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Coppertop is a well-conceived pure thug of a supervillain. It's quite refreshing to find a real thug rather than the never-ending hordes of supervillains that want to take over the world or indulge in some other gradiose scheme... and of course, they need minions and enforcers so perhaps that's where you can use him.
There's a whole backstory to the fellow, but basically Coppertop was a fairly ordinary and quite grumpy electrician who encountered a wierd rock in a thunderstorm and emerged from the experience with certain powers, notably the manipulation of electricity and super-strength. Don't get him wet, though. He is well detailed and the backstory makes sense in explaining how he is now.
A simple adventure idea using him is included, although it makes little use of his abilities. Yes, he's a thug and he's being one in the scenario outline, but there's no reason to use him rather than anyone else. An inventive GM shouldn't take long to come up with a better use for him - perhaps some other supervillains are planning a heist or some other escapade that needs a black-out, and Coppertop shorts out a sub-station or even part of the grid for them. Maybe it's a plan to thwart democracy by crashing out the voting machines on election night...
Anyway, a nice low-level villain to tuck away for when the need arises.
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An eclectic mix of articles almost completely 'in character' for a Hot Chicks RPG game (OK, you get stat blocks for items and indeed people mentioned in the magazine's pages!), in this issue you get to meet a licensed monster hunter who looks equally good on the catwalk in swimwear as she does all tooled up and hot on the tail of some tentacled critter, learn of a cantrip that gives you a complete make-over and read a review of a weapon whose main selling point is that it can shoot in varying colours of muzzle flash!
If that's the world you want to operate in, you probably already play Hot Chicks. The various articles, with a little retooling, could also be used with any game in the cyberpunk genre if you want to add a zany - or should I say extreme - edge.
Tasha Kirkpatrick, the model-turned-monster-hunter, is actually a well-developed coherent character to mix in to your game - perhaps an ally, or even a player-character if someone fancies her. She's quite determined about her monster hunting and may involve the party in the latest hot pursuit.
The Cheapass Fashionpiece handgun is without question the silliest firearm I have ever heard about - an opinion shared by the lady who reviewed it for Extreme Edge Magazine. You might find some really moronic street punks who think it's a good idea. You know, the sort of people who hold handguns sideways 'cos they think it looks cool. It's unlikely any of your characters will be suckered into buying one but it could be entertaining if the opposition has them...
As for the Cosmetic Singularity Cantrip, it was invented by a group of mages working through a combination of social media and intense meditation. Need I say more? Oh, you want to know what it does... um. You can change your appearance so that you look more stylish. It's not a disguise spell or anything like that, but you can change colours and styles so that you - or someone you cast it on - looks real good for the next 12 hours or so. Something for the budding beautician, perhaps.
There are also a couple of articles, in their own inimicable style: quite fun and even a bit thought provoking. Quite a delight to read, the whole issue, really.
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Plato said "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
Don't let that happen - step up and have your go at fighting your way into political office! This is a quick and fun storytelling game that puts you in the shoes of candidates for the presidency (of an imaginary place called Amara, but hey, set it in your own country or anywhere else if you prefer).
Mechanically, it is simple to play. Make up your candidate - bare bones information is all that's needed, the main thing being your party affiliation. One player acts as moderator (of the TV debate, natch!) and sets topics of debate. Predetermine the number of topics - 3-5 is suggested - which determines both the length of the game (sort of, someone might run off at the mouth...) and the number of ordinary playing cards dealt to each candidate.
The game is played by the moderator declaring the current hot issue. Each candidate selects, secretly, one card from their hand and these are revealed simultaneously. The card you play informs the stance you have to take on whatever the hot issue is... and that may or may not be in accord with your party affiliation let alone what you actually think (as candidate, never mind you yourself as player!).
A good game for election night, especially with a group of friends who don't take politics too seriously.
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Herein are presented five military vessels, in the service of the SaVaHuTa Navy. Naturally, if you are playing a different game, you may assign them to whatever naval forces suits.
Two are quite small and agile, built for stealth - one is intended for unorthodox inter-ship warfare (but can also carry and land ground-pounders) and the other is designed for infiltration, sneaking up on large enemy ships or planets to land its complement of warriors.
The rest are much more massive. If things go wrong, there is a giant hospital ship. Despite being painted in bold colours, so that its nature is plain to all who see it, it is able to defend itself if the need arises. Conventional enemies might respect the non-combatant status of a hospital, but who knows what aliens think?
There is a bizarre thing called the Three Amigos, basically three capital ships linked on a spinal mount, each capable of being released to perform different functions once the big engines on the spine get them to where they are needed. And finally there's an even more bizarre and unorthodox vessel called The Last Resort. This has an innovative array of spines - making it look like a hedgehog or porcupine - the idea being that any incoming fire is going to hit spines rather than the actual hull.
The download contains a PDF with rather crude pictures and plenty of background about each ship and a spreadsheet (you'll need Microsoft Excel to open it) with all the statistics needed for this ruleset. The information in the PDF is the sort of thing that might - provided you are on the same side as the navy using them - be found on your ship's library computer... or maybe in an intelligence report if they are your enemies.
This would be good for ship-to-ship combat under the Star Cluster ruleset, or as some really strange vessels passing by whatever rules you are using. There are no deckplans, so don't get too tactical when visiting any of them, though. However, I enjoy collecting unusual vessels from other games to puzzle my Traveller players, and these will be really useful for that!
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This is a delightful short story, more princess-fairy-tale than science-fiction (just a brief mention of the fact that her elders are busy governing numerous star-systems and the fact that her everyday companions are robotic servitors), that catches you up and sweeps you along.
For the Princess thinks something is missing, as she takes a walk in the carefully-manicured palace gardens, accompanied of course by a whole swarm of robots, busy keeping her safe, and clean, and profferring suggestions as to how she might be entertained... in manners befitting a princess, of course. Some new poetry to read or a shady spot in which to sit, or even a suitable decorous game to play.
Then she spots a lizard that she's never seen before, certainly not in the palace gardens! Insisting over nanny-robot protests in following it she finds...
... go read the story and find out! It's a charming if simple tale, enjoy.
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This is rather a neat idea: five specific ships each with its own purpose and backstory. They're suitable for passing encounters, part of the backdrop that forms your universe - if your plot causes for much action aboard any of them some further development work may be needed - in particular, no deckplans are provided.
The information comes in two parts. There's a PDF document with a one- or two-page summary of each vessel along with rather crude illustrations. It's at about 'library data' levels of information, the sort of thing that characters ought to be able to access if they think of it when they encounter the ship in question. The second part is a spreadsheet (you'll need Microsoft Excel to read it) with full game details for each ship. You could use this as a basis for conversion if you want to use this ships in another game system, should you have a need for actual numbers (if you just have them happen by, that may not be needed).
The ships are the Petronius, a 'resource-extraction ship' - basically an ore processing plant with drives attached, the Kirin System Police HQ and one of the cruisers based there, the Hare's Rest (a smuggler ship), the Enchanting Esmerelda (a touring theatrical ship - perhaps bringing a whole new meaning to the term 'space opera'!) and the Winston Powell University. This last is a travelling educational establishment in which students and teachers get to go see what they are studying rather than just read about it. Wonderful idea, although I wouldn't care to speculate how high tuition fees are!
These are really inventive and whatever space-faring game you play you may well find a use for at least one of these.
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This is an excellent collection of 'monster' miniatures to throw at your player-characters. Built around the common theme of 'lost world' creatures, many are dinosaurs or giant insects and could easily exist in a suitable remote area where beasties extinct elsewhere survive...
They all look pretty ferocious. Giant spiders, scorpions, crabs, snakes... and, for good measure, some primitive human beings, stark naked (tastefully so, no waving bits to embarass you) and wielding stone axes and other basic weapons.
The drawings are crisp and clear, beautifully-detailed and coloured. Full instructions, with illustrations, are given. The miniatures are properly double-sided (front and back) with integral bases and if you are using a square combat grid it is clear which ones occupy a double square (or more).
Cast your eye over the list and if any of these critters appeal (and who cannot find a use for a giant spider or snake at the very least?) it is worth getting this set... you'll soon be making opportunities for the others to feature in forthcoming adventures!
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This is an elegant attempt to bring some finesse to swordplay in the Pathfinder RPG, by empowering a character to develop his combat capability with the sword to a high level. This is symbolised by this skillful fellow using Dexterity bonuses rather than Strength ones, the triumph of skill over brute force.
Whilst being skilled in the use of swords in general, the Swordmaster forges a special relationship with a single 'Partner' sword that becomes an intelligent item in its own right - and if he loses it, he gains temporary negative levels until it's back in his hands!
To encapsulate the finesse a true swordmaster brings to his art, Swordmasters do not just 'roll to hit' when engaging in combat. Instead, they study and use sequences of moves beginning with an Opener, followed by one or more Sequiturs and ending with a Finisher. These special moves are known collectively as Sword Arts and are learned as the Swordmaster gains levels. Some Openers require specific triggers, and they generally establish certain conditions which hold good for at least your next move if not the whole sequence that follows. They are normally effected by making a normal attack roll, but the result of successful performance depends on the sword art move made; and normally each move in a sequence has to be successful before you can continue with the next one (although higher-level Swordmasters gain an ability that lets them ignore failed moves).
More experienced Swordmasters have a selection of Advanced Sword Arts to choose from as well. At any time you are levelling up, you may choose to reliquish a Sword Art (or Advanced Sword Art if you are able to learn them) that you know and replace it with another, thus allowing for a flexible repertoire of moves as you develop your own distinctive style.
It may sound a bit complex and is best used by people who really enjoy the cut and thrust of combat and relish the opportunity to play it out. As well as making the Swordmaster a formidable opponent in a brawl, it opens out all manner of possibilities in developing fencing academies and swordplay as a sport rather than a matter of life and death... I think I'll go try this out on my husband who is not only another role-player but a good fencer in real life!
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Even at a first glance, this work shows evidence of measured and thoughtful development, being both visually pleasing and with fresh yet elegant game mechanics... and even advanced use of PDF technology that makes working through a 207-page book quite easy.
The core concept of the game is fantasy in which story-telling and characterisation take the lead, with mechanics designed to facilitate creativity in both role-playing and action. Melee and spell-casting both have their place in combat, with characters' tactical abilities able to sway the course of events.
After some words of explanation, the Getting Started section looks at character generation in detail. Beginning with a concept - just who is it that you want to play? - characters are defined by races, curses and talents; being anything from normal flesh-and-bones to undead, shapeshifters or beings demonic or divine. This gives a basis for what they are able to do, being further defined and quantified by attribute abilities, combat techniques, the magics that they know and the use of storytelling in the course of the game. You are then led by the hand through the options available to build a character that will meet your needs and fit in to the stories that will be told. Nearly everything is built around choice rather than randomicity, yet puts numbers to skills and abilities so that once play begins the random element comes into play.
This isn't a class-based system, but naturally those who prefer to specialise in a particular area are likely to be better at that thing than a talented 'generalist' character - but the potential to be a successful adventurer is inherent in all characters whatever their approach may be. The best wizard may well want to at least be able to defend himself physically and the greatest warrior may find the odd spell of use even if he concentrates on weapons practise... and in this game, such an approach is possible if not actually encouraged.
While most of the numbers you need are set (or derived) as part of the character generation process, Chapter 2: Basic Gameplay shows you how to use them to effect in the course of the game. Skill checks are central to game mechanics with the die that you roll being set by your score in the controlling attribute for that skill, with bonuses based on your skill level, the equipment you bring to bear on the problem, technique (i.e. specific talents due to race or other choices you've made) and the circumstances in play at the time. Each task has a Storyteller (GM) set difficulty, which must be exceeded for you to be successful. There's loads of examples to give you a good understanding of the process, but that's the general idea.
Chapter 3 looks at Combat and Timing. These go together, as the whole combat system is driven and controlled by the Combat Clock. This determines the sequence of events, with each action having a duration and characters generally acting in order of their agility (modified by whether they initiated the brawl, got ambushed and so on). It is all set out visually and the use of character counters is recommended so that everyone can keep track of what is going on. Neat!
There follows a wealth of detail about facing and movement and the range of weapons, all based on a hex grid system. Examples are clear and although at first glance combat looks complex once you actually start to play around with it you find that it's quite instictive in operation once you've got the hang of how it works. Having already grasped skill use, this is also applied in combat: you roll appropriately for your weapon skill and your opponent counters with whatever parrying (or dodging!) skill he can bring to bear. It's about as close as you can get to a real brawl without the cuts and bruises!
One really neat thing is that aerial combat has been properly developed and incorporated into the system, so for once it is actually worthwhile having a flight-capable character in combat, whether he uses wings or magical means to stay aloft. So your fur-ball can really turn into a dog-fight, so to speak.
Following chapters look at equipment, full details of racial, etc., options, attribute abilities, and weapon techniques. These all give you additional depth to create and play a character based on what has already been discussed.
Chapter 8 then explores the magic system, both learning and casting spells. Just watch out for feedback - the resistance of the mundane world pushing back when you seek to exert your will upon it. There is a wealth of spells, based on elemental disciplines, to chose from and this is where you will find out everything you need to know to become a potent mage, or even just a casual user of minor magics.
The final section looks at the world of the Crimson Realms, being the default setting for the game. Beginning with an overview and brief history, there is also a gazetteer of the nations and other details all presented with a mind to the sort of adventure possibilities that they present. This is followed by a chapter on Storytelling, which looks at making this all come alive, creating a shared alternate reality that the players and Storyteller can inhabit for the course of the game. It's all about engagement, players become engaged when their characters have real reasons to become involved in whatever is going on. There's discussion of how a good plot develops so as to maintain both engagement and enjoyment throughout its development to a climax and the subsequent payoff and consequences (the best of which lay the seeds of further adventures, of course!). Different types of adventures are outlined, making good use of classical tropes in both role-playing and fiction as a whole. There's also quite a bit of detail on the practical matters of running combat, and a section explaining how to adapt material from other game systems.
OK, I've read this fairly fast for the purposes of review. But this is one to go back to, for more thorough study and contemplation - and, naturally, play! - again and again.
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Whether or not you play New Gods of Mankind, these are really rather nice 'generic village folk' miniatures that virtually any gamer playing a fantasy game might well be able to find a use for on their table.
They are well-drawn with good detail and quite colourful. Poses are dynamic, mostly looking poised and ready for combat (because, let's face it, that's what miniatures are really for!). The set includes woodmen, foragers, hunters, traders, minors, priests and a mason - at least, that is how they are described, but you could use them somewhat differently if that suits your needs. For example, the traders and mason wear gowns and could be any kind of prosperous town-dweller - one even wears what looks like a toga and you could imagine him holding forth in a council chamber! The priests are described as being warrior, healing or missionary ones, along with a lone priestess, and are dressed in a variety of robes/vestments or armour. The healing priest is a spell-user with gathering mystic energy around his hands.
Copious assembly instructions are given, which is probably a good idea as it is fairly complex and fiddly: the results however are worth it in terms of scene setting and general display: they look good. However, the concept of 'facing' is not well handled, the figures do not come with 'front' and 'back' views. A variety of different bases - sand, grass and stone - are provided, including a neat way of letting you choose to have square or round bases as suits.
These are nice-looking figures and will look good on your table-top.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Thanks for the honest and good review Megan. We plan to release a 3D series of buildings very soon. We will probably do a D series of figures next year with a front and back to them. |
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If you want to use miniatures for your set-piece combats, but prefer paper miniatures to the time and expense of metal ones, there are plenty of suitable ones for Player-Characters and NPCs, but somewhat of a dearth for suitable 'monster' ones... tokens, yes, but not standees. So it is nice to find some honest-to-goodness monster paper minatures hitting the market.
Herein you will find a simple array of kobolds, goblins and minotaurs all armed and ready to do combat with your intrepid characters. There is considerable variety of weaponry and armour, tasteful green skin where appropriate and a neat, clean style which shows facing clearly. No instructions are included, but it is trivial to figure out how to print, cut and glue them into shape.
I'm sure you will find plenty of opportunity to bring these hordes to the table to do battle, and of course with paper miniatures wave after wave of the crtters are possible without much added expense!
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Any veteran will tell you of the importance of good maps when planning or executing a military operation... so here's a fine set of maps for armchair generals mounting their BattleTech campaigns!
The collection includes different types of generic 'open terrain' as well as desert hills, city (ruined already and soon-to-be-ruined) and scattered woodland. They're based on the original printed maps that came with BattleTech 'dead tree' publications, so should have wide appeal to old and new fans alike.
They are well-supported technically, with big poster maps for those who have access to a print shop or other suitable printer and a tile option for the rest of us using an ordinary printer and sticking sections together to make a big map. Each map has a numbered hex grid overlay and even comes with the terrain type for each hex (at least, if its anything other than level...) printed on it for easy reference.
The two 'City' maps are not very different from each other, don't expect buildings to dodge around or anything like that. What they do have is areas of firmer footing ('Pavement') and ordinary ground, with scattered trees and even ponds. The scattered woods map is particularly nice with differing densities of undergrowth and a stream to negotiate.
Useful terrain for all your combat needs.
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If you can stop laughing long enough to run this...
Picture if you will a bunch of kobolds let loose on a carnival with the mission to capture Cupid himself to serve up as 'baby wings' to King Torg (all hail King Torg!). Imagine the mayhem that can, that will, ensure.
This adventure is replete with crazy ideas for things that the kobolds - and indeed Cupid - can get up to, and is the perfect antidote for any soppy ideas of LURVE that might be bobbing around the fringes of your gaming group this Valentine's Day.
Perfect for those who don't take everything too seriously...
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Taking the concept of a 'computer virus' to a whole new level, this tale posits a world in which AIs run much of the infrastructure but are prone to become ill. The answer: pharmaware - carefully coded solutions to aberrant behaviour.
And much as in the real world pharmacutical salesmen scamper around with the hard sell, peddling their company's drugs to medical professionals, here salesmen market pharmaware to companies who run AI systems. Realistically portrayed in their high-pressure lifestyle, you are grabbed into their world and whisked into a sales meeting beside them.
But there is a blight on their horizon. Consider how mental health diagnoses and medication recommendations depend on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders rather than the opinion of the psychiatrist whose office you are sitting in... and think what would happen to the lives and livelihoods of pharmaware salesmen if someone put out a similar tome about AI behaviours...
... then download this book and find out!
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This is a well-constructed adventure for low-level but experienced characters (around 4th level), which melds a classic 'dungeon crawl' with a good backstory and plenty of misdirection as to what is really going on down there. It is written so that you can drop it in to your own campaign world with little more effort than finding a suitable location, and yet will contribute to the ongoing development of that world thereafter.
The product opens with a detailed exposition as to what is really going on before covering the likely course of the adventure itself. The introduction for the characters is well-described and makes the classic 'someone approaches you in an inn' not sound completely clichéd: a very worried mine owner needs help, he thinks claim-jumpers or bandits have taken over his mine and some of his workers - and his brother - are trapped down there. It's a few miles out of town, but can they help...?
Every stage of the journey to the mine and then what happens in its depths has been detailed clearly, with plenty of options to enable the GM to cope with just about anything that the players might choose to do. Stat blocks are just where you need them with additional bits like good thumbnail descriptions to read out and notes on how each being encountered is likely to react - not just in combat, but should characters try to talk instead. Too many adventures assume you'll fight all the time, it makes a nice change! Naturally, some of the current inhabitants of the mine will attack first, given the opportunity - but in places when it's appropriate you get two responses for the same individual: one if they know the party's there and one if they are surprised by the party.
The potential to succeed, if not to find out abosolutely everything that's going on, is there but things could go horribly wrong. Some notes are provided about how to help the party out if needs be, and on likely outcomes of the adventure. Some may lead to further exploits, but on the whole it is quite self-contained.
A rather neat new sorcerer bloodline (which I won't tell you about as it might spoil the surprise of what's down there!) and some associated spells are given at the end. There are also a few useful new magic items, especially if you're interested in mining. Maps are clear and simple to understand.
Overall this is a very good adventure. I just wish I hadn't read it... I suppose I'd better round up some players and GM it instead.
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