D&D 2E Wizards of the Coast releases pay-for-download PDFs of Battlesystem Skirmishes (AD&D 2E) and the Cardmaster Adventure Design Deck (AD&D 2E)

[Alzrius]

Wizards of the Coast has just released pay-for-download PDFs of two AD&D 2nd Edition supplements that were all about using physical aids during play: Battlesystem Skirmishes ($4.99) and the Cardmaster Adventure Design Deck ($4.99).

Originally released as a boxed set, the Cardmaster supplement offers a variety of cards depicting locations (e.g. dungeon rooms), treasures, monsters, and even characters. The booklet included with it outlines how to use it to generate adventures, even for solo play. By contrast, Battlesystem Skirmishes is focused on the use of miniatures to represent mass battles. However, these aren't quite as "mass" as the Battlesystem title would lead you to believe; unlike how the Battlesystem Miniatures Rules has each miniature represent a group of individuals, Battlesystem Skirmishes goes for a 1:1 representation.

These follow the recent PDF releases of the AD&D Permanent Character Folder and C6 The Official RPGA Tournament Handbook, both for AD&D 1st Edition.

Other recent PDF releases from WotC have been the D&D Monster & Treasure Assortment Sets One to Three (OD&D), the D&D Character & Monster Assortment (BECMI), the Non-Player Character Records (AD&D 1E), AC5 D&D Player Character Record Sheets (BECMI), and the D&D Character Sheets (BECMI; called the Character Record Sheets on the product's front cover), Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy (D&D 5E), Domains of Delight (D&D 5E), the Priest's Screen, Wizard's Screen, Wizard's Player Pack, Priest's Player Pack, Thief's Player Pack, and Thief's Screen (all for AD&D 2E), as well as Luck of the Draw (a supplement for Three-Dragon Ante/D&D 3.5), Gamma World 2e, The Complete Starter Set: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Game 2E, Blood Spawn (Birthright), the Savage Coast Campaign Setting (Mystara 2E), and Savage Coast: Orc's Head (Mystara 2E).

Other PDF releases have included the Shattered Keeps map pack, the Worlds of Adventure fast-play game for AD&D 2E, the Hexagonal Mapping Booklet, Quadrille Graph Paper, Outdoor Geomorphs Set 1 - Walled City, Player's Secrets of Muden (Birthright), The Planescape Conspectus, Midnight on Dagger Alley (AD&D 1E), the AD&D 2E starter set Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game, and the 3.5 Deluxe Character Sheets.

Free releases have included Wrath of the Immortals (BECMI), The Book of Regency (Birthright), Three Dragon Ante, Rob Kuntz's To the City of Brass, and the World of Krynn Trail Map and The Eastern Countries Trail Map (Mystara).

Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.

 

[David Howery]

I played Skirmishes only once, at one of the Gencons I attended. There were several groups all out to loot a supposedly dead wizard's tower in search of some great magical McGuffin. I don't recall just what all the 6 groups were, do remember one of them was a necromancer with a bunch of undead, one was a hill giant with a bunch of ogres and humanoids. My group? 4 drow and an umber hulk. I had a blast playing this one. It turned out the wizard wasn't dead, and he blasted all the front runners with assorted magic... at which point, that drow magic resistance came in real handy. To get to the wizard's tower, you had to cross over two bridges to get there. I had my umber hulk park himself on one of them and everyone who tried to get him out of the way had to face that 'confusion gaze' attack. Not to mention, the drow penchant for sleep tipped 'save at -4' poison attack with hand crossbow bolts... with 4 drow, I had 48 shots/chances to put people to sleep, and I used them with abandon, managing to take out the hill giant along the way. In the end, I didn't win, came in second place (one of the magical types in another group managed to get to the McGuffin just steps ahead of my drow priestess). It was a hell of a lot of fun...