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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010387" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Duane Nutley, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine RackSizing up the TargetThe Village of Briarton is a 62 page pdf available from RPGNow.com for $5.95. This supplement is different to others available from RPGnow in that it is compatible with either the d20 system or the Action! system. It is penned by Patrick Sweeney (co-creator/author of the Action! system) and Christina Stiles (whose work has appeared in Liber Bestarius and Way of the Witch) and published by Gold rush Games.First BloodThe Village of Briarton is meant to be used as a base of operations for a party just beginning play. As such the supplement covers the history of the village as well as some of the important figures in and around Briarton. The village numbers roughly 450 people, of which 50 are detailed in the book. These include the lord and his immediate family and prominent business owners of the village, eg. Smith, innkeeper, general store owner, tanner, miller, etc. Other notables include higher-level characters who reside in the general vicinity of Briarton, including a cantankerous old wizard, druid, wandering ranger and a former paladin.Briarton is located on the frontier of the kingdom but has been settled for 30 years. There are some ruins within a couple of days walk that attract adventurers but these details are left to the GM to flesh out. Only the basic history of each ruin structure is given with rumours and possibilities of what may be there. Some of the major buildings of the village are drawn as maps (which make good use of the hyperlink facility from Campaign Cartographer), but no real details are provided. Briarton, like any village, has its own bed of gossip and intrigue and some of these are detailed in the listings of the people that are affected. One good inclusion in the supplement is plot hooks. These are included in the write-ups for various people are a way for characters to interact with various people depending if the GM incorporates the plot hooks into the campaign.I found the supplement to be fairly stereotypical. By this I mean the village has a local drunk with a horror story causing the excessive drinking, a tall strong man who is shy around attractive women, everything you “expect” a village to have. Also some of the plot hooks are stereotypical as well. For example one of the plot hooks deals with the village cobbler who is visited by pixies, who magic his wares into odd sizes and who will bless those who deal fairly with the cobbler with his misfortune and curse others who laugh and ridicule him. There are no chapters in the book, instead there is a continuous flow from one section to the next. The last 10 pages are devoted to the villagers in Action! stats and make it possible to use the village as a starting point for further Action! adventures. It is interesting to note that for the spellcasters there is no spell system included in these stats, which further backs up my statement in the Action! review, that Action! is more a supplementary system. Artwork is so-so, some pieces really stand out, while others are just cartoonish. The Village of Briarton does include some new d20 material – new divine spells, deities, domains and some magic items.Critical HitsThe fact that the supplement can be used for two roleplaying systems makes it a good selling ploy. Detailed small settlements make it easy on a GM when looking for a base of operations for the players in a campaign.Critical MissesThe whole cliché factor of the village was a bit of a disappointment.Coup de GraceThe Village of Briarton is a simple to use, ready to go supplement to drop into any campaign. The deities included can be easily replaced if a GM does not wish to use them. Various plot hooks and near-by ruins ensure that a GM has plenty to throw against a party of players and the village includes nearly everything a party needs to gain experience and equipment.To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=388&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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