I grew up with BECM. By the time this Cyclopedia came out all my friends were hyped for AD&D Second Edition. So I never got to use this back in the day.

Nowadays I play solo old school DnD. I got tired of using my ipad and printing out rules to remember. So I ordered this softcover and can reference what I need quicker. It also feels more real than digital stuff.

The printjob is OK- the cover wasn't cut perfectly, and there was at least one smudge inside. It's POD, so I evern smeled the ink. However, it was much better than anything I could print at home. And the price is truly amazing considering you get what is ultimately the Ultimate Old School D&D ruleset and Mystara primer.

Even though the designers of 5E are nice and it remains the #1 RPG tabletop game, there is no question that 5E has overpowered "builds" and values combat and skill checks instead of the intended experience.

PS: I made some (not all) suggested fixes using this: https://www.acaeum.com/library/cyclopedia_errata.pdf If you want to use the old school rules, you might as well make sure they are free from minor errors.

Good 15 minute diversion. I used a digital die and note. Very basic sample to demonstrate their real paid gamebooks. Good throwback to 1980s gamebooks but without the rich flavor text in this sample. Will try the other free ones. The main flaw is that grinding is required to keep earning gold to buy items, but since it has random rolls, you must keep turning right over and over again and you will eventually perish on your first run against a skeleton or trap. In other words, I probably would have made it a bit easier for a sample and not force the reader to keep going to the merchant for health, and to get three crystals from a treasure chest. Good potential for a very niche audience of solo game book players who have RPG + leveling up expectations.

A poor man's Mythic GM; it's a universal [generic] supplement [not an all-in-one solution], not an actual full, detailed RPG. So no character creation, genre tables, XP, or anything detailed like that. Once again (see TOSS) it's pretty much a 25-page brainstorming blogspot post. I understand the author (who is a Nice Guy and very smart) spent two years drafting this, and it's pay what you wish, but this is a super niche product with hardly any reviews and community buzz. Don't get me wrong, you will probably take a couple of things from this for your solo adventures or if you are into random generations or coming up with character backgrounds. But this is no Mythic or Covetous Poet, even with the cool oracle charts.

FU (The FreeformUniversal RPG) is much more popular, but has similar flaws, as they are not really "systems" per se. John Fiore's 9Qs sticks to the basics as a kickstarter of plot ideas.

The author's goals seem grand, but CRGE is just one tool in your box. I'm getting tired of the 100% agnostic freeform supplements. Even GURPS has specific modules/themes/more specifics than the plethora of solo supplements that feel like untested thought experiments.

The sad part is you could combine UNE + TOSS + BOLD + TOSS, and you still don't equal MYTHIC or COVETOUS POET, or even a quick solo game on RPGSOLO.com.

Two pages. Seems more like a brainstorming session/blogpost that something practical like the author's classic UNE system. Is there a community that uses TOSS? Feels like the author quickly came up with this and wanted to share it to the public for free. I get a bit disappointed when I come across solo gamers on blogs who come up with quick and dirty systems. Is agnostic/ambivalent/universal/generic. You probably already did a quick solo scene with a character before, so it seems unnecessary to publish this on DriveThruRPG. Plays like a 100-word creative writing assignment or 10-minute parlor game.

Cool location generator. Short book compared to Mythic. Worth the price. This is a universal "play as you go" location generator, or could be used before the adventure. There are many other tools online that have ways of doing this, some are free and could generate seeded maps with encounters.

You don't need other Mythic books to use this. It's for GMs who want to generate areas from scratch, or solo players who don't want to know what happens next. I enjoy supporting the author, because the Mythic books are trendsetters and are often imitated.

Good premise, fantastic price, probably overly complex with all the stats adjustments. Good for Labyrinth Lord/Old School DnD. Around 10 pages, pretty much a free advert for the author's Kickstarter project, but it does offer practical content.

The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook has more meat to it than some generic/free/brainstorming random adventure creation/solo RPG tools one may find online. This book is not half finished and it is all in one for adventure creation (plot structure, goals, events, NPCs, and Yes/No answer oracle). The author is not ambiguous- it is a structured guide for genres, like fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, or a blank one. There are social reaction tables and extensive NPC creation which replaces UNE. It could be argued that the charts, oracle, and random events/challenges could replace Mythic.

The charts are extensive, and there are a couple of new charts on the creator's Kickstarter page, including Super Hero, Spy. and Mystery genres. Based on the quality of this book, I would have thought that the community would be larger online, and the author would be more active.

There are plenty of examples and walkthroughs in the this book- it is well worth the money. In addition to the charts, my main takeaway with this system is the Act/Scene structure, and the all-in-one nature (you don't need anything else to design or run solo, although I'm sure you will. hahah)

Only negative: no bookmarks, so a lot to scroll through.

Should have more reviews here...UNE is the inspiration and backbone for many solo RPG systems and generic systems. Find out why UNE is still the go-to for NPC creation and a major part of your GM toolbox.