An RPG Resource review:

This is a well constructed and well written adventure, which is designed to be placed in any fantasy world where there is marshland near the sea in a fairly remote area. There is a lot going on, all tied back to underlying history, giving the impression that the events that your characters will interact with would have happened anyway whether or not they were there, excellent 'alternate reality' rather than an adventure which kicks off just when the characters are in the right place!

Basically, the characters happen across the village of Flintpoint and have an opportunity to stop for a drink or a meal or even the night as appropriate. Once they have met some of the locals, a druid who acts as self-appointed guardian of the area turns up and asks that they help clear out some strange 'blue-skinned goblins' which have been bothering the wildlife, annoyed the druid by killing a bear she'd befriended and may even pose a threat to the village. It's a relatively straightforward task, but as they return to the village they hear a massive explosion and... (buy or play in the adventure if you want to know the rest, I'm not going to spoil it for you!).

Assuming your heroes do the decent thing and try to sort out what's happened, they face a journey across a very large marsh with the opportunity for several skirmishes with the denizens thereof, before they arrive at a site with scope for a big combat and some further underground exploration and adventure should they so wish.

There is a lot packed in to what is both a well-written and a well organised adventure. Sidebars with useful information, lists for the DM to ensure that important plot points are not missed, essential statistics and difficulty check information to hand just where you need them... everything to make the adventure easy to run when you are at the table. Naturally, to get the most out of it, a thorough read beforehand is to everybody's advantage, but the whole thing is laid out for use.

Overall, it is an exciting adventure with plenty of action, and some scope for role-playing, which should keep its target group of 4 8th-level characters on their toes if they are to succeed. It is in the classic 'good heroes beat up monsters and glean the rewards' mould, but with genuine depth to the setting, the people and the creatures therein to make it a true slice of alternate reality in which your characters can exist, interact and make a difference.

Scaring people in a role playing game can be tough. It takes a lot of the right elements to make players experience the fear and it really does not take much to have them removed from fear. A simple car alarm going off, a player just not into it, a phone call; anything can really take the players out of the horror game at least mentality. They can play scared, but it just is not the same as actually being scared. Sometimes a DM needs to just place in rules to effect the characters knowing that bringing horror to the players might be too much to ask for. There have been a few different systems that have tried this like Beyond the Supernatural and Call of Cthulthu have used different rules to do this in the past. I think Ravenloft for D&D as well as D20 also had similar fear like rules in them. Fear Effects once again brings the fear mechanics to the game.

Fear Effects is by a small publisher who really has been making an effort to bring horror back the game. 12 to Midnight has a few really nice adventures and supplements that move in the more traditional horror ways. Fear Effects is written by Ed Wetterman and this thirteen page book is well laid out. There is not a lot of art in her and it does consist of about half table but it is nicely organized and easy to use. The PDF has two formats one designed for printing and the other for one screen use. This is my preferred way to see the books as it gives me the best of both worlds. The on screen on is nicely book marked and should be really easy to use at the gaming table from a computer or lap top.

The book is fairly simple. It introduces fear checks that are basically saving throws into the game. There are different levels of severity in the saves and the tables cover a lot of bad things that can happen to a character. The check can be modified by some options and I really like what they have there. One gets a bonus if they experience fear with others but a nice negative if they are alone. That is simple and makes a lot of sense. The tables of effects are pretty complete as it covers about six pages of the book.

This is a very simple book to determine if one needs it and that makes things easy. If one needs horror checks or wants to experiment with them in one?s game then the book is what one is after. On the other hand if one sees no reason for adding mechanical and rule oriented fear checks to the game then the book is better left on the self. The table are good for other horror games as ideas for what to do to characters that experience great fear. World of Darkness and Call of Cthulthu games can especially benefit from more ways to mess with the characters but of course one will need to do more converting and figure out how these will exactly work in other rule sets.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

An RPG Resource Review:

Another fine adventure from 12 to Midnight, bringing a breath of true horror to the peaceful backwater of Pinebox, TX. Somehow I don't think I want to live there...

It is the kind of adventure that has a lot going on, many events will happen regardless of whether or not the characters have picked up on them or are even around. That's good, builds the feel of an alternate reality that they can react to and interact with rather than something staged for them... but it does mean that the GM needs to prepare well, you don't pick up the adventure, flip through it and run it straight off. However, there is a lot of support and information to help you run the game smoothly and well; even though it is designed to allow maximum player freedom in dealing with the situations with which they will be confronted. There are also plenty of ideas for setting the mood for horror, how to create the right feelings in the players... never mind their characters. Some will really only work if you run the game at your house, where you can set the scene without being too obvious about it, while other people prefer to use imagination alone without the aid of mood music and props.

The basic story revolves around the much-heralded arrival of a new logging company and a local man who will go to extreme lengths to prevent them destroying woodlands that he holds dear. Strands of mysticism and evil magic from several traditions are woven together to make his opposition potent and horrific to casual observers such as a bunch of visiting characters. The adventure begins with a set scene to suck them in and get them interested: all they need to be doing is driving down the road nearby. From there on, it's up to them, although there are plenty of events that can occur if they take particular actions or visit certain places as well as the core events that will happen even if they turn tail and flee!

After an introduction for the GM explaining all this, the remainder of the book is divided into three sections - Inevitable Events, It Could Happen and Taking it to Teiden. This matches the nature of the adventure, with the 'Inevitable Events' being those that happen irrespective of the characters' involvement, 'It Could Happen' being the responsive bits triggered by the characters going to a location, doing something in particular or interacting with someone... and 'Taking it to Teiden' being the climatic events that will occur once the characters come face to face with the main Bad Guy who has been causing all the horrific events being investigated. If you are running the game from a computer, the various events are bookmarked from the table of contents so as to make it easy to flip to the one you want.

The opening scene - finding a small child in an abandoned truck on the highway, her Dad having gone into the woods to answer nature's call - is described in plenty of detail, and with material to allow you to alter your delivery depending on what the characters decide to do... including the suggestion that if they are uncaring enough to drive on by, it's best to kill them off straightaway! If you happen to have a copy of 12 to Midnight's Fear Effects - highly recommended if you like running D20 Horror games - suggestions as to the use of the fear rules are given whenever something horrific is encountered. Each event section ends with a 'GM Checklist' covering the important plot points that ought to be brought out during that event - read it before you run that event! Frequent sidebars contain useful background information such as how the local police run investigations and how they'd respond to people who interfere (although the sentence & parole columns on the penalties table seem to have got switched over), and Texas laws on weapon possession.

The 'It Could Happen' covers things like Internet and library research, places they might choose to visit as the characters investigate what is going on and people who they might decide to search out for information. There are also notes on possible Texas Ranger and FBI involvement, as well as some excellent mystical encounters for those who venture into the woods... complete with atmospheric descriptions to make the woods come alive for townie or country players alike.

The final section provides a range of options for bringing the adventure to a climactic close. FBI agents, SWAT teams, helicopters and magic spells all feature large. It ends with a few notes on how the whole thing might be wrapped up, but this depends very much on what the characters do and whether or not they managed to defeat the main bad guy.

Appendices cover NPC statistics (each of which includes a neat profile and sample comments from that individual), animal/monster statistics and the magic involved. Some is drawn from fantasy D20, others from myths of various traditions - American Indian and what is described as Irish Druidism. There is also an appendix detailing organisations which feature in the adventure, and including organisation-specific feats to which their members have access. A chart covers potential experience rewards for dealing successfully with different parts of the adventure, and there are several hand-outs to distribute at appropriate points.

Overall, it is a well-constructed adventure that should prove a tough but surmountable challenge. Although complex, the presentation lends itself to allowing a well-prepared GM to react to player actions wile retaining a good grip on the plot. I'm looking forwards to running it...

Marsh of the Wild Things is the first d20 adventure product from 12 to Midnight. This adventure is 46 pages long, and suitable for characters of 8th level. The adventure blends horror and high fantasy together and is setting generic, meaning that you can place this adventure in your setting of choice without any major modification. Marsh of the Wild Things sees the player characters exploring the wild marshes near the village of Flintpoint, and finding that it's a lot more dangerous and wild than they would've expected.

The product is very well-presented and looks professional. One of the first things you notice about it is that it's quite DM friendly, and would probably be quite suitable to newer DMs wanting to try their hand at running games. Each section of the adventure, for example, provides some useful reminders of the aim of each section, and advice on what the DM needs to remember for that particular section. It could probably have been expanded a bit to make it even more useful, but it was a neat little addition to the overall product.

Layout, editing, writing and art (Kim Feigenbaum's work was excellent on the interior art) were all very good, combining together to make a high standard of product. The bookmarks and contents page are probably some of the most detailed I've seen in a product. My only complaint was the maps and handouts - the grid lines on the maps are so thick that they often obscure what's behind it, while the writing in the handouts is such a scrawl that you have to strain to read it properly.

The product provides extensive details on the plot and background to the adventure, including scaling information, DMs background, plot synopsis, and a number of useful plot hooks. A few additional features are also included, such as advice on how to set the scene for the adventure and play notes - advice on using the adventure within a setting. The introduction provides a DM will loads of useful information and a good overview of the adventure. The plot synopsis in particular gives an overview of how the adventure is likely to play out. Not many contingencies are covered or really allowed for in the adventure, but players are given free reign and choice with regard to what they wish to do or not do.

The adventure starts in the village of Flintpoint. After a quick side quest at the behest of the village druid, things quickly go pear-shaped and the adventurers are drawn into the swamps where they face off against a tribe of troglodytes led by a creature with some rather unusual and powerful allies. The adventure takes place both within Flintpoint itself, but also in the cavern complexes that house the troglodytes and their formidable leader. There's good opportunity for roleplaying, although probably the larger portion of the adventure is devoted to combat encounters and the occasional trap. These provide a good challenge to the PCs, with plenty of combat variety and some enjoyable monster selections that should keep the PCs on their toes.

This is by no means a long adventure. There can't be more than two dozen or so encounters throughout the adventure, so it shouldn't take long to play through, although at this level some of the combat encounters can start taking a while. The encounter and descriptive text are both good and extensive, providing plenty of detail of notable features, and in particular on creature tactics and motivations. The latter makes the adventure far more dynamic, as the creatures interact with each other and those around them. Creature stats are provided in the appendix, along with personality, tactics and even common sayings for a particular NPC.

The adventure is by and large entertaining. Challenging and fun encounters, opportunity for roleplaying, interesting locations and encounter locations, and dynamic creatures with real motives and behaviours. It covers useful ground for newer DMs, but is meaty enough that more experienced DMs can easily do something good with the adventure. In the old end perhaps, it is a simple site-based adventure with the characters trawling through a cavern in search of their enemies. A good one, but still a simple adventure. I think, though, that by setting the mood of the adventure properly, this will be an entertaining evening of gaming consisting of what can be action-filled and grim fantasy.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Marsh of the Wild Things is a good and entertaining adventure. It's very DM friendly, providing a professional and easy to follow layout, with some challenging encounters. Good variety in encounters, and interesting locations.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Maps and handouts could be improved on, particularly with the font for the handouts and the heavy grid for the maps.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This was a pretty good adventure, I would have liked a little more background on the Black Guard organisation. Good content and easy to follow the story. I wasn't overly fond of the pictures though, could have used a few more creepy touches, or vague pictures to confuse players. All in all, I would recommend this company to others, and this book in paticular.

Finally! I've been looking for this product for 20 years! 3D layouts are great, but they're very time consuming to create, and for room that the party is never going to see again, I much prefer 2D tiles. But then you have the hassle of determining when doors are opened and closed and whatever. With this product, that is no longer a problem. The variety is excellent, too. It's all fantasy/gothic type doors and gates in this "volume 1", so maybe they'll come out with a modern/future set. (Hint)<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is the answer to a question I've been asking since opening my first box of Hero Quest. Where can I get more stand-up doors and in different sizes, shapes, and styles?<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Some of the stand ups show the doors closed on one side and open on the other. This is a nice feature depending on the way you end up using the doors. However, it also prevents you from cutting and scoring the doors to open and close on the stand up. You have to manipulate the image on your own. It would be nice if closed versions of the doors on both sides of the stand up could be included, too.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

A nice collection of tokens and floorplans, especially for those intending to run the scenario they complement so well.

Having put together 2 seperate lots of these suckers I cannot reccomend enough printing the tokens and mounting them on some sturdy card. My firs try was printing on cardstock and the results were okay but not inspiriing. Mounted on card they do a very fine job. The selection is as advertised, the alien critters look suitably nasty and you get choices of style of print. Not bad. Not bad at all.

But I will confess I still prefer paper miniatures to tokens, I think that is down to personal taste but it is a factor in my rating.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The dragon. My word. On its own worth the price of the set, now all I go to do is find an excuse to use it a lot more<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

A comprehensive look at books in a fantatic d20 setting with everything you expect, skills, feats, prestige classes, book-related monsters and deities.

The chapter on literacy and book pricing and publishing is a bit too modern-sounding for my tastes, as is the possible inclusion of printing presses. However that's a question of perception and the campaign background, and the chapter offers enough material for more medieval or even eariler backgrounds.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The material presented is a welcome departure from the very dungeon-centric classes presented in many sourcebooks and can give many new and fresh twists to an established campaign, even if many of the classes presented are not especially likely to be taken by PCs.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Complete Guide to Books

There has to be some irony in having a book be a complete guide to books. Be that as it may here it is and it is a little surprising that it has taken this long for a publisher to do a book on books. There are just small areas like books that never seem to be covered but could be considered very large in the scope of a campaign world. I am pretty sure the written word had a dramatic effect on our world for instance. It pleases me to see the topic covered and covered well. This book has good information as well as the typical areas we expect like prestige classes and feats.

The PDF is one of the nicer ones I have seen. It comes with both an on screen and printable version of the product. The art and layout are really well done and the book has a really nice look to it. The PDF comes in a zip file of about fifteen megs and the two PDFs are about eleven and half megs for the on screen version and almost four megs for the printable one. The book has a good table of contents and my personal favorite thing, book marks.

The book starts with a nice list of different type of printing presses and the effect of magic. But it does not stop there. It has a bit of information on cave drawings, clay tablets, bamboo sheets, and many others. The book really showed from the beginning that it was going to cover the areas that I hoped it would as well as others. I will admit I was not expecting bamboo sheets but pleased to see them.

Illiteracy is always an issue. In the days od second edition it was assumed everyone was illiterate and needed to learn to read but in the days of third edition apparently everyone was sent school as now literacy is assumed by anyone with language. This change was one of the few things I really disliked and I think the whole language issue was made to simple and has always been to simplistic in D&D. But this book talks about the literacy rates and what can be expected. It doe not go into what levels would be appropriate where but does list several different levels or percentages of literacy and discusses them.

How would your character like to make a little more money on the side by publishing his campaign journals in game? There are rules for just that. Need to know how hard it is to find a market for your writing? How about locating a publisher? It is all here. How does the literacy rate affect the sales? What about illegal copies and people stealing your writings to sale for them selves? It is all here. It is a really nice and section and really has a lot of potential to add some fun to in between adventures. After that it lists some places to find books along with some nice maps for libraries. There are many areas that involve books that get dealt with in here. It is very thorough.

The mechanics of writing, and I am talking about the game mechanics, is dealt with using skills. Craft bookmaking, craft writing, craft printing are just some of the skills that are described here. Difficulty classes are listed for the skills to show if the work is particularly good and even ink poisons are presented. The feats are mo0stly about writing and there are not many new feats presented here. But they are very topic oriented and creative.

The prestige classes include something that is a rare find; classes that are not adventurers first. Each class is nicely balanced most of them for spell casters but they are not really designed to be adventures. There is a class that crafts legends, and other that is a book burner. The classes are both creative and functional.

The magic of book writing is a large section. It includes a lot of new spells and new magical books. There are plenty of mundane items as well. Many of these items can really add a nice level of new details to the campaign game. The magic books though can be tougher to deal with. Some add a permanent bonus to a skill and last once the book is read.

This book does the job of being a complete book on books. It deals with the areas I wanted and showed me ones I did not think of. It seems to be the rare book that expands upon the campaign world in a way that no other has. It adds detail and levels of realism to the world without bogging down with irrelevant items.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This is an interesting piece of design: complete statistics for a combat encounter and the damage resulting from it, that don't include any stats for the people or beings that the PCs are fighting. Spoilers for players follow:

The product presents an abduction of some of the PCs from the woods (by aliens, a high-tech conspiracy or whatever suits the GM's campaign) with ongoing psychological and physical effects on captives. The PCs might be staying overnight in the woods looking for the Skinwalker (from the adventure) or for a completely different reason. It's very much focused on the single event with an intention to drop in to a wide range of campaigns.

The flashbacks following, described using the Fear Effects rules, are detailed but at the same time unspecific: the details could have many meanings.

Plots that require the PCs to be captured are rightly notorious for going wrong. This one has a number of fail-safes, but without running it, it's difficult to say whether it's airtight. Some work will be needed by the GM to supply specifics of the attackers.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Owls??<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Codex Effusio: The Book of Emotions is a supplement from Silven Publishing. The zipped file is slightly less than two megabytes, and contains two PDF files: one full file, and one printer-friendly version thereof. Both are thirty-four pages long, taking into account a page for the cover, one for the credits/legal, one for the table of contents, and one for the OGL. Both files have their table of contents hyperlinked, and have full bookmarks.

The full version of the book has a full-color cover, which is the only color artwork in the product. The remainder of the interior art is black-and-white, and somewhat infrequent. Pages have borders along the sides, alternating on each page. Oddly, while the printer-friendly version removes the cover image and the page borders, it retains the black-and-white interior art, which is rather strange since it?s meant to be easier to print out.

Codex Effusio is largely a catch-all book, putting various crunchy items together under the banner of being emotion-related in your game. The introduction, which is less than half-a-page long, attempts to drive this home with an in-character monologue of how emotion motivates all beings. It then launches into the first of the book?s four chapters.

The first chapter of the book cover feats. In addition to a number of new general feats (and a few metamagic ones), there?s two new types. Disposition feats are feats that can only be taken at character creation, representing your character having an intense outlook on life. While an interesting idea, mechanically these are the same as all other feats, save for perhaps being slightly more powerful. Traumatic feats are cooler, though. They only take effect at a certain time, and in regards to a certain person, but grant some rather impressive bonuses. For example, the Avenging Fury traumatic feat gives you a +2 bonus to Strength, Constitution, and an additional ten feet of speed when one of your close friends (of which you can only have so many) is brought below 0 hit points; useable only against the one that did it, of course.

The second chapter covers eight new prestige classes. Most of these are clearly based on the idea of taking a particular emotion to an extreme, in themselves and often in those around them also. The Furyon loses herself in her rage, the Despondent can spread his despair to wide as to make his enemies lose all will to act, etc. Some of these don?t quite seem to fit the bill, though, such as the Unexpected, which is a rogue-like PrC that focuses on evading detection.

Chapter three is a relatively short chapter on magic items. A few alchemical items are given, along with a smattering of wondrous and cursed items. Finally, a few new armor and weapon special abilities are given.

The last chapter presents twenty-nine new spells. None of these are very powerful (none are over fifth level) but they?re somewhat colorful. While most of these are emotion-based, not all are. It?s a bit odd to see a spell for invisible force needles, or converting melee damage into unholy damage, but the majority of these spells affect their target?s emotions. That said, the lack of consolidated class listings for these new spells is something of a let-down, as those have become almost a standard, making it easy to define what class gets the new spells, and at what level.

Ultimately, while Codex Effusio is certainly a good book, it doesn?t really feel like more than the sum of its parts. This is largely due to the way the crunch in the book has almost no fluff to back it up. While the descriptions themselves aren?t boring in any regard, there doesn?t seem to be much here to try and make the material leap off the page. Prestige classes have none of the expanded fluff information we?ve seen in recent products, for example, and there?s no talk of using emotions at the game table, or how to use them to enhance their character. Codex Effusio is no more and no less than a book of new, and good, crunch. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The new crunch here was quite good. The traumatic feats are specific enough with their trigger that they're quite evocative, as are some of the new spells and prestige classes. Everything seems quite solid in its stats.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The dearth of fluff material here makes the book seem like merely a collection of new crunch based around a common theme. Lacking everything from class spell lists to expanded information on its prestige classs, the Book of Emotions just feels a little cut-and-dry.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

An RPG Resource Review:

Written in the words of one Johara Gway, who has observed the ways of men (and other sentients) in his travels, this product sets out to codify in game rules some of the ways in which emotions can be used to effect in role-playing. It is not some deeply psychological tome, however, but a collection of feats, prestige classes, items and spells which all in some way use or play upon emotions.

In the introduction, Gway talks about how people are driven by emotions, be they that individual's general outlook on life or by those generated by the moment - fear, joy and so on. Many of the greatest adventurers, the ones that bards sing about, are able to harness and use emotions, rather than be ruled by them. The rest of the book provides the tools to allow characters to do just that.

The feats are mostly based around the concept of 'disposition' - some people are naturally sunny and optomistic, while others are gloomy and rarely look on the bright side of life. Feats classed as disposition feats may normally only be taken at character creation, however if events conspire to completely change a character's outlook on life - perhaps he finds religion, or his whole family is wiped out - the original feat chosen may be changed, with the DM's permission, for another that is more appropriate to the new attitude with which the character approaches life.

There are also general feats, and 'traumatic' ones, which are triggered by some dramatic event such as the near-death of the character... hmm, not sure I'd want to spend a feat slot on the ability to get one last good thump in on my opponent before dropping dead! Each feat gives a specific advantage, for example, if you are Courageous, you get a bonus to Will saves against fear effects - and of course, you likely are known as a very brave person.

The prestige classes are all a bit odd, and probably more use as NPCs than as a way to develop your character. They are, however, quite interesting and insightful, and could give a good underpinning to certain personalities... perhaps being a Defiler would suit a cleric of a god of decay, or some nihilist who believes that the whole world is heading for destruction and is happy to help it along a bit. You don't want to ask him round to dinner, though, as he can cause food to become rotten and similar unpleasant things. A bard who becomes an Exuberant, on the other hand, might be good company as he can always lift your spirits and adds bonuses to his companions' morale checks. The Phobist uses fear as a weapon and could make, for example, a real 'fire and brimstone' preacher; while the Furyon can harness rage in a manner that makes a beserk barbarian look like a pussy cat!

The magic items will cause the DM no end of fun! How about an alchemical toxin that causes apathy... paint that on an arrow head and fire it at someone who seems hell-bent on causing you trouble, and attacking you will suddenly become far too much of a bother. Or maybe the Mantle of Innocence, which gives a bonus to bluff checks as the wearer just emanates honesty. Some bring mixed blessings, such as the security blanket. This is a bedroll that confers endure elements, only after you have used it for a while you cannot bear to be without it.

Finally, there are a few spells which affect their target's emotions and reactions - for good or ill, depending on the spell and on your point of view of course. Inflict someone with an inferiority complex and he feels obliged to attack the largest, hardest foe that he can see just to prove himself! Postitive thinking, on the other hand, gives the recipient a morale bonus to attack and damage.

Overall, a useful collection that, used sparingly, could add interest to your game.

You can read more about products from Silven Publishing and many other publishers at http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/

Describes an innocent-looking pawn shop in 12 to Midnight's setting of Pinebox, Texas, its proprietor and his secret history (game stats are left to the GM) and some unusual items that he might have for sale. Apart from their paranormal qualities, each item has an extensive history with optional tie-ins to events going on in Pinebox that are detailed in other 12 to Midnight products. Some top-quality plot ideas here.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Many different ideas for each item and for Forester Harris, with varying degrees of paranormal involvement and campaign weight.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

An RPG Resource Review:

Picture this situation: Odd things have been happening at a remote US Army base. Worse, people sent there haven't come back. Possibly to be expected with members of the National Guard, but when Marine Recon teams get lost there may be a problem. So the Army is being sent in, with some Air Force support in the shape of a bombing run dropping napalm to clear the area... only one of the bombers was taken out by a dragon. A DRAGON??? Um. And you, of course, are the Army point team that's first in...

This adventure comprises what happens when the above situation is investigated. Maybe the soldiers will die (if they are lucky), maybe they will find out what's going on, maybe they will even survive long enough to help solve the problem. Maybe.

The first part of the adventure covers in reasonable detail the initial reconnaissance mission our intrepid heroes are to undertake. It ends with their first horrific discovery, and options are presented to the GM at this point: either the Pentagon issues orders over the video link they are using to leave recording devices and move out or they are ordered to attack. The first option is best if you are intending a campaign, while the second will round off a one-night adventure or serve to entertain players who are looking for a good fight whether or not you intend to continue the adventure afterwards.

Next comes an Adventure Generator section. Of particular use to those GMs planning a campaign around this situation, this provides ideas and encounters for those who explore the area further. There is a system for random cavern generation, as much of the action is underground, or you can use an existing cavern map from another game if you don't want to spend a lot of time on mapping rather than populating the area. It's quite a comprehensive system and should come in handy any time you need a good set of caves, even if you don't use it now. A good collection of adventure seeds for possible missions is also included.

Appendix 1 describes the array of creatures that are to be encountered and fought, while Appendix 2 describes the weaponry available to them. Finally, maps for the core adventure are provided.

If the idea of running military-style missions against alien attacks appeals, then this is an excellent example of how to do it. While the adventure presented is quite straightforward the various options, adventure seeds and concepts provided enable the imaginative GM to create further missions or a whole campaign with ease. Alternatively, as a one-off military/horror adventure, this stands well run as given.

"Horrendous Habitats: Forsaken Hwellan - Lair of the Plague Priest" is a 44-page supplement that presents a location, a formidable NPC, a handful of new spells and magic items, and, in the hands of a capable DM, a challenging and exciting mini-campaign. Designed for a 4-person party of 10th-level characters (with accompanying suggestions for scaling the adventure up or down if need be), this extended series of encounters is well-written and -presented, and is well worth the $6.00 price tag

Father Marc is the titular "plague priest," and he and his followers have taken over the small mountain village of Hwellan. Writer Martin Jenner has included a number of different plot hooks to help DMs drive their players toward this village, and before they even arrive, a number of environmental factors, from avalanches to snow storms, can present a handful of exciting encounters. A strong sense of suspense and pending dread is weaved throughout the trip to the village.

And once the party arrives in Hwellan, the atmosphere at the game table can quickly change from one of encroaching doom to fear and disease.

Without resorting to any horror-theme cliches, "Lair of the Plague Priest" presents a fresh take on a story of a forbidden god threatening to bring plague and death to the world, and Father Marc is a well-drafted and -created villain that is certain to insert himself into your players' lists of memorable NPC opponents.

The supplement does contain a few typos and grammatical errors, and the accompanying maps do have a few slight labeling errors, but these problems are near-inconsequential. The layout of this supplement, including its four appendices, make it incredibly easy to use and read, reprinting relevant material from the D&D rule books when needed and inserting new material (like the eight new diseases) is presented in such a way that it can be seamlessly inserted into the existing ruleset.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The NPCs (not just Father Marc) are unique characters; writer Jenner did not fall back on stereotypes when creating the kobold sorceress Snow-Blows-Through-Her or captured village priest Fillip Reese.

Additionally, excerpts from the diary of Father Marc are included, and they're quite telling of the Plague Preist's motivations and thought-processes.

A lot of work went into creating all the material a DM would need for a fun series of games.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There were a few typos and grammatical errors, and a few items were mislabeled on the map of the village itself. Also, I do prefer my fantasy character names to be a bit more "fantasy"-sounding than Marc or Fillip.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>