Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Wizards of the Coast has just released pay-for-download PDFs of two classic products for the Mystara campaign setting: the original Poor Wizard's Almanac ($4.95) and the Poor Wizard's Almanac III ($4.95).
Fans of Mystara have likely been waiting on these for a while, not just because they're popular products, but also because they finish off this particular product line: the Poor Wizard's Almanac II and Joshuan's Almanac (the fourth and final entry in the series) were both released a few years ago. Currently, both of the latter products have print-on-demand versions, while the two released today are as-yet PDF only; hopefully it's just a matter of time before they're given print options as well.
Fully titled "Poor Wizard's Almanac & Book of Facts," each of these products is exactly what they sound like: an annual overview of the events of Mystara for a particular in-game year. The first one covers the events of 1010 AC, following the events of Wrath of the Immortals, with subsequent volumes covering 1011, 1012, and 1013 respectively. While the fourth and final volume (Joshuan's Almanac) takes a much more congenial presentation (due to an in-game change of publishers), the first three entries in the series are very textbook-like in nature, providing overviews of various countries, happenings throughout the year, and a who's who of major NPCs, complete with abbreviated stats and brief descriptions.
The third volume, it should be noted, came out when the Mystara line was being folded into AD&D 2nd Edition, and so reflects those game rules rather than the setting's native BECMI statistics. This was more notable with products like Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure, Mark of Amber, and the Monstrous Compendium - Mystara Appendix.
These follow the recent PDF releases of Battlesystem Skirmishes (AD&D 2E) and the Cardmaster Adventure Design Deck (AD&D 2E).
Other recent PDF releases from WotC have been the AD&D Permanent Character Folder (AD&D 1E), C6 The Official RPGA Tournament Handbook (AD&D 1E), 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.
Fans of Mystara have likely been waiting on these for a while, not just because they're popular products, but also because they finish off this particular product line: the Poor Wizard's Almanac II and Joshuan's Almanac (the fourth and final entry in the series) were both released a few years ago. Currently, both of the latter products have print-on-demand versions, while the two released today are as-yet PDF only; hopefully it's just a matter of time before they're given print options as well.
Fully titled "Poor Wizard's Almanac & Book of Facts," each of these products is exactly what they sound like: an annual overview of the events of Mystara for a particular in-game year. The first one covers the events of 1010 AC, following the events of Wrath of the Immortals, with subsequent volumes covering 1011, 1012, and 1013 respectively. While the fourth and final volume (Joshuan's Almanac) takes a much more congenial presentation (due to an in-game change of publishers), the first three entries in the series are very textbook-like in nature, providing overviews of various countries, happenings throughout the year, and a who's who of major NPCs, complete with abbreviated stats and brief descriptions.
The third volume, it should be noted, came out when the Mystara line was being folded into AD&D 2nd Edition, and so reflects those game rules rather than the setting's native BECMI statistics. This was more notable with products like Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure, Mark of Amber, and the Monstrous Compendium - Mystara Appendix.
These follow the recent PDF releases of Battlesystem Skirmishes (AD&D 2E) and the Cardmaster Adventure Design Deck (AD&D 2E).
Other recent PDF releases from WotC have been the AD&D Permanent Character Folder (AD&D 1E), C6 The Official RPGA Tournament Handbook (AD&D 1E), 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.
