Urban Fantasy Fridays: Witch Girls Adventures 2nd Edition

A special Urban Fantasy Fridays today. This would have been great for October, but I didn't get it in time to squeeze in a game for October. My October was already packed anyway.

I have a long history with Witch Girls Adventures.

I first reviewed the original game back in 2009 and called it one of my new favorite systems. At the time, I said it was a great mix of modern occult, anime, fantasy, and high-school drama, and that the magic system alone was worth the price of admission. I followed that up with a bunch of character conversions, including Willow and Tara, Zatanna, Elizabeth Bathory, Prince Mamuwalde, and more. I even used Witch Girls Adventures as the basis for other settings, like School Bites.

In 2014, I reviewed Witch Girls Adventures: The Director's Cut, which I more or less considered a 1.5 edition. I still liked the game, but I had two wishes. I wanted the promised second edition, and I really wanted the game to get another editing pass.

You can read those reviews here:

• Witch Girls Adventures, 1st edition
• Witch Girls Adventures: The Director's Cut

I am coming back to Witch Girls after a long break. I finally got my 2nd Edition in the mail recently (previously known as Witch Girls Adventures: Book of Shadows) and figured I'd give it another spin.

This new edition is still aimed primarily at new players, and girls in particular. Indeed, I would say Harris's main point is to introduce younger players to role-playing games. Witch Girls Adventures is the entry point, and then there is the rest of his Relentless Fiction line, including his Modern Mythology Supers RPG.

Honestly. It is a fine business model, and having followed him online a bit, I think he's seen some success with it. While I will very likely visit his Modern Mythology line in the future, today I want to back to Witch Girls and the Willow-Mistt School, or as one of my characters kept saying, Willow-Misty.

Witch Girls Adventures 2nd Edition

2009-2010 (Channel M), 2022 (Relentless Fiction) by Malcolm Harris.
175 pages, +12 pages for the comics (187 pages)

For this review, I am considering my print copy (Amazon) and PDF (DriveThruRPG).

The basic premise remains wonderfully simple. You play young witches growing up in a world where magic, monsters, supernatural societies, and magical schools are all real. The rest of the world might not know all that (The Mundanes, the same term used in the WitchCraft RPG), but they are there. 

I want to be upfront: there aren't many substantive changes between editions of Witch Girls Adventures. This is both a positive and negative thing for me. On the plus side, all the previous books I bought and character builds I made still work with this newer edition. Getting back up to speed was pretty quick, too.

On the downside, I expected more updates and bigger changes. I guess don't mess with what works, and yeah, Witch Girls Adventures still works.

Chapter 1. The book opens with 10 pages of the Witch Girls Adventures comic to set the game's tone and mood. This is the same as previous editions. My advice here comes from my previous review: "Take it as it is, not as you want it to be, and you will have fun too."

The book continues with a typical introduction to what a roleplaying game is, written for a young or teen girl audience. The intro continues with some terms used for both the game and RPGs.

It makes an odd left turn to give us optional rules (we haven't had any rules yet for these to be optional to) about how to run a "Harry Potter" like game with this. Eh. Nice, but this should have come last, not first. I still think this would have worked better as an appendix. Rereading Willow-Mistt in the later chapters also has very, very important feature. Willow-Mistt makes more sense than Hogwarts. I once enjoyed the Harry Potter books and movies. But it begins to collapse under the weight of its own absurdity after a bit. Willow-Mistt? The "absurdity" is baked in and for that reason it feels different. Below I compare more favorably to Mutant's & Masterminds' Claremont Academy than. Punch list for the next edition: move the "Larry Spotter" stuff to an appendix or drop it altogether. That text space can be used to give us more Willow-Mistt and thats why I am here.

Chapter 2 gives us "Cliques." In another game, these would be "Factions" or "Classes" or even "Traditions" or "Associations" or "Backgrounds", but given the Middle-school/High-school this is perfect. Cliques basically give your starting dice and what skills you are likely to have. The system is very easy. The dice system (The Drama Dice system as it is called) quickly reminds one of Classic Cortex or Savage Worlds. Attributes are scored d2 to d12 for most types. The spread even looks the same as Cortex and Savage Worlds. Not surprisingly, after all, it is a logical progression. You have six attributes: Body (which combines strength, agility, and stamina), Mind (intelligence), Senses, Will, Social, and Magic. Right away, you see there is only one body type attribute but four mental ones. This is the way it should be really, WGA is not about beating people up, it is about the social aspects of the game and about magic, our last attribute. Some secondary attributes are derived. Rolls are made depending on the dice vs a difficulty table very similar to d20 or Unisystems' success levels. Cliques are detailed and they are your basic magical girl stereotypes (the Goth, the insider, the outsider…). Plenty here to work with, and if you are so inclined, create your own (which is what the "Larry Spotter" bit tries to do).

I like the Cliques. I have been using "Cliques" (the more generic 1980s version) in my own games for years. An Insider moves comfortably between magical and mundane society. An Outsider has only recently discovered the magical world. A Rustic comes from an isolated place and often has connections to nature or spirits. A Gothique has embraced the popular image of witchcraft, whether or not that image has much to do with actual Witch culture.

Selling point for this as an introductory game: You get to roll different kinds of dice for anything that is attribute-based. Rolling a d6 for everything is dull. But rolling a d6 for one thing and a d10 or d8 for another? That kind of engagement keeps D&D popular. It works well for Savage Worlds, and honestly it works better here. 

Chapter 3 moves on to skills. Each chapter has some fiction to introduce you to the Witch Girls world. It seems like a mix of Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy, and The Craft, blended with anime magical girls. Skills. Unlike Classic Cortex or Savage Worlds, skills have a + score, like Unisystem or d20. Roll the die associated with the attribute (each skill is connected to an attribute like d20) add the bonus the skill provides, check your success, or roll greater. There are 34 mundane skills and 10 magical skills. They cover most areas you would expect. I don't need a lot here. Skills work exactly as you expect. This is another selling point for this as an introductory game. The math is easy and, more importantly, it is fast and makes sense. 

Chapter 4 covers Traits, which are like Edges or Qualities. They are broken up into Talents (which you can get later in life) and Heritages (which are inborn and never change). Heritages have both positive and negative aspects. Typical ones include "Beautiful," and others are unique to this game, like "Drama Queen" and "Hags Syndrome."

Chapters 2, 3, and 4 are all well detailed and very straightforward.

Chapter 5 is Magic. Magic was my favorite part of the original game. It still is.

This chapter explains a lot more about what magic is and what it means to a witch. You can spend points on different types of magic (Alteration, Conjuration, Curse, Cybermancy, Divination, Elementalism, Healing, Illusion, Mentalism, Necromancy, Offense, Protection, and Time and Space) to improve your rank. This can provide a lot of variance between witches. Think of it as somewhere between Harry Potter's classes and Mage's spheres. As GM (a Director in WGA), I might limit some of these to NPCs (Guest Stars), not PCs (Stars). Spellcasting is broken down into a lot of detail. More than a seasoned gamer might need, but for the audience, it might be about right. Effects are broken out into Magic Type Rank (MTR), and the overall feel is like a table you might see in Mage or Mutants & Masterminds with what MTR (read as Power level) you need to achieve a certain effect. Want to cast that spell across the world? Better have an MTR of 9.

Spellcasting uses the Casting skill against a difficulty or the target's Resist Magic. Spells cost Zap, with more powerful magic requiring more energy. Wands can reduce that cost, and every Witch can choose a Signature Spell that is easier and cheaper for her to cast. That is, take less Zap (read: Mana, Essence), choose only one, and from the "School" with your highest MTR (which makes sense, really). 

This is followed by 20+ pages of spells, and these are by no means all of them. Since your cast member (Star, remember) isn't going to buy swords, guns, or anything else characters spend money or points on, this is a good thing.

Chapter 6. Your Star gets an allowance, letting her buy things like magical computers, flying Vespas, and more brooms than Home Depot has. There are familiars, clothes, wings, and all sorts of magical equipment here, too. You could build an adventure around just shopping for these things, because I am sure getting them isn't as easy as going to the mall. Lots of neat wands, and I have to say the books for young witches are pretty funny ("Samantha's Guide to Merry Mortals," yeah, that made me laugh). And a bunch of mundane stuff like DVD players and skateboards. The allowance system is nice; I like it better than the Modern d20 purchase DCs, and it's easier than tracking cash.

Chapter 7 is a bit of odds and ends. It includes a character questionnaire (nice) and a filled-out character sheet (also nice). It explains what things mean, and if you are new to RPGs, it is good to read over.

Chapter 8 is for Directors, so it covers all the game rules. The system, some combat rules (yes this is the FIRST game I have seen where the rules for shopping are longer than the rules for combat. ;) )

Some nice background fluff and some ideas for different types of stories; basically, you can do Buffy, Good vs. Evil, Charmed, and Magic School. The experience system is "interesting" (Voodollars), but it looks like it works.

Chapter 9 is the world background. Now this one is kind of neat. It details the various races (witches are a different race), and they are not alone. 

We get Witch history, culture, magical government, the Witches' World Council, laws governing how Witches interact with Mundanes, supernatural organizations, magical schools, creatures, NPCs, adventure ideas, and quite a bit more. Even how the mundane world reacts to all of this. 

I particularly like the other schools section. I had hoped to see more about these in later books, but it hasn't really happened.

Chapter 10 presents some creatures. But if the art is any indication, most of these are not for combat purposes, but potential dates (well, there is only one witch kissing a vampire…). Nearly every kind of creature is covered, from fairies to Cthulhu-like horrors. But no demons. Seems a bit odd, given it all. Some notable NPCs (Guest Stars) are also mentioned.

Chapter 11 details the Willow-Mistt School. Willow-Mistt School of Magic is located in Willow-Brook, Maine. It has only forty-five students, which makes it feel more like a strange magical boarding school where everyone knows everyone else than some enormous fantasy academy. The school has its own rules, dormitories, classes, grounds, teachers, students, magical secrets, and nearby town. It is an immediately usable campaign setting.

Willow Mistt is not Hogwarts, but it is easy to make the comparisons. I actually found it closer to Claremont Academy from Mutants & Masterminds, a lot easier to get a grasp on what student life is really like. 

We close with a sample Episode, some plot ideas, a lexicon, and a list of Witch names; see how many you recognize!

Ok. Here we are a decade later with a new version, and what do we have?

Well. Harris obviously has a love for this genre, and it shows. The rules are well crafted, and while nothing here is earth-shaking, they are familiar mechanics done up in a very nice way. The point of view works well. This is anti-Grim-Dark. It's not all unicorns, princesses and kittens (though it does have all that), it's a fun game. The art is not Modern D&D, but it is good and more to the point very appropriate for this game.

For new players, this is a great little game. More experienced players may want more, but that is not due to the game itself, but rather expectations. Do not expect this to be "WitchCraft: The Junior High Years" (though you can do that).

I mention this because it needs to be addressed. But Malcolm. Please. Hire an editor and someone to help with layout. There is a comprehensive index, which is great, but it doesn't always have the right page numbers. Spend the money. 

The introductory terminology, for example, lists the basic attributes as Body, Mind, Senses, Social, and Zap. The actual rules correctly use Body, Mind, Senses, Will, Social, and Magic. This is likely a holdover from a previous draft or a simple typo. But this is the third printing/edition of the game. 

The Oracle Heritage says that increasing a d6 Mind by one die type raises it to d4, which is obviously going in the wrong direction.

The optional rules for teenage Interns say to "Raise Will and either Will or Social Die by one." I can interpret that literally as one Will increase followed by another increase to either Will or Social, but the wording leaves room for doubt. Can I raise Will twice? Or Will and something else?

Even the Magic Types list leaves out Illusion, despite the book containing an entire Illusion spell section and NPCs with ranks in Illusion.

None of these problems make the game unplayable. But they matter. I can gloss over them in character gen or play.  

They matter especially because Witch Girls Adventures presents itself as a game that can introduce new players to roleplaying. Experienced gamers can look at the Oracle entry and immediately recognize what it was meant to be. A twelve-year-old making her first RPG character should not have to reverse-engineer the rules.

Hell. I have made characters for "The World of Synnibarr"; a stray typo isn't going to phase me. But a new player might be frustrated, and that is worse than someone hating on the game because they don't like witches. A frustrated player never plays again. 

I write a lot. I make spelling mistakes. I make grammar mistakes. I occasionally write a sentence that makes perfect sense to me because I know what I meant, only to discover later that nobody else could possibly have known what I meant. I do this far more often that I care to admit or like. 

So I use tools.

Some of those tools are free. Some I pay professional licensing fees for. I use them because they catch what I miss, and because the finished product is better after going through another set of eyes, even if some of those "eyes" happen to be software.

The good people at Relentless Fiction should do the same.

What makes this frustrating is that the underlying material deserves better.

The mechanics are fun. The setting has personality. Oh, there is so much personality here! The magic system remains one of my favorite parts of the game. The characters are memorable. Willow-Mistt is immediately usable.

Another serious editing pass would not change what Witch Girls Adventures is.

It would make it much easier to see how good it already is.

Summer Enrichment Program at Willow-Mistt

In the Summer of 1981, I went on what was called a "Summer Enrichment Program" at MacMurray College. This will become important for future posts, but the spoiler is I had a chance to buy a copy of the Holmes Basic D&D set then, and I didn't because I already had a battered photocopied copy. Instead, I bought some Smurfs toys. In my defense, I was 10.

But that program for kids entering Jr. High introduced us to college courses. I had my first real chemistry course there, my first real computer course, and it gave me free access to all of MacMurray College's Campus. If I write anything at all about MacAlister College, chances are good it has a root in the early summer of 1981.

I figure my Jackson girls should have the same experience. 

Now I am not taking them back to 1981. Stephanie and Faye are friends, yeah, but they are about to have a big falling out. Stephanie and Vera HATE each other. Faye has her own problems with her abusive aunts. And Larina? Well, she is 200 miles away at this point. So 1981 won't work. But 1986 does! The girls all get invited to travel to Willow-Mistt (or Willow-Misty, Vera assures everyone) for what looks like "College Prep," but the truth is they have garnered the attention of the Witch Ruling Council (I'll get to that works...or not), and they are being offered two weeks of instruction in magic and to be observed.

They, along with their faculty sponser/chaperone Valerie Beaumont (who works AMAZING under WGA's Immortal rules), head to Willow-Misty, sorry, Willow-Mistt, for the two weeks from Monday, June 2, to Friday, June 13, 1986. Poor Stephanie has to spend her 17th birthday on the plane home.

Why Do This?

The first reason is that it is fun. And honestly, that is all the reason I need. But I was looking back over all my notes on Witch Girls Adventures, and the very, very beginning of what would become my Sunny Valley, OH campaign began in those notes. 

Plus, I wanted to see how modeling MY witch girls in this system would work.

Jackson, though, is 1980s modern hometown horror. Witch Girls is more urban fantasy meets Magic Girls meets supernatural fantasy. They share the same elements, but baked at different temperatures and with different results.

Also. I am still exploring game systems for Carbon Vale and need to find its identity other than "not Jackson."

And honestly, I don't get tired of exploring who these characters are. So, like my Jackson kids, let's get on a plane, fly out to Maine, and spend two weeks in June learning magic, Witch Girls Style.

For me, the best part of this exercise is picking out what Cliques and Magical Heritages they all have. NIGHT SHIFT has one witch class; Witch Girls Adventures provides a lot of customization. 

Stephanie Wren Vale

Age: 16 (turns 17 on June 14!)
DOB: June 14, 1969
Rank: Intern
Clique: Insider
Concept: Cheerleader, social bridge, naturally gifted witch

Attributes
Body D8+1
Mind D6
Senses D4
Will D8
Social D10
Magic D10

Secondary Attributes
Life Points 16
Reflex 10
Resist Magic 14
Zap Points 25

Talents: Friendly, Jock
Heritage: Attuned

Mundane Skills
Acrobatics +4
Athletics +4
Dancing +3
Drive +2
Leader +2
Mundane Etiquette +2
Bargain +1
Singing +1, Insider bonus

Magic Skills
Casting +5
Magical Etiquette +3, Insider bonus
Broom Riding +3
Focus +2
Mysticism +2
Enchantment +2
Potions +1

Magic
Mentalism 4
Protection 3
Offense 3
Divination 2
Alteration 2

Signature Spell: Telepathy

Faye Rose "Thornie" Thorne

Age: 17
DOB: Septemeber 1, 1969
Rank: Intern
Clique: Gothique
Concept: Occult rebel, practical dark witch

Attributes
Body D6
Mind D8
Senses D8
Will D10
Social D4
Magic D10

Secondary Attributes
Life Points 12
Reflex 9
Resist Magic 13
Zap Points 20

Talents: Creepy, Mysterious
Heritage: Hexer

Mundane Skills
Basics +3
Hear +3
Look +3
Pop Culture +3 (Music +4)
Streetwise +3
Mythology +2
Scare +1

Magic Skills
Casting +5
Mysticism +4
Focus +3
Herbalism +2
Cryptozoology +2
Spell Breaker +2

Magic
Curse 4
Necromancy 3
Mentalism 3
Offense 3
Divination 2
Protection 2

Signature Spell: Jinx

Larina Stephanie "Nix" Nichols

Age: 16
DOB: 10/25/1969
Rank: Intern
Clique: Rustic
Concept: Occult scholar, small-town witch, compulsive investigator

Attributes
Body D4
Mind D10+1
Senses D8
Will D8
Social D4
Magic D8

Secondary Attributes
Life Points 8
Reflex 7
Resist Magic 11
Zap Points 16

Talents: Brainiac, Geek
Heritage: Oracle

Mundane Skills
Basics +4
Mythology +3
Look +2
Hear +1
Science +1
Games +1 (Chess +2)

Magic Skills
Casting +4
Mysticism +4
Herbalism +2
Focus +1
Spell Breaker +1

Magic
Divination 4
Conjuration 2
Elementalism 2
Offense 2
Protection 2
Alteration 1

Signature Spell: Find
Common Spell: Zap

Vera Diane "Raven" Rook

Age: 17
DOB: 11/13/1968 (missed the school cut-off age, but never fails to remind everyone she is the oldest).
Rank: Intern
Clique: Outsider (she is a member of a magic family that has turned its back on magic)
Concept: Reluctant ally who discovers she enjoys all of this far too much

Attributes
Body D6
Mind D8
Senses D8+1
Will D8
Social D8
Magic D10

Secondary Attributes
Life Points 12
Reflex 10
Resist Magic 13
Zap Points 20

Talents: Busy Body, Brave
Heritage: The Sight

Mundane Skills
Basics +3
Drive +3
Hear +3
Look +3
Gossip +2
Mythology +2
Plucky +2
Scare +2
Mundane Etiquette +1, Outsider free skill
Streetwise +1, Outsider free skill

Magic Skills
Casting +5
Mysticism +4
Cryptozoology +3
Focus +2
Spell Breaker +2

Magic
Divination 4 (free rank due to Sight)
Mentalism 3
Protection 3
Curse 2
Time and Space 2
Illusion 2

Signature Spell: Scry
Common Spell: Glamour

Some of these are so good it makes me laugh. Vera the busybody always poked her nose in until finally Steph, Faye, and Larina just gave up trying to exclude her. Larina is not the most magically potent one here, but she is the smartest; this has always been her role. 

This also helped me solidify some of their birthdays.

So I really don't know what will happen at Willow-Mistt for the girls. I also don't know if the "Stars" are there. It would be a shame NOT to have them there. Besides, the chance for Stephanie and Princess Lucinda to draw swords, magically speaking, at each other? I mean, how can I say no?

Stephanie: "You might be a Princess, but I'm the fucking Queen!"
Vera: "Uh...Vale, do you know what that sounds like?"
Stephanie: "Don't start with me, Rook!"

So the rules support them very well. Very, very well in fact. And I can see having the same sorts of adventures with them in WGA as I do in NIGHT SHIFT. But Witch Girls Adventures is a very different sort of game than the world I have built. They are similar, to be sure; Malcolm and I read the same books, watch the same TV shows and movies, and I think we are about the same age. So this is all natural. But while a Summer Enrichment Program is nice, none of my characters are moving to Willow-Brook, Maine, anytime soon. 

I love the council of Witches, and let me tell you, I have IDEAS. But they are not something that works in my world. The world Jackson is in. Maybe my girls not only went to Maine, but a slightly different universe? I mean I can see this council wanting to look at these girls after the events of the Hollow King. Great for Witch Girls Adventures, less so for NIGHT SHIFT.

Given that this is the first big trip away from home on their own for the four of them (I mean Valerie as a chaperone?? "Ok, if you need it, I know 57 ways to get blood out of clothes. First one, 'always wear black.'"). Here is the song I can see all four of them singing together in their dorm.

They graduate and go off in different directions in just a year.

But if I went into this looking to understand these characters better, then it was a huge success.

Still. I am reminded of how much fun this game really is. 

I am looking forward to checking Modern Mythology now.

Fantasy Fridays: Forgotten Realms Book of Lairs

 Working through my Forgotten Realms books. I’ve been wanting to put in some time with the Forgotten Realms reviews. In part because I have a pile of them here staring at me. Taunting me. 

The one for today is an odd little utility book of the sort TSR excelled at in the late 80s and early 90s.  Don’t expect a campaign-shaking mega-adventure or a big boxed set. Nor is it one of those "here is an entire country, good luck" affairs. It is far more straightforward. "Here are some monsters and their lairs. Go on and have an adventure."

Book of Lairs [Forgotten Realms] (2e)

1994. By Nicky Rea and Sam Witt. Cover art by Larry Elmore, interiors from Valerie Valusek, and cartography by John Knecht and Rob Lazzaretti. 96 pages.

For this review, I am considering my PDF and PoD versions from DriveThruRPG.

This book follows the previous Book of Lairs format TSR has put out in the past, only this is tailored for the Forgotten Realms and for AD&D 2nd edition. Inside you will find 35 short scenarios, each with a monster at its heart. The product copy touts "over 30" adventures for a single session full of danger and humor and the like; I would say that is as apt a description as any.

One thing I do want to point out right away in reading this. Hidden in the math is an ersatz or even proto-Challenge Rating. Each monster lair listing has recommended total levels and recommended average party level. Divide the total levels by 6 to get close to the average party level. It works much in the same way Monster Mark did, and Challenge Levels do. We almost had this in 1994. 

Also note that this is not a monster book, nor an adventure book in the full sense. It is a collection of mini-situations and encounters. And that is where you will find both the merit and the flaw in it.

They do make some assumptions about your library, namely that you have the Campaign Setting and the Monstrous Compendium appendices for the Realms. The latter is key.

You won’t be looking at the usual suspects. We have alguduirs, asperii, beguilers, belabras, bhaergala, bichirs, cantobeles, cildabrins, crawling claws, crimson death, dimensional warpers, dracoliches, fachans, firenewts, frosts, hauns, inquisitors, loxo, monkey spiders, morins, orpsus, revenants, saurials, sha’az, silver dogs, thylacines, wemics, and so on. This is strength really. It makes this a Realms book and not the same as the previous Book of Lairs. IT does mean you need the Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium pages, though.

With the old Monstrous Compendium type books/pages you are given some wonderful, oddball creatures and left to your own devices. I don’t mind that; I enjoy my monster books for the reading. But a monster ought to have context, a place in the world, something more than a roll on the random encounter table to justify its presence.

Book of Lairs provides that. Each entry is brief, a page or two at the most. There is the creature, the setup, the lair, a few complications. You can run it with hardly any prep. You will find another reviewer has it right: the bulk of the encounters in here run to 2 or 3 pages and are drawn from the monsters in MC3 and MC11, the appendices for the Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium. It is a quality that makes the book feel like something you can put to good use at the table.

Then again, not all of them are "Realmsy" (if you want to call it that). You could take some of these and put them in Greyhawk, Mystara, my own Mystoerth, or wherever your world is with no trouble. I would say that is the best way to employ the book these days. Sure, it is a 96-page tome of weird AD&D monster encounters and a product of the Realms, but I can make use of it anywhere. My oldest is currently using it in his own world using AD&D 1st edition, so it has flexibility. 

The setting does make its presence known. You will come across Harpers, Zhentarim, Tyr, Moander, places like Westgate, Yhaunn, Calaunt, the Shining Plains, and Sembia. But do not expect the kind of lore you get in The Code of the Harpers; this is a working DM’s book. I think that is why I like it.

My only real gripe (and this is a minor one) is with how it is put together. An alphabetical list by monster is well and good when you have decided on a dracolich or revenant, but what if you are looking for something to throw at a 5th-level party in a swamp? So an index by level or difficulty (dare I say, Challenge Rating) would be great.

But then, it is 1994 TSR. This is the sort of thing you were meant to read, mark up, and leave next to your DM's screen. Find an encounter, make it your own, and be done with it. There is a very AD&D sensibility to that.

In many ways, the Realms at this time still has that huge, messy quality to it, with things left unexplained. I see that as a feature, not a bug. The Forgotten Realms is at its best when it seems you have only seen one inn or one haunted ruin, and there are a hundred other things about to step out of the torchlight. This book gives you that sense.  I mean, despite the fact that we are now sitting on the other side of 40 years of published Realms lore, I am still new to all of this.

There is your dracolich lair, the big ticket item, but I am more inclined toward the odder, smaller fare. A silver dog, a saurial, a wemic, or the thylacines (I am a fan of The Howling III, and I think at least someone on the Realms staff is as well.). They are the kind of creature that tells you the Realms is more than generic fantasy with Elminster tacked on. These are places where oddities have families, enemies, and a history.

That is what the book is worth. It shows you a monster is not a stat block. It has a place, a situation, and motivation. And the lair itself is often the adventure.

Sinéad, Nida, Arnell, Jaromir, and Rhiannon

Since my characters are still heading east, this book is immediately useful to me. I could drop one of these encounters into their path without too much trouble. A strange beast on the road. A ruined tower with something nesting inside. A village dealing with a problem that is bigger than they understand. That is exactly the sort of thing this book is built for.

I don’t know that Book of Lairs is essential Realms material. If you are building a Realms library, you want the boxed sets, the regional books, the big lore books, and probably the deity books before this one. But if you are actually running AD&D 2nd Edition Forgotten Realms, or any old-school fantasy game, this is the kind of book that earns its keep.

It is not flashy. It is not a grand tour of Faerûn. It is not going to explain the Time of Troubles or give you the secret history of the Harpers. It will give you a monster in a lair and a reason for the characters to investigate. Which, honestly, is how most good monster encounters should work.

The PDF and PoD are both legible and easy to read for a scanned product.

The PoD suffers from faded text typical of a scan, but this one is a little better than most, to be honest, and unless you are looking for it, you might not notice it. 

All in all, pretty happy with my purchase.

Retrospective: Wizards of the Coast's Gamma World

Yesterday, I discussed the various editions of TSR's Gamma World. In 1997 Wizards of the Coast, flush full of cash from their runaway hit Magic: The Gathering, bought TSR and all their debt, becoming the owner of everything TSR had ever produced. This famously included Dungeons & Dragons, but also Gamma World. They would then produce some new editions of this game as well.

Each edition here uses a different set of rules, and are not exactly compatible with each other.

Fifth Edition (2000)

This edition of Gamma World was designed for the Sci-fi game Alternity. I'll have much more to say about that when I do my review and deep dive into Alternity later this month.

But like all the Alternity titles, this one is out of print and unavailable from DriveThruRPG. Thankfully, I still have my own copy.

This edition is notable for also (like the 3rd Edition) not being compatible with the then-current edition of Dungeons & Dragons.  This one appeared at the end of the AD&D 2nd edition era and right before the D&D 3.0 era. 

Omega World (2002)

This was an adaptation of the d20 rules to play a Gamma World-like mini-game. It appeared in Dungeon Magazine #94 and was a stand-alone affair. It is the odd child of the Gamma World family, and that is saying something, but it is a rather fun game in a tight little package.

This requires the D&D 3.0 game to play, not the d20 Modern Rules which would not be released for another month or so.

Sixth Edition (2003-2005)

Along with Ravenloft, Wizards of the Coast had Arthaus, an imprint of White Wolf, create the d20 Edition of Gamma World. This was a fairly robust edition with both a Player's Handbook and a Game Master's Guide. A Machines and Mutants book was also released, mimicking the classic three book format D&D has always used. 

That is not the only way it mimicked D&D. This version of Gamma World used the d20 Modern rules, making it to this point the most compatible with the then-current D&D (3.5). It also made it compatible with all of Wizard's of the Coast's d20 Future line, which included some materials from both Alternity and Star Frontiers. It was also compatible with WotC's d20 Star Wars.

The book titles are a little misleading. The Player's Handbook has the setting information. Character creation and most of the rules are still in the d20 Modern book, needed to play. The Game Master's Guide is less about running a Gamma World game and more about running any sort of RPG. The Machines and Mutants book, aka the Monster Manual, is pretty much what it says it is. 

Wizards of the Coast sought cohesion in the Alternity line, which they achieved by accident in the d20 era. This also means that the Omega World game is 100% (or 95-99%) compatible with this.

In truth, this is a solid edition that makes some solid attempts at updating the Gamma World mythology to better suit 21st-century technology and genetics. 

While it is not perfect, it is very playable and it was always in the back of my mind when I tried out various d20 sci-fi games.

Seventh Edition (2010)

Gamma World came back again, and this time in-house at Wizards of the Coast. Gamma World 7th Edition was built on the same rules as D&D 4th Edition, and they are quite compatible in that respect. Gamma World characters tend to be more powerful and more random as befitting the nature of the genre. 

I know the least about this game. Though I did watch some people play it at Gen Con 2011 when it was released, and it looked fun, I'm not sure it felt like Gamma World to me. But I don't deny the people playing it had a good time. 

If Gamma World 6e was a serious grimdark post-apoc setting, then this one returned to its weird roots. I think this is one of the reasons I like 6e better than 7e. Also, I think the D&D4 rules, while I am fine with them for D&D4, don't click with me here.  The cards seemed a step too much for me.  Though I am equally certain I could mine this for ideas.

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All editions though can be great fun, if you are willing to ignore the fact that levels of radiation talked about in these games would just kill everyone and not really make them mutants. But that is why they are Science Fantasy and not Science Fiction per se. None of that matters, though; the real reason here is to play a radioactive plant ape that speaks in a Cajun accent and swings a stop sign as a weapon.

Retrospective: TSR's Gamma World

A while back, I reviewed TSR's First Edition of the post-apocalyptic science fantasy RPG Gamma World. 

Since I am focusing this year on the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, it is only fitting that I spend so much time with its sister game, Gamma World. There are currently seven editions of Gamma World, all following the same general theme: It is the 25th Century, and the Earth has been nearly destroyed by some global cataclysm. The nature of this cataclysm and the amount of humanity that survived changes from edition to edition. 

All editions of Gamma World are credited to James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet. It was based on Ward's earlier sci-fi game, Metamorphosis Alpha. MA would give us Gamma World and the AD&D adventure Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.

The remnants of humanity and other beings now struggle to survive in a harsh and mutated world filled with bizarre creatures, dangerous mutants, and remnants of advanced technology. 

Like Dungeons & Dragons, players take on the roles of adventurers exploring this radioactive wasteland. They can choose from various mutant characters with unique abilities, ranging from humanoid animals and plant people to cyborgs and psychic mutants. 

Characters adventure in abandoned, destroyed cities, looking for the remains of civilization or something to survive in the wasteland. 

In many, many ways, Gamma World IS Dungeons & Dragons. There is no magic, but there are high-tech, weird radiation and psychic powers. Making Gamma World into a D&D world is not a stretch. The 1st and 2nd edition rules are similar enough to Basic-era and AD&D 1st editions to make translations easy. In fact, the 1st edition of the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide has conversion guidelines. Gamma World 4th edition is also very close to AD&D 2nd edition to make translations there east too. Dragon Magazine #183 has a conversion guideline for Gamma Word 4th edition and AD&D 2nd edition.

First Edition (1978)

I reviewed this one in detail a while back. It is also the one I am most familiar with. 

Second Edition (1983)

This was one of the more popular versions of the game, coming out at the height of classic D&D's popularity. While I mentioned it is compatible with AD&D 1st edition, it has more in common with the Red Box D&D Basic that came out around the same time. It even came with the same sort of dice as the Basic sets. Considering that GW1 most closely resembles the Moldvay Basic set, this is not a surprise. 

Gamma World 2nd edition is compatible with GW 1st edition, and is generally the same rules expanded and cleared up. Even the adventures and products for this game kept the same numbering codes from 1st edition. 

This edition is expanded over GW1 and includes an introductory adventure. There are few more "monsters" in this one as well, but I'd need to set them side by side to figure out which ones are new.

Third Edition (1986)

This version of Gamma World also expands on the earlier editions. Notable setting changes include doubling the number of humans that died in the apocalypse and the rules have changed. While characters are still generated the same way and all the stat blocks look similar there is an addition of an "Action Table" for rolling outcomes. The feel is similar to what we see in 1st Edition Chill from Pacesetter and TSR's own Marvel Super Heroes RPG's FASERIP system.  The system requires only a d6 and a d10. There are notes on how to use to generate other types of dice rolls. 

Unlike GW1 and GW2, this version was not as out of the box compatible with D&D to the same degree the others were. Characters, as did the monsters, still looked very similar, but the system was different enough to increase the incompatibility. 

The idea here was to streamline the game and make the action faster. Sadly, several errors in the game made this difficult. It did feature one of the first meta-plot arcs for Gamma World, but sadly was not finished in print.

Fourth Edition (1992)

This edition of the game brought it back to its roots, so to speak. It is very compatible with the then-current AD&D 2nd Edition. There are some very interesting design choices here too including a good skill system and a very d20 like combat resolution system with "Ascending" armor classes. In some ways you could adapt this to AD&D for a near AD&D 2.5 edition that shows a good transition between AD&D 2nd ed and what will become D&D 3rd edition, but that is 8 years and a different company in the future.

Interestingly, this edition was also playtested over the GEnie BBS service way back before the internet became ubiquitous. 

The art in this edition features some of the best art from the "Four Horsemen of TSR," Jeff Easley, Clyde Caldwell, Larry Elmore, and Keith Parkinson.

Sadly, this was to be the last version of Gamma World to be produced by TSR. They announced they were going to switch gears and do a new version of Metamorphosis Alpha for their new Amazing Engine game line. 

The Fifth Edition, while published under the TSR name was really a Wizards of the Coast product and I'll discuss that one tomorrow.

Which one should you get?

All things being equal, I would go for the 4th edition rules myself. The 1st and 2nd have a great nostalgia factor for me, and while I have the 1st Edition, I likely go with the 2nd.

The 1st, 3rd, and 4th edition rules are all available as Print on Demand versions now. So that is also in their favor. I understand the 4th edition rules are very clean and a good print. I can vouch for the 1st edition rules myself. The 3rd has some issues, but I am also not a fan of the action table, so I am giving it a pass.

Reviews: I'm Going to Hell!

 It's October, and my thoughts turn to scary things. And honestly, what could be scarier than a trip to Hell? There are a lot of great adventures to take your characters through. I can't review them all, but here are a few.

I DO still want to do my "A Barbarian in Hell" adventure sometime. These will help me out. 

So come with me. Let's go to Hell!

666: The Number of the Beast

PDF, 20 Pages, DMsGuild. $6.66

This one is fun. It's 20 pages long, and it takes its inspiration from both Dante's Inferno and Heavy Metal music. Sounds like my kind of mix, to be honest! This one also takes cues from a few different video games. This works if you imagine that your characters are already dead and in Hell and not traveling there as a "Soujurn in Hell."

This PDF sets up seven "boss battles" for characters in Hell. It can be used as described or as a supplement to an ongoing campaign in Hell, which is what I am using it for.

This is obviously for D&D 5e via the DMsGuild.

Nine Hells Adult Coloring Book

PDF, 48 Pages. B&W art (by design). $6.95 PDF / $8.98 Print

This is overtly a coloring book, but it is also a great resource for the Pathfinder version of Hell and stat blocks for the rulers of each level. Again this could be in the form of a "boss battle" or as a resource. Buy it for the coloring book, but stay for the backgrounds, lore, and stat-blocks.

The art from Jacob E. Blackmon is excellent as well, and there are some pieces here that would be a lot of fun to color. Now, where did my kids leave their crayons?

 

Emirikol's Guide to Devils

PDF, 246 Pages. Color art. $15.00

From Sean McGovern, of The Power Score RPG blog.  So right away I knew this was going to be a well-researched product. Sean has been one of the best at deep lore D&D research in the blogging scene for years. He is meticulous and encompassing on any topic he tackles.

This is a massive volume at 246 pages and covers the Hells and its inhabitants. It takes D&D lore from as far back 1st/2nd Edition (I noticed that details from "Politics of Hell" are not really included though, but everything else is) and tries to bring them all together. It leans heavily into the 5th edition versions of Hells (naturally), and the book is presented like many of the newer 5e books, with notes from Emirikol the Chaotic and Natasha the Dark. 

The information makes for a great read, and there are some details I really enjoy. I like how the author explains the shift from Demon to Devil to Fiend for Succubi. There are plenty of stat blocks, which is good if you don't have all the devils and Archdevils. And there are plenty of new devils and backgrounds on playing characters associated with devils and the Hells.

The art is a mixed bag, as with any DMsGuild product, and I am not 100% on board with all the lore choices made here.  But there is enough text and information here to keep me busy. Plus any choice I don't like I can simply say "well, Emirikol got it wrong" or even "This was from Natasha when she was younger and not yet Iggwilv."

In any case, it is good to have multiple points of view on something as complex as the Nine Hells.

I do wish there was a printer-friendly version. This would be nice in my big red binder of devil information.

Dalor's Guide to Devils & Demons

PDF, 127 pages, Color art. PDF $19.99 / Print $34.99

Now this one was a bit of a pleasant surprise to me.  It is for 5e so I was expecting something akin to the DMsGuild products I had been reviewing. But this one reminds me of the best of the OSR in terms of look and feel, with solid 5e design and layout. Really the best of both worlds. The vibe I get from it is like the old Mayfair Demons series.

This book gives you a ton of new demons and devils and plenty of background and lore for them. There is even a fiendish language and alphabet. I am a little surprised this one doesn't have more sales because it is just a treasure trove of great stuff.

There are new demon lords, new arch-devils, cults and contracts, and even a new class. A little bit of everything really. 

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See you in Hell!

Monstrous Mondays: The D&D 4e Monster Vaults

When 2010 rolled around it was becoming obvious that 4e was not going to sell as well as previous versions of D&D. It still sold well, but it was not hitting the number that WotC and Hasbro wanted.  Since the old adage was "Core Books sell better" the 4e team reintroduced the D&D 4th edition game with the 4e Essentials line.  While no a new edition really, it was designed to make the 4e game a bit easier to play and run and make it more like old editions of the game.  

It was not quite successful but it did re-interest me in the game after playing 4e for a bit and then drifting off to Pathfinder.  

One of the "interesting" changes in 4e Essentials was the shift of the "Monster Manual" to the "Monster Vault."

They were called these since the first Essentials Monster book was a boxed set with the digest-sized book and monster tokens for all the creatures in the book.  Nice touch for a mini-focused game.

So for today's Monstrous Mondays I am going to look at the two Monster Vault books, both PDF and physical, and talk about what they added to the game and the depiction of monsters.

Dungeons & Dragons Essentials: Monster Vault (4e)

PDF (and softcover). 320 pages, full color. No PoD option on DriveThruRPG at this time. $8.99 for PDF.

Released in the later part of 2010 this book was part of the Essentials transition line to help "save" D&D 4e. 

The monster book of the D&D 4e Essentials line covered a number of monsters already present in the D&D 4e Monster Manuals.  I'll get to that part in a bit.

The product came in a box, much like the Essentials DM's kit. Along with the digest-sized book, there were a bunch of tokens for all the creatures, a fold-out map of a dungeon/wilderness area (for the  "Cairn of the Winter King" included adventure), and even some NPC/PC tokens.  The tokens also featured rings to make a monster go up a size. So a large creature could be upgraded to huge for example. The PDF of this book includes the maps and tokens to print out.

The book format largely followed that of the previous monster books but presented in the Essentials style.  Of course, you could use 4e and Essentials material interchangeably and the monster books are the best example of this.  An effort was made not just to repeat monsters and stat blocks from the previous books. For example, the Monster Manual has an Orc entry and features the Orc Drudge (L4), Orc Warrior (L9), Orc Raider (L3), Orc Berserker (L4), Orc Eye of Gruumsh (L5), Orc Bloodrager (L7) and Orc Chieftan (L8). The Monster Vault has Battletest Orc (L3), Orc Savage (L4), Orc Archer (L4), Orc Reaver (L5), Orc Rampager (L6), Orc Pummeler (L6) and Orc Storm Shaman (L6).  The art in the book is replicated on the tokens. Each token is also used as an "icon" in each entry.

There are 64 major monster entries, including Animals, here with anywhere from 1 or 2 to as many as 8 sub entries under each. Orcs have 7, demons have 7 and even displacer beasts have 3.  This gives us just over 300 monsters.

I don't personally feel that the Monster Vault was designed to replace the Monster Manuals. After all the "named" demons like Orcus, Demogorgon and Lolth never appear in the Essentials Monster books. Though there is naturally some overlap, but it is nowhere near what you saw in the Monster Manuals for 3.0 to 3.5 or even the Monstrous Compendiums of 2e to the Monstrous Manual.  I felt they were designed to be more complimentary. 

Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale

PDF (and softcover). 128 pages, full color. $14.99 for PDF, $32.99 for PoD or $47.98 for both.

If the first Monster Vault was designed to replace or complement the D&D 4 Monster Manuals then a case could be made that Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale could be considered the D&D 4e Monster Manual 4.  Indeed, with the updated MV monsters in the fist book, combined with this book a hard cover Monster Manual 4 could have been created. While the cover features a cool looking black dragon, the hard cover could have been Graz'zt to continue with the demon-focused covers.

This originally came as a softcover book in a shrink-wrapped paper slip-case with card-stock tokens like that of the Monster Vault. These included all the monsters for this book.  The book though in this case is not digest-sized but letter sized. 

There are 40 grouping of monsters here, with some named unique creatures and threats to the Nentir Vale. So the book feels like a campaign-setting monster book. There are about 200 monsters here in total. Since there are unique creatures and Nentir Vale-focused ones, there are monsters here that have never appeared in any D&D monster book before or since. Some are old favorites with new ideas. For example, there are Gnolls, but they are the Black Fang Gnolls here and are a little more vicious.  There are new creatures, like the Frost Witches, that have not reappeared anywhere else as far as I know.  Others of course are new and have appeared in other books after this.

Personally, I would love to see all of these creatures, along with the rest of the Nentir Vale, translated into D&D 5th edition.

The Essentials Line

Back when it was new in 2010 I spent some time talking about the D&D Essentials line and how it was what 4e should have been from the start. 

I talked about the start of the essentials line here and here. I also discussed using the Essentials Monster Vault to make adjustments to various D&D 5e monsters. 

I feel there is still a good game in here. I might need to delve a bit deeper and even get an Essentials game going sometime.  There is still a lot of fun to be had here I think.

Monstrous Mondays: Mystical Companions (Castles & Crusades)

All month long I have been talking about D&D and mostly near-D&D FRPGs.  While last week was all Pathfinder, the one-time heir-apparent to D&D, this week I want to talk about a game that really does capture that feel of early, 1st Ed AD&D, with a more modern point of view.  

Of course, that game is Castles & Crusades.

I have never hidden my love of Castles & Crusades and I would play a lot more of it if I could. It really does capture the feel of older D&D, maybe something of a Basic-era mixed with Advanced, through the lens of 3rd Edition.  One really could consider it the evolution of AD&D2 into the new millennia. 

This week I want to do more with Castles & Crusades, but I am going to do it from the point of view of some of my regular blog features.  Today is Monday and that means Monstrous Mondays. So I am going to review and discuss the Castles & Crusades Mystical Companions book. 

I can't believe that it has been three years (almost to the day) since I reviewed the 5th Edition version of this book.  I had meant to do much sooner than this.

The Troll Lord's Mystical Companions is the update to their fantastic Book of Familiars.   It comes in two flavors, A Castles & Crusades version, and a D&D 5th Edition version.   I have both in digital and PDF formats, today I am going to focus solely on the Castles & Crusades version.  Yes, they are in fact different enough that two separate reviews are really needed.

I was always going to use this book in my Magic School games, whether that game used an Old-School ruleset (like Castles & Crusades or OSE) or (now) D&D 5th Edition.  I think that highly of it.  Now it is something I am using as part of my War of the Witch Queens campaign where every character has an animal companion, pet, or familiar.  My oldest kid has taken my 5th edition version and made it his own.

Mystical Companions for Castles & Crusades

For this review, I am considering both the PDF version from DriveThruRPG and the hardcover version I purchased from Troll Lord Games. 

Hardcover book and PDF. 192 pages, full-color art by Jason Walton and Peter Bradley.  PDF is bookmarked.  This book is divided up into 12 chapters and 5 appendcies. Largely focusing on the various Castles & Crusades classes and their respective animal companions.

Chapter 1: Familiars and Companions

This gives us our basic overview of the book and the concepts of an animal companion in the Castles & Crusades game.  Pro-tip. Even a casual read of the chapter titles should clue you in that if you wanted to use this with AD&D 1st ed you very easily could. There is also the notion that Animal Companions and Familiars, while similar and can perform similar roles and tasks are very different from each other. 

On Animal Companion vs. Familiar.  While rules in the book cover book and treat them somewhat interchangeably an Animal Companion is more like a loyal pet or friend.  A Familiar is a creature summoned to work with the PC.  Animal Companions are free-willed, familiars are not.

For ease, I am going to use"animal companion" for all cases unless a distinction needs to be made. 

There is the concept here of Advantages, this allows the character to summon an animal companion. In truth, I think this works better in 5e than it does here, but I will explore this a bit more.  Additionally, there are various Powers and Tricks animal companions can have or impart to their player characters.

Animal companions are all treated as other creatures from the beginning. They have HD, hp, AC and more scores. 

Advantages are a new mechanic for C&C to allow them to take on various "powers" or "features."  It was introduced in the Castle Keepers Guide as an optional rule, here it is required.  It is, very simply put, a "Feat" system for C&C.  That does not really describe it well enough, but it is close.

Different classes get new Advantages at different levels.  Various abilities and powers of the animal companions are detailed here. Including what sort of special powers you can get by taking another animal companion/familar at higher levels. 

If you are playing AD&D 1st Ed and really want to do familiars correctly then I highly recommend this book. 

The following chapters each deal with the various C&C classes (and their AD&D counterparts in my readings) and their respective animal companions.

Chapter 2: Barbarian Familiars & Special Mounts

I don't recall Conan having a pet, but Cú Chulainn is known to have had some pet dogs. Since Barbarians feel closer to nature they have totem animals; an animal or creatures revered by their culture. This chapter covered these, and all the expected animals are here, but there are also totems for mammoths, displacer beasts, dire creatures of all sorts, and even small dragons. 

Chapter 3: The Bard’s Familiar

Bards typically have familiars that aid in their singing or musical magics. Providing a number of powers to aid their abilities. 

Chapter 4: The Cleric’s Familiar

These are not so much as animals and more attendant spirits. The least of the messengers of the cleric's god(s).  Often they are here to provide the cleric guidance or omens. These creatures can, and often do, take on animal shapes. What that shape is depends largely on the cleric's domain. 

Chapter 5:The Druid’s Familiar

Similar to both the Barbarian's and the Cleric's familiar.  Here the deciding factor is the terrain/environment the druid is native to.  There is a large sidebar/section on Druid Familiars vs Druid Animal Companions.

Chapter 6: The Fighter’s Familiar

This one seems a bit odd, but they do make a case for it. A good historical example might be the Mongolian fighters and their horses, or the hunting dogs of Celtic cultures. 

Chapter 7: Monk Familiars

Again not one you normally think about. These seem to follow the same logic of the barbarian, but in stead of totem spirits they are manifestations of ancestor spirits. Think Mu-Shu from the animated Mulan.

Chapter 8: Paladin Special Mounts & Familiars

Paladins already get mounts. This extends that logic a bit more. 

Chapter 9: The Ranger’s Familiar

Honestly, all Rangers should have an animal companion of some sort. This codifies it. 

Every ranger needs a red panda familiar.

Chapter 10: The Rogue’s Familiar

Like the fighter, one does not normally associate Rogues/Thieves with animals, but honestly, it would be good. Think of Laurence Fishburne's character "The Bowery King" and his pigeons or D&D's own history of associating thieves with cats (the Grey Mouser from Lankhmar or Gord the Rogue).

Chapter 11: The Illusionist’s Familiar and Chapter 12: The Wizard’s Familiar

Putting these two together since they follow similar ideas.  This is as close as we can get to the classic idea of a familiar.  The natures of their familiars are different, which is great, it provides more distance between these two classes. 

Appendix A: Animals

"Monster stats" for various (51) mundane animals.

Appendix B: New Monsters

Likewise, these are new monsters (36). Many are either familiars or creatures that feed on familiars. 

Appendix C: New Spells

A bunch of new familiar summoning and related spells for all spell casting classes.

Appendix D: New Magic Items and Artifacts

Magic items to summon, control, or aid familiars and animal companions. 

Appendix E: Dragon Riders

This last section covers a new class/path, the Dragon Riders, and how these rules are used for that class. While many of the same rules are used here as for familiars this takes them to a new place and should be considered optional. 

This is the Appendix/Chapter that my son grabbed this book from me for, BUT he opted not use their Dragon Riders but kept the book anyway for everything else.

A Dragon Rider is a Path that can be added to any class, but some have more use for it than others.  If the idea of PC Dragon Riders concerns you, then keep in mind it is being sold as "optional".  And also Dragon Riders of some form or another have been around since the dawn of the game.  If it is something you want, then there is plenty here for you to use.

If I ever ran a Magic School game with this then Dragon Riders would be included.

Index 

We end with a robust index and the OGL section.

Final Thoughts

A note about art. There is not as much in this book as other Troll Lord books, but what is here is from the fabulous Peter Bradley and Jason Walton, who also gives us the cover art.

Your results may vary, but this book has quickly gone from a neat oddity to one of our must-have books for my Old-school games. My son uses it in the 5e games he has run so much that I have not seen my 5e version of this book in months since it is now in with all of his books.

Do you need this book?  I say yes, but only if you are adding animals of any sort to your game, be they pets, familiars, mounts, companions, or all the way up to Dragon Riders.

Use in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

I am going to limit my thoughts here to AD&D 1st Ed. The only reason I am not considering 2nd Ed is that 2nd Edition has a skill system that should be incorporated with these rules a little more explicitly.  For 1st Ed, I can see a craft DM using this book more or less as-is. 

I know Troll Lords does not sell this book as an AD&D book. But anyone who is a fan of C&C is likely a fan of AD&D.  (Although I should point out I talked to a couple of real hardcore C&C fans at Gary Con who had never played AD&D First Edition.) But in any case, this is a fantastic reference for the 1st edition all the same. 

Review: Traveller20 (2002-2007)

We are now in another new decade. In fact a new century and a new millennium in fact. And of course another new edition of Traveller.  Interestingly enough we are now 25 years out from the Little Black Books. But we are now nearing the end height of the d20 boom.

Traveler, for the first time in its history, is now using the same system as Dungeons & Dragons.

Traveller for d20, also called Traveller 20 or even T²⁰ used the d20 system under the OGL and d20 STL.

Since this is the 20th day of SciFi month, let's do Traveller for d20!

There are two versions of this game, one out in 2002, which I remember was a single hardcover book.  The other, available from DriveThruRPG is the 2007 edition and made up of three books (and a handbook).  I had the 2002 version briefly but ended selling it off in an auction. Why? I can't recall. I had a baby and another one on the way, I bet I needed money.

Both versions have similar cover art.

For the purposes of this review, I am going to consider the 2006-7 version from DriveThruRPG and from Far Future Enterprises where I got my copy from. 

Traveller20 Core Rules Set (2006-7)

PDF. Four files. Color cover art, black & white interior art.

Ok. I want to start with this. I like d20. I do. My favorite version of the Star Wards RPG is Wizard's Revised d20 version. I know that sounds like blasphemy to so many, but I don't care.  Star Wars and D&D are so wrapped up into my childhood that bringing them together under one system was a no-brainer for me.  Now if I can add some Traveller bits?  Well I don't know if I can just yet, but the idea is so tempting, so tantalizing I just can't help it.  Seriously what could be more Summer of 1977 than Star Wars + D&D + Traveller?   What does that mean for you?  Well.  I am likely to cut this edition a lot of slack. Maybe even to the point of excusing some things I shouldn't.  Forewarned is forearmed.

The Traveller's Guidebook

PDF. 234 Pages, Color cover, black & white interior art with blue accents.

This is the "Book 0" OR the Book 4 of the 2006-7 Traveller d20 line.  This book covers all the basics for the Traveller Player. 

We get out Introduction which tells us what we are in for here.  It is written for the point of view of anyone new to RPGs or new to Traveller (any version). 

We get brief overviews of the d20 mechanic. How to set your Difficulty Levels (DCs) and even a little on success levels.

Character Creation is next.  What follows is pretty standard for all d20 games.  Roll abilities, choose races, select classes, set skills, add feats, roll up hitpoints.  This is Traveller so there is a bit more added on.

D&D/d20 has six Character Abilities. Traveller has six.  T20 has nine. These are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Education, Wisdom, Charisma, Social Standing, and Psionic Strength.  Ok a mix of both systems.  Not exactly what I would have done, but hey.  Ability scores are d20 standard, modifiers are as well.   

Hitpoints are split between Stamina and Lifeblood. Or what other games might call wound points and health points.  One slows you down the other represents how much you have till you die. Loosing either is not good.

Races are discussed and the standard humans are given with variations. You can also choose Vargr, Aslan, Ursa, and Virushi. 

Since this is Traveller you have your homeworld to consider.  There are plenty of random tables to help you figure this all out.  Tech Levels from previous editions remain here. It's a nice touch of course.  Also you have your prior history, or what you did before you decided to live the glamorous life of a Traveller.  Turns of service enter here with various paths and what that all means in terms of your character (background, credit earned, and skills).   I am not sure but it seems like there are a lot of careers here. More than other editions.

Once that is figured out you can choose a class. XP values are the same as D&D 3.x so that is easy enough. There are 12 core classes: Academic, Athlete, Barbarian, Belter, Entertainer, Martial Artist, Mercenary, Merchant, Noble, Professional, Rogue, and Traveller.  Nine "Service" Classes: Army, Convict, Corsair, Flyer, Law Enforcement, Marine, Navy, Sailor, and Scout. And eight Prestige Classes: Diplomat, Engineer, Medic, Ace Pilot, Ancients Hunter, Big Game Hunter, Psionicist, and TAS Field Reporter.

Skills are covered and as expected there are a lot of them. A lot. Nearly 30 pages worth.  Same goes for Feats (this is d20 after all).  Now I prefer a smaller list of skills myself, but I see why the authors did what they did.

Equipment and Starting Funds cover the next 40 pages or so.  Imperial Credits are still good here!

Combat is the d20 system with a few twists, but nothing the average D&D 3.x+ player couldn't figure out.  The covers personal, vehicle and ship combat.

Adventuring covers quite a lot from what the characters do, living expenses, environments and their dangers, weather dangers, movement, vision, and on to Psionics (which really should be it's own chapter).

We now get into what could be reasonably called the Traveller Black Books of d20.

Book 1: Characters and Combat

PDF. 209 Pages, Color cover, black & white, and color interior art.

I will admit I am confused. This book looks older than the "Book 0" above.  No problem.  Ok. So I get the idea these textbooks are actually separate from the first one. Not sure what the logic here is, but works for me.  I'll take these three books as a group, like the Little Black Books of old.

We start out with some game fiction. Move right on to an introduction from Marc W. Miller, but I think that is all he did for this particular version.  This moves on to the Introduction to RPGs section and about Traveller in particular.  So while it is similar to the book above it also goes into far more detail.

Characters cover character creation.

There is an overview with page references to where they are detailed later in this book.  Most interestingly there are now eight (8) Abilities.  The standard d20 ones plus Education (EDU) and Social Standing (SOC).  

You generate your abilities first, examples are given of how EDU and SOC work in the game.  Determine your race/species included here are humans (with sub-types), Vargr, Aslan, Luriani, Sydites, Ursa, and Virushi.  Mentioned ar the Droyne, Hivers, and K'Kree.

As always your homeworld stats are determined and character adjusted as needed.  This also helps with skills and what classes are available to you. 

Classes are next and there are a lot of them. This time they are better explained.  We have the core classes: Academic, Barbarian, Belter, Mercenary, Merchant, Noble, Professional, Rogue, and Traveller.  The  Service Classes: Army, Marine, Navy, and Scout. And Prestige Classes: Ace Pilot, Big Game Hunter, and TAS Field Reporter.  Classes work like the d20 standard. 

I do admit I have a desire to run a game with TAS field reporters.  If nothing else this is giving me a load of ideas for my Star Trek: Mercy campaign. 

Skills are up and we also get a note that this section is Open Game Content. Nice touch.  There are quite a lot of skills here, more than the d20 standard of the time.  A lot of these are also limited to particular classes or backgrounds.  Unlike standard d20 and more like some other games, some skills can be used with more than one ability. Pilot for example can be INT or DEX.  I think my favorite addition though is the "Dealing with Bureaucrats" DC table.   As expected this section is rather large.

Feats (this is d20 after all) is also a long section.  There are also some Final Details to figure out like age, height, and weight. 

Oddly, but maybe it makes sense, Prior History is after all of this.  Reading through is does actually since it modifies what the character is like. In truth it is like a rather robust "Backgrounds" from D&D 5th Edition, just 10+ years before that.

Combat is up. The book says that combat is pretty much the same as d20 standard except in a few   cases.  Mostly Traveller universe specific examples.  Where things are different it is noted.

After combat, the Prestige Classes are covered.  And at the end as always (more or less) is Psionics.

The Appendices follow.  Their page numbers start as if all three books are combined.  Nice really. So Appendix I starts on page 426.  The last page is the OGL and Product Identity information.

Book 2: Equipment and Design

PDF. 164 Pages, Color cover, black & white interior art.

I just want to say right now that I am loving this Classic Traveller presentation of the Traveller 20 rules.  I wish I had a POD of this. 

This book continues, page numbers and all, from Book 1. 

This book covers all the Technology and Equipment (about two dozen pages), the design of vehicles and starships, and some standard designs.  All of it is largely what you would expect it to be.

Technology and Equipment.  This discusses various TLs (Technology Levels) and the character "shopping list" so lots of weapons.  We do have sections of drugs, medical care, food and living expenses, as well as cybertechnology (somewhat that started in Traveller just a decade ago) and cloning.  Interestingly enough I did not see a lot on robots save that they can be built like vehicles.  I do appreciate the conservation of rule space here, but more might have been nice.

Computers are more advanced, but you are all sick of me harping on that.

The Appendices repeat here as well as the OGL information.

Book 3: Worlds and Adventures

PDF. 107 Pages, Color cover, black & white interior art.

Ok, I have to admit I am enjoying this system. 

This is the smallest of the three. 

This book covers Travelling (Chapter 14), Starship Encounters (Chapter 15), Universe and World development (Chapter 16), Campaigns (17), and Traveller Adventures (Chapter 18).

The design here is one of characters living in a giant Galactic Imperium that is full of adventure and lite on the details of the Imperium itself.  Oh there is information here on it anyone with any knowledge of Traveller can easily fill in the blanks.  The focus of this game though is more like Classic Traveller, on the characters and what they do.  There is more here than Classic Traveller, but not as much as say MegaTraveller.

I can gather from reading that this takes place sometime prior to the timeline of the LBBs, before 1000. But not much more.

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Ok so this bundle has two separate versions of the T20 game. For my money, I would rather the Three Books and add in details from The Traveller's Guidebook where needed. 

The Three Books cover the same material as The Traveller's Guidebook save for where the TGB goes into additions (more classes, more abilities).   I am not 100% convinced that the additions to TGB are better. 

I am not going to lie. I like the 3.x d20 system, warts and all.  I like the idea of a huge Galactic Empire.  So if I am going to play a non-Trek game then some flavor of d20 is likely going to be my choice.

Call me crazy, but I like this one. 

Part of me wants to find a copy of the Traveller d20 dead tree book online to buy another part of me wants to print out what I have to put into a binder with other d20-based SciFi games.  I know there is d20 Starfleet Battles / Prime Directive and more.