Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. 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: All Roads Point SouthPublisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Michael Bertolini

Setting: Jazz Age USAProduct: Scenario
What You Get: Fourteen page, 2.38 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: A race against time to stop the Rise of R’lyehPlot Hook: A break in at Yale puts the Investigators on the trail of a dangerous cult.
Plot Support: Five NPCs, no handouts, and four Mythos monsters.Production Values: Ordinary.
Pros# Scriptophobia# Thalassophobia# Potentially interesting cult versus cult situation# Perfect for the Call of Cthulhu Keeper who wants a project to develop of her own
Cons# Needs a strong edit# No final Sanity rewards or losses given# Core clue difficult to obtain
# Underwritten and underdeveloped plot# A collection of scenes rather than scenario
Conclusion# A collection of scenes from an unfinished and underdeveloped scenario that vaguely apes elements of The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft.# Underwhelming and uninteresting scenario whose roads point to the less than perfect Shadows of Yog-Sothoth as a better purchase rather than south.

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. 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: Gold FeverPublisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Erik Åhlin

Setting: Jazz Age SwedenProduct: Scenario
What You Get: Twenty-nine page, 9.56 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: “All that glisters is not gold.”Plot Hook: A missing son leads to murder, mystery, and the Mythos under the Midnight Sun.
Plot Support: Twelve NPCs, five (ten) handouts, and two Mythos monsters.Production Values: Decent.
Pros# Silver medalist for the 2022 national Swedish Call of Cthulhu scenario competition# Solid Sweden-set investigation# Detailed notes and handouts provided to adapt the scenario to the USA# Engaging portrayal of period Sweden# Good handouts# Potential for expansion into the Dreamlands# Easy to adapt to other time periods# Ophidiophobia# Aurophobia

Cons# Needs an edit# Clearer final Sanity rewards and losses needed 
# No Swedish pre-generated Investigators# If the silver medal winning scenario is as solid as this, how good is the gold medal winning scenario?
Conclusion# Worthy medal winner in the 2022 national Swedish Call of Cthulhu scenario competition # Impressively decent scenario combines solid investigation with an engaging portrayal of Sweden in the 1920s

Ruins of the Lost Realm is the first supplement for The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, which opens up new sites and new plots beyond those in both the core book and The One Ring Starter Set. It ranges far and wide beyond the borders of the sleepy Shire across what was once the great kingdom of Arnor, first split petty feuds and then destroyed by the forces of the Witch-King of Angmar. What remains are long stretches of wilderness and dark lands, punctuated by places and sites where hope may yet lie, darkness and remnants of Shadow hide, and plots await their turning and eventual culmination at the hand of factions that reach out from beyond the very borders of this land. The locations include Tharbad, a ruined river port ruled with the tightest of fists which could become an important trade stop and so help bind the peoples of the north and south together or it could become a path for the Shadow to reach into the region. Swanfleet, a refuge fiercely protected by its inhabitants, which include giant swans and talking otters—the latter prepared to act as a guide for a price, their payment saved in a riverbank!—hides secrets and great knowledge, which could prove useful or be lost. Eryn Vorn, one of the last remnants of the great forests which stretched across Middle-earth, including The Old Forest and Fangorn, inhabited by bloodthirsty savages which could be unleashed upon the region if they fall under the sway of certain factions. This is the land known as Eriador, a land rougher and wilder than Rhovanion, the region to the east of the Misty Mountains, for here in the Lone-lands there are few if any kingdoms, only isolated points of hope, let alone civilisation.

Ruins of the Lost Realm is a regional guide to the lands of southern Eriador, casting a spotlight on particular locations, important individuals at each, and the grand plots that will play out and befall the region if nothing is done to stop them. It does not include any pre-written scenarios as such, but throughout there are numerous plots, both immediate and long term, that the Loremaster can use and develop for her campaign. In two instances, the city of Tharbad and the village of Lond Daer downstream from the river port, this has required some looser interpretation of the source texts for the region, primarily for playability, but the authors are upfront about it and advise that the Loremaster can change it to fit her interpretation. The book itself is divided into three quite lengthy chapters.

‘Chapter 1: Fog Over Eriador’ explores some of the key regions and persons of note, primarily to the south of Bree. Particular attention is paid to the once great river port of Tharbad, noted for the ships it once built and the mighty bridge, with its numerous arches and towers, which once crossed the river the city stands on, but is now stands ruined. Tharbad though, remains an important trade stop on the road, and could be a significant one if its lord, Gurnow, Captain of the Haven has his way. A former bandit, he rules with an iron fist, taxing anyone who wishes to leave, especially if a craftsman or merchant who can bring Tharbad wealth. There is a seedy criminality to the city, but also a sense of desperation too. Gurnow has no designated heir, his thuggish sons ready to send the city into civil war should he die. However, there are allies for the Player-heroes to be found, including a librarian with access to great deal of lore who could become a Patron, plus, numerous factions outside the region have taken an interest in events in the city.

Other factions and regions detailed here include the aforementioned Swanfleet and Eryn Vorn, but also Lond Daer, a village downstream from Tharbad which following her slaying the serpent which threatened it, is becoming a town under Queen Nimue, aided by the occasional guidance of the Grey Wizard himself, Gandalf; the Dwarf Halls of Harmelt, ancient mines in the Blue Mountains, where a desperate band of Dwarves dig in order to prove that the gold in the mines has not played out and their wealth and standing has not been lost; and also the Ruins of Cardolan and the Lone-lands of Minhiriath. These last two are overviews, first of what remains of the last kingdom of the Núménoreans—mostly their watch towers like that at Weathertop, and the second, the seemingly empty lands of what was once Arnor. However, it is the city of Tharbad which stands out here and is given a gorgeous map in the inside front cover of the book. As potential starting point or base of operations for the Player-heroes, Thardbad is noticeably darker and dirtier than previously presented would be Havens in The One Ring, but that highlights the rougher and darker feel of the Lone-lands.

‘Chapter Two: A Gathering Storm’ provides the Loremaster with details of several external factions with designs on the region. Although others are mentioned, three are given particular attention—a band of Black Núménoreans sent by Sauron, agents of Saruman looking for ring lore, and raiders from Dunland. All come from the south, and all have unique goals, agents, and resources, which are described in detail. The Black Núménoreans are sent by Sauron, and sail up from Umbar aboard a black fortress ship, and then travel ashore up the rivers in search of Rivendell. Saruman is the most subtle of the three factions, sending agents across the region in search of ring lore, whilst the Dunlenders are the least subtle, raiding and spreading their influence through force, secretly with the backing of Saruman. Each faction also has its own ‘Dark Designs’, a year-by-year timeline of what happens if their plans come to fruition. These run from the year 2965, the default starting year for The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, and end in 2975.

Use of these factions and their timelines by the Loremaster are entirely optional, but they are great narrative tools around which she can frame her campaign. They are notable for two points. One is the fact that the three timelines are contradictory—and contradictory by design. This represents the competing, although they are not necessarily aware of it, goals of the three factions, so it is possible to have them clash over their goals or simply focus on one or two of the factions and still have them threaten locations. The other notable fact is the presence of Saruman who we know will have become a villain by the time of The Lord of the Rings. The Loremaster is advised not to foreshadow this in her campaign and maintain him as primarily a force for good in the region, and even a possible Patron for the Player-heroes. Overall, these factions and timelines are a great tool for the Loremaster.

‘Chapter Three: Landmarks’ is the last and largest chapter in Ruins of the Lost Realm, taking up over half of the book. As its title suggests, it deals with individual locations or landmarks, each a possible adventure site. Each comes an associated rumour and lore, background, location, and more, including artefacts, NPCs, and one or more maps. One, ‘The Queen’s Hall’ in Lond Dear, expands upon a location detailed earlier in the book, adding further detail and presenting more as a playable location. Most are new though. ‘The Queen’s Hall’ is a potential place of safety as is ‘The Ranger-haven’ south of the Trollshaws, whilst ‘The White Towers’ treasured holdings of the Elves of Lindon which house a palantír, are a potential site of learning and for Saruman, of ring lore. Other locations explore the region’s history, for example, ‘Tindailin – an Elven Refuge’ which has fallen into horror from loss and heartache, and ‘The Fields of Slaughter’, the site of the Battle of Fornost at which a host of Elves and Men (plus Hobbits) defeated the armies of the Witch-king where spirits and the unquiet dead still wander. Most though, are sites of danger and threat, the worst of which is ‘Mount Gram’, a goblin-infested, skull-faced mountain in the far north.

Ruins of the Lost Realm is not a fully fledged campaign, but rather a toolkit with which the Loremaster can build a campaign. The primary structure for the campaign will be built around which of the three factions and their projected timelines the Loremaster decides to use, and these will likely send the Player-heroes off hither and thither to the various Landmarks detailed in the supplement. This means that the Loremaster will need to undertake some development work of her own, though in some cases, the Landmarks are already pre-written as encounters and mini-scenarios. All the Loremaster has to do is find a way for the Player-heroes to get there. There is some overlap in details between chapters, but these help to enforce the links between locations rather than simply repeat content. If there is an issue perhaps, it is the lack of a starting point or way into the campaign possibilities that Ruins of the Lost Realm suggests, but that lack is one which affects The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings as a whole rather than just this supplement.

Physically, Ruins of the Lost Realm is stunning, following the same style as the core rulebook. It is very cleanly presented in a clear, open style, and the content itself is engaging to read. In particular, the maps are excellent, whether of Tharbad, the region, or the individual Landmarks, the latter done in three dimensions rather than from overhead. The artwork is also very good, a pen and ink style that captures the old-world rustic charm of Middle-earth and its ruins and wilderness. The style and look echoes that of the classic editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy published by Allen & Unwin, and has a more scholarly feel as if Bilbo himself sat down to write it.

Ruins of the Lost Realm is not a regional guide to Eriador nor is it a set of scenarios or a campaign, but rather the means for the Loremaster to develop a campaign of her own. That may well be a problem in its own right, since it is not providing an easy way into playing and running The One Ring, and so Ruins of the Lost Realm is very much a supplement better suited to the experienced Loremaster rather than one new to the task. Nevertheless, for the Loremaster ready to develop a campaign set in the Lone-lands of Eriador, Ruins of the Lost Realm provides the Loremaster with everything she needs—lore, legends, plots, places, monsters, and NPCs, to make the campaign her own.

The Cursed Library: A book of scary one-shot short storiesis an anthology of scenarios for use with Shiver – Role-playing Tales in the Strange & the Unknown. Published by Parable Games, this is a fast-playing, dramatic, and generic horror roleplaying game which combines simple, thematic mechanics built around archetypal characters and a simple propriety dice mechanic, combined with a Doom Clock which escalates the tension and a wide selection of classic, nasty monsters. The Cursed Library contains five scenarios inspired by horror films old and new, ranging from The Thing and Children of the Corn to Alien and Bone Tomahawk. Consequently, each of the scenario has a very film-like feel and structure, and the film-like feel even starts before a scenario gets down to explaining the plot and the set-up to the Director by preceding it with a certificate from the ‘Shiver Board of Classification’. This lists the expected playing time, number of players, horror subgenre, film age rating, content warning, suggested ability levels for the Player Characters, and a watchlist. The latter is a list of three films that the Director can watch to understand both the tone of the scenario and its inspiration. The film age rating uses the ratings used by the British Board of Film Classification and of the five scenarios in The Cursed Library, one is rated ‘12’,whilst the other four are all rated ‘15’.
The help and structure in The Cursed Library does not end with either the ‘Shiver Board of Classification’ or the end of the scenario itself. Each scenario begins by explaining what the Director knows, the set-up for the Player Characters, the types of character that fit the scenario and their archetypes in Shiver, and then after the scenario there are suggestions as to how to expand the story, helps and hints to better run the scenario, and of course, each scenario comes with a list of Doom Clock Events and new weapons, equipment, monsters, and NPCs. Every scenario in Shiver is played against the clock as it ticks down to midnight, primarily due to the actions of the Player Characters, and at ‘Quarter Past’, ‘Half Past’, ‘Quarter To’, and ‘Midnight’ certain events will happen. Each of the six scenarios provides four such events suited to both subgenre and the story. The new weapons, equipment, monsters, and NPCs are all potentially useful for the Director if she wants to use them in scenarios of her devising.
The Cursed Library: A book of scary one-shot short stories opens with ‘The Lost Ship’, inspired by The Thing, The Void, and Event Horizon. There is a dash of The X-Files in there too as the Player Characters are members of a Special Ops team assigned to locate the USS Morningstar, a United States Navy research vessel operating in the Artic which has lost communication with the outside world. When the scenario starts out in Barrow, the first response is to think of a vampire attack as in 30 Days of Night, but ‘The Lost Ship’ is actually a tale of cosmic horror than bloodsuckers. The scenario has a pleasing sense of frigid isolation as the Player Characters locate and descend into the bowels of the ship and things seem to come out of the walls and floor at them. The monsters too are fantastically otherworldly too and that is ultimately where the Player Characters will have to deal with the threat currently contained within the hull of the USS Morningstar. This is an action-packed opener which gets the anthology of to a good start.
The second scenario combines Stranger Things, People Under the Stairs, and The Haunting and sets it all on Halloween. ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ is a set in any small town with creepy old house where no one lives, in which many a teenager is challenged to see how long they will last inside its walls. The ultimate bragging rights go to the kid who can stay the whole night. This year it is the turn of the Player Characters—as teenagers from the local high school—to test their resolve, but this time when they cross the threshold, the front door not only closes, but locks too! The scenario combines two puzzles in one—how to get out of the house and what happened to the original owners. Thus the Player Characters are on the hunt for clues to both, forcing them to explore the house and in the process encounter all manner of classic haunted house elements. Animated suits of armour, Ouija boards, demonic toys, things in the bathtub, and more. The horror in the scenario tends towards being creepy rather bloody, but the Director can dial either up or down as necessary, and there are some fun suggestions as to what do with the outcome of the scenario. These include having the front door open to somewhere else rather than their hometown when the Player Characters finally get all the keys necessary to unlock it or secrets being revealed that lead the Player Characters to investigate the original owner’s background. This is a fun scenario in which both players and the Keeper play up the clichés and enjoy its gothic Americana.
‘Dark Prospect’ is set on the frontier of the Wild west in the town of Hope’s hallow. Inspired by The Blob, Bone Tomahawk, and The Descent, the fortunes of the town rest on the mines in nearby Deadwater Peak, so when all news dries up of the miners, the local sheriff—backed up by the mine owner’s $2 reward (each)—raises a local posse and rides into the mountains, up to the mine, and from there descend into the depths. Compared to the other scenarios in the anthology, this is a smaller, much tighter, and more linear affair, and more physical too.
Inspired by Alien, Event Horizon, and Starship Troopers, the fourth scenario, ‘Protocol’ is a Science Fiction thriller set in outer space. The crew and passengers of the CCV Pilgrim respond to a distress call from a nearby planet and discover a downed vessel with the majority of its crew missing despite there being signs of their being alive when the ship went down. The clues point elsewhere and if the Player Characters follow them they discover another crashed starship, this with its own definitely missing crew and still the mystery of what happened to the crew of the ship that sent the distress call. ‘Protocol’ very much takes its cues from the xenomorphs of Alien and works hard with them. It all ends with a desperate race to get back to their shuttle and back off planet as the true nature of the threat is revealed…
The final scenario in the anthology is ‘Mr Husk’. Inspired by just Children of the Corn and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, this is a rural slasher Folk Horror scenario. It is the seventies, and the Player Characters are driving through the flat Midwest with nothing to see but cornfields, when their vehicle breaks down. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, the Player Characters are going to need help, but what they find at the nearest farm is horror in the barn. With limited locations, but wide-open spaces of the cornfields, there is room here for stalking the Player Characters as they try and hide and get away from the farm and what is going on there (Clue: It is not cannibalism!) This is the shortest of the scenarios in The Cursed Library and the most flexible, instead having set Player Characters, it suggests a range of character types including Vietnam veterans, travelling salesmen, a band going from gig to gig, and even some low budget film makers looking to shoot some film… ‘Mr Husk’ brings the collection to a close with a swing of the scythe.
Physically, The Cursed Library is much like the core rulebook for Shiver. The artwork is excellent for the most part, done in a style similar to that of Mike Mignola and his Hellboy comic, and very much showcases the type of horror stories that Shiver was designed to handle. The writing is clear, but does need a stronger edit in places and the cartography is too plain for each scenario’s needs.
From its choice of subgenres to its choice of plots, The Cursed Library is one big book of horror clichés and familiar plots. However, that is far from being a bad thing. After all, Shiver is designed to deliver fast-playing, dramatic, and generic horror in which the players roleplay horror archetypes in various subgenres, and that is what The Cursed Library delivers. Its stories are not so much horror clichés as horror archetypes, just like the Player Characters, and they complement each other. The five scenarios in the anthology will be familiar to many, after all, they are film-inspired, but knowing and playing into that familiarity is part of the fun with a generic horror roleplaying game. Both player and Director alike need to load up on popcorn and fizzy drinks, lean into the clichés of the subgenres in five horror scenarios in The Cursed Library: A book of scary one-shot short stories, and together, they will have a blast.

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SHIVER: Double Feature, the next expansion for Shiver – Role-playing Tales in the Strange & the Unknown is currently being funded on Gamefound.

One of the best books—and the most useful—of 2021 was The Staffortonshire Trading Company Works of John Williams. Published by Lamentations of the Flame Princess, this is a systems neutral supplement—which means it is not written for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplaying—which can be used with almost any roleplaying game. It is a collection of maps and illustrations based on seventeenth century historical references, first from the British Isles, then across Europe to around the world. Shops, taverns, hovels, fortifications, early industrial buildings, churches, universities, and so much are mapped in painstakingly beautiful detail and made easily accessible in the one volume. To fair, I am not unbiased, since this was a volume that I edited—but the cartography is both clear and easy to use, and that is not something that I am responsible for. That would be down to Glynn Seal, designer and publisher of the Midderlands setting through his Monkey BloodDesign. Not content with providing the maps for The Staffortonshire Trading Company Works of John Williams and the Midderlands setting, the cartographer has drawn and produced his own set of maps. Actually, not one set of maps or two, but three.

The HandyMaps series consists of three packs—HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures, HandyMaps – Towns & Villages, and HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales. Each of the three was funded via Kickstarter— HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures, HandyMaps – Towns & Villages, and HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales, and each consists of several double-sided cards in A5-size—148 mm × 210 mm, each done in black and white, and depicting the maps, plans, and floor plans of various locations. The cards are sturdy and in general unmarked with details. There are no numbers or names applied to them, enabling the Game Detail them however she wishes and so use them in her campaign as she likes.

HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures consists of twenty-six cards. They have a floorplan of a building on one side and an illustration of the building on other. The floor plans are done in black and white, whilst the illustration is in full colour. They are drawn on a five-feet grid and are marked with possible suggestions as to their use. So, the first map in the pack looks like a church, complete with a statue, a balcony above the ground floor, a tower, and what might be crypts below possibly accessible from a sewer. The suggestions for floorplans are church, temple, village hall, and gallery. Still connected to the sewer via the basement, more mundane is the two-storey warehouse/storage business, crate and barrel maker, ironmongers, and ship and crew hire, which stands over an open storage or possibly, a marketplace. Other buildings include an industrial site, which could be a forge, glassblowers, or pottery maker; a museum, art gallery, or temple which extends far underground, but has a statue atop that is a nod to one of the goblins in Monkey Blood Seal’s Midderlands setting; and a lop-sided building which could be an eel seller, a cooked eel seller, an eel breeder, a fishing tackle shop, or a dwelling. An obelisk might be a monument, a dimensional anchor, memorial, or summoning device, blow which a shaft extends down into the ground where there is a strange room… There is a huge variety to these maps. Not just from one set of floor plans to another, but there is variety and flexibility with individual floor plans too, since each has multiple different suggested uses. For example, the coastal tower with basement and cave tunnels to the cliff face is first listed as a lighthouse and its illustration and floorplan certainly suggest that. Alternative uses are listed as watch tower, smuggler’s den, wizard’s tower, or signal tower. Thus, the Game Master can show her players the illustration on the front and flip it over to show the floor plans, and even if the Player Characters have seen the building before and been inside, they do not what might be inside or to what use the building is being put to.

HandyMaps – Towns & Villages is in some ways the least useful and the least flexible of the three packs, mostly because the buildings are often obvious in what they are. However, the suggested uses goes a long way to mitigate this. It consists of maps of various towns and villages, including a walled town overlooked by a castle, a town of concentric walls, a large village with field boundaries marked around them, a river port, a hamlet surrounding an abbey on a hill, a port with a castle or fort on a spit of land, and a village threaded through a cave system in the middle of a river. These are all standalone pieces, but with this set, the Game Master has access to twelve cards and thus twenty-four maps, and thus a variety of maps and locations and layouts. Which means a decent selection of towns and villages with which she can populate her campaign world.

HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales returns to the format of HandyMaps – Towns & Villages with maps on both sides of the cards. There are twenty-four cards in the set and thus the Game Master is provided with a total of forty-eight maps—or at least that is what the number of cards would suggest. In fact, there are more, because some cards contain two or three maps of smaller locations on a side, so there are closer to sixty maps in the set rather than simply forty-eight. Again, like HandyMaps – Towns & Villages they are not named, but being primarily dungeon locations, they are marked with secret doors, elevation changes, and the like. They are typically marked with a five- or ten-foot grid. Where necessary side elevations are provided for clarification. What is obvious about the set is its wider scope for inventiveness and the cartographer’s mixing of terrains. For example, a system of flooded cave or an underground river system leads to tomb or a lakeside cave opens up to network smaller caves in the rocks in the lake leading to rough hewn rooms what could be cells or tombs, and together with what could be a chapel leading off the main cave, could be a monastery or a set of catacombs. Some do stand out, such as the waterfall above a pool from which juts a giant finger of rock through which a tunnel leads to an underwater cave or lair; a ruined tower with stairs descending to a cave system that has been painstakingly worked until it resembles a skull; a large mine marked with damaged rails for the mining carts; an elongated cave network that curves out of a worked building into the form of a snake.

What the HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales pack is not is a set of dungeon geomorphs, that is, dungeon sections designed to be cut out and laid down so that they connect to each other and so form a larger whole. There is still room for such a product from Monkey Blood Design, but with HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales, all of the maps are designed to be discrete, although an inventive Game Master could connect them if she so wished.

Physically, each of the three sets in the series—HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures, HandyMaps – Towns & Villages, and HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales—is solidly produced. They are presented on stiff grey card, the floor plans and maps being crisp and easy to read, and the illustrations of the buildings in the HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures done in muddy, almost washed-out colours. If there is an issue with the three sets it is that there is no index card listing the floor plans and maps and none of the cards or maps have a number or letter. The inclusion of such a letter or number would make the maps easier to use as the Game Master can note down which map or floor plan she has used and as what. Of course, if the Game Master has access to the PDFs for these sets, then she can save, print, and mark them up as she likes. They are also very useful for online play.

Maps play such an important role in roleplaying, especially fantasy roleplaying, that having maps to hand is always going to be useful. They can serve as inspiration, and they can fulfil a need if the Game Master wants a particular map or floor plan. The individual locations and floor plans—especially those of the HandyMaps – Towns & Villages and HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales—lend themselves to campaign building, the Game Master adding them as she fits to a larger map where her campaign or world is set. Then of course, each map pack is a lovely thing to have and the three map packs do fit in a sturdy box also available from the publisher.

Altogether, the HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures, HandyMaps – Towns & Villages, and HandyMaps – Dungeons, Caves, & Strange Locales live up to their name—handy and maps. Useful as inspiration as much as maps, Glynn Seal’s excellent cartography in the series will help bring a game to life and for the modern Game Master are even more useful for online play.

This weekend, the Triffid Ranch hits the road…well, a little. The plan is to head down Interstate 35 to Outfit Brewing on Saturday, October 15 for the latest Crow’s Alley Flea Market, running from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. With … Continue reading →

On final approach to the end of the year, and Busy Season at the Triffid Ranch is up and going from now until New Year’s Eve. Some of the frantic activity is due to the Halloween season, where everybody wants … Continue reading →

Curse of the Daughterbrides is a horror of a scenario, with a horrible set-up, a horrid plot, and a horrendous curse. First in the activities of the main NPCs, who break a terrible taboo, and second, in the unexpected effect of a curse cast upon the main NPCs that instead affects almost everyone else. Its set-up is likely to upset a few, thankfully, whilst there are likely to be more than that, much more, who will be upset by the effect of the curse, and then of course, there will plenty who will take offence at just everything to do with the scenario. Curse of the Daughterbrides is a scenario for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay, and whilst the name of that roleplaying game is likely to arouse the ire of many people, let alone the fact that the scenario is written by the publisher, the likelihood is that the scenario’s subject matters are likely to anger them more. So as the title suggests, or at least hints, Curse of the Daughterbrides, deals with incest. That then is the taboo broken in the scenario. The effect of the curse is suicide, both by the NPCs—typically in front of the Player Characters—and because the curse spreads, by the Player Characters themselves. There is no Saving Throw. Given the way that the curse works, there is a strong possibility of a TPK—a Total Party Kill. Or rather, a Total Party Kill Themselves. However, it can be avoided, though doing so in the long term will be a challenge, and there are ways to potentially lift the curse. Which would solve the problem of the curse, but not the taboo.

Curse of the Daughterbrides, like other scenarios published by Lamentations of the Flame Princess it is set in the game’s default early Modern Period. Specifically, in 1630 England, so it would work well with several of the other publisher’s titles or equally easily adapted to the retroclone of the Game Master’s choice. Though to be fair, it is very more of a one-shot and whilst the author suggests ways in which the scenario could be added to an ongoing campaign, he even states that the scenario is unsuitable for ongoing play. As the scenario opens, the Player Characters are visiting the Cornish village of Dammell Green—the scenario suggests that the Game Master come up with a reason—where the local festival is being held. Normally this would be pleasant, even jolly affair, but not this year. Pandemonium seems to have rained on the event and everyone there, man, woman, and child, including attendees and stallholders is dead. Almost fifty people dead and it seems by their own hand. As the Player Characters go about the small village they encounter surviving villagers, who do two things. First, they tell the Player Characters that they are screwed and second, they kill themselves using the nearest available means in front of the Player Characters. With that, the Player Characters know that they cursed, how the curse works, and that they are now vectors for the curse. A curse, remember, which will drive them to commit suicide under the right circumstances.

So what exactly, is going on in Dammell Green?

Not long before the Player Characters arrived in the village, a Wizard attending the festive encountered a family he had met before. A family he knew to practise incest, and, in his disgust, he cursed them. Unfortunately, the magical fortitude of family caused the curse to rebound affect everyone else nearby. Which it did. To terrible effect. Now the family—the family of the Daughterbrides of the title—can be talked and reasoned with. They are actually nice people. The elderly patriarch of the family, Daveth Nancarrow—he of the daughterbrides—will be protective of his family and simply want to move on. His daughters and his daughters and his daughters will defer to him, again, wanting to leave the village lest they attract trouble. The Player Characters can also find the offending and offended wizard, but is unlikely to be of immediate help.

Several solutions to the curse are suggested. The Game Master is free to choose whichever feels more appropriate. The Game Master is supported with a detailed background of the family and various members at the heart of the scenario, including a family tree, details of Neythan Liddicoat, the Wizard and his curse, advice on setting the scenario up rather than running it, a list of potential victims for the Player Characters to ensnare in the curse, and a description of the village.

There is even a Daughterbride Class given should a player decide he wants one of the brides of Daveth Nancarrow as his character in future campaigns. The anti-magical ability of the Class explains why the curse cast upon them by Neythan Liddicoat failed to work. The Class is not without its roleplaying challenges, but there definitely would have to be some lines and veils drawn for some scenes when playing her. Though of course, why would you?

Physically, Curse of the Daughterbrides is well presented. It is well written, the map is clear, and the image of an old-fashioned razor used over and over decent enough. To be fair, it is almost a relief that the various situations in the scenario are not illustrated.

The confluence of two wrongs at the heart of Curse of the Daughterbrides do set up a pair of moral quandaries that the players and their characters may have to find a solution for in the scenario. One is what to do with the Wizard whose curse went awry, and the other is what to do with the incestuous Daveth Nancarrow and his brood. Both are left up to the Game Master and her players to address, but if they can get to that point and if not necessarily deal with them both, then at least discuss the possible outcomes, perhaps there is at least some positive outcome to the suffering that the scenario puts everyone through.

Curse of the Daughterbrides does not revel in its subject matter. In fact, it is quite straightforward about it. Which makes it easy to run, and probably as a single-session one-shot. It is simple enough that it possible to envision it being played and potential outcomes explored. Yet why would you? The subject matters at the heart of the scenario are ghastly, genuinely capable of upsetting some people and disgusting others, let alone the fact that the potential outcome of the scenario could be frustrating from a play perspective or that the Game Master might have to describe fifty ways of killing yourself at a village festival. Which is unpleasant in its own way. The subject matters though, remain unpleasant and unpalatable, and for many—despite what the author says—unsuitable to be included in a roleplaying scenario. This is not say that that either subject is unsuitable to be included in a roleplaying scenario, but here there is no delicacy or subtlety. The author is unashamedly pushing it into the faces of both the players and their characters, and again, that is likely to be too much for many a player.

The set-up of Curse of the Daughterbrides is a case of dropping the Player Characters into, if not a no-win situation, then one that is very close, and forcing them to work out how to get out of it. There are plenty of scenarios like that, but here the subject matters just make it worse.

There are going to be some who will be happy to play through Curse of the Daughterbrides, and they are to be commended for their mental fortitude, emotional strength, and hardy stomachs. Others though, should definitely avoid what is a horridly horrible horror of a scenario, very likely with good reason.

Lâminas & Feitiços or Blades & Spells is a minimalist fantasy roleplaying game from South America. In fact, Blades & Spells is another Bronze Age, Swords & Sorcery minimalist fantasy roleplaying game done in pamphlet form from Brazil. In actuality, Blades & Spells is a series of pamphlets, building from the core rules pamphlet to add optional rules, character archetypes, spells, a setting and its gods, and more, giving it the feel of a ‘plug and play’ toolkit. The Storyteller and her players can play using just the core rules, but beyond that, they are free to choose the pamphlets they want to use and just game with those, ignoring the others. So what is Blades & Spells? It describes itself as “…[A] simple, objective and dynamic minimalist RPG game where the Storyteller challenges the Player and not the character sheet.” It is written to pay homage to the classic Sword & Sorcery literature, uses the Basic Universal System—or ‘B.U.S.’—a simple set of mechanics using two six-sided dice, and in play is intended to challenge the player and his decisions rather than have the player rely upon what is written upon his character sheet. Which, being a minimalist roleplaying game, is not much. So although it eschews what the designer describes as the ‘classic restrictions’ of Class, Race, and Level, and it is very much not a Retroclone, there is no denying that Blades & Spells leans into the Old School Renaissance sensibilities.

Blades & Spells: An agile, objective and dynamic minimalist RPG provides the core rules to the roleplaying game. They are a simple, straightforward set of mechanics, emphasising a deadly world of adventure in which the heroes wield both weapons and magic. Beyond the core rules, Blades & Spells is fully supported with a series of optional pamphlets which expand upon its basics and turn it into a fully rounded roleplaying game. All together these might be seen as  the equivalent of a ‘Blades & Spells Companion’, although they just as easily could be combined into the one publication. In terms of setting, Blades & Spells only goes so far in stating that the default is the Bronze Age and hinting that this setting might be in the Middle East—or at least a fantasy version of it.

Blades & Spells: The Land of Aaman describes this setting. ‘The Land of Aaman’ is roughly analogous to ancient Mesopotamia in the lands between the Euphrates and the Tigris. The rivers here are the Numadai and Thaar, the lands between them a plateau dotted by ruins of societies past, including ragged ziggurats and complexes below them populated by aberrations and filled with treasures to be plundered. These are believed to be all that is left of great and glorious civilisations once ruled by demi-gods, washed away it is said in the sacred texts, by a cataclysmic flood. The plateau is home to eight city-states. These are described as being fairly similar, most of their tightly packed buildings being constructed of mud bricks and each city being dominated by a large ziggurat temple, a palace, and an arena where bloody gladiator bouts are staged to placate the masses. What separates the city-states are their reputations and the god that each holds to be supreme. For example, Aruk was once the seat to a mighty dynasty of kings, but has declined as the squabbles and intrigues of its nobility have grown, whilst the people of Aqeron, the largest city-state, worship Amurak, the sun god to the near exclusion of all other gods. 

Blades & Spells: The Land of Aaman does describe the ‘Lands Beyond’, but not in great detail. It mentions that the Numadai and Thaar flow into the Gulf of the Qoros Sea, that various primitive tribes inhabit the Gemini Delta, and that Amazon warriors raid the peoples of the plateau for both plunder and slaves. Also mentioned is Khmet, a great pharaonic kingdom that sits on the banks of a mighty river that divides a wide desert.

Blades & Spells: The Lands Beyond goes into further detail than The Land of Aaman does, in turn, describing Kandar’s Range, the Kingdom of Khmet, and the Middle Sea. In most cases, it is easy to determine what their real-world analogies are. Thus, the Kingdom of Khmet is Ancient Egypt, straddling the great Gonn river and wealthy enough to erect huge pyramidal temples and monuments, whilst Kandar’s Range is all but impassable Himalayas, home to a forbidden monastery on the frigid plateau of Daru, where veiled monks worship in secret. The slopes of the mountains are renowned for rare and wonderful herbs that grown in their soil. These include the trance and vison-inducing lotus as well as the Lo’Ra herb, sought by many arcanists wanting to use it in their rituals. Far to the south-east of the plateau is the kingdom of Hindra, rich in spices, ivory domes, fakirs, and mystics, and thus roughly analogous to India. The supplement also details the nations along the Middle Sea which separates the Kingdom of Khmet from its nearest neighbours as well as those along the Sea Qoros into which the Numadai and Thaar flow. This includes the Amazons of Xendria.
As overviews of a setting, both Blades & Spells: The Land of Aaman and Blades & Spells: The Lands Beyond are fine. As useful descriptions of a campaign setting, they are anything but. Between the two them there simply is not enough playable content and not enough for the Game Master to really work with and create adventures from. There are no maps in either supplement, and that is less of an issue than perhaps possible scenario hooks or a little more detail that might have made them stand out a little and thus been more useful for the Game Master.
Physically, both Blades & Spells: The Land of Aaman and Blades & Spells: The Lands Beyond are fine. The layout is clean and tidy, and both titles are easy to read.
Blades & Spells: The Land of Aaman and Blades & Spells: The Lands Beyond together do provide context and setting for the Blades & Spells: An agile, objective and dynamic minimalist RPG if not the detail. They are at best a starting point for the Blades & Spells Game Master—and that is likely the point, but it does not prevent the reader from wishing that there was a little detail to make the land of Aaman stand out.

A regular question at Triffid Ranch events and shows involves the notice on the ID tags for North American pitcher plants and Australian triggerplants: “Put into dormancy in winter.” Quite understandably, this concerns beginning carnivorous plant keepers, because “put into … Continue reading →

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. 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 Pharaoh’s SacrificePublisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Keith DEdinburgh

Setting: Jazz Age EdinburghProduct: Scenario
What You Get: Fifty page, 2.66 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Some moves in the game will make you lose more than the game.Plot Hook: Missing anthropologist leads to ludographic horror!
Plot Support: Eight NPCs, twelve handouts, two maps, one Mythos spell, one Mythos tome, and two Mythos monsters.Production Values: Decent.
Pros# Solid Edinburgh-set investigation# Potential addition to a Shadows Over Scotland campaign# Engaging combination of themes# Good handouts# Intriguing twist upon the widower bringing wife back from the dead set-up
# Ludophobia
Cons# Intriguing twist upon the widower bringing wife back from the dead set-up# More maps would have been useful
# Unnecessary Sanity losses in places# Potential for Investigators and players to get lost in rabbit holes# Jumpity is not a real game
Conclusion# Clichéd backstory and motivations are enlivened by solid investigation and engaging combination of themes# Decently done handouts support a scenario easily added to a Scotland or United Kingdom-set campaign

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. 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: A Balance of BloodPublisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Matt Puccio

Setting: Kingdom of Armenia, Second Century C.E.Product: Scenario
What You Get: Forty-two page, 5.18 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Identifying the greater evil can be a diplomatic challengePlot Hook: Diplomatic envoys discover a house of horror and woe
Plot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Investigators with backgrounds, three maps, six  NPCs, one spell, one Mythos tome, and two Mythos monsters.Production Values: Decent.
Pros# Scenario for Cthulhu Invictus# Interesting location for a Cthulhu Invictus scenario# Pleasing sense of tension# Every NPC is monstrous!# Potential Cthulhu Invictus campaign starter# Detailed investigation# Good advice for portraying the NPCs# Nicely illustrated# Gerontophobia
Cons# Needs an edit# Some locations not mapped# Illustrations could be used as handouts, but no handouts!# Needs a careful read through by the Keeper
Conclusion# Investigators must face night terrors and day terrors in a meaty investigation at the edge of the empire where identifying either victim or ally will prove challenging.
# Solid scenario for Cthulhu Invictus with an interesting historical background and setting.

The island of Avallen is one of legend and song. The oldest legend and first song tell of the Wild Hunt, how great heroes of the Vallic peoples stepped into the Otherworld or Annwn where ultimately, they sacrificed themselves to stop Avallen from being plagued by abominations known as Ffieidd-Dra. The victors of the Wild Hunt returned and were acclaimed by their peoples, becoming the ‘Divine Briendal’, or immortal god-kings and god-queens of the five clans that exist to this day. Rivalry between the clans and the ‘Divine Briendal’ led to civil war. The resulting bloodshed would undermine the divine power and influence of each of the god-kings and god-queens as followers either lost their lives or their faith. It was this that brought the wars to an end and made the Briendal to retreat into the Annwn and swear a pact never to intervene in the affairs of the Vallic again. Yet songs of their legend continue to be sung by bards to this day, along with the legends and tales of other heroes who were influenced by the Wild Hunt and then had their own songs. The island of Avallen is one that cries out for legend and song, for heroes and adventurers, for it is a land under threat and a land divided.

The abominations known as Ffieidd-Dra, such as the water-borne Afanc or the mighty porcine Ysgithyrwyn, each driven by a hatred of the Briendal, break through from the Otherworld and spread chaos and destruction. Fiends, like the seductive Baobhan Sith and the cursed Werefolk, also slip through from the Otherworld to spread their malign influence. The undead, ghosts, and vengeful Spirits, all known as the Unshapen, remain in the mortal realm, as yet unwilling to let go and enter the Otherworld. Otherworldly predators, the Wyrd, such the Adar Llwch, great dust eagles which grant great rewards to the winners of the games of riddles they favour and peck the losers to death, or Cat Sith, which feeds off the spirits of both the dead and the living, hunt both the Otherworld and the real world. The Fae can be equally as dangerous, though sometimes their curiosity can make them commit acts of kindness too. These are not the only threats to the Vallic, but there is one that divides them rather than is common to all of the clans. Roughly a generation ago, the Raxian Empire invaded. Aided by the strong ties and an alliance formed by decades of trade with the most southerly clan, Pen Cawr, the Raxian Empire set out to add the barbarous peoples of the island which lay off its western coast at the end of the world, but the defeat of its army by an alliance of the other clans prevented further expansion. Not all of the Pen Cawr clan have accepted the presence of the Raxians, but the assimilation has seen a continued Raxian military presence, Raxian construction techniques and writing being taken, and Raxian culture practices accepted, even as the Raxians adopt the worship of the gods of the Vallic—if only for protection.

This is the setting for Legends of Avallen: A Tabletop RPG Inspired by Celtic Mythology in Roman Britain, published by Adder Stone Games. Although inspired by the historical situation of the Roman invasion of Britain in the first century AD, this is not necessarily a roleplaying about the conflict between the invaders and the invaded, but rather a roleplaying game about keeping the land and its people safe, about protecting it from incursions from the Otherworld, and about men and women who grow beyond their ordinary lives to become heroes and forge legends that the bards will sing of in tales down the ages. Legends of Avallen maps this out, so that such men and women—the Player Characters—begin life with a simple Profession, such as Crafter, Priest, Scribe, Tamer (of animals), or Thief, and after a Quest or two, take up an adventuring Class, like Warrior or Mage, before going on to follow a Legendary Path like Druid, Gladiator, or Slayer. A player can select a Class at Level Two and a Legendary path at Level Five, and then follow that all the way to Level Fifteen. Now there are some obvious paths for a Player Character. For example, a Tamer would become a Reaver and then a Slayer; a Scribe a Mage and then a Magister; and a Bard a Mystic, and then a Fili. However, a Player Character is free to follow whatever path his player decides, so whilst Legends of Avallen provides the framework and structure, it leaves the choices to the player. It does one other thing though and that is make following Legendary Paths difficult. To earn each ability of a Legendary Path—and a Player Character can switch back and forth between several—a Player Character must complete a trial. The book suggests several for the various abilities across all of the Legendary Paths. What this means is that Player Character progression is mere accumulation of Experience Points, but a chance to be tested, and whether or not the Player Character succeeds, to turn that into a storytelling and roleplaying opportunity.

A Player Character in Legends of Avallen has four attributes—Agility, Spirit Vigour, and Wit. These range in value between -1 and +5. He also has a Profession, of which there are ten to choose from. These are Alchemist, Bard, Crafter, Merchant, Priest, Scavenger, Scribe, Socialite, Tamer, and Thief. His Personal Aspects include Motivation, Virtue, and Flaw, and he also has an Origin, Name, and Appearance. Origin will be from one Avallen’s five Clans or the Raxian Empire, and provides typical names and appearances. The process of character creation is simple. The player assigns +1 to one attribute and -1 to another, and then chooses all the rest. The book even suggests Motivations, Virtues, and Flaws that the player can choose from so that they remain unrelated.

Iulia is the eldest daughter of Caeso, a retired military commander with mercantile interests in Port Magnus. Her younger brothers currently serve in the army elsewhere in the Empire. She helps run her father’s business as he is getting older and is not as well as he once was. She fears that with this news, her brothers will be called back to take over, whereas she wants to take control herself and perhaps do some good with her wealth.

Name: Iulia
Origin: Raxian
Appearance: Raven haired
Profession: Socialite
Motivations: I will rise to the top (Influence)
Virtues: I help the needy (Benevolent)
Flaws: My image is everything (Vain)

Vigour -1 | 0 Agility
Spirit +1 | 0 Wit

Expertise: Politics, Etiquette, Courtship
Abilities: Introduce

Beyond that, there are four Classes to choose from at Level Two—Mage, Mystic, Reaver, and Warrior, and ten Legendary Paths to follow at Level Five. These include Druid, which can shapeshift; the luck-based Fae Touched; Fili, a bard who casts magic through music; Gladiator, a warrior who uses flourishes to enhance his combat ability; Magister, a mage who enhance his spells in numerous, often challenging ways; Maleficus, a mage who can bind Unshapen and other lost spirits; Primus, a commander who shapes the battlefield for his allies; Slayer use openings to strike at and take down dangerous creatures; Swyn-Pict, a warrior who paints himself in dyes to protect himself and even draw ethereal weapons from; and Teulu, a protective warrior who increases his Fury as he is hit, using it to enhance his defence and damage. In addition, every Player Character and potential legendary hero has a character arc reflected in mechanics that will see each gain both Resolve and Burdens—overcoming the latter to gain the former, suffer a Descent into self-doubt, undergo Transformation in the course of rising from the Descent, before ultimately, achieving Recognition as to whether the Player Character is a hero or an anti-hero.

Mechanically, Legends of Avallen uses a standard deck of playing cards as its resolution system, including the Jokers. Each of the four attributes is tied to one of the four standard suits. Thus, Hearts for Vigour, Diamonds for Agility, Spades for Spirit, and Clubs for Wit. They are paired three times. First into physical attributes by colour, Vigour (Hearts) and Agility (Diamonds), and mental by colour, Spirit (Spades) and Wit (Clubs). Second, into strength and endurance attributes—Vigour (Hearts) and Spirit (Spades), and into speed and subtlety attributes—Agility (Diamonds) and Wit (Clubs). Third, into diagonally opposing attributes, Vigour (Hearts) versus Wit (Clubs) and Spirit (Spades) versus Agility (Diamonds). When a player wants his character to undertake a task, he draws a card and checks both its rank and if it matches the colour or suit of the attribute being used. Ordinary numbered cards are worth one rank, whilst Court cards are worth two. If the colour of the card matches that of the attribute, it is worth an extra rank, or two extra ranks if it matches the suit. The Joker that matches the colour of the attribute, generates four ranks. These ranks are added to the attribute value.

Conversely, the card’s rank—one if a number card and two if a Court card, is subtracted from the attribute value if it does not match the attribute’s colour. This is doubled if the card is of the suit opposite to that of the attribute. A Joker which does not match the colour of the attribute subtracts four ranks from the attribute. The final result is compared with the Check Difficulty of the task to see if the Player Character is successful. The typical Check Difficulty is one, but can be lower or higher. The result can be a Critical Success, Success, Failure, or Critical Failure, depending on the card drawn. Both a Critical Success and a Failure will earn the Player Character an Edge, but his opponent an Edge on a Critical Failure.

Fortunately for a Player Character, the outcome of an action or task does not just rest on the turn of a single card. A Player Character can gain Advantage from a situation, from someone helping him, or from an ability. Each level of Advantage allows a player to draw an extra card and use the best one. Being at a Disadvantage forces a player to draw an extra card for each level of Disadvantage and use the worst one, although levels of Advantage and Disadvantage do cancel each other out. Edge is essentially a card that the player draws and keeps face down until the task or action that his character needs to succeed, in which case it is used to give his character Advantage. If a Player Character is on the verge of failure, he can also Exert himself or his equipment to upgrade a Failure to a Success, if being opposed, to downgrade an Opponent’s Success to a Failure. However, this means that the Player Character cannot exert himself again until he rests, if his equipment was used, that the item is now broken and cannot be used at all.

Mechanically, the system is simple enough, but its nuances are not easily taught and do take some adjusting to. Nor is it immediately obvious what the Check Difficulty should be for each test. However, once that adjustment is made, the advanced rules come together more easily. Combat has a stripped back feel, with attacks being made using Agility (Diamonds) against an opponent’s Agility—though some weapons favour other attributes, damage being determined by the weapon and the attacker’s Vigour (Hearts), defence by the opponent’s Armour Rating, derived from his armour and his Vigour. If hurt, a combatant does not lose ranks of Vigour, but is simply wounded. Of course, one reaction to this would be for the defender to Exert himself or his equipment to avoid such an outcome. Combat also covers grappling, ambushes, sneak attacks, and more, but also offers tips for the players, the most important of which are co-operation and strategise, rather than to simply rush in.

Similarly, magic in Legends of Avallen is designed to be challenging. Both Mystic and Mage spells have a Complexity rating, ranging from one to four, which acts as Disadvantage when the caster attempts to cast the spell. The caster can also increase the scope and range of a spell, but that also raises the Complexity. So apart from the simplest of spells—which can become more flexible as the Mage Mystic grows in power and is capable of overcoming the extra Complexity—it pays for the caster to prepare, whether that is having the right equipment, setting up a ritual, and so on.

Legends of Avallen pays particular attention to both journeys and socialising. The rules for overland travel are not that dissimilar to that of The One Ring, with the Player Characters taking particular roles—Gatherer, Guide, Lookout, and Scout—each keyed to one of the suits in the playing deck. Having someone in each role will negate most dangers unless a Danger or Opportunity arises, then it is primarily down to the Player Character in that role to overcome the Dangers or gain from the Opportunity. Suggested Dangers and Opportunities are given for each role. The roleplaying game’s social mechanics come into play when an NPC has an Objection to co-operating with the Player Characters or allowing them to undertake a particular course of action. When this occurs, the Player Characters enter into a Parley with the NPC into an attempt to overcome the Objection, and do so before he loses his Patience—again, not dissimilar to the interaction rules in The One Ring. Roleplaying and interaction are encouraged, but much like spellcasting, preparation can greatly advantage the Player Characters, as can Incentives which will give them Advantage. The Motivations, Virtues, and Flaws of the Player Characters can also come into play, as can the social standing for both the Player Characters and the NPC. Although there are parallels here with The One Ring, the mechanics for Legends of Avallen are their own and their card-based nature gives them a very different feel.

In terms of background, Legends of Avallen gives a good overview of Vallic society, the clans and the Raxians and their lands, with the latter including a selection of Otherworldly Tales found within those lands which the Game Master can potentially build stories around. For the Game Master there is solid advice on running the game and her roles when doing so, including narrator, judge, and creator. The latter includes a guide to creating quests. The Bestiary also includes guidelines for Game Master to create her own NPCs and monsters as well as give them trophies which the Player Characters can loot, and in the case of the Alchemist and the Scavenger Professions turn into useful items, such as potions, weapons, armour, and so on. Rounding out Legends of Avallen is ‘The Sealing Stone’, a starting quest which is very nicely structured and sees the Player Characters help restore a relic and search for the persons last sent to restore it, but are now missing.

Physically, Legends of Avallen is a stunning looking book, beautifully illustrated with quite lovely artwork. It is well written, although it needs an edit in places, and a better index would make the book more accessible. That said, the rules are succinctly written with a minimum of fuss and numerous examples. The setting does use a lot of Welsh, especially in name places and monsters, but a pronunciation is included at the beginning of the book.

Legends of Avallen: A Tabletop RPG Inspired by Celtic Mythology in Roman Britain is an impressive roleplaying game. It has a setting which feels both familiar and different, shifting the conflict away from the historical of Celts versus Romans, to one of protecting the land from the dangers and wonders of the Otherworld. Ultimately, Legends of Avallen is a roleplaying game about quests and becoming great heroes and legends, with succinct mechanics and a structured route that together encourage storytelling and adventure.

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The Kickstarter for Against the Faerie Queene – A Celtic Campaign for LoA & 5E, the first supplement for Legends of Avallen: A Tabletop RPG Inspired by Celtic Mythology in Roman Britain is currently running.

Given the origins of the roleplaying hobby—in wargaming and in the drawing of dungeons that the first player characters, and a great many since, explored and plundered—it should be no surprise just how important maps are to the hobby. They serve as a means to show a tactical situation when using miniatures or tokens and to track the progress of the player characters through the dungeon—by both the players and the Dungeon Master. And since the publication of Dungeon Geomorphs, Set One: Basic Dungeon by TSR, Inc. in 1976, the hobby has found different ways in which to provide us with maps. Games Workshop published several Dungeon Floor Sets in the 1980s, culminating in Dungeon Planner Set 1: Caverns of the Dead and Dungeon Planner Set 2: Nightmare in Blackmarsh; Dwarven Forge has supplied dungeon enthusiasts with highly detailed, three-dimensional modular terrain since 1996; and any number of publishers have sold maps as PDFs via Drivethrurpg.com. Loke BattleMats does something a little different with its maps. It publishes them as books.
A Loke BattleMats book comes as a spiral-bound book. Every page is a map and every page actually light card with a plastic covering. The fact that it is spiral-bound means that the book lies completely flat and because there is a map on every page, every map can be used on its own or combined with the map on the opposite page to work as one big, double-page spread map. The fact that the book is spiral bound means that it can be folded back on itself and thus just one map used with ease or the book unfolded to reveal the other half of the map as necessary. The fact that every page has a plastic covering means that every page can be drawn on using a write-on/wipe-off pen. It is a brilliantly simple concept which has already garnered the publisher the UK Games Expo 2019 People’s Choice Awards for Best Accessory for the Big Book of Battlemats and both the UK Games Expo 2019 Best Accessory and UK Games Expo 2019 People’s Choice Awards Best Accessory for Giant Book of Battle Mats.
The newest release from Loke Battle Mats is The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats, which presents “60 Pages of Battle Mats for Modern Tabletop RPGs”, marked in either one-inch squares or one-inch hexes. The first map is plain, but the second is where the volume starts getting useful. The first map is of a classic motel, consisting of an office and a ring of small rooms each with an en suite bathroom. There is a certain seediness to it. This is followed by the first of several roads and streets. Some of these have roadside businesses like a bar or café, whilst others do not. 

For fans of Cyberpunk 2077, the collection includes an underground carpark and rooftops, complete with ventilation units and grills, whilst another has a helicopter landing pad. Other sites include an underground station,  plus a street entrance, a suite of offices and a foyer, parts of a cube farm, and a penthouse apartment or suite. For fans of ShadowRun, there is a convenience store a la a Stuffer Shack, whilst for fans of Bladerunner, there is a high floor of an apartment building, complete with parts of the apartments of the floor, a la the Bradbury Building. This is one of the disappointments of the book in that it is only big to one half of the floor. Perhaps if there is a second volume of The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats, the other half could be included in that?

The last few maps in The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats move properly outside. There is a very rough, dirt race track with a couple of burnt out vehicles, a street scene again with a ruined  vehicle and buildings on either side of the street. There are also maps of ruined buildings and ruined railway platform, complete with a train on its side. The book ends with another plain grid for the Game Master to draw the details on it as she needs them, but perhaps the most disappointing map is that of plain grasslands, which seems out of keeping with the feel and tone.

Essentially, as you leaf through the maps of The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats, they move from bright lights to darker places and into a darker, perhaps apocalyptic future. Or just simply ruins, or dilapidated locations out in the Badlands... What this highlights is the flexibility of the maps in the book. They work for several genres, not just the the Cyberpunk one. Most obviously, the Modern genre, but also the Science Fiction and the Post-Apocalyptic genres too. The most obvious is with The Big Book of Sci-Fi Battle Mats, but for the Cyberpunk genre, this collection plugs into Cyberpunk Red, expanding easily the maps and floor plan options which come with Cyberpunk RED Data Pack, Cyberpunk Red: Easy Mode, and the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. Of course, not forgetting other Cyberpunk roleplaying games such as Carbon 2185: A Cyberpunk RPG or ShadowRun. Then there are modern roleplaying games and post-apocalyptic roleplaying too numerous to mention that this supplement would work well with.
Physically, The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats is very nicely produced. The maps are clear, easy to use, fully painted, and vibrant with colour. One issue may well be with binding and the user might want to be a little careful folding the pages back and forth lest the pages crease or break around the spiral comb of the binding.
There is no denying the usefulness of maps when it comes to the tabletop gaming hobby. They help players and Game Masters alike visualise an area, they help track movement and position, and so on. If a gaming group does not regularly use miniatures in their modern, post apocalyptic, Science Fiction, or Cyberpunk roleplaying games, The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats might not be useful, but it will still help them visualise an area, and it may even encourage them to use them. If they already use miniatures, whether for roleplaying or wargaming, then the maps in The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats will be undeniably useful.
The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats is full of attractive, ready-to-use maps that the Game Master can bring to the table for the roleplaying game of her choice—and do so in a surprising range of genres. Both practical and pretty, The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats is an undeniably useful accessory for a surprising range of genres. If your gaming group likes its maps, then whether playing a Modern game, Science Fiction game, a Post Apocalyptic game, or a Cyberpunk game, The Big Book of Cyberpunk Battle Mats will definitely look good when put down on the table.

One of the most interesting and innovative roleplaying games of 2021 has to be Inspirisles. Published by Hatchlings Games, Inspirisles is an Arthurian storytelling game in which young teenagers find their way into the mysterious lands of the fae that mirror the British Isles where through the Shaping of magic collect Belief enough to protect the World Tree and so become Pendragons. It is specifically designed to do three things. First it is designed to be played by young adults. Second, it is designed to be played by the deaf and the hard of hearing. As a consequence of the latter, it is designed as both an introduction to and to help teach, Deaf culture and sign language—both American Sign Language and British Sign Language. To do that it uses sign language as part of game play. Just as words, letters, numbers, and expressions are shaped out in sign language, in Inspirisles, the players Shape out their characters’ magical control of the Elements, meaning that the players are literally Shaping what their characters are Shaping, and it gives the game a wonderful physicality.

The first supplement to be released for Inspirisles is Shapes of Adventure: An Inspirisles Anthology. This is a collection of short adventures written by diverse range of writers which are intended to run after the players and their Pendragons have played through ‘Questing Day’, the scenario in the core rulebook. Most of them can played through in a single session or so, but a few might take two sessions, and for the most part, consist of a number of challenges in which the Pendragons will Shape their magic and roleplay around. The anthology opens with Logan Timmins’ ‘Birthday Ball’, in which the Pendragons attend the best birthday party ever held on Avalon, which proves not only difficult to get into, but the organisers also need help getting it ready! The party and event theme continues with ‘Feeding into the Festivities’ by Jerrod Bacon, but instead of a birthday party, the Pendragons attend the Miasma Food Festival, get to play in a few festival games, and help out by gathering ingredients and then by cooking themselves. There are some nice recipes included here and suggestions how the Pendragons can use their Shaping to do the cooking. Dave Thaumavore’s ‘The Great Barrow Derby’ is a step up in complexity and as the Pendragons travel to Barrow to join a competition run there by the Piskies, although initially, they are not given the welcome they would normally expect. There are protests about the event and the Pendragons will have to compete if they are to uncover what lies behind the protests.

The fourth adventure is Bee’s ‘Paint the Night’. It takes place in Shedscale where the Pendragons have come to relax, but instead find a flustered young Wyrmbitten in need of their help. She has a fireworks display to put on and is overwhelmed by the task. This is an opportunity for the Pendragons to bring their Belief into play and so help put on a stunning event. ‘The Polar Express’ by Small Red Robin is set in the frozen north where they are asked to go in search of a postal worker who is late, only to discover his sleigh has been attacked by a wilderwyrm and needs to be repaired. Helping with the deliveries gets them getting caught up in a rivalry between local wrestler, before being chased home by the wilderwyrm. There is more plot to this scenario and elements nicely come back to hunt the Pendragons. Ashley Cheeseman’s ‘A Bridge and a Song’ in contrast is a city adventure, set in Weldspa. The city comes under attack by Trolls who are building another bone bridge which will get them over the city walls. The city’s G.O.A.T. (Grand Operations Against Trollkind) Commander asks the Pendragons to help stop the bridge builders even as his own forces hold back the rest of the Trolls. The scenario sets up a simple race against time and make use of Inspirisles’ Calamity Meter to measure the severity of the challenge the Pendragons will face.

‘A Rising Storm’ by Marren J.T. MacAdam sets up a quest straight away—can the Pendragons track down the dread wyrm pirate captain, Serenalyne? At stake is a cache of stolen Belief that will help heal the World Tree. Set in Trident, the Pendragons appear to be luck because the cache is only being guarded in the pirates’ cave hideout. Can the Pendragons sneak in, take the cache, and get out again before the dread wyrm pirate captain, Serenalyne returns? Well, yes they can, but that is when they get picked up by another ship taking a keen interest in their activities. If there is an issue here it is that the dread wyrm pirate captain does make an appearance and this scenario is either deserving of a sequel where she does—perhaps she tracks the Pendragons down to get the cache of Belief back?—or at least more of an appearance here. Robin S. Carver’s ‘Journey to the Cave of Black Lights’ sends the Pendragons in a different direction—deep into the belly of the Underisles for a dance competition. It proves to be a difficult journey, but it is a chance for the Pendragons to experience a different environment so the scenario should ideally run after they have visited several of the other places in the Overisles. The scenario ends with the Pendragons being offered the chance to learn some Shadow Shaping and warning of what that entails… The last adventurer in the collection is ‘Rockshow’ by Rowan Thorley. The Pendragons receive an invitation from the Knockers of Penreggi to a rock concert. Rock of another kind lies at the heart of scenario’s plot, which involves the appearance of a much older Pendragon and some pleasing links to Dorset and the Jurassic Coast.

Rounding out Shapes of Adventure: An Inspirisles Anthology in the third chapter is a set of nine new Shapes in both American and British Sign Language. This nicely adds to the vocabulary begun in Inspirisles.

Physically, Shapes of Adventure: An Inspirisles Anthology is brightly presented. However, it does need an edit in places and the only illustrations are of the new Shapes in the third chapter. What is missing from the collection is both an index and a contents page. Given the relative length of the supplement, the absence of the latter is more of an issue.

Throughout all of the scenarios in Shapes of Adventure: An Inspirisles Anthology, the Pendragons are given opportunities to share their adventures and tell a tale or two, and so increase their fame and reputation. In terms of content, Shapes of Adventure: An Inspirisles Anthology does focus on celebrations and festivities. Consequently, as much as it gives the collection a certain joyousness, the occasionally one-note feel makes the anthology difficult to use. That said, many of the scenarios would work as shorter affairs between longer, more involved scenarios, ones that deal with some of the bigger themes and elements in Inspirisles, such as ensuring that the World Tree is not poisoned by Disbelief and Calamity does not befall the Overlisles. However, the relative brevity of the scenarios means that they are easy to read and easy to prepare, and thus easy to run as demonstration scenarios where an explanation of both sign language and deaf culture may be required.

Overall, Shapes of Adventure: An Inspirisles Anthology is a solid collection of nine scenarios for Inspirisles that Game Master can use to demonstrate the roleplaying game or work into her campaign with a little care.

For those outside of Dallas, this weekend is Texas-OU Weekend, and all this really means to anybody outside is that downtown is going to be full of cosplayers living out the best documentary about the pregame festivities ever made. For … Continue reading →

Green Messiah continues Kelvin Green’s assault upon the small English village. Not content with dumping giant, Transformer-like fleshy aliens in More Than Meets The Eye: A Short Adventure with Lots of Tentacles on a village in Cornwall and then screwing—literally—with the inhabitants of a Devonshire in Fish Fuckers – Or, a Record, Compil’d in Truth, of the Sordid Activities of the People of Innsmouth, Devon, he does it again with the more simply titled, Green Messiah. However, Town Littleworth, the victimised village—or horrified hamlet—is in Sussex this time, so it is not the West Country being targeted by the author’s ire. The scenario though, is another case of the author taking a well-known intellectual property and inverting it to parodic effect. So in More Than Meets The Eye, it was The Transformers series of films directed by Michael Bay and in Fish Fuckers it was H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’. So what does Green Messiah invert? Most obviously upon reading the scenario, it is the origin story of the superhero, Superman, but as the author suggests another inspiration could have been the film Bright Burn, which also inverts the Superman story. In addition, Green Messiah is inspired by The Invasion of the Body Snatchers—the author wrongly suggesting that the 1978 version is better than the 1956 original—and another of H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories, ‘The Colour Out of Space’, along with its recent film version. Add in a heavy dose of Men in (Puritan) Black as mulch and what you have in Green Messiah is a rich, peaty affair which may well change the Game Master’s campaign, but both her and the Player Characters will have fun playing it.

Green Messiah is a scenario for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay. Like other scenarios for the retroclone, it is set in the game’s default early Modern Period. Specifically, in 1630 England, so it would work well with several of the other publisher’s titles or equally easily adapted to the retroclone of the Game Master’s choice. The story begins in 1624 when an alien spacecraft crash lands just outside an English hamlet. Upon investigating the site, a couple discover that the strange object contains a strange, alien baby, but being childless, the couple adopt the young boy as their own and name him Robert. The surname of the couple? Clark. In the following six years, the boy grows up strong and strange, green-skinned, pointy-eared, and black-eyed, almost Elf-like—were there actually any Elves in 1630 England or Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay, loved by his adopted parents, though he cannot truly understand the concept. An enormous tree grows in the centre of the hamlet, the ‘Great Tree’, over four hundred feet tall and fifty feet in diameter, and from atop its foliage, Robert begins plotting his domination of first Town Littleworth, then England, and beyond, the world. Exactly as he is programmed to do. For Robert is the seed of a plant space-empire, sent to Earth to grow and make a better world. Already, Robert has begun sending out his Radicinoids, ambulatory, carrot-like tubers that replicate and replace humans. Otherwise, all is well in the hamlet of Town Littleworth.

However, the appearance of the Great Tree and the strange goings on in Town Littleworth have attracted the attention of outsiders. The Seekers of Love is a cult of non-conformists who see in Robert the Second Coming of Christ, consisting of genuinely nice, peaceful folk. Officer ‘J’, Officer ‘M’, Officer ‘M’, and Officer ‘H’—either agents for the late (or not so late) Doctor John Dee or members of the armed wing of the Royal Horticultural Society (here pre-empting its actual founding in 1804)—have been assigned to investigate the reports of odd plants and weird fruit in the hamlet or signs of alien activity in the English countryside or… A quartet of bandits actually has very little interest as to what is going on in the hamlet except that back in 1622 when its members were on the run from the law, they buried their ill-gotten gains in a field on the Clark family farm. Now they have returned to claim their treasure, which is a bit difficult owing to the grove of alien plants and vegetation which has grown on the very site. Enter the Player Characters…

Green Messiah suggests numerous reasons why the Player Characters might also become interested in the situation in Town Littleworth. The least interesting of which is that they might just be passing through the hamlet. Others include searching for the bandits’ lost treasure, being employed by a wizard or alchemist or horticulturist to collect samples of the strange plants in the hamlet, searching for a missing friend (who of course, has been replaced by a Radicinoid), extracting someone from a cult formed by a bunch of non-conformists which is based in the area, and more…

Green Messiah is all set-up and a solidly described situation. It clearly explains each of the factions present in Town Littleworth and their motivations, including Robert, his adopted parents, the Seekers of Love, the Men in Black, and the bandits. The notable locations in Town Littleworth are also described in detail, including the Clark farm and its alien Grove, and those places associated with Robert. These include the Great Tree, its Roots—the nearest that Green Messiah gets to a dungeon, the Trunk, and the Top of the Tree. In other words, the Great Tree dominates both the hamlet and the scenario, it literally looms large… And it is here that the Player Characters are likely to have their confrontation with Robert after having explored the Grove and perhaps ferreted through the Roots, before climbing the Trunk.
Green Messiah is also one big ‘What If?’ as well as a number of smaller ‘What ifs?’ The big ‘What If?’ is what happens to Robert if the Player Characters do nothing and what happens if they decide to intervene. After that, answers are given to questions such as ‘What if one of the Men in Black has been replaced by a Radicinoid?’, ‘What do the cultists of the Seekers of Love do if Robert is killed?’, and ‘What happens if a Player Character actually eats a Radicinoid?’. (Yes, really.) There is even a set of guidelines for having a Radicinoid as a Player Character, including its Class abilities. Which is perfectly possible should the Player Characters stop (as in kill) Robert, but one of their number also dies and/or is replaced by a Radicinoid…

Rounding out Green Messiah is a table of all twenty of the weird fruit found to be growing in Town Littleworth, its own ‘Apendix N’ of inspiration, a table of random names for random inhabitants of the hamlet—replaced by the Radicinoids or not, and the various NPCs to be found in its environs. The inside of the front cover contains a fetching map of Town Littleworth and a quick description of its key features.

Physically, Green Messiah is very well produced. The slim, but sturdy hardback feels good in the hands and whilst green predominates, judicious use of colour makes the interior stand out. The cartography is also good, and the scenario is written in a light tone and with a very knowing wink. If there is anything missing, perhaps a countdown or reaction tracker could have been included that would have helped the Game Master determine Robert’s responses to the Player Characters’ actions as they go about Town Littleworth and attempt to find out what is going on in the hamlet.

Well written, well presented, Green Messiah is one of the more engaging releases from Lamentations of the Flame Princess for quite some time. Not a little ridiculous, Green Messiah is an entertaining and fun scenario.

A preamble on the enclosure backstories: For every subculture, there’s that one seemingly unattainable artifact that sums up the hopes and dreams of so many of its members. For computer buffs, it’s a piece of Charles Babbage’s original Difference Engine … Continue reading →

Now in its fifteenth year, Free RPG Day in 2022, was celebrated not once, but twice. First on Saturday, 25th June in the USA, and then on Saturday, 23rd July internationally. This was to prevent problem with past events when certain books did not arrive in time to be shipped internationally and so were not available outside of the USA. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. Thanks to the generosity of David Salisbury of Fan Boy 3, Reviews from R’lyeh was get hold of many of the titles released for Free RPG Day, both in the USA and elsewhere.

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How to Raise the Dead is perhaps the most different—or at least most singular—of the releases for Free RPG Day in 2022. It is not a quick-start or a scenario for a roleplaying game, but a set of instructions booklet on how to build and paint a piece of terrain which can be added to a game and provide space in which the brave heroes can confront some undead in their natural environment—or is that their unnatural environment? This is at the doors of a necropolis, surely the tomb of some dark master or the entrance to a crypt network below a cemetery, but however it is used and brought to the table, the necropolis is sure to be the site for a confrontation between some brave adventurers and a band of armed and armoured skeletons or zombies before the adventurers dare to open to open the door to the necropolis and enter... Designed and written by Dave Taylor Miniatures, it shows a Game Master—or of course, a Dungeon Master—how to use a combination of Speedpaints Set from The Army Painter and miniatures and terrain pieces from Mantic Games’ Terrain Crate and Dungeon Essentials ranges.
In comparison to How to Build a Boss-Fight Final Chamber, the release for Free RPG 2021, How to Raise the Dead is relatively short and focused. It starts off by stating that many a Game Master wants to present her players with an immersive experience and one way of doing that is not only to use the appropriate terrain and miniatures, but also make it look good. It acknowledges that this can be daunting prospect in terms of the preparation and painting required, and so the aim of How to Raise the Dead to help break down the barriers that might stand in the Game Master’s way. How to Raise the Dead does this by taking the reader through a step-by-step process, not once, not twice, but three times, each with a different set of miniatures or pieces of terrain, in order to show the prospective painter how it can be done in as uncomplicated a fashion possible—and of course, using the Speedpaint Set. The latter is not included in the release for Free RPG Day 2022, but ‘The Necropolis’ along with the How to Raise the Dead booklet is. To follow completely the guide included in its pages, the Game Master will also need the ‘DUNGEON DEAD’ from the Mantic Games Dungeon Essentials Range and the bare trees found in Mantic Games’ Gothic Grounds set. Of course, the Dungeon Master is free to use these or similar terrain and miniatures from other manufacturers, and the likelihood is that the guidelines in How to Raise the Dead would still apply.
The two piece of terrain which come up with How to Raise the Dead—the necropolis and sturdy iron gate—are chunky pieces. How to Raise the Dead addresses these two pieces first, showing the Game Master how to prepare, prime, and then apply a ‘zenithal prime’ the model. The latter involves priming a layer of black first, and then a layer of white from above so that the black remains uncovered in the shadows. Then the model is painted using the Speedpaint Set. This includes going over it with grey for the base stonework, adding colour to the roof to represent an oxidised copper roof, and then adding highlights to pick particular details. It is really is simple, showing how this can be done in just eight steps. If there is an issue here, it does not quite focus in on the details in the latter stages, but with some experimentation, the Game Master should be able to pick out these details.
How to Raise the Dead then proceeds to show how to paint a cadre of undead and a set of trees and trunks using the Speedpaint Set. In comparison to the earlier guide to painting the Necropolis and Gate, these two actually better illustrated and consequently, more clearly explained. In comparison to the advice given in How to Build a Boss-Fight Final Chamber from last year, the advice in How to Raise the Dead is clearer and easier to understand, and it is better aimed at the Game Master new to this aspect of the hobby. If there is an issue with the instructions, it is that How to Raise the Dead does not state what items the Game Master will need before setting out to work on the project.
The last two pages in How to Raise the Dead before a raft of adverts are devoted to quartet of scenario hooks written with the Necropolis model and the band of undead guarding it in mind. The four are divided between three fantasy ideas and one modern one.
In ‘The Tomb of Varan Tor’, the resting place of a paladin has been desecrated by the black dragon Rotslug and it is rumoured that he has risen as a Death Knight, whilst in the ‘Lost Mines of Draul’, the necropolis is actually an entrance to a mine where Dwarves in search of mithril found a metal so malign that it corrupted them and turned them into the undead. In both cases, the threat is rumoured to be on the rise, ready to step out of the Necropolis and spread their dread to the wider world. The Necropolis stands at the heart of ‘The Dark Depths of Forlakk Forest’ in the third hook, thought by some to be connected to the Feywild, but by others to the Shadowfell. There is certainly some corruptive force at the forest’s heart, but what? And does it represent a greater threat? The modern hook is ‘The Freaks Come Out at Night’ in which a would-be reality television star and his friends search the sprawling tunnels of hospital in search for the results of horrific experiments said to have been conducted by a renowned medical expert. It is not quite clear how the latter uses the Necropolis and that is disappointing.
Physically, How to Raise the Dead is decently presented with lots of photographs as illustrations. It is underwritten in places, both the instructions and the hooks, and it does need an edit in others.

Of all the releases on Free RPG Day 2022, How to Raise the Dead is the least useful—at least in the short term. It will take time for the Game Master to bring any of the contents to the table. Most obviously because she will need to have access to the Terrain Crate and Dungeon Essentials ranges, as well as the Speedpaints Set. Then prepare and paint the terrain following by developing and writing a scenario, perhaps one of the story hooks in How to Raise the Dead, perhaps one of her own. In comparison, most of the other titles released for Free RPG Day 2022 are quick-starts and scenarios and so can be brought to the table much more immediately. And of course, because How to Raise the Dead is designed to make use of the Terrain Crate and Dungeon Essentials ranges, plus the Speedpaints Set, it is also very much obviously designed to sell both them and other terrain sets. The other releases are similarly designed to do that too, so that is no criticism, but with How to Raise the Dead, it is more obvious.
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An Unboxing in the Nook of How to Raise the Dead appears here.

I was reorganizing my shelves trying to find some room for some new books when I found this little gem hiding in my lower shelves.  I totally forgot I had this!

Wizards (1982)

Wizards is described as "Avalon Hill's game of fantasy adventure."  It is easy to see why they would want to make this game too.

1982 was some prime years for Fantasy RPGs and D&D in particular. 

There are board game elements to this as well as plenty of RPG elements.  For example you can choose what sort of wizard character (Order) you will play; Wizard, Sorcerer, or Druid. Each also has four levels (Ranks).

The first part of the game is setting up all the locations of the various islands on the hex grid sea map.

After that the various wizards race around the map to collect various gems for the High Druid. There are seven, six are needed to win.

While this is going on there are various Event and Task cards that send your wizard on quests, trap them or other hazards. These add time it takes to complete your missions but they can also raise your Wizard rank and make you more powerful. 

From the rule book. Here is what is needed to play and win.

1. Join a Magical Order. Without that, you may not accept any Tasks or gain points of any kind.
2. Acquire Tasks and complete them for points of Knowledge, Power and/or Perception.
3. Fight the Evil Powers that take over the islands, making them inaccessible.
4. Advance to Rank 4 in your Order. 
5. When you are at Rank 4, collect all 6 Gems from the High Wizards.
6. When you have the Gems, pass them to the High Druid Rüktal in the Center of the Sacred Circle to win the game.

The game uses two six-sided dice.  










I love the *idea* of this game, but while I enjoyed the set up I could not get anyone to play it here.  My wife does not care for board games with RPG elements and my kids would rather play D&D.

I am adopting some ideas from this game though for my own games, most notably the War of the Witch Queens, but certainly others as well.

Traveller Envy and the Avalon Isles

I have talked a bit about my Traveller Envy here in the past. To finally overcome this I am taking all the various board games I am going to cover this month and create a new area of my world; the Isles of Avalon. The origins here should be pretty obvious, I am going to base a lot of the mythology of the lands on England, Ireland, and the various islands around them. Also, I am drawing heavily from the Avalon Hill games, so much so that the currently unnamed main island has a place called Avalon Hill. It will be my world's Glastonbury Tor.  There is a volcano on one of the islands (this will be an archipelago) where a famous Warlock lives.  With a volcano I can also get representations of all the elements; Earth, Water, Air and Fire.

There will be a smaller island nearby that I am calling the Island of the Necromancers.

I will spend this month detailing this place further.

If I get nothing else out of these board games then I think I will be fine.