Review: The New Death and Others

This is going to be an odd review not because I am going to write strange stuff but due to the genre this book belongs to. It's not an adventure, a rules supplement or a role playing rules system... it's an anthology of short stories and poems. On the other hand, inside the 94 pages of this book there is some obvious role playing gamer-interest material incorporating in horror or fantasy stuff, so "The New Death And Others" is a product I have to review in Beasts & Dwellers blog nevertheless. I am not going to criticize the talent of the writer, but the inspiration this book may offer to the role players. And personally, as a Dungeon Master, I think that James Hutchings pleasantly surprised me.

"The New Death And Others" has some great ideas inside. Mr. Hutchings has an extremely creative mind and passion for writing. I fell in love with his poems based on well-known stories like "Under the Pyramids" (H. P. Lovecraft) or "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" (Robert E. Howard), but ever the shortest stories like "The God and the Poor" (it's just 16 lines!) offer an enjoyable reading. Some of the stories will make you smile with their humorous approach and others will give you a grimace. Some tales are light and some others more serious. And that's the strongest point of this book: variety! Everyone shall find something for his likings in "The New Death And Others".

In the pdf version I own the text is clear, the formatting does nicely its job and there are links for every story for fast switching. The cover illustration is magnificent and incorporates the main characteristics of the book: a taste of macabre and a lot of humor.

I have enjoyed reading this book. I fell in love with the twist endings and the strange characters. Make yourself a present and get it for just $0.99 from Amazon or Smashwords... it should cost more for what it is offering!

(Special thanks goes to the writer, James Hutchings, for sending me a copy of his great work.)

Pathfinder Beginner Box Revealed!

It seems like a nice product. I always liked intro boxes and this one is full of nice stuff. Can't wait for it!

Review: Lamentations of the Flame Princess (Grindhouse Edition)

I am a huge fan of old school role playing games. I love them. I adore them. "Lamentations of the Flame Princess" got my attention on first sight. I don't know if it was because of the great art or the odd title (no more "Monsters & Heroes"-like titles please… ok, except Beasts & Dwellers!), but I knew I had to buy it. And I got it immediately!

Ah! I mentioned… art! It's SICK! SICK! SICK AND GRUESOME! And I adore it! I have seen great "R-rated" art in "Vampire: The Masquerade" and "Call of Cthulhu" books but "Lamentations of the Flame Princess" is far beyond them. It's magnificent and… not for the weak!

"Lamentations of the Flame Princess" (LOTFP from now on) comes in a sturdy box including 3 books, a pack of tiny dice (I love them!) and 10 character sheets.

The first book called "Tutorial" is a great introduction to old school role playing games. There is a nice introduction and advice to new and old players alike. It includes two solo adventures: the first is quite simple introducing some basic concepts and the second is more of a "choose your path" adventure with an intriguing story, fights and enough of exploration (I played it twice… died during my first attempt!). There is also a 20-page (yes, TWENTY!) actual role playing experience that is well written and offers an enjoyable reading. The book ends with a nice chapter full of recommendations for known and lesser known authors. Overall it's a nice introduction to LOTFP and old school gameplay in general.

The second book called "Rules and Magic" is the backbone of LOTFP. It's the bigger book and offers all the rules you need to create characters and play the game. There are seven different classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic User, Specialist (actually the Thief), Dwarf, Elf and Halfling. As you see, those are the standard classes of an old school role playing system. The rules are written simply and clear, covering most situations you will meet during a game's session. There is no a setting for LOTFP but actually a 16^th century European fantasy-like world with swords and magic. I like this fresh idea and it is incorporating nicely through the item and weapon lists and spell descriptions.

The third book called "Referee" offers advice to new and old game/dungeon masters. There is some great stuff in there: advice for creating adventures, campaigns, traps, NPCs, monsters, magic items and more. No more tables with thousands and thousands of numbers. Just advice! It's a great reading and gave me great ideas although I play role playing games for more than 15 years. In the end there is a great introductory adventure with advice to help new referees run it smoothly. "Referee" book could stand as a separate product and it is by far the "best dungeon master guide"-like book I have ever read.

"Lamentations of the Flame Princess" is a great product. If you love old school role playing games then go and get it now. If you are just a role playing player/referee playing DnD 3.5, 4e or Pathfinder then give it a try… it's a great addition to everyone’s collection!

Review: Idol of the Orcs

"A sinister demonic voice whispers instructions from the darkness… and a band of bloody orcs are there to obey!". This is the main storyline of "Idol of the Orcs", a 16-page adventure module from Goblinoid Games.

You will not find something new here, but on the other hand everything is well written and organized: rumor tables, nice dungeon art, puzzles & traps and of course a lot of orcs (I love those creatures!). The adventure is actually a 3-level dungeon crawl. The first floor is a classic dungeon that will test the military tactics of the players against a well organized orc tribe. The second one is a lot more atmospheric with ghostly traps and strange artifacts. In this floor the adventurers will meet a nice NPC that, if roleplayed nicely by the Dungeon Master will remain memorable for a long time. Finally, the last dungeon level is a complicated labyrinth that will drive the players mad. The use of collected information throughout the adventure are mandatory in this dungeon level for the clever players to stay alive.

"Idol of the Orcs" is a well presented dungeon crawl and will please demanding Dungeon Masters and players. I have already added it in my old school campaign. It’s nice, well written, simple and cheap. Give it a try!

Review: The Village of Larm

"The Village of Larm" is a nice adventure module from Brave Halfling Publishing (using "Labyrinth Lord" system but it is easy adaptable to other old school RPGs). In its 27 pages you will find a detailed description of Larm, a medieval village with more than 30 locations plus three small adventures to kickstart your campaign.

Larm is a nice starting sandbox area with lots of interesting NPCs, rumors and hooks for further adventures. Inside the village the players will find 2 or 3 side quests to do plus the rumors for the three adventures included. The first adventure is a fast and easy dwelling in village’s mill cellar. It’s a great introduction to the old school RPGs system and combat rules for new players. The second adventure is a harder dungeon crawl as the players will visit a cursed temple. Be ready to face some undead hordes there! Finally, the third adventure is a wilderness encounter against a group of goblins that will test the military tactics of the players. There are some new magic items, too, including a holy weapon, sacred books and more.

Overall, "The Village of Larm" is a decent product. It is a great way to begin a full scale campaign and includes some nice hooks (plus some great old school art) for further adventures. The only downside is the luck of statistics for the monsters, although there are full statistics for every single NPC in the village.

Female armor sucks!

This is funny! No more chainmail bikini for female characters :-)

Congratulations to Old School Hack

Congratulations to "Old School Hack", the great winner of "Gold Ennie for Best Free Product". This happened the last weekend at GenCon.

Go, grab your copy and start playing! It's one of the best free RPGs out there!

Congrats Kirin!