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Rappan Athuk (5e)
by Maxwell L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/01/2023 21:55:46

MEGA-DUNGEON FANS STAY AWAY!

If you're like me, you're looking at this book after googling "5e mega dungeon" and seeing people raving about Rappan Athuk. I'm here to stop you from making the same mistake I did and buying this book.

A lot of criticisms of Rappan Athuk stem from its reputation as a highly fatal, old-school, dungeon crawler. That will not be the focus of my criticism. My criticism is based on the fact that, even if you are a fan of that particular genre of adventure, this book is full of issues.

Issues listed in order of severity from least to most offensive: Makes reference to mechanics from older editions of D&D. ("Make a perception check to see this trap." We have passive perception now.) Enemy tactics and builds based on rules that no longer exist. (The strategy of several boss enemies rely on the effects of multiple spells occuring at once. With the concentration mechanic in 5e, this is no longer possible.) Enemy stats in the bestiary do not match stats in the main book. (In the main book and enemies ability is triggered when characters see it and avoided with a DC 18 Wis save. In the bestiary, the ability takes an action to use and is avoided with a DC 13 charisma save.) Enemies brought over from older editions that no longer work in 5e ("This room has four ogres in it." The room is not big enough to fit four ogres. "These spectres will likely kill several players." Spectres are no longer CR 7. They are CR 1/4.) The previous issues combined with the smug attitude of some of the writers. ("The rakhshasa's plan is actually quite clever..." the writer then proceeds to describe the rakhshasa doing several impossible things in one turn. Which is countered by a PC walking foreward 5 feet.) Advertising ("This portal goes to the mountains of so-and-so, detailed in our other books available here!")

Other issues that may vary according to taste, but upset my players to no end: Lack of description of some rooms. ("The tomb is empty. This should fill your players with terror." No it shouldn't. We have had no knowledge of anything about this tomb and undead are everywhere.) Instructions saying to lie to the players. ("This room looks highly unstable. No sane dwarf would enter this room." The room is perfectly stable.) Having a feces elemental. A level with hundreds of thousands of ghouls that is only described as "a level with hundreds of thousands of ghouls." Everything is worth more gold than it should be. Which is fine until you remember that spell components have a set gold price. Random deaths that are impossible to spot. This is especially bad when you consider previous issues. If your party has spent the last hour fighting harmless spiders, then sees three trolls around a corner, it is not their fault for being lulled into a false sense of security. This is expecially true when the trolls are several orders of magnitute stronger than the ones detailed in the monster manual.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
Rappan Athuk (5e)
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Fifth Edition Foes (5e)
by Guillaume R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/07/2022 16:15:42

An excellent book that balances older, fun critters for inclusion in 5E. The B&W art is attractive and reminiscent of the MC appendices. Includes monsters by CR and type to help selecting the right critter for an encounter.

The book does not have random tables. Not a con for me, but some might miss it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fifth Edition Foes (5e)
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Tome of Adventure Design
by Jared M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/29/2022 09:04:22

I love this book. It's become a staple in my nearby pile for jumpstarting my creative process.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Tome of Adventure Design
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Book of Lost Spells (5e)
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 09/13/2022 11:53:50

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-book-of-lost.html

Frog God Games has long been producing great gaming products for a variety of systems. Their dedication to old-school style play comes from their earliest years when they were associated with Necromancer Games. So to see a couple of new spell books (and you know I love spells!) for D&D 5e AND Pathfinder featuring all sorts of old-school spells? Yeah. Put me down for one of each, please.

Book of Lost Spells (Pathfinder) and Book of Lost Spells (5e)

PDF. 201 pages (PF) and 137 pages (5e). Color covers. Black & white interior art.

The content of these two books is largely the same. The 5e smaller page count comes from the rules ability to cast spells at higher levels for increased effects, while Pathfinder (like the games that came before it) needs a different spell at higher levels. Also, Pathfinder has more spell-using classes, so their spell lists take up more page count.

There are other minor differences depending on what spells each of their respective core rules already has, but the focus of both books is to provide classic "1st Edition" era spells to the new editions.

In both cases, the books have the spell lists by class and level first then followed by the spells and descriptions in alphabetical order.

The spells are largely SRD derived and are certainly like the feel of 1st edition spells. Frog God is very, very good at doing this. I have not yet found any specifically from 1st ed AD&D that is not in the SRD but is also here. There are a few that have new names that essentially do the same thing, which is fine by the OGL really.

If you are a Pathfinder or 5e player and you want/need more spells then these books are a treasure trove, whether you played AD&D 1st or not. If you did then you will find something that feels familiar and new at the same time.

Unless you play both games (or level spell books) then you don't need both, but I am happy to have them both to be honest.

In both cases, I have found them incredibly useful.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Book of Lost Spells (5e)
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Book of Lost Spells (PF)
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 09/13/2022 11:53:44

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-book-of-lost.html

Frog God Games has long been producing great gaming products for a variety of systems. Their dedication to old-school style play comes from their earliest years when they were associated with Necromancer Games. So to see a couple of new spell books (and you know I love spells!) for D&D 5e AND Pathfinder featuring all sorts of old-school spells? Yeah. Put me down for one of each, please.

Book of Lost Spells (Pathfinder) and Book of Lost Spells (5e)

PDF. 201 pages (PF) and 137 pages (5e). Color covers. Black & white interior art.

The content of these two books is largely the same. The 5e smaller page count comes from the rules ability to cast spells at higher levels for increased effects, while Pathfinder (like the games that came before it) needs a different spell at higher levels. Also, Pathfinder has more spell-using classes, so their spell lists take up more page count.

There are other minor differences depending on what spells each of their respective core rules already has, but the focus of both books is to provide classic "1st Edition" era spells to the new editions.

In both cases, the books have the spell lists by class and level first then followed by the spells and descriptions in alphabetical order.

The spells are largely SRD derived and are certainly like the feel of 1st edition spells. Frog God is very, very good at doing this. I have not yet found any specifically from 1st ed AD&D that is not in the SRD but is also here. There are a few that have new names that essentially do the same thing, which is fine by the OGL really.

If you are a Pathfinder or 5e player and you want/need more spells then these books are a treasure trove, whether you played AD&D 1st or not. If you did then you will find something that feels familiar and new at the same time.

Unless you play both games (or level spell books) then you don't need both, but I am happy to have them both to be honest.

In both cases, I have found them incredibly useful.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Book of Lost Spells (PF)
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The City That Dripped Blood (5e)
by Priscilla W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/27/2022 12:19:17

Simple and straightfoward one-shot that is engaging for new and experienced players. It is perfect away to introduce new players and DMs to the game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The City That Dripped Blood (5e)
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TB1: The Crooked Nail (PF)
by Ralph D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/13/2022 13:33:37

Despite what the description text says above, this iteration of The Crooked Nail is for the first edition of the Pathfinder RPG. While set in The Blight, it can easily be moved into your particular campaign setting, and the sourcebook for the city is not required to use it.

The adventure has a novel concept, with the PCs heading to a fantasy equivalent of a haunted house tourist trap, flavored as one of the hell planes of the afterlife. The proprietor sees it as a way to scare people into living a virtuous life and avoiding the more horrific realms that await one after death. He seems a little off his rocker, as after the tour through his establishment he goes on an unhinged rant, with the PCs being hired to reacquire a stolen item that touched off the aforementioned rant. After acquiring the purloined item, the PCs return to his business and find it very changed from when they left it, as they learn that the man had a very personal reason to create his warning of the dangers in the afterlife.

This module has a lot going for it. As I said, the setting is novel, and far better than most attempts to incorporate such into a RPG that I’ve seen over the decades. It is well-written, having a backstory that is both good and mostly revealed to players throughout the adventure; I’ve seen far too many scenarios in recent years with massive backstory the players never learn of, so this was a refreshing change.

I was also impressed by the way the adventure used a setting and its maps for two segments of the adventure, each with a different feel. I have seen scenarios that have included detailed maps for one portion of a scenario, then expected the GM to make their own on the fly for the rest. This scenario was very elegant in how it worked around the page limit and the cost of commissioning maps for an adventure.

There’s also one part I like, which I don’t know if it was intentional or not on the part of the author, where a party that doesn’t charge into melee at the first opportunity will have an easy time with one encounter. It fits the tone of the scenario, and is a nice breather for the first-level characters run through this.

The adventure does have a few flaws that keep me from giving it a five-star rating. At one point in the adventure the author makes a good stab of the problem when PCs defeat a foe who is in possession of a number of valuable things, and PCs obtaining all of them could unbalance a campaign. Unfortunately, this resolution is unintentionally funny, with law enforcement coming off as “Well, we’re down with you killing these blokes, and potentially going on murder rampages later, but we can’t have you stealing, can we? Just wouldn’t be right.” The fact that said law enforcement comes out of nowhere, when they are nowhere to be found after a similar situation at the end of the adventure, really kills the feeling this is not just a way to hose PCs out of power-ups. Combined with the way law enforcement will allow PCs to take some stuff, it takes one out of the game.

The same portion of the adventure also has two issues with the aforementioned treasure. First, there is vague description of a collection the PCs come across, and I’m uncertain if they are meant to be inert versions that still retain some value of oddities, or if they are meant to be still usable. The value assigned to them doesn’t help one infer which it is, as they’re things that can hurt as much as help PCs, depending on how smart they are in their use.

There’s also a section where they can uncover a massive number of potions. Given their previous owner, I’m uncertain if they’re meant to be labeled and allow PCs to know what they’re getting into, or unlabeled, as the fellow who owned them is certainly the type to be paranoid enough to not label things for fear someone might then steal them, having recognized their worth.

At one point the scenario uses optional fear rules from a Pathfinder supplement, and I was actually impressed by their use at first. The problem is that later in the adventure PCs will be fighting a number of monstrosities, and you are left wondering why a mundane device is capable of inflicting fear on PCs, but creatures that have crossed the veil between life and death make them go “Eh.”

Finally, the adventure has a fair number of unique traps. One of them is lacking in an XP value for getting past it, and given the varied effects on it I’m uncertain what XP value to assign it myself.

Despite my complaints I highly recommend this adventure. It’s a good starting adventure that will most likely provide a different style of adventure than what most players are used to.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
TB1: The Crooked Nail (PF)
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Tome of Adventure Design
by Alexandra S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/29/2022 07:50:12

This is honestly one of the best books you can buy. Do it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Tome of Adventure Design
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Tome of Adventure Design
by Shane F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/18/2022 13:21:50

This was a huge disappointment, although many others seem to love the book. I found it overwhelming and because there are so many tables, each one is too specific to be any use.

I collect random tables from lots of various sources and combine them into my own reference book for solo gaming. Amazingly not one of these tables made it into my collection.

Another problem is that they are too rooted in the high fantasy setting to be any use to a gamer who plays gritty low magic fantasy.

Overall I have to say I have flicked through it, put it to one side and never used it despite going back to it several times.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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Planetarium - Rasmussen's Guide: Titan (SF)
by Jim C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/20/2022 07:41:07

It presents some visually interesting creatures, which reading the introduction more carefully, might be as much as originally intended. I might look at 3.5 stars, but it's part of a series and there's a pattern so far.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Planetarium - Rasmussen's Guide: Titan (SF)
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Planetarium - Rasmussen's Guide: Tidally Locked Planet Utopia (SF)
by Jim C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/20/2022 07:38:11

I'm working on a tidally locked planet for a scenario and needed specific information, but honestly, this doesn't really get there. If, on the other hand, I read it purely as science-fantasy description, it's a bit rough for that.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Planetarium - Rasmussen's Guide: Tidally Locked Planet Utopia (SF)
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Bard's Gate (PF)
by Ben M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/01/2021 11:30:51

An insane amount of information that allows you to instantly create and bring to life any city you would want to create in an existing setting. Most of the information is genueinly useful and laid out. Its extremely good value for the cost.

One thing to the author; its very hard to find the sections whilst you are shuffling your way through the huge number of pages and there isn't a good overlay of the town areas in a single map. We had to make one and labels so we could easily find the correct city section.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Bard's Gate (PF)
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In Vino Gigantus (PF)
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 08/17/2021 06:24:45

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This module clocks in at 16 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 11 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This review was requested as a prioritized review by my supporters. And yes, I know I should first finish the Quests of Doom-series, but I needed a palate cleanser from them, and this is the first Frog God Games-book where Michael “Mars” Russell was taken on board as a conversion expert to PFRPG.

The adventure is a low-level adventure, nominally intended for 4–6 characters of levels 1 – 3, though personally, I think that it works best for levels 1–2; at third level, most halfway decently-optimized PFRPG parties would curbstomp any opposition in this module. The PFRPG version uses NPC Codex material. The module features read-aloud text and does include a random encounter table that either has two entries cut, or the wrong die noted (the table mentions a d10, when it only has 8 entries), but that’s a minor nitpick. Regarding difficulty, the module is not exactly easy, but neither is it as much of a meatgrinder as the tougher Frog God Games modules; this can be bested without character deaths, and a well-composed party shouldn’t have too tough of a time. It’s no cakewalk either, though! The final fight in particular is designed to include the chance to die in a pretty epic way.

Length-wise, we have a pretty compact dungeon that can be run in a single session, two at most, and which would also work in a convention context. The map of the module notes its scale properly, but also represents a potentially weird logic bug I’ll talk about in the spoiler-section below. On the HUGE plus-side, the module actually does have a player-friendly map, and not one of those fake ones, but one that actually properly redacts secret doors! Huge kudos for that.

All right, this is as far as I can go without diving into SPOILERS. Potential players should jump ahead to the conclusion.

… .. .

All right, only GMs around? Great! So, this adventure is very “D&D-y” in the way that it feels like it is steeped, lovingly, in the tropes of both modules and CRPG quests, for the party acts as essentially conscripted exterminators. The “where” is important, though: Summoned (literally) by the foppish storm giant Clovis Tempestas IV. To his Stormridge Sanctum, a fortress in the sky, the party is tasked with cleaning up his wine cellar. The young and rather decadent giant lets his henchmen provide a meal before banning the party to the wine cellar of the rather dilapidated and neglected sky castle in the clouds.

This premise takes the much-maligned “kill rats in cellar” trope, and proceeds to infuse some serious high fantasy into it; while the vermin-angle is well-represented by the random encounters (which focus on giant frogs, leeches, centipedes, etc.), and the dungeon that contains all the action would be the wine cellar. The cellar is partially flooded, adding an interesting terrain angle to the proceedings (difficult terrain on the floor), and there is some solid interactivity going on. While the module features lots of fights, it also has at least some stuff going on beyond that. Personally, I enjoyed that quite a few actions don’t necessarily require DCs, as quite a few adventure authors for PFRPG tend to focus too much on that.

The strange knights with holes on their heads? They’re btw. marble knights and the animated salt and pepper shakers, which I considered to be kind of hilarious. They also are a first boss fight of sorts, with solid defenses and hp, particularly for a level 1 party, but on the other hand, the party only has to contend with them if they do something foolish, namely going for the Sunday’s best. So yeah, reap what you sow…

In the dungeon, the party can also find another party that the giant forgot about, and whether or not combat ensues is pretty much up to the party. If the players are smart, they take these fellows along, as the finale can become challenging indeed. Anyhow, this is a good place to note that information presentation isn’t always concise, and shows that the 5e-version was probably used as a template for conversion: we have e.g. “Treasure.” in one room, clearly denoting loot, while in another room, no such clear indicator is given. Personally, I’d very much would have been in favor of retaining that for all rooms. Beyond that, the aforementioned salt and pepper shaker knights have their extraordinary ability names both bolded and in italics, when PFRPG usually only bolds them, and the new critter has its ability also formatted thus, followed by a full stop instead of a colon, but that is cosmetic.

Risk and reward are tied together, and careful exploration can deliver some serious loot for a low-level party, and things that should have mechanical consequences do have that; jumping in the ash can might result in becoming briefly sickened, for example. Much to my enjoyment, the module also features the classic “contained mold freezer”, the dry storage uses brown mold, and beyond a wererat and giant spiders, the final encounter is particularly interesting: You see, Donner (Thunder in German, btw.), the thunder terrier (a new critter) and pet of Clovis, is caught by some giant spiders; the massive terrier is not dead or particularly injured, but frightened…and his bark is pretty damn lethal, particularly for a low level party. The build is neat with only a, even though the colors of the artwork and read-aloud text don’t match.

The goal here is to defeat the spiders, preferably without being killed by the lightning-infused bark of Donner; worse, the bark also causes random sections of the floor to fall away, which can send the characters falling to a horrible fate thousands of feet beneath the sky castle. It’s a cool set-up and calming the dog may be key to survival. There is but one issue with this set-up, and it is due to the premise of instability in the room: There is nothing keeping the party from retreating out of the rather cramped room, which is probably one of the smartest things they can do: Large creature (Donner) + 5 Medium spiders mean that most of the 12 squares are occupied by critters already, so pretty claustrophobic, and there’s a good chance to fall very far or be obliterated by the terrier’s bark, so playing smart? That’s a must here! But the claustrophobic nature of this battle does feel weird.

Which brings me to an issue I had with the entire dungeon: The grid is too small: I don’t get the whole “giant’s wine cellar” angle from the scale of the map; RAW, the storm giant can’t even walk into the cellar in his natural form, as the rooms and doors are scaled for Large creatures instead of Huge ones. I think I know how this happened: I assume that the original iteration had a larger grid, probably 10 x 10 ft., but PFRPG requires a 5 x 5 ft. grid to work smoothly, so the grid-reference was shrunk without increasing the number of squares. Where do I get that from? The TEXT still references 10 x 10 ft. grids, in a pretty glaring editing oversight. Ideally, the number of squares should have probably increased to make the dungeon less claustrophobic. And no, the excuse that “the servants do it” falls apart when one looks at the very claustrophobic final fight. Ideally, I think the bark-collapse would be more interesting if that arena locked down after entering, with the barking being less deadly, but that may be me. (Cool, btw.: the module does take spider webs vs. falling into account.)

Conclusion: Editing is okay on a formal and good on a rules-language level, particularly in the latter discipline, the expertise of Mr. Russell shows; formatting sports a couple of hiccups and inconsistencies, but as a whole, works. Layout adheres to a full-color two-color standard with solid full-color artworks. The maps are full color as well, and as noted, the player-friendly map is a big plus. The pdf comes bookmarked for your convenience. I can’t comment on the merits of the print version, since I do not own it.

James M. Spahn is an adventure-writing veteran, and it shows here: This module takes an old cliché in RPGs and infuses some high-fantasy fun into it; the module is dangerous and interesting, requiring and rewarding player skill over good rolls; Michael “Mars” Russell delivers a significantly better conversion to PFRPG than what we’ve seen in the Quests of Doom-series, so that was neat to see.

The angle and dungeon per se are solid, and the ideas are neat, but ultimately, the scale-issue with the maps/set-up is a pretty significant detriment. I also couldn’t help but feel that the issue of the scale of the map is mirrored in what the dungeon doesn’t do: The whole angle of regular-sized characters in an environment designed for larger creatures could have been used to a much higher degree, and indeed, at least for PFRPG, I do have some recommendations: If you want to further scale the module’s size categories, Microsized Adventures is a perfect toolkit; for a level 3 party, more terrain hazards, such as via Ultimate Strongholds, would be a good call.

In the end, this is a good adventure; it’s not outstanding, but I do consider it to be worthwhile. If the scale aspect doesn’t faze you and you’ll just put a new grid on it anyway, then you should consider this to be a 4-stars module; with the aforementioned issue, though, this is only a 3.5-stars offering, and I have to rate what’s here. Ultimately, I do feel like this is closer to the 3-stars than the 4-stars verdict due to aforementioned gripes, hence I’ll round down.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
In Vino Gigantus (PF)
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Tome of Alchemy (PF)
by A customer [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/25/2021 05:59:11

Frog God Games publishes some great books, building upon their years of game design and crafting. The Tome of Alchemy was a book I was looking forward too, as it does make the character class stand out from under the shadow of being just another type of spellcaster. The book focuses on the fact that Alchemy is a usefull skill/proficiency that anyone can have access too. The book gives a good breakdown on some traditional alchemy needs and introduces a new mechanic for refining "essences". Now it only focuses on traditional Western Alchemy....., tt also categorizes and gives examples of a great variety of alchemical items one can create, both in 3eD&D and Pathfinder you would find a few things scattered her and their.... but never collected in a single volume. So now there is at least a good categorization: Alchemical Devices, Ammunitions, Incense, Tonics, Ointments, Powders, Solvents, and Tinctures. It also contains some 30 spells as well.

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO BURN.... then it may be worth your while.

This is he biggest negative about the book, for a pdf is is beyond a reasonable price point. The hefty $35 was too to expensive.... and even with the Xmas in July sale is still too much. For the price you'd expect tons of artwork and a heft page count, when compared to other monster manual and spell collections. Again the price is what hurts this book. I know the publisher has reasons.... but when compared to other products released in their catalogue it makes no sense to the buyer.

If they included some monsters (1 is mentioned but part of the spell), branched off into other forms of alchemy (eastern and internal), some real world science magic (elemental table and how it applies), and etc.... I would be inclined to have given it 5 stars... or at least make the book more affordable... at most $15.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Tome of Alchemy (PF)
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Bunnies and Burrows 3rd Edition
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/06/2021 09:19:44

Originally posted here: http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2021/06/review-bunnies-and-burrows-3rd-edition.html

Bunnies & Burrows has always been one of those games that elicits a variety of responses from gamers and non-gamer alike. Most often it is "really? there is a game of that?" I will admit I was and am a fan of the original 1976 Edition. I never really got to play it, save for one time, but that was it. It was fun and I wrote a review for it.

I did, however, spend a lot of time back in 2007 rewriting the Bunnies & Burrows article on Wikipedia. Not only was I and others able to get the article to Good Article status, but I also had a Furry Advocacy group offer to send me money because of it. I just asked them to donate the money to the Humane Society. I didn't want my edits called into question if I Was doing them for pay. I was doing it to further my own RPG knowledge.

So when the Kickstarter for the new edition from Frog God Games came up, well yes, I had to back it. They delivered it and it looked great. And I promptly put it on my shelf never to be seen again. I was cleaning up some shelves to make room for more Traveller books when I found it. I figure I should give it a go again.

If you have never checked out this game then I say do yourself a favor and remedy that. This is a great piece of the RPG past and should not go ignored.

I am going to review Bunnies & Burrows 3rd Edition from Frog God Games. For this review, I am considering both the PDF and the Print version I received from Kickstarter. There is a Print on Demand version, I have not seen it.

Bunnies & Burrows, 3rd Edition

Bunnies & Burrows 3rd Ed comes to us from Frog God Games. Maybe more well known for the Swords & Wizardry line of books than rabbits, this game is still a solid contender for the Old School market. More so I say than some other games that people think of as "Old School."

In this game, you play rabbits. Not anthropomorphic rabbits. Not mutant rabbits. But normal, everyday, common in your backyard rabbits. If this feels a bit "Watership Down" then you are right on track.

Part I: Traits and Characteristics

Characters have 8 base traits, Strength, Speed, Intelligence, Agility, Constitution, Mysticism (was Wisdom in 1st and 2nd Ed), Smell, and Charisma. Different Professions (Runners, Spies, Shamans...) all have a primary trait. Traits are rolled like D&D, 3d6, and the bonuses are similar.

Every profession gets some special abilities. So for example the Fighter gets a double attack and a killing blow. It is assumed that your starting character is a rabbit or bunny.

There are other choices too, Raccoon, Jackrabbit, chipmunk, skunk, porcupine, opossum, armadillo, and gray squirrel. With the examples given, other small furry wild animals could be chosen.

Part II: Playing the Game

This covers the rules of the game and more importantly, the sorts of things you can do in the game. Covered are important topics like Habitats, Grooming, Sleep, Foraging, Diseases, and dealing with other animals and at worse, Man-Things.

There is a huge section on encounters and how basically everything out there is harmful to you. There are predators, humans, dangerous terrain, rival animals, and the ever-present search for food and water.

There are many sample scenarios and even a few mini-games to play.

Part III: For the Gamemaster

The last part covers the last half of the book. It has a lot of information on setting up a game, how to roleplay, and stats of all sorts. A lot of rival and predatory creatures are also listed in what would the "monster" section of other games.

There are a bunch of maps, scenarios, and encounters all throughout the book. There is no unified theme, nothing that ties them all together, other than "survive as a little thing in a world full of bigger, scarier things."

There is certainly a lot of Role-playing potential in that.

B&B makes you feel like it could all be happening in your backyard. That while we Man-Things sit on our decks and grill our burgers and drink out ices tea, there is a world not that far from us distance-wise, but one that is as different and far away as we can get. A world of survival just under our noses. The game is quite attractive in terms of color and art. It looks fantastic.

There is a feel from this, I am going to call it the S&W effect, that I didn't feel when reading the original game. This is a polished game that is trying to feel old. As opposed to an old that was trying to feel polished. The original B&B looks cheap by today's standards but it was such an "out there" idea for the time that it felt more important than say the representation it got in RPG circles. This new B&B has a similar feel, but maybe lacks a little of the gravitas of the original.

In any case, it is a fun game, and one every gamer would at least try. I don't think you can call yourself an old-school gamer unless you have played it at least once.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Bunnies and Burrows 3rd Edition
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