Neuroglyph
First Post
Spring has arrived here in Michigan quite suddenly, going from wet, rainy, and cold to hot, sunny, and downright balmy in the space of a couple of days. Of course, it seems only right that with the sudden appearance of Spring, the new edition of Kobold Quarterly should arrive! 
And Issue 17 of Kobold Quarterly, the Switzerland of the Edition Wars, is full of feature articles, new content, and editorials containing new material for Pathfinder, D&D 4E, and Dragon Age RPG.
As with my previous reviews of Kobold Quarterly, each article will be rated on a scale of 1-5 for Crunch and Fluff to give readers an idea of how useful the material is for their game system. But I have also decided to change the format of my grading system for reviews to a similar format – so rather than assigning a letter grade as I have done previously, each criteria will get a rating of 1-5, with the final grade assessed from an average of the scores.
As always, you can check out the final score at the end of this review...
Kobold Quarterly Issue 17
Kobold Quarterly #17 is the second installment of the four issues set to be published in 2011, and like the Winter edition, this new issue PDF version is web-linked to allow the Readers to click on advertisements and head straight over to game product or convention websites. The production quality of KQ17 is excellent as always, with sharp layouts, and plenty of illustrations to enhance the reading experience.
The stunning cover art this quarter is by Allison Theus, and its title, “Charge”, is certainly apropos. It depicts an adventuring party throwing themselves headlong into the claws and maw of a truly horrific abomination, and I will admit that I was amused to see that the heroes’ wizard was a defiant kobold brandishing a glowing staff – my compliments to the artist for that nice little “easter egg”.
The Spring Edition of Kobold Quarterly opens with an editorial by Wolfgang Baur entitled A Love of Villainy to introduce the central theme of this Issue 17 – making great villains for your role-playing game! The Kobold-in-Chief admits to often enjoying the villain more than the hero in movies, books, and games – something I think almost any Dungeon Master can empathize with – and he points out the best villains are not merely madmen, but are true masterminds, sinister and in complete control of their evil deeds.
The Articles
“So we meet again!” is an article by Michael Kortes with advice for creating recurring villains in your Pathfinder campaign. The author offers a variety of “new mechanics for arch-nemeses” in the form of powers and abilities for both villains and heroes, in order to set up a long-standing rivalry between the player-characters and a special evil NPC – a consensual rivalry that the players agree to participate with, in order to create a great storyline. The powers are admittedly a bit cliché, but that perhaps is what makes them work so well.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 3
The Right Way to Do Wrong is a nifty little article by Brandon Hodge discussing the art of the “grift”, with a list of nine classic cons and scams which have been adapted to Pathfinder rules. Grifters on both sides of the DM screen, players as well as NPCs, can take advantage of these swindles - and even D&D 4E gamers can find some useful ideas for their campaigns here.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 4
The Scourges of Vael Turog is a D&D 4E article by Stephen Strysky which discusses three horrible diseases from an ancient civilization in the Midgard campaign setting. These medieval-fantasy attempts at “biological warfare” still linger, and present a danger for all three tiers of play. In addition to the diseases, the author presents new hazards and even new monsters spawned from these magical afflictions, and present some creepy new material for almost any campaign setting.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 4
Know Why You Play is an interview by Jeremy L.C. Jones with freelance writer and game designer Jeff Tidball. Jeff Tidball has worked on projects with Atlas Games, Fantasy Flights Games, White Wolf, Green Ronin, and Eden Studios, and is currently, he’s working on projects for Evil Hat and Pelgrane Press. The interviewer touches not only on Mr. Tidball’s past and current projects, but on advice he has for freelance writers in the gaming community. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable read.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: NA
Ambush in Absalom is an Official Pathfinder Society Quest by Mark Moreland, consisting of a short adventure designed for use with Paizo Publishing’s Organized Play campaign. Unlike the Encounters Program for D&D 4E, Paizo is producing mini-adventures consisting of two to three encounters, instead of just a single encounter once a week. The adventure is pretty lackluster, however, and is reminiscent of a couple of the encounters I had playing D&D Online in the kobold-filled sewers under Stormreach.
Fluff: 2
Crunch: 3
On the Streets and In the Books is a Dragon Age RPG article by Quinn Murphy offering advice on designing Research scenes and Chase scenes – even while running a combat. There are pretty fun ideas for adding “dramatic chase obstacles” to make the scene more epic, and there are some fairly applicable content here for other RPGs as well.
Fluff: 3
Crunch: 4
Elf Needs Food Badly is a D&D 4E feature by Matthew J. Hanson offering an alternative treasure to magical potions – enchanted foods! In addition to these 15 wondrous meals, the author provides a new Master Chef feat which would allow characters to produce their own sorcerous snacks. Regretfully, many of the foods are fairly basic provender that even mundane cooks could make, and do not seem to be particularly magical in nature at all. But there are a few other noshes like Pickled Aboleth Brain and Orcish Pie are much more appropriate for a fantasy world.
Fluff: 2
Crunch: 3
Secrets of the Four Golden Gates is a collection of “new societies and items for 4th edition monks” presented by David Adams. The four societies presented each come with a unique ki focus appropriate for the school, brotherhood, or path, and this fluff heavy article has some nice options to add more role-playing depth to a player-character monk.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 3
The Value of a Monster is another edition of Monte Cook’s long running Game Theories column in Kobold Quarterly magazine. This time around, Mr. Cook points out the nature of monsters in RPGs, and what they can represent as not only a foe, but a terrible opponent and villain as well.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: NA
From the Mines is KQ’s letter to the editor column, and there are nine or so letters making inquiries about articles on the web, game support for Midgard, and other topics.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: NA
Magical Squibs, Crackers, and Fireworks is a Pathfinder article by Jonathan McAnulty providing rules for setting off enchanted fireworks, as well as an assortment of magical fire fountains, barkers, crackers, and more. Certainly, a decent enough collection of fireworks to amuse the Weasley Twins or make Gandalf proud – but I am not too sure I’d want to spend 3000 gold pieces just to ignite one Red Dragon Rocket!
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 2
The Black Goat is a Pathfinder mini-adventure setting by Richard L. Smith II, which is all contained within an inn of the same name. Those game masters familiar in Lovecraftian lore might recognize what sort of horrors lurk beneath the inn’s foundations. The fact that this adventure setting is long on fluff and short on crunch makes it not only easy to alter for almost any level of game play, but can also be adaptable to both 4E as well as Dragon Age RPG with almost no effort at all. And it should be noted there is a fantastically designed, full-color map of the Black Goat Inn on the last page of the magazine.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 3
Feats of Stunning Might and Brilliance is a discussion and analysis of the stunt-mechanic built into the AGE System of the Dragon Age RPG. Author Jeff Tidball, who was interviewed earlier and is working on Dragon Age RPG Set 2, has suggestions for new uses of the mechanic in DARPG, as well as how it can be adapted to Pathfinder and 4E. As a 4E DM, I did not see how adding the mechanic would greatly enhance my game, but other DMs might find this game theory rich article worth considering for creating variant rules.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: 2
Lackeys, Hirelings, and Henchmen is a non-system-specific article by Tom Allman detailing the differences and uses of these three NPC types in a fantasy role-playing game. The article tries to present a system for when adventurers would attract and hire these various NPC flunkies, and even provides a recommended cost chart for hirelings – but given that most game systems already have rules to cover this, the article seems more like filler than anything truly substantial.
Fluff: 1
Crunch: 1
Group Concepts is an article by Mario Podeshi for the Midgard campaign setting that offers suggestions on ways to create an adventuring band by having all the players agree on a group concept prior to creating their characters. The author provides a number of interesting group dynamics from racial groups to extended families, and certainly offers the DM a new way to begin a campaign other than “so you all meet in this inn”.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: NA
Getting Ahead is a article by Ben McFarland offering a new sort of magical item to introduce into the Pathfinder game – enchanted preserved heads. The author presents a number of options for their introduction, from tribes that shrink heads to religious orders that preserve relics of saints, and has a selection of seven enchanted heads as examples. An inventive, if a bit grisly, idea for a new sort of wondrous item.
Fluff: 5
Crunch: 4
It’s Not Supposed to End This Way presents a selection of six plot devices for an alternative to character death. Author Scott A. Murray suggestions are system non-specific, and while they reduce the threat of character death, they still have long-lasting and negative effects which are affect the character on both a game mechanic as well as role-playing level. If used sparingly and in the right storyline, these plot-friendly death-alternatives have great potential for a memorable experience, regardless of what system or setting one uses.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: NA
Ask the Kobold is a regular feature column where famed author Skip Williams answers game mechanic questions for Pathfinder and 3.5 play. This time around, the questions center around having a guard dog and other animals in the party, and what sort of magic items these furry companions might utilize.
Fluff: 3
Crunch: 3
Book Reviews is another regular feature of KQ Magazine, and writers Ben McFarland, Caoimhe Ora Snow, and Pierce Watters review a trio of fantasy books: Patricia A. McKillip’s novel The Bards of Bone Plain;a Gamma World novel called Sooner Dead by Mel Odom; and the Pathfinder novel, Plague of Shadows by Howard Andrew Jones.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: NA
Seven Secrets of the Seven Cities is the final regular column, penned by Wolfgang Baur, detailing more details about the Free City of Zobeck setting. Although a short article, it is still packed with interesting pieces of fluff for this game setting.
Fluff: 3
Crunch: NA
Overall Score: 3.33 out of 5
Conclusions
Kobold Quarterly Issue 17 presents a decent selection of Fantasy RPG articles, but this issue is not as strong as some I have seen in previous. While there is still content presented for Pathfinder, D&D 4E, as well as Dragon Age RPG, some of the articles were a bit lackluster, being longer on game theory and fluff than actual mechanics. Pathfinder and Dragon Age RPG gamers will probably find this issue more useful to them than would a 4E gamer - but I have a feeling that is more from a case of 4E submissions becoming less frequent as time goes on, and the system continues to experience “growing pains”.
Editor’s Note: This Reviewer received a complimentary copy of the product in PDF format from which the review was written.
Grade Card (Ratings 1 to 5)
And Issue 17 of Kobold Quarterly, the Switzerland of the Edition Wars, is full of feature articles, new content, and editorials containing new material for Pathfinder, D&D 4E, and Dragon Age RPG.As with my previous reviews of Kobold Quarterly, each article will be rated on a scale of 1-5 for Crunch and Fluff to give readers an idea of how useful the material is for their game system. But I have also decided to change the format of my grading system for reviews to a similar format – so rather than assigning a letter grade as I have done previously, each criteria will get a rating of 1-5, with the final grade assessed from an average of the scores.
As always, you can check out the final score at the end of this review...
Kobold Quarterly Issue 17
- Editor: Wolfgang Baur (Kobold in Chief)
- Illustrations: Allison Theus (cover)
- Publisher: Open Design LLC
- Year: 2011
- Media: PDF (76 pages)
- Price: $5.99 (direct from Kobold Quarterly)
Kobold Quarterly #17 is the second installment of the four issues set to be published in 2011, and like the Winter edition, this new issue PDF version is web-linked to allow the Readers to click on advertisements and head straight over to game product or convention websites. The production quality of KQ17 is excellent as always, with sharp layouts, and plenty of illustrations to enhance the reading experience.
The stunning cover art this quarter is by Allison Theus, and its title, “Charge”, is certainly apropos. It depicts an adventuring party throwing themselves headlong into the claws and maw of a truly horrific abomination, and I will admit that I was amused to see that the heroes’ wizard was a defiant kobold brandishing a glowing staff – my compliments to the artist for that nice little “easter egg”.
The Spring Edition of Kobold Quarterly opens with an editorial by Wolfgang Baur entitled A Love of Villainy to introduce the central theme of this Issue 17 – making great villains for your role-playing game! The Kobold-in-Chief admits to often enjoying the villain more than the hero in movies, books, and games – something I think almost any Dungeon Master can empathize with – and he points out the best villains are not merely madmen, but are true masterminds, sinister and in complete control of their evil deeds.
The Articles
“So we meet again!” is an article by Michael Kortes with advice for creating recurring villains in your Pathfinder campaign. The author offers a variety of “new mechanics for arch-nemeses” in the form of powers and abilities for both villains and heroes, in order to set up a long-standing rivalry between the player-characters and a special evil NPC – a consensual rivalry that the players agree to participate with, in order to create a great storyline. The powers are admittedly a bit cliché, but that perhaps is what makes them work so well.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 3
The Right Way to Do Wrong is a nifty little article by Brandon Hodge discussing the art of the “grift”, with a list of nine classic cons and scams which have been adapted to Pathfinder rules. Grifters on both sides of the DM screen, players as well as NPCs, can take advantage of these swindles - and even D&D 4E gamers can find some useful ideas for their campaigns here.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 4
The Scourges of Vael Turog is a D&D 4E article by Stephen Strysky which discusses three horrible diseases from an ancient civilization in the Midgard campaign setting. These medieval-fantasy attempts at “biological warfare” still linger, and present a danger for all three tiers of play. In addition to the diseases, the author presents new hazards and even new monsters spawned from these magical afflictions, and present some creepy new material for almost any campaign setting.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 4
Know Why You Play is an interview by Jeremy L.C. Jones with freelance writer and game designer Jeff Tidball. Jeff Tidball has worked on projects with Atlas Games, Fantasy Flights Games, White Wolf, Green Ronin, and Eden Studios, and is currently, he’s working on projects for Evil Hat and Pelgrane Press. The interviewer touches not only on Mr. Tidball’s past and current projects, but on advice he has for freelance writers in the gaming community. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable read.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: NA
Ambush in Absalom is an Official Pathfinder Society Quest by Mark Moreland, consisting of a short adventure designed for use with Paizo Publishing’s Organized Play campaign. Unlike the Encounters Program for D&D 4E, Paizo is producing mini-adventures consisting of two to three encounters, instead of just a single encounter once a week. The adventure is pretty lackluster, however, and is reminiscent of a couple of the encounters I had playing D&D Online in the kobold-filled sewers under Stormreach.
Fluff: 2
Crunch: 3
On the Streets and In the Books is a Dragon Age RPG article by Quinn Murphy offering advice on designing Research scenes and Chase scenes – even while running a combat. There are pretty fun ideas for adding “dramatic chase obstacles” to make the scene more epic, and there are some fairly applicable content here for other RPGs as well.
Fluff: 3
Crunch: 4
Elf Needs Food Badly is a D&D 4E feature by Matthew J. Hanson offering an alternative treasure to magical potions – enchanted foods! In addition to these 15 wondrous meals, the author provides a new Master Chef feat which would allow characters to produce their own sorcerous snacks. Regretfully, many of the foods are fairly basic provender that even mundane cooks could make, and do not seem to be particularly magical in nature at all. But there are a few other noshes like Pickled Aboleth Brain and Orcish Pie are much more appropriate for a fantasy world.
Fluff: 2
Crunch: 3
Secrets of the Four Golden Gates is a collection of “new societies and items for 4th edition monks” presented by David Adams. The four societies presented each come with a unique ki focus appropriate for the school, brotherhood, or path, and this fluff heavy article has some nice options to add more role-playing depth to a player-character monk.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 3
The Value of a Monster is another edition of Monte Cook’s long running Game Theories column in Kobold Quarterly magazine. This time around, Mr. Cook points out the nature of monsters in RPGs, and what they can represent as not only a foe, but a terrible opponent and villain as well.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: NA
From the Mines is KQ’s letter to the editor column, and there are nine or so letters making inquiries about articles on the web, game support for Midgard, and other topics.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: NA
Magical Squibs, Crackers, and Fireworks is a Pathfinder article by Jonathan McAnulty providing rules for setting off enchanted fireworks, as well as an assortment of magical fire fountains, barkers, crackers, and more. Certainly, a decent enough collection of fireworks to amuse the Weasley Twins or make Gandalf proud – but I am not too sure I’d want to spend 3000 gold pieces just to ignite one Red Dragon Rocket!
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 2
The Black Goat is a Pathfinder mini-adventure setting by Richard L. Smith II, which is all contained within an inn of the same name. Those game masters familiar in Lovecraftian lore might recognize what sort of horrors lurk beneath the inn’s foundations. The fact that this adventure setting is long on fluff and short on crunch makes it not only easy to alter for almost any level of game play, but can also be adaptable to both 4E as well as Dragon Age RPG with almost no effort at all. And it should be noted there is a fantastically designed, full-color map of the Black Goat Inn on the last page of the magazine.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: 3
Feats of Stunning Might and Brilliance is a discussion and analysis of the stunt-mechanic built into the AGE System of the Dragon Age RPG. Author Jeff Tidball, who was interviewed earlier and is working on Dragon Age RPG Set 2, has suggestions for new uses of the mechanic in DARPG, as well as how it can be adapted to Pathfinder and 4E. As a 4E DM, I did not see how adding the mechanic would greatly enhance my game, but other DMs might find this game theory rich article worth considering for creating variant rules.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: 2
Lackeys, Hirelings, and Henchmen is a non-system-specific article by Tom Allman detailing the differences and uses of these three NPC types in a fantasy role-playing game. The article tries to present a system for when adventurers would attract and hire these various NPC flunkies, and even provides a recommended cost chart for hirelings – but given that most game systems already have rules to cover this, the article seems more like filler than anything truly substantial.
Fluff: 1
Crunch: 1
Group Concepts is an article by Mario Podeshi for the Midgard campaign setting that offers suggestions on ways to create an adventuring band by having all the players agree on a group concept prior to creating their characters. The author provides a number of interesting group dynamics from racial groups to extended families, and certainly offers the DM a new way to begin a campaign other than “so you all meet in this inn”.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: NA
Getting Ahead is a article by Ben McFarland offering a new sort of magical item to introduce into the Pathfinder game – enchanted preserved heads. The author presents a number of options for their introduction, from tribes that shrink heads to religious orders that preserve relics of saints, and has a selection of seven enchanted heads as examples. An inventive, if a bit grisly, idea for a new sort of wondrous item.
Fluff: 5
Crunch: 4
It’s Not Supposed to End This Way presents a selection of six plot devices for an alternative to character death. Author Scott A. Murray suggestions are system non-specific, and while they reduce the threat of character death, they still have long-lasting and negative effects which are affect the character on both a game mechanic as well as role-playing level. If used sparingly and in the right storyline, these plot-friendly death-alternatives have great potential for a memorable experience, regardless of what system or setting one uses.
Fluff: 4
Crunch: NA
Ask the Kobold is a regular feature column where famed author Skip Williams answers game mechanic questions for Pathfinder and 3.5 play. This time around, the questions center around having a guard dog and other animals in the party, and what sort of magic items these furry companions might utilize.
Fluff: 3
Crunch: 3
Book Reviews is another regular feature of KQ Magazine, and writers Ben McFarland, Caoimhe Ora Snow, and Pierce Watters review a trio of fantasy books: Patricia A. McKillip’s novel The Bards of Bone Plain;a Gamma World novel called Sooner Dead by Mel Odom; and the Pathfinder novel, Plague of Shadows by Howard Andrew Jones.
Fluff: NA
Crunch: NA
Seven Secrets of the Seven Cities is the final regular column, penned by Wolfgang Baur, detailing more details about the Free City of Zobeck setting. Although a short article, it is still packed with interesting pieces of fluff for this game setting.
Fluff: 3
Crunch: NA
Overall Score: 3.33 out of 5
Conclusions
Kobold Quarterly Issue 17 presents a decent selection of Fantasy RPG articles, but this issue is not as strong as some I have seen in previous. While there is still content presented for Pathfinder, D&D 4E, as well as Dragon Age RPG, some of the articles were a bit lackluster, being longer on game theory and fluff than actual mechanics. Pathfinder and Dragon Age RPG gamers will probably find this issue more useful to them than would a 4E gamer - but I have a feeling that is more from a case of 4E submissions becoming less frequent as time goes on, and the system continues to experience “growing pains”.
Editor’s Note: This Reviewer received a complimentary copy of the product in PDF format from which the review was written.
Grade Card (Ratings 1 to 5)
- Presentation: 3.5
- - Design: 4
- - Illustrations: 3
- Content: 3.25
- - Crunch: 3
- - Fluff: 3.5
- Value: 3
