I admit that I was initially drawn to this product because of my past experience with the PDQ system. I've seen PDQ used in a game about ninja who deliver fast-food, and I've seen it used for a tongue-in-cheek fantasy adventure setting. It comes as no surprise then, that PDQ works so well in a game inspired by Fairy Tales.

In PDQ, every character is defined by a series of descriptive stats such as Brawling, Swordplay, and Cunning. As long as it can be described by a descriptive adjective, it can be a stat in this game. Dice are used to determine the success or failure of various actions, with a number being added or subtracted depending on the character's skill level. PDQ is versatile and easy to use, and it really shines in the story-driven environment of the Zorcerer of Zo.

The brunt of the book is devoted to describing the game's fairytale setting. The Zantabulous Zorcerer of Zo is a clever mishmash of fairytale archetypes. Rather than labor in the intensive details like a typical RPG campaign, ZoZ paints a broad picture and lets the players fill in the specifics as they go. Fairytales are built from simple but evocative pieces: the evil forest, the house of gingerbread, the wicked stepmother. So, to, is the land of Zo. The authors give lots of advice on creating the proper atmosphere, and the PDQ system grants the players the freedom to quickly and easily build whatever sort of characters they can imagine. The resulting blend is a perfect mix of freedom and inspiration that results in a great fairytale RPG experience.

This PDF grew out of a home campaign the author put together as a time-friendly way to enjoy some gaming with friends. The experience was so successful, his players insisted that he publish his notes. As a result, Zorcerer is a very different read compared to the average gaming book. There are plenty of sidebars with information from the original campaign. In addition, an entire chapter gives gamemastering advice mixed with notes on how and what occurred during the author's adventures. These examples are a great way to show the themes and ideas of ZoZ in action, and they are an interesting read as well.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while. The author clearly did some homework, and his advice is very useful for running a fairytale-based game. PDQ was a perfect choice for game system, and here it is adapted perfectly to the setting. As a side note, I thought that the inclusion of tips for running the game with a group of children was a great touch. Zorcerer of Zo is another in a line of cool gaming products based on PDQ. Highly recommended.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No gaming product is perfect, but Zorcerer of Zo doesn't have any major flaws to speak of. Less a dislike and more of a caveat is that, if fairy tales aren't your cup of tea, this book isn't something you'll find very useful. Also, ZoZ is very open and player-empowering. If your players aren't the type to become immersed in their campaigns, you won't get as much out of this game as you otherwise might.

Finally, I think the game is a bit overpriced. It is well written and nicely put together, but its just a wee bit expensive for my tastes.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

One of the first things about Hoards that caught my eyes was the presentation. With the exception of the cover, the book is in black and white. The internal art is fairly sparse, and all of the pages are bordered by a simple drawing of jewels and coins. While this sounds fairly muted and basic, it actually comes together to create a very nice package. The look of Hoards is very understated, and it works very well.

This product is a collection of treasures that can be easily added to any hoard. The usual suspects are all represented here: coins, gems, art objects, etc. In addition, the authors have included random treasure charts and updated the charts from the DMG to include all the selections from Hoards.

Each treasure is described in detail, complete with relevant statistics such as weight and value. Even the most mundane of valuables, such as the coins, are made interesting in this book. The Wolf's Piece, for example, is a silver coin minted to commemorate the end of a royal curse. When the curse proved to be still very much alive, the nobility halted the coin's production. This increased the coin's value, but it also gave it a dark reputation among certain peoples. Each piece of treasure has appropriate Appraise DCs for assessing its value, as well as a list of the necessary skills and DCs for knowing its history and background.

There is certainly enough treasure to keep the DM and players interested. My favorites were the various art treasures and unique coins. Items of that nature are great for spicing up a treasure hoard. I think a big part of this book is about making valuable items, both magical and mundane, interesting and unique. The book really does a good job achieving this end. Even a magic item such a Dawnsong, a fairly standard flaming sword, comes across as something special.

The book ends with number of sample hoards; ready lists of treasure for the DM lacking the time or interest to roll off the charts. There are also a couple of appendixes to help add variety to any hoard. The first, appearance anomalies, is a simple chart of random physical alterations that change an item's cosmetic appearance. The second is an easy means of generating common antiques that could supplement a more typical treasure.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: By its nature, treasure in D&D can become a bit mundane. After a while, one pile of gold is very much like another. In the real world, great treasures usually have an equally rich history. Hoards allows the DM to easily add this aspect to his campaign. The items are clever and creative, and the inclusion of the treasure charts makes the book very useful alongside the standard lists in the DMG.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: While I'm pleased that random charts were included, I must admit that they are a bit hard to follow at times. It also would have been more helpful to include them in an appendix, rather than scattering them all about the book.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

The perfect character sheet is the holy grail of the RPG universe. There are literally hundreds of d20 character sheets now available on the Internet and elsewhere, all aiming to fill a different gamer need. The aptly titled D20 Fantasy Character Sheets presents a collection of character records virtually identical to the one found in the D&D Player's Handbook. The important difference, however, is that these sheets come with a preselected race. The racial abilities, stat modifiers, size modifiers, etc are all included right on the sheet. This is a rather simple yet remarkably useful change. Unless you're the type that memorizes racial stat blocks, you probably benefit from noting things like dwarven stonecutting on your character sheet. Having these already listed saves a little time and ensures that important racial stuff isn't forgotten during play. This idea seems so obvious, in fact, that I wonder why Wizards doesn't adapt it on their official sheets.

I really like the way the racial ability score adjustments are listed right next to the ability scores. That's a logical placement. Everything else, however, is relegated to a black box on the back of the sheet. The designers would have benefited from following this design pattern for other racial stats. Why not, for example, include a +2 under the Misc. Modifier column of the dwarf's search check? You could put a superscript next to it referencing the racial notes on the back of the sheet so the player could remember that the bonus is only applied in certain situations. Why not do something similar for the elf's +2 racial bonus vs enchantment spells as well? Don't get me wrong, I like having the info on the sheet, but it would be even better to have it in the most relevant spots.

You might find less value in these sheets if you don't use the standard d20 races as written. If your campaign's half-elves have different stats than the norm, you'll lose a lot of the benefit that this product provides. A fairly simple solution would have been to make the sheets editable. Even if you don't have a full version of acrobat, it would be a simple matter to edit the sheet to your liking and print a master copy for your own campaign.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: I think that sticking fairly close to the official character sheet was a good idea. I've seen variant character sheets that bring some good ideas to the table, but its hard to beat the official sheet for simplicity and ease-of-use. Having the racial stats already printed on the sheet is an idea so good that it should really become the standard. These sheets will probably find their way into my campaign. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There are a lot of free character sheets out there, so asking me to pay for one, even if its only $1.50, demands a little extra bang for my buck. Making the sheets editable would be a big step in this direction. I also would like to see some of the modifiers placed in more logical spots on the sheet.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

(EDIT: Fixed a big cut-and-paste error.) A number of gaming companies have tried to tap into an "old-school" feel, harkening back to the classic days of fantasy roleplaying games. Few companies are able to evoke this nostalgic design style as well as Goodman Games. Their adventures emphasize the best things about some of the early modules, while still maintaining the high standards of design and quality modern gamers have come to expect.

In the Slithering Overlord, the PCs find themselves facing off against three very different factions of subterranean monsters. The inclusion of three separate groups adds a certain amount of variety to the adventure. While all of the action takes place underground, the locations are varied enough to keep from becoming repetitive, and at least one dungeon has a touch of wilderness to spice things up.

The adventure includes a very simple adventure hook involving a religious order's search for three missing relics. This background is flexible and effective, and could even be completely ignored if the GM so chooses. In this regard, Slithering Overlord shares one of the strengths of the classic adventures that inspired it. It takes an interesting location, gives a decent reason for it to be filled with monsters, and adds a motivation for the PCs to go there.

One of the thing that stood out to me were the detailed monster tactics. I find these sorts of things to be a valuable resource when running an adventure, as it can sometimes be difficult to decode all of a monster's powers from a stat block. It's also nice to know whether or not a monster will fight to the death, what kind of attack it prefers, and how it interacts with other creatures in the dungeon. I appreciate the extra information. I also really like the flavor text for the various dungeon encounters. All too often, I see my player's eyes gloss over when I'm ready wordy boxed text, but this is (for the most part) short and to the point.

There is a lot of potential combat in this adventure, and I could see certain groups turning things into one fight after another. The various monster groups don't necessarily like one another, however, and a smart group could play this fact to their advantage. There are also a smattering of puzzles and traps; and I'm a sucker for any adventure that features riddles, especially when they're delivered by a giant stone head that shoots red-hot beams from its eyes. If that last bit doesn't sound cool to you, you may not be Dungeon Crawl Classic material. Another of my favorites was the fiendish otyugh, which is ?...summoned from a fiendish plane where sinners are forced to eat all manner of refuse as punishment for their sins.? Good stuff.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: This is a good selection in the Dungeon Crawl Classics line. There is plenty of dungeon for exploration, old-school art, and both classic monsters and brand new creatures. This is a nice, solid module that would be a welcome fit in my home campaign.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: While I like the Slithering Overlord, there really isn't anything overly special about this adventure. Its good overall, but it lacks a unique hook to put things over the top. As with any adventure, there were specific parts that didn't work for me. For instance, while I mentioned my liking of the giant stone head, I found the riddles it asks to be too easy. Also, I think that some parts of the adventure could become repetitive if the PCs take a kick-down-the-door approach.

Also, I didn't care for the way the designers glossed over large sections of the underground area. There doesn't need to be extensive descriptions of vast underground corridors, but a few sample encounters would have been nice for the GM looking to do more than just hand-wave the travel between detailed areas.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

The original D&D game was strongly influenced by many of the authors of the so-called swords and sorcery genre of fantasy. While Tolkien's Lord of the Rings can be seen in the elves and dwarves that inhabit most D&D worlds, it is the works of Robert E. Howard that had one of the most profound effects on the spirit of fantasy gaming. The sinister, demon-worshiping cult; the monster infested world, struggling in the shadows of ancient and crumbled nations; the glittering treasure guarded by a monstrous horror; these and many other elements common to the best D&D campaigns all owe their inspiration to the adventures of Howard's most famous character: Conan the Cimmerian. It is only fitting, then, that the d20 system should spawn its own version of Conan the Barbarian and the world in which he lives. Through the Open Game License, Mongoose Publishing has taken the d20 rules and applied them to Howard's Hyborian Age. The final product is something very much like the world's most popular fantasy game, but at the same time very different as well.

This is a monster of a PDF, weighing in at over 350 pages. The PDF is good quality, with a professional layout and art. There is a very busy border around each page featuring skulls, scantily clad women, snakes, and monsters. Its very Conan, but its also kind of distracting. It makes the book even less printer friendly than it would be normally, but it also makes it a bit screen unfriendly as well. I appreciate the art, but I could have done without it on every single page of the book.

Its clear from an initial read-through that this game uses many of the standard d20 rules. If you're familiar with modern D&D, Conan won't be much of a stretch for you. The places in which the rules are different fall into two categories. The first category is comprised of rules that are specific to the setting of the Conan stories. These include the kind of things that typically differ from one campaign world to another, such as races and classes. For example, there are no elves, dwarves, or other fantasy races in the Conan RPG. All characters are humans, but players choose from a list of over a dozen human variants, each statistically unique. This gives the setting a diverse feel, while still keeping things within the realm of low magic swords-and-sorcery.

Classes follow a similar path. The familiar Barbarians and Thieves join new classes such as Pirates, Nobles, and Scholars. These classes share many traits with their counterparts in other d20 games, but they are different in their design and implementation. Thieves still have a Sneak Attack that deals extra damage against flanked and flat-footed enemies, but the type of extra die rolled depends on the weapon. The Barbarian class, arguably inspired in D&D by Conan himself, is reworked and re-imagined. Other classes are brand new, but use many common elements from the d20 core.

The second categories of rules changes are less subtle. These include places where the Conan RPG does things completely different than standard d20. Some of these, such as the rules for armor as damage reduction, have a fairly significant change on the way the game is played. Because of the way armor works in the game, characters have more combat statistics than they would otherwise need in a d20 game. Conan adds parrying and dodging to the game; rules for armor piercing and armor damage; finesse weapons that have a chance of ignoring armor entirely. All of these rules make combat a little more complicated, but they also succeed in giving fights a different flavor than standard d20. In the end, I'm not sure that the extra detail necessarily makes the game closer to Howard's stories, but it does manage to change the feel of things without adding a whole lot of complexity.

Of all the changes the Conan RPG makes to the d20 rules, the most profound is probably the rules for magic. Conan uses a magic point system in which spells are learned based on a character's focus in one or more style of sorcery. Spells in Conan are less generic than their d20 counterparts. They have poetic names like "Agonizing Doom" and "Master-Words and Sign". New game mechanics give magic-users a greater chance of success every time they cast a spell that slays an enemy, and power points can be enhanced through ritual castings and blood sacrifice.

Spellcasting, however, can be a dangerous prospect. The book gives a number of negative consequences for delving too deep into the arcane. Some of these are primarily roleplay-driven. Sorcerers often become obsessed with power or find themselves indebted to dangerous beings, for example. Other consequences are less abstract. Spells can go awry, causing everything from a minor loss of spellcasting ability or hp damage to insanity and spectacular death.

An important part of this book, of course, is the setting itself. The Conan RPG does a good job explaining Howard's Hyborian Age. In one section, in fact, the authors let Howard himself sum up the campaign world, reprinting an essay Howard wrote for his own use more than forty years ago. A lengthy gazetteer details the geography, language, history, and other aspects of the various regions of the world. In addition, the authors fill in the blanks with sidebars and quotes from Howard's stories.

The book concludes with a bestiary and a section on campaign design. The latter is about twenty pages of good insight into setting the proper tone and feel of the Hyborian Age. The former contains a number of monsters from the pages of Howard and (presumably) other Conan authors. These sections round out what is a very large and thorough core rulebook, providing everything needed to roleplay in the world of Conan the Barbarian.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: A masterfully designed game that is similar enough to the d20 core rules to be familiar to most D&D gamers, yet different enough to present a unique and exciting RPG experience. Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age is one of the best fantasy settings ever devised, and the authors of this book have captured its unique feel in every detail of this book. Mongoose had a lot to live up to, but fortunately they've crafted a game book worthy of Conan.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The altered combat rules, while well done, don't really add anything particularly "Conan" to the game. I like them, but they seem out of place in a game inspired by fast paced, colorful prose of Robert E. Howard. The experience rules, on the other hand, go too far in the other direction. Essentially, the traditional CR system is tossed out the window and replaced with nothing. The GM is expected to just kind of wing it, handing out experience points in a random and arbitrary fashion. I don't really care for this solution. The authors did such a good job supporting setting concepts with rules ideas in the rest of this book, why just hand-wave this part?<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

This is a short primer on all things hacking. If computers are a big part of your d20 Modern campaign, you may have found the information in the core rules somewhat lacking. This book attempts to go beyond the Computer Use skill and make hacking a bigger and more detailed part of the game.

In the core rules, the Computer Use skill is already fairly thorough. Hack the Matrix builds on this existing framework, adding even more detail and giving the GM the ability to differentiate between more or less protected computer networks. Each system is given specific stats that cover the number of access points, the amount of space available for additional programs and firewalls, and the DC of accessing data and remaining undetected.

Hackers have their systems too, called terminals. A terminal has its own stats, which make some faster and more successful at gaining access to systems. Both terminals and systems can be enhanced by additional components. Things like removable hard drives and triad processors make computers better and more versitale tools for hacking or repelling hackers. These components all have appropriate purchase DCs and, in some cases, restrictions on their aquisition.

Once a character successfully hacks into a system, there are a number of actions that he or she can take. Each of these actions is described, along with relevant DCs and the amount of time needed to perform them. To counter this, each system is given a list of protective programs that can attack and inflict damage on the character's connection, or icon. Hacking then, is both a battle against time and against the protective countermeasures of the target system.

Finally, there are a number of feats that improve a hacker's or system administrator's abilities. Feats such as Computer Programming are likely useful additions to any d20 Modern campaign, while other feats are keyed directly to the new rules presented in this book.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The new rules expand nicely on the base presented in the d20 Modern ruleset. This book makes hacking less abstract and puts more emphasis on the tools and components of the characters in question. It adds random amounts of time to actions that are normally glossed over. The end result is more involved than the standard rules, yet not so bogged down as to become the whole focus of the game.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Hack the Matrix is difficult to absorb. There are a number of typos and wording errors that just make the text seem clunky. In addition, the layout and design makes the rules somewhat hard to follow. It took me a few complete readthroughs to really grasp the system. The end result is pretty good, but the book could stand a bit of a rewrite to make things more clear and concise.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

I'll admit that I've glossed over the gem portion of many a treasure that I've generated. I couldn't begin to tell you what a corundum is, for example, or compare and contrast it to bloodstone. I've always found it easier to just hand-wave away gems and precious stones, telling the players that they found "50 gp in jewels" or whatever. With a quick glance at this PDF, however, I can now tell my players that corundum is:

"...the family name of a large group of very precious stones, including rubies, jacinths and sapphires. The name corundum is used to label any stone in the family that does not fit with the blue hues of the sapphire, or a red shade like the ruby, so corundum gems come in many colors, from a rich lemon yellow to a bright purple, to a rich honey hue. Corundum is among the rarest and most valuable gem types in the world. They are among the hardest (second only to diamond) and hardiest gems you will find."

That is fantastic. Not only are we given a detailed and interesting description of every gem on the DMG treasure charts, the PDF also contains an illustration for each. I wish the pictures were a little bigger and a bit higher quality, but they serve their purpose. Each precious stone is also given an identification DC, plus a bit of information on which characteristics distinguish it from other stones. This identification system is more interesting than the Appraise mechanic in the core rules, and it has the added benefit of making certain kinds of gems easier or more difficult to recognize. The brief description gives the GM just enough flavor to help the player imagine how and why his PC is categorizing the stone.

Treasure Chest Unlocked: Gems also serves as a brief primer on lapidary, or the art of gemcutting. Without getting bogged down in detail, the author gives a quick overview on four general classifications of gems. He then presents some basic crafting rules for turning rough stones into cut and polished jewels. We're once again given a very basic overview of the process and terminology. The book strikes a nice balance of information and mechanics, giving the GM just info to add some depth to the treasure horde without bogging things down.

The book concludes with a series of rules for those GMs looking to make precious stones an even bigger part of the game. My favorite is the section on harmonizing gemstones. By taking an appropriate feat and spending time and effort, a character can tune a precious stone to his own body. Once finished, the gem grants a special bonus if the character wears it on a certain part of his body. Black diamonds, for example, grant the wearer a +2 bonus on saves vs illusion if they are worn on the temple or finger. These rules add a secondary benefit to gems found as treasure beyond the obvious resale value. There are also rules for a more potent gem ability, called harnessing; a few guilds and organizations; and a new monster.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: I like this little book. In just twenty short pages, the author succeeds at making gems a more interesting and useful part of D&D treasure hoards. The descriptions of various gem categories and cutting techniques contain just enough information to make them useful at the gaming table. This book, while not earth-shattering in its innovation, does a nice job expanding on a common yet underdeveloped part of the game.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: One thing that keeps me from awarding Treasure Chest Unlocked a perfect score is the product's small scope. It is a niche book, and it probably won't appeal to everyone. I also would have liked better art. I don't usually care for photographs in my gaming books, but this is a PDF in which they'd make a lot of sense. The designers could have easily spiced things up with some quality full color pictures.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

When it comes to history, there is often a disconnect between how things were and how we imagine them. Take the old west, for example. The image that comes to mind for most of us probably isn't a very accurate representation of what life was like on the American frontier. Sure, the basics were the same, but I think that we can all agree that the Old West wasn't really the way Sergio Leone depicted it on the silver screen. Still, Hollywood's version is an exciting place, and I imagine that most RPGs set in that genre take more influence from the cinema than the pages of history.

I believe the disconnect between history and imagination is part of the problem with this product. According to the creators, these six posters are based on authentic wanted posters from the era of the American West. I appreciate that kind of attention to detail, but wanted posters in the Old West were apparently really boring, because these six are rather uninspiring.

Each poster lists a crime, describes the suspects, and details who to contact to collect the listed reward. The text uses large and authentic-looking fonts, all set on a brown parchment-like background that can be turned on or off using Adobe's layer settings. There is a nice fading effect on the font, and the posters do look like something out of the past. Unfortunately, they don't look anything like the way I imagine Old West wanted posters. Where is the faded picture of the grizzled villain? Where is sizzle to hook the players' interest and spur them to adventure? What we have here can be fairly easily replicated by anyone with a few clever fonts and some time. Historical accuracy is all well and good, but I think the creators should have aimed for something closer to cinematic accuracy.

On the positive side, there are some pretty good adventure hooks contained in this product. One of the posters is for "Dynamite Jane", also known as "Jane Goodheart" and "Mary Goodheart" among other aliases. This strikes me as a decent name for a reoccurring NPC. Another poster describes the crimes of the "Black Dog Gang" and directs prospective bounty hunters to a "Grant Silverton" for the reward. There are clearly a handful of NPC and adventure ideas here. The question, then, is whether or not you're willing to pay for six adventure hooks and a couple of NPC ideas presented in a wanted poster format.

I should also give at least cursory mention to the fantasy version of the posters included in this download. These are identical to the Old West posters, except they make small changes in detail to give the posters a fantasy feel. A group of Mexicans, for example, is changed into a group of elves on the fantasy version. Dynamite Jane, for some reason, remains the same on both versions. The details of the crimes themselves are also unchanged, meaning that the fantasy posters still talk about train and bank robberies. In one case, the poster clearly offers a reward of $5000.00. Not exactly common currency in your typical fantasy world. So, despite a few changes here and there, the alternate posters are probably only useful to someone running a fantasy game set in the Old West. This particular gaming niche is probably not large enough to warrant the alternate posters' inclusion. Sure, its a free extra, but I'm not sure that its a free extra anyone's going to use.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: If historical accuracy is really important to you, then you'll appreciate the look of these wanted posters. If you're running an Old West game, you'll likely find a few useful adventure hooks in this product. The biggest positive here is the price.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Amalara has done a good job putting these together, but the final effort is probably something you could do yourself with a little creativity and some old-time fonts. Art, which is not something most everyone can do, would have really added to this product. These wanted posters are pretty pedestrian when you come down to it, and I can't really call this a recommended product.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

The Deck O' Names system allows on-the-fly random name generation with a twist. The cards have an advantage over charts in that, if the results don't work for you, its very easy to simply rotate the results into something better. The system is intuitive, easy to use, and I think it works great at the gaming table.

The latest product in this series focuses on names for Japanese or Japanese-themed characters. Using the cards, one can quickly generate male, female, or place names. Each card also lists the basic meaning of each name. The usefulness of the Deck O' Names is best illustrated by creating a few on-the-fly names. Grabbing a few cards at random, here's what I came up with:

Turning the first card up revealed the prefix "hama", which means seacoast or beach. I grabbed the second card and turned it until a male suffix was on top. This gave me the name "hamashi" which, according to the cards, means something akin to "beach plan". Not the most logical combo, so I didn't use it. I decided to rotate the first card 180 degrees to the prefix "bou". This new combination "boushi" means "forget plan". This brought to my mind the image of a bumbling, forgetful character with good intentions but poor memory. I rather liked this, so I stuck with it.

In addition to the name deck itself, the authors have included a detailed appendix on Japanese naming conventions, pronunciation, and random facts. This isn't going to turn your typical gaijin (i.e. ignorant westerner) into an expert on Japanese culture, but it should serve for your average oriental adventures campaign. Sections not necessarily tied to naming include common Japanese phrases, the Japanese calendar, a list of holidays, and traditional dress. These little touches help to make this product into more than just a means of random name generation. The cultural notes, while not directly related to naming, are interesting and brief enough to be useful. Again, this isn't a detailed lesson on Japanese language or culture, but a quick primer to help the GM keep things consistent. Its a great addition to the naming deck itself, and a must have for any prospective GM running an oriental campaign.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The printable card system is a useful and easy means of creating random oriental names. The included Japanese symbols and translations add tremendously to the deck's usefulness. All the extra stuff is just gravy, but its a very tasty gravy indeed. The notes on culture, superstition, and pronunciation help elevate this product to its final rating.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There are a lot of names possible with the 100 cards in this PDF but, by the time you divide them into male, female, and location names, the final tally is a little lower than I'd expected. I'm not sure of the total number of possible names, although I'm sure its a large number. It just felt a little small to me in my analysis.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

The Oldschool System Reference and Index Compilation, or OSRIC, is the latest product to hearken back the glory days of D&D. For those not familiar, the OSRIC rules set is basically first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, distilled down to its most fundamental mechanics. First Edition Fantasy is a series of products written specifically for OSRIC and, by extension, the original AD&D rules. This product, the first in the series, deals with various dungeon hazards.

I feel that I should confess a small bias as I begin my review of this product. Although I started gaming in the era of second edition, I find myself somehwhat enamored with ?old school? D&D. There is something very appealing about the look and feel of those original products, and the designers of this PDF have done a great job recreating that same effect. The cover art in particular is awesome, with an orange and black monochrome style reminiscent of the Tome of Horrors and White Plume Mountain. Even the internal font looks like right. I really appreciate these little touches, and they go a long way to making me feel like I'm reading something from the pen of Gygax.

The hazards themselves are designed with an old school philosophy, but they often show a more modern approach when it comes to mechanics. One of the better examples of this is the collapsing chamber. The rules don't suffer from the lack of cohesion that sometimes dragged the game down back in first edition. Simple percentile chance determines whether or not a character is hit by falling debris. A simple strength check allows allies to free trapped characters. Damage is a flat 1d6, unless a character is totally buried...in which case he's dead. Unlike more modern products, however, these rules are written merely as a suggestion. Throughout the PDF, its very clear that in First Edition Fantasy the GM is the final authority and arbitrator. The result is a nice balance of mechanics and flexibility, letting the referee decide when to fall back on the rules as written and when to let logic and the flow of story trump the dice.

The ideas presented range from the harmless but interesting cave ducks to eleven types of hazardous slime. Some of this you've seen before. Slime is nothing new to fantasy RPGs. And what adventurer hasn't encountered a dangerous pool of lava at one point or another? The strength of this product is the way it takes these ideas and presents them using consistent rules that remain true to the spirit of classic gaming. The writing is professional and the art is top quality. That isn't to say that there aren't new and clever tricks to be found in this book as well. I liked the stone egg, which contains the petrified remains of an unborn dragon waiting to burst forth in a damaging blast of arcane energy. Other entries are more mundane, but no less creative. An entry on the hazards of the treasure-strewn floor contains some surprisingly simple but effective points about how dangerous it can be load yourself down with loot.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: There is a great variety of dungeon hazards, all presented in a style reminiscent of first edition AD&D both visually and mechanically. There is a large selection of hazards in various categories, and everything is well written and professionally illustrated. If you play OSRIC, AD&D, Castles & Crusades, or even 3E you're likely to find some good ideas in this product. Fans of the old school style will particularly like this PDF.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I'm not sure how many people are playing first edition AD&D, even with the resurgence of products such as this. That makes this a book with a fairly narrow audience. Its also somewhat limited by the dungeon-crawl nature of its theme. However, I can't fault a first edition product about dungeon hazards for being first edition and focusing on underground adventures. Brilliant for what it is.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Remember how the A-Team always managed to rig up some kind of armored vehicle out of the random debris they found in the garage? Or how MacGyver could stop a radiation leak with a bunch of candy bars? Use as Misdirected deals takes the concept of turning common items found in every garage in America into useful tools and weapons in a d20 Modern game.

This book is basically the Anarchist's Cookbook of d20 Modern supplements. It reads like a menu of improvised destruction, with items such as articulated scrap armor, camera tasers, and coin razors. Each entry contains a brief description, the required time and materials, and associated DCs for crafting the equipment. There are a wide variety of items presented, ranging from weapons to armor to tools. The authors seem to have come up with a list somewhat stream-of-consciousness, then fleshed it out after that. This isn't a criticism, merely an observation. Some things are obviously more useful than others. I thought that the various improvised armor rules were cool, and the disposable camera stun-gun is a neat concept. On the other hand, how much use is your average gamer going to get out of rules for crafting an improvised crack pipe?

Also, not all of the items are as detailed as they should be. Anti-freeze, for example, is mentioned as an effective poison. The rules explain the flavor, application, and detection of anti-freeze. They don't, however, list the game effects. The DCs and damage are apparently up to the reader. Another item that lacks needed stats is the car bomb. The author notes that each additional car bomb placed in a vehicle increases the damage inflicted by one die. Unfortunately, there's no mention anywhere of how much damage the bombs do in the first place. Maybe the authors meant to reference rules from the modern core book. If they did, they don't say it in the text.

Besides the improvised weapons, Use as Misdirected presents a handful of associated feats. These are right up the alley of your average paramilitary fighter or urban mercenary. The list includes Anti-Tank Warfare, Field Mechanic, and Pyromaniac. Like the improvised equipment list, the feats section is full of good ideas. The rules are solid as well and don't suffer from the lack of detail that hinders the rest of the book.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: I really like Use as Misdirected's feel. Its a laundry list of mayhem, with enough tools and tricks to keep a party of malicious MacGuyvers happy for several adventures. Makeshift helicopters, oxygen rockets, and the medicinal use of superglue are great additions to the d20 Modern game.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Good ideas need to be supported by great rules. Unfortunately, Use as Misdirected often lacks needed details. How much damage does a soda-bomb inflict? What components are needed for an improvised compass? If everything were described as needed, this would be a four star product. The good ideas that are here keep it from falling as low as two, but its a shame that this book doesn't live up to its full potential.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Handouts can add greatly to any game, but many of us lack the time and/or talent to create them. Ronin Arts' Wanted Posters gives the beleaguered GM six wanted posters suitable for any fantasy campaign and system. Each is something of a mini adventure hook, with a picture of a wanted individual, a description of his crimes, and a reward.

There's a good variety of fugitives featured, and each is wanted for a different reason. Small details add to the usability, such as the man that can be identified by his missing left hand. One wanted poster features not a criminal at all, but a missing slave, putting a neat twist on the concept of the man on the run. The art has a hand-drawn look to it, which one would expect from a medieval wanted poster. The posters themselves are brown parchment with ragged borders. These are ready to be printed out and brought to the game table.

One thing that struck me as odd was the low reward offered for a few of the criminals. The lowest is a meager 12 gold, and the poor slave is apparently worth only 15 GP to his master. These are meant to be universal, but in D&D at least these rewards are probably too low to interest any but the most inexperienced characters. These could be changed, but not without ruining the ease of use of the product. Perhaps it would have been better to leave the values off, but that would have had its own drawbacks as well.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This isn't the sort of PDF that requires a very long review. Its a short product, and a fairly limited one, but its professionally done and certainly a clever idea. The price, I think, is just about perfect. For three bucks, you could pick up this book and its sequel, and add a little visual pizazz to your next game. Recommended for what it is, a nice collection of wanted posters.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: While I like this product, its a bit too short and too specialized. I think I'd rather see a larger PDF dedicated to a wide variety of GM handouts. Put in a bunch of menus, wanted posters, maps, NPC portraits, and whatever else in a big PDF and sell it for a reasonable price and you'd have an absolute five star product. I look forward to more PDFs in this line.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

The speak language skill is one thing that's always bothered me about Third Edition D&D. Sure, its simple, but it doesn't reflect the reality of language. Worse, it eliminates the potential roleplaying challenges presented by NPCs that speak another tongue. When a single skill point gives a character total fluency in a language, it isn't hard to quickly master an awful lot of languages. If a typical D&D campaign can be compaired to medieval Europe, that means a fairly intelligent adventurer could speak English, French, German, and Spanish with native fluidity by spending a handful of skill points. And if he's really serious about language, why not toss in Japanese and Swahili?

Ars Lingua presents new rules to make language more realistic and interesting while keeping the game simple and playable. Rather than the simple one skill point per language system in the core rules, Ars Lingua gives each character a number of special language points to assign as they see fit. Skill checks are required for languages other than a character's native tongue, which allows for the possibility of misunderstandings. Speaking and writing are also broken up into separate skills, meaning a character could speak eloquently but lack the gift of the written word.

Since the new language rules take up very little space, the rest of this book is devoted to additional language related material. First up are new skills. Of these, Profession (Cryptographer) is my favorite. I'm usually a little leery about adding new skills to the mix, but new professions can be invented without disturbing the balance of available skill points. There are also some nineteen new feats. Some of these allow a player to make a Speak Language check to enhance a class ability or lower an opponent's resistance. Others give a character bonuses to language related skills. The book continues with new spells, magic items, prestige classes, and equipment. There are some good ideas throughout, and everything meshes well with the overall theme of the book.

My only problem with the new Speak Language rules is the necessity of making a check every time a character attempts to speak or understand a non-native language. This seems like an unnecessary complication, slowing the game down with a series of dice rolls every time the characters are trying to talk to someone. This sort of problem can be avoided by only calling for skill checks in stressful situations or instances where the outcome is important to the plot. As written, I think the rules are a bit cumbersome. Furthermore, if the PCs are encountering a lot of foreign NPCs, the Speak Language skill is going to become very important, and a lot of skill points are going to go that direction. That's fine if you're interested in running that sort of campaign, but a standard D&D game might quickly become too language dependent without the GM meaning it to.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Overall, Ars Lingua is a good idea and a well-written product. The new rules are pretty good, and they certainly expand language without overly complicating things. The supplemental rules, such as the new spells and feats, are unexpectedly good. I also like the attention the authors gave to existing rules affected by changing the Speak Language rules.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There are only two pieces of art in this book, and they are both characters created with the free Hero Forge utility. I've nothing against Hero Forge, but it looks somewhat pedestrian here.

Also, I would have liked to see the new rules taken a little further. Draconic is supposedly the language of magic. Why not some bonus to spellcasting for characters that speak fluent draconic? Little rules such as this would help make the new language rules more palatable for characters not participating in a language-focused campaign.

Finally, for all the focus on speaking language, its seems the authors missed a chance to give the languages themselves a little detail. They clearly understand the importance of language in the real world, why not delve into some non-crunch details about the tongues of dwarves and men?<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

The back cover text of Blue Devil's Passages states ?the only Game Preperation of agreeable taste to all palates, and an excellent substitute for Cod-Liver oil.? The text goes on in a similar fashion, continuing to praise the game's ambiguous attributes using adjectives straight from a traveling snake-oil salesman's opening pitch. It concludes with testimonials from Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Any RPG game good enough for Lewis Carol is good enough for me, right?

Passages is a d20 (more accurately an OGL) RPG set in a world in which the great stories of the Victorian age were not mere works of fiction, but fantastic travelogues written by special men and women who had found a way to journey through an infinite parallel multiverse known as the Book Without End. These travelers, called Passengers, travel to worlds where they can match wits with Sherlock Holmes, set sail with Captain Hook, or help save a young Alice from the hungry fangs of Count Dracula. Players take on the role of one of the heroes of this world. Normal citizens of 19th century Earth who have learned to pierce the boundaries of the mundane and venture into the infinite.

The core system behind Passages is the familiar d20 system, although it has been altered in a number of ways. The principle difference is that only one die, the d20 itself, is ever used. Variables that usually rely on additional dice rolls are instead handled by preset numbers and degree of success. Weapon damage, for example, is based on the amount by which the attacker exceeds his opponent's defense roll (plus a handful of other factors). Many rules have been simplified or streamlined to fit the feel of the setting. Character creation has had almost all randomness stripped away, giving the player full control over the kind of PC he wants to make.

Passages positively shines with flavor. Since the game setting is based on the collective works of some of the most skilled and imaginative authors who ever put pen to paper, a worthy GM should find no shortage of inspiration. The designers have added to this by filling the PDF with wonderful art featuring both new works and period illustrations. In addition, there are fantastic quotes from such luminaries as Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling. Passages is very complete and looks very professional.

To help the GM set the proper scene, Passages contains a useful section detailing the Victorian era. Included is a timeline, a lexicon, and useful sidebars on such varied topics as phrenology and mesmerism. There is also information of the lifestyle, outlook, and interests of the Victorian people. There are adventure ideas aplenty as well as secret societies and GM advice.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Passages contains everything one needs to roleplay a group of extraordinary gentlemen (or ladies) in a Victorian era inspired earth that lies parallel to a multiverse of adventure. The writing is top-notch, and the various quotes and pieces of period art add to feel of the setting. While I've not extensively tested the modifications to the d20 system such as the new damage mechanic, the rules seem to achieve their goal.

As a complete package of rules, setting, and flavor, Passages is almost perfect. Its a top-notch, well-written book with good art, good mechanics, a clever idea to back it all up.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The PDF lacks bookmarks, which makes it unnecessarily slow to navigate. Also, I'd like to see more of the spread rules in actual play before I give them full approval. They seem to work well enough with some simple play testing, however, so I can't call this an actual flaw.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

(Edit: I accidentally posted only a portion of the original review. My apologies, the full review is now posted.)

Magic, and the characters that wield its mysterious power, have long been a staple of comic books. Characters such as Dr. Strange are nearly as iconic as Superman or the X-Men. Basically, Adepts of the Arcane is a collection of magically-themed NPCs for the Mutants and Masterminds game. More than that, however, it's a toolkit for adding these new NPCs to your campaign through adventure hooks, character origins, and story ideas.

There are twelve NPCs in this book, each presented in lavish detail. Besides the origin, background, and statistics for each villian or anti-hero, the designers have included a variety of special sidebars. These sidebars are designed to help you better incorporate the characters into your home campaign, give you ideas to inspire the origins of new player characters, and help use these NPCs in your own adventures. I really like the sidebars. They add a great deal of depth and usefulness to the characters specifically, and the book as a whole.

The characters in Adepts of the Arcane are meant to be villains, and they are often very dark. The very first NPC, Armageddon Girl, is an insane former heroine who believes herself to be the embodiment of justice. The fact that her acts of supposed justice are perverted into senseless murder escapes her. I found the act that triggered her slow decline, the murder of her brother and cousin at the hands of a gun wielding villain fed up slow and escapable death traps, perversely clever. Like most of the other characters in this book, Armageddon Girl has a clever and believable (for a comic book) reason for being one of the bad guys.

Not everyone is as grim and dark as Armageddon Girl. Troll, for example, is basically an archtypical thug-for-hire, except he's a troll. The Magister is an obsessed wizard whose background just drips with inspirational bits. Among other things, Magister has "bestowed the Promethean blade to the original White Knight," "halted a curse-war between the lich Koschei the Deathless and...Baba Yaga", and has "continually defended the world's sea-coasts from a cult of sea-dwelling hybrids determined to summon degenerate gods to devastate the cities of man." There are three adventure hooks right there, and that's in an NPC origin. The above mentioned Promethean Blade is even detailed in a sidebar, allowing an interested player to tie his character's origin directly to the story of Magister.

As a bit of a bonus, an appendix contains a hero called the Patriarch. I really like this character. He's something of a paragon or original, except his powers are mystical in nature. Patriarch is obviously inspired by Hebrew myth and legend. He is a kabbalist who discovered a secret name of god, battled a deity of the philistines, and had his powers and memory stolen by evil cultists. There's really great stuff here, and I'll likely make this character a part of my home campaign.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Adepts of the Arcane is a nice collection of magically-themed NPCs, and its also a perfect example of what an NPC collection should be. The backgrounds are highly detailed, the characters are interesting and inventive, and the sidebars add a fantastic level of utility. I also have to mention the art, which is very important in a supers game like Mutants & Masterminds. The art in this book is top notch.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There's really no reason with a PDF product not to include some kind of printer-friendly version in the download. In this case, even a separate file containing a ink-friendly version of the NPC stats would have been nice for those GMs wanting to nab the stats and save on a little ink.

That's my only real criticism, and it isn't enough to hurt my final rating in any way. This is a fantastic product, and it deserves all five stars.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>