I am absolutely in love with BSH, and this item feeds my need for more content. You get all the spells from the base game, plus a bunch of new ones created for the Kickstarter. The cards themselves are nice and glossy. I have never gotten cards from DT before, but the quality seems fine. The tuckbox is also fairly sturdy. I like the art, it fits in well with the aesthetic of the book. Each card has the full rules text, as well as flavor text created for this product. It is well written, and very evocative of the BSH vibe. The single tiny quibble I have is that the pdf is one card per page. Not quite as convenient as a 9-card page, but once again its a very minor thing. You get single images of each card as well.

Lots of uses for these cards. Draw one to see what spell is on a scroll, or that an enemy knows. Deal out 4 or 5 and you've got a grimoire. Personally, I'm going to go through and make a custom 'starter' mix for beginning characters to draw from.

This was well worth the money, and I hope to see more BSH content from Phil.

I can't believe I haven't written a review for this yet. I first discovered Old Skull by seeing Dark Streets & Darker Secrets on the DTRPG front page. I got it, loved it, and immediately went in search of more content for it. What I found was Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells.

Hoo-boy. How to even start. I've described this game as post-apocalyptic cosmic horror star & sorcery. I've told people it's like Star Wars, Warhammer 40K, Masters of the Universe, and Heavy Metal magazine all got blended up in one universe. It's a freakin ride, let me tell you. But, here's the thing... it only barely describes all the weird, wild, wonderful crap it mentions. A few things get a paragraph or two. The different sectors of space get a few pages of tables each, and I'll mention the tables again in a bit. And that's about it. All the background is sprinkled around in tiny crumbs all over the book. Nothing is given an extensive 'this is how it is' treatment. The Overlord (the GM) has so much room to add, delete, and modify, because it is all so sandboxy. No, that isn't a word. Reading the book, you get into the feel of the universe, without being bombarded by pages of names, locations, battles, rivalries, etc, etc. The tech level reminds me of 'demon-haunted Firefly', and the adventure creation section reads like 'H.P. Lovecraft's Stargate SG-1'.

The game system is so fun, as well. Four attributes, roll 1d20 and score equal or less than the attribute to succeed. The Overlord must roll over the PC's stat on 1d20 to affect the character. There are Tough, Nimble, Smart, and Gifted characters, each with special abilities that define that archetype. Vitality is this game's Hit Points, and they start kind of high, but only increase slowly. The powers a Gifted character can gain are varied, and dangerous. Mess up really, really bad on a Sorcery roll, and an evil clone of you might appear somewhere in the universe, intent on taking your place. Weapons and armor are abstracted into Light, Medium, and Heavy. Vehicles get a chapter, and that hoverbike illustration made me create a light transport just to have a hoverbike racing team drinking in the local bar. Which led to an entire session in an unplanned side adventure. Gear has a Durability, which is way more fun than simply marking off ammo or fuel cells. You roll 1d6, hoping to score equal or less than the Durability of the item. If you don't, the Durability drops by 1. If it reaches zero, the item is empty, used up, or even destroyed.

Yes, the book is 450 pages. There's about 100 pages of hard rules, including powers and vehicles. So. Many. Tables. Many entries have an additional 1d6 roll to give even more variety to that entry. There are tables for contents, features, encounters, and more for each of the 20 sectors. A sweet adventure framework creation section where you can randomly roll the goal, adversaries, complications, and locations of an adventure. This is, honestly, my favorite section. Near the end is a starting adventure, a prison break scenario that could end up with the party having their own starship. And enemies. More than a few enemies.

It's amazing. This game is amazing. The system is easy to use, and the setting is bonkers. Or not. Don't use the crazy stuff. No Undead Queen, no Star Gods, no Galactic Overlords. Just humans and spaceships. Maybe all the characters are from the same planet, and the game is straight fantasy. Until a spaceship crashes there. You can do so much with this game. I'm an unabashed fanboy, and proud of it. Get it. If you like alien wizards and cyborg gunslingers, this is your Happy Place.

So, wandering around on the site, I saw the cover art and clicked on it because why the hell not, I'm bored. Reading through the description, I stopped at 'plays on a 1 foot x 1 foot board'. Wait, what? And it uses standard Battlemaul sized minis? .99 huh? Sure, I'll bite.

Wow. Ok, now, the rules fit on one page of paper. Not one sheet. One page. How much detail can there be? Welllllll... a good bit. This game distills skirmish miniature battle games down into a white lightning can of whoop-ass. The system for creating your own fighters is quick, with enough generic/abstract to just let a couple of folks throw some minis they already have on a table and blow the crap out of each other. Got a guy with a big ass gun? Give him an Assault Rifle +3. Or a Gore-X Rotary Bladecaster and Tenderizer +3. Same effect, same cost, different names. There's no 17 page explanation of the various types of cover and how they interact with each type of attack. Nope. Cover is mutually decided upon by the players at the beginning of the game, and comes in 3 basic varieties that basically add a bonus to your defense rolls. Even though combat can begin on the very first activation, all models have 2 Health to start, and all hits inflict a single wound, so they all have a bit of built-in staying power. Not that they need it; games are brutal, and only last 15-20 mins at most. Combat is simple as well, with the attacker rolling a single d10 plus bonuses vs. the defender's 1d10 plus bonuses. If the attacker exceeds the defender's total, the attack succeeds. Just like that.

Oh yeah, I mentiomned activations. I have always liked this mechanic more than 'I move and shoot with all my dudes, then you move and shoot with all yours'. In FS players alternate activating models one at a time. Each activation gets that model 2 actions. These are all basic move/fight type stuff, including Guard. This, I think, may be the one thing that keeps FS from being a 5-star for me. This action is given a quick, basic description, but it's the one thing in the game I wish had a little more fleshing out. Otherwise, it's a really great, simple ruleset.

I'm kind of smitten with this one. Single-page rule sets are kind of my jam, both minis and rpg, and this one has quickly shot to the top of my favorites list. It's not Combatsledge, but that company does happen to make a miniatures game of skirmish-style gang warfare. Those minis would probably be perfect for FS. Or so I hear. However, any minis will do.

Grab this one if you like quick, dirty battles with simple, minimalist rule sets. You won't be disappointed.

I'm a big fan of the Micro Chapbook games. I really like the versatility and variety that the author has come up with. This new, separate iteration is a departure, both in theme and mechanics, but it all works excellently to create an engaging new game.

The basic Micro Chapbook system is a 1d6 'roll under your attribute' mechanic. Micro Mutants gives an effective range of 3-11 for stats, and uses a d12 to make attribute checks. Races are replaced with Mutations, each of which gives various abilities the character can make use of. More can be acquired, but if your Infection level rises too high, you become a blob of mutated goo. Equipment is very thematic of the 1980s post-apoc setting, including the ability to break down the random things you find into 'Junk'. This is the basic resource that you use to craft any items that you can't find, although they won't be quite as good as items found by rolling on the charts. You can even create unique items by combining 2 or 3 basic items. I'm looking for a spiked wristband to go with my extension cord, then I'm making me a spiked whip!

Instead of separate dungeons, your character explores an old mall, with each run starting in your home base, the Food Court. There are many different types of shops, each with their own search tables and mix of items you can find. Every room defeated, however, brings you closer to the Boss of that run. Like in previous games, each room has a randomly generated type, size, and monster content, although this game, being almost 90 pages long, has quite a bit more of each element.

Its self-contained, massively replayable, and best of all- fun. There are a couple of typos here and there, but nothing so egregious that it affects the gameplay. Overall, an excellent choice for solo gameplay, with the ever-present GM option given at the end. Worth it.

Each new entry to this series is more and more fun. I absolutely love how each self-contained game is also able to be combined with the others. But sometimes, some of those adventures can be, well, hard. A challenge is good, but sometimes you really want to be one more even footing.

Enter Epic level heroes. Humans? they're ok. Dark Elves are better. Or how about a fire-breathing Dragon Kindred? Maybe you really want to take it to the monsters in melee combat. So go ahead and write in the Epic abilities of your new Barbarian class. Or just drive everything off with your Warlord. Each of the four new classes and four new races come with some great special abilities. There are also Epic level weapons, armor, items, and rules for Epic level attributes.

Yeah, if you like the other chapbooks even a little, go ahead and throw this one in your cart. It's Epic.

These Micro Chapbook rpg's are pretty fun, basic little self contained dungeon crawler games. This expansion kicks it up a notch by adding overland mapping, with a persistant landscape to set your dungeons in. Towns are available as well, in the form of dungeon names (individual Micro Chapbooks) that are randomly rolled from whichever books you have in your collection. There are even random wilderness encounters (with new monsters!) and rules for hiring companions to adventure with.

If you enjoy these games, pick up EotR. Lots of good stuff in there.

Like many people, I've taken to cruising DTRPG for whatever new little thing to keep me occupied during the lockdown. I ran across one of the Micro Chapbook RPGs and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. This is a fun little series, with more stuff coming out regularly at the time of this writing.

Each of these games follows the same very basic foundation, with only Weapons, Rooms, and Monsters being different from one to another. The core system is roll 1d6 and attempt to score under the attribute you are testing. Combat works similarly, with a free ranged attack opportunity each round before melee. In melee, you roll for each monster in the encounter, dealing damage if you succeed your check, and taking damage if you fail. The dungeon is over when you encounter and defeat the Boss. Rooms are randomly determined from a simple chart, with an additional d6 roll to determine the size.

My only hang up is that it costs 100 gold to add +1 to an attribute. This is the only 'level up' mechanism, and after 3 dungeons my character barely has 50 gold. Fortunately, each of the games has a 3rd page, not required to play, that gives hints for running it as a group rpg with a referee, and other suggestions for hacking it.

Overall, I would really recommend this if you like a light RNG dungeon crawler.

Review: Steel & Glory Set 2, Mini-Game #46

Steel & Glory Set 2 is the first expansion for the fantasy-themed S&G game, Steel & Glory. Introduced in this set are the forces of the Elves and human Barbarians.

The units included are fairly standard fantasy fare. Elves get Bowmen, Spearmen, and a couple of stealthy types. Although they are fast, they also have slightly fewer hit points than some other creatures. Barbarians are tougher, many with charge abilities that allow them to both move and attack with one action.

The map and obstacle tiles are exactly the same as in the first set, with the exception of the Battle Tile being grass-themed instead of dirt. No reason is given as to why the obstacles are repeated. If more of any are needed, they can easily be printed up from the first set, so including them again here seems very redundant.

The 'rule book' in this set consists entirely of the scenarios from the first set being repeated. No changes, no options, just a copy/paste of that section of the rulebook. This was probably the most disappointing part of this set. It is especially perplexing considering that to use this set, you must have Set 1, which includes these scenarios.

While I do like this set, the lack of new Obstacles and Scenarios does put a damper on my enthusiasm for the new units. I feel that a little more work on each could have produced some really useful options. Overall, though, Steel & Glory Set 2 is a useful addition to the game, so grab it and start pounding on those dirty puppy-kicking Elves!

Review: Steel & Glory Set 4, Magica, Mini-Game #48

Magica is, as could be expected, the expansion that adds mages, spells, summoned creatures and more to Steel & Glory. Quite a bit is added, without the burden of pages and pages of rules addenda. The system is pretty sleek, and fits in well to the system.

Rules take up all of four pages. Mages get a set number of spells from among 2-5 'schools' of magic. The thing is, each spell is rolled randomly. You can choose which school to roll for each time, but the particular spell is chosen by die roll. This can make for some interesting combinations, requiring a little creative tactical thinking. Spells are cast by simply rolling 1D6 and adding the mage's Magic Skill. If the total is equal to or greater than the spell's Difficulty, the spell goes off. Either way, one point is deducted from the mage's magic pont pool. This can be replenished a little during play, but is still a limited resource similar to character's Adrenal score.

The units provided are quite varied. There are two magic-using characters for each of the six factions, as well as three Solos and several summoned creatures. As with all the S&G sets, counters for keeping track of units' special effects are provided on each page, as well as tokens for the units. Some of the summoned creatures are huge, taking up four spaces on the board. The Scorpion has a vicious Poison ability, and the Wood Spirit can be an absolute beast in the thick of battle.

Spell cards for each of the schools of magic are clearly written, and each page has counters at the bottom to keep track of any ongoing effects, like poison or fire. The selection of schools and spells is respectable, and each has it's own flavor. The standard Earth, Air, Fire, and Water disciplines are present, each with an associated summoned Elemental. Priestly characters have the Faith school, as well as a separate Elven school. Nature and Darkness are next, for the Druids and evil types. Primal is last, accessible by some greenskins and others. The spells are varied, and each school is themed well by the chosen spells.

I was very impressed with how much stuff is provided in this expansion. I wasn't expecting twelve new mages, plus Solos and all the summoned creatures, and as wide a selection of spells as I found. The ever-present typos creep in here and there, but I barely noticed as I went through the files. I was also glad that the required rules addition was so short. I haven't had a chance to get this expansion on the table, but there's a certain Ogre Magi in there that I'm itching to let loose on those Barony scum!

Review: Steel and Glory, Set 1, Mini-Game #45

Steel & Glory Set 1 is a fantasy skirmish board game from Avalon Game Company. It includes the complete game rules, character cards, tokens, game board, and terrain tiles. It uses the S&G battle system introduced in Monster Bash, and is compatible with it, but is complete by itself.

First, the rules. Each player starts with an equal number of points to buy units with. These cost between 5-20 points each, and the given battle scenarios range between 15-75 points. Units are defined by several attributes, from Health, Attack and Defense to Speed, Strength, Movement, and Will. Another stat, Adrenal, determines how many times that unit may use any Special Abilities it may possess. Many units are unique, named characters, but a few are not, such as Goblins and Men At Arms. Movement is on a square grid. Each unit gets two actions to perform each activation, and several units get more than one activation in a round. Actions may be used to move, attack, or possibly use a Special Ability. The attack procedure is rather unique. The attacking units adds it's Attack score to the target's Defense stat, and tries to roll that number or higher on two six-sided dice. Thus, having an Attack of 1 is much more desirable than an Attack of 4. If the attack roll succeeds, damage is deducted from Health. There are rules for units fleeing if their Health falls too low, as well as for resting to regain Health or Adrenal points. Rules are also included for Tests of Strength, Panic, and throwing objects (or opponents!). Overall, the rules are pretty straight-forward. Subjects are laid out in roughly the order that you would need them in the game. The negative here is that a few typos have snuck in.

The unit cards have a good layout, and all the information is easy to read. Basic stats are on the front, and weapons, armor and Special Abilities are on the back. The bottom of each page has the tokens for those characters, as well as any counters that are needed for those units' abilities, such as 'Stealth' or 'Poison'. The non-unique units have four tokens each. The two factions included in this set are the human Barony and the Orcs & Goblins. Lord John leads the humans, with a powerful broadsword backed up by his Command of his army. Many Men At Arms and House Guard follow him, as well as the Captains and Sergeants of the castle. Warlord Grom leads the greenskin horde, followed by orcs, goblins, ogres, trolls, and worse. Also included are a few 'Solos', units that can be hired by any faction. This set includes a Boar, Hydra, Minotaur, and Cockatrice. The cards are nice, but once again typos are present, including one armor typo that actually makes two of the orcs easier to hit! All of them are minor, however, and taking a moment or two to think about them will present an obvious fix.

Games take place on the provided Battle Tiles. Each one is divided into a 6x6 grid, and they can be arranged in any configuration needed. This set includes only a 'Dirt' tile, alternating in light and dark brown squares. Two tiles are recommended for a 1 vs. 1 fight, and up to six tiles for the larger battles. Obstacle tiles are rocks, boulders, brush, trees, and simple buildings. A couple sheets of each will provide enough variety for almost endless battles, and Battle Tiles from other sets can also be used.

The artwork for the game has a unique feel to it. I can't say that I love it, but it is consistent throughout, instead of having several different artists and styles. The cartoony, 80's-ish feel to it is not bad, but not among my very favorite styles.

I really like this game. Skirmish-level battles are my favorite type of game, and this set of rules does it well. The typos detract a little from the game, but nowhere near enough to be a deal-breaker. Some of the pages could be arranged better, especially the Obstacle pages. I'm a big fan of putting as much as possible on one page, to save paper while printing, and there's a lot of blank space on some pages. There are enough units for the two factions provided to allow for a lot of replay before the need to add more units/factions hits. The $6 price tag is more than reasonable for the amount of game you get, and supplements clock in at $3 each, making the entire set easily obtainable. If you like fantasy skirmish games, pick this one up. It hits our table about once a week, and I am planning on adding the expansions to my collection as soon as I can.

Decent. Fairly basic, but has enough little 'bits' that it should be easy to customize.

Not a bad translation of some popular culture elements. Could have had a little more in it, but overall I would recommend it as a diversion.

Not bad. I like the colors and the plain ones. Those print well on any of the earthtone cardstock you can find in supply stores. My only nitpick is that the blank dice have no 'borders' delineating the edge of the die. It has nothing to do with the assembly, just an aesthetic point I guess. Overall, pretty good. I give it a 4.

Brian