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Beneath, the Complete Campaign - Revised Edition
by Jerry N. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/20/2023 19:03:58

This is one hell of a book. It's an OSR adventure that's definitely NOT for kids, but isn't edgy just for the sake of being edgy. There's some genuinely disturbing stuff here. Rather than being "gonzo," Beaneath has a coherent narrative. Oh, it's still "out there", but everything in here is in here for a reason. There is a story here, and a meaning behind that story. Beneath has everything you could look for in an "adult" campaign. Sex. violence, horror, adventure, and treasure. The illustrations are good, plentiful, and shocking. The creatures and items are unique. This will resonate with 80s kids and millennials alike. And that's no mean feat.

Beneath has its own mini-setting, one closer to our own past than most "fantasy" settings. To wit: it's a medieval-ish setting in which the majority of people are Catholic/Christian. This is central to the theme of Beneath, and for that reason, it may be difficult to drop into your existing game. But, if you can find a way to run this, the juice will definitely be worth the squeeze.

The maps here are very useful as well. There are larger maps, and each room or area has its own, smaller map, plus a kind of "you are here" showing where on the larger map that place is. Saves you flipping back and forth. That's clever.

This is the kind of stuff the "edgy" OSR types wish they could write. If you're looking for an "adult" adventure, where "adult" means "mature, disturbing, thought provoking, and explicit", instead of "hurr durr boobies", Beneath is for you.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Beneath, the Complete Campaign - Revised Edition
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Massive Gelatinous Monster Manual
by Lake L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/09/2021 13:09:05

Review:

The first time I played Dungeons & Dragons, I was the DM and using the Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Game box set. Before writing this, I googled a bit to remind myself of everything that was in that set, and the search brought back a flood of fun memories, but there was one memory that stood out even before research. It was a particular battle that ended up moving through multiple rooms and corridors, one that went against the players badly at first but that they were able to turn around using some creativity. It was a fight against a Gelatinous Cube, and it was my first real D&D war story, the first story of my own adventure that I would tell people.

The Gelatinous Cube is one of those truly iconic monsters from D&D, yet like a lot of those iconic monsters (like Beholders or Mindflayers), it seems to be more known than it is actually fought. That being said the appearance of one is normally a big moment in an early dungeon, and I use the word big literally. At CR of 2 in 5e, it is often one of the earliest large enemies that can be fought. Its design fills up every corner of a corridor, communicating that this is not something you can get around. You must fight it to move forward, and this is often low enough level so it happens with a party who are used to goblins.

But again, that’s if the party fights one. We often start our campaigns at level 3, or even if we don’t, our first level dungeon doesn’t thematically fit with one of these monsters.

I had the pleasure of digging through Massive Gelatinous Cube Monster Manual, which was provided to me for the purpose of this review. This book is connected to Massive Gelatinous Cube made by Severed Books, a series of d6 dice that are scaled and designed to double as miniatures for Gelatinous Cube, and this monster manual is designed to give ideas on how to use them.

Having the dice themselves isn’t required to get good use out of this product, though if you do have some, you are probably anxiously looking for an opportunity to use them in battle.

The book

The main point is that we have a very cool mini for a very iconic but kind of bland monster, and what are we going to do with them? Well obviously, we are going to have the players fight some Cubes, but first we are going to spice them up a little bit to make this fight even more memorable.

The main part of this book is to provide a monster manual for Gelatinous Cubes. There are various types offered here, each tied to the color and style of the physical dice. These types will primarily give some variation to the theme by changing some of the features of their abilities or create different dangers based on the type of Gelatinous Cube you are encountering.

Each variation has its own abilities and particular dangers, whether it be a molten cube that leaves behind a fiery trail behind itself or one that has a magnetic pull to it. That one is interesting because it means you might actually get to use the coolest part of a Gelatinous Cube that nearly no adventure has ever fallen for (since you can just step out of its way) – the ability to absorb the adventurer inside itself. The armor-clad fighter is going to have a rough day with this one.

The second part of the book provides some ideas for encounters and arrangement of cubes, and in this part you can really see what the goal is here. The point is to make a low-level enemy into a high level and possibly deadly encounter. While the individual layouts are not as worthwhile as the actual stats, these maps actually helped me to stop thinking of these monsters as single monster encounters and instead as a group that attacks together.

To see TechnoFunkBoy's Conclusion find his whole review here: https://www.everythingboardgames.com/2021/11/massive-gelatinous-monster-manual-review.html



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Massive Gelatinous Monster Manual
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Lost Tomb of the Bitchin Chimera
by Andrew C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/28/2021 12:31:54

Just played this (the first half anyway) twice in 1 weekend. I played it with my normal D&D group on Firday night for some practice, and then with a group of old friends who are huge Dead Milkmen fans, but did not know D&D at all.

Both games were very different, but I was suprised how much the group who knew nothing of The Dead Milkmen loved this module, and how easy it was to play for a group that knew nothing of D&D. Though it does leave a lot of holes in the writing, I really feel Tiny Town was not well fleshed out at all, but I love the absurdity of everything. For $9, I would say this is a must have for any Dead Milkmen fan who loves D&D 5e.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Lost Tomb of the Bitchin Chimera
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Lost Tomb of the Bitchin Chimera
by Seth B. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/21/2021 00:46:21

A great bit of gamin fun for Dead Milkmen afficianados. Still pretty fun even for those who might not get all of the in-jokes. A nice one-off if you're looking for a tongue-in-cheek run for your party



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Party Backstory Generator
by Bruce C. J. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/05/2019 13:46:27

Some great content generation for creating established relationships between players. I'm not one for dice drop games so I have no comments on that. Only flaw is the lack of a Table of Contents, which is sorely needed since the layout will drive you insane faster than the Necronomicon.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Party Backstory Generator
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Campaign Notebook
by Oscar M. C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/18/2019 10:59:15

Me esperaba un buen diseño y páginas distintas que pudiera usar para llevar mi campaña.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Campaign Notebook
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for this review. ") This book is a blank slate with no publisher marks or copyright so you can make it your own. The design in minimal to make it as flexible as possible -- accommodating all systems.
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Party Backstory Generator
by Cameron D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/04/2019 06:52:21

The Party Backstory Generator is soon to become a staple in any of my games, regardless of system or setting. The PBG takes away that first few awkward hours of connecting and finding a way to integrate your PCs and characters together through often hastily-made ideas, and instead substitutes in a few minutes of rolling, basic lore development, and interactive fun into building your party.

Gone are the days of having the generic bar fight to introduce everyone - now you can have duos or trios or even the whole party already knowing/knowing of each other before the first session starts. This allows for beautiful and immediate gameplay that instantaneously weaves a tapestry of story and fun to make sure the players now feel truly engaged.

Comics, Clerics, & Controllers d20 Roll: Nat 20



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Party Backstory Generator
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Beneath, the Complete Campaign - Revised Edition
by Neil A. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/14/2018 08:58:23

This is the real deal. Jump in and say you were there from the beginning, because there's a lot to love here. It's deep, it's moist, it gives life and then takes it. There are kings and monsters and death and you aren't yet convinced I don't know what else to say. Play it and then play it again!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Beneath, the Complete Campaign - Revised Edition
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Beneath, the Inverted Church
by Tom W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/15/2018 13:29:01

I've been waiting for something like this for years. I back this on Kickstarter and just got to playing it a month ago.

This is a dark and strange world that I and my players will never forget. Although some of it is scripted, the introduction says you don't have to follow that specific story and you can improvise. The illustrations are amazing -- like old school feel, but with the quality of a modern RPG.

The revised PDF/book have much better maps. Each one has an overhead view of the larger map so you always know where you are in the crypt.

This first book is just the beginning. I'm going to buy the collected version to finish the campaign and have the monster manual all in one volume.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Beneath, the Inverted Church
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Campaign Notebook - Custom Cover
by Mary H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/14/2018 16:17:55

I've been enjoying using the campaign notebook. As I have a group that contains three DM's, this helps a ton with keeping everything straight between the 4 games running right now!

Being able to fill in the forms in PDF and then print off the pages to keep on hand is invaluable. I am definitely old-school paper, but am also so disorganized that having a digital backup is a lifesaver for both me and my DMs!. It also allows me to keep different people (both PC and NPC) straight, organize areas better so I can look up references, and brings the world to life much better than having a spiral notebook of scattered notes and references.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Campaign Notebook - Custom Cover
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Campaign Notebook
by Mary H. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/14/2018 16:16:54

I've been enjoying using the campaign notebook. As I have a group that contains three DM's, this helps a ton with keeping everything straight between the 4 games running right now!

Being able to fill in the forms in PDF and then print off the pages to keep on hand is invaluable. I am definitely old-school paper, but am also so disorganized that having a digital backup is a lifesaver for both me and my DMs!. It also allows me to keep different people (both PC and NPC) straight, organize areas better so I can look up references, and brings the world to life much better than having a spiral notebook of scattered notes and references.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Campaign Notebook
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Campaign Notebook
by Christopher D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/14/2018 14:43:29

This is a really great play aid and it helps my players take ownership of where they've been and what they've done. I suggest it highly



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Campaign Notebook
by Aaron W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/14/2018 07:56:46

Got my Campaign Notebook in the mail, and I am really pleased with it. It has ample amounts of space for writing, plenty of different text boxes for anything you want! You could put pictures (printed or drawn), draw up a small bit of map, and it has a nice section in the back for home rules and side quests. This book would double as an excellent way to keep track of old school CRPGs if you go back and play them. I have kids, so having a way to keep track of my games saves me from wasting precious game time trying to remember what happened.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Campaign Notebook
by Windy D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/14/2018 06:53:12

I purchased this notebook for my son who is a DM. He loved it. He was very impressed with the quality of the book and has asked me to get for each memeber of our family who plays D&D! Great product!! We will be buying more :)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Beneath, the Inverted Church
by Ian J. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/19/2018 21:42:26

Review originally posted on RPG.net. UPDATE: This PDF fixes none of the errors of the original release.

As this is a product for GMs, players should not read this review. SPOILERS abound. I backed this on Kickstarter, and received the hardcover version [Update, I also recently received a PDF copy]. As of writing (July 14, 2017) The second book in the series will be coming to Kickstarter soon, so it's a good time to review. [Edit. It's May 19, 2018. The second (and final?) kickstarter has come and gone. I hope Sirois gets someone to edit the book this time. I didn't put money down to find out.]

Premise

The Inverted Church is the first book in a planned series by Justin Sirois, designed for OSR/D20 systems. It warns of adult themes, and rightly so. The premise is that local townspeople have been lured away by a hedonistic cult. However, for the most part the adventure is fairly tame. There aren't any sex demons or rape dungeons. The material isn't very tastefully handled.

So after some set up and offers from stricken townspeople, the players will start exploring the UnDungeon, as it's called for some reason, and they will quickly find there is another realm called the Invert that's full of danger and naked people. Cleverly enough, the Invert (at least what the PCs can access for now) is found by flipping the book upside down and reading from the back. The challenge for the PCs is that the only equipment that will pass into the Invert are items made from stained salt. Not even clothing will pass through. So exploring the UnDungeon is necessary to effectively equip for a raid on the Invert.

Adult Content

It's important to stress that there is a moderate amount of sex and perversion that your players will encounter. This isn't Towers Two where rapists lurk in every corner. It's the kind of thing that will not work at a lot of tables. The players don't have to partake in the sex (kind of). The thing is there are MirrorDoors. These doors need to be seduced open.

You need to seduce doors to open them. I want to emphasize that.

Except you don't. The author explicitly writes the players don't have to seduce them if they are uncomfortable. Good, you can assure your players they don't have to describe their characters coming up with new ways to touch themselves suggestively, because of course you can never seduce the same way twice.

Alternatively, in a horrible compromise, the PCs will encounter a serial rapist murderer, kill him, and take his book of illustrations of his victims. This allows the players to show pictures to the doors to open them, as well as extort money from the relatives of the dead women depicted in the book.

The players will encounter sexuality by looking in mirrors more than most sources. Even then, it isn't all sexual. Sample results:

"A short man, and a man missing a foot, being penetrated from behind, a face of pure ecstasy." "A noble young woman, and an old king with gray eyes, reaching out to a weeping family, trying to pull one of them in." "Three young, attractive women, an old man, crippled, feeding a human hand to a very large goat with green eyes."

More than half of the results aren't sexual. The point, I think, is to give hints about the cult.

Systems

The adventure is highly structured with a fairly linear series of events. Some things are supposed to happen. It's not exactly railroading, but your hand is being held pretty tightly. A major plot point relies on the players caring about an NPC and her missing brother, but I don't think players get enough time with her for that to be the case. Much is left unresolved. Conceivably, future books will continue the story. The dungeon is also highly linear, with limited choices for exploration. Really, the designs of the maps suggests they were made for simple tactical RPGs. I hope you like mostly empty rectangular rooms.

Enemies are stated with HD/HP, AC by armour equivalent (leather, chain, etc.) and attack damage using standard polyhedral dice.

A major mechanic in the game is Stress, which builds up as the PCs are in the UnDungeon. It's interesting, if a little cumbersome. It becomes especially difficult to manage if the GM wants to keep the system a mystery to the players. There are a few other minor systems like a system for solving combination locks that is incredibly tedious. For some reason there are practically no calls for saving throws. Many enemy weapons poison, but they don't indicate the effects of the poison.

OK, if all that didn't convince you not to buy the book...

The book is riddled with bad design choices, errors, and isn't very functional. It's sloppy, and in dire need of a competent editor. A helpful [+] marks important plot points to communicate to the PCs, but otherwise there is no useful formatting. Snippets of text might be read aloud, but there is no indication they should be.

The biggest hurdles for the GM are the maps of the UnDungeon. It is broken into 13 separate maps for each encounter area. They have limited keys, and most room contents are not noted. Some rooms are labelled, some are not. The accompanying text may refer to a room by its name or not. It is often unclear where things are. A huge pile of rotting heads that can topple on the PCs isn't indicated on the map, while an Urn with no description is. They are empty rooms for basic tactical play on a dry erase board or using generic dungeon tiles. Often the room descriptions come before or after the full page map, and require flipping back and forth. Generally the maps could be made smaller, leaving more room for text. Then there are the errors.

Take Map 6 as an example. Every exit is mislabeled. [Update, yes, even in the PDF released almost a year later.] The passage to 3 is actually to 5. The passage to 5 actually leads to 7, and the passage to 6 leads to 8. This IS map 6! While there are 3 labelled rooms, there are no headings or even bolded text to help the GM find the room descriptions.

The maps appear to be made from a limited tileset, and the walls don't always line up. There is no excuse for such simple maps being this bad. They function (mostly), and that's the nicest thing I can write about them.

The errors start getting comical. Take this example: "She mostly resembles a young woman with no arms and a long serpent like tail. She wears a long open Stained Salt Robe. On her wrists are jewel encrusted bracelets..." Fortunately there is a picture of her that confirms she has no arms, let alone wrists. Pages are referenced incorrectly, having you turn to 104 for a table that isn't there. Equipment descriptions are contradictory. The exploding magic dagger's text turns into a description of rapiers a few lines in.

Good Points

Scott Buouncristiano's art throughout the book is excellent. Seriously, check out the Kickstarter page for some of it. Most of the major enemies have a full page dedicated to them. Otherwise he illustrates a few of the stained salt weapons you are likely to find. It's only 10 pieces in total, leaving the book a bit barren. Oddly enough, none of the art is sexual, but that actually follows from the descriptions. The cover artwork by Eve Ventrue is also excellent. There is a map of the town and a map of the surrounding region that are both well done and clear.

A very new GM may appreciate the scripted scenes with dialogue between NPCs.

There are a few tables included for generating new monsters, and for adding new sections between the provided map sections. They look OK, with map graphics from Sirois' Dungeon Dealer Decks (which are much better products).

The Invert section is more functional, with still a few errors. When the PCs enter the Invert they arrive in one of 20 self contained rooms. Each of the 20 rooms, map and all, fit on a single page. Each one presents the players with a challenging encounter, generally with a single powerful monster. As the PCs can only bring stained salt items inside they are handicapped. However, they gain HP every time they hit an enemy. Besides making my editor alarm go off, one minor gripe is a monster with an AC of 1. Up until this monster, every single monster has had AC referenced by armour type: as chain, or as plate, etc. Immediately I assumed this monster was really easy to hit, as my OSR system of choice uses ascending AC. However, I now suspect the monster is supposed to be really hard to hit. It's hard to tell when dealing with a massive immobile blob monster.

Conclusion

I can't dismiss this entirely as a failure. It's mostly a failure. I also can't give much of a recommendation to a product that is so riddled with mistakes, especially one that bills itself as functional. I give small press a break on typos, but this is too much.

There are a few good ideas here presented poorly. I like the idea of the Invert. It presents an interesting challenge for the PCs, but right now it's nothing but a boss arena. You fight monsters for more stained salt stuff to fight more monsters. The big bad is the Inverted Cupid. He/she wants to create a perfect gender neutral race from all species of the world. That seems like something some players could get behind instead of being cut and dried evil (it is actually evil, in the long run). I think the stress track is an interesting mechanic that adds another layer to dungeon crawling. It needs work, but it can be brought to the table. It has a few sessions worth of material in it, with a promise of a second book sometime in the latter half of 2017.

The softcover is $20 including shipping in the USA. You can also get the hardcover for more $. You can buy it from his Etsy store or Amazon. [Update, obviously now the PDF is available.]



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Beneath, the Inverted Church
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for this detailed review! These are edits that my editor did not catch and we're fixing them in the collected version.
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