Digital version is great. The image quality is...low to intentialky resemble print quality of the 80's, methinks. (Look at a magazine from that era the print is grainy. The art is fabulous. The artist is futuristo 80's with Sunday morning cartoons mixed with anime action poses.) An underlining mood of a nation on its own - independence. You are alone but not alone with the machine scarecrows everywhere, lighting your way from the distance as pinpointed beacons of light, as if fireflies were gathering from the powered life still pulsing in the machines circuits.

I have not gamed yet, product purchased more as an interest, so not sure how all the robot internet evil master really affects any kind of gameplay with the game master popping a helmet in your lap to interact with the them that has destroyed your country. Adventures seem more theatre of the Mind rather than text book mechanics as in Dungeons and Dragons. But that's OK, as the gsmemaster can develop good stories for players to use the helmet scanner like a key for exploring locations of interest.

Interesting theme world. I edit review when free as I typed this out free form without referring to the correct info in the game.

Can't give 5 stars because 1e D&D is the originator, so CC version is a solid 4 star. A little simplified rules making roll less or easier. If you want to get back to 1e, want advanced rules - not 2e, less crunchy than 3e, and back to DM control not player control as is 5e, then CC is for you.

Fun rating for 3 stars because the DM may need to railroad the players into the encounter, and if the players are not fond of tavern trickery with being baited with alcohol or games of chance, the players may be resistant to follow the all powerful gnome.

I do like the power of the "shunting magic" where the PC's are just within the doorway trap limit to be automatically shunted into the tavern by one-way teleportation or gate doorway. And no save to resist being forceably pushed into the tavern?

This scenario is a great example of an idea in need of metaplay, where your players must be open to whatever just to play D&D because the players know the DM has something they can't avoid, and as long as there is no great chance with dieing they are fine with whatever.

I love the Masterpiece being the Hulk. There should have been a grog concoction to raise the Hulk from the Dead. That would be a 4 star rating!

If you are a diehard anime fan, and have never played standard D20 RPG's, and never experienced OD&D/OSR/OSE, and you are not over 50 years old, then, this complex movie action visual-themed rule-styled game is for you to figure out with new players excited to try a table top game for the first time ever. Possibly, this is a game for players who have experienced Murder Mystery parties and Dinner Theatre shows, and most likely with Larping experience from White Wolf, such as Vampire the Masquerade. Or an anime fan.

I rated 3 stars because I am not a Larper fan and a game based upon the Cowboy Bebop setting, where your character is a Bounty Hunter (BH), is 3 stars minimum. Cool and Respect.

Honestly, I stopped trying to figure out the rules, so I can not rate higher because I lost interest. The player who runs the game is called the Big Shot. (In other RPG's, this role is the Dungeon Master, game master, story teller, judge, etc.) If I could experience a play test I would figure this all out, and running this game as a Big Shot (BS) I would need several sessions to practice with players to figure out when to when and what to what. The game is setup with a Bebop theme, I suppose, so all terms kind of relate to the theme you are to roleplay.

The game system will be hard to explain because the rules are not about types of different dice to be used for character skills and abilities, and no specific dice are needed to succeed or fail versus challenge ratings because Cowboy Bebop uses only d6's. There is no initiative because your turn is based upon the Test you discussed with the BS to achieve success or failure in three Tabs, using your Traits for action results where your BH rolls d6's for Hits to succeed and the BS counters with Shocks. Forget about me explaining where or how the Clock comes into all of this, where your BH adds Hits and your BS adds Shocks to challenge you achieving your Test. And if you fail you can Push to add a die to try again but if you fail you cross two slashes off your Bullet and then you go into a Phase. That's all I got, so far.

If you don't have a character strength, or a personality, or a querk, your BH will not achieve their Tab to achieve their Test goal. This is where roleplaying appears. If you can not include your character background story and Traits into your turn you fail and receive a Shock. Example: If you do not, imitate Bruce Lee's fist knuckle clench everytime you fight an opponent, one Shock against you. If you do not include your signature backflip landing cat-like the way Spider-Man and Black Widow do, fail, and you recieve a Shock.

Sounds fun if you have energy and hyperness to keep this up every encounter, or Test.

To help you create your story background using Cowboys themes to help visualize your BH actions, you need to sellect an Approach. The description examples used sound like an Alignment that decides your BH moral decisions to explain their actions: Rock, Dance, Blues, Tango, Jazz. No, you do not dance around to a music type, but your action is a feeling of the music type, I presume, like an anime chase scene with music in the background, or the Cowboy Bebop opening them song. So an Approach is just an action without no morality involved. (Example with using an alignment to explain the reason for the Approach: Rock = Chaos, Dance = Evil, Blues = Law, Tango = Chaos or Evil, Jazz = Law.) So your Traits help influence or decide on your Approach, by how your BH looks and acts.

For extra challenges, the Big Shot can add Risk to a die roll on top of Shocks.

I feel the style of the gameplay is based off the original anime series and not from the streamed adaption. Judging from the game art using clipped art from the original series, I bank my opinion this game is influenced from the original anime though game mechanics tend to not have any kind of agenda in mind, and if you have not viewed the original anime, or never cared to view the remake adaption, then this game is for anyone who is a fan of Cowboy Bebop. Young and old. Well, maybe not the old.

One thing I like about the Cowboy Bebop universe is the fact there are Astral Gates which could bridge this setting to any other RPG world you know or would like to involve, like any sci-fi settings, such as: Spell Jammer, Blade Runner, Traveller, Star Frontiers, or Star Wars, etc. I feel this game is more a roleplaying interactive game creating a story with the Big Shot. No maps. No Dungeons. More a Larping and Theatre of the Mind gameplay. And if you are a fan enthusiast, Cowboy Bebop will have you creating many Traits to imitate your favorite character.

You need to read whole series as comic is too good to stop with one issue.

If you are bored with your own campaign pick this book up for more boring exploration. I would use this as a encounter input uto spice up an existing or planned visit in a running adventure. If players are tired of encountering Dryads and Pixie dust protecting a forest and blocking a path to a location the PC'S need to explore, change up story to include something from this book for a surprise. Or maybe a destination plane hop is needed to bypass the forest gaurdians.The book is interesting as is Planescspe material but it's also boring. Shelve book until you can figure a way to incorporate material in own campaign, or just use Dark Roads and Golden Hells as a new break ftom bypassing that forest blockade.

Great side trek for The Trollskull Manor. I wish the Phantom was fleshed out more because he became a mascot for the PC'S before I read the Haunting. The PCs weren't happy with having to kill the phantom and were disapointed. Anyways, this side trek of poltergeisting the PCs home has been a great insert for the Dragonheist Adventure. Many heart string story hooks to keep the PCs annoyed enough to deal with the bad guy problem.

SPOILER ALERT! Reborn is the issue straight after Artifacts#13, so do not read any review because it gives away the ending and gives away the new beginning. Once I finish all 13 issues, I will return to give a proper review. My rating is low because I am not impressed with the art design. The standard for beautiful, rugged and handsome characters, are the norm for most of Top Cow comics, especially in the Witchblade Universe, so I do not like the ugly realism presented in this issue. Angelus is an example. Maybe the art resembles a 2D image belonging on a game piece that urks me? Though bad guy is creepy and cool. If the whole comic was inked black, the rating would be higher than two stars. I do know the 13 Artifact issues will be divided by different writers and artists, so this artist will receive higher ratings if the script is good. And in Reborn, it was ok for what tidbit of information the comic wanted to reveal to the reader, so the rating got one point higher than a 1 star. Reborn’s short dialogue is enough to wet my appetite to read the new beginning. But probably not. I am a believer on fantasy reality with boundaries. So I hate regurgitated storylines, with same never-ending characters. Until I finish the Artifacts series, I do not believe I will continue with this Universe, as all good things must come to an end. Shit, I still printed more than I wanted to print.

Artifacts#0 has been given a 5 star by me, because it is an origin story tying everything together we know, or need to know, about this comics story about 13 Artifacts. Most Witchblade fans will be familiar with the artifacts described (the Angelus artifact is clear cut, where Angelus#0 missed this mark of detail). But no matter, this new series is stand alone, no need to cross reference with other comics, as Artifacts gives a crash course for the new reader to the Witchblade Universe. Artifacts begins the comic with an interesting scenario: a floating trapped hot-bod, femme fatale, whose name we learn is Aphrodite a cyborg killing machine, is the last of her kind – at the moment. The story path gives us everything we need to know about the origin stories for all the artifacts attached to a primary keeper, all the while waiting for Aphrodite's captor to reveal the cyborgs fate with her role with the 13 Artifacts. With most #0 beginning intro origin starting comics, the spending budget is normally not fully invested, but with Artifacts#0, I would defend the artistry with comparing the quality on par with Top Cow premium comic series, such as Witchblade, Fathom, or Grimm Fairy Tales. The penciler may have used a marker to define outlines and borders, and the colourer may have dropped solids with no shades, but the appeal to me is the idea a person has smudged features from being submerged in liquid when viewed from outside a viewing tank, such as the globe trapping Aphrodite, and a wet look is given when person is viewed when one emerges from some type of liquid, which happens when the cyborg is dumped out of the globe trap. This origin beginning, is a great starter for Artifacts#0, it has everything to interest you to invest in the 13 comics to follow. The Magdalena teaser showcase: Who is the caped woman the church elder is giving a history lesson too, could it be Magdalena herself? The revealed assassin is a twist to misdirect the reader into believing Christ’s daughter, Magdalena, must be stopped from destroying one of the 13 Artifacts, the Spear of Destiny! Another great intro into a character involved with one of the 13 Artifacts.

I liked the messy art style because it feels busy and detailed, and the haziness lends a far away visual, like this story is in a dream. This style gives the impression the artist was on a budget because the Cerberus slaying was hard to see any detail with the guardians’ death and the same with Dani chopping off the Chimera humanoid head but you don’t actually see her chop the head off. So a shortage with story panels is noticeable and to some the art could look scribbled. I did not know this comic was an expansion from the Witchblade comics, so for readers not having any clue about Witchblade, will not understand what's going on. I am familiar with Witchblade, so I understand Dani was once, more powerful, and now she is not – but still kicks butt because she now is a host for the Angelus? I think. This is the core of this comics problem; it is for Witchblade fans. I haven't read the Witchblade comics in years, and most recently have read none, so I have no clue who Dani is in the Witchblade Universe, except the Angelus comic explains Finch and Dani have both been a vessel for the Angelus, not the Witchblade. If I do not know what a Witchblade is, how will I know what an Angelus is? I get one shot story arcs from a primary comic line, like Bat Man, with separate stories for Robin, Cat Woman, even the bad guys have eventually spawned off on their own, such as Joker and Harlequinn. In the Angelus story, I am not sure I would continue following Dani because I am not a fan of Witchblade and I do not know enough to care about this character to continue reading more comics from Angelus. I am curious how the story will end with Dani and the angel bad guys, or are they demons or devils? But the lack of knowing the origin story fails to interest me because I know I would need to purchase possible out of print Witchblade comics, or Google online for background information. So Angelus fails to capture my interest because the comic is written more for fans without too much information. I picked up this comic as a Free Comic Day download I believe, mainly for the flashy hot angelic figure on the cover. And now knowing the hot character is on the fence with becoming a lesbian, Dani has lost her lustre for me; for others, they will dive in wanting to read what fence Dani chooses. Angelus has potential with all the super hero action combat Top Cow's Witchblade is known to produce, and has potential to provide sexy characters sitting on whatever fence they sit on.

NOTE: Artifact#0 explains Angelus better on one page.