This is a beautiful artefact. Inside the stark black and alabaster box is a cornucopia of gaming content and again, all of it is beautiful. This includes a small white silk bag—almost like a wedding favour—containing two six-sided dice that are done in the style of early nineteenth dice. Below that is a hard back book. This is the fifty-four-page ‘Archeterica Invitation Rules’. Linen finish and heavy stock paper with line art. Below that is the first of three scenarios. These are ‘Game Scenario: The Good Mayor’, ‘Game Scenario: The Bastinarys’, and ‘Game Scenario: Shady Deals in Strange Alley Ways’. Each of these is sixteen to twenty-pages long and again printed on heavy paper stock, but with sturdy card covers with a linen finish. There are two envelopes. One contains nine quite lovely handouts, whilst the second contains character sheets for six pre-generated Player Characters and six blank sheets, all of which are on sturdy paper stock. Penultimately, there are thirty-four standees and twenty-four counters, the former depicting the six pre-generated Player Characters and NPCs in the three scenarios. These are laser-cut on wood. Lastly, there is a Combat Status Chart which tracks the position of the Player Characters and the NPCs and their actions in combat. Along with a letter from the publisher, this is everything in Archeterica: The Invitation. Everything is delightfully tactile and again, it is a beautiful artefact.

Archeterica: The Invitation is published The Imago Cult following a successful Kickstarter campaign. The Ukrainian roleplaying game describes itself as the ‘game of genteel conspiracy’. It is set at the Dawn of the New Times. The opening years of the nineteenth century as the world is beset by revolution and occultism. The Industrial Revolution brings changes to the daily lives of workers, bankers, and the increasingly rich industrialists, whilst actual revolution brings about political change as bright young republics burst in existence alongside the older, staid monarchies and colonial powers. All of this takes place on the Disc, for no sailor is yet to brave the edge and beyond to see whether some scholars’ claims that the world is a sphere is true. The Old World lies in the west, its continents of Adriano and Al-Avid being similar to Europe and the Near East, respectively, whilst the New World is in the east, its continents of Salmandia and Graaldo being similar to Africa and the Americas, respectively. This is an alternate world in a Napoleonic Age of its own.

This is no mundane world though. It is full of secrets and conspiracies and the paranormal. Proper society dismisses such subject matters and discussions of them as being the realm of the fool and foolishness, often pointing to the countless charlatans, pseudo-scientists, and straight-up madmen that indulge the gullible or indulge themselves in such matters to no good end. Yet there is hidden truth in the occult and the Unearthly is real. Curses are real, paranormal abilities are real, rituals that take months of study and research that when enacted have the potential to grant enlightenment or change the movement of the heavens are real. Artefacts known as ‘Diablica’, perhaps ritualistic or occult objects or devices employing technologies not yet known, brought home from the New World or constructed by the enlightened (or the mad), continue to fascinate both researchers and collectors, yet their possession is banned by churches and governments alike. The authorities consider such artefacts dangerous sources of spiritual corruption and fear the powers they grant lest they be turned to revolution. Yet interest in the occult and diablica is rife, with amateur occultists forming local societies of their own to research and discuss such matters, their interests often benign, but all too often becoming a danger to themselves and others. Other societies have transcended mere parochialism, growing in power and influence, abutting, competing, and feuding with not just other occult brotherhoods, but also secret political and criminal organisations. Fear and suspicion of these secret cabals is fuelled by the sensationalism of the yellow press which sees and blames conspiracies everywhere.

The elevator pitch for Archeterica: The Invitation is The X-Files in the Napoleonic era. It is not though a roleplaying game about alien invasion or the fear of alien invasion, but rather a roleplaying game of Napoleonic conspiracy and the occult. Inspired by the television series Sharpe and Taboo, the film The Prestige, the Assassin’s Creed series of computer games, Archeterica: The Invitation casts the Player Characters as seekers of enlightenment, occult researchers, conspiracy theorists, and so on, who investigate both signs of the occult and conspiracy and work to prevent either from having too strong an influence on society.

A Player Character is defined by a concept, Narrative Attributes and their associated Talents, Burdens, combat skills, and inventory. The concept is who he is, whilst each Narrative Attribute represents an area of expertise or knowledge, profession, background, or previous experience. For example, a student radical might be represented by the ‘Student’ and ‘Firebrand’ Narrative Attributes, muckraking yellow journalist by the ‘Agent’ and ‘Journalist’ Narrative Attributes, and dilettante occultist by the ‘Aristocrat’ and ‘Occultist’ Narrative Attributes. Talents are the skills associated with a Narrative Attribute. Burdens are his personal flaws and weaknesses and are rated I, II, or III depending on how much of a hindrance they represent. Archeterica: The Invitation gives four options for combat skills—‘Fine Choice’, ‘Resourceful Ranger’, ‘Artful Daredevil’, and ‘Peaceable Socialite’.

Ottilie van Tulleken
Concept: Campaigning Journalist

GENTLE FOLK
Мanners II, Etiquette I, Social Connections I

JOURNALIST
Journalistic Reputation I, Subtle Bribery I, Reporting II

DETECTIVE
Information Gathering I, Sharp Eye I

BURDENS
Feminist II, Adventurism I, Vanity I

COMBAT SKILLS – PEACEABLE SOCIALITE
Classic Fencing II, Shooting I, New Beginnings 2, Instinct 3

INVENTORY
Pocket Pistol, Dagger, Umbrella, Small Set of Tools (lockpicking kit) Aristocratic Wardrobe, 1 mark in savings

Archeterica: The Invitation does detail several Narrative Attributes and their Talents as well as sample Burdens. A player is free to pick these or create his own and they do give a surprisingly wide choice. The creation process is not fully explained however, and it is only clear from the example that ranks are applied to the Talents. It does include some tables for character ideas, suggesting a character’s home country, social class, and former secret society. The entries for the table of home countries do draw parallels between the nations of the Disc and those of our Napoleonic era. Alternatively, the players can instead use the pre-generated Player Characters included in Archeterica: The Invitation. They include a ‘Gentleman Incognito’ with the Narrative Attributes of ‘Gentleman’ and ‘Malefactor’; a ‘Barricades Queen’ with the Narrative Attributes of ‘Revolutionary’ and ‘Commissar’; a military ‘Pioneer’ with the Narrative Attributes of ‘Sapper’ and ‘Expeditioner’; a ‘Foreigner’ with the Narrative Attributes of ‘Secret Broker’ and ‘Mystic’; a ‘Modern Day Hero’ with the Narrative Attributes of ‘Doctor’ and ‘Businessman’; and a ‘New Times Child’ with the Narrative Attributes of ‘Courier’ and ‘Opportunist’.

Mechanically, whenever a player wants his character to undertake an action in Archeterica: The Invitation, he rolls two six-sided dice, attempting to beat a Narrative Test Difficulty Level, which ranges from three and ‘Trivial’ to twelve and ‘Desperate’ with eight and ‘Challenging’ being the median. A player can lower the Difficulty Level by using his Talents, but the Game Master can increase it depending upon the character’s Burdens. Talents at Rank II or Rank III also enable a player to ‘Flip’ a roll, that is, to Flip it up or down, by turning the dice over to reveal and apply their reverse faces. In general, a player will want to perform an Upward Flip to have his character succeed at a task, but certain situations might mandate a Downward Flip. A player may only perform an Upward Flip once every twelve hours and it always incurs a complication of the Game Master’s choice. This might be to suffer Stress, which if ever reaches twelve means that the Player Character breaks down under the mental trauma, but it could also be a time delay, a loss of reputation, and so on.

In comparison to the core mechanic, combat in Archeterica: The Invitation is more complex. Actions require the expenditure of Action Points, whether that is step from one hex to another, run, aim, shoot, reload, cock a weapon, and so on. However, the number of Action Points a combatant has each round is rolled randomly. An attack requires a Mastery Test determined by comparing the attacker’s Mastery against the target’s Difficulty and rolling equal to or higher than the given target value. Although there are plenty of firearms listed, fencing is the preferred form of combat. It allows a combatant to attack as well as react to an attack against him. Such a reaction also costs Action Points, so it is wise to save some for that very purpose. Five styles are given, including ‘Classic’, ‘Savage’, ‘Court’, ‘Knightly’, and ‘Trickster’, and each comes with its form of attacks, reactions, and stances, all with their own Action Point costs.

Success indicates a successful strike and damage is rolled on two six-sided dice—for all weapons and attacks, though it can be modified depending on the weapon or type of attack. Some armour is available, which blocks damage, but all Player Characters have twelve Endurance Points whilst NPCs have ten. When a combatant’s Endurance is reduced to zero, it indicates that he has suffered an extra effect, the severity depending upon the amount of damage inflicted with the blow that reduced his Endurance to zero. This might be an insignificant scratch, being knocked out, receiving a scar, a severe wound, or death. Once every twelve hours, a player can Flip Down the damage his character receives in a single blow to reduce it. Each combatant’s number of Action Points and Endurance Points can be tracked on the Combat Status Chart.
Ottilie van Tulleken is conducting an investigation in a rookery when she is set upon by Albert, a thug who does not like her poking her nose into things. Albert has ten Endurance Points as an NPC, plus Savage Fencing II and is armed with a club that does three to seven points of damage (2d6/2+1). In the first round Ottilie has five Action Points and Albert has ten! Albert opts for a Battering Assault as part of his Savage Fencing Style. It costs him seven Action Points and will leave him with three. This enables him to attack twice. Ottlie opts for a Clean Block as a Reaction, using her umbrella. It costs three Action Points and will leave her with two. Not enough to repeat the action though. The Target Difficulty for Albert is seven because Ottilie has Classic Fencing II, which reduces it to five. Similarly, Ottilie’s Target Difficulty is also seven because of Albert’s Savage Fencing II and her Classic Fencing II. The Game Master’s Mastery Test for Albert’s first Battering Assault is ten, meaning his first punch lands, but Ottilie’s player’s is twelve meaning she blocks the first blow with her umbrella. For Albert’s second Battering Assault, the Game Master’s Mastery Test is nine and his second connects. This time Ottilie cannot defend against it and the Game Master rolls for damage. This is on two-sided dice and halved because it is non-lethal. The Game Master rolls ten and Ottilie’s Endurance Points are reduced to seven.

In the next round, Ottilie’s player rolls eight for Action Points, whilst the Game Master rolls four for Albert. With little he can do, Albert backs off, but not before Ottilie thwacks him one with her umbrella. This is a standard test and her player’s Mastery test result is six, meaning that she has succeeded. Unable to defend himself, Albert takes five points of damage from the Thrust. Ottilie still has four Action Points to spend. In turn, she uses two Action Points to draw her pocket pistol, another to aim it, and her last one to cock it. Albert finds himself at the point of her gun and steely gaze when she asks him, “Who sent you to lay your hands on me?”Throughout, a Player Character can suffer Stress, which is tracked on a twelve-point scale, from ‘Clarity of Mind’ to ‘Onset of Madness’. The Game Master imposes Stress upon the Player Character, anything from a minor misfortune like the death of an acquaintance, worth one or two points, to the five or six points from the loss of a loved one, regarded as a major tragedy. That said, a Player Character resist Narrative Stress by making a Desperate Test, halving the number suffered, and when suffering an Archeshock from encountering the Unearthly, a Player Character can force himself to forget the experience and replace the memories of it with something mundane, or retain it and suffer the Stress. In the long term, taking a holiday or engaging in a hobby can reduce Stress. If however, the Player Character’s Stress exceeds twelve, he does go insane and he gains a point of Deep Stress, which cannot be removed. The nature of the insanity is a matter of discussion between player and Game Master, giving the player control over the effects. Should a Player Character’s Deep Stress also rise to twelve, the madness is permanent and he becomes an NPC. One side effect of Stress is that if the Action Point roll in combat is under a Player Character’s Stress level, he panics rather than acts.

In terms of Player Character development, players are rewarded three types of points. The first is Narrative Points which are used to buy and improve Talents. The second are Combat Points, used to improve Combat Techniques. The third are Burden Points which can be exchanged for Narrative Points, Combat Points, or used to reduce a Player Character’s Stress. The neat aspect is that the higher the Ranks of the Burden and the more of a hindrance, the better this exchange rate is. Although more complex than simple Experience Points, this encourages players to roleplay all aspects of their character as they will be rewarded for doing so.

Mysticism is the study of occult secrets and otherworldly knowledge, found in the whispers spread in the most select salons, in spirits that haunt the edge of vision, and tomes of esoteric knowledge that appear to be nothing more than the ravings of the deluded. However, the line between delusion and the actuality of the Unearthly is uncertain, giving scope for the charlatans, the believers, mystics and occultists, and the unfortunate who have been driven mad by their experiences. Archeterica is the pseudo-scientific study of Occultism and all that relates to the Imagosphere, the otherworldly plane of ideas and images, the Hexen Cauldron where the boundary with the Imagosphere is at its weakest and where most Diablica are found, and the Vladyfus, the ethereal rulers of Otherworld who have attained True Enlightenment and who most occultists want to emulate. All beings and some artefacts have an Imago, their esoteric essence and reflection of their soul. This is manifested in mystics, otherworldly entities, and artefacts as their mystical powers and represented by Imago Strings, ranging from between one and twelve. The greater the number of Imago Strings, the greater an Imago’s power.

For the Player Character, it is possible to increase the number of Imago Strings he has. To do so, he has to acquire Focus Points, whether through spiritual practices, studying occult literature, suffering shock enlightenment, or experiencing events of historical significance that further herald the Dawning of the New Times. He can also purchase Mystical Abilities such as Intuition, Manipulation, Fortune’s Favourite, and Anomaly Compass. Only six such Mystical Abilities are detailed and they are relatively low key in their application. As with the capacity to either ‘Flip Up’ or Flip Down’, they can only be used once every twelve hours. Conversely, a Player Character or NPC can gain a Metamorphosis, the mystical manifestation of a sin that they have committed, such as hearing ‘Wicked Voices’ or suffer ‘Sinner’s Shame’. There are ways of Absolving yourself of a Metamorphosis and its sin, but this would be a demanding task.
Rounding out the ‘Archeterica Invitation Rules’ are details of several of the Shadow Clubs, Shadow Leagues, and Shadow Empires lurking across The Disc. These are its secret societies, from local clubs to grand conspiracies, such as ‘The Evercourt’, the society of aristocrats and kings and queens, many of whom who have been forced into exile following revolutions; ‘The Blackwater Marauders’, Strangers from the other side of The Disc who have inveigling their way into societies across this face of The Disc; and the travelling warlock communities known as ‘The Wandering Cities’. Each description includes details of known agents, known vassals, and associated conspiracy theories.

‘Archeterica Invitation Rules’ is surprisingly comprehensive, but far from complete. The secret societies details are large rather than small and there is no advice for the Game Master or any discussion or presentation of any threats. So, no monsters or NPCs. The description of the occult is understandably brief, but one of the pre-generated Player Characters does have Mystical Abilities that will show off that aspect of the setting in play. However, what Archeterica: The Invitation does have is three scenarios. Each of the three comes with a good introduction, some character hooks that can be used to get the Player Characters involved, a breakdown of the plot, the dessert, and handouts. Some also include some lore as well, but the ‘dessert’ actually gives the supplementary information for the Game Master, including the stats for any NPCs or Imago.

The first of these, ‘Game Scenario: The Good Mayor’ is designed as an introductory scenario that can be played through in a single session. The Player Characters are employed by the Senate Special Services in the small town of Tsaplyny in the Brasian Republic to stifle any news of the death of the town’s mayor. It quickly escalates into a search for the body and a race to get a new one! The second, ‘Game Scenario: The Bastinarys’, switches the action to the end of the eighteenth century during the revolution in the Spohledian Protectorate that led to the founding of the Brasian Republic. It takes place in the capital of Bramastadt where the Revolution Commissary appoints the Player Characters to take control of the Bastinarys, the city’s royal fortress prison. They have to decide which faction they need to align with and free the prisoners previously incarcerated by the monarchy. Unfortunately, one of the inmates is much more than they expect and ultimately, they need to avoid ending up being executed by the Revolution Commissary. The third scenario is the most sophisticated of the three. ‘Game Scenario: Shady Deals in Strange Alley Ways’ begins with the Player Characters in possession of a mystical tome as they attempt to find a seller in Bramastadt without attracting the attention of the authority. Each of the scenarios in their own way deal with the occult elements of the setting, but not the conspiratorial elements. That will have to wait for a fuller longer scenario or game.

Physically, Archeterica: The Invitation is—as already mentioned—lovely. The quality is amazing and the artwork is superb. The writing is not always as clear as it should be, but the examples of play help illustrate the rules and make it easier for the Game Master to grasp them. Of course, it is so lovely that really, as the Game Master, you do not want your players getting their grubby little mitts on it.

As a starter set, what Archeterica: The Invitation is missing is perhaps ready reference material for both the Game Master and her players. Some tables and explanations of what various aspects of each Player Character are and how they work would have been useful. The setting itself probably does not receive as much attention or explanation as it should, and in places the rules really rely upon the examples to impart full understanding of them. It also leaves the reader wanting to know more about the Occult and the things that threaten the real world.

Of course, what grabs the reader first about Archeterica: The Invitation is its stark physicality. This is a gorgeous boxed set whose contents are genuinely delightful. Yet this is not just a pretty box with pretty contents. Inside the very well appointed quick-start not only makes a ‘I want to play now’ elevator pitch of a Napoleonic-era meets The X-Files world of the occult and conspiracies, but whilst not quite perfect in its execution, delivers on that promise. Archeterica: The Invitation is absolutely worth accepting and it would be impolite not to try this, the introduction to the first Ukrainian roleplaying game to reach the English-speaking hobby.

There is a very early meme called ‘Realmen, Real Role Players, Loonies, and Munchkins’. In this meme, players are classified into the four categories and the types of roleplaying games they would play, their favourite elements of those roleplaying games, and how they would play them. It originally dates back to 1983 and so its references are all from the eighties. For example, for ‘Favourite 1920s RPG’, the responses are, ‘*Real Men* play Gangbusters’, ‘*Real Roleplayers* play Call of Cthulhu’, ‘*Loonies* play a variant Spawn of Fashan’, and ‘*Munchkins* play anything by TSR’, whilst for ‘Favourite Dungeon Activity’, the responses are ‘*Real Men* fight Dragons as old as the world itself’, ‘*Real Roleplayers* bluff the Ogres’, ‘*Loonies* tell dirty jokes to Green Slime’, and ‘*Munchkins* do whatever gives the most experience/rip each other off’. Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests: The In Character Game for your RPG Party very much plays into that type of humour—the *Real Men* will be up for the challenge, but will probably fail to get the humour, the *Real Roleplayers* will embrace the challenge because their character is a good sport, the *Loonies* will do it just because, and the *Munchkins* will do it for the Experience points.

Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests: The In Character Game for your RPG Party is published by Loke BattleMats. Although it has form this kind of humour, having previously published The Deck of Many Insults, the publisher is better known for its volumes of maps such as Big Book of Battle Mats: Rooms, Vaults, & Chambers and Castles, Crypts, & Caverns Books of Battle Mats. Now Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests, as with The Deck of Many Insults, does sport a content warning in its cover and it does state it suitable for players fourteen years old and older, due to its mature content. It also states that that it is ‘5E Compatible’. To be honest, the degree of mechanical compatibility, let alone rules, is actually very low, and the cards in this box will honestly work as well with any Dungeons & Dragons-style roleplaying game and any retroclone, not just Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition.

The idea behind Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests is simple. Each player and each NPC—important NPC—races to complete three dares and do so in-character. Completing a Dare earns the player or NPC a reward. In terms of Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, this can be Inspiration, Advantage on a roll, Experient Points, the benefits of a Short Rest, or some loot. These are suggestions only, and in terms of rules compatibility, that is about as far as Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests goes in being ‘5E Compatible’. And even then, these suggestions work as inspiration for the Game Master of another roleplaying game.

The rules to Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests are just as simple. Explained on two of the game’s one-hundred card deck, at the start of the session or adventure, the players and the important NPCs receive three cards. The player or NPC who completes the most not only receives the individual rewards for completing dare cards in-game, but wins the game of Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests too. The rules themselves are very simple and to be fair, it is what is on the Dare cards that matters.

Each Dare card is split into two parts. The top tells the player what the dare is, whilst the bottom half suggests ways in which the player might complete the dare. The player is free to follow the given suggestions or have his character complete the dare however he wants. The Dares include, “Get to know your companions in the worst possible way.” with the suggestion of, “So, whose parents are the most disappointed in them and why?; “Refer to a companion as they are not present/deceased.” with the suggestion, “It’s what Dan would have wanted”; “Translate what the pigeon are saying (it is all swears, taunts and insults).” with the suggestion, “That pigeon really hates your mother…”; “Keep a score card, ranking your companions.” with the suggestion, “That’s minus two points for not spotting that trap Dan, making you the new worst party member.”; and “Use only taste and smell to search for clues or answers.” with the suggestion, “Traps, locks, hidden keys? Lick your way to answers…” Most of these are entirely player-driven, but in some cases, like the last Dare involving searching for clues using only the senses of taste and smell, they can involve the Game Master too, as she has to tell the player what it is exactly that his character is smelling or tasting.
Physically, Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests is simply presented. The rules are easy to grasp and the content of the cards is easy to understand.
Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests: The In Character Game for your RPG Party is silly. So silly that it will disrupt a normal game, unless that game already includes the type and amount of ridiculous humour that Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests is all about. So best then, to use Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests as an occasional treat or special event. Perhaps for April’s Fools Day, a dream sequence, or when the Player Characters are all caught up in the effect of a prankster’s magic? Dumb Dares & Silly Side Quests: The In Character Game for your RPG Party will definitely encourage some fun, silly roleplaying, but is best used in moderation or ideally, under special circumstances, to avoid spoiling that fun.

Punching Nazis. Shooting Nazis. Blowing up Nazis. Setting Nazis on Fire. Scare Nazis. Bite Nazis. Then feed on their blood. It is 1943 and as Hitler brings about his dire plan to create Werewolf soldiers, the British government decides to strike. Not with its brightest and its best, but its darkest and its worst. Under the command of F.A.N.G., a single RAF bomber will drop six crack commandos onto Paris in their drop-coffins. Each drop coffin contains a vampire. Their mission? Cut a bloody swathe across the City of Light, kill Nazis and feed on their blood. Once enriched, they are to storm the Eifel Tower and climb to its top where Hitler has his personal Zeppelin moored. Once aboard, they are to kill Hitler, drink his blood, and stop his Nazi werewolf programme. This is Inglorious Basterds meets The Suicide Squad in a sanguinary splatterfest in an alternate World War 2 and the setting for Eat the Reich. This is a pulp-action horror one-shot storytelling roleplaying game or a scenario with some roleplaying rules attached, published Rowan, Rook, and Decard, best known for Spire: The City Must Fall and Heart: The City Beneath. Intended as a fun and cathartic punch-up of a game of evil action delivered on an even greater evil, Eat the Reich does not so much wear its heart on its sleeve as bare its fangs and tell you to hold still whilst it bites you.

To be fair, the elevator pitch for Eat the Reich, as hard as it punches, it is not the first thing that grabs the reader. What grabs the reader is the crazed eyes staring out of the cut-out in the front cover. After that, it is the colours used—vibrant swathes of neon pink, yellow, and blue that continue right through the length of Eat the Reich. This is technicolour in all of its comic book exuberance and brio, that in case of the front cover hides a frightened looking monster. And it is monsters that Eat the Reich makes a case for playing, noting that it is monsters preying on monsters that even more monstrous. It includes the by now traditional advice on safety at the table, covering the X-Card and Lines and Veils, but goes beyond that to ask the Game Master and her players what is acceptable in their game. Anti-hero vampires invading occupied France, feeding on blood for the power it gives, killing and feeding fascist, are all fine. Murdering innocent civilians and acts of fascism are definitely reserved for the villains of the piece. Although there are boundaries that it definitely sets—primarily sexual violence and violence against children—Eat the Reich examines others to help guide a playing group what it is and is not acceptable at its table taking into account religious sensibilities as well. It backs this up with an ‘Evil Calibration Checklist’ that a group can work through before play.

Unfortunately, the response of some to this advice—which goes further than most roleplaying game—is to see it as unnecessary moralising, especially in a roleplaying game that only runs to seventy or so pages. Perhaps in a longer roleplaying game it might not have been so prominent. On the other hand, it is not bad advice and in the context of the game, it is really only going to ask everyone to think about their limits and their expectations. And ultimately, like any advice, the Game Master and her players are free to accept it or reject it as is their wont.

Although there is advice on creating Player Characters or rather adapting the pre-generated ones, Eat the Reich really is about playing its six pre-generated Vampire Commandos. They consist of Iryna, a noble woman who is a crack shot and wields a mesmerising dark glamour; Niclole, resistance fighter and saboteur who likes blowing things up; Cosgrave, Cockney spiv and necromancer on the run from East London’s undead mafia; Chuck, a fan of cowboy films pulled out of prison to go on the mission; Astrid, ex-fighter pilot with a parasitical soul wrapped round her heart who can command spirits and hunts with a greatspear; and Flint, a half-human, half-bat who can fly and rarely speaks.

Each Vampire has seven stats—Brawl, Con, Fix, Search, Shoot, Sneak, and Terrify—rated between one and four. He will also have some equipment each marked with a number of use boxes; four Abilities, some of which require the expenditure of Blood, some of which require a player to roll and assign a Special to it; Advances when he learns from the campaign against the Nazis; and Injury boxes. For example, Iryna has an ‘Exquisite Hunting Rifle’ which grants an extra die when she is elevated; a ‘Magic Cavalry Sabre’ which grants a bonus when she charges with it; ‘Explosive Runes’ that wok better if concealed; and ‘Cigarettes taken from the pockets of a hanged man’ to smoke and regain two Blood. Her Abilities include ‘Dark Glamour’ to mesmerise those nearby with her unearthly appearance; summoning a swarm of bats under her control with ‘Night’s Willing Servants’; and reducing a Threat’s Attack rating by one with ‘Deadeye Shot’. Her Advances include ‘Hell’s Ravenous Fire’, ‘Enervation of the Soul’, and ‘Mantle of the Fell Beast’, whilst her Injuries are randomly determined, which might be ‘Suit Torn’ or ‘Abdominal Puncture’, ‘Shoulder Injury’ or ‘Arm Removed’, and so on. Each Vampire’s character sheet is easy to read and comes with a great illustration.

Mechanically, Eat the Reich uses the HAVOC Engine. To have his Vampire undertake an action, a player rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to an appropriate stat plus any bonus dice from an item of equipment used or an Ability. The Game Master rolls a number of dice equal to the current Threat or Attack rating. Results of four and five count as a Success each, whilst a six counts as a Critical. There are multiple ways in which a player can now spend his Vampire’s Successes and Criticals. If the situation has an Objective, they can be spent to advance it; to counter a Threat and reduce it; to active a Special; to feed on a Nazi; and to defend against an attack. When defending, a Success counters a Success rolled by the Game Master, whilst a Critical counters a Critical. A Critical can also be used as a Special to activate various Abilities. Any Success or Criticals not defended against like this means that the Vampire suffers an Injury, and if he suffers too many Injuries and dies, he can at least go out in a ‘Blaze of Glory’ with one last roll of a bigger dice pool. Blood can also be spent to heal a Vampire. Lastly, feeding on Nazi blood fills up a Vampire’s Blood which he can subsequently spend to active various Abilities.

In addition to rolling the dice and assigning the dice, what a player is expected to do with each Success or Critical is narrate the outcome and describe the actions of his vampire. Once per session, if a player rolls two Successes or fewer, he can instead narrate a flashback scene of a prior mission which somehow helps this one and reroll all of the dice again.

There is a definite loop to the play of Eat the Reich. A Vampire needs Blood and thus needs to feed on Nazis, in order to have Blood to activate Abilities or heal himself. So, he needs to keep a flow of Blood going from scene to scene, action to action, but this has to be balanced against the needs of an induvial scene, whether that is reducing a Threat and thus its capacity to Attack the Vampires or work towards an Objective. Plus, he also has to counter the Attack rolls made by the Threats to prevent himself from being Injured. However, when a Vampire lands in his Drop Coffin, he has no Blood, as it has been used to heal him from the drop, which means that his player has to make Successful rolls in order to get Blood to get the play loop running. It does make for a slow start to the action.

The play of Eat the Reich is one big mission. Essentially, rampaging across Paris until the Vampires get to the Eifel Tower and ascending to the final confrontation against Hitler. After the briefing and the coffin drop, this takes place across three sectors of Paris. This is a comic book version of Paris rather than an historical recreation, but then having already thrown the Vampires into the mix, it not being historically accurate is hardly going to break immersion. Working their way across three sectors, the Vampires will start off in somewhere like the Place de la Sirène where there are families and bistros and the only threat they will face are police patrols, their Objective being to get out of the open and into cover. In Sector 2, they might have to get through ‘The German Technology Pavilion’ and get out the other side. They will face Stahlsoldat, half-men, half-machine warriors, but will also have the opportunity to find loot such as a ‘Prototype Beam Emitter’ and achieve secondary Objectives such as powering up a weapons platform. As the Vampires move from sector to sector, the locations become more interesting and complex, including a chance for the Vampires to team up with the Resistance at the ‘Le Cochon Noir’ and battle magically-animated suits of armour and use medieval weaponry in the ‘Museum of European Warfare’! Eventually, the Vampires will make it to the Eifel Tower and hopefully defeat his minions and kill Hitler.

Physically, Eat the Reich is a riot of colour. This is used in such a way that it does not impede the legibility of the text, which is clear and well written.

Eat the Reich is a one-shot. Two or three session’s worth of play and the playthrough is done. Whilst there are suggestions for sequels, including going up against Churchill—for unfortunate historical reasons—and perhaps they might want to play it again, but switching vampires, a group is unlikely to play through it again. Of course, the Game Master could run it for another group. It is simple to play and as a storytelling game gives plenty of room for every player to narrate how vicious and nasty and frightening his vampire is, in a very violent comic book caper. Nevertheless, however a group decides to play, whatever boundaries they set for themselves, Eat the Reich is a blast to play, a blaze of blood and brutalising Nazis, of monsters masticating on monsters, and ripping the heart out of the Reich.

A special combined Fantasy Friday with Boxing Day. Today I am diving into the Dragonbane boxed set. I picked this up my local RPG auction, still in the shrink wrap. This is less a traditional review and more an overview, a brief dive into the history of the game, and my thoughts after spending some time with it.

Dragonbane

Dragonbane is Free League’s modern reworking of the Swedish Drakar och Demoner. I picked it up last fall, primarily out of curiosity about Drakar och Demoner and out of a long-standing appreciation for Free League’s production values. After reading and reflecting on it, my conclusion is fairly measured: this is not a D&D replacement for me, but it is a very credible alternative to games in the RuneQuest family and adjacent BRP-style designs.

That distinction matters. Well, at least to me.

A Brief History of Drakar och Demoner

To really understand Dragonbane, it helps to step back and look at its predecessor, Drakar och Demoner (often abbreviated DoD), one of the most influential tabletop roleplaying games in Scandinavia.

Drakar och Demoner first appeared in 1982, published by Äventyrsspel (known internationally as Target Games). Mechanically, it was based on Basic Role-Playing, the same rules engine that powered RuneQuest and Call of Cthulhu. For many Swedish players, DoD was not just their first RPG, but the RPG, occupying the same cultural space that D&D held in the United States.

Over the 1980s and early 1990s, Drakar och Demoner went through multiple editions, gradually drifting away from strict BRP roots while retaining its skill-based core. These editions emphasized low fantasy, dangerous combat, and practical adventuring over heroic power escalation. Magic was present but restrained. Characters were competent but fragile. Survival mattered.

Importantly, DoD also helped shape a distinctly European approach to fantasy roleplaying. Its adventures often leaned toward folklore, exploration, and moral ambiguity rather than epic destiny. Humor existed, but it was dry and situational rather than cartoonish. The infamous duck-people, later echoed in Dragonbane’s mallards, originated here as a surprisingly durable example of the game’s tonal flexibility.

When Target Games ceased operations in the late 1990s, Drakar och Demoner passed through several publishers and revisions, including later editions that experimented with d20 mechanics and more modern design sensibilities. None of these fully displaced the affection players held for the earlier versions.

Dragonbane: Design Lineage and Intent

Dragonbane wears its DoD and BRP influences openly. It is a skill-based fantasy RPG with a roll-under d20 core mechanic, clear ancestry in early percentile systems, and a design philosophy that prioritizes table flow over mechanical density. Unlike modern D&D, it does not attempt to be a universal fantasy engine or a lifestyle game. Instead, it aims to be playable, approachable, and complete within a single boxed set.

From a game design perspective, this is one of Dragonbane’s strengths. It knows what it wants to be.

Rules Structure: Conservative but Clean

Mechanically, Dragonbane is restrained. Characters are defined by skills rather than classes and levels, advancement is incremental and use-based, and resolution is intentionally binary. Rolling under your skill succeeds; rolling a 1 or a 20 introduces structured extremes of success or failure. I am normally not a huge fan of d20 roll-under systems, but this one works surprisingly well.

This approach avoids both the escalating power curves of D&D and the granular complexity of RuneQuest. Combat is dangerous without being punishing, magic is flexible without being dominant, and the overall system encourages cautious decision-making. In play, the rules largely stay out of the way, which is not a small achievement.

If anything, the rules err on the side of being slightly under-explained in places. Veteran gamemasters will fill in the gaps easily, but newcomers may occasionally wish for more explicit guidance. This feels intentional. Dragonbane trusts the table.

Setting

The Misty Vale setting provides just enough context to anchor play without overwhelming it. It is functional rather than exhaustive, offering locations, factions, and adventure hooks rather than a dense metaplot. This makes Dragonbane especially suitable for referees who prefer to build outward from play rather than absorb a setting bible before starting.

Compared to D&D’s Forgotten Realms or RuneQuest’s Glorantha, this is a much lighter touch. That may disappoint lore-focused players, but from a usability standpoint it makes the game easier to adopt and adapt.

You could easily create your own setting for this game or drop it into an existing one. I think that flexibility is a key strength.

Tone and Aesthetics

Dragonbane’s art direction is worth noting, not because it is flashy, but because it is consistent. There is a slight fairy-tale quality to the visuals, softened by humor (yes, including the infamous mallards), but it never collapses into parody. The tone remains grounded enough to support serious play, even when the aesthetic leans whimsical.

From a design history perspective, this places Dragonbane closer to early European fantasy RPG traditions than to modern epic fantasy branding, which makes sense given its origins.

The result is a game that looks both new and old at the same time. It feels distinctly European in presentation and sensibility.

The result is a great-looking game that looks new and old at the same time. It looks European to me. 

Where It Fits for Me

Dragonbane does not threaten D&D’s place in my gaming life. D&D occupies a different conceptual space: broader genre reach, stronger character archetypes, and decades of accumulated expectations. Dragonbane is not trying to compete there.

Where it does shine is as a cleaner, faster alternative to RuneQuest and similar systems. It delivers many of the same benefits—skills over classes, grounded combat, emergent narrative—without the overhead that sometimes makes those games harder to get to the table.

In that sense, Dragonbane succeeds not by innovation, but by refinement.

RuneQuest is wonderful. I love it. But Dragonbane does what I often want RuneQuest to do, with fewer rules and a lower bar for entry.

Dragonbane vs RuneQuest vs BRP

At a mechanical and philosophical level, Dragonbane, RuneQuest, and Basic Role-Playing all share a common DNA in skill-based resolution and grounded, consequence-driven play. Where they diverge is in density and expectation. BRP functions best as a toolkit, offering maximum flexibility at the cost of referee labor and system mastery. RuneQuest, particularly in its Glorantha-centric forms, layers that toolkit with extensive cultural, religious, and mythic structures, resulting in a rich but demanding play experience. Dragonbane deliberately strips this complexity back, favoring speed, clarity, and approachability while preserving the core logic of skill-based play.

Nearly Final Assessment

Dragonbane is a well-considered fantasy RPG with a clear design goal and the discipline to stick to it. It is accessible without being shallow, traditional without being dated, and complete without being bloated.

It may not become the center of my gaming ecosystem, but it has earned a permanent place on my shelf, and more importantly, at my table when I want something thoughtful, grounded, and efficient.

That alone makes it worth serious consideration.

As I mentioned when I first picked this up, I need to create a Mallard wizard. I just need to figure out who he is and what he is about. I like the idea of a wandering wizard; I have not done that since I was playing Phygor. For this character, I would probably borrow ideas from RuneQuest and maybe even port him over into my D&D games. And yes, he is a wizard, not a witch.

So yeah, I certainly want to play this some more.

The alchemist, Kelvin Belmont, is distraught and distracted, and in need of help. He has received a letter from his brother, Solomon, begging for his help in dealing with a dangerous threat which seems to be hounding him. This is strange, for the brothers had a falling out and neither has spoken to the other in almost a decade. The question is, what is the nature of the threat such that one pair of estranged siblings would seek out the aid of the other? Fortunately, Kelvin does want to help his brother, but he is old and weary, ill-suited to such tasks. So, he decides to hire some doughty adventurers to check on his brother and to deliver the package that he requested. This is the core hook—though several other hooks are included to get the Player Characters to meet Kelvin—for the scenario, The Alchemist’s Fire: A Sisters Three Adventure. This is a scenario for Dragonbane: Mirth & Mayhem Roleplaying, the roleplaying game published by Free League Publishing.

The Alchemist’s Fire: A Sisters Three Adventure is published by Gallow’s Tomes as part of Free League Publishing’s Free League Workshop community content programme. The setting is the Bailwick of Fenwick and the three hamlets—Amber, Burgundy, and Lapis—which stand on the shores of Loch Maeglen. This can be used as or adapted to fit the Game Master’s own setting, or it can be slotted into the Misty Vale setting as detailed in the Dragonbane Core Set. To that end, it is suggested that they be placed around the unnamed lake in the Misty Vale just south of the Temple of the Purple Flame and the Magna Woods. Alternatively, they can be placed on the other side of the Drakmar Pass from where the ‘Secret of the Dargon Emperor’ campaign begins. Each of the three hamlets is associated with and named for a statue of a woman, collectively known as The Sisters. In the case of Lapis, the starting point for The Alchemist's Fire, the statue is of lapis. The hamlet is described in broad detail, noting its most important business and their colourful proprietors and patrons, including the inn with a Dwarven innkeeper with an ear for ‘Dad jokes’, a grumpy Mallard sailor wanting to return to the sea, an overly curious Halfling cartographer, and a baker with a line in hot buttered muffins. Besides talking to the inhabitants, which may earn the Player Characters some rumours, divided between those pertinent to the scenario and those left for the Game Master to develop or ignore as is her wont, can of course, do a bit of shopping.

Eventually, the Player Characters will make their way to Ravenhook Tower, the home of Kelvin Belmont. Once they get past his cagey manner, he will employ them to deliver a cart, which he will provide, full of flasks of a blue liquid that ignites upon impact when thrown—Fire Flasks. The alchemist’s brother has asked him to deliver to his tower, Coralholm, which lies to the east. The journey is not without its dangers as the Blue Root Mountains are full of Worgs and Goblins—and worse. Plus, the Player Characters are essentially driving a bomb on wheels, and if anything goes wrong, there is the chance of a massive explosion. In fact, a really, really big explosion which is going to leave them at a disadvantage later in the scenario.

However, by the time the Player Characters reach Solomon Belmont’s tower of Coralholm, it is too late. Someone has already broken in and when the Player Characters find him, they also find an army of frogs harassing him. This is after a nasty encounter with a Giant Slime that can shoot ooze-coated skulls out of its gelatinous depths and make weapons protrude from its body. Of course, this fight can be eased with the application of a Fire Flask or two. Once the fight is over, Solomon is pleased to see the Player Characters—in complete contrast to his brother—but he fears that the frog men will be back and asks the Player Characters to mount what is effectively, a ‘tower defence’. The players and their characters have time to set up defences and they are encouraged to lay traps and build defensive points as well as prepare the ballista on the roof. The fight comes with its own maps and feels like a cross between the Battle of Helm’s Deep and the destruction of Isengard in The Two Towers of The Lord of the Rings, but with the Player Characters and Solomon Belmont as the defenders in both cases. Of course, this is on a very much smaller scale in either case. It does include a ‘Squad Dice’ mechanic for handling when more squads of Frog Men appear on the battlefield.

The scenario does end with some unanswered questions. This includes the cause of the estrangement between the brothers and the identity and aims of an antagonist—hopefully to be detailed in another scenario. That said, if the Player Characters never find out, it is no great loss. Rounding out The Alchemist’s Fire: A Sisters Three Adventure is another table of encounters should the Player Characters venture into the woods near the hamlet of Lapis and some full page pieces of artwork. These are actually quite good, especially that of the Briar Mawr, the malign walking tree carrying a platform of Frog Men in its branches (which the Player Characters can attempt to topple).

Two points arise from the setting. One is that the author cannot decide whether the setting for The Alchemist’s Fire—Lapis—is a hamlet or a town. The other is the name, ‘Bailwick of Fenwick’. Putting aside the rhyming, it does sound very much like the Duchy of Grand Fenwick from the Peter Sellers’ film, The Mouse That Roared.

Physically, The Alchemist’s Fire is well laid out in the style of Dragonbane. It does feel heavier in its use of colour and art style, even a little cartoonish. That said, the artwork works, whilst the maps are decent.

If the plot to The Alchemist’s Fire is straightforward, its details are colourful and detailed, and all together, the whole affair is easy to run and easy to slot into a campaign. Offering a good mix of roleplaying with some surprisingly nasty and challenging encounters, The Alchemist’s Fire: A Sisters Three Adventure is an impressively sturdy little adventure that should play through in two or so sessions.

 It is 6:00 am here right now (give or take), and I am at work in a meeting.

Back in September, I got a new job. Similar to what I was doing before, but this time working directly with a University. In fact, I just got a new assignment today to graph various time series in Python. My language of choice for this was SAS or SPSS. Looks like I am getting more Python lessons for Christmas!

So...that means some of my plans for 2026 are getting moved. I wanted to dedicate the year to Sci-Fi games to correspond with the 60th Anniversary of Star Trek. But I didn't finish all the things I wanted to do with Fantasy this year. 

My plan now is to keep going with Fantasy. I like doing Sci-Fi in June, so I might still do some then, and I would love to do something in September for Trek. I have been playing more AD&D 1st edition again; my D&D 5 is on hold for now. 

I do have some plans for posts and potential publications. But right now I am not promising much. I mean I am at work on Christmas eve at 6am and I still have 2 more meetings after this! I am happy for the work (and the pay!), but free time is not something I will have a lot of in 2026.

Ah, well, I don't want to complain. 

Have a great Christmas, everyone!

It has been a little over 25 years since The Hex Girls first appeared in Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, and I’m still comfortable saying this out loud: they are the coolest thing Scooby-Doo ever did, by accident or otherwise.

While I am sure I watched “Dark Shadows” before Scooby-Doo, there is no doubt that my desire to put horror into all my games, or at least the trappings of horror, comes from Scooby-Doo.

Scooby-Doo has always flirted with horror aesthetics, but the Hex Girls went further. They weren’t jokes, they weren’t villains in disguise, and they weren’t watered-down “spooky” window dressing. Thorn, Dusk, and Luna were confident, stylish, openly witchy, and most importantly, utterly uninterested in apologizing for any of it. In 1999, that was rare, especially in a cartoon aimed at kids.

What still impresses me is how unforced it all felt. The Hex Girls weren’t parody goths or moral lessons. They were just… cool. Musical witches who leaned into the aesthetic without winking at the audience. Scooby-Doo didn’t mock them, didn’t explain them away, and didn’t try to soften them. It simply let them exist, and that trust is probably why they stuck.

A lot of spooky or “dark” characters from that era feel dated now. The Hex Girls don’t. If anything, they feel more modern than many characters that came after them.

Fourteen Years of Writing About the Hex Girls (and Why I Keep Coming Back...and So Do You)

Today is also a quieter anniversary for me. It’s been 14 years to the day since the Hex Girls first appeared on The Other Side. I didn’t plan that kind of long-term relationship with a cartoon band, but here we are.

Looking back at those early posts from 2009 and 2010, what strikes me is how little my core reaction has changed. I liked them then for the same reason I like them now. They sit at a very particular crossroads of things I’ve always been interested in: witches, outsider magic, gothic aesthetics, and female characters who are defined by agency rather than trauma or redemption arcs.

Over the years, my writing has expanded outward. But the Hex Girls never stopped feeling relevant to that conversation. They weren’t just a phase or a nostalgic bookmark. They were an early example of something that would keep echoing through my work: witches as protagonists, not warnings.

That’s probably why I keep circling back to them. Not because they’re “retro,” but because they still work. They still feel honest. And in a media landscape that keeps rediscovering and rebranding “spooky girls,” the Hex Girls remain refreshingly uninterested in reinvention.

Some characters fade into nostalgia.

The Hex Girls moved in, lit some candles, and stayed.

And to be perfectly honest, you all keep coming back as well. My Hex Girl posts are some of the most frequented posts here. Hell, whole blocks of text I have written here have been used elsewhere and declared “canon” by others. 

The Hex Girls for AD&D 1st Edition

The Hex Girls are a great test case for me. That is, how can I do “bards” without resorting to the Bard class, and how can I do “witch” without creating a new witch class? Sure, I could port one of my Basic witches over, or even use one of the dozen or so witches I have laying around here. But let's go with Rule As Written for right now...well, I am going to add one thing.

The Hex Girls are a Coven in all but name. Though they do call each other “sister.”

Thorn

3rd-level human Cleric, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer*

S: 10
I: 14
W: 16
D: 12
C: 12
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 10
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 8 (Ring of Protection +2)
HP: 11
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells (Cleric)
First level: Bless, Faerie Fire, Light, Remove Fear
Second level: Hold Person, Speak with Animals, Resist Fire

Thorn is the leader of the group, the main singer and lute player, and the most spiritual of the group. The rings the girls wear are a gift from her grandmother.

I wanted her to be a druid (better fit) but I also wanted her Chaotic Good.

Luna
2nd-level human Magic-user, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer

S: 11
I: 16
W: 15
D: 14
C: 12
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 14
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 11
Breath Weapon: 15
Spells: 12

AC: 9 (Ring of Protection +1)
HP: 5
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells (Magic-user)
First level: Dancing Lights, Comprehend Languages

In the Scooby-doo universe Luna plays the keyboards; here she plays a harp. Though there are harpsichords and spinets. She can play those as well. 

She is a Magic-user since I always see her as the “smart one.” Her spells are mainly to help with performances.

Dusk
2nd-level human Illusionist, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer

S: 13
I: 16
W: 12
D: 16
C: 14
Ch: 15

Paralysis/Poison: 14
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 11
Breath Weapon: 15
Spells: 12

AC: 7 (Dex, Ring of Protection +2)
HP: 7
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells (Illusionist)
First level: Audible Glammer, Color Spray

Dusk is our drummer. She remains largely the same. I gave her the Illusionist class since I feel she would be good at it and like Luna, her spells aid in the performances.

My one cheat is the Secondary Skill: Performer entry. This assumes the girls had musical training before taking up their class. This fits with AD&D 1st ed, allows me to fill the role of “bard” without getting bogged down in AD&D's bard class. 

If I were to do them for D&D 5th Edition, each would have a level or so of Bard before branching off to other classes. 

Links

Mine

• Scooby Doo Day: Hex Girls and Earth-27
• Here’s to Us: Hex Girls and Special Guest…
• Dark Places and Demogorgons
• Those Meddling Kids
• Cortex: Hex Girls 
• New: Hex Girls! 
• Hex Girls Season 2 for Cartoon Action Hour 
• Hex Girls 

Other Links

• Wikipedia
• The Witch's Ghost
• Hex Girls, Scoobypedia
• Hex Girls (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), Scoobypedia
• Visual Evolution of the Hex Girls, Reddit

I love that Reddit link; the girls were initially named Serena, Sabrina, and Samantha. All witches. And Samantha/Dusk looked really cool. And the less we talk about the “Velma” versions the better.

Much like the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and The Companions of Arthur for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon, the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition is a curated platform for user-made content. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

—oOo—
Name: The Grotesque by GaslightPublisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Ryan Graham Theobalds

Setting: Kew Gardens, 1893Product: Scenario
What You Get: Thirty-Three page, 16.98 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: The consequences of colonial botanyPlot Hook: Something nasty in the greenhousePlot Support: Staging advice, five pre-generated Investigators, two NPCs, one handout, one map, one Mythos tome, one Mythos spell, and two Mythos monsters.Production Values: Plain
Pros# Hunting-monster, monster-hunting murder mystery at Kew Gardens# More set-up then anything else# Easy to add to a campaign or run as a one-shot
# Decent pre-generated Investigators# Botanophobia# Dendrophobia# Hyloptophobia
Cons# Needs an edit# No NPC stats# Suggested shift to the Jazz Age not explored
# References Green and Pleasant Land (not needed to run the scenario)# May require H.P. Lovecraft’s Dreamlands
# Rougher than the author’s other scenarios
Conclusion# Explores the consequences of colonial botany# Serviceable set-up and outline that the Keeper will need to develop further

Growing up, I wanted to be an astrophysicist. My "wall" came in the form of Calculus II. While I am good at math, this one broke me. Which is ok, because by the time I was failing that class, I had discovered that I was also really, really good with computers and psychology.  

I mention this because every so often in writing about witches, astrology comes up. I am not going to get into why astrology is completely bogus here. No point. I am at least going to recognize how it can or at least could be used in my Occult D&D idea. That's a future post to be sure.

Since today is December 22, the Winter Solstice, it also marks the day that the sun enters Capricorn, for both Astronomy and Astrology.

Image by Alexa from PixabayCAPRICORN (Sea-Goat)

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1–4
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12" (land), 15" (swim)
HIT DICE: 3+2
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1–4 / 1–6 (horns, bite)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Butt
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (6' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
XP VALUE: 95 + 4/hp

The Capricorn is a curious hybrid creature with the forequarters of a mountain goat and the hindquarters of a powerful fish or dolphin-like tail. It is equally at home scrambling across seaside cliffs or diving into deep, cold waters. Most are wary but not aggressive unless threatened or defending young.

A Capricorn fights with horned head-butts and snapping bites. If charging downhill or from a rocky ledge, it may butt for double damage on its first successful attack.

Capricorns dwell along rugged coastlines, sea cliffs, and cold island chains. They are usually encountered alone or in small family pods. Sailors consider sightings of mundane Capricorns a sign of harsh weather ahead.

--

Good, but I can go more occult with this. Maybe something more akin to a Witch or Warlock patron.

CAPRICORN
The Sea-Goat, Warden of the Deep Winter, Keeper of the Long Path (Zodiac Patron)

FREQUENCY: Unique
NO. APPEARING: 1 (never encountered accidentally)
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 15" (land), 18" (swim)
HIT DICE: 10+5
% IN LAIR: 75%
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, plus occult knowledge
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2–8 / 2–8 / 2–12 (horns, hooves, tidal bite)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Crushing Tide, Inevitable Charge, Binding Oath
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Cold immunity, fate ward, patron’s reserve
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
INTELLIGENCE: Very High (16)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
SIZE: L (12' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
XP VALUE: 6,500+

Capricorn is not merely a celestial beast, but a cosmic office. It is the embodiment of endurance, sacrifice, patience, and the cruel mercy of time. Where other patrons tempt, seduce, or inspire, Capricorn tests.

Witches who invoke Capricorn do not gain easy power. They gain lasting power, earned through restraint, discipline, and acceptance of loss.

Capricorn favors witches who:

• Endure long trials
• Keep oaths even when inconvenient
• Accept isolation, exile, or slow ascension
• Practice winter magic, sea magic, fate magic, or Saturnine rites

Special Abilities

Crushing Tide

Once every 3 rounds, Capricorn may unleash a roaring surge of astral seawater in a 30-foot cone. Damage is 3d6, save vs. breath weapon for half. Creatures failing their save must also save vs. paralysis or be knocked prone.

Symbolically, this represents the slow but unstoppable force of time and consequence.

Inevitable Charge

When Capricorn charges, the target must save vs. paralysis or suffer double horn damage and be driven back 10 feet. Magical movement, haste, or teleportation does not negate this unless it explicitly alters fate or time.

Binding Oath

Once per day, Capricorn may bind a creature or witch to an oath spoken aloud in its presence.

The target must save vs. spells or be bound.

Breaking the oath inflicts a cumulative curse.

• First violation: –1 to all rolls for 24 hours
• Second violation: –2 and loss of spellcasting for 1 day
• Third violation: permanent –1 Constitution until atonement

A witch bound by Capricorn’s oath always knows when they are about to break it.

Fate Ward

Once per day, Capricorn may negate a spell or magical effect directed at it, as if the event never occurred. This is not dispelling, but retroactive inevitability.

Patron’s Reserve

Capricorn never grants spells freely. Instead, it may store power for its witches.

During the month of Capricorn, a Zodiac-patron sworn witch (one of the following):

• Delay the effects of exhaustion, aging, or curse for 1d6 days
• Automatically succeed on one saving throw related to cold, water, fear, or time
• Treat a failed divination as a partial success

This reserve cannot be used impulsively. The witch must declare its use before rolling.

Witch Patron Benefits

Witches sworn to Capricorn often gain access to:

• Winter and water Occult spells
• Binding, curse, and endurance magic
• Resistance to cold and fatigue at higher levels
• Reduced penalties for aging or long-term magical strain

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I will likely have more ideas. Kudos to my wife for helping come up with all of this while we were watching "The Secret of Oak Island."  This is their year to find the treasure!

I will try to do these for every sign. Yeah, you would need to revise them to fit your world, but that should be easy. Plus I am no expert on astrology, it was antithetical to my desire to be an astrophysicist, so if I get something wrong, well...it happens.

Much like the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and The Companions of Arthur for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon, the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition is a curated platform for user-made content. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: Attack of the Brain Bats!Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Tod Miller

Setting: Vermont, 1920sProduct: One-shot
What You Get: Thirty-Three page, 16.98 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: For the Investigators it is going to be a ‘Picnic in Hell’!Plot Hook: “Like a bat out of hellOh, like a bat out of hellOh, like a bat out of hellOh, like a bat out of hell (I’ll be gone when the morning comes)Like a bat out of hell (I’ll be gone when the morning comes)Like a bat out of hell (ooh, ooh)”—Bat Out of Hell, Jim SteinmanPlot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Investigators, two NPCs, two handouts, one map, one Mythos tome, one Mythos spell, and four Mythos monsters.Production Values: Good
Pros# Open-ended invasion from space scenario# Easy to adapt to other nations and time periods# Has a fifties in the twenties feel
# Easy to prepare, but player-led with no set outcome# Hylophobia# Kinemortophobia# Chiroptophobia
Cons# Batty
# Has a fifties in the twenties feel
Conclusion# Entertainingly batty tale of invasion and zombification# “We’re going a space-bat hunt!”# Reviews from R’lyeh Recommends

Civilisation is divided and in decline. Two great nations stand opposed to each other. Witch-hunters search the length and breadth of the Maloresian Empire for signs of sorcery and execute all those who tainted so as incense and the prayers from a thousand temples of the Church of Mendorf calling for salvation and damnation clash with the sound of hammer on anvil and smoke from the gunsmiths’ forges that pour forth blades, cuirasses, and wheel-locks. Just as the inquisitors of the Church of Mendorf would put the members of the Cult of the Star to the sword and the flame for their heresy, it would launch a crusade against the Urden, the realm of the Sorcerer King. Yet it is powerless to do so, for in the Empire’s ruined Senate Hall, twelve noble lords lie dead, their corpses twisted by powers that radiate malevolent energy even now. Rumour places their deaths firmly upon the sorcerers of Urden whose vile practices have seen them erect great towers of black stone that stab the skies. Their magics are powered by Star Dust, refined from the Star Shards that fell to earth long ago and found in the Borderlands between the two nations, and used in the crafting of all manner of magical concoctions and artefacts. Yet this power is not without is dangers, for it is highly radioactive and deadly. The greatest of the Star Shards is the Hope Star, divided in two, each half held by the Maloresian Empire and the sorcerous kingdom of Urden. There are other nations and powers, including the pirate Caliphate of Khalida and the Free-Trade Nations, in these Borderlands, but beyond lie the Wastes that encroach upon the bastions of civilisation. They are scarlet blights upon the landscape where stars fell in ancient times and breed horrors and monsters that to this day withstand sorcery and steel, powder and faith. Yet there are secrets and artefacts to be found in the Wastes and to this day, many set forth from the Keep on the Borderlands to explore the crystal-lined caves that lie nearby and face the horrors within.

This is the world of Firnum, the setting for Barrows & Borderlands, which describes itself as “A Weird Science Fantasy Old-School Style Role Playing Game set in a Dark Radioactive Wasteland of Magic, Black-powder, and Dragons!” Designed and published by Matthew Tap, it consists of four books—Book 1: Men & Mutants, Book 2: Psychics & Sorcerers, Book 3: Horrors & Treasure, and Book 4: The Underworld & Borderlands—and is unashamedly ‘Old School’ in its design. It is a Class and Level roleplaying game, it uses THAC0, and its various subsystems use different mechanics, but there are some modernisms, such as spellcasting not being Vancian, that is, cast and forget, but requires a casting roll and there is a chance of miscasting. Its primary inspirations are Original Dungeons & Dragons and Metamorphosis Alpha: Fantastic Role-Playing Game of Science Fiction Adventures on a Lost Starship, but set in a near-apocalyptic (or possibly post-apocalyptic) world that draws from the seventeenth century and a lot of the illustrations from the period rather than the medievalism of Dungeons & Dragons. Thus, you have magic and the worship of gods alongside gunpowder and steel and psychic powers and mutations. There are even elements of the Mythos within its setting, though that of Robert W. Chambers rather than H.P. Lovecraft with the inclusion of Carcosan aliens and the King in Yellow and Carcosa as rumours, as well as the inclusion of Greys, or Zeta Reticulans.

Barrows & Borderlands Book 1: Men & Mutants introduces the setting and provides the means to create characters. A Player Character has seven attributes—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Radiation Resist—which range in value between three and eighteen. He will have a Race which grant some inherent abilities and Class that give him his abilities. He will also have a Star Sign that will grant him a single bonus, plus one or more skills, which divided between ‘Common’, ‘Middling’, and ‘Gentry’ which suggests a Player Character’s social origins. The skills are included for roleplaying depth rather than to support a skill mechanic, but a Game Master may allow a Player Character an advantage in a situation where they are being used or simply let the Player Character know a certain fact or attempt an action. The skills, such as ‘Beggar’, ‘Watchmaker’, or ‘Philosopher’, can also be used to determine the origins and type of character that the player s roleplaying. A Player Character will have a named relative who will inherit his wares and chattels should he go missing for long enough, and an Alignment, either Lawful (good or evil), Neutral, or Chaotic (good or evil).

The nine Races include traditional Pure-Strain Humans, Halflings, and Dwarves, and are joined by Kobolds, Starborn, Greenskulls, Mutants, Mycelians, and Fairies. Kobolds, Mutants, Greenskulls, and Starborn are demi-humans altered by the radiation of the stars and dark magiks. The dog-like Kobolds are said to have been once the slaves of dragons; Starborn are the living fragments of fallen stars given flesh and form, exiles from heaven that the Church would burn; Greenskulls are undead creatures of radiation appearing as either pale green skeletons or having green translucent skin; Mutants can be Humans, Animals, or Plants and continue to mutate; Mycelians are colonies of intelligent fungi with voices like rotting leaves that trade in prophecies and poisons; and Fairies are bewinged fey tricksters that promise wishes and enchantments. The Classes are Fighting-Man, Magic-User, Cleric, Half-Caster, Thief, Gamma, and Psychic. The Half-Caster is one-part Fighting-Man, one-part Magic-User, but is not as good at fighting or spell-casting; Psychics employ psionic powers; and Gammas have mutant powers—both beneficial and detrimental, and can have more.

The list of mutations for the Gamma is not extensive in comparison to other post-apocalyptic roleplaying games and its single table includes both beneficial and detrimental mutations. So, options include ‘Radiation Eyes’, ‘Wings’, and ‘Density Shift Self’, and ‘Carrion Odour’, ‘Non-Sensory Nerve Endings’, and ‘Bulbous Skull’.

Character creation in Barrows & Borderlands is a matter of rolling three six-sided dice and recording them in order for the seven attributes (though it does allow alternative means of generating them). The player selects a Race and Class for his character, rolls for a Star Sign and number and category of skills, and then picks skills from those categories.

Name: Billy Bones Bonce
Class: Psychic Level: 1
Race: Greenskull

Birthsign: Moon (tides/cycles) (+1 Firearms damage)

Hit Points: 6
THAC0: 19
Saving Throw: 19 (+2 versus Paralysis and Sorcery)
Alignment: Chaotic Good

Strength 8 (-1 Damage)
Dexterity 10
Constitution 16 (+1 HP, +1 versus Radiation (Death) Saves)
Intelligence 18 (+8 Languages Spoken)
Wisdom 14
Charisma 09 (Maximum Number of Retainers: 4)
Radiation Resist 12

Racial Abilities
Immune to Radiation. Does not need sleep. Starts with a 2:6 chance to form a human disguise from a fresh dead body. Has Infravision at a range of 60’.

Psychic Strength: 104
Psychic Abilities
Telepathy 3 (Know Alignment, Thought Influence, Empathy)

Skills
Common: beggar, domestic servant, paper-ink maker, apprentice
Middling: printer, apothecary, schoolmaster
Gentry: astrologer, lawyer, duellist

The equipment list is surprisingly short, but includes matchlock, flintlock, and wheellock black powder firearms. All firearms have a chance of misfiring and muskets ignore five points of armour, whilst pistols only do so at close range. (Presumably, this means that the defender’s Armour Class is reduced.) Basic combat is simple enough with rolls being made to hit on a twenty-sided die, the target number determined by comparing the attacker’s THAC0 value with the Armour Class of the defender. The combat rules cover options such as charging, mounted combat, spear charges, shield walls, and more. Shield techniques allow for shield bashes and cover for allies; defensive and aggressive stances, which will alter Armour Class and a character’s ‘To Hit’ chance; blocking and parrying and dodging for defensive techniques; having a shot ready and firing on the move for archery techniques; disarming and making double-feints in melee combat; and mounted shot and pike and shot formation for firearm techniques. These are not the only options, but there is a comprehensive list of them, allowing a Player Character to do more than simply hack and slash.

Barrows & Borderlands Book 2: Psychics & Sorcerers covers magic and psionics. Spells require a free hand and the freedom to speak to cast, and mechanically, a casting roll. This is done by comparing the caster’s Level with the Level of the spell and rolling two six-sided dice. The result can be that the spell is cast immediately, its effect delayed by up to six Rounds, or a chance that a Critical Miscast occurs. This always happens if two is rolled on the dice. It is possible for a caster to cast a spell that is above his Level, but this increases a chance of a Critical Miscast. When the possibility of a Critical Miscast is indicated, the player must make a Saving Throw versus Spells. On failure, he must roll on the ‘Magic-User Critical Miscast Table’, which at its worst obliterates the caster or changes reality so that he was never born. Other results include forcing the caster to cast every spell he knows at a random target (which includes the other Player Characters), the caster’s bones disappearing, suffering a random mutation, and so on. There is a Critical Miscast Table for the Magic-User, but not the Cleric. Learning a new spell, which can be from a scroll, tome, a master, or self-created, requires a roll under the Player Character’s Prime Requisite attribute, modified by the difference between the caster’s Level and the Level of the spell. Magic-Users and Clerics can also counterspell against another caster.

The spells for both the Magic-User and the Cleric will be familiar to anyone who has played plenty of Dungeons & Dragons. Only those of Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Level for the Magic-User are new. These are powerful spells, such as Adaptive Blast which sends a blast of energy at a target adapting to the type of energy to which it is most vulnerable; Jaws of the Snake God which summons a giant, spectral snake that bites a target for one-to-one-hundred damage and ignores armour; and Dark Forest, which summons a singe square-mile of forest with trees that grow to be a hundred feet tall and a population of up to one hundred Giant Spiders, up to one hundred Evil Shadows, and up to one hundred Orcs at the caster’s command.

One of the spells does stray into poor taste. Insanity Multiplied inflicts a form of mental instability on everyone within a one-mile radius for eight hours. These include being manic depressive, paranoid, schizophrenic, sexually perverse, and violently homicidal. Times and attitudes have changed and whilst this would have no doubt have acceptable in the roleplaying games of some forty years ago, it is not the case today. This is a spell that the Game Master may want to consider leaving out of her game.

It is possible for any Player Character to a Wild Psionic, but they have fewer points to invest in disciplines and there even the chance of their suffering Psycho-desynchronization when attempting to learn a new discipline and losing points from their attributes. The Psychic Class does not suffer this. There are twelve disciplines and they include Telekinesis, Cell Adjustment, Object/Aura Reading, Mental Assault, and Living Weaponry. Each Discipline has six different effects. For example, Telepathy has the effects, from one to six in ascending order of ‘Know Alignment’, ‘Thought Influence’, ‘Empathy’, ‘ESP’, ‘Commune’, and ‘Mind Control’. Each Disciple requires two points of Investment to gain the first effect, but after that, only one point is required to gain the next effect. To use a Discipline, a Psychic’s player rolls a single six-sided die. If the result is equal to or less than the Investment level, then the Psychic can the desired effect. If a one is rolled, only the base effect can be used and the Psychic cannot use the Discipline until the next day. However, with some disciplines, it is possible to push the roll again and again, improving the effect each time until the Psychic is able to use the desired effect. For example, if a Psychic has invested in the Pyrokinesis Discipline enough to know ‘Spark of Flame’, ‘Control Fire’, and ‘Heat Metal’, his player could attempt to push the roll three times to trigger ‘Immolation’ and set the target alight!

Several of the Disciplines provide means for a Psychic to attack others, but he can also duel with another Psychic. This is essentially the equivalent of ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors’ in which the duellists each select a Defence Mode and an Attack Mode and compare the results. These can be nothing or they inflict damage to the duellist’s Psychic Strength (to the point where they are unconscious), or hopefully stun them, which means they can do nothing and are at their opponent’s mercy. Overall, the Psionics rules are simple enough and provide a mix of spell-like and other effects that can make the Psychic Class flexible and powerful.

Barrows & Borderlands Book 3: Horrors & Treasure is the bestiary for Barrows & Borderlands. It includes many, many monsters and creatures that will be recognisable from Dungeons & Dragons—Black Puddings, Cockatrices, Gargoyles, Lycanthropes, Mimics, Owl Bears, Rust Monsters, Trolls, Will O’Wisps, and Yellow Molds. These are joined by the less familiar creatures such as Ladies of the Lake who offer a divine pact sealed with the gift of a weapon, Mirror Men that ape their opponent’s equipment and fighting style, the slow, but hard hitting Robots, the Silver Men of gleaming liquid metal that shoot eye-beams, and Dynaco Employees, mutants in synthetic work-suits that follow the diktats of a secret ancient organisation. There are a lot of entries as it also includes dinosaurs, dragons, giants, and golems.

The treasure also many items that will be familiar from Dungeons & Dragons, but also devices particular to the world of Firnum. For example, Sword +1 vs. Robots and Magic Gun +2, and swords as well as guns can be intelligent. Some weapons and devices are not magical, but technological. For example, the Dynaco Anti-Material Rifle which fires rounds that ignore armour; the Ray Gun powered by a Star Shard magazine; and Lukas’ Laser Sword, an energy blade that ignores damage reduction and five points of armour. Armour is treated in a similar fashion, all the way up to Dynaco Star Armour, a suit of powered armour. Similarly, the miscellaneous items are a mixture of the familiar and unfamiliar.

Barrows & Borderlands Book 4: The Underworld & Borderlands is the Game Master’s book for Barrows & Borderlands. It suggests two main ways of playing Barrows & Borderlands and exploring the world of Firnum—The Underworld and The Borderlands. It also suggests adhering to strict timekeeping of one real-world day being equal to one game day, which has consequences on play including time management and where the Player Characters are in the setting. It also demands more of the players and the Game Master, making Barrows & Borderlands more a commitment to play. The primary advice is about preparing for either style of play, designing The Underworld and filling it with features and traps and encounters, and working from a single village location to creating a wilderness landscape and adding locations and settlements and populating them. It gives guidance on how encounters are handled, including wandering monsters, and also on building domains and aerial combat. It also includes an example of play of a party exploring an Underworld.

What Barrows & Borderlands Book 4: The Underworld & Borderlands does not do is present Firmnum as a setting or explain any of its secrets or details of the setting. This is frustrating, because right from the start, Barrows & Borderlands has been suggesting and hinting as to what it is, telling the reader about elements of the setting, but going no further. Instead, author opens Barrows & Borderlands Book 4: The Underworld & Borderlands with, “Instead of creating my own version of the Borderlands for you to explore, I find it more pertinent to give you the tools necessary to make your own.” On the one hand, this is a laudable aim. It is telling the prospective Game Master that she has all of the tools necessary to create her own campaign, but her own setting as well. It means that Barrows & Borderlands emulates those early versions of Dungeons & Dragons that presented rules for playing in a fantasy realm whose inspirations—the works of Robert E. Howard or J.R.R. Tolkien—would have been familiar to the Game Master and the player. And if that is what the Game Master and her players want, then Barrows & Borderlands provides that. On the other hand, it is disingenuous. The issue is twofold. The first issue is that Barrows & Borderlands is not upfront enough about being a toolkit and leaving it until the fourth of its rulebooks to be clear that it is, is a mistake. The second issue is that Barrows & Borderlands is not explicit in telling the reader that there is no actual setting in the roleplaying game. What the introduction states is the following:
“The Borderlands is abstract, a land of mystery to be decided by the Referee and the Players. The core concepts are set, but specific locations, adventures, and battles are up to the emergent creativity of all at the table. A sampling of histories and lores exist within this book which suggest Nations and Powers exist outside the Confines of the Borderlands.”The Borderlands—as presented in Barrows & Borderlands—are too abstract and whilst the presentation of histories and lores are suggestive of an interesting setting to come, it is a setting that the roleplaying game has no intention of delivering. Arguably, Barrows & Borderlands might actually be a better game without those histories and lores. As to the ‘core concepts’, they are very much not set. Fundamental questions such as, ‘What are the Borderlands?’, ‘What is the Dynaco Corporation?’, ‘What are Star Shards?’, ‘What are barrows in the context of the Borderlands?’, and even something as basic as, ‘What languages are spoken in and around the Borderlands?’ are left unanswered. If those elements were more sharply defined, then perhaps they would form a firmer basis upon which the Game Master and her players could build their version of the Borderlands through emergent play.

Physically, Barrows & Borderlands is presented as and looks like a roleplaying game from TSR, Inc. from the nineteen-seventies, but much cleaner, tidier, and sharper. The artwork, much of it drawn from the public domain, is not bad and together, the whole effect just says that this is an Old School Renaissance roleplaying game. In general—especially when it comes the rules, the roleplaying game is clearly written. However, elsewhere the writing is more opaque.

Despite its omissions, Barrows & Borderlands is very likeable roleplaying game. It has all the rules necessary to run a post-apocalyptic weird science fantasy campaign, and yet… whilst it describes itself as “A Weird Science Fantasy Old-School Style Role Playing Game set in a Dark Radioactive Wasteland of Magic, Black-powder, and Dragons!” and there can be no doubt that it delivers on being “A Weird Science Fantasy Old-School Style Role Playing Game… of Magic, Black-powder, and Dragons!”, what it fails to do is give the Game Master and her players the promised “…Dark Radioactive Wasteland…” Barrows & Borderlands is either a toolkit which hints unnecessarily at a setting or a desperately underdeveloped setting attached to a decent set of rules. Barrows & Borderlands really needs to be one or the other, rather than both. Or Barrows & Borderlands really, really needs Book 5: The Borderlands to give the Game Master and her players a starting point.

1974 is an important year for the gaming hobby. It is the year that Dungeons & Dragons was introduced, the original RPG from which all other RPGs would ultimately be derived and the original RPG from which so many computer games would draw for their inspiration. It is fitting that the current owner of the game, Wizards of the Coast, released the new version, Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, in the year of the game’s fortieth anniversary. To celebrate this, Reviews from R’lyeh will be running a series of reviews from the hobby’s anniversary years, thus there will be reviews from 1974, from 1984, from 1994, and from 2004—the thirtieth, twentieth, and tenth anniversaries of the titles. These will be retrospectives, in each case an opportunity to re-appraise interesting titles and true classics decades on from the year of their original release.

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Despite the analogy that roleplaying is like the games of cops and robbers and cowboys and Indians that we played as children, it is surprising that there are so few roleplaying games in either genre or that so few of these roleplaying games have been popular. Indeed, it would not be until the publication of Gangster! by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1979 that the hobby would have its first ‘cops and robbers’ (or cops and gangsters) roleplaying, whereas the first cowboys and Indians roleplaying game appeared in 1975, the year following the release of Dungeon & Dragons. There have been several Wild West roleplaying games published since, many of them, well-researched, well-designed roleplaying games, but few have been truly popular and when they were, it was with a big dash of horror. Boot Hill was the third roleplaying game to be published by TSR, Inc. Designed by Brian Blume and E. Gary Gygax, it was subtitled, ‘Rules for “Wild West” Gunfights and Campaigns with Miniature Figures on a Man-to-Man Scale’. That it does not say ‘roleplaying game’ is indicative of the nascent hobby into which it was released. The idea of roleplaying as a pastime in a shared world was new; many early titles that the hobby calls roleplaying games today had their roots in wargames and were seen as an adjunct to that hobby, rather than the separate thing they would evolve into; and the term ‘roleplaying game’ had yet to be defined. Boot Hill definitely had its roots in wargaming as its subtitle suggests, but was there more to it than that?
Unlike most wargames, the play of Boot Hill focuses upon the single figure, or ‘character’, each one controlled by a different player to recreate gun fights, barroom brawls, and other situations synonymous with the Wild West. The action is meant to be inspired by both history and Hollywood—both film and television. To that end, the book includes two scenarios, both historically based. One is the ‘Gunfight at the OK Corral’ and the other is the ‘Battle of Coffeyville’. However, Boot Hill be played in a number of ways. One is as simple gunfights or shootouts, which are more akin to a traditional wargame, but played at a skirmish level with single figures. Another is as a freeform in which the players have roles assigned to them—represented by the figures—and they attempt actions that are appropriate to those roles. It is made clear that none of these ways to play require a Referee, the players being expected to resolve any rules difficulties between themselves. However, it is suggested that a “…[R]eferee is nice to have for some games…” Of course, a Referee can adjudicate the rules and she can also set-up the town for the freeform style of play and assign roles to the players. Boot Hill definitely makes clear that the game can be played using 25 mm or 30 mm scale figures, but advises strongly that the plastic figures from Airfix are not suitable as they are difficult to paint!

A Player Character in Boot Hill has four abilities. These are Speed, Personal Bravery, and Personal Accuracy, which are rated as percentiles, whilst Strength is rated between eight and twenty. To determine their values, percentile dice are rolled for each with results of seventy or below receiving a small bonus to the result. Personal Accuracy is rolled twice, once for thrown weapons and once for fired weapons. The process is very quick.
Nellie ‘Whip’ WoodardSpeed 65 (Very Quick)Personal Bravery 64 (Above Average)Personal Accuracy (Fired Weapons) 68 (Fair)Personal Accuracy (Thrown Weapons) 98 (Crack Shot)Strength 13 (Average)

The rules for Boot Hill are written as a wargame. Movement and range are measured in inches and the rules very much focus on combat. The outcome of a gunfight begins by determining who has the ‘First Shot’. Who can shoot first is determined by individual Speed ratings, weapon speeds, surprise, movement, and wounds suffered, as well as if a gunfighter is drawing two guns or shooting from the hip. Then, the chance To Hit is determined. This has a base value of 50% which is modified by the range, movement of the firer and the target, Personal Accuracy, Personal Bravery, Wounds suffered, and Personal Experience, that is, the number of gunfights that the induvial has been. Surviving a lot of gunfights gets a shooter a big bonus!
If the attack is successful, two means of determining damage and wounds suffered are provided. The ‘Fast Hit Location Method’ determines if the gunfighter has suffered a light or serious wound, or is dead—and there is a 15% chance of the latter happening! The second uses the ‘Exact Hit Location Chart’ and requires two rolls. Once to determine where a bullet has hit the target and the severity of the wound. Again, there is a chance that a bullet will kill the target straightaway, from 10% for a hit to the shoulder to 60% for a hit to head! Otherwise, damage reduces a character’s Strength, rendering him unconscious if reduced to zero, and slows his movement.
The brawling rules are simpler, but not quite as clearly explained. Instead of determining who has the ‘First Shot’, the players determine who gets to try and land the ‘First Blow’. The faster brawler gets to throw two punches or grapple, whilst the defender gets to defend himself by punching or grappling in return. The brawling rules allow for weapon use, though knives and cutting weapons use the tables for determining damage in gunfights. Blunt weapons simply do slightly more damage. Results can be a miss with no second punch, glancing blow, blocked, jab, hook, and so on.
The ‘Advanced Rules’ cover simultaneous, hidden, and vehicle movement, and options such as firing during movement and firing at horses. Minor character morale covers the response of everyone other than a player’s character and includes both cavalry and Indians. There is a list of ‘Miscellaneous Characters’, from Town Marshals and Deputies to Merchants, Clerks, and Saloon Girls. There is light guidance too, on setting up a town, suggesting what might be found within its boundaries, as a Mexican or Chinese quarter, and that the interiors of buildings should be mapped out as well as exteriors.
Optional rules suggest alternative rules for determining the ‘First Shot’, being a ‘Sharpshooter’ if the character has a very high Personal Accuracy, stunning attacks, the effects of intoxication, dynamite and possible injuries from dynamite, misfires, Gatling guns, and cannons. Particular attention is paid to the gambler, meaning that the actions of a character beyond combat is actually covered in Boot Hill. The gambler has a percentage score for his ability to manipulate cards and avoid being caught cheating. Gambling is handled by straight percentile rolls, highest roll winning, the gambler having a bonus. If a gambler wins too often, his fellow cardplayers get a chance to determine if he has cheated. The campaign rules expand play beyond the typical frontier town with rules for mapping, rules for posses, and tracking.
Perhaps the most attention in Boot Hill is paid to the two scenarios, ‘Gunfight at the OK Corral’ and ‘Battle of Coffeyville’, which are given in the Appendices. This includes historical background, set-up, and stats for the various characters involved. Both come with rough maps of their locations. It is suggested that these can played over and over, perhaps a hallmark of a wargame rather than roleplaying game. Rounding out the appendices is a list of prices and wages as well as sample town map.
Physically, Boot Hill is plainly laid out, though readable. The artwork is scruffy and the maps are rudimentary.
Boot Hill is both more than a set of wargames miniatures rules and less than a roleplaying game. Its emphasis upon single characters, and their capacity for growth and the capacity for doing things other than gunfighting and brawling, if implicit rather explicit—except for the gambling rules, push it towards roleplaying, but the deadliness of the combat system and emphasis upon combat is definitely more akin to a wargame. What it is more akin to is a ‘Braunstein’, a wargame with players taking individual roles in a Napoleonic Germany, and then developed by David Wesely in the late sixties and later developed by Duane Jenkins into a Wild West ‘Braunstein’ set in the fictional, ‘Brownstone Texas’. This suggests that Boot Hill has the capacity for roleplaying and to be a roleplaying game, but it is very much reliant upon the Game Master and players to do that rather than the game itself encourage them to do so. Boot Hill has always been included in the canon of roleplaying games, but where the later editions of the game—published in 1979 and 1990—do qualify and count as roleplaying games, it can be strongly argued that its original, first edition version barely qualifies as a roleplaying game.

Quick-starts are a means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy. Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce and explain the setting to her players, the rules to run the scenario included, and a set of ready-to-play, pre-generated characters that the players can pick up and understand almost as soon as they have sat down to play. The scenario itself should provide an introduction to the setting for the players as well as to the type of adventures that their characters will have and just an idea of some of the things their characters will be doing on said adventures. All of which should be packaged up in an easy-to-understand booklet whose contents, with a minimum of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, can be brought to the table and run for her gaming group in a single evening’s session—or perhaps two. And at the end of it, Game Master and players alike should ideally know whether they want to play the game again, perhaps purchasing another adventure or even the full rules for the roleplaying game.

Alternatively, if the Game Master already has the full rules for the roleplaying game the quick-start is for, then what it provides is a sample scenario that she still run as an introduction or even as part of her campaign for the roleplaying game. The ideal quick-start should entice and intrigue a playing group, but above all effectively introduce and teach the roleplaying game, as well as showcase both rules and setting.

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What is it?
The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules is the quick-start for The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG, the roleplaying game based on the Planet of the Apes film franchise. Specifically, it is based on the original 1968 film, Planet of the Apes, followed by Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes, as well as the 1974 television series and later novels and comic book series.

It is a eighty-six page, 55.08 MB full colour PDF.

It is decently written and the artwork really is very good.

How long will it take to play?
The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules is designed to be played through in two sessions.
What else do you need to play?
The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules needs a handful of six-sided dice, one of which must be a different colour to represent the Wild Die.
Who do you play?
The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules includes six pre-generated Player Characters. They consist of an ambitious Chimpanzee Statesape, a Gorilla Veteran scout, a Gorilla Constable, an Orangutan Lawgiver, almost muckraking Chimpanzee Journalist, and a Gorilla Serviceape.
How is a Player Character defined?A Player Character in the The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG can be a Chimpanzee, Gorilla, Orangutan, Mutant, Human or Tribal Human, or even an ‘Astro-Naut’. In The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules needs, they are either Chimpanzee, Gorilla, or Orangutan. A Player Character has six Attributes—Dexterity, Knowledge, Mechanical, Perception, Strength, and Willpower—and their associated skills. They are rated by a die code, indicating the number of six-sided dice it has as well as a bonus, either ‘+1’ or ‘+2’. A Player Character will also have a memento that grants him a bonus under specific circumstances, background, and motive. In The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG, a Player Character can also have a Quirk, which enables to have a Remarkable Ability, but those in the The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules do not.
How do the mechanics work?
The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules—and thus The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG—uses a variant of the D6 System first seen in Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game published by West End Games in 1987. This variant is called the ‘Magnetic Variant’ or ‘D6MV’. To have his character undertake an action, a player rolls a number of dice equal to the attribute, plus a skill, if appropriate. The result is compared to a Difficulty Number, ranging from five or ‘Very Easy’ to thirty or ‘Extremely Difficult’, with fifteen being ‘Average’, to determine the degree of success. If the result is equal to the Difficulty Number, it is a ‘Partial Success’, which means that the Player Character succeeds, but with a setback. If the result is greater than the Difficulty Number, it is an ‘Ordinary Success’, but if three times greater than the Difficulty Number, it is an ‘Exceptional Success’ and the action is achieved with greater speed, accuracy, or effect. Conversely, if the result is less than the Difficulty Number, it can be simple ‘Ordinary Failure’, ‘Exceptional Failure’, or ‘Catastrophic Failure’, depending on how low it is. With an ‘Exceptional Failure’, something bad will happen to the Player Character, but not immediately, whereas with a ‘Catastrophic Failure’, it happens immediately.
One of the dice rolled on an action is always the Wild Die. If it rolls a six, then the Player Character gains an advantage, which can be elevating a successful roll by one step, gaining Hero Points, or granting another Player Character a Hero Point. If the roll is a failure and the Wild Die result is still a success, a player can roll it again and hope that it rolls more sixes to add to the total. If the Wild Die rolls a one, then something bad happens, even if the action was otherwise a success. This can be to add a setback, lowering the degree of success by one step, and so on. Some of these options will grant the Player Character more Hero Points.
Hero Points are also earned from ingenuity or good play. They can be spent to double the Die Code for a single roll, to reroll a result, or to turn a Wounded, Incapacitated, or Mortally Wounded condition into ‘Just a Flesh’ wound.
How does combat work?
Initiative in combat is a group roll, either using the Reflex skill if the combatants are aware of the fight, or just Perception if not. It is rolled at the start of each round to reflect the back and forth of cinematic pulp action of the source material. Hand-to-hand attacks are rolled using the Brawl or Melee skills against the defender’s defence value. Ranged attacks use either the Marksmanship, Thrown, or Gunnery skills, the Difficulty Number determined by the defender’s defence value and the range. A defender—and thus a Player Character—has three defence values. These are ‘Surprised Defence’, ‘Ready Defence’, and ‘Psyche Defence’, each of which is derived from an attribute. Damage—whether from a combination of Strength and a melee weapon’s damage or a ranged weapon’s damage—is compared to the defender’s Strength to give a result of either ‘Stunned’, ‘Wounded’, ‘Incapacitated’, or ‘Mortally Wounded’. The rules in The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules also cover mental trauma and recovery as well as general recovery.
What do you play?
The scenario in The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules is ‘The Deadliest Prey’. In this an affluent, but bored and ambitious Chimpanzee uses his position and connections to organise a lawgiver-sponsored hunt for one of the deadliest of predators to have appeared in years—a meat-eating, ape-murdering Human! So far, he has proved himself to be a highly deadly and elusive threat, and this is further enforced when the members of the current expedition—of which, the Player Characters are a part—are attacked and their supplies destroyed. The Player Characters are forced to rely on their survival skills as they attempt to track down the Human predator. The situation escalates as the Player Characters become the hunted as well as the hunters. The scenario is a sandcrawl in which the Player Characters track down the predators and explore the region. It is decently detailed, but is very much a ‘pull-and-push’ scenario as the LAWGIVER—as the Game Master is known—reacts to the actions of the Player Characters and pushes back at them with the very active threat that they face. The scenario also allows for a greater freedom of action upon the part of the Player Characters as they are free to wander wherever they want in the valley and on the hillsides where it is set. It means that ‘The Deadliest Prey’ is more complex to run than the typical quick-start.
Is there anything missing?
No. Not as written. However, it is disappointing that the quick-start does not use the rules for Quirks and Remarkable Abilities to show off better how special the Player Characters are. The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules includes a good introduction to the history and background to Planet of the Apes that also provides the general viewpoints of the various factions, starting with the apes. It also incudes lots of references to the full rules and what is to be found in the full rulebook for The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG. Which does become a little wearisome.
Is it easy to prepare?
Yes. The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules is easy to prepare.
Is it worth it?
Yes. The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules is a very good looking product that does a good job of introducing both the future that is Planet of the Apes and the rules to the roleplaying game, along with a solid adventure that gives the Player Characters more agency than most quick-start adventures and is thus more complex to run.

The Official PLANET OF THE APES RPG Quickstart Rules is published by Magnetic Press Play and is available to download here.

A never-before seen ‘bearded star’—or comet—is seen skittering across the night sky that mystics and astrologers have labelled ‘Serbok’, which just happens to be the old word for ‘serpent’. Any coincidence? Then, in the nearby forest, woodcutters report the appearance of, again, a never seen before dark lake, its waters full of strange fish and other creatures, with a tower standing on the water’s edge, its walls not of traditional mortar and stone, but of a material with leathery appearance, as if cut and sewn from monstrously giant reptile! The woodcutters knew better than to stick around, but their departure was heralded by the sudden emitting of a burning beam of light out of the top of the tower and up into the sky. Even now, the fiery ray continues to sear its way into the heavens, visible from beyond the confines of the forest. Any coincidence? Are the two connected? Well, of course they are! The comet marks the impending return of S’lissakk, a serpent-man sorcerer of great renown from the empire of E’shernulus, who since that time has travelling the comos aboard his voidcraft. His return is guided by the tower, the Pharos of Scales, which itself has been piloted through time by S’lissakk’s apprentice, H’lisk, to ensure that the beacon is in the right time to anticipate his master’s return.

This is the set-up to Dungeon Crawl Classics #77.5: The Tower Out of Time, a scenario published by Goodman Games for use with the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. The scenario was published in 2013 as a special incentive to Game Masters participating in the DCCRPG World Tour 2013, which promoted the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game both in store and at conventions, and then was later suggested as a demonstration scenario for Free RPG in 2013. It is designed for a party of six Second Level Player Characters and has both a quick set-up time and a quick playing time. It can easily be played in a single session and prepared in less than hour. That set-up also makes it easy to add to a campaign, the Judge only needing to locate the forests where the Pharos of Scales has appeared in her campaign world.

The Pharos of Scales is actually made of prehistoric reptile hide stiffened and toughened through the wonders of ancient Serpent-Man sorcery, with doors made of ‘soap-bubble’-like membranes that instantly reform when there is nothing is breaking them. This weirdness continues inside, enforcing a sense of ancient primordial hothouse origins on each of its floors. The layout of the tower is simple with no more than two rooms per storey. The lower levels consist of an arboretum that provides an environment more to the liking of H’lisk and his servants as well as their quarters. The latter are Ape-Men controlled via Cerebraleechs that look like parasites attached to the back of their necks and granting them a psionic attack in addition to their physicality. Above this is an example of Serpent-Man science, what looks like exotic jungle flower supported by three thick and fleshy stems to which are attached small, hairy anthropoid creature known as Antehumans, precursors to Humanity, via tubes that pierce their bodies, siphoning off blood to feed the flower-like device. This is the beacon itself and H’lisk and his Ape-Men servants will fight to the death to protect it!

One entertaining change to this style of adventure, is that it changes when H’lisk gets to do his villainous monologue! He gets to have this and any conversation with the Player Characters when they are on the floor below, so that when they do get to confront him, there is no delay in the fight starting. This is the only opportunity for roleplaying in the adventure and gives the Judge to explain some of the scenario’s background without the players deciding that their characters automatically attack rather than listen to any monologue. This is enforced by the design of the tower which places a trap on the ramp up from the storey that the Player Characters are on and the storey where H’lisk is. The point is highlighted in a rather entertaining section of boxed text, ‘Behind the Scenes’, which gives some insight to the final confrontation and what happened during the scenario’s play test.

The scenario comes to a close with a puzzle door—which comes with its own rather nice handout—that the Player Characters must solve if they want to get to the roof, though there not anything up there worth investigating. It may well be that the puzzle door is more rewarding if the Player Characters have climbed the tower and are attempting to break in from the roof. It ends that, with the arrival of S’lissakk in his voidship. Where he lands depends upon whether the beacon is still working. If it is, his voidship splashes down in the lake beside the tower, but if not, it will be much further way. What happens next—and the details of S’lissakk—are left for the Judge to develop. Rounding off the scenario, in addition to the map, are details of ‘Serbok: The Slithering Shadow’ as a Patron, although no new spells are included.

Physically, Dungeon Crawl Classics #77.5: The Tower Out of Time is decently presented. The writing is good, the artwork is decent, and the handout is nicely done. The cover is very well done, getting across its weirdness in comparison to normal wizard’s towers.

Ultimately, that is what Dungeon Crawl Classics #77.5: The Tower Out of Time is—a wizard’s tower. It is just that the wizard’s tower is a weird Serpent-Man wizard’s tower! Dungeon Crawl Classics #77.5: The Tower Out of Time is a small adventure, really only providing a session’s worth of engagingly thematic play. However, as much as his return is heralded by its background, the scenario leaves what happens with S’lissakk undeveloped and in the hands of the Judge, who is left without any ideas or suggestions. Without developing that further, as written, the actual ending of is either a cliffhanger or an anticlimax, and if the Judge decides to forgo the arrival of S’lissakk, then there is the possibility that the players and characters may have no idea what it is exactly they have been doing in the scenario. Dungeon Crawl Classics #77.5: The Tower Out of Time is short and very serviceable, but its ending leaves the Judge without any answers and plenty of questions to ask.

Here is the last batch! I'll update my Witch Links page with all of these.

  

Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque

Magic Summary for Beyond the Wall
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2015/02/magic-summary-for-beyond-wall.html

The Other Boleyn Witch
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-other-boleyn-witch.html

Let's Loot the Witch's House!
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/01/lets-loot-witchs-house.html

Go See The Witch
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/02/go-see-witch.html

So, You Saw The Witch...
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/03/so-you-saw-witch.html

The Last Apprentice and 5e D&D
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-last-apprentice-and-5e-d.html

The Witch Queen of the Black Numenoreans
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-witch-queen-of-black-numenoreans.html

The Witch's Guest
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-witchs-guest.html

Total Skull, October 2017
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2017/11/total-skull-october-2017.html

Conjure Wife
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2019/10/conjure-wife.html

Origins of the Witch, The Gothic's Cruel Optimism, the Shadow Over Lovecraft
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2021/10/origins-of-witch-gothics-cruel-optimism.html

Sepulchre of the Swamp Witch
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2022/12/sepulchre-of-swamp-witch.html

Sigil Fires and Witch Wards
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2024/07/sigil-fired-and-witch-wards.html

Tenkar's Tavern

Some Thoughts on Mundane Magic
http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2018/11/some-thoughts-on-mundane-magic.html

These Old Games

52 Weeks of Magic - Item 29 - The Witch's Staff
http://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/10/52-weeks-of-magic-item-29-witchs-staff.html

Meet The New Antagonists - The Coven of Ash
https://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/12/meet-new-antagonists-coven-of-ash.html

The Skin Wolf Golem
https://www.theseoldgames.com/2020/03/the-skin-wolf-golem.html

OSR OCD. Witches Brew
https://www.theseoldgames.com/2020/09/osr-ocd-witches-brew.html

Throne of Salt

Class: Book Club Witches
http://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2018/11/class-book-club-witches.html

Tower of the Archmage

New magic Item: Summoner's Candles
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-magic-item-summoners-candles.html

New Monster: Fear Gorta
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-monster-fear-gorta.html

New Magic Item: Mask of the Witchdoctor
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2013/11/new-magic-item-mask-of-witchdoctor.html

The Witching Hour Approaches! Witch of the Deep
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-witching-hour-approaches.html

5e New Spell: New Skin
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2015/10/5e-new-spell-new-skin.html

Tribality

The Warlock Class
http://www.tribality.com/2016/10/20/the-warlock-class-part-zero/

Monster Lab: Frost Witch Queen for D&D 5e
http://www.tribality.com/2017/02/17/monster-lab-frost-witch-queen-for-dd-5e/

Trollish Delver

1d20 things in a witch's hovel
http://www.trollishdelver.com/2017/05/1d20-things-in-witchs-hovel.html

The Three Witches of the Dreadoak
http://www.trollishdelver.com/2018/07/the-three-witches-of-dreadoak.html

Witch bottle for Romance of the Perilous Land
http://www.trollishdelver.com/2021/09/witch-bottle-for-romance-of-perilous.html

Ultanya

Cauldron of the Witch
http://www.ultanya.com/2014/10/cauldron-of-witch.html

The Yule Cat
https://www.ultanya.com/2014/12/the-yule-cat.html

The Witch's Bookshelf
http://www.ultanya.com/2015/10/the-witchs-bookshelf.html

Wretched, Awful Things...

The Sixty Quirks of Witches and their Ilk
http://newfeierland.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-sixty-quirks-of-witches-and-their.html

What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse

Endless Quest Crimson Crystal Adventure #4: Stop That Witch!
https://lordgwydion.blogspot.com/2010/11/endless-quest-crimson-crystal-adventure.html

Beast of the Week: Witch
http://lordgwydion.blogspot.com/2012/11/beast-of-week-witch.html

Beast of the Week: Spearfinger
https://lordgwydion.blogspot.com/2012/02/beast-of-week-spearfinger.html

Wrath of Zombie's Blog

Hubris Player Classes- Witch
https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/hubris-player-classes-witch/

The Blood Witch- A DCC class
https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/the-blood-witch-a-dcc-class/

The Occult Slayer (Witch Hunter)- a 5e Fighter Martial Archetype
http://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/the-occult-slayer-witch-hunter-a-5e-fighter-martial-archetype/

The Bog Witch- A Terrible Creature Found in the Hubris Bogwood Swamp
http://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/the-bog-witch-a-terrible-creature-found-in-the-hubris-bogwood-swamp/

The Abhorrent Creature- The Witch/Warlock! An Enemy For Barbarians of the Ruined Earth
https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/the-abhorrent-creature-the-witchwarlock-an-enemy-for-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth/

Writeups.org
All of these are for DC Heroes Role-Playing Game

Tara Maclay (!) but sadly no Willow
https://www.writeups.org/tara-maclay-amber-benson-buffy-vampire-slayer/

Thelma Bates (HƎX)
https://www.writeups.org/thelma-bates-lesbian-ghost-hex-rooper/

Bavmorda
https://www.writeups.org/bavmorda-willow-witch-movie/

The Charmed Ones
Prue, https://www.writeups.org/shannen-doherty-charmed-prue-halliwell/
Piper, https://www.writeups.org/piper-halliwell-charmed-holly-marie-combs/
Phoebe, https://www.writeups.org/charmed-alyssa-milano-phoebe-halliwell/
Melinda Warren, https://www.writeups.org/melinda-warren-charmed-witch/

John Constantine
https://www.writeups.org/john-constantine-hellblazer-dc-vertigo-comics/

Elvira, mistress of the dark
https://www.writeups.org/elvira-mistress-of-the-dark/

Evil-Lyn (Masters of the Universe cartoons) 
https://www.writeups.org/evil-lyn-masters-universe-cartoon/

Hecate (Ms. Marvel character)
https://www.writeups.org/hecate-ms-marvel-comics/

Jadis the White Witch
https://www.writeups.org/narnia-tilda-swinton-jadis-white-witch/

Morgana the Witch
https://www.writeups.org/morgana-the-witch-wonder-woman-dc-comics/

Samantha Stephens
https://www.writeups.org/bewitched-samantha-stephens-elizabeth-montgomery/

Ursula the sea witch
https://www.writeups.org/ursula-witch-little-mermaid-disney/

Woman aka Witch (Hawk the Slayer)
https://www.writeups.org/woman-witch-hawk-the-slayer-movie-1980/

Wonder Woman
https://www.writeups.org/wonder-woman-diana-dc-comics-old/

Zenopus Archives
(*The* place for Holmes information)

35 years ago this month (Mar 77)
https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2012/03/35-years-ago-this-month-mar-77.html

Part 4: "...And a Half-Human, Half-Serpent Naga"
https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/11/part-4-and-half-human-half-serpent-naga.html

Part 55: Summary of Changes (Holmes Manuscript)
https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/part-55-summary-of-changes.html

And that is all! For now anyway.

 A few more today. As always, let me know if I missed yours.

Of Dice and Dragons

Welcome to the Witch’s Brew
https://ofdiceanddragons.com/welcome-to-the-witchs-brew/

OSR Grimoire

Holmes Expanded: Character Classes
https://osrgrimoire.blogspot.com/2021/01/holmes-expanded-character-classes.html

Holmes Expanded: The Witch
https://osrgrimoire.blogspot.com/2021/01/holmes-expanded-witch.html

B5: Horror on the Hill
https://osrgrimoire.blogspot.com/2022/10/b5-horror-on-hill.html

The OSR Library

Folkloric and Infernal Magic Options (OSR)
http://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/10/folkloric-and-infernal-magic-options-osr.html

The Witch Class (S&W / OSR) The Traditional Evil Witch archetype.
http://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-witch-class-s-osr-traditional-evil.html

The Magician Class (OSR)
https://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-magician-class-osr.html

OSR Pirate/Renaissance and Colonial Classes. Magician, Sorcerer, Witch
https://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2018/07/osr-piraterenaissance-and-colonial_94.html

Owl’s Guide to Witches

Guide for Pathfinder Witches
https://feeneygames.github.io/PFGuideArchive/archive/Owl%E2%80%99s%20Witch%20Guide/OwlsWitchGuide.html

The Piazza

Witch Class
https://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=26878

The PorPor Books Blog: SF and Fantasy Books 1968 - 1988

Book Review: Hecate's Cauldron
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-review-hecates-cauldron.html

The Witch Queen of Acheron
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-witch-queen-of-acheron.html

Book Review: Silverglass
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/book-review-silverglass.html

Magician by Robert Holdstock and Malcolm Edwards
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/magician-by-robert-holdstock-and.html

Power Score RPG

Baba Yaga's Hut
http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/search?q=baba+yaga

Dungeons & Dragons - The Baatorians, the Original Denizens of Hell
https://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2017/01/dungeons-dragons-baatorians-original.html

Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to the Demonomicon of Iggwilv
https://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-demonomicon-of-iggwilv.html

Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to Tasha
https://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2016/06/dungeons-dragons-guide-to-iggwilv-witch.html

Prismatic Wasteland

Familiars: A Witch’s Best Friend
https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/familiars-a-witchs-best-friend

Quag Keep

The Quintessential Witch D20, Death Curse
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2011/07/quintessential-witch-d20-death-curse.html

B5 Horror on the Hill
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2012/04/b5-horror-on-hill.html

The Hamlet of Thumble
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-hamlet-of-thumble.html

Judges Guild: Witches Court Marshes
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2017/12/judges-guild-witches-court-marshes.html

Role Aids: Witches
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2019/02/role-aids-witches.html

Quest of the Ancients
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2019/01/quest-of-ancients.html

Saga of the Witch Queen
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2019/07/saga-of-witch-queen.html

Way of the Witch
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2022/08/way-of-witch.html

FOR6: The Seven Sisters (1995)
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2025/01/for6-seven-sisters-1995.html

Witch Hunt (1983)
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2025/02/witch-hunt-1983.html

Rachel Bonuses

Comparative OSR Witchcraft
https://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/2013/05/comparative-osr-witchcraft.html

Fey-touched Background for 5e
http://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/2014/08/in-which-5e-background-is-introduced.html

The sorcerer, draft 3
https://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-sorcerer-draft-3.html

Raven Crowking's Nest

Patrons & Projects II: A Sample (Hecate)
https://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/2012/07/patrons-projects-ii-sample.html

The Time of the Oath
http://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-time-of-oath.html

Helloween: Better Than Raw - Charity Desire
http://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/2018/10/helloween-better-than-raw.html

Realms of Chirak

B/X D&D Month XIV: Terragia, the Witch of Galitath
http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com/2014/04/bx-d-month-xiv-terragia-witch-of.html

The Witch of Galitath for Magic World
https://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-witch-of-galitath-for-magic-world.html

Sages of Greyhawk (Facebook)

Iggwilv, the Witch-Queen of Perrenland
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1471065309863986/permalink/1760909524212895

Save Versus All Wands

Witches in Early D&D
http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/11/witches-in-early-d.html

What is Book of Spells? Part 1: Magic-Users
https://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/10/what-is-book-of-spells-part-1-magic.html

Book of Spells for Zylarthen Released!
https://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-of-spells-for-zylarthen-released.html

Save Vs. Dragons

A-to-Z Challenge, V: Vulbat (New Oe/BX/1E Monster)
https://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2012/04/to-z-challenge-v-vulbat-new-oebx1e.html

A-to-Z Blogging Challenge Day 1: Atanuwe's Feast Day
https://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-day-1.html

Sea of Stars RPG

Review – Once Upon A Time: A Guide to Fairy Tales (for Pathfinder)
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/review-once-upon-a-time-a-guide-to-fairy-tales-for-pathfinder/

New Spells – Fever Chain of Spells
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/new-spells-fever-chain-of-spells/

Review – #1 with a Bullet Point: 5 Magic Witch’s Daggers
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/review-1-with-a-bullet-point-5-magic-witchs-daggers/

May RPG Blog Carnival Review – Occult Mysteries and Magic
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/may-rpg-blog-carnival-review-occult-mysteries-and-magic/

Adventure Report – Storybooks and Witches
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2020/03/17/adventure-report-storybooks-and-witches/

Tuesday Magic Item – Solstice Wand
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/tuesday-magic-item-solstice-wand/

Gwestrya, Hedge Witch (Petrichor 365)
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/05/18/gwestrya-hedge-witch-petrichor-365/

Tuesday Magic Item – Witch Wand
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2025/04/22/tuesday-magic-item-witch-wand/

Steve's Gamer Blog

Witches & Warlocks (4e)
http://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/witches-warlocks.html

Scarecrows Part 1 and Part 2
 - https://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-scarecrows-part-1.html
 - https://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-scarecrows-part-2.html

The Witch Preview (Heroes of the Feywild)
https://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/witch-preview-heroes-of-feywild.html

Heroes of the Feywild Preview: Pixie and Witch
http://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/heroes-of-feywild-preview-pixie-and.html

Strange Magic

Weekend Edition: Palace of the Vampire Queen
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2010/10/weekend-edition-palace-of-vampire-queen.html

Witch for B/X D&D
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2012/03/witch-for-bx-d.html

Split Classes in B/X D&D
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2012/03/split-classes-in-bx-d.html

Bene Gesserit for B/X D&D
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2012/09/bene-gesserit-for-bx-d.html

Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles Wiki

Witch and Witchcraft tales (from Germany)
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Category:Witch

Sword & Shield

Compleat Spell Caster
https://swordandshieldrpg.blogspot.com/2012/06/compleat-spell-caster.html

Last batch tomorrow!

 A lot more links today, and some more still to come.

At this point, I am sure I have some links, so let me know if yours should be in this collection.

Halls of the Nephilim

The Mask of Satan
https://punverse.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-mask-of-satan.html

M is for Mask
https://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/04/m-is-for-mask.html

The Cloak of Feathers (DCC)
https://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-cloak-of-feathers-dcc.html

Kole, Witch of the Wild
http://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/06/kole-witch-of-wild-basic.html

Succubus Sundays
http://punverse.blogspot.com/search/label/Succubus%20Sunday

Scarecrows for D&D 5
http://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/09/autumnal-equinox.html

I Cast Light!

EYE OF NEWT AND A DASH OF STARDUST: Ingredients for Fairy Tale Adventures
https://icastlight.blogspot.com/2025/01/eye-of-newt-and-dash-of-stardust.html

I Don't Remember That Move

The Batterwitch(es)
https://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-batterwitches.html

Witch Generator
https://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2015/05/witch-generator.html

a peeper deeper, Ready to Harvest the Witch's Garden
http://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-peeper-deeper.html

In Place's Deep

Serve the Master!
http://inplacesdeep.blogspot.com/2014/11/serve-master.html

The Witch (Rough Draft)

http://inplacesdeep.blogspot.com/2010/10/witch-rough-draft.html

Internet Sacred Texts Archive

https://www.sacred-texts.com/

Jaron's RANTs and RAVEs

[DND] Character Concept - WAR D&D: Witch Elf
http://jaron95.blogspot.com/2010/03/dnd-character-concept-war-d-witch-elf.html
Based on the WoW Witch Elf, they a close to what I would call a War Witch.

Jeff's Gameblog

The Ink Witches
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-ink-witches.html

Land of Nod

The Old Mage's Almanac - Spells of Voice
http://matt-landofnod.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-old-mages-almanac-spells-of-voice.html

Le Chaudron Chromatique (The chromatic cauldron)

Goblin Enchantress (with shaman and retinue)
http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/2014/10/goblin-enchantress-with-shaman-and.html

The Lizard Man Diaries

Star Witch Class for White Star
http://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2016/02/star-witch-class-white-star.html

Mad Gaming Madness

Fantastic Friday: Witch Class in D&D

• Part 1, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-1.html
• Part 2, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-2.html
• Part 3, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-3.html
• Part 4, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/04/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-4.html
• Addendum, http://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/10/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d.html

Monster Brains

Art site with lots of great old art featuring witches, demons, ghosts, and other monsters.

Witches In Woodcuts
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2007/03/blog-post.html

Rosaleen Norton
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2007/08/rosaleen-norton-australian-occultist.html

Compendium Of Magic And Demonology, 1775
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2014/12/compendium-of-magic-and-demonology-1775.html

Cornelis Saftleven - Drawings of Demons, 17th Century
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/01/cornelis-saftleven-drawings-of-demons.html

Leonard Baskin - Imps, Demons, Hobgoblins, Witches, Fairies and Elves, 1984
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/01/leonard-baskin-imps-demons-hobgoblins.html

Cornelis van Jacob - Saul and the Witch of Endor, 1526
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/01/cornelis-van-jacob-saul-and-witch-of.html

Illustrations from Walt McDougall’s Good Stories for Children, 1902-05
Check out the "carrion crawler" from 1902!
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/11/illustrations-from-walt-mcdougalls-good.html

John D Batten
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/01/john-d-batten.html

Norman Lindsay (1879 – 1969)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/08/norman-lindsay.html

Paul Ranson (1864-1909)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/12/paul-ranson-1864-1909.html

Frans Francken the Younger (1581 - 1642)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/08/frans-francken-younger-1581-1642.html

Reggie Oliver - The Hauntings at Tankerton Park
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/03/reggie-oliver-hauntings-at-tankerton.html

William Mortensen (1897-1965)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/05/william-mortensen-1897-1965.html

Jaroslav Panuska (1872-1958)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/04/jaroslav-panuska-1872-1958.html

Gabriel Ehinger - The Witch of Endor, 1675
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/07/gabriel-ehinger-witch-of-endor-1675.html

Heinrich Kley (1863 - 1945)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2019/12/heinrich-kley-1863-1945.html

Richard Doyle (1824-1883)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2020/02/richard-doyle-1824-1883.html

Stephen Romano Curator in Residence - Luciana Lupe Vasconcelos
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2020/05/monster-brains-stephen-romano-curator_12.html

Joannès Drevet - The Witch, 1904
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/01/joannes-drevet-witch-1904.html

Richard Doyle - Witches and Dragons, late 19th Century
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/03/richard-doyle-witches-and-dragons-late.html

Franz von Zülow - The Witch's Kitchen, Early-Mid 20th C
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/03/franz-von-zulow-witchs-kitchen-early.html

Valery Slauk (Belarusian, 1947 - )
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/11/valery-slauk-belarusian-1947.html

Monsters and Manuals

Witches and Warlocks
http://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2016/03/witches-and-warlocks.html

Mutants & Magic

Web Witch
http://mutantsmagic.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-labyrinth-lord-monster-web-witch.html

Natures Sacred Journey

Bringing the Witch back to D&D
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/naturessacredjourney/2016/08/bringing-the-witch-back-to-dd/

Northport

Demons and Patrons in Basic Era Games
https://gwythaintny.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/demons-and-patrons-in-basic-era-games/

NUELOW Games

The Love Witch has been unleashed!
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-love-witch-has-been-unleashed.html

Coming Soon: 'Secrets of the Witchkind'
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2016/10/coming-soon-secrets-of-witchkind.html

Body Wraps of Dimension Travel
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2017/07/heres-magic-item-for-any-game-system.html

Remains of Atlantis: The Codex of Doom (Part One)
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2018/04/remains-of-atlantis-codex-of-doom-part.html

More of the links tomorrow.

 Here are some more links to other blogs, and the occasional message board, talking about things that interest me. Know more? Let us all know!

Dragonsfoot

Shamans / Witch Doctors and Unearthed Arcana
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=65694

Dreams of the Lich House

Mythic Monday: The Witch
http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/mythic-monday-witch.html

Any of the Gothic Greyhawk posts
http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Gothic%20Greyhawk

Doomslakers!

Witch!
http://doomslakers.blogspot.com/2014/05/witch.html

Witch! (revised)
http://doomslakers.blogspot.com/2014/05/witch-revised.html

Witch (another revision)
http://doomslakers.blogspot.com/2014/06/witch-another-revision.html

Dump Stat
Deep Dive - Warlock Class
https://dumpstatadventures.com/blog/deep-dive-warlock-class

Dungeons Deep & Caverns Old
Fantasy Age Specializations - The Witch
http://dungeonsandcaverns.blogspot.com/2015/10/fantasy-age-specializations-witch.html

Elfmaids & Octopi

d100 Witches
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2014/01/d100-witches.html

The Blood Wizard Harvest  - Not really witches, but can be used as such.
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-blood-wizard-harvest.html

Your familiar is boring
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2015/10/your-familiar-is-boring.html

Wondering about Witchcraft
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2016/03/wondering-about-witchcraft.html

EN World

D&D 5th Edition Witch Class
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?401243-Witch-Class

Let's talk about Witches
https://www.enworld.org/threads/lets-talk-about-witches.469321/

The Eye of Joyful Sitting Amongst Friends
I'm a DT-RPG publisher now! The Enchanter
http://joyfulsitting.blogspot.com/2015/09/im-dt-rpg-publisher-now.html

False Machine
GOBLINS GOBLINS GOBLINS
http://falsemachine.blogspot.com/2022/08/goblins-goblins-goblins.html

Flutes Loot

5e Guide to Playing a Witch
https://www.flutesloot.com/5e-guide-to-playing-a-witch/

Alchemist Artificer as a White Witch: D&D 5e Character Idea
https://www.flutesloot.com/reflavoring-the-alchemist-artificer-as-a-white-witch/

From the Sorcerer's Skull

Witches of Ix
http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2014/08/witches-of-ix.html

Dark Days in Noxia
http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2014/08/dark-days-in-noxia.html

The Witch Queen of Noxia
http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-witch-queen-of-noxia.html

The Witch of the Woods
https://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-witch-of-woods.html

Giant in the Playground

Witches in D&D
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?44145-Witches-in-D-amp-D

The Graverobber's Guide

The Witch's List (an adventure)
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-witchs-list-adventure.html

Design Document: Three Basic Classes
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/04/design-document-three-basic-classes.html

Magic as Language
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/07/magic-as-language.html

Wenches & Witches (d100 Carousing Table)
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/10/wenches-witches-d100-carousing-table.html

Greyhawk Grognard

Witch class preview: Ylfe-shot
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2008/05/29/witch-class-preview-ylfe-sho/

Witch Class Preview: Evil Eye
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2008/07/18/witch-class-preview-evil-eye/

Witch Preview #3: Familiar Names
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2008/07/28/witch-preview-3-familiar-names/

The Witch
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2011/10/17/witc/

Now Available: The Witch
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2011/10/29/now-available-witc/

31 Days of Halloween: Grimoires
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2015/10/08/31-days-of-halloween-grimoires/

Greyhawk Stories

Iggwilv: Mother of Witches
https://greyhawkstories.com/tales-from-the-flanaess/iggwilv-mother-of-witches/

Greyhawkery

Baba Yaga Mini (with discussion on the Baba Yaga-Iggwilv relationship)
https://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/baba-yaga-mini.html

Greyhawk Related Stuff
https://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2016/07/greyhawk-related-stuff.html

Witch Queen Iggwilv Discussion Tonight
http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2019/09/witch-queen-iggwilv-discussion-tonight.html

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
https://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2020/11/tashas-cauldron-of-everything.html

Gothridge Manor

Game Props Part 1: Tarot Cards
http://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/2014/09/game-props-part-1-tarot-cards.html

Developing a Twisted Plot Within an Adventure: The Weeping Witch
https://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/2016/12/developing-twisted-plot-within-adventure.html

Hall of the Mountain King

Witches, a series of images
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/search/label/witches
http://vaultofthemountainking.blogspot.com/search/label/Witch

Inspiring Illustrations - The Witch-Queen of Yithorium
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspiring-illustrations-witch-queen-of.html

NPC - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Czylle
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2018/04/npc-blackmoor-land-of-thousand-witches.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - The Red Witch
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/04/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Inkeri
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - the Sisterhood
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_16.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Tuure
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_17.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Eira
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_18.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - The Moon Hall
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_22.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Taraso Centaur-Lord
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/06/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Kampala Shrine of Obad-Hai
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/06/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_6.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Hilja
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Brenna
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_19.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Maarika the Fallen Sister
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_21.html

Land of Black Ice - The Frozen Monolith - Gateway to the Plane of the Gray
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/land-of-black-ice-frozen-monolith.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Siivnna of the Reindeer People
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/12/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

NPC - Linnea Schnai Witch
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/12/npc-linnea-schnai-witch.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 1
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 2
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_8.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 3
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_12.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 4
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_19.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 5
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/05/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

That's enough for today. More later!

 I don't just like writing about witches; I enjoy other people's effort as well. In fact, I enjoy reading something I never would have considered. I also enjoy reading material that is obviously based on the same books and sources I have read, and comes to a different result. 

As part of my desire to do more linking and interacting with other blogs, here is a list of material, posts, ideas, or random thoughts from other blogs about my favorite topics.

This list is not exhaustive and will likely take a couple or more posts.

42 Rolls of Duck Tape

Covers the Dragon Magazine adventure "The Sword of Justice" and other adventures with the involvement of the Witch Queen Kyleth.

• One Shot Session Notes, https://42ducktape.blogspot.com/2017/04/one-shot-session-notes.html
• How are we not dead yet, part 2, https://42ducktape.blogspot.com/2017/03/session-notes-2.html

A Blasted, Cratered Land

Wizards Die Messily
https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/12/wizards-die-messily.html

A bunch of material for GLOG, including Witches.

• The Witch (GLOG Class), https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-witch-glog-class.html
• Glitch Witch, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/04/glitch-witch.html
• Mad Scientist (Witch Tradition), https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/01/mad-scientist-witch-tradition.html
• Stress, Trauma, Summoning, and the Occultist, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/02/stress-trauma-summoning-and-occultist.html
• Cancer Warlock, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/10/cancer-warlock.html
• Warlock Patron: the Baleful Star, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/03/warlock-patron-baleful-star.html
• The Necromancer and the Cavalier, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-necromancer-and-cavalier.html
• Wizard Colleges Imply Wizard Undergraduates, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2021/06/wizard-colleges-imply-wizard.html
• GLΔG: Extra Wizard Templates, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2021/04/glg-extra-wizard-templates.html
• The Sorcerer and Spell Mutations, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sorcerer-and-spell-mutations.html
• Mimics & Miscreants Spell List, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/04/mimics-miscreants-spell-list.html
• GLOG Item Enchantment, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2021/12/glog-item-enchantment.html

A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons and Dragons
Monster: Changer, Wych
http://hamsterhoard.blogspot.com/2016/01/monster-changer-wych.html

A Knight at the Opera

H Monsters at the Opera (Hags)
https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2024/09/h-monsters-at-opera.html

L Monsters at the Opera (Lycanthropes)
https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2025/08/l-monsters-at-opera.html

A Paladin in Citadel

Um, I was promised Witches?
http://apaladinincitadel.blogspot.com/2011/04/um-i-was-promised-witches.html

Adventures in Gaming v2

Magical Cat Companions
http://adventuresingaming2.blogspot.com/2015/09/magical-cat-companions.html

Alien Shores

Mirror Demon
http://knightsky-alienshores.blogspot.com/2013/10/monster-monday-mirror-demon.html

Alone in the Labyrinth

WOUNDED BIRD - Build a witch challenge
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/05/wounded-bird-build-witch-challenge.html#more

Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets-An oldschool gaming blog….

[New Magic Item] Witch's Coin
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/new-magic-item-witchs-coin/

Asshat Paladins

Edith the Harpy Witch
http://asshatpaladins.blogspot.com/2010/01/labyrinth-lord-npc-edith-witch.html

AV&ES - Roll those Dice!

[New Magic Item] Stone of the Crone
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/new-magic-item-stone-of-the-crone/

[New Spell] Animal Aversion
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/new-spell-animal-aversion/

[New Magic Item] Witch’s Coin
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/new-magic-item-witchs-coin/

[New Spell] Let Us See The Tools Of Your Trade
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/new-spell-let-us-see-the-tools-of-your-trade/

[New Magic Item] Spellseeking Sword
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2021/08/31/new-magic-item-spellseeking-sword/

[New Magic Item] Witch’s Ring
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/03/06/new-magic-item-witchs-ring/

[New Monster] Great Winged Wizard
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/08/27/new-monster-great-winged-wizard/

[New Magic Item] Mask of the Witch Queen
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/11/17/new-magic-item-mask-of-the-witch-queen/

[New Magic Item] Blood of the Witch Fish
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/08/31/new-magic-item-blood-of-the-witch-fish/

[New Spell] Cannot Be Silent
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2024/04/17/new-spell-cannot-be-silent/

[New Magic Item] Box of Gossip
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2024/12/03/new-magic-item-box-of-gossip/

[New Magic Item] Ribbon of Witches
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/new-magic-item-ribbon-of-witches/

Autocratik

Adventures in a World of Magic
http://autocratik.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/adventures-in-world-of-magic.html

Beyond the Black Gate

Baba Yaga's Hut
http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2010/08/baba-yagas-hut.html

Hathras, City of Dreams
http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2010/09/omegea-atlas-hathras-city-of-dreams.html

Black Gate

The Witch Bottle, or How to Catch a Witch With a Bit of Pee and Some Pins
http://www.blackgate.com/2015/04/15/the-witch-bottle-or-how-to-catch-a-witch-with-a-bit-of-pee-and-some-pins/

Built by Gods Long Forgotten

What's in the spell book of the evil wizard or sorceress?
http://builtbygodslongforgotten.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-in-spell-book-of-evil-wizard-or.html

B/X Blackrazor

The B/X Witch Class
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2011/05/bx-witch.html

Considering Witches
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2014/10/considering-witches.html

Holmes Rules: The Witch
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2015/11/holmes-rules-witch.html

Boccob's Blessed Blog

20 Pathfinder Witch Quest Ideas
https://boccobsblog.com/2019/05/17/20-pathfinder-witch-quest-ideas/

Bottomless Sarcophagus

Witches like Wizards: A customisable Witch class
https://bottomlesssarcophagus.blogspot.com/2018/10/witches-like-wizards-customisable-witch.html

Canonfire!

Witches of Greyhawk - The Coven
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=641

The Witch
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=709

The Witch Addendum
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=736

Witch of the High Secret Order Prestige Class
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=739

What use for the Witch, why not a Wizard?
http://canonfire.com/cf//modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5137

Cirsova

Alternatives to Spell Books
https://cirsova.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/alternatives-to-spell-books/

Coins and Scrolls

OSR: Class: Witch Coven
https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/08/osr-class-witch-coven.html

OSR: Class: Weather Witch
https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/08/osr-class-weather-witch.html

Cross Planes

Witch Doves
http://crossplanes.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-to-z-challenge-w-is-for-witch-dove.html

D&D Next Witches

• Maiden, https://www.crossplanes.com/2013/02/witch-maiden-d-next.html
• Mother, https://www.crossplanes.com/2013/02/witch-mother.html
• Crone, https://www.crossplanes.com/2013/03/witch-crone-d-next.html

D&D 5th Edition: Mantle of the Kodiak
http://crossplanes.blogspot.com/2014/11/d-5th-edition-mantle-of-kodiak.html

Daddy Rolled a 1

Open Game Content: REVISED Sorcerer for B/X - Old School Essentials
https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2020/03/open-game-content-revised-sorcerer-for.html

• 1st Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/01/open-game-content-new-1st-level-bx-ose.html
• 2nd Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/01/open-game-content-new-2nd-level-bx-ose.html
• 3rd Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/02/open-game-content-new-3rd-level-bx-ose.html
• 4th Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/02/open-game-content-new-4th-level-arcane.html

Open Game Content: D12 Fairy Tale Subclasses for B/X or Old School Essentials Games
https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2020/05/open-game-content-d12-fairy-tale.html

Dangerous Brian

Zama: The Drune
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2011/04/z-of-zama-drune.html

The Houri, Part 1 and Part 2
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-osric-class-houri-part-i.html
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-character-class-houri-part-ii.html

DCC Trove of Treasures
DCC focused, but still good stuff for my games.

Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2016/06/angels-daemons-and-beings-between.html

Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2017/05/hubris-world-of-visceral-adventure.html

Sanctum Secorum Episode #27 Companion: The King of Elfland's Daughter
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2018/05/sanctum-secorum-episode-27-companion.html

The Witch of Wydfield
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-witch-of-wydfield.html

The Disoriented RangerAnother rejected Magic Item (The Cauldron of Decadence)http://the-disoriented-ranger.blogspot.com/2015/03/another-rejected-magic-item-cauldron-of.html
I'll do some more later on!

Let me know if you have content you want to see added to my list here.

The light of the Emperor’s divine might reaches everywhere—but not always. Only in recent years has the Great Rift begun to unseal and the mysterious Noctis Aeterna begun to recede, the Days of Blinding ended, and links reforged with worlds in the Marcharius Sector lost under its pall and beyond the sector itself. As communication, trade, and psychic links have been reestablished with Terra, the Imperium has worked hard to restore its rightful authority and ensure that no deviancy from creed has taken place in the Days of Blinding. Despite this still, heretics turn to the Dark Gods with their promises and falsehoods and corruption is rife, wasting the Emperor’s resources and wealth, and from without, there is always the danger of raids by Orks or worse, Tyranoids. Yet routing out such heresies and corruption is no matter, but an issue of politics and influence as well as loyalty and devotion. The Emperor’s great servants search out those they deem worthy to serve them and the Imperium, directing them to investigate mysteries and murders, experience horror and heresies, expose corruption and callousness, whether in in pursuit of their patron’s agenda, his faction’s agenda, the Emperor’s will, or all three. In return they will gain privileges far beyond that imagined by their fellows—the chance to travel and see worlds far beyond their own, enjoy wealth and comfort that though modest is more than they could have dreamed of, and witness great events that they might have heard of years later by rumour or newscast. This though, is not without its costs, for they will face the worst that the forces of Chaos has to fling at them, the possibility of death, and if they fail, exile and loss of all that they have gained. In the Forty-First Millennium, everyone is an asset and everyone is expendable, but some can survive long enough to make a difference in the face of an uncaring universe and the machinery of the Imperium of Mankind grinding its way forward into a glorious future.

This is the set-up in Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum, the spiritual successor to Dark Heresy, the very first fully realised roleplaying game to be set within the Warhammer 40,000 milieu and published in 2008, the very first roleplaying game that Games Workshop had published in two decades. Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum is published by Cubicle 7 Entertainment and sets up the Player Characters as Acolytes in service to an Inquisitor dedicated to protecting the Imperium of mankind from threats within, threats beyond, and threats without. The Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide is one of two supplements that make up a two volume set and together expand upon the role of the Inquisition within the Imperium and its mission within the Macharian Sector, the other being the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition GM’s Guide.

The Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide is not wholly for use by the players, but the majority of it is player- or rather Acolyte-facing. It can be roughly divided into three sections. In the first, it looks at Holy Orders of the Inquisition, its philosophies, factions, what it demands of its Acolytes, and guidance on creating the Inquisitor who will serve as patron to the Acolytes or be his rival. In the second, it expands upon Acolyte creation, offering new options in terms of skills, talents, psychic powers, and equipment, including Familiars. In the third, it looks at what the Acolytes are doing when they are on a mission and what they do between new missions. It does include checklists for both Patron and Acolyte creation, but both player and Game Master will still need to access the core rulebook.

What Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide makes clear is that despite the fact that an Inquisitor’s authority is second only to the Emperor himself and that an Inquisitor’s Acolytes are his eyes and ears, muscle and sinew, the Acolytes are more investigators than enforcers. Their duty is still to investigate, identify, and root out signs of heretical activity, but theirs is subtle task, what the supplement calls ‘Inquisitorial Espionage’, until, of course, everything blows up in their faces, and they have to go in, bolters blazing, or even calling in support—all the way up to Space Marine Chapters. Who or what the Acolytes will be directed to investigate will primarily depend upon the Holy Order that their patron belongs, to, either Ordo Hereticus, Ordo Malleus, and Ordo Xenos, which investigate heresy hidden within the Imperium, hunt down signs of daemonic activity, and fight against alien or xeno incursions respectively. The Holy Order that the Acolytes’ patron belongs to will, of course, influence the types of threats they will be investigating and the nature of campaign the Game Master is running.

Within each Holy Order, the Inquisitors—and thus potential patrons for the Acolytes—are primarily divided between two philosophies. Puritans tend to burn out any and all signs of heresy without mercy, whereas Radicals are prepared to use heretics and cults as tools to root greater evils. Both philosophies have their dangers. Puritans will destroy one evil before another might be revealed, whilst Radicals can allow a heresy to fester and spread whilst in search of other signs. Of course, the degree to which an Inquisitor holds to either philosophy varies—and many not even hold to either, but is further complicated by adherence to more specific philosophies. Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide describes several, including the pessimistic and bombastic, Monodominants who believe that Humanity will be wiped out if any enemy survives and so enemy must be permitted to survive; the Polypsykana want to nurture and develop Humanity’s psychic potential to the point where it transcends physical form and so protect psykers; Oblationists believe that any and every means should be used to root out threats to Humanity, including heretical ones; and Amalathians favour balance and tradition with a dislike of factional infighting. Amalathianism is said to have been the philosophy that drove Lord Solar Macharius to launch his crusade and consequently is the dominant philosophy in the Macharian Sector—at least publicly. More philosophies are detailed in the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition GM’s Guide.

Mechanically, Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide provides the means to create Patrons from all three Holy Orders, including their philosophies, demeanour, and Boons and Liabilities. The latter two will vary depending upon if a Patron is a Puritan or radical, and a range of new ones are added too. They include Beacon of Judgement, Death Cult Agents, Dubious Allies, and Hunting Hounds, as well as Crisis of Faith, Deadly assignments, Obsessive Objective, and Wheels Within Wheels. This is in addition to the Duty Boon of Limitless Authority that all Inquisitors possess and is physically represented by their individual Inquisitorial Rosettes, the badges of office that they forge upon becoming an Inquisitor. Technically it can get Inquisitors and their Acolytes everywhere, and they have been known to lend them, or facsimiles of them, to their Acolytes to enforce their authority in their Patron’s name. However, wielding such authority is not subtle and not without its consequences.

For the Acolyte, it highlights how dangerous their work is and how gaining recognition is rare, even though many aspire to become their Patron’s Interrogator and perhaps even an Inquisitor themselves. Mechanically, there are expanded Origins for the Macharian Sector, such as ‘Damned Useful – Daemonic Host’ or ‘Damned Useful – Null Persona’, ‘Death World Veteran’, ‘Penitent’, and more. The expanded Faction options focus on the relationship between each Faction and the Inquisition, whilst also enabling an Acolyte to begin play with a background in one of the three Holy Orders. In addition, there are four new Roles. These are the ‘Assassin’, the ‘Cruciator’', the ‘Explicator’, and ‘Seeker’. The Cruciator is both chirurgeon and interrogator; the Explicator is a data specialist, including forbidden lore and heresy; and the Seeker is judge, jury, and executioner of heretics and xenos, often hunting targets behind enemy lines or undercover. There are new skills such as ‘Lore: Major Ordos’ for each of the three Holy Orders, ‘Xeno-Cant’ for communicating with xenos, and Disguise, whilst the new Talents include ‘Blunt Force Authority’ by which Acolytes use their Patron in an overbearing manner to greater effect at a lose of Subtlety, ‘Cult Infiltrator’ which enables the Acolyte to infiltrates at a cost of Corruption, ‘Gut Instinct’, ‘Subtle Psyker’, and ‘Unwavering Will’. One strange Talent is ‘Subtle Mutation’, which marks the Acolyte as a mutant, but not an obvious one. With this Talent, the Acolyte has both a positive and a negative mutation, which his Patron may know or may not about, but which the Acolyte still keeps hidden. The new Psychic powers include minor ones available to all Psykers, like ‘Auditory Manipulation’, ‘Force Bolt’, ‘Mark’ by which a Psyker can leave physical mark of his psychic power on a surface or target and which can be tracked, ‘Induce Panic’, and ‘Stimulating Jolt’, zapping the target’s nervous system with a jolt of psychic energy to bolster it against fatigue and temporarily against falling unconscious.

An Acolyte can also arm and equip himself with an array of new weapons, armour, and gear. The new weapons include a mixture of exotic, daemonbane, null, power, tainted, and even xenos weapons, including the forging of Nemesis weapons. All of these are rare or only available to the wealthy, so for the most part out of the reach of Acolytes, unless they scavage them or are given to them as gifts. Literally, the most Radical of weapons is the Daemonblade, which has a daemon bound into it and has a feature like ‘Unholy Venom’ or ‘Mind Leech’, but also a quirk, such as “A baleful eye sits within the cross guard, and many teeth grow from the hilt, encircling the wielder’s hand in a none-too-subtle threat.” Wielding such a weapon carries with it the danger of Corruption. There are details for grenades and explosives too, and even rules for ‘Requisitions’, essentially gaining support from other factions should a situation demand it.

With the ‘Familiar Bonded’ Talent, an Acolyte can have a Familiar, and if he takes the Talent again, he can bond with a Cyber- or Psyber-Familiars. However, the Acolyte still needs to find and purchase such a Familiar and they can be expensive. Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide describes how Familiars can be used in and out of combat, how to train them, which often requires the Acolyte to invest further in his Familiar. Full rules are included for creating a Familiar with numerous ways in which it can be improved and enhanced. The rules are supported by a ‘Familiar Bestiary’ which includes well known ones such as the Cherubim, Cyber-Mastiff, and Multi-Task Servo-Skull, as well as a variety of rarer, and thus more expense ones. Once in play, a Familiar requires its own character sheet.

In terms of actual play, Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide adds a new mechanic called ‘Subtlety’. This tracks how aware heretics, cultists, and other Inquisitors are of the Acolytes’ actions and enables the Game Master to create a response to their increasing prominence. There is a balance to the rules since a high ‘Subtlety’ enables the Acolytes to operate in secret without the targets being aware that they are being investigated, whereas a low ‘Subtlety’ can become a demonstration of their Patron’s power and influence in shattering a cult or burning out a nest of xenos. Mechanically, what it means that with a high ‘Subtlety’, the Acolytes will gain a bonus to clandestine activities and a penalty to blatant ones, whereas with a low ‘Subtlety’, the reverse is true. It is a straightforward mechanic, but it provides a way for both players and Game Master to track consequences of their Acolytes’ actions and provide a mechanical effect as well as a narrative one.

Lastly, Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide suggests options for ‘Between Options’. These include ‘Inquisition Group Endeavours’ such as ‘Search for Xenos Infiltration’, ‘Punish Dissent’, and ‘Pool Knowledge’ alongside ‘Inquisition Individual Endeavours’ like ‘Cultivate Network’, ‘Erase Truth’ (or knowledge of heresy), ‘Familiar Training’ for the Acolyte with a Familiar, and ‘Mental Sanitisation’ through Imperial re-education to cleanse the Acolyte’s mind of the terrible things he has seen. Attentively, an Acolyte can enter ‘Inquisition Long-Term Endeavours’. These include ‘Craft Anointed Weapon’ to create a holy weapon, ‘Craft Daemonblade’ which could attract the attention of a Puritan Inquisitor, ‘Learn a True Name’ of a daemon, and ‘Research Cultist Network Ciphers’. These are intended to be combined with a random event and together these can have an influence on subsequent sessions of game play as well as give opportunities to roleplay between missions.

Physically, Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide is very well presented. The book is cleanly, tidily presented and an easy read. The artwork is also good.

Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide is a combined handbook for players and their Acolytes, explaining what their duties are as Acolytes, who and what their Patron Inquisitor is, and giving them new options terms of who the Acolytes are, what they can do, and what they can wield in the ongoing battle against enemies inimical to Humanity. As well as expanding player options, it provides details with which the Game Master can flesh out her campaign and help bring it to life. The result is that Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide is a solid combination of content that will enhance any Imperium Maledictum campaign.