This week we have 9 new PDFs, some brand new products and some older items; in fact, one of them hasn’t been seen print in over 30 years and never as a PDF. In addition, WotC rereleased 4 more PDF products and we have 8 more adventures for your table. The Spotlight PDF of the Week is a preview of a new game that is burying its Kickstarter goals.
Duty Unto Death
TableTop is a web series run by Wil Wheaton which focuses on table games (board and rpg). It has done a lot for making such games a bit more mainstream. Some time ago an episode showcased a Dragon Age rpg game run by Chris Pramas, founder of Green Ronin Publishing, makers of the game system. This is the adventure that was run that day. Now you can get it for free to check out the adventure or as a way to take a look at the Dragon Age system. You can also watch the episode that features the adventure here.
Wizard Council
I have a habit of showcasing the bigger PDFs, but sometimes a change of pace type of game looks good, even if it is small. This short game, 5 pages, features the player characters as mages fighting each other for control of a city. It looks more like a party game with some rpg elements to it, but it still looks fun.
101 Fantasy Quotes: The Wise Wizard Edition
Speaking of wizards, one thing I do have a problem with is making them sound wise when attempting to portray them as an NPC. While I don’t normally cover “list” PDFs here, this one looks like it would solve my problem. It offers up 101 quotes that would sound like they come from someone intelligent and full of wisdom. Seems like a handy thing to have around to make my NPCs memorable.
Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul
This week we have a couple of bundle packs of superhero games. First up is Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul, a superhero game designed to emulate comic books as opposed to an rpg with superheroes. In the bundle you get the Core Rulebook, Random Character Creation rules, a villains book (Gallery of Evil) and two adventures (Christmas Comes But Once a Year, Not even Freedom is Free).
BASH
BASH or Big Action Super Hero is a rules-lite superhero game and the core of our second superhero bundle this week. This bundle is substantive and includes BASH (the original core rules), BASH Ultimate Edition (a second edition with more stuff), three villain books (Crook Book, Comic Character Cavalcade #1 and #2), a character options book (Awesome Powers), a setting (Megapolis: A City of Supers), three adventures (Vengeance is Nigh, Five Minutes to Midnight, Viva La Gorilavolution), BASH Sci-Fi Edition (the B ASH rules adapted for science-fiction), BASH Fantasy Edition (The BASH rules adapted for fantasy) and an adventure for BASH Fantasy (Island of the Forgotten Tomb).
The House of Bone and Amber
I am a huge fan of Kevin Crawford and Sine Nomine Publishing. Recently he ran a successful Kickstarter for Spears of the Dawn, an African inspired campaign setting and rule set. One of the stretch goals was an adventure and this is it. If you didn’t get it from the Kickstarter now is your chance to. It is a starting adventure for new characters and includes a city to explore and conversion notes for those who prefer to use their own old school system.
Hyperlite: The Sirius Treaty
This campaign setting for Traveller tries to bring something different to the genre and game. In it you play a part of a team designed to protect the colonies on new planets and search for alien artifacts. The twist is that while you may be augmented with your body, the weaponry you use must be of primitive level to match the tech level of the worlds you are on. Think sci-fi with swords. The 182 page PDF comes with its own unique character generation system and rules for playing in this distinctive setting. It even comes with a starting adventure to get things going.
Guide to the City State
In 1976, Judges Guild released this book which was a precursor to the City State of the Invincible Overlord, one of the hallmarks of D&D. Long out of print, this is a restored and scanned copy that lets anyone check out what it was like “back in the day”. Even better is that the PDF price is less than the book went for back in 1976.
Sticks & Stones
This is a prehistoric setting and rulebook for Savage Worlds. In it you get to choose from races that-might-have-been, magic-that-never-was and other character options that reflect a primitive setting. Of fun interest is the fact that table talk is limited to a few allowed words to reflect an incomplete vocabulary. It comes with a complete setting including equipment appropriate for the time period. It also includes a full plot-point of 9 adventures and 17 one-shot adventures. Sounds like this could be a lot of fun. You can choose to only get the Player’s Guide which comes with the character options and enough detail of the setting to get the player’s started.
WotC Classic PDFs
UK6 All That Glitters (1E)
DMGR2 The Castle Guide (2E)
PHBR4 The Complete Wizard’s Handbook (2E)
Expedition to the Demonweb Pits (3.5E)
Adventures
The Stealer of Children – Labyrinth Lord. Level 1.
The Dungeons of Diremirk – Labyrinth Lord. Level 2-4.
Curse of Shadowhold – Sword and Wizardry and Pathfinder. Level 10.
Death at a Funeral – Generic. Victorian London.
Redtooth Ridge – Generic/Old School. Level 1-3.
The Witch of Wydfield – DCC. Level 0.
Lair of the Mist Men – DCC. Level 1.
The Sea Queen Escapes – DCC. Level 3.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
Lords of Gossamer
When it first came out in 1991, Amber Diceless Role-playing was unique and attention getting. As expected it used no dice in its mechanics which was innovative at the time. It also was the rpg license for the popular Chronicles of Amber series of books by Roger Zelazny. This featured the intrigues and wars of gods throughout a series of shadow worlds of their creation. The setting was enthralling and the system trend setting. Now, 22 years later, Lords of Gossamer sets out to be the spiritual successor for the game. It has licensed the Amber Diceless System from its current copyright holder and is using it to create a setting very similar to the original. They currently have an ongoing Kickstarter that has already funded (over $10,000 of the $1,000 goal as of my writing this) and this PDF is a free, 17 page preview of their already written game. If you are curious about what they are up to, you can check out this PDF before you invest.
Duty Unto Death
TableTop is a web series run by Wil Wheaton which focuses on table games (board and rpg). It has done a lot for making such games a bit more mainstream. Some time ago an episode showcased a Dragon Age rpg game run by Chris Pramas, founder of Green Ronin Publishing, makers of the game system. This is the adventure that was run that day. Now you can get it for free to check out the adventure or as a way to take a look at the Dragon Age system. You can also watch the episode that features the adventure here.
Wizard Council
I have a habit of showcasing the bigger PDFs, but sometimes a change of pace type of game looks good, even if it is small. This short game, 5 pages, features the player characters as mages fighting each other for control of a city. It looks more like a party game with some rpg elements to it, but it still looks fun.
101 Fantasy Quotes: The Wise Wizard Edition
Speaking of wizards, one thing I do have a problem with is making them sound wise when attempting to portray them as an NPC. While I don’t normally cover “list” PDFs here, this one looks like it would solve my problem. It offers up 101 quotes that would sound like they come from someone intelligent and full of wisdom. Seems like a handy thing to have around to make my NPCs memorable.
Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul
This week we have a couple of bundle packs of superhero games. First up is Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul, a superhero game designed to emulate comic books as opposed to an rpg with superheroes. In the bundle you get the Core Rulebook, Random Character Creation rules, a villains book (Gallery of Evil) and two adventures (Christmas Comes But Once a Year, Not even Freedom is Free).
BASH
BASH or Big Action Super Hero is a rules-lite superhero game and the core of our second superhero bundle this week. This bundle is substantive and includes BASH (the original core rules), BASH Ultimate Edition (a second edition with more stuff), three villain books (Crook Book, Comic Character Cavalcade #1 and #2), a character options book (Awesome Powers), a setting (Megapolis: A City of Supers), three adventures (Vengeance is Nigh, Five Minutes to Midnight, Viva La Gorilavolution), BASH Sci-Fi Edition (the B ASH rules adapted for science-fiction), BASH Fantasy Edition (The BASH rules adapted for fantasy) and an adventure for BASH Fantasy (Island of the Forgotten Tomb).
The House of Bone and Amber
I am a huge fan of Kevin Crawford and Sine Nomine Publishing. Recently he ran a successful Kickstarter for Spears of the Dawn, an African inspired campaign setting and rule set. One of the stretch goals was an adventure and this is it. If you didn’t get it from the Kickstarter now is your chance to. It is a starting adventure for new characters and includes a city to explore and conversion notes for those who prefer to use their own old school system.
Hyperlite: The Sirius Treaty
This campaign setting for Traveller tries to bring something different to the genre and game. In it you play a part of a team designed to protect the colonies on new planets and search for alien artifacts. The twist is that while you may be augmented with your body, the weaponry you use must be of primitive level to match the tech level of the worlds you are on. Think sci-fi with swords. The 182 page PDF comes with its own unique character generation system and rules for playing in this distinctive setting. It even comes with a starting adventure to get things going.
Guide to the City State
In 1976, Judges Guild released this book which was a precursor to the City State of the Invincible Overlord, one of the hallmarks of D&D. Long out of print, this is a restored and scanned copy that lets anyone check out what it was like “back in the day”. Even better is that the PDF price is less than the book went for back in 1976.
Sticks & Stones
This is a prehistoric setting and rulebook for Savage Worlds. In it you get to choose from races that-might-have-been, magic-that-never-was and other character options that reflect a primitive setting. Of fun interest is the fact that table talk is limited to a few allowed words to reflect an incomplete vocabulary. It comes with a complete setting including equipment appropriate for the time period. It also includes a full plot-point of 9 adventures and 17 one-shot adventures. Sounds like this could be a lot of fun. You can choose to only get the Player’s Guide which comes with the character options and enough detail of the setting to get the player’s started.
WotC Classic PDFs
UK6 All That Glitters (1E)
DMGR2 The Castle Guide (2E)
PHBR4 The Complete Wizard’s Handbook (2E)
Expedition to the Demonweb Pits (3.5E)
Adventures
The Stealer of Children – Labyrinth Lord. Level 1.
The Dungeons of Diremirk – Labyrinth Lord. Level 2-4.
Curse of Shadowhold – Sword and Wizardry and Pathfinder. Level 10.
Death at a Funeral – Generic. Victorian London.
Redtooth Ridge – Generic/Old School. Level 1-3.
The Witch of Wydfield – DCC. Level 0.
Lair of the Mist Men – DCC. Level 1.
The Sea Queen Escapes – DCC. Level 3.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
Lords of Gossamer
When it first came out in 1991, Amber Diceless Role-playing was unique and attention getting. As expected it used no dice in its mechanics which was innovative at the time. It also was the rpg license for the popular Chronicles of Amber series of books by Roger Zelazny. This featured the intrigues and wars of gods throughout a series of shadow worlds of their creation. The setting was enthralling and the system trend setting. Now, 22 years later, Lords of Gossamer sets out to be the spiritual successor for the game. It has licensed the Amber Diceless System from its current copyright holder and is using it to create a setting very similar to the original. They currently have an ongoing Kickstarter that has already funded (over $10,000 of the $1,000 goal as of my writing this) and this PDF is a free, 17 page preview of their already written game. If you are curious about what they are up to, you can check out this PDF before you invest.
This world is but one of untold many, a flux of chance caught between shadow and light. It is a world poised between great powers that shape and define all matter, one of many battlegrounds in an epic struggle between form and cacophony. This is the battle between the creators, shapers, and destroyers of worlds. Welcome to the Lords of Gossamer and Shadow!
Lords of Gossamer and Shadow is an original sourcebook and role-playing game using Erick Wujcik’s Amber Diceless Role-playing, licensed from Diceless by Design. It is a standalone product, but remains fully compatible with the existing rules system and can be readily used in new and existing campaigns.
