In this review we talk about Potions and Herbalists, a compendium (without a reference system) of new options for concoctions that grant powers out of the ordinary.
We thank Diego Pisa Artworks for providing us with a review copy of the manual. We recommend that you follow him on his Facebook, Instagram and Patreon pages to stay informed about his fantastic projects.
The manual has a very appealing design; it is in A4 format and is rich in content (70 pages). The cover is durable and the rough, brown paper gives a pleasant parchment effect.
Potions and Herbalistsopens with list of the various potions and ingredients, indicating in which pages they can be found, and then we can find the actual index. The manual is divided into 12 chapters and we can find both new potions and options for herbal medicine.
The writing style isclear, simple and straight to the point; all the explanations are well organized and very understandable. I reallu appreciated the boxes that illustrate how to insert the elements presented in your sessions. Moreover this manual is not created for a specific game system; this allows you to exploit it with any fantasy roleplaying game without particular constraints.
Potions and Art
Potions and Herbalists is aesthetically magnificent. All the illustrations are amazing and themed with the content; the style makes them appear as if they were drawn by hand directly on paper. The parchment colored paper further intensifies this wonderful feeling.
In addition, all the portraits of the NPCs presented are also particular and evocative, maintaining a coherence with the rest of the manual; together with the illustrations of the potions, they are one of the aspects that I most appreciated.
Potions and Herbalists also shows a perfect palette of colors that makes reading very enjoyable. In the text there are bold, italics and other tricks that further make reading easy.
In short, from an artistic and graphic point of view, the manual is a jewel!
Practical Guide to the Use of Potions
The first chapter of the manual contains an introduction of the material and how to use it.
Then continue with a insight into herbalism, its history and its ethical code: the “green code”; the information offers excellent ideas to add particular elements to your campaign. We also find a large box where there are options to include herbal medicine in your game.
All the methods are interesting and guarantee these possibilities to the NPCs or even to the PCs, analyzing the pros and cons. In case you want to create potions for the player characters, it is explained how to balance the option and make it intriguing.
Ingredients are also discussed in depth; each of them has its own history and characteristics.
There are also tips and ideas on how to create side quests (or campaigns) focused on finding ingredients. In the usual box we find indications on how to manage them mechanically and on how to distribute them in a different way in the world map. In this regard, a sample map is provided and you can use it or draw inspiration from it.
Review of the New Potions
In Potions and Herbalits we find 20 new potions with unique effects and in this review I will illustrate some of them; mechanically they are all extremely particular and will add unpredictability to your sessions.
Each potion is presented with a description of the bottle and the liquid, a short paragraph with its history, effect, side effects and necessary ingredients. The descriptions are all captivating and involve all five senses; even their stories are intriguing and can provide valuable narrative cues. To avoid falling into repetitiveness, there are really unexpected side effects.
Among the potions that I preferred we find:
Red Root: a bottle wrapped in a root that reaches the liquid from the cap and slowly mixes it; anyone who drinks it can control the wood as if it were an extension of their body.
Eye of The Finder: glass container with a rotating sphere in the center that follows those close to it. This potion allows you to recall someone’s remembrance, even if you only have a few faint bits of memory about they.
Time Fragment: the clock in the center of the potion does not indicate the current time, but has strange symbols that indicate months, years and days. Those who drink this potion will be able to influence, in a reduced way, the passage of time.
Bite of Life: a fragile-looking glass bottle, with a needle at the bottom; unlike many other concoctions, it is not drunk but injected; it is very powerful because it can cure any disease, but it is also very rare.
In addition to these, there are many others with original and unexpected effects. The effect is not just narrative, but also gives advice on how to best include it in your sessions.
Potions and Herbalists New Ingredients Review
In addition to the potions, we find many other new ingredients made specifically to expand the options for herbal medicine. The ingredients are more than40, thus offering a large amount of combinations.
Each Ingredient is presented with its own description, where to find it and the precautions to collect it. In fact, these aspects are not trivial and can easily generate deep and compelling side missions.
Some of the new ingredients are:
Shadow Seed: a seed that works in reverse; instead of looking for light, it searches for darkness and releases a pheromone that makes the area around it completely dark. You have to be careful to pick it up because due to the dark area hallucinations may occur or worse.
Testament Leaf: the last leaf of a dying tree that has never touched the ground, with a unique pattern; it is a complex ingredient to find and those who will get it will feel continuously observed for three days.
Time Crystal Shard: : the fragment of a very rare crystal; inside there is a constellation that changes continuously. When you go looking for them you have to be careful because if you observe it you could lose yourself in the constellation, risking being stuck forever.
Link Stone: two rocks that are magnetically attracted to each other but not physically connected. The stones used to reunite two close people or locate someone when they are very far away.
In addition to these ones, we find many others very interesting and particular; surely they can be a great addition to your sessions. Moreover we also find a box with the explanation on how to create your own ingredients, granting full freedom.
The Herbalists
The last chapter allows us to enter the world of herbalists.
First of all, the basic notions related to herbalist’s shops are presented, such as the division into rooms and the essential furniture. There are also suggestions on how to make a store the starting point for a campaign and how to create NPCs related to it.
Then the Master Herbalists are introduced; they are two specialists in their field, ready to be included in your campaigns. Both are presented with a portrait, their main info, how their potions work, where their store is located and also adventure hooks. The two scholars are:
Flora Willdom, a human plant lover; the design of her potions is linked to the plant world and her shop also respects these characteristics. She often asks the brave adventurers who visit her to find exotic plants to use in her lab.
Fargur Bruzak, one of the favorite ingredients of this herbalist ogre are the bones and the design of the potions is very simple but with ivory veins. His shop is in the mountains and has a simple appearance; if the adventurers bring him particular bones, he exploits them in order to create powerful potions.
These NPCs are very interesting and can break the linearity of any adventure.
The Herbalist’s Tools
Finally, we find the key tools for an herbalist. From scissors to the recipe book, passing through everything you need to store in an herbalist’s backpack. There are multiple types of backpacks and also options on how to use them in your games; for example, finding a backpack in the wild could be the beginning of an adventure.
Another important element is the carriage, the means by which herbalists transport their precious belongings. There are also random encounters in which adventurers cross one of these means.
Your heart will melt when you will see the companions of the herbalists; they are all versatile and special, so much that they could also be used as familiars. I personally adored the Tortobas, turtles that can grow a particular type of plants on their shells.
Potions and Herbalists Review Conclusions
To conclude my review of Potions and Herbalists, I can say that it is a thematic manual, full of options that expand the imagination of the classic fantasy roleplaying games.
In addition to this, the graphic aspect is incredible; starting from the artwork to the layout, this is another reason to have this manual in your library!
If you have enjoyed this review of Potions and Herbalists, keep following us to discover new and interesting roleplaying manuals!
In this preview we will talk about the demo of Alberver’s Redemption, the first chapter of La Torre,an epic saga for D&D5e and 3.5e.
Let’s start by thanking The Velar Companyfor providing us with the demo of the project. We recommend that you follow them on their website, their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you are interested in this product, you can find it on Kickstarter; if you want to try the demo you can find it here, both for D&D5e and for D&D3.5e. We also leave you the video presentation of Alberver’s Redemption made by the same authors.
Alberver’s Redemption Setting and NPCs
This adventure of La Torre saga takes place in Minian, a thriving and charming river town. The place is well described and deepened, going to pit both important personalities and compressars; this is done both in the chapter dedicated to the city and in details scattered throughout the adventure.
The setting outside Minian, on the other hand, is barely sketched, but it is a very precise authorial choice. In this way, the authors were able to concentrate on the city to make it as interesting as possible and allow its inclusion in any home countryside.
A point in favor is the presence of boxes to help the master to make the most of the cityand its characters so as to make Minian alive during his exploration.
NPCs, on the other hand, are all well-characterized, well-rounded personalities who know how to remain impressed. Only a few are presented in the demo, such as Mrs Lebernoff and her cohort or the blacksmith Gastadiun and his son Romoond. Although there are not so many, they are all well-characterized and represent one of the strengths of the saga.
In short, in terms of setting and NPC, in this preview Alberver’s Redemption surprised me and left me pleasantly impressed.
Preview of Alberver’s Redemption Story
In the demo provided are the first four chapters of Alberver’s Redemption; thanks to them I got an idea of how the saga will develop and I could already appreciate some unexpected and very welcome twists.
All chapters are structured in a linear way, with the exposition of events and various developments based on the actions of the characters. Even here the side panels are an excellent support for the narrator.
The adventure begins in the most classic of taverns, with the characters (native Minian adventurers) looking for new assignments. Suddenly a woman feels bad and from there the deeds of our heroes will start; from this moment they will have to face conspiracies, skeletons, powerful personalities and much more. I also point out that all enemies have their own dedicated statblock.
Although the beginning is a classic, the whole evolution of the plot in the following chapters has intriguing and inspired points.The plot seems well-written and has no logical holes; I’m very curious to discover the next developments!
Writing and Art
From the point of view of writing, the material sent to us is excellent; the content is exposed simply and clearly, never being heavy or redundant.
I really appreciated the support offered to the master;in addition to the boxes already mentioned, at the beginning of the manual there is a chapter to explain how to narrate the adventure, with useful tips also for other adventures. In addition, the full version will also explain how to calibrate the clashes and how to distribute the experience.
From an artistic point of view, this first chapter of Alberver’s Redemption presents itself very well. All the illustrations are intriguing and in line with the rest of the manual; they are definitely an added value to the product!
However, the real strength in my opinion arethe maps, really very detailed and fascinating. They are all in color and each is offered in two versions: one for the master (with annotations) and one for the players. The quality is really high, so much so that it can rival those of some official products.
Preview of the protagonists of Alberver’s Redemption
The protagonists of the saga can be created by the players or chosen from the pregenerated ones provided by the authors.
For the characters created by the players the manual from many background ideas and indications to create a coherent and double-edged group with the city of Minian. All this has precise references to the official manuals, in order to make the operation convenient and fast.
If instead, you want to opt for the prefixed characters, know that they are all very interesting and (of course) alreadywell-inserted in the setting. They are very varied and allow you to build a heterogeneous and fulfilling group to play. In addition, each of them already has their card filled with all the necessary information; surely an advantage in case you have in the group new players or with little imagination!
Additional Mini-Adventures
In addition to the main storyline, the demo features two mini-adventures made to be freely included in the adventure.
The first mini-adventure consists of helping Mrs Lebernoff find her cohort; it is a short but interesting plot; it allows you to explore the city of Minian by interfacing with various inhabitants and could make Mrs Lebernoff a recurring presence.
The second mini-adventure, on the other hand, allows us to explore the exterior of Minian, also discovering elements of lore that go beyond the city context. The aim will be to find the blacksmith’s son, a kind-hearted but somewhat naive boy.
These plots are very simple but nice; they are useful to give breath to the characters and diversify the tones compared to the main plot. In addition, the attention to detail is noted by the presence of statblocks dedicated to enemies and the maps included.
In addition to these two, in the full version, there will be other mini-adventures that intrigue me from the title. If that’s the quality, I can’t wait to try it!
Conclusion of the Preview of Alberver’s Redemption
In conclusion this demo allowed me to take a look at the first chapter of a saga that seems really interesting. Although some plot steps are quite simple, it is certainly a product worthy of attention both for the care with which it is made and for the quality of the maps and illustrations.
And then I can’t wait to find out how the adventure will go; I really hope I can find some surprises that will take my breath away!
If you liked this preview of Alberver’s Redemption, keep following us to discover more manuals for Dungeons & Dragons!
In this review we will talk about VHS: Very Horror Story, a RPG that takes us to relive the classic horror films of the 70s/80s. The product is published in Italian and English by Aces Games, which we thank for sending us some VHS to be able to write this review; we recommend you to follow them on their Facebook,Instagram and on their official website to discover many new projects.
A real peculiarity is the division of the product into “videotapes”; these are three, each independent, and concerning a different horror genre. In particular we find Bloodlust,Overplague and Unchained. The physical version of each costs 26.90 euros, while the alternative is the digital format at 15 euros. We also point out the physical horror pack, with all the VHS at 79.90 euros (and its digital version at 45 euros).
Screaming Aesthetics
The aesthetics of VHS make you scream with joy. Each of the three videotapes contains tabs, rules and game maps, making them completely independent. The truly amazing aspect is the aesthetic realization; every time you take one in hand it seems to handle a real one, a relic of our childhood. In addition, the way they are decorated (based on the theme), is very intriguing and is a symptom of great care. Given the structure and function of the box, they cannot be too rigid and therefore care must be taken to handle them, especially when storing materials.
Speaking instead of the illustrations, I admit to having been completely bewitched! The artistic style is perfectly suited to the tones of the game and all artists deserve compliments. In the arts we find survivors, horrible demons, extremely human murderers, gloomy forests, dark swamps and much more. As you can see from the images included in this review, the monsters of VHS know how to scare and fascinate at the same time!
Another advantage is the quality of the game maps, detailed, precise in detail and made with resistant paper. On the back of each of them we find a summary of the rules, very useful to not always have to resort to the manual.
Finally, an applause goes to the entire graphic aspect of the manual; the excellent choice of colors and the use of bold and italics allow a comfortable reading in which to get lost. The only note concerns the size of the fonts; since the overall size is small, they are also slightly small.
Review of VHS Structure and Writing
As we have already said, VHS offers three videotapes, each related to a different shade of horror. They are independent of each other and each has its own game rules, maps, monsters and characters, including dedicated tokens.
The VHS available are:
Bloodlust:: Inspired by the slashers of the 80s/90s, featuring ruthless assassins from which to escape through dangerous swamps and forests.
Unchained: Dedicated to horror films with supernatural elements (such as Hellraiser), you will face cults, demons and other horrors in foggy towns and ancient mansions.
Overplague: refers to the sci-fi genre ( Alientype), which will put you in front of aliens and cosmic horrors in places where no one can hear you scream.
In the manual we find, in addition to the game mechanics, also the Films (the scenarios), a part dedicated to the characters and one to the monsters.
The writing is simple and accessible, very direct and curated. Also at the beginning we find the security measures and advice on how to manage the horror in the sessions; this is definitely a plus, given the themes of the game.
The entire manual is full of quotations and references, which make reading even more fascinating.
VHS writing is done with care and attention to detail, ensuring an excellent product from this point of view.
Rules for Surviving
The VHS mechanics has been able to win me over: simple, immediate but with the ability to return the atmospheres of inspiration.
Both monsters and our heroes have 4 Parameters:
Strength: used for tests that require physical effort.
Agility: Used when coordination in movements and reflexes is needed.
Mind: Dedicated to what concerns intelligence and acumen.
Charisma: for all cases in which you have to relate to others or impose your will.
To perform a test, two 6-sided dice are rolled and, if the result is less than or equal to the Parameter, then the test is passed; the Director (the master) can give bonuses or maluses depending on the circumstances. Monsters follow the same shooting mechanics.
In case of failure, once per session, the player can press the REW button (rewind) and withdraw the dice to try to succeed.
We therefore find a simple and very effective regulation, capable of giving sessions without curling up in abstruse mechanics and enjoying the emotions of a vintage horror film.
The Protagonists (or Sacrificial Victims)
In VHS we play the protagonists of a horror film, unfortunate people who happen in bad, very bad situations.
Each Protagonist is defined by Parameters and Traits.
The Parameters, as we have already seen, are used for the Trials; each parameter will have 3 different values, depending on the Mental State of the character: Calm, Fear and Shock. Calm is the state of departure of our protagonist, but if a disturbing event happens (such as the appearance of a Monster), our Character passes into a state of Fear; this mechanic varies the Parameters and possibilities of each PG. After all, terror can bring out an unexpected force or a providential capacity for adaptation. Instead the Shock state is reached when our Protagonist finishes the Instability points; representing the moment when events take over the character. This state brings considerable disadvantages, not surprisingly few strokes can be used and the Parameters will be weakened.
Traits are abilities that the protagonists can use; each Trait is linked to a Parameter and when it is activated, a test on that parameter will be necessary. Traits range from Escape Skills to Combat Skills, giving unpredictability and variety to the regulation.
Then each character has an Instability and Wounds score; the latter indicate the lives of our characters and, if exhausted, will lead to their death.
In each VHS we find various sets of pregenerated protagonists, but the manual also includes the rules to create them easily and quickly. The pre-generated ones are all interesting and well characterized ;they look like they came out of a horror movie!
Special Skill and Equipment
Our Protagonists alsohave a Special Skill, which allows them to overcome even the most complex situations. Each pregenerated character has its own unique Special Ability, completely different from the others; some examples are: Protect the Customer, which gives us bonuses in helping our companions, or Calm Formula, which amplifies the effects of medical kits.
In short, these Skills are what give pepper to the Characters, also allowing to reverse the most difficult situations; in the manual we also find a detailed explanation on how to create our Special Skills so that they are balanced.
Then there is the Equipment, or the tools that can save our heroes. In the manual we find many, ranging from firearms to tranquilizers, ensuring an additional level of variety.
In addition to the items in the inventory at the beginning of the session, our casualties will be able to find additional ones; looking in the area where they are may have nice surprises, but this could attract unwanted attention. The mechanism of finding and obtaining objects is very simple and dynamic and is based on the Director’s shot on a table.
The Monsters
Monsters on VHS are terrifying, intriguing and memorable. We are not only talking about the aesthetic aspect, but also about the characterization. They are not mere dolls to escape from or defeat; they are real characters with their stories, skills, strengths and weaknesses. Among the pregenerated we find crazy serial killers returned from death, such as Edmund Carving, and demons, such as The Eyes Devil.
Monsters have the same Protagonist Parameters, as well as their own Traits, Wounds, Equipment and a Special Ability; the difference is that Monsters possess the Fear Counter, a reserve of points (maximum 10) that the Monster can spend to activate special abilities or use some Traits (such as Appearing in an Area and Hiding). These points are earned in a variety of ways, such as when a protagonist switches from a state of calm to a state of fear, or when the antagonist tortures or kills someone.
Another interesting feature of monsters is the Fetishes; these are elements that players can find and use against monsters to gain an advantage. Each Fetish is tied to the Monster’s story and is a great way to make it even more believable.
In the manual we also find the procedure to create your own monster in a simple but profound way, so as to increase the longevity of this role-playing game.
VHS Main Sets Review
Now let’s see the Main Sets, that is, the environments where we will go to live our adventures. Each Main Set is divided into zones; each of which may have extra items, called Accessory Sets, that vary depending on the adventure. For example, in an area of a swamp we can find a corpse or in a spaceship invaded by mutant vegetation there may be survivors; we can also find the Static Elements that is fixed points such as hills, rivers, bridges and much more. These details are constant and can be used for various purposes.
The protagonists will be able to move through these sets in two ways: Exploration or Cautious Movement. The first allows you to find an object but activates the Tension Event. Each Area has a Tension Level, which represents how dangerous it is on a scale of 3 to 11; each time a protagonist moves into Exploration, the master will have to make a roll and, if he exceeds the Tension Level, a random event is triggered that can go from a flock of birds that rise in flight to the appearance of the Monster. If our heroes move into Cautious Movement, they will not find items but will not trigger the Tension Event.
I can therefore say that the Main Sets system allows you to manage the maps in a playful and dynamic way, so as to keep everyone on the edge of the razor. I would like to point out that in the manual there is a way to create your own Main Sets.
VHS Movies and Solo Mode
In VHS the Movies are the adventures that we are going to play; in each of the three VHS there are a dozen prefects, guaranteeing a large number of hours of gameplay.
All the films are inspired by one or more horror films and they are all… scary! Thanks to a good combination of clichés, well-made PNGs and quotes, they can give the same emotions as the horror films we love.
Each film indicates the number of minutes needed to complete it, all the indications on how to build the Main Set and its accessories and on how the monster involved behaves. Each is structured like a sandbox; we therefore find a beginning and various possibilities of escape or salvation for our heroes, leaving great freedom of interpretation to the players and the Director.
In the manual there is a wide explanation on how to create and manage a Film, so as to further increase the hours of fun. But the real strength is that each film is ready to play in a few minutes, perfect solution for a group that must meet and close the session in one evening.
Finally there is also the Solo Mode, a mode that works through the help of random tables and allows you to play almost all the films alone; and alone no one will hear you scream!
VHS Review Conclusions
To conclude this review, I can safely say that VHS is a great product from various points of view: playful, artistic and production; you see that it is a product made with the heart (although it will make you miss a few beats) and with love towards the genre to which it is inspired; all this is supported by a simple, fast and immediate system, which allows anyone to start playing and having fun without effort.
The large amount of materials already supplied is certainly a plus,because it allows you to start playing immediately, without any preparation. Moreover, given its mechanics inspired by board games, I can guarantee that it will certainly be appreciated even by lovers of this playful genre.
VHS is definitely a must-have in every horror-loving gamer’s collection! But be careful because the first scream could also be the last…..
If you liked this review of VHS, keep following us to discover more role-playing games!
Have you ever dreamed of doing action-packed, adrenaline-packed adventures? Maybe being helped by a shoulder with the joke always ready? From today you can! In this preview we present Outgunned: the new project by Two Little Mice.
First of all we thank Two Little Mice for providing us with the quickstart to write this preview. We recommend you visit their Facebook page and Instagram to discover many interesting projects!
You can download the quickstart by following this link and follow the Kickstarter page to be notified when it will launch!
The Role and Trope of Heroes
In Outgunned our character will be the hero of an action movie, a concentrate of pure adrenaline!
The anatomy of our Heroes (as PGs are called) is defined by various elements; among these, we find the Role and the Trope.
Role defines the archetype of our Hero allowing us to have ideas to define the Job, the Catchphrase and the Flaw; in addition, during the creation provides us points to distribute among our Attributes and Skills, as well as providing us with a list of Feats to choose from that can help us during sessions.
In the preview of Outgunned we find as an example one of the 10 roles that will be present in the basic manual; the Agent, the Hero with a badge who works for a government agency.
I find it very interesting to provide along with the mechanical bonuses (and a description of the Role) suggestions for the Job, the Flaw, the Catchphrase; these are all thematic and help a lot even the players with little imagination. If all the Roles are so well defined and written, then you have to lick your mustache for the content!
The Trope instead is the Stereotype, inspired by the classic action films, which allows us to further characterize our Hero. Some examples can be: Good Samaritan, Jerk with a Golden Heart. From a mechanical point of view, the Troop gives us bonuses for Attributes, Skills and the ability to choose a Feat.
In the quickstart we are introduced to the Troop: “Last Boy Scout / Girl Scout”; this is Hero with strong moral principles, a good education but a little naive. This is just one of 18 Troops in the complete manual; as a presentation it’s great because it’s well-written and useful for customizing a Hero even more.
Hero’s Attributes
Our Heroes will have 5 Attributes and 20 Skills to overcome obstacles. The Attributes are: Brawn, Nerves, Smooth, Focus and Crime; this variety allows you to cover almost all situations and in combination with the Skills allows you to cover all situations.
Feats are keywords that give a mechanical advantage when our Hero acts by pulling them into play.
Another key element is Grit, which will keep our Hero alive. In fact, every time you risk getting hurt (or worse), one or more Grit boxes will be marked, depending on how dangerous the situation is; once all the boxes have been marked, the Death Roulette will be activated, that is, the player will have to roll a 6-sided die and do less than the value of the roulette, which will start from 1 up to a maximum of 6. If the roll of the die is greater than the value of the Roulette then the Hero will be saved but the value of the Roulette will increase by 1.
In short, these mechanics are well inserted and allow you to risk and always stay on the edge of the razor!
Then we also find the Adrenaline, points that are given by the Narrator when a Hero performs a heroic action, a great sacrifice or similar deed. The Adrenaline can be spent to get bonuses on shots, activate special powers or even get the Spotlight; in this case the Hero ends up in the center of the stage under the light of the spotlight and can perform incredible actions!
We can therefore be sure that the Heroes of Outgunned will be very multifaceted, interesting and full of adrenaline!
Preview of Outgunned Mechanics
The Outgunned system, called Director’s Cut, promises a simple, immediate and really fun system.
When our Hero has to make a test, dice will be used, but it will not be necessary to make calculations or exceed certain thresholds. The results will have to be combined to create pairs, triples, quatrains, fifths and sixths.
Whenever an Action Roll must be used, the Hero will choose the most suitable combination between Attribute and Skill; while in a Reaction Roll it will be the Director who chooses it. A 6-sided dice pool is then constructed, which is equivalent to the sum of the Attribute and Skill scores. If they are present, various bonuses and modifiers apply.
Once this is done, you have to pull and try to overcome Difficulty; these are Basic, Critical, Extreme and Impossible. For example, if you want to overcome a Basic Difficulty you would have to do at least one pair while for the Critical Difficulty you would have to do at least one Tris.
But if the first roll does not go as planned, then you can decide to Re-Roll and, if it is not yet enough, you can try the All In; but beware: in case of failure you will lose all successes and you will automatically fail.
A simple but very interesting system is therefore anticipated; moreover, in the complete manual there will be many examples of Rolls, plus many tips for the Director on how to manage these situations.
Enemies and Dangers
When facing dangerous situations or tough opponents, the game gets tough and the tough ones start playing!
Mechanically, each shot will have, in addition to the Difficulty, a degree of Danger that always varies from Basic to Impossible. Whenever you fail a dangerous test you will lose a certain number of Grit Points, obviously this loss can be mitigated with the successes obtained in the roll.
Instead, when confronting the Enemies, you will have to fight.
In the preview of Outgunned we only have a glimpse of what a truly intriguing combat system looks like, but simple in its foundations.
All fights will be divided into two rounds: Action, in which the Heroes act, and Reaction, in which the Enemies act. On their turn, our Heroes will be able to make a Quick Action and an Action Roll; then they finish their turn and it’s up to the Enemies.
Having limited actions forces you to think about your moves and manage the fight more tactically. The tactical aspect also emerges from elements such as the cover, the various modes of fire with weapons, bonuses and maluses and limited magazines. But you can use two akimbo weapons, for all fans of John Wick!
We are therefore faced with a tactical combat system, exciting, capable of regulating many emotions!
Preview Outgunned Chases
Another interesting aspect and related to the theme of the whole game is the management of cars and chases. In the quickstart we only have a taste, but a particularly cool and central element is foreshadowed! In fact, the cars will have their own armour and speed.
During the chases our Heroes will have a Need, that is, the objective, which like a clock has a number of boxes to fill decided by the Director. The Speed, ranging from 1 to 6, represents the number of boxes to be filled at the end of the Turn.
In the chases we have the turns, the same as those of the fights. During the Action Turn, heroes can attempt Critical Successes to increase Speed and if they fail in the Reaction Turn, this will decrease, or the car will suffer damage. At the end of each Action Round, as many squares are blackened as the value of the Speed.
The chase ends when the Heroes fill all the Need’s boxes or if the machine runs out of armor but that will be a failure.
We know that there will be many other unique rules in the complete manual besides many land, sea and air vehicles; the chases are one of the most adrenaline-filled moments Outgunned!
Race Against Time
In the quickstart of Outgunned we find a one-shot adventure, suitable to present the game and try its many potentialities.
The Plot will see our heroes confront a ruthless organization to obtain a briefcase containing the data of an experiment. There will be: explosions, car chases, breathtaking fights and the tenure of having to jump on a plane on the verge of taking off! All this inserted in a very particular context of the 90s, with explosive and memorable scenes!
Pregenerated Heroes are all perfectly suited to the plot and full of quotes that will make all action movie fans happy. You can see some sheets in this preview.
Outgunned Preview Conclusions
In conclusion, I still want to spend a few words on the aesthetic aspect of this role-playing game; the illustrations are really beautiful and evocative, as well as perfectly repeating the style of the work. As always, well done Daniela Giubellini!
Pulling the sums, the quickstart of Outgunned allows you to take a great look at a product that looks very interesting and immediate to bring to the table. We sincerely look forward to being able to deepen it and throw ourselves once again into the action!
If you liked this preview of Outgunned, keep following us to discover other interesting RPGs!
In this preview we want to talk about The Black Ballad,an epic and fascinating campaign that combines metal, death and role-playing.
The project is the work of the team from Storytellers Forge, who provided us with the material for this preview, in collaboration with DiAmorte, a famous metal group. We recommend that you visit their Facebook, Instagram and their official website to stay informed about their work.
This project will be available in crowdfunding on BackerKit from March 7.
The Black Ballad Project
As already mentioned, The Black Ballad is an immense 10-chapter campaign compatible with D&D5e; the focus of the project is to combine metal music with role-playing games; it is no coincidence that each chapter of the adventure will be linked to a specific track from DiAmorte’s new album, called The Black Ballad.
The concept of The Black Ballad is really simple but very effective; the campaign begins where the others end: at the death of the characters. They find themselves at Sunless Crossing, in the city of Nox Valar (dominated by powerful clerics and their deities); here they embark on an epic mission to save this world. For this reason, the religious aspect will play a fundamental role.
On top of this starting point, a lot of narrative hooks are expected so you can adapt the campaign to any group and style of play.
In addition, the creators ensure a great possibility of truly impacting choices on the plot, which will lead to many different endings; there will also be a wide variety of monsters, new creatures and a cast of rich and varied NPC.
Only from these premises does the project seem immense, with many options ready to provide many hours of fun.
Metal and Decadent Art
We have received in preview a good collection of images that will be included in the manual. The first impact was astonishment and wonder! All the illustrations are very expressive and have given me sensations comparable to a mix between Elden Ring and the cover of an epic-metal album. Then everything cries out: “Epic!”.
Along with the illustrations, we also received an example of layout. Here too the authors do not deny themselves; the text is organized in a clear and legible way; moreover, the whole is surrounded by details perfectly realized and perfectly themed.
In short, if these are the premises, the graphic aspect already justifies the purchase!
New Contents
The Black Balladis not only aesthetic, however, and in preview we were also provided with two NPCs, a new Monster and the first chapter of the manual.
NPCs are intriguing in terms of lore and writing; they bring a great desire to immerse themselves in this world and discover who else lives there. They are described with a broad psychological and social depth that can lead to many game situations; there are also suggestions for the narrator on how to make them better.
The new monster is fascinating both as an illustration and as a story; the abilities and actions of the Vacuum Ravager are entirely new and very inspired. Surely an opponent that every (reckless) PC group would like to face. If all opponents maintain these levels, it heralds a tough campaign but full of emotions.
The first chapter of The Black Ballad is really good. It is about the arrival of the characters in Sunless Crossing and how they will have to learn to survive and understand that there is no rest even in their own death. There is a lot of advice to the DM on how to manage the entry of Pcs into the universe and how to set and maintain the tone; it also provides a great explanation of the setting, so as to make it “alive” at the right point. The adventure of the first chapter is simple but engaging; a great start!
If the content of the entire manual will be this, then we can say that The Black Ballad is a project that will be remembered in the world of RPG!
Conclusion of the Preview of The Black Ballad
Thanks to the quality of the content, The Black Ballad project seems really convincing; given the experience of the creators will certainly aim for a highly refined and complete result and for these reasons I can only recommend you and wish the guys of Storytellers Forge the best!
In this review we talk about The Score, a minimalist RPG that allows you to carry out adrenaline robberies in just 30 minutes of gameplay.
This game is published by Tin Star Games in English only, and we appreciate you providing us with a preview copy to help us write this review. We recommend that you follow them on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their official website to discover many new and exciting projects!
But above all I suggest you visit the Kickstarter page through which the author is funding the project.
The Game Materials
Let’s start by saying that the game is designed for a number of players between 2 and 6, so it can definitely become a great tool to introduce, in one fell swoop, so many people to role-playing games.
As play material we have: Talent Cards, Deed Cards, Playguide, card block and the sheet with instructions.
The 18 Talent Cards represent special abilities, advanced technological gadgets or similar; their characteristics are simple to understand and well presented.
Then we have the Act Cards, which represent the 5 (numbered) moments of the robbery, from its beginning to its end. The odd acts are those in which everything goes according to plan; even ones are those that contain the critical moments.
5 Playguides are cards that summarize the game system and important information for players. I think they are another great tool to put newcomers at ease.
The sheets block allows you to keep track of the variables that outline the progress of a game; each participant must have one to be able to write down what is explained later in this review.
The instructions are written in a clear and easily understandable way, allowing a quick consultation; a further advantage is the large presence of examples.
In short, cards, blocks and the foldable instruction sheet make The Score a role-playing game that can be brought to dinners, fairs, meetings and many other occasions; all the materials are in a small container and to play you don’t need anything else (except something to write)!
The Preparatory Phase
Speaking of preparation, the first thing to do is to extract three cards from the deck of Talents and with the prompts that are at the top of the cards build the previous one; by this term I mean what will have to be stolen, where and any NPCs involved.
12 of the 18 available Talent cards are divided among the players. Therefore, depending on the players, you can have 2 to 6 cards in your hand. Once this is done, each player records the “Talents” received in his card; they will be the skills that the character will have available during the robbery. After that the cards will be put back into the deck.
Now you have to build the actual deck of the game; you draw, blankets, 4 cards and place the card Act 2 under them; then the card Act 3 will be placed under 3 other cards covered. Then it will be the turn of the Act 4 card and so on. This part is important because, until you draw the card of the next Act, you remain in the current Act and activate all the effects related to it.
The preparation of The Score is really fast and simple, in a few minutes you are ready to jump into action!
Review of The Score System
The rules of The Score are minimalist, simple and immediate; it manages to fully comply with the promise of concluding a session in just 30 minutes.
Starting from the player who has seen a robbery movie more recently, you turn the card at the top of the deck and check if one of the members of the gang has the Talent; if so, if it is an odd act, the player with the Talent tells how it helps him in the robbery; if it is an even act, he will tell how the Talent helped them, but with the addition of a complication.
In the case that none of the gang possesses the extracted Talent, in odd acts one of the players (the one with the fewest cards) will tell how that Talent is not useful; in even acts, instead, it will be told how the enemies use the Talent against the players. Whoever tells the scene then keeps the card to himself. Then continue with the next player, who will turn the next card and continue with the same method.
The final act represents an exceptionto these mechanics; if you extract a Talent possessed by a player, it is told as if you were in an odd act, while, if the Talent is not present on any card, it is told as if you were in an odd act.
In short, a simple regulation that focuses everything on roleplay; it is definitely suitable for game groups that really like to play, but also for those who just want to enjoy a quick card game to play. I found very fascinating the feeling at Ocean’s Eleven that it was able to give me.
The Artistic Side of The Score
The Scorefrom an aesthetic point of view is truly captivating, especially thanks to the chosen color palette that contains only three colors: red, white and black. This makes all the materials immediately recognizable, with its own stle and beautiful even just to exhibit. You can see some of these illustrations from The Score among the images included in this review.
All Talents cards have simple illustrations and an unmistakable style; with a little experience, they therefore allow you to understand their operation without even reading the title. In addition, the font is simple and well readable, another value that favors the immediacy of the game.
From an artistic point of view, The Score is a laudable title.
The cards are about the size of a playing card, they are rigid and porous to the touch, so they will withstand the elements. It can be seen that the care in the materials is at its best and that the author aims to exploit high quality materials.
Back for More – The Expansion
Along with the base game we were provided with the Back for More mini-expansion, a really interesting addition. In fact, it adds 7 new Talent cards, 1 additional Playguide as well as new rules and game variants.
Let’s start by saying that the quality of the mini-expansion cards is the same as those of the base game; moreover, the new Talent cards are all special, excellent to give a little more pepper to your plays. I find extremely useful the presence of a symbol of a building on them, which allows to divide them easily from the base ones. But remember that the game is calibrated to use a deck of 18 cards, so you will still need to remove some base cards and replace them with those of the expansion you want to use.
Among the new game modes introduced we have the one that allows you to play up to 9 players, the one that allows on the contrary the solo games and the one that brings the style of play to movies like Die Hard or Mission Impossible.
We also find more gameplay tips and other examples, which are never too many. In short, the expansion manages to give a breath of freshness and very welcome new content.
Conclusions of The Score Review
In conclusion, The Score is a great hybrid between RPG and party game, a quick game to bring on various occasions.
Its strengths are the quality of the materials, the simplicity of the rules and the speed of a game; as a defect (although it does not necessarily have to be) instead we must bear in mind the fact that, in the absence of proactive players, the game could easily become a simple card game in which the story loses value.
That said, it is definitely a recommended purchase, if only to try something new to play in a halfhour!
If you liked this review of The Score, keep following us to discover more role-playing games!
In this review, we talk about the Master of Ceremonies Toolkit, a manual full of ideas, tips, tools, and much more to help you create and manage your own City of Mist sessions.
The handbook is published in English by Son of Oak Studio and in Italian by Isola Illyon Edizioni, which we thank for sending us a review copy. We suggest you follow Son of Oak Studio on their Facebook page,Instagram and their official website; also follow Isola Illyon Edizioni on their Facebook page, Instagram and their official website to discover many interesting products.
If you are interested in this manual, you can find it here at 44,95$ hard cover + PDF; otherwise you can buy here the only PDF at 19,95$.
New Edition
The manual proposed by Son of Oak is actually the reissue of the first edition; it was a volume of more than 500 pages that included both the part for the players and that for the Master Ceremonier. To facilitate readability, it was decided to divide it into two separate manuals. So in this one we will not find rules for PCs or the setting, but only material designed for those who lead the narrative. If you are interested in the Player’s Guide, you can find our review by clicking here, where there is also a link to buy it.
The division into two manuals did not negatively affect the quality, which in fact remains very high; various additions were made to illustrations and examples, enriching the original product. Surely for fans of City of Mist this is a product not to be missed.
Master of Ceremonies Toolkit Structure Review
The manual consists of 247 pages and is divided into 4 chapters full of content useful to the narrators:
The first chapter includes everything you need to create and customize your own City, including what you need to generate Districts (and there are some premade ones).
Then the second one explains how to create a Case (a session) and a Series (a campaign).
The third chapter is a collection of NPCs, Adversaries, Dangers and much more to enrich your sessions.
The fourth one is a pre-made adventure suitable for a one-shot.
At the beginning of each chapter there is a list of the various sections; they often also have a paragraph that summarizes their content.
The manual is clear and easy to consult; there are also many boxes dedicated to examples and insights. There are some typos, but on such a large amount of work it is understandable and do not compromise a pleasant reading.
When Comics Meets Noir
The artistic part of the Master of Ceremonies Toolkit requires a separate section of it in this review. I found this look fantastic! All the illustrations are beautiful and suitable for the context; in some places it seems like reading a noir comic like Sin City. But the entire graphic aspect of the manual is also well made; a set of neon, light and dark colors that alternate with precision creates an efficient layout; in short, a spectacle for the eyes.
A great point in favor is that the various examples and insights are positioned in boxes that stand out thanks to the choice of colors, thus allowing easy use; then the yellow highlighter for the keywords is an original touch and very appreciated.
Finally, I need to mention the beautiful pages organized exactly like a comic book, which perfectly convey the mood of the game and the setting. In short, already for the artistic side, it is a manual not to be missed.
Overview of the City’s Districts
The first chapter of the manual contains various indications on how to build the background of our adventures. All game sessions take place in the City but this one is different for each game group; we do not have a fixed map.
The mechanism used to create and personalize your city is that of the Districts; they are the places where the most important events happen and, as the manual says, everything else is unimportant.
We can find different archetypes of possible Districts; each of these are associated with possible NPCs, ideas and places of interest, all really interesting and exhaustive. For example we have the archetype of the City Center, identified as the hub of the City, and linked to it are for example Alice, avatar of Alice in Wonderland, and the VIP area known as Theatre Avenue.
In short, you can create your own, and in taking advantage of those offered by the manual. A huge source of creativity that makes me appreciate this manual!
Master of Ceremonies Toolkit Case Management Review
The second chapter is the largest in terms of content. In fact, the suggestions and tools for conducting a session and all the parts related to creating a Case (a session) or a Series (a campaign) are presented.
First of all we find the indications to conduct a session. The content ranges from tips on how to handle the opening scene to how to use cinematic storytelling tools to make the games more exciting and engaging. All this is also explained in a clear and simple way, making the text accessible to everyone.
Then we have many moves of the Master of Cerimonies, activable under certain conditions; they are very interesting and usable in many situations so as to prevent a session from stagnating.
Then we find everything you need to build a Case; the first step is the “Iceberg” method,ideal for writing intriguing and compelling adventures for any investigative RPG. It is based on the fact that each Case has a depth and this defines its complexity and how to divide scenes to get an exciting adventure. There are also a series of Steps to follow to structure and enrich the plot; even here there are examples and suggestions to help the narrators.
This chapter definitely confirms even more how this manual is a must buy for City of Mist MCs.
Dangers and NPCs in the City
In the third chapter we find the indications on how to create Dangers, Moves, Avatars and NPCs. In addition we find a huge cast of NPCs ready to exploit.
The dangers are all those elements that can hinder the PCs during their adventures; they can range from drunken people to epidemics. The rules to manage them are well made, simple and quick to use. Even here there is a lot of pre-made material, with its own statistics and moves. I appreciated very much that some were generic and others related to particular archetypes of the Districts, so as to make them more characterized and peculiar.
Moreover we find the rules to create Custom Moves for a specific Danger or NPC. For those who do not know PBTAs, Moves are particular actions that are activated under certain conditions; PCs can have their own as well as Dangers and Avatars. Here too the creative process is simple and full of examples.
At the end of the chapter we find a large collection of NPCs and Avatars; it is extremely convenient to have antagonists ready to be used in adrenaline-pumping and addictive series. All Avatars present have included their motivations and purposes, specific Dangers associated with them and their entire Organization with NPCs, Thugs and more.
Hard to be a City of Mist narrator and miss something!
Gambling with Death: An Exciting Case
At the end of the manual we find a Case ready to be played, an adventure inspired by Andersen’s The Nightingale. I’m referring to Death Wager.
The Case will see the PCs investigate a strange death that occurred in one of the most sumptuous casinos in the City. Being a Case of Depth 4 (on a scale of 1 to 5) is quite complex and articulated; it could last more than one session if players want to explore every detail.
The adventure is very addictive, includes various hooks for the characters and is not rigid, thus giving a lot of freedom of action. All NPCs are interesting and well-written, perfect for recreating the atmospheres of a noir novel or a black-and-white thriller.
It is also a great starting point for a series since it is linked to one of the Avatars present in the third chapter of the manual.
Conclusions of the Review of the Master of Ceremonies Toolkit
At the end of this review of Master of Ceremonies Toolkit, I can only say that it is an almost fundamental manual for the narrator. It has everything you could want and the contents are many and well presented. The artistic side is phenomenal.
As I said, this manual is more than recommended.
If you liked this review of City of Mist – Master of Ceremonies Toolkit, keep following us to discover more role-playing games!
In this review we talk about the second edition of Legacy – Life Among the Ruins, a tabletop RPG that allows you to experience the deeds of various Families and their members in a post-apocalyptic world.
Legacywasdeveloped and published in English by UFO Press while in Italy it is localized by MS Edizioni, which we thank for providing us with a review copy. We strongly suggest that you follow both the original authors on their Facebook page and on their official website; we also recommend that you follow the Italian publisher, MS Edizioni, on its Facebook page, Instagram, Youtube and on the official website.
If you are interested in the game, you can buy it in English for 45,07 euros (48.76$) on the official store of UFO Press. Otherwise it is available for 22,53 euros (24,37$) the pdf, always here.
The Structure of the Manual
I want to start this review by talking about the Legacy manual and how splendid it is; The font with which the texts are written is well readable; also the writing style is smooth and simple. Another advantage is the robustness of the manual: you can see that it is made with high quality materials; I carried it around for more than a week in the backpack and it didn’t get a single dent.
The manual is organized into 13 chapters, each linked to a different theme, allowing a quick and effective search for information; on each page there are also side bands that remind us of the chapter in which we are and the topic we are dealing with. Another positive thing is the massive presence of examples; every time a concept is explained, we are given a complete example (placed in a side box, never invasive).
Towards the end of the manual there is a nice chapter with many tips on how to modify the game to have much more freedom; this is definitely an advantage for storytellers who like to create homebrew content. But the real point in favor is the scenario in the last chapter, which allows you to start and try the game in a few moves.
The Artistic Side of this Post-Apocalyptic Work
The artistic side of Legacy deserves a separate section of this review, not only for the images but also for how the graphic aspect is taken care of in its entirety.
We can already see it from the majestic and fascinating cover, which portends something epic. But let’s start with the images: they are many, beautiful and always themed with the setting. Some of these are imposing landscapes, others ruins of the First World, others depict survivors soiled with mud and slime; they are also well distributed in the text, causing a feeling of wonder every time you browse the manual. In short, the choice and use of images is 100 and praise.
The feeling of contentment does not end here, however; the choice of the rust color, dirty and imperfect, both for the font and for the bands on the side, intensifies the post-apocalyptic feeling. All the contours are all more or less serrated (almost ruined) makes it even more immersive.
Review of the Legacy System
Legacy is a particular and elaborate PBTA (Powered by the Apocalypse), but once learnt, it gives great satisfaction. Given this game system, there are therefore various Moves; when you make one, you roll 2d6 add the modifiers of the characteristics (ranging from -1 to +3) and so the result is outlined, which can go from a Full Success to a Failure; for each Move the various achievable results are well explained.
One real peculiarity of Legacy is that we have two booklets: one of the Characters and one of the Family, since the game is divided into two levels; the first is that of the Family, in which you have the opportunity to influence the game world and make moves that modify it. The second level is that of the Character, with whom you go to live the deeds of your character in the first person. This zoom change takes place at the request of the players, who declare when they are most interested in seeing what happens at the Family level or at the Character level.
Another important feature is the management of resources through the Surplus and Necessity mechanism; when we have a surplus of resources in our Family, we will write them under the Surplus, so we can exploit them as we want. If we have a shortage, they should be noted among the Necessities. Surplus and Necessity are given by both some Moves and narration.
The change of Zoom, Surplus and Needs, at the beginning can be strange and complex; for this reason having a good party very cooperative and proactive can be a great help, even just to avoid overloading the master of tasks. In any case, in the manual the mechanics are well explained, also through many examples.
Legacy Setting Review
In Legacywe do not have a precise setting, there are no geographical indications with names and references: everything is left to the players. The assumption is always that you play a post-apocalyptic game, but the system allows you to customize the experience by a lot.
This happens with the choice of tone, facilitated by the fact that each Family and Character presents a tag between Ruins, Echoes, Mirrors. If the table wants to play a post-apocalyptic Mad Max, then you will choose Families and Characters with the Ruins tag. If you want to try an experience more similar to Fallout and Horizon Zero Dawn, you will have to prefer elements with the Echoes tag. In case instead you want to turn towards a post-apocalyptic sci-fi with mutants and time travel, the Mirrors tag is the right one. Obviously the tags are not separate, they can also be combined allowing an incredible variety of situations and cast of Families and Characters.
The setting, therefore, is free and given to the players, who can create it but also observe how it evolves.
A World that Arises and Evolves
A key element of Legacy is the game map, which is created by the players; to do so, they take advantage of the prompts and suggestions available in each of the Families booklets. Being generic, they allow players to take full advantage of their imagination. In addition, if there is a need for inspiration, the manual has a chapter dedicated only to list and illustrate a series of places and dangers that can be located in their own Wastelands or from which to take inspiration.
Another central feature of this role-playing game is the evolution of the world; as we have already said, players can influence the world and when they want to instantly pass many years they can use the “Change of Era” move; it has various effects, but what in my opinion makes it special is that it must be called by all players in agreement, favoring cooperative play. Another way to influence the world is through Wonders, great works (not only buildings but also others) that radically alter the created setting. In the manual there are several examples and it is also explained how to create new ones. An example of player-created Wonders is The Capital, an immense Metropolis that will become the social hub of the Wastelands, with various buildings providing bonuses to the Family that controls them. There is also The Age of Discovery, Total War and many other proposals.
The Families of Belonging
There are 12 Playbooks in the manual and each of them represents a different Family; each Family has its own peculiarities and characteristics, which make it unique. Some are groups of humans who want to bring order to the Wastelands by conquering them, another is formed by anthropomorphic animals intent on surviving and affirming their superiority.
In addition, during the creation phase, the player will have to choose the specific moves of the family and various other characteristics, such as Lifestyle, Doctrine, Traditions and much more.
The degree of freedom of customization is therefore very high and allows players to create their Family in the way they want most, with a wide variety of choices.
Playable Characters
Now, however, let’s increase the zoom and go to analyze the Characters; the manual offers 13 booklets from which to choose, also offering a great variety here.
Each Playbook, like those of the Families, is accompanied by the same Tags so as to help players choose Characters consistent with the tone decided for the session. The booklets cover both the classic post-apocalyptic archetypes (such as the Explorer, the Elder, the Survivor and many others), as well as other more particular ones (including the Machine, the Prometeus and the Mutated One).
In creation, in addition to deciding which Character Moves to start with, we should choose their Role in the family. In fact, the game provides 4 basic Roles, which represent how the Character is seen by his family; these serve to give narrative links and describe the initial situation between the Characters.
Here too, the degree of freedom and customization left to the players is maximum.
The Narrator’s Role
Legacy, as already mentioned, is not an easy RPG to master; it requires commitment and flexibility. Fortunately, the manual has a full chapter with suggestions and ideas, all explained in a simple and immediate way. And, as mentioned earlier, a group of active players helps greatly.
In addition there is a long example of a complete game session and also a pre-made scenario to follow and to be able to open quickly. Two great tools to take the hand with a new game system!
Conclusions of the Legacy Review
In conclusion, I can say that for me Legacy is a great game, able to give an always unique experience for both players and the narrator. The replayability is also very high.
However, this freedom clashes with the need to have a proactive and cooperative group, otherwise for the narrator the task will become burdensome. However, the simple system and the various suggestions and help present in the manual give a great help to appreciate this jewel. So post-apocalypse lovers come forward, this is the game for you!
If you liked this review of Legacy – Life Among the Ruins, keep following us to discover more role-playing games!
In this review we talk about Candy Dice Sets, handmade dice with bright colors inspired by the gummy candy of our childhood. These accessories are part of an Italian Kickstarter project and we thank its creator Emanuele Terzoni for sending us two sets. To stay up to date on his work, you can follow him on the Instagram (or the second specific profile) and Facebook pages.
To purchase this product, we recommend you to visit the official Kickstarter campaign page. With 18 euros you can have a complete set in a delicious glass jar; the possibilities and customization are then very wide!
Every Color Dice
The offered options include five “basic” sets that differ in name and color; furthermore, just for the Kickstarter, there are three exclusive and more elaborate options available .
The “simple” models are Dark Love, Lemon Twist, Sugar Rush, Sweet Dream and Tropical Taste. The second category includes AcquaSparkle, IncubiPassion and SugarGasm. Looking at this variety, I can say that anyone can find a particular color that is right for them.
The author sent us two sets: the Tropical Taste, with its exotic colours, and the IncubiPassion, with passionately dark tones. One detail that I particularly appreciated is that, when crossed by light, they project pleasant reflections of the colours that compose them.
Candy Dice Sets Technical Review
The dice are really beautiful to see, light to roll and smooth and pleasant to handle (thanks to the rounded corners); it really seems to have a candy in your hand!
The materials used include glass-effect epoxy resins, silicon rubbers and alcohol-based dyes for resins; each element has been selected with high quality standards.
Speaking of the font, I can say that it is always well readable and never confuses with the colors of the dice. After all, one of the most basic (and sought after) features is still the comfort of use!
The dimensions are the standard of a classic set of seven dice, including d4, d6, d8, two d10, d12 and d20.
Passion Makes a Difference
Each set of dice is shipped in a beautiful glass jar closed with a cork, at the neck of which there is a piece of string tied with a cardboard with the words “Homemade with love”; a clear sign that indicates the great passion of the author in creating them.
In this regard, we can say that the production and packaging, although handmade, are made by an expert; these details give even more value to the product. Holding in your hands something that exudes love and not “mass production vibes” is always a nice feeling, both as a purchase and as a gift.
Candy Dice Sets Review Conclusion
To conclude this review, I must say that I really likedCandy Dice Sets: beautiful to look at and practical to use; surely this is also possible because Emanuele is a professional painter who knows how to use the right tools and who never gives up on quality.
Surely it is a purchase recommended to anyone looking for handmade dice and also eager to support a Made in Italy product.
If you enjoyed this review of Candy Dice Sets, keep following us to discover new accessories for TTRPGs!
In this review we are going to talk about Shadows of Esteren, a dark fantasy role-playing game that takes its inspiration from the gothic and horror imagery; to be precise, here we will analyze the first book of the saga, called Universe, which contains the basic setting and game system.
Shadows of Esteren is published in English and French by Studio Agate, which we thank for sending us a copy to review; we recommend you follow them on Facebook , on their website, and on the official website of Shadows of Esteren.
If you want to buy it, you can find it on Drivethrurpg at the cost of $25;Dark Romanticsm, the artbook, is available on Drivethrurpg for free.
Review of the Structure of Shadows of Esteren
The manual can be divided into two large sections: the first contains the setting of the game and many ideas for the GM; the second one is dedicated to the game system and the characters creation.
Keep in mind that the differences between these two sections are very evident. The first one is structured in such a way that each chapter has a different narrator and is told in a unique way; some chapters are written as if the reader is a child sitting by the fire with an elderly woman who tells popular stories; others are letters from a son to his distant father. In addition, the chapters include letters, reports, and parts of essays that add further compelling details as text boxes.
This section is written in a very special way. However I must admit that it is messy and makes it difficult to find information quickly. Undoubtedly, it is an interesting choice to expose and describe a setting, but in my opinion it is very risky and improvable from various points of view.
The section that comprehends the system is instead written in a classic and functional way. It is clear and easy to understand and, in a nutshell, does its job. The illustrations that accompany both sections are really well made and evocative; they manage to bring out that sense of dark and gothic medieval fantasy that is often sought in a similar product.
Tri-Kazel: a World Between Gothic and Horrifying
The setting of Shadows of Esteren is Tri-Kazel, a peninsula that takes full advantage of medieval Europe, adding a dark fantasy touch given by the presence of supernatural horrors and typical elements of the genre.
As mentioned above, this section is written in a particular way in order to immerse the reader more deeply into the game world; despite my previous criticisms, I must admit that they have succeeded very well! Reading these pages, you dive into a mediaeval, brutal, and dirty world in which you are forced to fight with your nails and teeth to survive.
Thanks to a very high level of detail, the types of stories that can arise are countless; you can tell the adventures of scholars who explore ancient ruins, of a group of brave people who try to foil a political conspiracy or much more. In short, the setting has options for all tastes.
A slight flaw is the lack of a real integrated bestiary; there are chapters on fauna and enemies present in Tri-Kazel, but a bestiary would have facilitated the conduct of the game for a less experienced GM. However, the actual bestiary can be found in Book 2: Travels, which you can find here.
Shadows of Esteren System Review
The Shadows of Esteren game system is very simple in its foundations, favouring easy learning.
When a character wants to take a complex action in which the risk of failure is contemplated, she must roll a ten-sided die, add its value in the Domain or the Discipline suitable for the test and the corresponding Way; the result must then be compared with a Difficulty Threshold decided by the DM; if the total is equal to or greater than it, the test is passed.
But what do these characteristics represent? Let’s find out!
Domains are generic skills of the character, such as Close Combat, Entertainment and Manufacturing; these can have a score ranging from 0 to 5.
Disciple skills affect a single field in which the PG can specialise, such as Blind Combat, Cooking, Distilling and many others; their scores range from 6 to 15.
The Ways are the main mental traits that enclose the personality of a protagonist; they are the Way of Combativeness, the Way of Creativity, the Way of Empathy, the Way of Conviction and the Way of Reason. The ways have a value ranging from 1 to 5; the higher the score, the more the way will influence how the character thinks and behaves. Of course, the ways have flaws; for example, a character with a high Way of Combativeness will be irritable and will frequently use violence to solve problems.
The combat is very simple and brutal. With a few blows, you can also be mortally wounded, since each hit also corresponds to maluses that weaken the characters.
The Heroes of Tri-Kazel
The characteristics highlighted so far constitute the basis of a character, but they are not enough; when we create a hero, we must also decide her past, her profession and her strengths and weaknesses. But how is this to be done?
Let’s start by saying that the manual provides six ready-to-use and customizable archetypes, perfect for preparing one-shot or inspiring players without many ideas.
If we want to create a totally original character, we have to start by choosing the origin, the status in which the character was born, and the profession that will allow us to access specific Domains and Disciplines; then we will go to arrange an array of points in the Ways, highlighting the ones that are more and less impactful for the character. After completing these first two steps, we must choose her age. The older she is, the more benefits she will receive, but she will also have to deal with Setbacks, something that haunts her from the past.
Then we can choose the strengths and weaknesses based on our Ways scores and calculate the derived values of Health, Defense and more. Finally, we will have a pool of points to spend to improve the Domains or Disciplines, or acquire advantages that will give us bonuses during the game.
It follows, therefore, that the creation of the character is long and requires some calculations. Surely, a session 0 in which to create the protagonists of the story is also ideal to give coherence to the group, given the numerous possibilities offered.
Magic, Miracles and Sanity
As we have already said, the setting is dark fantasy and as such includes magic and miracles; but it is also a horror game, so we must also take into account sanity.
The spells have a strong Celtic inspiration, and they work through the use of points that can generate various effects. The problem is that this pool must be managed through one or more tables, making everything complicated.
Sanity, on the other hand, is what I liked the most and represents an individual’s resistance to the horrors that lie ahead. The system is simple to understand and apply. Every time you meet something that could upset your character you make a test; in case of success the character resists, in case of failure it acquires a number of Trauma points decided by the narrator. Each time you get a certain number of Trauma points, you acquire a mental disorder that represents the consequences of the event on the psyche. Once you reach 20 Trauma points, the character is hopelessly lost.
Dark Romanticism
I also want to talk about Dark Romanticism, the art book dedicated to the universe of Shadows of Esteren. The product is made with great care, the illustrations are beautiful and some are completely original. In addition, there is also additional information about the game world; this is not not the central element, but it is certainly a pleasure.
For fans of this narrative universe, I absolutely recommend the artbook.
Conclusion of the Shadows of Esteren Review
To conclude this review, I can say that Shadows ofEsteren is a product with lights and shadows; fortunately the former prevail.
The well-expanded and detailed setting and the simple and immediate game system are to be praised. But the organization of the information and some parts of the manual could be presented more clearly; some points may appear obscure or generic, but if you want to appease your curiosity we invite you to discover the whole series of manuals.
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In this review we will talk about Secrets of The Drow Trilogy, a group of adventures for D&D5e that will let players explore the depths of the Underdark and try to save Winterhold; they can be played individually as one-shots or together as a short campaign that will take characters from level 4 to level 6. Inside the manual there is also a compendium with new poisons, weapons and ideas for the master.
This collection of adventures is published by Midnight Tower, that we thank for having provided us with a review copy; this work is the sequel to Hunter’s Full Moon Trilogy and the prequel to Rise of The Ice Dragons Trilogy (which we have already reviewed here). We suggest you to follow them on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages and on the site to stay up to date on their new projects.
If you decide to buy this manual, keep in mind that it is available in hardcover at the price of 39.90$ and in PDF at the price of 9.90$ on the relative Drivethrupg page.
Review of the Structure of Secrets of the Drow Trilogy
The manual consists of three adventures (linked by a common theme) and a compendium: The Dryaneris Dark Library.
The three adventures have a similar structure: an introduction with details for the DM, a diagram that summarize the main scenes of the adventure and three chapters with other elements of the setting, new enemies and a new magic item; in addition there are a good number of appendices dedicated to various topics; one of them is always about to explaining how to modify the adventure according to the level of your group. This is a very useful because it makes adventures playable by any group and suitable for introductory an one-shot too.
Let’s talk about the adventures in detail:
Troubles in Winterhold: as a first adventure, its structure is very simple; the characters have one to three missions to deal with. This feature allows you to modulate the length of the adventure and makes it perfect for a one-shot that must be completed in a few hours.
Find the Lost Expedition: this second adventure is very linear, with only one important choice. The length depends on the need of the master and there are many tips on how to change it. This makes it a great filler adventure or intermediate chapter in a larger plot.
The Spider Queen’s Ritual:the third adventure is much more complex than the others as it is designed in sandbox style. It is also the longest and it will certainly take an extended one-shot to finish it, unless you want to split it into two sessions. Definitely an excellent final chapter.
The Setting of Secrets of the Drow Trilogy
All the events take place in the Eastern Farraway, the setting of all the adventures created by Midnight Tower. More precisely, the events take place in the city of Winterhold and in the area of the Underdark linked to it. In the manual, most of information about the setting and the world is in the various chapters at the end of the adventures. Essential information about Winterhold is instead at the beginning of the volume. Surely it is not suitable for adventures outside this city, but with the material provided you can play this whole trilogy without having the impression that the world is “limited”.
Winterhold and its surroundings are a very classic setting; after all it is a metropolis inhabited by various typical fantasy races. In the compendium at the end of the manual there are many details about the Drow society. This content can be used by the DM also in other situations, not only in the Eastern Farraway.
The Plot of Secrets of the Drow Trilogy
The overall plot of Secrets of the Drow Trilogy is compelling and really well made, with a few twists set at the right time. Without making spoilers, the plot will allow players to face intricate intrigues above and below Winterhold concerning the Drow and their society; the source of the troubles are a strange stone and a crazy priestess.
Individually, the three adventures are equally interesting, although the second is the simplest and most linear; the third is the one that most positively impressed and amazed me. In any case, all the adventures have good NPCs and good antagonists; moreover, the stories are open enough to leave players free to face them and conclude them in various different ways.
The NPCs
The main NPCs in Secrets of the Drow Trilogy‘s are interesting and well-characterized. Some, especially among the minor ones, are quite stereotypical, but they do not have a great impact on the plot. I really appreciated the fact that each NPC encountered is presented in a dedicated text box, in which there is a physical and psychological description.
The new opponents introduced, both in the adventures and in the compendium, are balanced and intriguing. They allow you to give a particular flavour to the Underdark and make it even more dangerous.
The New Options and the Compendium
The Dryaneri’s Dark Library is a compendium that contains insights into the lore of the world and new enemies, equipment and options for the players. A highly appreciated addition, precious and detailed.
The new options for the players are a new Background and a new Legacy, which leads to new traits so you can make an even more particular character. All options are balanced, well designed and interesting. Even the new items and equipment are remarkable.
The new monsters are challenging but fair; none of them is too strong or too weak for the circumstances in which is used. In addition, there is a chapter with tips on how to make the Underdark more interesting and new quest suitable for Winterhold. The chapter on lore specifically presents the Underdark and the Drows, providing charming details that can be used in many sessions.
Conclusions of the Secrets of the Drow Trilogy Review
In conclusion, Secrets of the Drow Trilogy is a great series of adventures, suitable for both new and veteran players. Its plot will charm you and let you live good sessions.
Also the realization of this product is excellent; from an artistic point of view there is little to say, the manual is wonderful. The illustrations that pleasantly accompany the reading and the tactical maps are amazing and never trivial.
Surely it is a work not to be missed for all lovers of D&D5e.
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In this review we present not one, but two products: Roll & Play The Fantasy Character Kit and Roll & Play The Game Master’s Fantasy Toolkit; two tools (one for storytellers and one for players) containing a large number of tables with tips and ideas for characters, situations, meetings and much more suitable for any fantasy RPG.
The two products are published in English by Roll & Play Press, which we thank for providing us with this reviewable material. We recommend you visit their website to discover other interesting projects and follow them on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
If you decide to buy them, please note that both are available on the Roll & Play Press shop: the Fantasy Character Kitis sold at a price of about 16 £ and the Game Master’s Fantasy Toolkitat about 14 £. For a limited time, using the discount code UNROLLED10 you can get a 10% discount on your purchase!
Structure and Art Review of Roll & Play: The GM & Character Fantasy Kits
The first thing that is striking about both manuals is the cover; from an artistic point of view it is really well cared for and you can return a feeling of great fantasy adventure. The same care is present in all the illustrations,which are not many but are really well made.
The ring binding and the type of paper on which the products were printed give the impression of holding a notebook to take notes. As much as this feeling is very nice, as you browse through the two manuals, in some places I felt a little fragile and I was afraid that I could ruin some pages.
From the point of view of writing, both manuals are characterized by simple and easily understandable English. During the reading I did not find any errors or inaccuracies, a symptom of a good review work.
The content of both Roll & Play manuals consists of a set of very well-prepared tables; you will find some examples in these reviews.
The Contents of Roll & Play: The Fantasy Character Kits
Specifically, Roll & Play: The Fantasy Character Kits contains all the tables necessary for the creation and characterization of PG and PNG; being the module focused on fantasy, the tables are divided by class. In the first pages we find a chapter that contains, in summary, the characteristics of the most used fantasy races.
The classes are those of D&D5e, although the suggestions and contents are universal and not linked to any specific system. If you are looking for a way to completely create a PG from scratch, you will be disappointed because the tables give inspirations and suggestions only for the background and not for the numerical part.
A nice detail is the presence, at the beginning of each chapter, of a PG created through the tables in the manual; the examples are always useful!
The Content of Roll & Play: The GM’S Fantasy Toolkit
Instead Roll & Play: The GM’s Fantasy Toolkitcollects a large number of tables that can be used by the Game Master to generate situations, encounters and much more.
The various tables are divided into thematic areas and are often accompanied by food for thought or questions. A positive detail is that all tables can be used without preparation, since the suggestions within them are very clear and quick to apply.
In conclusion
To conclude, I find the two products really well made and able to give a lot of ideas to both players and masters.
I recommend buying it for anyone who wants to give randomness and character to their sessions and gaming campaigns; alternatively they can also be very useful in order to speed up the creative process or unlock it if necessary.
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This is our preview of Injuries and Vile Deeds, a module for D&D5e thatintroduces a set of rules to manage injuries and make fighting full of tension and emotion. In addition to this, in the final manual there will be more than 300 ready-to-use NPC and opponents.
We thank Lone Colossus Games for providing us with the preview material; they launched the project through a Kickstarter campaign that, in a few days, was widely funded. We recommend you to follow them on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter pages and on their site to stay updated on their new projects.
In this preview we will explore the first 20 pages of Injuries and Vile Deeds!
Preview of the Mechanics of Injuries and Vile Deeds
The module opens with the author’s explanation on why to use those rules; the his idea is that in D&D5e the further you level up, the more you become resistant to damage and therefore combat is easier and easier. For this reason, the author wanted to develop Injuries and Vile Deeds, introducing an extra danger during combat: Injuries.
The mechanics are really simple and quick to apply; the base consists of thresholds, determined by the maximum life of the PC; there are 7 in total and one more lethal than the other. It goes from being slightly stunned to death instantly. During a combat action, if a PC has suffered enough damage to match or exceed one of the thresholds, he will suffer a injury based on the relative severity of the hit. To give a touch of unpredictability, you have to check a table with various types of Injury.
Each of them has both a narrative and a mechanical effect. For example, some Injuries prevent the character from speaking for a certain period of time, while others cause her to recover less life points in case of healing.
But these mechanics are not just a penalty for the characters: Injuries can also be inflicted on enemies! A character can declare that during an attack she wants to inflict an Injury on an enemy and choose a specific part of the target. There are also various thresholds for enemies based on the damage inflicted by the Character. Based on the threshold reached, the enemy will receive a certain malus.
The idea is really interesting and adds a great tactical depth to the combat.
There are also rules for managing Special Injuries, generated by the various types of damage (such as acid, ice, etc).
New Opponents
In addition to the new rules, the final handbook will contain new opponents.
We just could check three enemies, but aesthetically (and not only) they seem really fascinating. We can’t wait to see all the others in the final manual.
Injuries and Vile Deeds Kickstarter
The Kickstarter page of the project is very interesting; the pledges are very rich and the stretch-goals are very intriguing. Since the project has already been widely funded, some of them have already been unlocked; among these we can find new monsters, new illustrations and new items.
A really interesting detail is that all the pledges will include audio tracks linked to the content of the manual, certainly a nice idea. You can find a preview on the Kickstarter page.
Conclusions of the Injuries and Vile Deeds Preview
In conclusion, the project is really interesting and can be a very good option to add dynamism and tension to your battles without having to make your opponents stronger.
If you are interested in the project, take a look at the Kickstarter page to discover other details about this work.
If you liked this preview, I recommend you to continue following us to discover other products like Injuries and Vile Deeds!
In this review we want to talk about PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession, a role-playing game where you can play intrepid bounty hunters in a western sci-fi setting, enriched by fantasy elements.
This product was developed by Mike Lafferty and published by Fainting Goat Games (whom we thank for providing us with a review copy), following a successful Kickstarter campaign. We advise you to follow them on their website and Facebook page.
If you decide to buy it, keep in mind that this role-playing game is available on DriveThruRPG at a price of about $ 7.99 in its digital edition and $ 10.99 in the physical one.
The Setting of PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession
The basic setting of PEW PEW! A Complicated Profession is a sprawling metropolis called Vrik City. A futuristic agglomeration of many different species located at the edge of the known universe, where even the law struggles to arrive; the ideal place for bounty hunters. The handbook offers a good description and a map of the city, so that the players and the GM have the possibility to live it and customize it to their liking. There are also indications for expanding the setting and creating your own custom.
Following the philosophy of simplicity and immediacy, the handbook offers the inspiration for a mission, well realized and pleasant, which can be taken and brought to the table without preparing anything. If you want to do multiple sessions with the same group, there is a list of instructions in the handbook to create additional missions.
Review of the System of PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession
PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession’s system is based on Grant Howitt’s Havoc Brigade but makes some changes while sharing the same principles of extreme simplicity and immediacy. There are no numerical values and no operations of any kind; when your Bounty Hunter (so they are called the PCs) performs an action whose outcome is uncertain, she will have to roll a 6-sided dice and overcome the difficulty imposed by the GM.
If the test is extremely complicated, the character can call into question one or more of her Traits and adds as many dice to his hand as there are Traits put into play; in this case the chances increase, since it is enough that even a single die overcomes the difficulty to pass the test.
A remarkably interesting mechanism is the Chaos Factor Pool; it is a dice pool, whose base number is determined by the area in which the scene takes place, which increases directly proportional to the actions of the Bounty Hunters that could jeopardize the success of the plan. From this pool the GM can take dice to make the challenges more complicated; here also lies an interesting feature: the Bounty Hunters once per session can take all the dice in the pool and roll them to describe a spectacular action and the difficulty will be based on the level of chaos in the area. Once the action is complete, the dice pool returns to its starting level.
Characters and Starships in PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession
Like the whole game system, in PEW PEW! – At Complicated Professioneven the characters are simple and really fast to create and to play. They are just defined by a few but specific Traits:
Drives: the dream of the PC, what pushes him to go ahead and risk the neck bone.
Skills: what the PC can do best.
Equipment: what the PC has with her and can be exploited during her raids.
Background: the history of the PC.
To create a character, simply define the various sections and elements of the character sheet; here you can feel again the simplicity of the game because there are no predefined lists from which you must draw, but only examples from which to take inspiration. The player is only asked to enter elements that are in line with the setting. There is also a set of tables so you can create a PC quickly and with the thrill of the randomness. As this is a very light system there are no hit points, but each character can suffer a maximum of 5 wounds before ending up out of combat or dying.
What would a group of Space Bounty Hunters be without a spaceship? Surely, they wouldn’t be very interesting. To overcome this problem, the handbook provides a large list of examples of spaceships from which to take inspiration to design their own. Creating the spaceships is very quick because they have 7 wounds and all the equipment, special features and more are left blank at the game table.
There are also several paragraphs, in my opinion well realized, that suggest to Masters and Players interesting ways to manage space fights to make them interesting, fast and lethal.
The Antagonists
In PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession antagonists do not have a statblock or anything like that. They are characterized only by their equipment and their Morale score. The latter is the representation of the desire to continue fighting. Being an abstract value, it allows PCs to have total freedom in narrating and describing how they harm and fight enemies.
A really interesting feature of the regulation is that the Antagonists do not act but react to what the characters do. This means that in a fight the PCs will always start and then follow the Antagonists. The handbook also contains indications to exploit groups of Antagonists and make each fight dynamic and lethal.
The handbook contains a good number of premade Antagonists, each with their own equipment, background, and Morale score.
Structure and Art
The handbook consists of 40 pages, with a classic double-column layout.
There are also the map of Vrik City and a good number of pre-generated characters. In addition, various tables and lists to customize the game even more are included.
The illustrations, although they are not many, are well made and are adequate tothe feeling of the setting.
Conclusions of the Review of PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession
In conclusion I find PEW PEW! – A Complicated Profession a good handbook with a nice system, light and fast, suitable for one-shotsbut also adaptable in order to make longer adventures. I find it perfect for novice and veteran players who can experience the thrill of impersonating intrepid Bounty Hunters and focus on intense action sessions rather than getting lost in regulatory quibbles.
If you enjoyed this review by PEW PEW! – At Complicated Profession, we advise you to continue to follow us to discover new RPGs!
In this review we present you Caravans, a module for D&D5e developed with the aim of providing players mechanics for the creation, growth and maintenance of a company of followers (which we will refer to as Convoy ) who follow the group in the various adventures.
The module is published by Dead Channel Studios, which we thank for providing us with the copy to review, following a very successful Kickstarter campaign. You can find other very interesting products on their store and follow them on their Facebook page and on their Twitter.
In particular, this manual is available in digital format at a cost of approximately € 18.
Review of the Structure and Art of Caravans
The module consists of 73 pages and can be divided into two macro-sections: one containing all the rules and a set of really useful tables.
The rules section is very well written and smooth, the mechanics are explained in a simple but complete way. Another positive point is the large number of examples that prevent misunderstandings or doubts of all kinds. The whole module is accompanied by beautiful illustrations, well made and evocative; some of these are visible in this review.
Review of the Caravans system
The basic system is the Q.P.S. System (Quality Prestige & Supply), which links each of its three Statistics to a D&D5eAbility.
Each statistic describes one aspect of the Convoy and specifically:
Quality: it is used to determine the state of the Convoy and its daily operation; it is linked to Dexterity.
Prestige: reflects the living conditions of the members of the Convoy and is linked to the Charisma.
Supply: depends on Intelligence and represents the amount of resources of the Convoy, from the most common tools to medicines.
In addition to these three there is also Morale, representing the motivation of the NPC and their willingness to continue to be part of the Convoy.
The Challenge in Caravans
In my opinion, the two most important statistics to keep an eye on are Supply and Morale and now we see why.
During the adventures, avoiding that the score of Supply drops to 0 will be a real challenge; the Convoy in fact does not always need the same supplies and these can not be bought. Therefore, the PCs or NPCs will have to carry out missions (in the module they are called Tasks and we will talk about it later) to increase it; in case of failure, the score may even drop.
The Morale can instead increase and decrease continuously, as it is linked to both random events and actions of the characters. For example, removing from a leadership role a beloved, respected and long-running NPC, replacing it with a new one, will generate discontent that will lower the score. On the contrary, saving kidnapped Convoy members will make him grow.
If the value of Morale reaches 0, all the NPCs will leave the Convoy and in order to return the PCs will have to carry out a special mission.
What are Tasks
There is also the mechanics of the Tasks, or assignments; some are executable only by the NPC, while others are called Player Tasks and must be faced by the PC. They are all necessary to run the Convoy and are solved as a classic D&D5e Ability Check. The peculiarity is that each Task has more degrees of success, so the more the shot went well, the more the rewards will be substantial.
The NPC in Caravans
During their adventures, players can recruit NPCs and, for this reason, there is a very simple system for their creation and management. Thanks to a series of predefined archetypes it allows you to create truly interesting, well-defined and balanced adventure companions. It also provides a large number of examples from which to take inspiration and/or modify in the event of an emergency.
Caravans also introduces a useful system to manage NPC wounds. This consists of a random table (in this review we insert a section as an example) really well designed and easy to implement.
Making the Convoy Better
As a character, the Convoy also gains experience points, level ups and boosts itself. There are 10 levels of development and each of them corresponds to a free Upgrade. The latter are of various kinds and can also be purchased by PCs; their cost depends on their rarity.
Conclusions of the Caravans Review
To conclude my review, I can say that I really appreciated Caravans; I congratulate the designers who have managed to create a simple but articulate system that fits perfectly in the basic regulation of D&D5e. Quality is also found in writing and aesthetics. A recommended purchase for those who want to add a little extra spice to their sessions, making the trips much deeper and more interesting.
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