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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="atom crash" data-source="post: 2315586" data-attributes="member: 22162">Well, as I stated earlier I had high expectations for this issue. I was reading tonight, and it's a damn fine magazine! There's even a sidebar on page 10 mentioning Tharizdun and his association to the number 333 (and of course WG4: The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, a classic 1E adventure). Congrats, guys. Let me offer a few picky criticisms, though, which apply to the magazine in general as well as this issue in particular:1. Pronunciations, man! A pronunciation guide would be a really nice add-on to a long, detailed and otherwise excellent article on a certain demon prince.2. The background used for the Fraz-Urb'luu article makes the text difficult to read, especially in the top and bottom corners and wherever italicized text is used.3. The value of the Treasures of the Gnome Hills (and most of the Bazaar of the Bizarre articles in the past few years) puts them out of reach for use in my campaign until at least 8th level, when a PC can afford to spend 10-12k on a single piece of equipment. Many of the items are priced in the 30-50k range, meaning I can't use them in my campaign until 10th to 13th level at a bare minimum. And that's assuming that the PCs spring for one of these items first rather than a more ubiquitous item -- like say a +2, +3 or +4 weapon -- when they have the available cash. More realistically, these items won't ever see any use in my campaign until the PCs reach 15th level, which may be never. Therefore, I'd like to see more cheaper items (at least under 10k, maybe even as low as 5k) splashed among the Bazaar of the Bizarre articles as well as the higher-end items. In the interest of fairness, let me also offer some praise where it is due. The article on Fraz-Urb'luu is awesome. I just wish I knew how to say his name correctly. The Demonomicon of Iggwilv (again, how do you say that?) is such a great idea for a recurring feature, we're in effect getting monthly add-ons for the BoVD that include stats for a demon lord, background, info on cultists and minions and enough plot hooks to choke the tarrasque. Any one of these articles could be the springboard to launch an entire campaign.I love the format of the magazine. I especially like more shorter regular features. Class Acts is great, not because I use most of the articles -- I don't use most of them, though I read them all -- but because it offers many one-page treatments of cool ideas I can use as an inspiration for my own variants. I wouldn't want to see an 11-page article on new stuff for the sorceror -- most of which I can't or won't use in my own game -- but the one-page treatment of knowstones is a great idea I'll probably wind up adapting for my campaign. And the piece on spheres of magic -- a sorceror's variant of specialization -- in last month's (?) issue was a refreshing idea I immediately yoinked.</blockquote>

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