The new tools for Swords Without Master and Rhapsody of Blood are good, but the reason a lot of people here is Trophy (now Trophy Dark). The thing is, they're right to be. Trophy Dark is the real deal, as far as horror games go. It's a tragedy up front, so players know to play hard with their characters. It's also collaborative between players and GM in a fashion which is really refreshing after rereading some older, more antagonistic horror games. We work together to tell the story of doomed adventurers going to a place that doesn't want them there. Using the skeleton of the spectacular Cthulhu Dark, this game's blood and flesh is very different. I've run the Incursion (adventure) from this issue of Codex and it is amazing. The format keeps things mutable, able to be changed and revisited. Hell, when I run this again and I will run this again, the adventurers from my last game will probably be there somewhere. At least, what's left of them will be.

Codex - Emerald has so much good stuff in it, y'all! I had the good fortune to play in a couple sessions of Dark Designs in Verdigris as well as a session of Trophy using the incursion in this issue (Witchwood), both with Jason Cordova of the Gauntlet GMing.

My favorite rule in Dark Designs in Verdigris is about advancement - one of the ways you advance is by making a new home and having an interaction (confrontation, confession, or carousing) with another PC, who gives you a choice of how you advance.

I played Witchwood with one other player which made the treachery of working against each other deeply personal. As with all Trophy incursions, I recommend against reading this if you hope to play it before you run it.

Lastly, while I haven't used the Monsterhearts setup in the issue, I did play in a game where the Harpy was used, and my goodness, that playbook is vicious. Play the harpy if you don't even want to pretend like you can be a good person. Devestating.

Storm Riders! is easily one of the most fun I've ever had playing a lighthearted RPG.

Among some other really exceptional stuff, Codex - Dark 2 is the home of Jesse Ross's game TROPHY which uses adaptations of mechanics contained in Cthulhu Dark by Graham Walmsley and Blades in the Dark by John Harper. It's a tragic horror game using a dark fantasy setting for telling stories about treasure hunters and opportunists discovering ruins - both those of an ancient civilization, and their own. By the end, someone will turn on one of their comrades and none will leave the woods unchanged, if they leave at all. It's a fantastic game to "play to lose" and I can't wait to see how the game is expanded through future incursions.

Haven't gotten to play Wheels on the Road yet, but Pack of Strays: Wolf Run is a great GM-less/freeform game and worth the $5 for the issue. The production values (as with all issues of Codex) are wonderful.

Great issue of Codex with tons of interesting stuff and great art. I'm really liked the additional rules for 1%er that give the game a good polish and make it one of my favorite systems to play in.

The Gauntlet is a great community and I look forward to many more issues of Codex.

The Gauntlet always puts out quality stuff and this is no different

Every issue of Codex is a role player's dream! No matter what you play, you are bound to find something to inspire you. The Gauntlet team regularly assembles a group of extremely talented artists, designers and writers. These are beautiful products made by people who pay close attention to every detail!

I might love Dungeon World (Codex usually has at least some content for that game) but find myself reading every issue cover to cover because it's just that good!