RPG Print News – RPGs I’ve Run Through The End of 2024

Merry Christmas! Holidays are here and no time for a weekly update.

Note: RPG Print News covers recent RPG releases and some classics, reprints, and sales available from retailers. It does not cover products that are available directly to customers only through Kickstarter or as print on demand.

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Amazing Adventures Bundle by Troll Lord Games

• SYSTEM: powered by the SIEGE Engine same as Castles & Crusades
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover core rulebooks, GM screen, and adventure
• RETAIL PRICE: $105
• OTHER RPG NEWS: Amazing Adventures: An Interview with Jason Vey
• DESCRIPTION: What I’m currently running. This one is great: powered by the SIEGE Engine but set in a world like ours but with a supernatural edge. The PCs are bigger than life heroes and have Fate Points to make a bigger impact in their world.

The One Ring (Second Edition) by Free League Publishing

• SYSTEM: unique d6 dice pool with one d12
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover core rulebook
• RETAIL PRICE: $55.50
• DESCRIPTION: This second edition is amazing: steeped in the lore of Middle-earth (not the novels per se, but the setting), with rules to cover combat, journeys, and councils. I liked this one so much I bought the cloth map and ran a campaign for nearly a year. With Moria out now I am likely to make a return to Middle-earth.

Troika! (Numinous Edition) by Melsonian Arts Council

• SYSTEM: British 2d6 (Fighting Fantasy RPG and game books)
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover core rulebook
• RETAIL PRICE: $36.95
• OTHER RPG COVERAGE: Troika!: A Played It Review, Troika!: An Interview with Daniel Sell, Troika! Deep Dive: Another Interview with Daniel Sell
• DESCRIPTION: One of my all-time favorites. The PCs explore spheres connected throughout the hump-backed sky. The setting is baroque, overflowing with adventure, soaked in blood, and relies heavily on British new wave science fiction from the 1960s and 1970s.

Strange Tales of Songling by Bedrock Games

• SYSTEM: Network Rules: d10 dice pool
• PRODUCT TYPE: softcover core rulebook
• RETAIL PRICE: $24.99
• OTHER RPG COVERAGE: New Year, New Campaign: Strange Tales of Songling
• DESCRIPTION: A horror monster-of-the week style RPG inspired by Chinese ghost stories. My movie watching experience was enriched by watching A Chinese Ghost Story and reading an English translation of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. This game is more dangerous than it might seem on the surface, but getting immersed in this supernatural China of long ago is well worth facing the danger of fox spirits, hopping vampires and ghosts. PCs confront the supernatural as demon hunters, scholars, wandering swords and dangerous ritual masters. The system is easy enough to run and the book comes with four complete adventures as well as monsters based on Chinese anomaly accounts, folklore, and horror movies.

Zombicide Chronicles RPG | Zombicide Chronicles - Road to Haven Campaign Book by CMON

• SYSTEM: unique d6 dice pool
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover core rulebook/hardcover adventure book
• RETAIL PRICE: $39.99/$24.99
• DESCRIPTION: I ran this one at Charlie Con this year. It plays like the board game but with added tension when humans are found. Will these new people help or make things worse? What do they know that the PCs don’t? I used the board game to set up a massive rubble crawl with the PCs starting at one end, fighting through to the other, and rescuing an important NPC along the way. Great fun, fast, and with enough RPG details to make it feel bigger than a board game with roleplaying. The Road to Haven Campaign Book supports campaign play with an extended mission for PCs to complete along with interesting NPCs to meet and new rule options to unlock.

Xcrawl Classics - The Complete Collection by Goodman Games

• SYSTEM: same rules as Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG
• PRODUCT TYPE: collection of hardcover core rulebook, adventures, and GM screen
• RETAIL PRICE: $149.99
• DESCRIPTION: I have run a lot of campaigns that use the rules from DCC RPG. This latest combo rules and setting using those rules is set in a dystopian USA with live dungeon crawling events as a blood sport. Like previous versions, the setting comes forth most strongly through the adventures which provide more monsters, NPCs, treasure, and setting lore. While I have kicked campaigns off with the 0-level funnel, for this setting I might start with first level PCs, still novice crawlers but not nearly defenseless. However, for a more Dungeon Crawler Carl feel, zero level makes a lot of sense.

Forbidden Lands Core Boxed Set | Forbidden Lands The Bloodmarch by Free League Publishing

• SYSTEM: Year Zero Engine
• PRODUCT TYPE: boxed rules/hardcover setting
• RETAIL PRICE: $59.93/$41.80
• DESCRIPTION: The included adventure sites in The Bloodmarch open up after the events in the adventures included in Forbidden Lands. The Bloodmarch is a land of ash and magma. Worm monsters threaten all while the Rust Brothers attempt to rise in power. This setting seemed a bit more fantastical than the core setting, with blood red forests and worm invaders and fungus and fire. A nice change of pace. I am glad I ran this one as a second campaign after the more traditional one in the boxed set. It is a weird one, but the setting is fun to explore and the NPCs and monsters are a real challenge.

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Leagues of Gothic Horror | Leagues of Gothic Horror - Guide to Mordavia, Land of Horror by Triple Ace Games

• SYSTEM: Leagues of Adventure
• PRODUCT TYPE: softcover rule supplements
• RETAIL PRICE: $29.99/$16.99
• DESCRIPTION: Leagues of Gothic Horror is a supplement for horror replaying set in a gothic age. The PCs faced a range of monsters and explored the realm of Mordavia. The PCs helped a ghost find rest in a haunted asylum, faced murderous marionettes come to jittering life, and faced a mummy run amok in a museum. Many of the monsters have their own supplement with additional versions and added rules to assist the GM.

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[jojocow]

Thanks for letting me know about Strange Tales of Songling

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

Thanks for letting me know about Strange Tales of Songling

Welcome first post @jojocow! You're welcome. Strange Tales of Songling was a joy to run. I have an interview coming up about the upcoming Strange Tales of New England as well if you like the system.

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

Thinking that people who disagree with you are evil and hatefull is a really narrow minded and sad perspective of life

Accepting sexism and bigotry as not narrow-minded and sad is an immoral perspective on life.

 

[jojocow]

Welcome first post @jojocow! You're welcome. Strange Tales of Songling was a joy to run. I have an interview coming up about the upcoming Strange Tales of New England as well if you like the system.

I’m looking forward to it. I love New England. I think it will at least bring me a lot of new inspiration.

 

[mamba]

Thinking that people who disagree with you are evil and hatefull is a really narrow minded and sad perspective of life

that very much depends on what the disagreement is about. If (general) you defend racism or sexism then yeah, I won’t have a high opinion of you

 

[Morrus]

I think cancel culture is a terrible thing.

That’s fascinating, but not relevant to this thread or a topic for these forums.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I’m looking forward to it. I love New England. I think it will at least bring me a lot of new inspiration.

Thanks. It is a little different from Songling. It is set in the modern era and while set in New England a lot of the focus is more on things exorcisms (Blatty was a very big influence)

 

[Ghost2020]

@Charles Dunwoody
I picked up the Amazing Adventures PDFs when they recently came out. What is the party composition?
How do you like the Pulp Armor?
What era are you playing? What kind of threats?
How are the modern firearms rules? I feel that is one of the hardest parts to nail down in a game.

I'm considering the Castles & Crusades Reforged books too.
I noticed that it needs an index, but the PDF is set up pretty darned well. Easy to navigate.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

@Charles Dunwoody
I picked up the Amazing Adventures PDFs when they recently came out. What is the party composition?
How do you like the Pulp Armor?
What era are you playing? What kind of threats?
How are the modern firearms rules? I feel that is one of the hardest parts to nail down in a game.

I'm considering the Castles & Crusades Reforged books too.
I noticed that it needs an index, but the PDF is set up pretty darned well. Easy to navigate.

Six players: a feral/investigator with a tiger, a raider, a wisdom-based arcanist, demon hunter, pirate, and gunslinger.

I house ruled pulp armor to give out the same bonus to everyone when in pulp attire and the AC goes up at certain levels (the random nature of the rule didn't work as written for our group).

The year is 1947 and the threats are cultists, zombies created by magic, and Yog-Sothoth threats (mi-go are going to attack the PCs' plane in the next adventure). PCs have had fights in the Empire State building (newly built), the Louisiana bayou, and the deserts of Saudia Arabia so far with that fight in the air happening next.

We played with the full firearm rules and our group voted to go with the simple rules (in the CK book) instead. Demon hunters can't use firearms and firearms are so good the classes without them were behind. We also changed burst fire to only cause one hit per enemy (tommy guns as written kill mobs of bad guys). Firearms are dangerous especially rifles. But the PCs have points to avoid some hits.

I agree, the rules are easy to find. Lots of optional rules and that can be confusing if you don't see the header (wish optional rules were boxed or something) but gives each group exactly the game they want without having to make up too many of their own house rules.

 

[Ghost2020]

Great! Thanks for the input! Looking forward to the new Monster book too.