The original good idea that the authors had was to set an adventure in the Vatican with all its fascinating flavour and history. That, I could have got from a guidebook, and it would have had a better map.

From there, it needs a plot. So there's a terrorist hostage situation. Wait, it turns out they're not actually terrorists (though the adventure still uses that overworked term throughout), they're thieves, and not smart thieves either: their plan is just to bust in and Greyhawk the place.

It's said to be a non-FX adventure. While that may be technically true, it's certainly not real-world, relying heavily on wacky robots and bizarre chemical transformations. Any bizarre and illogical things that the bad guys do (such as supposedly terrorising the PCs with sub-optimal bow attacks when the character carries a rifle that's in all respects better) are because they're insane and obsessed.

What tears it for me is the way that the major characters' backgrounds throw in every bad guy in the world and the kitchen sink. Look, this guy's so evil he worked for al-Qaeda .. then he went to Sudan to help out with the genocide there .. so his plan is to run away to North Korea. Maybe China. This is not D&D where you can invoke different evils at will for a cumulative effect. There's so much contradictory detail that it becomes an unusable grey mush.

That's pretty much how I'd sum up the product as a whole: too many ideas, not enough cohesion and very little, in the end, that I can use.

<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

Modern Misfit: Storming Heaven's Shores is an adventure for d20 Modern. The PDF is 25 pages in length, with a color cover and mostly black & white interior. The adventure has the heroes attempting to rescue hostages from a band of mercenaries and terrorists that have attacked the Vatican in Rome. The adventure's layout is decent with a smattering of unremarkable clip art illustrations. There is no index or bookmarks.

The premise of the adventure is certainly an audacious one, involving the Vatican and the pope. It is also designed high levels. Based on the Challenge Ratings of the villains, the heroes should probably be at least 10th level or higher. There is an adventure timeline, suggestions for capturing the 'feel' of the Vatican and suggestions for complications and final confrontations. Statistics are provided for three major villains, as well as the mercenaries. There is an overall map of the Vatican, but no detailed interior maps.

Storming Heaven's Shore is an interesting adventure. I like the information provided about the villains' motivations and background. However, the lack of interior maps places a lot of weight on the GM's shoulders if he wants to run many tactical situations during the adventure. The writing itself is also a little rough, with some editing errors and lack of polish to the writing. Finally, the situaton itself, a hostage rescue operation inside the Vatican, is certainly not one that is going to fit into every campaign.

If the premise of the adventure fits your d20 Modern campaign, Storming Heaven's Shore is worth a look. With some more polish to the writing and some quality interior maps, it would have been an even better adventure, but if you are willing to do some work, it is certainly worth checking out.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The subject of the adventure is an audacious one. The major villains have interesting backgrounds and motivations.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The writing is a little uneven. The lack of interior maps makes it hard for the GM to run tactical situations.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>