Today is my Pathfinder game with the "big kids". The Northlands group.
To help explain my absence since late-February the GM has decided that my character was kidnapped.
We will see how it all goes.
Showing posts with label Northlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Northlands. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
New Review: Northlands
Northlands
The Northlands is a very cool campaign setting for a Norse/Viking like area for use with Pathfinder. Not a setting by itself, it is designed to be easily inserted into your game world. Though there is nothing stopping you from just using this book all by itself.
In its 110+ pages you will find a area ready for adventure. There are new classes, skills, feats, weapons and spells. There are rules for variant races (humans and Dwarves) and new races from the bestial Trollkin to the Hyperborean. Everything is given a new look to reflect the cold lands of the north. The culture here is a very different one. It’s not just colder, the people (and thus the characters) are different.
The magic chapter is very cool, with new spells, and new types of magic such as grudge magic and runic magic.
The lands are detailed in both chapter 2 and chapter 5. So there is plenty to work from here. The chapter on monsters contains quite a nice number of creatures and they are not for the faint of heart.
The author capture not only the rules of playing in these lands but the feel as well. Author Dan Voyce obviously has a love for this setting and their real world counterparts that show through the writing. This is a well researched book.
The art is equally fantastic and even though it is spare and black and white, it adds to the overall feel of the book. The cover is one of the best I have seen in a very long time.
The legends of the Scandinavian countries are ripe for adventures and part of the very fiber that makes up the core of the FRPGs. The Northlands helps bring these tales to life.
I originally grabbed this because my local Pathfinder group is called "the Northlands Group" and I thought this might be a cool thing to have. But once I got it and started reading it I realized I wanted to keep it all for myself! I plan to use it for the areas in my Mystoerth games, specifically the areas right around my version of Hyborea.
Now this Northlands has nothing to do with the Frog God games Northland Saga for Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry. But they are not incompatible.
I enjoyed it and I think you all might too.
5 out of 5 stars!
In its 110+ pages you will find a area ready for adventure. There are new classes, skills, feats, weapons and spells. There are rules for variant races (humans and Dwarves) and new races from the bestial Trollkin to the Hyperborean. Everything is given a new look to reflect the cold lands of the north. The culture here is a very different one. It’s not just colder, the people (and thus the characters) are different.
The magic chapter is very cool, with new spells, and new types of magic such as grudge magic and runic magic.
The lands are detailed in both chapter 2 and chapter 5. So there is plenty to work from here. The chapter on monsters contains quite a nice number of creatures and they are not for the faint of heart.
The author capture not only the rules of playing in these lands but the feel as well. Author Dan Voyce obviously has a love for this setting and their real world counterparts that show through the writing. This is a well researched book.
The art is equally fantastic and even though it is spare and black and white, it adds to the overall feel of the book. The cover is one of the best I have seen in a very long time.
The legends of the Scandinavian countries are ripe for adventures and part of the very fiber that makes up the core of the FRPGs. The Northlands helps bring these tales to life.
I originally grabbed this because my local Pathfinder group is called "the Northlands Group" and I thought this might be a cool thing to have. But once I got it and started reading it I realized I wanted to keep it all for myself! I plan to use it for the areas in my Mystoerth games, specifically the areas right around my version of Hyborea.
Now this Northlands has nothing to do with the Frog God games Northland Saga for Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry. But they are not incompatible.
I enjoyed it and I think you all might too.
5 out of 5 stars!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Weekend Recap
Had our first Northlands game group on Saturday. It was fun. We are playing Pathfinder and have a good group. I am looking forward to more. The world we are in is one the GM has made, so there are some familiar names mixed in with some that are not, so I am looking forward to seeing how this all works out.
Speaking of Pathfinder. I went to one of the closing Borders books here in the Chicago area and picked up a new Pathfinder core book for my kids to have. It was 30% off.
Mike Mearls has a new column up on WotC's D&D page called "Legends and Lore" which is designed to talk about D&D and it's past, present and future.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110208
Of course, as expected the OSR glitterati have weighed in, most with predictable comments.
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2011/02/legends-and-lore.html
http://platinumwarlock.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-which-warlock-has-bone-to-pick.html
http://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2011/02/mike-mearls-plea-for-unity.html
http://moldyvale.blogspot.com/2011/02/mike-mearls-whines-for-solidarity.html
http://wondrousimaginings.blogspot.com/2011/02/oh-yeah-mearles-then-put-your-money.html
http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2011/02/wizards-needs-to-take-leadership.html
I am one of those people that sees more similarities in the games than I do differences, so Mearls' post, while written toward me is not actually directed at me if you know what I mean. Nor is it really directed at the OSR (which is frankly too small to be a concern). While most of the reaction is the same knee-jerk stuff I'd expect, there is a point that nearly everyone makes that I think is worth WotC's time to look in to. Bringing back older edition in PDF form. Yes the cynic in me says why should they bother to sell rules to people who already own them, the deeper cynic in me knows that people will buy them anyway (I have) and make money for WotC.
I think a perfect world in WotC's eyes would be that people play what they want, but still buy a DDi subscription.
Gonna be a busy week. Posting might be light.
Speaking of Pathfinder. I went to one of the closing Borders books here in the Chicago area and picked up a new Pathfinder core book for my kids to have. It was 30% off.
Mike Mearls has a new column up on WotC's D&D page called "Legends and Lore" which is designed to talk about D&D and it's past, present and future.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110208
Of course, as expected the OSR glitterati have weighed in, most with predictable comments.
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2011/02/legends-and-lore.html
http://platinumwarlock.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-which-warlock-has-bone-to-pick.html
http://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2011/02/mike-mearls-plea-for-unity.html
http://moldyvale.blogspot.com/2011/02/mike-mearls-whines-for-solidarity.html
http://wondrousimaginings.blogspot.com/2011/02/oh-yeah-mearles-then-put-your-money.html
http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2011/02/wizards-needs-to-take-leadership.html
I am one of those people that sees more similarities in the games than I do differences, so Mearls' post, while written toward me is not actually directed at me if you know what I mean. Nor is it really directed at the OSR (which is frankly too small to be a concern). While most of the reaction is the same knee-jerk stuff I'd expect, there is a point that nearly everyone makes that I think is worth WotC's time to look in to. Bringing back older edition in PDF form. Yes the cynic in me says why should they bother to sell rules to people who already own them, the deeper cynic in me knows that people will buy them anyway (I have) and make money for WotC.
I think a perfect world in WotC's eyes would be that people play what they want, but still buy a DDi subscription.
Gonna be a busy week. Posting might be light.
Friday, January 28, 2011
New Game Group
Tonight will be the first meeting of my new game group. Well, not so much new and not really mine.
"The Northlands Gaming Group" will be the same members of my "adult" Pathfinder/D&D4 group which is a larger set of my normal Unisystem playtest group. The DM will be Greg aka Rhonin84.
Tonight is the prep meeting over some Chicago-style pizza. I am expecting we will be doing more in Greg's own world, which will be a treat. What I am not sure of yet is which system we will be using. I have narrowed it down to a few guesses though.
D&D4
Why? Well we both play it with our own kids separately now and when we get them together. It would be easy to do and between the two of us we have everything. Plus we had a good Essentials based game recently that was a lot of fun.
Why not? For exactly the same reasons.
My take: I get to play a lot of D&D4 and with this group we will spend a lot of time in combat. D&D4 combats do take a long time but there are ways to speed it up.
Pathfinder
Why? This is the odds on favorite I think. This is the system that this group started out in.
Why not? These reasons are fewer. The main reason would be that one of the other systems has something in it that PF does not.
My take: I like Pathfinder and unless we do it here I am not sure when I'd ever play it.
Retro-Clone
Why? Greg has been telling me for weeks now how much of a fan he is of OSRIC and S&W. We both love the new B/X Companion. So there is some traction here.
Why Not? The other players are not as familiar with these games as we are.
My Take: I'd love to play in retro-clone game; if done right.
I think I am going to opt for a Paladin in this group; something against my typical witch or wizard.
Looking forward to the first meeting of the new Northlands Gaming Group!
"The Northlands Gaming Group" will be the same members of my "adult" Pathfinder/D&D4 group which is a larger set of my normal Unisystem playtest group. The DM will be Greg aka Rhonin84.
Tonight is the prep meeting over some Chicago-style pizza. I am expecting we will be doing more in Greg's own world, which will be a treat. What I am not sure of yet is which system we will be using. I have narrowed it down to a few guesses though.
D&D4
Why? Well we both play it with our own kids separately now and when we get them together. It would be easy to do and between the two of us we have everything. Plus we had a good Essentials based game recently that was a lot of fun.
Why not? For exactly the same reasons.
My take: I get to play a lot of D&D4 and with this group we will spend a lot of time in combat. D&D4 combats do take a long time but there are ways to speed it up.
Pathfinder
Why? This is the odds on favorite I think. This is the system that this group started out in.
Why not? These reasons are fewer. The main reason would be that one of the other systems has something in it that PF does not.
My take: I like Pathfinder and unless we do it here I am not sure when I'd ever play it.
Retro-Clone
Why? Greg has been telling me for weeks now how much of a fan he is of OSRIC and S&W. We both love the new B/X Companion. So there is some traction here.
Why Not? The other players are not as familiar with these games as we are.
My Take: I'd love to play in retro-clone game; if done right.
I think I am going to opt for a Paladin in this group; something against my typical witch or wizard.
Looking forward to the first meeting of the new Northlands Gaming Group!
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