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Critical! - Creative Commons
Publisher: Firestorm Ink
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/06/2013 13:53:13

An excellent, fun game that really allows for creativity and humor, but also a fun system for a night or two of play.

While the Creative Commons version would be good to have as a way to help new players design some characters or gain some basic familiarity with the rules, the broader version, simply Critical! Go Westerly, is recommended even more.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Critical! - Creative Commons
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Visions 1: The Pumpkin Patch
Publisher: Ronin Arts
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/10/2004 00:00:00

Patrick Younts is quickly becoming one of my favorite independent authors. Prior work of his include Athenaeum Arcane: A Score of Malevolent Special Abilities and Forgotten Archetypes 1: The Gunslinger, both of which are excellent products. His recent offering, The Pumpkin Patch is certainly no disappointment.

The Pumpkin Patch is a 22 page PDF that is a great addition for anyone interested in running a game with some eerie themes, right out of Washington Irving?s Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Certainly this may be more appropriate for some one-shots, specifically right around Halloween but there is enough information in here to certainly justify purchasing it. At $3.50, it is more than worth it.

Here?s what you get: a variety of pumpkin themed items (yes, I said ?pumpkin themed?) and their description in D&D terms, set up like magic items. Next are a variety of pumpkin themed spells and monsters. Finally we are treated to Jack O? The Lantern, the personification of Halloween. Essentially Jack is described as a sinister greater fey and as some eerie entity I can envision terrorizing the countryside, giving villagers good reason to shutter their doors and windows at night during the appropriate holiday (ample room is given to account for a fantasy setting that may not actually have ?Halloween?).

Certainly the pumpkin themed items, magic and monsters may put some people off as being somewhat corny (or any other farm related reference you care for) but make no mistake, the material is well thought out, certainly useful and if used properly can make for a great set of adventures in any rural setting, especially if the GM wants to make some kind of adventure reminiscent of Tim Burton?s Sleepy Hollow.

Jack?s background is great, encompassing much of the same style as American legends from upstate New York and New England in the 1600?s and 1700?s, with the same feel as The Devil and Daniel Webster. Jack, while human, is described as something of a cheat, a scoundrel and a ruffian who manages to trick The Devil. While he is certainly not as charming as ?Johnnie? from the music classic The Devil Went Down to Georgia, he is certainly as effective in the end. It certainly makes for some fun and captivating reading.

Overall, The Pumpkin Patch is great holiday fun. You?ll enjoy it. Your players will enjoy it. It is a great little product for anyone wishing to have some Halloween fun with his or her gaming group

I give it a 4 out of 5..
<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Clever and inventive.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I wish it would have had a Table of Contents<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Visions 1: The Pumpkin Patch
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Athenaeum Arcane: A Score of Malevolent Special Abilities
Publisher: Ronin Arts
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/10/2004 00:00:00

How many times do gamers get that sinking feeling in their stomachs after they put out 10 or 20 dollars for a product that, well, does not live up to expectations? Fortunately it does not happen all that often but when it does, it leaves a really bad taste in the mouth. Alternatively, when a nice product finds its way into a gamer?s hands it really makes for something special. This is certainly the case with Ronin Arts? Athenaeum Arcane: A Score of Malevolent Special Abilities, by Patrick Younts.

The PDF product is 9 pages long and is a compilation of template powers and special abilities that can be added to weapons and armor. Mostly, the templates are, according to the author, ?vicious, destructive and evil? and though not all the abilities are evil, ?most of them are.? Therefore, this is really a tool or GM?s to spice up some of their villains, by giving them some interesting extras with their weapons and armor. There are close to 20 different special abilities available. Each of them is interesting and useful in their own right, but there are a few of them that stand out.

Corrupted Ichor, for instance, is a devious little extra that can be added to armor, transforming the wearer?s blood to a boiling acid, splashing it on an opponent when struck. The Void special ability can be added to any shield, giving it a chance to actually suck in opponents? weapons into annihilation. The weapons stand out a little more than the defensive special abilities. Some of the ones that caught my attention were worth noting. The Corpse Eater adds a taste for dead flesh to the weapon of choice. A weapon with Corpse Eater can absorb the energy in a corpse, redirecting to the wielder, gaining a few hit points, similar to [I]death knell[/I] spell. The Malevolence special ability imbues the weapon with evil energy, increasing its effectiveness against good aligned characters. The Rending special ability will tear into living flesh doing additional damage with subsequent hits. A few of the abilities that are presented in the Athenaeum Arcane seem a little bit off kilter ? such as weapons that seem slightly overbalanced and a little on the powerful side but with a vigilant GM, this problem could be easily averted.

Each of the items does give an explanation at the end the description, describing what bonuses are factored in for the price increase, what abilities are needed to craft the item and what type of item it is (moderate necromancy, strong evocation, etc.) The only drawback is that some of the descriptions are a little unclear on what is required and there is no explanation in the beginning of the document, setting the standard for price. (I sort of had to figure it out as I was reading ? it was not too difficult to draw the conclusions but it was slightly confusing at first).

I can see myself and other GMs using this product, having a lot of fun going into great detail describing the interesting side effects and descriptions that go along with these weird items. Obviously, to do these products the most justice, the GM will have to make the items appear as eerie and bleak as possible, or else they run the risk of merely introducing powerful weapons into their campaign and not putting them in the proper context. In fact, some of these special abilities could be added to weapons to create some minor artifacts, centering small sections of the campaign around a villain trying to get their hands on one of these (and since the item would not be terribly powerful would not wreck the game if the villain actually managed to get it).

One of the greatest things about this product is the price. At $1.85, it is hard to find a reason not to buy this product. Admittedly, it may be somewhat difficult to encourage someone to run over to rpgnow.com to simply buy this product, but I can promise that the next time you head over there to buy a few products, add this into your basket and you won?t be displeased.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Great! Lots of fun!<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Not a thing.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Athenaeum Arcane: A Score of Malevolent Special Abilities
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Fool's Errand
Publisher: Privateer Press
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/27/2004 00:00:00

This is a really good product. Its well put together. It promises to be lots of fun and most of all, it is a city based adventure that reminded me so much of numerous cinematic action films. I could easily see this providing players with hours of entertainment.

With the advent of the new Iron Kingdoms materials, this is really something every GM should have who has any interest in running a campaign in that setting.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Great writing. Great detail.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I wished it had been longer! I wish it could have gone on forever! I wish they would put out more adventures of this calibre!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fool's Errand
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Critical Hits #27 - Joker's Wild
Publisher: Legion Publishing
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/27/2004 00:00:00

This is actually a pretty fun adventure with some intrigue and running around the city.

The villain reminds me a great deal of what Keyser Soze was supposed to be from Usual Suspects. It is certainly a clever adventure that will provide many hours of entertainment.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: It is definitely different in the way it is set up and has lots of adventure.

Plus, at $2.50, you really can't go wrong.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I got the distinct feeling that lots of players may feel 'railroaded' by this and may resent some of the tricks involved. Be careful about who you run this for as you don't want players getting pissy with you.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Critical Hits #27 - Joker's Wild
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #11: The Dragonfiend Pact
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/26/2004 00:00:00

Goodman Games may be one of the greatest publishers of d20 adventures. Their ?throwback? dungeon crawls are quickly becoming things of legend among gamers, presenting great adventures at reasonable prices, especially factoring in their PDF market. [I]The Dragonfiend Pact[/I], by Chris Doyle is certainly one of those adventures that will be an excellent addition to any GM?s collection. The fact that it can be purchased in PDF format for $2.00; this is a ?must buy.?

One of the greatest things about [I]The Dragonfiend Pact[/I] (like many of the Goodman Games adventures) is the fact that it can be dropped into any campaign with such a minimal amount of effort with only the need to change some of the names and places to make it seem like it fights right into one of the GM?s campaigns.

In [I]The Dragonfiend Pact [/I] the PCs find themselves in the middle of a mystery. They must find out who is stealing treasure from a small town and find out how are the culprits smuggling the ill-gotten gains out of the town even though the town is under tight security. In addition to solving the crime, getting down and dirty (quite literally, actually), there is some political intrigue, some unusual characters and even the chance for romance. Naturally, the GM can add or subtract any of these if they wish, but there is certainly enough available for the GM to provide a few nights worth of entertainment.

Without giving too much of the plotline away, the basic premise of the adventure involves tracking down the perpetrators of a crime at the bequest of the young, na?ve and attractive mayoress of a small village. The adventure takes the characters underground and through a network of caverns to discover and confront the mysterious criminals. In classic ?dungeon crawl? format, most of the excitement takes place in a series of encounters, all culminating in a fun and memorable adventure. Whether the GM and the players are the ?beer & pretzels? crowd or the serious hardcore types, there is certainly something for everyone to love.

One of the specific things I found endearing about this product (and it can be said for almost any of Goodman Games? products) is the ?throwback? feel. I admit it. I?m getting old. At age 31, I can look back fondly on the old 1st edition [I]Advanced Dungeons & Dragons[/I] and remember how much fun I had and adventures like [I]The Dragonfiend Pact [/I] brought it all back. The style of the writing, the Erol Otis style of art (by Jason Edwards and Brad McDevitt) and the exciting sense of adventure, all allow me to reminisce. Any of you who remember (as I do), many Saturdays spent playing [I]AD&D[/I] until as long as my parents let me, know exactly what I am talking about.

Overall [I]The Dragonfiend Pact[/I] is a solid adventure because the writing is well organized, the plot is clever but not overly complicated and the GM has the freedom to make changes to the plot without really affecting the integrity of the adventure. Certainly, it is not the most brilliant piece ever written but I can certainly say that it is better than many adventures being published, these days.

Another thing that impressed me involved the way that the characters become involved with the adventure. Many adventures make a draconian attempt to force characters to become involved (the king orders them, someone tricks them, etc.) Much like the great adventures of the early 1980?s, the plot is straightforward, giving the characters the ability to control their own destiny. More often than not, players are fully aware of when they are being railroaded and I can promise that most players resent it.

[I]The Dragonfiend Pact[/I] is really the kind of adventure that most companies should emulate when trying to put together their own adventure. With the PDF market as open and successful as it is, more people should take advantage of producing adventures of such high quality with low production costs. Gamers and companies could both benefit equally. As I said, whereas there is nothing brilliant or groundbreaking bout [I]The Dragonfiend Pact[/I], there is a subtle dignity involved with how it creates its? story and can provide entertainment for the group with minimal preparation by the GM.

I give this a 4 out of 5. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Playability and excitement.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It would have been nice to have had some more unusual monsters or maybe even a puzzle or a trap.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #11: The Dragonfiend Pact
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The Bad Guys: an M&M Superlink Sourcebook
Publisher: Plain Brown Wrapper Games
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/26/2004 00:00:00

This was bad. Really, really bad.

I admit that part of my bias is personal taste but I honestly felt as if the characters were not all that exciting. The art was nothing short of abyssmal and whereas the writing was not great, the writing was not stellar, either.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: I like the fact that the author attempted to put out a product in a market that sorely needed some excitement. The PDF market does not have enough Mutants and Masterminds products and at least the author took the initiative to try.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I did not like the stale characters. I hated the horrid artwork. (I would raher have seen no artwork and left things to my imagination.)<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
The Bad Guys: an M&M Superlink Sourcebook
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Creator Reply:
A word of caution to prospective buyers: As you can see from the reviews, this product inspires strong reactions, both positive and negative. Some people seem to love it, some have the opposite reaction. To see which category you fall into, I strongly recommend you view this preview before you buy. http://members.aol.com/thomsonjr/TheBadGuysDemo.pdf
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