Available at RPGNow.com

Mistborn Adventure Game: Sample Heroes

Whether you are looking for inspiration, want a few well-detailed NPCs to act as associates or rivals, or need a character (or whole party) in a hurry, this product will fill your purposes admirably.

Herein are eight fully-developed characters, set up as an integrated crew. Each one gets a couple of pages – one a filled-out character sheets with all the necessary game stats, and the other a write-up of the character’s background, including a brief history, notes on personality and motivations and even what he thinks about the other members of the group. There is also a sketch of the character to enable you to visualise him.

A fairly shady group they are, too. The leader is one Beck, a fixer – the sort of fellow who can get you whatever you want, no questions asked, provided you are willing to pay his price. The others are the crew who procure the whatever it is… a crew called Nine Eyes. Most people will find a character they’d like to play, if you are using them as your ready-made party. A wandering scholar, an urbane steward (or is he?), a kandra longing to return to her Homeland but honour-bound by her contract, a fugitive Mistborn noble lass, a Skaa con-woman who insinuates herself into noble society, a thief who is rarely as drunk as he appears to be, and a watchful bodyguard who burns with barely-controlled rage.

Between them, they form a group that is more than its individual members. They’d certainly make a good starting group (especially if you want to dive straight in to the game), else they may be exemplars of how you might create your own crew, or a rival crew to pit against your own players…

Mistborn Adventure Game Novel Characters: Vin and Sazed

Continuing the series of free ‘tasters’ for the Mistborn Adventure Game, here are two major characters from the novels on which the game is based, completely written up with game statistics and background details. Risky, as lovers of the stories likely have their own ideas – but for the enterprising GM who would like some of the characters from the novels featuring in their game, very useful. Anyone who has not read the novels yet should avoid this, thought, there are major plot ‘spoilers’ in the background text.

The first character portrayed is Vin. Her powers are at their height, with many of her defining exploits now in her past. After a full-page portrait, the first part of the write-up details her past up to the point chosen for the exemplar character. Next come her full game statistics, then a section on ‘Playing Vin’ which will help any GM to make her come to life as a powerful, potentially deadly, NPC – even as an ally, characters are advised to be careful, and she could make a formidable foe if they were to get on her wrong side… and rather helpfully, there are sections on how she’d behave as ally or enemy to make things easy for you. And there’s more… this is followed by notes and stats if you’d prefer to use her earlier in the story, as a young and inexperienced member of a crew, with little to hint of what she will become… could be interesting, and a route for drawing your own characters into pivotal events later on, when that unassuming Skaa girl they knew on the streets blossoms into her power!

The other character featured here is Sazed. Again, the main write-up is at the same time in the plotline as Vin’s, when he was an advisor and friend to her. The background explains how he got to that stage, while the notes on playing him bring out his tendency to be a voice of reason, a source of quiet and thoughtful advice. It’s quite hard to make an enemy of him. The second build depicts him earlier in life, when he was going through an interesting time.

If you intend on weaving the novels’ plotline through your game, rather than just using the setting to tell your own stories, these could be useful NPCs. Even if not, characters who become themselves pivotal figures might meet them, or they can serve for ideas about how really powerful characters might develop. Plenty of scope here!

The Mistborn Adventure Game is available at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. Epic Role Playing Game Manual Review
2. Interview with Game Designer Brett M. Bernstein

Available at RPGNow.com

As we have come to expect, a wealth of resources for fantasy games – what with archers (and arrows for them) heading up the character-based resources for players, adventures for GMs to run and ideas to help them hone their skills. The focus is on Pathfinder, but there is material for other rulesets (and much can be translated with little effort, provided you are reasonably familiar with the game mechanics of the system of your choice).

The Editorial introduces the issue focus on archery, with an account of how fictional archers inspired the editor, Wolfgang Baur, not only to play archer characters but to learn how to use a bow himself. He asks for our archery stories… um, well, I used to have a line manager who practised archery and occasionally threatened to shoot the site manager and told me that he reckoned he could hit him out of his office window… hmm, let’s get on with the review!

For those seeking to play really good archers, the best place to start is an elf. Archery kind of goes with elves, and so there’s a whole new racial base class, the Elven Archer, for Pathfinder. Suggestions are offered for ways in which the class could be varied: perhaps you don’t want pointy ears, or prefer to use the crossbow – the underlying mechanics can be readily amended (and you are shown how) to make the class work as well for your concept as for the original suggestion. There are also notes to help you embed your elven archer into Open Design’s Midguard campaign setting, even if your game is not set there the ideas can be modified to suit your campain world instead. If the new feats are not enough, the next article Arrows of the Arbonesse adds a wide range of arrows beyond your standard clothyard arrow with bodkin tip. Fill your quiver with the glass-tipped and magical acid splash arrow, fire a fisher’s filament arrow over the next battlement you wish to scale or play really nasty with the razor’s filament arrow or the silent night one (that flies so quietly it is hard to notice the archer who fired it). These and others enable the archer to do more than just shoot the opposition or bring down a deer for dinner.

If your characters prefer a more scholarly approach, the next article on Derro Ooze Magic is aimed at alchemists and mages seeking to improve their spell components by somewhat dubious means… the Ooze School of magic, complete with its associated powers and spell lists. But you may need to ‘harvest’ eyes or bile or other body parts from halpless humanoids to get it all to work properly. Sorcerers can take an Ooze Bloodline to access the same powers. If you have faced off against an ooze or similar and been jealous of their capabilities, fret no longer. You too may have them… and specialists in this magic may even attract one to become their familiar! I think I’ll stick to my owl, but it could be an interesting choice… just imagine having a gelatinous cube or an ochre jelly trundling alongside you.

If that’s too tame, the next article – Servants From Beyond – suggests some very unusual allies you might care to summon from the Lesser Planes, showing how you can engage with them to good effect. Each one is presented in full detail, not just stat-block but background, personality and motivations so that they can be role-played properly once summoned. Astute GMs can mine this for ideas for featured adversaries or at least beings that might be encountered, or they can go to the next article, which presents four creatures from nightmare, the Night Terrors of the changling moth chrysalis, the dire naked mole rat (escaped from Ron Possible’s pocket, no doubt!), the cephalic parasite, and the pishtaco – four monsters right out of the worst nightmare brought to life for your campaign, complete with ecology, life-cyle and a wealth of detail to enable you to make them an integral part of events, rather than just the next monster.

On to game theory, as Monte Cook talks about The Power of the Game Master. It’s something I’ve noticed, particularly as most of my games are now run online with people I don’t know outside of the gaming community on whatever site we are playing, how they regard their GM as someone special, rather than just another gamer who happens to be running the game rather than playing in it. This may be commonplace in groups where one person habitually GMs, but my local tabletop groups all consist of people who are equally happy either side of the GM screen. Is the GM God? Just another player but with a different role? Or is the GM God but only as long as the other players let him? Thought-provoking, and no real answer, at least not in the right or wrong sense – consider what works for the particular group and that’s the right answer for you.

Now, the first adventure, Captured in the Cartways by Christina Stiles (Pathfinder, 5th-level) based in the tunnels under Zobeck and letting the characters bargain their way out of trouble by undertaking a small task… Naturally, you could transplant it to any city with a sub-surface counter-culture if Zobeck’s not in your game world. A nice short jaunt to spring on characters who thought that merely exploring the Cartways was dangerous enough!

Back to game ideas… and are all adventurers fit young men and women out seeking fame and fortune? Putting the Band Back Together is an intriguing article about what happens when retired adventurers decide, for whatever reason, to get back into action… or have it forced upon them. One interesting thought is that you could dust off old adventures – particularly if you are using a party of characters that have actually been played by the group and since retired – and see how the locations and inhabitants have changed over the 20 years or whatever since the party last was there. Whilst older characters may now be less physically vigorous, they can draw on experience in ways that younger adventurers cannot: and several feats are presented that seek to codify the advantages that veterans have over their younger and more nimble counterparts. More ideas follow – fancy a hunt that takes you through the Margreve woods and beyond? Then read Fey Hunters and Shadow Hounds, finding that just who is the hunter and who the prey may be open to debate. Those fey have plenty nasty ideas and tricks to play, with spells, items and exotic poisons in their arsenal.

There’s a brief article about character specialisations for the AGE system, and an interview with Christina Stiles – fascinating, particularly as I once had the pleasure of co-authoring a book with her but have never actually met her! This is followed most appropriately (Christina and I both love the character class!) by The Bardic Arts, a piece about honing the abilities of your D&D 4e bard with some tangible rule mechanics built around the performer/entertainer aspect of being a bard, often left to the role-playing abilities of a bard’s player (I had a DM who made me sing at the table…) rather than made an integral part of the ruleset itself.

In Ask The Kobold, Skip Williams takes a detailed look at how poison actually works, then there’s a piece Small Spirits: 5 Nature Spirits for Any Campaign, some enchanting primal nature spirits that your characters might encounter if they are really observant. A nice touch is that good ideas are backed up by game mechanics for both Pathfinder and D&D 4e, and adventure hooks abound. If you are a gnome, tiefling or minotaur, there follows some racial powers (D&D 4e stats) that may be discovered by those ready to delve into their ancestral heritage. Next, back to game design theory with an article on how to create ‘time pressure’ in an adventure and use it to good effect with a haste point mechanic that can be applied whatever ruleset you are using. Now it is not pure GM fiat that determines if the characters arrive in time! And if hurrying makes you hungry, how about some magical seafood? No really, there’s an article on Fish of Legend (and yes, you can cook and serve some of them, if you catch them!).

This packed journal rounds off with a page about The Ruins of Arbonesse… and if you are a fantasy gamer, you are going to find at least one thing of interest within this issue. Me, a cheerful song whilst preparing a seafood dinner for a party of veteran adventures I’d like to coax out of retirement…

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design Review
2. Kobold Quarterly 16 Review

Available at RPGNow.com

This is the England that ought to have been, rather than the history of the one in which I sit writing this review. This is the mediaeval England of legend, with Robin Hood scampering around Sherwood Forest, a Good King Richard off fighting the Infidel whilst Bad King John does his best to steal a kingdom, never mind everyone’s hard-earned gold… this is an England in which excitement and adventure are to be found, but where drains don’t smell and nobody worries about the Black Death!

The Introduction outlines this setting, the mediaeval England of stories, rooted firmly in the history of the 12th and 13th centuries but with an eye to the rise of the ideals of chivalry, to the world of ballad and folk-song, the sort of mediaeval England that you’d like to visit. Designed to be used in conjunction with Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying (BRP) ruleset, there’s a handy list of what rules from that work will be of particular use when running this setting. Whilst there’s a whole section about running adventures and campaigns at the end of this product, it’s noted that Scenario Hooks are scattered throughout, to spawn ideas and help Game Masters come up with their own material, or players to develop their characters more fully. Next comes the historical timeline of the period, covering major events and many famous personalities. Perhaps the characters will participate in historical events… or perhaps they’ll rewrite history!

The first chapter is all about Player Characters, ranging from the concepts and types of characters that might prove interesting to the minutae of actually creating them, based around the core BRP character generation process but with the appropriate spin for creating one suitable for this specific setting. There’s an addition, you need to choose a Background – on offer are Norman, Saxon, Jewish, Welsh, Cornish, Scot, Irish, Marshman, Norse, Fairy, Moor, Saracen and Cleric; but you can develop your own in conjunction with the GM – and this can influence what skills and professions are more likely for your character. Wealth and social class are both important and intertwined. You can either track every last groat or abstract wealth depending on taste, but the aim is to provide a fairly realistic setting so people may prefer to maintain at least basic accounts for their characters. Next is a run-down on what your chosen Background will give you and on all the professions available, with a sidebar explain the role of the clergy (primarily Christian although Jewish and Muslim ones are covered) and the specific skills that a member of the clergy can acquire. Being part of the clergy is available via two routes, by choosing it as a Background, or deciding that a character from another Background has entered it as a profession. This allows for a lot of diversity, and reflects the importance that you want religion to play in your character’s life and outlook. Given that this is a mediaeval rather than a fantasy setting, there are quite a few new professions introduced, and not all the BRP ones are available. Some interesting historical ones are included such as Knights Templar and moneychangers. Naturally, there are plenty supernatural optinons, the stance being that all the things – spells, demon summoning and the like – that your average mediaeval person believed do indeed work! And a particular delight, the wayte – a peculiar mix of minstrel and town guard which did exist in mediaeval England, hired by a community to both watch over and entertain them. Languages and skills are also covered in greater detail at this point… and they have the linkages straight, Welsh being close to Breton and even closer to Cornish, for example. The chapter ends with a note on female, Jewish and Muslim characters, explaining how they were restricted in many ways in the historical mediaeval world and how best to play them to good advantage, to have fun with them without losing all semblance of realism.

Next, a chapter on Religion and Magic. The main relgion in England at this time was Christianity, taking the form of Roman Catholicism. It wasn’t just what you did on Sunday morning, it played a far greater role in day-to-day life – and indeed in the political landscape – and can be the source of many adventures and intrigues in your game. A Piety mechanism is introduced, which waxes and wanes according to a character’s actions and can even allow the granting of miracles at times of need. It is even possible to become a saint (while still alive, it’s not necessary to be dead in these times!). Relics and icons have great significance too, and mechanics for using them with Piety ratings are given. Divine magic, normally only available to ordained clergy (or equivalent for other faiths), functions by means of Blessings which are learned and cast, often with formal rituals. The number that can be known depends on the priest’s individual Holiness (based on his actions and standing in the religion), the number that can be cast is based on Piety. Holiness can be increased by the taking of Vows – provided, that is, that the terms of the Vow are adhered to during the course of the game. This can lead to entertaining role-play, even dramatic tension. Pilgrimages were important in mediaeval days, and are here too, both as a means of increasing individual pilgrim’s Piety and the wealth of those running pilgrimage sites! Magic, too, was widely believed in during the mediaeval period, and for game purposes is deemed to be real… even if frowned upon by established religions, especially Christianity. Along with the use of amulets and talismans, people may practise ‘folk magic’ as well as the regular sort of fantasy magic and sorcery – as described in the core BRP rulebook.

The next chapter, entitled Magical Science, looks at education and scholarship in the mediaeval world. It was an exciting time in learning, with the foundation of the first universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, as well as similar establishments on the Continent. Science as we know it didn’t really exist, but a lot of fun can be had with its precursor, alchemy. This melds magic and early scientific thought together, and can be used for the likes of making potions to mimic magical effects or for healing… or for more mundane substances such as soaps and perfumes! Islamic alchemists were particularly advanced. Another discipline that flourished at the time was astrology, the art of predicting the future by observing the heavens. There is plenty of detail – and a mechanism whereby Fate points can be used to make predictions come true, if you fancy that – provided to enable astrology to play as major a role in your games as it did in mediaeval life. If you do not want to stare at the stars, other means of divination are available – from reading palms to geomancy or gazing into a fire and seeing what patterns are made by the flames. More dubious individuals might be interested in the practice of demonology. As well as studying demons, demonologists can learn spells to summon, control and dismiss demons… if they dare! Others may choose to study medicine, which was slowly shaking off superstition especially with the influx of knowledge from the Arab world… but there are many who regard casting an astrological chart as an essential part of diagnosis.

Chapter 4 looks at Major Religions, beginning with the Catholic Church, a powerful influence in mediaeval times with temporal as well as spiritual power. Many monastic orders were wealthy landowners, and individual Churchmen served in important state positions alongside their religious roles. The concept of taking sanctuary in a church had legal effect, and excommunication was a real threat when the majority of people were Catholics and would shun the excommunicated in day-to-day life, never mind not permitting them to enter the church and receive the sacraments. Saints play a leading part in religious life, and devotees can receive specific blessings. Those who wish a religious life can enter one of the many orders, and the sight of monks and nuns is commonplace. More robust individuals may prefer a ‘military order’ such as the Hospitallers or the Templars, whose members are both monk and knight. There’s a lot of background information to help you make such organisations part of the fabric of your game, although it’s sometimes a little jumbled and patchy: for example we’re told Cistertians wear white habits to distinguish themselves from Benedictines… but nowhere does it mention that Benedictines wear black! Naturally, as well as orthodox worshippers, there are many groups who have off-beat, if not heretical, beliefs and these can be the source of robust debate if not outright violence… for where there is heresy, there the Inquisition shall surely follow! Again, plenty of detail if you wish to have the Inquisition feature in your game (including a rather unhealthy interest in torture… there again, I’ve had players who likewise were rather too interested in that particular subject!). The section on Christianity ends with a discussion of the magic condoned by the Church – a crucifix is a potent talisman, for example – and the other magics that might be found in otherwise Christian communities. Islam and Judaism are covered in similar detail… but it must be remembered that mediaeval Christians were far less tolerant of those who followed other faiths than we are today. Provided you and your players separate any real beliefs from in-game ones, you should not have problems, but discretion is advised, remembering that the past should never be viewed in the light of contemporary prejudice and opinion. Including the full sweep of mediaeval faith will enrich your game greatly, however.

Next, Chapter 5 looks at Nobles, Knights and the Crown. These were powerful individuals, backed with the full might of the feudal system, whose personal ambitions affected the whole country. The feudal system in full flower is complex, with a liege lord as obligated to his vassals as they are to him. Knights are a separate class of specialist armoured and mounted warriors, taking service with nobles. Both knights and nobles were supposed to be chivalrous, but not all of them were. Of particular note is the tourney, a way in which knights could demonstrate their prowess without the need to actually go to war – and a fine spectacle for everybody else! Considerable detail is given, much adventure can be had should you chose to stage one in the course of your game. With property and inheritance so important to nobles, marriage is a matter to be entered into with due consideration… and likely not for love. However, the concept of courtly love flourishes as a separate entity from the formalities of marriage, and again both can provide for many adventures. Should you wish for such heights of intrigue and politics, plenty of details about Crown and court are provided: perhaps your game is set at court, or your characters have dealings with those who are there, or even aspire to become leading nobles themselves.

Continuing the discussion of the backdrop to this setting, the next chapter is The Land and People. This sweeps through a range of subjects from the climate to day-to-day local administration. Castles dot the landscape, with a mix of villages and bustling small towns. Interestingly, many towns major then are not as important now, although most still exist – a point of interest if you or your players know contemporary England well. There’s a section on ‘pastimes’ to enable the characters to find ways of entertaining themselves, albeit often in bloodthirsty manner watching animals fight or hunting them for food or sport. Football is nothing like the game of today, more of a brawl with several hundred players that ends once the first goal is scored. Music abounds however for those who like more gentle pursuits and there’s a run-down of common instruments of the time. For working life, however, the Guilds played a major role and so extensive information is given on their organisation and operation. Whilst Guilds stage Mystery plays, groups of Morris Men and mummers are also found performing. Many ancient folk customs survive, lepers are found roaming or clustered in lazar houses… and naturally marriage features large in everyday life. A selection of folk tales and legends provides ample resource for weaving this all together into a heady (if somewhat rose-tinted) representation of mediaeval life. For those seeking matters more strange, information is provided about faeries and elves… before the narrative returns to detailed accounts of life in villages, towns, castles, and monasteries. All you need to make ‘Merrie England’ come to life in your game.

Chapter 7 is entitled Further Afield. There may be a lot to do in England, but the adventurous often found reason to travel abroad – perhaps for trade or a diplomatic mission, on a pilgrimmage or on Crusade. So this chapter serves as a gazetteer of the lands across Europe and over to the Holy Land, replete with adventure ideas for those who go there. You might want to hunt down Alephtar Games’s Stupor Mundi, which covers this period from the standpoint of the Holy Roman Empire, if you want adventures in Europe to be a major part of your campaign.

This leads neatly on to the next chapter, The Crusades. Even if your characters don’t want to take the cross themselves, the Crusades will feature large in the background, the backdrop of events that shape the entire setting. There’s plenty of detail here, useful if the characters decide to get embroiled in intrigue or are travelling anywhere near where the Crusaders were. The Albigensian Crusade is picked out as being particularly suitable as the basis for a campaign, particularly if you enjoy moral dilemmas in your game. Lovers of intrigue may also relish the complex relationships between the different Crusader Orders, which can make a good career choice for the ambitious knight, especially one without a noble family to provide him with ready-made lands.

For those of a mechantile bent, Chapter 8: Trading and Adventuring supplies other routes to excitement and success. After a survey of the money in use at the time, there’s a look at what was the very beginnings of the international banking system. Merchant leagues and trading ships are also important. This section continues with all the financial details you might want, from the appropriate wages for many trades to the cost of just about everything characters might require and details of travel: routes, timings, costs, etc. Things may not go smoothly, so you can find out how much your weapons will cost as well as how much harm they will do, and details of the equipment and tactics of various types of combatant. Ther e is also material about injuries and diseases, and about what law and order there is, at least, where the rule of law rather than noble whim and brute force hold sway.

If things do not go well, refer to Chapter 9: The Afterlife. As most everybody was religious, it’s also important to know what was believed even if you are not intending to brawl… and you may not get a choice, even if disease does not get you first. Christianity has the most detailed accounts, but Judaism and Islam also have clear ideas about what fate awaits the devout – and not so devout – after death. There are some notes on how to use these to effect in your game… it may even be possible to visit before you’re dead!

Chapter 10: Creatures begins with ‘normal’ creatures, especially that most useful animal, the horse – no less than three different types of warhorse as well as ordinary riding ones. A selection of Powers, not available in core Basic Roleplaying, are presented as an introduction to an array of legendary and faerie beasts, which might be able to, for example, become invisible or breathe flame. Most of these are quite malevolent, especially the faerie ones. There are also undead, water creatures, and the beasties commonly found in wilderness areas; as well as creatures from Jewish and Islamic folklore.

If that doesn’t provide enough opposition, move on to Chapter 11: Angels and Demons. Centred on traditional Catholic beliefs, there is a vast hierarchy of different types of angels before you even get round to looking at the demons. Jewish belief is different, yet just as complex. Islam also believes in angels, but regards their organisational structure as unimportant. It’s up to the Game Master which, if any, interpretation of the Otherworld is correct… or perhaps they all exist. There is an equally impressive array of demons who may turn up to tempt the faithful to sin (handled mechanically as a contest against Piety) as well as in response to the attempts of demonologists to summon them. There are literally pages and pages of them, reflecting their importance to the mediaeval mind. Islam also offers plenty, categorised by their powers rather than the elaborate hierarchy of the Christian ones.

Hopefully more pleasant to meet (at least in some cases) are the subjects of Chapter 12: Character Gallery. Here, notable individuals from history are discussed, and provided with relevant game stats should you include them as NPCs for your characters to meet and interact with. There is also a useful collection of ‘sample characters’ to provide quick generic NPCs, or as the basis for developing more rounded individual ones.

Next comes an extensive and wide-ranging discussion on Campaigns. There is a wide range of options, depending on the stories that the group wishes to tell together. There are opportunities to get embroiled in warfare or banditry, go on Crusade or engage in civil war, pitting baron against baron. Or characters may work for a county’s Sheriff, or the Church, or be travelling entertainers or merchants… the possibilities are endless. There’s a fairly detailed discussion on life and laws in the forest (for all those heading off Robin Hood style for the Greenwood!), and a well-developed location – the hamlet of Whitlingthorpe – complete with notable inhabitants and a story-arc involving the life and times of the village, all ready for you to weave into your adventures. There are even several complete scenarios to get you off to a flying start.

This work fair makes me want to grab my dice and round up a few friends: it’s a period that I like anyway, and this book puts a straightforward system to underpin it all ensuring a workable and enjoyable game. Those who enjoy mediaeval history will be able to slot in what they know, as will those who enjoy fiction set in this period. Overall an excellent setting, I can hardly wait to finish the review before scampering off to write some adventures for it!

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at RPGNow.com

This is a monumental work, a comprehensive and scholarly history of the role-playing industry from its inception in the early 1970s to the present day. The focus is interesting, concentrating on the individuals and companies that have made role-playing what it is today rather than looking at the games themselves.

Whilst detailed, the writing flows well, making it eminently readable and often entertaining, a fascinating survey of the companies and people who have shaped role-playing and are responsible for most of the books on my shelves (or, these days, lurking on the RPG hard drive) – and who have provided me with years of entertainment and passion. If your interest in role-playing goes anywhere beyond the next dungeon delve, if you like to know the background and history of the games you enjoy, you should find something here catches your attention… and once caught, be warned, it may be a while before you can tear yourself away!

The chosen approach gives an overview worthy of the most epic campaign showing how the waxing and waning of public interest in role-playing has affected and been affected by developments within the industry as a whole. Depending on your particular interests, you can follow a particular company’s or designer’s fortunes, explore the state of play of the industry at a time of your choice – an interesting place to start, perhaps, is what it was like when you first took die in hand – or see which developments or innovations in role-playing or even the world around it had the most significant effects.

There is even material here that could attract the sociologist or social historian, or the budding game designer who seeks to understand the heritage of his craft as well as learning the nuts and bolts of game design. Should anyone offer a course in role-playing games, this is likely to feature on the reading list! And if that isn’t enough, it does not presume any prior knowledge of the role-playing industry, introducing and explaining even the people who – to grey-haired ladies like me who grew up with role-playing and have been involved in it all their adult life – are notable industry personalities or even friends. None of the insider deigning to enlighten you here, but a clear exposition of the industry and those who shaped it.

For the scholar, there are quotes and references a-plenty – but entertaining and informative enough that the more general reader is not put off. If you delve far enough you can find out the context in which your favourite games or, often, individual books were published – fascinating insights that will ensure I return again and again as I develop my RPG Resource website.

Authoratative, entertaining, a fine and detailed survey of the development of this fine hobby from its earliest days to the present, filled with personalities and drama… this is a triumph of a work worthy of the highest praise.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. Bust: Explosive Roleplaying Review

Available at RPGNow.com

Diving straight in, the work opens with a brief note about how it provides a ready-made, populated location for gamemasters to use, or useful background for players whose characters are scumborn or belong to a scum faction… and just in case you are not sure what that means, it then launches into an introduction to the whole concept. Briefly, a scum swarm is a space-faring community with a very democratic – even anarchic – approach to everything: collective decision-making, consensus… and little regard for rules or reverence to what more settled societies may find important.

From such generalities, the narrative turns to a specific group, the Stars swarm. Born out of industrial unrest in turbulent times, the swarm began with workers in lunar orbital facilities taking control of the resources around them… just when the situation back at headquarters took a turn for the worse, and so nobody was in a position to object as the collective upgraded propulsion systems and took off, gathering many other refugees as they departed. Rather more ordered than some swarms, they now follow a set route around the system, trading as they go but still adhering to their original libertarian collectivist lifestyle.

Looking at the swarm’s relations with others also provides ideas for how they may feature in your game. Provided you are not in a hurry, for example, hitching a ride can be an interesting way of relocating to a different habitat or planet. Some habitats send those they don’t want around any more to the swarm in a form of exile. The swarm does the same in reverse, dropping off those unable to conform to their particular way of doing things. There are plenty of examples of specific collectives and individual ship crews for you to select one whose interaction with your characters should prove interesting. As for characters wanting to have background or history with the swarm, there’s plenty for them as well. Most of what is here is what would be regarded as ‘common knowledge’ – or at least what you could acquire with minimal research – so there should be no difficulty allowing players access to this work.

Next comes descriptions of some of the actual vessels that comprise the physical swarm, sufficient for any interaction or character visits you may have in mind. This is followed by a selection of NPCs to populate the vessels, or act as representatives of the swarm wherever your characters meet them.

Finally, if what has come before hasn’t already given you plenty of ideas, a selection of plot hooks is presented to help you interweave the Stars swarm into what is going on in your campaign.

Overall, this adds an extra, fascinating element to the already rich tapestry of life in this setting. If you are happy with a lot of adaptation, you could retool the swarm to provide a really unusual encounter for any other spacefaring game that you play.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. More Nachos Entertainment acquires rights to Eclipse Phase
2. 3:16 – Carnage Amongst The Stars

Available at RPGNow.com

The Introduction begins with an overview of the Druid class – a divine spellcaster drawing on the limitless power of the natural world, and with Wisdom as his primary ability. Special abilities include Wildshape, the ability to change form; whilst druids need to concentrate on the things they are good at with their spells – controlling the natural environment, participating in combat and acting in concert with their animal companion. This page is illustrated with a delightful sketch of a Welsh Archdruid from the 18th century, a time when romantics tried to recreate ancient practices, something that led to the establishment of the Gorsedd and the Eisteddfod, something completely different from Druidism as practiced within a fantasy game!

After some advice on feat selection, the discussion moves on to introduce some new class abilities for druids. This begins by exploring a novel option for Wildshape: namely being able to change into several identical animals or even a whole swarm of critters instead of but a single one. Similarly, druids may choose to have a flock of creatures as companions – rats, crows, bats… – instead of a single individual, numbers and size being restricted on a Hit Dice basis, with various options becoming available as the druid rises in level. They can also grant companions the power of speech, and at high levels empower them to cast spells as well.

Next comes some new Druid archetypes. Moon Druids (not, as one single solitary typo would have, Mood Druids!) embody the cycles inherent in nature, life and death, and transformation; and may favour the full moon or the new one. Phase Druids are also interested in change, but for them it is the continuous flux, the fluidity of nature that is important. Green Wardens care about life, growth and renewal, hating anything that disrupts the natural flow or which mimic it in an artificial manner. They are able to harm undead creatures as a result of this hatred. The Forest Child connects with the deepest, darkest reaches of the woods, being particularly close to fey and others who dwell there… including the very plants themselves, enabling them to take on some of the characteristics of a plant. Elemental Shamans form close bonds with one of the elements: air, earth, fire or water; gaining specific abilities related to the element chosen.

These are followed by some new spell domains that druids may acces. Bird, Hunting, Insect, Transformation, and Tree: each with their own specific powers and appropriate spell lists. Then there are a few new creatures suitable – or so tis claimed – to be animal companions. Electic lizards I can understand, but a brain ooze? Or a fast flytrap? (A Venus flytrap-style plant, in case you are wondering. Can you really see your druid wandering around with a plant pot under one arm?). Finally, some new feats.

This is a nice exploration and enhancement of the Druid class, although not all the options sound as if they would be easy or interesting to play. A Forest Child, for example, would thrive in a group that spent a lot of time in wild primordal forests, but would be at a loss in a city or a desert. Some may work better for NPC druids whose location and part in your plot is served by the option in question. There’s certainly scope, and druids tend to be rather neglected amidst the flashier and more exciting spell users. Worth a read if you like playing druids, or run campaigns where wilderness adventures feature.

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at RPGNow.com

Haunts have been one of the most intriguing and (from my side of the GM’s screen, anyway) entertaining additions to the panoply of challenges to throw at characters… and here they take another novel yet classical twist: the haunt that is associated with an item rather than a location.

The work opens with a pseudo-scholarly account, the sort of thing you might cast before the more intellectual kind of adventurer to send them haring off into the horrors you have prepared for them. This leads in to the promised collection of some 30 haunted objects, by way of a note on persistent haunts, which can be a bit puzzling. As haunts duplicate spell effects whatever they do has a duration which can be ‘instantaneous’ or it can last for a set period. A persistent haunt with an instantaneous effect is one which hangs around firing it off repeatedly, while ones whose effects last longer are considered persistent only if there’s a variation in the normal spell duration, it is triggered anew each round, or it is an effect that if you were creating it by casting a spell, you’d need to concentrate for the entire duration of that spell. A new ‘trigger’ is introduced as well. Haunts are normally triggered by proximity or touch, but some of the ones described herein are triggered by a gaze, by being looked upon. You defend against these in the same ways as you might protect against a gaze attack… but of course, you only take those sort of precautions if you are expecting one! Blindfolds and averted eyes can be very inconvenient when exploring…

The actual haunts are associated with a selection of items familiar to anyone who likes spooky stories, particularly those of a darker turn. Charred corpses, bloodied beds… and each one, of course, has a specific method of destroying the haunt, one that is not always obvious so if you use it you will need to work out how to present appropriate clues so that those characters who manage to stop running away and screaming long enough can figure it out. A delightfully sneaky one called the Determined Device, for example, resets a trap which the characters have already disarmed… as well as more classic examples like a flute that forces you to dance, a blisteringly-hot door knob, or a mirror that traps souls.

This magnificent array is followed by a description of an abandoned (and of course haunted!) temple and the ghost that masquerades as the resident deity. This location is the one described in the opening flavor text, complete with its own set of apposite haunts, and the whole could be used as a minor adventure in its own right.

The haunts are all well-developed, with coherent reasons as to how they came to be as they are, and logical ways to dispel and destroy them… can the characters but figure them out! Plenty to play with as you design your next game and pick one or two to terrify, annoy, or distract the characters. Build their stories into the plot you are weaving, and add atmosphere to your game.

Review Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. 30 Haunts for Houses (Pathfinder) Review

Available at RPGNow.com

In his Foreword, lead author Mike Selinker tells a tale about a rather hot Thai curry, and thus gives an insight into how his mind works. You may or may not like your curry hot, but reading this book will give you an insight into how a whole bunch of successful game designers go about designing games that people will buy and play. If you want to turn inchoate ideas into workable – and saleable – board games, or just want to know a bit more about how your favourite games came to be, and about the underlying concepts that make good games, read on.

The book is made up of four sections, and a mastery of ALL of them is necessary to create a successful game. Some fortunate souls may manage that for themselves, others need to develop the ability to find others who can fill in the gaps. First is actually coming up with a concept, which then has to be designed, developed, and finally presented: first to a publisher and then to the paying gamer public. Each section contains several essays by the people who made some of the games that sit on your shelves and which you enjoy playing.

Part 1: Concepting is all about what sort of games you might want to make, and who is actually going to play them. First, a board and card game designer called James Ernest (think Kill Doctor Lucky) draws the important distinction between a game and its rules. However vital they may be, a game’s rules are just one part of what makes up the whole; and if the whole package isn’t fun, that game won’t get played. Moreover, although you can break down a game into its component parts, and even take its ruleset apart to see how it works, that probably won’t help you design a different game – you need components for the game you are thinking of, and whilst you may well be inspired by something that works well elsewhere, you cannot guarantee that it will be as good with the concept you are kicking around. Right at the beginning you need a child-like imagination of what sort of game you want to play and why… but that needs to be the real reason. Some games make the players feel smart, some make you laugh, others let you imagine that you are something that you are not, some are familiar and comfortable because you don’t need to worry how to play them.

Next, Richard Garfield (Magic: The Gathering) states that the best way to understand games so as to design your own is to play loads and loads of other games, thinking about what works, and why, as you do so. And don’t just play the sort of game you’d like to make, play any sort you can get your hands on, watch game shows and more. Inspiration can come from the strangest and most unlikely places! (My family complain that I seem to reduce everything to ‘How would this work in a game?’…) Then Jeff Tidball muses on how each game tells a story, and gives guidance on how to develop it, drawing on classical influences. One thing that’s been mentioned is how game design has not been as subject to critical analysis and study as has music or literature. To understand and appreciate game design, you need a measure of such an academic approach. This is followed by Matt Forbeck comparing mechanics and metaphor, showing how both are important; and Mike Selinker discussing game ownership. This may sound woefully dull, the sort of class you might doze through, but it’s not. Each essay is well-written and entertaining as well as informative and thought-provoking.

Part 2: Design moves on from these underpinning but quite general comments to look at the methods of deciding how a given game is actually going to work (and how to determine if it actually does as intended!). It opens with Andrew Looney (Fluxx) describing his own thought processes, how he goes about that strange activity of designing a game. Oddly, it sounds a bit like what goes on in my head, then it turns out that he’s also a software designer which is one of the things I’ve done in real life… Fascinating stuff, though, even if your mind doesn’t work this way. Next up, Rob Daviau talks about intuitive design, how with many of the best games it’s just plain obvious how to play – even if you spend the rest of your life figuring out how to play it really well! Lisa Steenson next contributes a piece about ‘gateway’ games – the ones that sucker people into the hobby of game playing – and how to make them. Mike Selinker is next with a look at some of the all-out show-stopping game mechanics, a fine tour of what’s outstanding in gaming. It’s noticeable that most contributors (except Lisa Steenson) tend to spread their net wide and talk about other people’s games as much as they do about those they’ve written themselves. This is followed by James Ernest again, talking about strategy, skill and luck within your game mechanics; closely followed by a second piece from the same pen about decision-making in gambling games… which are not all to be found in the casino!

In some ways, Part 3: Development, is where it gets tough. Coming up with ideas, working out mechanics and testing them, those are fun activities and because we like them, we are reading this book. But this section looks at the grunt-work that takes something that’s fun and turns it into a robust game that’s ready for the final step to take it to the marketplace, the hard work that turns ‘good’ into ‘great’ and is why most ideas for games stay just that: ideas. Dale Yu kicks off by looking at the development of the game Dominion, for which he was part of the development team, and extrapolating from that to discuss the very essential role of ‘development – the honing of the original design – in the creation of games people will want to buy and play. Fascinating reading, as in the next piece by Paul Peterson about balance – and the creative uses of the lack thereof – in collectable card games. It is these details that make all the difference between something that is fun with your friends and something that can be sold to, and played by, gamers worldwide. Then Dave Howell focusses on the vitally-important point that must not get lost amidst the search for game perfection: it must remain FUN to play! He looks at some of the pitfalls that can spoil the game for at least some of the players. Delving deeper, Mike Selinker writes on the topic of writing precise rules: the sort that make sense at the first reading, and still do after hours of gameplay and a few beers. They don’t only need to be clear, they also have to enable the game to be played with minimal effort – you’re not there to apply rules, you’re there to play a game! Teeuwynn Woodruff finishes this section, with a look at playtesting and how to make sure it’s done to good effect.

Finally, we come to Part 4: Presentation. This is all about converting your fun, playable game into a saleable commodity, and then selling it. It opens with Steve Jackson (of GURPS and Steve Jackson Games fame) on the trials of prototyping. Your prototype is what you tout around publishers in the hope they’ll want to take your game on. Steve goes through some of the awful mistakes he’s seen in a long and profitable career, in the hopes that we’ll avoid them. Next, Dale Yu is back with some of the things that you should do with your prototype. So, with your nice prototype getting potential publishers slavering, read Richard Levy’s piece on pitching and turn the interest into an actual sale. Finally, Michelle Nephew writes on the processes involved in getting your game from proposal to print, all the tough (and expensive) things that it is far better for a game designer to have his publisher do for him. Stick to what you know and are good at, and let others contribute the things that they do well.

Even if you never design a game, you will look at every game that you play in a different light. If you really absorb the wisdom herein and apply it to your killer game idea… your game will be welcome on my review pile!

Review by Megan Robertsen

Related posts:

1. Van Helsing Board Game Review
2. Martians Board Game Review
3. A Touch of Evil Board Game Review

Available at Amazon.com

This is a wild ride that seems to sneak into every corner of your brain. OK – I am a geek, and one who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, roughly contemporary with the character of James Halliday, who in the book created the most amazing and pervasive system that combines MMORPG with VR and social network and even e-learning… So I ‘get’ (or should that be ‘grok’ – or perhaps not, the one bit of pop culture that’s neglected is the written word) just about every reference, even most of the videogame ones, despite my only ever becoming competent at a single one… which, of course, turns up at the heart of the final challenge!

The story is simple: geeky deprived kid figures out a puzzle that’s baffled thousands if not millions of people ostensibly brighter and certainly better-resourced than he is, wins the prize and the girl. But the way in which it is told is as immersive as getting online in the OASIS system, engulfing you with 1980s icons such as D&D’s Tomb of Horrors module, early primitive videogames and classic SF movies in a swirling synthesis that resonates with so many memories. Whilst I have the edge of having lived through the rise of the videogame, seen my characters fall in the Tomb, watched the movies and coded early websites, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t… the references are never so obscure that you cannot find them out quickly even when they’re not explained then and there, and the whole basis of the geek mentality, obsessing over the gathering of trivia about shared interests is familiar even to those who don’t share it to quite that extent.

Even if I do have to confess that when I got to the segment based on Tomb of Horrors I didn’t need to open my copy to know what would come next… told you I’m a geek, and one with an eidetic memory come to that!

Never mind first person shooter, the whole tale is told from the standpoint of the hero, the geek kid living in squalor, his prized possession his OASIS interface provided by the public school system, much of which has gone online – a whole planet-full of identical virtual schools in which real students enrol and guide their avatars through virtual halls… at least you don’t get a wedgie or a swirly, even if there are as many jocks and rich kids and beautiful ones to be found here as in a real bricks and mortar school. And you can see it all in your mind’s eye, as vividly as he – Parzival – sees it projected onto his retinas.

The characters, too, are richly portrayed, be they real or virtual; both Parzival’s friends and rivals, you have no difficulty imagining that this could all be… I was about to say ‘real’ but is that the right word for a virtual reality? There’s a sense of ‘this could be’ – even one of wishing it was… this encapsulates a lot of the magic that is found in a shared world, one based on common knowledge and pursuits, that can be referenced and argued about with the passion that we geeks reserve for what we all like: and this book has joined the list.

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at Amazon.com

This is poetry! Even when it is prose… I mean, that the writing flows smoothly, honed turns of phrase that draw you in and create pictures in your mind.

The plot continues to follow, in the main, the exploits of Thomas Cale, who is now brought to prominence as the recognised – at least by some – embodiment of God’s own anger, his innate talent for violence being viewed as divinely inspired, and thus admired by an organisation as partial to using force to impose what they see as the will of God on others. Given privileges surprising to one of such young age and lack of experience, he is given battlefield command of Redeemer forces where his unorthodox tactics and personal leadership bring results… mirrored by turbulance in the higher echelons of the church hierarchy as plotters seek power and even the Pope’s throne.

It’s a compelling tale that sweeps you along, eager to find out how Cale will prosper, what will happen to other people – both those with him and those in subordinate plotlines based around some of the people he met earlier and who have scattered across the world. Ultimately the question is: given that Cale is the Wrath of God made flesh, will that wrath fall where the Redeemers expect?

The backdrop of the land is richly wrought, with a strangeness that is somehow familiar. This is in part due to the use of names – of places, of things – taken askew. The Ammonites are a people, not a bunch of fossils. Place names you can find on a map exist, but as somewhere else. Simmon’s Yat. The Quantocks. The whole sweep of the political situation is again both familiar and strange. Echoes of mediaeval Church involvement in matters secular, but wrought larger than even Rome dared, with regular military force used in true Machiavellian style as politics by other means. Internal struggles, of vital import – literally life and death – to those involved, yet unnoticed by the man in the street, who may just about realise that there’s a new Pope without a glimmering of what went on to ensure that the ‘right’ man got appointed… let alone what was discovered about the last one!

It’s an epic, sweeping tale in a land one would love to explore more fully (although maybe on holiday or viewed in a documentary rather than as a place in which to live!). Snippets of places, cultures, people that are glossed over yet are ripe with promise, somehow you feel sure that there’s more to be known about them even if it doesn’t suit the storyteller to talk about them just now… the feeling of ‘alternate reality’ is strong in this one, and you’re torn, longing to discover what happens yet knowing that once you’ve found out you’ll have to leave.

If you like worlds that have a life of their own, where you feel certain that there’s just as much life down other streets as there is down the one that the story takes you, you will enjoy this. You’ll also relish the knowledge that even amidst realms ruled by the powerful and remote, ordinary people can achieve mightily, affect the very course of events… and that all people, great and small, struggle with themselves and with their associates, shifting relationships, truly the human condition even in someplace that existed only in the author’s mind… until his words brought it to such vivid life in mine!

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at RPGNow.com

Presented as another entry in the JackPoint website/blog, and tagged with the warning to beware of icebergs, here is an eclectic discussion of all manner of things in and under the water.

First up, a discourse on The Reality of Sea Travel. Whilst people and goods are often transported by air, the sea is still used extensively, particularly for the transportation of bulky goods and for recreational purposes. The vessels used have developed, and submarines are no longer merely military playthings but used commercially, but sea traffic is by and large unchanged in its general nature. One thing to bear in mind is that watercraft can be leading, if not bleeding, edge or they can be archaic…and that these tech levels can combine in a single craft – consider a sailboat with the latest navigational and communications gear, for example.

This leads on to the real meat of the work: a catalogue of vessels that your ‘Runners might encounter, even wish to acquire, when their activities take them to sea. First up, the Suzuki Watersport, a jetski. It’s easy to imagine waterborne ‘Runners scooting around on these, mounting inshore attacks or making good a watery escape… or even cavorting on a day off. As well as a nice image and game statistics, each craft’s entry is accompanied by atmospheric comments about their use and abuse, adding to the alternate reality of the setting. Other craft follow thick and fast. The GMC Wavecutter, another small pleasure craft. The Mitsubishi Water Home, for vacations or even a mobile hideout. A classic – if updated – speedboat, the Zemlya-Poltava Swordsman. Several more such ‘light raider’ type craft follow, so you can have some variety in your next waterborne chase scene, rather than be limited to everyone operating identical craft because that’s all that you have details for!

Then under the water with a recreational minisub (I want one!) and larger submersibles designed for transportation and other uses. They’re said to be popular with pirates too, an interesting and plausible development from the classic anti-shipping submarine warfare of the mid- to late-20th century. For those who like their leisure to be relaxing, there are some sailboats as well as luxury cruisers (with a note that scantily-clad members of the fairer sex do not come as standard, whatever you might think from the advertisments!).

It’s not all small craft, though. There is a cruise ship – perhaps that next bodyguard (or extraction) job might involve accompanying your principal as he enjoys a cruise. Surface and submarine freighters and even a frigate too, even if that is more likely to belong to port security (be it governmental or corporate). More exotic things like an amphibious ‘diver transport’ and several drone craft designed for underwater inspection and repair, which are easily repurposed to more nefarious uses. There is only one thing you can do with a torpedo or an anti-ship missile, but if that’s what you want to do, these are in here as well.

If you ever suspect that your ‘Runs will involve water, this is worth a look at. Even without the assorted commentary to provide ideas, just reading through the various vessels spawns plenty of ideas, and the commentary embeds each craft firmly into the Shadowrun setting.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. Hiding in the Dark (Shadowrun 4E) Review
2. Back in Business (Shadowrun 4E) Review
3. Shadowrun: Digital Grimoire Review

Available at RPGNow.com

Opening with a Setting Introduction, which describes the variety of game types that you can play in this bleak yet chaotic apocalypic future-Earth, a setting rich with a wealth of opportunity for those brave, perhaps vicious, enough to sieze what they want and defend it against all comers. The background is explained, a gradual decline brought about by wars, economic catastrophes and environmental damage: no single apocalyptic event but a succession of disaster after disaster that brought once-green Earth to its present state of barren wasteland scattered with giant city-fortresses ruled by warlords.

Scene set, Chapter 2: Races looks at, well, the races available to players. The default is, of course, human beings – as described in the ‘Humans’ section of the Dungeons & Dragons 4e Player’s Handbook. However, if ‘fantasy’ elements are required, the use of this ruleset means that the D&D fantasy races are compatible – even if they are explained away as aliens or from another dimension within your game. Or there are other options here: you might want to play an android, for example, a robot with artificial intelligence that has developed self-awareness… a process which tends to end in insanity. The formulae of D&D 4e have been used to good effect with such as ‘Play an XXX if you want…’ and powers for androids being renamed ‘skill programs’ – very neat retooling of the ruleset to suit the game setting. You could also pick a cyborg, a human with a lot of prosthetic enhancement and replacement. Stranger are the experimentals, subjects of mind or body altering biological experimentation, and gene freaks, who are genetically engineered humans, altered to excel in one specific area. Strangest of all, perhaps, are the risen, who have died and been restored to life by technogical means.

Next, Chapter 3: Classes examines the different career paths that characters can follow. Different races tend to be better at different classes, but you can enter whichever one that you wish. There are three to choose from: athlete, diplomat and specialist. Fantasy classes from D&D can also be used, the most suitable being those that draw on the martial or psionic power sources… unless you want to go really fantasy, of course. Athletes excel in melee, specialists in ranged combat, whilst diplomats use their minds and their charms to achieve desired outcomes. For each, a wealth of exploits and other features enable you to customise the character within these broad categories to end up with whatever you want. It’s clear that plenty of thought has gone into these.

Chapter 4 then presents some paragon paths for those who reach 11th level and choose to specialise further. These are based on past history and inclinations, not on any specific class, and all are available to any character. Relic hunter, killer, high-tech gladiator, free agent, king of the streets, tunnel rat… it’s the style in which you go about your adventures, the areas in which you wish to excel, that determine which, if any, you choose.

Race and class decided, on to Chapter 5: Skills and Feats. There are two new skills – Psych and Science – to equip your character to deal with the world as it is now, as well as notes on how to adapt existing D&D skills to the setting, in particular how to use knowledge of nature to forage in the wastelands. There are plenty of setting-specific feats to choose from as well. This is followed by Chapter 6: Equipment and Vehicles, so that you can kit out your newly-created character. In this setting, each fortress-city has its own currency, often held in electronic format: fine whilst you stay in one place, but what if you are visiting, or travel around a lot – or just have to leave in a hurry? Once you move on, electronic funds need to be converted into something more tangible. Precious metals and gems are a standard, of course, but drugs, medicines and ammunition are also popular. Then on to armour and weapons, and more general gear including medicines, food, and the various necessities characters are likely to need. An interesting point is that gear is defined as the stuff your character has that makes a difference to his being able to complete the adventure. Services – from lodgings to those of ‘sex workers’ and even a scale of bribes – and vehicles are also included here.

Next is Chapter 7: Experiments. Here are described several protracted procedures that characters might wish to undertake. They fit an analogous position to the ‘Rituals’ of D&D although they can involve the use of a wide range of skills. So if you wish to reanimate a fallen character, or persuade one of those archaic satellites to give you a view of the world from space… here’s how. A character sheet blank, and off you go…

Despite the overview of the setting given at the beginning, the GM is going to have to engage in quite a bit of pre-game designing: surroundings, personalities, as well as whatever adventure is to take place. This work gives you the tools and a glimpse at the setting, but more work is needed before you will be ready to stride forth and adventure in the Altered Earth. What is here is good, clearly presented, consistently thought out… but it feels almost as if there’s a second part to the book yet to come.

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at RPGNow.com

Nothing quite as sweet as a miniature dragon, perhaps of a suitable size to hold in your arms like a pet… but drakes are not pets, but sentient beings in their own right, fascinating creatures to have around in your game. (I had to add ‘in your game’ lest I start to conjure fantasies of one coming in my back door…).

The Introduction talks about, despite – because of? – their iconic nature, how difficult it can be to actually have a DRAGON wandering around in your game. They’re big, they’re tough, and they tend to amass game-unbalancing amounts of treasure. Moreover, they’re supposed to be the creatures of myth and legend, not someone you meet down the pub for an ale and a few hints about the next adventure. This is where creatures such as drakes come in: all the awesome features of real dragons without actually breaking the legend that dragons ought to be in your alternate reality.

Then on to The Ecology of the Drake. If you want to have them around, it’s important to know a bit about how they live, what they eat (especially when adventurers are out of season), and so on. Whilst fitting in to the Open Design setting, Midgard, most is applicable to any game world, at most you’ll need to change a few names and locations. It all started off with pseudodragons, which are the first of the class of critter now called ‘drakes’ to be recorded. Popular with wizards as familiars, and even around the house, some tried to call them ‘common drakes’ but it never caught on, they are too, well, uncommon! Yet, once they were established in the popular mind, other types were discovered and these were even less common. Most are tagged by some ‘feature’ that is associated with them – generally esoteric, geographical or material. So you get glass and ash ones, those which embody an idea, and those associated with an area or geographical feature. They are definitely related closely to dragons: reptilian, winged, and with a breath weapon. But there are differences too. For a start, you cannot tell just by a glance at the colour of one what its alignment might happen to be, and they do not have all of the magical abilities dragons have. They tend to get on better with ordinary people as well, building rather more sustainable links than those based on slavery or lunch. Drakes and dragons don’t always get on, either. Some dragons don’t like these pesky upstarts, others think they’d make neat pets.

Drakes do like to hoard, but rather than going for gold and gems, a common theme is the ‘curiosity’ – unusual items, maybe of historical interest – or ones based on the type of drake that they are. Even aside from the geographic drakes, many choose to live someplace that is appropriate to their type, like the colony of ash drakes that live amongst the smokestacks of the foundries of Zobeck. One section runs through many of the known drake types and where they are to be found in Midgard. The chapter rounds off with a list of some ten famous individual drakes: drakes of renown, even if your characters never meet them, they might have heard of them.

Next, Chapter 2: Players and Drakes looks both at companion drakes, and at those who want to actually play a drake character. (Don’t laugh, I have a pseudodragon PC in one of my games who is great fun, even if he did set an entire monastery church alight through incautious use of his breath weapon!) For those seeking a drake companion, remember that they are not good at following orders, and are certainly not the docile creature that some familiars appear to be. Even if you choose not to use the rules for Wilful Companions (which are a delight for the mischievous GM to contemplate), they ought to be played as distinct personalities in their own right, often a bit superior, convinced that they are by far the most important members of the party and probably counting ‘I told you so!’ as one of the first phrases they learn in Common! Several feats aimed at drakes are presented, including ones for those who become companions. Drakes can choose any character class as their companion (and yes, they tend to see it that way round!), but different types prefer different classes, and – a rather neat thing – confer slightly different mechanical benefits based on class. For example, Cavaliers can choose a new order, the Order of the Drake, and Monks can develop a style based on how drakes fight. Those who really, really like drakes can take a whole new class, the Drake Tamer; and a prestige class, the Master of Drake Forms, aimed at anyone who enjoys shapeshifting.

The second part of this chapter looks at actually playing a drake character. Beginning with the pseudodragon, and using this as a framework to construct the necessary game mechanics to create any of the drakes in this book, you’ll find all that you need if you fancy playing one of these small but fascinating creatures. Advancement and the sort of roles a drake PC might occupy are also discussed. This is followed by some new drake-related spells and magic items made for or by drakes. Finally, mundane items that are of use to drakes, including such useful concepts as blades that can be attached to wing or tail.

Next is Chapter 4: Game Masters and Drakes. The meat of this chapter is a full run-down on no less than 20 drakes to be used as allies or enemies in your game. This is a bestiary rather than a collection of NPCs, you will have to add specifics relating to each individual as you need them. Alehouse drakes sound rather fun, whilst candle drakes are useful to have around despite the unusual diet (they not only produce light, they eat candles, you see!). Others, such as crimson drakes and deep drakes, are inimicable by nature and far more likely to serve as foe than friend. There are some fine illustrations of the different types, too, the sort you want to print or project so you can say “You see this!” to your players. This fine array is followed by a set of rules for creating additional drake types to your own design.

This tome is quite a gem, particularly notable for the flexibility of approach from a bestiary to everything you need to create your own drakes as monsters or characters… if it’s drakes you want, you will find them here.

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at RPGNow.com

Throughout history, the concept of the ‘lost city’ has always fascinated… likewise generations of gamers have been drawn to explore by legend and rumour, right back to the Basic Dungeons and Dragons module B4: Lost City! Whether it’s fame and fortune, mere survival, or some higher purpose, mention lost cities and adventurers will come in droves. This lost city is no different, and there are wonders to discover for those brave enough and skilful enough to explore.

The lost city of Kadralhu has much to offer the adventurer and much also to offer the gaming group, for it is presented as a ‘sandbox’ adventure, a setting with much to do rather than a single plotline to figure out. Whatever the characters’ motivation for going there, wherever they venture once they arrive, there are things going on, things to discover, enemies to vanquish, allies to be made and secrets to learn. All that is visible is a small ruin protruding from the desert sands… but (naturally) all is not what it seems.

Chapter 1: Kadralhu provides the background explanation of who used to live here, and why the city is now ‘lost’ at least as far as the outside world is concerned. For survivors still dwell there, some following ancient patterns and others developing their own responses to the cataclysm that struck their city down. There are several parts to the city, each with their own stories to tell, and these may be explored in pretty much any order. The city has a long and eventful history that, once discovered, explains at least part of what it is today, and promises what it might become again, if the characters win through and choose to restore it to its former glory. There are eight major locations, described in following chapters, as well as numerous factions and groups amongst the surviving residents.

It is suggested that characters arrive at the city knowing little of what to expect, perhaps even coming across the ruins by chance when crossing the desert. However several hooks are provided ranging from the characters being asked to trace the source of contamination in ground water that’s driving those who drink it mad to divine entreaties. Whilst there are riches to be looted and antiquities to be discovered, it is unlikely that most adventurers will have heard about them. The two settlements nearest to the lost city are outlined, with an extended adventure characters might wish to emerge and then return to the city several times before they are done with it… or it is done with them.

The chapter rounds out with extensive notes on the new races to be found here, each with an impressive array of sub-types, and complete with all manner of background information to enable you to play them effectively as far more than mere opposition in combat. There’s monsters here too, sometimes the distinction is a bit blurred as to what is ‘monster’ as in creature and what has a little more in the way of intelligence. Put together it creates a unique microcosm of life, a unique ecosystem which more thoughtful characters may find intriguing and worthy of study, while more violent ones will find plenty to challenge their skills.

Next, Chapter 2: The Phoenix Tower deals with the ruins on the surface, all that is to be seen by the casual passer-by and the characters’ likely point of entry to the city. A small, broken, slanted building on the surface is but the very top of what was once a high tower, but through it characters can descend and begin to see the scale of the city awaiting them. Not of course that it is that simple: the descent itself is fraught with danger even before they get to explore. Skill in scrambling as well as in combat will soon be called upon in the encounters within. Descriptions are atmospheric and intriguing, with plenty to keep explorers’ minds busy as they plumb the depths, while each encounter is mapped and detailed clearly, making them straightforward to run.

Once the characters are in, Chapter 3: Impressions is designed to enable you to let them have a look around. Several themes run throughout the adventure, relating to the beings that are encountered – part of the challenge facing the characters is to figure out what they are and how to deal with them in an appropriate manner: if they get their approach right, they will win friends. If not… shall we say that a difficult task will be made even harder. Those which make a good impression gain tangible benefits over time, with clear rule mechanics to help you administer the effects. While clear, these are quite complex, so it is worth making sure that you understand them before the characters get this far. There’s a lot for them to do, finding their way around and making friends (or enemies), but a collection of small encounters are provided for when things seem to go a bit slowly, as well as several major set-piece ones tied to certain locations.

Following chapters detail other parts of the city and what (and who) is to be found there. I won’t go into details as many of the titles might give too much away, suffice to say that both locations and specific encounters are marvellously detailed, making it easy to make the alternate reality come alive for your players. Everything has its history, its reasons for being the way it is. Everybody that they meet has their own business to be about, that its clear that they will be getting on with even were the adventurers not around. Yet if the characters succeed in puzzling out the great secrets of the city, they can choose to restore it to its former glories, raising a deity in the process…

Many challenges that the characters face are tough ones and will tax even those of the designated levels to the utmost, however both brains and brawn will be needed to succeed. Parties who wish to fight everything they meet will likely fail, yet those who hesitate and are not prepared to fight and fight well will be overwhelmed. It’s a balanced and rounded adventure, with scope for many different things, and one which should resound in the legends of your gaming group for many a year to come.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. City of the Damned: New Orleans Review
2. Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers RPG Review
3. City of Saints and Madmen Fiction Review

Available at RPGNow.com

Plunging straight in, this adventure begins with a brief outline of this richly-detailed Japanese-inspired setting. In a neat twist, the characters too are seeing it for the first time, arriving as ‘gai-jin’ (the Japanese word for ‘foreigner’ although it’s a word with somewhat negative connotations) and seeing it with all the wonder of outsiders visiting a new and very different place, even as their players are finding out about a new setting.

Much of the discussion, though, is best kept for the GMs’ eyes. Unlikely to be common knowledge elsewhere, although it may be a topic of discussion in some academic and theological circles, life and death here, the state of the souls of both the living and the dead, is somewhat unusual. Reincarnation gone mad, shall we say, and leave characters to discover it for themselves as they begin to piece together what is going on. Japanese-inspired this setting may be, but it draws on the darker side, on the tales that are told, that create a setting filled with oriental horror.

Setting outlined, on to a summary of the adventure itself. The characters have been hired by a ‘gai-jin’ merchant who’s sailing to Kaidan to trade… but all is not as it seems. (When is it ever?) He’s been there before, came into conflict with a local (undead) noble and… suffice it to say, the situation is fraught with difficulties and the characters will encounter many adversaries all intend on achieving their own ends. Several adventure hooks are provided to ensure that the characters are drawn in effectively. Many of these have been designed so as to encourage the characters to explore and investigate their surroundings, thus getting a far better introduction to the setting than some quick in and out errand!

From the outset, the characters are plunged straight into the action, even as their ship arrives at its destination port on Kaidan. It’s not only swordsmen that they have to contend with, there’s also a mountain of bureaucracy to overcome as well as local attitudes to anyone who is a foreigner… and as for those who are non-human! As they explore the port town (while waiting for the paperwork to be sorted out), multiple plotlines entwine them… with events scattered in such a way that it will take careful consideration to discover what is going on, and plenty to keep the characters busy whether they prefer to interact with those that they meet or let their swordarms do the talking. The township is mapped and described well, enabling the GM to allow the characters to prowl and explore as they please and giving him plenty to keep them occupied. As several encounters may be resolved by single combat, there’s an interesting sidebar of ideas about how to keep other players engaged with the game whilst only one of them is actually involved in a brawl.

Once documentation is straightened out, the characters’ employer is ready to travel to his ultimate destination inland, a journey of some 100 miles and, needless to say, not without incident. Inns, the wilderness, townships, bandits and plenty of undead provide a variety of challenges, including a fine pitched battle. This episode of what is a three-part adventure ends as the characters reach their destination.

Throughout the adventure, clear maps are presented as appropriate, all of which highlight the oriental nature of the setting. Each encounter is laid out clearly, with suitable progression of events to enable the GM to build up the horror as well as the action. Dreams and visions interleave with more tangible events, and good use is made of supernatural tools provided by the Pathfinder ruleset such as haunts. Overall, it is a nicely-crafted adventure with an unusual and beautifully coherent plot integrated into the setting. Oriental settings are fairly common, but this one has its own twist that should make for some memorable adventures.

Review by Megan Robertson

No related posts.

Available at RPGNow.com

Taking a new tack for Rite Publishing’s “30″ series, this work looks not at items that you might find but a specific type of threat that you might encounter – the haunt. Indeed, not just any old haunts but those which have, for whatever reason, chosen to manifest in a house.

The product opens with an overview of haunts, which were introduced in Paizo’s GameMastery Guide – if you intend to make extensive use of haunts you may find a copy useful. Basically, haunts can develop in a location in which living creatures suffered in some way, and can be accompanied by undead. Despite having hit points and assorted capabilities, they can be thought of more as an atmosphere, an area in which effects are caused, than as actual beings in their own right. (I’m sure learned clerics and mages could argue for hours over that one!). They can only be removed from their location by performance of specific acts, based on the reasons why the haunt is there in the first place, although they can be damaged or negated such that they go away… but only for a while, they’ll manifest again later. The really fun thing is that they manifest by duplicating a spell effect – which makes the game mechanics straightforward as you can treat the haunt’s effect as if someone had cast the spell in question.

Straight on, then, to a collection of haunts ready to use, beginning with minor haunts – the sort of restless spirit that slams doors, walks around with heavy feet, or plays an instrument. They usually cause annoyance rather than harm, and manifest in ways that suggest ‘This place is haunted’ to the average paranormal investigator. Perhaps the area gets very chilly all of a sudden or things start to move apparently of their own accord (as if an unseen servant spell had been cast. For most of these, there’s a standard riposte, the casting of an appropriate spell will negate the haunt… until it resets, that is.

Next comes the concept of ‘associated haunts’ – these are combinations of haunts that work together, and one example is given, in which a Fire Starter Haunt (which whispers in your ear that it would be a good idea to light a fire, with the effect of a suggestion spell) is combined with one called the Unrepentant Smoker, which causes a lit fire to billow smoke uncontrollably, and the Charred Man Haunt, where swirling smoke coalesces into what appears to be the form of a burned body… spooky indeed!

This idea for effective uses of haunts is followed by some more substantial threats. These can actually hurt, rather than annoy or scare: perhaps possessing your familiar and causing the poor thing to bite you, or a shadowy form manifests and appears to reach out through someone to grab and squeeze their heart! Again, many of these haunts are resonant with the sort of things that happen in ghost or horror stories… and should terrify the characters which encounter them, at least until they find out how to stop the manifestation occurring.

Finally, there’s a fully-detailed NPC. Pers Veilborn studies haunts, he follows a goddess of knowledge and death, and can be persuaded to accompany adventurers who have encountered manifestations that need to be dealt with.

If you like spooky, haunted places to investigate, this work will give you hours of fun at the expense of your characters: all in the very best horror story style. Very effective and atmospheric…

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. 30 Haunts for Objects RPG Review
2. Northlands (Pathfinder) Review
3. Antipaladins (Pathfinder) Review

Available at RPGNow.com

Jumping right in, the first chapter – Riddles of Steel: Roleplaying in the Frozen North – explains what’s so special, what’s so different about games set in harsh northern areas inspired by Norseland sagas and Viking lore. The familiar cod-medieval or renaissance fantasy civilizations of the majority of games is replaced with a bloodier and darker mindset, never mind that the place tends to be darn cold as well! Vicious monsters abound, and those which walk on two legs live life to the full in conditions that others may see as primitive, certainly more self-sufficient than their neighbors to the south.

But it’s not just a lack of urban luxury, guards to protect you from thieves and villains, and lower temperatures: the whole mind-set is different, and to get the most out of such a setting both GM and players – particularly those whose characters are native to it – will need to start thinking in a different way. Curses and prophecies vie with an ingrained fatalism, and even luck is viewed as more than mere chance. Nature features large in everyone’s life, just surviving in such lands poses a great challenge even before you throw in monsters and raiders. Glory, honor, revenge are often the causes for which you might take up your sword, rather than the abstractions of ‘good’ or ‘evil’ which may motivate other men and women. A lot of this background information is provided here to empower you to capture the ‘feel’ of the Northlands – with everything from customs and games to the nearest thing they have to a legal system and an array of deities to worship, or at least propitiate.

Next, Chapter 2: Thule, the Last Continent, presents a gazetteer of the Northlands, replete with history and mythology to help the locations described come alive to visiting adventurers. It’s a mystical place, harsh yet rich and strange, a place where legends abound and new ones can be written by those with courage, endurance and daring. Stirring stuff, perhaps such tales as inspired many an adventurer to take up that profession, even those who stick to safer lands to actually practice it.

This is followed by Chapter 3: Heroes of the North, which describes the different peoples to be found in the Northlands: human sub-races, and other humanoids. Much of this is flavor, with the actual numbers you need unchanged from regular racial details, although there are specific traits you can build in, but this is the sort of flavor which can enable players and GMs alike create and play characters who fit in to their alternate reality as if born there… as indeed perhaps they were. The information necessary for local class variants is also presented, such as new abilities for bards (often called skalds) and new domains for clerics, based as always upon their choice of patron deity. Sorcerers get a couple of new bloodlines, and then the discussion moves on to new skills and modifications to existing ones appropriate to this particular setting. There is an impressive array of new feats as well. For those wishing to fine-tune their monsters there are some monster feats than can make them more suited to the Northlands, beings of legend about which adventurers can, if they conquer them, create legends of their own.

Characters built to suit their environment need equipment to match, whilst visitors from elsewhere will need to ensure they have all they need, so the next section provides all manner of things that you might need to live, travel or adventure in the Northlands. Whether you are after a few sledge dogs, a pot of honey to attract bears with, or a set of runestones to conduct your divinations in an appropriate manner, these and more are here. Consider portage ale, a brew so potent and flavorful that having once tasted it, the average Viking will do literally anything to have some more, very useful if you have some heavy work to be done! Preferable, at least, to troll whiskey, which has been known to make trolls ill, never mind members of less-tough races.

Next, Chapter 4: Magic of the North looks at the distinctive style and flavor of magic as it is practiced in the Northlands. Never mind ritual incantations, cast your spells with mocking rhymes and shout them as challenges to your opponent, for rough and vibrant are both the mages up here and the spells that they cast. Specific styles include grudge magic – which fulfills the old saying, ‘When you go to seek vengeance, first dig two graves’ as it causes harm to target and caster alike, and of course rune magic, bringing the power of the ancient carved symbols to play by use of the Rune Mastery feat and tracing the shape of the desired rune either by painting it or running your fingers over an already-carved or inscribed one. Mystic strangeness to bring a real distinctive difference to spellcasting up here in these frozen lands. Quite a few more conventional spells are presented as well, but all breathing the very essence of the North across your spellbook. Steal spells from your enemy’s very mind, enlarge someone’s weapon to giant-size, harness the very power of Loki himself to aid your lies or worm out embarrassing secrets, ir just summon up a swarm of mosquitoes to plague your enemies, all these and more can be learned. There’s even a neat Level 0 one to improve your snowballing abilities… after all, mages like to play too! The chapter rounds out with an impressive array of items… items about which legends will surely be written, if they have not been already.

Chapter 5: The Frozen Land contains a wealth of additional rules to make refereeing a game in the Northlands flow. Rules to cover chases over frozen terrain, rules for coping with the unique environmental hazards the location presents. To reflect its importance to the Northern psyche, there’s a system whereby Fate can play a part in a character’s life story, a neat mechanic which preserves player freewill whist trapping characters in the coils of destiny.

Finally Chapter 6: Bestiary presents some mighty opponents – or potential allies – for your characters to encounter. Beware, though, there are some such in the previous chapter, such as the Splintered Stump – tucked in with rules on the effects of cold, seeing that this wicked remnant of a tree that has frozen so much that it exploded now seeks to gull passers-by into thinking it is warm, and remove their heavy clothing to freeze as the Stump sucks up their life-warmth. The book rounds out with a fine map of the area.

Written in an engaging style, often reminiscent of the Norse Sagas and clearly influenced by them, this work provides an evocative campaign setting that gathers up much of the mythology and legends that spring to mind when you mention the frozen north, packaging them into a playable whole. A bit of proof-reading would improve it, but nothing that makes it incomprehensible, just mis-spellings and logic that jars on occasion. If you want to send those soft civilized characters somewhere that will shock them, or run a campaign wholly-set in the land of the midnight sun, this will set your feet on the path of legend.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. 30 Haunts for Houses (Pathfinder) Review
2. Advanced Feats: The Inquisitor’s Edge (Pathfinder) Review
3. Northlands Sourcebook Now Available for Pathfinder RPG

Available at RPGNow.com

This work starts with an overview of the inquisitor, quite a talented chap with plenty of options. Pity the first paragraph repeats itself, perhaps we should send an inquisitor after the proof-reader!

So who is this inquisitor anyway? A potent mix of religious devotee, spy, investigator and hunter (of people rather than dinner): a bit self-serving in the way his powers generally serve to enhance himself rather than the group he is in, but at least he can claim it’s all to the glory of whatever deity he reveres! The special ability of ‘Judgement’ is both powerful and versatile, depending on what judgement is pronounced, and this is coupled with a reasonable number of skills and the ability to cast divine spells. They are skilled at both solo tactics and teamwork as well, whilst they have bonuses to many of the skills needful for effective interrogations. The analysis suggests ways of using these to optimal effect, both in designing your character and when playing him.

Many of the feats provided are combat ones, although Friend and Foe is a neat way to codify and enhance attempts at the ‘Good cop, bad cop’ routine. The Coordinated Fire feat gets around the difficulty inherent in trying to work with someone else whilst constrained by having to act in initiative order. For anyone who’s wanted to model the Japanese art of iaijitsu, the Draw Strike feat captures the ability to draw and use a weapon – generally a sword – in a single motion. For those who want to become ghosthunters, the Track Spirits feat should come in handy, and there are several which will work well for those who see this class as a kind of ecclesiastical bounty-hunter.

The work concludes with three ‘builds’ showing how the class can be developed to good effect in different ways depending on your character concept. First is the Bloodhound, who takes the bounty-hunter theme and becomes a tenacious and tough fighter who can find anyone and then beat them into submission. Next is the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, who serves an evil deity and attracts innocent souls to that god’s service by appearing nice and helpful! It’s good for someone who enjoys being sneaky and manipulative. Finally, a build which highlights the investigative side of the class, the Detective. There are side notes to each one, which make for fascinating reading. The historical concept of ‘Inquisition’ made famous by the Roman Catholic church of the 16th century, a tool of state policy often as much as one of ensuring that the faithful keep to the straight and narrow. The role of the art of detection in a magical world, and the vexatious debate on how an evil character can work plausibly with a good party… these are covered briefly but in a thought-provoking manner.

It gives a good grounding in the capabilities and potentials of the inquisitor class, and is worth a look if you play one, or GM a group that includes one. A little marred by several minor errors which have slipped past the proofreader, and a few odd characters which I cannot resolve even with a bit of PDF-hackery, but none are enough to detract from a cracking good read on this specialized area, that will indeed give your Inquisitor an edge!

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. 30 Haunts for Houses (Pathfinder) Review
2. Northlands (Pathfinder) Review
3. Northlands Sourcebook Now Available for Pathfinder RPG

]]> http://www.flamesrising.com/the-inquisitors-edge-review/feed/ 0 http://www.flamesrising.com/antipaladins-pathfinder-review/ http://www.flamesrising.com/antipaladins-pathfinder-review/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:45:20 +0000 Megan http://www.flamesrising.com/?p=12238 Archtypical bad guys, the evil counterpart to that goody-two-shoes the Paladin... but don't feel sorry for the seven to be found in these pages, as plenty of love has been lavished on developing them into well-rounded villains all ready to give any good-aligned party a run for their money. Just as a paladin is a shining example of devotion to his deity, so is the antipaladin. The difference is the nature of the deity that the antipaladin venerates and serves... and often, the precise way in which he serves and what he does in the course of such service. Even they probably see the 'evil' in what they do, in what they are working towards - it's certainly clear to the rest of us - and yet they press on, often motivated by selfish ends like personal power and other rewards, rather than pure love for their deity. Related posts:

1. 30 Haunts for Houses (Pathfinder) Review
2. Northlands (Pathfinder) Review
3. Advanced Feats: The Inquisitor’s Edge (Pathfinder) Review

]]>

Available at RPGNow.com

Archtypical bad guys, the evil counterpart to that goody-two-shoes the Paladin… but don’t feel sorry for the seven to be found in these pages, as plenty of love has been lavished on developing them into well-rounded villains all ready to give any good-aligned party a run for their money.

Just as a paladin is a shining example of devotion to his deity, so is the antipaladin. The difference is the nature of the deity that the antipaladin venerates and serves… and often, the precise way in which he serves and what he does in the course of such service. Even they probably see the ‘evil’ in what they do, in what they are working towards – it’s certainly clear to the rest of us – and yet they press on, often motivated by selfish ends like personal power and other rewards, rather than pure love for their deity.

The work begins with brief details of three such objects of worship, a trio of demons whose intent is to ruin, defile and destroy. These are Arachne, Lamashtu and Pazuzu. Whilst each is a well-rounded and developed being, none is tied in to anything else and so fit well with the stated purpose of providing a framework of evil to use in your own campaign world – be it homebrew or based on a published one – without difficulty.

So, on to the seven fully-developed antipaladins that form the core of this book. In a departure from the usual multi-level presentation for which Raging Swan Press has already made its name, each is presented at but one level, you will need to take the individual who happens to present the appropriate challenge for your characters – or wait until they reach the right level for the antipaladin that fits in best to your needs. This latter may make for a better game, if you already know who the high-level Bad Guy is, seeds and subplots based on what he’s up to can be woven into your campaign well in advance of his actual appearance. Or he may pop up occasionally long before the characters are in a position to deal with him, messing with their heads and their plans and giving them even more incentive to gain the power and resources necessary to give him the comeuppance he so richly deserves!

First up, a mere beginner in the evil stakes, a 4th-level antipaladin who’s only just begun to slide to the dark side having been thwarted in love and lacking the emotional maturity to deal with it. Finding a book about the demon Arachne, she now lives in hope of attracting the demon’s attention and favor by her deeds, manifesting this in the shape of becoming a serial killer. Plenty of atmosphere and development here, and several ideas for how your characters may encounter her.

She’s followed by a young man whose descent into evil is fueled by resentment: having embraced the life of privilege that noble birth bestowed upon him he found that the quirk of fate that made him the second-born saw him sent off to become a priest without the option, where he was expected to live an austere life alongside fellows whose lesser birth led them to regard it as luxury, and study with those he considers to be of lesser intellect. No wonder when he found forbidden reading that promised to lead him to power and riches that he embraced it! He’s now busy carving out his own domains, aided by a bunch of goblins – and again plenty of ideas are provided to bring him to your characters’ attention.

Next, at CR 7, comes a half-elf who has been driven to despair and turned to evil following the suicide of her parents: she now believes that life is cruel and will always end badly… and doesn’t mind helping it along a bit. A talented bard, she sings and tells tales of how ugly and nasty the world can be, and collects materials in a big book that she always carries with her. Her dark and dour performances elicit mixed reactions and frequently lead to trouble.

This sad tale is followed by an outcast duergar, chipping in at CR 9, a cruel follower of Lamashtu, drinking his victim’s blood and storing their skulls in his personal shrine to his demon mistress. Next is a barbarian woman determined to lead her tribe to greatness, no matter what harm she does along the way. And she is followed in her turn by a drow who had an inauspicious start in life – thought to be stillborn, he was about to be hurled onto a funeral pyre when he cried out. A weak and sickly child, he developed an unhealthy obsession with poisons along with a devotion to Arachne, whom he credits for his preternatural stealth and the other abilities that make him a notable assassin.

Finally, at the dizzying heights of CR 15, we meet the most tragic of all, one who fell from virtue as a proud example of all that is best of the paladin, whose staunch defense of her realm against darkness was brought low by exposure to an evil artifact that corrupted her very soul.

It is of such as these that epic campaigns can be forged… or memorable battles against evil that are more incidental but still of significance within your alternate reality. A fine example of well-crafted villains that are not just ‘evil’ but who have their own back-story and reasons, often tragic ones, for how they are the way that they are.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. 30 Haunts for Houses (Pathfinder) Review
2. Northlands (Pathfinder) Review
3. Advanced Feats: The Inquisitor’s Edge (Pathfinder) Review

]]> http://www.flamesrising.com/antipaladins-pathfinder-review/feed/ 0 http://www.flamesrising.com/hiding-in-the-dark-review/ http://www.flamesrising.com/hiding-in-the-dark-review/#comments Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:45:36 +0000 Megan http://www.flamesrising.com/?p=12234 A couple of news stories and a police report set the scene before the Introduction runs through the standard background information for the GM on adventure layout and the specifics of running a game in a shared campaign. The Mission Synopsis then lays it all out, and the plot ties neatly back into what has gone before (assuming you played the previous Mission, Back in Business, that is!). How much of this the characters will ever find out depends on how they do during the 'run, of course, but it's likely that they will get the gist of it fairly quickly... and then have to make a very Big Decision. Like most 'runs, it all starts when someone has a job that needs doing - this time, it's the law that's hiring, and the job on offer involves discovering the identity of a mid-level crime boss. But even this introductory scene is well-described with plenty of atmosphere and incidental events that help it all come alive, as well as give the characters what they need to begin their task. Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems, and a couple of other groups start to take an interest and offer the characters money for information about what they discover in the course of their investigations. Related posts:

1. Deadly Waves (Shadowrun) RPG Review
2. Back in Business (Shadowrun 4E) Review
3. Shadowrun: Digital Grimoire Review

]]>

Available at RPGNow.com

A couple of news stories and a police report set the scene before the Introduction runs through the standard background information for the GM on adventure layout and the specifics of running a game in a shared campaign. The Mission Synopsis then lays it all out, and the plot ties neatly back into what has gone before (assuming you played the previous Mission, Back in Business, that is!). How much of this the characters will ever find out depends on how they do during the ‘run, of course, but it’s likely that they will get the gist of it fairly quickly… and then have to make a very Big Decision.

Like most ‘runs, it all starts when someone has a job that needs doing – this time, it’s the law that’s hiring, and the job on offer involves discovering the identity of a mid-level crime boss. But even this introductory scene is well-described with plenty of atmosphere and incidental events that help it all come alive, as well as give the characters what they need to begin their task. Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems, and a couple of other groups start to take an interest and offer the characters money for information about what they discover in the course of their investigations.

Even here, some of the leads pan out and others are dead-ends… but all are atmospheric additions to 2070 Seattle and worth remembering if you want to run other adventures here. It could be easy to get side-tracked, so beware, especially if you are running this in a convention slot – or you could develop any of them into side adventures in their own right if you have the time and inclination to do so. At least, unless the characters refuse to talk to anyone, they ought to be able to find out what they need to know at this point, and the troubleshooting section even covers that eventuality.

Armed with details of the best places to seek their quarry, the characters arrive at the first location… but what they find might not be quite what they had expected. The second one should prove more fruitful, provided that the characters are prepared to talk rather than brawl with the folk they encounter. The troubleshooting notes even include a way to ensure that they don’t get into something that might derail the entire plotline, or run out of time, should you be playing at a convention or are otherwise time-limited.

Eventually – and given the multiplicity of routes provided it’s quite hard not to – the characters will meet with someone who can indeed lead them to their quarry… but only after they run a few errands for him, of course. And errands run, the adventure concludes as they are faced with a very big choice to make, one which will lay the groundwork for many of their relationships and alliances for their entire time in Seattle. No pressure, then!

It’s all too easy to glide through a ‘run without thinking about the consequences of your actions in any greater depth than who you might annoy, how to evade the cops or where the greatest profit lies (all being important points to the average ‘runner). This adventure poses a more challenging choice, one that operates at a moral or ethical level, that should make the characters – and probably their players – stop and assess just what it is that they want out of their ‘running career. The adventure wraps up with a series of different endings dependent on what the characters decide, and the aftermath of their choice.

The adventure is well-resourced, with development in depth and troubleshooting notes to aid the GM, several maps and some well-developed NPCs who, if they survive (most should, but you never can tell!) are rounded and detailed enough to reappear in your own stories or later adventures in this campaign. But the real highlight is the sheer depth of the decision that the characters will have to make, something that raises this adventure head and shoulders above the rest.

Review by Megan Robertson

Related posts:

1. Deadly Waves (Shadowrun) RPG Review
2. Back in Business (Shadowrun 4E) Review
3. Shadowrun: Digital Grimoire Review

]]> http://www.flamesrising.com/hiding-in-the-dark-review/feed/ 0