An Endzeitgeist.com review

The ninth installment of the superb Zeitgeist AP clocks in at a whopping 105 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 100 (!!) pages of content - that's more than some self-proclaimed mega-adventures out there...

This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. As such, players wishing to play this intelligent and exceedingly ambitious AP should jump to the conclusion.

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All right, still here?

We rejoin our loyal constables of the RHC in the realm of the Dreaming, the lands of the fey, where they were dumped after facing off against Nicodemus, the immortal head of the Ob's conspiracy. Now if you have any degree of familiarity with roleplaying, you'll probably know that the combination of "Stranded" and "Fey" in any combination in one sentence do not bode well and indeed, if the PCs were expecting whimsy, they'll get that - of the lethal sort, for there is war brewing in the realms of the fey. Let me elaborate - two courts have been in a state of cold war for quite some time - until Rock Rackus, troublemaker and celebrity bard, entered the fray - remember this loud-mouth from the campaign's beginning? Well, turned out that his claims have had some truth - he indeed slept with the Queen of the Fey...who also is the king, as the mirrored face of said lord projects the subconscious of any who look upon the entity. Worse, his inclination of "sticking it to the man" made him a pawn of the machinations of the second court as well and thus, a valid linchpin to destabilize the whole realm.

The fey/elder evil-combination the players know from adventure #3, the Voice of Rot, has had an agent abduct Rock and "murder" a false body instead, inciting hostilities between the courts - a conflict the PCs will have to resolve to return home. That is if they manage to maneuver through the politics and oddities of the fey courts - worse, returning home is not as simple as one would deem, nor is finding Rock, who has been safely sealed away in a pocket/prison dimension-ish place called the absurdist web. It should be noted that unearthing the truth may not necessarily be the interest of the PCs - allying with the mastermind behind the abduction may well be a smart move...for now. Then again, choosing the new sovereign of the fey and duking it out with a potential candidate or the majesty ought to be considerable fun. Still, the investigation here is just as modular, odd and challenging as you'd expect it to be. My only gripe here would be the lack of a proper planar-trait synopsis as established in PFRPG's standard, though that admittedly is a gripe I can classify as a nitpick in view of the overall interesting plot here - including a rather phenomenal potential for a face-off against a fey-titan that is truly ridiculously huge...and deadly.

Time, alas, waits for no one, not even PCs stranded in the realms of the fey, and meanwhile, the world is succumbing to the vision of the Ob, with Risur a beacon of hope and resistance, thanks in no small parts to the PCs warning the king and thus ensuring the united spirit of his people (as established via the concept of Rites of Rulership) to remain intact - for now, for when the PCs arrive at a wedding he oversees, the OB's plan kicks in and they use wayfarer lanterns to draw the vfery palace into the Bleak Gate. The PCs have exactly 5 minutes to thwart this transition before they and everyone is fully manifest in the Bleak Gate and faces essentially unbeatable odds. Oh, not that the constant barrage of elite assassination teams and Ob-forces defending the lanterns would make for an easy time - quite the contrary. The Ob have failsafe upon failsafe and defeating one team is by far not enough - essentially, this is a constant stream of highly lethal attacks on the king, with success being rather likely unless the PCs are up to the a-game. The Ob are smart - let's hope the player's minds have been sharpened as well by the constant tangling with their foes.

Whether the king lives or dies - there is more to be done, namely interrupting the ritual of Stanfield - only issue being having to attack the best-defended lighthouse in the world - simple, right? An epic naval battle ensues, one that comes, as always, with my firm advice to utilize the naval combat rules of Fire as She Bears instead. Other than that, the dramatics and set-up here are pretty much awesome - as would be the final assault on Stanfield's fortress, where the mighty oracle fights the PCs with all his prior incarnations. But once he falls, so does the sky, evaporating his lighthouse and saving Risur...for now - but as the PCs scramble from the rubble, they realize that their magic is gone (a notion covered and explained alongside the rules of the New World Order in a sidebox that makes infinitely more sense than the ill-conceived 30-cap in #8) and there may or may not be one final battle to brave...in any way, as the night-sky changes, the nebulae of the heavens form the shape of titanic gears - the New World Order has dawned and the PCs may have witnessed indeed the last starry sky...

The pdf also deals with the rather likely death of the king and the notion of PCs becoming monarchs, appendices with stats for both creatures, NPCs, ships, etc., magic and training and handy maps that e.g. make the overlaps of the lanterns during the assassination apparent, etc. - as always, the quality of the full-color maps is superb, though I wished the layered pdf had a way to make them player-friendly (i.e. no legend/keys).

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to Zeitgeist's beautiful, layered two-column full-color standard and thus allows for significant customization. Artworks range from gorgeous to stock and are copious. The cartography is excellent, as always.

Ryan Nock's #9 of the AP sees a return to form for me - while I am not yet sold on whether the new abilities imposed by the finale of the module will receive proper rules-translation in future installments, I can safely say that this installment of the series, apart from pretty much negligible details, can be considered one of the most creative. Much like in WotBS, this one could be deemed the oddball, feyish, planar interlude and as such would make perhaps one of the easiest modules to rip out of the context of the whole AP - the first Act, the assassination etc. could be relatively easily scavenged for other purposes beyond this AP. That being said, the main star of this module, let's be honest, is the cinematographic dramaturgy exhibited by the scenes - the stakes are impossibly high at this point and one can see that from the get-go. The challenges also reflect this more than just on a cursory way and yes, when played right, this module can be a delight, but also exceedingly lethal. My final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval, though I am somewhat skeptical about the new magic rules for the world and whether they will work properly in future installments. One more nitpick, perhaps - the rules, at least as hinted here, seem to not take #7 into account, which imho is a lost chance for the meta-plot to make the PC's decisions matter - an oversight I hope to see rectified in the compilation of the second act.

Endzeitgeist out.

Meh. It looks professionally done but I don't like the game system. I find it too qualitative and arbitrary, so you can't be sure that gameplay will be consistent unless you really know your GM.

"It comes in pints? I'm getting one!" - Pippen, The Fellowship of the Ring

There are a lot of very useful supplemental rules in this. The drinking rules alone are worth it for my group—they've very well thought out, and what campaign doesn't have a party who hits the taverns occasionally? I don't know that we'll find a lot of use for the in-game games, but for the right setting or the right diversion, I could definitely see them adding lots of flavor.

Given the huge amount of sheer content in this book, I think it's very likely that most campaigns (save those focused solely on combat) can garner sufficient use to justify the expense.

This isn't a particularly practical supplement (and doesn't pretend to be), but it's a lot of fun! A huge amount of humor for a very low price.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The 8th installment of the (so far!) legendary Zeitgeist-saga clocks in at 99 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 94 pages of content, so let's take a look at whether this installment can keep up the stunning momentum of the saga!

This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS, including some minor ones for previous modules in the saga. Potential players of this massive AP should jump to the conclusion.

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All right, still here?

"Memory is identity, identity is memory." - Julian Barnes.

No words would fit better the premise of this module, wherein Zeitgeist changes paces once more - after infiltrating the great conclave of the Obscurati in Zeitgeist #7, dining and talking to the masterminds behind the vast conspiracy and shaping the very ideology of their opponents, the constables of the RHC may have actually changes sides - but after the culling of the ranks that unified the conspiracy, the Obscurati are now more dangerous than ever before. For the first time, however, the PCs may actually be in the loop regarding the dread masterplan of their adversaries - still, the Ob machinery is grinding on, but there may be a grain of sand that can bring the gears of revolution to a halt: This proverbial grain would be Kasvarina Varal, one of the founders of the Obscurati - separated from her memories, the eladrin woman may be the one thing that can put a stop to the plans of the conspiracy - thankfully, the PCs will have probably deduced ways to find Kasvarina and if they don't, their leadership may have an idea - so off they go towards Elfaivar - provided they can best the fleet combat waiting. sigh Yes, this is the time where I once again can ramble about the default naval combat rules of this AP sucking hard. I recommend you get Frog God Games' Fire as She Bears instead.

Tracking the vast colossus towards Kasvarina - via prestige and connections, their trek through the jungles will still be less than pleasant, and worse - the Ob are up to their game and have sent competing teams out and the trail leads onwards - into artillerist fire and ambushes, before the PCs have to face a lethal 10-headed lion-creature crafted from the stuff of dreams itself - and yes, the heads have powers conspicuously in line with certain IP-protected eye-themed creatures. ;)

Beyond these trials, the PCs may meet Asrabey again and finally make contact with Kasvarina, who then fills the PCs in regarding her memories of her experience of the eladrin diaspora -alas, Kasvarina is not the woman she once was. bereft of the traumatic experiences of her life, she is not a tabula rasa, but rather a story half-written. If will be up to the PCs to accompany her and put the triggers of recurring memories into perspective and influence how her personality evolves this time around - will she become the woman she once was, something better or even something worse? The theme of diaspora extends from the external to the internal of Kasvarina in a clever use of the concepts. Getting acceptance in Sentosa is just the prelude to the quest to reclaim the artifact, in which Kasvarina's memories are stored - only to walk right into the conflict between weretigers (non-evil, btw.) and clergy. While the general set-up here is great, I was kind of miffed by the John Smith/Pocahontas-reference (describing the lack of an easy solution) in one sentence of DM-advice-text. I'm aware of the myth, but having had plenty of academic experience with the topic, the cultural bridging proved to be less harmonious than popularized by Disney. That, however, remains one pet-peeve of mine and does not impede the quality of the module.

On a more awesome side, the PCs will have to brave various challenges aligned with various times, seeing the shape of the distant past and the things to come. The artifact then allows for access to the meat of the module - using it, the PCs can physically enter the memories of others, potentially even retrieving objects from inside - oh, and they can reap the benefits of their investigations and experience more of Kasvarina's past - alas, the triggers are spread around and a return to the Crypta Hereticarum is in order - which also doubles as an option to strike an uneasy alliance with Pemberton via his deadly bots. Worse than potentially being indebted to the demoness in the crypta, the party will have to find a way to infiltrate the capital of Danoran - which coincidentally lies in a zone of absolute dead magic spawned by the death of a goddess. Yes, not even supernatural abilities. Now watch your high-level PCs squirm. Or you would, did this follow the established rules for dead magic/antimagic zones.

Even worse, any roll caps at 30. Yes, this is nasty...and for once, I am not a fan of this cap - it feels a like cheating to me, potentially penalizing PCs that would have a chance to shine in this environment. I also would have liked specification on how summoned creatures, familiars, eidolons etc. interact with this zone - the pdf remains silent apart from "1 negative level for every magical creature, even when usually immune to it." This is not enough in my book and woefully imprecise. Furthermore, the cap literally BREAKS the rules - Take a look at how CMD/Feinting etc. work and do some quick checks for PCs - being immune to feints and bluffs is not hard here and the cap makes the whole system come apart when it comes to opposing rolls...or several other basic rules-options. My advice is to ignore this utterly bizarre and ill-conceived notion in favor of a better take more in line with the system.

On a more positive side, the D-day-style infiltration of Danor, including potential combat with a tank, is pretty challenging and interesting and an ascent accompanied by continuous barrages of memories does not help either. Finally, things become rather heated - the colossus Borne arrives to get his "mother", while Nicodemus himself shows up to abduct Kasvarina (or kill her) and interrupt the final memory, wherein a goddess was killed. The final battle against Nicodemus is not only extremely climactic, it also is exceedingly difficult - and may have the PCs stranded in the Dreaming, as the dread plans of the obscurati grind ahead....

The pdf provides a massive appendix of memories (optional ones), stats for NPCs and adversaries (including troops - nice!) and a short gazetteer of Methia.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are very good, I did not notice any significant glitches. Layout adheres to Zeitgeist's beautiful 2-column full-color standard and the pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience. Artwork is a blend of stock-art and glorious full-color original pieces. The pdf's lavish full color maps benefit just as much as the pdf from the layered pdf, which makes it easy to customize the amount of ink/toner you're willing to expend. It also allows you to make the maps player-friendly.

I am a huge proponent of the concept of this adventure - the concept of helping shape a personality, of going from the global to the personal perspective and actually providing a believable person is awesome. I adore this pdf's premise and its execution by Thurston Hillman is superb and well-written, as I've come to expect from Zeitgeist.

Now at the same time, I did feel like this installment did a bit of "cheating" - at this point, I can shrug off the lame naval combat rules the series uses. Yes, it's a bit of work to make conversions, but the play-experience is worth it.

Conversely, I have never complained about Zeitgeist breaking some of the default rules-assumptions of the Pathfinder-rules - why? Because the campaign guide and player's guide provide ample justification for the changes in how flight, teleportation etc. work and ultimately are enablers for the story, not restrictions. The changes are organic and part of the world's setting and as such, valid in my book. Where I get grumpy, though, would be the antimagic premise herein - in PFRPG, there are two canon, established and well-codified types of antimagic zones and this pdf just ignores them in favor of a rather ill-defined sidebox that not only leaves questions open, it also feels like a cheat. I know that my players did not take kindly to the arbitrary restrictions imposed on them, especially seeing how they deviate from how things usually work.

As a recommendation for a more interesting solution, Interjection Games has released a FREE pdf of incremental antimagic a DM may enjoy as an alternative.

Now like other Zeitgeist installments, this pdf still is one awesome read and provides thoroughly unique and awesome challenges all around - Diaspora is a great module, though one that has its second half slightly tarnished by the unnecessary antimagic cop-out: In fact, in spite of my complaining above, Diaspora's innovative take on a personal and global tragedy, the memory-delving as a great substitution of time travel without the massive time travel logic glitches - all of these make Diaspora a worthwhile and great adventure - but one that is slightly more rough around the edges than the previous installments. Yes, it only has this issue in a small part of the overall book, but here, the impact was jarring. Hence, my final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4. Note that if you are willing to properly iron out the non-sense restrictions introduced in the second half of the module, this still should be considered a top-notch buy.

Endzeitgeist out.

This is a copy paste of my review from set 4, because I basically did one review for both sets.

The last two sets in this series are my favorite. There are sill minor issues with the resolution here, but they are not as bad as previous sets. The creator has gotten better as he went along. You may want some of the earlier sets to have some matching space backgrounds that are more plain looking. You probably don't want everything to so be colorful. To me though, the last two sets in the series are the meat and potatoes of the battlemat.

The last two sets in this series are my favorite. There are sill minor issues with the resolution here, but they are not as bad as previous sets. The creator has gotten better as he went along. You may want some of the earlier sets to have some matching space backgrounds that are more plain looking. You probably don't want everything to so be colorful. To me though, the last two sets in the series are the meat and potatoes of the battlemat.

This one is a bit difficult for me to right a review on. More than any of the other sets, the art here is of inconsistent resolution. There is also the problem of the hex lines being a bit too dim. I am not using any of the asteroid pages from this because they are just the worst. I would rather use custom asteroid tiles. So im really only using the planets in this set. its the same amount of stuff im using from the first set which I rated lower. I didn't rate this one lower though, because they are good looking planets, and when you have all the other sets, its a nice extra. The price is also not bad, so I felt these planets were worth it for me.

The art in this set, and the following sets is a bit inconsistent, but it generally looks good enough. This particular set does a better job of plain space than the first set did, so get this one for that. Then get the following sets. Maybe also get the first set later, but its the weakest of the sets, so I would recommend getting it last.

I didn't really care for this first set. There are a couple sheets I use, but most of them I don't. The price is good though, and further sets increased the quality. They are all just a little under 1in across hexes, so will work fine for that 1 inch. I would recommend getting this set last just to pad out the other sets.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The 7th installment of the groundbreaking Zeitgeist AP clocks in at 95 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, for a massive 90 pages - so can this module stand up to the ridiculous high quality of its predecessors?

In order to find that out, this review will need to delve deep into SPOILER-territory - potential players should definitely jump to the conclusion.

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Still here? All right! The defense mechanisms and structure of the conspiracy the PCs face is nigh impenetrable - but thankfully, the stalwart constables of the RHC may finally have a chance to go deep undercover - the call for help in the last module needs to be followed up. Alexander Grappa, himself responsible for the creation of the mind of the titanic golem featured in module #5, is trapped in the mind of an obscurati thankfully unaware of his presence - in order to gain a proper man on the inside, the PCs will need to catch the conspirator and make sure that the blind passenger soul can take control of the body it now shares.

But the PCs don't know that yet - instead, the module begins with the PCs reaching a conclave of the obscurati, braving the security and being welcomed by the mastermind Nicodemus - how they got to this place, well, that will be explained (and played!) after this rather exciting teaser of the things to come! (And yes, from body-switching to complications and alternate ways into the module, this one has quite a bit of potential trouble-shooting available for your perusal...)

Now the way to this exciting scenery is NOT linear either - managing fey (and possibly engaging in a battle of wits with them - the sub-chapter's header is epic rap battle of history...) and tracking down aforementioned possessed individual turns out to be a rather complex endeavor - with smart use of magic at the hands of both PCs and adversaries being expected at this point. If the Pcs don't run afoul of the opposition trying to stop them, they'll sooner or later have to plan their assault on Leon's train in the lavishly mapped Mirsk plain station -including maps of the train's cabins, by the way.

Now the issue is, if the PCs manage to defeat their opposition and secure Leon alive, they won't be closer to having their exclusive ticket to the Ob's grand event - to achieve that, it's a trip to the frozen peaks concealing the spires of Knütpara, right into the domain of the dread frost giants. Infiltrating this place, wherein the dread frost giant lich may offer a way to switch souls...for a price, namely freedom from his icy prison. The switch completed, PCs will realize that facing off against an organization like the OB has its benefits - the lich's brittle body collapses upon being released - so far for his plans for world domination, which fail rather pitifully.

The switch complete (including the PC's bodies), the PCs now have a perfect inside man and may begin the infiltration of the Obscurati's conclave - and realize that a friend of theirs is possessed by the very top man of the conspiracy! And from there on, this module becomes an espionage fans wet dream - the PCs are in deep, at the very heart of the hostile conspiracy, faced with the council of ghosts, prison planes, planar switches, smart uses of the iconic magical lanterns...and more intrigue than they'll ever want. Then, the bodies start dropping. An important monk/paladin called Vitus Sigismund has been captured...and the conflicting ideologies within the conspiracy wrestle for control.

Now if you're a DM, this might seem horribly complicated - it isn't. In fact, the PC's host bodies have their own hand-outs ready, with rules-information for gestalting-special abilities. Better yet, the diverse factions in the obscurati also have their ideologies summed up in handy handouts. And believe you me, the summit will become rather nasty even without the attempts at assassination - whether or not the PCs blow their cover, the mastermind of the obscurati will have a chance to interact with the PCs and sooner or later, there will be a vote...and there will be blood, as the advocates of a potentially tyrannical philosophy are culled from the ranks in a surprising display of brutality.

If the PCs survive the chaos, exploding duplicants, deceptions upon deceptions and the ensuing evacuation, including a furious, chaotic finale, the future of the very world and its cosmology will be set on a path - a path that was at least co-determined by the PCs...and honestly, they may even consider the arguments of the obscurati valid...

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to EN Publishing's beautiful 2-column full-color standard and the artworks provided are nice. The full color cartography is glorious and the pdf is layered, allowing for customization to make the pdf printer-friendly. The pdf also comes fully bookmarked for your convenience.

Ryan Nock's Schism is yet another installment in this epic that deserves nothing but the utmost praise - from subdued humor to brilliant adversaries and truly iconic locations - and a sense of gravitas one rarely, if ever, sees in any given module, much less one in the middle of an ongoing campaign. The Zeitgeist AP is a thinking man's campaign, ridiculously detailed and smart, focused on cinematic, smart roleplaying and a distinct focus on brains over brawn. That being said, much like in previous installments, there is ample action to be found herein - and yes, my summary above was at the very best sketchy - there is infinitely more going on in the module, with ample choices for the PCs to make. One would assume that the AP would run out of steam, but quite the contrary seems to be the case - instead of slowly grinding to a halt from the continuous climaxes, the modules instead just switch gears to change to a different highlight - even the calm and serene moments, much like in great movies or books, can carry a ridiculous amount of gravitas, of potential. Schism is one extremely unique module, one that makes full use of Zeitgeist's diverse, unique concepts, brilliant seeds and copious, unique NPCs - this is a module where masks fall and intentions are revealed, a brilliant masterpiece that can stand among the best in this glorious series...and yes, that means something! My final verdict will thus, unsurprisingly, clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval for the longest unbroken string of such high recommendations any product line ever has achieved. If the masterminds don't botch big time, the Zeitgeist AP may indeed become THE roleplaying monument of this generation.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The first installment of the second act of what has so far been a ridiculously awesome AP clocks in at 85 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC,1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 80 pages of content, so let's take a look, shall we?

Now first things first - this being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players of the Zeitgeist AP should NOT spoil this saga and instead jump to the conclusion.

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All right, only DMs left? Sure? Well, you were warned.

Apart from advice for adapting the module to home campaigns and eliminating the steampunk fluff, there is, as has become the tradition with Zeitgeist, a LOT going on. It's been 2 months since the PCs managed to lure away the colossus in adventure #5 and the wheels of the conspiracies never stop turning - and now, the PCs may have a chance to remedy that. The constables are briefed to find one (mad?) savant called Tinker Oddcog, potentially one of the people involved in the creation of the titanic construct and quite probably in league with the shadowy conspiracy that has acted as the primary antagonistic force so far. Only problem is - the guy knew when to run and has left the country. Thus, the constables are off to the nation of Ber, including full-blown ship teleportation, to find the gnome before his erstwhile employers do and silence him for good. making matters more complicated would be the mostly humanoid population of the land the PCs are supposed to enter, requiring quite a bit of tact not to offend gnolls, orcs etc..

To make matters more complicated, the PCs are asked to testify at the trial of their old ally Brakken - and yes, proper cross-examination and verdicts - all not based solely on dice, but rather on ROLEplaying - kudos and two thumbs up for keeping the whole affair...well...fair. Oh, by the way, at this point, the opposition has probably made its first move already, their first assassination attempt hopefully thwarted by the PCs. After local politics have been cleared, alliances been cemented or lost, the PCs will be off towards the Summer Court - only to face a massive stampede prompted by tyrannosauruses. Plural. Yeah. Ouch, but also damn awesome! Here, the PCs will have a chance to prove their worth by braving a massive maze for the spectators - in this decadent game, the PCs will both have to survive the relatively harmless bears - and the mechanical, very much lethal Battle enhanced animalistic robot - B.E.A.R., all while navigating and hopefully avoiding the teleport traps...

Once the challenge has been won or lost, the true game begins - in something I have never seen in a module before -competitive rail-road construction espionage action. No. I'm not kidding. The level of detail here, including time-line and key-moments with their sabotage-attempts and issues make running this one pretty awesome indeed! Oh, and when I'm saying intrigue, I mean it - mind control, dealing with parasites and optionally, saving Wolgang von Recklinghausen from a particularly bug-affine tribe...quite abunch to be done. Finally, the bruse may let the constables meet Tinker - only to have him be revealed as a suicidal simulacra. Worse, a whole bunch of guards go replicant and start trying to assassinate the Bruse and everyone else in reach. Whether the ruler dies or not, the trail leads to the Isla dolas Focas, where a massive naval battle looms (oh joy, much ship-block stats building to use better naval rules...) -after that, the PCs will have to brave a pump station (preferably without having it blow up in their faces or the faces of the hostages, for that matter) - here, the PCs may, guided by a duplicant's voice, finally receive some information from tinker as they venture down into a volcanic foundry - only to have Risuri steel baron Pemberton show his true face as the mastermind behind Tinker's disappearance...and as one of the last covert-living dragons, hell-bent on taking Ber as his own. Between assembly-lines and magma, the PCs will have to defeat Tinker's power-armor, a draconic robot, Pemberton's duplicant...and save the gnome from certain death - quite a task, even before the Obscurati complicate things further and well worthy of the Zeitgeist AP!

Now beyond the magic items, NPCs etc., parties that manage to retrieve tinker may benefit from his brilliance and guide the development of unique, experimental technology in the campaign - is that cool or what? Beyond player-friendly versions of the maps, we also receive hand-outs and handy tracking sheets to easily run the rather awesome railroad mini-game.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, though not as superb as in most Zeitgeist-installments - I noticed slightly more glitches and e.g. references pointing to "Page XX" or references to e.g. the "bloodied" condition from 4th edition than usual. Layout adheres to Zeitgeist's unique 2-column full color standard with a mix of original and stock art, the latter always thematically fitting. It should be noted that the pdf is layered, allowing you to remove graphical elements for more printer-friendly results. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience. Cartography is nice and leaves nothing to be desired.

Ryan Nock's sixth installment of the AP, by necessity, is less in your face than #5 - Act 2 needs to be set up, with the interwoven plot-lines building slowly up to something new and different. That being said, the AP manages to retain its strengths - diverse challenges, excessive roleplaying, compelling politics and backstabbing intrigues, all set against a backdrop of importance, of varied challenges - and if my account of the adventure's plot seems convoluted, then only because there actually is so much more going on in these pages. The consequences of old relationships resurfacing and reacting properly, the omnipresent consequences of the PC's actions - all of these conspire to make this yet another superb module. While it is not the best of the Zeitgeist modules and my first reaction was a slight urge to rate it a bit down, that wouldn't have been fair; It still stands triumphantly among its brethren and manages to build up steam after the vast array of legendary things that happened in #5.

When compared to just about every other module, this still breathes iconic ideas, dares to demand smart players and is dauntingly novel and inspired - not losing steam after 6 installments, the massive machinery that is Zeitgeist waltzes on without losing steam - and maintaining this level of complexity and diversity for this long is damn impressive. I'm looking forward to the whole of Act 2 - final verdict: Once again, 5 stars + seal of approval, though this time around, it was a slightly closer decision than before.

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The massive collection of the first Act of the Zeitgeist AP clocks in at 559 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 6 pages of ToC, 1 page back cover, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 549 pages of content.

So let's...wait. Let me get this straight - this is the compiled version of the first 5 Zeitgeist-adventures PLUS Crypta Hereticarum, Player's Guide and Campaign Guide; It also includes (with 2 hick-ups) cleaned up nomenclature regarding elves/eladrin high/wood elves that resulted from conversion. All of these components are simply glorious - 5 stars + seal of approval badassery in its truest form. I've also reviewed all of the modules, so if you require details, please check those out.

The book also contains "Seas of Zeitgeist", which provides the quick and dirty (imho VERY BAD) naval combat rules of "Admiral o' the High Seas" for the AP -and constitutes the one component of the AP I don't love o death. In design philosophy quite remote from Pathfinder, it pales before Paizo's naval combat rules and especially before Frog God Games' superb "Fire as She Bears", which I will use to provide proper naval combat rules for this AP. Beyond these, item-cards, a metric ton of maps, hand-outs and supplemental information help running this beast.

Conclusion:

Wait, what? Well, production-wise, this killer tome is a layered pdf that can be made printer-friendly, the maps can be made player-friendly if they aren't already. The writing by Ryan Nock, Matthew J. Hanson, Jacob Driscoll and Thurston Hillman is superb. The book comes extensively bookmarked for your convenience.

I will cut this review far shorter than the page-count would suggest since I've already covered the constituent pdfs. This is the most ambitious AP you can buy and also the most intelligent - with a focus on a complex weave of narratives, deceptions and espionage, it cannot be compared to any other AP in scope and focus and is ambitious to an unprecedented level. The story is so compelling, diverse and challenging, it is bound to become a legend, far surpassing even War of the Burning Sky and similar epics with its daunting focus on smarts and roleplaying over killing everything that moves. The sheer amount of glorious mini-games and decisions make Deus Ex run to the corner and cry itself to sleep and apart from the subpar naval rules, there is NOTHING on can truly complain about - and honestly, these are easily replaced.

Now if you are a new DM, first master something less demanding - Zeitgeist is intended for experienced dungeon masters and the amount of plots, characters, etc. you have to juggle is significant. However, this also makes the AP exceedingly cool, challenging and SMART. This is a thinking man's AP, one that dares to assume that its audience is intelligent and capable -and I love it for that. In fact, the only reason I'm not running this AP RIGHT NOW is that I'm waiting for it to finish. This may very well be one of the best APs ever written, depending on your taste, possibly the best.

It is to my eternal regret that I cannot comment on the premium hardback edition in color - my meager funds do not allow me to get this book as per the writing of this review. That being said, this is still a milestone for storytelling in a d20-based system, the first AP to reach the narrative complexity and depth usually reserved for legendary CoC/ToC/etc.-campaigns. If am of the firm belief that this tome belongs into a DM's arsenal and that running this, will one day be a kind of rite of passage. If you thought the "War of the Burning Sky" was good - it has NOTHING on Zeitgeist. My final verdict will come as no surprise, seeing how the first 5 installments were the first ever AP to succeed at such an unbroken string of superb ratings from yours truly; it will clock in at 5 stars, seal of approval, nomination as a candidate for my top ten of 2014 and a shed tear of longing for the physical book. If you can, get this NOW!

Endzeitgeist out.

An Endzeitgeist.com review

The latest installment of EN Publishing's Zeitgeist-AP clocks in at 95 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 90 pages of content, so let's take a look, shall we?

It's been too long since I took a look at one of the Zeitgeist-modules, but before I do, here the obligatory warning - this review contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion.

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No, really. Jump to the conclusion.

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Only DMs left? Good.

This adventure is the conclusion of the first act of the epic ZEITGEIST-saga, and as such, provides guidance of running it stand-alone (or the first campaign-act alone - just eliminate the conspiracy elements and there you go!) - which renders it longer than one would have expected. The constables of the RHC will have A LOT on their hands, so better hope they have honed their investigative skills.

A peace-summit is looming between the nation of Risur and Danor, finally bringing peace to the strained relations between the nations - including, btw., a list of the points of contention. In one sentence - there are a lot of elements invested in seeing the summit fail. Beyond a turf-war, a mad fey and radical eschatologists all have their own plots, which means that the constables will have to wrap up no less than THREE threads: In order to cope with this, magical long-range communication and the B-team are provided - the latter being only 4th level characters the players may play...and, of course, as always, characters may very well die.

And yes, on their way to meet the king, the PCs immediately are subject to a well-planned, rather deadly assassination attempt, including carriages, which should make clear the stakes are high - crimelord Lorcan Kell (backed by the two-letter-abbreviated conspirators) wishes to take them out. The king himself briefs them with the severity of the situation (as well as dropping some hints of ravenloftesque ties of rulers to their realm and citizens...) and tells them about the conspirators having some means of access to the Bleak Gate - something the PCs should better unearth as soon as possible.

Now the B-team will be busy with escorting the minotaur-ambassador Brakken - hopefulyl without attacking his dire-bear companion. Meanwhile, the PCs may see an old acquiantance from module #1 show up at the royal palace- the high elf Asrabey Varal asks, veiled, for assistance in hunting down aforementioned rogue fey. The B-team, escorting both the minotaur and the dwarven eye of Drakr at the summit will right NOW have their hands full -a deadly ballet of death is unleashed upon the city by a cadre of deadly dwarven eschatologists - perfectly timed bombs, sniper nests - the B-team will have its hands more than full trying to save what's there to save! Alexander Grappa, the golem-maker, has his mind currently inside the head of a demolished bronze golem and may just be the additional piece of information the constables need regarding the Bleak gate - though a clever geas prevents him from divulging crucial information. Now as an additional mini-game, the PCs will have to generate and train a task force of people to take down Kell et al, which also provides various means for complications - essentially, they have to order a shadow war against Kell and his associates - in a damn fun, cool mini-game. Better - if the PCs have good relationships with the Cipiano, they may utilize Morgan Cipiano's resources against Kell...for a price that will influence further adventures. Speaking of which - if the B-team can ensure that their outgunned fight in a night-club is successful, they can influence this mini-game as well - and actually get Kell's lawyer!

Espionage and counter-espionage very much determine how well the final crackdown on Kell goes -if moles are not exposed, the PCs may find themselves at a significant disadvantage. Now the investigation into the renegade fey with Asrabey turns out to be rather interesting - the haughty elf still vastly outclasses the constables and thus, combats tend to have certain things for him to do - and yes, the fey-opposition of the Unseen Court is rather deadly. While the main group dukes it out with powerful spellcasters, the B-team will have "fun" calming superstitious folk and hopefully prevent multiple lynchings due to the fear of a curse. Capturing and interrogating a gremlin may see the PCs finally in a position where they can confront the fey-lord Ekossigan - in the process of a ritual sacrifice, clearly mad and mumbling about dread things hidden...but more on that later.

If the PCs have made friends with Kvarti in a previous encounter, the dwarf's divergent take on eschatologist philosophy may provide a simple means for them to gain information - Kvarti is unhappy about the radical plan of mass-bombing the sub-railway system and wants to help prevent the unleashing of dangerous beasts bound for the harbor and a hostage situation planned by a particularly cold eschatologist - hopefully also diffusing the deadly bomb in a nail-biting finale.

The massive banquet scene that is to follow the happenings will be just as nail-biting and tense - there is a lot at stake and after the rather exquisitely detailed scene - which unmasks a particular NPC as a telepath and also provides the PCs with a means of maintaining an element of surprise over the obscurati in Cauldron Hill - depending on the means the PCs chose during the module, the finale's assault on the Obscurati base will happen under vastly different constellations. Beyond infiltration, the utterly EPIC boss-fights that reward making allies and smart choices here deserve special mention.

But this is not the end - the titan of adamantine is unleashed upon the city, and while, for now, without direction, it needs to be dealt with - the king assembles a makeshift fleet (plus allies PCs may have made!) and tries to lure the titan to sea, while the king executes a powerful ritual aboard the vessel to banish the titan. The PCs will have to hold off the deadly, nigh-indestructible creature while dealing with the deadly witchoil horrors generating from the titan, for one of the most epic climaxes I've seen in any module.

Pages upon pages of handouts and GM-guidance to running this beast are provided as well.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I noticed no significant glitches. Layout adheres to EN Publishing's 2-column full-color standard with plenty of glorious, original pieces of art. The pdf comes layered to the extent where you can make it easily player-friendly. Cartography is glorious as well.

Thurston Hillman has done it. The fifth zeitgeist-module manages to live up to the utterly INSANE standard the first 4 modules set, all of which manages to score 5 stars + seal of approval, rendering this AP the only one among those I've reviewed that managed to maintain this level of quality. The ONLY reason I'm not playing this AP right now is that I'm waiting for it to finish - I never start APs that are not yet done. That being said, this module is glorious and the first ACT of this AP has more going on, more memorable moments, than many full APs I've read. Superb in writing and ambition, this killer module is simply brilliant and utterly captivating - my final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.

I don't usually do reviews. You'll see why shortly. Basically this product was not worth its cost. It has only a superficial description of any particular game and then a dry list of difficulty numbers. In other words, the easiest thing possible to come up with for a game or tournament. None of the details needed to actually run it in an RPG. Literally a chore to read, it's broad scope is the first clue that nothing is covered in any significant details. Dry, unimaginative and functionally useless. If you really can't come up with a difficulty number for a game, this might be of use to you, but if you want any other flavorful details about how a game is played and how you can use it in a game, you'll have to do all that work yourself.