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In Hamlet’s Hit Points, venerable game designer Robin Laws describes a method of breaking down narratives into a series of “beats” falling into nine different categories. Laws uses square and arrow-shaped icons to chart at-a-glance the progress of any narrative. Three long examples—Hamlet, Dr. No, and Casablanca—illustrate Laws’s method. The analyses are fun to read and convincing. However, I was disappointed with the advice section, which seemed rather thin after the rich analytical meat of the book. This book is very good, but I don’t think it quite lives up to its press. At the end of the volume, I felt that I had learned a new way to describe what goes on in a story (including an RPG campaign’s storyline), but not really how to “lay compelling track for an emotional roller-coaster,” to quote the DTRPG product description. The book is engaging and enjoyable; the benefits of the system aren’t as obvious as I expected them to be, and I think the publisher exaggerates when describing the book as “an indispensable tool.”
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I’m not familiar with the HAEL setting—except for what I learned in the bonus “Welcome to HAEL” track included with this collection—but I’m always interested in new gaming soundscape products.
“Cavern of the Soul” is a subdued, mysterious track, excellent background for scenes of exploration where you want to create a sense of isolation, mystery, and a lurking danger. The track doesn’t loop very well, however; the abrupt beginning is jarring following the decrescendo at the end. “A Chant for the Dry Bones” evokes a tribal ceremony of some kind through the use of percussion and long ambient vocals, and the track loops pretty well. The moans that punctuate “Danger in the Forest” are less effective; they overpower the music and are so inarticulate that they almost become comical. That’s a shame, because “Danger in the Forest” has some really good musical lines, even though it doesn’t loop well at all.
“Journey of the Warlord,” a percussion-only track as far as I can tell, offers a good bed for scoring a battle against primitive or savage humanoids (like gnolls). The first 20 seconds or so have a clearly introductory character, so this track doesn’t loop very well. Also, in the ID3 tags, “warlord” was misspelled as “warlard” (is a “warlard” the chief battlefield chef?). “A Military Engagement” starts out percussion-only as well, but adds other instruments beginning around 45 seconds into the seven and a half minutes of this track. The other instruments fall out near the end, such that “A Military Engagement” loops perfectly. I don’t really get the idea of a large battle from the music, though; the relatively slow tempo and ponderous beat make it more like “preparing for” or “marching toward” a military engagement.
The longest piece in the collection is “Kirene Dreams,” weighing in at over ten minutes in duration. I don’t know who the kirene are, or why their dreams require ten minutes of vaguely Asian-sounding music with an odd “growly” undertone. Still, it’s a flavorful, exotic track that loops pretty well.
The ID3 tags have the album, track, and composer’s names in all the right places—something that publishers of RPG background music sometimes overlook. However, the tracks aren’t numbered. Album cover artwork would have been nice, too, and would help the collection stand out better. The poor looping on several tracks hampers the overall collection, but you can probably put all of these tracks (well, except the “Introduction to HAEL”) to good use in any fantasy world.
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I don’t know anything about the Doomstone game or its setting, but the Doomstone soundtrack is a marvelous compilation of neo-Western industrial instrumental rock—if I can put all those adjectives together without sounding silly. The whole album is characterized by creative and variegated instrumentation accented by occasional ambient vocals. Composer Ralf Kurtsiefer pulls everything together superbly, producing an album that vividly evokes an “industrial west” and offers a great listening experience.
“Doomtitan” is a thunderous, ominous piece, heavy on percussion and accented by vague vocals. “Skalpjaeger” (“Scalp Hunter”) evokes an attack by stereotypical Hollywood Indians. “Vollstrecker” (“Executioners”) is plodding and mournful, as if following a condemned criminal to the noose or the firing squad. “Todesbote” (“Death’s Messenger”), accented with the cawing of crows, announces that death is coming. “Messias” (“Messiah”) has a hymnic yet still ominous quality, with a lush vocal accents. “Jenseits des Grabes” (“Beyond the Grave”) starts with a “tinkly” sound, more melodic than wind chimes but of about that timber, but then layers into long, mournful tones that give way, about halfway through, to a sense of danger.
“Staubreiter” (I’m not sure how to render that in English) includes a whistled melody that then gets picked up by guitars. My copy ends rather abruptly at 0:53; I don’t know if this is by design or if there’s a problem with OneBookshelf’s copy of the file. Heavy guitars announce the onset of the “Duell der Raptoren” (“Raptors’ Duel”). “Scharfschuetze” (“Sharpshooter”) creates an air of suspense with a lowered volume and airy effects. “Deathrock Canyon” sounds a lot like “Todesbote” at the beginning, but remains subdued throughout.
“Frontaler Angriff” (“Frontal Attack”) returns to heavy guitar and drums; both the name and the music imply a violent confrontation. Then, from out of nowhere, the beautiful “Ruhiger Ritt” (“Quiet Ride”) turns to light rock, with a sound almost approaching New Age. A “Saloon” lies at the end of that quiet ride, though the funky music puts me in mind less of a Western saloon than a modern lounge.
“Erbe der Wanagi” (“The Wanagi’s [Ghost’s] Legacy”) is a spooky piece, remind us that all is not well even after a quiet ride and a stop at the saloon. “Rebellen” (“Rebels”) bring us back to violence; the music makes me think of a determined band of heroes marching purposefully toward a big confrontation.Like “Saloon,” “Sonnentanz” (“Sundance”) has a very modern feel; its techno elements evokes images of a nightclub or even a rave. Since I don’t know anything about the Doomstone setting, I don’t know what “Imperial City” the name of the track refers to; it’s a big, sweeping piece that feels like it should be playing in a move when the heroes arrive to save the day. “Sturm” (“Storm”) wraps things up with a combination of fear and hope, underscoring the sense of a climactic fight.
Alas, I cannot give this album unqualified praise (at least, not yet). Although offered as background music, the tracks have definite beginnings, endings, and internal movements, and none of them loop well. Since it’s hard to orchestrate RPG scenes so that they hit their peaks and valleys at just the right moments, music that aspires to score an RPG—especially short tracks like those on the Doomstone soundtrack—must loop gracefully (and “seamlessly” would be even more desirable). Sadly, the tracks on the Doomstone soundtrack don’t accomplish this important goal. Also, the ID3 tags for these tracks were poorly populated, as of my download on June 21, 2012; in fact, only the comments field was populated at all—with the comment “From DriveThruRPG.com.” I don’t know whether Nackter Stahl Verlag chose not to populate the ID3 tags, or whether DTRPG’s process for injecting its “comment watermark” stripped the other tags. Either way, the ID3 tags need attention.
Other than those relatively minor (because they don’t affect the sound at all) points, Doomstone is an excellent instrumental rock album. I might end up using the music while gaming; I’ll definitely listen to the album when I want some energetic but nonintrusive music.
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Pact of the Vermin Lords was one of the first third-party warlock pacts to appear after the publication of D&D 4e, and deserves props for that alone. The idea behind the pact is a bit “icky”: you’ve bound your soul to whatever mystical forces control vermin. Yuck. The power structure follows the typical template for a warlock: one at-will power that distinctively exhibits the pact, a special effect when an enemy under your Warlock’s Curse is reduced to 0 hp, and a bunch of thematic powers. Unlike the pacts in the original PH, the pact of the vermin lords provides an extra encounter power as a boon; however, author Stefen Styrsky has tried to balance this by turning off the character’s Warlock’s Curse while the bonus encounter power, Recognize the Master, is in effect. The optional powers at each level do a good job of distinguishing the vermin lords pact from other pacts. The supplement also includes a paragon path and one new feat designed to improve the basic pact boon. As a reader, I cringed repeatedly at grammatical mistakes and proofreading oversights, as well as departures from established D&D 4e stylistic standards. As a player, the very idea of the pact makes my skin crawl, and I want nothing to do with it. As a DM, I wouldn’t object if a player wanted to run a vermin lords pact warlock in my campaign, though I’d probably apply some social stigma in NPC encounters. Overall, my feeling about this product is basically, “Take it or leave it.”
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Dragons have an almost universal appeal—certainly among gamers, at least—and this supplement capitalizes on that appeal by presenting a warlock pact for D&D 4e that binds a warlock to a primal dragon. The power structure follows the typical template for a warlock: one at-will power that distinctively exhibits the pact, a special effect when an enemy under your Warlock’s Curse is reduced to 0 hp, and a bunch of thematic powers. Unlike the pacts in the original PH, the pact of the vermin lords provides an extra encounter power as a boon; however, author Stefen Styrsky has tried to balance this by turning off the character’s Warlock’s Curse while the bonus encounter power, The Object of Your Wrath, is in effect. The special at-will for this pact is basically the same as a dragonborn’s dragon breath power. The supplement includes one paragon path, four feats, and four magic items for dragon lords pact warlocks. The descriptions and power effects do a good job of evoking a draconic feel. The artwork style varies drastically from one piece to the next, and the character featured on the cover and on the paragon path page isn’t a recognizable D&D 4e race at all. As a reader, I cringed occasionally at grammar and usage mistakes and proofreading oversights (“exhale” used as a noun, backward apostrophes, etc), as well as departures from established D&D 4e stylistic standards and the lack of page numbers. As a player, this is a pact that I could get excited about. I’ve never chosen to play a warlock, but I might if this pact were on the menu. As a DM, I’d be happy for a player to run a dragon lords pact warlock in my campaign.
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I think this supplement was originally published before Wizards of the Coast released Arcane Power, with its vestige pact. Thematically, there’s a bit of overlap between these pacts, but mechanically, the ghost pact stands on its own. The power structure follows the typical template for a warlock: one at-will power that distinctively exhibits the pact, a special effect when an enemy under your Warlock’s Curse is reduced to 0 hp, and a bunch of thematic powers. Unlike the other pacts in Adamant’s pact series (by the same author), this one includes only one piece of art (on the front cover, repeated on p. 10, uncredited). The formatting could use some improvements (adding page numbers, for example) as well. The supplement includes one paragon path, four feats, and three magic items for ghost pact warlocks. The powers offered here do a good job of evoking the feel of a ghostly patron, but they don’t make me want to play a warlock in order to use them. I wouldn’t choose this pact for one of my own PCs, and as DM, I wouldn’t really consider it appropriate for heroic PCs (and I feel the same way about WotC’s vestige pact, by the way).
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Drawing on the mystique of blood, this supplement presents another alternate pact for D&D 4e warlords. The power structure follows the typical template for a warlock: one at-will power that distinctively exhibits the pact, a special effect when an enemy under your Warlock’s Curse is reduced to 0 hp, and a bunch of thematic powers. Unlike the pacts in the original PH, the pact of the vermin lords provides an extra encounter power as a boon; however, author Stefen Styrsky has tried to balance this by turning off the character’s Warlock’s Curse while the bonus encounter power, The Chosen Victim, is in effect. To evoke the feel of bloodletting, many of the powers feature effects that either require blood pact warlocks to injure themselves or grant bonuses if they choose to do so when using those powers. The supplement includes one paragon path for blood pact warlocks, along with four new feats limited to blood pact warlocks and four new magic items intended especially for blood pact warlocks. As a reader, I cringed occasionally at grammatical mistakes and proofreading oversights (for example, using the noun “knick” where the context calls for the verb “nick”), as well as departures from established D&D 4e stylistic standards. As a player, I don’t have any greater desire to play a blood pact warlock than other pacts; options are always nice, and the various elements capture the blood pact’s flavor well, but nothing here excites me with its character-building possibilities. As a DM, I would probably try to talk a player out of using the blood pact, though I wouldn’t absolutely forbid it; the whole flavor of the thing seems unheroic to me. Overall, I’d say the product accomplishes its goal, but not with excellence, and not in a way that gets me behind the goal in the first place.
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While some of the early ground sets from Lord Zsezse Works were cookie-cutter boring, this one scores a major success. The base product still offers essentially the same geometries as lower-numbered ground sets in the series, but good use of PDF layers and printable overlay objects brings a really impressive variety to these crypts. Turn the lights on and off, cover the place with spider webs, support the ceiling with columns, or add sarcophagi (not “graves,” as the publisher has it) and various types of containers. The printable overlay objects are not, by the way, redundant with the layers in the customizable tiles. Unfortunately, not all of the cutout objects show in the “Information” PDF actually appear in the PDF that holds the cutout objects. That, and LZW’s need for a good editor to help with the translation English, keep this product from reaching excellence; nevertheless, it’s very good and an unquestionably worthwhile purchase.
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This early offering from LZW fits the pattern of their other low-numbered ground sets: fifteen 6" square tiles with identical backgrounds and varying pathways of a different material. The early sets featured fairly cookie-cutter geometries, with exactly the same layouts populating the various sets, which differed only in the materials used. In this set, the background “material” is clouds, and the foreground material is hard rock. The visual effect is actually very appealing (+1 star for that), but the geometries are very artificial and don’t really feel like a “mountain” at all. You could still use this for artificial stone structures that soar above the clouds, however.
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This early offering from LZW fits the pattern of their other low-numbered ground sets: fifteen 6" square tiles with identical backgrounds and varying pathways of a different material. In fact, the pictures on the index match the geometry, but not the materials, on the actual tiles, showing how cookie-cutter those early ground sets were. In this set, the background looks like very dirty or muddy grass, and the foreground material is asphalt. A few of the tiles have lane marker lines, but these are painted inconsistently. Despite that, you should be able to get good use out of these tiles for laying out roadways for a modern or, better, post-apocalyptic game. These tiles would be good for staging Car Wars battles, or an automotive skirmish in Gamma World.
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The general layouts of both maps in this product—the Market Quarter and the Poor Quarter—are rather nicely conceived. The execution is good—better than most Dundjinni maps that get offered for sale. However, in the Market Quarter, the relative elevations of several pieces of the map aren’t clear. Also, the maps’ Dundjinni origins reveal themselves not only in the credits, but also in the mixing of different artistic styles within the same map, and those annoyingly yellow grid lines. The Market Square map depicts an open-air market, while the Poor Quarter focuses on rooftops. Unlike most printable map products, this one includes brief descriptions of the areas depicted. You could stage quite a few compelling NPC encounters, chases, and so on on these two maps. The Arabian Market is my first encounter with the Dramascape maps, and it makes me optimistic and curious about the earlier entries in the series.
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I like both parts of this track a good bit, both the lighter sound in the first six minutes and the heavier, guitar-driven two minutes at the end. Both do a good job of evoking a (post)modern, technological, maybe even jacked-in setting. The track loops fairly well, though there is a second or two of silence at the end that you’ll want to trim. The problem is that the two parts of the piece don’t flow together well. The transition between the two parts is fairly abrupt, and the two segments don’t feel the same. I would use the first six minutes for something like a race against time, perhaps while the PCs are being chased or are trying to extract information from a computer system under a strict time limit; the last two minutes would do for a combat or action scene—but I wouldn’t switch the two. The overall effect is fine when you’re just listening for pleasure, but would disrupt an RPG session, I think.
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This piece fits squarely in the “warped carnival” niche. I can just picture demented midway games and a demonic “tunnel of hate” ride, cotton candy made of some unmentionable substance, and so forth. I don’t really enjoy listening to this track—which probably means it’s doing its job. If you have a need for such a track, this will fill it. The track has several seconds of silence at the end. If you trim that silence off (which you really shouldn’t have to do yourself), the track will loop without too much of a jarring transition from end to beginning—a very important feature for gaming background music.
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The heavy, ominous music in this substantial track well befits the “dark ritual” mentioned in the track’s title. There is a recurring baritone/bass vocal overlay that sounds like somebody chanting an incomprehensible ritual, and I think this works well. However, I think the other vocal gibbering detracts from the piece. Otherwise, it’s a decent score for when the PCs are trying to stop an eldritch ritual in progress—or to complete one before it’s too late. I can only say “decent,” not “good” or better, because there’s such a long lead-in before you get to the actual ritual sounds. That creates a big lull in the action while looping, though iTunes and other jukebox software will let you start and stop the track anywhere so you can customize the loop.
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It takes almost two minutes and a big explosion before this track actually gets to the “battle” as such. Once it does, the music is quick and tense, fitting for scoring a space battle. A few laser beam and explosion sound effects crop up, but they don’t overpower the music, and drums rather than explosion sounds give the sense of impact. A few bars here and there reminded me of the music that plays in Disneyland’s Space Mountain ride. About halfway through, xylophones and vintage (read: ’60s–’70s) bleeping control panel sound effects take us briefly inside the ship. While the battle is raging, the music is very exciting and would work well for a gaming background, if you don’t mind the control panel sounds. As of my download, the track ships with 30 seconds of silence at the end, so you’ll need to trim it with a program that edits MP3s or use your jukebox program to set the endpoint earlier (in iTunes, choose File: Get Info, click the Options tab, and change the Stop Time from 9:22.337 to 8:52.337). The track’s bigger problem, though, is that two-minute warmup that I mentioned earlier, matched by a rather abrupt ten-second cool-down at the end. Even after you trim off the extra silence, the track doesn’t loop very well, so unless you can wrap up your entire space battle in about six minutes, you’re going to get some “down time” in your soundtrack—time that is just too peaceful for a space battle. This track would be more useful without that “prologue.”
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