Disclaimer: Let me start out by saying that I backed the Kickstarter of this project. I have been a longtime fan of the crew of Role-Playing Public Radio (RPPR) and Caleb Stokes’ scenarios were some of the best (so good that I converted some of them so that I could run them in my Dark Heresy gaming group- I still hear them talk about Lover in the Ice).

When I heard that Caleb was working on a zombie apocalypse-themed RPG setting (and after hearing some of the actual plays on RPPR) I was definitely interested. I have been looking to run a zombie apocalypse RPG after I retire my Dark Heresy game (which has been going on for nearly a decade now and counting) and didn’t really like the Dead Reign, All Flesh Must Be Eaten and End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse systems. I have finally finished reading Red Markets cover to cover and I think this is the system I’m going to use.

Caleb spins a great story (over a 100+ pages) of how the zombie apocalypse happens in the near future. I found the story to be entertaining and more plausible (as much as a zombie apocalypse can be) than other zombie apocalypse setting explanations. Some critics have pointed out that the book seems left-leaning in its writing (which the author has acknowledged) but I’m interested in using the book as a RPG game system/setting and not as a political reference, so I’m not put off by this.

Players make characters called Takers, which are people trapped in the dangerous wasteland of the zombie-infested “Loss” seeking escape to the still-government-controlled “Recession” (or other desired retirement plan). In order to reach their goal, Takers form a crew that takes on jobs to earn “Bounty” (the new currency). Characters can negotiate for jobs or try to find “Scores” to make profit on. In campaign play, characters must save Bounty to reach their goal, while balancing life and work expenses (new equipment and the upkeep of old, advancing their skills and potential, and other misc. expenses). Characters also have a Humanity tracker, which basically tracks three different parts of their sanity and its possible for a character to never make retirement and become unplayable due to mental instability.

I’m not going into an in-depth review of the game system (you can find a review on that in other forums or, better yet, listen to some of the numerous actual plays out there on RPPR and other sites) but I will say the system is different than those used in traditional RPGs. Basically players roll a black and a red D10. The black (and it’s modifiers from the player’s character in a skill) is compared to the Red result (the Market or opposition) and if the black result is greater the player succeeds (the Markets wins ties). There are also critical successes and failures (determined by even or odd ties) that skill points cannot modify but players can use a character’s limited amount of Will points to manipulate.

The game play, with the dice rolls and their success or failure, encourages role-playing the results and this might discourage gamers who are not into this. There are numerous ways that role-playing is important to the game- Vignettes with Dependents (to heal Humanity), Interludes between characters on the job, and Negotiations (and the various scams to assist in negotiations) offer ample opportunities to role-play (some of which have results based on the die rolls).

There is combat of course (this is the zombie apocalypse) but I feel that the combat rules are more abstract when compared to other games (such as Dark Heresy and Dungeons & Dragons 4th and 5th editions). There are actions and reactions, loosely interpreted ranges but combat is not as exact as some of the grid-based systems that some players enjoy (I do think the rules are adequate enough for players to come up with a grid-based combat system if they prefer that method).

Overall, I like the game system and the main theme, characters trying to survive and escape a very harsh world where fighting and killing is not the sole path to success. Surely killing zombies, raiders and corrupt government agents will help a Taker survive but without proper budgeting of resources, negotiating good pay for jobs and some luck, the Loss will eventually claim the characters.

A nice mini-campaign with a bonus hurdle in the form of a sentient golem that is a little tough. I only wish that there were a selection of extra magical items that were more diverse in their use.

I played Warhammer Fantasy because a friend of mine enjoyed it and in exchange he played Warhammer 40,000 because I enjoyed that. All was well (despite my Bretonnians never receiving a new army book) until the Warhammer End Times hit. My friend didn't want to play 9th Age or Age of Sigmar and our gaming group's Warhammer Fantasy sessions were no more. Fortunately my friend found a new game to use all of those Fantasy miniatures- Frostgrave!

Definitely not the same game as Fantasy, but simple and fun enough to get your wizards and warriors fix in. This is a skirmish game (similar to Mordhiem) that has a cheap buy in, plays fast and can accommodate multiple players. Of course the game isn't perfect (after a few sessions it became apparent that some of the spells have far more utility than others and the extreme numerical range provided by the twenty-sided die makes some of the armor, stats, etc. a moot point) and you could research online to read reviews that critique the system and the issues with the Experience Point systems in campaigns, but overall me and my friends are thoroughly enjoying the game.

This is great companion book for the simple miniature skirmish game of Frostgrave. Introducing the option of hiring a Captain for your war band (with the ability to level and earn bonus powers or increased stats) is great way to branch the game out a bit from its wizard theme. The scenarios that are included are not too bad either (I like the Null Pits one).

Overall, I believe that this set has some potential for campaign use in an existing D&D campaign (or for conversion into another setting). While the information about the city of Muluk was not as fleshed out as I would have liked, the real gem are the "Dozen and One" adventures that are provided. These are loosely linked together and take characters from starting levels to higher (9th-12th). What I really liked about them were that they were a blend of traditional and non-traditional adventures that I think would provide some entrainment to the right kind of group that really gets into the role-playing aspect of the game- the "Boasting Game" was one of my favorites.

This is the adventure I was playing when my foray into D&D 4th Ed. petered out. I don't think it was the system (I had fond memories of the games I played) but my group just started getting sidetracked with life and most of us weren't friends enough to keep the group going once the game started becoming less of a priority. I was a player in that game and we stopped about halfway through the duegar stronghold.

Currently, I am running this game (converted as a 5th Ed. adventure) and the group is having a blast. At the time of this review they have finished their battle with Chief Krand (it was a nail-biter of a battle that had everyone caught up in the suspense of the moment as they achieved victory from the brink of a TPK).

SPOILER: The only gripe I really have with this adventure is that it does not really give a good hook to get the party to attack the duegar stronghold (other than they are evil) even though it's a fourth of the adventure content. The main adventure seems to be the initial Bloodreaver assault and then focusing on the alliance between the gnolls and Paldemar. I'm not even sure if my PCs are even going to attack the duegar because it would seem to go against the wishes and laws of the Mages of Sarunn and their laws enforcing safe commerce for all in the Seven-Pillared Hall.

I have never played the Void RPG but I'm always on the look-out for adventures that I can adapt to use in my ongoing Dark Heresy/Deathwatch gaming group and with its setting of sci-if influenced by Lovecraft, I found the Void Stygian Cycle adventures to be great for my needs. The author of this and other adventures ("Go Towards the Light and "Venusian Sunset") in the setting are well paced and written, providing a great blend of investigation and combat.

While I have yet to modify this particular adventure for my needs, after reading it I can see it being run as is with modifications to make it a Dark Heresy Rogue Trader mission, or with some work, the hidden enemies could be revealed to be a newly awakened Necron threat, Chaos cultists or perhaps the earthquake revealed a long concealed portal to the Eldar Webway and now Dark Eldar slavers are plaguing the mining town.

I made some modifications and ran this scenario as a mission for my Warhammer: 40,000 Dark Heresy group and it was a success. Overall this is a great short game scenario that captures an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. I think that the author did a good job of creating something where the tension slowly ratchets up as the players struggle to find the real evil plaguing the school. Feel free to check out my long-running Dark Heresy campaign here on Obsidian Portal: https://faith-and-betrayal.obsidianportal.com/