Featured Reviewer and PDFs

Well I am now a featured Reviewer over at DriveThruRPG.com.

This basically means that I buy a lot of PDFs but now I will also be reviewing them more.
Currently I have 62 reviews up. So if you want to know what I think of a game, then you can swing on by.

I like PDFs.  I can carry dozens of books with me if I want and when I want to print something, I can just do the sections I need.

If I get something interesting I'll pass it along here.

The Hex Girls Season 2 for Cartoon Action Hour Season 2

It is very surprising to me, but one of my most visited pages around here is my page for the Hex Girls. I am not sure why that is, but it is above beyond the most popular page I have here save for my one on Xena and Gabrielle.  In any case it got me thinking that the next "Season" of the Hex Girls should be powered by Cartoon Action Hour: Season 2.
BTW: I want to thank all the people at the CAH-Fans Yahoo Group that helped me with this.

The Hex Girls: World Tour (Season 2)

So using the Series Sheet to the left I came up with the following series for the Hex Girls.
Series Name: Hex Girls, Season 2 (the World Tour)
Tagline: "We're gonna put a spell on you!"
Goals: Tour the world, stop Lord Salem
Message:  Each episode ends with information on being a better "eco-citizen" because "Together we can make it happen!"

Premise: The Hex Girls (after their groundbreaking North American tour) are now touring the world and fighting off the worst monsters that Europe and Asia have to offer.  Flash Cameron was sent to a mental institution, but the threat now comes from the ghost of an old puritan witch hunter, Lord Salem.  Salem, along with his two bumbling henchmen Riff and Raff (they were not raised from the dead properly and are more like zombies than ghosts) attempt to stop the Hex Girls at any cost.  Not to just expose them, but to take them back the Neither World's Court for trail and sentencing.   Everyone is back; Thorn, Luna, Dusk and even Jasper.

Stats for Cartoon Action Hour 2
If you want more background for these characters, and stats for Cinematic Unisystem and Witchgirls Adventures then please check my previous Hex Girls posting.  Again, these stats below are not strict conversions, but more of a re-stating of the characters based on their concept in CAH:S2.

Thorn

Name: Thorn ("Sally McKinght")
Series: The Hex Girls
Group: The Hex Girls
Appearance: Attractive 20-something woman with dark hair and red highlights.

Factoids
- Is a great singer and guitar player
- Is a witch and can do magic
- Eco-Goth / Very environmentally conscious
- Wants to learn more about her family's magical roots
- Reads her horoscope daily (and talks about it)
- Always looks into the myths and legends of wherever they are going to be on tour.

Subplots
- Superstitious
- Secret: Is a witch
- Curious, what to find out all she can about magic and her place in the cosmos.

Traits
Charismatic, AF 2 (above and beyond the other Hex Girls)
Good Looking 2
Great Singer, AF 3
Monster Hunter 1
Occult Scholar 2
Perceptive 1
Singer/Guitarist 4 (this is for instruments and general lifestyle)
Witch (spell caster cluster) 4 (10 points, 12 -2)
- Sonic Attack (can "sing" an attack, think Black Canary or Banshee) (attack) (needs to be able to use voice)
- Shield (defend) (needs to be able to use hands)
- Teleport (manipulation)
- Magical Sight (can see magical creatures, magical forces in the earth) (misc.)

Curious x1
Eco-Goth x2

Base Oomph 4
Threshold 12
Battle Rating 4

Luna

Name: Luna ("Kim Moss")
Series: The Hex Girls
Group: The Hex Girls
Appearance: Attractive 20-something woman with red hair.

Factoids
- Is a musician
- Is a witch and can do magic
- Eco-Goth / Very environmentally conscious
- Wants to be in a number 1 band
- Can play almost any instrument.
- Is the best song and spell writer of the group
- Embraces her bi-racial heritage; considers that she got the best of both worlds

Subplots
- Tad obsessed with success
- Secret: Is a witch
- Has an ex that is more successful than she is

Traits
Good Looking 2
Monster Hunter 1
Occult Scholar 1
Perceptive 2
Musician 5, AF (for her ability to play any musical instruments)
Witch (spell caster cluster) 4 (10 points, 12 -2)
- Sonic Attack (can "play" an attack using any instrument) (attack) (needs to be able to use and instrument or something that can be "played")
- Shield (defend) (needs to be able to use hands)
- Astral Projection (manipulation)
- Magical Sight (can see magical creatures, magical forces in the earth) (misc.)

Obsessions: Be in a number 1 band  x1
Eco-Goth x1

Base Oomph 4
Threshold 12
Battle Rating 4

Dusk

Name: Dusk ("Muffy St. James")
Series: The Hex Girls
Group: The Hex Girls
Appearance: Attractive 20-something woman with blonde, sometimes green, hair. Wears more goth makeup and clothes than the others.

Factoids
- Is a Rock-star
- Is a witch and can do magic
- Eco-Goth / environmentally conscious (less so than the others)
- Wants to be where the party is

Subplots
- Threatens to quit the band often
- Secret: Is a witch
- can't read music and only plays the drums so she can hit things.
- Is the daughter of stinking rich yuppie parents.

Traits
Good Looking 1
Monster Hunter 2
Rich 3 (tries to keep it secret)
Rock and Roller 4 (this is for drums and general lifestyle), AF
Witch (spell caster cluster) 4 (10 points, 12 -2)
- Sonic Attack (can "scream" an attack) (attack) (needs to be able to use voice)
- Shield (defend) (needs to be able to use hands)
- Telekinesis (manipulation)
- Magical Sight (can see magical creatures, magical forces in the earth) (misc.)

Party Girl x1
Anger issues x2

Base Oomph 4
Threshold 12
Battle Rating 5 (extra point from Monster hunter. She likes to fight)

Lord Salem
New Season and a New Bad Guy.  This one-ups the ante from Flash Cameron.  He doesn't want to just expose the Hex Girls, he wants to put them on trial and then when he gets the guilty verdict he knows he will get, hang them.

Quick Bio: A puritan witch hunter is back from the dead, Lord Salem, and he is after the "wicked witches".  He was raised from the dead when the Hex Girls played a pre-world tour concert in their home town of Oakhaven, MA.  While their music played, he rose from the local graveyard.
He has two assistants, Riff and Raff,  but their resurrection was not as complete as his own so they are somewhat stupid.

Lord Salem hates witches. Good, evil, young, old, they are all the same to him.  And witches must be stopped.  Salem wants to drag the Hex Girls to the Neither World's Courts where he will try them on charges of Witchcraft and violating the Natural Order of Things.  To do that he must be able to capture all three doing magic in public.  He follows and along the way he summons up all sorts of supernatural threats to get the girls to expose themselves.

Appearance: Lord Salem appears much as he did in the 17th Century.  He has a scar down his face that he claims was made by an evil witch. He does not carry weapons, saying that Righteousness is his only weapon, but Riff and Raff carry swords, knives and guns as needed.  If he is forced into fighting he will produce a fine, thin sword.
Factoids: "Completely obsessed with exposing witches", "unstoppable", "speaks in a low quiet voice", "completely convinced he is right".
Subplots: Mental hangup destroy all witches, and the Hex Girls in particular
Traits: Can Call out Supernatural beings to do his bidding 7 (AF), Immune to Magic 6, Lawyer (knows the legal system of Earth and the Neither World) 6, Stealthy 3, Strong 3, Swordmaster 5, Tracker 5, Will 5
Stats: Threshold 12, Battle Ratting 5

Lord Salem typically will call out the local supernatural creature to attack or otherwise expose the Hex Girls.  Each being would have to be stated up normally.

Obviously, I still need to do stats for Riff and Raff (they are the same really) and Jasper Ridgeway.

Links
The Hex Girls at Scoobypedia http://scoobydoo.wikia.com/wiki/Hex_Girls
An anti-Hex Girls site http://forgenerations.net/main/enemy-tactics/hollywoods-deception/scooby-doo-hex-girls (link removed because site now points to virus infected site)  (gave me ideas for Lord Salem. He loves comments.)
Hex Girl Coven, tons of content.  http://www.angelfire.com/goth2/thehexgirlscoven.com/

Buy
Cartoon Action Hour - Season Two at Noble Knight Games
Cartoon Action Hour - Season Two at DriveThruRPG

DC Adventures from Green Ronin Pre-Order

I am very geeked about this.

DC Adventures is now up for Pre-order at Green Ronin's website.

And if you pre-order at their website, or at your FLGS you can get a code to buy the PDF for 5 bucks.

That's not too bad really.
I have seen some of the changes they have made to the system and while I was hoping to see it evolve more towards True20, I am very curious to see how it all works out.

Looking forward to this one and it is one of just a small handful of books on my Gen Con must buy list

I Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."
- Isaac Newton (1642-1727) in: Letter to Robert Hooke, February 5, 1676

The giant in this case was Descartes.  Later the same quote would be used to describe Newton himself by Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. Each generation builds on the work of the last.

Giants are not revered for their size, but because of their ability to see further.

I take a lot of praise for my work and because I am human I enjoy it. Because of who I am I also take it with a bit of surprise.  Afterall I like to write stuff that I like, it amazes me that others might enjoy it too.  But I understand that nothing I, or anyone else does, exists in a vacuum.

Ghosts of Albion would not exist at all had it not been obviously for the creative talents of Christopher Golden and Amber Benson.  It is their world, they define it, shape it and tell us how the characters live in it.  The rules for the game exist because of C.J. Carella.  Not only did he write the Cinematic Unisystem game that Ghosts uses, it was his Classic Unisystem game WitchCraft that inspired me to want write for Eden in the first place. Will Ghosts sell better than WitchCraft? I have no idea. Will people like it more? I know some do, others feel WitchCraft is still the superior game and I will not fault them for that.
Even taking all that into consideration I had help of editors, playtesters and general advice.

My various Witch books are the same way. As are my academic and professional lives.

Standing on the shoulder of giants is not about reverence of people, but rather acknowledgement of their work, of their contributions and why that work has helped make our lives a bit better.

We stand on the shoulders of giants so that one day others may stand on ours.

D&D4 Essentials

So I don't know much yet about this whole D&D Essentials line from Wizards.

At some level it is a marketing ploy.  Getting people to buy more materials.  I can live with that really.  Wizards is a company and they need to make money.  If they can come up ways to make more money I will not fault them. I don't have to buy the product either.  That is the benefit of a free market.

But I like the idea of the new "Basic Set". I am going to be running my two boys through D&D4 soon and they have been playing D&D 3.x for a while now.  They are playing in a Pathfinder game too, so they are not what you would call newbies anymore; but there is a bit of newness about them and this box appeals to me.

I am am concerned about power creep and too many changes from the books I already have.  Will a D&D Essentials Cleric be really different than the one I have in my PHB?  I don't know and neither it seems do others, but the initial posts I am reading seems to confirm that the cleric in either book will be roughly the same, give or take some flavor.

According the the blog Points of Light, I might not need to worry and in fact it looks like some of the changes being made to characters will provide more ways to differentiate the characters more than the same basic power template all characters have.

So, it almost sounds like that we are getting kits (from 2e) for D&D 4.  Something I have always thought would work for the Heroic tier for a while.

Will I be buying all of the D&D4 Essentials line?  Probably not.  I will pick up the starter set (still don't know what the art on that one looks yet) because boxed sets are cool.

4e Purchases

I picked up some new 4e books this weekend that are not due out till July 20th.
Benefits of living near a huge game store.

First Up, Demonicon

An interesting book and I have always liked demons as the ultimate foes in D&D.  Of course I dislike the name, but it has been with us since Module S4 so it's a little late to part with now.  At least it is better than the 2nd Ed era wimp out "Fiendonomicon".  Gah.
The cover, to me anyway, brings up images of Eldritch Wizardry, the first D&D book to feature demons.  The blonde on her back in obvious sacrifice.  These are not misunderstood monsters, these are demons and they are evil.
Lots of demons. Lots of history on the Abyss.
I like the way they have tied in Tharizdun to whole mythos now.  So this will be great when I run S4-WG4 for my kids and they actually find a copy of the Demonomicon of Iggwilv.  I like that Demogorgon, Orcus and Baphomet were once Primordials.  Something I was doing anyway.  I like that there is more for Tharizdun, even though I can see he will also soon get on my nerves if he keeps popping up.    But I always liked him since reading about him the "Gord the Rogue" books by Gary.
There are some cool demonic lairs that can be used on their own or as part of a larger campaign in the Abyss.
Now see this is where not having the PDFs of the books is a real pain.  I would have loved to have had a PDF of this to print out and put in a binder with all the information on the Abyss from The Plane Below and Manual of the Planes, all the information from various Dragon and Dungeon articles, and all the demons from the Monster Manuals all in one place.  Made a complete Demonomicon if you like.  I had started this exact idea for 3.x, though rather late in the game and never got everything printed out.
I dislike the whole "Asmodeus is at the center of all evil plots" idea that has pervaded the last two editions of D&D, but with some of the new information in this book, I have some ideas.  All in all, I like this book, but I expected that I would.  I do have one quibble.  They do list Malcanthet as a demon lord.  Well, she was demon lord of the Succubi in the last edition.  Succubi are no longer demons...

Tomb of Horrors

There are very, very few adventures as notorious as the Tomb of Horrors.  It is also held up to some unrealistic standard for modules that it must be a "good thing" to kill off characters.
Well I am reasonably certain that Tomb of Horrors for 4e will get cries of "blasphemy" and "sacrilege" from certain quarters; but I am also reasonably certain that those quarters were never going to buy this book anyway.
The new adventure is not just one, but 4 Tombs scattered all over the new D&D4 cosmology.  Clever really if you are wanting to introduce what is cool in this new world to players that pick this up remembering the original ToH.
Speaking of the Original Tomb, it is here, in it's abandoned form.  Note: WOTC Guys,  you copied the original Tomb map perfectly, too perfectly in fact.  The scale of the original map was one square = 10 feet.  Scale on the new map is the more common for 4e 1 square = 5 feet.  So our entry hallway is now 10 feet wide instead of 20 feet wide.  Minor quibble, I can explain it away in any number of ways, but still.
There are rules and notes in here about how to play the Tomb just like the old days, but they explain why they didn't design the module like that to start.  All in all it is a neat module and adventure.  It is still a killer module, as in it will kill characters if they are stupid.
I am not going to try to blow any sunshine up your ass, if you love "Tomb of Horrors" and hate D&D 4 you will hate this. If you liked ToH and like D&D 4 then this is nice little "Return to the Return of the Tomb of Horrors".
What I like about it is it assumes that the characters do not live in a vacuum.  The Tomb of Horrors is legendary to players and characters. This module assumes it was cleared out in the 70's and 80's and now the next gen is here to see what is new.  It's the exact same thing I doing with "B3 Palace of the Silver Princess" and the same thing I did with the whole "Road Stories" arc of "Season of the Witch" for my Willow & Tara game.

While reading through them both I can see elements that I will use in my big D&D 4e campaign against Orcus.    Acererak could be allied with Orcus, or more likely Tharizdun.  Though I had not considered Tharizdun to be a huge player in this game.  He is chained up after all.  In fact it has helped me solidify a few ideas.

There is an OSR debate?

So without linking or getting into any details I guess there is some sort of OSR debate going on.  Again.

See here is the thing about this kind of flare-ups.  If you don't hear about it it's like they are not even real.

Here is the OSR news I know and care about.
- I have my copy of "Palace of the Vampire Queen" now.  One more thing off my D&D-bucket list.
- OSR products are getting into some Borders. (by a company that also produces a ton of 4e products)
- I am going to run my kids through "Palace of the Silver Princess" orange version sometime in the next couple of weeks.
- There are some Ennie noms for some OSR-related products.  Good on them!
- There is a "homage/retro-clone" of 2nd Ed coming out.
- Tomb of Horrors for 4th ed is out now at my FLGS.  I am sure that is making someone out there foaming at the mouth in nerd rage.

Outside of that you don't hear anything about this in the stores (in fact you hear nothing) and most players (the ones that buy the products) don't care.

Arguing about it just makes the whole thing seem like an "us vs. them" and usually I find myself on the side of the people making the less noise. Or the ones that irritate me the less.

Personally, I am probably not part of the OSR.  Sure, I play old games, I also play the newest ones and indie games too.  I write for older games...and newer ones and small press. But I also have never bought into the "one-true-way" idea anyway and really neither do most game authors.

In the immortal words of Gary, "shut the fuck up and play." Oh wait, that was my old DM, not Gary.
Might as well burn my OSR membership card now and forget the secret handshake.