Excellent setting. My one complaint is that the ENG Translation/Localisation just needs tightened up slightly.

This critique is written as a fan of the game. The system itself is enjoyable, the history is largely well researched, and the game works for a reasonably experienced GM.

The published adventures are all varying degrees of problematic (this includes the ones written in the core book).

They do not meet modern adventure design standards. They are largely railroads with no diverging or significant choices to be made by the PCs (They can recover extra items and get extra xp rewards, but story significance to the outcomes is never very large), its pass or fail. The NPCs are not very well fleshed out and have fairly thin motivations, development, and description.

The biggest problem with all of them as written however is the links between scenes rely on the PCs knowing things they have no real way to know. Not nearly enough clues, leads, or hooks are freely given or proffered to the PCs to link scenes. These don't have to be obvious, but pointing out small details for the PCs to latch on to and follow up investigations with would be helpful.

"Beyond the Limes" is fairly endemic of this, it assumes the PCs will think to go to the tavern, assumes they will fight Gunther, and assumes they will do well enough in he fight for Gunther to be invited to drink. It assumes they fought the ghost spirit in the forest and that they will be forthcoming about it with this random Germanic tribesman (Gunther) that just challenged them to a brawl. The core conceit of the adventure is to traverse an enchanted forest (of which the ghost warrior is the only superatural encounter), retreive the ancient champion's axe from his grave, and gift it to Godeoc to get a leader of the tribes installed who is favourable to Rome. So why not have the PCs meet both potential leaders, and be offered potential offers from each? Maybe the hun assaasins are instructed to wait until the PCs choose instead?   Maybe the roman trader shows up and offers a large reward for the axe (a barbarian artifact of such provenance would fetch a large sum from a wealthy collector).The NPCs and town would need more fleshing out so the PCs can feel the weight of their choices and get attached to the NPCs to some extent. More fleshing out and detail needed in other scenes too, particularly the forest sections, increase the dread and feel of watching, maybe a chase of some kind with an unseen spirit.

My one other beef is the general assumption throughout everything that the PCs are unwaveringly loyal to Rome above all.  Particularly for PCs from more remote provinces. But the game is far more interesting if the PCs can be somewhat wavering and not 100% incorruptable.

Its very frustrating because the core conceits of most of these adventures is great. Prevent the eruption of Vesuvius, or a village so loyal to their dead priest, they perform blasphemous rites to bring him back....amazing! The ideas are good, they just need to be put together in more complex ways, with more attention to detail.

As an agent of the Cohors Auxiliaria Acana you have been tasked with a sensitive diplomatic mission across the Limes into untamed regions of Germania.

The concept of this adventure is great. Unfortunately there a few thing holding it back. There are a few editing errors in the PDF, but it is free so I can live with it and some of the visions, while eerie have little to do with the overall plot. There were two main issues I had with the adventure as written.

Scene 5: Unfortunate Encounters has the contubernium encounter a Germanic warrior spirit. When/if they defeat it, it leaves behind a spatha on the ground which turns into a double edged axe if it is touched then disappears and the players are supposed to infer that they are to go looking for said axe. So why wasn't it just an axe to begin with? Why does it have to be a sword that transforms into an axe? The text then tells us that this proved the worth of the PCs.

Later on in Scene 14: The Spirit of the Axe, the contubernium finds the axe only to have to once again prove their worth. If they succeeded the first time why have them go through the rigamarole of proving themselves again? And to make matters worse the PC who touches it has a chance of becoming possessed. This makes for good campfire stories but in a TTRPG taking away the agency of a player is not a good idea, it's boring for the player who has to sit and do nothing for the entire encounter, and in this case it can result in their character being killed by their friends all with them having no part in it except for failing a Ratio check. Perhaps Gunther could have gone along and been possessed instead?

All in all it's a solid seed for future dealings with the Huns and Germanic tribes for players looking for story ideas.

Very very good for alla Brancalonia lovers! This is a useful and good work. Thumbs up!

The scenario is an incorporation of the movie 'Alien' into the setting of Lex Arcana's fantasy Roman Empire - and it is not a good one. Having only a few pages to work with, makes it much more difficult to introduce a new monstrous foe and establish a fully playable adventure, no doubt about it. But why try to cram into these constraints then? The entire affair is a railroad assuming, what the player characters will do and there is no doubt about it, they'll do it ... or die trying to apply their own solutions to the conflict. It would have been more helpful to present the factions, two or three central locations and the abilities of the alien creature, then allow the Game Master to use this information as a starting point, a scenario seed. As it is, a lot of work is needed, to remodel this into a playable adventure instead of a referential short story without any drama or stakes.

Quick note: This is a free product, so having a read isn't going to kill you, if there is a general interest in using the Alien as a foe for your gaming group of Custodes.

"Where's the codpiece Lebowski?"

Yes. This is the actual title of the Zoom meeting for our Bratncalonia session this week.

Full disclosure, I was an early backer of Brancalonia. The writing was top-notch, the setting seemed like a perfect fit for my style of play, and I just connected with the whole vibe of the world. When the books finally dropped they did not disappoint. I love this setting.

I strong-armed my group into a one-shot during a break in our regular campaign, and to say they were unenthusiastic was an understatement. They begrudgingly agreed to the one-shot, which turned into a three-session bought of mayhem where the players intentionally broke up Romero and Giulietta, unintentionally brought them back together, saved the life of the Brigand Duke’s son, ruined the Redingotte’s marriage in the process, and constructed a pantomime donkey in order to win a contest. Yes, totally normal D&D stuff.

They were hooked and after completing the arc in our current campaign we jumped right back in where we left off. Several weeks in, this has been some of the most fun I’ve had playing D&D in ages.

I think the most telling example of why I love Brancalonia is this: it was our fifth or sixth session, probably only the second or third time we rolled initiative, and the very first time our knaves killed a living creature (Gabby the Talking Turkey), and it wasn’t even their fault! This is not a setting for players whose first approach to a challenge is to stab it, but if your group is just as excited to hear “give me a Persuasion/Deception roll” as they are to hear “roll for initiative,” this is 100% for you.

The two major complaints about the setting are the low power (up to Level 6) and the low magic of the setting. The first is somewhat valid, mainly because there are SO MANY interesting places to visit in the Bounty Kingdom it’s impossible to explore it all without crawling advancement to a halt. However, there are rules to extend beyond level 6 and an experienced DM should be able to easily adapt for advancement to level 8 or even 10 with a bit of imagination. Personally, I like the limited power and the scaled-back nature of the economy is having my players truly appreciate finding 3 gold in a purloined purse.

For people who complain about the low magic, I want to ask if they’ve fully read the setting books. While “low-powered magic” is a fair critique, the Extravaganza is everywhere in Brancalonia and magic abounds. My players have partied with a fairy godfather, struck a deal with (and owe a kiss to) a powerful hag, saved Romero’s life with the Cup of Saint Polenta, and are now currently trying to figure whether to fence the titular codpiece or keep its magic for themselves (and infuriate their Condottiero in the process).

If you want a dark setting with extreme power and edgy characters, Brancalonia isn’t for you. If you love heists, plans that inevitably go horribly wrong, the looks on your players’ faces when one of them goes absurdly off-script (“you see, we are the regional talking animal inspectors…”), and magic items that don’t quite work the way you expect them to, grab this book and join us in the Bounty Kingdom.

I was hooked from the start, completely satisfied with the delivery, and can’t wait to Whack back at the Empire with their new campaign.

This is a great introduction to Brancalonia. Very fun, and playable setting in an anti-heroic tradtion. Gives you just enough to get an idea for the game and its adpatation of the 5e rule set. love the brawling rules and shoddy weapons. Very rich and thematic.

Noticed the brawling table has AC (armour class) back to front. which i guess is a translation issue? but everything else reads great. Recommemded

This book is of limited use to many DMs- the subclasses aren't designed for play above level 6 and the monsters are also limited to low level.

The setting of course is very well written and the concept of a low power setting is interesting; however, if you're like me, it has the issue that although the content works with DnD 5e, it isn't fully compatible. You can't drop the subclasses into a non-Brancalonia setting and all the enemies aren't very interesting past low levels. It's not a book you can use as a toolbox- it's a narrow scope product, which is not useful if you don't intend to use it in that way. Realistically even non-Brancalonia subclasses are going to be a weird fit within the game, as the Brancalonia specific subclasses don't follow classic progression and could easily overshadow or underwhelm compared to other 5e player options.

My initial intention was to drop the entire book in as a part of a larger world- with the current situation it's basically a low level starter zone.

I will mention that this review has been coloured by backing the Kickstarter, then learning what I'd actually backed after the campaign closed and not being informed. I'm aware that colours my review, but I still think giving this one a miss unless you are specifically interested in a low power campaign- and at that point, you may as well go and play Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. I'm just aware that most of my 5e players don't enjoy 5e at low level for long, which is awkward, given that's what this book provides.

This book has a similar problem to the Brancalonia corebook- it's of limited use, outside of the narrow confines of Brancalonia.

It is very well written- however, the content is just aimed at low level and all the subclasses and even the new class aren't fleshed out past level 6 (they just stop and don't even follow classic 5e level breaks). There's a limit to what you can do with this book sadly, which is a shame, because some of the ideas presented are fantastic and the subclasses really draw the eye.

Purchase this if you want to run low level adventures, or you're a fan of the entire Brancalonia concept. Avoid if you were hoping for something more widely applicable.

Great. A RPG set in the Italian Middle Ages of movies like Brancaleone or Meo Patacca. Easily usable for adventures sei in Spaghetti Western settings like They Call Me Trinity. Highly suggested!

Interesting product and very nice add on to play with the Lex Arcana setting. A good handout in adventures.

great book if you like more realist campaigns and haist movies

Got some of the best playerable races i have ever seen

A tutt'oggi non ho potuto creare ancora una campagna, ma non vedo l'ora di scatenare una mitica rissa da taverna in stile Bambino & Trinità

Brancalonia: Spaghetti Fantasy

Billing itself as a spaghetti fantasy, Brancalonia is based on Italian tradition, folklore, history, landscape, fiction and pop culture. It’s a setting unlike any we’ve seen in the English-speaking gaming world. But its appeal does not lie in being a novelty. Rather, Brancalonia is noteworthy because it’s a superlative game setting. Full stop.

You know how there are shining knights riding majestically through the lands? In Brancalonia, player characters aren’t them. Instead, PCs are ‘knaves’, members of a company (known as a ‘band’) of mercenaries, rogues, and rascals engaged in often questionable jobs across the remains of an ancient kingdom, now in ruins. Knaves are hired to do all sorts of jobs, generally illicit or dangerous, that no one else wants to do.

Unlike in high fantasy, we don’t find demi-humans for players to choose from in Brancalonia. Instead, there are a range of unique races specific to the setting: Humans; Gifted, humans born with a magical blessing and who usually bear a visible mark of their exceptionality; Morgants, 7 foot tall giants famed for brawling and drinking; Sylvans, the remnants of a race of hominids with traits more feral than humans; Marionettes, artificial beings crafted from wood (think Pinocchio); and Malebranche, devils that turned away from Lucifuge to once again walk under the sun.

We also find 12 subclasses, one per core class: Pagan (barbarian); Harlequin, masked comedian (bard); Miraculist, destined one day to be a saint (cleric), Benandante, follower of the Old Way charged with protecting people from devils and hags (druid); Swordfighter (fighter), Friar, who believes a good shepherd must kick the wolf to defend the flock (monk); Knight Errand, the offspring of a fallen noble family (paladin); Matador, who captures and trains beasts for circuses and pit fighting (ranger); Brigand (thief), Superstitionist, a witch (sorcerer), and Jinx, a mystic who casts curses (warlock). Each has their own distinct appeal, and all evoke the unique atmosphere of Brancalonia.

Rounding out character generation is a list of new personalities and backgrounds, ranging from ambulant – those who travel from town to town peddling their wares or abilities – to fugitives and toughs, as well as new feats, 15 in all.

Brancalonia is low magic game; level cap is set at 6th, after that progression slows to a crawl in keeping with the tropes of the genres it is based upon. It’s a game where barroom brawling, dive games, partying and drinking are as important as fighting monsters and devilish villains. This is built directly into the mechanics of the game, with new situational rules and an emphasis on the recuperation period between adventures – here called the Revelry phase – where Knaves carouse in their Company Den. Dens can be improved with the addition of such things as a distillery, forge, black market, cantina, or stable.

The book also includes a small but excellent bestiary with a dozen creatures which, when one considers most foes that knaves will confront will be human or unique monsters created by circumstance, seems about right to get the game started. Among those featured in the bestiary are befana (hags from Italian lore), the beautiful but predator half-snake anguana, and the powerful Malacada, devils that can leave Inferno for short periods of time to wreak destruction. There’s also a range of human opponents, like cutthroats, duellists, slickers (‘street magicians), and Royal Bounty Hunters.

We are treated to an extensive 43-page gazetteer of Brancalonia (essentially the Italian peninsula) and its varied regions. We learn that the territories of Brancalonia and neighboring islands “are but minor possessions of the Empire of Altomagna, ceded to Queen Menalda of Catozza as a vassalic benefit a hundred years ago and never recovered, even after the dynastic line of the Catozzi was broken by intrigues, plots, and a dozen suitors.” With no one to claim the crown of Brancalonia, the Kingdom split into over a dozen independent regions which, in turn, are fragmented further into independent counties, duchies, baronies, municipalities and commercial leagues – a situation not dissimilar to medieval-renaissance Italy. And like Italy of that time, the people of Brancalonia can look back to a time in the distant past when the peninsula was the heart of a brilliant civilization, the ruins of which scatter the landscape as reminders of past glories. It’s a setting rich with intrigue, lore, and adventure potential.

Also within these pages are seven adventures, designed to take Knaves to 6th level – essentially a full campaign. Each one offers different opportunities. All are whimsical, adventurous, and rollicking fun with tons of opportunity to roleplay and dive into action. There isn’t really a weak link among them.

The writing is topnotch, full of charm and inspiration. Editing is flawless – you’d never know English was not the authors’ primary language. And visually, Brancalonia one of the most appealing rpg products I’ve seen in a long time, with stunning maps and artworks. it’s a pleasure both to read and look at.

There are a lot of adjectives I can use to describe Brancalonia: endearing, fun-loving, exciting, innovative, colorful. All are accurate. But I’ll sum the setting up with one word: Spectacular.