This is (aside from lacking the cover illo) the same as the Free RPG Day booklet.

It's a decent short solo, a decent GM-run adventure, just enough of the rules to let both be run (and enough to run many of the online solos, too). If you like it, you will like the 5th ed T&T full rules, too. If you don't, odds are you won't like either T&T5 nor T&T7. This is very much T&T5Light, exactly as it was supposed to be.

This is, in my opinion, the very best set of D&D rules ever in print. Simple enough for novices to play, enough details and options for advanced players to have fun with.

This is not a suitable book for the novice, however, despite being a good game for novice players, since it is a compilation of many other products. For reference, this product merges the (Red) Basic, (Blue) Expert, (Teal) Companion, and (Black) Master D&D sets' rules. There is no adventure, but it does include some of the Gaz series maps (a teaser, really... mostly Darokin and surrounds). Even for players with all the included matter, there are a few new bits, including the general skills from Hollow World, and options for 36 levels for all classes, plus AD&D conversions.

New players should purchase a basic set (the Black cover Basic set is the companion volume for novices, covering levels 1-5).

Ok, it's a really sleazy theme. It is well done, but also potentially, neé, probably offensive. It's rather low on player input, too. All in all, it's about worth what it costs as a little bit of diversion.

A pretty good expansion to Masquerade. Wile I don't LARP, I do use the LARP rules for some light table-top RPGing. This product adds some notable complexity to the Masquerade system, by including the merits and flaws system. The additional clans do not add much complexity, but do add several new disciplines. Note that the OCR job is pretty poor, but serviceable, but the scans are nice and crisp.

A very nice presentation of LARP rules. Now, mind you, I don't LARP, but I do use LARP rules for some casual table top play. These rules are simple, straightforward, and readable. The OCR is pretty bad, but all in all, the book works.

Let me preface this: I am a fan of Greg's. This is far from his best work. ¶ It is not really roleplaying in the normal sense. It's a competitive story telling game in the same style as "Once Upon A Time." You play a competitive game by teling a story. In this case, in a very annoying but funny way. It's fun (I have played it), but as it says, it's a diversion. It's a fun warm up while waiting for that guy who's always late to game. ¶ The layout, as with all BTRC products, is crisp. The rules are clear. It is two pages, one of which is the cover. ¶ Since it's free, and you can get a good 30 minutes of enjoyment from it, it's definitely worth the 2 minutes download time. But it hits burn out right quick.

Overall, well presented. There are some notable issues, specifically, dark backgrounds and sucking ink. Overall, the game is quite playable, but the combat table has a significant error, corrected in the RQ Player's Update (free on Mongoose's site).  ¶  

Character generation is nicely done. Random stats, pick skillpackages, starting levels based upon stats and choices, pump skills with some freebie points.  ¶   Magic works. Only rune magic is included, and it's short on spells for most runes, but it is a well ballanced starting assortment.  ¶  

There are further also several other nifty bits hiding in here. It isn't BRP, but it's close, and in some ways, far better. (AH RQ3 was a pain to generate characters.)  ¶  

Given the flaws, the game is a remarkable achievement

Blech! This is NOT what I had hoped for. This is the first time I've been seriously disappointed with a Mongoose product.

It adds special powers for integrating runes. It gives randomization tables for each of the core-book's runes, given from 3 to 6 different powers. You can only get one per rune.

It allows you to try to integrate a second identical rune for a second runic power... but you'll need a Persistence score over 100... which means you need a POW of 21+ to have a chance... due to the Player's Guide limit on Persistence of Pow x5.

It does not add any runic spells.

It's overpriced for the utility. Knock $2 off, and it would be worth it.

This rules-light highly themed game was a fun read. As with so much of John Wick's work, the rules seem not to have been a major consideration.

The setting material is excellent. The rules are simple, elegant, and playable.

One layout issue: Since John submitted it as 2 5x8 pages per visible 8.5x11 page, I can't booklet-print it.

Oh, well.

While this is my favorite RPG Ruleset of all time, the scan suffers from a few major issues: 1) the inside cover map is unreadable at the DPI used in scanning it. 2) there are missing pages (2 of them, one of which has content of an introductory nature, the other has no significant content) 3) the OCR was horrid 4) The errata is neither included nor integrated (and there is QUITE a bunch of it).

It is, however, an awesome system.

I'd rate the rules a 4.9/5 I'd rate the PDF as 3/5 over all ignoring rules I'd rate the Layout as 4/5 I'd rate the editing as a 1/5 simply due to the massive errata errors.

Also, it is important to understand that the OCR searchable text makes the original text look well edited.

I bought this as a backup to my dead-tree copy. I knew the contents, and was hoping for better quality on the OCR; with the poor OCR, I can't have the computer read it to me.

I'm not visually impaired, or anything... I just like to have it read by the computer.

I also tend to use home-made cheat sheets; I can't, for example, pull the spell text and make a list with just the spells my players are using.

For those without the dead-tree, this is the product that lets elves go up in levels and get clerical magics... without being clerics. The treekeepers are a type of cleric, but their clerical spells are integrated with their magical ones... so unlike AD&D/D&D3E elven clerics, they have a VERY different feel. If you are going to play Cyclopedia or Basic/Expert/Companion/Master D&D, this is a key product to have.

It also details what clanmasters and treekeepers can make with the clan relics, what they do, and how elves function in their unique environment.

<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: clear, readable scans. Awesome rules expansion. Really great and unique treatment of the Elves.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The OCR is very poor. It's obvious that no oversight was done during the OCR. In one column, I found 2 inches of column missing, 5 obvious errors, and 10 words dropped.

If the OCR was at least consistent and whole text, I'd be satisfied with quality and very satisfied with value.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Not bad. Purchased for comparison purposes, mostly.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Clearly laid out.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No trade system.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Book of Knights is a streamlined set of rules for Pendragon. It covers characters, Combat, and experience, and gives basic ideas for running the game, and the rules for personality traits. It is not, really, fully ready to go.

It is, however, an excellent player's book. It includes knightly character generation from most places in the isles. It doesn't cover non-knights to any depth, though.

It also is an upgrade to the combat rules in Pendragon 4th ed; the additional options add quite a lot.

It also has upgraded the character generation system, slightly.

Essentially, it is Pendragon 4.1 Light... and I reccomend it in addition to Pendragon 4th edition, or as a first taste for the timid.

Pendragon is roleplaying in King Arthur's Britain. This means that it is historical, to a point (in the chronology, right up to about 485AD...) where it begins to deviate.

The setting is predominantly driven from Sir Thomas Mallory's views, but allows for many other influences, both upon the designer and the GM. Greg Stafford has blended a variety of variations on the Arthurian legend, into a cohesive, and yet still flexible setting.

This is coupled to a simple, elegant system, using only D20's and D6's. Characters start with some history, and gain more. It is NOT the D20 system. It is a simple and elegant system, with a personality trait system, which can be used to guide actions, and responds to chosen actions.

4th edition is probably the most useful edition. Not only does it support knights from throughout the Isles, but it also includes Ladies, Spellcasters, and certain non-noble warriors. (Other editions support lesser, and only 4th edition includes a magic system.)

The key element about pendragon is that time flies. In general, each adventure is the high-point of a year. Sometimes, two adventures in one year occur, but that really is not the norm. Experience is applied during the winter (when nobody does much of anything), and rewards what you've used, sometimes for the worse.

Magic is slow, powerful, and cumbersome, paid for with weeks of preparation, weeks of magical sleep-like stupor, or both, and strongly recreates the feel of magicians as portrayed in myth and legend. You won't be casting fireballs... unless you want to sleep for weeks to pay for them. Several weeks per each. Oh, and if you delay the onset of that sleep, you age.... rapidly. Despite it's limits, Pendragon's magic system is VERY flexible, and fairly powerful. And it works. Quite well. (i've had players play spell casters... they needed a second character due to social and sleep restrictions, but they were playable and important characters.)

The combat system is fast, brutal, and lends itself to GM narrative responses. It provides brutal and realistic outcomes, while still allowing for heroic behavior. Fight without your armor, and you get bonuses... but you're likely to die anyway, unless they are also unarmored.

And, for the big battles where thousands clash, there are methods of resolving those, too. And PC's not only can make a difference, but can also become wealthy... or broke... by their own chosen actions.

This is, without a doubt, well worth the money. I've gotten hundreds of hours of play out of Pendragon, and the fourth ed rulebook plus some dice and pencils is all one needs.

But I'll also put some warnings here: you can't do the walking artillery piece wizards of D&D, and you won't find Mordred as a hero. Most priests can barely bless. Most knights can't read. And most characters are knights. Religion, both christian and pagan, plays an important role in the setting. And the personality trait system sometimes is used by the GM to determine what actions a character may take, as well as determining how the character should act; choose your traits well, for they are going to define the character.

This is a narrativist fortune-based system, with some simulationist elements.

Lets see, while printing this one out, I found major problem #1: 0.5" margins. It's obviously laid out for professional printing, not POD/Home printing, where our printers have no-print zones.

Major Problem #2: Expletive usage. Not "Ghetto Street Jive" level, but clearly enough to offend. Not something I would let my daughter read. Not heavy, but present, and mostly grammatically appropriate... or at least as GA as can be said for the F-word. Really, I'd say not worse than prime time TV except for specific word choices.

The rules are clear, easy reading. But check the demo BEFORE you buy; this isn't your ordinary RPG.

1st is scale: you don't play a character, you play a ship's whole crew, and may possibly wind up with subordinate ships (hirelings, if you will) in addition to the rest of the party, each of whom also controls a ship and its crew. To recap: Number of ships equals number of non-gamemaster ships.

2nd is mechanics: The mechanics use D12's; 1 per player, maybe some more dice of other sides as damage markers only. A number of CCG-ish elements, too. See the demo.

3rd is "PC Heroicness": PC's and "Mooks" (NPC's) are clearly handled with different levels of detail... PC's Low by RPG standards, and mooks at nearly no info.... HP and attributes. Very clearly cinematic.

This is, however, an innovative approach to the genre of Spaceship Crews in a cinematic light. Simple rules, a decent amount of background, and a variety of resources.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Innovative concept, blends elements of boardgaming, CCG's, and Roleplay into a narrativistic RPG.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Lack of whitespace on page borders; margins narrower than my printer's minimum.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>