Twilight Sector is a sourcebook from Terra/Sol Games for the Mongoose Traveller RPG. I received a free review PDF and have not used it in a game yet.
Traveller is one of the oldest science fiction role-playing games. There have been many versions over the years; right now the most active and widely available version is by Mongoose Publishing. At its heart, Traveller is a game about space travel. Characters are usually the crew of a space ship. They may be mercenaries, free traders, outlaws or military. The idea is that there are countless worlds out there to explore.
It was originally designed to be a generic space role-playing game that could be used for any setting. Star Trek, Red Dwarf, Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape or many others could all easily be adapted to the Traveller rules. But a game needs an example setting to get people started. What started as a few example sectors of space grew over time to be known as the “original traveller universe”. I have seen a map of the Third Imperium printed out in a 56”x50” poster and it is overwhelming to behold. The traveller universe however, is just one possible setting you could use.
One of the things Mongoose has done is opened the production of supplements to third party publishers. It is an open license similar to the d20 license that Wizard’s of the Coast used to offer, or the GSL of 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. So Terra/Sol Games has created their own alternative universe for people to play with. It is really just a beginning, as it only details an area the size of a subsector. There are 7 systems and 2 starbases, each of which is quite detailed. They even have maps of each main planet and solar system. Even if you don’t want to use the detailed timeline and alternate history, these planets are worth borrowing to insert into whichever universe you do play in. The sector itself is meant to have a number of mysteries and it is left to the individual GMs to decide what the answers are. It can easily be worked into an existing campaign as a newly discovered region on the edge of known space.
Twilight Sector also focuses on mutants. There are both natural mutants and genetically induced mutants. There is a fairly detailed section on how to create characters of both types. I would have to use them in play to get a feel for the balance, but they usually have both positive and negative mutations. They can certainly add a unique feel to a game. I could see a group of mutants trying to fit in as an excellent basis for a campaign.
The book has served to rekindle my interest in Traveller. I myself will probably just borrow parts from it, as building my own universe is part of what I enjoy about the game. Twilight Sector certainly provides some interesting bricks for me to use though. The alternate history is an interesting read and full of good ideas. I definitely look forward to more books from Terra/Sol Games, as it is always refreshing to look at an old game from a new perspective.
Apathy Rating: 3/5.
Want to learn more about Twilight Sector? Read on…
When I became a patron for The Red Eye of Azathoth, I started keeping a closer eye on new Call of Cthulhu products. So when I got the opportunity to review Our Ladies of Sorrow, I jumped at the chance. In the interest of full disclosure I received the PDF for free and have not actually played through the module yet. On the other hand, I’m of the opinion that a GM has to get excited about a product with a read through or it won’t get played by many people. The PDF is quite a lot for your money: with 150+ pages and a trilogy of related adventures, it can be the basis of a short campaign. The art is only black and white line drawings. They are nicely done and probably helped keep the cost down.
In some ways these are not typical Call of Cthulhu adventures. It starts with a strange event and expects the players to want to investigate. There is nothing wrong with that approach, you just have to make certain that your players know what kind of expectations to have. It wouldn’t have been The X-Files if Mulder ignored strange occurrences around him, and this adventure would make an excellent X-Files episode.
In other ways these adventures are very different from your typical Call of Cthulhu fare. It has no real connection to the mythos. The primary antagonists are pulled from the world’s mythology. The main antagonists are a take on the Three Fates or Three Hags or many other stories about three women with magical powers. The author gives a few ways that they can be integrated more closely to the Cthulhu Mythos, but I think it stands better apart. Lovecraft experts and new comers alike will have their expectations challenged during the course of the adventures and I think that is half the fun of Call of Cthulhu.
The author definitely put a lot of work into this module. An appendix includes all the various mythological sources that the Ladies of Sorrow can be linked to. A fairly lengthy introduction gives one a sense for how the adventures are meant to be used. If the idea of running a modern supernatural mystery is appealing, this module is for you.
Apathy Rating: 3/5.
Want to learn more about Our Ladies of Sorrow? Read on…
One of my first reviews was of the Pathfinder RPG Beta. It is probably a testament to Pathfinder’s growing popularity that it is, to date, my most read review. So with the release of the final game, I felt I should contribute my thoughts on the official product.
First a little background. When Wizard’s of the Coast released the 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons back in 2000 they did something remarkable. They released the core of the rules under a license known as the OGL. This license, which is irrevocable, allows other publishers to create works that are compatible with the d20 system that was the basis of that edition of D&D. The idea was to make it easier for more material to be released for the system. This would in turn drive up sales of the core books and other supplements by WotC. A number of publishing companies were created specifically to take advantage of this opportunity, and a new era of gaming was born.
One unintended consequence of this open license was the possibility for other publishers to rewrite the rules of the game. There are now quite a few variant rule systems out there, from Arcana Evolved to True20. Some companies created even more drastic changes, creating totally different game systems from the d20 system. When Wizards released the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, they did so under a much tighter license. There will be no games like Mutants and Masterminds based on 4th edition. Which is really too bad, because I think it would be a great system for a superhero game. But that is a discussion for another time.
With 3rd edition retired, but still available under the OGL, Paizo stepped up to carry the torch. Pathfinder is the d20 revision that is most like 3rd edition. It doesn’t chance the fundamentals of the game the way that Conan or Iron Heroes did. Instead the goal was to create a game that was mostly compatible with the old material. Paizo wanted to continue making 3rd edition adventures and supplements, but wanted the rules to still be available in print. So they took the opportunity to tweak the system and clean it up along the way. The Pathfinder RPG was born.
Unlike most role-playing games, Pathfinder underwent a yearlong public beta. Anyone could download the beta version for free and provide feedback on the forums. 3rd edition had already undergone one major revision in its lifetime, so the fundamental game is really quite refined. If you are looking for a drastically new system, Pathfinder isn’t it. It is more like a distillation of everything that made the d20 system great.
The book itself is physically quite impressive. It weighs in near 5 lbs and has 575 pages. It is in full color, and is beautifully illustrated throughout. It contains all the rules that used to be in the old Player’s Handbook and Game Master’s Guide. The book may have a hefty retail price, but the PDF is less than $10. There is also a rules reference document provided online for free. Paizo wants everyone to have access to the rules and give them a try. It is probably a little daunting for newcomers though.
I’m not going to go through a detailed list of how it is different from the old rules. The key changes I will point out are an easier skill system, a streamlined maneuver resolution system, and generally more options for character classes. Similar skills have been consolidated together and skill ranks now match levels directly. This is something I will port into any d20 game I use in the future. Special moves like grapple, trip, and bull rush all use a fairly simple combat maneuver system. Most classes now have more options to choose from. For example, sorcerers now can pick from several bloodlines which give them different bonus powers as they level.
I think the biggest strength of the system is also its greatest weakness. The d20 system has always been a very customizable rules set. Characters can mix and match classes at each level. There are a wide variety of feats a character can use to add variety to abilities. So while building a first level character is fairly easy, a new player joining a high level game for the first time can be overwhelmed with choices. If you want a game that has the potential for a lot of complex customization, this is it. If you are looking for a light rules system there are plenty of other good choices out there.
Paizo put a lot work into making this an amazing book and a great system. If you are interested in fantasy role-playing games, you should definitely check it out. It may not suit everyone’s taste, but the OGL will ensure that the d20 family will continue to evolve. The Pathfinder RPG another step forward in the evolution of the game.
Becoming a patron of the Open Design Project The Red Eye of Azathoth has rekindled my interest in Call of Cthulhu. This led me to poke around at Yog-Sothoth, the best source for news and information about all things Lovecraftian. Eventually I noticed a new trilogy of modules called Curse of the Yellow Sign. It is written by fantastic writer John Wick. I’m most familiar with his work from my days playing Legend of the Five Rings, but after reading this module I’m inclined to hunt for more.
First let me talk about Call of Cthulhu. This RPG has been around for as long as I have been gaming. The game is based upon the works of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors that expanded upon his ideas. One overriding theme to Lovecraft’s work is that there are things in the universe that the human mind cannot comprehend. There are terrible beings who barely even notice humanity, even when they are incidentally destroying or upsetting millions of lives. Against this backdrop characters are often expected to investigate mysterious occurrences, ancient ruins, and bizarre dimensions. Since exploring the unknown is a common theme the game is often set in the 1920’s and 30’s, the era in which Lovecraft wrote. In a time before satellite maps of every continent there were still places in the world to explore. There was room for massive pyramids in the unexplored Antarctic or complex hidden cave systems in the mountains around Los Angeles.
Call of Cthulhu is currently in its 6th edition, but the core rules really haven’t changed much over the years. The system is primarily skill based, with a simple advancement scheme where characters improve the skills they’ve used during a scenario. Unlike most role-playing games, more pages are spent dealing with a characters mental health than to combat. As characters learn more about the horrible things that lurk at the fringes of reality, they slowly drift toward madness. Role-playing insanity is one of the highlights of playing in a Call of Cthulhu game. More often a character’s career will end in the asylum than the graveyard. I have always felt this made the game best suited for one-shots, scenarios that are played out in one or two sessions. I’ve heard of people having longer campaigns, but I have never seen one.
Curse of the Yellow Sign – Act 1: Digging for a Dead God is designed to be played in a single evening as a standalone scenario. This might seem a little odd for part one of a trilogy, but the series is related by theme more than specific characters. The scenario comes with six pre-generated characters and it really should not be played without them. Unlike some adventures where premade characters are merely a convenience to get a game started quickly, much of the module’s story is built around the characters. The tension comes from the motivations and relationships that come with the characters. Many of the terrifying acts will be performed by the PCs against each other. Did I mention the player’s will be taking on the roles of Nazis?
The setting really starts quite simply. The group is a Nazi expedition to Africa whose goal is to secretly gather diamonds from a mine in the jungle before the British become aware of their presence in the area. A door with a gold symbol is uncovered by the workers, and when it is opened they learn a terrible secret. From there it is up to the players (with careful nudges from the GM) to do what they can to survive, and perhaps escape with some of the gold.
The scenario is definitely a sandbox. Probably half the module is advice on being a GM for a horror game. I should also emphasize the horror nature of the story. Unlike many Call of Cthulhu modules, there isn’t much of a mystery to discover. The characters may learn some horrible truths, but that isn’t the point. The point is to horrify your players and get them to be terrible to each other. Play on the player’s suspicions of one another; making just one character believe that another is betraying them is enough to spark everything into action. Whether they survive the night isn’t really as important as letting them have good interactions with each other.
As an inexpensive module this one is well worth picking up. If you’ve never played Call of Cthulhu this is a great way to try it out in a single evening. Just reading it made me want to run it. I just need to find six of my friends that I want subject unspeakable things to. Actually, what I really want is for John Wick to come over and run this scenario for myself and friends. I don’t think I can do it justice, but I’ll try.
Writing and putting together a module is quite an experience. It gave me a great respect for the work that other writers and publishers put into their products. We learned a lot that will make creating our next module much more efficient. I want to thank everyone who helped work on the project. I want to doubly thank any of you who check it out!
It has been a long time since I played a Hero System game. Champions is definitely my favorite role-playing game for a super heroes game. It is a point buy system that is very flexible for character creation. Powers can be customized with different advantages or limitations. While the system has expanded to allow for a number of different settings, super heroes has always been its strength.
So when I was given an opportunity to review the War of Worldcraft module for Hero System, I jumped at the chance. The module is definitely feels like a parody, poking fun at popular online rpgs and their players. I think the module works quite well as a one-shot, although I regret not having the opportunity to try it out before writing this review. I would definitely be interested in running it though, it looks like it would be a fun break between more serious games. The module does include advice for how to integrate into a longer campaign, it would be very easy to introduce the villain a few sessions before.
The super villain Download takes over a popular MMORPG and uses the players to hold its creating company hostage. His plan is to make an army of robots to take over the world. In the course of the adventure the heroes have to fight him at a crowded launch party, track him to his lair, get downloaded into robot bodies, and finally get uploaded into the online game itself. It looks like a wild ride, full of great role-playing opportunities.
One of the things I really like about this module is all the extra plot hooks. There is plenty of advice to gamemasters about events and NPCs to interact with. Each of the characters in the appendix has several plot seeds to add depth to their interaction with the players. There are enough ideas that one could easily expand to make this adventure a greater part of an existing campaign. I also like that it doesn’t assume the players will act in any particular way, and provides several methods for the heroes to resolve the adventure.
If you’ve never played Champions before, this module would be a great introduction. I highly recommend taking a break sometime from your regular game (online or table-top) and give this a try sometime. War of Worldcraft will provide a couple nights of good entertainment. After all, isn’t that what role-playing is all about?
Apathy Rating: 3/5.
Want to learn more about War of Worldcraft? Read on…
I’m a patron for Red Eye of Azathoth, one of the new Open Design projects. While the adventure was originally pitched for the Pathfinder RPG, the current poll (which ends the 23rd) has the Call of Cthulhu BRP system in a fairly commanding lead. This is looking to be the first true CoC patronage project! The only problem is, we need more patrons.
For those of you who haven’t been involved with a patronage project before, they are a unique way of creating adventures. Patrons interested in a specific project contribute money to help it cover production costs. This includes not just the writing, but professional illustration, editing, and layout. Patrons receive a PDF of the final product, with the option to buy print-on-demand versions at printing cost.
But patronage is more than just pre-ordering a limited edition product. It is also an opportunity to affect a number of decisions about how the adventure is made. You can contribute to brainstorming sessions. You also get to see the development process from start to finish. Even if you don’t contribute very much, it is a great experience to watch an adventure be created. If you’ve never been involved in a project like this, I highly recommend giving it a try.
As you can tell, I’m excited about this project. It looks like it will be a lot of fun, but we need patrons to make it happen!
Patronage is nothing new. Merriam Webster defines a patron as one that uses wealth or influence to help an individual, an institution, or a cause. During the Renaissance wealthy individuals would commission an artist to create a specific piece of artwork on contract. Sometimes the patron simply wished to support an artist whose work they enjoyed, and allowed the artist freedom to create what they desired. More often the patron dictated to varying degrees what the final piece should be like. Many important historical pieces of art were created using this system.
So what does that have to do with role-playing games? In 2006 Wolfgang Baur started an experiment called Open Design. He wrote an adventure, later named Steam & Brass, for a group of patrons who collectively commissioned it. These patrons were able to provide feedback and help steer the direction of the project, or they could wait and trust that Wolfgang would produce an excellent adventure. Essentially with the patron system a writer gets to bypass the normal publishing channels and work directly with the customers while the patrons get to see and shape the development of the product from the beginning. Participation in development is optional, but I found it the most valuable part. Not only does it help ensure that the final product turns out in a way that you desire, but it is a great way to learn about the writing and design of modules. At Open Design, no matter what level of involvement you choose each patron receives a PDF of the final product and could have access to a limited number of printed copies. With 7 projects behind him and an 8th, Halls of the Mountain King, currently in progress, something about the patron system must be working.
Why pay money toward something you are going to help contribute to? Certainly that isn’t something everyone is going to be interested in. Just remember, patronage isn’t merely buying a product. Patronage is supporting an artist, and in the case of an RPG, your funds can help pay for artwork, maps, editing, layout, and any other expenses that may occur. This isn’t a large company trying to maximize profit, but an artist that wishes to express their vision and needs a small community of supporters to make it happen.
Coming from an open-source software background I naturally found the idea of community collaboration appetizing. With the success of Open Design, other patron projects were sure to follow. Steve Russell, of Rite Publishing, started his own distinct project, the Rituals of Choice Adventure Path, an entire campaign with 25 individual adventures planned. Only the veryfirst one, A Witch’s Choice, has been released so far. I was fortunate enough to have heard about the project early and became one of the original patrons. Having been involved in the creation of the adventure, I can’t really give a fair review of it. I can, however, give my view into the patronage system from the inside.
During the course of A Witch’s Choice’s development there was an encounter that Steve was not satisfied with. He decided to open it for patrons to pitch a replacement. I decided to give it a shot, so I wrote up an encounter involving a will-o-wisp in a swamp. Before the selection process was finished Steve already had comments on how to improve the encounter and make it fit better within the overall story. When my encounter was selected he was very helpful throughout the process. I found him very easy to work with and particularly good about both giving and receiving constructive criticism.
While the whole process was very satisfying I was really amazed when I saw the map for my encounter. Jon Roberts did an fantastic job transforming my crude sketch into something I’d want to show off on my gaming table. Having helped create it, A Witch’s Choice isn’t just another module to me, it is something I’m a proud to have been a part of. I highly recommend anyone interested in game design to give a patronage project a try. Even a casual gamer will find it a unique and enjoyable experience. I know I will continue to participate in patron projects to enrich my gaming experience.
After getting a taste of Behind the Spells from the free articles at Kobold Quarterly, I went ahead and acquired the PDF of the compendium. Behind the Spells: Compendium is a collection of the first 36 articles in the series. Each article examines one of the spells that have been in Dungeons and Dragons since the earliest of editions.
An article is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the in-character history of the spell’s creation. The author explains the evolution of a spell from 1st edition to 3rd edition through the perspective of a dragon. Most of this lore is easily added to any fantasy setting, although at times it may directly contradict existing information. In particular he created a reason why the system reference document does not list the names of spell’s creators which are part of Wizard’s of the Coast’s trademarks. The spell histories he provides are entertaining to read. They also contain plenty of hooks and ideas a GM may wish to use in their game.
The second half of an article is a section on spell variants and tricks. Occasionally he gives a new monster or magic item, but most of the information is spell related. Spell tricks are ways to modify a spell at casting time. They usually require a spellcraft check to perform. Some people might think it gives too much power to spellcasters, but I believe it is the type of creative spellcasting that makes problem solving interesting. None of the tricks are particularly powerful; allowing a wizard to use cone of cold to create an ice bridge for example isn’t going to break your game. Also included are quite a few new spells which are creative variants of existing spells.
I usually like to write longer reviews, but each article is only 3-4 pages in length. The quality of articles is fairly consistent throughout. Each article packs a lot of data inside. I can’t classify this as a must have, but it is a very solid supplement. I recommend it to any GM or spellcaster who wants to spice up their use of spells. I certainly plan on picking up a hard copy next time I place a lulu order.
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products. So when I got the opportunity to review 
if Mulder ignored strange occurrences around him, and this adventure would make an excellent X-Files episode.
. Some companies created even more drastic changes, creating totally different game systems from the d20 system. When Wizards released the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, they did so under a much tighter license. There will be no games like 
did. Instead the goal was to create a game that was mostly compatible with the old material. Paizo wanted to continue making 3rd edition adventures and supplements, but wanted the rules to still be available in print. So they took the opportunity to tweak the system and clean it up along the way. The Pathfinder RPG was born.
. It wouldn’t be fair for me write a review of my own work, but a few reviews are now available at