9 new PDFs, 4 new WotC rereleases, 8 new adventures, 1 Rewind PDF and a Spotlight for the old school crowd. As usual, the products run the gamut of new systems, supplements for old systems, bundle packs, big page counts and useful but cheap stuff. Every week there is bound to be something for almost every type of player or group.
Fractured Kingdom
This setting/rule system features a setting that fuses together a dark future of conspiracy and mysticism. In it the players play characters who have gained supernatural powers that puts them in the middle of a world of hidden conflict. This 236 page book includes everything needed to create characters, a complete world setting and an introductory adventure.
Adamant Entertainment: Savage Worlds
This publishing company has been around for some time now, first by capitalizing on the d20 market with their variety of game settings and adventures. Recently they have begun converting a lot of their books over to the Savage Worlds system. This week we see two bundles of their Savage Worlds material. Thrilling Tales is their pulp adventure series. This bundle features 5 pulp adventures and a look at the Soviets in a pulp setting. Their second bundle is for their MARS setting of high pulp adventure of planetary romance! This bundle has 7 adventures and 2 setting books, one of which focuses on mass combat. If you like the genres, or Savage Worlds, you might want to check these out.
Burger Warz
In this dark future setting, the world economy has collapsed after Food Corporations gained control. Now they are the last bastions of civilized life. The characters are those who work the fast food chains serving up food and protecting the diners from mutants and other antagonists. Tongue firmly in cheek, this looks a wild rpg where the emphasis is on fun and the silly. Would I ever try to make a campaign out of this? No, but it might be fun for a night or two of something completely different.
EPOCH: The Cold Shore
EPOCH is a survival horror rpg that is strongly character-driven. The core game has been out for about a month now in PDF. The Cold Shore is a FREE demo for the game. It is an adventure that includes a quick-start of the rule system and everything else you need to play. The adventure features a shipwreck in 1870 where surviving the shipwreck only leads to greater horrors. If horror is your genre, you can check out this demo, try it out and see if it’s for you.
Action Galaxy!
Galaxy Command is a science-fiction space opera game wherein the technology of tomorrow is layered over an Earth similar in culture to the 1970’s. It is a d20 system setting. Action Galaxy takes that setting and adds in superhero rules wherein the characters are teenage defenders of Earth and space. Think Legion of Superheroes. The PDF expands on the core rules of Galaxy Command with new races, powers and other character options. Note that you will want the Galaxy Command PDF to complete the setting, but the price of that is a low $1.99.
The Cloudlords of Tanara
This adventure was first released for Rolemaster and was the second adventure for the new system (1984). It started to define the official Rolemaster setting of Shadow World. Now it is being released for the current Rolemaster system with all the old information in it as well an updating to bring the adventure and its component parts up to the current timeline of the Shadow World universe. This sounds like it would also work well with the Rolemaster playtest that is currently ongoing.
Polymorph
Universal/generic rpg game systems seem to be a dime a dozen, you can’t visit a website without tripping over one. However, these sorts of systems often have something of value to them even if its looking at game design with a fresh set of eyes; and sometimes such a system is a perfect match with a group. Polymorph is one such new rule system. It hopes to offer up a trimmed down system that can handle a wide range of genres. In fact, it includes rule additions that cover fantasy, horror and super heroes. Seems to me that with these sorts of genres covered, it should be fairly easy to extrapolate them out into other genres as well.
The Invention Book
This 15 page PDF came out in support of The Tinker, a d20 new base class that features mechanical devices and automatons as an alternative to magic. This PDF showcases 121 augmentations to a tinker’s automaton and is being used as an example of what The Tinker has available. It is a basically a free preview. However, our dirty little secret is that you can use this information in your own games without ever buying anything.
Dresden Files
As technology keeps moving forward, rpg games try to keep up. The PDF market has expanded phenomenally the past few years. However, technology has moved on from a simple universal text file and now gamers are using specialized viewers at the table. This week the Dresden Files rpg, both the Your Story and Our World books have been released specifically for the Kindle and Nook markets. The ebooks have been redesigned (most of the pictures have been removed) and reformatted to accommodate these readers. If these are your preferred devices at the table, now is your chance to get the superb Dresden Files game for them. We’ll see how popular this format accommodation becomes over time.
WotC Classic PDFs
I2 Tomb of the Lizard King (1E)
FOR3 Pirates of the Fallen Stars (2E)
PHBR5 The Complete Psionics Handbook (2E)
Complete Scoundrel (3.5E)
Adventures
End of Autumn – 4E. Level 5.
A20 Snow White Part 1 – Pathfinder.
A21 Snow White Part 2 – Pathfinder.
The Travelers Daughter – Pathfinder. Level 1-3.
Tomb of Curses – DCC. Level 6-8.
AL5 Stars in the Darkness – DCC. Level 3.
The Helm of Night – Castles & Crusades. Level 9-11.
Rescue Run – Traveller 2300AD.
Rewind PDF
This week we have time to take a look back at a PDF released in 2009.
Mouse Guard/Burning Wheel
This is one of those rpgs that I keep hearing good things about. The same year it was released in 2009 it won the 2009 Origin Awards for Best Role-Playing Game. The setting is based on the Mouse Guard series of comic books wherein heroic mice battle to keep their way of life free in a medieval analog. The game system is based on the Burning Wheel generic system which focuses on character involvement in the plot-line and adventures. This is a game I have been curious about for a long time now but never managed to pick up.
The core Burning Wheel game can not be found in full PDF form, but there is a “Hub and Spokes” edition that gives the basics of the system and it is free. In addition, the other Burning Wheel setting game, Burning Empires, based on Christopher Moeller’s Iron Empires graphic novels of epic science-fiction and was the 2006 Origins award for Best RPG, is also available in PDF.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
Spinechillers and Silent Killers
This system agnostic PDF of 150 pages offers up over 500 exotic “things” you can add to your adventure night. Basically it gives lists of various encounters or situations that can easily be inserted into an ongoing adventure or campaign that will definitely alter what is going on. These can range from killer traps to mysterious whispers. The “old school” crowd is already singing its praises for bringing that “gaming on the edge” feel back to the table. You can use this as purely an injection of chaos and randomness to your game or as a feeder for your own ideas. Either way, there is a lot in this PDF.
Fractured Kingdom
This setting/rule system features a setting that fuses together a dark future of conspiracy and mysticism. In it the players play characters who have gained supernatural powers that puts them in the middle of a world of hidden conflict. This 236 page book includes everything needed to create characters, a complete world setting and an introductory adventure.
Adamant Entertainment: Savage Worlds
This publishing company has been around for some time now, first by capitalizing on the d20 market with their variety of game settings and adventures. Recently they have begun converting a lot of their books over to the Savage Worlds system. This week we see two bundles of their Savage Worlds material. Thrilling Tales is their pulp adventure series. This bundle features 5 pulp adventures and a look at the Soviets in a pulp setting. Their second bundle is for their MARS setting of high pulp adventure of planetary romance! This bundle has 7 adventures and 2 setting books, one of which focuses on mass combat. If you like the genres, or Savage Worlds, you might want to check these out.
Burger Warz
In this dark future setting, the world economy has collapsed after Food Corporations gained control. Now they are the last bastions of civilized life. The characters are those who work the fast food chains serving up food and protecting the diners from mutants and other antagonists. Tongue firmly in cheek, this looks a wild rpg where the emphasis is on fun and the silly. Would I ever try to make a campaign out of this? No, but it might be fun for a night or two of something completely different.
EPOCH: The Cold Shore
EPOCH is a survival horror rpg that is strongly character-driven. The core game has been out for about a month now in PDF. The Cold Shore is a FREE demo for the game. It is an adventure that includes a quick-start of the rule system and everything else you need to play. The adventure features a shipwreck in 1870 where surviving the shipwreck only leads to greater horrors. If horror is your genre, you can check out this demo, try it out and see if it’s for you.
Action Galaxy!
Galaxy Command is a science-fiction space opera game wherein the technology of tomorrow is layered over an Earth similar in culture to the 1970’s. It is a d20 system setting. Action Galaxy takes that setting and adds in superhero rules wherein the characters are teenage defenders of Earth and space. Think Legion of Superheroes. The PDF expands on the core rules of Galaxy Command with new races, powers and other character options. Note that you will want the Galaxy Command PDF to complete the setting, but the price of that is a low $1.99.
The Cloudlords of Tanara
This adventure was first released for Rolemaster and was the second adventure for the new system (1984). It started to define the official Rolemaster setting of Shadow World. Now it is being released for the current Rolemaster system with all the old information in it as well an updating to bring the adventure and its component parts up to the current timeline of the Shadow World universe. This sounds like it would also work well with the Rolemaster playtest that is currently ongoing.
Polymorph
Universal/generic rpg game systems seem to be a dime a dozen, you can’t visit a website without tripping over one. However, these sorts of systems often have something of value to them even if its looking at game design with a fresh set of eyes; and sometimes such a system is a perfect match with a group. Polymorph is one such new rule system. It hopes to offer up a trimmed down system that can handle a wide range of genres. In fact, it includes rule additions that cover fantasy, horror and super heroes. Seems to me that with these sorts of genres covered, it should be fairly easy to extrapolate them out into other genres as well.
The Invention Book
This 15 page PDF came out in support of The Tinker, a d20 new base class that features mechanical devices and automatons as an alternative to magic. This PDF showcases 121 augmentations to a tinker’s automaton and is being used as an example of what The Tinker has available. It is a basically a free preview. However, our dirty little secret is that you can use this information in your own games without ever buying anything.
Dresden Files
As technology keeps moving forward, rpg games try to keep up. The PDF market has expanded phenomenally the past few years. However, technology has moved on from a simple universal text file and now gamers are using specialized viewers at the table. This week the Dresden Files rpg, both the Your Story and Our World books have been released specifically for the Kindle and Nook markets. The ebooks have been redesigned (most of the pictures have been removed) and reformatted to accommodate these readers. If these are your preferred devices at the table, now is your chance to get the superb Dresden Files game for them. We’ll see how popular this format accommodation becomes over time.
WotC Classic PDFs
I2 Tomb of the Lizard King (1E)
FOR3 Pirates of the Fallen Stars (2E)
PHBR5 The Complete Psionics Handbook (2E)
Complete Scoundrel (3.5E)
Adventures
End of Autumn – 4E. Level 5.
A20 Snow White Part 1 – Pathfinder.
A21 Snow White Part 2 – Pathfinder.
The Travelers Daughter – Pathfinder. Level 1-3.
Tomb of Curses – DCC. Level 6-8.
AL5 Stars in the Darkness – DCC. Level 3.
The Helm of Night – Castles & Crusades. Level 9-11.
Rescue Run – Traveller 2300AD.
Rewind PDF
This week we have time to take a look back at a PDF released in 2009.
Mouse Guard/Burning Wheel
This is one of those rpgs that I keep hearing good things about. The same year it was released in 2009 it won the 2009 Origin Awards for Best Role-Playing Game. The setting is based on the Mouse Guard series of comic books wherein heroic mice battle to keep their way of life free in a medieval analog. The game system is based on the Burning Wheel generic system which focuses on character involvement in the plot-line and adventures. This is a game I have been curious about for a long time now but never managed to pick up.
The core Burning Wheel game can not be found in full PDF form, but there is a “Hub and Spokes” edition that gives the basics of the system and it is free. In addition, the other Burning Wheel setting game, Burning Empires, based on Christopher Moeller’s Iron Empires graphic novels of epic science-fiction and was the 2006 Origins award for Best RPG, is also available in PDF.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
Spinechillers and Silent Killers
This system agnostic PDF of 150 pages offers up over 500 exotic “things” you can add to your adventure night. Basically it gives lists of various encounters or situations that can easily be inserted into an ongoing adventure or campaign that will definitely alter what is going on. These can range from killer traps to mysterious whispers. The “old school” crowd is already singing its praises for bringing that “gaming on the edge” feel back to the table. You can use this as purely an injection of chaos and randomness to your game or as a feeder for your own ideas. Either way, there is a lot in this PDF.
Spinechillers and Silent Killers is a system free add-on for tabletop RPGs. It’s full of 500+ highly configurable traps, spinechillers, omens and other hazards or surprises. The content can be put to a number of uses:
- Scattering unexpected and unusual events through an adventure or across a campaign.
- Designing high intensity gameplay using clusters of high impact encounters.
- Adding layers of mystery, suspense and mayhem to adventures and campaigns.
- Remixing existing adventures or campaigns by parachuting in hazardous and/ or menacing encounters.
- Raising the emotional content of the gameplay by reinstating the sense of the unknown and the unexpected so often reported as part of new players’ gameplay.
- Building gritty and grimy gameplay.
