Trees of Fantasy is a 26 page pdf product. This product is a stand-alone pdf from Bards and Sages that features 23 fantasy trees, and in particular details the properties, descriptions and special qualities of the woods that derive from these fantasy trees. The pdf aims to provide a greater amount of detail to a fantasy campaign setting, both in providing types of trees, but also in the number of new magical and mundane items that can be derived from them.

Trees of Fantasy weighs in at 21 MB, largely due to the full color art contain in the product. The pdf contains no bookmarks, nor a printer friendly version, and in the latter case with the full color art, some of it taking up an entire page, it'll be costly on one's ink. There is a table of contents, although not quite detailed enough in, for example, listing the pages the individual trees appear on. A table providing a summary of all the trees and their pertinent use or special qualities would also have been useful. Artwork is generally good, although perhaps too 'real' and not enough 'fantasy'. Editing and writing is good as well, although the presentation isn't spectacular, as highlighted by the number of things that are missing from the pdf.

The product starts by providing a brief introduction to the pdf. This pdf is about trees, and in particular the wood that comes from them. The wood of different trees can be used for different purposes, be it crafting weapons, armor or more mundane yet interesting items. A full overview is given on the details one can expect in each entry, with a complete description of each entry and the meaning of the key elements of the entry. Wood from these trees can be used for a variety of purposes, and the pdf has a section entitled 'effects on the world' under each entry which details some of the considerations one needs to use when using the material. I found those very helpful as a form of 'designer note'.

There are 23 unique fantasy trees presented in this pdf. Examples of the trees include the Bone Spruce (for creating wooden skeletons that can be animated as undead), Balsa Liftwood (a floating wood that can easily lift things), Ironwood (resistant to fire and most weapon damage), red cypress (protection from fire), Silver Fir (weapons crafted from it affect creatures with DR silver), and Yellow Sugi (a wood with certain calming effects and good auras). Overall there were some good and interesting trees, with a suitable variety for use in most campaign settings. I particularly like the Bone Spruce, which can be used by necromancers to create wooden skeletons.

In places the mechanical explanation of a tree's properties is weak or incomplete, by for example, mention things like 'DR fire' rather than 'fire resistance'. More details could certainly have been included on crafting aspects of using these woods. For example, the red cypress is invulnerable to fire, but it's not mentioned in the entry what happens when armor is crafted from the wood, nor what crafting such armor would cost. The incompleteness of some of the entries makes using the material problematic in places without sufficient mechanical backing.

The latter part of the pdf covers a whole host of mundane and magical items. There were some interesting and useful items here, but again the mechanics was disappointing. The hearing aid, for example, a device crafted from the quivering aspen, grants the user a +2 bonus to listen check when worn in the ear. This, however, only costs 5 gp, which is too cheap for the function it provides. The variety of items, though, showcases the utility and benefits of the different trees, and most DMs and players will find some useful material in this pdf. A number of new traps based on these woods are also included, and welcome addition to the pdf since not many pdfs have details on traps.

Trees of Fantasy is a product that presents a variety of different trees and the properties of the wood that can be harvested from them. There are some interesting trees with useful functionality, although the lack of detail and the often weak mechanical execution hamper one's appreciation for the trees themselves. Nevertheless, with 23 trees and a lot of new magical and mundane items, this is a useful product that can find use in any campaign setting.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The variety of trees and magical items increases the utility of the product, and there are some interesting ideas such as the bone spruce. The pdf covers a niche area that's worth exploring, and provides some good information to expand on your campaign world, and in particular the forests and trees of the world.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The pdf requires a printer friendly version given the heavy use of full-color art. Weak mechanical implementation and lack of detail in places makes it unclear how one should make the most of the material included.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Skill Focus: Talking is a 21 page pdf product presenting a new set of rules for handling roleplaying skills and encounters. The content is suitable to any d20 genre, be it fantasy, modern or future roleplaying. The aim of the product is to provide an approach to roleplaying that allows a character's skills to be expanded and integrated more easily into a roleplaying encounter, rather than relying on only a single die roll. In that sense a roleplaying encounter plays out quite similarly to a combat encounter, with multiple rolls affecting the outcome.

The pdf comes as a single, fully-bookmarked pdf file and includes a brief table of contents. The 21 pages are devoid of any art, although there is a minimalistic cover. Writing and editing is generally good, and the pdf makes extensive use of tables and examples to summarize rules or give examples as to their use in play. One thing missing is a general table summarizing all the skills and their DCs - this would've been immensely useful in using the material. Given the lack of art and borders, this should be very easy to print out.

The pdf starts with a brief introduction to the aim and nature of the pdf, before providing a very useful example on how the new talking skills are used. The pdf provides a number of talking skills as part of the main social skills of the d20 game - Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive. These talking skills can be used during a roleplaying encounter (limited to a number of times per encounter - so called talking fatigue), each allowing a skilled talker to benefit from the use of the skill. Skills can be to, for example, request favors, and detailed rules are provided on how to do it.

Each of the four social d20 skills has its own set of talking skills. Bluff, for example, includes the skill Idea Ventriloquism, which allows a talker to insert a good idea into the opposed talker's mind during the interaction. Sense Motive, on the other hand, can be used to lie smoothly, or to estimate an opponent response to a suggestion that you may have. The ruleset is complete in the sense that the various talking actions cover most of the topics one would imagine using during a conversation. Each talking skill is detailed and contains all the information required to use it. For reference, the pdf also contains all the details on the primary d20 social skills. A total of 31 talking skills are included, allowing for numerous interesting options to use when playing out an encounter.

The pdf concludes by providing some advice for gamemasters on using the interaction skills, particularly related to NPCs. The various talking skills aren't necessarily well suited to using on PCs by NPCs, given the additional knowledge that DM may have and the fact that PCs are, well, run by players. Hence a number of 'cheats' are provided, small sections on advice on how to handle NPCs and the talking skills. This is probably the only negative part of the system, in that it's not universal between PCs and NPCs like all other skills.

Skill Focus: Talking succeeds very well at making a roleplaying encounter or conversation a more dynamic affair, and hence also a more exciting one. The numerous talking skills provided add an element of surprise and mystery to a given encounter, although more for the PCs than the NPCs. The 'cheats' provide an adequate but somewhat unsatisfying way of handling NPC interactions. Overall, though, a very original and novel pdf providing a system that can enhance any game.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This pdf provides a novel and original system for expanding and handling roleplaying encounters in any d20 genre. By providing numerous talking skills, a roleplaying encounter can be spiced up and made more interesting by pitting a PC's skill against that of an NPC. An extremely useful and interesting system.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The only minor weakness of the material is that it's not equally applicable to NPCs than it is to PCs. While one can understand that it's the nature of the system (and d20 in general), it is in a sense somewhat unsatisfying. Having not actually used this system in play, it's difficult to determine what the best way to use the system is, but I suspect that allowing NPCs the same benefits as PC may actually be a viable solution, despite the pdf's suggestions and cheats. A simple note passed to a player can do wonders for allowing them to roleplay their characters based on how their characters, rather than them as players, perceive how the encounter is going.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Bloody Hooks is a short 6 page pdf containing a number of horror-related plot hooks. It's suitable for use in most horror games, although in particular for modern horror, rather than fantasy horror since most of the plot hooks provided contain elements of some form of modern technology. The pdf contains some pieces of excellent art, including the cover, and the writing is wonderfully visual and evocative in its execution. Editing is acceptable, but for a small and short product the overall presentation is excellent.

The pdf provides twenty-two plot hooks for use in modern horror games. Each plot hook is only a paragraph long, and the intent is to present the seeds of an idea in a GMs head, or to spark the imagination of the reader. Creative GMs can then take the plot hooks provided and build adventures or even entire campaigns based on them, whether they are for single characters or larger parties. The plot hooks cater for a wide variety of different concepts, from stalkers, to murderers, to the macabre. Originality and creativity abounds, although one has to admit that some of the plot hooks hold elements of the stereotypical, probably not due to any fault of the writer, but just due to representation of the genre in the modern world.

Examples of the plot hooks include the Collector (a horror-movie collector strangely gone missing), It Slices, It Dices (featuring a rather strange game show), Bloodwork (people seem to require a whole host of repeated blood transfusions), and Grand Guignol (a theatre company that is not all that is appears to be). I generally liked all that I read - the writer has a way of drawing the reader into the text, and providing strong descriptive representation of each plot hook in the writing. All of the plot hooks were decent, and should provide numerous ideas for horror-related games.

In addition to the plot hooks, a single sidebar also provides a number of short descriptive pieces of text to add an element of flavor to the game, or to heighten the sense of dread in a game. These are nice little touches to round of the plot hooks of the pdf.

Bloody Hooks is an evocative (in name and execution) product from Big Finger Games that provides a number of horror related plot hooks. This is a short product, and despite the lack of detail in the plot hooks, stands well on its own and succeeds at its intention to inspire or spark the imagination. If you're looking for a few ideas, perhaps just some random elements of thought, then this is a nice little product to take a look at.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Bloody Hooks contains some decent and very useful plot hooks for modern horror games. Writing is very good, and the plot hooks strong in their concepts and ideas. Presentation is very good.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing much - the product doesn't really support fantasy horror, but that's not really a dislike, more a general comment. Some of the plot hooks can sound familiar, although the writer has succeeded at adding elements of the creative in all of them.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Maze of Screaming Silence is a 100 page d20 pdf adventure product. Originally this adventure was released by MonkeyGod Enterprises, and is now released in pdf form by Highmoon Media Productions under the MonkeyGod Presents line of products. Maze of Screaming Silence is both a d20 adventure and a city supplement, with the City of the Damned being detailed quite extensively in the text of the product. This adventure is written for the 3e rules, and is suitable for characters of 3rd or 4th level. The contents, as the disclaimer for this product indicates, is for mature audiences only.

The product comes as a single, fully bookmarked pdf file complete with an extensive table of contents. No print version of the product is supplied. Artwork within the pdf is good black-and-white work, some of which depicts graphic violence (severed heads in a pool of blood, for example) and is one of the reasons behind the mature audiences disclaimer. There's an ample supply of artwork within the pages of the pdf that enhance the feel of the macabre, yet often humorous content. Writing and editing is good, though the writing style is rather informal and filled with several flippant remarks that probably don't do the adventure or its content any justice. It's difficult to set a theme based on the 'mature' content when the adventure is filled with remarks that undermine it. Nevertheless, these can easily be ignored despite them occasionally being off-putting. Several maps are provided, all which are clear and easy to read, although more maps would've been useful for some of the locations presented in the City of the Damned and surroundings. As mentioned already, this adventure is for the 3e ruleset, and as such the numerous stat blocks use the format of this ruleset.

Maze of Screaming Silence starts by presenting and overview of the adventure, and provides a handy table summarizing the ELs of the various encounters within the product. The adventure is largely a PC driven one, in the sense that once the adventurers arrive in the City of the Damned, the gateway to the maze, they are largely left to their own devices as there are no 'events' in the adventure. What the PCs do and get up to is entirely up to them, and what they make of this adventure is again entirely up to the PCs. The City of the Damned is detailed enough that there is plenty to do and experience before actually hitting the maze and attempting to survive it. The product presents essentially two ways in which to run the adventure - the first by using an overriding plot arc that is presented, and the second merely for the challenge of the maze itself. I'd certainly recommend the former, as it's more interesting and presents more motivation and roleplaying opportunities for the players than the latter.

The adventure is set near a remote outpost of the Empire of the Yagga Kong, a brutal group of people that live high in the mountains of the Wall of the World. Full details are provided on the history of these people, the origins of the maze, the culture and society of the Yagga Kong, and generally enough for any DM to allow the PCs to experience a new and certainly unique mountain culture. Given that the PCs are travelling high in the mountains, they'll need to cope with numerous environmental factors such as cold and thin air for which rules are provided and summarized.

The introduction to the adventure is a dream sequence involving multiple players, the end result of which leads the players to an oracle and from there admittedly very vaguely to the Yagga Kong. I liked how this sequence was presented, although in the old end it could've been more succinct in leading the players to the Yagga Kong and the City of the Damned. The main body of the adventure beyond the introductory sequence, deals with the City of the Damned and several locations within the vicinity of this location. There the PCs can do whatever they wish, and generally, considering the sense of humour of the Yagga Kong, how they wish as well. The Yaggo Kong are not adverse to killing slaves, for example, and PCs will be get to know people that collect decapitated heads and even teeth.

The City of the Damned is presented in two sections detailing typical encounters in the city (day and night), and site-based locations for the important parts of the city (more town-sized, despite the name). PCs should find this an interesting experience, and certainly one to remember if played right. Creative DMs will have a field day running these encounters and locations, and should be able to instil a sense of danger and dread in the PCs as they pass through the city. Almost a dozen encounters for days and nights are presented, as well as a dozen different locations that each provide an interesting roleplaying experience. The City of the Damned is well detailed and an interesting place, and should be easy to insert as a strange city in another remote corner of a campaign setting.

The Maze of Screaming Silence itself was quite disappointing. Given that the adventure has the maze's name as title, it was actually a rather small part of the adventure, a very short part of the adventure, and certainly in the end nothing to really write home about. Unless the PCs spend a lot of time in the City of the Damned, the maze is quite quick to get through and handle, despite the presence of the Thing in the Maze. It is also rather surprising to find that only once every century, as the module tells us, the maze is actually beaten. If one considers the maze and the City of the Damned as two different parts of adventure, the City of the Damned far outstrips the maze in terms of enjoyment and potential for roleplaying.

The adventure provides ample advice on how to conclude the plot presented that draws the PCs to the lands of the Yagga Kong. DMs will find this a good ending, although may potentially wish to do more with it. The adventure and location offer a lot of potential for expansion. The latter parts of the pdf present numerous appendices which include detailed NPC statistics for the various NPCs in the adventure, and advice on scaling the adventure for higher level parties. The statistics of the NPCs are, however, also included in the text of the adventure, which means you annoyingly get them twice within the product.

Maze of Screaming Silence certainly presents a different kind of adventure experience in the City of the Damned and the Yagga Kong. The maze itself is disappointing in that it's short, not terribly unique, and could certainly have done with some interesting elements to make it live up to the name the adventure paints it as to be. The City of the Damned is a richly interesting and devilishly vile place, although in a sense has a lot of 'overkill'. It is possible that adventurers will quickly grow used to or bored with the ways of the Yagga Kong. Overall, though, an enjoyable experience for a short adventure that shouldn't take longer than a session or two to complete, depending on the involvement of the players.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The City of the Damned is an interesting place with lots of options for players to explore and take part in. The Yagga Kong are an interesting people and should provide for unique interaction between PCs and their culture. The adventure does well at presenting something different that should be an enjoyable experience for both DMs and players. Presentation and artwork was very good.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The product contains double stat blocks in that stat block are presented in the text and in the appendices. The informal tone of writing in the adventure can be off-putting in places is you wish to establish a proper theme to the City of the Damned. The maze itself was disappointing in its originality, creativity and length. One or two minor editing errors, but nothing significant.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Adventure Havens: Tavern Tales is a 44 page pdf product, and the first in Bards and Sages' new line of Adventure Havens supplements. The series aims to provide DMs with a number of useful game tools such as locations, NPCs and story hooks, so that the DM is never unprepared during gameplay when the players do something unexpected or different. The first in the series, Tavern Tales, provides a number of fantasy taverns for DMs to use, including complete descriptions, NPCs, layout, mini-quests and more.

The product comes as a single pdf file (a sizable 26 MB download) that contains a table of contents with handy hyperlinks to the tavern descriptions and details in the text (though not necessarily directly to the right location for the start of the tavern description on the page). There are no bookmarks. Presentation is not the best, looking quite amateurish in places, and the pdf could certainly have done with some improved presentation. The taverns, for example, have no headings to indicate where they start - one moment a mini-quest on a tavern ends, and the next the new tavern starts after a small amount of white space. Artwork is good and plentiful, mostly pencil sketches but also a small number of full-color pieces. Writing and editing is generally good and easy to read, although there are one or two minor errors. Stat blocks are plentiful given the large number of NPCs detailed, and almost all of them contain errors, which is disappointing to see.

Tavern Tales details twelve fantasy taverns. The pdf starts by providing a very lacklustre overview of how to use the product and what one can expect under each entry. Each entry contains details such as name of tavern, owner, layout, food and drink available, prices, number of prices, sleeping accommodations, history and background, patrons, ideas for integrating a tavern into your game, and mini-quests that can be found in each tavern. Each tavern is also accompanied by an insignia or sign associated with it.

The tavern descriptions themselves are interesting and useful, containing a wide variety of useful ideas and plot-hooks for quests and mini-quests themselves. They made for an enjoyable read with some interesting NPCs that should make for fun roleplaying encounters. Gertrude, for example, is a high level wizard who bakes cookies that are capable of healing people. Each tavern description is overflowing with detail, and DMs should be able to find more than they want under each description. The taverns are also suitable to a wide variety of locations, be it a town, village or even city, and the nature of the establishments is varied enough so that no two of the taverns are really alike (e.g. dock-tavern or gambling hall). The pdf succeeds well at creating unique taverns with their own characteristics to make them stand out.

Examples of the dozen taverns include are Crying Wolf, where revenge haunts the staff of the tavern, the Saty'rs Love where a disturbance from below and a strange collar lead to sinister secrets, and The Wailing Banshee where ghost stories are not always what they seem. The mini-quests are interesting and varied, and cater for a wide variety of different encounter levels. With this is mind, each tavern and its associated mini-quests cater for a certain party level, meaning that while the taverns can be used for any level party, the mini-quests can't. This limits the usability of the quests somewhat, unless DMs wish to modify the associated stat blocks and just use the ideas.

The pdf concludes by including hyperlinked lists of items (Gertrude's cookies and training collar, for example), lists of monsters and NPCs, and NPCs by CR. These are useful and allow DMs to cater a particularly mini-quest to a particular level of party. Overall, this pdf provides a DM with some useful tools that require little work to integrate into a campaign.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Adventure Havens: Tavern Tales presents a dozen fully detailed taverns complete with history, NPCs and mini-quests. There is a good variety of interesting and useful material, and plenty of opportunity for roleplaying with NPCs that have a little more life than one would normally find in a tavern. Most DMs should find this easy to integrate into an existing campaign or story arc.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Presentation was disappointing and certainly could've used more attention. Stat blocks were also full of errors. While the mini-quests are a good idea, the implementation means that if you wish to use a quest you're forced to use a tavern that is suitable to the party level, limiting the usefulness of the material. Perhaps scaled mini-quests would've been a better implementation. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

RPG Mastery: Tracking is a 34 page pdf product and the first in Silven Publishing's new RPG Mastery line of products. The aim of the line is to take roleplaying elements from typical gaming experience and expand on them in depth to provide DMs and players with more options. This first instalment of the series focuses on tracking and all aspects related to hunting and tracking foes or animals in the wilderness or urban setting.

The product comes as a zip file containing a screen and print version of the product. The print version allows easy printing of the material, although even the screen version is not that heavy in the ink department. Artwork is average, with nothing spectacularly good or bad, although some of the images don't look particularly high quality. Writing and editing suffers from much the same standard, as does the overall presentation. Editing errors abound - simple examples include the chapter numbers being all wrong and the incomplete spell mechanics - and the writing in places is not explicit enough, particularly with reference to the numerous tables provided. Clarity would've been much assisted by references to the numerous tables in the text, particularly with regard to applicability of each table under different circumstances. Generally from a presentation point of view slightly disappointing in the number of errors that there are. The pdf comes with both a full table of contents and a set of bookmarks.

Tracking is a pdf all about the wilderness arts of hunting, tracking and survival. It provides a host of new rules for expanding on tracking (Survival skill and Track feat), each with its accompaniment of tables and mechanical details. The pdf starts by providing a brief introduction and some advice on using the material within the pdf before plunging into the first of many small chapters within the pdf.

There are a number of new options presented here, all mostly useful, and broadly divided into two areas: Wilderness and Urban. The wilderness tracker uses the Survival skill and the Track feat to track or hunt in the wilderness, while the urban tracker uses the Gather Information skill to search and hunt for information, objects or people in an urban environment. Within this framework a number of new options are presented for the numerous skills involved.

Rules for wilderness tracking include rules of competency at tracking (an indication of fame related to tracking), tracking creatures by size, tracking creatures using signs rather than tracks, environmental influences on tracking, tracking intelligent creatures, tracking creatures based on their type, habits and movement; extensive coverage of hunting, and hunting-related skills. Most of the material expands in a useful way on that contained in the core rules, although it's not always explicit in explanation or description. Several examples would've gone a long way to make it easier to understand the rules and how they mesh with the current core rules. For example, the pdf introduces two new feats - Wilderness Tracking and Urban Tracking, although it's not clear how these mesh with the Track feat from the core rules.

The urban tracker is one who is good in crowds and gathering information in crowded areas. Rules are provided for shadowing creatures in cities and crowds, and for fleeing from a particular situation. The shadowing rules are quite interesting, and provide a different way of handling following other characters or gaining information related to them. An urban tracker base class is provided to supplement these rules and build upon them. The class incorporates most of the rules presented here, meaning that it won't be that useful outside the context of the new rules system.

The latter portions of the pdf deal with new magical items, feats, and spells related to tracking. These include numerous scent bags to aid in tracking or avoiding being tracked, and feats such as Footslogger that allow you to move through terrain without suffering movement penalties. Nothing particularly exciting within this section or anything that jumps out, but those who like these rules with find them useful. The pdf concludes with some appendices including a list of random encounters (descriptions only), summaries of all the rules in the pdf (can sometimes be clearer than the preceding text), values of the skin and meat of animals, and a new creature type, the skirmish. The latter is akin to a swarm or a stampede and rules are provided for dealing with mobs and brawls as examples of this type and how to create 'creatures' of this type.

The pdf is in many ways useful in providing several new options, although most appear to actually complicate matters more than make it easier. If you want the detail of an immersive experience with realism and additional factors in-game, then these rules will be something you'll like. They are very focused, and focused on a particular area of the game not frequently used - tracking and hunting, areas that are quite well covered by the existing Survival skill and Track feat.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: RPG Mastery: Tracking contains a number of new ideas and options related to tracking, most that can be used by those that wish to add elements of realism or a more immersive experience to their campaign or scenario. The rules provided expand on existing concepts, widening their scope to areas not covered in the core rules.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: General presentation was disappointing and the pdf is riddled with numerous errors. Text and tables do not mesh well together, and references to the tables and worked examples would've made this much clearer to read and understand. The text comes across as somewhat disjointed, something which makes it difficult to make the most of the additional material provided. The material in the pdf is very focused, and expands (making slightly more complicated) the core concepts of Survival, Gather Information and Tracking. Usefulness of the material can be limited.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

The Argyle Lorebook is a 160 page pdf d20 campaign setting, the first product from a new publishing company called Silver Oak Studios. It's always good to see new publishers step into the d20 market, and Silver Oak studios have done well with this campaign setting that details the land of Argyle, a land with an interesting background and scope. Silver Oak Studios have already populated their website with additional material for the lands of Argyle - it's good to see publishers give good settings the support they deserve.

The Argyle Lorebook comes as a single pdf file, including both extensive bookmarks and a full table of contents. On top of that, there is a wonderfully useful glossary and index at the end of the pdf. It's a beefy pdf to want to print out, but the borders, background and art is light enough that it should easily be possible. Artwork within the pdf ranges from good to excellent, and there are some interesting and provoking images within the pages of the pdf.

The main map of the lands of Argyle is a little disappointing in that it doesn't detail a huge amount of the campaign setting, mostly the major cities and a few other locations. Their website provides a download for a higher quality map, but it still lacks a lot of detail. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, or even whether it was intentional in the light of perhaps future products. Empty maps provide DMs with the opportunity to fill details in as they like, whereas full maps make less work for DMs that want to get started. Given the amount of detail put into the areas of the pdf that are on the map, it's disappointing to see very little said about the rest of Argyle. The geography section thankfully does provide a little more in the form of smaller maps describing the immediate lands surrounding the major cities of Argyle. A neat feature of the map is that it is hyperlinked to the relevant text in the pdf. A good presentation idea.

Writing and editing is good, the latter only revealing some minor errors scattered throughout the pdf. The writing is fluid and vivid, and easy to read in a way that captures the imagination. The Argyle Lorebook as a campaign setting details a huge amount of material that is largely 'fluff' in nature. There is very little 'crunch' which is probably a good thing since most of the mechanics that is in the pdf is based on the 3e ruleset and not the 3.5e ruleset. Given the small amount of it, it should not be too difficult to make the minor changes involved. There were one or two instance where the mechanics weren't the best, mostly in reference to giving races a +1 modifier to an ability score rather than +2, which is generally not the best design.

The pdf is divided into seven main sections, each covering a different aspect of Argyle - history, races, classes, prestige classes, pantheon, geography and guilds. Most of the material is applicable to both DMs and players, although DMs may wish to not reveal some of the information about Argyle to all players. Argyle is a low-magic setting, for those players and DMs interested in that type of campaign setting, and does a good job of presenting a grim and struggling land wishing to escape the clutches of a past brought about by the powers of magic.

The first section of the pdf presents a history of the lands of Argyle as told from the perspective of a fictional tale involving members of each of Argyle's races. Not only does this give a brief overview of the land's history, but it also indicates how the race relations have developed. I quite liked reading through this, as it immediately set the tone and scope for the setting, and the roleplaying opportunities that the land provides. One of the excellent features of this chapter is the timeline - so few campaign settings provide one, and I personally find it immensely useful as a brief summary of major events. Argyle's history is largely dominated by the Age of Dominion, an age where the mage-kings of the land enslaved the various races and cultures of Argyle, eventually resulting in a devastating plague. The 'end' of the mage-kings has resulted in a land that fears magic, and is very tense about its use.

Section two details the races of the lands of Argyle as well as how these races relate to each other. All the standard races are present within the campaign setting - dwarf, elf, halfling, gnome, half-orc, half-elf and human. Each race is detailed in vivid detail describing its history, its location and culture, religion, relationships to other races, suitability as adventurers and mechanical details. While only the core races are used, the background and history provides something that it tantalisingly different to the norm, and should make for good roleplaying opportunities.

I particularly liked the creation myths of the races. For example, each dwarven race was created associated with one type of ore. When the god of the dwarves completed his creation, he wiped his hands clean on the forests of Argyle, scattering his divine creative power and accidentally creating a new race of dwarves. Sidebars scattered throughout the section detail such things as the Forsaken (elves cut off from the other elves by severing the Cord that connects them), languages in Argyle and Dwarven Slayers (expelled dwarves). It's a good and often fascinating read, and captures the feel of the setting within the races as well, making them part of the campaign world in tangible way.

The third section details the races as considered from the point of view of the various classes of Argyle. All the standard classes are present, and each is discussed in impressive detail regarding races' attitude and applicability to each class. The write-ups also serve to expand on further racial tribes, groups and cultures that are scattered across the lands of Argyle. One of the fundamental aspects of Argyle is that magic is feared and its users hated. This is touched upon in this chapter when discussing various spellcasting classes, such as the cleric, wizard and sorcerer, but it would've been nice to see a chapter devoted to magic, its nature, etc.

The fourth section presents a new prestige class, the ShroudWalker, and a NPC based on the prestige class. The Shroud is a undead filled area of fog in Argyle's North Cape, and none know of its origin or purpose or nature. Shroudwalkers are devoted to eradicating undead on Argyle, and gain a whole host of undead-related abilities making the Shroudwalker the ultimate undead-destroying machine. A strong prestige class, but very focussed.

Section five details the pantheon of Argyle. The gods of Argyle are divided into two groups - the scions, gods created by the creator and responsible for destroying the creator, and ascended, mortals that have ascended into godhood. The pantheon describes each of the gods in terms of their dogma, followers and mechanical details. The scions include Argarath, Barana, Chorolos and Mirimil, each responsible for creating the races of Argyle and some of its foul beasts and gods (Grollob, a god created by the scions, not the creator and hence a 'failed' effort). These are also very powerful, in the sense that they allow worshiper clerics access to all domains, something which in concept seems like a good idea, but might not be in practice. I'd have preferred to have seen them given domains associated with their creed or tasks, rather than simply all. The afterlife is also discussed, providing a rich indication of what happens when creatures die. The ascended are also described in rich detail, and this pantheon should provide an exciting description of the gods of Argyle.

Section six is the largest in the pdf and details the geography of Argyle, for the most part the major locations and cities where Argyle's races reside. As mentioned earlier, the maps are disappointing in that they do not contain a lot of the information within this section, making it difficult to find any specific location on the map. Only ten locations are described in detail, but wonderfully so, and give a rich flavor to the campaign settings, its cities and its regions. It contains some interesting and innovative descriptions and areas. The ten locations described each contain details on demographics, culture, city/location, places of note in the city, organisations, surrounding lands, regional history, and rumours regarding the city and its lands.

The ten cities described are Aberdan (a human city without a king), Argon (home of the dwarves), Caern Tor (a human port city on Argyle's Halod Isle), Estellond (the elven homeland), Hemdale (a dangerous human settlement near the Shroud), Hozz Le'Dayth (the gnome homeland), Nirre (a mixed race trading city), Port Hope (a largely human port city), Shroudgard (another bastion against the Shroud), and Soberdan (a city of brigands and thieves). Each city and its local lands is described in wonderful detail, giving the DM and player a good indication of the life in the city and its relationship to Argyle. Cities sometimes come with maps, which would allow DMs to easily run city-based campaigns in Argyle. The meatiest section of the pdf, but also the best, with tantalising reading, interesting cities and locations, and many ideas for adventuring.

The last section gives a detailed overview of the guilds of Argyle. Mayn of these are touched upon in the various city writeups, but this section gives a complete overview of the guilds, including such details as members, emblems, fees, admittance and background. A fascinating read with some good and useful guilds, including BoneWatch (warriors of the North Cape), Dire Hounds (ruthless bounty hunters), and the White Mages (devoted to changing the perceptions of the populace regarding mages and magic). A total of 11 organisations are detailed, each receiving about one page of attention and expanding on already given information.

The pdf concludes with a set of appendices, which contain details on the Argyle calendar, seasons and festival days, iconic characters of the campaign setting (with exceptional art), and a monstrous society, the Black Renders, a group of troglodytes.

The Argyle Lorebook is a fascinating glimpse at the lands of Argyle. It's very well detailed and interesting, and for the most part very complete. This is a flavorful book contains vast amounts of detail on all things pertaining to Argyle. The history, cities, races and organisations tie together nicely to form a useable framework and a strong campaign setting. The setting combines a good mix of roleplaying with low-magic adventuring and combat, as well as intrigue and much mystery. It's well written, solid, and well worth a look for those interesting in trying a different, solid setting. I certainly look forward to seeing what else Argyle and Silver Oak Studios have in store. For a first product and setting, this is very good.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The Argyle Lorebook presents a flavorful and detailed description of the lands of Argyle. Once a land dominated by mage-kings, it is now a place haunted by its past and with a hatred of magic. The races and history blend in well, as well as the numerous extensively detailed geography elements. An unique setting with an interesting flavor. Very good art and writing throughout the pdf.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The maps was slightly on the sparse side, and didn't contain a fraction of the detail presented in the text. More smaller maps would've made the maps more useful. The setting is not strongly supported by new mechanics, and that which is there is mostly based on the 3e ruleset. I would've preferred to see a stronger mechanics base, something that will hopefully be evident in upcoming releases from Silver Oak Studios. A few minor editing errors here and there.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Biblicals Set is the 33rd product in Arion Games' line of paper miniature sets, and is sixth in the Ancients Miniatures series within that product line. Each product in a set contains a number of paper miniatures based on a theme. The miniatures can be folded in a variety of different configurations depending on preference. The Biblicals Set contains a number of miniatures useful for the period 1000 BC to Roman times, focusing in particular on the Persian and Assyrian empires.

This set comes as a single 4 page pdf file. No instructions are included on how to assemble the set, although these are available from Arion Games' website. Miniatures can be folded in three different ways according to the instructions - A-frame, Flat or triagonal, with the latter being a pseudo-3D fold where the miniature has three sides. Paper clips can be used to hold the miniatures in place or they can be glued normally and weighed down for stability. Folding and mounting the miniatures is straightforward, and with a good printing you can make full use of the quality images provided. Within a few minutes you can have an entire Assyrian army available.

The set contains one page that details the A-frame or flat miniatures (both folds use the same images) and the triagonal miniatures take up the two remaining pages of the pdf. The following miniatures are included in the set: two Assyrian warriors (one with sword, one with shield and spear), Assyrian archer, high priest, two biblical men (simple male commoners dressed in the robes of the time), two Persian archers (one with bow drawn back, the other holding a bow), Persian axeman (with shield), Persian spearman (with shield), prophet (with only a loin-cloth as expected), shepherd (with obligatory staff), and two biblical woman (in colorful dresses). There are also three larger models, which include a donkey riding biblical man, a Persian camelrider (with spear and shield), and an Assyrian horse-drawn chariot.

The images are of a very high quality, and this set contains a good variety of interesting miniatures with detailed equipment and clothing. There's a good balance between the different aspects of the set, such as warriors and commoners. These miniatures will be useful for any game set in ancient times, or for example with games such as Green Ronin's Testament. The chariot and camel rider in particular are good, although it would've been nice to see something more done with the horse than a simple saddle. Overall I was pleased with this set - it contains splendid artwork and miniatures, a good variety and detailed images for each miniature. The triagonal miniatures are very good and allow one to appreciate the detail that has gone into the rendering of each image.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is a very good set of miniatures from Arion Games. Rendering and image quality is excellent, and the miniatures contain good balance, variety and detail. While focused on the Assyrians and Persians, the miniatures are easily used in other cultures or for other purposes.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing much to dislike with this set. In one or two places the miniatures could've used some more detail, such as the chariot's horse or the biblical man on the donkey, but otherwise a very good set.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Player's Guide to Arcanis is a 322 page pdf product for the Arcanis: The World of Shattered Empires campaign setting. This pdf details a whole host of options for players adventuring on Onara, including classes, skills, feats, prestige classes, spells, equipment, and much more. The pdf forms a good companion product to Paradigm Concepts' Codex Arcanis, which details the campaign setting itself rather than its mechanical elements. In fact, Player's Guide to Arcanis contains very little in the way of information about Arcanis itself, but this is the way it was intended. This pdf is extremely handy for Arcanis players, and even those that just want to mine the pdf for thousands of ideas for other campaign settings.

Player's Guide to Arcanis comes as a single, bookmarked pdf file with a complete table of contents. There is no print version for the pdf. Artwork within the pdf is fantastic, and there are some great pieces of work within the pages of this product. The artists have done a splendid job of providing compelling images to support the Arcanis setting, and its 'Roman-like' feel. Writing and editing is good, although a few errors slipped through here and there, but nothing that detracts significantly from the reading experience. As mentioned before, this is a predominantly mechanics heavy pdf, and for the most part the mechanics is solid. Here and there one has to raise an eyebrow regarding the power level of some of the material, but generally balance is well maintained. Considering the sheet volume of material in this pdf, it has to be expected that some things will be stronger than others.

The pdf is divided into 10 main chapters, most of them detailing a different mechanical aspect for players of the Arcanis campaign setting. There is a brief introduction that gives a short overview of the history of Arcanis, but this product is not intended to be a campaign guide, a function that the Codex Arcanis fulfils. This is very much a Player's Handbook style product, detailing all the information that players may need to know to create successful characters and roleplay them within the rich world of the Arcanis campaign setting.

Chapter One details the nations of Arcanis, including the Altherian Republic, the Coryani Empire, the Elorii Nations and the Kingdom of Milandir. Within the context of each nation a large number of topics are covered, such as appearance of typical people within a nation, roles of gender, nobility, the Val (a race of beings touched by divine essence and generally the leaders of Arcanis), religion, military, and other general information. This chapter enables most players to draw material from for character creation, when they choose a race particular to a specific nation or region of Onara. I found this material to be an interesting read, and each nation holds a unique flavor of its own, and an equally interesting relationship to the other nations of Arcanis.

Chapter Two presents the many races of Arcanis. There are nine races in Arcanis - dark-kin (those tainted with Infernal blood, largely as a result of the Time of Terrors), dwarf, elorii (immortal beings once a slave race created by the Elemental Lords), gnome, half-hobgoblin, half-orc, human, Ss'ressen (a reptilian race), and Val (beings with divine essence). Each race is presented with appropriate descriptive details and mechanics, as well as the descriptions of subraces where required. The races are interesting, and largely tied to the history of Arcanis, allowing them to form an integral part of the setting. There are the dwarves that cannot die easily, immortal elorii, divine Val and deformed gnomes, all which combine to make each race unique and different with interesting character creation and adventuring possibilities.

Chapter Three deals with base classes. The majority of the core base classes remain unchanged, although there are a number of changes to certain classes and the addition of new base classes such as the priest and the holy champion. The cleric, for example, has a similar ability to turn undead called channelling. In addition, there are a number of deity specific changes that apply to the cleric class, and some cleric abilities are determined by a specific deity. Gods on Arcanis do not possess an alignment, meaning that clerics tend to worship aspects of the deity they serve. Monks are extensively detailed, given that each monk is generally part of one of the monastic orders of Arcanis. Each order is detailed and a prestige class is occasionally given that is specific to that order. I found this approach refreshing and it provided some interesting alternative monk ideas.

The paladin is largely replaced by the holy champion, becoming a subclass of that class. Holy champions are devoted to specific aspects of a deity, and a number holy champion base classes are provided related to different deities. The priest is similar to the cleric, although more one to nurture the people and aid them, than a cleric who is considered a champion of religious knowledge. There are a number of refreshing changes to the base classes from the core rules, some that can easily be adapted to a non-Arcanis setting.

Chapter Four takes a look at skills. A number of new skills are presented and several are expanded, including Black Market (for buying and selling illegal goods), Craft skills for flintlocks, Examine Martial Technique (to determine an opponent's combat prowess), and expanded Knowledge skills. I particularly like the expanded Knowledge skills and the added information on each skills' entry. The chapter also covers regional skills - characters from a particular nation and region gain certain skills as class skills. Some interesting new skills and mechanics here, with some good added expansion on some skills.

Chapter Five is an extensive chapter covering a plethora of feats, including new feat types such as background feats, military feats (the Coryani legions are similar to Roman legions), and soul fragment feats (for non-dwarves and non-elorii). There are a lot of new feats here, covering a wide variety of new areas introduced in Arcanis, but also others that expand on feats and concepts of the core rules. One of the new feats I liked were the military feats - these are feats specifically catering for fighting in groups, and something that I've found missing and needed in most games. These feats allow lower level opponents in numbers to be much more organised and dangerous and are particularly suited to militaristic humanoids such as hobgoblins. A good selection of feats, a few eyebrows raised on power levels, but something for all classes and characters. If it's feat options for Arcanis you want, this is the best place to look.

Chapter Six covers prestige classes, and like the rest of this pdf, in vast numbers. There is a hefty amount of material here, and if you include the prestige classes scattered elsewhere in the pdf, there are a lot of good options to choose from. The core prestige classes are briefly discussed first, before the Arcanis prestige classes are presented. Examples of these include Altherian Sharpshooter, Battlemage of the Coryani Empire, Bowman, Centurion of the Coryani Legions, Gladiator, Royal Marine of Milandir, and numerous others. The chapter also presents a prestige class called the Combat Styles of Onara - this is a prestige class devoted to a particular combat or fighting style. I think this is a neat little concept that allows characters to make more of their particular fighting styles and weapon choices. Some prestige classes appear a bit strong, but not unbalanced.

In Chapter Seven a whole host of new weapons and equipment are presented, including new martial and exotic weapons and even exotic armors such as the Andrean Suit of Plate. Flintlocks (firearms) are discussed in detail, and each of the weapons and armors is well illustrated and detailed in the text. There are a number of new goods presented as well, such as coaches, chariots and altherian signal rockets. A good selection to enhance the setting.

Chapter Eight covers all aspects of Magic in Arcanis, though for a more thorough treatise on magic, Paradigm Concepts have Magic of Arcanis. This chapter, however, is equally detailed, providing a number of new spells, spell lists for the priest and holy champion classes, and details on spell changes considering the fact that the gods don't have alignments and the concepts of good and evil are viewed differently. In addition to the spells, there are a number of Arcanis specific domains. The largest part of the chapter covers the spells as well as the bloodline powers of the Val. Each Val has a bloodline and a bloodrank, allowing them certain abilities based on their divine essence. These are detailed here, and provide a comprehensive overview of the different Val bloodlines and their nature. The spells are good, some of them have odd names such as 'His Blade Shall Not Harm Me', but a good selection.

Chapters Nine and Ten cover religion and secret societies within Arcanis. A good number of religious factions and secret societies are detailed, including rules for fame and infamy within a particular secret society and the benefits of being a member of such a society. A brief Appendix covers a few new monsters, mostly animals, but also a generic Undead template.

Player's Guide to Arcanis is a comprehensive book, if not exhaustive, in its detail and the number of options it provides. This is a purely 'crunch' based book, but you can't really find a more useful selection of Arcanis related mechanics and useful and interesting ideas. There's a lot to like about this book in the ideas it presents, and the way in which each aspect of the mechanics is integrated into Arcanis' rich background and history. It's tribute to the campaign setting that this sheer volume of options can actually be made to work within the setting without feeling out of place or forced. Fans of Arcanis can't go wrong with this pdf, but even those just looking for a host of ideas will find this product useful and good value.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Player's Guide to Arcanis provides a vast amount of options for creating characters, each with unique flavor and given the number of options, unique mechanics as well. The pdf succeeds admirably at providing plentiful ways in which to create Arcanis characters, and ways in which to create flavorful characters where their mechanics are capable of defining their characteristics. A wonderful selection of options and ideas, and well integrated mechanics within the context of the rich setting. Fantastic artwork.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There's not much to dislike about this pdf. Arcanis allows for some strong characters and mechanics, and some of the ideas raise the balance eyebrows. There are also one or two minor errors, but nothing significant.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Book of Templates: Basics is a 45 page pdf product that presents a collection in one compendium of all the templates from the d20 SRD and d20 Modern SRD, as well as one or two new ones. Silverthorne Games are a known pdf publishing company in the area of templates, particularly in the light of their Book of Templates Deluxe and the Template Troves series. While this product doesn't add much that is new to the arena, it provides a handy compendium of all the standard templates found in many games.

Book of Templates: Basics comes as a single pdf file, complete with bookmarks and a table of contents. There is no art within the pages of this pdf, and even the advertised cover (or what is assumed to be the cover) is missing from the pdf. Between the lack of art and the minimal and simple bordering and layout, this pdf will be fairly easy to print out for those that wish to. Layout and editing is generally good, although there were a few disappointing aspects to the latter. For one, the introduction to the pdf promises a template format that will contain details on the appearance changes, origins and rationale that a template may entail, something that is nowhere to be found in the pages of the pdf. There are a few other additional editing errors, such as missing page headers or minor typos. Most of the text is derived from the SRD, meaning that it should be familiar to most frequent users of templates.

Book of Templates: Basics is all about templates, and in particular the templates taken from the SRD and Modern SRD. This includes fantasy, epic, modern, and future templates all in one handy reference. The inclusion of all these templates make for a useful pdf, including all the templates and template details one might want to use from these sources. The Dire Creature template from Necromancer Games' Tome of Horrors is also included as an additional staple template, and an Awakened template is provided as per the druid spell awaken. Templates are organised by type, dividing the pdf into fantasy and modern templates for reference. Within each section templates are presented alphabetically, meaning that epic templates are mixed in with normal fantasy templates, and future templates mixed with modern ones. This can make it difficult of those not familiar with a template to adjudicate its use within a particular genre.

The templates are provided one after the other within the pdf, and templates do not start on a new page. Each template is complete, so, for example, the lycanthrope template would include all the details on contracting and curing lycanthropy. A number of undead templates are noted as version I and II as they apply to fantasy and modern games. Towards the end of the pdf are a number of useful tables that sort the templates alphabetically, by CR adjustment, by level adjustment and by genre. It would've been useful to see more of this information in the actual pdf itself next to, for example, the template title.

Overall this is a useful collection of template from all the SRD sources. Despite there not being a lot new about this pdf, most gamers will find all the templates they use at their fingertips in one handy reference file. The pdf is easy to navigate, and the templates are presented in their familiar SRD format.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Book of Templates: Basics provides a handy collection of templates from the various SRD sources in one reference file. Combined with some of Silverthorne Games' other template products, this will allow the user a vast quantity of different monsters to use through templates. The combination of different genre is a single file adds utility to the product.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: A number of editing errors crept through in the product, and some details alluded to, such as appearance changes, are completely missing from the pdf. Some of the information in the tables at the end of the pdf would've been useful to see next to the template title as well.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Bardic Lore: Riastradh is a 10 page pdf product and the fourth in Highmoon Media Productions' Bardic Lore series which chronicles the travels of the bard Amergin O Mil as he records in his journal all things magical, mundane or exotic. This particular journal entry relates to the Riastradh or warp spasm, and brings the Celtic myth to life in a d20 fantasy environment.

Bardic Lore: Riastradh comes as a single, bookmarked pdf file. Highmoon Media Production provide professional and quality layout and editing, and the pdf looks good despite its length. The text is densely packed, so it means you get a little more for the page count than one would normally expect. There are two excellent art pieces in the pdf that depict warriors in various stages of a warp spasm. Overall a high quality presentation from Highmoon Media Productions.

The Riastradh or warp spasm is an ability akin to a barbarian's rage ability, although different in its implementation. During a warp spasm a warrior's form and shape change into a powerful force of destruction and reckoning. The riastradh is mentioned several times in Celtic tales, and this pdf brings the ability or feat to life in several different ways throughout the pdf. Scattered in the pdf are descriptive examples of what happens to a warrior during the riastradh, providing enticing examples of what to expect and visually imagine.

Two ways of introducing the riastradh into a d20 game are presented - the warped ones 'race' and the warp legacy feat. Warped ones are those humans that have the special touch or destiny, and they gain the ability to use a warp spasm. The riastradh of a warped one is stronger than that of a character with the warped legacy feat. Details of the warped one 'race' are provided including personality traits, descriptive details, and game mechanics. The warp legacy feat is a special Riastradh feat that allows one to discover your destiny and grasp hold of the might of the riastradh.

The riastradh is quite a strong ability, and based on the above implementations would probably require some careful balancing by prospective DMs. The warped ones in particular should probably be given a level adjustment of +1. Complete details of entering a riastradh, ending one, how to deal with armor while growing in size and other details are fully described in the pdf. A character capable of warped spasm is driven by a geas-like honor and reputation, and although this is touched upon in the pdf, it is not detailed sufficiently. In fact, it refers the reader to another Bardic Lore product, something that is always painful to see.

Having detailed the riastradh, the pdf provides a good number of other options related to the warp spasm. The first is the warped one paragon, a three-level class that can turn a warped one into a paragon of his kind and powerful wielder of the riastradh. The second is a collection of Riastradh feats, each allowing characters touched by warp spasms to expand on their abilities. There's an excellent collection of options here, making for a versatile and flavorful description of Celtic myth in a d20 fantasy universe. The pdf concludes by providing lore DCs to learn about the riastradh and a sample NPC which has a rather faulty and incomplete stat block.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Bardic Lore: Riastradh is a good pdf which truly brings Celtic myth and tales to life. It provides a number of options related to the warp spasm or riastradh, making for a very useful pdf. Artwork and layout is good, and general presentation excellent. The mechanical implementations of the riastradh provide a number of different ways to introduce this into a campaign.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The riastradh is a strong ability that some DMs may feel is overpowered and may require some additional tweaking to balance it. The NPC stat block provided was poorly done and incomplete in places.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Deck O' Names Generator is a software utility for generating male and female names for fantasy and sci-fi roleplaying games. It is a html and JavaScript based program that runs in a browser window and allows users to generate anything up to 1000 names at the click of a single button. The program uses name segments to derive about 34000 unique and different names for each sex, thereby providing more than enough names for any occasion. This review is based on version 1.3 of the software.

The product comes as a compressed file containing three important files, excluding the actually JavaScript program files - generator for female names, generator for male names, and a text file giving simple instructions on how to run the program. The program can be run in any browser that has JavaScript support enabled. From a visual point of view the program looks good, if rather small on the screen, but then given its functionality that's hardly surprising. Buttons are provided to enable the following functions - generate names, clear name list, print name list, sort alphabetically, remove duplicate names, count number of generated names and randomise the list of names. There is also a radio-button group that defines how to sort the printing page. Names can be saved by saving the print page as a file using standard browser functions.

The program is very simple to use. One click and you can generate anything from 1-1000 names. Additional clicks generate more names, but then the risk of duplicate names is there. These can be removed by clicking on a button labelled 'unique'. This is quite a surprising feature and it would've been neater to remove the 'unique' button, and simple write the program in such a way that it ensures no duplicate names are generated. Granted this would likely require a cap on the number of names generated at any given time, but then who needs that many names in any case?

All functions of the program worked like they were intended to, and there weren't any apparent bugs in the system. Both the male and female versions work in exactly the same way, although again it would've been nice to have both in a single program rather than having to switch between the two. The printable version could then sort the name in male and female and other interesting functions. Given the very small size of this, extra functionality of 'tagging' data as male and female could've been more useful.

The names generated are generally good, although they don't have any particular feel to them. For example, the names aren't dwarven or elven or any other race, merely names. I have to admit that it was quite a struggle to find something I particularly liked in the selection, although there were a few amusing ones like 'Dammitt'. One or two are odd in the combination of consonants, like Samlbly, but for the most part it generated sensible names. It would've been nice to have the option of generating more 'specific' names for fantasy, science fiction or merely modern names.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Deck O' Names generator is a small software program capable of generating up to 34000 names for both males and females. The interface and layout is simple and easy to use, and it provides a simple way of generating as many names as one can ever need.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There are a number of areas where the program could be improved to, for example, combine the male and female programs into a single program, or generate more 'flavor' specific names rather than a collection of often 'bland' names. Given the functionality of the program, the price is disappointing. Added functionality would've made this program a little more useful and worthwhile (or, if, for example, Tabletop Adventures produced a similar program that used all their bits and shards as inputs!)<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

The Spirit in the Spice Groves is a 23 page pdf adventure for Dog Soul Publishing's Sahasra: The Land of 1000 Cities fantasy setting. This adventure is part of the Folkloric Gems product line which supports and enhances the products and settings developed in their Folkloric line of products. Sahasra is a setting based on and inspired by the myths, legends and folklore of India. Although the adventure is set in Sahasra, it can be easily adapted to any other campaign setting. The adventures is designed for four PCs of 4th level.

The adventures comes as a single, bookmarked pdf file. There is no print version of this file, but the artwork and layout should not be too heavy on printing. Artwork is very good, with some visually striking images by artists Matthew Meyer, Matthew Vasey and Glaucio Marcos. There is a good proportion of artwork within the pdf to enhance the adventure. Layout and editing is acceptable, with a number of minor errors that slipped through, most notably in the stat blocks but also in places throughout the text. The style of the pdf is pleasing and simple, and in the same vein to other products in the Sahasra line. Donna K. Fitch's writing is clear and fresh, and easy to read and understand.

The Spirit in the Spice Groves is an adventure that takes place in the kananauka city of Kishkindha. The Feast of Sugri the Bold, a festival celebrated in honor of the warrior maiden Sugri who liberated the kananauka, a race of monkey-people, from their ogre slavemasters, is coming and the kananaukas are preparing for it. This year, however, there are rumours that the spice groves around the city are cursed, meaning that one of the main attractions of the festival, a brew called Lotus Heron made from spices and mangoes, is in jeopardy, along with the livelihood of the family responsible for brewing it. The PCs are called in to investigate, and soon get embroiled in the tales of the city and its people.

The adventure is structured into 19 encounters or events, each which can take place depending on the actions of the PCs. Judging by the encounters and the roleplaying/combat scenarios involved, this adventure should be quite quick to play through and resolve - certainly in less than a game session. A full background and adventure synopsis is given, as well as several plausible adventure hooks to get the PCs involved. Each encounter or event reads very much like a 'Lone Wolf' or 'Choose Your Own Adventure' novel in the sense that completion of each encounter directs the PCs and DM to other encounters depending on what the PCs do. The format seems very restrictive, and doesn't necessarily cater for all the possibilities or actions that the PCs may attempt to take.

The majority of the adventure involves the PCs investigating the 'Spirit Beast' of the spice groves, and the interactions with a number of NPCs within the adventure. The only combat encounter is the adventure conclusion itself. A fair amount of detail is given to allow DMs to run the adventure smoothly, although in some cases the resolution looked 'too easy' in that NPCs appeared to quickly reveal the information the PCs may need. The appendices of the adventure contain the stat blocks of the antagonists of the adventure, and rather unnecessarily in places, descriptions of all their pertinent abilities with full text. A handy list of encounters and glossary of NPCs is also provided.

The adventure itself is relatively simple in that it involves an investigation followed by interrogation of numerous NPCs. There's little in the way of intrigue or complications, and PCs should have a relatively easy run through this adventure. The format itself is not conducive to creativity on the part of the PCs. Nevertheless, it's a solid adventure that should provide an hour or two of fun at the gaming table, perhaps even more so for non-Sahasra gamers discovering the kananauka people for the first time.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The Spirit in the Spice Groves is a simple, yet pleasing, adventure. It contains some very good artwork, and gives a taste of the Sahasra setting and in particular the city of Kishkindha and the kananauka. There's good opportunity for roleplaying, followed by a challenging final conclusion.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The format of the adventure is perhaps too restrictive, and the adventure itself provides little in the way of complications to hinder the progress of the PCs through the adventure. The adventure is short, and most gaming groups should be able to play through it fairly quickly. A few minor editing and stat block errors are present.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Diamond Gulch is a 43 page d20 adventure and the first in Amalara's Otherwhere series of adventures. Each product in the series provides a d20 adventure with a unique or non-standard flavor. In the case of this pdf, the combination of steampower technology with dinosaurs and high fantasy, along with elements of the Wild West, provide for a different backdrop to your standard fantasy adventure.

The product comes as a single fully bookmarked pdf file. The cover, by Ed Alexander, features a train pulled by dinosaurs (triceratops), an image which forms the dominating theme of this adventures. The interior art is also by Ed Alexander, and consists mainly of a few good art pieces of faces and one of a pair of dinosaurs. Editing and layout was good, as were the d20 stat blocks provided, something pleasing to see. The pdf includes several handouts and maps, one or two of which were disappointing in that they were confusing or difficult to interpret in some places largely due to the style of the pencil sketches used to draw 3D terrain. David Garrett is responsible for the writing, and does a good job of providing a clear and concise adventure.

This adventure sees the PCs getting involved in a plot related to dinosaur-rustling and attempts to shut down a small mining town's dinosaur-powered train. The adventure is based on a combination of location and event driven scenarios - the former being tied to specific locations of interest to the PCs, while the latter are events that happen over time during the course of the adventure. This makes for a very 'freeform' style of adventure where the PCs are largely left to the own devices and are responsible for driving the plot themselves based on their own actions. Should they choose not to, the event based system will eventually catch up with them over a longer timescale than one would anticipate completing the adventure in. Besides the larger plot of dinosaur-rustling and the fate of the dinosaur-powered train at the hands of a steampowered train company, there are also a number of smaller subplots involving cursed miners and murder charges. The combination of these should be a plate-full for the PCs, and provide some good roleplaying opportunities.

During the course of the adventure the PCs will get the opportunity to travel to both Diamond Gulch, the mining town, and Silver City, a larger city some distance from Diamond Gulch. In both locations they will get plenty of opportunity to roleplay as they piece together evidence and attempt to put an end to the various schemes that go on around them. Some of the encounters in the adventure, particularly those related to the dinosaurs, are a bit weak and have a very 'staged' feeling to them, but otherwise there's a healthy balance between roleplaying, investigation and good combat. Travelling will likely take up considerable time during the adventure, but the presence of the steampowered train will make things go swifter.

The pdf gives full details on the motivations and involvement of quite a large number of NPCs, and also provides brief details on Diamond Gulch and Silver City, although in the latter case these are quite lacking beyond the NPC descriptions. Full stat blocks are also provided for each of the NPCs involved. Towards the end of the pdf a number of additional options are provided for extending the adventure beyond what was written, as well as a new magical item and several mundane items such as dinosaur snacks and dynamite (although the mechanical implementation of the latter is a bit weak).

Diamond Gulch succeeds well at providing a good adventure with a solid, yet simple, plot that provides a good mix of combat and roleplaying. PCs will get the chance to investigate a number of things during the course of the adventure, while at the same time combating the threats they may encounter or face. The Wild West/Steampower theme works well along with the dinosaur material to form a different and interesting adventure. The adventure should give the PCs much to do, although at times a lot of time can be taken up wandering the dinosaur encampment or travelling between Silver City and Diamond Gulch.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Diamond Gulch is a solid adventure with a different theme that works well to provide an enjoyable playing experience. NPC interaction and combat are well balanced, and there's opportunity for most characters to shine within the adventure.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Maps and handouts were not the best, in some places looking crude, or simply being difficult to interpret. The plot line is very simple, although there are quite a few plot elements within the overall pdf.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Dungeon Dive 7: Spawning Pits of the Tomb Bats is a 37 page pdf adventure and the seventh in Amalara's Dungeon Dive series. Like others in the series, this product aims to provide an adventure location complete with traps, monsters and treasure, that a busy DM can use with minimal preparation. The adventures are written without plot or other overriding elements, allowing the DM to add his own plot to the location as well as his own NPCs and other monsters for a final encounter. Each adventure is the series is also adaptable to a wide variety of power levels - in the case of Spawning Pits of the Tomb Bats, the adventure can be adapted from 3rd to 11th level.

The product comes as a single pdf file with a complete set of bookmarks. Use of borders and color is minimal, meaning that it can be easily printed without using too much ink. Interior art is a selection of work from a number of artists, and mostly good, though not always entirely fitting in the sense that pictures of monsters don't look that much like the monsters encountered in the adventure. The maps are very good - simple and clear, and include a legend for all the symbols used on the maps. Some additional diagrams are also included to make running to adventure a smooth affair. Layout and editing was also good, and there were very few errors to pick up in the text. I'm pleased to say that the number of stat block errors is also minimal.

The pdf starts by providing some valuable and useful information regarding running the dungeon. One of the key characteristics of this Dungeon Dive is that it is very dynamic, i.e. creatures move around a lot and can be found in a variety of locations. The pdf provides a lot of advice on this, as well as on handling tactics and incursions from a party of adventurers. Setting and dungeon overview details are provided, and most of the information about the spawning pits make the location feel more alive and active. I appreciated the thought that had gone into making this a dynamic environment with lots of possible permutations for proceeding through the adventure. In places some additional information is hinted at for further plot hooks.

As the name of the adventure suggests, the adventure location is that of a spawning pit for tomb bats. Tomb bats are diminutive bats created from dire bats with the ability to spawn undead when nesting near graveyards and the like. The adventure location is a facility devoted to capturing dire bats and turning them into tomb bats which can then be set free into the wider world. This is a interesting and creative idea, and makes for a fun and dynamic encounter within the underground complex devoted to these experiments. In addition, the creatures used, while core creatures, are also very unexpected for the location and should make for some fun adventuring.

A total of 21 encounter areas are detailed in this adventure that encompass the entire facility and all its areas which include a laboratory, residence for dire bat hunters, master's quarters, guard quarters and the like. The adventure is divided into four main locations, and, given it's dynamic nature, each location starts with a description of the creatures likely to be found there. Further details on the various creatures are given in each area's description, and tactics and response to intrusion details are provided. Stat blocks themselves are included in the three appendices (one each for low, medium, and high level characters), something that I appreciated since lengthy and unused (not of the appropriate level) stat blocks can clutter the text and make it difficult to read.

Having reviewed several of Amalara's Dungeon Dive series of products, I have to say that I found this one to be the best so far. I really like the premise and location of the adventure, the dynamic nature and the tactics provided, and the layout and organisation of the adventure was good. This is an enjoyable site-based adventure that parties will enjoy and feel challenged by, and in some cases be in for some unexpected surprises. A very good product from Amalara and definitely useful.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Spawning Pits of the Tomb Bits is a dynamic and entertaining adventure with some surprising and challenging encounters, all which combine to create an interesting and creative adventure. Amalara succeeds at their aim of creating an easy-to-use adventure that requires minimal preparation, and ample scope for adding your own plot and other adventure details. Cartography was very good.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Not much. One or two minor things in the stat blocks and general editing, but these were few and far between. Art wasn't particularly fitting, and quite sparse throughout the pdf.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>