Neuroglyph
First Post
For many players, D&D adventuring allows them to personify what might be called the “local hero”. And in that role, their “local hero” characters often occupy their time gallivanting about their campaign setting in search of evil wizards to smite, innocents needing rescued from the clutches of dark cultists, and long-lost,(and hopefully) loot-filled ruins waiting to be explored. Quests such as these are plentiful and diverse, and can entertain player-characters for months and even years at a time.
But some Dungeon Masters might want to create adventure on a broader scale, looking to fantasy movie epics such as the Lord of the Rings and novels like The Black Company series, to draw their inspiration from. But fashioning a war-torn kingdom, filled with massive armies battling across the landscape as the backdrop for a campaign, can be a daunting task for any Dungeon Master to undertake.
But now, Open Design LLC and the minds behind Kobold Quarterly Magazine have released a new D&D 4E supplement to allow Dungeon Masters to devise an elaborate campaign of war for their players, and even let a character become a professional mercenary, as a Soldiers of Fortune!
Soldiers of Fortune
Production Quality
Although I can only speak to the PDF version, which was generously provided for me to do the review from, the production quality of Soldiers of Fortune is simply exceptional. The lay out and page formats are logical and easy to read, and the PDF was designed with copious bookmarks to make navigation through the source material a breeze. The PDF is also designed in a gray-scale “printer-friendly” format, which should not be too taxing on ink cartridges should a DM need to print out sections for use at this gaming table.
The writing in Soldiers of Fortune is excellent and a pleasure to read, and the author goes into great detail regarding many facets of medieval warfare which Dungeon Masters can translate into their own military-style campaign arcs. The author, Matt James, is not only a gamer, but also a retired veteran, having received both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star from recent military service, and is a graduate from the American Military University. His knowledge and passion for the subject matter is boldly obvious to anyone reading his work.
(BTW, check out this YouTube video for a [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzuAfo4U6rc"]Soldiers of Fortune preview[/ame] by the author himself!)
Sadly, although the artwork in Soldiers of Fortune is generally good, frankly, it is a little overshadowed by the writing and the caliber of the source material. The cartography for the adventure included is nicely detailed, and could easily be printed for use as a battle mat during the encounter.
The Content
Soldiers of Fortune is divided into seven broad chapters, each one revealing new rules and material for use in a military based D&D 4E campaign:
The first chapter, Going to War, is a fluff-heavy discussion detailing five reasons for wars to occur in the world of Midgard. The author offers some really nice lore in the form of adventure hooks for each of the main casus belli, as well as over a dozen plot hooks that you can use during an adventure to give direction and motivation to the player-characters. And while there is a good deal of Midgard-centric material in this chapter, DMs using other campaign settings will still be able to utilize the material with only a few minor adjustments.
In Warfare in Midgard, the author offers lore regarding how the various player-character races deal with warfare, which provides solid information for not only to Dungeon Masters preparing a military campaign arc, but also for players to help develop their characters. But what I particularly liked about Chapter 2 was the three skill challenges the author has prepared for readily handling wartime situations: Beseiged, Command the Legion, and Defend the Kingdom.
The first skill challenge, Beseiged is a nicely designed challenge by which heroes can make ready a fortress to withstand a siege and avoid open battle within the walls. The second challenge, Command the Legion, I was not as fond of, as it reduces the process of gaining notoriety and rank as a leader into a few simple skill rolls. [Reviewer's Note:I should note my assessment is based upon my previous campaign experience, when I ran in the Greyhawk-based From the Ashes setting. I had my player-characters rise up through the ranks of a duke’s army, and so I personally prefer to let a serious if successful adventures and skirmishes prove the worthiness of the heroes for military rank.] But the final challenge, Defend the Kingdom, is a well-designed extended skill challenge which pits the characters into a series of tasks to gather an army and use it to fend off an invading horde attacking their lands. All three skill challenges are generically written, and could be used in any campaign setting, and are easily modified to be used again and again in different adventure locales.
The third chapter, Midgard Strategems, detail seven different “edicts” which embody a particular principle of warfare. It also provides seven character backgrounds for a heroic leader that has mastered one of the edicts. For instance, the fourth edict, Engaging the Force, teaches one how to “construct a viable plan to thwart the dangers of meeting an enemy head-on and how to win no matter what situation may arise”. Mastering this edict offers the character background of Calm Mind, which has tangible benefits to an adventuring hero:
The edicts and the character backgrounds are solid and thoughtfully designed, and could the entire chapter is actually generically written to be useful in Midgard, or any other campaign setting as desired.
The chapter ends by introducing two legendary generals from the lore of Midgard, Vorazen the Dagger and Siliave the Silver, and provides stat blocks should a DM decide that their heroes should face these formidable masters of the seven edicts.
In the New Powers and Paragon Paths chapter, the author designed a new Character Theme called the Mercenary, which is usable like the themes created for the Dark Sun Campaign setting. The theme provides a wide variety of powers which can be taken as substitutions for existing class powers, and the author created multiple powers at each level which can be useful to various classes, whether melee, caster, or both. There is also an accompanying list of new feats for mercenaries to choose from, and like the powers, are designed with certain classes in mind so that almost any player-character could be a mercenary. It should be noted that the author gives ample warning about over-optimization using the Mercenary Theme, and flatly states that misuse “will make your character extremely potent and deadly. Caution is advised!” Overall, I like the direction that the Mercenary Theme can take characters, but as a Dungeon Master, I would almost certainly be fairly picky about what powers and feats I would allow into my campaign.
In Chapter 5, Spoils of War, over a dozen new magic items are introduced including a variety of enchanted battle standards native to the Midgard campaign setting. These standards most often produce zones on the encounter field which either benefits or penalties depending on which side of the war you are on. These new magic items are well designed, and a couple of them are downright amusing, most notably the Fog of War Armor and the Deserter’s Boots.
There are also a dozen new Rituals in the Spoils of War chapter, all designed with a military theme in mind. Most of these Rituals fall into the Heroic Tier, and bear fairly self-explanatory names such as Forced March, Inspiring Speech, and Mass Burial. But one Ritual of the Epic Tier did catch my attention – Plunder Divination – which allows an entire army to be masked from magical divination, and even sends a false result to the scryer. So now we know how Sauron pulled off the siege of Gondor!
In The Battle of Sanguine-Crag Pass, the author provides a Midgard setting military adventure for a group of 7th level heroes. The adventurers are hired by a famous general serving the Duke of Burgoyne to take the pass at all costs. The adventure involves not only combat encounters, but skill challenges and what would be termed a “skill combat” in order to represent the various stages of the military push into the pass. The encounters are well balanced, and this adventure definitely provides a good template from which DMs can create further military style quests for their own campaigns.
The final chapter, Monsters, Minions, and Templates, is full of “crunchy” content for Dungeon Masters to use when building encounters for a war-based D&D campaign. The chapter opens with a dozen new templates to build (mostly) elite NPCs to use in a military-themed adventure. For example, there are templates such as the Bold Commander, Inspiring Sergeant, and Patrol Captain can be used to give not only rank but special leader powers to almost any humanoid monster. And other templates like the Jittery Conscript, Saboteur, and Shock Trooper can differentiate rank-and-file monsters into a wider variety of soldier.
The author also offers some new uses for Minions on the Battlefield, introducing yet another template, as well as some interesting new minion powers to make these weak troops a little more like “glass cannons”.
And while on the topic of cannons, the author has created stat blocks for three medieval style siege engines: ballista, trebuchets, and yes, cannons! These elite “monsters” come with a special set of rules governing how they function during an encounter, and the treatment of these weapons under 4E is really exceptional.
There is also a section on new monsters/troops native to Midgard, as well as six mercenary companies which characters might encounter in their travels. These monsters range from the Elf Ambusher found on the Rothenian plains, to Goblin Bombers, to Halfling Dune Raiders from Cindass. Each monster in this section is steeped heavily in Midgard lore, and DMs using this setting will likely enjoy the added information about the upcoming campaign world.
Overall Grade: A-
Conclusions
Soldiers of Fortune is, without a doubt, one of the best supplements I have had the honor of reviewing in quite some time. The sourcebook contains a vast wealth of material for running military and mercenary-based D&D campaigns, and is presented in a straight-forward, well-written format that will make it a useful resource for DMs of all skill levels. And while there may be some Dungeon Masters that might be “put-off” initially by the amount of Midgard setting material in the sourcebook, there is still more than enough “generic” military material to make it well worth consideration as the sourcebook for this style of D&D campaign – and of course, much of the Midgard content can be converted with ease, if it is not your setting of choice. Given the richness and diversity of the content presented in Soldiers of Fortune, the asking price for the PDF is a real steal, and the print-version a great bargain as well.
So until next review… I wish you Happy Gaming!
Editor’s Note: This Reviewer received a complimentary copy of the product in PDF format from which the review was written.
On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to Matt James and Open Design for providing me the opportunity to do this review, and wish them all the best with the release!
Grade Card
But some Dungeon Masters might want to create adventure on a broader scale, looking to fantasy movie epics such as the Lord of the Rings and novels like The Black Company series, to draw their inspiration from. But fashioning a war-torn kingdom, filled with massive armies battling across the landscape as the backdrop for a campaign, can be a daunting task for any Dungeon Master to undertake.
But now, Open Design LLC and the minds behind Kobold Quarterly Magazine have released a new D&D 4E supplement to allow Dungeon Masters to devise an elaborate campaign of war for their players, and even let a character become a professional mercenary, as a Soldiers of Fortune!
Soldiers of Fortune
- Author: Matt James
- Development: Wolfgang Baur
- Illustrations: Malcolm McClinton (cover), Joe Slucher (interior)
- Publisher: Open Design LLC
- Year: 2011
- Media: PDF or Print (81 pages)
- Price: $9.95 (PDF version from RPGNow.com) / $18.95 (Print version from the Kobold Quarterly Store)
Production Quality
Although I can only speak to the PDF version, which was generously provided for me to do the review from, the production quality of Soldiers of Fortune is simply exceptional. The lay out and page formats are logical and easy to read, and the PDF was designed with copious bookmarks to make navigation through the source material a breeze. The PDF is also designed in a gray-scale “printer-friendly” format, which should not be too taxing on ink cartridges should a DM need to print out sections for use at this gaming table.
The writing in Soldiers of Fortune is excellent and a pleasure to read, and the author goes into great detail regarding many facets of medieval warfare which Dungeon Masters can translate into their own military-style campaign arcs. The author, Matt James, is not only a gamer, but also a retired veteran, having received both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star from recent military service, and is a graduate from the American Military University. His knowledge and passion for the subject matter is boldly obvious to anyone reading his work.
(BTW, check out this YouTube video for a [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzuAfo4U6rc"]Soldiers of Fortune preview[/ame] by the author himself!)
Sadly, although the artwork in Soldiers of Fortune is generally good, frankly, it is a little overshadowed by the writing and the caliber of the source material. The cartography for the adventure included is nicely detailed, and could easily be printed for use as a battle mat during the encounter.
The Content
Soldiers of Fortune is divided into seven broad chapters, each one revealing new rules and material for use in a military based D&D 4E campaign:
- Going to War: discusses the reasons for going to war and how to involve characters in a war-based campaign.
- Warfare in Midgard: takes a look at the various races in the Midgard campaign setting and how they commit to warfare.
- Midgard Strategems: details seven famous Midgard stratagems, with associated backgrounds and benefits for characters.
- New Powers and Paragon Paths: offers new character content for creating military-style D&D heroes.
- Spoils of War: introduces new magic items and rituals for use in a war campaign.
- The Battle of Sanguine-Crag Pass: is an adventure module for Heroic Tier heroes to experience a military engagement in the world of Midgard.
- Monsters, Minions, and Templates: a selection of new elite monster templates, new minion powers, new monsters, and stat blocks for three medieval siege engines.
The first chapter, Going to War, is a fluff-heavy discussion detailing five reasons for wars to occur in the world of Midgard. The author offers some really nice lore in the form of adventure hooks for each of the main casus belli, as well as over a dozen plot hooks that you can use during an adventure to give direction and motivation to the player-characters. And while there is a good deal of Midgard-centric material in this chapter, DMs using other campaign settings will still be able to utilize the material with only a few minor adjustments.
In Warfare in Midgard, the author offers lore regarding how the various player-character races deal with warfare, which provides solid information for not only to Dungeon Masters preparing a military campaign arc, but also for players to help develop their characters. But what I particularly liked about Chapter 2 was the three skill challenges the author has prepared for readily handling wartime situations: Beseiged, Command the Legion, and Defend the Kingdom.
The first skill challenge, Beseiged is a nicely designed challenge by which heroes can make ready a fortress to withstand a siege and avoid open battle within the walls. The second challenge, Command the Legion, I was not as fond of, as it reduces the process of gaining notoriety and rank as a leader into a few simple skill rolls. [Reviewer's Note:I should note my assessment is based upon my previous campaign experience, when I ran in the Greyhawk-based From the Ashes setting. I had my player-characters rise up through the ranks of a duke’s army, and so I personally prefer to let a serious if successful adventures and skirmishes prove the worthiness of the heroes for military rank.] But the final challenge, Defend the Kingdom, is a well-designed extended skill challenge which pits the characters into a series of tasks to gather an army and use it to fend off an invading horde attacking their lands. All three skill challenges are generically written, and could be used in any campaign setting, and are easily modified to be used again and again in different adventure locales.
The third chapter, Midgard Strategems, detail seven different “edicts” which embody a particular principle of warfare. It also provides seven character backgrounds for a heroic leader that has mastered one of the edicts. For instance, the fourth edict, Engaging the Force, teaches one how to “construct a viable plan to thwart the dangers of meeting an enemy head-on and how to win no matter what situation may arise”. Mastering this edict offers the character background of Calm Mind, which has tangible benefits to an adventuring hero:
The edicts and the character backgrounds are solid and thoughtfully designed, and could the entire chapter is actually generically written to be useful in Midgard, or any other campaign setting as desired.
The chapter ends by introducing two legendary generals from the lore of Midgard, Vorazen the Dagger and Siliave the Silver, and provides stat blocks should a DM decide that their heroes should face these formidable masters of the seven edicts.
In the New Powers and Paragon Paths chapter, the author designed a new Character Theme called the Mercenary, which is usable like the themes created for the Dark Sun Campaign setting. The theme provides a wide variety of powers which can be taken as substitutions for existing class powers, and the author created multiple powers at each level which can be useful to various classes, whether melee, caster, or both. There is also an accompanying list of new feats for mercenaries to choose from, and like the powers, are designed with certain classes in mind so that almost any player-character could be a mercenary. It should be noted that the author gives ample warning about over-optimization using the Mercenary Theme, and flatly states that misuse “will make your character extremely potent and deadly. Caution is advised!” Overall, I like the direction that the Mercenary Theme can take characters, but as a Dungeon Master, I would almost certainly be fairly picky about what powers and feats I would allow into my campaign.
In Chapter 5, Spoils of War, over a dozen new magic items are introduced including a variety of enchanted battle standards native to the Midgard campaign setting. These standards most often produce zones on the encounter field which either benefits or penalties depending on which side of the war you are on. These new magic items are well designed, and a couple of them are downright amusing, most notably the Fog of War Armor and the Deserter’s Boots.
There are also a dozen new Rituals in the Spoils of War chapter, all designed with a military theme in mind. Most of these Rituals fall into the Heroic Tier, and bear fairly self-explanatory names such as Forced March, Inspiring Speech, and Mass Burial. But one Ritual of the Epic Tier did catch my attention – Plunder Divination – which allows an entire army to be masked from magical divination, and even sends a false result to the scryer. So now we know how Sauron pulled off the siege of Gondor!
In The Battle of Sanguine-Crag Pass, the author provides a Midgard setting military adventure for a group of 7th level heroes. The adventurers are hired by a famous general serving the Duke of Burgoyne to take the pass at all costs. The adventure involves not only combat encounters, but skill challenges and what would be termed a “skill combat” in order to represent the various stages of the military push into the pass. The encounters are well balanced, and this adventure definitely provides a good template from which DMs can create further military style quests for their own campaigns.
The final chapter, Monsters, Minions, and Templates, is full of “crunchy” content for Dungeon Masters to use when building encounters for a war-based D&D campaign. The chapter opens with a dozen new templates to build (mostly) elite NPCs to use in a military-themed adventure. For example, there are templates such as the Bold Commander, Inspiring Sergeant, and Patrol Captain can be used to give not only rank but special leader powers to almost any humanoid monster. And other templates like the Jittery Conscript, Saboteur, and Shock Trooper can differentiate rank-and-file monsters into a wider variety of soldier.
The author also offers some new uses for Minions on the Battlefield, introducing yet another template, as well as some interesting new minion powers to make these weak troops a little more like “glass cannons”.
And while on the topic of cannons, the author has created stat blocks for three medieval style siege engines: ballista, trebuchets, and yes, cannons! These elite “monsters” come with a special set of rules governing how they function during an encounter, and the treatment of these weapons under 4E is really exceptional.
There is also a section on new monsters/troops native to Midgard, as well as six mercenary companies which characters might encounter in their travels. These monsters range from the Elf Ambusher found on the Rothenian plains, to Goblin Bombers, to Halfling Dune Raiders from Cindass. Each monster in this section is steeped heavily in Midgard lore, and DMs using this setting will likely enjoy the added information about the upcoming campaign world.
Overall Grade: A-
Conclusions
Soldiers of Fortune is, without a doubt, one of the best supplements I have had the honor of reviewing in quite some time. The sourcebook contains a vast wealth of material for running military and mercenary-based D&D campaigns, and is presented in a straight-forward, well-written format that will make it a useful resource for DMs of all skill levels. And while there may be some Dungeon Masters that might be “put-off” initially by the amount of Midgard setting material in the sourcebook, there is still more than enough “generic” military material to make it well worth consideration as the sourcebook for this style of D&D campaign – and of course, much of the Midgard content can be converted with ease, if it is not your setting of choice. Given the richness and diversity of the content presented in Soldiers of Fortune, the asking price for the PDF is a real steal, and the print-version a great bargain as well.
So until next review… I wish you Happy Gaming!
Editor’s Note: This Reviewer received a complimentary copy of the product in PDF format from which the review was written.
On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to Matt James and Open Design for providing me the opportunity to do this review, and wish them all the best with the release!
Grade Card
- Presentation: A-
- - Design: A
- - Illustrations: B+
- Content: A-
- - Crunch: A-
- - Fluff: A
- Value: A
