We ended up taking last week off, but that means we have even more PDFs to take a look at. Just because I might have taken a week off, does not mean that the PDFs stopped coming out. This week we’ve got 14 truly interesting PDFs and that number doesn’t include the 10 new WotC rereleases, 9 adventures and the PDF of the Week. This week’s edition is longer than most, but it’s worth it.
Rogue Trader: Stars of Inequity
One of the core tropes of Rogue Trader is…trading. Moving through the stars from planet to planet selling wares – and the attendant adventurers that occur therein. This supplement for the game is all about creating planets. Not only does it do the usual world creation (planetary environment, number of moons, etc), but also adds in interesting features for the world that is designed to generate adventures and provide unique locations. Along with world creation there is colony creation; these are rules for character bases that are designed and built by the player characters. This PDF looks like it will provide a bunch of really useful things for any Rogue Trader campaign (or any star-spanning campaign for any rule system), with things of interest for both the GM and the players.
Tribes
Raging Swan Press has been putting out a series of in-depth looks at tribal monsters for Pathfinder. Specifically, they have been providing details on the organization of the monsters, new feats, spells, items that the group uses, allies of the group and a range of stat blocks for the tribe. This looks like an excellent way to throw something old at your players while putting a new spin on it. This week they have released 3 bundles collecting their series. Bundle 1 covers tribes of gnolls, hobgoblins, kobolds, harpies, and troglodytes. Bundle 2 covers centaurs, half-goblins, lizardfolk, minotaurs, and wererats. Bundle 3 covers bugbears, duergar, frost giants, orcs and a cult.
Revenant
This short rpg (8 pages) is designed for a one-on-one game experience. The setting is that the player character has died and now is risen from the dead to exact some revenge/complete a task undone, much in the vein of The Crow. This sounds like a fun rpg exercise, or as an extension adventure for when that PC dies unexpected. If you are worried about paying a lot for such a small product, don’t be - it’s free.
1366 Second Edition
In our second “quirky” rpg, we have 1366. In this game, instead of playing the knights and adventurers of medieval times, you get to play the peasants. Doing peasantry things. And sometimes the odd. If you are looking for a different rpg experience, this might be it.
Hamlet On A Page: Millburg
I have a habit of preferring larger PDFs; they seem to have more meat to them and more possibilities. However, there is much to be said for a simple, short PDF that fulfills its purpose well. This PDF is only one page long and outlines a village. It provides a map, keyed locations with the number of NPCs included. Basically it is a village a DM can throw in anywhere with enough details to answer the questions the players may throw at the DM or to round out their own world. It’s not huge but it serves its purpose very well. Along with Millburg, this week they have released a bunch of other villages in the same format: Callard’s Pier, Anvil Hollow, Merchant Crossing, Azim, Pine Ridge and Murderhole.
Ultimate Warriors Catalogue
This is 75 pages of illustrated weapons and armor written for no system in particular. It is a generic work that can be used in any fantasy based game to show the players what they find, as a visual aid for magic items or as a source for adding in new types of gear. I like these sorts of exhaustive publications that appeal to a variety of games, instead of being locked into one system.
Crawl!
Crawl! Is a fanzine focusing on the DCC system. As with most fanzines it is new material for the system made by the fans. This one is a print magazine, but they have recently begun offering these PDFs for those outside their normal area. There are six issues so far, so if you like DCC and are looking for new material for it, you can check out No.1 No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 and No.6
Trillion Credit Squadron
The venerable Traveller system can do quite a bit. It can be run as the proto-typical adventure game with the PCs stumbling from adventure to adventure, it can be a trading game, and it can be all about space exploration and discovery. This supplement from Mongoose Publishing takes the game to a new level and explores the fleet game. The PDF gives a broad range of rules for the construction of fleets, fleet combat, and new equipment. Also included is a system for a campaign centered on another level of adventure where the tools of the PCs are not laser pistols, but rather fleets of ships. Rules are provided for how to run such a game wherein planetary budgets, diplomacy and fleet engagements are the staple of the campaign. And for those in a hurry to try everything out, the book also provides the Islands Cluster campaign setting. Looks like they packed a lot into 124 pages.
Dead Reign Sneak Preview
PDFs allow for a wonderful new way for publishers to generate interest in their products. Palladium Books is releasing this free 25 page preview for their Dead Reign rpg. It is their version of a Zombie Apocalypse setting for their hugely popular Palladium system. If you are a fan this is something you’ll want to check out. Did I mention it’s free?
The Epic of Aeryth
Right now the Savage Worlds rule set is hot. New settings and genres are continually coming out for the system. There are already a couple of fantasy settings out there, and this is another one. Unlike the typical fantasy setting this one is moved up a bit in its historical analog to a world set between the time of the Dark Ages and the Renaissance. However, this is not a world coming out of the dark into an Age of Enlightenment. No, the world is still filled with dark creatures and the battles of the gods is not helping. This looks to be a High Magic setting where the adventures of the PCs will be epic. The best part…all 163 pages of the setting book is free.
Delta Green
Delta Green is a setting and series of supplements for that setting using the Call of Cthulhu system. It brings the Call of Cthulhu game into a modern setting of government agents called upon to investigate the unusual – an X-Files style setting (though Delta Green came first). This week Pagan Publishing released two of their older books into PDF form. Eyes Only is a compilation book detailing three evil organizations and also includes several adventures. Targets of Opportunity provides five new threats for the player characters to investigate; it also includes some new rules for the game.
Mayhem
PDFs allow small publishers to put their product to mass market, something only the big publishers could do “back in the day”. This is a fantasy rule system that aims to give us a new and better system for more vivid characters and game play. They have added some unique approaches that are meant to add depth to the rpg and combat experiences. Also included is a world setting for immediate use. Have they accomplished their goals? You’ll have to check them out to find out.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation Event Book
The Marvel Heroic system from Margaret Weis Productions made a huge splash when it was first released. They have followed up their initial success with a series of Event Books that take a look at one of the more popular events from Marvel history and brings it to the rpg game. Gamers can now “live” out the pivotal moments in the world of Marvel. This time it’s the Annihilation Wave and it is an epically cosmic adventure. Included in the 384 book are more datafiles of characters the players can make use of. It’s enough to make a fan drool.
The Premium Edition includes the Operations Manual (the rules for the game system). If you already have these rules from a previous Marvel Heroic book, there is an Essentials Edition of this Event Book available as well (for a reduced price).
WotC Classic PDFs
WotC has sent out even more of their rereleases. This time we have 10 more products from Basic and 1E. If you missed them back in the day, now’s your chance to grab them in PDF form.
D&D Expert Rule Set (Basic)
B10 Night’s Dark Terror (Basic)
B1-B12 Bundle (Basic)
DA2 The Temple of the Frog (Basic)
Monster Manual II (1E)
Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide (1E)
Wilderness Survival Guide (1E)
EX1 Dungeonland (1E)
EX2 The Land Behind the Magic Mirror (1E)
L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (1E)
Adventures
The Hall of the Family – Generic.
Night of the Wight – Generic
The Tolling of Tears – Pathfinder. Level 3.
Ruster’s Blood – Pathfinder. Level 4.
The Raven’s Call – Pathfinder. Level 1. Written by Wolfgang Baur.
The Treasure of Welthorp – Labyrinth Lord. Levels 2-3.
Abyss of Insanity – Savage Worlds. Near Future.
Trouble at Niven’s Creek – Wayfarers.
Four Jars of Mead – Tunnels & Trolls. Levels 1-3.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
OSRIC
There is no denying the effect OSRIC has had upon the gaming community. It was one of the first of the retroclones and sparked a greater effort in the OSR (some would even say the OSR is its offspring). While there have been many newer retroclones since OSRIC first appeared, OSRIC continues to be used with new material being made specifically for it. This is the latest version of OSRIC and as always the PDF is free.
Rogue Trader: Stars of Inequity
One of the core tropes of Rogue Trader is…trading. Moving through the stars from planet to planet selling wares – and the attendant adventurers that occur therein. This supplement for the game is all about creating planets. Not only does it do the usual world creation (planetary environment, number of moons, etc), but also adds in interesting features for the world that is designed to generate adventures and provide unique locations. Along with world creation there is colony creation; these are rules for character bases that are designed and built by the player characters. This PDF looks like it will provide a bunch of really useful things for any Rogue Trader campaign (or any star-spanning campaign for any rule system), with things of interest for both the GM and the players.
Tribes
Raging Swan Press has been putting out a series of in-depth looks at tribal monsters for Pathfinder. Specifically, they have been providing details on the organization of the monsters, new feats, spells, items that the group uses, allies of the group and a range of stat blocks for the tribe. This looks like an excellent way to throw something old at your players while putting a new spin on it. This week they have released 3 bundles collecting their series. Bundle 1 covers tribes of gnolls, hobgoblins, kobolds, harpies, and troglodytes. Bundle 2 covers centaurs, half-goblins, lizardfolk, minotaurs, and wererats. Bundle 3 covers bugbears, duergar, frost giants, orcs and a cult.
Revenant
This short rpg (8 pages) is designed for a one-on-one game experience. The setting is that the player character has died and now is risen from the dead to exact some revenge/complete a task undone, much in the vein of The Crow. This sounds like a fun rpg exercise, or as an extension adventure for when that PC dies unexpected. If you are worried about paying a lot for such a small product, don’t be - it’s free.
1366 Second Edition
In our second “quirky” rpg, we have 1366. In this game, instead of playing the knights and adventurers of medieval times, you get to play the peasants. Doing peasantry things. And sometimes the odd. If you are looking for a different rpg experience, this might be it.
Hamlet On A Page: Millburg
I have a habit of preferring larger PDFs; they seem to have more meat to them and more possibilities. However, there is much to be said for a simple, short PDF that fulfills its purpose well. This PDF is only one page long and outlines a village. It provides a map, keyed locations with the number of NPCs included. Basically it is a village a DM can throw in anywhere with enough details to answer the questions the players may throw at the DM or to round out their own world. It’s not huge but it serves its purpose very well. Along with Millburg, this week they have released a bunch of other villages in the same format: Callard’s Pier, Anvil Hollow, Merchant Crossing, Azim, Pine Ridge and Murderhole.
Ultimate Warriors Catalogue
This is 75 pages of illustrated weapons and armor written for no system in particular. It is a generic work that can be used in any fantasy based game to show the players what they find, as a visual aid for magic items or as a source for adding in new types of gear. I like these sorts of exhaustive publications that appeal to a variety of games, instead of being locked into one system.
Crawl!
Crawl! Is a fanzine focusing on the DCC system. As with most fanzines it is new material for the system made by the fans. This one is a print magazine, but they have recently begun offering these PDFs for those outside their normal area. There are six issues so far, so if you like DCC and are looking for new material for it, you can check out No.1 No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 and No.6
Trillion Credit Squadron
The venerable Traveller system can do quite a bit. It can be run as the proto-typical adventure game with the PCs stumbling from adventure to adventure, it can be a trading game, and it can be all about space exploration and discovery. This supplement from Mongoose Publishing takes the game to a new level and explores the fleet game. The PDF gives a broad range of rules for the construction of fleets, fleet combat, and new equipment. Also included is a system for a campaign centered on another level of adventure where the tools of the PCs are not laser pistols, but rather fleets of ships. Rules are provided for how to run such a game wherein planetary budgets, diplomacy and fleet engagements are the staple of the campaign. And for those in a hurry to try everything out, the book also provides the Islands Cluster campaign setting. Looks like they packed a lot into 124 pages.
Dead Reign Sneak Preview
PDFs allow for a wonderful new way for publishers to generate interest in their products. Palladium Books is releasing this free 25 page preview for their Dead Reign rpg. It is their version of a Zombie Apocalypse setting for their hugely popular Palladium system. If you are a fan this is something you’ll want to check out. Did I mention it’s free?
The Epic of Aeryth
Right now the Savage Worlds rule set is hot. New settings and genres are continually coming out for the system. There are already a couple of fantasy settings out there, and this is another one. Unlike the typical fantasy setting this one is moved up a bit in its historical analog to a world set between the time of the Dark Ages and the Renaissance. However, this is not a world coming out of the dark into an Age of Enlightenment. No, the world is still filled with dark creatures and the battles of the gods is not helping. This looks to be a High Magic setting where the adventures of the PCs will be epic. The best part…all 163 pages of the setting book is free.
Delta Green
Delta Green is a setting and series of supplements for that setting using the Call of Cthulhu system. It brings the Call of Cthulhu game into a modern setting of government agents called upon to investigate the unusual – an X-Files style setting (though Delta Green came first). This week Pagan Publishing released two of their older books into PDF form. Eyes Only is a compilation book detailing three evil organizations and also includes several adventures. Targets of Opportunity provides five new threats for the player characters to investigate; it also includes some new rules for the game.
Mayhem
PDFs allow small publishers to put their product to mass market, something only the big publishers could do “back in the day”. This is a fantasy rule system that aims to give us a new and better system for more vivid characters and game play. They have added some unique approaches that are meant to add depth to the rpg and combat experiences. Also included is a world setting for immediate use. Have they accomplished their goals? You’ll have to check them out to find out.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation Event Book
The Marvel Heroic system from Margaret Weis Productions made a huge splash when it was first released. They have followed up their initial success with a series of Event Books that take a look at one of the more popular events from Marvel history and brings it to the rpg game. Gamers can now “live” out the pivotal moments in the world of Marvel. This time it’s the Annihilation Wave and it is an epically cosmic adventure. Included in the 384 book are more datafiles of characters the players can make use of. It’s enough to make a fan drool.
The Premium Edition includes the Operations Manual (the rules for the game system). If you already have these rules from a previous Marvel Heroic book, there is an Essentials Edition of this Event Book available as well (for a reduced price).
WotC Classic PDFs
WotC has sent out even more of their rereleases. This time we have 10 more products from Basic and 1E. If you missed them back in the day, now’s your chance to grab them in PDF form.
D&D Expert Rule Set (Basic)
B10 Night’s Dark Terror (Basic)
B1-B12 Bundle (Basic)
DA2 The Temple of the Frog (Basic)
Monster Manual II (1E)
Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide (1E)
Wilderness Survival Guide (1E)
EX1 Dungeonland (1E)
EX2 The Land Behind the Magic Mirror (1E)
L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (1E)
Adventures
The Hall of the Family – Generic.
Night of the Wight – Generic
The Tolling of Tears – Pathfinder. Level 3.
Ruster’s Blood – Pathfinder. Level 4.
The Raven’s Call – Pathfinder. Level 1. Written by Wolfgang Baur.
The Treasure of Welthorp – Labyrinth Lord. Levels 2-3.
Abyss of Insanity – Savage Worlds. Near Future.
Trouble at Niven’s Creek – Wayfarers.
Four Jars of Mead – Tunnels & Trolls. Levels 1-3.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
OSRIC
There is no denying the effect OSRIC has had upon the gaming community. It was one of the first of the retroclones and sparked a greater effort in the OSR (some would even say the OSR is its offspring). While there have been many newer retroclones since OSRIC first appeared, OSRIC continues to be used with new material being made specifically for it. This is the latest version of OSRIC and as always the PDF is free.
This book represents a compilation of rules for old school-style fantasy roleplay gaming, and is intended to reproduce the underlying rules used in the late 1970s to early 1980s. A complete game manual in itself, this source reference document (SRD) includes everything the game master and player alike require for beginning to advanced level play.
