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Real people fall ill. It's likely that people in alternate realities - fantasy, alternate history, the far future, whatever - do too. So they trundle round to the doctor or local wise woman, or plug themselves into a medi-analyser, and want to know what the problem is.
So here is a simple list of an hundred assorted ailments. Most (if not all, some I haven't heard of) are real world diseases or infections. All you get is the name, so if you do not know what it is or want to know what the character needs to get better, you'll have to do a spot of research. You may find some of them quite inappropriate given the victim and their circumstances - or that incongruity might become the key to your whole plotline, or you may prefer to read through the list to get inspiration rather than rolling dice.
A handy resource, but unless the ailment is only a passing mention (or you have some medical knowledge) you'll need to research the diseases if any description of symptoms or cures are required.
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Whilst presented as a new base class, it is likely that the eldritch conjuror is going to be more useful as an NPC. Not only is he required to be of 'not good' alignment, he progressively goes off his head as he is taken over by whatever elder creature from beyond the stars that he has embraced to gain his powers.
Eldritch conjurors have taken summoning to new heights (depths?), and study many dark rituals and forbidden tomes to acquire the knowledge they crave. Functioning in a similar manner to a wizard, one important difference is that when they summon a creature, they get an aberrant variant of that creature. Tentacles abound! Mechanically, this is handled by applying a pseudonatural template (which is provided later on in the book) to the creature in question.
They deal with Powers That Should Not Be from the earliest days of their career, so it is no suprise that they tread the fringes of madness. Along the way they acquire a 'profane idol' - a hideous otherworldy item sent by their patron - enter into blasphemous packs and acquire forbidden knowledge: in short, they're classic evil mages!
Once the class has been detailed completely, we're provided with a selection of profane idols - each one provides different effects, so pick one that suits - as well as a couple of archetypes, new spells and a few items. Finally, there is a selection of Powers That Should Not Be - new ones, should you have been wondering if these conjurors are chatting to Cthulhu and his ilk. Of course, if you want to substitute the Cthulhu mythos that would work fine - but they are well known in the gaming community, so you may prefer to go with the suggestions here to maintain the mystery and horror of finally finding out who the eldritch conjuror is aligned with!
One or two jumbled sentences, but otherwise excellent potential for building a potent Bad Guy especially if you like an element of classical evil mage horror in your game.
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This mapset presents a quite varied and interesting tavern, which can provide considerable scope for your game. Most of it is open-plan on a single level, but there are several features that take it beyond a big room for drinking (and brawling) in.
Two main entraces both lead into the main drinking area, furnished with a bar and several tables with benches. There's a nice big fireplace, and some bar stools for those who want to belly up to the bar rather than sit at a table. Next to the drinking area there is a performance area with a proper stage and benches for the audience, and a backstage area that gives plenty of space for actors or bards to relax before a show.
Whilst most of the place is open-plan, there are some private rooms. Two square ones are furnished with heaps of cushions, oriental style, and one contains a long table with chairs around it, suitable for business meetings and similar discussions. Another exit is behind these rooms, so you do not have to walk through more public areas to reach them if you'd rather not be seen!
The final feature on the large ground floor is not one but two large multi-seat rest rooms, which are situated between the main tap room and the private rooms. Whilst that particular need is catered for, there are no facilities for staff - no break room, office or kitchen. This is a place for drinking and entertainment, it seems.
Further plans are provided for a stable block and a small cellar which is, we are told, under the stage.
Everything is clearly-drawn and well-detailed. Inns are always useful, as a GM I reckon I cannot have too many different inn plans tucked away - there are not many chain outlets in your average fantasy world after all! - but this is a nice distinctive one that may well become a favourite watering hole for your characters.
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If you need a large commercial-scale short-haul (oribital up to in-system although for reasons mentioned below a journey of more than a day wouldn't be feasible) passenger transport, then consider these floorplans.
Beautifully-drawn with square grid, hex grin and plain versions included, as well as the 360 degree view that's particularly good if you have access to a computer where you are playing and can show your players what their characters see, the shuttle can carry around 50 passengers in reasonable comfort (more legroom than most aircraft) as well as cargo/luggage.
The crew compartment has four seats, each with appropriate consoles. If there is any access to engineering spaces, that's not shown. There also appears to be no scope for 'in-flight service' although as there are only 2 washrooms, you'd better go easy on the drinks!
It's a really nice set of plans, the sort that you almost want to write an adventure specifically for - and indeed there is one suggestion for a prisoner escape/hostage scenario included. Crashes or other malfunctions are also good, or perhaps an outbreak of disease means the shuttle is quarantined... think I'll stop writing the review and get my plotbook!
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This is a nice crisp battlemap most suitable for a contemporary setting, with one road passing over another on a bridge. High jinks during a car chase, an sniper attack or a good place for a road block, perhaps?
The illustration makes the relationship between the two roads plain although it is a bit harder to see in the top-down view of the fullsize battlemap itself. Shading is minimal which makes even the edges of the roadbridge a little hard to see. Both roads have a substantial-looking concrete median between the carriageways. The bridge also has railings, while the road going underneath has a grassy slope leading down to it on either side. Both roads also have regular lamp standards. The battlemap appears to be set in the daylight, a night-time variant could prove quite interesting.
This is a nice addition to the collection, and I can imagine it proving handy if car chases and other activities feature in your games. Just looking at it reminds me of an incident in a Spycraft game - a very frustrating incident as I know a lot more about defensive driving than my character did and could have evaded the trap my attackers set!
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Read the author's introduction - it's quite interesting, in particular in how Broadhurst explains that writing the Dungeon Dressing line has given HIM ideas for how to improve his own dungeons, never mind giving readers ideas to incorporate into theirs! He also explains that by enlarging this book, he's been able to repeat some information about doors from another product in the line for those who don't have it without short-changing those who do have both.
OK, on to the meat of the work. Double doors tend to open into areas of significance - audience halls, perhaps, or other important areas. Hence the doors themselves may take on a significance of their own - they represent an investment in materials and labour - and they are also likely, in inhabited dungeons anyway, to have guards posted beside them or at least a footman poised to open the door for passing dignitories if they are not expecting attack. (Remember that the term 'dungeon' is being used in the widest possible sense, it may be a castle or hall.)
The basic characteristics of double doors are similar to those of 'ordinary' single ones, but do show some variation, and this is discussed in the next few pages, including a delightful table of features that you may add to your doors by rolling or selecting whatever catches your eye - anything from "Many small nails have been hammered into the doors. The nails form the heraldic device of the dungeon’s master" to "Skulls fill small niches in the walls flanking the doors. They grin at intruders." Maybe there is a trap or a spell...
There are tables for decoration and one of magical traps. Even if you don't choose to use the suggestions given, as you read through them you may find your own ideas being triggered while if you are in a hurry just roll. You can always discard a result that does not fit in with your dungeon or the particular location - or gain added story value as you decide why that particular oddity is there!
After even more features, we get on to traps. Lots here too. Magnetic doors sound rather fun, particularly if there are lots of heavily armoured characters in your party. Another neat idea is not strictly speaking a trap although it may feel that way to the characters: what if the ceiling is weak here and the double doors are actually holding it up?
"You see a door ahead" is never going to be quite the same. Excellent resource.
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If you are a Magus delving into the murkier corners of the supernatural, you expect to find a few odd critters hiding in the shadows longing to send you gibbering back into the light... well, here's a neat little collection all ready for the GM to do his best to meet your expectations.
The really nice thing about this collection is the way in which lots of features are introduced and explained, perfect for those GMs who like coming up with their own monsters (or adapting ones they've read or heard about, or seen on TV) - you can either mix and match these features or, having been shown how they are put together, come up with your own. Apart from fiction, some of the pseudo-documentaries investigating the paranormal can be fertile spawning grounds for ideas: now you have some tools to turn neat concepts into full-blown monsters that 'work' within the rules as well as sound suitably creepy when you describe them to your players.
That aside, the actual creatures have a lot of plot potential too! It is easy to build an entire adventure in your head as you read through, say, the entry for the Court of the Yellow Ribbon Cultist... and startle your players, never mind their characters, when certain key features involving said yellow ribbon are revealed. (No, I won't say what, I know some of MY players read my reviews!).
An interesting resource for any game that dabbles in the supernatural, and particularly useful if Glimps The Beyond is your system of choice, although it ought not to be too hard to adjust game mechanics for your chosen ruleset.
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This collection of adventures ought to get your campaign off to a flying start. The first adventure, in particular, is designed to be an introductory one - for both new characters and new players alike - giving a good snapshot of the state of the world and what one needs to do to survive and prosper in it. A simple task, to get weapons and tools believed to be stored in the remote home of a gun enthusiast who hand-loaded his own ammunition, gives opportunity for wilderness travel and encounters as well as building relationships for the future. Neat!
The following three adventures introduce other typical aspects of post-apocalypse life such as warlords, environmental contamination, recovery of information and the like... all presented beautifully in context, in adventures that bring this alternate reality to life. As the tales progress, the feeling that this might well be what life after a nuclear war might be like becomes strong, a believable setting in which to develop your characters and your campaign.
Anyone who enjoys post-apocalypse games should find this worth a look, even if they don't play Surviors of The Fire but use a different ruleset - you may need to tweak a few stat blocks but most will be useable.
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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...
This issue contains a whole collection of well-developed sea creatures. The scary thing is, they all sound almost plausible, they are written up so well. There is clear evidence of each creature's mutations and abilities having been thought through thoroughly. Ecology and behaviour have been considered and developed so that you can well imagine these creatures actually inhabiting an ocean somewhere... hopefully, not near where you want to go swimming or sailing!
There's carnivorous seaweed, a mutant sea bass that shapes and animates mud, an ostensibly edible fish that makes anything that eats it exude a scent irresistable to other fish which flock to feed on them... even a giant sea cucumber capable of swallowing entire ships. Each one carefully described with its special abilities put in context.
The last time I read such well-devised sea creatures was in the Blue Plant RPG, and that was written by marine biologists! This is an excellent work, and no matter what game system you are running you should check this out if you need some aquatic monsters.
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This is an excellent adventure, not only a cracking yarn in its own right but providing an epic sweep across the realms of NeoExodus. At 7th level, it is perhaps a bit high to serve as an introduction to this setting, but it certainly provides a good overview of what makes this a special and innovating place in which to play Pathfinder.
In appropriate Pathfinder style, the characters are asked to accompany a professor as he undertakes an expedition to prove his latest theories. It's likely to be dangerous, so he'd like some stout adventurers to go along - no use, after all, finding out that he was right all along and not getting home to write papers and deliver lectures about it!
The adventure falls into three parts. In the first, the characters are hired on and get to know their employer and his theories. The expedition itself follows and then... suffice to say, it wouldn't be much of an adventure if everything went according to plan and the party was home in time for tea! This of course provides plenty of scope and opportunity for characters with different skillsets and approaches to shine: the ability to handle oneself in social situations or to investigate and explore can often be as much of a survival skill as a strong swordarm or ready spellbook. The adventure is structured such that the GM can emphasise those aspects his players enjoy most, and bring plenty of challenge to bear.
Material is presented clearly, with 'read aloud' text as appropriate and plenty of options to empower the NPCs to respond appropriately to whatever the characters do or say. There are plenty of neat little touches that help bring the whole affair to life, and at points a palpable air of horror... this is pulp-style fantasy and should be played in appropriate cinematic style.
A fine adventure, well worth the running. Now to entice some players to NeoExodus...
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Herein is a delightful wealth of information about Saurians, as a race and as individuals, very useful if you want to play one or have decided that they have their part to play in your campaign world.
It opens with a discourse about the heritage of the Saurian race and how this impacts on contemporary Saurians. Racial tendencies such as calmness and thoughfulness, coupled with quick and decisive action once the decision to act has been reached are linked back into factors like the extreme age of the race. Likewise the way in which other races view them is at least in part influenced by innate feelings about 'reptiles' in general, irrespective of whether they are typical of Saurians as a whole, let alone the particular individuals with which one is dealing. This all makes them become a 'real' part of your shared alternate reality, giving an understanding of how and why things are as they are.
This is followed by a full write-up of racial characteristics and options, complete with game mechanics, to inform the creation and playing of Saurian characters (and, of course, NPCs). Racial traits, favoured class options, special feats... they're all there. Specialist equipment too.
A nice feature is notes on what 'outsiders' are likely to know about Saurians, particularly if they have never encountered them, or at least not had much in the way of dealings with them before. Think of a foreign country that you have never visited, where religions and customs are different, and people from that culture are rare visitors to where you live: you'll have limited knowledge about them and unless you take the time to study the topic, it is only when you visit or meet a native who's travelled to your country that you'll learn more... and are likely to find out that some of your ideas are wrong! GMs can make use of these notes to provide a similar experience to characters of other heritages... a neat touch.
Now, where can I fit the Saurians into MY world....?
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The premise is simple. Somewhere in the background of a near-future/SF game, you want to have a sporting league going on. Then the characters start getting interested, and you need to come up with team names...
The inspiration is something like the NFL (major American Football league, if you didn't happen to know, and the pattern for American Football teams wherever they are). Teams have a two-part name consisting of the city where they are based and something a little more descriptive. I support the Crewe Railroaders, for example. So here we have one table of descriptors - which are universally violent, Invaders or Wreckers for example - and another which is US cities. If your setting is other than the United States, you will have to substitute other location names from your own setting.
Then there's a neat feature, another table to roll on to select each team's colours. This will be useful for descriptive purposes, either of the game itself caught on a screen somewhere or perhaps there are hordes of fans wearing their team's colours. This could be important: characters might encounter hostility if they have the wrong colour scarf!
In a CyberSpace game I had a Rollerball league (remember the movie?) going on in the background, something like this would have been ideal for making the teams sound realistic. For that matter, you may even want to make it more central to your campaign: maybe one or more of the characters plays in the league, or used to do so... the characters may even be the core of a team, beloved by their fans and hated by those of the other teams. Plenty of scope, ideas spawning... and all from one page!
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Publisher Reply: |
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Megan,
Thank you for the extensive review, your comments were exactly in the nature of my goal with this simple one page product! The NFL, along with the NHL, were indeed the basic inspirations for this product. Another inspiration was Roller Derby, which tends to incorporate more aggressive team names such as the ones that I presented in this list. I was considering making the list of cities more international but ultimately decided to stick with U.S. cities instead. However, if there is enough interest in this product, I may create an International variant and/or a Europe version (I myself was thinking that a European equivalent would be rather neat). In addition to the above, I've also toyed around with a simple generator to make team member names.
(Oh, and a definite nod of homage to Rollerball, btw. ;) ) |
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Presented in the atmospheric style of the 'Jackpointer' series (looking like something found in the murkier corners of the net), the content of this book begins with a rather overlong piece of fiction, a bunch of 'runners shooting the breeze in a bar, and then some online chatter about pirated pre-release videogame expansions before getting down to the biz: a selection of Qualities than may be taken by any character - but particularly those of a street sam or other combat-oriented persuasion - provided, and here's the rub, that their Essence score is 2.99 or less due to augmentation. (Other ways of lowering Essence don't count, it HAS to be augmentation!)
Many sound quite useful, and provide appropriate mechanistic advantages along with providing a focus or rationale for the direction in which you are developing your character. These are followed by some new cyberware suites, which are decidedly interesting. If you fancy being hyper-aware of your surroundings, splash out on the Cerebrotech/Crystal Optics Clearseer Suite, or you may prefer the Spin-X Olympian Suite which is mainly aimed at the pro sports market but will serve just as well for enhancing your street presence. If you need to access the inaccessible, consider the Mitsuhama Spidersuite, which has apparently proved popular with rescue workers as well as climbing and spelunking enthusiasts. There's plenty more as well, the neat part is that all were originally developed with legitimate uses in mind but could well prove advantageous to 'runners on the streets.
Next there is a couple of new pieces of cyberware - boosted reflexes and an arm-blade implant - that might give you an edge, and finally five fully-developed street sam archetypes including an elf of Japanese heritage as well as an ork, a dwarf, a human and a troll. Play them as is, or mine them for ideas to develop your own characters.
It's good to see material for street sams, often somewhat disregarded as the 'muscle' to whom a few bones in the shape of weapons get thrown: here's a whole supplement of material for them.
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Should you have need for an Indian name - that's sub-continental Indian, not the Native American kind - this might well be an invaluable resource as few are commonly known outwith that particular heritage.
They are provided as three lists - 100 male forenames, 100 female forenames and 100 last names - which makes it easy to generate complete names, either by rolling dice or by picking the ones that sound right to you for the character or NPC you have in mind.
It's just as well they tell you which is which... apparently 'Parvin' is a girl's name (I'd have thought it male) and Mebsam is a boy. If this heritage is unfamiliar it would be far too easy to make a fool of yourself without knowing it, until someone who does know plays in your game, reads your adventure or whatever.
They'd also make good names to mix into, say, a far-future game where old earth bloodlines might have been maintained or might equally be so muddled that a black skin and flaming red hair are found on an individual with a name from these lists!
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Now this is a rattling good resource, building on earlier 'names' lists to provide complete names suitable for the residents of an Old West township all ready to greet your posse as they ride into town.
Furthermore, each one is tagged with a little detail about that individual, handy for the GM to have a little more than the name to go on. Many could even spawn adventures or events based on what is already going on in town or things that are already happening in the campaign.
Take 'Katiya Blok. “Misplaced” mail-order-bride. Infectious laugh. Cries when it rains' for example. I'm sure there's a story there. Will she ask a character for help to get home, or to find the individual who sent for her? Or will she find romance with a member of your posse? Will her intended husband turn up later and want 'his' bride? And that's just one of them, the others all have something to ponder on as well.
Whilst these are most suited for 'historic' old West games such as Aces & Eights or Sidewinder, if you prefer the wierd West (e.g. Deadlands) they will fit in there as well. I'm off to build me a town, pardner.
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