lovecraftian beasts/gods that somehow feels right for that world. There is a lot of the author's advice for running and some of his house rules. Normally I might ignore these, but they seem central to his design philosophy that maybe, just for this adventure, they should be used.
If you, like me, love eldritch abominations and dark magic then this the adventure for you. The adventure itself "sounds" simple enough. Retrieve a demon killing sword from the caves to stop the demons attack your village. Easy peasy. Trouble is that the author grew up when dungeons-as-meat-grinders were a thing. This adventure though is closer in tone and danger to the Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen than it is to most Lamentations of the Flame Princess products. With the right DM this could be a great and dangerous adventure where the party could live. Sure they could all easily die too. One can read this and imagine that all of the author's games are a bit like it.
Actually I have known the author for a number of years and yeah this is exactly the kind of things I expect in his games. I think the difference here with this adventure and some of his earlier material is there is a maturity here to accept the absurd. This adventure can be played straight or with a dash of dark humor. Think of it as a horror movie, even the scariest have a touch of humor to them; it sets you up for the bigger punch later down the road.
Curiously enough in my own games I do have an epic weapon for killing demons. In my current world state this sword is lost and a quest is needed to recover it. Maybe this is what I need. If so then the value of this adventure just increased ten-fold for me. I am going to have to spend some quality time with it and a pencil to see if it can be recrafted into something that fits my world a little better.
The Snake's Heart - A Lost Age Adventure
This is my newest one. The overall feel of this one is like an action movie. Maybe more like a horror-action movie, but you get the idea. The adventure is hard core old school. It is compatible with S&W: White Box but like most of the OSR adventures it can be used with just about any rules. The file is a pretty simple affair; 19 pages, line art. So nothing too fancy, but the aesthetic is very, very old school. It looks like something your older brother's friend who was the first kid in the neighborhood to play D&D might have made; only a lot better.
The adventure itself starts with a simple set up and encounter (I like adventures that make the players DO something right away) and then that simple encounter leads to a confrontation with an evil cult. Shenanigans ensue. The adventure takes a few cues from more modern adventures and separates encounters. The effect this has is to keep the action flowing. If this were a movie it would be Raiders of the Lost Ark or, more aptly, The Temple of Doom. At just under $2.00 it is also perfect for an afternoon when you want to play something but don't have an adventure ready to go.
For myself I might make some minor changes here and there. Snake Goddesses are fun and all but what if I need a Wolf Goddess or a Centipede one? It make a great introduction for some characters that have already been through one adventure and are their way to the larger plot brewing. I say grab this one and use it this weekend.
Hmm...maybe there is a campaign here.
What are your favorites? What have I missed that I should be playing.
But I am really doing my contemporaries a huge disservice. So today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite old-school adventures published within the last few years; aka the OSR adventures.
The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen
I have talked about this one a lot. It's a meat grinder and just a crazy, gonzo adventure with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It is great fun and you can read more of my experiences here, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2014/10/into-lair-of-vampire-queen.html
The Shrine of St. Aleena
Another great intro module and a great intro to what Old School Gaming can be.
I also covered this one here, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2013/10/review-shrine-of-st-aleena.html
Oak Grove Whispers
Another great intro module set outside of the City of Domvay (and included in the special edition print versions of the book). If The Shrine of St. Aleena works for you then give this one as a try. This is more straightforward.
Dwimmermount
A lot can be said (and has been said) about this mega-dungeon/campaign, but one thing is for sure. Autarch really saved this project. I am not a huge fan of mega-dungeons, but this really is a must have. I think in the end what sells me on this project is it's vision. Sure it could be described (and has been) as a monumental act of hubris OR you could look at it as a commentary on how the OSR solidified 70s and 80s nostalgia into a post-millennial marketing tool. It might not be the best at saying what we do, but it is an honest look.
Castle of the Mad Archmage
This might be the closest we will ever get to exploring Castle Greyhawk. Yeah it is not perfect, but the effort and work here is beyond reproach and it is a damn fun adventure. This is also on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Dwimmermount. Like the other mega dungeon this is the vision of one man, in this case Joseph Bloch. Though were Dwimmeromount received much hype CotMA just quietly got published with no drama. When Bloch has done Kickstarters they have been on point, fast and he usually gets people their materials WAY before he promised he would. This is also a good example of the OSR ethic. There is still nostalgia here but it took a different path.
No Salvation for Witches
I will be honest. I find most of James Raggi's adventures to be unplayable.
Not due to content or anything like that. I just believe that the GMs job is to help characters to greatness, not stick them into an adventure where they have no chance of winning. I don't mind a meat grinder now and then (see Vampire Queen above) but not a design philosophy centered around fucking with the players. Tomb of Horrors was a one time deal, not a template for every adventure.
That being said I like No Salvation for Witches. It still has the same art quality one expects from LotFP and the adventure still has buckets of gore, but author Rafael Chandler brings some of the same splatter-punk horror the he demonstrated in his own Teratic Tome (which would make a good add-in for this). I like the setting and the plot is something taken out of the most salacious accounts of the witch trails. Well if those accounts were embellished a little by Clive Barker.
NSFW (cute) is set in LotFP's pseudo historical Europe, but frankly I would rather take it and set it in the world of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea to give it that "older and colder" feel that AS&SH does so well.
Liberation of the Demon Slayer
Venger As’Nas Satanis has a reputation comparable to James Raggi. Liberation of the Demon Slayer does nothing to change this. Also this adventure is something I might like to run under Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. There is a mix of demons, devils and Lovecraftian beasts/gods that somehow feels right for that world. There is a lot of the author's advice for running and some of his house rules. Normally I might ignore these, but they seem central to his design philosophy that maybe, just for this adventure, they should be used.
If you, like me, love eldritch abominations and dark magic then this the adventure for you. The adventure itself "sounds" simple enough. Retrieve a demon killing sword from the caves to stop the demons attack your village. Easy peasy. Trouble is that the author grew up when dungeons-as-meat-grinders were a thing. This adventure though is closer in tone and danger to the Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen than it is to most Lamentations of the Flame Princess products. With the right DM this could be a great and dangerous adventure where the party could live. Sure they could all easily die too. One can read this and imagine that all of the author's games are a bit like it.
Actually I have known the author for a number of years and yeah this is exactly the kind of things I expect in his games. I think the difference here with this adventure and some of his earlier material is there is a maturity here to accept the absurd. This adventure can be played straight or with a dash of dark humor. Think of it as a horror movie, even the scariest have a touch of humor to them; it sets you up for the bigger punch later down the road.
Curiously enough in my own games I do have an epic weapon for killing demons. In my current world state this sword is lost and a quest is needed to recover it. Maybe this is what I need. If so then the value of this adventure just increased ten-fold for me. I am going to have to spend some quality time with it and a pencil to see if it can be recrafted into something that fits my world a little better.
The Snake's Heart - A Lost Age Adventure
This is my newest one. The overall feel of this one is like an action movie. Maybe more like a horror-action movie, but you get the idea. The adventure is hard core old school. It is compatible with S&W: White Box but like most of the OSR adventures it can be used with just about any rules. The file is a pretty simple affair; 19 pages, line art. So nothing too fancy, but the aesthetic is very, very old school. It looks like something your older brother's friend who was the first kid in the neighborhood to play D&D might have made; only a lot better.
The adventure itself starts with a simple set up and encounter (I like adventures that make the players DO something right away) and then that simple encounter leads to a confrontation with an evil cult. Shenanigans ensue. The adventure takes a few cues from more modern adventures and separates encounters. The effect this has is to keep the action flowing. If this were a movie it would be Raiders of the Lost Ark or, more aptly, The Temple of Doom. At just under $2.00 it is also perfect for an afternoon when you want to play something but don't have an adventure ready to go.
For myself I might make some minor changes here and there. Snake Goddesses are fun and all but what if I need a Wolf Goddess or a Centipede one? It make a great introduction for some characters that have already been through one adventure and are their way to the larger plot brewing. I say grab this one and use it this weekend.
Hmm...maybe there is a campaign here.
What are your favorites? What have I missed that I should be playing.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
DriveThru Drive by: GMs Week!
Been a really busy day today at work so I'll make this one short.
DriveThruRPG is having their annual GMs Week sales.
This is always a great time to pick up that game or book you have been wanting but also wanted a sale to do it.
Still working through all my books too. Picked up the audio book of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". "The Mist-Torn Witches" is turning out to be really good.
DriveThruRPG is having their annual GMs Week sales.
This is always a great time to pick up that game or book you have been wanting but also wanted a sale to do it.
Still working through all my books too. Picked up the audio book of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". "The Mist-Torn Witches" is turning out to be really good.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Wizards of the Coast Sale at DriveThruRPG
Right now every Wizards of the Coast D&D product at DriveThruRPG is now on sale.
And there are some great deals.
D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic) for $5.00
Seriously, if you don't have this grab it now. Just do it.
Rules Compendium (3.5) for $7.00
For D&D 3.5. I don't even have this (was burned out on 3.5 when it was published) but I am grabbing it now.
D&D Rules Compendium (4e) $5.00
I have a post coming up that the 4e might find a new life online thanks to cheap PDFs. This is certainly a good place to start.
I would also like to point out the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1e). This thing is really high priced on eBay, but here it is only $8.50.
Grab these and more now.
And there are some great deals.
D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic) for $5.00
Seriously, if you don't have this grab it now. Just do it.
Rules Compendium (3.5) for $7.00
For D&D 3.5. I don't even have this (was burned out on 3.5 when it was published) but I am grabbing it now.
D&D Rules Compendium (4e) $5.00
I have a post coming up that the 4e might find a new life online thanks to cheap PDFs. This is certainly a good place to start.
I would also like to point out the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1e). This thing is really high priced on eBay, but here it is only $8.50.
Grab these and more now.
Monday, January 5, 2015
New Year, New Game 2015
It's a new year and DriveThruRPG is running their New Year, New Game sale for 2015.
There some great games here all at 15% off. Many I have talked about here in the past.
Here are some of my top choices.
Do yourself a favor and try something new.
There some great games here all at 15% off. Many I have talked about here in the past.
Here are some of my top choices.
- Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
- Amaranthine: Romance, Vendetta, Forever
- Basic Roleplaying
- BESM (Big Eyes, Small Mouth) 3rd Edition
- Calidar, In Stranger Skies
- Call of Cthulhu
- Cogs, Cakes & Swordsticks
- Colonial Gothic: Rulebook Second Edition
- Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG
- Exalted Second Edition
- Hero Kids - Fantasy RPG
- ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying: The Assembled Edition
- Legend
- Meddling Kids
- Mythic Britain
- OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game (the new version)
- QAGS Second Edition
- Rise of the Drow
- THE SECRET FIRE Roleplaying Game
- Sex, Lies and Ultraspies
- Silver Age Sentinels Standard Tri-Stat Edition
- Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition
- Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition
- The Victory System: Core Rulebook
- Victoriana 3rd Edition
- Weird Adventures
Do yourself a favor and try something new.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Pulling Games
So unless you have not caught up on your reading yet this week (I haven't really myself) then you might not know that OneBookShelf, the owners of DriveThruRPG and RPGNow have opted to pull a title by +James Desborough from their virtual shelves.
Here are the links of what people are saying today.
http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/gamergate-the-card-game-released/
TL;DR. OBS pulled James "Grim" Desborough's latest game, a card game based on "Gamer Gate".
You can see OBS' comments here:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/drivethrurpgcom/dear-publishers-banned-a-title-on-onebookshelf-marketplaces/10153001549944095
I don't want to spend a lot of time on this. But here it goes.
1. I support OBS' stand on their right to pull any game they choose. It's their store. They can choose what they want to sell or not.
2. I support Grim in making and selling any game he wants. I do not agree with his stance on Gamer Gate, but I also feel the guy is often accused to saying and doing things he actually never said. He says on his own blog, posts and everywhere else that if we have a question just ask him. Turns out that works great. I do think it sucks that his game was tossed out pretty much sight-unseen.
So my issue is not really with OBS or James.
My issue is with the publisher that forced OBS to make a decision. They used their own market power as a bullying tactic to get a game they, or rather one person in particular, did not like. It was a dick move.
This is not the first time this particular publisher has pulled some rather dickish stunts. In fact it is the third I have heard of in the last year.
I am not getting into details. I have no desire to challenge this publisher and no power whatsoever to have them address their own bad behavior. All I can do is not play or promote their games here.
If you want to buy the Gamer Gate card game, then please head over to Postmortem Studios http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com/. I have no interest in it myself, but maybe I'll buy something to show support. Machinations of the Space Princess is a good choice.
Here are the links of what people are saying today.
- http://nuelow.blogspot.com/2014/12/more-gamergate-nonsense.html
- http://nuelow.blogspot.com/2014/12/final-word-on-gamergate-card-game-and.html
- http://dorkland.blogspot.com/2014/12/onebookshelf-and-that-voldemort-card.html
- http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2014/12/if-onebookshelf-banned-game-what-would.html
- http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2014/12/on-hack-slash-tv-2-onebookshelf-bans.html
- https://cirsova.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/gamergate-card-game-designer-statement/
- http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/gamergate-card-game-designer-statement/
http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/gamergate-the-card-game-released/
TL;DR. OBS pulled James "Grim" Desborough's latest game, a card game based on "Gamer Gate".
You can see OBS' comments here:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/drivethrurpgcom/dear-publishers-banned-a-title-on-onebookshelf-marketplaces/10153001549944095
I don't want to spend a lot of time on this. But here it goes.
1. I support OBS' stand on their right to pull any game they choose. It's their store. They can choose what they want to sell or not.
2. I support Grim in making and selling any game he wants. I do not agree with his stance on Gamer Gate, but I also feel the guy is often accused to saying and doing things he actually never said. He says on his own blog, posts and everywhere else that if we have a question just ask him. Turns out that works great. I do think it sucks that his game was tossed out pretty much sight-unseen.
So my issue is not really with OBS or James.
My issue is with the publisher that forced OBS to make a decision. They used their own market power as a bullying tactic to get a game they, or rather one person in particular, did not like. It was a dick move.
This is not the first time this particular publisher has pulled some rather dickish stunts. In fact it is the third I have heard of in the last year.
I am not getting into details. I have no desire to challenge this publisher and no power whatsoever to have them address their own bad behavior. All I can do is not play or promote their games here.
If you want to buy the Gamer Gate card game, then please head over to Postmortem Studios http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com/. I have no interest in it myself, but maybe I'll buy something to show support. Machinations of the Space Princess is a good choice.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Review: Colonial Gothic
Last night was the Fall Finale of the TV show "Sleepy Hollow". It is a fun show and has a great premise and lots of great monster. But the joy of the show is Tom Mison's fish-out-of-water Ichabod Crane and Nicole Baharie's no-nonsense cop Lt. Abbie Mills. It is a great mix of action, horror, humor and cop procedural formulas. There are also some great supporting roles from Katia Winter as witch Katrina Crane (nee Van Tassel), John Nobel as Harry Parish aka Jeremy Crane and Lyndie Greenwood as Jenny Mills, Abbie's sister.
Watching the show has got me psyched for my "Spirit of '76" game for Chill. It has also sent me back to an old favorite of mine, Colonial Gothic.
I was introduced to Colonial Gothic at Gen Con a few years back by the authors at Rogue Games. They were easily the friendliest people I talked to that day and their enthusiasm for their game was infectious. I know every game company loves their own games, but these guys were over the moon with Colonial Gothic. I can totally understand why too. It is, too my knowledge, a fairly unique time period to be gaming in. Maybe I am reading too much into it since I am a fan of the time period, but it was still great to talk to them.
They have great web support for their games and a ton (ok, a little more than a dozen) of pdfs for sale. Honestly it is a game I wish I played more of. Which is a shame since +Richard Iorio II actually lives fairly close to me.
Colonial Gothic Rulebook 2nd Edition
The best thing about this book right out of the gate is it compatible with the older, and out of print, Colonial Gothic Rulebook. So all the books I have from Gen Con are still good.
CG uses the same d12 based (I remember the guys at the Rogue Games booth going on with glee on how they used the often neglected d12!) system that you find in Shadow, Sword & Spell (I am not 100% sure, but both games look like they are completely compatible with each other).
The core book comes in at 282 pages, plus covers. The second thing I noticed that this book is much better looking than the first core book. No slight against that book, but this one is a gem. The first book had a nice hip "indie" feel about it. This book manages to pull off "indie" and "big time professional" between it's two covers. I like that.
But what is Colonial Gothic? From the book:
The game mechanics are rather simple, which is a good thing, most often it is 2d12 +/- mods vs. a Target Number. It is called the 12° System. Often the Target Number is your Ability + Skill and rolled under. In other cases, such as an Ability test, you roll 1d12 and roll under the ability. Opposed Tests include things like combat. There are also Critical Success (double "1"s) and Critical Failures (double "12"s). Also the degrees of success (or failure) are important. In combat for example your degree of success is a multiplier to the damage. So is you need a 15 and roll a modified 10 you have 5 degrees of success. Simple.
Chapter One covers all the basic rules from Abilities and Skills, to combat, to movement and even common ailments (and uncommon ones) to fear and sanity.
Chapter Two is Character Creation. You get 45 points to divide out to your abilities (7 is human average). You can then choose a background ("class" for you class and level types; archetypes for everyone else) and then you get 45 points for your skills. These point totals can also be shifted up or down depending on the nature of the game. 40 for more grit, 50 for more action-adventure types.
The new aspect is the choice of 5 character hooks. These provide your character with more detail and background and help explain why your character is an adventurer and not just a common Joe or Jane.
Chapter Three goes into more detail about Skills and Hooks.
Chapter Four covers magic, the magical arts and common spells and Alchemy. Magic has a price in CG and not everyone is cut out for it. Witches presented here are mostly evil, but there is some wiggle room.
Chapter Five covers weapons, currency, equipment and trade. This is actually quite an important chapter since goods or the availability of them is not just part of the real Colonial history, but makes a great plot point.
Chapter Six is a guide to the Colonies. It is a nice mix of history, geography and the occult conceits of the game. If you know some of the history of this time then you have an edge up, but there is a lot of great information here. Obviously some liberties have been taken, but it is less alt-history than I feared.
Chapter Seven covers enemies and monsters. Both mundane and magical. At this time even a mundane bear is a threat.
Chapter Eight covers advice for the game master and campaign ideas.
Colonial Gothic: The Player Companion
This is the newest book (as of this writing) to the Colonial Gothic line. Mostly though this is related to the cover. As the title suggests this is a set of options for players of the Colonial Gothic game.
We get a list of new skills and some additions to old skills. Normally I prefer it when a game reuses old skills in new ways, esp. point buy games where the budget per skill is not likely to change. After all Character A created with the Core has the same 45 points as Character B created with this book. In this case though it works both thematically and systematically.
Chapter Two covers Advantages and Disadvantages. Characters are given 4 points to buy advantages and can also take disadvantages. Works pretty much like other systems in that respect, save there are not pages and pages of them (like for example GURPS). Most in fact are story related and can be used in conjunction with the character's Background.
Chapter Three covers family and social status. A must have really for playing in this age.
Chapter Four has a bunch of character templates. So if you want to play a Native Shaman or emulate your Assassin's Creed character then this is a great place to start.
Chapter Five details more combat options and how to use them. Think of these as advanced combat skills.
Chapter Six has more magic including Counter-Spelling and more Common and Arcane Spells.
Chapter Seven has more equipment.
All in all worthy, but not really required additions to the game. It is one of the books that if you don't know about it, you won't miss it, but if you do then you will wonder how you got on with out it.
If there is a 3rd Edition of Colonial Gothic then a lot of these rules should be folded into the main core rules.
Colonial Gothic: Gazetteer
This book calls itself a Gazetteer, but "Campaign Sourcebook" might be more appropriate. Written for the 1st Edition of Colonial Gothic it works just fine under 2nd Edition.
Chapter 1 covers the history of the colonies from early English and Dutch colonization right on up to 1775. Principle wars are discussed and colonial growth covered.
Chapters 2 through 14 cover the original 13 colonies in detail including basic demographics and major towns. Points of interest are also featured in each chapter as well as anything out of the ordinary.
Chapter 15 is devoted to the Native American people. An overview of their history and cultures is given, but by necessity it is short. In truth an entire Colonial Gothic book could be done just on the various Native american tribes and nations.
Te last chapter is a ready to run adventure, "A Surprise for General Gage".
There are two Appendices. First a Glossary and then a Bibliography. I want to take a moment to point out that all of the Colonial Gothic books always feature a very robust (for a game book) bibliography. This one is no exception to that rule. This one includes books, game books and even some online resources. Certainly worth your time to investigate a few of these.
Colonial Gothic Bestiary
I have said it many times. You can never have too many monsters. The Colonial Gothic Bestiary satisfies that craving and then some. At 110 pages it is full of monsters and many are illustrated. The artwork varies. Personally I am a fan of the older wood cut images, but I know those are are difficult to find perfect representations of various beasts. The monsters themselves are a varied lot; some local monsters like the Jersey Devil and some "from back home" like the Gargoyle and Gorgon.
I think this is a good mix, but I am more fond of the local fauna than something I can find in any book. I do have one nitpick (ok maybe two), first there is no Piasa Bird. A local legend from here in Illinois that I am surprised didn't make the cut. Supposedly the first mention of it is in 1673 (or the 1920s), Sure Illinois is way away from the Colonies. Though it was a very nearly a full state (1818) by the end point of the game, The War of 1812. The other was that the Chupacabra was included. The Chupa, for all it's fun, is squarely a 20th century invention. But these are only nitpicks, not criticisms. There are plenty of American Indian monsters too that could have been included. Some like a naaldlooshii would be good too (I know, Navajo and not near the Colonies...). Maybe A Bestiary 2 is in the works.
The indexes in back are quite useful since they also include creatures from the core rule books.
Lots of great creatures here and fully worth the price.
Colonial Gothic: The Grimoire
This is an expanded and updated version of the older Colonial Gothic: Witchcraft book and the Colonial Gothic: Secrets book. Both of which are out of print. It also has plenty of new material as well.
Chapter 1 covers new spells, Common and Arcane. The advantage of adding new spells to this game is one can easily say that the knowledge was just rediscovered. Some new book sent from overseas, an old book in the collection of a wealthy man or any other contrivance. There are quite a few new spells here to be honest.
Chapter 2 follows with a discussion on spell books. Their uses and how to get them. A few sample books are also included.
Chapter 3 introduces magical talismans to the game. Sort of Spell storing or keeping magical power. Not a lot here, but plenty of ideas.
Chapter 4 covers the related chapter of relics, items that have magical ability to them due to divine providence or some other happenstance.
Chapter 5 is dedicated to Witchcraft. Like the book it replaces, there are no rules for playing "good" witches. Fitting with the times all witches are assumed to be evil. Personally I would like to see a good witch, but I can make due.
Likewise Chapter 6 deals with occult items such as cold iron and holy water.
Finally Chapter 7 deals with new magical creatures. There is quite a Lovecraftian feel to this one. Not generic "Lovecraft" but actual monsters from his mythos.
There is an appendix with the Create Talisman and Witchcraft skills.
There is also a combined magical index of spells between this book and the Colonial Gothic core.
Colonial Gothic: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
This is a great little book to be honest. The first half is the story of Sleepy Hollow and the second half is how to use it in your Colonial Gothic Game. The geography of Sleepy Hollow, the Hudson and the Tapan Zee are discussed as well as Sleepy Hollow's role in history. It reads like a small campaign guide.
This book is not very big, nor does it cost very much, but it is certainly punching above it's weight class in terms of content.
Colonial Gothic True20 Version
The world of Colonial Gothic using the True20 system instead of it's normal house system. Typically when a product is converted to a "generic" system some of the style and feel is lost. Though I will say that CG survived with much more of it's soul intact. The system is normally a very easy one to learn so the conversion here does not sacrifice complexity. The game is still same, one of a supernatural New World as it becomes a new country, America.
The conversion does highlight many of the pluses of the game including it's atmosphere and style of play. It also allows you know to bring other True20 that might be helpful. In some ways I prefer this to the original, but the original is still very, very fun.
Colonia Gothic is really just a fun, great game. There is just so much potential here that I want to pull it out and just run a few games with it.
If you are into American History, Horror, or even just the thrill of exploring something that is both well known and completely unknown then this is the game for you.
I was introduced to Colonial Gothic at Gen Con a few years back by the authors at Rogue Games. They were easily the friendliest people I talked to that day and their enthusiasm for their game was infectious. I know every game company loves their own games, but these guys were over the moon with Colonial Gothic. I can totally understand why too. It is, too my knowledge, a fairly unique time period to be gaming in. Maybe I am reading too much into it since I am a fan of the time period, but it was still great to talk to them.
They have great web support for their games and a ton (ok, a little more than a dozen) of pdfs for sale. Honestly it is a game I wish I played more of. Which is a shame since +Richard Iorio II actually lives fairly close to me.
Colonial Gothic Rulebook 2nd Edition
The best thing about this book right out of the gate is it compatible with the older, and out of print, Colonial Gothic Rulebook. So all the books I have from Gen Con are still good.
CG uses the same d12 based (I remember the guys at the Rogue Games booth going on with glee on how they used the often neglected d12!) system that you find in Shadow, Sword & Spell (I am not 100% sure, but both games look like they are completely compatible with each other).
The core book comes in at 282 pages, plus covers. The second thing I noticed that this book is much better looking than the first core book. No slight against that book, but this one is a gem. The first book had a nice hip "indie" feel about it. This book manages to pull off "indie" and "big time professional" between it's two covers. I like that.
But what is Colonial Gothic? From the book:
Colonial Gothic is a supernatural historical roleplaying game inspired by the history and setting of the American colonial period, from the founding of Roanoke in 1568 to the end of the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.Pretty cool if you ask me. For me Colonial Gothic continues the story that Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade began and Ghosts of Albion continued to the industrial age; science and reason over superstition and magic in a world filled with horrors. But CG is more than just that. In this game the "Americans" are on new soil, but it is only new to them. There are horrors native to this land and their are the horrors they brought with them.
The game mechanics are rather simple, which is a good thing, most often it is 2d12 +/- mods vs. a Target Number. It is called the 12° System. Often the Target Number is your Ability + Skill and rolled under. In other cases, such as an Ability test, you roll 1d12 and roll under the ability. Opposed Tests include things like combat. There are also Critical Success (double "1"s) and Critical Failures (double "12"s). Also the degrees of success (or failure) are important. In combat for example your degree of success is a multiplier to the damage. So is you need a 15 and roll a modified 10 you have 5 degrees of success. Simple.
Chapter One covers all the basic rules from Abilities and Skills, to combat, to movement and even common ailments (and uncommon ones) to fear and sanity.
Chapter Two is Character Creation. You get 45 points to divide out to your abilities (7 is human average). You can then choose a background ("class" for you class and level types; archetypes for everyone else) and then you get 45 points for your skills. These point totals can also be shifted up or down depending on the nature of the game. 40 for more grit, 50 for more action-adventure types.
The new aspect is the choice of 5 character hooks. These provide your character with more detail and background and help explain why your character is an adventurer and not just a common Joe or Jane.
Chapter Three goes into more detail about Skills and Hooks.
Chapter Four covers magic, the magical arts and common spells and Alchemy. Magic has a price in CG and not everyone is cut out for it. Witches presented here are mostly evil, but there is some wiggle room.
Chapter Five covers weapons, currency, equipment and trade. This is actually quite an important chapter since goods or the availability of them is not just part of the real Colonial history, but makes a great plot point.
Chapter Six is a guide to the Colonies. It is a nice mix of history, geography and the occult conceits of the game. If you know some of the history of this time then you have an edge up, but there is a lot of great information here. Obviously some liberties have been taken, but it is less alt-history than I feared.
Chapter Seven covers enemies and monsters. Both mundane and magical. At this time even a mundane bear is a threat.
Chapter Eight covers advice for the game master and campaign ideas.
Colonial Gothic: The Player Companion
This is the newest book (as of this writing) to the Colonial Gothic line. Mostly though this is related to the cover. As the title suggests this is a set of options for players of the Colonial Gothic game.
We get a list of new skills and some additions to old skills. Normally I prefer it when a game reuses old skills in new ways, esp. point buy games where the budget per skill is not likely to change. After all Character A created with the Core has the same 45 points as Character B created with this book. In this case though it works both thematically and systematically.
Chapter Two covers Advantages and Disadvantages. Characters are given 4 points to buy advantages and can also take disadvantages. Works pretty much like other systems in that respect, save there are not pages and pages of them (like for example GURPS). Most in fact are story related and can be used in conjunction with the character's Background.
Chapter Three covers family and social status. A must have really for playing in this age.
Chapter Four has a bunch of character templates. So if you want to play a Native Shaman or emulate your Assassin's Creed character then this is a great place to start.
Chapter Five details more combat options and how to use them. Think of these as advanced combat skills.
Chapter Six has more magic including Counter-Spelling and more Common and Arcane Spells.
Chapter Seven has more equipment.
All in all worthy, but not really required additions to the game. It is one of the books that if you don't know about it, you won't miss it, but if you do then you will wonder how you got on with out it.
If there is a 3rd Edition of Colonial Gothic then a lot of these rules should be folded into the main core rules.
This book calls itself a Gazetteer, but "Campaign Sourcebook" might be more appropriate. Written for the 1st Edition of Colonial Gothic it works just fine under 2nd Edition.
Chapter 1 covers the history of the colonies from early English and Dutch colonization right on up to 1775. Principle wars are discussed and colonial growth covered.
Chapters 2 through 14 cover the original 13 colonies in detail including basic demographics and major towns. Points of interest are also featured in each chapter as well as anything out of the ordinary.
Chapter 15 is devoted to the Native American people. An overview of their history and cultures is given, but by necessity it is short. In truth an entire Colonial Gothic book could be done just on the various Native american tribes and nations.
Te last chapter is a ready to run adventure, "A Surprise for General Gage".
There are two Appendices. First a Glossary and then a Bibliography. I want to take a moment to point out that all of the Colonial Gothic books always feature a very robust (for a game book) bibliography. This one is no exception to that rule. This one includes books, game books and even some online resources. Certainly worth your time to investigate a few of these.
Colonial Gothic Bestiary
I have said it many times. You can never have too many monsters. The Colonial Gothic Bestiary satisfies that craving and then some. At 110 pages it is full of monsters and many are illustrated. The artwork varies. Personally I am a fan of the older wood cut images, but I know those are are difficult to find perfect representations of various beasts. The monsters themselves are a varied lot; some local monsters like the Jersey Devil and some "from back home" like the Gargoyle and Gorgon.
I think this is a good mix, but I am more fond of the local fauna than something I can find in any book. I do have one nitpick (ok maybe two), first there is no Piasa Bird. A local legend from here in Illinois that I am surprised didn't make the cut. Supposedly the first mention of it is in 1673 (or the 1920s), Sure Illinois is way away from the Colonies. Though it was a very nearly a full state (1818) by the end point of the game, The War of 1812. The other was that the Chupacabra was included. The Chupa, for all it's fun, is squarely a 20th century invention. But these are only nitpicks, not criticisms. There are plenty of American Indian monsters too that could have been included. Some like a naaldlooshii would be good too (I know, Navajo and not near the Colonies...). Maybe A Bestiary 2 is in the works.
The indexes in back are quite useful since they also include creatures from the core rule books.
Lots of great creatures here and fully worth the price.
Colonial Gothic: The Grimoire
This is an expanded and updated version of the older Colonial Gothic: Witchcraft book and the Colonial Gothic: Secrets book. Both of which are out of print. It also has plenty of new material as well.
Chapter 1 covers new spells, Common and Arcane. The advantage of adding new spells to this game is one can easily say that the knowledge was just rediscovered. Some new book sent from overseas, an old book in the collection of a wealthy man or any other contrivance. There are quite a few new spells here to be honest.
Chapter 2 follows with a discussion on spell books. Their uses and how to get them. A few sample books are also included.
Chapter 3 introduces magical talismans to the game. Sort of Spell storing or keeping magical power. Not a lot here, but plenty of ideas.
Chapter 4 covers the related chapter of relics, items that have magical ability to them due to divine providence or some other happenstance.
Chapter 5 is dedicated to Witchcraft. Like the book it replaces, there are no rules for playing "good" witches. Fitting with the times all witches are assumed to be evil. Personally I would like to see a good witch, but I can make due.
Likewise Chapter 6 deals with occult items such as cold iron and holy water.
Finally Chapter 7 deals with new magical creatures. There is quite a Lovecraftian feel to this one. Not generic "Lovecraft" but actual monsters from his mythos.
There is an appendix with the Create Talisman and Witchcraft skills.
There is also a combined magical index of spells between this book and the Colonial Gothic core.
Colonial Gothic: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
This is a great little book to be honest. The first half is the story of Sleepy Hollow and the second half is how to use it in your Colonial Gothic Game. The geography of Sleepy Hollow, the Hudson and the Tapan Zee are discussed as well as Sleepy Hollow's role in history. It reads like a small campaign guide.
This book is not very big, nor does it cost very much, but it is certainly punching above it's weight class in terms of content.
Colonial Gothic True20 Version
The world of Colonial Gothic using the True20 system instead of it's normal house system. Typically when a product is converted to a "generic" system some of the style and feel is lost. Though I will say that CG survived with much more of it's soul intact. The system is normally a very easy one to learn so the conversion here does not sacrifice complexity. The game is still same, one of a supernatural New World as it becomes a new country, America.
The conversion does highlight many of the pluses of the game including it's atmosphere and style of play. It also allows you know to bring other True20 that might be helpful. In some ways I prefer this to the original, but the original is still very, very fun.
Colonia Gothic is really just a fun, great game. There is just so much potential here that I want to pull it out and just run a few games with it.
If you are into American History, Horror, or even just the thrill of exploring something that is both well known and completely unknown then this is the game for you.
Ghosts of Albion Black Friday...Week Sale
If you have ever wanted to try the game I call my "magnum opus", Ghosts of Albion, then now is your chance.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/56971/Ghosts-of-Albion?affiliate_id=10748
The PDF is on sale for just under $5 now.
From the book:
“There are things in this world that do not belong here - evil things. Supernatural creatures that are neither myth nor legend. They are, in fact, quite real. These Enemies of Humanity would like to claim the world for themselves. Yet, in every corner of the globe, there are those who stand in their way - mystical guardians who protect the primeval essence of the Earth. The soul of England - its mystic spirit - is called Albion. Throughout the centuries it has had many champions - brave men and women who fought to maintain our freedom. For many decades, one man kept Albion's enemies at bay. Using magic and intelligence, Ludlow Swift protected England from the encroaching darkness.But change is in the air—”
- From the Journal of Tamara Swift, Protector of Albion
Join this epic struggle of Humanity vs. the agents of darkness with the “Ghost’s of Albion Roleplaying Game” from Eden Studios.
Set in London at the dawn of the Victorian age, players join in the fight to keep the ever-present forces of evil at bay. Whether fighting a demon prince or even a band of infant stealing faeries, the battle wages on. Characters can join the fight as normal humans, ghosts, mysterious faeries or even wield the magic of the Protectors themselves. All against a backdrop of Victorian England with a dark supernatural undercurrent.
Based on Amber Benson and Christopher Golden’s wildly popular BBCi drama “Ghosts of Albion” and includes new material from the creators themselves, featuring new fiction and a complete, ready to run adventure.
The “Ghosts of Albion RPG” features the Eden “Cinematic Unisystem” game system, designed by award winning game designer C.J. Carella, and written by Timothy S. Brannan (previous work includes the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG”).
“Ghosts’” Other features include:
This game is my pride and joy. If I never write another game as long as I live I will be happy because I wrote this one.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/56971/Ghosts-of-Albion?affiliate_id=10748
The PDF is on sale for just under $5 now.
From the book:
“There are things in this world that do not belong here - evil things. Supernatural creatures that are neither myth nor legend. They are, in fact, quite real. These Enemies of Humanity would like to claim the world for themselves. Yet, in every corner of the globe, there are those who stand in their way - mystical guardians who protect the primeval essence of the Earth. The soul of England - its mystic spirit - is called Albion. Throughout the centuries it has had many champions - brave men and women who fought to maintain our freedom. For many decades, one man kept Albion's enemies at bay. Using magic and intelligence, Ludlow Swift protected England from the encroaching darkness.But change is in the air—”
- From the Journal of Tamara Swift, Protector of Albion
Join this epic struggle of Humanity vs. the agents of darkness with the “Ghost’s of Albion Roleplaying Game” from Eden Studios.
Set in London at the dawn of the Victorian age, players join in the fight to keep the ever-present forces of evil at bay. Whether fighting a demon prince or even a band of infant stealing faeries, the battle wages on. Characters can join the fight as normal humans, ghosts, mysterious faeries or even wield the magic of the Protectors themselves. All against a backdrop of Victorian England with a dark supernatural undercurrent.
Based on Amber Benson and Christopher Golden’s wildly popular BBCi drama “Ghosts of Albion” and includes new material from the creators themselves, featuring new fiction and a complete, ready to run adventure.
The “Ghosts of Albion RPG” features the Eden “Cinematic Unisystem” game system, designed by award winning game designer C.J. Carella, and written by Timothy S. Brannan (previous work includes the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG”).
“Ghosts’” Other features include:
- New rules designed to fit the grittier Victorian age, but still compatible with other Cinematic Unisystem games from Eden.
- Rules for playing everything from a street-side flower salesgirl to ancient ghosts, and inhuman faeries all united for the cause of Humanity and Albion.
- Expanded rules on playing Faerie, Ghost and Vampire characters.
- Full character write-ups for William and Tamara Swift, their ghostly cohorts and the various vampires, ferals, ethereals and demons that stalk the night.
- Expanded magical rules for magical combat and battles.
This game is my pride and joy. If I never write another game as long as I live I will be happy because I wrote this one.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Teach Your Kids to Game Week
It is Teach Your Kids to Game week over at DriveThruRPG.
I love these sorts of games. Sure I way beyond "learning to game" myself and so are my kids. But back about 10 years ago my son wanted to play with my funny sided dice.
Back then I used D&D 3.0 to teach gaming to my boys and it worked nice. In retrospect I might of done something a little different. Maybe something like Basic D&D (a current fave) or even a streamlined version of AD&D.
So I really love seeing games like these and there are lot to choose from.
Here are a few of my favorites.
Little Wizards
If you have a kid that loves Harry Potter or Kiki's Delivery Service then this is the game to get. Quick, Easy and Fun could be the tag line for this game. The stats are simple really. Three traits, some powers and of course a description of your wand and familiar. I am disappointed I have not used this game more myself. It might be a "kids" game but it packs a lot of punch and frankly is one of the most clever little games I have seen in a long time. The Character sheet is a treat too.
Hero Kids - Fantasy RPG
I have a lot of love for this game. I was supposed to submit an adventure for it, the Cave of the Stinky Goblin, which is the very first adventure I ever ran for my own son. A Goblin is washing his stinky clothes and garbage in the river and smelling up the town of West Haven. This game, like many others here, use a simple d6 based mechanic. This is good since that is what most people have in their homes. My kids were attracted to my multi-sided dice, butI see no reason why you could not just replace all the d6s in HK with d8s for example.
The rules are light and fast. There are plenty of character sheets for all four classes and blanks along with cutout minis. There are a lot of monsters too.
Calling "D&D lite" does not really do the game justice, but it is rather close.
Mermaid Adventures RPG
I don't know much about this one but I have heard nothing but very high praise for it.
Monsters and Other Childish Things: Completely Monstrous Edition
This is a game that works well as a "kids" game, but there is enough here for adults to have fun with it. I have always wanted to use this as a "dark Pokemon" (and that is saying something) or even a very dark version of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
Kids & Critters RPG Trilogy
An absolute steal at this price.
For under 3 bucks you get 3 complete games for kids.
Tales from the Wood where you play creatures from The Wood. Think Watership Down.
Lashings of Ginger Beer is about playing a kid in Idyllic England, so it might actually work best for adults. Most similar to kids adventure tales.
It's a Dog's LIfe is the best of the three where you play a Prairie Dog out on the American Plains with heavy American Indian/Native American influences.
All three games are simple to learn and easy to play.
These games require a bit more abstraction to play than some other kid games, but nothing a little kid with a great imagination couldn't handle.
Faery's Tale Deluxe
I reviewed this one a while back.
Toy War
Toy War takes very simple rules (and also teaches kids how to use a ruler) to bring their favorite toys to life. Each toy has a purpose and something it does well. In one session we brought in a baby harp seal (was cute), a toy Dalek (can shoot), a space ship and some D&D dragons. We came up with this idea to rescue some fish and we were off. The adventure is fast and fun. In the end we saved the fish, only to have them eaten by the baby seal. The baby seal got away with it because he was cute.
Depending on your kids this could be a game of structured make believe or even an on-going saga. Or it can be a great diversion for a rain or snowy afternoon.
Worth every penny and then some.
DC ADVENTURES Hero's Handbook
For older kids to be sure. I have reviewed this one and it's Mutant & Masterminds parents a number of times here/
Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Reviewed here and here.
Cavemaster RPG
Cavemaster might one of the biggest games here on my list (outside of DCA). This is a "stonepunk" game where you play cavemen. Some kids might love this idea, others might be turned off on it. For me I think it is an excellent concept and would work with a group generally smarter kids. Kids that for example would understand our pre-history origins.
What makes this good for kids is that the system itself is so easy to use. In fact one of the conceits of the game is it is molded after the first RPGs played by cave men. Well...not really...and Game Designer Jeff Dee knows this, but it is still fun.
The game is rich and detailed and really deserves a deeper look on my part.
Witch Girls Adventures: Director's Cut
Reviewed throughout my blog.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/search/label/wga
I do wish that The Second Edition would come out.
Monster Slayers: The Heroes of Hesiod
This one IS actually D&D lite. I reviewed it here, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/04/d-4-kids-monster-slayers-heroes-of.html
Mutants & Marvels
From the OSR's own Tom Doolan this game is a mix of D&D & Marvel Super Heroes (FASERIP), or rather OSR games and 4C. Streamed down into just under 45 pages it makes it a great 1st supers game for kids or an on going game for the right group of adults.
Grab one of these.
I love these sorts of games. Sure I way beyond "learning to game" myself and so are my kids. But back about 10 years ago my son wanted to play with my funny sided dice.
Back then I used D&D 3.0 to teach gaming to my boys and it worked nice. In retrospect I might of done something a little different. Maybe something like Basic D&D (a current fave) or even a streamlined version of AD&D.
So I really love seeing games like these and there are lot to choose from.
Here are a few of my favorites.
Little Wizards
If you have a kid that loves Harry Potter or Kiki's Delivery Service then this is the game to get. Quick, Easy and Fun could be the tag line for this game. The stats are simple really. Three traits, some powers and of course a description of your wand and familiar. I am disappointed I have not used this game more myself. It might be a "kids" game but it packs a lot of punch and frankly is one of the most clever little games I have seen in a long time. The Character sheet is a treat too.
Hero Kids - Fantasy RPG
I have a lot of love for this game. I was supposed to submit an adventure for it, the Cave of the Stinky Goblin, which is the very first adventure I ever ran for my own son. A Goblin is washing his stinky clothes and garbage in the river and smelling up the town of West Haven. This game, like many others here, use a simple d6 based mechanic. This is good since that is what most people have in their homes. My kids were attracted to my multi-sided dice, butI see no reason why you could not just replace all the d6s in HK with d8s for example.
The rules are light and fast. There are plenty of character sheets for all four classes and blanks along with cutout minis. There are a lot of monsters too.
Calling "D&D lite" does not really do the game justice, but it is rather close.
Mermaid Adventures RPG
I don't know much about this one but I have heard nothing but very high praise for it.
Monsters and Other Childish Things: Completely Monstrous Edition
This is a game that works well as a "kids" game, but there is enough here for adults to have fun with it. I have always wanted to use this as a "dark Pokemon" (and that is saying something) or even a very dark version of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
Kids & Critters RPG Trilogy
An absolute steal at this price.
For under 3 bucks you get 3 complete games for kids.
Tales from the Wood where you play creatures from The Wood. Think Watership Down.
Lashings of Ginger Beer is about playing a kid in Idyllic England, so it might actually work best for adults. Most similar to kids adventure tales.
It's a Dog's LIfe is the best of the three where you play a Prairie Dog out on the American Plains with heavy American Indian/Native American influences.
All three games are simple to learn and easy to play.
These games require a bit more abstraction to play than some other kid games, but nothing a little kid with a great imagination couldn't handle.
Faery's Tale Deluxe
I reviewed this one a while back.
Toy War
Toy War takes very simple rules (and also teaches kids how to use a ruler) to bring their favorite toys to life. Each toy has a purpose and something it does well. In one session we brought in a baby harp seal (was cute), a toy Dalek (can shoot), a space ship and some D&D dragons. We came up with this idea to rescue some fish and we were off. The adventure is fast and fun. In the end we saved the fish, only to have them eaten by the baby seal. The baby seal got away with it because he was cute.
Depending on your kids this could be a game of structured make believe or even an on-going saga. Or it can be a great diversion for a rain or snowy afternoon.
Worth every penny and then some.
DC ADVENTURES Hero's Handbook
For older kids to be sure. I have reviewed this one and it's Mutant & Masterminds parents a number of times here/
Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Reviewed here and here.
Cavemaster RPG
Cavemaster might one of the biggest games here on my list (outside of DCA). This is a "stonepunk" game where you play cavemen. Some kids might love this idea, others might be turned off on it. For me I think it is an excellent concept and would work with a group generally smarter kids. Kids that for example would understand our pre-history origins.
What makes this good for kids is that the system itself is so easy to use. In fact one of the conceits of the game is it is molded after the first RPGs played by cave men. Well...not really...and Game Designer Jeff Dee knows this, but it is still fun.
The game is rich and detailed and really deserves a deeper look on my part.
Witch Girls Adventures: Director's Cut
Reviewed throughout my blog.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/search/label/wga
I do wish that The Second Edition would come out.
Monster Slayers: The Heroes of Hesiod
This one IS actually D&D lite. I reviewed it here, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/04/d-4-kids-monster-slayers-heroes-of.html
Mutants & Marvels
From the OSR's own Tom Doolan this game is a mix of D&D & Marvel Super Heroes (FASERIP), or rather OSR games and 4C. Streamed down into just under 45 pages it makes it a great 1st supers game for kids or an on going game for the right group of adults.
Grab one of these.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Reviews: Victorian Era Games, LPJ Design Edition
I love Victorian Era games. I own most of the classics and many of the non-classics in dead tree versions and nearly everything on PDF. I am a tad bit obsessive. But I also play most of these games too. It is just a fun time to play in.
Here are a few that I have enjoyed, but have not talked about much. First up a few from LPJ Design. These were released in the d20 days and have been retooled for Pathfinder.
Victorian Age Feats
14 pages of new feats (12 of content and 2 of OGL). While there is a Victorian sensibility to these, most, if not all could be used in Pathfinder or d20 Modern. In particular I liked the Astrology, Bookworm, Charmed, Empathy, Expert Healer and Look Harmless feats. Others like Puritan Witchfinder might be more suited for 200 years before the Victorian times. A bit of a different feel to feats which I like. With a price of under 2 bucks this is a pretty good deal really.
Victorian Age Feats 2
Like Victorian Age Feats, this product is 14 pages (11.5 for content, 2.5 for OGL). It offers a wide variety of interesting feats to use with your d20/Pathfinder based game. Again what strikes me the most about these is how well they work with Pathfinder out of the box. A minor quibble though. Some of the feats are related to guns, this is fine, but the Victorian era saw a wide variety in technology related to firearms. The "Rip a Clip" feat is fine, but only useful for firearms created after 1890 (near the end of the era). Also not appropriate for Pathfinder even with the Gunslinger (but that is not a strike against this product).
For under 2 bucks it is a good deal, but I didn't like it as much as the first.
Victorian Horrors: Jack the Ripper
It is very difficult to talk about the late Victorian period and NOT mention Jack the Ripper. This 6 page PDF covers how to use Jack in your games and assumes that he will be an adversary of the Characters. Two possible means of link Jack to the PCs as a nemesis are discussed. Some detail is given on the public and police reaction to the Ripper case. Some basic d20 crunch is given to help move the players along.
Stats are given for Jack the Ripper (d20 Modern) and some ideas are given based on the level of magic in your games.
The text of the "Jack the Ripper letters" are reproduced.
While I think this is a good starting effort a lot more could have been done. For example a time-line of the Ripper case should have been included and the names of his victims. Also a map of the killings would have been extremely helpful. While all of this is readily available, that is also the exact reason why it should have been included. As it stands this is just a PDF of a potential threat to the PCs with not much in it that says it is Jack the Ripper.
Victorian Horrors: Martian Invaders
A much better effort here than the Jack the Ripper product. This details the Martian invasion ala H.G. Wells. This product details the Martians, their crafts and their technology. Though curiously missing are stats for the Martian alien themselves. Also while the inspiration is obviously Wells, he is not mentioned in this product. Quotes from the War of the Worlds text would have also been nice. Plus there is not much here that says "Victorian" to me. This could have been about the Wells book or the classic 1953 movie. Actually it seemed more similar to "Day of the Triffids" to me.
7 pages, 6 of content, 1 of OGL.
All four of these are available in the D20 Victorian Era Bundle from LPJ.
Here are a few that I have enjoyed, but have not talked about much. First up a few from LPJ Design. These were released in the d20 days and have been retooled for Pathfinder.
Victorian Age Feats
14 pages of new feats (12 of content and 2 of OGL). While there is a Victorian sensibility to these, most, if not all could be used in Pathfinder or d20 Modern. In particular I liked the Astrology, Bookworm, Charmed, Empathy, Expert Healer and Look Harmless feats. Others like Puritan Witchfinder might be more suited for 200 years before the Victorian times. A bit of a different feel to feats which I like. With a price of under 2 bucks this is a pretty good deal really.
Victorian Age Feats 2
Like Victorian Age Feats, this product is 14 pages (11.5 for content, 2.5 for OGL). It offers a wide variety of interesting feats to use with your d20/Pathfinder based game. Again what strikes me the most about these is how well they work with Pathfinder out of the box. A minor quibble though. Some of the feats are related to guns, this is fine, but the Victorian era saw a wide variety in technology related to firearms. The "Rip a Clip" feat is fine, but only useful for firearms created after 1890 (near the end of the era). Also not appropriate for Pathfinder even with the Gunslinger (but that is not a strike against this product).
For under 2 bucks it is a good deal, but I didn't like it as much as the first.
Victorian Horrors: Jack the Ripper
It is very difficult to talk about the late Victorian period and NOT mention Jack the Ripper. This 6 page PDF covers how to use Jack in your games and assumes that he will be an adversary of the Characters. Two possible means of link Jack to the PCs as a nemesis are discussed. Some detail is given on the public and police reaction to the Ripper case. Some basic d20 crunch is given to help move the players along.
Stats are given for Jack the Ripper (d20 Modern) and some ideas are given based on the level of magic in your games.
The text of the "Jack the Ripper letters" are reproduced.
While I think this is a good starting effort a lot more could have been done. For example a time-line of the Ripper case should have been included and the names of his victims. Also a map of the killings would have been extremely helpful. While all of this is readily available, that is also the exact reason why it should have been included. As it stands this is just a PDF of a potential threat to the PCs with not much in it that says it is Jack the Ripper.
Victorian Horrors: Martian Invaders
A much better effort here than the Jack the Ripper product. This details the Martian invasion ala H.G. Wells. This product details the Martians, their crafts and their technology. Though curiously missing are stats for the Martian alien themselves. Also while the inspiration is obviously Wells, he is not mentioned in this product. Quotes from the War of the Worlds text would have also been nice. Plus there is not much here that says "Victorian" to me. This could have been about the Wells book or the classic 1953 movie. Actually it seemed more similar to "Day of the Triffids" to me.
7 pages, 6 of content, 1 of OGL.
All four of these are available in the D20 Victorian Era Bundle from LPJ.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Returning to the Manor
One of the cool things about the early days of this hobby was finding great little zines of new content. Sometimes it was an alternate rule, or new monster or class. Some of these were good, many were mediocre but all of them were a lot of fun. Back then I didn't care how good or bad it was, I was just glad to have something new and exciting to try out.
The Manor reminds me of the best parts of that time. The Manor is the digital zine from +Tim Shorts over at Gothridge Manor. I have always enjoyed Tim's blog. He began his blogging around the same time I really started blogging in earnest. Plus he is a fellow Tim so I am inclined to like it!
I while back I reviewed the first three issues and some other publications from him. Today I want to look into the next four issues; The Manor #4 to #7.
The Manor #4
At 39 pages this issue takes the Manor beyond the Zine world and puts it more firmly in "magazine" territory. Even the Owl & Weasel or the Strategic Review got to this size.
We start out with an adventure for Swords & Wizardy for 4 to 6 characters of 5th to 7th level. The adventure is 15 pages and includes 2 new monsters including a very cool, Lovecraftian-feeling "big bad". The last part of this adventure with the monster (the Or'Drog) and it's lair are worth the price of this Zine alone. Slap this bad guy into your generic Caves of Chaos and suddenly the stakes have gone up a lot. I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner. This was out in July of 2013. I could have used this very monster in exactly what I mentioned above when playing Keep on the Borderlands with my kids. Yes, this 11 HD monster would have been too much for them, but it would have up the stakes considerably.
SO if you have copies of these laying around, READ THEM! There is good stuff in here.
"From Beneath the Manor" is so great. It is a feature that I hope to see more of; Contributors send in their monsters to be stated up for any OSR compatible game and illustrated by Jason Sholtis. It reminds me of the old Fiend Factory from White Dwarf.
We end with a couple of ads (for that full Zine feel).
Seriously though, The Manor #4 is awesome and I can't wait to read the next ones.
The Manor #5
The Manor #5 is a bit shorter than #4, but at 28 pages it is still a great deal.
First up is the "Vineyard of Villain. Four Evil NPCs to use in your game and illustrated by Jay Penn.
"Cursed Concoctions" by Chris Coski is a collection of 7 new poisons/potions for evil GMs. There is a random table of tavern names if you need a dive in a hurry. The "Sullen Hagfish" has good food I am sure.
There is a lengthy article on doors. With a nice font for the header. Made this feel like a cool 70s Zine, The article itself is a good one and a good read for GMs.
There is another longish article on random city encounters.
Like before, we end it with an ad (of sorts).
I am not as overtly enthusiastic about #5 as I was for #4; but there is a lot great stuff here all the same. Taken as a body of work it is still fun and still gives me that same thrill that I got when discovering Zines in the 80s.
The Manor #6
AKA the Issue with the Halfling with the Epic Pimp Hat.
The Manor #6 is back to 28 pages and jam packed by the looks of the Table of Contents.
The first adventure/setting is "The Brothel at Wargumn". It might be a little to risque for the youngest gamers, but it is sure a lot less risque than things I was reading at the time when zines were popular (70s and 80s). Easy to drop this into any game, any world or even any town.
The Guard class is next. It would not be right unless a new class showed up every now and then. I am not sure that this class adds anything above and beyond say a dedicated fighter, but it still looks solid and looks like it plays well.
"Getting from Point A to Point B" is an interesting addition from Ken Harrison. It details three portal traps/puzzles of getting from A to B in a dungeon setting. A great little addition to any dungeon where a magic-user may want to keep something hidden (Point B) but still need to get to it time to time.
"Witches of the Dark Moon" is a great little one-shot written by Tim Shorts himself using a lot of elements he had at his disposal. This includes using my own Witch Class for the witches. You don't need my book to play this, but it does add a little extra to the mix. Consequently this one shot also does the one thing my witch DIDN'T do well and that is provide a ready to play adventure for witches. The adventure it self is a lot of fun.
The only "ad" at the end is one for a the Manor Compilation of issues #1 thru #5. Now I do want to point out. I LIKE the ads at the end. I do. It gives the Manor a nice zine feel and reminds me of reading the Owl & Weasel or older White Dwarf magazines.
The Manor #7
This is the newest one on the batch (for now) and it shows. The evolving layout and feel of the zine gives it a nice organic feel. I love the PDFs, but this issue makes me want them all in print form too.
The other big difference here is that creator Tim Shorts is only the editor of this, he has no content of his own in it. I am taking that as a sign of good growth.
"Boltswitch's Mobile Potion Emporium" by Boric Glanduum is a great throwback to the traveling snake-oil salemen of the previous turn of the century. Whether his potions work is up to the GM I guess, but I like the idea enough to steal it! I hope he has some Guards from Issue #6 to protect him.
"The Skinwalker (Coyote)" by Joshua De Santo is a Native American feeling lycanthropic class for S&W. It looks fun, but leaves me wanting more to be honest.
Chris Coski is back an he has a number of magical mirrors in "Mirror, Mirror". His penchant for alliteration is amusing, but it could have gotten tiresome quick.
A couple of smaller adventures are next. "Trouble Down the Well" by Simon Forester and "Horrid Caves" by Garrison James. Horrid Caves is the larger of the two. It has some new spells and a couple of new monsters.
Rusty Battle Axe brings us some Mind Flayer art and an Illithid haiku. Two words that I have never used that close to each other.
We end with an ad for Tenkar & the Badger's OSR Radio podcast. Though no URL is provided. Here it is just in case, http://www.tavernradio.com/.
All in all these are great additions to your gaming library. Take them, cut them up and paste the bits you like into your own notebook and run with it like it was 1981.
The Manor reminds me of the best parts of that time. The Manor is the digital zine from +Tim Shorts over at Gothridge Manor. I have always enjoyed Tim's blog. He began his blogging around the same time I really started blogging in earnest. Plus he is a fellow Tim so I am inclined to like it!
I while back I reviewed the first three issues and some other publications from him. Today I want to look into the next four issues; The Manor #4 to #7.
The Manor #4
We start out with an adventure for Swords & Wizardy for 4 to 6 characters of 5th to 7th level. The adventure is 15 pages and includes 2 new monsters including a very cool, Lovecraftian-feeling "big bad". The last part of this adventure with the monster (the Or'Drog) and it's lair are worth the price of this Zine alone. Slap this bad guy into your generic Caves of Chaos and suddenly the stakes have gone up a lot. I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner. This was out in July of 2013. I could have used this very monster in exactly what I mentioned above when playing Keep on the Borderlands with my kids. Yes, this 11 HD monster would have been too much for them, but it would have up the stakes considerably.
SO if you have copies of these laying around, READ THEM! There is good stuff in here.
"From Beneath the Manor" is so great. It is a feature that I hope to see more of; Contributors send in their monsters to be stated up for any OSR compatible game and illustrated by Jason Sholtis. It reminds me of the old Fiend Factory from White Dwarf.
We end with a couple of ads (for that full Zine feel).
Seriously though, The Manor #4 is awesome and I can't wait to read the next ones.
The Manor #5
First up is the "Vineyard of Villain. Four Evil NPCs to use in your game and illustrated by Jay Penn.
"Cursed Concoctions" by Chris Coski is a collection of 7 new poisons/potions for evil GMs. There is a random table of tavern names if you need a dive in a hurry. The "Sullen Hagfish" has good food I am sure.
There is a lengthy article on doors. With a nice font for the header. Made this feel like a cool 70s Zine, The article itself is a good one and a good read for GMs.
There is another longish article on random city encounters.
Like before, we end it with an ad (of sorts).
I am not as overtly enthusiastic about #5 as I was for #4; but there is a lot great stuff here all the same. Taken as a body of work it is still fun and still gives me that same thrill that I got when discovering Zines in the 80s.
The Manor #6
The Manor #6 is back to 28 pages and jam packed by the looks of the Table of Contents.
The first adventure/setting is "The Brothel at Wargumn". It might be a little to risque for the youngest gamers, but it is sure a lot less risque than things I was reading at the time when zines were popular (70s and 80s). Easy to drop this into any game, any world or even any town.
The Guard class is next. It would not be right unless a new class showed up every now and then. I am not sure that this class adds anything above and beyond say a dedicated fighter, but it still looks solid and looks like it plays well.
"Getting from Point A to Point B" is an interesting addition from Ken Harrison. It details three portal traps/puzzles of getting from A to B in a dungeon setting. A great little addition to any dungeon where a magic-user may want to keep something hidden (Point B) but still need to get to it time to time.
"Witches of the Dark Moon" is a great little one-shot written by Tim Shorts himself using a lot of elements he had at his disposal. This includes using my own Witch Class for the witches. You don't need my book to play this, but it does add a little extra to the mix. Consequently this one shot also does the one thing my witch DIDN'T do well and that is provide a ready to play adventure for witches. The adventure it self is a lot of fun.
The only "ad" at the end is one for a the Manor Compilation of issues #1 thru #5. Now I do want to point out. I LIKE the ads at the end. I do. It gives the Manor a nice zine feel and reminds me of reading the Owl & Weasel or older White Dwarf magazines.
The Manor #7
The other big difference here is that creator Tim Shorts is only the editor of this, he has no content of his own in it. I am taking that as a sign of good growth.
"Boltswitch's Mobile Potion Emporium" by Boric Glanduum is a great throwback to the traveling snake-oil salemen of the previous turn of the century. Whether his potions work is up to the GM I guess, but I like the idea enough to steal it! I hope he has some Guards from Issue #6 to protect him.
"The Skinwalker (Coyote)" by Joshua De Santo is a Native American feeling lycanthropic class for S&W. It looks fun, but leaves me wanting more to be honest.
Chris Coski is back an he has a number of magical mirrors in "Mirror, Mirror". His penchant for alliteration is amusing, but it could have gotten tiresome quick.
A couple of smaller adventures are next. "Trouble Down the Well" by Simon Forester and "Horrid Caves" by Garrison James. Horrid Caves is the larger of the two. It has some new spells and a couple of new monsters.
Rusty Battle Axe brings us some Mind Flayer art and an Illithid haiku. Two words that I have never used that close to each other.
We end with an ad for Tenkar & the Badger's OSR Radio podcast. Though no URL is provided. Here it is just in case, http://www.tavernradio.com/.
All in all these are great additions to your gaming library. Take them, cut them up and paste the bits you like into your own notebook and run with it like it was 1981.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Updates
Well my conference is done so now I can refocus my attentions to game and blog related writing.
I still have a couple of projects that need to be finished; Strange Brew and Darwin's Guide to Creatures. But those are coming along nicely.
So here are some updates.
Witch Links
I have been updating my Witch Links page. On it you will find links to various posts, mostly within the OSR blogs, on using a witch or warlock class in your D&D-like games. It is that time of year, so expect the page to be updated even more.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/p/witches.html
If you have something you want to add just let me know.
DriveThruRPG / OneBookshelf Halloween Sales
DriveThru is having their Halloween sales. This time no hunting around for Tricks or Treats, just sales and free stuff.
To start out we have a few of my favorites for free.
RQ1 Night of the Walking Dead (2e) for Ravenloft and 2nd Ed AD&D. One of the better adventures for the Ravenloft game.
Eden Studios Presents: Volume 1 is a magazine like book for Eden Studios' Unisystem games ala The Rifter. It was supposed to come out more often (and I submitted material years and years ago). But it is still a great publication and worth getting if you enjoy the Unisystem system. There is an interview with Jason Vey of the Dungeons & Zombies game, some more monsters for Buffy and material for Terra Primate.
Wraith the Oblivion (1st Edition) which might be one of the most depressing and agnsty games I can ever recall playing. But still a lot of fun. Sometimes you need that.
They have similar sales and freebies over at DriveThruComics and DriveThruFiction.
I have a few more movies to get through and some reviews.
I still have a couple of projects that need to be finished; Strange Brew and Darwin's Guide to Creatures. But those are coming along nicely.
So here are some updates.
Witch Links
I have been updating my Witch Links page. On it you will find links to various posts, mostly within the OSR blogs, on using a witch or warlock class in your D&D-like games. It is that time of year, so expect the page to be updated even more.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/p/witches.html
If you have something you want to add just let me know.
DriveThruRPG / OneBookshelf Halloween Sales
DriveThru is having their Halloween sales. This time no hunting around for Tricks or Treats, just sales and free stuff.
To start out we have a few of my favorites for free.
RQ1 Night of the Walking Dead (2e) for Ravenloft and 2nd Ed AD&D. One of the better adventures for the Ravenloft game.
Eden Studios Presents: Volume 1 is a magazine like book for Eden Studios' Unisystem games ala The Rifter. It was supposed to come out more often (and I submitted material years and years ago). But it is still a great publication and worth getting if you enjoy the Unisystem system. There is an interview with Jason Vey of the Dungeons & Zombies game, some more monsters for Buffy and material for Terra Primate.
Wraith the Oblivion (1st Edition) which might be one of the most depressing and agnsty games I can ever recall playing. But still a lot of fun. Sometimes you need that.
They have similar sales and freebies over at DriveThruComics and DriveThruFiction.
I have a few more movies to get through and some reviews.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Review: Actual Factual: Dracula - A Compendium of Vampires
That would be a mistake.
Inside are 472 pages of detailed vampire types from all over the world.
In this book we are given a basic overview of vampires (aka the stuff everyone knows) and then we move quickly into the relationship between Vlad the Impaler and Vampires. I will honestly say that this section, while entertaining seems tacked on. The book would have been fine without it, but is likely better with it.
Next we get into the heart of this book. The Compendium of Vampires.
The A to Z section detail vampires from around the world and not only represents the bulk of the book (340+ pages), but also the bulk of the research.
Each entry contains the name of the vampire, pronunciation and translation of the name. Also listed are it's country or area of origin, type of creature (creature, spirit, demon...), how it appears, prefered prey, how often it attacks or feeds, Modus Operandi, abilities, defenses against it and how to kill it. Not every creature has everything listed, this is not a Monster Manual, but there are enough. In some cases the author has used her own imagination to fill in the blanks. This is fine really, given that the author is Theresa Bane.
But I guess if you want something purer you can go to her pages of resources.
There is a bibliography, which is almost as interesting to read as the entries themselves.
What follows next really puts this book into a different category of usefulness, the indexes.
First is a more common index of words, names and other things you might want to find in the book.
Next is an index of Abilities. So if you need a vampire that is Beautiful (as an ability) then you have GREEN OGRESS 124 and SUCCUBUS 274.
There is an index of Appearance. So "barbed tongue" gives you:
ASWANG MANDURUGO 23
BICHOHINDU 44
GROBNIK 125
KRVOIJAC 164
UPIER 294
WIESZCZY 330 (one of my favorite barbed tongue vampires).
An Index on Creation. Indexes of How Often it Attacks, How to Find, Origins, Prey, Types, and finally Weaknesses.
Now what would have been a nice touch would be to hyper link all these indexes to the main document. But I am not complaining.
What the book lacks in art, there are only a few pieces, it makes up for in research and utility.
You can debate on whether or not Creature Y is a vampire or not, but I can't fault the authors for doing all this work.
All in all a great book. A must have if you are at all a fan of vampires or use them in your games.
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