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This book is perfect for fans who want to play as their favorite Anime characters -or similar ones- in Pathfinder 1E. Some classes and races are Sci-Fi rather than Fantasy but they could be used in a Numeria or Starfinder campaign. And of course a GM can just make his own setting including a Final Fantasy-esque one where all options apply! The point-based character creation system gives a player the option to make unique characters as well.
The art is also pretty good, some of the best I've seen in an Anime RPG. My only caveat is that there are several small editing errors, but nothing that an Errata cannot cover and I'm sure they will be fixed in a later edition.
As for expansions I'd like to see: Foes, a Setting, and a specific Campaign - this is perfect for Issekai.
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Skirmisher specializes in inventive ideas to be applied in various settings, and dinosaurs in a pos-atomic setting is certainly one of the oddest- yet also one of the most interesting. But the ideas in the book go beyond the obvious; anyone could think about, say, a fire-breathing T-Rex, but here we have, to give but one example, a stegosaurus that turns into a subterrarean predator at night! Also, every single creature includes examples of how they fit in with humans and other creatures in the post-apocalyptic environment.
In addition, as usual for Skirmisher books, there are also a few new optional rules, such as a "chaos" effect that warps reality in crazy ways, and advice on using them in a game.
This is my favorite Skirmisher product so far this year. Highly recommended, and not just for Post-Apoc games- its a great source of ideas for Super Heroes or Anime, for example.
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Hero Helpers is technically, a collection of ideas for expading certain Basic Action Super Heroes traits. To be specific, these are: Disadvantages, Origins, and Mental Malfunctions (character motivations). However, like any good sourcebook, the material here can also be used in other games -and not just superhero ones. Simply find the closest equivalent trait in the other system and use the description of the concept you want to use.
My favorites were the Weaknesses ideas, as many of them are based on actual myths and legends, such as the Apples of Idunn or the Magic Book of Abe No Seimei!
Also included are random tables for those who enjoy random character generation.
Highly recommended.
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Once again Skirmisher has produced another useful, high-quality gaming product. The only problem I can think of is that most people might not be as interested in buying ideas for exploring sewers as often as they would for regular dungeons.
That said, this is still a fun read, the art (by William Trasher, as usual) is hilarious, and there's a VERY unexpected table at the end.
So if your campaign ever visits a sewer, this sourcebook is definitely for you!
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You might think: another one of these? Aren't treasure lists a dime a dozen? Ah, but Skirmisher's are more than just a collection of coins and items. They provide plot hooks- intended to give the GM ideas for events within the game.
This particular Oddities book offers more possibilities than ever. That's because some of the d100 results require further rolls for description- meaning you have more than a hundred possible oddities! Add to it the new Legend Check feature- which gives specific rather than generic story backgrounds to certain items on a succesful spell or skill check- and you could build a campaign on the findings of your treasure hoards alone!
Also included is a Coin Generator that allows GMs to create unique coin types for his or her setting if desired.
As usual, the book is whimsically yet exactingly illustrated by William. T. Trasher.
Overall, 100 Oddities for a Treasure Hoard is probably the most useful volume in the series yet.
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This entry in the Oddities series might sound more limited than some of the others- say, 100 Oddities for a Thieves’ Guild- but don’t be fooled; the folks at Skirmisher Publishing have once again outdone themselves coming up with role-playing ideas both interesting and useful.
As usual, each “oddity” refers to a plot element, ranging from just a curious encounter to major story event- most notably, there’s a recurring theme: The Wild Hunt. While the exact nature of it is left to the GM to determine, the fact that a certain number of encounters will bring about The Hunt’s appearance and eventual showdown with the players’ characters give the otherwise random collection of events a sense of unity.
Each oddity is well described; as I read the book, I could not just imagine it, but also think of the gaming possibilities involved. A few entries are -again, as usual for the series- illustrated by William T. Thrasher, whose style may seem comical at first but is very detailed upon closer inspection.
The book is system-free; the GM will have to to do any conversions needed, but just having such a long list of campaign ideas makes it worthwhile. The book does include a new die-rolling technique used when rolling certain encounter effects, called “exploding dice” where rolling the highest possible number on a die allows you to roll it again, adding the numbers as you go.
I can honestly say that, of all the Oddities books, this is my favorite; it left me eager to play all those encounters, and you really cannot ask for more.
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This is the Basic Action Super Heroes role-playing game version of Skirmisher Publishing’s “Aegean” Greek-mythology inspired setting. BASH is well-known for being flexible yet simple to use, so applying it (the original setting had no rules mechanics of its own) makes sense.
In this setting, not only are the gods, heroes and monsters of myth real, but a great cataclysm changed history: its now the 6th century AD and their influence still permeates the World. This allows the players to interact with the legends while still having the options of modern fantasy.
The book includes maps to all the Mediterranean Lands which is very handy for planning campaigns. It is also full of art that invokes classical styles very well.
Then it describes the various cultures of the setting, including how to build appropriate characters for each. The Non-Human races section includes both typical fantasy races such as Dwarves and Elves, and also original ones based on monsters such as Antaeus or Arachne. There are a couple of new Advantages such as Alchemy as well.
Overall, the book does its intended job very well: you can use all of its material as-is, or borrow ideas for your own Fantasy campaigns. Recommended.
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Night of the Krampus! is a Xmas-themed adventure for the Basic Action Super Heroes role-playing game. As the title suggests, the players must face Krampus, Santa Claus' opposite number. Not so obvious is that you must play superhero children. This does not mean that the game is intended for kids, though it certainly can be played with them. The game also allows it be played with the original characters, even adult ones, though those might have a harder time because Krampus has the power to corrupt adults.
All of this might sound cheesy, and it is- but Xmas stories like this are an old tradition for superheroes in comics and cartoons. Also, despite a few silly moments (like fighting a giant christmas turkey) the story is surprisingly dark: all of the children, for example, are orphans; even the super-villain kids who work for Krampus make you feel bad for them because of their origins. Also, adults get turned into monsters, children are endangered and put in chains, and Krampus' plan goes beyond punishing naugthy children- something very bad will happen if the heroes don't stop it!
The story is short and simple, yet enjoyable. If played right you get to be a kid who gains superpowers during Xmas (from Santa Claus) and must then save the world! Ironically, the Jolly Old Elf himself is missing from the story. He shows up to deliver the powers and is never seen again. There isn't even a character sheet for him. Now I understand he was only a plot device, but you know many players would have wanted to interact with him, especially children. Not to mention that the question of "So why does Santa let a bunch of novice kids handle something so serious?" is left hanging.
The art is cartoony, which helps the impression that this a goofy adventure. On the other hand it diminishes the scare factor as well. I feel it did a good job describing the characters, although for some reason there are no illustrations of Krampus' super-children to go with their character sheets.
Rules-wise, I was a bit puzzled by certain details in the character sheets. For example, I don't feel Red Shift really needs the Instant Change Advantage for her shape-shifting powers, while Terryn does. And many characters did not have matching sets of Advantages vs Disadvantages. But this is nit-picking; the game is perfectly playable as it is.
Overall, Krampusnacht is both a nice superhero and Xmas adventure; good Narrators might even make it better by goading their players into helping their "evil" counterparts overcome their loyalty to Krampus rather than just beat them up.
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This is my first experience with the "Oddities" series, and it was interesting and informative. For those not familiar with the concept, these books provide random lists of objects that could be found during a role-playing game, depending on the genre- a Post-Apocalyptic campaign, in this case. Note that the cause of the disaster is up to the Game Master- it can be anything from nuclear war to the zombie apocalypse; the ideas included here could be adapted for any of those.
Because that is what the "oddities" are, actually- ideas. Everything from simple "well, that's unusual" to "geez, I wish I'd met the person who left this behind (or maybe not)." On their own, the Oddities are not much; just a way to fill the time as characters travel the wasteland to whatever their goal is. But they're very creative. I cannot truly explain how without giving the twists away, so take my word for it. By they way, don't let the intentionally cartoony art style fool you- some of the examples included can be creepy.
I only had two problems with the book, and to be honest they are more biases of mine. First is that I don't like random generation; I prefer thematic lists that help me find exactly what I need. The other is the format; each description alternates between "black text on grey" and "black text on white". I get that this is meant to help tell the oddities apart, but honestly, a simple line would have been better.
But as I said, those are personal biases that most people are not likely to share. Most Game Masters playing in a postapocalyptic setting who need quick ideas will find this most useful.
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