This week we have 12 full PDFs and 9 Adventures for you to check out. They range from 4E, Savage Worlds, Pathfinder, OSR, Rolemaster and a few completely new systems. I know I'll be picking up some of these, especially the PDF of the Week.
Myths of the Far Future Campaign Guide
In a shameless plug for ENWorld, this week they have released the DM’s Guide to the 4E sci-fi campaign based on the books by Mike Resnick, Santiago. While the Guide is centered on the books, there is also a lot of good information here for DMs looking to run a sci-fi game with the 4E rule set. Check it out for free!
Only War: Final Testament
A couple of weeks ago Fantasy Flight released their new Warhammer 40k title, Only War, as a PDF. This new setting and rule set focuses on the soldiers and grunts of the Empire. This week they release a 144 page adventure to a war-torn planet which runs the player character through three missions. I’ve always liked military style campaigns and this adventure looks perfect for that.
Mythender Roleplaying Game
Tired of the Fates messing with your character? Tired of the gods holding you back? This is a new system and a setting that takes the characters to the highest endeavors of a campaign, killing gods. In this fantasy campaign the character’s job is to end the existence of the gods, all without letting their powers turn them into gods themselves. This 264 page PDF provides everything you would need to create these uber-powerful characters and how to run such a game. And it’s all for free.
Space Monsters Vol. 1
This is a set of 10 sci-fi monsters for the Pathfinder system. They were inspired by obscure 70s sci-fi TV shows as well as stock art. The goal was to create monsters that give off a certain feel similar to those shows. However, if you are looking for more monsters for a Pathfinder or 3E game, this PDF might suit your needs.
RMSS: Channeling Companion
Rolemaster was the first fantasy game that I played other than D&D. Like others, I loved the charts for combat and the balance of math. Sure, it could get overwhelming at times, but as a fan of crunch I liked it. This is one of the “splat” books that took a look at one of the three forms of magic, Channeling in this case. It provides a bunch of new rules for those who cast spells from the gods. Along with new classes, it provided new rules, such as how to create custom priests based on your own god system. This book came out later in the Rolemaster production line, so if you missed it (like I did) you can get it now as a PDF.
Tunse’al
This is a new fantasy setting for Savage Worlds. It is a low tech, primal world filled with four tribes in a land filled with dinosaurs and creatures of pre-history. There is something to be said about a setting that keeps everything to a bare minimum and still able to provide a rich and intriguing world. This PDF is 102 pages of character and setting information. There is no plot point associated with it, so all the information is about the setting.
There was also a systemless version of the setting released this week for those who do not use Savage Worlds.
Night of the Crusades Starter Chest
This is a bundle for Nights of the Crusades. We’ve already covered the game here before, but for those who missed it - it is a new game system that taps into the tropes of 1001 Arabian Nights, the Crusades, horror and then throws some psychology and storytelling into the mix. The game itself looks very intriguing. Along with the core rules, this bundle also includes The Tower by the Sea (an adventure based on the stories of Sinbad and Greek myths) and 100 Travel Encounters (100 short encounters/plot hooks based off the setting). This looks like an excellent package deal.
Z-Town
This is a solo adventure for the Fabled Worlds RPG System. Fabled Worlds is a very lite rules system. However, the rules are not required as they are included in the first 10 pages of Z-Town. So what is Z-Town? It is a set of two solo adventures of zombie survival where each adventure can change each time you play it. It’s hard to go wrong with a rules lite game that features zombies.
Consult Appendix Z Interstellar Travel Events
Random encounter tables for fantasy settings are everywhere; you can’t throw an internet rock without hitting one. Sci-fi random encounter tables are quite a bit scarcer, so it’s nice to see one come out on occasion. This PDF provides over 70 random encounters over 18 pages for that time when you need something on the fly or for inspiration in your sci-fi game.
New God Celestial Master Pack
The world is new and you are a fledgling god attempting to bring your tribe to preeminence. New Gods of Mankind is a unique system/setting lets the players play beings (spirits, demons, ancient warriors) that have gathered followers. The game follows these superior characters as they gain power with more followers and face obstacles in their quest for influence. This bundle pack provides New God’s Handbook (the core rulebook), Fate’s Guidebook (overall setting book), Legendary Artifacts (magic items), Fate’s Screen (DM screen), The Bloodfire Territories (a specific setting), The Celestial Gardens (the world of the afterlife) and some cardboard miniatures. If you want to play in highest corridors of power, this looks the PDF bundle for you.
Heroes Forever Bundle
This superhero game bundle provides quite a lot for its price. You get the Heroes Forever Core Rules, a d12 system with everything a person needs to create a comic book character. It also provides a unique world setting to play in. In addition this bundle provides the Heroes Forever Handbook (new classes and more details on the setting, including a look at New York), Heroes Forever Magic Supplement (new classes and powers), Heroes Forever Equipment (new classes, more setting information and new equipment), and Heroes Forever Charlemagne’s Knights (new classes, powers and a detailed setting). Add all these PDFs together and you should have enough material to run a superhero game for a long time.
Adventures
Curse of the Weaver Queen – Generic.
Ladies Night – Generic.
Lizards on the Loose – Generic.
Arachnophobia – Generic.
Unwelcome Visitors – Generic.
The Vile Worm – DCC. Level 1.
Deadwave – Call of Cthulhu.
Fangs From the Past – Pathfinder. Levels 1-2.
Off Piste – Tunnels & Trolls. Solo.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
Spears of the Dawn
I am a huge fan of the designer for this product, Kevin Crawford. He is the person behind the wonderful Stars Without Number, an old school sci-fi system. He is now bringing his expertise to the genre of an African inspired setting/system. Along with many of the tropes of such a setting he is also bringing in his sandbox approach he used with Stars Without Number; resources for creating the setting to your personal tastes. If a setting other than the pro-typical medieval one might interest you this should be an excellent choice. Even if you want to stay with your common setting, there will still be a lot of useful material here for any style of campaign. The book was originally a Kickstarter (which made over 300% of its goal) with a release date of March 3rd. The author has finished the product and it is now released a month early. If you didn’t get the book through the Kickstarter this is now your chance to get a copy.
Myths of the Far Future Campaign Guide
In a shameless plug for ENWorld, this week they have released the DM’s Guide to the 4E sci-fi campaign based on the books by Mike Resnick, Santiago. While the Guide is centered on the books, there is also a lot of good information here for DMs looking to run a sci-fi game with the 4E rule set. Check it out for free!
Only War: Final Testament
A couple of weeks ago Fantasy Flight released their new Warhammer 40k title, Only War, as a PDF. This new setting and rule set focuses on the soldiers and grunts of the Empire. This week they release a 144 page adventure to a war-torn planet which runs the player character through three missions. I’ve always liked military style campaigns and this adventure looks perfect for that.
Mythender Roleplaying Game
Tired of the Fates messing with your character? Tired of the gods holding you back? This is a new system and a setting that takes the characters to the highest endeavors of a campaign, killing gods. In this fantasy campaign the character’s job is to end the existence of the gods, all without letting their powers turn them into gods themselves. This 264 page PDF provides everything you would need to create these uber-powerful characters and how to run such a game. And it’s all for free.
Space Monsters Vol. 1
This is a set of 10 sci-fi monsters for the Pathfinder system. They were inspired by obscure 70s sci-fi TV shows as well as stock art. The goal was to create monsters that give off a certain feel similar to those shows. However, if you are looking for more monsters for a Pathfinder or 3E game, this PDF might suit your needs.
RMSS: Channeling Companion
Rolemaster was the first fantasy game that I played other than D&D. Like others, I loved the charts for combat and the balance of math. Sure, it could get overwhelming at times, but as a fan of crunch I liked it. This is one of the “splat” books that took a look at one of the three forms of magic, Channeling in this case. It provides a bunch of new rules for those who cast spells from the gods. Along with new classes, it provided new rules, such as how to create custom priests based on your own god system. This book came out later in the Rolemaster production line, so if you missed it (like I did) you can get it now as a PDF.
Tunse’al
This is a new fantasy setting for Savage Worlds. It is a low tech, primal world filled with four tribes in a land filled with dinosaurs and creatures of pre-history. There is something to be said about a setting that keeps everything to a bare minimum and still able to provide a rich and intriguing world. This PDF is 102 pages of character and setting information. There is no plot point associated with it, so all the information is about the setting.
There was also a systemless version of the setting released this week for those who do not use Savage Worlds.
Night of the Crusades Starter Chest
This is a bundle for Nights of the Crusades. We’ve already covered the game here before, but for those who missed it - it is a new game system that taps into the tropes of 1001 Arabian Nights, the Crusades, horror and then throws some psychology and storytelling into the mix. The game itself looks very intriguing. Along with the core rules, this bundle also includes The Tower by the Sea (an adventure based on the stories of Sinbad and Greek myths) and 100 Travel Encounters (100 short encounters/plot hooks based off the setting). This looks like an excellent package deal.
Z-Town
This is a solo adventure for the Fabled Worlds RPG System. Fabled Worlds is a very lite rules system. However, the rules are not required as they are included in the first 10 pages of Z-Town. So what is Z-Town? It is a set of two solo adventures of zombie survival where each adventure can change each time you play it. It’s hard to go wrong with a rules lite game that features zombies.
Consult Appendix Z Interstellar Travel Events
Random encounter tables for fantasy settings are everywhere; you can’t throw an internet rock without hitting one. Sci-fi random encounter tables are quite a bit scarcer, so it’s nice to see one come out on occasion. This PDF provides over 70 random encounters over 18 pages for that time when you need something on the fly or for inspiration in your sci-fi game.
New God Celestial Master Pack
The world is new and you are a fledgling god attempting to bring your tribe to preeminence. New Gods of Mankind is a unique system/setting lets the players play beings (spirits, demons, ancient warriors) that have gathered followers. The game follows these superior characters as they gain power with more followers and face obstacles in their quest for influence. This bundle pack provides New God’s Handbook (the core rulebook), Fate’s Guidebook (overall setting book), Legendary Artifacts (magic items), Fate’s Screen (DM screen), The Bloodfire Territories (a specific setting), The Celestial Gardens (the world of the afterlife) and some cardboard miniatures. If you want to play in highest corridors of power, this looks the PDF bundle for you.
Heroes Forever Bundle
This superhero game bundle provides quite a lot for its price. You get the Heroes Forever Core Rules, a d12 system with everything a person needs to create a comic book character. It also provides a unique world setting to play in. In addition this bundle provides the Heroes Forever Handbook (new classes and more details on the setting, including a look at New York), Heroes Forever Magic Supplement (new classes and powers), Heroes Forever Equipment (new classes, more setting information and new equipment), and Heroes Forever Charlemagne’s Knights (new classes, powers and a detailed setting). Add all these PDFs together and you should have enough material to run a superhero game for a long time.
Adventures
Curse of the Weaver Queen – Generic.
Ladies Night – Generic.
Lizards on the Loose – Generic.
Arachnophobia – Generic.
Unwelcome Visitors – Generic.
The Vile Worm – DCC. Level 1.
Deadwave – Call of Cthulhu.
Fangs From the Past – Pathfinder. Levels 1-2.
Off Piste – Tunnels & Trolls. Solo.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
Spears of the Dawn
I am a huge fan of the designer for this product, Kevin Crawford. He is the person behind the wonderful Stars Without Number, an old school sci-fi system. He is now bringing his expertise to the genre of an African inspired setting/system. Along with many of the tropes of such a setting he is also bringing in his sandbox approach he used with Stars Without Number; resources for creating the setting to your personal tastes. If a setting other than the pro-typical medieval one might interest you this should be an excellent choice. Even if you want to stay with your common setting, there will still be a lot of useful material here for any style of campaign. The book was originally a Kickstarter (which made over 300% of its goal) with a release date of March 3rd. The author has finished the product and it is now released a month early. If you didn’t get the book through the Kickstarter this is now your chance to get a copy.
In this complete game in a single volume, you'll find...
- A complete African-inspired campaign setting
- Old-school compatible classes for ngangas, griots, and marabouts
- New spells, magic items, and foes from African mythology
- Focused GM tools for building sandbox campaigns
- Tools for managing the background strife of restless kingdoms
- Resource tables, unkeyed maps, adventure creation tools, and more!
Spears of the Dawn is an African-inspired game built with the free, award-winning Stars Without Number system. Within this book you will find all the tools needed for adventuring in the wild and brooding Three Lands, where the bones of ancient Obas rest uneasy in cities of stone and blighted memory. Dare the tombs of the bitter Eternal and the courts of leopard-mantled kings to find the wealth of a new world!
