This 7 page PDF (10 with front cover, credits & OGC declaration) presents the Scion of Masada Advanced Class for the D20 Modern rules. It is presented as part of the Department 7 line by Skorched Urf Studios, a Supers espionage type setting. It is a 10 level advanced class featuring an Israeli ?holy warrior? type, of the Jewish faith. The class is named after the heroic last stand by the Jewish soldiers at the fort of Masada, who stood off a superior force of Romans, much like the Spartans held off the Persians at Thermopylae (a story you?ve probably heard 300 times).

After opening with a bit of color text, the class features are described. The Scion of Masada class is focused on stealth and knife fighting techniques, with a few supporting mystical abilities, based on his faith. The easiest way to qualify is as a Dedicated Hero, though Strong Heroes can work also, if Iron Will is chosen as a feat. As you might guess, the character must also be of the Jewish faith, a practicing Orthodox Jew, in this case, and observe the strictures and laws described in the Torah. The class is combat focused and features a d8 hit die. Scions gain a number of action points equal to six, plus ? their level, rounded down. Scions of Masada have Superior BAB (equal to their level), poor Fort saves (1/3 their level), fair Ref saves (1/2 their level), and good Will saves (2/3 their level).

Notable class skills for the Scion include Balance (DEX), Climb (STR Concentration (CON), Demolitions (INT), Disable Device (DEX), Disguise (CHA), Drive (DEX), Gather Information (CHA), Hide (DEX), & Move Silently (DEX), Jump (STR) Knowledge (Arcane Lore, Current Events, History, Tactics, & Theology & Philosophy) (INT), Spot (WIS), Tumble (DEX). This skill selection shows the stealth and supernatural focus of the class. Members of the class gain 6+(1/2 lvl,(d)) skill points per level. Bonus feats are gained at 3rd, 6th and 9th level.

The class?s signature feats are a succession of SU abilities based around the use of their ?ghost knives?. At first level they gain Ancestral Blades, a set of custom built mystical imbued blades further reinforced by composites and high-tech plastics. These blades are made to easily concealable on the Scion?s person thanks to special crafted ?skin sheathes?, artificial sheathes designed to exactly mimic his skin tone and texture, which allowing for unprecedented concealability and stealth. The knives also improve in effectiveness as the Scion increases in level, doing more damage, gaining an increased critical chance, and additional special qualities. His supernatural abilities are tied his faith and the observation of its tenets. The Scion will lose access to his abilities if he ignores core tenets of Orthodox Jewish law, such as eating non-kosher foods, or using his abilities during the Shabbat (Sabbath, sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday) and during other holidays. Additional abilities gained include Ghostcutting (4th), allowing him to attack ethereal and incorporeal undead creatures. He can also see ethereal and incorporeal creatures while touching the blades. By spending an Action Point, he can make his blades ?ghost touch? weapons, allowing them ignore natural armor and equipment bonuses to AC. The Martyr?s Fire (5th) ability allows the Scion to use the blades to cast light; he can use the blades as a focus to turn Elementals and Evil Outsiders. Finally, he can expend an action point to increase the damage done by the blades, with the damage doubled against evil outsiders. The Warrior of Masada (10th) ability allows the Scion to invoke the Spirit of a Warrior of Masada, gaining him enhanced combat abilities, either increased damage, or increased defense and healing, he can also expend action points to increase these effects. During this ?combat trance? he has no need to breathe and becomes immune to a number of effects. He also gains the Kabbalist (7th) spell like ability, making him a Talmudic Magi, allowing him access to a small number of spells.

Also included are a number of new espionage, combat & stealth related feats. Including Action Bank (gaining an additional action point each time the feat is taken), Aligned Zealot (gaining bonuses when attacking enemies of your faith), Krav Maga (MASSAD?s martial arts gaining bonuses to damage when you surpass your opponents defense), Spec Ops Stealth (allowing you ignore encumbrance penalties to stealth when carrying field gear.)

The PDF is laid out in a two spacious columns with a simple serif font used for heading and body text. The PDF features 3 pieces of interior art, all clean well done line art pieces, showing the Scion of Masada character in a couple of poses, which the nearby text wraps around, as well as a illustration of the Ancestral Knife. The cover features a the Scion activating the ghost cutting ability of the knife, against an Israeli flag, this set against a grey ?grunge? texture background with the product title in a futuristic font. The character is well drawn, with a Peter ?Aeon Flux? Chung like style. Overall the layout is pleasing and does not detract from the product, nor does it have any overdone decorative elements to suck up all your ink. You will want to skip printing the cover however.

This is a solid product though the character?s knife based abilities don?t seem particularly related to the stand at Masada. The delineation of the strictures of the Orthodox Jewish religion as drawn from the Torah/Talmudic Law is a bit lacking, and would require a bit of study by a GM to adjudicate. The class seems fairly powerful, but is limited by his allegiances and religious restrictions. It is an interesting class and adds some interesting concepts to the milieu of the Dept. 7 Setting; enterprising GMs could certainly find interesting ways to involve the player?s characters. Brutal counter-terrorist fighting amidst supernatural machinations in the tumultuous Middle East makes for interesting adventures after-all. So if the GM or players find the character concept interesting, I definitely recommend it. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Cover art. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Contradictory ability write-ups (Talmudic Magi or Kabbalist?), dubious knife abilities. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Minis are a useful, and given the detailed tactical combat systems of many RPG?s, practically necessary game accessory these days. However, traditional minis, require special storage, care, and can be a pain to lug around; not to mention the anguish of having a cherished figure lost or destroyed in a tabletop disaster. Paper minis address these issues by providing gamers with a convenient, easy to store, care for, and transport, as well as readily replaceable, alternative. There is also a wide selection of paper minis available, nearly rivaling traditional minis. ProjectGAME has added to this supply with their Battlepacks series, of which Humans is the first.

As you can guess from the title, this set provides a set of Human figures a female and male version of each of the core classes from D&D. Each figure is provided in a standup ?A-frame? version, as well as a flat counter. The instructions on for constructing the miniatures are easy to follow. The standup figures are meant to be printed on cardstock, as the instructions point out the need for proper folding and scoring of the figures, as well as recommending that they be attached to a base cut-out. This would seem to be a fairly superfluous step unless you are using cardstock, or require exact base/frontage dimensions for the system you are using.

Each A-frame figure is provided in two versions, a colored line-art front with a black silhouette on back, or as an uncolored line-art with black silhouette on back. The designers urge players to customize the uncolored versions by applying their own coloring scheme. Noting that markers or colored pencils work best, of course if I did bother to color it, I?d be likely to import it into my graphics app of choice and color it that way. (What can I say, ?I don?t F***ing love coloring!?- by hand at least)

Each flat counter is provided in a colored and uncolored line-art version as well. The flat counters show a close-up of the stand-up characters, making them more personalized. They would also be handy as tracking counters or tokens for the character.

The PDF is 7 pages (8 with cover), comprising 6 pages of counter sheets, plus instructions. As I stated earlier, male and female versions of each of the core classes, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard, are provided, as well as two bonus ?generic? male and female figures, suitable for a variety of classes or occupations. The art is rather good, featuring work from 3 different artists. It is done in a comic book/cartoon style, some with more manga influence, such as the ?Guile? hair of the Sorcerer (Sonic?) and Rogue (Boom!), others more cartoon style. The art has the same look and feel as the artwork in the core rulebooks.

Overall, this is an excellent product, providing an interesting collection of counter types with distinctive artwork. The minis are most suitable for PCs or major NPCS, though the uncolored versions of the art could work for minor NPCs and mooks. Also the silhouettes can be used to indicate spell effects, ?hidden? characters and other uses. Adding in the fact that you can print as many as you need, and prepare your own figure sheets, this is excellent value as well. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for some stylish PC or NPC minis, particularly with a style similar to the core rulebooks.

<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: clean, sharp line art, Rogue, Sorcerer. Base cutouts are of dubious value. Male Paladin, fighter artwork a bit too cartoonish for my tastes. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Base cutouts are of dubious value. Male Paladin, fighter artwork a bit too cartoonish for my tastes. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This 4 page PDF (6 with front cover & OGC declaration) presents the Lightweaver Advanced Class for the D20 Modern rules. It is presented as part of the Department 7 line by Skorched Urf Studios, a Supers espionage type setting. It is a 10 level advanced class based around the use of Light powers, similar to the Marvel X Men character Dazzler (not that lame Jubilee.)

After opening with a bit of color text, the class features are described. The LightWeaver class has a focus on artistic & knowledge abilities, to create holograms and illusions, and the easiest way to qualify is as a Smart Hero, though Dedicated Heroes work well also. The class not being solely combat focused, features a d6 hit die. Lightweavers gain a number of action points equal to ? their level, rounded down. Lightweavers have fair BAB (1/2 their level), poor Fort saves (1/3 their level), good Ref saves (2/3rds their level), and Fair will saves (1/2 their level).

Notable class skills for the Lightweaver include Computer Use (INT), Concentration (CON), Demolitions (INT), Disguise (CHA), Forgery (INT), Gather Information (CHA), Hide (DEX), & Move Silently (DEX). This skill selection shows the espionage focus of the class. Members of the class gain 5+INT modifier skill points per level. Bonus feats are gained at 3rd, 6th and 9th level.

The class?s signature feats are a succession of SU abilities. At first level they gain Illuminated Illusion and Lighstrike. The former allowing them to cast light or perform prestidigitation, while the latter allows them to cast magic missile. By spending action points both of these abilities can be enhanced. They can create a blinding flash after spending an action point with Illuminated illusion, and do more damage with light strike. At 2nd level they gain Quantum Vision, allowing them to see in the dark, or invisible with an action point expenditure. At 4th level, the Lightweaver gains their namesake ability, Weave Holograms (Showtime Synergy!), the feat tree eventually allowing them to create very believable mobile holograms. At 5th level they gain the FTL Jaunt ability, allowing them effectively teleport between areas of illumination. At 8th level they gain the Bright Flesh ability, allowing them transform into a (the Tick is) nigh invulnerable energy form.

Also included are a number of energy manipulation based feats available to the light weaver as bonus feats, and suitable for other energy manipulating characters. These feats include Artillery Mage, which allows the character to double the number of magic missiles he can generate, as well as the Mind Flame/Mind Nova feat tree. This feat allow the character to sheathe themselves in a flaming aura, and Mind Nova allows the character to hurl a fireball effect.

The PDF is laid out in a two spacious columns with a simple serif font used for heading and body text. The PDF features 3 pieces of interior art, all clean well done line art pieces, showing the Lightweaver character in various poses, which the nearby text wraps around. The cover features a the Lightweaver character in the air transforming into their Bright Flesh form, this set against a grey ?grunge? texture background with the product title in a futuristic font. The character?s waist seems a bit Liefieldian in this one, but is otherwise well drawn. Overall the layout is pleasing and does not detract from the product, nor does it have any overdone decorative elements to suck up all your ink. You will want to skip printing the cover however.

This is a solid, fun product and would work for many supers? campaigns in addition to the Dept 7 ?background? against which it is presented. The class seems balanced with interesting and worth-while feats and class abilities. I recommend it to anyone interested in a Supers type class for D20 Modern, and definitely for anyone playing in a Dept 7 type campaign setting. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Weave hologram, Bright Flesh ability. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Cover art is a touch too Liefieldian. Contradictions in ability write-ups.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Fantasy Music Set 5, by Silven Publishing, is a collection of 5 music tracks (not 4 as mentioned in the product description. This reviewer finds the occasional bit of music played as part of the staging of the game helps people to focus on the game itself. It can also deepen players? involvement in the game by providing a ritual element to your play. When used appropriately, much like the score in a movie, background tracks can heighten and reinforce the emotional reaction to the unfolding game play. The 5 tracks are titled, Bustling Town, Countryside, Epic Struggle, Hero?s Awakening, and Shrouded in Mystery. Also included is a jpg and PDF file of an anime style fantasy scene with a male warrior with a pet dragon on his shoulder and female magic user, looking into a cave, a full moon low on the horizon behind them. It is a bit too kawaii chibi for my tastes, but competently done.

Bustling Town (1:56) is a lilting string dominated piece with a tambourine highlighting the rythym. It is reminiscent of the Conan soundtrack. It strikes me more as a better travelogue piece, as it is upbeat and quickly moving, where a more cacophonic jittery piece would imply a bustling town. Countryside (2:45) (the track is labeled Travelers in my mp3 player) features a guitar riff, with flute and tambourine piece. It imparts a moving, montage like feeling, and is appropriate for a travel piece. Epic Struggle (1:53) (Battle on my mp3 player) is cacophonic piece with martial drums and a flute-like flourishes. It also includes distorted synthlike elements reminiscent of video game music, with some 80s action movie style bombast. Overall it is quite a rousing piece with a chaotic feel, perfect for a battle piece, and a lot of fun. Hero?s Awakening (2:54) is a rising yet sorrowful piece opening with mournful strings. It features a flute with a triangle and some harpsichord-like picked strings in the background as well as a few flourishes from a drum. It is a moving piece, appropriate for a scene of rising action, ensuring there is no avoiding conflict now. Shrouded in Mystery (2:27) is a high pitched up-tempo piece featuring a distorted rising synth melody, with a tense background of strings, and punctuated drum beats. It certainly implies a mood of unseen menace and the unknown.

The songs are presented as 128Kbps 44hz Mp3s, suitable for conversion to CD audio. They are of good quality, with no particular distortion or artifacts.

Overall, I thought the music was good, and would serve as an engaging score for a more ?dungeonpunk? type game. If you are looking for some good theme/mood music to jazz up the staging of your game, this music set will fill the bill, if you?re willing to pay the price. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Epic Struggle/Battle track<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The price is about 4 times too high in my opinion. In this age of iTunes, a buck a track is fairly standard. For the price, you could buy a movie soundtrack or three. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Ripped Off<br>

Part of the Antique Maps series by Split Eyed Productions, Paris of the 1600s is a large scale map of the city, circa 1664. It is presented as a single (Xbox is) huge jpg, weighing at 17MB, 7800px by 6532px of glorious map porn. Now, like all good map porn, it is of most interest to game masters. It is a colorful artist?s rendering type affair, even showing peasants in the field, street names in hand-drawn script. It, as is Paris, is centered on the river Seine, La Riviere De Seine, as the map informs us. So it is a gorgeous map with plenty of flavor and ?narrative? detail. You won?t be able to run a battle on it, but it can certainly add a lot of atmosphere and inspiration for running a game. That said, because it is so large, it is only suitable for printing as a poster, you would need to have it printed at your local print/copy shop to do it justice. Thus it would have been nice if the product included say 4 or 8 PDF sections of the map. A single zoomed version of the map, and then quartered pieces of the map would make it more readily useful.

Overall, it is a gorgeous bit of map pr0n dripping with atmosphere and narrative bits to inspire a GM. However, short of having it professionally printed, the GM will have to do some cutting and pasting of his own to produce something to share with the players <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: street names, arty whimsical nature of it.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Could have been made more useful with a few PDF pages. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

This 6 page PDF (9 with front cover, credits & OGC declaration) offers a detailed overview of the ubiquitous dungeon accessory, and favorite by pitch-fork wielding mobs everywhere, the torch. It includes a history of the torch as related by one ?Tobin Mefisto?, human bard, as well as a discussion of various details and rules bits regarding torches and related items. Also included are a number of both unusual crafted torches, and several magic ones as well. Also included are a number of related spells.

Included are rules for makeshift torches, including burning times and illumination distances. Also included is a rule for a -1 penalty to the will saves of any enchantment spells cast on character?s watching a speaker in torchlight.

The next section provides rules for specially treated torches crafted from one of five types of resinous woods, cedar, cypress, fir, pine and spruce. Each produces a special effect for those within its area of effect. Next a few magical Torch variants, including the Pillage Flame, the Detonation Torch, and various ?torch powders?, are described.

Finally 3 new torch related spells are included, Douse, Unseen Illumination, and Unseen Sconce.

The PDF is laid out in a two spacious columns with a simple serif font used for heading and body text. Several pieces of clean, well-done line art are used throughout the text, each featuring a torch or dungeon like theme. Overall the layout is pleasing and does not detract from the product, nor does it have any overdone decorative elements to suck up all your ink.

Adventurer Essentials: Torches is an excellent niche product. It provides a bit of campaign color in its first-person writing, as well as providing both useful and interesting rules additions in the form of rules for makeshift torches, alchemically treated torches, magic torches and powders, and new torch related spells. I highly recommend it to anyone who would be interested in adding some detail and interest to the ubiquitous dungeon accessory. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Pillage flame, makeshift torches rules.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: no information on lighting torches. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Due to the many games with detailed tactical combat systems, miniatures have become a necessary evil. This puts those of us who have neither the desire, space, or cash to collect traditional miniatures in a bind; miniatures make handling combat much easier, but how to use them without having to handle a ton of minis. Paper minis provide a good solution for to this problem. Paper minis provide a nice alternative to traditional minis, in that they are inexpensive and disposable. When they are packaged as a PDF, you are provided with a reusable, readily available source of minis for your games. Print those that you need, when they get to be a pain to have lying around, you can throw them away, with PDF tucked away for when you need to print some more. They are also handy for ?collectors? of traditional minis to provide additional figures, or non-precious stand-ins if you don?t want to worry about your minis being damaged or lost at an unfamiliar, or merely overcrowded, gaming table.

The figures in Arion Games? miniatures sets come in 3 styles, ?A-frame?, ?Flat?, and ?Triagonal?. The ?A-frame?, and ?Flat? figures can be constructed from the same sheets, depending on how they are cut-out. The ?Triagonal? minis are constructed from a separate sheet. These construction choices provide additional options in preparing your minis for use in the game, major characters or monsters can be constructed as the ?Triagonal? versions to provide a more visual flair, and to emphasize their importance. Other figures can be done as ?A-Frame? or flat versions to make them easier to handle or distinguish them from each other, thus providing a functional use beyond their graphical characteristics.

The instructions are easy to follow and assembling the minis is quick and painless, just requiring a bit of work with scissors and some glue. This particular set requires an extra bit of work putting together Triagonal versions of the large Dragon-lord figures, but nothing to strenuous. There are also instructions provided on how to prepare a custom sheet of figures to meet your specific needs. The minis look good, even when printed on plain paper. Each figure is drawn from a 3D rendering (done in Poser using figures provided by DAZED, according to the credits), providing sharp detail and life-like shading, even when printed.

This 6 page PDF (7 with cover) is Arion Games Science Fiction ?Villains? set, though bad guys set is more appropriate as it provides largely rank and file antagonists, rather than ?boss? level bad guys befitting the term ?Villain?. This set features an expansive selection of 30 SF antagonists, mostly rank and file troopers & officers as well as more colorful character types, such as assassins, bounty hunters. The set also features an Imperial General and an Emperor figure, who can reveal their plans to the all but defeated rebel scum brought before them. The look of the figures is near-future muted body-suits and bulky weapons, though the Imperial Officers look to have come from a galaxy far, far away.

The miniatures include two Bounty Hunters figures, one looking more Cyberpunk than Space Opera, the other wearing a striking suit of light body armor in red and grays, as featured on the cover. Though she doesn?t look to have a jetpack, and is more likely to shoot first and freeze later. Next we have a fat gray-skinned Crime Lord sporting some serious belt-roll and a large staff-like weapon. Then we have a wild looking Assassin figure, looking like a vampire on a meth bender sporting a strange gas mask and wrist-mounted weapon. Next, is an Emperor figure, bald and clothed in a large flowing black trench coat and a set of shades. Then we have an Imperial General figure in some vaguely medieval looking powered armor. Next we have the Imperial Agent and Imperial Pilot figures, both sporting sharp black bodysuits with a gritty near-future feel. Next we have a Rogue Marine figure, who looks to be AWOL from marines of the Space variety, rather than the Colonial type. Next we have a Trance Mistress figure, who looks like some kind of trash glam raver. Next are two Mutants figures, who seem to be largely more squat and oddly colored anarchists, than 3 armed freaks. Tromping down the corridor next, we have the bulk of this set?s figures, ten Imperial Stormguards, who feature dark black battle dress and squarish assault rifles, their faces encased in a skin-tight mask. Commanding these troopers are five Imperial Officers figures, each wearing a gray dress uniform and gray beanie-like hat.

Also included in the set are three ?vehicle sized? figures, a Imperial Sentry Walker figure, a squarish sloped bulky mech-like walker type robot, and two gunmetal gray Imperial Speedbikes figures, ready to race through a forest or across a trackless desert.

Overall, this is a solid set from Arion games, the figures all feature a gritty near-future motif, with bits of Cyberpunk and more fanciful Space opera elements thrown in. They would work well in general Sci-Fi and space opera games, and some near future and cyberpunk games as well. The Stormguard figures would also make good agents for a Supers game or mooks in a HK Action type game. The textures and features are all believable and sharp. Thus I recommend this set to anyone looking for a set of figures to represent a large organization of bad guys to pit against their players in an SF or Cyberpunk game, with potential use in a Supers or HK Action game. Adding in the fact that you can easily prepare your own sheets of Stormguards and print off an army if you like, this is an excellent value as well. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Trance Mistress, Assassin, Stormguards<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Emperor figure is a bit plain.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

This 10 page PDF (13 with front cover, Credits & OGC declaration) provides a fully-fleshed out group of 4 NPCs, each of whom are part of a SAS (UK Special Air Service) Patrol, 12 Patrol in this case, for use in D20 modern campaigns. Information is provided on how to use 12 Patrol in a campaign. Each character description includes a stat block, two lists of common possessions, one kitted for when the character is operating ?in the field?, and one in plain clothes/undercover missions. Also provided are a number of role-playing blurbs for each character, a story hook is provided for each character, providing reasons why they might be involved with the PC?s, Also included are notes on Personality, Aptitude, Failing, Goal, Motivation, some sample quotes, and also notes on the type of tactics the character would employ in a standard combat, a long range engagement, a short-range engagement, and a melee battle.

The four NPC?s are T. James Mackay, the multi-lingual survival specialist, and commander of 12 Patrol (Smart Hero 2/Fast Hero 3/Soldier 2/Infiltrator2/Gunslinger 2: CR 11.) Next is Staff Sgt. Jack Lewis, the hard drinking 12 Patrol ?Shooter? (Fast Hero 3/Dedicated Hero 2/Gunslinger 1/Soldier 4; CR 10.) Ready for inspection next, is Sgt. August MacDonald, the blunt, gregarious Scout for 12 Patrol (Dedicated Hero 3/Fast Hero 2/Infiltrator 2/Soldier 3; CR 10.) Rounding out 12 patrol is Sgt. Daniel Allen, the nigh-arrogant and religion grounded 12 patrol medic (Dedicated Hero 3/ Smart Hero 2/Soldier 2/Field Medic 3; CR 10.) All of 12 Patrol are highly competent, as befits Special Forces members, so the GM will want to be careful to not overshadow the PCs. As in other Teams products by DQG; the NPC?s have well drawn personalities and include hooks for including them in your campaign.

Also included are stats for several uncommon and in some cases, newly adopted weapons. The Colt Canada C7A1 & C8A1 (Canadian M16 variants, adopted by UK forces), the HK53A1 (a cut down version of the German HK33 assault rifle, basically an over-gunned SMG that fires the 5.56 NATO rifle round). The Heckler & Koch MP7 PDW (Personal Defense Weapon), a very new (I hadn?t heard of it, and I lurves me some Gun Porn) subcompact automatic used by 2nd line troops, vehicle crews and other personnel who don?t carry assault rifles. It entered production in 2001, British MP units adopted it in 2005, and it was just adopted by German troops. It fires 4.6x30mm HK ammo, a special low-impulse, high-velocity ammunition, capable of penetration of current military body armor and helmets at ranges of 100 meters and beyond. Last is the Sig Sauer P228 auto-loader, a compact version of Sig?s fine P226 automatic pistol. There are no illustrations of the weapons, which is a minor failing, especially with regards to the MP7 and HK53, as most people will never have heard of nor seen them, even closet Gun Pron lovers like myself.

The PDF is laid out in a two columns with a comfortable amount of whitespace; however, a sans serif is used throughout for the body text, which appears to be Arial or a similar font, which makes extensive reading a bit tiresome. The header uses a red texture over a set of ?3d? bars, with a similar bar graphic for the footer of each page. Each character section is highlighted by a grey button done with a pillow emboss which is both pleasing and makes for quick referencing. As this was the screen version, I don?t know if the header and footer graphics are included in the print version, if they are, they will suck up quite a bit of ink. The art is fairly sparse, each character has a line-art head shot, one of which looks oddly disproportionate and off. Also included are a couple pieces of stock art. The cover features a gray swoosh above a montage of military/espionage stock photos, and looks ok. Overall the layout and graphics are passable, but didn?t provide a cohesive feel to me.

Overall, this is a good product, providing D20 Modern GM?s with a believable squad of SAS Operators (though they could have been made to feel a bit more characteristically ?British?). They can be readily used by a GM, with little work, either as a group or individually. I recommend it to GM?s running a SpecOps type of campaign.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Character failings and motivation RP blurbs. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Serif font used as body text. No Gun Pron Pics!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

This 9 page PDF (12 with front cover, Credits & OGC declaration) provides a fully-fleshed out group of 5 NPCs, each of whom are part of a Hit Squad, for use in D20 modern campaigns. Information is provided on how to use the Hit Squad in a campaign. Each character description includes a stat block, a list of common possessions, also provided are a number of role-playing blurbs for each character, a story hook is provided for each character, providing reasons why they might be involved with the PC?s, Also included are notes on Personality, Aptitude, Failing, Goal, Motivation, some sample quotes, and also notes on the type of tactics the character would employ in a standard combat, a long range engagement, a short-range engagement, and a melee battle.

The five NPC?s are ?Fat-lip?, a rough tumble riot-girl melee specialist. ?Professor?, a self-assured mastermind the de factor leader and poison expert of the hit squad, ?Sarge?, the squad?s demolitions expert and ?wheel-man?, or in this case wheel-woman. Next in the roster is ?Smoke?, the squad?s overconfident theatrical gun-slinger. Rounding out the roster is ?Tiny?, the squad?s genial sniper, though he actually uses a Battle Rifle and not a sniper rifle. The characters are all CR 6, except for the Professor who is CR 8, and thus are all pretty competent. All of them have 2 or 3 levels in an advanced class as well.

All of the character?s come off as being fairly colorful personalities, more suited to a Hong Kong action movie than a gritty military or espionage thriller. This provides GM?s with an advantage in that most of the characters are interesting character?s in their own right, and thus can be readily featured in an adventure as a supporting character.

The PDF is laid out in a two columns with a comfortable amount of whitespace; however, a sans serif is used throughout for the body text, which appears to be Arial or a similar font, which makes extensive reading a bit tiresome. The header uses a red texture over a set of ?3d? bars, with a similar bar graphic for the footer of each page. Each character section is highlighted by a grey button done with a pillow emboss which is both pleasing and makes for quick referencing. As this was the screen version, I don?t know if the header and footer graphics are included in the print version, if they are, they will suck up quite a bit of ink. The art is fairly sparse, each character has a well-done line-art headshot, also included are a couple pieces of stock art. The cover features a gray swoosh above a montage of military/espionage stock photos, and looks ok. Overall the layout and graphics are passable, but didn?t provide a cohesive feel to me.

Overall, this is a solid product, providing D20 Modern GM?s with a flavorful group of off the shelf NPCs to drop into his game with little work, either as a group or individually. I recommend it to GM?s who are looking for some interesting characters to use in their games, or as a readymade group of rivals or antagonists for their players. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Character failings and motivation rp blurbs.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Serif font used as body text<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Due to the many games with detailed tactical combat systems, miniatures have become a necessary evil. This puts those of us who have neither the desire, space, or cash to collect traditional miniatures in a bind; miniatures make handling combat much easier, but how to use them without having to handle a ton of minis. Paper minis provide a good solution for to this problem. Paper minis provide a nice alternative to traditional minis, in that they are inexpensive and disposable. When they are packaged as a PDF, you are provided with a reusable, readily available source of minis for your games. Print those that you need, when they get to be a pain to have lying around, you can throw them away, with PDF tucked away for when you need to print some more. They are also handy for ?collectors? of traditional minis to provide additional figures, or non-precious stand-ins if you don?t want to worry about your minis being damaged or lost at an unfamiliar, or merely overcrowded, gaming table.

The figures in Arion Games? miniatures sets come in 3 styles, ?A-frame?, ?Flat?, and ?Triagonal?. The ?A-frame?, and ?Flat? figures can be constructed from the same sheets, depending on how they are cut-out. The ?Triagonal? minis are constructed from a separate sheet. These construction choices provide additional options in preparing your minis for use in the game, major characters or monsters can be constructed as the ?Triagonal? versions to provide a more visual flair, and to emphasize their importance. Other figures can be done as ?A-Frame? or flat versions to make them easier to handle or distinguish them from each other, thus providing a functional use beyond their graphical characteristics.

The instructions are easy to follow and assembling the minis is quick and painless, just requiring a bit of work with scissors and some glue. This particular set requires an extra bit of work putting together Triagonal versions of the large Dragon-lord figures, but nothing to strenuous. There are also instructions provided on how to prepare a custom sheet of figures to meet your specific needs. The minis look good, even when printed on plain paper. Each figure is drawn from a 3D rendering (done in Poser using figures provided by DAZED, according to the credits), providing sharp detail and life-like shading, even when printed. This 8 page PDF (9 with cover) is Arion Games? second set of alien miniatures. This set features a selection of 18 Xenomorphs, big scary bug aliens to hunt and terrorize the PC?s. The aliens in this set are all larger, fitting into the large size category in D20 type games. They feature a variety of appendages, chitinous spiky strikers, slimy and noisome tentacles, and other pseudopods of unknown purpose. The set includes one Mantrap figure (a large bulbous body topped by venus fly-trap like flowers & head), two Sluglin figures (large comical seeming bipeds with two eyestalks rising from their noseless, large mouthed heads), three Alien Plants figures (one with a bulbous base and 3 fungi like motile heads, another bulbous based alien with a slender neck leading to a large fungi like head, and slim vaguely cactus shaped plant with a large multi-leafed mouth). Next is a variety of single figures, each a verity of spiky/tentacle bug to attack your players. The Chega figure is a large armored segmented worm-like creature with a mulit-tusked maw, the Husk figure is a vaguely scorpion like creature with a large sting and two sets of long spindly legs, and a set of feelers/limbs somewhere between antennae and tentacles. The Vebra figure is an odd plantlike creature with bi-segmented chitinous body and a set of three stalked limbs protruding from each end (It seems like it would have to be either floating, sessile, or a swimmer, or low gravity native.) Next is the Gatch figure, a green chitinous monstrosity on a set of dual back-kneed legs, a large powerful tail, two striker tipped ?arms?, and two sets of tentacle/feeler type limbs. From these creatures we move onto the neon green Slurm figure (It likely could be drowned in water and the expectorant turned into addictive soda no doubt), a segmented, suckered worm-like creature around the size of a large python. The Egwa figure features a more hulking animal like build, two strong legs, balanced by a long tail, support a forward torso/thorax featuring a pair of fearsome striking tusks, alongside a maw featuring two curving tusks. The Slag Monster figure is an amorphous creature sporting a variety of pseudopods, tentacles, and segmented grasping mouths, it would no doubt be comfortable lurking in a trash compactor on giant space station the size of a small moon. Next is the Curulu, a mishappen lump of ugly brown flesh from which alight a variety of thin, unsettling looking segmented tentacles, and powerful looking armored tail. No doubt it would drag a hapless PC off into some extra-dimensional hellspace where it dwells, to slurp away his soul and vital organs through a super-string silly straw. Next, is the Slig figure, a delicate, but deadly segmented, armored insectile looking predator, using its two large forelegs, and smaller reversed rear legs, to pull and push itself along at an in human speed, clicking it four mandible limbs intent on dragging it?s victim to it?s gaping, suckered maw. Then there is the bulky Gripa figure, it features squat massive stumpy tail upon which is set a small torso and four gnashing mandible forelimbs to draw prey to it?s mouth. Somewhat sad is the Sack figure, a plant-like creature with a bulbous central body set on a thin leg leading to four long segmented toes. Its top is surmounted by a flexible, whiplike limb and a small biting orifice. Lastly, we have the Kluth figure, featured on the cover, this creatures splayed bent legs bring to mind the fast two-legged dinosaurs such as a Velociraptor, It?s legs meet a cresecent shaped body, ending in a large powerful tell at one end, and it?s largish head and mouth at the other. Descending from the shoulder are four wicked looking striking limbs surmounted by wicked tusks.

Overall, this is a pretty good set from Arion games, the creatures presented are rather horror sci-fi xenomorph in style, and would work best in games focused on combating nasty alien creatures, perhaps a group of tough hombres like colonial space marines. However, several of the creatures have a more nightmarish look to them, and could be used in a horror game. Some of them would also work in a fantasy game, or in a D&D game based in the planes or sigil. The textures and colors are pretty good, none seeming terribly off. Thus I can recommend this set to anyone looking for some nasty spiky/tentacled beasties for their game. So if either of these scenarios fit, I recommend this set. Adding in the fact that you can print as many as you need, and prepare your own figure sheets, this is an excellent value as well. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Kluth, Egwa, Slig, Curulu<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Sluglin figures look too goofy/comical for my taste.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Miniatures, for those of us who don?t want to ?collect? minis, due to limited space, cash, or desire, are a necessary evil due to the many games with detailed tactical combat systems. This puts us in a bind; miniatures make handling combat much easier, but how to use them without having to handle a ton of minis. Paper minis provide a good solution for to this problem. Paper minis provide a nice alternative to traditional minis, in that they are inexpensive and disposable. When they are packaged as a PDF, you are provided with a reusable, readily available source of minis for your games. Print those that you need, when they get to be a pain to have lying around, you can throw them away, with PDF tucked away for when you need to print some more. They are also handy for ?collectors? of traditional minis to provide additional figures, or non-precious stand-ins if you don?t want to worry about your minis being damaged or lost at an unfamiliar, or merely overcrowded, gaming table.

The figures in Arion Games? miniatures sets come in 3 styles, ?A-frame?, ?Flat?, and ?Triagonal?. The ?A-frame?, and ?Flat? figures can be constructed from the same sheets, depending on how they are cut-out. The ?Triagonal? minis are constructed from a separate sheet. These construction choices provide additional options in preparing your minis for use in the game, major characters or monsters can be constructed as the ?Triagonal? versions to provide a more visual flair, and to emphasize their importance. Other figures can be done as ?A-Frame? or flat versions to make them easier to handle or distinguish them from each other, thus providing a functional use beyond their graphical characteristics.

The instructions are easy to follow and assembling the minis is quick and painless, just requiring a bit of work with scissors and some glue. This particular set requires an extra bit of work putting together Triagonal versions of the large Dragon-lord figures, but nothing to strenuous. There are also instructions provided on how to prepare a custom sheet of figures to meet your specific needs. The minis look good, even when printed on plain paper. Each figure is drawn from a 3D rendering (done in Poser using figures provided by DAZED, according to the credits), providing sharp detail and life-like shading, even when printed. This 14 page PDF (15 with cover) offers a specialized selection of ?Dragon-lords? miniatures suited for use as ?arch-villains? or ?arch-heroes? in an epic fantasy RPG. Each set includes a Dragon and Dragon-Lord rider. Each particular dragon & dragon-rider pair includes five figures, a Dragon-lord figure, a horse-mounted Dragon-lord figure, a ?vehicle sized? Dragon-Mounted Dragon-Lord figure, a Hatchling Dragon figure and a Dragonling figure.

The six Dragon-lords includes a lithe Dragon Lady in some Red Sonja esque outfit (the bonus set includes a version of the Dragon Lady in plate) on a western style lizard-like Green Dragon, an Evil Dragon-lord, in gothic style plate, or perhaps ornate cuir boilo-it?s kind of hard to tell, on a western style scaly Black Dragon, a Dragon Mage with a floating ball of light in hand, and wearing a hippy looking rainbow cape, on a western lizard-like Blue Dragon, a Noble Dragon Lord wearing what I would guess to be gold plate, but it is a bit too much on the orange side and lacks a metallic luster, on a komodo dragonish Copper Dragon, an Oriental Dragon-Lord, wearing samurai armor with a katana, on a snake-like Chinese luck dragon type Oriental Dragon (Must be some kind of a Memoirs of a Geisha movie thing going on,), an Undead Dragon-lord, attired in a set of gothic dark brown cuir-bouli or possibly plate similar to the Noble Dragon-Lords, on an Undead Dragon, a zombie dragon as the dragonling, yet it is a skeletal dragon in the mounted figure. The dragon-lord figures and individual dragonling figures seem scaled down a bit to match the larger size of the mounted dragon figures. The dragon-mounted Dragon-lord figures all look great, with the rest of the figures looking pretty good all around.

Overall, this is a solid set from Arion games, though of more limited appeal than usual. A nice assortment of ?poses? and equipment is provided for each major character and his or her dragon, the details on them look good for the most part. The Dragon mounted versions of the dragon lords are of course the real money shot of this set and look very good. If you happen to be running a Dragonlance chronicle, or similar dragon themed game, this is a great set to get. Otherwise, they are some nice looking figures that you won?t have as much use for. Though the horse mounted and unmounted versions of the dragon-lords are still useful for other fantasy and some historical games. So if either of these scenarios fit, I recommend this set. Adding in the fact that you can print as many as you need, and prepare your own figure sheets, this is an excellent value as well. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Dragon Lady, mounted dragon lady<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: dragon mounted Noble and Undead Dragon-lords armor coloring is weird.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Miniatures, for those of us who don?t want to ?collect? minis, due to limited space, cash, or desire, are a necessary evil due to the many games with detailed tactical combat systems. This puts us in a bind; miniatures make handling combat much easier, but how to use them without having to handle a ton of minis. Paper minis provide a good solution for to this problem. Paper minis provide a nice alternative to traditional minis, in that they are inexpensive and disposable. When they are packaged as a PDF, you are provided with a reusable, readily available source of minis for your games. Print those that you need, when they get to be a pain to have lying around, you can throw them away, with PDF tucked away for when you need to print some more. They are also handy for ?collectors? of traditional minis to provide additional figures, or non-precious stand-ins if you don?t want to worry about your minis being damaged or lost at an unfamiliar, or merely overcrowded, gaming table.

The figures in Arion Games? miniatures sets come in 3 styles, ?A-frame?, ?Flat?, and ?Triagonal?. The ?A-frame?, and ?Flat? figures can be constructed from the same sheets, depending on how they are cut-out. The ?Triagonal? minis are constructed from a separate sheet. These construction choices provide additional options in preparing your minis for use in the game, major characters or monsters can be constructed as the ?Triagonal? versions to provide a more visual flair, and to emphasize their importance. Other figures can be done as ?A-Frame? or flat versions to make them easier to handle or distinguish them from each other, thus providing a functional use beyond their graphical characteristics.

The instructions are easy to follow and assembling the minis is quick and painless, just requiring a bit of work with scissors and some glue. There are also instructions provided on how to prepare a custom sheet of figures to meet your specific needs. The minis look good, even when printed on plain paper. Each figure is drawn from a 3D rendering (done in Poser using figures provided by DAZED, according to the credits), providing sharp detail and life-like shading, even when printed.

This 7 page PDF (8 with cover & assembly instructions) provides bumper crop of 45 paper miniatures featuring a selection ?Science Fiction Heroes?, all suitable for use as PC or major NPC figures. The clothing and equipment is space-opera inspired lots of body suits and long robes with sharp angular cuts. Some of them are reminiscent of the style of the Andromeda TV series, now cancelled-- deservedly so after the 2nd season, which hyper-jumped the shark. However, they would work well for D20 Future, StarCluster, Hard Nova, Traveller, and similar Space Opera type games. The figures include Agents, Bodyguards, Mercenaries, Pilots, Psychics and similar SF archetypes. All told 30 separate types, plus a bonus selection of 15 ?rubber forehead? alien figures, based on the human figures in the set. In addition, four vehicles are included, a hover bike, assault car, assault hovercar, and ?Orion personal Transport?.

The miniatures include three Agents figures (two male and one female, whose bright blue ?uniform? makes her look like she works security at the local Latex Fetish club,) three Bodyguards figures (two male, one in armored clothing sporting a pistol, one looking like some ?Future Sport? player with breastplate and large ?stick?, and female in slick striped bodysuit with largish gun,) two Engineers figures (both carrying some fearsome looking tools,) two Explorers figures (one male looking quite quixotic in his long robe, and one female in an kneeling action stance,) one Master Psychic figure (looking wise and scholarly in his futuristic tunic and leggings,) six Mercenaries figures (sporting a wide assortment of styles, armor and weaponry, all of whom like they stepped out of Unreal Tournament?which is a good thing,) one Asteroid Miner figure (looking like some kind of anarchist and sporting a large mining tool of some sort,) three Pilots figures (one looking quite brash, the others more businesslike,) two Psychics figures (the male looking like crystal pusher and the girl like she just stepped out of the chill room at 4 day rave with top-loaded pig tails,) three Scouts figures (one of whom makes me want to shout ?I am Tyr Anasazi, of Kodiak Pride, and I will not be denied!?,) finally, it includes four Starship Crewmen figures (in a wide variety of uniforms, from body-suited bridge-rats to military-styled senior officer types.) Then there are the 15 variations of these figures with the aforementioned styles, on which alien heads have been substituted. The variety and detail of the clothing is excellent, with all the textures looking quite good

The four vehicles figures include a Hover Bike figure (all long and thin grey plast-steel composites,), an Assault Car figure (a souped-up dune buggy that the Master Chief would be proud to drive,) a Hover Scout figure (featuring an elongated bulb fuselage sitting on a armored skirt with a huge jet in the back, ?to make it go.?, it looks sleek and fast and is lightly armed,) and an Orion Personal Transport (which looks to be some kind Anti-grav or hover pod one-person flying car contraption.) Nearly all of the textures and details on the figures are sharp and look great. (It should be pointed out that publisher addressed my previous complaints about the kneeling figures being a bit too dark, and went back and touched them up, great support!)

Overall, this is a really great set from Arion games. The figures are varied and look great, and with the addition of the ?rubber forehead? aliens, you get an excellent value too. The figures would fit a wide variety of space-faring SF games, and some of the figures would work well in near-future, cyber-punk, and even Super-Hero games. The Vehicle figures look great, though are less applicable to other games, though the assault car could see lots of use in near-future, espionage, cyber-punk, and military games. I recommend this set to anyone who needs some distinctive SF styled figures for NPCs, PCs, or just to provide some stylish extras for their games. Adding in the fact that you can print as many as you need, and prepare your own figure sheets, this is an excellent value as well.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: "Tyr" Scout, Pigtails Psychic. Publisher addressing problems with my previous complaints and released revised version<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No Rommy android figure? <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

Miniatures, for those of us who don?t want to ?collect? minis, due to limited space, cash, or desire, are a necessary evil due to the many games with detailed tactical combat systems. This puts us in a bind; miniatures make handling combat much easier, but how to use them without having to handle a ton of minis. Paper minis provide a good solution for to this problem. Paper minis provide a nice alternative to traditional minis, in that they are inexpensive and disposable. When they are packaged as a PDF, you are provided with a reusable, readily available source of minis for your games. Print those that you need, when they get to be a pain to have lying around, you can throw them away, with PDF tucked away for when you need to print some more. They are also handy for ?collectors? of traditional minis to provide additional figures, or non-precious stand-ins if you don?t want to worry about your minis being damaged or lost at an unfamiliar, or merely overcrowded, gaming table.

The figures in Arion Games? miniatures sets come in 3 styles, ?A-frame?, ?Flat?, and ?Triagonal?. The ?A-frame?, and ?Flat? figures can be constructed from the same sheets, depending on how they are cut-out. The ?Triagonal? minis are constructed from a separate sheet. These construction choices provide additional options in preparing your minis for use in the game, major characters or monsters can be constructed as the ?Triagonal? versions to provide a more visual flair, and to emphasize their importance. Other figures can be done as ?A-Frame? or flat versions to make them easier to handle or distinguish them from each other, thus providing a functional use beyond their graphical characteristics.

The instructions are easy to follow and assembling the minis is quick and painless, just requiring a bit of work with scissors and some glue. There are also instructions provided on how to prepare a custom sheet of figures to meet your specific needs. The minis look good, even when printed on plain paper. Each figure is drawn from a 3D rendering (done in Poser using figures provided by DAZED, according to the credits), providing sharp detail and life-like shading, even when printed.

This 3 page PDF (7 with cover & assembly instructions) provides a set of 19 paper miniatures featuring a selection Dark Elves figures, such as warriors, archers, defenders, warlords and spider knight.etc. It also includes the larger ?vehicle-sized? figures, a Giant Spider, and a Male Drider and Female Drider (Apparently these Dark Elves are equal opportunity polymorphers.).

The figures include one Dark Elf Queen figure (looking regal in her gown with long red ribbons in her hair, steeped in the blood of upworlders no doubt,) two Dark Elf Archers (though technically crossbowmen would be more accurate,) one Dark Elf Priestess figure (looking quite striking in a long translucent conical skirt,) one Dark Elf Mage figure (his clothing eliciting a middle eastern look,) one Dark Elf Warlord figure (With his fanned cape, he must be the g**damned batman,) two Dark Elf Defenders figures, looking striking with the ornate light armor and winged conical helmets,) one Dark Elf Standard Bearer figure, two Dark Elf Warriors figures (who both look quite striking in the vaguely middle eastern dress with ornate armored leggings,) one Dark Elf Sorceress figure (looking like a dancer in her garment and wrappings, my purple dancer?) one Dark Elf Warrioress figure (who looks quite imposing with ornate shield and pole arm,) one Dark Elf Drummer figure (sporting the ornate vaguely middle eastern clothing style and winged conical helmet,) and finally one Dark Elf Spider Knight (looking quite bad ass, dual wielding a set of scimitars, Kiss my Drizzt?).

Also included are the three ?vehicle? figures, one Giant Spider figure, of which there are two copies (looking like a black widow with small armored body and spindly legs.), one Male Drider figure, his scratchy golden-brown spider body featuring a giant bulbous thorax which dwarfs humanoid torso, and finally one Female Drider figure, her spidery body, also featuring the giant bulbous thorax dwarfing her humanoid torso, is a slick black with a bit too much shine to be believable.

Overall, this is a pretty good set from Arion games. This is an earlier set in the series, and the figures are a bit smaller and muddier compared to the later sets. In addition, I am not fond of the purple color used for the Dark Elves? skin color, admittedly it comes out closer to black than purple when printed, but I would have preferred a nice light black/dark grey for the figures. Additionally, some of the hair and textures seem a bit too plastic and shiny in this version. The costume and accouterments however look very good, affecting an ornate, vaguely Middle Eastern dress that makes them look distinct and imposing. If the coloring of the figures doesn?t cause you any cognitive dissonance, I recommend this set to anyone looking for a stylish, distinct set of Dark Elf minis. Adding in the fact that you can print as many as you need, and prepare your own figure sheets, this is an excellent value as well. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Priestess figure, Defenders, Warrioress<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Purple skin coloring, Textures a bit too shiny, hair a bit too plastic on some figures.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

OVERVIEW

Cold City is ?Paranormal Espionage? RPG set in the ?front lines? of the brewing cold war, Berlin after world war two. From the introduction;

"In the ruined city of Berlin, a city slowly rising from the ashes of conflict, another war is being fought. An underground war to turn back a tide of evil unleashed by the Nazis. An evil unseen by most of the world, horrors brought about by the ceaseless progress of twisted technology and lunatic schemings of evil minds."

Against this backdrop, player?s take on the roles of agents of the RPA (Reserve Police Agency), a clandestine agency established to combat the eldritch horrors and monstrous experiments left behind by Nazi experiments, both scientific and sorcerorous. Its members are drawn from the major powers of the post war era, America, Britain, Russia, and France, carrying all the propaganda driven preconceptions and prejudices that typified those nations at the end of World War 2, when nationalism was at a fever pitch in reflection of the tremendous war effort made by each of their peoples. So then it is a game pitting characters, with their own agendas and little reason to trust one another, against horrific enemies against which they must unite, or face utter, brutal defeat and destruction; a destruction against which even the most infamous of Nazi atrocities would pale in comparison.

The 125 page PDF (129 with covers & ad pages) is comprised of six chapters, an introduction, Twisted Technology & The Reserve Police Agency, Character Creation, The System, The Cold City: Berlin 1950, and Running Cold City, also included are several appendices, providing a glossary of terms, a timeline of Major Events of the Cold War, Equipment, a listing of Influences and Inspirations, Designer?s Notes, and a character sheet.

CHAPTER ONE & TWO These chapters provide an introduction to the major themes of the game, and an overview of the supernatural and political elements which form the crux of the games conflicts. It is notable for rule that no character can have the same Nationality as another, and therefore, the characters will have a tacit interpersonal conflict as part of the play of the game. It provides for a multi-layered game, keeping play from evolving into simple monster bashing, or sinking into straight horror. After the monster has been defeated, who gets to pick up the pieces and cover up the evidence is important. Not only are you Mulder and Scully, you are also Krychek, with a Cigarette Smoking Man to answer too.

CHAPTER THREE This chapter covers character creation. Character?s have only 3 broad ?attributes?, Action, Influence and Reason. Besides the basic attributes, character?s have at least 5 Traits, which are skills, talents, and other advantages, or disadvantages. Two of their traits must be ?negative? traits. In addition to the attributes and traits, characters have Hidden Agendas, Both national and a personal. These are goals the character?s are supposed to be advancing while performing their RPA missions. Finally, character?s have Trust ratings for the other characters. These trust ratings can add to the character?s action when they are attempting a task where they rely on that trust, or they can take advantage of it and gain a bonus when they betray other character?s to advance their own agenda. This is determined by a group process. Trust is initially based on national attitudes, modified by the character?s personal history with that character. Thus the trust mechanic provides a major shift in effectiveness to a character?s in-game actions, and thus can drive play.

CHAPTER FOUR The System chapter introduces the resolution system. Cold City uses a ?Conflict-resolution? system. Unlike systems such as D&D which focus on task resolution, your performance a specific act, hitting with a sword, conflict resolution resolve the broader outcome of a situation. Not if you hit, but did you defeat your opponent. The system is a simple comparison of D10s versus D10s, with higher numbers providing successes. You gain dice for you pool first from your applicable attribute, then advantages (merely a die), finally you can engage your character?s hidden agenda, doubling his effective attribute, or call upon Trust, adding dice to your pool that way. It is important to note that as part of this process each participant in the conflict set?s ?Stakes.?, their preferred outcome for the situation. The more successes they have, the greater the extent to which their Stakes are met, giving them more scope to narrate the outcome of the conflict, and more consequences from the outcome (lasting and notable effects upon the participants in the conflict.) It should be noted that these mechanics are very much geared to story/narrative driven play. In which how the character is affected by the conflicts and how it affects the unfolding story is stressed, rather the mechanics and details of the conflict, per se. Using conflict resolution mechanics will give you a summary of the fight, not the pages of detailed blow by blow of a task based resolution, for instance.

CHAPTER FIVE This chapter provides an overview of the city of Berlin in the Cold City universe. A couple of maps are provided along with an overview of the city and it?s notable locations, as well as details to evoke the tense, grimy, partially ruined nature of the city. Some of the major organizations and notable NPCs are detailed as well. Little story seeds and details are also provided, such as in the description of Spandau prison (No information is given on any ballet performances there however, nor whether the rumors of an 8th Prisoner is ?true?.) Examples of each of the main types of monsters are also provided, the alternatives, such as the Hellhounds, once normal humans and animals twisted into killing machines, The Incursors, otherworldly beings such as the Music Maker, brought into this world from others by Nazi sorcery and science, and the Spezialeinsatztruppen or ST?s, fallen soldiers, reanimated and sent to fight again by desperate Nazi scientists.

CHAPTER SIX This chapter discusses running Cold City. It discusses how to engage the deeper levels of the game as both the character?s and players become familiar with the deeper truths of the setting, and their relationships with the other characters. It also focuses on having the character?s react to the shifting moral landscape of vying powers, shades of gray in a twisted and blackened landscape, with hideous things hiding in the shadows. The sample adventure, Prisoner #8, provides an excellent introduction to the style and thrust of the play of the game. Also included are a couple of adventure seeds.

APPENDICES The book is rounded out by the appendices, providing a glossary of terms, mostly setting specific, a section of weapons and equipment, with only sketchy details, as befits the system. From the details in he Influences and Inspirations section, and the Designer?s Notes, one can glean the particular slant and style to which Cold City is suited. It mentions several Indie RPGs, Forge-Style is more accurate. Matt Snyder?s Dust Devils, Tim Kleinert?s The Mountain Witch, some of Gregor Hutton?s game documents, are mentioned, and Sorceror mechanics are mentioned as a direct influence. (Cold Cities dice pool system is largely the Sorceror mechanic with D10s.) Some more familiar and useful references to specific movies are provided. Nightwatch and Hellboy are standouts, a listing of interesting sites with information on the cold war are provided, providing plenty of historical detail to mine for story fodder.

LAYOUT & PRESENTATION Cold City sports some very nice graphical design. Each chapter is headed by a gorgeous grayscale art piece of some of the various monsters the characters can encounter. Each page is bordered by vertical graphics with the page number and chapter title on it. Each page has a light background graphic eliciting the grim, horrific mood. A variety of distressed fonts are used for headings, and it features an easy to read body font with plenty of white space. Overall it is a gorgeous design. However, as a PDF, it sucks. Specifically, it is likely to suck up all your ink, especially the chapter graphics and page information graphics. So you will either want to get it printed at your local print shop, or only print out the character sheet and some important rules bits.

SUMMARY Cold City provides an atmospheric, tense multi-layered experience to its player?s. As they deal with the horrors they must face and the equally sinister job of negotiating their loyalties and morals among the gray area of black ops. It does present a ?non-traditional? play paradigm, with its focus on story and ?sketchy? conflict resolution, at the expense of character building and detailed action and adventure as with D20 games. However, its setting is fresh and engaging and makes it a worthwhile purchase on its own. Thus if either the concept or the setting appeals to you, I recommend it, if only because it makes a good Nightwatch RPG.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Emphasis on intraparty conflicts and betrayal. Fresh and engaging setting. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: PDF is direct port of print version, and thus nigh unprintable. System is bit light.?<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

Thieves? World Gazetteer is a 142 page PDF (145 with Full color cover, credits & OGL License page) for D20/D&D 3.5. It consists of seven chapters. Chapter one covers running a Thieves? World campaign, chapter two provides a timeline & history of Thieves World setting, chapter three provides an overview of the known world, chapter four provides a discussion other the other planes of existence & cosmology of the Thieves? World setting, chapter five contains an survey of the God?s of the Thieves? World setting, chapter six provides additional rules material, including new cultures and prestige classes, and a chapter seven provides a short bestiary.

Chapter one provides an overview of the continent on which the city of Sanctuary is located, describing its various environments and how they are related to Sanctuary, and how the relative cultures/lands are viewed by the peoples that inhabit it. Chapter one also includes a brief section on linking Thieves World to other campaign settings. Then campaign types based on the various historical eras are discussed, which amount to different ?power? level campaigns focused on the Ranken era, as represented in the first set of thieves world books, and the Irrune era, as presented in the second series of Thieves? World books.

Chapter two provides a historical overview of the continent, detailing the rise, and fall, of the Ilsig, Enlibar, and the Ranken Empire. With details on current events leading to the present situation in Sanctuary, as presented in the 2nd series of Thieves? World books.

Chapter three provides an overview of the Known world, detailing the main nations & city states of Thieves? World, along with information about their people and culture, government, religion, resources, notable locations and interesting features. It should be noted that characters are likely to have relatively little knowledge of other places in the Known World, and such information could be incorrect, due to the lack of widespread travel in Thieves World. This chapter is quite lengthy with entries on the major cultures, as well as sections on the minor cultures. A large scale map of the continent is provided, spreading across multiple pages, as well as a detailed grayscale map of Sanctuary and its immediate environs. Also included in this chapter are small rules bits, such the stats of an Ilsabari knife, or the Greater God Azen. The chapter concludes with a section on Lost Civilizations, chiefly Enlibar, home of the famous Enlibar steel. Also included is a section on Yenized.

Chapter four covers the cosmology and ?outer planes? of the Thieves? World setting. It includes discussions of the 12 Planes of Magic, the Many Paradises, the Underworld, and the Seven Hells, and The Astral Plane, and a few other miscellaneous mystical dimensions, providing additional opportunities for adventure outside of sanctuary.

Chapter 5 provides an overview of the gods of the Thieves? World setting. It includes a section describing worship of God?s in the Thieves? World setting, including a detailed section on Avatars, and their appearance in the setting. Next the gods of each pantheon are discussed, including details on their priests and Godsworn. This chapter is filled with lots of cool little rules bits regarding divine powers, avatars, familiars and similar rules bits.

Chapter 6 provides additional rules for cultures, such as the black-haired barbarians, and Firaqa. Also included are new backgrounds, such as dancer. (which is what, presumably, to which the rather interesting picture on page 108 relates? can you say HLA?) Rules are also included for epic level characters, as well as applying templates to characters. Next is a section on birthright feats. Finally, the chapter closes with additional prestige classes, some of the more interesting ones being Demonologist and Enlibrite Steelshaper.

Chapter 7, weighing in at a scant 12 pages, provides a short bestiary. Though, to be fair, it should be pointed out that monsters do not play a large role in the Thieves? World setting. Notable creatures from the books include the Sikkintar, and the Spiders of the Purple Mage, and the Winged Folk.

A 3 page Index is included as well.

The PDF itself is a very attractive affair, done in black & white with grayscale artwork. It is laid out in two columns with plenty of white-space. It features an appealing decorative font for section headings, and a clear readable font for body text. However, many section headings are done as a white text on a solid black bar, another ink waster, while others use a thick rule or thin double rule. The header and footer use a dark text color on a solid textured graphic, which was presumably colored in the print version, which is going to kill your ink and mortally wound your toner if you print the PDF. The color is a nice full-color piece featuring some Thieves? World character?s I don?t recognize heading up a hill from a bay in the background. Pretty, but another terrible ink sucker. The artwork is of decent to good quality, done by a number of artists, ranging from simple line art to ?painted? grayscale pieces.

Overall, this is an excellent product, packed with lots of meaty detail to expand a Thieves World campaign to include elements of the larger setting. The various cultures and history are described well enough for players to involve the rest of the Known World in their adventures, and the world beyond, as the case may be, opening up a vast array of adventure possibilities. The information provided on the gods and their worshipers, as well as the additional cultures, backgrounds, and Prestige Classes, can add a lot of variety to an existing game. So, if you are playing a D20 Thieves? World game set in Sanctuary, and want to include adventures beyond its walls, this is a great buy. If you want to run a Thieves World game in another system, it is still worthwhile for the world details and information on the gods and it is even a worthwhile purchase for a plain old Thieves? World fanboy. Unfortunately, as PDFs go, it is a masochistic purchase if you want a print-out of it. So only print out bits you need, or get it printed a print-shop, your ink/toner cartridge will appreciate your mercy, not to mention your wallet. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Section on Gods and outer planes, Avatars, Sikkintar stats. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The print version of a PDF should not be the PDF converted from the dead-tree version of the product, but the PDF with the ink-wasting decorative elements and fancy backgrounds removed, thank you, drive through. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>