The Ways of a Witch

"Way of the Witch" by Janet Pack, Jean Rabe, Megan Robertson, and Christina Styles Printed and Distributed by Citizen Games ISBN-10: 1-929474-39-3 -- 104 Pages "Way of the Witch" is a D20 sourcebook that adds Witches as a playable character class. Although set in the fictional world of "Myrra", it can be plugged into any D20 type campaign. Nine chapters make up the body of this work: 1) Introduction 2) Witch Classes 3) Skills and Feats 4) Witch Magic 5) Candle Magic 6) Familiars 7) The Way of Witches 8) Witch Organizations 9) Witch Adventure Ideas No index, but a very good Table of Contents. The front cover shows a witch with two wolf companions. According to this work, only Witches may have two familiars. The art throughout the book is black and white but does an extremely good job of conducting to the viewer a mood for this volume. I was very impressed by the art, and it added a lot of 'color' to the book, even if all the art is black and white. Like most more modern volumes, the first chapter is an introduction to the book in the form of a fictional portrayal of events, including a world timeline. Classes, the second chapter, has the usual 'how to create a character' part, but presents it in a very unusual way. Items about Witch language, definitions of Witch creation, good and bad karma, and creation of a spellbook before the Witch levels table, the Witch spells per day table, and the spells known table. Classes are next, with four entries: Black Witches (your evil-aligned sort), Brown Witches (almost like druids), Gray Witches (almost True Neutral in nature), "Vitae" Witches (who serve as guardians of covens), and finally White Witches (your good-aligned kind). The skills and feats you can take are most of the Third chapter. A small set of new skills and what each does, a collection of new feats, and a table for poisons. The Witch spell list is Fourth, describing all-new spells with a handy list of Witch spells by level. The remainder is just a list of spell definitions. Candle Magic, the Fifth chapter, is one of the ones I found very useful, not only for Witches, but as something you could pull out and place in your campaign even if you decide to not have Witch in it. Candle color properties and what each does is described. I may allow Witch player characters in my next Fantasy campaign, but I will use this section even if I decide to not allow players to have Witch characters. Sixth is Familiars, another chapter that could also serve in campaigns that do not allow Witches as PCs. There are tables for normal Witch familiars and what they are and what each can do. I can't even begin to tell you what this chapter will do to my next fantasy campaign, but I can tell you that I will use this info regardless. The ways of Witches is Seventh, and contains Coven membership and formation, a great section of musical and moon goddess types, clothing, holidays, and accessories. Witch Organizations - called "Gatherings" is Eighth, and gives large sets of covens specific names and what each believes and does. Seventeen gatherings are described. These large international groups could really spice up the various Witches that belong to them, each with their own ends, means, and ways. Characters do not have to belong to any of these groups, and could even decide to start their own. Finally, in the Ninth chapter are eight possible adventures and some sample characters probably best used as NPCs. These six NPCs are good examples. The appendix has a glossary and the Open Gaming License. I did not know quite what to expect from this book before purchase. The back cover, strangely enough, has a fiction component as well as a short bit about what lies inside. There was one sentence that made me hesitate - it indicated that this book had its own setting. But, I've always wanted to use Witches as NPCs or PCs. so I bought it and took it home and read it. Now, I =really= want to use this book as a resource for PCs and NPCs. The mood of this book was set by the art, which was drawn by Thomas Denmark. It stood out as a wonderful work, and I may go so far as to look for other art by Thomas. If you are thinking of adding Witches to a campaign, I can't think of a better choice than this one. Highly Recommended.

Are Witches Fated Souls?

"Witch - Fated Souls" by Elizabeth Chaipraditkul Printed and distributed by Angry Hamster Publishing ISBN-13: 978-90-824628-0-7 208 Pages If you have a strange bent of mind (and you know I do) then at least check out "Witch - Fated Souls". Set in the modern world, this book takes a hard look at the type of person that would be willing to 'sell their souls to the Devil'. This is a truly dark fantasy setting, in which players create witches in the modern world. The trade-off here is that =all= of your players are evil! This book should probably be marked as "For Mature Audiences Only". Several of the illustrations are quite graphic, and at least a few have nudity. Like quite a few gamebooks today, there is a short piece of fiction in the front (six pages) that might give prospective buyers a feel as to whether or not this book is for you. There is a short Chapter Overview that is supposed to serve as a Table of Contents but has no page references. Once past the fiction, there are nine chapters: 1) Character Creation 2) Vital Statistics 3) Magic 4) Higher Spell Levels 5) Mechanics 6) Expanded Mechanics 7) Setting 8) Animals, Entities, and Foes 9) GM Guide Within Chapter One, "Introduction" are small sections about the game (an intro to the game), the basics of Character Creation, and a handy "Character Creation Cheat Sheet" with a summary of what the beginnings of your player's character ideas might be, and a bit about Fates. Following that are seven sub-sections about the seven-character types: 1) Djinn 2) Druids 3) Heks 4) Liches 5) Seers 6) Sosye 7) Yokai The color illustrations for this part are very nice, and the two-page spread on each tells prospective players what each character type is and what part they play. This is a 'leg up' for both players and GMs. Chapter Two covers your player's vital statistics: what the attributes mean, what skills are available to each class, which pursuits they might like to follow, and what talents each possesses. Another part is about experience and skill levels. Chapter Three gives everyone information about magic - the spells broken down by class, Rituals known, both spiritual and practical, what potions can be created and/or used, a two-page chart of potions, and finally, magical alterations. Fourth is about higher-level spells. These are called "Deireadh" spells. Although small, these spells should only be learned or attempted by fairly high-level characters. GMs especially should look at them and find out if learning and casting these spells might unbalance their campaign. Chapter Five explains all the basic and advanced mechanics in your campaign. How Players and GMs should roll, Non-combat skill use, Combat specifics, and a food selection of weapons, explosives, and armor. Six is about expanding mechanics. Wishes, the "Devil's Deck" (which is an ordinary deck of Tarot Cards), Familiars, and artifacts. There is a two-page spread of what can happen when using artifacts, some of which are very good, some are good, some are just mediocre, some are bad, and some are very bad. Chapter Seven is about the setting for the game. The prospective GM should really pay close attention here, as it includes the back story, the present day, the Cosmos, which has three kingdoms, the kingdom of man, the kingdom of the dead, and the kingdom of the Changing Ones. The normal "planes" (if you will) of the Changing One, including the inner and outer planes of existence, and some notes on places and spaces, which include six cities. Eighth contains material about the Demons (with some very nice color plates), the monsters of the world, (with one totally nude being), and a few notable NPCs. The GM's Guide is Ninth, a smattering of information about the campaign's feel and plot, how a GM would handle negotiating with Demons and dealing with the "Deireadh" spells if they want to include them. Finally, there is a short appendix, in which you find a Lexicon,a very good index, and how to use a character sheet, and, of course, the character sheet itself (managing somehow to be only one page!). My take on this book is that, first of all, it contains a lot of information that may not be suitable for younger audiences, and may require the GM to decide if they want to run this at all (!). If you have the proper audience, you probably should go over the prospective campaign system and settings with your players to see if anyone has any objections to this type of system and setting. For instance, I am just twisted enough to try to run this system and setting, but I have no idea whether or not my current players would want me to. However, one place where this book would really shine, is as an extra piece of a another game that you want to run. Although meant for the current day, it would be easy enough to set this whole book into a fantasy medieval campaign, or as an adjunct of a post apocalyptic setting. My recommendation is to let the buyer look at it carefully enough to want to spend money on in order to either run it separately or as a very good part of their own world (although I would not recommend it for a science fiction setting). Your mileage may vary.

Underground denizens for D&D 3.5

"Monster Geographica - Underground" by Various Published and Distributed by Expeditious Retreat Press ISBN-10: 0-972-9376-2-5 Digest Sized - 200 Pages This slim volume is simply a collection of creatures and monsters from several other sources. The entries are not sorted alphabetically (there is a Table of Contents that does this), but by Creature Rating, so that GM's can turn to an appropriate CR for the group playing their game. There's also an index of monsters by type in case you need a specific type. So, instead of seeing an Arboleth (for instance), the first creature in the book is a "Barrow Rat" CR rating 1/4! The final entry is for a "Quickener", CR 20! There are 200 critters to baffle your players with. There are no drawings in the book, which might prove to be a problem, but I found that this made the book smaller and less expensive. You should normally give players just a description of a creature anyway. The format of the book is digest-sized, making it easier to carry around for outside the home gaming. This particular book lists creatures the prefer Underground locations. This unique idea allows a GM to quickly seize a book that complements the environment that players are passing through. A good majority of these creatures are not from any of the regular sources, such as the various D&D "Monster Manuals", but from other sources that GM's may not have in their current collection! There's also an index of monsters by type in case you need a specific type. So, instead of seeing an Arboleth (for instance), the first creature in the book is a "Barrow Rat" CR rating 1/4! The final entry is for a "Quickener", CR 20! In the upper corner of every page is the creature's CR. This feature makes it easy for a GM to choose creatures that perplex characters, and give them a workout without Total Party Kill. This unique idea is almost invaluable to a harried GM! There are five of these books altogether, making a library of various monsters that might be in your setting. At first, I thought that not putting them in alphabetical order was a bit strange, but I quickly warmed up to the idea of sorting by Challenge Rating. Although this is the first in the series, this is the second of these that I have bought, but it will =not= be the last! Even though the statistics for creatures is for D&D 3.5, most GM's can convert these easily. Based on my reading of this volume (#1 of 5), I shall be looking for the other three very soon! My recommendation for GM's needing a few unusual monsters is very high! You should also consider looking for the remaining volumes: #2 = "Marsh and Aquatic" Creatures. #3 = "Forest" Denizens. #4 = "Hill and Mountain" Types. #5 = "Plain and Desert" Beings. There seems to have been a plan to do a sixth volume called "City" but I do not believe they ever did that one.

Marsh and Aquattic Creatures for D&D

"Monster Geographica - Marsh and Aquatic" by Various Published and Distributed by Expeditious Retreat Press ISBN-13: 978-972-937-633-7 Digest Sized - 208 Pages This slim volume is simply a collection of creatures and monsters from several other sources. There are 200 critters to baffle your players with. There are no drawings in the book, which might prove to be a problem, but I found that this made the book smaller and less expensive. You should normally give players a description of a creature anyway. The format of the book is digest-sized, making it easier to carry around for outside the home gaming. This particular book lists creatures the prefer Marsh and/or Aquatic living areas. This unique idea allows a GM to quickly seize a book that complements the environment that players are passing through. The entries are not sorted alphabetically (there is a Table of Contents that does this), but by Creature Rating, so that GM's can turn to an appropriate CR for the group playing their game. There's also an index of monsters by type in case you need a specific type. So, instead of seeing an Arboleth (for instance), the first creature in the book is a "Lurking Lizard" CR rating 1/4! The final entry in the book is for a Northern Sea Dragon, CR 20! In the upper corner of every page is the creature's CR. This feature makes it easy for a GM to choose creatures that will perplex characters, and give them a workout without Total Party Kill. This unique idea is almost invaluable to a harried GM! There are five of these books altogether, making a library of various monsters that might be in your setting. At first, I thought that not putting them in alphabetical order was a bit strange, but I quickly warmed up to the idea of sorting by Challenge Rating. This is the first of these that I have bought, but it will =not= be the last! Even though the statistics for creatures is for D&D 3.5, most GM's can convert these easily. Based on my reading of this volume (#2 of 5), I shall be looking for the other four very soon! My recommendation for GM's needing a few unusual monsters is very high!

Could this be the best Membrane Keyboard?

The Very Best of the Membrane Keyboards As an amateur Gamer, I find the Apex 64121/64124 Keyboard to be one of the finest I have ever used! This keyboard has an absolutely amazing 26 (twenty-six!) separate individually programmable keys! Roll right? Roll Left? Roll and shoot right? Roll and shoot left? Jump, Duck, Run, you name it. Instead of a more complicated manner, just program a key and go! I can say that a mechanical keyboard has many advantages over a membrane keyboard, but I've never seen a Mechanical Keyboard with more than a half-dozen programmable keys, if any! What's better, is that if you download the accompanying software, you can have three different alternate patterns! I've got one for Real-Time Shooters, one for RPG's, and one specifically for the web, in addition to the default setting. If you can still find a new one, try it! I believe you'll like it!

Follow up on "Shelter in Place" laws.

OK - I've been informed that these "Shelter in Place" laws were originally enacted to help the citizens of the US in case it was attacked by a foreign power. Most of those laws date back to World War Two. Who knows how well they would have worked if the bombs started falling? Bruce

"Shelter in Place" laws

Hi! I'm not exactly sure how "shelter in place" regulations are legal - or Constitutional. Apparently, individual Governors of each Sovereign State can =order= citizens to stay in their homes except for things like groceries, drugs, and other medical necessities. OK - someone tell me why =any= government official can do this. These "shelter in place" regulations restrict my God-given freedom - a freedom guaranteed by the United States Constitution. What happened to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"? 'Liberty' should mean I do not have to listen to these orders. They are also restricting my 'pursuit of happiness' by restricting me to my home. I have heard that it is possible for police to issue a citation, in the form of a misdemeanor, which could, in some cases, remove my driver's license! Please! If someone knows why this is legal - contact me! Bruce

The Best of Both Worlds

"Amethyst Foundations" by Chris Dias Published by "Dias Ex Machina" and distributed by "Goodman Games" ISBN = 978-0-9841127-4-6 - 286 pages Table of Contents 01 - The Choices 02 - Races 03 - Lifepath 04 - Classes 05 - Paragon Paths 06 - Skills and Feats 07 - Equipment 08 - Expanding Characters 09 - The World that Changed 10 - The Look of the World 11 - Monsters 12 - Adventures Appendix A - Aliens and Cowboys Appendix B = Index Appendix C - Maps Appendix D - Character Sheets This system/setting is a wild and weird combination. It combines a true-to-life modern setting with realistic fantasy settings. The author postulates what would =really= happen if a magical world were to suddenly appear in a technology-based world like our own. Strangely enough, it does an extremely good job at conveying this change. Most larger cities (about 25,000 or so) survive normally (more or less). But smaller cities and towns are 'absorbed' into the new fantasy realms. In the cities that do survive, technology continues to work normally. Appliances, Computers, and anything based on modern conditions continues to work the way they always have. But, life outside the cities quickly transforms into fantasy realms. Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, and creatures and monsters exist just like they do in all of our fantasy literature. In fact, those Fantasy Realms =are= real fantasy literature brought to life. Oz, Narnia, Middle-Earth, Earthsea, Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and =all= the rest can be found if you survive long enough to find them. Some things change rapidly. No communication with any other city on the planet with each other works. Going too far outside the cities can be very dangerous. Every creature and monster that ever existed in our fantasy literature is =real=. There are two major ways to use this game. One is to assume that player characters are all from a modern realm. Soldiers, mercenaries, adventurers, and many others venture outside their walls into fantasy controlled realms. This part of this book reminds me of a game called "Morrow Project" where people from our time get suspended in time and then re-emerge later (=much= later than expected)! The other way assumes that the PCs are from one of the fantasy realms. If you can get everyone to be from just one of these realms, that makes life a little easier for a GM. This part of this book reminds me quite a bit of "Shadowrun". Of course, things can (and do!) go wrong. A team of researchers may decide to 'go rogue' and begin a new life with the 'outsiders'. But, if they do this, they risk a chance that a rescue party could come after them. On the other hand, a group of Chaparrans (sort of like Elves) could decide to leave their beloved forests and travel to the nearest techno city to make contact and perhaps more. This whole setting reminds me of "Numenera". But in Numenera, both magic and technology exist side by side. However, in "Amethyst", the distinctions between techno realms and magic realms are quite vivid. Magic generally does not work in techno areas. Magic is considered by this book as 'chaotic' and generally will not work in a technological city. The reverse is also true. Technology-based equipment begins to malfunction. Sometimes, they just don't work at all. But there are very rare times that a Techno gadget can explode! Techno equipment - from pistols and rifles, to complicated vehicles, will also begin to malfunction. They are considered "order" based. In other words, science works! They very rarely explode, but they can 'freeze up' enough so that it will not work at all, even if it is returned to a Technology-based area. In case you didn't know it by the other parts of this review, I =love= this game! So far "Numenera" is as close as I have ever gotten to the kind of campaign I would love to run! But I believe that this game is even closer to my ideal world. I remember running the old "Judges Guild" D&D settings for my friends. In the Wilderlands, you =may= be able to find the occasional old high tech gadget or ruins. For the record, then, this book and setting and system (although originally released for D&D fourth edition) has one of my very highest recommendations!

The Articles of Confederation

This is the complete text of the original Articles of Confederation. It was, essentially, the first "Constitution" for the united States of America. Many of the current Constitution's clauses and amendments are based on it. I highly recommend that you read it completely. It gives much-needed insight upon many of the clauses and meanings of the Constitution. Articles of Confederation July 09, 1778 TO ALL TO WHOM these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting. Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in Congress assembled did on the fifteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia in the Words following, viz. "Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia". Article I The Style of this confederacy shall be "The United States of America." Article II Each State retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled. Article III The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their Liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever. Article IV The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different States in this union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from Justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several States; and the people of each State shall have free ingress and regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restriction shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any State, to any other State of which the Owner is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any State, on the property of the united States, or either of them. If any Person guilty of, or charged with treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any State, shall flee from Justice, and be found in any of the united States, he shall upon demand of the Governor or executive power, of the State from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the State having jurisdiction of his offense. Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these States to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other State. Article V For the more convenient management of the general interests of the united States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislature of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each State, to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead, for the remainder of the Year. No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor by more than seven Members, and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the united States, for which he, or another for his benefit receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind. Each State shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the States, and while they act as members of the committee of the States. In determining questions in the united States, in Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote. Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any Court, or place out of Congress, and the members of congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests and imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. Article VI No State without the Consent of the united States in congress assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, or alliance or treaty with any King, Prince or State; nor shall any person holding any office of profit or trust under the united States, or any of them, accept of any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever from any king, prince or foreign State; nor shall the united States in congress assembled, or any of them, grant any title of nobility. No two or more States shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the united States in congress assembled, specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how long it shall continue. No State shall lay any imposts or duties, which may interfere with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the united States in congress assembled, with any king, prince or State, in pursuance of any treaties already proposed by Congress, to the courts of France and Spain. No vessels of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any State, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the united States in congress assembled, for the defense of such State, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be kept up by any State, in time of peace, except such number only, as in the judgment of the united States, in Congress assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defence of such State; but every State shall always keep up a well regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of field pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition and camp equipage. No State shall engage in any war without the consent of the united States in congress assembled, unless such State be actually invaded by enemies, or shall have received certain advice of a resolution being formed by some nation of Indians to invade such State, and the danger is so imminent as not to admit of a delay, till the united States in congress assembled can be consulted: nor shall any State grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the united States in congress assembled, and then only against the kingdom or State and the subjects thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as shall be established by the united States in congress assembled, unless such State be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept so long as the danger shall continue, or until the united States in congress assembled shall determine otherwise. Article VII When land-forces are raised by any State for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each State respectively by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such State shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the State which first made the appointment. Article VIII All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the united States in congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States, in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted to or surveyed for any Person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the united States in congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint. The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several States within the time agreed upon by the united States in congress assembled. Article IX The united States in congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war, except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article-of sending and receiving ambassadors-entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective States shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners, as their own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever - of establishing rules for deciding in all cases, what captures on land or water shall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the service of the united States shall be divided or appropriated - of granting letters of marque and reprisal in times of peace - appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally appeals in all cases of captures, provided that no member of Congress shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts. The united States in congress assembled shall also be the last resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that hereafter may arise between two or more States concerning boundary, jurisdiction or any other cause whatever; which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following. Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent State in controversy with another shall present a petition to congress, stating the matter in question and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of congress to the legislative or executive authority of the other State in controversy, and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who shall then be directed to appoint by joint consent, commissioners or judges to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question; but if they cannot agree, congress shall name three persons out of each of the united States, and from the list of such persons each party shall alternately strike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number shall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not less than seven, nor more than nine names as congress shall direct, shall in the presence of congress be drawn out by lot, and the persons whose names shall be so drawn or any five of them, shall be commissioners or judges, to hear and finally determine the controversy, so always as a major part of the judges who shall hear the cause shall agree in the determination: and if either party shall neglect to attend at the day appointed, without showing reasons, which congress shall judge sufficient, or being present shall refuse to strike, the congress shall proceed to nominate three persons out of each State, and the secretary of congress shall strike in behalf of such party absent or refusing; and the judgment and sentence of the court to be appointed, in the manner before prescribed, shall be final and conclusive; and if any of the parties shall refuse to submit to the authority of such court, or to appear to defend their claim or cause, the court shall nevertheless proceed to pronounce sentence, or judgment, which shall in like manner be final and decisive, the judgment or sentence and other proceedings being in either case transmitted to congress, and lodged among the acts of congress for the security of the parties concerned: provided that every commissioner, before he sits in judgment, shall take an oath to be administered by one of the judges of the supreme or superior court of the State, where the cause shall be tried, "well and truly to hear and determine the matter in question, according to the best of his judgment, without favor, affection or hope of reward;" provided also that no State shall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the united States. All controversies concerning the private right of soil claimed under different grants of two or more States, whose jurisdictions as they may respect such lands, and the States which passed such grants are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the same time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurisdiction, shall on the petition of either party to the congress of the united States, be finally determined as near as may be in the same manner as is before prescribed for deciding disputes respecting territorial jurisdiction between different States. The united States in congress assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective States - fixing the standard of weights and measures throughout the united States - regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the States, provided that the legislative right of any State within its own limits be not infringed or violated - establishing and regulating post offices from one State to another, throughout all the united States, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office - appointing all officers of the land forces, in the service of the united States, excepting regimental officers - appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the united States - making rules for the government and regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing their operations. The united States in congress assembled shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of congress, to be denominated "A Committee of the States," and to consist of one delegate from each State; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the united States under their direction - to appoint one of their number to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years; to ascertain the necessary sums of Money to be raised for the service of the united States, and to appropriate and apply the same for defraying the public expenses - to borrow money, or emit bills on the credit of the united States, transmitting every half year to the respective States an account of the sums of money so borrowed or emitted - to build and equip a navy - to agree upon the number of land forces, and to make requisitions from each State for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in such State; which requisition shall be binding, and thereupon the legislature of each State shall appoint the regimental officers, raise the men and clothe, arm and equip them in a soldier like manner, at the expense of the united States, and the officers and men so clothed, armed and equipped shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the united States in congress assembled. But if the united States in congress assembled shall, on consideration of circumstances judge proper that any State should not raise men, or should raise a smaller number than its quota, and that any other State should raise a greater number of men than the quota thereof, such extra number shall be raised, officered, clothed, armed and equipped in the same manner as the quota of such State, unless the legislature of such State shall judge that such extra number cannot be safely spared out of the same, in which case they shall raise officer, clothe, arm and equip as many of such extra number as they judge can be safely spared. And the officers and men so clothed, armed and equipped, shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the united States in congress assembled. The united States in congress assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque and reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the united States, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the united States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine States assent to the same: nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day be determined, unless by the votes of a majority of the united States in congress assembled. The congress of the united States shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the united States, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six Months, and shall publish the Journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations as in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each State on any question shall be entered on the Journal, when it is desired by any delegate; and the delegates of a State, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the said Journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several States. Article X The committee of the States, or any nine of them, shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of congress, such of the powers of congress as the united States in congress assembled, by the consent of nine States, shall from time to time think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be delegated to the said committee, for the exercise of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine States in the congress of the united States assembled is requisite. Article XI Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the united States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this union: but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States. Article XII All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed and debts contracted by, or under the authority of congress, before the assembling of the united States, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the united States, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said united States, and the public faith are hereby solemnly pledged. Article XIII Every State shall abide by the determinations of the united States in congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the united States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State. AND WHEREAS it hath pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in Congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said articles of confederation and perpetual union. KNOW YE that we the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do by these Presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said articles of confederation and perpetual union, and all and singular the matters and things therein contained: And we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the united States in congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said confederation are submitted to them. And that the articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the States we respectively represent, and that the union shall be perpetual. In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania the ninth Day of July in the Year of our Lord one Thousand seven Hundred and Seventy-eight, and in the third year of the independence of America. On the part and behalf of the State of New Hampshire: JOSIAH BARTLETT JOHN WENTWORTH JUNIOR. August 8th 1778 On the part and behalf of The State of Massachusetts Bay: JOHN HANCOCK SAMUEL ADAMS ELBRIDGE GERRY FRANCIS DANA JAMES LOVELL SAMUEL HOLTEN On the Part and Behalf of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: WILLIAM ELLERY HENRY MARCHANT JOHN COLLINS On the Part and Behalf of the State of Connecticut: ROGER SHERMAN SAMUEL HUNTINGTON OLIVER WOLCOTT TITUS HOSMER ANDREW ADAMS On the Part and Behalf of the State of New York: JAMES DUANE FRANCIS LEWIS WILLIAM DUER GOUV MORRIS On the Part and in Behalf of the State of New Jersey, November 116, 1778: JNO WITHERSPOON NATHANIEL SCUDDER On the Part and Behalf of the State of Pennsylvania: ROBERT MORRIS DANIEL ROBERDEAU JOHN BAYARD SMITH WILLIAM CLINGAN JOSEPH REED 22nd July 1778 On the Part and Behalf of the State of Delaware: THOMAS McKEAN February 16, 1779 JOHN DICKINSON May 5th 1779 NICHOLAS VAN DYKE On the Part and Behalf of the State of Maryland: JOHN HANSON March 1 1781 DANIEL CARROLL On the Part and Behalf of the State of Virginia: RICHARD HENRY LEE JOHN BANISTER THOMAS ADAMS JNo HARVIE FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE On the Part and Behalf of the State of North Carolina: JOHN PENN July 21st 1778 CORNs HARNETT JNo WILLIAMS On the Part and Behalf of the State of South Carolina: HENRY LAURENS WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON JNo MATHEWS RICHD HUTSON THOMAS HEYWARD JUNIOR On the Part and Behalf of the State of Georgia: JNo WALTON 24th July 1778 EDWARD TELFAIR EDWARD LANGWORTHY

New Feature for Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn

Song of Soaksend is the beginning of a new feature for Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn. Song of Soaksend adds custom dice to the already good matrix of characters, and this feature begins here! The dice, although including a random element for this deck, adds a bit of flavor to the older additions. This new feature makes Ashes even more exciting! I, for one, cannot wait for more of these 'second edition' characters! If you like Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, my guess is that you will love this new feature to the game!

A Blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and Space Opera, and Mythology

OK! Is it Science Fiction? Is it Fantasy? Is it Mythology? Maybe a combination of all of the above! On the good ship "unity" we have all three! And a good bit of humor and a good bit of raunchiness as well. This story hops along with the motley crew from one adventure to the next, reminding me a bit of the old 'serials'.With the cast of one human, and several minor (and even an appearance by major) gods and goddesses, they go from an extended look at the inhabitants of the main world on which the action takes place. There are many scenes where Rekar'ree attempts to stop them - even appearing to kill them once. But eventually, our heroes triumph and continue on to rid this sector of the galaxy of one more group of bad guys. However, it was not any of this which kept me reading, it was the humor. Humor is used to good effect in several places in this novel that left me wanting to see another. Highly Recommended!

The Beginning of the Loki series by C. Gockel

Atomic: An I Bring the Fire Short Story (A Loki Series) by C. Gockel I was not ready for the complete theme change after the prologue, but when it happened, so early in the story, I kept reading this short story which has only four chapters. My love of all things Nordic captured me at once. The relationship between Loki and Sigyn was told very well. Loki, like a lot of other Asgardian Gods, takes many lovers. As Sigyn is standing in the middle of the atomic holocaust of Hiroshima, she is almost at her limit of handling the psychic cries for help. Although this is only a short story, I found myself drawn into the story of Sigyn and her relationship with Loki and her memories of a time long ago. However, she cannot ignore the whirlwind of the destruction of the first atomic bomb blast. If this is any indication of the series of books she has published about Sigyn, you can be sure I will look for them! I'll put "I Bring the Fire Part I: Wolves" very high on my 'must buy' list!

Xro Dinn Chronicles 2: New Horizons

"Xro Dinn Chronicles Book 2: New Horizons" by Matthew Webster Published and Distributed by Ionian Studios ISBN = 0-96599-17-2-5 - 236 pages Table of Contents Part 01 - Foundation Part 02 - Characterization Part 03 - Props Part 04 - Stage Setting Part 05 - Theme Setting Appendix A = Tables and Charts Index and Character Sheet This book is an addition to the previous Xro Dinn Chronicles setting. The first book in the series was called: "Xro Dinn Chronicles Book One: Awakenings". See my review of that book elsewhere on this site. It has great color covers, but the remainder of the book has black and white illustrations. Not only do these illustrations help you to imagine what you are looking at, but they add a 'flair' to the book. This is one of the rare books that have a good Table of Contents -and- a good Index. There are many new features added to the game by this 'sequel'. In addition to allowing young Xro Dinn as player characters, this book has four other new Player Character Races. There is very detailed information on all of these new Player Characters. The new races are: Borloan, Kordron, Krik, Vajjra, young Xro Dinn, and the Ingenii. One of my favorite parts is the extremely detailed work on each of the possible Player Characters. This section also includes a great look at the "Ingenii", another good bit on Nanotechnology, quite a bit on Starship Construction, info on Cloning, a nice section on Martial Arts, and a good look on including Psionics in your campaign. Many new Professions are also included. Nine new character classes: Investigator, Martial Agent, Military Officer, Pilot, Scholar, Security Specialists, Simulacrum Agent, Soldier (which looks to me like a Mercenary), and Spacer, make the cut to player character status. The book itself is laid out well, and info from each section is a logical step to the next section. The new alien races as PCs are broken down into sub-sections about each new race. I believe that this is a nice touch, and gives potential GM's a way to decide whether they want to include any of or all of the new races. New professions are added, and a detailed look at using the Ingenii in your campaign - either as PC's or NPC's, or both! Finally, the section about Psionics and its advantages and disadvantages and five new Psionic character classes. In Props, the author adds a bit on Tech Levels, Cloning, and Computer Interfaces. Then the props section is broken down into sub-sections with equipment for each new race. Even if you do not want any of these characters, the equipment section deserves a look because the items could still be found and/or used by current PC's. This equipment section is also broken down by race. The next deals with "Staging" your setting. This includes organizations and three new sub-sections broken down by race. This is a 'prequel' to the theme of this setting, which looks at Creating Campaigns, and also has two NPC info sections, one for the Sharr'dann and one for adult Xodar Xro Dinn which cannot be player characters. Finally, there is a part of all the tables and charts a GM might need. If you can't tell, I love this setting. I cannot find anyone in my two Friendly Local Game Stores that know about it, either as an item they sold, or a game they have played. This one advantage to the Xro Dinn Chronicles makes them even more interesting to a potential GM. None of their players is likely to have these books - in fact, I'd be willing to say that they have never even heard of this. Unlike many games such as Star Wars RPG, Star Trek RPG, and others - have a universe the players are probably going to be aware of. The unfamiliarity factor is important, as a good GM can make the players see what they want to see. One of my higher recommendations.

Xro Dinn Chronicles 1 - Awakenings

"Xro Dinn Chronicles - Book One: Awakenings" by Matthew Webster Published and Distributed by Ionian Studios ISBN = 0-96599-17-1-7 - 268 pages Table of Contents Part 01 - Foundation Part 02 - Characterization Part 03 - Props Part 04 - Stage Setting Part 05 - Theme Setting Appendix A = Tables and Charts Index and Character Sheet "The Dawn of a New Age is Upon Us." (Quoted from back cover.) It is always best to start at the beginning. Before the main sections of this book are two text pages. The first is called "The Sleeper Chronicles" and the second is "Conversations at Nightspawn". I'd suggest reading these two more than once. They give valuable insight into the points of this game. This is followed by short sections on Basics and Game Mechanics. Then charts for Racial Reactions, Intensity Levels, Technology Levels, a paragraph or two on your Primary Attributes, Secondary Attributes, and Other Attributes. The final part is about Combat. At the end of this is a chart for combat modifiers. Section Two is the meat of the book - How to create a player character of the allowable classes and races. A chart about Racial Age Attributes and Perception Modifiers for each of the seven races is included. Honor and "Face" are very important. Then this tome goes on to explain each of the available races. Middarians are first, followed by: Pjanji, Quiizbenqq, Sehlmna, and Terran - both Male and Female. Then calculate your skills. Each skill you take will have a cost, There are Basic Skills, for which have no prerequisites, and Advanced Skills which do have prerequisites. If taking an Advanced Skill, make sure you have the necessary prerequisites. Then there are Professions, which also have prerequisites. A wonderful section on all skills (in alphabetical order!) and their meanings follows. Sometimes, it might be better (and cheaper!) to buy a life skill package. The next part includes Professions, and, most importantly, the equipment necessary. Look at the Corporate skill package, or the Engineer skill package, or the Freelancer skill package, or the Ingenii skill package, or the Intelligence Agent, or the Medic, or the Merchant, or the Rogue, or the Scientist, or the Technician, or the Psionics Specialist (if you are allowing Psionics in your campaign), or the Psionic Sensitive skill package. Next is the Props section, which is broken down into fourteen parts. 01 - Weapons, 02 - Defenses, 03 - Computers, 04 - Robots, 05 - Bionics, 06 - Cybernetics, 07 - Interface Tech, 08 - Transportation, 09 - Medicine, 10 - Equipment, 11 - Middarian Tech, 12 - Pjanji Tech, 13 - Quiizbenqq Tech, 14 - Sehlmna Tech, and 15 - Terran Tech. Following that is the Stage Setting and the many pieces of the universe, including Cybertronix, Mind Tech (if you are allowing Psionics), the Arcane, and a good look at the components of the Frontier worlds, broken down into each part of the frontier as claimed by alien races. The main theme of the game is storytelling the various parts of the explored spaces. If you are a player, do =not= look at this section, as it includes information about the "bad guys" of the universe. Here lie the major NPC's: the Sharr'Dann, the Metamorphs, and the Xodar Xro-Dinn. A good index and a character sheet finish off this work of genius. If you can't tell, I love this setting. I cannot find anyone in my two Friendly Local Game Stores that know about it, either as an item they sold, or a game they have played. This one advantage of the Xro Dinn Chronicles makes them even more interesting to a potential GM. None of their players is likely to have these books - in fact, I'd be willing to say that they have ever even heard of this. Unlike many games such as Star Wars, Star Trek, and others have universes players are probably going to be aware of. This unfamiliarity factor is important, as a good GM can make the players see what they want to see. One of my higher recommendations.

More than just a six month campaign!

Although a bit dated now, the world setting of "Ruins of the Dragon Lord" is one of the better boxed sets to come along in a long time! Although it said "6 Month Campaign", I suspect it could be turned into a world you could run quite a bit longer than that! This little known giant boxed set from "Complete Campaigns" (and distributed by Mongoose) includes one 64 page and two 128 page rulebooks, nine double-sided "A4" sized maps, and a giant double-sided poster map that details all twenty levels of the dungeon of "Mount Moru", another double-sided poster-size map of the area, and a full-sized version of the cover! This boxed set is quite capable of taking characters from first level all the way through to 20th level and still giving them a challenge! I suspect prospective GM's will not regret getting this! One of my highest recommendations!

The Starship "Warden"

Here's my latest (and probably my last) Kickstarter favorite! Written by my Facebook friend, James Ward, it will be a huge setting for Troll Lord's "Star Siege" system and includes conversions to Metamorphosis Alpha rules! This Generational Ship is probably one of the very largest settings for a Science Fiction game in a long time, if not ever! The "Warden" is forty-nine =miles= long, twenty four =miles= wide, and six =miles= high! It is capable of allowing a prospective GM to run a campaign that may last a lifetime! It is currently at over $63,000 in pledges, and contains expansions that will allow it to go even higher! The latest expansion to these rules is more Deck expansions, which can carry it to $70.000 in pledges! There is still plenty of time to get a pledge in if you are interested! Still seven days left to pledge! Tell them Bruce sent you! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/676918054/the-starship-warden?ref=cgqssh

Resolutions for 2020

Friends: My check allowance (twice a month) is going from about $250 per check to about $100 per check. My expenses are about the same regardless of how much "allowance" I receive. My first check, which comes on or very near the first of each month, still contains a $60 smart phone contract, leaving me about $40 for myself. My second check, which comes (for some strange and unknown reason) on the second Wednesday of each month, has a credit card payment of $50, leaving me $50 for myself. This means that I'll be going from about $390 of spendable cash each month to about $90 per month. Basically, this means I'll have to cut out most (if not all) of Kickstarter. It will have to be something so absolutely fabulous that I feel like I =must= pledge. One example of the "must pledge" category recently was the "Divinity Original Sin Board Game" by Larian Studios and Lynnvander Studios. I have spent (wasted?) countless hours with Larian's computer games, starting with the original "Divine Divinity". I got into this at the highest level I could afford. They may put up a late pledge, but right now they are recovering from the shock of the amount of their success. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin-the-board-game?ref=user_menu Another good example is Troll Lord's "Starship Warden" project. I know James M. Ward and really like his work. I can't wait to put PCs in the generation ship and see what happens. Their pledge drive is still going on: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/676918054/the-starship-warden My final example is Imperial Publishing's "Red Outpost" board game. The setting was so original I could not resist. Heck, to be honest, I hope to use material from this in an RPG. I may write it myself! Their pledge drive is also still going on: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sleevekings/red-outpost-the-2-4-player-communist-utopia-board-game I highly suspect these may be some of my final pledgings for Kickstarter. My Mileage May Vary. The same is true for eBay. I have a =lot= of items on my "want list", but I'm going to have to pick and choose the very best in my new budget range. My wife is helping me with this by setting up 'camp' on eBay and selling off some of my old stuff (mostly gaming books) and I get to keep ten percent of what she makes, because the household budget is also very tight. If you want to see what we have on eBay right now, check below. My wife is also selling some art and art prints there. https://www.ebay.com/sch/nitelvr/ However, if you follow this blog at all, expect to see a =lot= more from me in 2020. I'll be increasing my reviews of games and gaming items quite a lot, and I'll also be posting other insights here. Hope to see a lot more people reading this in 2020. Keep on Trekkin! Bruce

Eight Elements!

The Eight Elements by Aleksandar Petrovic November 2019 - True Mask Games Available on Drive Thru RPG I had already developed a five-tier system - Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void. This small booklet gave me my "Void" magic. Their "Duul" seems fairly close to my Void Magic, and then adds two more - 'Nature', and 'Metal'. I've read the "Malazan Books of the Fallen" and know a bit about how their magic system might work. The addition of Nature (green growing living things) and it's opposite, Metal (no growth here - just solid metals), seemed to me to be even closer to what I want for my setting! Elementalists are one of the most respected and powerful magic users in my world! This was great! I'll be using this quite a bit in my newest campaign worlds and settings!

A "Captivating Guide"

"The Anglo-Saxons" by Matt Clayton ("A Captivating Guide to the People Who Inhabited Great Britain from the Early Middle Ages to the Norman Conquest of England") Published by "Independent" ISBN-13: 978-1096156635 This small, almost pamphlet-sized document tries to put the entire history of the people and lands finally known as Anglo-Saxon into one place. In its mere 136 pages, Matt Clayton manages to put more of the history of these people, how they lived their daily lives, and how they defended their territories against invaders, into one place. The people who became known as the Anglo-Saxons were from primarily Germanic stock, the Angles and the Saxons. This covers from the time period when both the Angles and the Saxons came to Brittania in about 450 AD, to 1066 AD, the Norman Conquest. Since this covers a great deal of history, one cannot expect this 136-page booklet to go into very much extended detail. But this booklet should stimulate the reader to find out more about these people and this time. Its chapters include: 0) An Introduction 1) The Anglo-Saxons Arrive 2) Early Anglo-Saxons 3) Culture of Anglo-Saxons 4) Everyday Life 5) Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms 6) Anglo-Saxon Legacy 0) A Bibliography, Reference Works, and Notes Oddly enough, the author begins by referencing what seems to be a totally unrelated book - or is it? The inclusion of George R. R. Martin's masterwork, "A Song of Ice and Fire" makes obvious comparisons between that work and the real history of the Anglo-Saxons. Martin based his whole story (more or less) on the history of the Anglo-Saxons. For instance, "Westeros" is clearly the Island of Britain. Then Clayton's book heads back to the main points. First, we seen Britain under the rule of the Romans. But with the declining power of the Roman Empire, they paid less and less attention to ruling Britain. It is said that the end of Roman Rule in Britain was the year 410 AD. After that, the story of the Sub-Roman rule follows. Many examples of culture and social structure are given. Finally, a glimpse into the legacy left behind by the Anglo-Saxons is presented. Reading this study, one can get a sense of what life might have been like in that era. By addressing their culture, what they did in life, their religions, the fracturing into small kingdoms and from there to the growth of larger kingdoms, and leaving off with the legacy left us by the Anglo-Saxons (including much of what was to become the English Language) makes the remainder of the work provide the casual student a good idea of what went on, and also provides for a great jumping-off point for a more thorough study of those times. This is one of many "Captivating Guides" by Matt Clayton available. I rather liked this one, especially when presented with the similarities between the real Anglo-Saxon beginnings and their connection to one of my favorite novels. Recommended.

Worth More Than it Looks

Men and Monsters of Ethiopia by Michael O Varhola Skrmisher Publishing - 50 pages ISBN-13: 978-1935050698 Although small, this booklet packs a very large information database for both the men (tribesmen, etc) and the Monsters of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is an extremely old area of the world and has a very rich history of the country of Ethiopia at its beginnings, and also the legends and myths of the Tribesmen that populated that area. The author, Michael O Varhola, has included first-hand research of this nation, its peoples, and its mythology. Cracking in at only 50 pages, you will be amazed at this small, but comprehensive guide. My high recommendation!

Always Remember

On this solemn day, everyone should take the time to remember those who perished in the 9/11 attack, and those who perished =because= of the 9/11 attack, and their families. A moment of thought from the GURPSGM.

Porphyra - Planet of Many WOrlds!

"Lands of Porphyra" by Perry Fehr Published and distributed by Purple Duck Games ISBN-13: 978-0-9937702-8-9 As a long-time GM, I can tell you that I'm familiar with all kinds of types of RPG's. From Fantasy to Science Fiction, to Horror, and many more. My current favorite series is Monte Cook's "Numenera" setting. It's sort of like a combination of Science Fiction with Fantasy. The variety of this never fades. But, if I had to pick a new game to run, I think I would have to choose Pathfinder (1.0) with Purple Duck's "Lands of Porphyra" setting. In its 216 pages, it presents a setting even more bizarre than Numenera! The first thing you get to is the info on the book, info on the world, info on how the world is set up, a one-page history, and then - an incredible fifty-two different areas of the world and its inhabitants! Believe it or not, there are an even more incredible 72 different races, most of which are playable! Following this are Religions, what life on this world is like, Trade, Flora and Fauna, Giants, Languages, Weather, Magic, and a host of new spells to go with it, Organizations, Regional Traits, an NPC section, and finally a quick start dungeon crawl! The full color really helps the reader visualize some of the things you might see, and all this is packed into the setting book! So, if you are looking for a book to use to help Pathfinder 1.0 go out with a big bang, I'd highly recommend this!

Gaming Industry Giant passes beyound the silver veil.....

The following comes directly from Rick Loomis' own "GoFundMe" account..... Fate is a strange mistress. For today is August 24th and that is Rick's Birthday. Unfortunately, today is also the sad, sad day that I have to tell you all that Rick Loomis passed away, just seven hours before his birthday of complications of his cancer. Rick was an amazing person. He had the ability to inspire and nurture talented people to be more talented than they thought they could be. He had the ability to give his people the freedom to develop their own solutions to problems and then he would calmly guide them. He did this in every facet of his life, whether it was in gaming or management or even his church softball league. Maybe that's one of the reasons why so many people loved Rick and loved working with and for him and why he attracted so many talented people like Mike Stackpole, Larry Ditillio, Liz Danforth, Jennifer Roberson, Ken St Andre and so many others who went on to create entire worlds and realms -- Rick encouraged that in a way few do. Rick sacrificed his life for a dream. A dream of wonderful, fun games and worlds of adventure. Games that inspired creativity and fun. Rick' s games were always in the end, about fun - not winning. Rick's dream will live on and we who he has left behind will do our part to carry that dream forward. And we will never forget what he taught us - patience, persistence, fun, and kindness. That is what Rick stood for. His loss will leave a hole in our community, our industry, and our hearts - but I urge you to remember to be kind to each other, be patient with each other and don't let go of your dreams. Rick never did. The world is lessened by your absence Rick, and you are missed... https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gaming-legend-rick-loomis?member=2733348. A howl greets the Warriors of Sto-Vo-Kor today. A true giant of the RPG industry has now arrived. Bruce Gray

If you use Tarot then the Radiant Rider-Waite is for you!

"Exploring Tarot Using Radiant Rider-Waite" by Avia Venefica Published and distributed by U. S. Games Systems ISBN-13: 978-1-57281-809-5 Although I am an experienced reader, I've been looking for a long time now for a book that I could recommend to people who want a book for beginners. This =is= that book. In its nine sections, it beautifully illustrates using the Rider-Waite Tarot, and specifically the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot. I cannot recommend this book (and, for that matter, this deck) highly enough to beginners as well as to those like me who would like to refresh their reading skills. Basically, the book is broken down into major parts - the beginning, the cards, reading the cards, the four basic spreads, spreads for specific questions, and three appendixes. In Section One, there is a bit of info on the Tarot deck itself, how to use your natural intuition, using allegory, and your dialogue, then a bit about how to use this book, and a glossary of Tarot related terms. In Section Two, certainly the largest section of this book, are the cards - the 22 Major Arcana, then the suit of Wands, the suit of Pentacles, the suit of Swords, and the suit of Cups. Each card from the Radiant Rider has an illustration of that card, some info about the card, and, most importantly, the meaning of that card in your readings - both in an upright and in a reversed position. The guidelines for quick reads is a great starting point for beginners and comes in four parts - what that card may represent in the areas of love, money, career, and family. Although each card is only given two pages each, you are given quite enough data to interpret each card. In Section Three you will see reading basics. how to ask questions and how to get answers, and your readings! Four basic spreads are included: #1) Past, Present, Future #2) Daily Encounters Another three-card spread, this time into #1) You, #2) Encounters, and #3) Outcome, #3) Take Action A four-card spread of #1) You, #2) The Known, #3) the Unknown, and #4) action and #4) A modified Celtic Cross with only six cards. After that is parts about Financial Forecasting, Love & Relationships, and a Whole Health spread with seven cards. Finally the Appendixes - a FAQ, Symbolism, and the Index. I don't believe I've ever seen a better book for beginners! Every card spelled out, simple direct meanings of upright and reversed cards, and much more, all in the same vivid color of the Radiant Rider Tarot! And it accomplishes this with only 264 pages! As a long-time Tarot reader, I get asked frequently about a book I'd recommend to novices. As I said in the beginning, this =is= that book!

A true beginner's guide!

"Hero's Handbook" by Jason Bulmahn and Sean Reynolds Published and distributed by Paizo Publishing ISBN-13: 978-1601256300 The Hero's Handbook is an integral part of the Beginner Box. It is probably the very best way for a new player to become at least semi-familiar with the basic Pathfinder rules. In its scant 64 pages, it gives new players a great way to immediately enter the world of Golarion! Instead of the usual boring "What is a Role-Playing Game", it has a very short solo adventure called "The Skeleton King's Crypt". It is more like the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. In only seven pages, it is a rather unique entry into Pathfinder and Role-Playing Games. The "Getting Started" section it gives info on "Creating a Character", then moves into choosing a race. There are only three choices, but they are the "bread and butter" of a Fantasy Role-Playing Game. Only Dwarves, Elves, and Humans are covered. At that point, it gives player info on the various character classes available in this book. It covers: Clerics, Fighters, Rogues, and Wizards. After that, it allows players an opportunity to customize their first character. Skills are next, and there are only 12 of these. Once again, these are the skills that a beginner might use. Feats follow, with thirty classic feats. So - what is your character going to need while adventuring? The equipment section gives a few ideas. Some weapons, some armor, and some gear. Now - Let's roll some dice! In the "Playing the Game" section, it deals with how to use the "Rules of the Road". Do you want to strike out and adventure? Go exploring! There are three basic environments - Dungeons, Wilderness, and Cities. The remainder of this pamphlet is devoted to thing like: Combat, Special Actions, Criticals and Threats, Armor Class, Damage, Concealment, Injury and Death, Casting Spells, Saving Throws, Mounted Combat, Reading Spells, and Leveling Up. Virtually the entire booklet is used. Even the inside front cover, inside back cover, and outside back cover are not wasted! I'd say this was a pretty good book for beginning Pathfinder - especially if you are new to the game. Even an experienced Dungeon Master like me can use this book for basic info. If you want to start with Pathfinder, there is almost no better book - despite the forthcoming Pathfinder 2.0.

Maybe you could win.....

THere's a giveaway going on right now to provide one lucky winner with boatloads of new RPG books. Visit: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8fa474c514/?fbclid=IwAR3b5a5C83xsIC4TbewOKgQwq5fjoBan-vYSsTHUNZC2YkwrjM8cFFAepXg and find out more!

Raising awareness about Querent

There's a great idea floating on the seas of Kickstarter right now that I believe you should support! It's called "Querent" and it is a role playing game that uses Tarot Cards for play! I've used Tarot ever since my Great-Aunt Jessica taught me how to read cards and auras in 1968! Here's the link to the project - they are a little below half way to thier final goal of $17,000 to produce an actual Tarot Deck that would be sold with the game! Here you go: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fatbirdstudios/querent-the-cartomancers-tome Thanks for watching my blog entries! Bruce

Querent? What is it?

Folks, I may have just found my favorite Kickstarter project of 2018! It's called "Querent" - and it is a way to use Tarot Cards in a Role Playing Game in many ways! There are ways to use Tarot for Character Generation with a "Personality Spread"! There are ways to use Tarot for your plot generation.... And, believe it or not, there are ways to use Tarot for SOLO gaming! I've never seen a project that so dovetails into my ideas this way! Here's the link to follow - let's all get involved and push this project over the $17,000 mark! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fatbirdstudios/querent-the-cartomancers-tome/description or use their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/querentgame/

The Arcane Wonders

Hi fellow gamers! If you want to take a bit of the load off the GM's shoulders, this is a great resource: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com https://www.facebook.com/gurpsgm?hc_ref=ARTeqxA8ObDmixzR0Wgi-Q2dTaPnWhuu6nZp7nxItTZyg6YncW_HqoMyrNvdtQ1IF0k&fref=nf&__tn__=C-R https://twitter.com/gurpsgm These cards will be a great resource for GM's and handy, too, as they are much smaller that a whole book.... I did, and bought practically all of the https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/products/ and enjoy them very much! You probably will, too. Bruce

Just a tidbit for today

RPG Geek link to my page

Not just Towers of Adventure

"Towers of Adventure" by James M Ward Published and distributed by Troll Lord Games ISBN-13: 978-1-936822-92-8 In its mere 54 pages, ToA provide dozens, if not hundreds, of possible adventures and adventure seeds. There are only three chapters: "Book One: Illustrations and Maps", "Book Two: Hooks, NPC's, and Monsters", and "Book Three: Treasures and Traps". There are 15 pages in Book 1, which details fifteen different towers. These are simple Black and White one page illustrations, which have numbered rooms corresponding to the map and a map key. In the Map Key, however, are only slots for the GM to use for whatever happens to be in that location, if indeed there is anything at all. Some pages have a small number of rooms, the smallest of which was 11; and some pages have a large number of rooms - the largest of which was 31. There are 17 pages in Book 2. Part 1 of this has charts for assorted 'services' that a crafty GM could use to separate PC's from their gold; in Part 2 there are small adventure 'hooks' a potential GM could use for rumors (some of which might be true), and the largest section, Part 3, deals with NPC's; and finally monsters in Part Four. Finally, in Book 3, Part 1 deals with themed treasures, which are treasures geared to a specific class of character, and Part 2 has some diabolical traps a GM could spring on PC's - and, even better, ways for PC's to use those same traps to entrap their hideways against NPC's and/or monsters. This product reminded me of the good old days of Judges Guild, who produced many supplements for early D&D. It reminded me the most of the "Maps" series - a collection of booklets just detailing a group of maps (such as "Island Book I" or "Castles Book I"). This book is a great resource for potential GM's using =any= system that is based on a fantasy setting. Heck, on a =good= day, you could argue that these maps could exist on some strange unknown planet your Sci-Fi characters were exploring. The "Siege Engine" system of Troll Lord Games is incredibly easy to convert to any D20 based game, and most of this book could almost be used in any game - period. Considering the low price and the almost universal system, I'd highly recommend it to any of my D20 gamers, and at least recommend it to any gamer. Your Mileage May Vary.

Hellenica: Story of Greece

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love stuff like the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Norse, and all other mythologies. Now I have a chance to promote what looks like it's going to be a great 4X type game about Ancient Greece - "Hellenica: Story of Greece". This game will give players the opportunity to be Emperor of Greece! I've always loved 4x games (BTW: 4X stands for "EXplore, EXpand, EXploit, and EXterminate." starting with the very first edition of Civilization and all the way to the present day. It's the hundreds, if not thousands, of different ways that a group can act out controlling a civilization! There's a Kickstarter going on right now (Monday, Sept 03, 2018) that might do the trick. You have only three days to get involved! So - what are you waiting for? Here's the URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/532062403/hellenica-story-of-greece Funding closes on Friday Sept 7, 2018 at 5 PM EDT. I know I'm getting one..... Bruce

Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition

Although the entry level price seems high, this game box contains ten available races to use, with over 200 (!) miniatures! I would recommend this, but there is a fourth edition now that includes not only this third edition, but the two expansions to the third edition as well. Even so, Twilight Imperium 3rd is an absolute blast to play! At its heart, it is basically a 4X type game. (BTW: 4X is an abbreviation for "eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate".) Any player may use any of the four types of actions. This is one of the main selling points of this game. Any race can do anything, including nothing at all! The bad news about this game is that even if you are an experienced user of TI, it can take at least three hours to play, all the way up to at least four hours, or more! However, this is allows for a lot of interaction by the players in this "Space Opera" style game! Not to mention that you better have a very large table to spread it out on! The good news is that with only the included ten races, it might take quite a few games for even one player to have played all ten available races! Each race has its good points, and its bad points. Some are better at one of the four types of actions than others, and some are worse than others at those same actions. And all four of those actions are in the player's control. I should mention that there are two expansions to the 3rd Edition: "Shattered Empire", and "Shards of the Throne". which can allow users to have as many as six players at a time! For a game with a high Space Opera feel, and huge replayability, you can't beat it!

Don't let mapmaking stall your game!

"How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps" by Jared Blando, should be required reading for any Game Master, whether Fantasy or Science Fiction, or somewhere in between!  In its 128 pages are more than thirty examples of how to put your dreams of a new gaming world to paper.  It really is step-by-step cartography for gamers and fans!

Written by Jared Blando, who is a professional cartographer and concept artist, it bridges a gap that allows even beginners to take the vision of their worlds in their minds and put them to paper.

Each example builds upon the foundations of the last.  You can use this book to begin, or build out, or complete, a real paper map of the world your players are adventuring in.

The main reason, I think, that you should do this, is to not only to give your world 'flesh' - but to make sure that you don't make the mistake of forgetting where your characters started, where they are now, and where you would like them to go at least.

I believe (and this has happened to me) that players might and probably will think about the places they've been, and expect those places to still be in the same locations, more or less.  It might cause players to lose interest if they believe that, for instance, your capital city is in the west, and then suddenly find that you now say that same city is in the east.

A map of your world can serve another useful function - what happens if your players go a completely different direction than the one that you so methodically set up?  Having a drawn map would make life a little easier if you know where more than one area to explore is!  And, if your players decide to go north when you wanted them to go west, a map should show areas around the current players location so that you and they don't go too far astray.

So what if your Northlands are an expanse of frozen wastes?  If the players know that's where they want to go, then with a printed map, you can provide details about this winter wonderland which may deter them from going there.  As a 1st level character, I don't know about you, but I'd probably not want to go north if you know in advance that the Northlands in your world are filled with Frost Giants, Dragons, and other deep northern denizens!

In addition, the rich illustrations in this book could conceivably be used as your fantasy world map itself!

To wrap up then, I have found this book an invaluable resource for Fantasy and other role playing game map creation.  If you have ever held the thought that you might like to actually see what your world looks like, this would be one of my first choices.

Imagine Player's Guide

It seems almost like everyone thinks that this is yet another D&D clone of some type.  If it were truly a clone, I'd agree with you.  But I do not believe that this game is a D&D clone.  There are, for instance, only four major stats: Endurance, Perception, Affinity, and Fortune. 

Then, each of those stats are broken down into three sub-categories:

For Endurance (or Physical), you have: Strength, Agility, and Vitality.

For Perception (or Mental) you have: Intelligence, Wisdom, and knowledge.

For Affinity (or Personal) you have: Appearance, Charm, and Social Class.

Finally, in Fortune (or Mystical) you have: Aura, Piety, and Will Force. 

I purchased these in a trade for some of my old stuff - and I must say I could not be happier!

Sure, this system has some problems.  But, what systems don't?

But, this game I like a lot!  For instance, the Character sheet has a very nice hit location slot.  You shouldn't use it all the time, but for criticals, it's almost indispensable.

Plenty of room to grow with skills, weapons, spells (or invocations).

There are, believe it or not, even character sheets for Centaurs, and Lizard-folk.  On the main character sheet are also places for the Bird-folk Wing stats!

In its 330 pages there are (among other things) a real Table of Contents, and a "Table of Tables" that allow you to look up a table you want quickly.  The Appendix has two pages of quick info, a Glossary, and a very comprehensive Index!  This book is a hardcover and very easy to lay on the table for use, 

Sure, the disclaimer on the back cover is a little overbearing, but the info you really need is there too: 12 Attributes, 18 races, 26 classes, over 340 skills, 450 spells and incantations, over 150 different weapons and armor, and over 500 items of equipment!

I'd like to rate this at least four stars, or even five!  I know I'll be using it very soon.

Rappan Athuk Extras

If you got your copy of Rappan Athuk by investing in the Kickstarter, you may have one or more of the following extras.

1) Necromancer Games Note Pad.  Just a folio of blank pages with a silver Necromancer Games Logo and a title of "Frog God Games".

2) Rappan Athuk Player's Guide.  Although called a "Player's Guide", this supplement is really a 16 page folio of notes that canny GM's will introduce to the players when the time is right.  Most of the material is about the town and it's residents - and the stories they can tell to the PC's.

3) Rappan Athuk Bestiary.  This is a 32 page folio (although a couple of the pages at the end are blank so that a GM can put other creatures in). This folio contains 35 monsters that are unique to Rappan Athuk or the surrounding area.

3) Rappan Athuk - Cyclopean Deeps - Part 1: Down to Ques Querax.  This 24 page folio also has a couple of blank pages that cold be used by a GM to add their own touches.  Note that later, Frog God Games printed a =much= larger book for part one.  Pages three through ten are guides to wandering monsters, and mentions that these deeps are even below the usual range of such underground dwellers as Drow.   Pages 11 thru 16 are either maps, or keys to those maps.  Pages 17 through 20 are new monsters for these realms. 

4) Rappan Athuk - Cyclopean Deeps - Part 2: Cult of the Khryll.  Although on the cover, it says: "Part 2: Cult of the Khryll",  the real subtitle should be: "Eye of the Titan".  This 20 page folio lays out the basics of Underdark lands even below Rappan Athuk!  There are 11 pages devoted to the Eye of the Titan and the remaining four are devoted to catacombs even lower in the Cyclopean Deeps.

5) Rappam Athuk GM's Screen.  This is a four panel regular height GM's screen.  It only has a large picture that faces towards the players on the front - but, on the other side, is valuable info for the potential Rappan Athuk Gamemaster.  On page 1 is a map of the area around Zelkor's Ferry showing the river and other features, including the infamous Mouth of Doom. A rumor chart fills up page two with 66 rumors that characters can hear in the town.  The GM could roll a dice, but I feel they would be better advised to take the rumor that the players might follow up on.  The 3rd panel Shows all of the connections from one level to another including almost everything from Area 3 to area 15.  Finally, on the 4th page is a map of the area around, not just Rappan Athuk, but also of the wilderness fairly far away from the mega-dungeon.

6) Pregenerated Characters.  A comprehensive look at 12 possible characters that GM's could allow their players to use instead of their own.

7) The Battle Maps.  These are detailed maps of the lower areas of Rappan Athuk.  First, Area Zero has 1 page. Then area 1A-4 has 1, then area 3A-8 has 2 more, area 3C-30 has 2 more, then area 4-9 has six more, area 5-6B has four more, areas 7-3 and 7-4 come in two parts, area 9-C-19 has two, 9-D to area 9 K has three more.

Wait!  But there's more!

Area 10-19 has 4 more, area 10-C3 has 2 more, area 11-4 has 2 parts, as do 11-6.  Area 12-6 has 2, and finally, area 13 B8 covers B8-8, B8-9, and B-10, and concludes with area 13C.  Prospective GM's should copy these maps and put the related sections together before starting.  1" per square is the standard throughout.  The Chessboard,  BTW, has a Harry Potter like feel. as you move humanoid characters the correct way to defeat your opponent. 

The full kit also includes a dry erase map making board, and a large sized diagram of the huge mega dungeon showing the levels and how to get to them..

As I look at this super sized campaign, I am reminded of the fact that it grew from a series of three modules from the old "Sword and Sorcery" system - R1 - "The Dungeon of Lost Graves - The Upper Levels", R2 - "The Dungeon of Lost Graves - The Middle Levels", and R3 - "The Dungeon of Lost Graves - The Lower Levels".  The three modules, combined together, come nowhere near the total for the entirety of Rappan Athuk.  In the R3 series, there were only 224 pages.   But in the "final" version of Rappan Athuk, there are (counting the new improved Cyclopean Deeps) 1,284 pages!   BTW, there are two =more= booklets - "Level 7B" and "Rappan Athuk Expansions 1".

I cannot recommend this any higher!  My heartfelt congratulations to the whole Rappan Athuk team - and especially, its author, Matt Finch.  I know I'll be using this in my Pathfinder campaign, and Frog God Games is doing a Kickstarter for a conversion to 5th Edition D&D.  Absolutely one of my very highest recommendations!

Mega Dungeon? This is a Super Dungeon!

This incredible book (and several minor booklets), create what just may be the single largest Mega-Dungeon ever!  At a retail price of $100.00 it's not cheap, but the sheer volume of material is worth every penny.

Clocking in at 672 pages (counting a few advertisements), its very hard to believe that this entire series was based on three ordinary modules by Necromancer Games - R1 = "The Dungeon of Graves - Upper Levels" at 48 pages, R2 = "The Dungeon of Graves - Middle Levels" at 64 pages, and R3 = "The Dungeon of Graves - Lower Levels" at 112 pages.

15 main levels to Rappan Athuk, and a number of side quests and supplements, which were released on their own.  I'll mention those in separate reviews.  The layout and design of Rappan Athuk is very good, and the table of contents in the front is a big help.  There is no index.  To be fair, at this size of scope, I did not expect color art. 

The wilderness areas outside the dungeon should only be attempted by a party of at least an average of level 4 or better.  The chart about levels of Rappan Athuk is a big convenience.  A lower level party just traveling through the area on the way to something else should simply mark the danger(s) on their overland maps and come back prepared for anything. 

The outer area of the main dungeon consists of three areas to start in - 1st Level 0A = "The Cavern of the Kraken" or Level 0B = "The Cloister of the Frog God", or Level 0C = "Zelkor's Ferry".  A more sadistic GM would use either level 0A or 0B.  Even on Level One of Rappan Athuk, there are three sub-quests.  There's almost always a sub-quest or two in every level, except for Level 15 - "The Chapel".  There are 53 quests and sub-quests, and seven appendixes. 

I won't spoil the fun, but any Game Master worth his salt could possibly use this mega-dungeon from the PC's starting at level one and then all the way to level 20.  A few new monsters, a couple new classes, some new magic items, the Gods and Demons of Stoneheart Valley, some very good pre-generated characters, a few battle maps, and the final revelations. 

Because other products by Frog God Games are mentioned (such as "Stoneheart Valley" above) this super dungeon gets even bigger!  With the additions of the remaining Frog God products, I suspect (because I'm still missing one or two) that there are =well= over a thousand pages of material!  I can't recommend this any higher!  With the addition of the supplementary material, I don't have to move my PC's at all unless they want to leave the area!  This has got to have one of my very highest recommendations!

Choose Your Own Adventure

The Tome of Adventure Design claims to be "A comprehensive adventure creation sourcebook for Swords and Wizardry and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game."

Let's take a look...

There are only four sections: Book One - Principles and Starting Points, Book Two - Monsters, Book Three - Dungeon Design, and Book Four - Non-Dungeon Adventure Design.

Basically, this book is a book of nothing except tables allowing you to create and populate an adventure.  There are hundreds of tables of various types - everything from the Villain's Master Plan, a great selection of monsters and creatures, a giant sized book of tales for dungeon design, and a fairly large section about building castles, cities, underwater and waterborne adventures, some material about wilderness such as deserts, forests, hills and mountains, and swamp bogs to slog through.  There's even a small section on planar worlds and realms, and also alternate worlds. 

I've been a Dungeon Master for a very long time - and you can believe me when I tell you that this book is one of the best aids for quickly and easily constructing an adventure on the fly.  Even on the back cover, this book exclaims: "It's Friday night, 6 p.m.  You haven't prepared an adventure and you still need to get to a store and buy snacks.  The rest of your group is heading over to game in two hours.  What do you do?"  I wish I had a book like this many years ago.  It reminds me greatly of products that were created by "Judges Guild" in the 1980's. 

There are seemingly hundreds of tables covering everything from locations for starting points, missions, the Master Villain and his plan(s?), and even the minions and Lieutenants of the Villain.  Animals ranging from beasts, to constructs, to Draconic, and after several more you arrive at vermin.  Basic elements of adventure design, designing the adventure and map(S?), various (non-dangerous, and dangerous) tricks you can use on the PC's, Traps the party can set off, and a huge section on miscellaneous items.

In all, I believe that there are over 400 different tables you can consult when creating an adventure quickly, or when you are stuck at a point from which you don't know where to go.  THis book has absolutely one of my very highest recommendations, and I believe that every Game Master would love it. 

Review of "Shadizar - City of Wcikedness"

This four piece boxed set from Mongoose details a lot of information on a little explored area of Conan's world - The City of Shadizar - also known as "The City of Wickedness".  This set is meant for the GM's eyes only!

Coming in four pieces - Book I - "Games Master Guide", Book II - "Secrets of the Streets", Book III - "Dark Dens of Iniquity", and a large fold out map.

Book I - The largest of the three, in its 86 pages are four major sections. 1 - "Into the City", 2 - "Districts of Depravity", 3 - "The Nature of the Beast", and 4 - "Venturing Abroad".  There are also pages for the Credits, an Introduction, and the usual OGL.

In Section One, "Into the City", a very large group of crafts and professions (no less than 108 different), then my personal favorite section of this booklet, comes nine different tables of sample NPC's your characters could meet in this city.  This is a very well fleshed out section that details some of the flavor. 

In Section Two, "Districts of Depravity", we look at the geography of Shadizar and the many districts within.  From the City Gates to areas near the city, this section is chock full of good info for GM"s.

In Section Three is a very well thought out part about Game Mastering Shadizar, its natures and campaigns, its conflicts, plots, religions, and deals.

In Section Four, is a very small set of adventures in and near the city.  Laws and crimes, Political intrigues, Dark Mysteries, and some sample starting scenarios and adventures.

Book II - Secrets of the Streets" is a smaller, 32 page booklet about potential foes, secrets to discover, a small bestiary, and a nice NPC prestige class ("The Professional"), and one new race ("Kezankian Hillman").

Book III - "Dark Dens of Iniquity" is a 32 page booklet of mostly small adventures using Shadizar as a location.  "Dark Dens of Debauchery in Shadizar", "A Tavern of Merchants", "The Noblewoman's Estate", "Into the Tunnels", "The Guild Hall", "The Temple of Bel", "The Inn of the Three Crowns", and two major NPC's.

In my upcoming "Primeval Thule" campaign, I can't think of another product that has set the bar higher for the largest and almost certainly, most evil, city in my world.  If you are a GM and would love a evil city for your players to visit, live in, and perhaps even rule, this is it.

Demonology 404

"The Deluxe Guide to Fiend Summoning and Faustian Bargains" is probably one of the only books I would not want certain people to buy.

Within its 180 pages live a lexicon of 72 Devils, Daemons, and Demons - from page 49 to page 177, chock full of the very thing that Anti-D&D people talk about.  It gives =game= directions for summoning, binding, and dispelling creatures of evil intent.  Even the front cover, which depicts an upside down pentagram, is kind of disquieting.  This book is not one that I would recommend giving to anyone who might just be a little off kilter.  Supposedly, it has rituals for summoning these 72 creatures, the necessary components of the ritual, and even a sigil in the background of each monster's summoning sign. 

If there =ever= was a book that I hope the Christian Community does =not= see, it's this one.  By "Necromancers of the Northwest", it would make a great resource for Necromancers and other evil mages.  There's only a scant 29 pages of info on summoning the fiends in this volume, as well as bargaining with them, dispelling them, and the types of payment(s) they accept.

I can only recommend this book to gamers who are =very= mature, and take a good look at it to see if they want this type of detail on what amounts to NPC's in your game.  Although I own a copy, I cannot see myself ever wanting to use this in any campaign.  Remember - you have been warned!

Review of "Jade Magi"

Jade Magi, a 72 page module for the D20 system (and thus D&D 3.5) is a "Dungeon" crawl through the sewers for fourth to sixth level characters.  Normally, I generally do not buy modules.  I enjoy making up my own world more.  But this offering from Monkey God Enterprises allowed me a quick way to introduce an oriental themed area into my world.

I suspect any character with sinus problems will never want to go on this adventure, because the sewers under the town are still in use.  (Everybody say: "EEeeeeeewwwww!")  In it, the party members will find the town has recently had a minor earthquake.  The quake caused a long hidden magical pool under the city to crack open.  The properties of the pool's water were allowed to enter the sewers.  This caused many of the normal sewer inhabitants to mutate and become Dire Animals and Monsterous Vermin.  Can the party help defend the city from the attacking creatures, go into the sewers and roust out remaining monsters, and seal the pool before it can cause any more mutations?

There are full page black and white maps of the town and the main sewers, and two half page maps that detail major encounters while exploring.  There a couple of "mandatory" encounters that set the stages for adventures, and details of both the city and the sewer encounters. 

There is an amazing amount of material crammed into the 72 pages available.  Three in town adventures, and three sewer encounters.  I feel like Monkey Gad has delivered a quality product for a reasonable price for any GM to begin to present an oriental themed area of their world.  Recommended.

Inner Sea Races expanded?

Paizo has hit another home run with the this add-on book for Pathfinder.  I did not buy Inner Sea Races as quickly as I normally buy Hardcover Pathfinder books because I believed that it would just cover a lot of the races on their world of Golarion.  But, I got an extended look at it in my local BAM, and decided to get it.  I was not disappointed!  This book takes the races we already know and love (heck, such as Humans, for instance) and breaks them down much further.  Humans can be created in 12 different types based on the tribe that they are from!  There are many other examples.  Including the now expanded Humans, this book covers 37 races rather thoroughly, and also has a few other smaller entries.  I particularly like the Catfolk - because I have a regular player that would make one up as soon as I told them Catfolk were acceptable.  In fact, this book pleased me so well that I went out and got the 'companion' volume - "Inner Sea Gods". A good GM, of course, should take a look at the races that are presented and make sure that they would "fit" into their campaign.  This book has my recommendation for any GM using Pathfinder.