A fantastic modular station that can fill a variety of needs - I'm using it as the basis for a Fallout 4-style Vault in a Pathfinder game I'm setting up. The drawbacks - such as they are - in my opinion are primarily not enough room variety (No "married/couple housing" - everything is single bed occupancy.), not quite enough interchangeability in the room patterns, and I would have liked some more decks like an Engineering Deck the size of the Main Deck.. But! It is still extremely useful and pretty - and I have scissors and tape to make modifications and expansions.

I made the comment on a thread by Owen that if Talented Witch was even half as good as its predecessors, then it will change the way you see witches in your Pathfinder games.

Well, I just finished my first read-through of the 57-page beast.

And I daresay this book lives up to its lineage. Does your daughter want to play Elsa from Frozen? No problem. Maleficent? Piece of cake. A spell-less, hex-slinging, axe-swinging, armor-wearing warrior-queen? Yep. That, too.

Talented Witch will redefine how you see witches in your game-worlds ... forever.

What I expected:
Genius; “uncivilized” combat; primitive/primal attitudes; anti-magic superstitions; utter detonation & rebuilding of the core class concept; a 5-star product.

What I got:
All that and more! I got Conan, Fafhrd, Scorpion King, Spartacus, the Incredible Hulk – and the Celts, Vikings, Sioux, Navaho, Mongols, and Aztec. I got shamanic and totemic magic, skinwalker shapechanging, magic-eaters, hardy outdoorsmen undaunted by nature's furies, and beastmasters.

There's drunken rages, rage and the city, rage against the machine. There's some class gestalting with the oracle and with RGG's Talented Rogue. There's dipping into areas traditionally covered by the ranger and druid. There's rarely-seen territory – a rageless barbarian? A civilized barbarian?

Honestly, barbarians have always bothered me because – as Owen points out – the barbarian is “the only class named after a cultural designation.” Societies and cultures have tended to regard themselves as “truly civilized” and everyone else as “barbarians.” And, in gaming, barbarians seemed to end up being equated with Conan or the Incredible Hulk. But the Talented Barbarian presents gamers the tools to change all that.

What I'd like to get:
Reverse compatibility. Some of the T/Brb options allow you to pick up bits from the T/Rog, so why not introduce the reverse and allow the T/Rog to pull bits from the T/Brb? I do have some build ideas that would benefit from such. Maybe a “Multitalented” bullet-list one day? Charts. I like the visual presentation of the base or prerequisite feat/edge/talent/power first with the progressively-stronger ones aligned below it. More Barbarian Talents. Right, we know that's already in the works. (none of these detract from the quality of this work in any way)

What I think: Owen's body of work has convinced me he not only knows how to play the game, but he knows how to play WITH the game and enjoys doing so. His Talented Rogue sold me on the concept of the “Talented” titles, because it ripped open the class and gave you the tools to build the character you want to play rather than having to play the character you could build. Each “Talented” title seems to have been mined from this vein, resulting in pure WIN for enthusiasts of the covered classes, be they player or GM. I've never been really enthused by barbarians … until today.

What should you think: MUST HAVE

Great artwork on this product and a very good idea. I'm totally overhauling my review, because of a thought I had driving in to work today - I didn't realize the scale was set at 1"=3' instead of the 1"=5' I usually expect. I think this should have been noted in the product description, rather than left in the actual product itself. That's my main complaint! It is sized for GURPS, not D&D/Pathfinder/D20 Modern/etc, so it earns a ding from me on that.

The artwork is otherwise GREAT, which I've come to expect from these guys, and makes a very handy addition to a modern or sci-fi game.

I went through this as soon as my brain had sufficiently recovered from Talented Rogue to process new information. Right off the bat? I found talents I needed to build Boba Fett. This product is not a necessity for Talented Rogue, but it does an excellent job of giving a player even more options for creating a rogue distinct from any other.

Mechanically and visually, it lis a simple extension of the Talents and Advanced Talents sections of Talented Rogue - no new edges, no new Grand Talents. With so few Grand Talents in the main book, I would have liked to see some more here - but I can't tell you what I think is missing beyond the simple number of choices, so I can't claim that is a legitimate shortcoming of either product.

In short, buy this if you buy Talented Rogue. It won't hurt if you don't, but it will sit there and nag at the back of your brain forever, "I could have had more. I could have built Boba Fett." And that's good enough for me.

I just staggered my way through "The Genius Guide To The Talented Rogue" by Owen Stephens. There is not a lot of necessarily new material in this. What is staggering - in a very GOOD way - is the concept behind it and the presentation itself. Nothing is set in stone, now. Everything is an option and it will take an astronomical number of character before you start repeating them. In fact, as I was reading thru it, I was mentally designing James Bond, Indy, the A-Team, Aragorn, Stormshadow, & Snake-eyes. Yes, you totally can.

I say I staggered thru it. That's because this product and its "More Talents" follow-on will give you ideas for more characters than you could possibly play in a mighty long time. You can focus with laser-like intensity on a limited core concept and become very good at one thing. You can concentrate on being good a set of related abilities. You can spread out and be competent at a little bit of everything. My gaming group has often threatened to make an all-rogue party. Well, now they can, and can do it with NO overlap. Assassin, burglar, diplomat, scout - all doable from here.

THIS is the way character creation should look. It is familiar. It is straightforward. It is complex without being complicated.

It is genius.

I bought this product specifically to give Option 1 to an NPC for an upcoming product. The fact that two of my players said access to either option would make it more likely that they would actually take the Leadership feat makes it a must-have, in my book. The options make sense and reduce my bookkeeping.

The one thing I disagree on in the product is under Option 1 where it reads, "When the character is at this safe location, he can gain any of the following benefits:" Now, this is magic. Magic includes things like scrying and other forms of long-distance communication. My personal inclination is to read that line as "When the character can contact this safe location, he can gain any of the following benefits." Granted, this represents an increase in the power and utility of the feat's option, but remember - the base feat gives the character a small army. I think it makes sense and evens out in the end - so it is a very minor quibble with another excellent product.

Great Scott, man!  I am glad I bought the Enforcer.  SGG's design philosophy echoes very closely what I have been saying for years concerning the mass demand that firearms be incredibly lethal in an RPG – everything is lethal! Caveat – I have read through the rules, but my group hasn't played a session using them yet.

19th-century classics like Edgar Rice Burroughs. Jerry Pournelle's “Jannissaries” and Co-Dominium books. Joel Rosenberg's “Once A Hero” books. Bruce Sterling's “Dies The Fire” series. Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, the old D&D cartoon – even the origins of D&D itself. A modern-day warrior being stuck in a primitive setting is a recurring theme visited by writers and gamers alike.

I've been puttering about with the D20 Modern stuff, looking at what needs updating to keep it as close to a standard Pathfinder game as possible, but I'm a raw novice when it comes to game design.  I had no idea how I was going to deal with guns and CMB/CMD, just that it needed to be there.  SGG showed me how they interact.  Recoil?  Genius!  I used to play GURPS and I am an enthusiastic shooter and former Marine - so I knew recoil should be in there and could be in there.  How was I going to make it work?  Well, now I know.

Without having actually played using them yet, I think the SGG firearms rules are what I have been after. They follow the core Pathfinder combat system. Firearms now have a legitimate range. Their damage doesn't feel excessive. Special rules for firearms are minimal, which means you don't have to relearn how to play your game.

The scope of the book is to provide a way for a modern-day warrior to be handled in a traditional fantasy setting. I believe this intent was thoroughly realized. SGG has provided a solid class with four archetypes that cover modern-day warrior concepts and are designed to interact seamlessly with SGG's other archetype books. Several new combat maneuvers and feats are included for handling firearms combat and the typically unarmored nature of most “gun-fighters.”

“The Enforcer” wraps up with a look at “Progress Levels” - a virtual necessity in a book whose title includes the word “Anachronistic.” While brief (sci-fi levels are definitely beyond the scope of this product), the pages discussing P/Ls give a GM plenty of guidelines with which to work.

“The Enforcer” presents eighteen pages of solid content and artwork that was appropriate and attractive. I felt as though I had a Battletech or WEG Star Wars book in my hands. (that's high praise from me) Examples and designer notes keep you on-track and help you understand how the book is supposed to work and are much appreciated.

I have a couple of hitches about the firearms rules, probably due to a lack of examples. The equipment chart on p11 lists “sight” and “laser sight” under Accessories. Since the chart lists “+ # feet,” I assume they extend the weapon's range increment. (but the note is in the Damage column rather than the Range column?) I know what a laser sight is, but I'm at a loss as to what a “sight” is that extends a weapon's range. My only other concern is I don't really seem to understand the “Unload” maneuver. (note to self – email SGG so they can straighten me out) I'm sure I'm missing something simple.

If you want Pathfinder rules for modern firearms, this book is a very good choice. The rules are, overall, consistent with the Core rules and easy to understand. The special rules are clearly described and explained (other than the above minor issues).

Final word - this product is a (yet another) sterling example of why I am willing to buy a product with the name "Owen K. C. Stephens" listed as a contributor/designer/developer.  :thumbsup: I'm definitely looking forward to the next “Anachronistic Adventurer” release.

I got this for my youngest daughter (5) and she loved it, wanting to play it again as soon as we'd finished. My son (17) took over and reran the scenario with his own twists and flavor. We all enjoyed it thoroughly. The simple resolution system is great for introducing brand-new gamers or very young gamers to the concepts of RPGs. I believe the kids will be creating their own scenarios/puzzles very soon. They are already starting to clamor for AFT#2 to handle "social" interactions.

Son's comment: "With no extensive rules, it forces you to think abstractly."

It also gives us something to do with all these action figures and Legos...

I used this product to introduce my 9 year old daughter to paper modeling. Even limited to scissors, tape, and a gluestick with the model printed on standard paper, assembly was clear and straightforward. Only one minor trouble-spot arose and was quickly cleared up by looking at the picture of the finished model. Once she finished, she was very happy to discover the completed basic tower easily held up two of her Star Wars action figures - not gaming mini's, action figures. She's now itching to do it again, but this time on real cardstock to eliminate the warping of the paper due to the glue. She's also hoping to scale it up so that it works for 3.75" figures. Thanks! --DocOutlands