Whoa! Harsh episode! Is this why these Idle Hands are Red, with the blood of those who disappoint them? I felt like this was less a critical review and more a take-down. I was also disappointed that they didn't move on from the retro-clone that they were so negative about, and treat another one that they felt offered a positive contrast to it. As a first-time listener, I'm not going to judge the podcast on this one episode, however. I will definitely give the show another chance, since these guys seem to have potential.

Welham offers for the PFRPG a minor magical item that fills this need perfectly. Badges of Faith are items worn about the neck (=magic item slot) that grant a passive power to the wearer once they perform what amounts an act appropriate to the religious nature of the badge to "actualize" the power. A further act of piety -- the completion of a clerically imposed quest -- "invests" the bearer of the badge with the fullness of its power. (Cleric also have further possible benefits from badges of faith.) Finally, the benefits of the badge stands beholden to not transgress a specific prohibition which will result in the permanent loss of access to the badge's power and the bestowal of a curse as divine punishment.

The mechanical benefits of these badges makes them appropriate to many different domains and deities, thus offering the wearer with an interesting variety of magical assistance. This deserves to be highlighted: The badges follow the design principle of making loot part of the game's plot. The GM who adopts badges into his or her game is not only giving players a new kind of magic to enjoy, but gaining a spur to future play, encouraging certain actions in play and discouraging others. With 30 badges to chose from, chances are good that you will find a badge to fit the needs of your campaign and your characters, but even if the perfect badge is not here for you, these examples herein will provide the necessary guidance for you to design a custom badge.

A couple of notes about the physical design of the pdf: there are a few places where line breaks or extra-spacing would make for easier reading: mostly a design issue, but at least in one spot an editorial one. I find the font that is used for headings to be unclear and hard to read when used at the size found in individual badge names. I am a fan of the use of old, public domain art in pdfs, and I think that most of the choices here in BoF are good, though a few probably could have been improved with more searching of old book archives. A final picayune problem: putting a number sign in front of the title gives the impression that this pdf is a number in a series (i.e., Number 30 in Rite Publishing's line of Awesome Artefacts!), when the title is simply indicating that there are 30 badges and the series is "30 [such-and-suches]". The author is to be congratulated on the thought and imagination that went into the work. A worthy addition to the PF gaming table.

Content: 5/5 Appearance: 3/5 Overall: 4/5

From the pages of dark fantasy, one of the most compelling pairings is the shop of items arcane and perhaps nefarious and its shopkeeper, who is undoubtedly so--though perhaps not at first glance. Paizo board regulars Wicht and Tarren Dei have been teamed by Rite Publishing to give us this classic pairing for some wonderfully atmospheric gaming.

Among the work's good features, its real strength comes from the fully imagined character of the shopkeeper, Kavit Tor. He provides the explanation for the store's colorful and clever cursed merchandise, its planar nature, and its fruitful seeds for adventure. The product gives the GM plenty of material to drop Tor and his emporium directly into any game--another happy consequence of its planar nature. What makes it particularly appealing to me is that it gives interesting material that can be used right away, but moreover the material is presented with the right combination of detail and suggestion to spur one to build on the authors' material for further uses.

The work begins with a narration that draws one into Tor's twisted curiosity shop. Good luck to players who wish to outlive what they take out of it or hope to avoid leaving something valuable of themselves behind as a surety of a far dearer price. Chances are they'll become repeat customers, if they can find their way back in.

Don't be fooled by the stock art or the punning title: There is a richness to the contents that makes the price a steal. For many readers, the ten magical items and ten curses alone will make it a bargain, but for me, these are extras to character of Tor and the atmosphere of his emporium

If you aren't listening to Atomic Array already, you sure ought to be. Entertaining, informative, and funny as hell, Ed and Rone's maiden episode introduces you to the deliciousness that is Colonial Gothic. Every episode is worth a listen, but the first one still stands as a superior episode of gaming's best podcast.