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I purchased this work not really knowing what to expect. Boy, was I surprised! This book is a fantastic resource for anyone running a Savage Worlds fantasy campaign!
It begins with a brief introduction and then launches into Character Creation. But this is no mere collection of Races, Edges, and Hindrances. Rather, it presents a system for random character generation using an ordinary deck of cards (or your Savage Worlds action deck). By drawing cards, you will determine your Race, gender, Hindrances, Attributes, Edges, Skills, and yes, your Powers. It even chooses your gear for you.
This is followed by a random dungeon generation system. You will use your trusy cards to determine things like the age of the dungeon, the entrance, why it was built, and how deep it goes. Further tables address the denizens of the dungeon, traps and tricks, and even mundane bits of dungeon dressing.
Now, the book could stop there and still be great, but it doesn't. It then provides a system for solo or GM-less play! The tables use a d6 as the "Enemy AI" to determine the actions that a given enemy will take on its turn. For yes or no questions, a simple card draw. For more complex questions, you determine the likelihood of a given option and then draw a card for the outcome.
Again, this would hva ebeen a great place to stop and say, "done", but no, they go on to round out the book with four new creatures for your Savage Worlds fantasy campaign, as well as 20 magic items, two dozen traps, and three savage tales, short, stand-alone adventures to thrill your players with.
The only downside I could think of is that is does not utilize the SWADE Fantasy Companion. I understand the decision not to do so (many people will not have access to that volume), but I would loved to have seen some stuff from there included. Even so, this book will find a place on my gaming shelf!
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This has the potential to be a good product, but it seems to be unfinished. The book starts off by telling you how it will aid you in developing a character and is divided into four sections.
Section I helps you decide on a background for your character. The author presents 10 archetypes on which to base a character, such as the investigator, the tough guy, or the scientist. Each entry is given some brief advice on how it might be customized (and this part could be expanded) and provides a fully-fleshed out basic character minus Hindrances and Super-Powers.
Section II introduced 10 Power Sets, collections of powers that work well together. The author promises a brief discussion of each set, but there are only two that are covered (which is why I say it looks unfinished). Each power set is given a selection of powers appropriate to the character type (Blaster, for example) at all five levels of play (I-V). This is the most fleshed-out section of the book and does a lot of the heavy lifting for you, which is very handy.
Section III is the Hindrance packages, divided into groupings like Clown, Family, or Strange Visitor. Each package provides four points worth of Hindrances appropriate to the type. Also provided is a list of Villainous complications to aid harried gamemasters.
Finally is the Appendixes, which includes "additional powersets, skills and complications that are not quite as generic, or would be more complicated to use. You will also find commentary and a couple of random character generators here as well." The problem here is, it contains only a short list of sets with no explanation or details whatsoever.
As I said, this has the potential to be a good, even great, product, but in its current state, I can't give it more than two stars. If finished and fully fleshed out, and perhaps professionally formatted, I would love to give a new review. You will find it useful for the power sets, but everything else falls flat.
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A fantastic book that provides a wealth of aliens (or weird fantasy races) for any Savage Worlds game! Each alien is given a brief note on appearance and culture before the game statistics are provided. These are more than just humans in masks or funny costumes. There are some truly alien entities included in this volume. An excellent work that deserves a look from any serious science-fiction GM! My only complaint is that not every alien has an accompanying picture, but they are so well-described that this is a minor issue.
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An excellent project! The maps are crisp and clean, and in full color. All maps appear to be accurate to the module and all levels are represented, including multiple copies of certain levels that may be altered in the course of the adventure. Larger maps are cut into sections for ease in uploading. The maps are empty, which is good. It makes it easy to fill them with my own graphics. One nitpick; the grid can be a little difficult to see on some maps.
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I was really disappointed with this project. First, while I'm sure that a lot of work went into it, the artwork is very rough, almost appearing hand-drawn. I wish that I could have seen a preview because it would certainly have influenced my willingness to purchase this. While the maps are accurate to the adventure, and in full color, their appearance strikes me as almost primitive. I'm not sure if this was the intent or not, but for the price I paid, I prefer that my maps be crisp and clean. It is gridded, though the grid is very rough, not at all straight lines, and this makes it difficult to place a grid over it (like for Roll20, for example). The biggest thing that struck me is that it is missing levels 6, 7, and 8 (the author does state that some levels are missing, to be fair). To the author's credit, the maps are accurate, are provided in both VTT and print forms, and are designed such that certain shifting elements in the module can be easily duplicated. Overall, I feel that there are superior products available, for less money.
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I wanted to not like this product. You see, this is nearly identical to an idea that I had myself and was preparing a Savage Worlds (yes, really) campaign for. Except that they beat me to it, and improved upon my idea. So I wanted to hate it, but I can't. It is a really good product that any Savage Worlds gamemaster would be proud to own (I am). First off, it provides a great new post-apocalyptic campaign setting for anyone who is a) tired of the familiar PA tropes, and b) loves dinosaurs (who doesn't?). Second, did I mention the dinosaurs? All the major dinos are described in full (and largely scientifically accurate) detail. This campaign has everything that you need to run a PA campaign, a time-travel scenario in which your players meet dinosaurs, or a prehistoric campaign set in the past of Earth's history! Also included are a number of other prehistoric beasties, such as the giant cockroach, giant millipede (Arthopleurid), giant spider (Mesothelae) and, of course, the megaladon (giant shark). In short, if you are looking to add dinosaurs to your Savage World campaign, or just looking for a new setting to thrill your players, you owe it to yourself to check this book out!
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This is an attractive, decently-written product that provides information on seven new clerical domains, as well as a variant cleric class, the contemplative. The new variant class is a different take on the cleric, presenting it as a quiet, scholarly type, rather than the armor-clad holy warrior presented in the Player's Handbook. This cleric is far from helpless, however, as they are shielded by the armor of their faith.
The Creation domain is intended for clerics of deities responsible for, well, creation. The Darkness domain is provided for not only evil deities and clerics, but also for those who represent the more tangible substance of actual darkness. Destruction is focused on destroying things, naturally. Passion grants powers that stir the emotyions of mortal creatures. Preservation is a variation of the Protection domain. Rest is intended for gods who view death not as a cessation of life, but an end of torment and a time of peaceful rest. Last, but not least, is the solemnity domain, emphasizing the power of the chief deity in the pantheon.
The domains are worthwhile additions to the existing selection. Most are well-balanced and there are also two variants of the Divine Strike ability; one for Trickery, and the other for Death. Each is made more appropriate by these variants. The Trickery variant deals psychic damage, and the Death variant inflicts poison damage. Overall, this is a good addition to any DM's library.
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Derick is back, with another batch of new domains for clerics. Like his first effort, Additional Cleric Domains, this book presents a handful of domains for cleric characters in D&D 5E. And once more, I found myself balancing the powers granted through the domains. Even so, I did find a few of them to be well-thought-out (if oddly named) and they gave me some inspiration that I might not have otherwise had.
Once more, production value is average, with no artwork, but decent formatting. Value for the money is a little more than his previous work, but still not up to standard. Be prepared to do some editing if you purchase this product.
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I was not terribly impressed with this product. While the idea is sound (the number of domains available to clerics needs to be expanded), the execution leaves a little to be desired. I found several of the abilities to be unbalancing and had to modify them. Then there are the ability names, such as "Yes, this is a Plant in my Pocket." Really? Overall, the amount of work that I had to put in to make them usable outweighed the benefit of purchasing the product. It is also worth noting that two domains, the Magic and Death domains, have already been covered in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (as Arcana) and the Dungeon Master's Guide, respectively. Given, not everyone will have access to those two references, but for those who do, you will get two less domains for your money. I suppose that the existing ones could be used side-by-side with the new, if such was the desire of the DM and players.
Production values are about average. There is no artwork, which while it doesn't detract from the product, a splash of color here or there would not go amiss. The mechanics need some work on several of these, as I have already noted. Value for the money was, for me, lessened by the amount of work I had to do in adapting them to be more balanced (Evil domain, I'm looking at you) and the loss of the two domains.
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First, the complaint. The product is good for what it is, but it needs to be made clear that this is a miniatures skirkmish game that uses the Savage Worlds ruleset. I had hoped that I would find solid background information on real-world special ops units, feats unique to such, what skills they should possess, and detailed weapons information. What I got was a glossing over of the Savage Worlds rules and extensive details for using miniatures to play out real-world special ops scenarios. I needed solid information on weapons, such as costs and weights. Encumbrance is not accounted in the skirmish system and costs are in point values, not dollars. I understand that many of these weapons are exclusive to the military, but it would have been nice to know what the cost in dollars of a MP7 is (not to mention what it weighs). There are no new feats. What was good about the product for my purposes was that it at least told me how a particular spec ops unit should be kitted out, providing many NPC examples.
That said, as a supplement for minitaures gaming using the Savage Worlds rules as a base, the product succeeds very nicely. It's just another example of how diverse Savage Worlds can be. Many real-world spec ops units are fully detailed as extras, both friendlies and enemies. There are several new vehicles and a host of new guns. Sadly, not a lot is said about them. Included is a mission generator and eight Savage Tales (with more promised on the website). If I used miniatures, this would be invaluable. Unfortunately, I don't.
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I think that I'm in love! If you are looking for something that hearkens back to the old days of D&D, but with a new twist, then you should check out Polyhedral Dungeon! It combines a simple core mechanic with a fast and easy system to great effect! Each attribute (and there are only four) is tied to a certain type of die (d4, d6, etc.). To make a check, simply roll the die associated with your attribute and compare it to the roll made by another player (or the Judge). High roll wins! I like the idea of using Advantage (similar to D&D 5e); roll 2 dice of the same type and take the higher roll. I positively LOVE the Uses mechanic, which applies a die type to consumables, such as torches. Each time you use the object, roll two dice of the die type indicated. If both die show the same number, then that consumable is used up. No more having to track ammo or torches! This is fantasy made simple! The system is easy enough for a ten-year old to learn, but robust enough to please the most jaded player.
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I cannot say enough about Heroic Maps' product line. They are consistently high-quality battlemaps perfect for tabletop or VTT play. This particular set represents a village built into the trees of a forest. It could easily represent an elven village, a human settlement in the trees, a village of small furry critters who aid in the battle for Galactic freedom, etc. With this product, you get several high-quality maps representing walkways and houses built into the trees. And it comes in both day and night versions! What more could you ask for? There are five different tiles in the set (one each of day and night) and they are geomorphic such that they can be laid out in practically endless combinations! There is a PDF-format file for printing, and high-quality JPEGs for use in poster printing or with VTTs. Each tile is gloriously detailed and gridded (there is also a gridless version; gridless is only available as a JPEG) with one-inch squares for use with miniatures. Tiles have no defined doors, so you can add them to suit your needs using the free set of doors available from Heroic Maps.
Oddly enough, I found myself in need of maps to represent an elven village only a few days before I found this set and it worked perfectly for my needs! For even more options, be sure to pick up the Faewood Loft Expansion, which gives you five more locations and a tile full of mist-shrouded trees to define the borders of the village!
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As someone who personally knows people that have been touched by these disasters, I implore you to make a donation. Five dollars isn't much to ask; it means giving up a single (or perhaps two) RPGNow purchase(s) this week, and it helps so many. In the past, we've raised thousands of dollars for external disasters and now is the chance to help someone here at home! Even though you don't get something for nothing this time, take a moment to do what you know is the right thing to do.
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And it has been updated to fix the only problem I found! Awesome work, guys!
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I love products like this, especially those that are form-fillable, because it makes my life so much simpler. As a DM, I have a lot to keep track of, even in a relatively small campaign setting, and having a folio that I can record pertinent information in makes it much easier. The DM's Campaign Record is just such a folio.
It has space for just about every aspect of a campaign that you might need to reference. There is a page for published resources that you are permitting in the campaign, a world overview that includes the names, religions, capitals, population, alignment, and governmental systems, spaces for major deities, holy days, currencies, geography, guilds and organizations, churches and cults, towns and cities, taverns, inns, and shops, and other important locations.
One page is devoted to plot development, through all three levels of play--heroic, paragon, and epic. There are spaces for major and minor NPCs, as well as a player character quick-reference. Never again will you need to ask a player what their character's Fortitude save is. There's also a space to record PCs deaths, including the location and circumstance.
A 3/4-page hex grid gives you plenty of room to sketch out the campaign area, while the calendar page will not only help you develop a calendar for your campaign, it will help you track the passage of time. The session history page insures that you will never forget an important detail from a previous game session ever again, and there are custom encounter tables and a blank page for recording house rules.
Ah, but that's not all! You also get a random table of results for picking pockets (based on the social status of the victim), a tavern/inn name generator, and an NPC generator that provides enough info to handle a brief, spur-of-the-moment encounter, or can act as a springboard to design a more memorable NPC.
Overall, I am very pleased with the product. My only complaint is that when I fill out one block of a form, the result duplicates on every single block of the same page. If I drop to the next line and make a change, the change replaces previous entries. Aside from this minor issue, I highly recommend this product for any GM who wants to put more time into creating the campaign, and less time into worrying about where you put that sheet with the information on the local cult.
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