I've bought a number of maps from Raging Swan. This is the first I've been disappointed with.

Firstly, it's not hand drawn, it's clearly computer generated. Maybe it was hand drawn with a computer program? But it's not the nice pencil drawings like their other maps. It's also a bit pixellated, I guess because the resolution is relatively low (1275 x 825) and it only comes as a jpg. Previous maps I've bought from them had a tiff version of 1800-2000 or so pixels.

Secondly, while the tagged version is indeed actually tagged with numbers (unlike some maps I've bought from them), it also has a giant "Wolfsbane Hollow" on the map, making it impossible to use for a town that isn't also named that. It's pretty easy to add numbers to a map, but it's hard to remove a giant name.

edit: While still very computer generated looking, at least there is now a version without the name on it, so am bumping up my score.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

Orc villages, suffice to say, are living, breathing places, and as such, the pdf begins with different sights and sounds, depending on whether the green-skins have been made aware of the presence of intruders. From ongoing torture of non-orcs, to orc mums carrying water and slapping kids, the atmosphere of evil, of violence, is palpable, with a feeling of aggression simmering right below the boiling point making this a rather compelling table. The alerted sights and sounds, then, represent the eruption of said violence…and when armed, homicidal orc kids try to prove themselves as proper human-slayers, even hardened adventurers may balk at using deadly force…

The series makes good use of its structural improvements on the next page, providing 12 entries for dressing of the village proper, with dejected, abused cows and rubbish strewn around establishing a sense of squalor and misery, while the 8 entries for dressing in orc huts show a proclivity for violent means of decorating things as well as the obvious lack of knowledge/talent regarding architecture. Smartly hidden treasures may also be found by perceptive PCs, but as a whole, the achievement here is the maintenance of the aggression-leitmotif suffusing these as well.

The next section provides fluff-only entries for notable sample orcs, noting alignment in brackets), but otherwise remaining system neutral; 6 warriors, champions and chiefs, 4 rank and file orcs, 4 shamans and 4 orc kids with personality are included – and yes, they all are CE. Don’t like that? Well, you can make a case for the impact of good nurturing right? Provided the PCs don’t murder-hobo through everyone, of course.

We conclude this supplement with a table of 20 sample orcish treasures and trinkets, which includes a prized, hallucinogenic toad, voodoo dolls, the revered skull of an orcish king, perhaps and badly-stitched together hide armors complement this section.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst and Bart Wynants succeed in creating a fine and thematically-concise dressing file for the orcish village; at no point does it feel like a generic goblinoid village; instead, the simmering savagery and violence of orc culture is emphasized in a wide variety of different examples for successful indirect story-telling. My final verdict is 5 stars + seal of approval, a great little dressing file.

Endzeitgeist out.

As all of the Raging Swan products this one is fantastic. Consider buying the other languard district supplements as well. It's simply too much fun detail in there. And together with Villages of Ashlar you have the complete duchy available. It has exactly enough detail to inspire, but not so much as to smother you in the details. As in the dressing supplements there are dressing/event tables for each district to provide inspiration and flair. There are factions, locations, notable folk, hooks for each district. This could provide you with enough material for many fun sessions. Many small additions like daily life, festivals & traditions and many more round up the whole. As always cartography and layout are finest. I especially like the system neutral edition over the pathfinder edition as no stats clutter the product. But to be earnest I'm using this with another non-d&d system. Which proves that Raging Swans products are also fantastic system neutral.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

All righty, we begin this installment with the locale outside of the lair, with 8 different, flavorful entries establishing the influx of evil magic on the surrounding area; this is further supplemented by 6 whispers and rumors: As the tales of vanquished would-be lich-slayers ring in your ears, the floors approaching the lair as smooth, destroyed equipment littering the area, telling tales of all the failures that came before you and your friends…

But the true horror begins within, where10 trinkets and 20 horrible spell components are provided: These include brightly polished shields, boiled and shrunken heads, ruined diamonds suffused with cracks...some truly amazing ones here. These are further enhanced with 20 entries of lair dressing, where remnants of disintegrate spells left trails of dust and persistent shadows cling to the masonry, refusing to be dispelled by encroaching light…

12 strange sounds and smells make the saturation of unearthly magics very clear, with sighs redolent with despair and ear-splitting gongs just a few of the examples; oh, and there are also 12 strange events and effects to be found: From spontaneously coalescing blood-runes on the walls to iron masks twisting into grimaces of unspeakable pain. If you use these, the players will have no reason to claim that you did not foreshadow your deadly undead arcanist…

Of course, an important aspect of any lich’s lair would be the thing that holds the undead archmage’s lifeforce; as such, no less than 10 sample phylacteries are included in the deal – and these include the bones of the lich’s erstwhile first animal companion. Hidden inter-dimensional recesses, a rusted comb…there are narrative implications here, and the choices are creative and interesting…what about the lich, for example, who used a paladin’s holy sword to house his life? Yeah, that one’s nasty…

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst ups his already super-impressive dressing game in this supplement. The dressing-files for the lich lairs within this humble pdf ooze flavor galore and made me grin from ear to ear. This is easily one of the best installments in the whole series, worthy of a 5 stars + seal of approval verdict.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

All righty, we begin this installment with 6 sample traveller NPCs, who, as always, are depicted as fluff-only write-ups, noting alignment, race and class, if applicable, in brackets. Class references do mention the old-school classes like thief and magic-users. A lavishly-illustrated ranger wearing a wide-brimmed, feathered head (seriously, amazing artwork!), a magic-user looking for a lost barrow-mound…some really nice write-ups here; the NPCs do sport plenty of adventuring hooks. The pdf then proceeds to provide 8 locals and staffers: From sharp-tongued old ladies to borderline alcoholics and chronically disorganized folks, these fellows are rather fun and a diverse lot.

A massive entry of no less than 20 entries of tavern dressing notes old carvings of names in tables, tables and chairs for small folk, expensive drinks in locked cabinets – I adored this section. It did what it’s supposed to do: Add detail and jumpstart my imagination in unconventional ways. 12 different sights, sounds and events, including kids bored into mischief, barrels running dry and the arrival of travelers can change the dynamics of the inn, and if you’re gunning for a brawl, why not take a look at the 6 bar brawl triggers?

Now, obviously, an inn is most commonly differentiated from a tavern by the presence of proper guest rooms – as such, 12 different dressing entries for the rooms are presented. With shutters that sport loosened hinges. Threadbare rugs concealing weathered parchments and the sigils of dark gods carved into headboards, these are big time adventure hooks – kudos here! Beyond these, there actually are 8 different things that previous guests have actually left behind. Cries for help penned hastily down on parchments left in cloaks, sodden mattresses smelling of feces, a shredded, bloody sock left in a bin – some neat discoveries here!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst’s take on a Traveller’s Inn is one of the strongest entries in the series – the dressing is diverse, inspiring and smart. It’s down to earth and easy to use, jumpstarts your imagination and the PCs will want to investigate quite a few of these! This is all one could ask of such a dressing-pdf; as such, my final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

All righty, we begin this dressing file with a brief table of 10 entries of things that you can find outside of a ruined castle, making the approach appropriately ominous: From thickets of brambles and smoldering remains of cloaks to decaying arrows stuck in trees to the time-honored bones, there is a lot of cool stuff here! The outside also features twenty minor points of interest that you can employ to make regions outside feel more interesting, as well as 6 minor events to spice up things further. Weeds growing thickly between pitted, tilted flagstones, shadows beyond doorways and windows agape – these dressings really kick things up and are variable and vague, but sufficiently concrete. Big fan!

Of course, when there’s an outside, there also is an inside: 20 entries inside the ruined castle hint at scuttling critters, with uneven floors making progress rough, and tapestries fallen over furniture may well conceal whatever you want…6 events include suddenly dripping cold water, the cawing of birds or dust and mortar sifting from the ceiling. Nice! A table of 20 entries of discarded gear adds further to the sense of dilapidation that you’re undoubtedly going for.

This is not, however, where things end – there is a final page of content, and here, we get 20 entries depicting things you can add, dressing-wise, to the tunnels below the ruined castle in question. Among the 6 events provided, we have faint breezes carrying fetid odors, dull cracks and stones falling from the ceiling and more…though there is a doubled entry here: Cold water dripping on the PC’s head is reused here.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst is a pro at generating atmosphere – particularly the notion of a subdued sense of decay and dilapidation is something he has down perfectly. This dressing file really manages to evoke a concise sense of atmosphere and excitement, and it’s vague enough to work for pretty much any game. I really enjoyed this one, and hence, my final verdict will clock in at 5 stars, just short of my seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

Absolutely fantastic set of tables to fit in my customizable landscape screen. No filler, all useful and important tables. Highly recommended!

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

Okay, this one is slightly more straightforward than most installments of the series, focusing exclusively, as the title promises, on folks you can meet in smaller settlements – we get one page devoted to one type of person, which makes sense from an organization paradigm and makes sure you find what you’re looking for quickly and without much hassle. As always in this series, suggested alignments are noted in brackets alongside general age categories, races and classes, if any. The latter employ old-school nomenclature for classes, speaking of thieves and magic-users.

The first of these groups would be the destitute – beggars and vagabonds: Here, we can find the desperate, crippled former soldiers, servants of wealthy families out for revenge after having been thrown out and more. The motivations of these folk make sense and are sufficiently versatile. Oddly, the bookmark to the second cadre of folks does not jump to the correct page: Instead of arriving on the soldiers and guards page, we end up on the beggar/vagabond-page. The page of the guards and soldiers paints a diverse picture, including those that have fallen on hard times, a towering femal blacksmith-turned-fighter and even an incognito spy.

Among the merchants and tradespersons, we have dog-persons, a trader who wants to please folks and as a result, is easy to haggle down and a striking psychopath sans morals. A truly charitable, good person is also part of the roster here. 10 peasants and serfs include those that always find themselves in the midst of drama, old folks with a penchant for friendly rambling and a good-hearted lady that sometimes goes out to collect medicinal herbs – in spite of that not being exactly safe… This one also links to the previous page.

The second aspect of this pdf would be a general array of 20 encounter hooks that allows you to establish NPCs having bad days, being fascinated by the PCs, recovering from an injury, etc. – I really liked this section, though I did find myself wishing it was a bit longer.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, though two bookmarks are not perfectly working, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst’s NPC-dressing file provides some really neat window-dressing for the often overlooked NPCs that are populating our fantasy towns, and as such, this is a helpful, fun little pdf. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like e.g. a designated pdf just for traders, one just for serfs etc. would have added to the value here. We get a good jack-of-all-trades file with this pdf, but the dressing here could have gone a bit further into the depths. Compared to the excellence that this series has established, this one struck me as slightly less impressive, and as such, my final verdict will be 4.5 stars, rounded down – very much worth getting, but not as mind-blowing as his best dressing-files.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

All righty, we begin this collection of dressing files with three pages that provide fluff-only write-ups for NPCs; these write-ups do mention alignments and classes, if any, and nomenclature adheres to old-school standards – thieves and magic-users instead of rogues and wizards. Old-school fans will certainly appreciate this. Now, the first page sports 6 different stowaways, which include a bored illusionist (who can make for a rather fun series of encounters…), a hero-worshiping stalker of the PCs – some truly creative angles here! The second page contains 10 sample passengers, which include a fighter suffering, ostensibly, for a crippled leg, when in truth, a curse is responsible – and he believes, he can outrun it. Suffice to say, any GM worth their salt can make this rock hard! What about an alcoholic thief who has just absconded with the heist of his life? Yeah, some cool angles here!

Now, where there are passengers, there obviously are sailors as well: An irreverent sailor who calls his mongrel dog “Dogon” may well provoke the wrath of the elder being…if he does not fall prey to the machinations of the cultist in disguise, that is! An elven explorer in love with sea and adventure may make for a cool cohort or low-level replacement character concept. Nice angles. The pdf also sports two pages that feature 20 entry tables: The first is devoted to ship dressing, and here, perceptive PCs may well find an odd map, hidden away – but to where and by whom? Did I mention the mascot parrot who has taken a liking to the taste of wine, often ending up hungover? Often neglected duties like removing barnacles can also make for cool happenstances. All in all, the dressing table is inspired. The final table, then, would be devoted to sights and sounds aboard: Loud thumps, speaking of a harmless collision, may put folks on edge. There are epic shanties to be sung, and vast, black shadows may be seen beneath the waves. The table is flavorful and diverse.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst’s take on oceanic voyages provides a significant amount of inspired dressing for the GM. Instead of skipping over the journey, this humble pdf can provide a vast amount of cool scenes and vignettes and add color to the proceedings, making the journey matter. An inspired little pdf, this is well worth 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

In this installment, we take a look at dressing to flesh out a dwarven hold – and the “dwarven” is not just window dressing here: The first table features 10 workshop features that include anvils shaped like clenched fists, shelves cut into the living rock or intricate plans for a dwarven masterpiece, never realized. The plans may be works of art themselves, or they may well hold the potential for new weapons, all depending on what you’re looking for. Bars to seal the workshop may make it safe to rest – all in all, a cool table. The next page features dressing for 10 dwarven statues (like a realistic dragon with a crossbow bolt jutting from its eye), as well as a mini name-generator table to supplement it or the dungeon exploration/notes – 20 male, female and family names are provided.

From here, we move on to 10 dwarven temple features, with carvings depicting processions and the like – perhaps an exodus of sorts? The quest for the sun or depths? Dusty, orderly pews and ornate braziers, still lit with magical glow, constitute a fine collection of dressings. 10 minor dwarven treasures are also provided, including spice jars and perfumes, finger bands with inscriptions and iron knuckledusters can be found here, among other things. Now, while personally, I’d have enjoyed to see gp values here, I won’t penalize the pdf for omitting those, considering that this is system neutral.

Of course, the adventurers are bound to not be the only ones lured by the siren song of dwarven ruins – as such, we get two cool foreshadowing tools for the GM that can really help set up further encounters and complications: 10 signs of previous exploration, and 10 already triggered traps similarly are fun. A capable GM can thus warn the PCs about trap presence and present hints that help dealing with them – particularly if you’re like me and enjoy complex traps and prefer them to be resolved with roleplaying rather than rollplaying. Kudos!

The final page deals with dwarven hold dressing, featuring shattered remnants of once proud, stout doors, battle-prayers etched into the walls, rusty iron chains vanishing in the ceiling and clan sigils on the ceiling: These breathe a sense of antiquity and age I enjoyed, though not all of these have as strong a dwarven tie-in as I’d like to see. A ceiling obscured by dusty cobwebs, for example, would have been better placed in a more general dressing book, but that is me complaining at a very high level.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst knows how to write evocative, flavorful dressing. The master of Raging Swan Press once more delivers an inspiring pdf. Particularly the previous exploration/triggered traps angle is really amazing, and was something that I think could be developed further. At the same time, there are a few entries that could have been dwarfier, and the absence of any reference to dwarven brewing and the like was surprising to me. As a whole, this is a very good, inexpensive dressing file, though – hence, my final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

We begin this dressing-file with 6 sun-scorched landmarks, with deep chasms cut by fast-flowing rivers into the desert, mysterious carvings of unknown hands and the bleached bones of an ancient dragon, silent testament to the prowess of an ancient battle mage. These absolutely rock, include the mundane and magical, and they sport prose even more efficient than usual for the series. These entries are followed by 6 sample ruins to be found amidst the blistering sands, where carven stone steps vanish in hillsides and shifting sands reveal ceremonial corpse ways. Truly inspired and captivating, these two collections of dressing entries deserve applause and set a high standard on the very first page.

Now, almost every desert adventure will feature a sandstorm at one point, though the particulars are often hazy there. … Sorry, I’ll punch myself for that one later. Anyways, the second page of this pdf provides 10 sample events to happen during a sandstorm: Dunes collapsing in torrents of sand, fine sand concealing deep depressions, and more…mundane complications, from horrid howls to zero visibility, similarly are found here. Super handy to have – I could have used even more of these!

Now, every GM who has run a prolonged desert or arctic adventure will know that, in the long run, it can be rather tough to come up with new ways to describe the endless heat, right? Well, the pdf does contain a table of 20 desert dressing entries, which includes barren, lifeless sections, purple-fringed towers in the distance or the remains of animals and beings fallen prey to the harsh climate. Even cooler, the table specifically calls out good candidates for mirages! Kudos for going one step beyond here!

The next table adds on top of the GM-convenience, big time – the final table provides 20 entries for uneventful days of traveling. As we all know, few things are as painful for the GM to describe as bland days – after all, we have to convey that nothing happened without boring the players, preferably while also foreshadowing/further emphasizing the atmosphere! As such, this final table is a super-handy tool for the beleaguered GM. Now, I usually don’t comment on the like, but this pdf is slightly shorter than usual: The final page is devoted to a gorgeous 1-page b/w-artwork that oozes Sword & Sorcery flavor. Usually, I’m more of a content guy, but the inclusion of this one? Totally in favor of it!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks; the big one-page artwork in particular really grabbed my attention. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

So, I’m, and that is no secret, a HUGE Sword & Sorcery fan; I adore the genre and its aesthetics, and this pdf perfectly encapsulates the amazing atmosphere conveyed in the old Savage Sword of Conan comics, to give you an example. The harshness of the desert, the strangeness – it’s here, all without becoming high fantasy. The dressing within this book is inspired. Creighton Broadhurst has surpassed himself here. When I noticed the artwork taking up a whole page, I frankly planned on penalizing the pdf for this decision, but I can’t bring myself to do so. This collection of desert-dressing is simply too good, being one of the best in the whole series. And honestly, I’ll always take quality over quantity, and this delivers quality. Super handy for those desert-modules, this gets 5 stars + seal of approval. Highly recommended!!

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

All right, we begin this dressing file with a page that depicts 8 sample travelers (9, actually – one entry features two characters) to share the campsite with; these travelers are depicted as fluff-only write-ups, noting suggested alignment, class and level, but nothing mechanical beyond this – this is, after all, a system neutral pdf. The class references do reference old school class descriptions: Thief and magic-user, for example, so if that kind of thing is important to you, you’ll enjoy this small touch. The write-ups include boisterous fellow adventurers that do have the means to back up the bluster, wounded and surly half-orcs, traveling tinkers, weirdly dressed gnomes experimenting with teleportation magic – quite a nice array here!

The second page contains two different 10-entry tables; the first one depicts notable campsite characteristics: Perhaps the campsite may be prone to flooding, or perhaps its straddles a game trail. A tree that is dead and may well topple when storm winds hit – some cool properties here! The second table on the page nets 10 different signs show that someone has camped here before: Moldy tarpaulins caught in roots, a stone-ringed fire pit, a particularly disgusting latrine – interesting array here, and this does include plenty of angles for the GM to elaborate upon and develop.

Of course, campsites may already be inhabited: There are 10 suggestions for such complications, which include wasps, owls, a nearby fox den…and mysteriously empty nests in the branches. A pool with a grumpy pike inside promises good fishing – some neat entries here. For more malign complications, 10 things lurking in the shadows should help with your designs: This table is particularly neat, ranging from a badger family to a shellshocked victim of a nearby threat to the slightly odd, with a shivering halfling ghost haunting the place. Nice diversity between the mundane and fantastic here.

There is more in the vein of complications to be found here: 20 Night-time campsite events include the mundane and ominous, like a big log burning through, creating cloud of sparks; clouds covering the moon, plunging the site in darkness, strange noises from afar, sudden rope snaps on the tent of the party – some nice tension-building here. The final table once more has 20 entries and provides things to find at an abandoned campsite: Food wrappers, fire pits surrounded with spattered blood – there are even more angles to create atmosphere here.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches apart from an erroneously capitalized “Perceptive”. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst and Jeff Gomez have crafted a rather compelling dressing-file here: The entries are very much grounded in reality and gritty aesthetics, which I do enjoy. There is still some magic here, and the pdf, as a whole, feels like a well-rounded, fun offering. My final verdict will hence clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval. Great way to make campsites more compelling!

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the #20 Things-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

Now, borderland forts are usually bastions against the wilderness, savage humanoids and worse – as such, it should come as no surprise that we begin this supplement with 10 sample men-at-arm-write-ups. The write ups are, obviously, fluff-only, but they do note a suggested alignment, as well as the class and class levels intended for the respective soldier. Nomenclature-wise, the supplement adheres to old-school nomenclature, calling the “specialist” class thief, not rogue; analogue, the pdf references magic-users, making integration into OSR-games seamless – Grognards will certainly appreciate this! Nice, btw.: All of these NPCs have a kind of narrative angle to directly introduce them to the PCs and segue into adventures. For example, one of them mistakes one of the PCs for their contact, which may have all kinds of consequences. Or what about Frida, haunted by nightmares, who is experimenting with herbal remedies? Pretty cool list!

As a place of transition, the next page introduces us to 10 travelers with personality. A traveling bowyer/Fletcher in search of work, a disguised and rather effective serial killer, a celebrated singer of minor renown, besieged by admirers – once more we have an intriguing collection of NPCs here. If these character-specific angles don’t suffice to get your PCs into the fray, there are still 10 different, complex whispers of rumors on the next page – where we can btw. also find a GORGEOUS b/w-artwork of such a borderland fort. Really amazing piece! If you’re familiar with the GM Screen Inserts, you’ll notice some overlap here, though personally, I’d recommend this pdf over the screen-insert. The whispers include a stolen pig carcass, priests engaging in extramarital affairs…and some claim that the place is haunted, as corpses have gone missing from their grave…but is the necromancer, burned at the pyre, truly responsible? Neat angles here.

The final two pages of the pdf are devoted to a massive list of 20 entries each: The first of these pages introduces super-handy borderland fort dressing, focusing on the outside locales: One may hear the angry strikes of a blacksmith, see dilettantish graffiti and witness badly battered sparring dummies. Gallows and stocks also speak of the fact that there is law here, civilization…or at least, a semblance thereof. Complementing this further, the second such table provides 20 fort sights and sounds; Travelers staggering, exhausted, past the PCs in search of ale; a flag is torn from its tower, landing in a particularly large heap of horse manure; sudden, alarmed calls – a great little collection here.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to an elegant, minimalist 2-column b/w-standard, and the pdf sports a couple of really nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience, and the pdf comes in two different versions, one of which is optimized for screen-use, and one is optimized for printing it out.

Creighton Broadhurst’s dressing for borderland forts is a great little file: The tables and NPCs noted herein help add color to the locale. The grimy, quasi-medieval/Greyhawk-y flavor I enjoy so much thoroughly suffuses this supplement. It’s diverse, fun and well-written. Not, personally, I would have liked to see one or two slightly weirder entries to complement and contrast against the down to earth tone, but that may just be me. This is very much worth getting. My final verdict will be 5 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The fifth compilation of Village Backdrops clocks in at 89 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page of SRD, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 82 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This massive compilation includes the following villages: Black Wyvern, Bleakflat, Byrnfort, Dawnmarsh, Farrav’n, Lanthorn, Needlebriar, Quey’s Glade, Ronak, Skaalhaft, Suurin and Woodridge.

I have written reviews for all of these villages, discussing them in detail, so if you require detailed guidance regarding the individual villages, you may want to check out these reviews. Since I loathe repeating myself, and the actual use of a number of Village Backdrop-reviews stringed together would be of dubious use, I will leave it at that. Now, in direct comparison to the individual pdfs, we get quite a few neat new pieces of b/w-artworks, and that alone is a big plus.

Now, the villages, as a whole, are of the exceedingly high quality we expect to see from Raging Swan Press – no surprises there. However, it should be noted that this still is “just” a compilation – while this could have been used to fix the few more problematic components of some villages, the like has not happened. There is still mentioning of poisoning a plant creature, which RAW still doesn’t work in PFRPG. Similarly, the great magical lanterns of Lanthorn still remain opaque backdrops sans concrete rules. This is a compilation of files – nothing less, nothing more.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to a two-column b/w-standard, and the book features great b/w-artworks. The b/w-cartography by Tommi Salama and Maciej Zagorski is amazing. The pdf comes fully bookmarked and in two different versions – one optimized for screen use and one intended for printing out. I can’t comment on the print version, as I do not own it.

John Bennett, Creighton Broadhurst, Jeff Gomez, Richard Green, David N. Ross, Amber Underwood and Mike Welham are all top-tier authors, and it shows in these settlements. The villages within are evocative, fun and cool – and yet. In direct comparison, the compilation has missed the opportunity of refining the less amazing villages within, updating and improving them, which would not have been hard. This compilation could have been one of the strongest in the long and storied history of high-quality backdrops in the series, a jewel. The lack of further refinement, however, does hurt the compilation somewhat. Don’t get me wrong – this is still a great book of backdrops, but it could have been a great one. My final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded down for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.

A while back my players ran into the Demon Bat-God Camazotz. He managed to get away with the what he thought was the heart of the Sun God (it was his liver). Since then my players have been itching for a rematch against him. This adventure might just be the thing.

While the creature here is listed as "Servant of the Bat God" a little tweaking and I could make this into a coastline being terrorized by the Bat God himself.
The characters have three days to complete their task, so it's a nice tight adventure, exactly what I want, and it weighs in at just under 60 pages.

In any case there is a lot of good stuff here to use.