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This ruleset is comprehensive neat and tidy.
Fantastic addition for your 2D6 scifi needs.
Highly recommend getting this.
The comprehensive system isnt hard to pick up.
Great for new and old players alike.
You can run eons worth of adventures with this.
Stellgamma always deliver and the price is a steal.
Got a print copy as well as the PDF.
Looking forward to that landing.
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Creator Reply: |
Thanks for the excellent review! |
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"Dark times has fallen upon the Storm Wolf Tribe. Once edible fruits and plants had become poisonous and game that was docile turn into viciously aggressive malformed monstrosities. The source is an abbey used as a vault for dark knowledge way too harmful to be left loose on the world. Something horrible has happened to the kind yet weird monks living in the abbey and it seems to be ancient and beyond evil. Is up to the tribe's most brave warriors to find out and stop this force before it engulfs the Storm Wolf tribe in its darkness."
"It Came from the Scriptorium is a horror dungeon crawl adventure for 3 to 5 PCs, using the Barbaric! sword & sorcery rules ruls and fully compatible with The Sword of Cepheus or any other 2d6 OGL fantasy game. The default setting is the Steel Borderlands, a wilderness distant from the settlements composing the civilized lands of kingdoms and empires but it will fit very easily into almost any sword & sorcery setting.
The players should be aware that due the horror nature of his adventure that their PCs mortality rather will be high."
' It Came from the Scriptorium' By Ivan Cantero Muñoz "The Fictionaut" is a solid adventure for the Barbaric rpg & its a rather nasty horror adventure. But its a fun one. And while it only clocks in at twenty three pages of horror goodness I'd say that this is an adventure for experienced Barbaric players. Barbaric is a full on Sword & Sorcery 2d6 supplement rules for 'The Sword of Cepheus' Rpg.
And now back to ' It Came from the Scriptorium' By Ivan Cantero Muñoz "The Fictionaut". This is a lethal little adventure about the goings on at an isolated monastery that has a whole tribes of Wolf barbarians who live nearby. They're bothered by the haunted goings on at said monastery. Now Ivan Cantero Muñoz "The Fictionaut" seems to be a fan of Bruce Campbell vs the Army of Darkness because this adventure is a back handed love letter to that cultclassic movie.
Forbidden books, undead demons, plenty of undead, and more make ' It Came from the Scriptorium' a must get for the fans of those films. But this is a lethal little number of an adventure and quite perfect for a mid Winter horror game. ' It Came from the Scriptorium' would work quite nicely as a 'The Sword of Cepheus' Rpg. one shot quite well.
Where ' It Came from the Scriptorium' shines is when this adventure is used with Barbaric! Then its full on barbarians vs demon undead in the monastery from Hell.
' It Came from the Scriptorium' provides a fun little horror filled & lethal romp through a barbarian horror filled 2d6 adventure that will thrill your players. And kill more then a few PC's off.
Thanks for reading our review
Eric Fabiaschi
Swords & Stitchery
Want more OSR 2d6 action?
Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for the excellent review! |
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I like Lightning League. There is a lot of detail to paint a general picture of a post World War Two type of environment with enough elements of the 40s B-Movie fantastical to give players permission to feel a bit light hearted when going over the topic material. Giant Ants? Check. Zombies? Check. Evil Scientists, Robots, and Rocket Packs? Oh Yes! Some of the aside commentary by the author does end up triggering a few laughs as well.
Another thing I like about this is the collection of artwork that has been gathered together to illustrate the potential adventures within. I find old style illustrations to be fascinating and I love how they're given a nod in this.
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Book is great. Filled tons of information to construct your own campaign. A must have for any scifi RPG fan.
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for the excellent review. |
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Great value for money. Terrific ship design. Good example of a distributed hull. Thanks for the excellent product. I'll look for more from Surreal Design.
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Within the realm of 2D6 Sci-Fi games, Cepheus Deluxe stands in an interesting position of being both an excellent restatement of the classsic core rules we've all loved and used since the late '70s as well as being interesting take on many of those rules that I haven't seen done before.
Probably the change I was most concerned about (but nevertheless very intrigued by) was the decision to replace the classic 2D6 SF character generation system with one that allows more player input. Having created a few characters of my own, and used the system with some of my players, I have to say I think this new character creation system works well. While the old SF character creation system is of course iconic in it's own way (who doesn't love dying in character creation!) I feel the decision to switch the character creation system to one that is more player driven was ultimately a positive one. The system is also quite a bit faster when it comes to using it with new players, as there is less need for each player to have a copy of their career's table for reference. Overall, I like the new system. It's similar but different in a good way, less random but still gives room for random events (and the optional ability to die in character creation like the good ol' days hehe.)
Speaking of character creation, an aspect I really enjoy about Cepheus Deluxe is the addition of the Traits system. While similar to the Feat system from that very popular Fantasy Role-Playing Game, the Traits system meshes surprisingly well with the 2d6 SF skeleton. None of the traits seem "broken" in a way that could cause serious issue, and given this game's high lethality I doubt it would be possible for any combat traits to be excessively unbalanced. What the Traits instead allow is more player choice, while not being overwhelming, as the Traits available are constrained by what skills and abilities the player character already has.
Other than the traits and the character creation system, much of the rest of the book is made up of rules which are all refinements to the already excellent Cepheus Light rules. The book also contains many optional rules allowing for more heroic Science Fiction campaigns if that is more your thing. There are plenty of random tables for GMs as well, something which I feel more modern 2D6 SF games should take advantage of. Formatting is very good, much improved from the first publication of Cepheus Light. Also of special note, as of writing this, this is only one of two 2D6 SF RPGs I own which has an Index.
Cepheus Deluxe is a great system, and for it's price it's price it is truly wonderful. I would say if you are looking for a 100% pure restatement of original 2D6 SF rules, you may be better served elsewhere, but if you are looking for an excellent RPG using those rules a base I can't recommend Cepheus Deluxe enough. Personally, I can't wait for a print copy.
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Creator Reply: |
Many thanks for your kind review! |
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Cepheus Deluxe is fabulous!
This game has taken concepts aspects and multiple optional rules and combined them in a new edition. New character generation systems, life events, character traits, animal rules.This game can be used as an addition tio the Cepheus Light rules or as a stand alone rule set. The artwok is gritty simple and old school. I like this game and its layout. I also very much like the fact it is so compatible with the original Cepheus Light system. You can tell a whole lot of heart and passion was put into this edition.
Also The price!!! You have a complete game for a very affordable price compared to some of the other over priced game system printing companies. I love this system it is the same 2D6 engine as other more pricey Sci Fi versions. I highly recommend Cepehus Deluxe but I would play it with Cepheus Light and decide which systems and home rules you want to apply at you table.
Most excellent game and great value
G Miller.
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After reading the system, won't be using it. :( While I like the character generation system (other than the couple near useless professions) and the combat system, the rules seems to less than supportive of long-term campaigns and player retention. The magic system appears to be a booby trap for unsuspecting players. IMO, you'd pretty much be setting yourself up to fail being a sorceror. It is billed as swords and sorcery, but it is more swords and swords and more swords based.
Almost bought Cepheus Atom, but found out about ever increasing corruption. I must ask, are any of the Cepheus-derived games long term campaign / player friendly or do they all contain some kind of 'gotcha!' rules aimed at the players? Both Swords and Atom seem actively player-hostile, like old time D&D with an adversarial DM, but baked into the rules.
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for the review and our apologies. |
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I can't review from a player or GM perspective, but you can't get much better than the latest revision to a time-tested system released under a truly fan-friendly open license for ten bucks. The entire text of the book, with the smallest possible exceptions, is open content; practically the only restriction is "please don't just sell reprints of the book" (an exaggeration, but barely). To me, that alone is worth the purchase price; this is a future-proof product that is designed to be used by players, authors, and game designers alike.
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for your kind words! |
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" Starships riding fire across the sky. Heroes and villains exchanging laser fire. Desperate spacers struggling against an alien monstrosity. Vast planetary vistas, flying cities, moonscapes, mad robots, and first encounters. In short: high-action science-fiction adventure that stimulates your sense of wonder. Cepheus Deluxe puts you in the shoes of an adventurer visiting distant stars and encountering the unknown. Whether you are a seasoned player looking for a rules-light game, or a new gamer wanting to experience what science-fiction role-playing games are all about, Cepheus Deluxe opens your way forward.
Cepheus Deluxe is a set of rules for playing classic science fiction games. It includes rules on creating characters, resolving actions, fighting other creatures, and engaging in space battles, generating worlds, handling the risks of interstellar speculative trading, exploring new worlds, and many other activities. While designed for fast, action-packed play rather than an accurate simulation of reality, Cepheus Deluxe encompasses a wide variety of rules and materials for building a science-fiction universe and playing in it.
Cepheus Deluxe draws its inspiration from old-school science-fiction roleplaying games. It shares many similarities with these games. Material from older rules sets and those created with Cepheus Deluxe, the old Cepheus Light, the Cepheus Engine Core, and old-school sci-fi roleplaying games, are easily compatible with only a moderate amount of adjustment."
The other day I received my copy of Cepheus Deluxe and this is one OSR system that we've been looking forward to for sometime. Authors/designers Omer Golan-Joel, Richard Hazlewood, Josh Peters, & Robert L. S. Weaver really do actually deliver the goods here. Cepheus Deluxe is far different & far superior to other versions of the Cepheus Engine even though they are cross compatible. How is this version of the Cepheus Engine different then say Cepheus Light? Well according to the Omar Golan-Joel himself; "Double the size of Cepheus Light - including animal generation rules, robot creation rules, new and expanded ship design rules, many new vehicles, equipment, and cybernetics, and many, many optional rules to easily permit you to make the game your own. We revised all rules based on customer (and, later, playtester) feedback, to make this as playable and enjoyable as possible."
And they really have clocking in at two hundred & twenty seven pages of OSR & Cepheus Engine goodness Cepheus Deluxe covers everyithing from PC generation down to space combat in an easily understood format. The material here within Cepheus Deluxe is up to Stellagama Publishing standards & its very well done. Cepheus Deluxe has easy to read colums, nice layout, & presents a well tested system. Cepheus Deluxe travels down the same road as The Sword of Cepheus Sword was published in 2020, so it has sold quickly. It uses a streamlined and skill-based 2d6 system & so does Cepheus Deluxe. Cepheus Deluxe takes full advantage of the Cepheus Engine system in invovatlve & well thought out ways.
So what can be done with Cepheus Deluxe?! Anythng! The material & rules of Cepheus Deluxe is geared for actual campaign play & it lives up to its The Sword of Cepheus pedigree.
Cepheus Deluxe is geared towards adventure & campaign play. The rules are simple, reliable, & easy to digest 2d6 system goodness done with respect to the legacy of the Cepheus Engine. Very solid design & good ultility with Cepheus Deluxe as it only sells for a mere 9.99 for the pdf on Drivethrurpg.
Cepheus Deluxe is an amazing addition to the Stellagama Publishing line of games continuing the amazing quality of products.
For me Cepheus Deluxe is definitely worth the download!
Thanks for reading our review!
Eric Fabiaschi
Swords & Stitchery Blog
For more reviews & support for 2d6 Cepheus Engine & other OSR products
please subsribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for the excellent review! |
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Having played Stellagama's Cepheus Light several times, it was a breeze to learn the Cepheus Atom system. What I find so appealing is the streamlined quality of the rules system. Rolling up characters only take a few minutes, and combat is quick and easy to manage. Their is still enough variety in combat resolution without it being too abstract or bogged down by a lot of rules covering every aspect/nuance of combat. This is where Cepheus Atom shines far above Gamma World First Edition combat. The GW first edition combat system was something I never did like.
There are a good variety of environmental mutations that characters can receive, as well as a good size list of ancient relics that you will want your characters to find while exploring the wastelands. Instructions for creating settlements, mapping resources, or antagonist organizations are not included. These are left to the imagination and creativity of the GM.
I recently purchased a POD copy of Cepheus Atom from DriveThruRPG. The print quality, layout, and book size are excellent in my opinion. I highly recommend purchasing the PDF and POD together. Both come in handy for my gaming campaigns.
A "rules light" rpg may not suit everyone's taste, but for those who don't want the hassle of referencing a ton of rules, this is a great choice. If you like your RPG with lots of "fast and loose" action, then Cepheus Atom is right up your alley!
D. Tom Conboy
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for your kind words! |
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Great game. I loved it. Really fitted for the Sword & Sorcery/Sandal/Planet genres, especially the magic part because classic D&D-style magic is a huge problem to deal with campaigns of these genres.
I'm only giving 4 stars out of 5 because the pdf has a certain number of typos and editing mistakes. For the relatively small size of the book, I thought it was worth mentioning. However, face this comment as an amicable criticism, because I actually liked the product and will watch out for future products of Stellagama.
May the dice always roll in your favor.
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This article originally appeared in the September/October 2017 issue of Freelance Traveller.
Note: The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of this product for review.
This short folio provides all the basic groundwork needed to run a recovery/salvage adventure (there is a legal distinction outlined in the appendix, but operationally they’re the same) in a gas giant’s ring system in an out-of-the-way system. The default setting is Stellagama’s These Stars Are Ours! [TSAO] universe, but there’s really nothing that can’t be trivially changed to support any other setting—and it will be equally easy to adjust it for any of what Freelance Traveller calls ‘Classic-compatible rule sets’.
You’ll need a set of core rules—the author recommends Cepheus Engine or the Mongoose Traveller (1st Edition) SRD—and the usual appurtenances for playing a RPG. There are references to Cepheus Engine and the Cepheus Engine Vehicle Design System [VDS], and to TSAO, but the VDS and TSAO are not actually required for play. There are two pages of background information about the TSAO universe, but even this can be omitted if you set this adventure in a different setting.
You get just under one page of description of the local setting, enough to be able to transplant it into any system that meets the most basic criteria: out of the way, formerly a way station on a trade route, with a ringed gas giant.
It’s up to the referee to define the reason for the PCs—a party of three-to-five is recommended—are in the system, and why they’re approached by the patron (a belter) for the mission. Four NPCs are provided (not substitutes for a lack of PCs, and including the belter patron), each with their own reasons for wanting to be on this mission—and possibly operating at cross-purposes with each other and with the PCs.
This is not a “safe” mission, where the PCs can work easily in a shirtsleeve environment; they will, of necessity, be in vacc suits and zero-G the entire time that they are active. This means tracking how long various actions take, and ensuring that the characters get adequate rest and that they do not exceed the “carrying capacity” of their suits. There is opportunity for conflict between the characters, but it’s unlikely that they will come to blows; the main source of danger is the environment, and that’s quite enough, thank you.
There is an unexpected twist to the mission, that the characters won’t learn about until well into it. If they learn about it early enough, it could answer some questions they may or may not have thought to ask, and they can potentially profit from it; if not, those questions may remain unanswered (and the profit significantly reduced).
A ship design is provided, with classic (non-isometric, grey-scale) deck plans, well-labeled and with supplemental markings showing adventure-specific information. Even this ship, however, can be replaced relatively easily by one of similar size and usage, if the referee chooses. There was a minor bit of confusion; while the the ship’s basic description calls it a “military transport”, the plan calls it a “passenger liner”.
The adventure is quite well-written; even if a player reads it, and knows the ‘spoilers’ that I’ve avoided discussing here, it will still be very easy to get ‘into’ the adventure and enjoy it. It is not larded with extraneous information; there is plenty of room left to give the referee the freedom to customize the adventure to fit an existing campaign setting.
There’s plenty of opportunity to build on this adventure, regardless of your campaign type or setting. It can provide a couple of evenings’ worth of adventure for a gaming group, or a good scenario for a convention setting. Recommendation: At only $4, skip the latte and grab a copy.
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This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Freelance Traveller.
Reviewer’s note: The publisher provided a complimentary copy of the product for review.
Canonically, the Imperial Navy is responsible for anti-piracy operations in the Third Imperium, and this, presumably, is de facto the main source of operational experience for ships and crews.
Mr Hazlewood and Stellagama Publishing propose another alternative: As piracy and certain other activities represent criminal problems rather than military ones, they should be handled by an organization that is more of a “police department” than a military force. Enter the Space Patrol.
The introductory material in this volume sets out the nature of the Space Patrol, and outlines its organization, mission, and jurisdiction. The limitations of the Space Patrol’s mission (and the definitions of the various classes of crimes that the Space Patrol has jurisdiction over) are carefully set out to avoid turning them into a general-purpose police force and bogging them down in local crimes. As a result, the Space Patrol is cast as an agency quite different from the Navy or Starport Authority.
Because of these differences, and the effect that they can have on play, a discussion of planetary legal systems is included. A definition of the characteristics of a world’s legal system and a method of rolling it up are both provided; this profile focuses less on “what’s allowed and what’s not, and how likely are you to get hassled” and more on “how (and how well) the legal system works for a law enforcer doing law enforcement”. The characteristics thus selected are “Bureaucracy”, “Corruption”, “Repression”, and “Cruelty”. Each is broadly classified as “minimal”, “low”, “average”, “high”, and “extreme”, with a general description of how the level can be interpreted. There is an explicit invitation to adjust the definitions to fit the referee’s image of the world, and with some of the characteristics, it’s not impossible to conceive of expanding the rating into a “profile” of its own.
Much of the discussion of legal systems appears to start from a basis of what is often called “Western liberal democracy”, which decision is not difficult to understand, as it will be the likely background for most players, regardless of the world that the characters may find themselves on. Concepts such as separation of powers, rule of law, burden of proof, the necessity for warrants in appropriate contexts, and so on are treated as defaults. However, variation from the “Western liberal democracy” defaults are mentioned as possibilities, and enough information is provided that one can design a legal system that matches any present or historical system, or one that is completely novel. It should be noted that some variations are missed; for example, there is no discussion of the distinction between an adversarial system (such as is used in the United States) and an inquisitorial system (such as is used for some types of prosecution in France).
Basic rules for handling the entire investigation, charging, trial, appeal, and sentencing process are provided; most modifiers are based on relevant ratings from the legal system profile rather than the raw Law Level from the UWP.
The book to this point is quite well-written, and can serve as an introduction to (or clarification of concepts related to) legal systems for the layman.
As an interstellar organization in a presumed setting where the speed of travel is the speed of communication, the Space Patrol faces the same issues that other agencies of the canonical Third Imperium – or, in fact, any multiworld polity of any significant size – face. As written, the organization of the Space Patrol more-or-less parallels that of the interstellar polity as a whole, with the rank of the head of the Space Patrol organization normally being two ranks below the political head of the polity’s corresponding subdivision. The size of a Space Patrol organization on the world is generally determined by the importance of the world and the amount of interstellar traffic it receives; there are four types of Space Patrol “Bureaus” defined, from a small office with only a handful of Patrollers up to the largest with hundreds or thousands of Patrollers, training facilities, nearby courts and ship, vehicle, and equipment construction and repair facilities, and so on. Where internal borders are an issue, the Space Patrol establishes liaison offices to deal with cross-border matters; the criminals do not, after all, honor those internal borders. As with the overall interstellar polity, the Space Patrol’s ability to act is limited within a system’s own jurisdiction, though when actively pursuing an investigation or attempt at apprehension, there are exceptions to those limitations. Normally, agents of the Space Patrol will work with local law enforcement, and (as much as possible) within the local rules, to accomplish their missions.
Within the Space Patrol, there are four operational divisions, covering administration and politics (Secretariat), Investigation (including undercover work), logistical support (Operations), and active enforcement (Marshals). Agents working for the Investigation Division are what most people think of as “the Space Patrol”. To draw parallels between the Space Patrol and real-world police organizations, the Secretariat is clerical and administration personnel (and political liaison); Investigation is “beat cops” and detectives, Marshals are special enforcement units (e.g., SWAT teams, Counterterrorism, Vice Squads, political bodyguard details, and so on), and Operations is everything else.
All of this is useful background to give the player or referee a “feel” for what the Space Patrol is, and how it works. But by now, the reader is going to want more – and more there is.
This volume frankly admits that the standard Cepheus Engine careers of Agent and Navy could serve adequately for Space Patrol characters, but why settle for ‘adequate’? Mr Hazlewood has worked up four careers for the Space Patrol, one for each division. These careers actually extend the basic career rules from Cepheus Engine with concepts borrowed from various other compatible game systems (separate advancement tracks for enlisted and commissioned officers, decorations, mishaps and events, and allies and enemies), but otherwise conform to the basic career structure. Any one of the four careers can generate a character that will be useful in many ways, but each of the four career options has its own distinct flavor.
The Space Patrol, like any police department, needs vehicles – and in this case, spacecraft and starships – that are designed to meet their special needs. Several vessels are described, and three include deck plans (in the traditional monochrome plan view, not the more recent color isometric view). Most of the designs described are modifications of such familiar ships as the Modular Cutter, the Free Trader, or the Subsidized Merchant, and the latter two are deliberate mimics (“Q-ships”), with the intended mission of luring pirates into attacking an apparently unarmed or lightly-armed merchant, only to find the ‘victim’ to be more heavily armed than believed, and to have the tables turned.
The Space Patrol has standard equipment customized for its particular needs, and there are descriptions of a selection of Patrol equipment. Obviously, if the referee feels that additional equipment should be available, it can be added.
While the creative referee can certainly take what’s been presented to this point, and develop Space Patrol adventures without further reference to this volume, the author discusses several campaign settings and campaign types that mesh well with the described Space Patrol, and which are easily adapted to the referee’s preferences. A broad selection of generalized NPCs is also provided, capable of filling virtually any needed role in a Space Patrol campaign. Most can also be converted into player-characters if desired. There are even complete crew workups for a corvette and a Customs cutter, and a selection of Most Wanted criminals.
In addition to the generalized discussion of campaign types, a set of adventure seeds, in the traditional format, are provided. Two of the provided seeds can be linked together into a mini-campaign. These seeds do suffer from the “minor variations on a theme” problem with traditional denouements, but are still well-designed for the Space Patrol.
Overall, this volume is worth the price, even if you decide that the Space Patrol functions are folded into the Navy in your universe. The perspective that it provides on interstellar crime and law enforcement can enrich any setting.
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I love this game.
Light, packs a punch, well-written.
It allows you a Cepheus / Traveller approach to S&S.
It has some really excellent enhancements to the standard 2D6 combat and the magic system slots in so well.
I can imagine running this pure sand-box and allowing the heroes / protagonists plying their blades and cunning in campaigns akin to the best swords and sorcery stories.
Bravo.
I want more.
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Creator Reply: |
Thank you for the wonderful review! |
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