PCs in Lords of Gossamer and Shadow are fragile gods; beings of great power with nearly-human weaknesses. This product is designed to remind the players that their Wardens and Lords are fragile--and not as close to the top of the cosmic food chain as they may believe themselves to be. :)

The Otherworld gives your LoGaS campaign a brand new and utterly terrifying threat to the multiverse, and a half-dozen ways to entangle your players with that threat. It's all too easy for LoGaS players to become confident in their understanding of the game's cosmology, and their character's place within it. One encounter with the Otherworld and Otherworldly entities detailed here will shake that complacency to the core--in a good way.

All the Gossamer Worlds products are good reads, but this one one is by far the best value for the price; It's not just a place to visit, it's an entire campaign arc.

If anyone in your game asks "how strange can a gossamer world get?" Poetica Mundi is your answer: It's fantastic, surreal, & brilliant.

Writing the whole thing in verse was utterly mad, and I love it. GlimmerGloam was the previous high water mark for "out there" gossamer worlds. It has been surpassed. :) 

Giant Robots! Giant Monsters! In a Fate Core adaptation of the original setting!

It's obvious that the author has a real love of Japanese kaiju cinema--there are plenty of references and call-outs to the classic rubber monster movies I grew up watching. There's also a compete campaign here, with an elaborate alternate history and tons of hooks to engage your players.

Personally, I want to blend this with Kaiju Patrol (also powered by Fate), so I can include some Ultraman-style action, side by side with the mecha.

Great Power updates the ICONS power rules with more detail, more flexibility, and greater variety, while remaining true to the original game's rules-light sensibilities. Extras, Stunts, and Limits allow powers to be customized to suit just about any concept a player can come up with. More detailed information is provided for nearly every power, explaining how to apply it in game terms, and indicating which Extras and Limits work well with it.

The power list here is better organized than the one in the original book, so it's easier to find the specific ability you're looking for. Many 'constructed powers' like Prehensile Hair and Possession get their own entries in the alphabetical list which refer the reader back to the necessary Powers, Extras, and Limits used to build them. It's very easy to use as a reference during play.

The artwork is by Dan Houser, so the book has strong visual continuity with the rest of the ICONS line, but the updated layout and power-icons give the whole package a fresh graphic look.

Summary: If you play ICONS, you want this book!

Action Castle II is the sequel to the original Action Castle game. Parsely games are an homage to the text adventure games of yore. One player portrays the computer parser, the other players (1-100 of them!) input commands to control the in-game character on his quest.

Years have passed since the original Action Castle, and a new hero stars in this adventure - a humble cobbler from the village near Action Castle...

Not only has the Action Castle setting changed with time, the presentation and style of the product have developed as well. The 'Parsely engine' rules are not included in this game (experience with the original Action Castle is required). That leaves more room for a much more elaborate adventure. Action Castle II not only has more locations than its predecessor, each location is fleshed out by having multiple responses provided for the most likely player commands. The responses are a bit more sarcastic in style as well; they give the impression that, from the 'computer's' point of view, the kid gloves are now off. Action Castle II will likely end with a few senseless deaths for most groups, before the path to victory is discovered.

As a bonus, a Parsely mini-game is included with Action Castle II. Consisting of only two locations, 'Flaming Goat' is a rather surreal encounter/puzzle, ideal for introducing the techniques of Parsely play to players who haven't experienced the game before.

Action Castle is the first Parsely game. For a fan of early computer-based text adventures, such as myself, the Parsely system is fascinating -- it's both a nostalgic nod toward games of yore, and a hilarious send-up of the sorts of things that happened in those games.

It was always great fun to sit at the keyboard with a friend or two, trying to figure out the puzzles of ZORK, or the Infocom adventure games. Parsely takes that experience (rather than the default 'solo play' style) and turns it into a party game: One player portrays the computer parser, everyone else comes up with commands which the parser interprets in the most literal fashion possible. Those commands control the in-game character as he explores his environment, trying not to die.

Much of the fun here is in the parser's performance, I suspect; delivering the adventure's sometimes cryptic, sometimes maddening lines in the right sort of HAL9000-inspired deadpan, and injecting just the right amount of malice into the phrase "You have died. Start a new game? (Y/N)".

The actual adventure in Action Castle is relatively short, and seems intentionally reminiscent of the opening of the venerable ZORK game. It's a good introduction to the method of playing Parsely, and its challenge level is ideal. It will frustrate players just enough to make them want to play again.

(full disclosure: I am a freelance writer working on Adamant's MARS line, so my comments may be biased. :) )

'Warriors of Mars' is an excellent expansion for MARS. Savage Worlds excels at blending tabletop miniatures action with roleplaying adventures, and MARS as a setting is perfect for the sort of sprawling tactical battles that Savage Showdown does so well. The Good: 'Warriors' details combat troops for all the various races in the MARS setting, and includes three tabletop battle scenarios so you can set up and play immediately. The Savage Showdown rules and a custom 'Warriors' Excel troop-builder spreadsheet are even included in the download. The artwork (primarily by Jesus Garcia Lopez) is gorgeous and very evocative. All told, 'Warriors' is a great value for the price. The Bad: Unfortunately, there are some spelling and grammar errors which slipped into the final product. Nothing that makes the text unreadable or the information unclear, but it is an annoyance in an otherwise fine product (and the cause of my 4-Star rating instead of the 5-Star rating I wanted to give).

The Smallville RPG is a concise and well-written game. The rules are based on Margaret Weis Productions' Cortex System, but in a heavily modified form, designed to suit the 'soap-operatic' style of the source material.

In the Smallville game, characters are described not by 'stats' and 'skills', but by Drives -- Values such as Truth, Justice, and Love; and by Relationships -- the connections between the PCs (called Leads) and the NPCs (called Features). These are rated by a die code d4 through d12, and a descriptive phrase. When a character acts, two dice are rolled -- one for the Drive that motivates the action, and one for the Relationship that is most affected by the action. Why your character chooses to act is at least as important as the action he or she chooses to take.

Everything else about a character; personality quirks, skills, talents, superhuman abilities, gear, locations, minions, etc. are treated as additional dice that can apply to rolls. This handles the plethora of different resources character might call upon in a straightforward and elegant manner. A meta-currency, called Plot Points, is earned by adversity (sometimes self-inflicted adversity) and spent on Special Effects or to activate stunt-like abilities.

Many of those abilities add or subtract dice from the Trouble pool -- a pool of dice used by the GM to represent any difficulties faced by the players which do not emanate from fully-statted-out NPCs. This gives the ebb and flow of tension during an 'episode' a tangible representation on the table. As the Trouble pool gets larger, you can easily imagine the soundtrack of the episode swelling toward a climax!

Physically, the pdf is beautiful to behold, and very readable. The latest version includes a full set of bookmarks for easy navigation. Colored text is used throughout to emphasize the special vocabulary used by the game, and illustrations are plentiful and thematic. The art is primarily stills from the show, which makes it very easy on the eyes. The text presents plenty of ideas and techniques that will be new to many readers, but it does so in a comfortable style; neither too erudite nor too chatty. The books' one flaw in my opinion is the lack of a one-sheet summary or flow-chart of the Test and Contest rules, and a one-sheet summary of the Plot Point rules.

The chapters on character creation and campaign creation (the two activities are done side-by-side) include the best description of how to create a Relationship Map that I have seen in any gaming product. The chapter on how to create episodes scene by scene that develop from that map is the best description of how to use a Relationship Map that I have ever seen. These chapters alone are worth the price of the book to any GM who wants to learn to use more 'cinematic' pacing in his or her games.

The Smallville RPG is ideal for re-creating the type of adventure and melodrama that characterizes the Smallville TV show, of course, but it has a lot to offer gamers who are not Smallville fans as well: The rules can be tweaked with minimal effort to produce play in the spirit of virtually any TV drama, past or present. This system has already become my go-to system for TV-inspired roleplaying -- with or without 'superpowers'. I recommend it to anyone who wants to give 'relationship drama' roleplaying a shot.

I am happy to say that the issue with the download of this item is now resolved. The product is just as useful as advertised; It can be used to create new heroes and villains for Heroes Inc. games, and, with modest tweaking, can also be used to create new characters for any of the other S&G battle games.

Good: In addition to the point-build information, there are several randomizer tables included, which allow the user to come up with new characters 'on the fly'.

Bad: The powers list could include more powers -- but any powers list could include more powers. :) The available ones are adequate, and the advice for creating new powers beyond the list is very useful. I would also have liked to have seen a bit more info on creating 'troops' such as agents, cops or SWAT team members. It can be done with the system, but some example builds of characters at that level would have been nice.

Satisfaction Overall: Very satisfied!

This has to be one of the best superhero games on the market! It is free-form and rules light, but with just enough crunch in the power creation section to satisfy someone with a HERO, GURPS, MnM or MSH background. The first chapeter, dealing with the history and function of the superhero genre should be a must-read for anyone running any superhero game. The extensive bibliography that ends the book is likewise a must-read.

In between those two chapters is crammed a complete character creation section, with many example powers and two full example character builds; complete rules for handling action and combat; a gamemastering section chock full of ideas for running classic superhero schticks; and three complete campaign set-ups, each ready to play. Whew!<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The open nature of character creation is intoxicating. Any ability you can describe can be statted out with just a couple of numbers. Concepts that would push a HERO, GURPS, or MnM character designer to tears are easy to build in this system, once you 'get it'. The snippets of 'flavor text', although not strictly part of the rules, are incredibly evocative of the genre, and very well written.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The damage system is definitely in the 'dramatic' rather than 'simulationist' camp, which may be offputting to some. I would like to see more examples of 'Story Hooks' resulting from conflict resolution. There could be a bit more explanation of the uses of Meta-Powers, as well.
The division of everything into two Scales, Normal and Super, leaves some character and power concepts caught 'in between' the scales.
Finally, the art is not to my taste -- but I didn't buy this product for it's art. It's the ideas that count!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Dog Town will take you to the seamy underbelly of society, into a world of criminals and junkies, pimps and wiseguys. The game is set in a 'fictionalized' 70's era New York City, in the same fashion that the Grand Theft Auto games are set in 'fictionalized' versions of real times and places. The game fully supports it's uncompromisingly amoral view of it's world and setting. This is not for the squeamish.

The rules are extensive, with plenty of crunchy details in the character stats, the weapon and vehicle stats, and the combat system. Beware; combat is DEADLY in this game! Characters who live violent lives will live short lives, unless they play it smart. Never get into a fair fight! Stealth, surprise, overwhelming firepower, and the ability to lie, cheat, and steal you way out of a situation are paramount.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The style of the text and the artwork pull you into the seedy underworld portrayed in the game. The production quality is excellent in almost every respect. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: This book is the CORE rules, as advertised. Most of the setting details are in subsequent volumes. You will not be able to run a campaign of Dog Town 'out of the box' without investing in some of the other Dog Town products. The rules system is a bit complex for my taste, but it does have call-out boxes showins simplifications GMs can use. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This is a sourcebook for the Dog Town game, but it is equally useful to anyone dealing with the grim'n'gritty street level larceny of a modern city's worst side. A must for every Dog Town GM.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Although it is written specifically for Dog Town, it is a handy sourcebook for any GM dealing with the down and dirty side of urban life, whether from the side of the crooks or the cops.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

This book is a whopping 65 pages, since each punk is available in two printout formats. The first section has the character sheet text overprinting artwork of the character's 'mug shot'. The second section has the character sheets on a clean background, alternating with the 'mug shots' on facing pages with no text on top.

The characters are all from Dog Town's signature setting, and contain a few interesting hints of what is to come in the neighborhood scenario books for Dog Town. Expect to see these people again, in their 'native environments'! <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: It's handy to have some pre-created characters to look through, when creating new PCs for the game. It was thoughtful of the designer to do both sets of layouts for all the characters.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The 'overprint' section makes the text hard to read when printed out. I would have preferred smaller, 'photo-sized' pictures on the single sheet versions.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This set includes a nice variety of characters, suitable for use both as heroes and villains.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: There is some very nice artwork, from the same artist who does the art for Power Corrupted.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The artwork is not 'full figure' in many cases, which can be a visual problem if you are using these figure flats with other sets.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This set of figure flats includes a good number of figures, giving you enough pirates and sailors, kraken, octopons, and ugaks to run the large battles that can sometimes occur in 50 fathoms. Figures for the more common monsters are included, and there are some oversized figures for the giant monsters, such as the huge sharks and the Giant Monkape.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The artwork is good, matching in style with the illustrations in the book. All the figures are in full color. There are figure flats for each PC race.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: As with Pinnacles policies concerning figure flats products, this set does not include any 'unique' figures specifically for the NPCs in the book.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>