Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

 Title: Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

Price: $29.99 (PDF), $134.99 (Hardcover)

Publisher/Year: Onyx Path Publishing, 2018

Author(s): Charlie Bates, Bruce Baugh, Steve Burnett, Jackie Cassada, Lillian Cohen-Moore, Richard Dansky, Matthew Dawkins, Edwin Huang, Courtney King, Michael B. Lee, Steven S. Long, Clayton Oliver, Neall Raemonn Price, Nicky Rea, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Lucien Soulb

DriveThruRPG Link

Rating: 3.5/5

Once upon a time, many years ago in the closing months of the 20th Century, one of my best friends said to me “We’re going to do something new.  Something different.  We’re going to play Wraith.”  being in a group of players that was consistently made up of myself, the significant other of my best friend, and my best friend-as-Storyteller, I was immediately intimidated.  I had no idea how to play Wraith, and – truth be told – had no idea how the rules worked or how the setting would be laid out, etc.

Let’s be clear here; Vampire is easy.  You’re a vampire and you live in a city and you blah blah blah all night long until the sun comes up.  And let’s also be clear that with Werewolf, you’re a werewolf and you live in the near-city or wilderness – or, as I’ve proven in MY OWN games of Werewolf that I’ve run – in the city proper and you blah blah blah all day and night long until your phase of the moon hits and you’re rocking at full-tilt Gnosis and Rage…

But Wraith was different.

Wraith was PERSONAL.

“Here’s what I want you to do, Shannon” he said.  “I want you to think about death.  I want you to think about the worst possible death that you could die.  I want you to think about drowning or dying unexpectedly while you’re going out to get something to eat.  I want you to hold onto the feeling of that… of the emotion of that… and when you’ve got THAT locked down?  THAT’S when we’ll create your character, and I’ll help you to do it.”

Wraith was about as supernatural and frightening to me as the World of Darkness – at least, the World of Darkness that we knew at the time – ever got.

It was story-driven drama.  It was character-driven conflict.  It was cogs within gears within transmissions of the great machinations of Stygian politics.  It was endless, sunless day-to-day survival against the forces of Oblivion who were, to me, MUCH MORE ferocious and malnourished than any of the Wyrm’s minions because, in the end, they were – effectively – the “Great Nothing” that “The Neverending Story” painted as its primary antagonist.

The Wyrm… the Weaver… if it could be said that “they” want anything, it most certainly isn’t a LACK of ANYTHING.  “They” want “something.”  Something IS NOT nothing.

And Malfeans and their countless armies of spectres?  It’s not that they want to watch the Underworld burn.  They want Oblivion.

They want NOTHING to exist in the place of EVERYTHING.

So we created my ghost for this game… and when we were done, I felt drained to be honest.  And my best friend said “Okay.  That’s that.  Now, we make your Shadow.”  

“My what?”

“Your Shadow.  The part of you that WANTS to be dead.  The part of you that wants the madness of the Underworld to end.  The part of you that wants to move on into the Great Nothing… because all of this?  HURTS.  The Shadow doesn’t like it.”

“That’s… fucked up.”

“He’ll help you at times.  Not always, but sometimes.  I mean, he IS YOU.  Think of him as Rage Points in Werewolf, after a fashion.  He’s your enemy, but he can be useful, too.”

Suffice to say we didn’t play those characters much, and the game didn’t last long.  In all honesty, it was too stressful to me at the time, which is a funny thing for me to say now twenty some-odd years down the road after having a son, being widowed at 35, buying a house, and charging ahead through it all.  But at the time, thinking about the depth of Wraith – about the darkness of it – wasn’t how I wanted to spend my game time.

Fast forward twenty years into the future into the middle of 2018.

I’m much older, I’d like to think that I’m much wiser, definitely more mature, a little beat up from wear and tear, but my heart – or a part of it, anyway – still lives in the gothic-punk World of Darkness, and a little piece of that part of my heart is hidden across the Shroud on the Isle of Sorrows in Stygia.

Benevolent psychopathology is a term I use for things that I find myself both terrified by and, simultaneously, obsessed with.  Wraith: the Oblivion falls into the category of benevolent psychopathology for me.

When I heard that there would be a release of a 20th Anniversary Edition of the game, I was overjoyed with expectation.  Having not read ANY of the Geist books and having been completely out of the loop with White Wolf Games Studios – and Onyx Path Publishing, for that matter – I started watching from afar to make sure I didn’t miss the initial release of the book.

Suffice to say, I am in no way, shape or form disappointed in what I have received.

The Prologue: The Face of Death is, quite simply, a graphic novella that takes some absolutely stunning Wraith: the Oblivion artwork superimposed with text blocs that explain the fundamental concepts of the game.  Had this been something 1st or 2nd Edition contained, my best friend would not have had to spend the time that he did explaining to me what Wraith was and what it was all about.  It is beautiful, it is chilling, it is darkly poetic, and it is also very emotionally driven while remaining matter-of-fact and succinct.  This is your Ghost Story.  This is your beginning.

Chapter One: The Introduction is just that, and it serves as a syllabus for what you can expect throughout the course of your reading while working with the Table of Contents as a map.  You’re given a basic Lexicon – and my only complaint here is that there are a couple of “What is that?” terms you’ll run across later that aren’t immediately identified (for example, “Labyrinth, the” even though there are a couple of terms directly related to the Labyrinth or that coincide directly with it) – but aside from that, it’s a concise little thing.

Chapter Two: Setting is where things get down and dirty, but in all fairness, is also where things get a little sketchy.  Sketchy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you… but there are times where contradictions are made that can leave the reader saying “…and whaaaaaaa?”

A good example is the issue of the Fishers and the Treaty of Paradise.  Be careful with this part and know that what you’re reading is not necessarily what happened.  Another would be the narrative explaining the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian.  Another would be “Okay… wait… are ALL of the Ferrymen on their own in the City of Dis now?  Did they ALL turn away from Charon?  Or was it just the Shining Ones?  Or was it the Ancients who existed pre-Rite of Severance?”

Confusion can set in, and while it isn’t fair to write the entirety of the chapter off as bullshit – because it isn’t by a longshot and there’s some amazing information offered up here from the dawn of Stygia to the formation of the Stygian Republic to the founding of the Ferrymen to the building of the Necropoli, to all of the Great Maelstroms, etc. – there are some parts here and there that simply do not jibe well with other parts here and there.

In the end, an intelligent Storyteller and his or her Circle will be able to use and clarify any confusions that they come across.

This chapter has the most “player meat” of the book.  This is the chapter, other than the mechanics-related chapters that the players will sit and devour for hours.

I’ll say this as a fan of the game as well as an objective reviewer: The MAP of Stygia is freakin’ AMAZING.  It’s something that I can’t ever remember having been provided with before.  It harkens back to a sort of Forgotten Realms look at Waterdeep or a setting like that with commercial and military districts, Hierarchical and municipal management districts, Guild speakeasies… it’s an awesome resource that works very well with the written imagery of what is presented in the book.  Pull it all together into a black bouquet with the history of the Guilds, the Legions, where they live, how they think, what they want, how they endeavor to achieve their ends, and you’re PROVIDED with a solid few nights-worth of game time without even mentioning the words “Skinlands” or “Spectres.”

Need to know how to buy and sell?  Done.

Need a weapon forged?  Done. 

Need to know where to head to find work?  Done.

Need to know this or that about the history of this faction or that faction?  Done.

Need to know how to get to a specific Necropolis tonight (hint: The Midnight Express)?  Done.

Unsure about the politics of a Legion or their views on being a wraith? Done.

It’s all here.  While there are a few hiccups, Chapter Two leaves no room for disappointment in just the sheer scope of information that it provides.  As a Storyteller, you can spend your first night of gaming with an open Q&A, or you can print out this chapter of the .pdf for your players to review a night or two before character creation and be in front of the eight ball for time-management’s sake.

Special note should be paid to the final entry in the chapter: The Mnemoi.  Basically, if there’s a “bad guy among good guys,” it’s the Mnemoi Guild.  See, if a ghost is anything, really… if anything gives a ghost “power” or “substance” outside of the Shadowloands, it’s memories.  Guess what the Mnemoi manipulate? 

I’m not saying they’re new, or even new and improved.  I’m just saying that they’re THERE… and they’re waiting for you.

For better or for worse.

Chapter Four: Character, and Chapter Five: Traits serves as a Player’s Guide for the 20th Anniversary Edition of Wraith: the Oblivion, but it is just as useful to Storytellers as to players in regards to NPC generation.  The Three A’s of Attributes, Abilities and Advantages are presented for players to work with, as are finishing touches and ideas on how to create a pre-death situation for the character as well as a death concept, which of course will leave a “Deathmark” on the subsequent Wraith PC when they pass into the Shadowlands.

All of your Guildbooks are here, as is the meat for the Magick of the Dead, aka, Arcanoi.  Now, I’m not saying that a ghost can just up and start some heavyweight spellthrowing with the likes of a Technocratic Magi or even a high-level Thaumaturgist… but let’s give a little respect where it’s due here.  If you go about messing around in the affairs of the Dead, or the Shadowlands, or with ghosts who have Haunts that they don’t want you messing around in, or corpse-bothering when you have no business or right to do so, you’d better get ready.

The Mnemoi, as an example, may not be able to throw a fireball at you or use direct “Pattern Magick” to rend you crippled… but they can make you disappear.

From everything.  Everywhere.  Forever.  As if you never existed.  And no one will know you’re gone except for the Mnemoi who initiated the “spell,” because NO ONE REMEMBERS YOU EVER EXISTED.

And they are able, conversely, to do the same thing to themselves if they are threatened or hunted.

That’s no small amount of HEAVY, in my opinion.

Chapter Six: The Shadow is the Shadow Player’s Guide for the 20th Anniversary Edition of Wraith: the Oblivion.  It covers everything you need to know about the “dark half” of every ghost.  Shadows can be bargained with, they can be sated temporarily, but they will never stop crying out for what they want, which is to bring the wraith closer to Oblivion.  Even the Ferrymen, who have been separated from their Shadow STILL have to deal with the Pasiphae that their Shadow has become at every turn.

This chapter takes a nice, long look at each and every aspect of Shadow character generation including Thorns that the Shadow can use (that are SORT of like sub-Arcanoi in a sense), Angst (the “fuel” that “powers” a Shadow) and Harrowings… which are always a little scary because you never really know if your character is going to make it out of one or if they’re going to be consumed by their Shadow and become a spectre.

If you’re not sure what a Harrowing IS, got watch the movie “Jacob’s Ladder.”  THAT is a Harrowing.

I really like the idea of Shadowguiding.  I think it is ingenious.  A special pat on the back should go to whomever invented it and implemented it into the rules system.  I think that it solves a lot of mechanical problems with Shadows, and I think it REALLY has the potential of bringing a group of players closer together as a functional “family” unit.

Chapters Seven through Nine are the Storyteller’s Handbook to the 20th Anniversary Edition of Wraith: the Oblivion.  While these chapters focus predominately on the Storyteller and in helping the Storyteller tell an amazing Chronicle’s-worth of stories, I think that they are also vitally important for players to skim over.

Special note should be paid by players to Chapter Nine that explains things like the Fog, Maelstroms, the Tempest, Fetters, Passions, Resolution, damage and combat in the Shadowlands, as I really think it helps someone new to Wraith understand how combat with a Corpus made of Plasm is a bit different from flesh and bone.  These things are all explained better – or more importantly, in MORE DETAIL – than in previous chapters.

Chapter Ten: Spectres is where we get into the “bad guys” of Wraith: the Oblivion.

You may be a Thrall to a nastier-than-average Freewraith… but he/she is not a spectre.

Consider yourself lucky.

If there is ANYTHING in the World of Darkness that could be classified as “evil,” it is the servants of Oblivion, or spectres.  They are not like your Shadow.  They are not like to Haunter in the opposing Guild.  They are not the Renegade who harasses you every time you try to catch the one Ferryman’s attention.

They want DESTRUCTION.  Of everything.  Everywhere.

“Listen… and understand.  That Terminator is out there.  It can’t be bargained with.  It can’t be reasoned with.  It doesn’t feel pity… or remorse… or fear… and it absolutely WILL NOT STOP until you’re dead.” -Kyle Reese, “The Terminator”

The 20th Anniversary Edition of Wraith: the Oblivion took the Black Dog Game Factory’s release of Spectres and kicked it up a notch, gave it a little bit of a bath, slopped some deodorant on it, and made it something better.  And having both owned and reviewed THAT BOOK back when it was released, I can say that was no easy feat.

Everything that you could possibly need to create spectre NPCs is here – cause, effect, motivation, how they do what they do, how they get where they’re going, how they survive in the Tempest, how they have generally made an artform out of destroying ghosts via Dark Arcanoi and Shadecraft… Hell, there’s even rules on how to let your freak-flag fly and run a game with nothing but specter PCs.

The author turned an oogie-boogie book of scary things into what is, for all intents and purposes, ANOTHER Player’s Guide within the book.  The result is no small amount of impressive and provides for antagonists that are unfathomably complex in their motivations and desires.

Quite possibly one of the more notable chapters of the book as a whole, I sincerely enjoyed reading Chapter Ten from beginning to end and was left, almost, with a sensation that I had taken TOO MUCH in from all of the additional information provided by it.

Chapter Eleven: The Risen.  The Risen is the Player’s Guide to The Crow, sure… that’s ONE WAY to look at it, I guess.  It’s a little short-sighted, but it definitely A WAY.

But if you’re going to say that, then isn’t Jason Voorhees a Shadow-Dominated Risen?

Wouldn’t a Liche be, in many ways, something that caught the ire and eye of what is probably the most AWESOME Player/Storyteller vehicle within this chapter, the Acherontia Styx?

Everything you need is here.  Are you new to Wraith and want to stick to the Skinlands for a time before Helldiving into the Shadowlands?  Try a Risen.  They have their own system, their own special Arcanoi that work in the Skinlands… and there are ghosts that hunt them across the Shroud in an attempt to destroy them or bring them back to where they belong to face the consequences wrought by the violation of Charon’s Law.

It wa a really cool sourcebook, and I’m glad that The Risen didn’t get forgotten in the 20th Anniversary Edition.

Chapter Twelve: The World of Darkness includes everything that you need to know to give you a running start regarding crossovers in the World of Darkness.  How other denizens would react to ghosts, how Arcanoi effects other denizens, how other denizens’ powers effects ghosts, Relics, Fetters, SPECTRAL Relics, Artifacts and Fetters (very cool, thank you!), and basically just serves as a sort of user manual for the incorporation of other supernaturals that exist side-by-side wraiths so that you’re not completely limited to one sunless day after another in your Chronicle.

There’s some REALLY great information in here.  The “magic items” alone make this chapter a hoot.  Lucky’s Mr. Bunny made me think of Child’s Play… because come on… Chucky is essentially a possessed Artifact…

Chapter Thirteen: The Other Dark Kingdoms takes a nice chunk of wordcount to serve as a bit of a travel guide for the Dead in regards to what else is out there beyond the Dark Kingdom of Iron, Stygia, the Tempest, etc.

In short, this chapter sort of expounds upon and condenses, at the same time, the Dark Kingdom of Jade (Asia) sourcebooks for the 2nd Edition of Wraith and adds to the mythos with the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian (parts of the Americas), the Dark Kingdom of Clay (Australia), the Bush of Ghosts (Africa), the Svarga (India and, possibly, Pakistan), and the Mirrorlands (the Caribean).

Whenever I read setting books like these for the World of Darkness, my first thought is “these guys are smoking WAY too much high-grade methamphetamine to do THIS MUCH WORK!”  It pays off.  While I personally don’t have a whole lot of use for too many different settings outside of the Dark Kingdom of Iron, these setting books – and I call them that because, collected, THEY COULD stand SOLIDLY ALONE as a “Book of the Shadowlands” supplement – are ON POINT.  Most of the Dark Kingdom of Jade stuff is stuff I comprehend and understand fairly readily.  I’ve read the original supplements, read the Kuei-Jin stuff for Vampire back in the day, etc., but the opening up of new trade routes and areas in the Shadowlands the way these settings do?

Just the SHEER ATTENTION TO DETAIL is, to me, like nothing that I’ve ever seen in any role-playing supplement before.  And trust me when I say I’ve seen PLENTY of them.

The Bush of Ghosts and the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian write-ups were my favorite, but that’s a completely subjective thing.  I just find it AWESOME that everything that Stygia thinks that they know about Africa is ABSOLUTELY WRONG in every conceivable way, and I was TRULY INTIMIDATED with the manner in which the Americas were handled. In both cases, it was as though I was being taught the DARK SIDE of African and Mesoamerican mythology… in the World of Darkness… none of which I was supposed to EVER know about.

Arcanoi specific to each geographical locale are provided, as are small Lexicons to add a bit of authenticity to your games when your players set sail to dark, distant shores. 

And that’s about that, by God.

All things being equal, I cannot readily remember the last time I had as much fun reading an RPG book.  For my lot, it made me feel young again to see so many ideas I was introduced to so long ago and how they have evolved – some drastically, some only slightly – and that the spirit of the game is still exactly what it needs to be: “Hope.”

Even with the Tempest spitting at you.

Even in the face of Oblivion.

Dungeons & Dragons: Wizards & Spells

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Wizards & Spells 

ISBN: 9781984856463

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards Of The Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

The Young Adventurer’s Guide series is intended to introduce young readers to the world of Dungeons & Dragons in an easily digestible fashion. Each book hits on topics such as the basics of race, class, equipment, monsters, and locations in a broad, non-rules-focused approach meant to inspire its readers. Wizards & Spells, as the name might imply, dives into magical classes and magical equipment not yet covered in the previous books.

Wizards & Spells has perhaps the hardest job of all, because it needs to make the complex mechanics of magic easy for a young audience to understand. Instead of trying to quantify the millions of different combinations and abilities, the book instead chooses to take a “best of” approach, showing off some of the coolest and most classic spells to give readers an idea of what magic can do. The approach is effective; it creates evocative scenes instead of turning into a slog of repetitive information.

Structurally, this book follows a similar format to the Warriors & Weapons book which initiated the series; however, it replaces the racial section with an in-depth look at spell casting. While I think this was a wise trade off, the class pages could have been expanded. Unlike physical classes, which all fulfill very different roles, the spellcasters of D&D can sometimes blend together. Even an additional page for each would have been appreciated to help them stand out from each other. It’s a subtle change, but even I, as an experienced player, still sometimes struggle to find ways to separate sorcerers, wizards, and warlocks.

The artwork accompanying each class is just as beautiful as ever. Four books into this series, and I still don’t know how to properly express how much I love the art. The cover alone should sell you on the series. Something I noticed this time around is the volume of high-quality art that readers receive. Every page seems to have at least one detailed illustration of one of the spells or magicians contained within. The legendary cleric Bel Vala seems to be the all star this time around, getting no less than four separate pages dedicated to her exploits.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m recommending Wizards & Spells. In fact, I recommend the whole series. At a mere $12.99 per book, they provide plenty of value individually or as a whole. The Young Adventurer’s series is the perfect introduction to the art of character creation, and each installment is written with poise and care that may be enjoyed by both children and adults. If you’re looking to get someone into D&D but are worried they might find it daunting, try picking up one of these volumes; it may just be enough to get them hooked.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Tombs

 Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Tombs

ISBN: 9781984856449

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards Of The Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

Dungeons & Tombs, like its predecessors, is written to strip away the complexities of D&D and focus on the core concepts that make up the game. Coming in at a mere 100 pages, this book is a quick dissection of what makes a good dungeon in the titular Dungeons & Dragons setting. By calling up a few classic examples from D&D lore, presenting monsters that could inhabit them (including the mimic which I felt was sorely missing from Monsters & Creatures), and even giving examples of how to build a dungeon, this book serves as a crash course in the Dungeon Master experience.

The writing of Dungeons & Tombs is the same tight structure that I appreciated in the earlier installments. Jim Zub, the author, has this remarkable talent for writing simply without feeling like he’s speaking down to the reader, which is especially important when writing for younger audiences. Despite this, I found the writing this time around a little drier than the previous books. Then again, crumbling ruins and underground caves might just lack the same dramatic appeal as knights and dragons.

The artwork is still top notch, and this time around brings with it the added bonus of being comprised primarily of beautiful landscape shots. The bestiary contained within does have its own fair share of beautiful art; the Water Elemental Myrmidon is a particular beauty. Dungeons & Tombs really flexes one of the biggest advantages D&D has over other tabletop systems which is its vast array of incredible artists practically falling over themselves to provide visual intrigue to the world.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Tombs is a strong addition to the Young Adventurer’s Guide series. The book stands on its own as an introduction to dungeon crafting, but its greatest value will be as part of a set. Collectively, these books make for a beautiful introduction to the world of fantasy gaming and, as I said back in July, would make an effective tool even for older audiences who were less than familiar with the tropes and ideas of tabletop fantasy. I’d recommend the entire set!

Dungeons & Dragons: Monsters & Creatures

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Monsters & Creatures

ISBN: 9781984856401

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards Of The Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

Access to Dungeons & Dragons was so restricted when I was growing up due to the stigma it held at the time. But now that everyone has (finally) realized that playing is not going to damn their souls, Wizards has opened the floodgates of marketing and has begun creating some amazing books for younger potential gamers. 

This small hardcover spans a bit over 100 pages and covers a decent selection of the more common creatures an adventurer might encounter. From Bugbears to Vampire Lords, Centaurs to Storm Giants, and a plethora of Dragons, this book covers not just a description, but also includes a bit of advice for each. Advice any adventurer would be glad to have when they come face to face with them in combat. Using a point system to rate the dangers of these beings, the guide gives young readers an idea of the strengths, size, and habitats of each of the 33 listings. The points range from 0 (harmless) to 5 (incredibly dangerous) and even a rating of 1 can be a decent threat to a new adventurer, so be careful! Outside of this range exists a few larger than life creatures and because of their power and abilities, they receive an Epic rating to show that only the bravest heroes with the mightiest weapons would be able to successful vanquish them. Chances are, if you see one of those, you should run!

Monsters & Creatures is broken into five sections as dictated by the areas one might run into the specific monsters. “Caverns & Dark Places” deals with underground enemies, while “Forests, Mountains, & Other Terrain” covers a lot of ground (pun intended), too! “Moors, Bogs, & Boneyards” deals with the spookier sections, “Oceans, Lakes, & Waterways” is pretty self explanatory, as is “Mountain Peaks & Open Skies.” Within each of these sections is also a short written Encounter to help illustrate how one might introduce the creature in a game. In these you’ll get a wonderful description of unicorns, Green Dragons, and more!

Adding to all of this, there are several Legendary personas like Demogorgan, Count Strahd, Tiamat, and Duke Zalto! These are just a few of the big bads that might be encountered further in an adventuring party’s career. This is where you might be inclined to run; in fact, many of these unique creatures inspire fear to such an extent that you might not be able to help yourself. But, if you are prepared and well enough equipped, imagine the legends that would be told about your character should you defeat one of them. Of course, many have tried and failed, but heroes will do what needs to be done, right?

Monsters & Creatures is a fun introduction for early readers and gamers, simplifying the information so it can be understood. This in no way replaces the core rule books for actual tabletop game play, but imagine the fun that could be had as you create some scenarios for them to get their feet wet, so to speak. Oh, and no dice are needed for this introductory level, folks. It is fun for fun’s sake. I hope you take the time to look one of these over. Who knows, you might inspire someone to take up gaming in their spare time!

Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors & Weapons

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors & Weapons

ISBN: 9781984856425

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards of the Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

The Young Adventurer’s Guides are aimed at the intermediate level readers and are definitive primers for the world’s greatest role playing game, Dungeons & Dragons. The book I am reviewing today, Warriors & Weapons, is geared towards character creation for these younger readers. These are more advanced than The A*B*Cs Of D&D and The 1*2*3s Of D&D, but are not quite at the level of the core rule books. That said, this book was quite informative and a fun little read. Allow me to elaborate!

Creating a character to play in D&D is itself a work of art. So much goes into building the who and what of the character that players will spend hours deliberating over the smallest things. This book will help explain the nuances to potential early gamers. The first decision any player has to make is what Race to play. Humans, as a whole, are the most adaptable but not always the best pick, depending on who you ask. Dwarves are hardy and forthright while Elves are more subtle and secretive. Crafty Gnomes, cheerful Halflings, angry Half-Orcs, quiet Kenku, feline Tabaxi, and many more exist to help craft the most personalized character possible! And no one says you have to make just one, you know.

Next up is Character Classes, in this case it is all about the Warrior sub-classes. From Barbarians and their brute strength to Rangers and their woodsy ways, there are a total of six different classes listed to aid players in finding the perfect fit for their new character. Heck, this handy little guide even supplies a flowchart to help newbies determine what will best suit them based on their own inclinations and the area in which the adventure takes place. How awesome is that? Other extras in this section include help with background stories and creating a balanced character with abilities, skills, and flaws.

The last chapter is all about Equipment. Every class has its preferred weapons and armor, as well as the types of clothing and other items needed. This section explains and details them for the player to understand the items better. So whether you like a light armor for your Rogue or heavy plate for a Paladin, this guide will help you sort it out. Weapons are an essential piece of any adventurer’s supplies; luckily, they are given some great detail here, too. Swords, Bows, Axes, and much, much more are available to pick from. Just be sure your character can use it proficiently! Included also are the items and gear needed for specific types of adventure, plus all sorts of tools and packs today’s adventure will need on the job. I particularly enjoyed the breakdown of types of packs needed for certain settings.

For a newcomer to the game and all of its many dimensions, Dungeons & Dragons might begin to feel overwhelming. But with wonderful guides such as Warriors & Weapons, it is broken down to its core pieces, enabling younger players or would be players to grasp the nuances and feel more at ease. What a wonderful time to be a tabletop gamer, with Wizards of the Coast going out of their way to help the next generations enjoy what has always been a wonderful and magical game for me and my friends.

The Ultimate RPG Game Master’s Guide

Title: The Ultimate RPG Game Master’s Guide

ISBN: 9781507221853

Price: $15.99

Publisher/Year: Adams Media, 2024

Author(s): James D’Amato

Rating: 3.5/5

The RPG hobby is in a radically different place in 2025 than it was when I first started playing. There are a lot more people that have been introduced to roleplaying games via actual plays that they watch for entertainment. That means there is much more of a market for a product that presents what it’s like to run an RPG before someone may have even settled on a game system or purchased their first rulebook.

The book touches on the following topics:

• Goals for GMs
• Dispelling Myths
• Safety and Conflict Resolution
• Game Formats
• Make Choices Important
• Session Zero
• Game Openings
• Plot
• Role-Play
• Player Characters
• NPCs
• Locations
• Encounters
• Bosses

Even though I’ve been doing this a while, the narrative is entertaining and engaging. The beginning of the book made me think that I was going to enjoy an entertainingly written refresher course, something that wasn’t presenting me with anything drastically different than I already knew, but good to revisit from time to time.

That was before I came to the sections marked “GM Tool Kit.” There are ten of these throughout the book, and include the following topics:

• That Guy–player archetypes that may be difficult for a new GM to deal with
• Zero Check-In–questions on various topics to revisit session zero topics
• Suggested Openings–a list of campaign opening scenes with pros and cons to their use
• Creating a Divination Deck–customized cards with symbols and meanings to reinforce themes you want in your game
• Counting to Twenty–an improv exercise designed to help people make room for others in conversation
• Flashback Cards–cards to act as prompts for players to fill in details about their past over time
• Death and Damage Chart–a system for tracking NPCs that measures how long they remain important in a campaign and what they can accomplish off screen
• Advanced Narration, Sense Beyond Sight–questions to help introduce additional senses to your descriptions
• Narrative Rewards Table–rewards that act as a payoff to the desires and actions of the players
• Big Bad Evil Moves–a system for tracking what the main campaign villain is accomplishing when not directly engaged with the PCs

My favorite GM advice books are ones that have actionable content. It’s always good to read well-reasoned advice, and to gain a new perspective, but I like having tools and procedures to work through. It helps me internalize what I’m reading, and the best tools make it easier to perform best practices in your game.

Not all these tools resonate with me, but I love the concept of all of them. The idea of the Death and Damage chart, for example, because it’s really cool to have a means of randomizing what’s going on with your NPCs. It’s a great way to make a campaign feel like a living thing. I’m just not sure all of the steps for resolving NPC actions feel intuitive. That said, I may need to play around with it to see if I get a feel for it over time.

On the other hand, I love the Big Bad Evil Moves system. It’s a great way to prod your imagination when it comes to having your campaign villains actively doing, instead of lying in wait. I wish I had had a tool like this for my 7th Sea game, for example, to work in tandem with the thinner rules that game provided on villain gambits.

The advice in this book is consistently good, but there are a few places where it really shines. One thing it does very well is avoiding absolutes. The text may tell you that it’s better to avoid X, but it will then explain why some people may like to do X, and what the major pitfalls with X are. For example, explaining while sometimes you want to engage in familiar tropes.

There is a great discussion of the pros and cons of larger or smaller groups, and what kind of campaigns work better with different group sizes. The book explains the benefits of breaking adventures into distinct scenes that have goals, as well as introducing action scenes that expand on multiple axes. The text is great at explaining the need for stakes and communicating with them and tying them to why the PCs are doing what they are doing.

The safety advice doesn’t sound perfunctory. Not only does it deal with why you want to have a safe table to keep the game going, but because it’s just good for human beings to feel comfortable and to push themselves when they want, and not when they need to react to the unexpected.

What was unexpected to me was the advice on actual play. This shouldn’t have surprised me, given that James D’Amato created the One-Shot Podcast. A lot of advice regarding new players and actual play revolves around telling people they don’t need to try do what Critical Role or Dimension20 does. Instead of dissuading new GMs from attempting an AP, the advices is actually simple and effective advice about understanding the scope of what you want to do, and the objective, making it clear that if you just want to have an AP to share with a handful of people, that’s perfectly valid.

Once this is established, there are some solid guidelines. This includes avoiding crosstalk, how much more information you need to provide in narration for people that aren’t actively playing the game with a character sheet in front of them, and being willing to engage with stories that go big.

The book is a fun read, which does a great job of introducing concepts to new GMs and breaking those concepts down into digestible bites. A lot of the negative spaces that someone might have from watching their favorite AP gets filled with solid definitions and advice. The GM Tool Kit sections make it much easier to put some of the advice into practice and provide a lot of value for long term GMs to help manage the background elements that a lot of GMs really want from their campaigns, to help make them feel more alive.

A few of the tools don’t feel as intuitive as I would like, but they may work better in actual practice than in reading about them. As a general critique of formats, the eBook is great for reference, and the audiobook is great for an initial read through, but it feels like the ideal format would natively incorporate both–but that’s a much bigger topic than just this one book. The advice moves from general and introductory towards more advanced techniques, and while the text is careful to say that much of this is optional, it’s possible that a new GM might get a little overwhelmed if they jump into using all of the tools they read about.

If you are an established GM that likes to touch base on your GMing skills by reading other perspectives and widening your toolkit, this will be a good purchase for you–as long as you pick the format that works best for how you read and reference things. If you are looking for a GM advice book for someone just entering the role of GM, that’s new to playing RPGs, this is a great introduction to the hobby.

EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1e)

Title: EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1e)

Code: EX2

TSR product code: 9073

Rules required: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition

Character levels: 9-12

Campaign setting: Generic / Greyhawk

Author(s): Gary Gygax

Artist(s): Timothy Truman

First published: 1983

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Rating: 4/5

The second part in the highly unusual EX series, penned by the master of D&D, Gary Gygax himself, it either took me a while to grok this style of absurd D&D or he seems to have established a rhythm that for whatever reason, works better than the first attempt. EX1 was very experimental, with lots of bizarre set pieces, strange occurrences and wacky NPCs, but at the same time there was something about it that made it not quite cohere. The Rabbit Archmage encounter is a good example. He pretends to be a statue and will use spells to escape…and then not much. There’s a rough polish to the Archmage’s house, some of his companions just attack etc. etc. Its good but it lacks a certain…polish?

By contrast EX2 is much more conventional, taking place in a mazed hex map in the forested lands beyond the Magic Mirror, but seems much more refined, as though it picked up where Dungeonland left off. Every encounter is new and refreshing and functions almost as a sort of mini-quest. The atmosphere of whimsical peril is sustained here also; Things are not what they seem! And danger lurks in every corner. Ever one to teach by example, Gygax illustrates how to use the myriad ridiculous NPCs to their fullest extent. Indeed if you are one of the unfortunates to have been saddled with a copy of Red & Pleasant Land and you have not yet cast it into the cleansing fires to burn away your secular sins, EX2 is a perfect illustration of how to handle a menagerie of quirky characters in a surrealist landscape so that they are wondrous, do not overstay their welcome and generate oh so important gameplay. But why would you, if Dungeonland and the Land Beyond the Magic Mirror can entertain in a fashion that is, frankly, superior?

Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is the logical follow up to Dungeonland, and is based on Carrol’s follow-up novel to Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass. As I am familiar with the contents of both novels only through osmosis, I am sure to miss the odd literary allusion, but most of it is recognizable; Tweedledee & Tweedledum, The Jabberwock, the Bandersnatch, ye Vorpal sworde, the Jub-jub bird and Humpty-dumpty. I could not, even after repeated inspection, locate the Tum-tum tree. The boxed text is back, but more restrained, flowing well and even, and carrying the GM through the encounters like a faithful hound.

As you enter this field of nearly one-half mile diameter, you see clouds of dust and flying vegetation coming from a spot near the center of the place. There two indeterminate creatures are engaged in a battle royal. Nearby stands an armored figure wearing a silvery crown. He is watching the battle, but as you come into the park he sees you and gestures to you to join him as spectators to the fray. However, just as he does so, the two monsters cease their struggle and walk calmly toward the crowned man. He, in turn, then waves them to him, as he reclines at ease beneath a tree.

The adventure opens in a low-key fashion, in the anachronistic house of the Archmage Murlynd, filled with all manner of wondrous bug collections, chemistry-lab equipment, stamps and books. There is something understated about the whole, the very careful concealment of treasure, the inclusion of little details that can be found for context’s sake alone as well as the friendly commandment by the Archmage to help yourself to what food you may, with the request that you don’t eat him out of the house, that makes this section work. There’s a talking clock, serious texts on horticulture and economy disguised by illusion (actually sports illustrated magazines and game rules). And then Gary puts a Groaning Spirit and a small magical armory in the attic. Ah, Gygax!

All of these encounters, more so in EX1, exemplify what dynamic encounters should look like. A path leads through a giant flowerbed with talking flowers that begin hurling insults at you. You notice their petals are made of gold and their eyes are gemstones. What do you do? A gigantic knight on an iron horse comes from the bushes, asking you “Do you serve Whitfield or Rosewood? Speak quickly or prepare to withstand my onslaught!” A walrus with legs and a carpenter ask you to dive for pearls because they can’t enter the Sea because of a Geas. And it resolves in a way that is surprising and awesome, and DEADLY to the uninitiated.

The lack of weird set-pieces and a reliance on more straightforward encounters comes across as a breath of fresh air. The single set-piece, a chessboard puzzle, suffers the fate of all Chessboard puzzles, that of interrupting the game’s natural flow without fully utilizing the complexity and potential of chess. The conceit is good, a checkboard field, with the dark squares ringed by hedges, and the inhabitants of each square have to be defeated in order to pass, but compared to some of the other encounters in EX2 it is too straightforward.

Characters frequently get whisked around the map via boats, giant rocs, secret passages and so on, which is a smart decision HERE. This is not a section where you are running a complicated expedition involving resource management, adverse weather effects, and careful timekeeping. GET TO THE ACTION. Even if its just straightforward combat the creatures are surprising and have unique abilities. Its easy to stat up a Jub Jub bird, yes, but who would think of giving it a feign death ability, so it leaps back up when the characters approach it, thinking it slain? Humpty dumpty sits atop a 100 foot wall, wide as the eye can see, insulting you, what the fuck do you do?

A trick that is underutilized in most of DnD (and the OSR!), that of putting some nonhostile but dangerous NPC in a place, and then loading him with clearly visible treasure, is used to spectacular effect here. What do you do? It is really no fun if the game consistently rewards you for being good boys and doing what the GM tells you without giving them the occasional risk/reward situation like this. This section, and probably the one preceding it, are an illustration of the proper use of these types of dynamic, interactive encounters. They are unpredictable but also written in a manner that will not condition the party in any particular direction, which requires subtlety. Being too trusting will result in doom as assuredly as always responding with violence will. Instead each situation must be weighed on its own merits, each move carefully deliberated.

The last encounter is a fitting piece de la resistance to the Land Beyond the Magic Mirror as a whole. A splendid palace, with two beautiful queens, and all manner of footmen and servants, having selected the characters to receive royal treatment anywhere in Whitfield and Roseveld therever after. If your players do not immediately get alarm bells at this dinner, you have been coddling them. The reveal is certain to be as chaotic and deadly as it is excellent.

Land Beyond the Magic Mirror tops it off with a voluminous appendix, introducing new spells not necessarily themed around Alice in Wonderland, but still very awesome (Murlynd’s Ogre & Murlynd’s Void, the highly awesome Phantom Steed and the Whispering Wind spell), some new creatures (The disturbing Eblis or pelican-men are my personal favorite) and some interesting new magic items that fit right in with the next of the DMG.

Part of the charm of Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is that it works equally well as a companion to EX1 as it does as a standalone adventure, in fact nothing in EX2 requires characters to have played, or even be aware of, EX1. Taken as a whole, the series is an interesting illustration of what a short expedition to an enchanted realm should look like; Wonderous, perilous, full of surprises, and filled to the brink with new creatures and treasure, where the rules are not quite the same, but not entirely abandoned either. A realm where Tweedlee and Tweedious are L 15 monks that can beat you to death or ask you to help them recover their possessions, or where you can trapped and drowned by giant clams. A realm of resentful vorpal swords, idiotic giant iron golem knights and all manner of strangeness.

The entire series merits a **** and deserves to be recognized as being exceptional in the annals of DnD, even if EX1 comes off to something of a rough start, but EX2 is simply delightful. Like any sweet, it tastes terrific when first indulged but will cause nausea if overindulged in. The level of 9-12 seems to have been the maturing point for D&D in Gygax’s conception; these are the levels at which you subject the players to truly formidable challenges, or else throw them some curveballs since they have now been fully immersed in the myriad possibilities of DnD. Beneath the silly trappings is an excellent, light-hearted and wonderfully lethal scenario.

EX1 Dungeonland (1e)

Title: EX1 Dungeonland (1e)

Code: EX1

TSR product code: 9072

Rules required: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition

Character levels: 9 - 12

Campaign setting: Generic / Greyhawk

Author(s): Gary Gygax

Artist(s): Timothy Truman

First published 1983

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Rating: 4/5

Dungeonland is subtitled "An Adventure In A Wondrous Place For Character Levels 9-12." The introduction explains that this was original conceived of and executed as a Greyhawk Castle dungeon sub-level. In a nutshell, it's "D&D characters meet and kill characters from Alice in Wonderland."

When it comes to expectations, you can play off them with a twist, or you can serve them straight up. Dungeonland is mostly the latter. It is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, only with (almost) everything being a hostile monster encounter. No Alice, but all of the beings she encounters in the Lewis Carroll story show up and attempt to inflict violence on those they encounter. Mock turtle? Mock dragon-turtle. Cheshire Cat? Magical smilodon. Mad Hatter? Throws random lethal headgear like a warped Oddjob. Baby that becomes a pig? Wereboar. To quote the Afterword, "This module is not, by any stretch of the imagination, aimed at the player or DM who takes himself (and the game) too seriously."

Most of it is pretty obvious, and the only real cleverness is the original concept and how appropriately lethal the encounters are. But like I said, it's expectations served up with the twist being lethality. The adventure is straight-up hack-and-slash, much like G1-3 Against The Giants. Or a lot of early D&D and AD&D adventures, really - a place with monsters to kill, puzzles to solve, and treasure to find.

It features some interesting elements, including a miniaturized adventuring area, complete with a chance to get some tiny magic items to use in it (if you recognize the chance, that is.) You get to explore the gardens, woods, and houses of Wonderland, and deal with their now-lethal inhabitants. There are magical pools and fountains, beneficial and hostile plants, a senile arch-mage, odd distortions of space, and other things that make Dungeonland a really interesting environment. It's nonsensical but not illogical - more spurious logic than random nonsense. That makes it possible for the players to deal with the environment with some caution (they know it's all weird) yet for it to contain all sorts of oddness.

The module screams out for, and seems to expect, meta-gaming. Not the "I have 3 HP left!" kind but the "I read this book so I know the flamingos are for croquet!" kind. Like I said above, it's about playing on the expectations. It's Wonderland gone lethal and violence is an acceptable solution, and that's the core of it. You want the players to recognize things and use what they know, or it loses its charm, like a parody of something you'd never seen in the original.

The NPCs are detailed well enough that they are easy to play and the GM gets enough understanding of what they're for and what they'll do. There is even an in-context amusing Gygaxian admonition - "Play the King with an 18 intelligence, please!") Some of the Wonderland oddness is here, too - some foes can be fought, disengaged from, and then encountered in a friendly setting later - the past is the past in Dungeonland. Playing up that oddness is encouraged and (in my experience) a good idea.

There is one especially scripted bit - a encounter in the Palace with royalty and a trial that's going on. It's not a terrible railroad, in that it just makes the whole thing seem odd. The PCs have a chance to get caught up in something odd that isn't of their own making. Violence or roleplaying can solve this puzzle, too - the violence angle is just a little dangerous even for the levels of PCs involved.

I forgot to add that this was the first appearance of the executioner's hood and the hangman tree, both of which later appeared in Monster Manual II. It also marked the appearance of the hat of disguise and deck of illusions, both which made it into Unearthed Arcana.

As modules go, this is pretty much straightforward hack-and-slash. Not a lot of depth.

But I found running it, the recognition the players bring to the table makes it a lot of fun. Rampaging through Wonderland, er, Dungeonland, killing off major characters they know at least a little bit since childhood, has a lot of good points. The baggage that Alice in Wonderland brings along with it, and the expectations the players bring to it, make for a fun adventure.

In other words, it reads like flat hack-and-slash but plays with a lot of enjoyment and some depth because of the source material. You don't necessarily need to add depth to a setting if the players bring their own depth.

At the time, the idea of going Gumby-like into a book but then fighting all of the characters must have seemed especially new and shiny. It was when I encountered EX1 as a teen, too.

Overall: It's a hack-and-slash traipse through Wonderland turned into a lethal dungeon. It's neither more nor less than that, but fun for all of that. Recommended if you like Alice in Wonderland and killing major literary characters with swords.

T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil (1e)

Title: T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil (1e)

Code:T1–4

TSR product code: 9147

Rules required: 1st Ed AD&D

Character levels: 1–8

Campaign setting: Greyhawk

Author(s): Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer

Artist(s): Jeff Butler, Clyde Caldwell, Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Keith Parkinson, Dave A. Trampier

First published: 1985

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Rating: 4/5

Grab your sword, your brothers in arms, and come with me now to a time of legends as we go down to the temple, the Temple of Elemental Evil!

A sinister force, long thought destroyed, stirs from the black hole that spawned it. Like an ebony darkness it prowls the land and safety is but an illusion, for it watches from every shadow and ponders possibilities.

This module holds deep and dangerous memories for me, six year after the release of The Village of Hommlet we were led to this hell hole on Greyhawk. Total characters lost to this place another six 1st and 2nd level PC's. So personally I have strong feelings about this module. I loved this adventure in the 80's and constantly used the Village of Homlet, Nulb and the Wild Coast Surrounds of Greyhawk all through the 90's.

Finally I've read through this one hundred & twenty eight page monster in two days and its been a pretty interesting ride to say the least. The Temple of Elemental Evil is a monster of a campaign written by by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer Its also one of the most polarizing modules I've ever run across, folks argue over it constantly.

This module of pulpy sword and sorcery goodness was created under the gaze of the Blume brothers watch at TSR in 1985. This was one of the modules released in the super format "The 128-page book was 2 to 4 times the size of any of TSR's adventures to date, and it also included a 16-page map book that a GM could use to easily cross-reference locations with details. The format would continue to be used in the years afterward for TSR's most prestigious adventure releases." according to the blurb from D&D Classic's website. Shrugs, basically Temple of Elemental Evil dove tails into Greyhawk adventure path, which continues in two more super modules, A1-4: Scourge of the Slave Lords (1986) and GDQ1-7: Queen of the Spiders (1986). This can be both a bane or boon to the dungeon master because it affectingly hamstrings the dungeon master into those paths unless you ignore them in mid campaign mode.

The module is considered by many to be one of the greatest Greyhawk adventures ever released and possibly one of the most fun.  Alright enough of the introduction stuff, so you know I've got experience with this bad boy and a bit of post player syndrome with this mega dungeon location in Greyhawk's history. In fact its got such a huge chunk of history that Wiki has one of the better break downs for it; "

The temple referenced in the module's title is an unholy structure located in the central Flanaess not far from the city-state of Verbobonc. In 566 CY, forces of evil from Dyvers or the Wild Coast constructed a small chapel outside the nearby village of Nulb. The chapel was quickly built into a stone temple from which bandits and evil humanoids began to operate with increasing frequency.

In 569 CY, a combined force was sent to destroy the Temple and put an end to the marauding. The army included regular forces from the human kingdoms of Furyondy and Veluna, dwarves from the Lortmil Mountains, gnomes from the Kron Hills, and elven archers and spearmen.

This allied army clashed with a horde of evil men and humanoids, including orcs, ogres and gnolls, at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Men-at-arms from Furyondy and Veluna united with dwarves from the Lortmils, gnomes from the Kron Hills, and an army of elven archers to face the threat of the Horde of Elemental Evil, consisting largely of savage humanoids such as orcs, ogres, and gnolls. The arrival of the elves from the shadows of the Gnarley Forest turned the tide of battle, trapping the savage humanoids against a bend in the Velverdyva where they were routed and slaughtered.

After dispersing the Horde of Elemental Evil, the allied forces laid siege to the Temple of Elemental Evil itself, defeating it within a fortnight. Spellcasters loyal to the goodly army cooperated on a spell of sealing that bound the demoness Zuggtmoy (a major instigator in the Horde of Elemental Evil) to some of the deepest chambers in the castle's dungeons.

At some point in this battle, Serten, cleric of Saint Cuthbert and member of the Citadel of Eight, was slain. The Citadel was notable for its absence at this pivotal moment in the history of the Flanaess, and their failure to take part in the Battle of Emridy Meadows contributed to the group's decline and eventual disbandment.

The forces of good were victorious and the Horde of Elemental Evil was scattered. The Temple was then besieged and fell within two weeks, although a few of its leaders managed to escape.

The site itself remained, however, and over the following decade rumors of evil presence there persisted. The Viscount of Verbobonc and the Archcleric of Veluna became increasingly concerned, and cooperated to build a small castle outside the Village of Hommlet to guard against the possibility of the Temple rising again.

For the next five years, Hommlet gained in wealth thanks to adventurers who came to the area seeking out remnants of evil to slay. Things quieted down for another four years as the area returned to peace and normalcy, but in 578 CY evil began to stir again, with groups of bandits riding the roads. In 579 CY, the events in the T1-4 module occur." That's ton of history to throw into a campaign of your own design or Hyperborea or is it? Well over the years I've talked with friends about doing exactly this and the thought is to throw the temple inland in Hyperborea. The temple itself is a multi dimensional location. There are different versions of the village of Hommlet and because of the nature of the village's stats, this is easily accomplished.

There are three reasons to customize the Temple of Elemental Evil :

• There are factions that have lots of uses outside of the temple's setting and they're perfect foils for a sword and sorcery campaign. 
• This is too good of a setting to leave moldering in the mists of time on a shelf and it begs to be played and modified for your own games. 
• The Temple is a pivotal game adventure and can be used to enhance your own sword and sorcery games! Right now!  

Right off the bat there are several small side issues running this module, many of the high level 'good guy' NPC's aren't interested in helping the PC's. This kinda led to a bit of the Marvel Conan feel to running T1-4. The PC's are on their own and the powers of good are being dicks about the affair after all they can take care of the temple's evil and don't need the PC's help at all. Thieves take note about this. This adventure's dungeons can and will grind PC's into paste if they're not very, very careful.

Dungeon Master for Dummies listed The Temple of Elemental Evil as one of the ten best classic adventures, calling it "the grandfather of all huge dungeon crawls" and essentially it is. Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, says of The Temple of Elemental Evil, "If you like huge classic dungeon crawls, this is probably the best of the lot."  He and I rarely agree with one another but on this module I do agree with him.  As for the placement of the temple in a Dark Albion or dark mythic Europe for something like Lamentations of the Flame Princess, I would place the temple near the borders of France or Spain. The temple's evil in the past might have sparked the entire witchcraft panic of the thirteen and fourteen hundreds. The temple's dungeons are deep, abiding and very, very, dangerous for parties. Another thing is to make sure you use T1 the Village of Hommlet for a base for the PC's separate from T1-4. I'm sorry AD&D purists but that's my personal opinion.  T1-4 takes players PC's from levels one through eight but man that's a struggle and its meant to be.

Any campaign relies on the strengths of its NPC's and the archetypes that they represent, the Temple of Elemental Evil presents some very weird and twisted portraits of evil that should be brought to the forefront of running this mega adventure with a retroclone system such as AS&SH. The temple's cult should be encountered far and wide within the bounds of Hyperborea and should never be underestimated by PC's which is one of the problems should they actually make it through T1-4. Pull the cults out of Temple of Elemental Evil and flesh them out for your own version of said cults, make sure at least three different NPC's survive the events of the Temple to spread the evil and let it rise again.

Focusing on the dungeons themselves, I'm not going to go into too much details on the setting material and inner traps nor the methodology of the design of the dungeons of Elemental Evil. There are three simple reasons for this; one I have players who read this blog, two I don't really want to spoil any of the surprises in this mega module and three there's potential for lots of side adventures when it comes to Temple of Elemental Evil. That being said I'd like to take the time and whip around back to the moat house of Hommlet. This module's cults are not focused on the elements as you know them but the elements of Chaos and horror in equal measure. It illustrates how factions who hate each other came come together with a common goal in mind. Even coming from different directions of the same eight arrows of Chaos itself.

A big problem as I see with using this module with Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea is the way that the monsters in AD&D first edition are portrayed as almost walk on monsters and they're dovetailed into the setting itself or is this really a problem? Well, if we look below the surface of the astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers game  then we see that the orcs and non humanoid races are tied into the forces of Chaos as well. To bring it back around a place like the Temple of Elemental Evil might actually be part of the source of such evil. Think about it for a second, in sword & sorcery books of the Thirties thru  Sixties and into the Eighties adventure settings were always the source of tainted evil. So is it true with the Temple of Elemental Evil itself. A place with that much history is like one big toxic waste dump of foulness in a campaign setting.

The Temple of Elemental Evil is as vital a mini campaign setting today as it was when it first hit the stands back in Eighty Five if you as a DM want it too be. There are going to be many, many detractors and naysayers but once again you are your own OSR. If you and your players are excited by the adventures that you are running at your table then your doing it right in my opinion. There are issues with T1-4 but its a fun adventure setting even if it marks a time of strife and a different direction for TSR back in the far forgotten days of yore. Ultimately this was and is one of the classics and one that you should give a whirl perhaps over the holidays.

AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn

Going through some of my favorite Basic-era books and games and I should really spend some time with another favorite, but one that became a later favorite.

AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn was one of the first accessories for the BECMI flavor of the D&D game. This book also has the distinction of being one of the first Print on Demand books that Wizards of the Coast would release for the old TSR catalog.

The book also has special interest to me since it features the stats for one of my favorite characters Skylla.

The book is 32 pages with color covers and black & white interiors.  The print version is perfect bound; so no staples.   The scan is sharp and clean and PoD version is easy to read.

The book features the titular inn, but really the main feature of this book is the collection of NPCs.  Designed to be a bit like the original AD&D Rogues Gallery.  This product though is a little more robust.  The Shady Dragon Inn write-ups include some background on who these characters are, more than just a collection of stats.  Maybe indicative of shift between the AD&D and D&D lines.

The characters are split by class.   In each case, we get a dozen or so individual characters of Fighters, Thieves, Clerics, Magic-users, Dwarves, Elves and Halflings. with art by Jim Holloway and Larry Day.  While the art helps, each write-up includes a brief description.  This all covers roughly two-dozen pages.

There is another section of "Special" characters.  These are the ones with TM next to their names. Such notables as Strongheart, Warduke, Kelek and of course Skylla.

There is a bit at the end about the Shady Dragon Inn itself along with some pre-gen adventuring parties based on level.  A great aid for DMs that need some NPCs.

The Print on Demand version includes the maps to the Inn as part of the print.  The main PDF does not have them, but they can be downloaded as a separate file.   There are PDFs and image files to print out to use with minis.  So with some minor tweaks, you can use this with any version of D&D you like.  The characters inside can be converted to 5e easily enough.

Ignore the saving throws, and recalculate the base to hit as 20 - THAC0.  I find that 22 or 23 -THAC0 actually works out a little bit better for 5e.

The maps are set to 1" = 5', so D&D 3, 4 & 5 standard.

The Print on Demand versions do not come out to 1" exactly, but when you buy the pdf you get the maps as files to print on your own.

While this book lacks the numbers of NPCs the Rogues Gallery does, it is superior in every other aspect.  Starting in an Inn might be a D&D cliché, but a product like this makes you want to embrace the cliché anyway.

G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game

 

G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game treads a fine line as an adaptation. The action figure toyline turned sci-fi espionage thriller goes back and forth between the fantastic and the believable at a moment's notice. A group of elite soldiers and commandos using military tactics against ninjas and robots is just another day at the office. And it's a balancing act this TTRPG pulls off with aplomb.

How Does G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game Feel To Play?

Renegade Game Studios' Essence20 system shines in G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game. The fundamentals are still sound, you roll increasingly higher faces of dice alongside a d20 for ability checks rather than static increases of numbers with situational modifiers changing those faces accordingly.

But what the developers managed was to make the upshifting and downshifting of dice feel natural. You roll to hit a trooper with your laser pistol while he's in cover with a d8 in Targeting? He's in partial cover so you down shift twice to a d4. Do you set up your sniper rifle, go prone to brace your shot and take your time to aim at an unaware target in the open with the same skill? You upshift twice, once for being prone and again for aiming, up to a d12. It's simple, it's understandable, and it adds just the right level of complexity to a game that could have gone too far into pedantry.

This extends to vehicle combat as well. G.I. Joe is a franchise known for its ridiculously toyetic vehicles, and plenty of the classics are touched upon here. There are rules for ramming, crashing, fall damage if your parachute fails to deploy, as well as powerful rockets and mounted machine guns to keep combat interesting.

Which does lead me to what helps G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game stand out: the players' ability to prepare. Much like Power Rangers: The Roleplaying Game, there is no in-game economy. If you loot items off defeated enemies, it's only for plot-centric macguffins. Instead, there is a requisition system where your Joes ask for items and supplies needed for the mission. This is how players can get upgrades to their weapons and armor, dictated by an ability roll on a handy chart, as well as specialized gear.

These include field kits, which give bonuses to certain skill rolls. This can do everything from make the group's ninja even more stealthy to giving the powerhouse character a chance to put on a disguise. What helps keep this system from getting too overpowered is that there are prerequisites for the different tiers of field kit, and the party has a fixed number of requests they're allowed per mission.

What Are The Player Options For G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game?

As for what kind of characters you can make in G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game, there is plenty to choose from. In addition to Influences like Thrillseeker, Nomad, and Gearhead, there are seven major Squad Roles to pick from. Commandos are your covert ops and infiltration specialists. Infantry are your frontline warriors. Officers are the tacticians and battlefield leaders. Renegades are loose cannons with bad attitudes that are recruited in G.I. Joe more so they don't get snatched up by Cobra. Rangers are environmental specialists that are must-haves in their field of choice. Technicians are all about electronic and mechanics expertise. Finally, Vanguards are the dedicated brickhouses that are all about drawing focus and tanking shots.

But what is especially impressive is each of these Squad Roles also have three dedicated Role Focuses. These function as subclasses, emphasizing certain specific playstyles within these Roles. Commando's Focuses are Infiltrator which is all about moving around unseen, the self-explanatory Sniper, and the Spy which turns the Joe into a social chameleon.

These player options even expand to what Perks you can pick up at each level. In addition to an Animal Pet Perk, there is a Multiclass Perk. There are some caveats, you can't double up on any named Perk (so no additional Extra Attacks) and you can only pick a Perk from a different Role equal to half your level or lower. Given how highly dedicated and complex this character creation already is, it's a decent compromise.

How Easy Is It To Run G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game?

Aside from things absorbed by cultural osmosis, I didn't exactly have comprehensive knowledge of G.I. Joe. I could tell you the basics and maybe one or two details gleamed from running jokes. But when I sat down to make a campaign with G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game, I was given a crash course in why this franchise has endured for so long. The introduction chapter is written as a speech by the head of G.I. Joe, General Hawk, and does a great job setting up this covert organization not just as a branch of the American military with less oversight but a global peacekeeping organization specialized in handling terrorists.

This considerate design extends to the Exploration and Threats chapter. As mentioned in my preview, G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game has everything you need to run a campaign all in one book of about 350 pages. Not only are there comprehensive stat-blocks for Cobra's High Command and their many different lackeys and henchmen, there are examples of various locales and environments you can send the Joes to for their next mission. There are even plot seeds, little creative prompts to get your mind thinking, that accompany each of these locations. These can range from preventing Cobra from collecting the parts needed for a weather dominator to stopping them from recruiting teenagers to their ranks in a metropolitan city. With all of these tools and prompts at your disposal, putting together a campaign wasn't just easy, it was fun.

There are two key areas where G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game can be a bit daunting for new Game Masters. The first is taking into account your players' requisitioning phase. As mentioned before, this is where the group is briefed on the mission and are given an opportunity to make plans and request gear. Prewritten adventures will have a fixed number of requisition requests, but for homemade operations the rule of thumb appears to be three. It's a tricky phase to set up because you want to give your players a heads up of what they will be facing, but you don't want to give away every single surprise.

The second key area is presentation and pacing. As mentioned before, G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game takes the luck-based foundation of Essence20 and manages to add some complexity to it. This very complexity spills over into how you build encounters. There's a greater focus on teams of henchmen, standard Cobra troopers have an ability that actively increase the defenses of the guy in charge for example, and there's a bigger demand for spatial reasoning and movement for things like line of sight and area-of-effect explosions.

In some ways, running a narrative scenario of G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game can feel closer to a skirmish-based miniatures game than a TTRPG. But what keeps it from being overwhelming is the system's approachable core. This does mean more complex vehicle combat isn't as involved as you think, aerial combat is still grid-based and doesn't include any fancy maneuvers for example, but it does help keep things at a breezy pace. If you're a theater of the mind Game Master, you can manage just fine, but if you prefer maps, miniatures, and terrain, this is a TTRPG that will excite and spark the imagination.

Should I Buy G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game?

If you have fond memories of G.I. Joe and wanted to fight for freedom over land, sea, and air, then I highly recommend G.I. Joe: The Roleplaying Game. If you only have a passing knowledge of G.I. Joe and are more interested in just how flexible Renegade Game Studios' Essence20 system is, I recommend this TTRPG even more. Not only is it a great core rulebook for setting up fun missions of exciting pulp action, it is built with such care that it makes new fans of the G.I. Joe property. I should know, I'm one of them now. Yo Joe!

Expedition to Undermountain

Title: Expedition to Undermountain



ISBN: 9780789641575

Price: $34.95

Publisher/Year: Wizards of the Coast 2007

System: Dungeons & Dragons 3.5

Out-of-print: Yes

Available on DriveThruRPG: Yes



Overall rating (1-10): 7



The cover is the same material and finish as Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, but is a good deal more red than the greyish brown of that book. Still, the book feels like it's not going to be sliding around on the table when you use it, and that's really the important part.



The general format is unchanged, though there's one major difference in the table of contents. Instead of laying everything out twice, which there apparently wasn't room for, the single-encounter expansions are relegated to being referenced from the appropriate encounter entry. They do still manage to put each of them on its own page, though, and none of them starts the first of two pages on an odd page, which is still damn handy.



They haven't actually cut out any of the Forgotten Realms flavor text, except for the name of the city, Waterdeep. Waterdeep is referenced and described somewhat in a 1/3 page sidebar, but they excised pretty much every world-specific thing they can, presumably to get more people to buy it. Regardless, it's not as though Undermountain is exactly dripping with Forgotten Realms flavor in the first place. It's pretty much now the classic "There's an insane wizard, and he's got a gigantic dungeon under a huge mountain, let's go raid it!" adventure of D&D.



There's a quick, two page or so rundown of services available in the city, from who, though no major NPC write-ups are given, just names, and sometimes not even full names. Khelben Arunsun, for example, isn't mentioned at all, though Blackstaff Tower is, as THE place to go for effective, but extremely expensive arcane aid.



The opening premise of the adventure is pretty simple. One day during midday or so, gigantic screaming Halaster faces appear in the city, screaming in despair, along with visions of ruin and destruction and a distinct feeling that the shit is about to hit the fan. That night, a whole bunch of adventurers, of all levels, are hit with visions summoning them to Undermountain to fix something that's gone very, VERY wrong.



Chapter one opens with some important advice and tips for the DM, including a third of a page or so on creating the illusion of more detail than you have, something that more DMs could stand to read, and how to railroad PCs temporarily until you flesh out certain areas, which ideally shouldn't be done at all. Also given page time is random encounters, which Undermountain doesn't exactly use extensively anymore, but ARE present, because it makes sense. Undermountain has always been largely random, and while this one's less so than the rest, if you remove the randomness entirely, it's really not Undermountain anymore.



A couple pages are devoted to factions in Undermountain and Skullport, though there aren't many, and they're mostly in Skullport. There's nothing really remarkable, here, and for those familiar with Undermountain, it'll all be pretty old news.



The overall map of Undermountain makes it look less impressive than it is. It almost resembles a map for a Metroid area, though there are fewer vertical areas than there really should be, and no major slopes.



If there's one major complaint I have about this book, it's that the maps, being confined to the 8.5x11 splat size, cannot possibly do justice to the size of Undermountain. The first level map was, in the original box set, a full poster, eight times the size of the one we get here, and it shows. The map is very twisty, very turny, and it is, as far as I can tell, totally intact, including the homage to adventure module B1, In Search of the Unknown. Yes, faithful readers, the entire first level of the keep, in most of its screwed up geometric glory, is present on the first real dungeon level of Undermountain. To check for yourself, you can open the module itself, and go to page 19 of Expedition to Undermountain, look halfway up the right side of the page, and look for the cross-shaped room and the < corridor right below it.



Even the Lost Levels from the Undermountain II box set are reproduced here, including the Wyllowwood, in all its underground forest with fake sky glory.



Honestly, the maps are so absurdly small in places that WotC should consider selling D&D branded magnifying glasses to go with this thing, or at least giving a disc of printable large scale maps.



The random encounters section is actually depressingly small, leaving it to the DM to add more variety if he wants it, though I approve of random wandering Crawling Claw Swarms. Splinterwaifs are pretty pathetic, honestly, but if the DM overuses their "special" hook, the game's going to get "special" real quick.



Unfortunately, the adventure conclusion is a whole lot of a letdown. I'm not going to spoil it, but it's definitely not really a conclusion in any sense except that it marks the end of the module.



The "new" mechanics section is really, REALLY short, as almost everything used in the mod is prefab. There's a new legacy item valid only for dwarves, and for dwarven wizards, it's absolutely amazing. Too bad the Least Legacy is absurdly difficult for a PC to complete. Two Augment Crystals (from MIC) are included, but they're not new. For some ungodly reason, they saw fit to grant an eighth of a page or so to a named greatsword that has nothing unusual about it other than having a name related to its function, another entry for an alternate-form headband of intellect +2, and a new variety of potions that aren't liquid, use Craft Wondrous Item, and are limited to a really tiny spell list, most of which sucks. On the up side, apparently WotC has determined that the Brew Potion feat is worth less than 5000 GP, since there's an item that grants a better form of it for 5 grand. Not only do you get brew potion, if you already have it, you can brew in half the time, you can convert scrolls directly to potions for the upgrade cost, and you can buy a half-cost potion of cure light wounds once per day from it, for no XP cost. Sounds good to me, potions are terrible.



Five spells are detailed in the back, only two of which are new, and have been a LONG time in coming. Specifically, Halaster's Scrying Cage and Halaster's Teleport Cage are both printed, on page 219. For a not so very expensive cost, you too can teleport-proof AND scry-proof your entire stronghold. This is something villains have needed for a long time, so you can expect these spells to show up in the hands of a conscientious DM near you.



New monsters, there are only two. The second is a Myconid, which nobody actually likes. The other, though, is a swarm of Eyeball Beholderkin, which are just the cutest li'l abberations ever. The thought of hundreds of the cute little buggers working in perfect hive-mind concert makes me giddy like a schoolgirl. It's pretty obvious why these things are rated at CR 4. They can easily slaughter a party of level 1 or 2 characters, but as soon as you're level 5, you're practically immune to everything but their crappy damage, and one good ireball really ruins their day.

Firefly Role-Playing Game Core Book

Title: Firefly Role-Playing Game Core Book



ISBN: 9781936685325

Price: $49.99

Publisher/Year: Margaret Weis Productions 2014

System: Cortex

Out-of-print: No

Available on DriveThruRPG: No



Overall rating (1-10): 7



Debuting in physical form around GenCon 2014, the Firefly Role-Playing Game whisks the players off to the ‘Verse of the Joss Whedon “western in space” television program of the same name. If you haven’t watched Firefly, let me just say that you are seriously missing out and should stop immediately stop reading this review and go download it on Netflix/buy it on Blu-Ray/whatever. This review will assume that you have done so. Checking in at north of 360 pages, the full-color hardcover has a suggested retail price of $50. The book is also available as a PDF, and this review is based on the PDF (it was a review copy, for those who consider that an important thing to know).



Note: This is a review of a book, not a system. This is a review of a core book, which means I’ll be talking about basic mechanics, and I’ll say if something seems obviously problematic or cool, but this review should not be mistaken as a source of subtle analysis of  things like character creation or combat option balance.



The Firefly RPG is set up for the PCs to be a group similar to the main characters of the show, if not actually just playing as the main characters of the show. You have a ship, you have a crew, you’ll hopefully have a job, and you’ll be flying around the 5 star systems and 72 planets of the ‘Verse (I can tell you these numbers only because the RPG tells me these numbers, so the RPG does deliver some the basic political and geographical situation of the ‘Verse in a more coherent and detailed way than you get it in the show). Note that you do not have to play a crew that is hostile to the Alliance.



Firefly is published by Margaret Weis Productions, and uses their Cortex Plus system that is also used in the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying and Smallville (each of these games uses variants on the system – Firefly is Cortex Plus Action, Marvel is Cortex Plus Heroic, Smallville is Cortex Plus Drama, and there is a lot of variance between them). Note that the older Serenity RPG used what is now called the Cortex Classic system. Characters have various traits – mostly commonly Attributes (mental, physical, social), Skills, Distinctions, and Assets – and each of these traits has a die rating (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12). When taking an action, the player rolls dice (at least two for Attribute and Skill, possibly 10 or more if there are a whole mess of things going in the character’s favor) and then adds the two highest together. This roll (called raising the stakes) must exceed the total rolled by the GM for the NPC involved (the GM’s roll is called setting the stakes, is produced in a similar fashion, and is rolled first). If the PC is on the defensive, then the order will be reversed – the PC sets the stakes, and then the NPC must raise the stakes. Any die that comes up a 1 is a jinx – it can’t be added to your total (even if this leaves the character with zero or one die), and might saddle the PC with Complications. All ones is a botch, and I think we can all safely assume that’s a Bad Thing for the PC.



Each player starts each game session with one plot point, but there are several ways to get more. Pretty much all of the Distinctions (more on those later) can give out plot points. If a PC rolls a Jinx, the GM can give the PC a plot point to create a Complication (more on those in a moment). And the GM can hand them out if the player is awesome in some fashion. Plot points are quite versatile, and can be used to activate certain Distinction abilities, create an Asset that lasts until the end of the scene (or for the rest of the episode, for two plot points), add a third or subsequent die to the die roll (chosen after knowing the roll and possibly after knowing the target number, so a very potent function), or not getting Taken Out.



Assets are any random thing that the player can come up with that has some positive relation to the activity. Normal assets are created temporarily by spending plot points. Signature Assets are permanent, appearing on the character sheet and getting used whenever applicable (Signature Assets can also have abilities like Distinctions). Assets can be physical objects, preparation, attitudes, or relationships. So, for example, Malcolm Reynolds might have the Serenity as a high-level signature asset – any time he makes any roll that has to do with the Serenity, he gets to roll an additional d8. Or Zoe and Wash might have assets that give them extra dice to roll when they’re working together. Kaylee might have an easier time convincing someone she’s innocent of a crime because she’s so gosh durn cheerful and sweet. And so on. The only limitations on adding dice from Assets are how many plot points are on hand and how much the GM will let the player get away with.



Complications are something like anti-Assets – they’re something the character is saddled with that gives the opposition an extra die when it comes into play (and the PCs may get to add Complication dice to their pools when the NPCs have Complications). Whenever a PC rolls a Jinx, the GM can give the PC a plot point to inflict a Complication (the more jinxes, the nastier the Complication). A character may also have been saddled with Complications in order to stick around in a confrontation rather than being Taken Out. Complications can be worked off – there are recovery rolls, and PCs can spend plot points to reduce or remove Complications whenever an NPC rolls a 1.



Assets and Complications play a big, big role in shaping the action in the Cortex system.



The GM may determine that a roll is high stakes for one or both of the characters involved. If a roll is high stakes for a character, then losing the roll means that the character will be Taken Out for the rest of the scene. The most obvious example of a high stakes roll is combat, but there can also be social rolls that invoke this rule (e.g., the character is humiliated and cannot meaningfully socially spar any more that night). By default, this is still a single roll – so, unless one of the combatants wants to extend the fight, even combat is a one-roll affair. But characters with plot points available (and who are not hopelessly overmatched) will likely want to stay in the fight a little longer. A character can spend a plot point and taken a complication (typically a wound, for a combat action) to keep on rolling. This makes the next roll worse for the character, but at least she’s still got a shot! Well, for a little bit anyway – eventually one of the complications she’s been saddled with will be too much, and will Taken her Out anyway.



There are three levels of character creation available in Firefly. First, you can just play as the crew from the show (Jayne’s Hat is not a Signature Asset – I say start a change.org petition!). Second, you can choose one of two dozen archetypes with some additional customization. Third, you can build your character up from scratch.



If building a character from scratch, you can make all of your Attributes even, or set them primary/secondary/tertiary if you want the character to be have broad strengths and weaknesses. Each character starts with three Distinctions, which can represent roles, personality traits, backgrounds, or whatever (examples include Alliance Officer, Con Artist, First Mate, Doctor, Mechanic, Companion, Captain, Pilot, Chatterbox, Fashionable, Know It All, Brothers, Rich, Drunk … there are a whole mess of them). Each Distinction does several things. First, each identifies three highlighted skills. Each of these skills improves from the default d4 (if a particular skill is highlighted in multiple distinctions, the skill gets stepped up multiple times), and makes the skill cost have as much to advance later. Each Distinction will add an additional die to any appropriate roll – so if you have the “Fed” Distinction, which relates to hunting down criminals, then you’ll get to roll an extra die whenever you’re hunting down a criminal. Finally, each Distinction has three triggers. One of those three is the same between all of the Distinctions and you always start with it – reduce your Distinction die down to a d4 in order to gain a plot point. The others tend to require spending a plot point or taking some other temporary disadvantage to activate, but some particularly narrow effects have no cost. You get to choose a couple of these triggers (in total, not per Distinction) to start with as well.



After distinctions are chosen and give their skill increases, you get points to spend on more increases, but they cost double if they aren’t highlighted skills. Finally, you get a pool of points to spend on Signature Assets and Skill specialties. Specialties add another die whenever applicable. So if a character had a Physical d10 and Shoot d10 and a Rifles specialty and, say, a Vera d8 Signature Assets, then whenever he shoots at you with Vera he’s rolling a 2d10 and a d8 and a d6, which is why Jayne is really good at shooting you – and he’s probably using his Mercenary Distinction to throw in an extra d4 and gain a plot point.



A character’s “experience” is simply based on the number of episodes she’s completed. Episodes can be used in two ways. First, each of the episodes in a characters Episode Guide can be used once per session as a plot point if the player can come up with a callback to what happened during that episode.



Second, episodes can be spent to train up the character’s abilities. Episodes can be spent to increase all sorts of things, but they’ll mostly be used to turn temporary Assets into Signature Assets, add skill specialties, and maybe unlock new abilities for Signature Assets and Distinctions. Attributes can be modified and Skills can be increased, but these options are prohibitively expensive compared to messing around with Signature Assets and specialties.



Ships have some similarities with characters, but are ultimately more straightforward. Like characters, ships have three Attributes (Engines, Hull, and Systems). Ships also have three Distinctions, one of which will be its Class (e.g., a Firefly-class freighter or a Tohoku-class Alliance cruiser … because your GM is totally going to let you have one of those). Each ship has two more Distinctions, one based on its history (Brand Spankin’ New, Battle-Scarred, etc.) and one for customization (Cruisin’ the ‘Verse for better passenger-carrying, Automated Controls to hopefully be able to avoid using a Pilot, etc.). Like character Distinctions, the ship distinctions have their own abilities. Ships can also have Signature Assets, and each comes with two for free. Once play begins, Assets and Complications can be applied to ships just like they’re applied to characters, and most rolls involve ships will involve some dice from the crew as well.



So, the above is about 105 pages, which leaves quite a bit more. What else is in there? About another 40 is GM material – how to use the narrative system and general GM tips. There’s an adventures (What’s Yours Is Mine), and that’s almost another 40. The biggest single chapter, however, is an Episode Guide, which runs about 130 pages. And I have to say that I found it a rather odd bird.



Finding an episode guide in a licensed product like this is not new – I can recall a number of anime RPG core books that were more episode guide than RPG. But this is not an episode guide in a traditional sense. It goes through all of the episodes, but the purpose isn’t to serve as a reference on the episodes, but rather to use the retelling of each of the episodes to remind and inform the players about the setting, and to very slowly introduce game mechanics, using examples from the series, up to and including GM techniques. Also, scattered throughout the episode guide is where you’ll find all of the NPCs, ships, equipment, and gazetteer information that I’d normally expect to find broken out in their own sections of the book (there are also suggestions for how the GM could do things a bit differently than what happened in the episode). Chinese phrases are also scattered throughout this chapter, but for them there is an appendix later with a complete list.



Unfortunately, this combination of functions leaves the episode guide fairly ineffective at these two distinct functions. As a “learn to play” section, it’s too long – you just have to read through too much stuff that’s not really related to learning how to play. And as a reference it really does not work. They have put an index in the front of the book and then a list of citations later in the book in the GM chapters, but it’s still really inconvenient to try and look up crunchy bits in an RPG book when they’re scattered all over the place. I remember when the L5R RPG switched to having literally all of the mechanics in its supplements at the very back of the book (they used to be clumped at the end of each chapter). I was skeptical of this at first, but once I actually started using those books it turned out to be incredibly convenient. Firefly goes in the opposite direction, making it a hassle to reference NPCs, ships, and gear during session prep and gameplay.



The art in the book is a combination of screen shots from the show, new photographs (most commonly new NPCs, and drawn art for the chapter openings and the character classes. The shots I tended to like best were (1) the best character straight-on character images from the show (or, possibly, from promotional material for the show), then jazzed up with effects like star backgrounds and presented on a large scale; and (2) the sepia-toned shots that are mostly (I think) their own work. I have to say I was not a fan of some of the split-screen art boxes that were used, where they had a square or vertical rectangular space they put art in, and they fill it with two or three screen shots stacked up on top of one another. The images sort of blend together in a way that I did not find appealing.



Editing, layout, and graphic design were good – not a lot of typos, layout looked nice and I didn’t see any goofs, and things like the graphic displays of the five start systems (one with all five and five with one each) were well done. There are also schematics of Serenity and some of her component systems.



I do not know if it’s something inherent to the Cortex system, or something modified just for Firefly, but I think that the way the experience costs push character growth makes it feel like what you see on the show. Character capabilities don’t really change much – Wash doesn’t become an even better pilot and Kaylee doesn’t suddenly learn how to punch well. What you tend to see instead is learning more about characters’ pasts and personalities and relationships. In the game, these are Signature Assets, and they are relatively cheap to acquire.



The plot point flow seems extremely important – you might almost be hoping to roll a jinx here or there to tempt the GM to hand you out some more. At a minimum that will let you trade a few lousy rolls at one point in the adventure for a killer roll later in the adventure, which is usually a fairly strong effect.



One of the observations I frequently make about RPGs is that a lot of us will buy a lot more RPG books than we will ever use (or buy books where we really only end up using one particular mechanical bit). That means that it can be important whether an RPG is simply good reading material. For that purpose, I can’t recommend the Firefly core book – too much is taken up by that 130-page intro/episode guide chapter, and it does not make for good reading material.



Ultimately, I think that whether you’ll value this as a game will, unsurprisingly, come down how you feel about Firefly (or, more specifically, roleplaying in the Firefly universe). On the bright side, I think that if you are interested in that, this will work – licensed RPGs just fall flat on their faces from time to time, or try to implement systems that just don’t work well with the feel of the source material. Firefly avoids any such pitfalls. With that said, having successfully surpassed that threshold, how much players dig the Firefly RPG may depend on how they feel about the fairly elastic nature of the Asset system. Do you have nightmares of players getting to just make up any random old thing to try and get a bonus whenever they want one, without any real mechanical limitation? Then this system may not tickle your fancy. Do you think it’s really cool to be able to just name relationships and equipment on the fly, following your narrative without excessively detailed mechanical restrictions? Then you’ll probably really like this.