In the last few days the Kickstarter site has seen a real explosion of role-playing projects. But there are not only manuals, systems and settings. It shows us Unchained Games, who presented the Thre3Dee Tabletop project to create 3D walls, objects and miniatures.
What is being offered?
Some of the miniatures
The Thre3Dee Tabletop project does not offer physical rewards but only STL digital files. They will be supplied in different versions to meet the specifications of the various printers. You will therefore not be able to remain comfortable on the sofa waiting for the courier to bring everything you need to play. But a digital project offers undoubted advantages: you only pay the cost of the design, the delivery is almost immediate once the design phase is finished and you can choose what to create and how many copies to make.
Two example of walls… not so reassuring!
Floors and walls, scenic components and miniatures of characters are proposed. At the time of this article Thre3Dee Tabletop offers 9 types of walls, a balustrade, 2 floors and the elements to make up the structures. In addition, there are files to create 14 scenic elements, from barrels to levers to a splendid furnace. 12 hero miniatures close the pack. There are already over 30 3D drawings, not to mention the stretch goals, which we will discuss later.
Another brick in the wall!
First of all it must be said that the offer of the walls is very varied: windows, portals, gates, balustrades, stairs and more. You can really create a lot of interesting combinations. But the real pearl is that through the use of structural components, such as the supports for the floors and the supporting columns for the walls, you can create particularly solid and multi-storey structures! In addition, the designs were made with the idea of being prepared, modified and then dismantled quickly and easily in mind. This allows you to create different structures with a few pieces and above all not to waste time in the assembly and disassembly process, so that time remains available to play. Impeccable.
The openable hatch!
Another wonderful detail was presented with one of the bonus contents (yes, there are also other bonus contents!): The floor with the trap door … and the trap door opens! Ok, in 2020 there are wonders of the most innovative technique of a mini plastic floor with a hatch that opens, but this wonderful detail, given through a bonus content, in my opinion shows very well the passion behind this project.
All you need is love!
I got to get in touch with the people behind the Unchained Games brand and I was impressed by their enthusiasm and passion. This can also be seen from their Kickstarter project page and from the Thre3Dee Components presentation video. It’s not about innovative artistic solutions, it’s not about ingenious marketing solutions. In my opinion, it is about being able to transmit the passion and love for a project carried out with skill but also with the heart.
A confirmation also comes from the “Bonus Content Unchainded” , which are nothing more than stretch goals that are unlocked randomly during the campaign. I’m not a marketing expert and I don’t know how much sense they make from a practical point of view, but they give a playful touch to fundraising, tearing a smile and enticing to participate. I may be too romantic, but I like them very much.
Kick down the walls!
And there are not only walls and floors. Let’s focus also on the rest of the offer. The scenic objects are varied and the previews are intriguing. Anvils, libraries, deadly spikes and altars. There is way to use and reuse everything several times. The heroes, divided into 3 categories, are in my opinion the weak point of the offer. It should be remembered that at the moment I am judging simple images (albeit small ones), yet the miniatures of the characters convince me less. Nevertheless, there is certainly room to use them and placed at the table they still make a good impression.
Let’s do some maths
The final boss!
Going to analyze more thoroughly and rationally the offer of Thre3Dee Tabletop, we will have: €14 for walls and floors (9 + 2 + stretch goal + bonus), €16 for 14 scenic elements, €18 for 12 miniatures and €34 for all. The so-called “all-in”, in addition to providing a saving of € 14, also adds the miniature of the final boss. There are also much more expensive pledges to design customized walls or have all the printed material sent, but it is better to read them directly from the Kickstarter page.
There are currently four Bonus Content Unchained: the floor with trap door, a nut, called a critical nut, supplied in five different versions and even a dice tower. Who knows what else awaits us!
The dice tower!
Focusing on the most suggestive and convenient offer, the all-in, we are therefore talking about 43 different STL files at € 34. Till now. The authors have confided to us that by the end of the campaign it is possible that the total exceeds 55 pieces. These numbers are more than enough to convince me to support the project.
The offer is not only tempting, for the quantity of proposed designs it is really advantageous and I warmly invite you to visit the project page.
I had mentioned Philip Reed and his dollar project in an old article. His curriculum on Kickstarter counts 23 realized projects. Furthermore it also counts 834 projects supported, an impressive number, even for a compulsive accumulator like me!
This short article aims to focus on two projects, the first of which was delivered to me recently. They are A Dozen Sinister Rumors and A Dozen Troubling Rumors. Above all the best part is that they don’t depend on a particular game system! The only thing to keep in mind is that they are only available in English.
Dozens of PDF!
I 12 PDF del secondo progetto
The peculiarity of these two Kickstarter projects is to cost only one dollar. Just one dollar for a PDF. There are pledges that are worth more because they offer other projects by the same author as a reward. Otherwise, just give Philip Reed a dollar to get access to everything the project offers. Moreover every $1000 or less a stretch goal is triggered and an additional PDF is offered. In the first case, A Dozen Sinister Rumors, with one dollar I just took home 17 PDFs, while in the second case, A Dozen Troubling Rumors, I will receive another 12 PDFs at the same cost. 29 files for $2! Not bad, right?
The content of the PDF
Each PDF consists of 12 entries of various kinds. Here are some examples:
A dozen wanted criminals
A dozen city encounters
A dozen guild leaders
A dozen disconcerting rumors
A dozen minor magic items
A dozen worriors for hire
A dozen desert encounters
A dozen magic armors
Each element is described on a single page. There is a drawing, usually very well done, plus a few equal explanatory paragraphs for each dozen that suggest how to use the element. A quick help to add well-done details to your campaign. All information is disconnected from every system.
I 17 PDF del primo progetto
In Philip’s latest update he wrote an interesting consideration: if you only take pages with content as subject, the A Dozen Sinister Rumors project has 204 pages. In fact there are much shorter manuals at a completely different price!
Follow the rumors!
In conclusion, It’s difficult to find faults with these projects. To clarify, they cost almost nothing and provide hundreds of ideas for role-playing games. Certainly Philip Reed and his one-dollar projects can still bring us many joys.
keep following us to stay updated about philip reed’s one-dollar projects!
Age of Ambition is one of the many Kickstarterproject that have been launched in these days. Tab Creationsproposes it, with already five other realized Kickstarter projects that mobilized hundreds of supporters.
What is it about?
Age of Ambition is a roleplaying game set inan era of transformation. The social and historical moment when the static fantasy setting we are all used starts changing. The evolution of magic, the birth of technology, social unrest are shaping a new world. The Playing Characters are active agents of this changing and they help creating the future, trying to surviving it.
The engine of the game is the Saga Machine System, already used by Tab Creations in his previous works. The system is based on eight characteristics and two mechanics: actions and consequences. A deck of cards or, alternatively, d10s are used.
Age of Ambition is set in the world of Trystell, a world that is walking out of the Middle Ages to enter an Early Modern Era. It is openly inspired by the works of authors such as Joe Abercrombie, Terry Pratchett, Scott Lynch and Brian McCellan.
The Kickstarter campaign
The Kickstarter project has a very low funding threshold, which in fact was easily exceeded and doubled within a couple of days. All supporters, even $1 ones, have access to the full text draft. It is a generous sharing offer, which shows the desire to spread a game that the authors evidently love. Pledges are simple. $20 for the digital version, $40 for the physical version with digital stretch goals. Finally $100 for the deluxe set with manual and physical stretch goals. All prices including physical rewards do not take into account shipping costs from USA.
Stretch goals are varied and interesting. Not only adventures, but also new options for characters and campaigns, a poster map, up to the inserts for the master screen and a deck of cards representing possible status alteration given by the consequences in the game.
Keep following us for more information on Age of Ambition and its Kickstarter campaign!
A new Kickstarter project called 2D6 Adventures : a new way to play has just started. With the use of only two dice, it promises fast and more realistic combat.
The Kickstarter offer
The offer consists of four books: a character guide, a master’s guide, a bestiary and a volume entitled Spell Enchantments Potions. There is already something new compared to the usual triad of manuals of the common division of contents.
The main pledges are:
$25 (about €22,50) for the digital version of the four manuals
$50 (about €45) for the digital version of the four manuals and the physical version of character’s guide and master’s guide
$75 (about €67,50) for all the manuals, both in digital and physical version
Pledging $100 (about €90) and $150 (about €135) there are respectively a second manual of Spell Enchantments Potions and a second bestiary with the possibility for both of them to create an entry to be inserted. Too bad that in the general description there is no mention of these further manuals.
There are some shortcomings in the presentation of 2D6 Adventuresin my opinion: it is not known if the manuals will be in color or black and white, nor if they will be hard or soft covered. There is no general indication about the number of pages nor an example of layout. No information about the illustrations too and, apparently, there is no artist already connected to the project.
The real positive note is a separate manualfor magic. It would actually be very convenient for consultation, although it raises the costs. And what about content?
The revealed contents of 2D6 Adventures
As mentioned previously 2D6 Adventures has four manuals. In the description on the Kickstarter page there is not much information, however, regarding their content. The author lose time and space in the explanation of how a role-playing game works, a notion that should be rather known by the public that he would like to attract. But there aren’t many technical specifications on what it offers. We know that there are twelve characteristics and that without the minimum required value a character cannot undertake one of the thirty-two classes and must start as an commoner. A starting point perhaps tough but intriguing. The classes mentioned are a few, among them the Animage and the Shadow Archer stand out, but even of them nothing is known except the name. End of informations.
However, there are some promises. The system should be quick in managing the fights of many creatures together, to allow less time to be taken from the narration. You can even read:
A lot of the play testers we had, had played other RPG’s before and every single one said they preferred the 2D6 system as compared to the others.
But are this informations enough to bring the campaign to life?
The trend of the project
The threshold required for funding is rather low, but there have been few supporters so far. For this reason, according to the analyzes, with the current rhythm the project risks not going through, reaching in the end (according to estimates at the time of writing this article) between 72% and 92%; but these data certainly cannot be accurate. We are, however, at the beginning of the campaign and a good word of mouth can certainly change the trend. Another factor to understand its true value will be the author’s forthcoming statements.
But the lack of information does not have to be a definitive rejection. There may be excellent authors who, at their first project, did not consider how important an accurate presentation and effective communication is. Therefore we intend to publish an interview with the author to dispel all these doubts and bring out the true value of 2D6 Adventures.
Keep following us to learn more informations about 2D6 Adventures: a new way to play!
Agents of Concordia is one of those kickstarters I hadn’t thought of anymore. In these days an email has arrived with the link to download the PDF version from Drivethrurpg and today I did it. As I clicked on the download button I thought “let’s hope it’s a nice, full-bodied and characterful manual”. When I saw 213 megabytes of files I started to hope. Double click and it was immediately love for the cover. Good start!
Welcome to fantasy!
Art and layout
An example of page
Contrary to what I usually do, I will talk later about the producers, the Kickstarter project and how it went. I want to start with the art, because it’s the first thing that won me over. The cover is beautiful, massive and elegant at the same time. Many congratulations to the author, Robin Thomasson, one of the four talented illustrators of the game and my absolute favorite among them. In the manual there are several of his designs: clean, detailed, engaging and elegant. A perfect mix of realism and figurative. The layout is pleasant, fluent, with excellent use of spacing, characters, tables and bold font. Navigation between the sections is also favored by a colored lateral border of the pages on the left which shows written in which part of the manual you are. Now that we know it’s a pleasure for the eyes, let’s talk about content.
Agents of Concordia in brief
Agents of Concordia is an action and mystery game set in a multiverse run by a central government called UVA Concordia. In this multiverse there is also the Earth, according to its calendar in the year 1964. For reasons related to the setting, the Earthlings are not aware of the multiverse. Each player roles a special agent in the service of the C.C.I., Concordia Central Intelligence. Think about the CIA or, better yet, about Men in Black. This game aims to be very varied, fluid and with fast narration, where sci-fi and fantasy come together in a kaleidoscope of worlds, races and situations. The system is called Pentivity System and is based on the d12 alone, in these years more and more under the spotlight after decades spent only in the hands of the players of barbarian half-orcs armed with an axe.
The project and its developing
Before going further into Agents of Concordia, let’s take a step back and tell how it was born. It is the first project of Strangewood Studios, Swedish publishing house in the game market since 2014. Like the d12, Sweden is also coming out more and more on the world roleplaying scene!
The Kickstarter project lasted 45 days, from May 1 to June 14, 2019. It raised around €23,000, exceeding the minimum target by 25%. On average, the backers funded around € 50, indicating a clear preference for physical reward. Now that I’ve seen the beauty of the product, I’m glad I did it too. It should arrive within a month.I don’t know if they will succeed, meanwhile I enjoy the digital version. There were no great stretch goals scored. In my opinion, better stretch goals management would have attracted more people. The most interesting proposals (such as a free app that guaranteed access to information on monsters, worlds and objects) started from too many high amounts. In short, they did not break through, but I’m happy that they got the funds to produce their manual.
Ideas and basic principles
La copertina del manuale
In the introduction the authors explain that they wanted to create a flexible game, quick to play but also deep. They divided the scenes into five types: combat, infiltration, investigation, exploration, research. These are the themes of the game and each of them has been assigned 1/5 of the rules. Furthermore, the necessity to keep discussions at zero is underlined. The multiverse in the manual is only hinted at. Therefore the one in which the characters live is unique and proper to the master so the players must completely rely on his idea of feasibility and possibility, leaving aside any doubts. So it was thought and so it should be.
Some details on the system of Agents of Concordia
It’s called the Pentivity System and uses one to three d12s. You choose the best result and compare it with a number to overcome. The authors called it “a friendly narrative game” because the master is invited to provide numerical bonuses to players who push their characters into breathtaking ventures and who know how to take risks.
Bonus/ malus simply come in the form of + 3/-3. Everything that supports gives +3, everything that hinders -3. The intent is to speed up the game without making people think or argue about the correct number or other details. Simple and clean. Instead, players are able to alter dice results through two resources: veterancy and clearance level.
More info on the setting
Agents of Concordia is centered around the CCI, Concordia Central Agency, an agency that has the task of protecting a multiverse made up of a myriad of worlds located in parallel dimensions. Most (but not all) of these worlds respond to a liberal senate, with two cardinal worlds: Concordia Prime for bureaucracy and Teigo for cultural and economic activities.
La mappa del multiverso
Earth is the last outpost before the end of the multiverse and is a popular destination for the Vagrants, real monsters that come from the Primal Dimensions through a portal called Artifex, on the opposite side of the multiverse. They are attracted to the Singularity, a source of pure Aether that is found at the end of the multiverse, therefore immediately after Earth. Aether is the fuel that makes magic work across the multiverse, but it quickly runs out on Earth. This is why magic on Earth is fleeting and fickle.
Earth is only accessed from Concordia Prime and there are many creatures from other worlds who live there secretly, conducting more or less legal activities.
Hence Aether is the energy source of life and power in the Multiverse. There are those who control it through gestures or those who use it thanks to artifacts. Being an energy, Aether batteries are common for recharging artifacts. Batteries work everywhere except on Earth and in the Primal Worlds. Damned suburbs.
Magical gateways allow you to travel between the worlds, which are surrounded by what is called The Void. With hundreds of worlds available,if you exclude the central skeleton of the multiverse which is more codified, there is room for the wildest fantasy.
A multiverse in an handbook?
The manual has just under 200 pages and obviously cannot contain an entire multiverse inside it. It is divided into several parts. The first is the corebook, which in about 30 pages deals with the rules and then devotes itself to a brief description of fifteen worlds. I emphasize short. More space for images than for words. I find it right, not being able to describe a multiverse better to leave a lot of room for the imagination of those who will leave it. The next hundred pages are dedicated to the player handbook, which has about twenty very varied races to mix with a dozen careers. The manual continues with the part dedicated to the master, minibestiary included, and it ends with an introductory adventure.
Le razze sono molto varie!
Last thoughts on Agents of Concordia
It is always easy to describe your project as an excellent role-playing game. Precisely for this reason I cannot be sure that Agents of Concordia, described as a narrative game of “fast decisions, fluid gameplay and action” is really like that. If I have the chance to try it at the table I will certainly let you know. I am sure, however, that it is a beautiful manual, with an alternative idea at the base, a streamlined system of rules and the possibility of mixing magic, technology and any type of world you want. These features make it a very interesting game and definitely worth trying.
Destination Dangeris one of the last Kickstarters that I received. It is an extremely fast and simple role-playing game, suitable for lightning sessions. In short it is a set of pocket adventures for 2-5 players lasting approximately 20 minutes. But let’s go in order and start from the beginning.
The two Kickstarter campaigns
On 13 October 2018 Jeff Rosenbaugh had to cancel the Kickstarter project called Destination Danger, unable to reach the almost € 9,000 requested. But not giving up, he proposed it again this year with a goal that was more than halved and he got away, obtaining over € 12,000. This allowed the unlocking of several stretch goals which, however, as regards the physical ones, started from a pledge level higher than the basic one.
Strange choice: having to pay more to get stretch goals seems almost a deterrent and not an incentive. Because usually the beauty of Kickstarter is that with the base price you can unlock extra materials and content. The estimated delivery time was May 2020 and instead it is already here in my hands … Strange, but better this way! I spent € 20 on the physical copy, but I have yet to understand if it was worth it … And now I’m going to explain why.
The physical content
A small, colorful and almost pocket-sized cardboard box contains the entire game. Inside there are 22 cards of excellent quality. The graphic style is captivating and immediately strikes the eye. They are divided into the following categories:
5 player cards
6 non player cards
5 artifact cards
3 scenery cards
3 map cards
Some examples of the cards
A well-made 21-page manual accompanies them, but written slightly too small for my taste. A few more pages or some more concise concepts would have slowed the loss of diopters. The feeling that you have reading it is closer to that of a manual of tips to manage a RPG than a real regulatory manual.
The “rules” of Destination Danger
A pic of my st of cards
Destination Danger is very simple. It’s a pulp role-playing game set in the 30s. The style is quite similar to the Hollow Earth Expedition. It actually reminds a bit of all Indiana Jones-style adventure games and the font of the title itself recalls it. But this is not a lack of imagination: the archetype of the adventurous pulp narrative is that.
There are three scenario cards with hints and objectives. You take the player character cards and give them to the players, prepare the npc character cards and artifact corresponding to the scenario and play. Rules? Technically none. No dice, the master decides. No mechanics, the master manages. The characters have some characteristics to help the omnipotent master decide everything and there is a map card to give a common place to play. The master describes the starting situation and manages the game, obviously having at heart the successful narrative of the adventure and the fun of its players. Finished? Finished.
There is a hint in the non-rules booklet for the use of dice, but it can be summed up with: “do you want a system to add some dice and a bit of randomness? Do it, as long as it works”.
So what are the instructions for? They are a kind of advice manual on how to manage a game without fate and without rules. From how to master to how to manage non-playing characters. Among all those small pages written so small I particularly appreciated the invitation to go further in characterizing things. Each element is briefly described and has hints to start from. The creator’s invitation is to read between the lines, to invent based on the details of the drawings, to move imaginatively between the cues given. Very beautiful.
How does it fit into the RPG world?
Is Destination Danger worth the € 20 price? Difficult to give a certain answer. A pocket RPG needs to be playable everywhere. An extemporaneous game has the advantage of being able to be used in sudden situations. Players who, like me, have their own fixed groups, times and places (and rarely travel) will obviously find fewer opportunities to exploit it. Let’s say that it could also be exploited during alternative parties or evenings. On these occasions there isn’t a high level of concentration and probably there are also newcomers to the RPGs; a product like this one would probably entertain well, in a light and pleasant way.
A table presentation for a game which doen’t need a table!
The clichés described among the cards of the game are nothing exceptional, except for some brilliant intuitions. These are elements that experienced players can pull out even without the aid of cards. Therefore I think that Destination Danger could be particularly appreciated by newbies. Yes, but it’s not so easy. Not all newbies manage to play a system without rules, you need experience or at least be naturally inclined for it. On the other hand, when you accumulate the necessary experience, you no longer need certain written ideas.
So where does my indecision on product quality come from? The possibilities for an expert master to bring newbies to the game table and lead them in a few minutes into a realistic and simple adventure to play. I find it perfect for those who would like to try to play. It happens to find a small group that would try to play something simple and fast. It is not easy to find the right hook for this type of request. For this circumstance Destination Danger is perfect.
Brief conclusions (as brief as Destination Danger)
My copy! When will I use it?
Destination Danger is a well made and well presented product. However, it is not a must in the role-playing world and is not suitable for all game groups. But undoubtedly it has a utility. In my case the possibility of quickly introducing newbies to an adventure. For others it could be playing on the train, on the beach or having it in an association for demonstrations or impromptu evenings. In conclusion, a decidedly positive feature of this product is its versatility; without a good imagination, however, it could getting boring soon. The presence of a fairly limited number of cards is likely to make it repetitive.
Keep following us to stay informed about versatile products like Destination Dunger!
I decided to tell you how Hollow Earth Expedition made me think about creating an intriguing story to tell, going against some almost untouchable clichés. But let’s start from the beginning: in December I concluded a short Lex Occultum campaign. Unable to decide what to do next because of too many greedy possibilities, I presented twelve options to my players and the most voted was Hollow Earth Expedition. Now the campaign is about to begin and here I am, a few days after the first session, thinking about a story that is worth telling. And after having miserably failed a pulp plot a few years ago, the desire for redemption is very high. Therefore thanks to it I had the opportunity to reflect deeply on the subject.
The RPG of the situation: Hollow Earth Expedition
The first thing to do is to briefly introduce the game. Hollow Earth Expedition was released in 2006 by the Exile Game Studio and received several nominations for the Origins and the ENnies Awards.
Internal world map according to the theory of the hollow Earth
It is set in the 30s and offers pulp adventures, then chases, shootings, exploration and much more, as long as it is all intriguing and sensational. In short: Indiana Jones, dinosaurs, crazy scientists and bizarre theories. The title and setting of the game is based on a theory, that of the Hollow Earth. Inside the Earth there is another world inhabited by dinosaurs, Atlanteans and other mysteries; this place represents the center or the ultimate goal of most adventures. But that’s not all: between secret societies on Earth and populations on Mars there are many other ideas.
The game uses the Ubiquity System, based on rolling several dice and considering each even result a success. Since each die has 50% to give a positive result it is an easy calculation and abstraction system. This allows for a fast and explosive game, just like the genre it wants to narrate.
The “problem” of free will
I know it may sound a little strange, however I have often found the excessive free will left to players in creating their characters a problem. Don’t get me wrong: players’ imagination and creativity are an incredible resource in storytelling. One of the main skills required of a narrator is that of being able to mix characters, background and plot. But can it always work? I think no.
Does confidence in the narrator allow players to accept the idea that their creativity is chained?
It’s true, there are games, settings, campaigns and stories that are perfect for making the creative choices of the players the pillars of an adventure. But there are other situations in which certain posts must be placed, certain situations must be channeled, some choices must be forced. In the name of what? In the name of creating a story, compelling, coherent and exciting. Obviously it must not be an imposition, but a mutual agreement. Players sacrifice part of their creative free will by trusting their narrator; the latter will be able to use the stakes imposed as the basis for a more complex narrative structure that would otherwise lack adequate foundations.
The starting conditions
So I wanted to create a story for Hollow Earth Expedition. I still did not have very clear ideas, but there were some certainties. Atlantis, orichalcum, Thule, exploration, Nazis, Hyperborea. It was a beginning, there was a principle of synergy between the parts, enhanced by the unique flavor recalled thinking about the hours spent in youth playing the beautiful Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis.
Old but gold: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis!
The creation of the characters took place via WhatsApp during the Christmas holidays, so that we can lay the foundations for a first game session. Luck smiled at me: the archetypes chosen by my five players were easily inserted into my campaign idea. Explorer, doctor, academician (archaeologist), occultist and businesswoman. The rest of the character creation was a smooth and smooth operation. A few small tips were needed to better create capable alter egos effectively inserted in the world and in history, but nothing more. But now I had two questions to solve: the background and the starting point.
The intermediate reasoning
The starting point is one of the key elements in building a story. Although it is perhaps of secondary importance compared to other moments of a campaign (and is easily forgotten after a few sessions), I believe however that a credible incipit lays the foundations for identifying the atmosphere of the campaign.
No more starting points in the tavern!
Sometimes the players are not too pretentious about the beginning of the adventure, rather eager to try out their new characters on the field. As a narrator, however, I have always given great importance to the beginnings. I’m ready to wear out neurons while not starting with “you’re all in the tavern” and its variants.
As the initial part of the campaign plot was slowly unraveling in my mind, I understood how free backgrounds would be difficult to insert, forced into being tied together. Of course, I could always try and see what the players would bring out, but having them write a background and then rape or trash it seemed to me even more cruel.
The final solution for story creation
Hollow Earth Expedition helped me in the final creation of the story. Characters’ Archetype and Motivation were decided. The first one has no mechanical influence: it’s justa a generic description. The Motivation instead dictates the main impulse that moves him. With only these two elements, I could create backgrounds instead of the players, while respecting their basic idea.
In this way the genesis of the zero point could be elevated to something more satisfying than being forced all together somewhere. So I decided to start by inserting one character at a time. At first the business woman contacts the occultist. Their meeting begins to spin the plot wheel and creates a connection for the archaeologist; however she’ll need the help of the explorer. And the opportunity to introduce the doctor would come later in the game. The first session will be more similar to a movie than role-playing. I hope in a long, natural and adrenalinic prologue in which to become familiar with the characters and get to know them.
Hollow Earth Expedition archetypes
However, after that the narrator’s grip loosens, because the role play and the actions of the players take over. My certainty is that their choices will be linked to those initial words that I really want to make real. The last problem was the waiting time of the player of the the doctor. Thus was born the bodyguard of the business woman, a temporarily playing character. With the arrival of his real character I will have an NPC already formed and interpreted. It would also remain as an aid in action scenes, possibly used by occasional players who want to even just to try the system. I haven’t done anything exceptional, but I’m satisfied with the result.
More Hollow Earth Expeditions archetypes
The end of the beginning of Hollow Earth Expedition
This Hollow Earth Expedition campaign was a pretext and the considerations on creating a story do not want to have any claim to absolute truth. I just want to reflect on how, sometimes, the freedom in the creation of the character risks undermining the beauty of a story. Regardless of the skill of a narrator.
This time I imposed backgrounds on players who, fortunately having esteemed my creative streak, gave me carte blanche. Other times greater freedom manages to give a different fulfillment, but I find that it is always good to put stakes. Role-playing is wonderful and wonderfully vast. There are too many aspects, facets, modalities and possibilities to be able to put them all on the table at the same time. Having some fixed points helps everyone to focus on something more homogeneous and the final result can only benefit from it.
Was it worth it to take control of the creation of the protagonists’ backgrounds? What secrets, plots, subplots and potential twists will it be possible to insert thanks to this device? We will find out only by roleplaying.
Keep following us to stay informed about Hollow Earth Expedition and the consequences of this type of story creation!
What connection binds D&D5e, the actor Joe Manganiello and three patients of the Pittsburgh children’s hospital? The answer is another excellent example that comes from the world of RPGs, another good deed such as that relating to the Australian situation. And it’s always nice to see players and masters with their heads lost in a thousand worlds but with their hearts attentive to ours.
We love you, Joe!
Joe Manganiello was born in nearby Mt.Lebanon and he is a member of the UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh board of trustee. Joe is also known for his passion for the world’s most famous role-playing game.
Manganiello has long been an active supporter of The Art of Elysium. It is a non-profit organization founded in 1997 that encourages actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are fighting serious pathologies. He is also a supporter of Until There’s a Cure, a charity dedicated to fighting AIDS.
Manganiello and his afternoon in Pittsburgh
The actor had already donated more than one starter set to the hospital and a few days ago together with his brother Nick he spent an afternoon with three patients introducing them to the game by mastering D&D5e. His enthusiasm for the occasion also shines through his statements:
I think at the heart of this game, it’s about immersion and being able to step out of reality for a little while. And when it comes to Children’s Hospital and kids I think that becomes really necessary. […] There is one boy I think will probably become dungeon master by 5 o’clock this afternoon. He’s on the right way.”
Joe Manganiello
At the end of the event, the Manganiello brothers also said that they hope that the initiative will inspire other children and young people from the hospital to learn the game and start to roleplay. We cannot agree more.
Two days ago I received the digital copy of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley second edition. It is a collection of scenarios for the seventh edition of Call of Cthulhupublished by Chaosium Inc. I supported in the Kickstarter project. From 26 April to 31 May 2018, 22,171 pounds were raised, obtaining 418% of the funds requested. The deadline for January 2019 has been perfectly respected, at least for the digital copy. I immediately thought of sharing my first impressions with you.
The history of the project
Stygian Fox, veterans of Kickstarter with eleven projects already completed, have purchased four titles from Miskatonic River Press, a publishing house that in the meantime had closed its doors due to the premature departure of one of the founders, thus making their products out of print . The desire was to make the titles, much loved by the keepers of Call di Cthulhu, available again. They have been always appreciated for the faithful adherence to Lovecraftian themes and the quality of the proposed scenarios.
Contents
The roaring 20s!
New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley second edition is a collection of seven 1920 scenarios, or tales, as they are called in the book, divided by geographical location along the valley of the Miskatonic River. The river, born from the fantasy of Lovecraft, mentioned for the first time in 1920, flows into the valley of the same name, which has become a real second home for many role-playing players of Call of Cthulhu. There are two tales set in Arkham, one in Dunwich, one in Foxfield, two in Kingsport and one in Innsmouth. These scenarios occupy an average of twenty-two pages each, making up the bulk of the manual. A large section dedicated to handouts, maps and six pre-generated characters completes it. Last mention for the preface. Knowing the story behind the first edition is a touching text full of passion and sadness.
Adventures are beautiful. Faithful to the spirit of Lovecraft and so well structured that I’m sure it must be a real pleasure to narrate them. As this is a first impression I did not go into the preparation nor did I play them. However, from a first quick reading I was left with the desire to try them and the feeling that many quality sessions can be played.
Graphics
Wonderful. Exactly what I expected for an edition of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley. To be enjoyed with the eyes before at the game table. Gorgeous layout, text boxes, titles, images, maps, all elegantly constructed with a perfect choice of colors that makes reading easy and pleasant. Each adventure is opened by a beautiful two-page illustration, enriched by smaller but equally quality images and provided with clear and precise maps. Elegant text boxes, clippings of newspapers and notes embellish everything. I particularly appreciated the choice of colors. Titles and text boxes elegant and in perfect contrast, soft and delicate backgrounds, clear but never bright images. Very nice the graphics of the handouts and the pre-generated sheets, although I would have chosen only in this case a darker color to facilitate the reading of the data.
An example of page The beautiful table of contents
Conclusions
An image with the custom background, painting on the side the related town of the scenario
Very pleasantly impressed with everything. Therefore I am really satisfied with the £ 10 spent. The compulsive accumulator in me is scourged for not convincing myself to take the physical edition, but in reality even on the screen you can enjoy the quality of the product very well. Let me say once again how beautiful graphics and layout are! For the keepers in love with Call of Cthulhu 1920 it is truly highly recommended.
I start by saying that I got the material for free from the author in order to write this review. If you are interested, Acererak’s Guide to Lichdom is available for purchase on Dungeon Masters Guild.
The disturbing and wonderful cover
I read the name Acererak for the first time when I was preparing, years ago, one of the deadliest dungeon of Dungeons & Dragons history, Tomb of Horrors. How evil must Acererak be to have built such a bastard dungeon? Therefore there’s not a better creature to contact to obtain knowledges about evil and tips to become a lich or to manage one (in order to survive or not making survive your players)!
Has someone asked for “fear”?
Do you need this sourcebook? In my opinion yes (if you are a dungeon master) because in your life sooner or later that moment will arrive. The moment in which you decide to drop the “big bomb” to resize cocky players making them discover again the meaning of fear and caution. Or to create a memorable villaing for a campaign. Will this handbook be enough to give proper tools to reach that goal? Let’s find out!
The material is varied…
Acererak’s Guide to Lichdom is a sourcebook for D&D 5e written by Marco Bertini and Marco Fossati (and Acererak, I don’t want to get him angry) for the brand Sign of the Dragon, at their second project after Vault of Magic. As the title states, it’s about liches and its goal is giving enough elements to create unique ones, manage them and give them proper surround. In the specific, this 32 pages handbook offers:
40 new traits and actions
4 new (although ancient) liches ready to smash adventurers
2 new monsters and 1 new NPC
The Baelorn (a particular good aligned elf lich)
2 new magic items
5 new traps
2 detailed maps of liches’ lairs
More than this, you will obtain a 8 page preview, useful to be sent to friends and brag about your purchase, and the HQ version of the maps in the handbook, to be printed or used online.
… presented in the right way…
I have already reviewed a product by Marco Bertini, the adventure La Seconda Alba Nera (available in Italian only), that stroke me for the great quality of art and layout. Acererak’s Guide to Lichdom is nothing less, on the contrary! Maybe the topic helps finding good illustrations, but the result is remarkable. Beautiful, evoking pics, perfectly blended with a clear text, perfectly set among titles, text boxes, quotes and hypertextual links. In this review you’ll see some previews of the art, but there are a lot of great illustrations.
In this sourcelist (as I call a sourcebook that is a list of entries to be chosen and used) in my opinion there are two main elements to consider about content: the novelty of ideas and the ease to access infos. I’m not interested in paying to read something I could think about by myself neither to go forward and backward among pages just to find the entry I was searching.
One of the nice liches ready to devastate unwary adventurers’ parties
Speaking of this the handbook is properly divided and easy to consult. It’s not very long so it’s hard to get lost and illustrations help recognizing quickly the pages. Hypertextual links are useful, but chapter bookmarks are missing.
… and qualitatively good.
Chapter I gives a bold list of actions and reactions and of traits to personalize your own lich. Chapter II speaks about tactics of liches, evaluating strong and weak sides and giving opinions and tips on how a lich should be built. Good cues for everyone, in particular for newbie dungeon master in search of help creating a lich, diversifying it from the one in the monster manual and going against the adventurers with him. Chapter III is a great menu with four liches prêt-à-porter: two pages each, one about description and flavour (very nice the textboxes that helps painting the monster beyond stats) and one with the complete sheet. Appendixes close the handbook. There we find magic items, monsters, NPC, traps and maps (beautiful ones). The concents in my opinion are quite good, they help personalizing quickly and with variety the lich that we want to build. With some fantasy and effort from the dungeon master, the material is enough to give nightmares to countless group of adventurers. In every part, Acererak’s Guide to Lichdom reveals a simple and applicable use of the system mechanics, making it easily blended with official releases.
Proximity to a lich is never safe
Conclusions
Nice and useful. The handbook’s tone is professional when needed and funny where possible. Graphically is very beautiful and the layout is perfect. Contents aren’t many, because they are commensurate to the 32 pages. But if you are interested in the topic and you are willing to pay the price, Acererak’s Guide to Lichdom won’t disappoint you: a brief read, a pleasure for the eyes and everyone will find cues and useful informations, especially for dungeon master new in the world of liches.
I got some days ago the digital handbook of Tenebria: Remnant of Rome, a survival rpg set after the fall of the Roman Empire. I backed the project pledging 10$ and now I can finally browse it and share my first impressions.
Art and layout
Mostly pages have this layout
Amateur. There are some good quality images, but they’re alternated with lesser works resulting very unpleasant for the reader because he loses the sense of immersion and evocation that a more uniform product can obtain. Moreover images have always the same two layouts, total page or almost total page, without varying with vertical shapes or tinier illustrations (apart from creatures in the appendix). Then text has a bold font that makes no difference from the real bold type, preventing from notice the difference and making reading more difficult. Some paragraph titles are simply capital without a change in size or other methods of enhancing. Text lines are uneven making the pages even more messy and worsening the reading. The outcome is a train of similar pages, where is difficult finding a particular entry and the reader’s look gets lost in a ton of indistinguishable ink. I had the clear feeling of a work lacking of experience and professionalism. I can save some textboxes explaining to readers Roman names, traditions and translations.
Project and authors
Wet Ink Games logo
The project has been founded on Kickstarter on the 22nd September 2019, managing to surpass the threshold of 10.000$ needed to be founded by few hundreds dollars. The promise to deliver a 100 pages handbook (final count is 106) in December 2019 has been kept, at least for the digital version. Tenebria: Remnant of Rome had a good presentation, although there were some details that should have make me think about future flaws. For example it’s impossible not to mention the sad stretch goals table: without images, a title, some colour and with the red line of the automatic editor copied and pasted on the project page. You already know my opinion about art and layout.
The sad stretch goals table on the Kickstarter page of Tenebria
The authors, Wet Ink Games, have already completed other three Kickstarter projects. Writing and art are made by Steven Wu (you can see his art on his Artstation page) and the system has been developed by Brandon K. Aten and Matthew Orr, founders of this indie company. I’m astonished that two person that can boast, as they say, “over a decade of experience in the gaming industry working on projects together and separately for prominent companies including Palladium Books (Rifts and Splicers), Third Eye Games (Part Time Gods, Ninja Crusade 2nd Ed. and Amp: Year One), and NerdBurgerGames (CAPERS)” can create products that seems amateur with clear visual flaws.
Game and setting
Benvenuti a Tenebria!
Tenebria, Remnant of Rome is a survival roleplaying game about the story of a community risen around the camp of the ninth roman legion “Gemini” sheltered in Germany near an aqueduct to reorganize after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This community grew up slowly and it hosts refugees that must proof themselves useful in order to remain and be accepted. The introduction set the tone properly describing the voyage of the protagonist that loses his wife, two sons and a daughter in a couple of pages before finding Tenebria. This is not an hystorical game, there aren’t precise hystorical entries in the handbook and also the equipment is not hystorically correct. But that’s not a problem or a flaw. The focus of the game is the narration about how that community survived, “where” and “when” are deliberately blur.
Character creation comes in the form of an interview from two roman soldier that ask the future character who he is and how he can be useful to the community. The generation is fast, like it should be in a light system: name’s choice, assignement of 12 points on 3 attributes, choice of 3 skills from a list of 9, a trait, 3 resources and we’re done. In this first impression I was uncertain about the carrying weight skill because, even if we are talking about a survival game, it seemed to me not so useful in a 9 skills system, compared to the other two body skills, combat and athleticism. I appreciated the Resources part, resolved with a card deck. Every suit represents a different kind of resources (body, mind and soul resources) and every card is one resource of that kind. Spades are raw resources that can be exchanged with the others with a 2:1 ratio.
Our two interviewers
A short illustrative mission lets the system to be introduced. It’s truly minimal, then, before already reaching appendixes (they start at page 46!), we have only the after mission chapter. Apart from the usual character advancement rules, it’s explained how it’s also possible spending resources to improve the settlement of Tenebria with buildings and services that gives benefits in game. Even if it’s very simple, it’s a good idea, like a minigame. In the game there’s magic, in the form of hexes, which explanation and functioning are left to narrators and players.
More than half of the book is dedicated to the appendixes that, apart from hexes, have a lot of missions, brief adventures to help getting in the mood of the game, in addition to a short list of creatures and NPCs, but that shortness is not an issue: the system is so light that NPCs and creature generation is not a problem at all. Let’s talk about the system now!
System and mechanics
Are you not trained in combat? Let’s spend a Body point and you are trained!
Easy, isn’t it?
This system is called +One System and it’s d6 based. You roll the dice depending on skills, “5” and “6” are successes and dice can be manipulated as many times as the linked attribute. What does dice manipulation mean? It means you can obtain training (Are you not trained in combat? Let’s spend a Body point and you are trained! Easy, isn’t it?), add dice, augment the die result or reroll. Players can influence other characters’ dice results with Morale rolls, enhancing the needing of collaboration in a hostile world. Combat, persuasion and ingenuity work in the same way: simply, with few rolls. No space for maneuvers, tactics or other aspects in the rules. This game is made to tell stories, not to detail physical or verbal encounters. It’s really a minimal system, create to make players collaborate and to drain their resources, putting characters’ lifes in danger. It’s useful to carry on narration-centered, solid and engaging stories, because without them there is nothing left.
Tenebria after first reading is like a forest after a fire: a lot of smoke but few material
Conclusions
Too simple. An hystorical moment and a place have been chosen to create a setting, an hyper-simple system has been taken to make the game run, some good ideas have been added, some details, few traits and hexes, some illustrative missions have been written and everything has been given a rushed layout. I don’t say there’s nothing of value. If a good narrator, talented in creating engaging stories, wants a light system for a survival game and the setting is fitting, then I’m sure some good results can be obtained. But as far as you go from this premises, you risk to be disappointed from Tenebria.
I’ve always been impatient. This trait can be found even in my being a master, in particular when it comes to travelling. I’ve never been a huge fan of random encounters, camps, watch duties. I’ve always preferred enhance the main story, looking forward to see my players arrive in Place B as soon as they finished playing in Place A, thanks to the “Fast Forward” power that every Master, even first level ones, have.
I’m talking about travelling with a destination, not simply wandering without a clue for unknown territories and, just to be clear, I did not avoid every travel. I narrated excursions in wild lands, days of land travelling with random encounters, camps assaulted in the middle of the night and other stuffs: I simply never liked’em very much.
“IT’S TIME FOR THE PREMISE OF THE PREMISES: THERE IS NOT A CORRECT ANSWER”
It’s time for the premise of the premises: there is not a correct answer, a right way, a good choice, not even in the medias res or in common sense: every person, every group, every game, every session have different visions, needings, moments, hopes, expectations, internal rules. The more adapt solution must be researched from time to time. These thoughts are a starting point for a confrontation, to give a different point of view, to share some experience to less experienced, that’s all.
Let’s head back tp the travel topic. The possibilities exist between the Fast Forward, like “You leave for the Hundreds Eyed Cave. Ok, you’re there”, while on the other hand we have the Slow Motion, like “The Sanctuary of Forgotten Death is 300 km north. In your first 5 km…” Between these, all the intermediate possibilities.
“Growing up I understood that being in a hurry doesn’t let you enjoy your time.”
Usually I was more a Fast Forwarder, I liked arriving straight to the point, avoiding combats, not giving too many Xp between locations, pratically an annual subscription to narrative mass teleport. What happened next? Growing up I understood that being in a hurry often doesn’it let you enjoy your time. Also as a master I often hurried the beginning of a campaign before being really ready or hurried the ending, already thinking about the next project. It never went very well. Things must be done well in the proper time. Thereforerecently I slowed down, looking for quality before quantity. Talking about quality I discovered one of my actual favourites games, Hackmaster. Shortly it’s an AD&D evolution with very realistic mechanics. A lot of rules trying to describe every aspect of the hard life of adventurers, From rolls to avoid dozing off during watch duty to fatigue factors, to the effect of a pint of beer in the next morning. A game like that, run properly, makes you abandon Fast Forward and change to Slow Motion.
So yesterday night we spent four hours of play to calculate rations weight, how to divide them between the mule and the pony, to evaluate backpack weight and the beginning of the journey divided in daily spets with weather, landscapes, terrain features, animals, plants and every little playable detail which I could insert without making the game too slow and too boring. How did the session go? A part of me would have see the adventurers already in front of the gates of the dwarven citadel of Coldhall, but anoher part enjoyed delaying that moment. The waiting time before arriving, the sense of travel, the expectations growing bigger and bigger as they realized how much time was needed to reach their destination. It implied perils, maybe just briefly mentioned, a lot of elements that worked better than the destination itselt. The climax has been a nocturnal encounter with a Sturm Wolf. Not a combat, just the beast approaching the tent to study the situation, with the adventurers ready to react but losing precious houes of sleep. But in a game as mortal as Hackmaster previews, possibilities and risks are as breathtaking as the combat itself.
I had a completely different experience last fall during my Lex Occultum campaign, the official one known as “Roi-de-Rats”, that I ran briefly cutting every travel and playing only the real location and scenes. In that case Fast Forwarding made the narration faster and smoother, I avoided encounter, obstacles not useful for the main plot. We decider for a short campaign without further ramification of the story, but in the end the pace we had from a location to another made them less interesting.
So here I am, after last night, talking about travels. Obviously I’ve not become the ultimate fan of Slow Motion, but yesterday experience made me reflect: travellins as waiting time, as expectation, as path of discover can be more interesting than destination itself and increase the performance of the destination. Moreover travelling can be the perfect cue to enhance particular and less used abilities, or to give pieces of knowledge and detalis for the future, or little narrative baits to check players’ preferences to understant what they like and what they don’t.
I thought making a punctual analysis of Fast Forward e Slow Motion and of the requirements needed to properly use Slow Motion because in the vast rpg offer there are games and systems more adapt than other. I decided to avoid every human factor in my analysis because there are too many elements and they are too specific for every group of play.
FAST FORWARD
you arrive quickly to your destination, making the main plot go on.
you save time, reducing the duration of the campaign, maybe because there are other games that you want to try soon.
less elements to manage.
less rules and measurements.
you don’t risk to alter the experience progression giving xp for unexpected encounter.
SLOW MOTION
you let live the travel as a path of discovery and preparation.
you don’t interrupt narration, increasing the feeling of being in the game.
you have space for interpretation, abilities, knowledges, narrative cues.
“the travel as waiting time, as expectations, as a path of discovery can be more interesting than destination itself”
Not every game is suited for Slow Motion. It can be done in every game, but to be done properly there are some requirements. Take this list as generic, because no every point is valid for every kind of campaing:
It must not give too much experience in combats or players could level up too quickly.
It must not give too easy way to be completely healed, or every day becomes the copy of the previous one if “using all the healing magic” in the evening, in the next morning the party begins as new.
It must give playes some tools to interact with the various aspects of travel itself.
It must have specific or generic rules concerning risks and effects of the features of the travel (or the master must use the system to create them) or a big part of the travel is lost. Not having risks, consequences, the possibility not arriving as you depart transform travelling in a long loading page without life.
In the end I reconsidered travelling and from now on I’ll try to live it as an incentive for me to generate stories and landscapes, to create sparks of ideas and above all as a tool to enhance destination using the sense of expectationgthat travel makes feel.
Why this title? Because Flat Plastic Miniatures 2 was founded between December 2016 and February 2017, with estimated time of arrival in December 2017. They arrived on December, but two years later! Printers breakdown, shipping problems, customs, a real odissey!
Aren’t they beautiful?
I have a simple method to avoid anxiety (and anger) from kickstarter delay: I forget what I back with time. I can’t worry about something I don’t remember and I have a real surprise when I get it!
The sheets of plastic as they arrived
Let’s focus on the product now. They are flat plastic miniatures to be used with roleplayng games and similar. As you can see from the pictures, they’re light, resistant, they don’t break, lose pieces, get stained and, very important, they need a little space. I had a real epiphany when I discovered them three years ago. Now that I can finally touch them with my hands I confirm they’re awesome. They’re solid, the cut is neat, they’re very colorful with a beautiful art and after I placed them in a card collector divided in groups I can say it’s very easy to carry an army of miniatures and make a choice among them withouf efforts. The bases are solit too and the flying bases, with five different elevations give great effect to the flying creatures.
These minis have been produced by Arcknight in a kickstarter but they are available at their online shop. I think they resolved their issues so you can expect some sort of puntuality for your orders.
Actually I’m waiting for another load of plastic flat miniatures from a more recent kickstarter, Skinny Minis (ETA April 2020), while there si another kickstarter project live, GTG Minis (ETA March 2020), that I back to evaluate the differences among the three productions for future orders and to give a proper comparing review.
Removed from sheets and diveded in groups
Ok, I admit it, thuth is that’s simply my compulsive accumulation syndrome!
Everything in a little box
CONCLUSIONS
Indipendently from the delay, that everyone can evaluate as he prefers, I really like this miniatures. Their practicality and transportability will make me us them very often. I’m also curious to compare them to the other arriving next years.
Sunday 8th December the kickstarter project of Medieval, Tales form Europe, began its journey to become a physical reality played in Italy and in the rest of the world. What is it all about? It’s a setting for D&D 5E created to play in a realistic medieval Europe with specific contents and rules. The description of the campaign is rich of infos, so there’s a lot to talk about!
THE AUTHORS
“Tales for Games Publishing”
It’s the first project for “Tales for Games Publishing”, so we have no comparisons at all. It seems to be the first experience for the authors.
Illustrators obviously have their beaufitul online portfolios and I appreciated theric choice, a good mix of realism and fantasy. I hope I’ll see some double page arts in the book.
THE KICKSTARTERPROJECT
I’m very happy the project is both in Italian and English, to open up to new international backers in order to reach a greater public, greater funds, and greater hopes of stretch goal for everyone. I also like the decision of set the prices with shipping costs included (for Europe and North America), it’s good to have control over the final budget from the beginning. The estimated time of delivery is about an year, but we are talking about Kickstarter so I will certainly not sign the date on my calendar.
Stretch goals
The page is well edited, with links to quickstart, interviews, with illustrations and previews. The early birds are convenient and if the final quality will be as much as the one we are seeing now, even the price is interesting. My preference is on 40€ early bird pledge to get physical manual and the PDF. Than it’s time to hope that some stretch goals will be unlocked, especially the physical ones. That would make the money very well spent.
While this article is being written the collected funds are about 4000€ of 27000€ required to make the printers run. It’s not a rush start, but surely there is time to reach the final goal.
Graphic, editing, spacing, texts, they all seem being done with attention and quality. They’re previews made to hunt down young and naive backers so they must be done with attention and quality, but if this level will be keep mantained for all the book then it will be a real pleasure to read. For what I saw, there is preparation and skills behind these examples.
REALISM, THEY PROMISE
The task of realizing a realistic game is always tough and fascinanting and there are many efforts in the past. I personally like campaigns where the survival of the character is tested not only with rough fighting but with every aspect of a hero life, from his daily routines to his proficiencies, realizing a 360° management of a character. A combat less centered on a long and repeated sequence of hits and more focused on preparation of few strong and deadly assaluts to finish quickly the enemy finds me completely in agreement. The privileged access for only some classes or ranks to different kind of weapons is another realistic aspect that I appriciated, with the consequential implementation of brawling and unarmed rules. I hope to see headbutts!
If that flail hits a skull… game set and match!
But it’s difficult to find the right balance in a low magic game with high mortality rate. Everything is cool until a couple of unlucky rolls makes you create another character. Maybe many players like it, but I think that we gather around a table to tell stories and too many interrupted stories at the end ruin the game. Balance mechanisms are required, a well studied alea management and countless hours of playtest. How will the result be? I will keep this doubt with me until I’ll try the game at the table, or at least read the manual.
NOT ONLY PUNCHES AND SWORDS
Sono proprio tante le cose da fare nel Medioevo!
It’s a beautiful choice bringing into a game the legacy of history and tradition of Europe. From what I saw in the quickstart there is a good effort of giving the right infos to create the correct frame for a character, socially and historically speaking. Therefore no one of the authors is a historian, so we will not see a perfect level of plausibility (also difficult to keep in game), but I think it could be a good mix of accurate and plausible, that gives players the sensation of being exactly in the medieval setting they are looking for. But the presence of a historian in the authors team granting a minimum level of control on content would have been a great plus.
The decentralization of fighting is another noble proposal, but how will it work in terms of play and playability? Many rpg and rpg systems talk about touching every aspect of life, but in the hand the choice is for masters and players. How much fighting and how much “else” they put in their stories. Without mechanisms that will help bring thes “elses” in the game we will have only the choice of masters and players. From here I ask to myself it I really need a handbook that tells me how to give importance to undervalued elements. Will it help us bringing them into the game or they’ll remain words, advices and possibilities written among the pages? I’m curious to see it the promises will be kept.
ONE MORE DOUBT
We could talk about many other topics implied in the kickstarter page, but truth is that we need to read and play the final product in order to fully understand what we are talking about. There are a lot of beautiful premises for fighting, character management, travels, esotericism, low magic elements in a pseudoreal historical setting. At the end everything will depend on how everything will be done (Obvious, I know). When a game or a setting are more limited and precise in their concept it’s easier to express an opinion. In Medieval there’s freedom in managing the historical setting (keel the History, change the History, modify details) and in such a fluid setting it’s not easy insert and balance a lot of other aspects and keep them balanced, playable, intersectables AND keep the realism plausible. The risk is creating a half fantasy half realistic hybrid with an European geography.
CONCLUSION
I see lights and shadows on the project, as normal. But I see also passion, effort, courage and determination. Compared to other setting it’s more difficult to understand if the final product will be as described and if authors will keep their promises, but the quality and the level of detail make me quite optimistic. Regardless of that, the final manual will probably be a high quality handbook and a very enjoyable reading.
The eleven professions
PROS
High quality previews
Well detailed project
The promise of let us play in a realistic medieval Europe with D&D 5E
CONS
The premises are not easy to be fulfilled.
Many elements to balance without losing in realism and plausibility.
Christmas is coming and I’m not waiting for gifts but for Kickstarters! Today I received the shipment with the object of this review: the Jon Hodgson Map Tiles!
THE AUTHOR
First of all, who is Jon Hodgson? He is a Scottish professional creative working from 20 years in the field and, talking about rpg world, he can boast collaborations with Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, AEG, Chaosium, Cubicle 7, and more. You can visit his site and read his bio. While I was preparing this review I saw his name among the illustrators of the Adventures in Middle-Earth for D&D 5e, just under a milestone of Middle-Earth illustration as John Howe.
THE PROJECT
An image fron the Kickstarter page
The Jon Hodgson Map Tiles project has been founded on 9th July by 435 backers who raised £19.247 (about 22.000€). The estimated time of fullfilment was September, but, ehi, we’re talking about kickstarter and, therefore, being the stretch goals more paintings to do, being late was understandable. There was a long list of pledges, from the digital one (£10 / about 11€) to 14 sets of tiles (£142 / about 160€). I chose the 5 set pledge (£62 / about 72€) trying to make the shipping valuable without totally empting my wallet. Every pledge, apart from digital, were shipping cost included, and it is awesome: you already know how much is the full cost without further surprises. I like you, Jon Hodgson! The sets were 7: forest, cave, highland pass, heathland, dungeon, extra details or linking tile (among sets). Gridded or without grid, backer’s choice.
UNBOXING
Last time I’ll see them so organized!
A simple envelope, strong enough to protect the precious material, light and compact, and some advertisement about Jon’s Patreon page, a couple of games created by his production house, the Handiwork Games and a thank card with a discount of 10% manually signed. Well done, Jon, very appreciated! 320 signs, maybe a wrist spasm, but a lot of style!
CONTENT
My brand new forest path!
Tiles are a 6×6 square gridded of quality papare. It should resist to beer drops and chips greased hand… maybe not untile the end of times! I already have many map tiles sets (and many euros less in bank), nearly everyone thicker hardback tiles. These have the merit to be lighter and thiner, with theirs pros and cons: easy to carry and put back, little weight, but also ready to fly after the first medium blow and with a high risk of bended angles. But better having angles bended that thicker margins teared from use for my sick mind’s sake! Every set is composed by 30 tiles double sided for 60 faces in total.
CONCLUSIONS
I like them. They’re thin and resistant, beautifully painted and they occupy a very little space. Placing them on the table gives me the effect of watching the intro of an old rpg videogame.
For once you’re not the adventurer, but the tiny bastard in the right corner.
Yesterday I had the chance to try this game I backed onKickstarter so I can write an opinion and try to give you a more deep and structured review.
THE KICKSTARTER
Jordan, the author, creator of two other projects, one of them Arcana Academy (I wrote an article about the project), presented the project with humor and ease, promising for September 2019 an “about 70 pages full of original full-color art”. He got 1229 backers and raised 20634 dollars. I payed 8 dollars for the digital version and, after some quick readings, yesterday night I passed to the practice.
THE MANUAL
The physical manuale, in this preview a fatter than he real one, if I have to guess…
My sensation is that it should have been done more.
The manual is a 45,6 Mb PDF for 47 pages. Shouldn’t they be 70? Well yes, it seemed so, but this is the result. A heavy file (I got similar quality compressing it in a 4 Mb PDF) with no more than 20-25 lines for page, BIG font and large images. Hence, it was ralizable with less than 40 pages. For example I had insert a backer list to thank for the 20k dollars raised for a less than 50 pages manual. Even if we are talking of a light game that obviously doesn’t require a 200 hundred pages tome, my sensation is that it should have been done more. I can’t avoid the idea of the minimum work for minimum task. Without talking about the certain effort of the author, the result is a little poor. For example I feel mocked when I was promised a “guide to creating alternate settings other than fantasy” and I got 30 lines, few words per line of nearly nothing about alternative settings. Will it be at leat playable?
CONTENTS
If it seemed poor, I appreciate it can be read and prepared quickly.
The game is inspired by PbtA (Power by the Apocalypse) a game system developed by Meguey e Vincent Baker quite famous in the rpg world. It has a different approach from the standard rpg like, for example, D&D, but explaining it is beyond the purpose of this article. It’s very narrative, players can do what they want and describing their actions they trigger some moves that decide the result of narration itslelf, but leaving consequenques, combat order and other part of a game system in the hand of the narrator, that must direct the game with the pacing of a movie. Simple and fast. A rules section, 6 pages, a moves section, 7 pages, then character creation.
One of the six moves of the game
The character creation is completaly free. Like Freddie sang, you can be anything you want to be because everything is reduced (speaking about rules) to a talent, a tool and a motivation, each valued 1d6 in the system. So “disintegrate with my gaze” has the same value in dice of a “ooze cannon”, it will be the narrative result the different one. Some final touches to the character, then some pages for tips, mastering, some session rules and in a shot time the handbook is over and it’s time to play.
The idea is a funny quick, engaging game and it is successful. The Shiny are the coin of the game, that let you buy… everything you want, the effect is obvious and the bonus is? Exactly! 1d6, but you can have thousands of fantastic and funny items! My favourite rule is for critical failures. In the game you roll from 1 to 3 d6. If you don’t get 4,5 or 6 and you have at least a 1, you failed critically. The failing player will than tells the first word in mind and the narrator will invent a consequence based on that word. After that, if the character is still alive, the player will write a brief sentence about what the character learned, for example”Don’t touch pointy things” or “Monks have tough butt muscles” and everytime that sentences can be related to a roll, il will be 1d6 bonus, but with the risk that sooner or later it will be forgotten. Il it seemed poor, I appreciated I read and prepared it quickly.
PLAYTEST
One of my funniest one-shot ever.
Character creation is fast and funny. We created a poisonous naga, a fairy dragon trapped in the body of a little girl, a revenant dwarf sculptor with “a-stone-ishing” powers, and a werepig, but the possibilities are truly limitless.
Rules explanation took less than 10 minutes than my players were already defending the Crimson Tears Lake of their master, Dungeon the Great, from an assoult of boring and zelous adventurer. After an hour they were retaliating, attacking the Monastery of Light and after two others hours the session ended with some players avoiding the evocation of a demon perpetrated by the voodoo doll of the girl/fairy dragon while the naga and the werepig were happily eating corprese of clerics and paladins in the hall of the sacred tomes.
It has been on of my funniest one-shot ever (I never one-shot very much) and the game ran simply and smoothly among jokes and smiles, without problems of rules (so few) and with very little bug to think about while playing. It has kept the promis to make us the enjoy an evil minion funny game.
CONCLUSIONS
Light and funny, easily learned, quick to realize. More adapt to one shot or very short campaigns, it needs preparation to make it last longer without durability problems. It’s worth the value, but I found the contents under my aspectatives.
PROS
Simple and fast.
It’s funny to role the minions.
CONS
Poor of concents. With a little effort there was space for a lot of hooles, tips, lists, possibilities, examples and “stupidities” to make the game memorable.
Nibiru, a sci-fi game of lost memories. Born thanks to a Kickstarter project by the author Federico Sohns who in December 2018 obtained over £27,000 convincing more than 500 supporters.
The art of Nibiru
With illustrations like these you have already won.
First thing: the illustrations. I must start from them. Beautiful and evocative. Regardless of technical skill, I’m talking about result. Wonderful. Each one is able to give very evocative suggestions for being at the same time different from the others but also related. There are many compliments to be made not only to individual artists but also to the lead artist who has managed to achieve such a remarkable result.
In a game like Nibiru, in the eclectic infinity of setting possibilities that space and the mind offer, art plays a fundamental role in accompanying the reader within the game.
The contents
I got four files: the basic manual plus three adventures of eight pages each.
The setting is Nibiru, a gigantic [3600km in diameter] space station, designed for who knows what reason [but it has a reason and a purpose], which has become the strange only world known for its human inhabitants. Players wear the clothes of the Vagabonds, creatures who woke up in the cold of Nibiru without much of their memory. This condition is one of the peculiarities of the game, which can be experienced forward, but also backward, revealing new memories of a mysterious past.
Nibiru has its own geography, its history, its societies, its roads, its regions, its cities, with different symbols and purposes. A world, varied and particular, differentiated and evocative, from the richest Central Regions to the inhospitable Shadowy Border whose detailed description goes well beyond the scope of this article. Much information that I’ not covering can be found on the kickstarter page, where you can also download a quickstart.
The manual concludes with more insights into the world, the game and a bestiary of machines, flora and above all strange and beautifully designed creatures. Then the inevitable section for the narrator and an introductory adventure.
Nibiru and the Memos System
The game engine is the MEMOS System. Normal tests are made by rolling d4, the only dice in the game, and each “4” is a success. Players then have Influence Points, which can be used to obtain small storytelling powers within the game. The mind and its repercussions play an important role, with the insinuation of psychiatric symptoms in response to the stresses of life on Nibiru.
Finally the most characteristic part, that is the Memo Points, assigned by the narrator and used by the players to create memories to be written in a real messy diary. Each memory will become a permanent bonus in the game, allowing you to outline the character and describe it both forward and backward, as I said before. There are also negative memories that give Memo Points, in the classic flaw style of many RPGs. Vagabonds also have powers, called Revelations, always linked to memory and the its discovery.
Is Nibiru really a pearl in space?
In my opinion, yes. I can’t wait to browse the real manual and be able to try it at the game table, but I feel I can confirm it for many elements. In particular, the wonderful graphics and the innovative and engaging system. Nibiru has proved to be an excellent investment and it will certainly prove to be a game that will not disappoint me.
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