I bought this publication because it offered four things I really like: Sidetreks, adventures, pirates and ninjas. Given the $3 price tag, what could I really expect?

Well...I got pirates and ninjas...but I wanted something more. For instance, I wanted a useable scenario that could be plopped into a campaign. I didn't get that.

I wanted a useable map that could easily be incorporated into my game. I didn't get that...I got a map that does not print out well and was not really useable. (Hint: See Oone Games for their Blueprints! That is how it is supposed to be done!)

Nothing about the Sidetrek Adventures could be termed a "sidetrek." What they are is a serial release of yet another large-scale adventure strand...with a much overall higher price tag than just buying the whole thing at once. The "sidetreks" add up to a linked campaign in a highly specific and quirky game world that is anything but "side."

I'm actually not knocking the product....Sidetrek Adventure Weekly #1 delivers what it promises. It just isn't something that I can really use.

What I expect to get in a set-piece side encounter is a LOCATION. (Monster stats are cool, but anyone can get that anywhere...who cares?) So, for instance, give me a map of a building, tower, temple, house...whatever...just so long as the map is much better than what I could have drawn in 10 minutes before the guys show up. Give me some value for my money...time saved...campaign enhanced...something.

Give me the map in a black and white or blueprint form so I can actually print it out and use it. Give me both players maps and a GM map...anything but a color map that is already marked with all the secret locations and cues.

I like the general direction Louis Porter Jr. Design is taking. I just wish this series was less text and more map.

In a crumbling warehouse, ninjas and pirates attack! Technically and visually this is a very nice product. I don't know that I would call these side treks, though. You're more or less buying into a serial adventure.

Sidetrek Adventure Weekly is a new series from LPJ Design, and each product in the series provides a detailed adventure scenario that can easily be dropped into your campaign or adventure. The scenarios can either be played as stand-alone scenarios, or all 12 scenarios of the, presumably first, series can be linked together to form an action-packed and fast paced adventure. The first scenario is called Blood on the Waterfront, and sees the PCs involved in a mad skirmish in an abandoned warehouse filled with rope swinging masked monks and scurvy pirates.

LPJ Design have generally always impressed me with their presentation in short pdfs, and this product is no exception. Blood on the Waterfront features some excellent art by Anthony Cournoyer with a really gripping front cover that allows one to vividly imagine the scene of the scenario battle. But they don't just stop at providing great art, but also include a bunch of other useful features in their pdfs, including useful counters (monks only, unfortunately, so none for the pirates), a margin on each page for notes, and blank stat cards to fill in for easy reference for the various NPCs and villians of this product.

Sidetrek Adventure Weekly also features a new rating system which allows you to judge each adventure based on difficulty, magic, traps, location, etc. This is extremely useful, although it doesn't always capture the complexity of the adventure itself. Blood on the Waterfront is quite a complex scenario, involving scores of combatants, and novice or beginner DMs may have a hard time keeping track of all the elements of the adventure as they unfold around them, something that's particularly important in order to keep the action fast paced. Still, this first product has impressed me with the presentation, attention to detail, good writing, excellent stat blocks, and quality artwork.

The scenario takes place in a dilapidated warehouse, where the PCs, for reasons developed in a number of plot hooks, watch an illicit trade going on. No sooner has the cargo changed hands, that masked monks jump down on ropes from the ceiling, and a massive battle ensues with monks fighting from ropes, pirates jumping on crates, and battles raging all over the dodgy floor of the warehouse. The action is fast paced, with the entire scenario battle likely over in about ten rounds of combat, although that excludes the adventuring to be had before reaching the warehouse, and of course what happens afterwards in the second instalment of the series. DMs can cater for the outcome of the scenario as they see fit, depending on how they're planning on running the adventure - stand-alone or as a part of a series.

The general outline of the pdf details quite effectively the general flow of the battle and the precarious nature of the location. Good sections of read-aloud text are provided where needed and hints for DMs that do not wish to run the entire combat by rolling for each individual NPC. The advice for running the adventure is sound, and the attention is on the important NPCs and the PCs rather than the dozens of mooks that are running around the place. The pdf also provides two wonderful maps - one detailed with the locations of all the NPCs, while the other is more of a PC handout in that it is blank except for some minor details. Both can be used effectively to run the encounter, and to prepare for the scenario set-up. Where needed, new rules are provided, such as for fighting on the various stacked crates, or for fighting while climbing or holding on to a rope. References to page numbers in the core rules are provided for other useful rules.

This pdf certainly lives up to its promise. The action is fast paced, the scenario filled with vivid action, and there's loads of swashbuckling fun to be had. Given the sheer number of combatants, it might be intimidating for some to run, but the advice on glossing over the numbers allows it to run more smoothly. The adventure gives a few hints about what's next in the series, but doesn't really cover significant details on the overall plot of the whole series. So, those wishing to run these as a 12-part adventure will most likely need to wait for the first few to appear before deciding if they like where the adventure is going. Nevertheless, this first instalment in the series is grand and bold, and players and DMs alike will have fun describing a mad battle that's bound to excite. Very good scenario and great presentation.