Simon Collins
Explorer
Beware! This review contains major spoilers.
This is not a playtest review.
The Ragnarok Book is the third in the Horned God and Monn Sow quadrology of adventures for the Slaine RPG from Mongoose Publishing. It is suitable for characters of levels 6-7.
The Ragnarok Book is a 96-page mono softcover book costing $19.95. Though the title and subtitle fonts are rather large and there are one or two chunks of white space, the layout is pleasing on the eye and the inside covers are used for an ad and OGL, etc. The very sparse art is again a mixture of comic strip extracts and original art, ranging from average to good. Writing style and editing are good.
The book begins with a reminder of the quest to recover the standing stones known as the Teeth of the Moon Sow, the influence of the Horned God, Carnun, and the betrayal of the ex-tribal leader, Osdann, as well as the recent discovery of an ogham book called the Ragnarok Book, which spells possible doom for the Land of the Young. It also gives an adventure summary and a discussion of times of the year (this apparently influences the climactic fourth adventure - The Way of the Horned God).
The adventure begins with a council in which the PCs are invited to speak and sway decisions as to which path to take. All the influences on the proceedings and the possible consequences of following (or not following) each are discussed, as well as the different factions and their agendas. At the end of this section are seven possible tracks the PCs may take - they may take them in any order, though they are laid out chapter by chapter in the rest of the book. The PCs may:
* Go to kill Osdann and replace him with a new king.
* Translate the Ragnarok Book at the spiritual centres of Glastonbury, Dinas Emrys or Durrington.
* Warn the tribes of the Drune plans (logically this should occur after the Ragnarok Book has been translated).
* Quest to find the Silver Sword of the Moon, a tribal treasure of the Fir Domain that could aid their long-term goals.
* Go in search of the sixth and seventh stones.
The adventure covers the foes and other dangers that may befall the PCs on their journeys, and information to be learned from various NPCs that can be encountered along the way, or at their journey's end, and also includes a possibly deadly encounter with a wild huntress goddess. Of note is an extended series of varied encounters in twenty eight magical locations accessed from a mystical temple. One of these locations gains a chapter of its own, being a labyrinthine music box that the PCs must enter if they wish to discover the whereabouts of the sixth stone. The various other locations give stats for the Slaine RPG for numerous creatures from the El Worlds including a fairy hound, pookah, naiad, and a skinless prince and his hideous court, as well as other creatures such as ice dragons, the legendary giant Jack-in-the-Green, and the white hart of Albion. Various NPCs also play their part and the encounters are split between skill use, puzzles, roleplaying and combat.
Further creatures are detailed in the appendix, covering dangers of the inland sea (another location accessed through the temple) including a variety of sharks, sea-snakes, great sea serpent, and pirates. Two further appendices detail the characteristics and powers of the intelligent sixth and seventh stones.
Conclusion
The Ragnarok Book manages to avoid the railroading that plagued the first two adventures in this series, and is the best of the three for it. The PCs have plenty of options within the adventure and the plotline doesn't tie them into performing one act before another. Indeed, rather than even give advice for this sort of thing, the adventure is deliberately set out to enable the GM to run it this way. Despite its gloomy title, The Ragnarok Book is more otherworldly and fey than the two previous adventures, less grim, but no less atmospheric or challenging. Those who have persevered thus far with The Invulnerable King and The Teeth Of The Moon Sow, will find their reward with this gem.
This is not a playtest review.
The Ragnarok Book is the third in the Horned God and Monn Sow quadrology of adventures for the Slaine RPG from Mongoose Publishing. It is suitable for characters of levels 6-7.
The Ragnarok Book is a 96-page mono softcover book costing $19.95. Though the title and subtitle fonts are rather large and there are one or two chunks of white space, the layout is pleasing on the eye and the inside covers are used for an ad and OGL, etc. The very sparse art is again a mixture of comic strip extracts and original art, ranging from average to good. Writing style and editing are good.
The book begins with a reminder of the quest to recover the standing stones known as the Teeth of the Moon Sow, the influence of the Horned God, Carnun, and the betrayal of the ex-tribal leader, Osdann, as well as the recent discovery of an ogham book called the Ragnarok Book, which spells possible doom for the Land of the Young. It also gives an adventure summary and a discussion of times of the year (this apparently influences the climactic fourth adventure - The Way of the Horned God).
The adventure begins with a council in which the PCs are invited to speak and sway decisions as to which path to take. All the influences on the proceedings and the possible consequences of following (or not following) each are discussed, as well as the different factions and their agendas. At the end of this section are seven possible tracks the PCs may take - they may take them in any order, though they are laid out chapter by chapter in the rest of the book. The PCs may:
* Go to kill Osdann and replace him with a new king.
* Translate the Ragnarok Book at the spiritual centres of Glastonbury, Dinas Emrys or Durrington.
* Warn the tribes of the Drune plans (logically this should occur after the Ragnarok Book has been translated).
* Quest to find the Silver Sword of the Moon, a tribal treasure of the Fir Domain that could aid their long-term goals.
* Go in search of the sixth and seventh stones.
The adventure covers the foes and other dangers that may befall the PCs on their journeys, and information to be learned from various NPCs that can be encountered along the way, or at their journey's end, and also includes a possibly deadly encounter with a wild huntress goddess. Of note is an extended series of varied encounters in twenty eight magical locations accessed from a mystical temple. One of these locations gains a chapter of its own, being a labyrinthine music box that the PCs must enter if they wish to discover the whereabouts of the sixth stone. The various other locations give stats for the Slaine RPG for numerous creatures from the El Worlds including a fairy hound, pookah, naiad, and a skinless prince and his hideous court, as well as other creatures such as ice dragons, the legendary giant Jack-in-the-Green, and the white hart of Albion. Various NPCs also play their part and the encounters are split between skill use, puzzles, roleplaying and combat.
Further creatures are detailed in the appendix, covering dangers of the inland sea (another location accessed through the temple) including a variety of sharks, sea-snakes, great sea serpent, and pirates. Two further appendices detail the characteristics and powers of the intelligent sixth and seventh stones.
Conclusion
The Ragnarok Book manages to avoid the railroading that plagued the first two adventures in this series, and is the best of the three for it. The PCs have plenty of options within the adventure and the plotline doesn't tie them into performing one act before another. Indeed, rather than even give advice for this sort of thing, the adventure is deliberately set out to enable the GM to run it this way. Despite its gloomy title, The Ragnarok Book is more otherworldly and fey than the two previous adventures, less grim, but no less atmospheric or challenging. Those who have persevered thus far with The Invulnerable King and The Teeth Of The Moon Sow, will find their reward with this gem.
