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Extinction
Publisher: Livres de l'Ours
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/08/2020 16:36:06

Extinction is almost 80 pages with minimal art and maximal playability. Based primarily on the D&D BlackHack rules engine, Extinction is designed to model a grungy, humans only "Hard" (if you don't look too close) sci fi unvirse like Aliens, Outland and Blade Runner.

The game does not have rules for ship-to-ship combat, or really any sort of vehicle combat, but those things don't happen in those films, and besides there are plenty of other OSR books out there to crib from. Similarly, there is not a huge bestiary because humanity is the biggest monster and OSR monster books are easy to find.

At this page count, at this price, this is a near perfect little game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Extinction
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The Crisp Line • A World of Adventure for Fate Core
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/09/2018 11:46:37

Another excellent World of Adventure for Fate Core.

This is an interesting campaign world that could easily be played dark and dystopian, or lightened up to be more "YA" adventure with animal powers if that strikes your fancy.

The main reason I am writing a review is to point out that I think the "genetic enhancement package' system used in this world could make a great template for a low to medium powers supers game focusing on super-skills and moderate super powers.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Crisp Line • A World of Adventure for Fate Core
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Afterday: 2D6 Adventure After the Apocalypse
Publisher: Michael Brown
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/09/2018 11:25:32

Please note, this is a read-thru review, not a play review.

If you are already familiar with other 2d6 Sci Fi games, then this product gives you new careers, equipment lists, and brief but usable rules on post-apocalyptic settlements, animals and travel. The author also includes a brief listing of some different types of apocalypses that could have brought the old world low, which is alays a nice read in these sorts of games. If this is your first 2d6 system game then the actual rules content may be a bit sparse. For instance, some of the one line skill descriptions (such as Steward) are not too helpful in figuring out what the skill does in this campaign context.

There is a one paragraph section on post-humans in the apocalypse that basically points you to other products that will give you more details and generation systems. This is understandable, but a bit disappointing as I feel the author could have presented brief workable rules in less than a page that would have done the trick.

My one single complaint about the product is that the first 10 pages consist of the same image repeated 5 times, single sided, first as the product cover in color, then the exact same page in gray scale, then the gray scale image with publisher text, then the gray scale image with a table of contents, then the gray scale image with an author's dedication. Besides being a bit of an ink waster, it just felt like it was an unneccesary use of space.

For the price, I am very well satisfied with this product and could easily see myself using it for a short campaign or two. A bit more development and this would be 5 stars for me.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Afterday: 2D6 Adventure After the Apocalypse
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Sword Breaker Issue No. 6 - Sand and Living Fire
Publisher: Sword Breaker
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/27/2018 16:13:08

Another excellent issue of Swordbreaker, giving you an Arabian Nights style setting in broad strokes, including scene impressions, lists of names, monsters, treasure both magic and not, and two compendium classes.

I could find nothing bad to say about this at all. Well done!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Sword Breaker Issue No. 6 - Sand and Living Fire
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The Gardens Of Ynn
Publisher: Dying Stylishly Games
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/04/2018 11:59:21

The Gardens of Ynn is not a pre-written adventure. It has no plot, no detailed villains, no series of encounters strung together. What it does have is a system for generating an adventurous location, a bestiary of unusual creatures and enough randon charts to create a number of variant experiences.

The Gardens of Ynn are an otherworldly Alice-in-Wonderland-with-teeth, an area that defies earthly physics and logic in place for a system all its own. And don't think this is some cartoony adventure for kids. There are plenty of things in the gardens that want to kill, eat or dissect you.

For practical use, I would recommend pre-generating a half dozen or so locations before your players enter. Things are not complicated, but there are enough details to keep track of that you may not want to stop and generate an encounter location during the game.

A would also recommend coming up with a few plot hooks to move the PCs through the Garden. After a while, wandering while looking for an exit may become a bit frustrating for some, even if monsters and treasures are encountered along the way.

I could easily see entire campaigns spawned from this book, and I recommend it very highly.

Steve W Baltimore, Maryland



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Gardens Of Ynn
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5e Hardmode
Publisher: Pickpocket Press
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/24/2018 12:14:50

For $2.00 and 13 pages, this pamphlet gives you exactly what it says, a variety of rules to make your D&D 5E game a bit harder in the long term without greatly changing play balance within an individual combat enounter, as well as one or two ways to make the game harder within that individual encounter.

For example, removing a number of spells such as Teleport, or Gate, or even Create Food and Water will change the game at the strategic level, but not the tactical level.

However, ruling that healing someone at zero hit points requires several minutes - even if using magical healing - can greatly alter what goes on within a tactical combat, since the need to keep PCs above the zero hit point threshold becomes vastly more important.

Even if you don't want to "hard mode" your game, the new rules for escaping combats via chases and the permanent injuries and set backs table are both interesting enough to justify picking this up.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
5e Hardmode
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Creator Reply:
Thanks Steven, appreciate you taking the time to provide this review.
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Save for Half - Episode 2: Gamma World
Publisher: The Save for Half Podcast
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/09/2018 16:54:41

This podcast has jumped up towards the top of my listening list with just two episodes and here is why:

1) The subject matter - old games - is one I love and want to hear more about

2) The hosts sound like they know what they are talking about, and have actually read and/or played the games they are discussing

3) The hosts sound like they are having fun, don't spend their time trash talking some other game system or podcast, and manage to keep the conversation family friendly without a lot of vulger language

4) While there are a few minutes of general "catch up" talk at the beginning, the hosts quickly get to the subject matter and move briskly through the conversation. I have yet to waste 20 minutes of my life hearing about their newest video game or TV addiction.

Again, I have only listened to two episodes, but so far I would recommend this podcast 100% for anyone interested in hearing about older game systems.

PS: I am leaving this same review under episode 1 because I have the same feelings and I don't want to have to type a whole new review to say the same thing



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Save for Half - Episode 2: Gamma World
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Save for Half - Episode 1: Doctor Who RPG (FASA)
Publisher: The Save for Half Podcast
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/09/2018 16:53:50

This podcast has jumped up towards the top of my listening list with just two episodes and here is why:

1) The subject matter - old games - is one I love and want to hear more about

2) The hosts sound like they know what they are talking about, and have actually read and/or played the games they are discussing

3) The hosts sound like they are having fun, don't spend their time trash talking some other game system or podcast, and manage to keep the conversation family friendly without a lot of vulger language

4) While there are a few minutes of general "catch up" talk at the beginning, the hosts quickly get to the subject matter and move briskly through the conversation. I have yet to waste 20 minutes of my life hearing about their newest video game or TV addiction.

Again, I have only listened to two episodes, but so far I would recommend this podcast 100% for anyone interested in hearing about older game systems.

PS: I am leaving this same review under episode 2 because I have the same feelings and I don't want to have to type a whole new review to say the same thing



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Save for Half - Episode 1: Doctor Who RPG (FASA)
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Vigilantes: Rise of the Powerless
Publisher: Tricky Troll Games
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/30/2017 15:37:19

I just left a review for Fable Hunters, a similar product from the same company, so forgive me if I save some typing time by repeating a few comments.

In 20 odd pages, Vigilantes gives you the skeleton of a modern dark heroes campaign where crime and corruption are running rampant, and a few angry men and women have chosen to fight back. The book provides a brief background, some stat-less archetypes (and as the other reviewer said for Fable Hunters, some stats would be nice) for players, some new edges and flaws, and stats for the bad guys. I particularly like that the book includes a number of stereotypical bad guys, from biker gangs to ninjas to corrupt cops, so that a campaign can have some decent variety of adventures.

I personally am I big fan of the random adventure generators you get in many Savage Worlds games, and this has a good one, but one that I would have liked to have been a bit larger with more entries. At a mere d6 per adventure element, I can see a lot of duplication happening.

Between this and Fable Hunters, I am a fan of this company and this line of products, and will definitely keep my eye out for more campaign setting kits.

Steve W



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Vigilantes: Rise of the Powerless
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Creator Reply:
Archetypes now feature example builds! Thanks for the feedback!
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Fable Hunters
Publisher: Tricky Troll Games
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/30/2017 14:42:35

I bought this file after buying the Vigilantes file from the same company, so i was fairly aware of what I would get. And I was quite happy to get it as well.

in 20 odd pages, Fable Hunters gives you the skeleton of a modern fantasy campaign where humanity is secretly preyed upon by creatures from folklore and myth. The book provides a brief background, some stat-less archetypes (and as the other reviewer said, some stats would be nice) for players, some new edges and flaws, and monster stats for the bad guys.

I personally am I big fan of the random adventure generators you get in many Savage Worlds games, and this has a good one, but one that I would have liked to have been a bit larger with more entries. At a mere d6 per adventure element, I can see a lot of duplication happening.

Between this and Vigilantes I am a fan of this company and this line of products, and will definitely keep my eye out for more campaign setting kits.

Steve W



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Fable Hunters
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Creator Reply:
Example builds for each archetype are now available in an updated file! Thanks for the feedback!
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Example builds for each archetype are now available in an updated file! Thanks for the feedback!
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1%er - The Outlaw Motorcycle Game
Publisher: Creepy Doll Studios
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/24/2017 13:22:45

This is a great rules light game that does exactly what it sets out to do, and adds a bunch of cussing along the way.

I am giving it four out of five stars, because I think it is lacking one thing that I would want in this game, and that is more details on motorcycle racing and chases in general. While maybe not truly neccessary for the game, I think that a neat subsystem for handling races/chases would really add focus to the game.

As an additional note, I think this game would work great for the entire sub-genre of modern gritty-cinematic street stories. In addition to outlaw bikers you could eaily play dirty cops, unlucky drug dealers, desperate street thieves and other modern noir denizens of the underside.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
1%er - The Outlaw Motorcycle Game
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ICONS: Origins
Publisher: Ad Infinitum Adventures
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/24/2017 10:48:19

A great book if you are running ICONS. While nothing in here is essential, the 13 archetypes and variations will save me hours of character building.

A great add on for ICONS.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
ICONS: Origins
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Witches and Wyverns
Publisher: Lernaean Studio
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/20/2017 11:50:14

This is a nice light set of fantasy RPG rules, using just 2d6 and some scratch paper.

The rules give you four classes and some advanced classes (think D&D prestige classes), combat and magic rules, and about a dozen critters in a bestiary. Appendices give you advice on making your own classes and monsters.

Characters have no attributes or skills, and are defined solely by their classes. There are no lists of equipment, or rules for travel and such.

At $1.00 for 21 pages Witches and Wyverns is a decent value, though limited. An experienced GM could easily use it as to run hours worth of adventures with little to no prep, and making up new content for the game would be simple.

Other stuff: To my eyes the layout looks fine. I didn't see any major typographical errors. The art is minimal but there is some art.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Witches and Wyverns
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The Last Days of Anglekite
Publisher: Magpie Games
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/17/2017 11:11:00

I am a big fan of Magpie Games, so feel free to tale my review with a grain of salt.

Last Days of Anglekite is a fantastic adventure setting for Dungeon World, full of strange evocative monsters, NPCs, artifacts and locations. In fact, my main complaint is that there is too much going on in this book. Much more than I could fit into a single campaign.

As someone who plays a number of games besides Dungeon World, I would also say that this would be a great campaign for a number of fantasy campaigns. I could definitely see converting it to a certain 5th edition game that is all the rage, or Savage Worlds, or Fate.

Admittedly, the book does not give you a tactical level tour of the world - no town or city maps, for instance - but it does give you a city of demons and another of undead, pan-dimensional slavers, werewolves and vampires, and enough plots and motivations to understand how they all smash together to cause destruction only your heroes can stop.

A great book. Buy it!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Last Days of Anglekite
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Phase Four
Publisher: Random Wizard
by Steven W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/08/2016 11:50:21

Minimalist version of the old Marvel Super Heroes RPG using D20 instead of D100. Lots of details are left to the GM and players, but this offers enough rules to actually be playable.

At the price, a home run!

But, for some reason I did have some problems printing the file. The last three pages kept hanging up in my print queue. Might just be me.

Anyway, this is a fast, easy, quick supers RPG. You have no reason not to buy it for a buck!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Phase Four
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