You might call this a comic book. It has the feel of one even if there aren't really a lot of dialog baloons. However, it server a purpose. It helps you get a feel for another world. A world somewhat in our future, where uncertain events caused civilization to take a nose dive.

This is the world of the Walkabout RPG (also by Vulpinoid Studios), or at least the world it could be.

The Scavenger's Tale tells the tale of what the youth of the wasted future might do with their time. How they go out exploring for artifacts from the "old times" and bring them back to have the elders tell them stories about what the objects were called and what they were used for. The elders may be it right, but sometimes it is about as accurate as a certain sea gull telling stories to a young mermaid.

The story is written as the journal of a young person going out and exploring this world. The twist in the story takes place after the protagonist encounters a more "civilized" person who grew up in what may be deemed an archology. He really has no clue about the outside world, but he is still out in it searching for something important to him (I won't get into what he is looking for).

The art work is fairly well done. The "civilized" young man seems to be a different style from the rest of the art work. I took it as artistic license to mark him as almost from another world, but some might find it distracting.

I had to expand the view of the PDF in order to try to make out the text in a few of the side boxes (limit to the technology, but the embedded graphics suffered no ill effects to zooming in, so they are of sufficient quality).

I did have to chuckle a couple of times while reading the story, though. I don't think it is supposed to be this way, but it reads as if rabbits carry around some of the old relics. I'm pretty sure the intent was that it was coincidence that the protagonist happened to capture a rabbit for dinner as well as happening upon a couple of relics. Some of the stories behind artifacts, though, were very well done.

Overall, this is a great introduction to Walkabout. Hopefully it is something that the author will stick with and expand in the future.

If you know of the Adventures of Brisco County Jr, or just wanted to be a bad-ass Texas Ranger like Chuck Norris stuck in the X-Files, then this Series Bible might be for you.

You get to be a member of a special branch of the Texas Rangers; who answer only to the Governor (or President depending on which era of Texas you want to play in). You are charged with investigating suspicious goings on that are beyond the normal ken of other Rangers. Sometimes something supernatural lurks deep in the heart of Texas.

This is a fun supplement that you can use for many games. In full disclosure, I have been part of two sessions of Ranger Company X hosted by the creator (Hank Harwell). Both sessions were a ton of fun.

This is a fun little supplement (and I'm not just saying that because I have fond memories of Ultraman). You owe it to yourself to check this one out, join the Patrol, and help stop the atomic monsters controlled by the Futurons.

There is enough in this 5 page supplement to use for quite some time.

Another fine release from Asparagus Jumpsuit. The Forager's Guild represents a guild for your fantasy characters to seek membership in as a hook for different adventures and as a logic backstory and glimpse into the game world. The Guild can give your characters all sorts of assistance.

I am a little concerned that the Guild seems a bit apolitical as there are references to using the Guild as a place to hideout (without any real idea as to who you'd be hiding out from and why the Guild would help you with that...does it mean that you could kill the King and the Guild would hide you?). However, this give GMs the ability to tweak the Guild to meet the needs of their specific campaigns.

There are enough details to whet your appetite, and even a detailed description of the layout of the main Guild hall and what you might find there. An "official" map would have been an nice addition.

This is one of my favorite Pathfinder supplements from Asaragus Jumpsuit; probably because it provides enough to get your creative juices flowing and doesn't try to overwhelm.

In full disclosure, I do know the author even though we have never met in the non-digital world.

You either have one sitting in your dice bag, longing to be used; or you've been looking for an excuse to go and buy one...I'm talking about those rolly-polly 30 sided dice. This tome gives you 30 reasons to break out that die that rolls easiest (and might even move it up the ladder from least used to maybe even ousting the d12).

There are a lot of fun charts to roll on. Some are basic (current weather conditions), some are silly/fun (30 cliches turned into magic items), and some are just good to have in your pocket (30 things found at the side of the road). There is something in here for everyone.

In full disclosure: I am listed as one of the Dire Paladin's in the introduction of the book. Don't let that discourage you from checking out this book. Your d30 will thank you.

If you are starting out with the game, or have been around the blocks a few times, this log helps you track how your character changes over time. I wish it had was a section for keeping track of significant events that happened while reaching the new level. However, trying to fit the changes for a level onto one page, might make this a bit difficult.

In full disclosure, I do know the author in an online capacity. However, if you are a fan of Pathfinder, you might find this tool to be useful. It covers from level 1 to level 20.

Another setting in the Official Series Bible line. Just the way I like it, no system required.

In a twist from the Percy Jackson craze, heroes and demigods aren't exactly hiding; they've taken up new management and are acting as super heroes. As you would expect from an Official Series Bible, there is enough material to provide some interesting twists and intrique into to the setting.

While the setting notes gets into the Christian deity, it does avoid trying to do much with that other than having some of the old gods working with the representatives of the new. It would have been interesting to develop the heroes of the Christian deity a bit more (perhaps that will be a future supplement).

Disclosure note: while I have never met Berin in meat-space, I have know him online for quite some time. I have enjoyed his writing for many years.

This is a fun beer and pretzels sort of game. Everything you need, including random adventure creation. If you enjoyed cop/action movies (especially from the 80s), this is for you.

This was a joy to read; the whole game just oozes fun. The mechanics are simple and straight forward, with enough of a twist to keep it interesting.

Well worth checking out!

In full disclosure, while I have never met Berin in the flesh, I have read a lot of his words over the years. Bad Attitudes is a great representation of his work.

Another great system-less release from Asparagus Jumpsuit. In Knights of Torque and Recoil, you are given everything you need for a modern/pulp setting where an ancient organization plots revenge. In six short pages, you are given a brief history of the setting; provided with some factions who compete (or at least interact with) each other; given typical roles that players might fill; given some sample NPC style important people for the setting; and quite a few adventure starters (here's the situation, what will you do type of stuff. It is up the the GM to flesh it all out).

It should be noted that you will probably also want the Series Bible free book from Asparagus Jumpsuit as well. Some of the information provided uses labels such as "average" that might make better sense (or at least require a little less work for the GM), if you have read the Series Bible.

This is well worth the slim buck it will cost you. If you are like me and hate to charge anything less than $10, you can use this to pad out another order very easily. You wil probably be glad if you did.

In full disclosure, I do know the creator (even if we have never met in person), but I really enjoy books like this where you are given enough to go and do what you want with a setting and aren't tied down to a specific storyline. I believe that you will enjoy Knights of Torque and Recoil.

Are you a GM with so much time on your hands that you have detailed stat blocks and descriptions for every conceivable non-player character (NPC) that your players might encounter or are you a practical GM looking for opportunities to save some time? If you are in the first camp, you probably don't have time to be reading this review. If you aren't that crazy, The Compleat Shemp might be for you.

The Compleat Shemp is one of my favorite types of gaming materials; it isn't tied to any specific system, genre, or setting. I can use it with Risus, and you can use it with your favorite system. The Compleat Shemp does not judge. It provides you with a philosophy for managing NPCs and only once even mentions dice (complete with a table to roll them against).

Shemping, as a concept, is a Hollywood term. At its most basic level, Shemping represents shortcuts and tricks directors have used to re-use actors for various purposes in the move. The full story is included in the document and is worth the read (it is related to the Three Stooges if you hadn't figured that out by the term).

The Compleat Shemp has two stated goals: "looking at supporting characters for tabletop roleplaying games from a cinematic point of view, and filling the roles of supporting characters quickly and easily."

A movie's supporting characters come in many types: background characters, bit players, and supporting characters. It is sort of a scale of importance. As you can imagine, background characters are just there to make a scene feel real; bit players might interact with the stars of the show; while supporting characters might be on par with the stars and interact with them, they still take a back seat in this story.

The Compleat Shemp takes these Hollywood tropes and applies them to your roleplaying game. It expands upon these tropes and adds in defining functions that Shemps play in their scenes, and provides advice for just how detailed you need to make your notes for a given NPC. There are also notes for ways of recasting old Shemps in a new light. With minimal effort, you can reuse a Shemp and your players will never notice.

My personal favorite section of the document is regarding building character dossiers for your Shemps. This is a direct and meaningful method that works well for keeping track of your Shemps and what roles they have played in your campaign.

If you are interested in handling all of the NPCs in your campaign with minimal work, The Compleat Shemp might be for you. It more than adequetly meets its stated goals and leaves you wanting to implement it's ideas. You get a 25 page primer on methods that worked well for the author and could easily be applied to your game as well. The text is entertaining with anecdotes and tips sprinkled throughout. The document is laid out in a pretty typical 2-column format with minimal art work. It won't kill your printer if you are of the print-and-read club. The Compleat Shemp is well worth the minimal asking price.

Full Disclosure: while I have never met Berin Kinsman in person, I have considered him a friend for quite some time. I was happy to be asked to review The Compleat Shemp. I endeavored to provide an accurate and fair review of the project.