Here we are in 2016, and the year's first full week of Picks! I go where my game-loving muse takes me, and it took me to some very interesting and fun places this time around. Funny story - I had not grokked that I'd picked two posthumanism-genre game products back-to-back until I'd already posted the second one. Honestly, I am OK with it - they are very different games, even considering the core genre frame. Below you will also find one of the most interesting and genuinely charming RPG products I've ever encountered - a solo-play RPG that challenges you to indulge in the idea of excellence in correspondence. Linguaphiles take note!
M20 How Do You DO That?
It’s my birthday, running out the door, but this is a no-brainer Pick to be sure – pretty much vital for anyone wishing to maximize their enjoyment of Mage 20th.
Mage: The Ascension’s flexible and ambitious Sphere system has provided many questions and debates for over 20 years. Here, now, in this book, we answer the eternal question How Do You DO That? with hundreds of reality-altering feats – puppetry and possession, elemental command, martial arts prowess, illusions, and far, far more – all presented in simple, casual, and quite often profane English.
For Metaphysical Mastery
Unlike any previous Mage sourcebook, How Do You DO That? strips away the series’ trademark ambiguities and deals straight-up with the raw rule systems behind Mage’s magick rules. Dividing a multitude of uncanny feats into 10 general categories, this book features rules for…
Sphere magick will never be quite the same again…
Hc Svnt Dracones: Core Extended
I’ve played this game, and while it has some interesting, mechanically-fiddly things going on that aren’t my normal cup of tea (remember, I am a Savage Worlds kind of guy, so more complex rules sets aren’t my usual first choice), I readily see how the setting and experience is compelling. The game-setting has a legion of fans, in great part due to being something both unique and effective in a hobby where it pays to stand apart from the crowd.
HC SVNT DRACONES: Core Extended brings your HSD game up to the next level. Contained within this book are over two dozen new playable character options, new surgeries, new focus abilities and implants, additional playable races beyond Vectors, and lore detail to help players and Guides alike get a better grip on their world. All these features can slot into existing HSD games to provide greater depth and variety to your gameplay.
Core:Extended is an expansion to the HC SVNT DRACONES role playing game, and as such you will require the core rulebook to play. Rules included in C:E can be applied to existing campaigns immediately with no need to make new characters (though with all the new options, you may want to just to be someone new!) C:E also includes the C:E combat addendum, which changes the way combat works in HSD.
Eclipse Phase
If you’ve had any wondering about Eclipse Phase – arguably one of the leading posthumanism games in the gaming marketplace – now is a really good time to grab the core book. For the rest of January, it’s on sale from $19.99 to just $9.99.
The PDF file equivalent to the fourth printing of Eclipse Phase is available for download, complete with a fully-hyperlinked index!
Your mind is software. Program it.
Your body is a shell. Change it.
Death is a disease. Cure it.
Extinction is approaching. Fight it.
Eclipse Phase is a post-apocalyptic game of conspiracy and horror. Humanity is enhanced and improved, but also battered and bitterly divided. Technology allows the re-shaping of bodies and minds, but also creates opportunities for oppression and puts the capability for mass destruction in the hands of everyone. And other threats lurk in the devastated habitats of the Fall, dangers both familiar and alien. In this harsh setting, the players participate in a cross-faction conspiracy called Firewall that seeks to protect transhumanity from threats both internal and external. Along the way, they may find themselves hunting for prized technology in a gutted habitat falling from orbit, risking the hellish landscapes of a ruined earth, or following the trail of a terrorist through militarized stations and isolationist habitats. Players may even find themselves stepping through a Pandora Gate, a wormhole to distant stars and the alien secrets beyond.
ECLIPSE PHASE: THE SYSTEM
ECLIPSE PHASE: FOR PLAYERS
ECLIPSE PHASE: FOR GAMEMASTERS
ECLIPSE PHASE: CREATIVE COMMONS
ECLIPSE PHASE: AWARDS
Against the Slave Lords
Wow. Seriously, wow – this one takes me back. The “Against the Slave Lords” series was one of the truly great adventure series, and for me personally, it had greater meaning as it really refocused players away from dungeon looting and directed them towards acting like heroic adventurers, trying to do some real good in the world. Let’s face it – slavers make the best foes (like Nazis and ninjas…).
Interestingly, the product came out in a revised form during the D&D Next playtest period, which makes it pretty compatible with 5th Edition with just a little bit of effort on the DM’s part.
Against the Slave Lords is a collection of four classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules that form a series — A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity, A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade, A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, and A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords — complete with original black-and-white interior art.
Added to the collection is an all-new fifth adventure — A0: Danger at Darkshelf Quarry — that you can use to kick off an AD&D campaign that pits a group of adventurers against the evil Slave Lords! Module A0, designed for levels 1-3, sets the stage for events that unfold throughout the remainder of the “A” series.
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity: It is time to put a stop to the marauders! For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil. You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids—as hundreds of good men and women have been taken by the slavers and have never been seen or heard from again!
A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade: The battle against the slavers continues! You and your fellow adventurers have defeated the slavers of Highport, but you have learned of the existence of another slaver stronghold, and you have decided to continue the attack. But beware! Only the most fearless of adventurers could challenge the slavers on their own ground, and live to tell of it!
A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords: Into the Drachengrab Mountains! Hot on the trail of the marauding slavers, you and your fellow adventurers plunge deep into hostile Hills. Spurred on by your past success, you now seek the heart of the slaver conspiracy. But hurry! You must move quickly before the slavers recover from your previous forays and attack!
A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords: Trapped in the dungeons of the Slave Lords! The hardy adventurers must find a way out, with only their wits and courage to help them. But can they do it before everything is destroyed by the dreaded Earth Dragon?”
The book can also be run using the new D&D Next (or fifth edition) play-test rules, by encorporating the bestiary pdf in the June 7th, 2013 D&D Next Play-test document available from the Wizards of the Coast Website.
Product History
A0-4: Against the Slave Lords (2013), by David Cook, Harold Johnson, Tom Moldvay, Allen Hammack, Lawrence Schick, and Skip Williams, is a premium reprint of the A1-4 adventure series for AD&D 1e. It was published in June 2013. (click for more info)
Quill
If your soul is stirred by the concept of using beautiful and effective language in writing, I’ve discovered a gift just for you. I’ve also discovered quite possibly one of the most original ideas I’ve ever encountered for a game – a solo-player game, at that! To get an understanding of just what it is – and what it can produce as a result of playing – check out this review.
It’s Pay What You Want, so you really have very little to lose. Just remember, as with all PWYW products, you should feel free to “buy it again” in order to support the creator if you discover it’s worth more than what you paid the first time.
To whom it may concern,
Quill is a solo roleplaying game with a twist. Instead of hacking goblins and looting caves, you are writing letters. Rather than having attributes like strength or dexterity, characters in Quill use Penmanship, Language and Heart.
In a game of Quill you will write real letters, with the aim to craft the best, most beautiful missive possible in order to get a favourable response. You will use words from the Ink Pot to inspire your letter – but be warned, should you roll badly you could end up writing a bad letter.
If you’re looking to kill some time, Quill is a perfect roleplaying distraction and something completely different from anything else out there.
Due to the lovely response to the game online, Quill is now a living document. New scenarios will be added on a fairly regular basis.
~~~~~
I want to reiterate something I wrote above in the Quill entry - Pay What You Want is a really neat idea, wherein the publisher or creator can put something out and let each purchaser decide what value they place on the product. Thing is, if you don't know much about the product or the creator, you might figure on grabbing it for free (which, under PWYW, is an option, or just give a dollar, or some similarly small amount.
That's fine... but, if you figure out that the product is really great, far more valuable than you anticipated, what do you do?
Seriously, you just go back onto DriveThruRPG and "buy" it again - this time, paying an amount you feel is truer to your perceived value. You really should, too, because it's only through such patronage that creators (like myself) are able to keep putting out even more valuable product.
So I've started my liver-shrinking diet (three days in, now), in preparation for that bariatric surgery I've mentioned before. The actual surgery is on the 19th; you might expect a couple of missed days of Picks around that time. The diet is... not fun, but it's better than having my liver crack apart as they try to move it, so I keep making Vigor checks to get through.
We had friends in from Louisville, KY (Steve and Carol Darnell of All Games Considered fame), so I ran a pick-up game of Prowlers & Paragons: Ultimate Edition for them. I pleased to say they both loved it! By the way, if you are interested in the development of this new version of the game system (as well as my setting development work), friend me on Facebook and ask to be added to the page where we talk about and share it.
Tonight, it's Relax With the Family Time, probably with a few episodes of Jessica Jones and maybe a movie, or a game of Sentinels of the Multiverse. Tomorrow, more writing and design, followed by the Interested Parties once again tormenting Titus Machiavelli at the next NRW event. Sunday brings us back to the lands of Birthright!
The Adventure Continues!
~SPF
M20 How Do You DO That?
It’s my birthday, running out the door, but this is a no-brainer Pick to be sure – pretty much vital for anyone wishing to maximize their enjoyment of Mage 20th.
Mage: The Ascension’s flexible and ambitious Sphere system has provided many questions and debates for over 20 years. Here, now, in this book, we answer the eternal question How Do You DO That? with hundreds of reality-altering feats – puppetry and possession, elemental command, martial arts prowess, illusions, and far, far more – all presented in simple, casual, and quite often profane English.
For Metaphysical Mastery
Unlike any previous Mage sourcebook, How Do You DO That? strips away the series’ trademark ambiguities and deals straight-up with the raw rule systems behind Mage’s magick rules. Dividing a multitude of uncanny feats into 10 general categories, this book features rules for…
- Conjuration & Transformation
- Elemental Mastery
- Energy Work
- Enhanced Perceptions
- Martial Arts
- Mystic Travel
- Necromancy
- Summoning, Binding, Bargaining & Warding
- Time Distortion & Travel
- Uncanny Influence
Sphere magick will never be quite the same again…
Hc Svnt Dracones: Core Extended
I’ve played this game, and while it has some interesting, mechanically-fiddly things going on that aren’t my normal cup of tea (remember, I am a Savage Worlds kind of guy, so more complex rules sets aren’t my usual first choice), I readily see how the setting and experience is compelling. The game-setting has a legion of fans, in great part due to being something both unique and effective in a hobby where it pays to stand apart from the crowd.
HC SVNT DRACONES: Core Extended brings your HSD game up to the next level. Contained within this book are over two dozen new playable character options, new surgeries, new focus abilities and implants, additional playable races beyond Vectors, and lore detail to help players and Guides alike get a better grip on their world. All these features can slot into existing HSD games to provide greater depth and variety to your gameplay.
Core:Extended is an expansion to the HC SVNT DRACONES role playing game, and as such you will require the core rulebook to play. Rules included in C:E can be applied to existing campaigns immediately with no need to make new characters (though with all the new options, you may want to just to be someone new!) C:E also includes the C:E combat addendum, which changes the way combat works in HSD.
Eclipse Phase
If you’ve had any wondering about Eclipse Phase – arguably one of the leading posthumanism games in the gaming marketplace – now is a really good time to grab the core book. For the rest of January, it’s on sale from $19.99 to just $9.99.
The PDF file equivalent to the fourth printing of Eclipse Phase is available for download, complete with a fully-hyperlinked index!
Your mind is software. Program it.
Your body is a shell. Change it.
Death is a disease. Cure it.
Extinction is approaching. Fight it.
Eclipse Phase is a post-apocalyptic game of conspiracy and horror. Humanity is enhanced and improved, but also battered and bitterly divided. Technology allows the re-shaping of bodies and minds, but also creates opportunities for oppression and puts the capability for mass destruction in the hands of everyone. And other threats lurk in the devastated habitats of the Fall, dangers both familiar and alien. In this harsh setting, the players participate in a cross-faction conspiracy called Firewall that seeks to protect transhumanity from threats both internal and external. Along the way, they may find themselves hunting for prized technology in a gutted habitat falling from orbit, risking the hellish landscapes of a ruined earth, or following the trail of a terrorist through militarized stations and isolationist habitats. Players may even find themselves stepping through a Pandora Gate, a wormhole to distant stars and the alien secrets beyond.
ECLIPSE PHASE: THE SYSTEM
- Eclipse Phase uses a d100/percentile system, with some twists. It’s fast and simple; streamlined so players can dive into the world and action without being burdened by complex rules.
- Characters are skill-based, with no classes, so players can customize their team roles and specialize in fields of their choosing.
- A focused set of psi rules enables some characters to enhance their cognitive abilities.
ECLIPSE PHASE: FOR PLAYERS
- Play a role in a secretive and dangerous conspiracy that seeks to save transhumanity.
- Switch your body at will, from genetically modified transhumans to synthetic robotic shells, optimizing your character for specific missions.
- Back up your character’s mind and be restored from backup in case of death–a built-in system of “Save points” and functional immortality.
ECLIPSE PHASE: FOR GAMEMASTERS
- A setting custom-built for numerous scenario types, from faction-based intrigues to high-tech dungeon-crawls, from mind-scarring mysteries to dangerous exploration of alien worlds via wormhole gates.
- An eclectic assortment of intriguing factions, from techno-anarchists to future-chasing hypercorps, from soul-trading criminals to uplifted animals.
- A range of NPC antagonists to choose from, including rogue AIs, extreme posthuman factions, standoffish aliens with their own agenda and transhumans infected and transformed by the virulent Exsurgent virus.
ECLIPSE PHASE: CREATIVE COMMONS
- Eclipse Phase is available under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
- This gives fans the ability to create and share free Eclipse Phase material. Whether it’s homebrew adventures or hacks and remixes of the Eclipse Phase rules–go for it!
ECLIPSE PHASE: AWARDS
- Origins Award for Best RPG of the Year in 2010
- ENnie Awards: Gold for Best Writing, Silver for Best Cover, and Silver for Best Product in 2010
Against the Slave Lords
Wow. Seriously, wow – this one takes me back. The “Against the Slave Lords” series was one of the truly great adventure series, and for me personally, it had greater meaning as it really refocused players away from dungeon looting and directed them towards acting like heroic adventurers, trying to do some real good in the world. Let’s face it – slavers make the best foes (like Nazis and ninjas…).
Interestingly, the product came out in a revised form during the D&D Next playtest period, which makes it pretty compatible with 5th Edition with just a little bit of effort on the DM’s part.
Against the Slave Lords is a collection of four classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules that form a series — A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity, A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade, A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, and A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords — complete with original black-and-white interior art.
Added to the collection is an all-new fifth adventure — A0: Danger at Darkshelf Quarry — that you can use to kick off an AD&D campaign that pits a group of adventurers against the evil Slave Lords! Module A0, designed for levels 1-3, sets the stage for events that unfold throughout the remainder of the “A” series.
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity: It is time to put a stop to the marauders! For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil. You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids—as hundreds of good men and women have been taken by the slavers and have never been seen or heard from again!
A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade: The battle against the slavers continues! You and your fellow adventurers have defeated the slavers of Highport, but you have learned of the existence of another slaver stronghold, and you have decided to continue the attack. But beware! Only the most fearless of adventurers could challenge the slavers on their own ground, and live to tell of it!
A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords: Into the Drachengrab Mountains! Hot on the trail of the marauding slavers, you and your fellow adventurers plunge deep into hostile Hills. Spurred on by your past success, you now seek the heart of the slaver conspiracy. But hurry! You must move quickly before the slavers recover from your previous forays and attack!
A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords: Trapped in the dungeons of the Slave Lords! The hardy adventurers must find a way out, with only their wits and courage to help them. But can they do it before everything is destroyed by the dreaded Earth Dragon?”
The book can also be run using the new D&D Next (or fifth edition) play-test rules, by encorporating the bestiary pdf in the June 7th, 2013 D&D Next Play-test document available from the Wizards of the Coast Website.
Product History
A0-4: Against the Slave Lords (2013), by David Cook, Harold Johnson, Tom Moldvay, Allen Hammack, Lawrence Schick, and Skip Williams, is a premium reprint of the A1-4 adventure series for AD&D 1e. It was published in June 2013. (click for more info)
Quill
If your soul is stirred by the concept of using beautiful and effective language in writing, I’ve discovered a gift just for you. I’ve also discovered quite possibly one of the most original ideas I’ve ever encountered for a game – a solo-player game, at that! To get an understanding of just what it is – and what it can produce as a result of playing – check out this review.
It’s Pay What You Want, so you really have very little to lose. Just remember, as with all PWYW products, you should feel free to “buy it again” in order to support the creator if you discover it’s worth more than what you paid the first time.
To whom it may concern,
Quill is a solo roleplaying game with a twist. Instead of hacking goblins and looting caves, you are writing letters. Rather than having attributes like strength or dexterity, characters in Quill use Penmanship, Language and Heart.
In a game of Quill you will write real letters, with the aim to craft the best, most beautiful missive possible in order to get a favourable response. You will use words from the Ink Pot to inspire your letter – but be warned, should you roll badly you could end up writing a bad letter.
If you’re looking to kill some time, Quill is a perfect roleplaying distraction and something completely different from anything else out there.
Due to the lovely response to the game online, Quill is now a living document. New scenarios will be added on a fairly regular basis.
~~~~~
I want to reiterate something I wrote above in the Quill entry - Pay What You Want is a really neat idea, wherein the publisher or creator can put something out and let each purchaser decide what value they place on the product. Thing is, if you don't know much about the product or the creator, you might figure on grabbing it for free (which, under PWYW, is an option, or just give a dollar, or some similarly small amount.
That's fine... but, if you figure out that the product is really great, far more valuable than you anticipated, what do you do?
Seriously, you just go back onto DriveThruRPG and "buy" it again - this time, paying an amount you feel is truer to your perceived value. You really should, too, because it's only through such patronage that creators (like myself) are able to keep putting out even more valuable product.
So I've started my liver-shrinking diet (three days in, now), in preparation for that bariatric surgery I've mentioned before. The actual surgery is on the 19th; you might expect a couple of missed days of Picks around that time. The diet is... not fun, but it's better than having my liver crack apart as they try to move it, so I keep making Vigor checks to get through.
We had friends in from Louisville, KY (Steve and Carol Darnell of All Games Considered fame), so I ran a pick-up game of Prowlers & Paragons: Ultimate Edition for them. I pleased to say they both loved it! By the way, if you are interested in the development of this new version of the game system (as well as my setting development work), friend me on Facebook and ask to be added to the page where we talk about and share it.
Tonight, it's Relax With the Family Time, probably with a few episodes of Jessica Jones and maybe a movie, or a game of Sentinels of the Multiverse. Tomorrow, more writing and design, followed by the Interested Parties once again tormenting Titus Machiavelli at the next NRW event. Sunday brings us back to the lands of Birthright!
The Adventure Continues!
~SPF
