Review: Adventures Dark and Deep Bestiary

If you ever only buy ONE product from BRW and the Adventures Dark & Deep line then make sure it is this one.

I love monster books. I have said so many, many times. But I also hold them to a high standard.  While I Will gladly buy any monster book, few get my high praise.  Adventures Dark and Deep Bestiary is one of those few.

Let be honest up front.  We have seen most if not all the monsters somewhere else before.
Most are in the SRD or from other Open sources. The new ones are great, but they are ideas we have seen.

And none of that matters.  This is still a great book.
At 457 pages (pdf) it is a beast. Monsters are alphabetically listed by areas you would find them in.  So Wilderness and Dungeon is by far the bulk of them, but there are also Waterborne (fitting in with the rules) and "Outsiders" or monsters from the other planes.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

The book begins with two monster spell casters, the Shaman and the Witch Doctor.  Shades of similar classes from the BECMI RC to be sure. But they work here great and frankly I know someone will want to use these rules to play a Shaman one day.  Heck I once tried a Wemic Shaman in early 2e days myself.  Maybe I'll see if I can do that here.  The classes are not detailed and they don't need to be. The do what they need to do.

The Monster descriptions are a bit like those found in OSRIC though there are some interesting additions.
Each Monster has a Morale, like that found in Basic and 2nd ed, though it is not score but an adjustment.  Attacks are listed in the stat block, though they are the attack types. This is most similar to "Special Attacks" in other rules.  Also wholly new are "Weaknesses" which is an interesting idea and one I think other OSR publishers should adopt.  Each monster then gets a couple of paragraphs of text.  Many are illustrated thanks to the highly successful kickstarter for this (more on that later).  The illustrations are great too as you can see here and here.

All the monsters have General, Combat and Appearance sections in their write-ups.

Unlike 2e (and 4e) monsters are not confined to one-page entries.  Some have paragraphs, others just a few lines.  This is good since I think we would have something like 1000+ pages.  I think I read there are 1100 monsters in this book. Maybe 900.  Anyway it's a lot.  I spot checked a few monsters I thought might not be there, but sure enough they were.  Ok so the ones that are Closed via the OGL are not here, but I was not expecting those.  There are some alternates and stand ins if you really, really need them though.

The book sections are:
Wilderness and Dungeon, aka Most of the Monsters
Underwater and Waterborne, larger than expected, but not surprised given the material in the core books.
Prehistoric Monsters, always nice to have; Dinosaurs and Ice Age mammals.
Extra Planar Monsters, your Outsiders.

Appendix A details creating your own monsters.
Appendix B has something I didn't even realize was missing till I started reading the stats; a basic psionic system for psychic strikes.
Appendix C covers random creatures from the Lower Planes.  This is the first "Gygaxian" touch I have noticed in this book.  Reminds me of a really old Dragon magazine article from years ago..
Appendix D is magic resistance table
and Appendix E covers the abilities of Gods.

All of this in a PDF for just under $15.

I have mentioned before that Joe gets his work done and gets it done fast. Well this is not only no exception but it is the new benchmark.  Joe ended his kickstarter and then got printed books out to people 6 months early.  Let that sink in for a moment.  In a hobby where we tolerate (although not quietly) Kickstarters with delays of 18 months, Joe and BRW are out there, turning out product and getting it to people early.
You should buy a copy of this book on that principle alone.

So should you get this book?

If you like monsters then yes.  If you need monsters for your oldschool game then yes.  If you want to support Joe and the Adventures Dark & Deep system then yes. If you want to reward good Kickstarter behavior then absolutely yes.

Lots of good reasons to get in my book.  It is also the best book in his line. Kudos to +Joseph Bloch .

October Movie: La Vampire Nue (1969)

An odd French movie.  Men is weird masks hunt down a nearly naked girl and shoot her.
We see another girl kill herself in front of the supposed dead girl who now gets up to drink her blood.

This movie has all the trappings of a horror film but I thin it might actually be more Sci-Fi.  The girl is believed to be a vampire (the "Nude Vampire" of the title) and is kept a prisoner by these scientists (the men in masks) who experiment on her and feed her blood from a suicide cult.

The lead scientist's son discovers all of this and falls in love with the girl.

For me the movie did not get interesting till the very end.  Turns out the girl, the son and some others (including Jean Rollin staples the Castel twins) are mutants and represent the next stage of human evolution.  They are immortal and time travelers it seems.   I liked the bit about the older couple sitting out in front welcoming Georges (the son), it was like they had seen this same exchange 1,000 of times.  Maybe the exact same exchange.

So as a vampire movie it was weak and I was ready to write it off.  It was slow, but the end redeemed it and made it far more enjoyable.

Tally: Watched 21,  New 17

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Review: Adventures Dark and Deep Game Masters Toolkit

One of the greatest books ever produced for any game is the 1st Edition Dungeon Master's Guide.  One of the most disappointing books ever made was the 2nd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide.

The logic for this was good.  All the information that all players need should be in the Player's Handbook.  The rest goes into the DMG.  The result should be a larger Player's Book than a Game Master's book. That is what we got for 2nd ed.  Somehow it didn't quite work as well.

Adventures Dark & Deep follows the same logic but gain a different result.
The Adventures Dark and Deep Game Masters Toolkit is the book that BRW and Joseph Bloch didn't have to do a Kickstarter for.   The statement that Joe put out at the time was Kickstarters are for projects he needed to finish the funding for.  The Game Masters Toolkit did not need it.

The GMTK is smaller than the Player's Book at 174 pages.  Not as small as the 2nd ed DMG, but the comparison is there.  The GMTK also includes some information from A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore but it also has a lot more.

The GMTK also follows an example from 2nd ed and it largely mirrors the layout and placement of sections form the Players Book.  Something that the 1st ed DMG could have done better.
We start with a discussion on "alternate" races like the Dark Elf or Deep Gnome.
Various NPC types are discussed including class distribution and some non-classes like noble and hirelings.
There are tables to generate personalities and physical traits for random NPCs, as well as alignment and possessions.

We get into the Game Environment that is a hold over from A Curious Volume.
Swimming, Underwater travel and Flying are also discussed along with various terrains and hazards.  A little bit down we have a section on ships that is greatly expanded.  Again, could have used this when I was wrapping up my 1st Ed AD&D game.
The feel of these is similar to the classic DMG, but better organized.

Social Encounters come from A Curious Volume, but having them here in context with the other rules is much nicer.

Treasure types are discussed and magic item distribution.

The most interesting bits to me are coming up.   To me this shows the influence of the 3e DMG or just a natural progression.  Bloch covers not just the campaign world, the campaign mythos as well.  So whether you like playing in a Classical world, a Lost Golden Age, Underground or even in a Lovecraftian-inspired world is up to you. You are given the tools to build what you need, but not the worlds themselves (this is Feature, not a Bug!).

Religion and Gods are covered next.  Various reasons to have a god or a patron deity are covered and what sorts of powers they all have.  The list of powers and abilities is more 1st Ed than 2nd Ed.  I will also admit I don't know much off the top of my head about what Gygax said about gods and religions.  I know he said some things.  On a personal note I had conversations with  Mr. Gygax himself on the topic of religion and I know he was no great fan despite his own history.
Bloch though moves on and gives us a sample Pantheon to use in our game, the Norse gods.  Again from personal knowledge I know that Joseph Bloch is a fan of the Norse mythology and gods, so this is a good fit really.   Though I do wonder at the utility of listing the XP for permanently slaying Odin (1,022,000 XP btw).

The Planes of Existence is up next and it is cut from the Gygaxian cloth.  Wholly compatible to what we have seen in 1st and 2nd ed, there are some nice twists.  I like the art depicting the planes in relationship to each other.

Next we get into a section on Designing Adventures.  Covered are Dungeons, Wilderness and Urban.  The section is not long, but very useful.

Magic Items are next.  Personally I would have liked the charts for the Magic Items and the descriptions to all be in one place.  This takes up quite a bit of the book at 70 pages.

Appendix A is last and it collects and reprints all the useful tables.
Correction: Appendix A is a whole new set of random tables.  Sorry for the oversight on that!

With the GMTK you can really see the utility of Adventures Dark & Deep over a reference guide like OSRIC.  Not a slight at OSRIC at all, but this book has a slight edge in just by being a seperate Game Masters book.

To me the advantages of this book, all this information is one place, is better than say OSRIC or Labyrinth Lord + what is missing.

That being said, there are still some things I would have done differently. Most involve the placement of various section. Others I know are "locked" into the Gygazian visions or at least how Joseph Bloch interprets them. For me, I think I would have expanded the sections on adventuring in Dungeons, Wilderness and Urban settings more.  I would have expanded the section on how to create magic items and even changed somethings.  But that is me.

All in all this is a good addition to the game line.  I felt less of the Gygax connection here. Hard to say if that is me not knowing what he said on these subjects OR these are things that need to be here logically to make the rest of the game work.  In any case I am happy with what I got.

Coming Soon! Eldritch Witchery

Files have been sent off to the publisher and very, very soon Eldritch Witchery will be up on DriveThruRPG/RPGNow for sale.

Eldritch Witchery is my "love letter" to OD&D.

Designed for Spellcraft & Swordplay it could be used with just about any old-school game you like.  The older the better.

In its 206 pages you will find rules for witches, warlocks, new traditions (for witches) and new lodges (for warlocks).  Plus rules for all sorts of demons like the Calabim, the Shedim, Lilim and the Baalseraph.

Makes a good companion to The Witch, though there is some overlap.

The cover art is by Isra2007.

October Movie: Feast of Satan (1971)

Feast of Satan or Las amantes del diablo.  Not a lot of feasting or Satan really in this one.
The story starts out interestingly enough, a woman comes to search for her younger sister.  There is a lot of talking, some time on the boat and an appropriately creepy bad guy in Dr. Nescue.

The nugget I am taking away from this is the idea that there is a female version of Satan; Sheba.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if it were more about say Lilith. But I can't be too choosy I guess.

Tally: Watched 20,  New 16

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Review: Adventures Dark and Deep Players Manual

Adventures Dark and Deep Players Manual is the first major release from BRW Games and the first major release of what is the Adventures Dark & Deep game.  Again, a lot of what I have said about
A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore is true here.  Including how this was the result of a particularly successful Kickstarter that shipped early.

The book works under the premise of what would 2nd Edition have looked like if Gary Gygax had stayed at TSR.  Joe has taken articles, interviews and discussions and something like an anthropologist pieced it all together to get something new and yet familiar.   Unlike the previous book, the Player Manual makes no assumptions that you have AD&D1 or OSRIC.  There are some obvious roots in those games, but this is now it's own thing.

Like most Player's books this one concentrates much of it's text on creating characters.
There is the obligatory sections on how to use the dice and then how to generate ability scores.  In a difference from this game and it's spiritual cousin AD&D 2nd ed, we still have exceptional strength.  Also all the ability score tables go to 25.  Humans (and most PCs) still rank 3-18.
The same six ability scores are here.  Interestingly enough, not Comeliness.  I thought that would have made the cut.

Races are covered.  Again the same ones we have seen before.  But thats the point isn't it? This a AD&D2 as if Gary had created it.  So there are a lot of elements in common here with AD&D 1 and 2 plus older versions.  We do get a Dark Elf (not a Drow) and Half-Orc.  It would take a critical eye to see the differences here between Adventures Dark & Deep and say OSRIC.

Classes include the new and the old.
From A Curious Volume we have: the Bard, Jester, Mystic, Savant, Thief-Acrobat, Mountebank
From the classic sources we have: the Paladin, Cleric, Druid (topping out at 15th level), Fighter, Barbarian, Ranger, Mage, Illusionist, Thief
And new to this volume we have: the Cavalier, Vates (Druids of 15th level and higher).
The Assassin is listed in the Appendix.
Classes are grouped into Class and Sub-class like AD&D1/2 but not like OSRIC.  So all in all 17 (18) classes.  Not bad really.

The Alignment system is the same as *D&D.

Secondary Skills is pretty much the same as what is found in A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore. Same with the Monthly Expenses which is now part of Social Class.

The next big section is Combat which includes the standard D&D style combat we all know and the additional material from A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore.  Morale is back in this edition, sort of like it was in Basic and AD&D2.   There is a nice section on item saving throws. I have seen similar ones over the years, but this one seems fairly complete.

The next section is Magic.
It includes the making of magic items, learning spells and even an optional rule on sacrifice.  The bulk though is devoted to spells.
The Spells are listed by class and level, but all the spells are alphabetical.  There are 118 pages of spells, so roughly what you would expect from OSRIC and A Curious Volume. I see about 6-7 spells per page, so maybe close to 650 spells. There could also be more, but I did not check every single one.  The spells are are written in a way that makes them compatible with pretty much every other OSR-style book out there.

Appendix A covers the Assassin class.
Appendix B covers weapons vs. various Armor types. A very Gygaxian holdover. As opposed to vs. AC, this is actually the type of armor. I like it and it makes sense.  I am thinking of using this in my own old school game to be honest.
Appendix C covers combat tables.

The book does capture the feel of old D&D with some interesting twists. None that would trip you up, but still enough to make you go "huh, that is kind of neat".

The art is nice and still invokes that Old-School feel without looking dated.

The PDF is copy/paste restricted, but not print restricted. Which is good because I want to print that Appendix B.  The physical book is nice and sturdy and at 257 pages it is a decent sized book. It compares well to the AD&D 2nd Ed Player's Handbook to be honest.

It is a nice book.

So who should get this book?
Well if you like the OSR or enjoy AD&D then this is a good choice.  It is a better "game" than OSRIC is.  I say "game" because OSRIC isn't a game as much as a reference to a game you already know how to play.

If you have A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore and OSRIC then yes you could re-create this book on your own.  But part of the utility of this book is that all of that information is in one volume. 

It is worth it for the new classes and spells too.

I like it because it is a well researched "What If" experiment, much like Spellcraft & Swordplay (what if D&D continued using the default combat roll) and B/X Companion (what if the Companion rules had come out for B/X and not BECMI).  We will never know what Gygax's 2nd Ed would have been like. In a way, really we don't need to know. 2e was fine and Adventures Dark & Deep is here now.
It is perfectly playable and fun.

More tomorrow!

White Dwarf Wednesday #83

White Dwarf #83 comes to us from November 1986.  Just to put things into my gaming perspective we were running our final end-game game.  The war that would change our game forever. Why? Well we were all going to college and though we didn't know it at the time 2nd Edition was on the way.
The cover art to me always looked like a painting of miniature figure than the typical fantasy painting. Not sure why.
Paul Cockburn discusses how hard at work the WD staff have been and how next month will be bigger magazine, 8 more pages, with no extra ads and no extra charge.

Open box kicks off with the D&D Immortals set. Graeme Davis calls it an interesting and well thought out addition to the D&D rules, but not an indispensable one.  The infamous Warlock of Firetop Mountain Boardgame is reviewed. Infamous at least to me since I have always wanted to try it out but can never get my hands on one and they go for big bucks at my local auction.  Spawn of Azathoth for Call of Cthulhu is next. Peter Green says it has some nice ideas but lacks the "Oommph" that would make it a classic.  The 2nd Edition of ICEs Middle Earth Role-Playing is also covered.  Graham Stapplehurst calls it a better introduction to new players.  I will admit to not knowing very much about the 2nd edition.  Continuing on the 3rd page we get a new idea, GURPS Basic Set from Steve Jackson games.  Marcus Rowland calls it ambitious but can't recommend it.   We also get a number Open Box "Quickies": Cities by Chaosium, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, Revised Recon, Talisman the Adventure and Introduction to Star Fleet Battles.

Big two page ad for Warhammer Fantasy.

Critical Mass covers the Postman before Kevin Costner got a hold of it.  More interesting to me is the review of William Gibson's Burning Chrome. Funny how Gibson's work is looked at these days.  28 years ago it was science fiction, today the review sounds more like the review of a modern day spy novel.

A Day in the Life Sector 255 is a Judge Dredd "Patrol Adventure".  Reading this over I get a much better idea of how the game should work.  I have no idea if this is a good adventure or not, but it is unique and it tracks with what little I know about Judge Dredd. Followed by a strategically placed ad. I might need to give this game a try one day.

20/20 Vision covers some movies.  In particular is a favorite of mine, Big Trouble in Little China.  This would make for a great game and I have though so for years.  Of course the best system to use for this is the Army of Darkness RPG with Jack Burton taking the "Schmuck" Quality.  Aliens is also reviewed. Saw that movie a hundred times at least.  Vasquez and Hudson would late make appearances in my big end-game mentioned above as Katrine and Kiev, two fighters that hated each other in the roster of NPCs I created for the war.  They died fighting side by side and were recorded as having loved each other.  The idea was I'd use them to haunt other characters as ghosts until their bodies were separated in their shared tomb.

Up next is a Paranoia adventure.  Paranoia is a game I can only take in small doses.  After a while the jokes get really thin with me.

Carl Sargent goes over the costs and the role-playing of training between levels. The central thesis here is that with the advent of the "new" proficiency system that training between levels is more important than ever before.  I get what he is saying here and it was certainly something "in the water" back then.  I remember our group suddenly becoming very aware of training and no longer leveling up midst-game, but only after games.  We did spend some time seeking out trainers, which became interesting when our characters were in the 30th level range (it was the 80s) and we did not know anyone higher level.  Sargent's system is very detailed but for me these days I prefer something a little simpler.

The Crude, The Bad and The Rusty is a Warhammer Battle and it is up next.  I have no experience to judge this one by.  It has a set up and a map.  Maybe that is all you need?  I think it is.  I do *GET* why games like Warhammer are popular and by that extension any war game with minis.  Then I never had the money to put into these games properly and now I don't have the time or the skills at painting to do it right.

Everything Went Black has some rule options for Call of Cthulhu.  House rules mostly.

Up next our Warhammer Fantasy/AD&D adventure. The Black Knight is an interesting beast. As a Warhammer Fantasy adventure it seems to have more dungeon delving than I normally associate with WF.  As an AD&D adventure, more fighting.  I guess that is fitting when you think about it.  Course it has me wondering was a Warhammer/Tunnels & Trolls adventure might be like.

Psionic Combat expands on the Psionic articles from WD #79. I have always wanted a good psionic or even magical battle system.  This one is good, but no where near simple.  D&D combat is simple really, even AD&D. Roll your d20 and see what happens.  That is a feature of the game. Psionic/magical combat should be the same.  This one isn't but it certainly works with the bolted on psionics system in AD&D1.  I will admit I am not a fan of mixing my psionics and magic.

Ads...Thrud...'Eavy Metal. The pages for Eavy Metal are not in color which strikes me as odd.  Granted nothing is painted in this one so maybe they were saving the color pages...for the Wilderness Survival Guide ad.

More ads.  The letters page has a splash of color. Odd.
Fracas covers Games Day 86.

We end with ads.

Again, not a terrible issue, and actually a good one.  We are getting into the age where the complexity of AD&D is beginning to weigh it down.  More books, more optional rules more opinions.
Not a mention of Traveller or Runequest really.  Though AD&D and Call of Cthulhu rule the roost still, other games like Judge Dredd and Warhammer are seeing more and more space.  While I knew players trying out Warhammer and Paranoia at this time, not really anyone one in my little corner of the world was playing Judge Dredd.