Prestige Classes

"Encyclopedia of Prestige Classes" by Various. Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment. ISBN-10: 1-932201-68-8 -- 128 Pages. The cover of this book proudly exclaims: "A Fantastic collection of Thrilling Prestige Classes!" Just in case you don't want to read any further, this book achieves its claim to fame. The first chapters in this book are the usual Credits, Table of Contents, a one-page Preface, and a one-page Introduction. There are eight great new skills, but some of them are geared towards a campaign that allows gunpowder. It's up to the GM to see if they allow gunpowder weapons in their campaign. There's also seventy-two (72!) great new feats although some of them are for campaigns that allow gunpowder. It's up to the GM to see if they allow gunpowder weapons in their campaign. Then the classes. Sixty-One (61!) altogether, starting with page twenty-seven, and lasting through the end of the book. My favorite was the "Wrestler" who also can be used for a Sumo Wrestler! Some of the new classes are geared more for NPCs rather than for players. Check any of them out before allowing a player to choose one! At the back is the usual OGL and four advertisements. This book was a fine addition to my D20 collection. What's even better, with a little bit of homework, it could be used with almost any edition of D&D or Pathfinder. It really does deliver what it promises. It's too bad that Fast Forward Games disappeared from the market, as many of these books also included online material which does not seem to be available anymore. However, these Fast Forward Entertainment books rarely disappoint me.

Quest for the Ultimate Egyptian Treasures!

"Treasure Quests - Tombs of Ra" by Various.

Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.

ISBN-10: 1-932201-29-7 -- 128 Pages.

The cover of this book proudly exclaims: "Ancient Curses, Ancient Evils, and Priceless Treasures!"

Just in case you don't want to read any further, this book achieves its claim to fame.

This is a companion volume to their earlier "Treasure Quests". It also could make an ideal book to add to their "Dungeon World" series.

The "Legend of the Valley" begins this softcover book, followed by an introduction, and a full page map of the valley, showing the locations of all of the dungeons. Then a three page "Random Encounters" generator, six new monsters, and one new Prestige Class, the "Tomb Finder".

Then comes the Quests, divided into three sections, the "Lower Valley", the "Side Valley", and the "Upper Valley." Each section contains one map per level. All together, the book contains 30 adventures.

There are 12 quests in the Lower Valley section, 13 in the Side Valley, and five in the Upper Valley. Each of the five quest in the Upper Valley contain at least two levels, a first level and a second level, and the final Upper Valley quest contains seven, each more difficult to pass.

The "Tomb of the Old God" contains six "Cataracts". PS: If you want to throw a little fear into your players, I'd call this "The Tomb of the Elder God" and watch all of the players think that Cthulhu or another elder god might be here. If you =really= want to do this, I'd say: "Have Fun!".

At the back is the OGL and three advertisements.

Egyptian themes have always appealed to me, so I had to get this book. I really enjoyed taking my players through these tombs. You probably will too. The short narrative piece at the beginning of the book was a nice touch. I'd use this as a true rumor. If you want to begin a series of tombs yourself, there is a method of creating your own tombs in the front.

As usual, this book is a fine addition to my D20 collection. What's even better, with a little bit of homework from a GM, it could be used with almost any edition of D&D or Pathfinder. It really does deliver what it promises.

It's too bad that Fast Forward Games disappeared from the market, as many of these books also included online material which does not seem to be available anymore. However, these Fast Forward Entertainment books rarely disappoint me. If you are hosting a powerful party, or just want some higher level adventures, you cannot go wrong by looking here!

NPCs both Friendly and Foul!

"Encyclopedia of Villians" by Various.

Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.

ISBN-10: 1-932201-34-3 -- 128 Pages.

The cover of this book proudly exclaims: "Dozens of Deadly Enemies to Torment Heroes of All Levels!"

Just in case you don't want to read any further, this book achieves its claim to fame.

This is a very nice collections of NPC's both benign and evil. Of course, the characters all have friends.........

This set of thirty-nine malcontents can be a great aid to a GM looking for the party's next villian. Each has a black and white portrait, and some contain lairs as well! They are listed in the Table of Contents by Challenge Rating (CR). There is a short intro and a one-page overview of the main villians.

Indexing these by CR is a nice touch, especially to a GM that still hasn't settled on what to use in the next adventure.

My favorite in this book was "Lady Veritie Skredder" who is the owner of a manor home and large textile mill both just outside the city limits. Not only is she not quite what she seems, but her ownership of the manor house "The Stoffhus" is not quite all it seems to be either. Many parties are given here, including one annual festival that 'no one wants to miss'.

Then there is the Textile Mill itself, supposedly the largest in the world, that manufactures a great deal of clothing, all of which meets or exceeds the standards by which Masterwork items are constructed. These are mostly Noble clothing of cotton, silk, wool, and other cloth. In addition, the mill makes blankets, cloaks, shirts, and vests, and does a roaring business in internationlly sold silk rope.

The mill can also make any oftfits listed in the Player's Handbook, and other official material. THese items are at least double the amount listed in the PH, but since they are of Masterwork Quality, this is to be expected. Everything made by this mill can be enchanted permanently. They also sell carpets and tapestries of intricate design, many fulfilling jobs as magical items.

At the back is the OGL and three advertisements.

As usual, this book is a fine addition to my D20 collection. What's even better, with a little bit of homework from a GM, it could be used with almost any edition of D&D or Pathfinder. It really does deliver what it promises.

It's too bad that Fast Forward Games disappeared from the market, as many of these books also included online material which does not seem to be available anymore. However, these Fast Forward Entertainment books rarely disappoint me. If you want to really challenge your players and their characters you can't go wrong by getting this book. Highly Recommended.

Deadliest Creatures? You Decide!

"Deadliest Creatures Tome" by Various.

Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.

ISBN-10: 1-932201-37-8 -- 128 Pages.

The cover of this book proudly exclaims: "The Most Dangerous Monsters Ever Designed for D20 Campaigns!"

Just in case you don't want to read any further, this book achieves its claim to fame.

After all these years, I have begun to believe that most role-playing game companies have produced at least one bestiary. This tome goes one step further, and produces some of the most dangerous creatures I have ever seen.

There are 60 new critters in this volume, ranging from the lowly Anakim (CR 1) to the almost unbelievable Deathstorm (CR 24). They are listed in alphabetical order by name.

Even one Anakim might be enough for almost any party of adventurers. Sure, they only have one hit point. But with a Dexterity of 28, characters might have a hard time hitting it.

The Young Feyoak looks enough like a Treant to fool almost anyone who is not familiar with this creature. And if a Wood Dryad chooses this tree as it's home, it is even more powerful. It was hard for me to believe that the Feyoak is only a CR 3 creature.

These two examples of the material serve as a great idea as to how this book will serve its stated purpose. But serve it cold, because I cannot remember this many =really= dangerous, deadly, creatures have ever been collected in a single book.

At the back is the OGL and one advertisement.

As usual, this book is a fine addition to my D20 collection. What's even better, with a little bit of homework from a GM, it could be used with almost any edition of D&D or Pathfinder. It really does deliver what it promises.

It's too bad that Fast Forward Games disappeared from the market, as many of these books also included online material which does not seem to be available anymore. However, these Fast Forward Entertainment books rarely disappoint me. If you want to really challenge your players and their characters you can't go wrong by getting this book. Highly Recommended.

Could this be the Ultimate Crossover?

"The Dread House" by Danny O'Neill.

Published and Distributed by Hammerdog Games.

ISBN-10: 1-59180-057-9 -- 288 Pages.

I recently bought "The Dread House" by Danny O'Neill. If I had known that it was going to be =this= good, I would have bought it =much= sooner.

The Dread House is a take on one of the oldest tropes of Role-Playing Games - a Haunted House. The most important feature of this book is its compatibility with Pathfinder 1.0, and 5th Edition D&D, =and= Call of Cthulhu!

I cannot think of any other product that claims the distinction of having D&D, Pathfinder, and Call of Cthulhu in the same volume! Given this, there is a very real possibility of being able to have PCs cross over from one system to another system to yet another system!

In the darkness, an old ruined manor house sits -- waiting for its next victim. If this sounds a bit like "The Shining" to you, you are close to correct!

There are only three sections in the book:

1) "The Time of Myth and Magic: The Dread House in Medieval Times".

2) "The Time of Mythos and Machine Guns: The Dread House in the Roaring 20's".

3) "The Time of Connected Dependence: The Dread House Today and Tomorrow".

There are dozens of full-color maps of the manor, including a master map on pages 54 and 55. Each section of the house is broken down into smaller pieces, each appearing in an appropriate section of the book. The marvelous map of the area beneath the manor should drive prospective players who map insane, for tunnels twist and turn, frequently overlapping each other. The chosen artists have been selected well. All of the included art matches the tone of the setting.

Section 1 - "The Time of Myth and Magic: The Dread House in Medieval Times"

Storyline One: "The Dread Wedding". This is what happens that makes the Dread House haunted. This occurs in a Medieval setting. "The Dread Wedding" is presented as it happens. PCs may try to stop this from happening, but this is difficult since the Dread House also exists in the 1920's, and the modern-day, and even possibly, in the future! In addition, in order to truly end the reign of the Dread House, they must complete the second part of the story.

Storyline Two: "Scions of Solaria" is also about the Dread House, but the PCs are led to find eight different parts in this prequel to the "Dread Wedding" and this can take beginning Pathfinder or D&D characters from Level One to Level Six. In this chapter, there are references to "Solaria", Goddess of Life and Light. Complete information about her is found in the back of the book. Copying the single page about Solaria might be a good idea, since at least one, if not more, party members should worship her.

Both of these sections includes info about 5th Edition, Pathfinder, and Call of Cthulhu.

Section Two -- "The Time of Mythos and Machine Guns: The Dread House in the Roaring 20's"

Storyline Three: This section is designed to work best with Call of Cthulhu, but also has stats for 5th Edition D&D and Pathfinder 1.0! It is divided into six scenarios:

1) "Piercing the Veil"

2) "13 Ghosts"

3) "The Tome of the Dead"

4) "The Machine Man"

5) "Ghostcatchers"

6) "Dread Secrets"

This part can span a timeline of sixteen years! There is a small piece of fiction about each of the six parts. Each of these six scenarios may be run as stand-alone adventures.

"Section Three: The Time of Connected Dependence: The Dread House Today and Tomorrow".

Storyline Four: Because of (I believe) the Call of Cthulhu material, the manse can also exist in the modern-day, and even in the future! Storyline Four consists of two sections:

1) "Stay the Night" and

2) "Geist in the Gears".

At the end of the book are three good appendices, which include "Optional Rules", "Dread Ghosts", and "The Arcane and the Eldritch". A GM toolbox at the end has a nice summary of effects. An advertisement for their other mega-dungeon, "The Grande Temple of Jing" ends the book. There is no index, but a good Table of Contents.

I was impressed enough by "The Grande Temple of Jing" to seek out other products Hammerdog produced. This book even exceeded my expectations! If you like Pathfinder 1.0, and/or, if you like 5th Edition D&D, and/or you if like Call of Cthulhu, I think you almost can't go wrong by picking this book up! If you like two or all three of these, my suggestion to you is to buy this! This book now has the distinction of being in my "Top Ten Gaming Books of All Time" list!

Odyssey of the Dragonlords Mega-Module?

"Odyssey of the Dragonlords" by Various. Published by Arcanum Worlds and Distributed by Modiphius. ISBN-13: 978-1-912743-40-7 -- 478 Pages.

There was a great deal of hype about this book, which led me to purchase it. The Friendly Local Game Store that I usually shop at included the separate map.

I must say that I was a little disappointed by this book. I'm a big fan of making material for RPGs that are set in the Greco-Roman period. This book is set firmly in the Grecian period. In its thirteen chapters, and seven appendixes, it covers almost all of the Grecian myths, including several I knew already, and a couple I had never heard of.

Strangely enough, the Introduction is basically an overview of the world of Thylea, its Gods, its structure, and many other parts of describing why this world is different.

This book is basically a mega-module allowing the characters placed there to have seventy adventures in the area.

This is the section that I did not care for. The way I see it is that to me, this book is a huge step-by-step module designed to take characters from about First Level to about 12th to 15th Level. What was wrong about this was that the flow of this book seemed very linear. The GM takes you by the hand and you have your adventures in the order in the book. There are a few side quests, but this book =almost- reminds me of the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.

Starting at the first chapter, for instance, the book has six mini-adventures, each one with its own few paragraphs about what must happen in that area. For example, the "Heroes of the Prophecy" section is the beginning of the book, and then a section called "The Poet of Mytros" with the GM reading aloud the parts which give the PCs a place to rest for the evening, and a place to purchase things that they may need.

The second mini-adventure begins when the PCs hear the rumor in the barroom about a Wild Boar near the small town. Some of the patrons of the bar are all talking about this, and it has injured a couple of farmhands and destroyed crops. With info from the bar's patrons, the PCs should go kill the Wild Boar. Don't forget to use one of the townsfolk to tell them about bringing the beast's body back.

After whatever happens, once the Wild Boar is killed, the PCs are asked to sacrifice the boar's body to the local Gods. If this occurs, the PCs could receive either a blessing or a curse depending on which God they offer the beast to. In order to do that, though, the characters must take the body to the nearby Temple of the Oracle, which is the next adventure in the book.

The Temple is the last part of Chapter One. It seems almost impossible to reach the temple, as there is a large river in their way which is boiling hot with many unpredictable boiling hot geysers within it. They will eventually reach the temple, and manage to get by the few guards in the temple's chambers, and guarding the grotto beneath the temple. Once the Oracle is freed, she will give the PCs a prophecy and tell them of a few mini-adventures nearby.

I have given this summary of what occurs in the first chapter to indicate the flow of these adventures continues in the same direction all the way to the 12th chapter. The side quests that are given are good, but the focus is on completing the Odyssey of the Dragonlords. This book would be very useful to a beginning GM, but I found it boring. But, then again, I've been GMing for about 40 years.

Although the FLGS gave me the accompanying map, it is sold separately. The Map of the Land of Thylea is on one side of this nine-panel map, and the city of Mytros on the other. Should you decided to purchase this book to use as a campaign, the map is almost invaluable.

Despite all of it's shortcomings, I'd be willing to use this book as a complete campaign lasting several sessions. I can recommend it.

Devilish Dens for Demons

"Devilish Dens" by Anne Brown and Kevin Melka.

Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.

ISBN-10: 0-971-9598-3-8 -- 48 Pages.

A very short Intro and Table of Contents are combined on the first page, and the next two pages are about the owners of each of the dens, along with small pictures of the Demons that own them and a short paragraph about each one.

This small booklet contains a total of ten dens of iniquity for your players to explore. This book works best if you have "Encyclopedia of Demons and Devils 1" and/or "Encyclopedia of Demons and Devils 2", but neither is absolutely necessary.

The first of these dens is the home of Asmodeus! Even high level characters should think twice before entering there! Each of the ten adventures has four pages of detail, and a small map. None of these adventures are suitable for low, or even medium level, characters. Not to mention that each of these dens can be used as separate adventures! Each of these confrontations should serve well as almost a final chapter for the PCs. If battles occur, I suspect that each of these adventures could last much, if not all, of one session of gaming!

Ending this booklet are the usual Open Gaming License, and three advertisements.

I own both of the Encyclopedias, and I find this book to be an invaluable aid if my players have characters that are high enough level. Since these lairs are actually part of the plane of existence of each of the owners, they provide a way for my players to follow the demon that they may have dispelled on the Prime Material Plane to their home. But remember -- any damage done to them on the Prime Plane will be restored in their home, plus the demon has all of their spells again, and some even have new ways to approach any oncoming party that arrives by simply being on their home plane.

As you know I love Fast Forward, and recommend these books to prospective GMs!

Can you escape Dungeon World?

"Dungeon World" by Timothy Brown and James M. Ward.

Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.

ISBN-10: 0-971-9598-0-3 -- 192 Pages.

I've seen a lot of mega-dungeons. 50 Levels, 60 Levels, and many more. But I believe that this book is the largest dungeon ever printed. Why? Because the entire planet is one big dungeon! In very small print under the title, it says "Universe". There are a couple additions to this tome, "Dungeon World: Secrets of the Enemy Capital", and "Dungeon World: Catacombs" that should also be counted as part of this campaign. There are two other books by Fast Forward that would dovetail nicely into Dungeon World: "Treasure Quests" and "Treasure Quests: Tomb of Ra".

This book is separated into many parts: first are notes about Dungeon World, including the Prologue and Introduction, a small chapter on the nature of Dungeon World, how to reach it, how to escape, putting it into your campaign, and a section on how to use this book for an entire campaign, and finally a bit about the Caretakers of the world, and the Heart of Dungeon World - known as "Nex"!

After that, the book is broken down into levels, from 1st Level all the way up to 25th Level! There are also side quests - 25 of them - which will need to be fleshed out by the GM. Based on the diagram on page 35, there are 26 levels total. Should the characters survive all the way to the 26th Level, they will find a spiral staircase, going up, that has exits on each and every level back up, and finally comes to rest inside a building on the surface!

Technically, Dungeon World is on its own plane of existence. Somehow, it lies in such a different plane of existence that it really isn't connected to other planes at all! But it is very close to the Elemental Plane of Earth, within the Elemental Sub-Plane of Stone. But it's really easy to get there - thru portals, through sadistic Dungeon Keepers that want you to really feel pain, and others. There are a few methods of escape - but these are either rare or hard to find, or both.

Sure, you can get away with calling Dungeon World a 26th Level Dungeon with 192 pages. But, if you include their other Dungeon World Books, it's even larger! "Enemy Capital" adds 128, and "Catacombs" adds another 128, making 448 pages total, and if you decide to include "Treasure Quests", which is 160 pages, and add "Tomb of Ra" which is another 128 pages, it equals 736 pages, rivaling Monte Cook's "Ptolus" in length!

You can see by the above why I bought this. It covers not only up to 20th Level characters, but continues to 25th Level Characters! Quite a few maps of levels, and many new creatures to meet are included! At the back of the book is the usual OGL and three advertisements. This gets one of my highest recommendations!

Quest for Treasures Campaign?

"Treasure Quests" by James M. Ward. Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment. ISBN-10: 0-971-3234-7-X -- 160 Pages. Treasure Chests is one of my favorite books by Fast Forward Entertainment! First of all - the spiral bound lay flat binding is a stroke of genius! This tome can be opened to any page and will not lose that page! The fantastic Table of Contents in the front of the book also serves as an Index. Generally, I prefer books with both a Table of Contents and an Index, but this Table of Contents works for this book. The short Preface, Introduction, and a two page section about "How to Use this Book", make up the front matter. There are thirteen chapters, starting with an adventure for beginning characters called "Village of Stret", and ending with an adventure called "Tomb of the Ancient Lords" that I would only recommend for level 13 PCs or higher. This means that if you decide to use all of this book, it would make a great campaign world all by itself! Each of the chapters also have a black and white map of the area the players are in. The Table of Contents has a bold faced name for each level, so you can find where you left off easily, and you can find an area that matches up with the average group's level quickly. The thing I like the most about "Treasure Quests", is that they can also be used as individual adventures that a GM can insert into his own campaign world. Stuck for an adventure for this week's game? Get out this book, find the chapter that matches up with the party's average level, and have a blast! These Fast Forward Entertainment books rarely disappoint, and this one has one of my highest recommendations!

Wield these Rings of Power!

"Rings of Power" by Various.

Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.

ISBN-10: 0-971-3234-4-5 -- 160 Pages

The first in the "Powers" series, Rings of Power does not disappoint. The Powers series is: this book, "Swords of Power", "Wondrous Items of Power", and "Occult Items of Power".

This book is divided into nine major sections:

1) "Rings of Legend".

2) "Beast Rings".

3) "Dragon Rings".

4) "Necromantic Rings".

5) "Artifact Rings".

6) "Heroic Rings".

7) "Rings of Destruction".

8) "Fey Rings".

9) "Ruling Rings".

There is a short Preface and Introduction at the front, and another short section in the back for "Creating Magical Rings", "Game Statistics", and the usual OGL. The Preface, and the Introduction are only one page each.

Altogether, there are 78 Rings of Power. Each section has a very short definition of the type of ring. Each ring has one or two pages each. Each ring also has a photograph of the ring. Yes, a real photograph. These rings could actually be found in the real world! Although powerless, imagine the shock of your players when you drop a =real= ring on the table!

At the back of the book are pages for "Magical Ring Creation", Game Statistics for each ring, and a Price List for the once supported purchasing of a prop Ring of Power (which no longer are available), and one advertisement.

I like Fast Forward Entertainment enough to buy every single thing they ever produced. This one is no different. It's nice to have a larger Treasure Trove have at least one magical item. These make great treasure fillers, especially the ones that seem to be good, but end up being bad! It's very nice to have a large list of special treasures for players to fight over. Do not forget that either you must use the ring, or you must have it identified. Once again, one of my higher recommendations!

Equipment for Everyone!

"Ultimate Equipment Guide" by Matthew Sprange.

Subtitled: "Supplementary Rulebook 3"

Printed and Distributed by Moongoose Publishing.

ISBN-10: 1-903980-81-X -- 256 pages.

Now I know why these three volumes (This one, "More Equipment" and "Ultimate Equipment Guide 2") are so hard to find inexpensively. No one wants to part with them!

Ultimate Equipment Guide is probably one of the best deep looks at equipment there is. Almost every piece of Equipment is illustrated, giving Players and GMs a real look at what these things look like!

It is broken down into nineteen chapters, some of which contain other information.

01) Introduction.

02) Equipment in Your Campaign.

03) Designing D20 Equipment.

04) Arcane Sorcery.

05) Bards and Theatres.

06) Clerics and Temples.

07) Food, Drink, and Herbs.

08) Honor Amongst Rogues.

09) In the Wild.

10) Knick-Knacks of the Little Folk.

11) Psychic Mastery.

12) The Armoury.

13) The Dwarven Forge.

14) The Elven Retreat.

15) The Fighters Trade.

16) The Monastery.

17) Tools, Trades, and Crafts.

18) Rules Summary.

19) D20 and OGL License.

Just by this list alone, you can tell that this is a much more comprehensive look at all types of gear, ranging from items for Wizards, Mages, and Sorcerers; to Items for Common NPCs and the Tools, Trades, and Crafts that use them.

I'm not going to give you a detailed list, but I am going to tell you that this is one of the best books available for Equipment, both benign and deadly, and everything in between!

Items for every class, and a part about Designing D20 Equipment make this almost an indispensable book for GMs!

The very handy Rules Summary at the back of the book shows the ordinary tables of details for all of the Equipment above. But 36 pages of tables? You bet!

There's also a good Table of Contents, and a fine Index. The normal OGL is at the back.

Some of this material is from Third-Party publishers, too! Twenty-Eight different Third-Party Publishers! The addition of this other material makes this even more interesting.

As it is, I consider this book to be a godsend, but there's more! Believe it or not, there was enough material left over to make a second book, "More Equipment", and later a third book, "Ultimate Equipment 2!"

You do not need the other two books, as each can stand alone as a great resource of Equipment, but together they make up what amounts to an encyclopedia of gear! One of my very highest recommendations!

Venture In If You Dare!

"The Dread House" by Danny O'Neill.

Printed and Distributed by Hammerdog Games.

ISBN-10: 1-59180-057-9 -- 288 pages.

In the darkness, an old ruined manor house sits -- waiting for its next victim.

In "The Dread House" book are rules for 5th Edition D&D, Pathfinder 1.0, and, believe it or not, "Call of Cthulhu"!

I cannot think of any other product that claims the distinction of having D&D, Pathfinder, and Call of Cthulhu in the same tome. Given this, there is a very real possibility of being able to have player characters cross over from one system to another system to yet another system!

There are only three sections in the book:

1) "The Time of Myth and Magic: The Dread House in Medieval Times"

2) "The Time of Mythos and Machine Guns: The Dread House in the Roaring 20's"

3) "The Time of Connected Dependence: The Dread House Today and Tomorrow".

There are dozens of full-color maps of the manor, including a master map on pages 54 and 55. Each section of the house is then broken down into smaller, but no less valuable, pieces, each appearing in an appropriate section of the book. The marvelous map of the area beneath the manor should drive prospective players who map insane, for tunnels twist and turn, frequently overlapping one another. The chosen artists have been selected well. All of the included art matches the tone of the setting.

"The Time of Myth and Magic: The Dread House in Medieval Times" - Storyline One: "The Dread Wedding" concerns itself with what happens that makes the Dread House so Haunted. This is a section that occurs in a Medieval setting. "The Dread Wedding" is presented as it happens. Characters might try to stop this from happening, but this is very difficult, since the Dread House also exists in the 1920's, and the modern day, and even possibly, in the future! In addition, in order to truly end the reign of the Dread House, they must complete the second part of the story that is also set in Medieval Times.

"The Time of Myth and Magic: The Dread House in Medieval Times" - Storyline Two: "Scions of Solaria" is also about the house, but the characters are led to find eight different parts of the prequel to the "Dread Wedding" and can take beginning Pathfinder or D&D characters from Level One to Level Six. In this chapter there are references to "Solaria", Goddess of Life and Light. Complete information about her is found in the back of the book. Copying the single page about Solaria might be a good idea, since at least one, if not more, party members should worship her.

Both of these sections includes info about 5th Edition, Pathfinder, and Call of Cthulhu. These sections, like the rest, can exist in multiple timelines simultaneously.

"The Time of Mythos and Machine Guns: The Dread House in the Roaring 20's -- Storyline Three" makes up the Call of Cthulhu section of the book, but includes options for 5th Edition D&D and Pathfinder. It consists of six parts:

1) "Piercing the Veil"

2) "13 Ghosts"

3) The Tome of the Dead"

4) The Machine Man"

5) Ghostcatchers

6) "Dread Secrets"

This part of this book can span a time of sixteen years! There is also a small piece of fiction about each of the six parts. Each of the six scenarios may also be run as a stand-alone adventure!

"The Time of Connected Dependence: The Dread House Today and Tomorrow".

Because of (I believe) the Call of Cthulhu material, the manse can also exist in modern times, and even in the future! The storyline here is broken down into two parts: "Stay the Night" and "Geist in the Group".

At the end of the book are good appendices, which include optional rules, Dread Ghosts, and the Arcane and the Eldritch. A GM toolbox has a nice summary of effects. An advertisement for their other mega-dungeon, "The Grande Temple of Jing" ends the book. There is no index, but a fairly good Table of Contents.

I was reasonably impressed enough by "The Grande Temple of Jing" to seek out any other products Hammerdog produced. This book even exceeded that book! If you like Pathfinder 1.0, and/or, if you like Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons, and/or you if like Call of Cthulhu, I think you almost can't go wrong by picking this book out! I now believe that this book is in my top 10 gaming books of all time!.

What is the Catalyst?

"Catalyst" (Boxed Set) by Alexander Jerabek.

Printed and Distributed by Cherry Picked Games.

ISBN-13: 978-1-304827-28-9 -- 270 Digest sized pages, and including 142 "Action Cards".

In the near future, several 'portals' or 'doorways' open between Earth and the realms of Demons and Devils. This post-apocalyptic setting really tweaked my interest. Millions of Demons and Devils invade our world. In addition, their arrival brought with them a plague which claims the lives of billions of people. Few remain.

But opening the portals between our world and theirs also brought an awakening of Magical and/or Psionic powers in most remaining humans. We now have the ability to fight them with their own powers!

This game uses a unique system - there are no dice - but a deck of 142 action cards (in the base boxed set) serves as your reactions. Each player and the Game Master places one of the cards in their hand on the table face down and then everyone flips them at the same time. Once on the table, you cannot change the action you have chosen, even if it doesn't do much of anything - or if it somehow causes one of the other characters to take damage. Ideally, you hit one of your enemies, and possibly do damage, or even kill it.

There are only six chapters in the book:

1) "Flotsam on the Sound"

2) World

3) Playing Catalyst

4) Combat

5) Equipment

6) Appendix

First, like most modern role-playing games, Catalyst starts with a piece of fiction set in the time of Catalyst. It is only four pages, but it still manages to give readers a sense of the 'now'.

Second is a section about the world, with parts for Humans and their roles in the game, as well as for Demons and Devils.

Third is playing and running the game. The Game Master is featured here in this category, as well as information about creating characters, their attributes, their "veins" (or magical abilities), spells, skills, standard abilities, talents, and traits.

Fourth is combat. One of the nicer inclusions is an entry giving an example of a battle. Tables for a Cerberus and a Demon are first, then two example characters. Following that are twelve scenes of their battle detailed completely, including maps of each. There is an explanation of how to use the action cards to complete each turn. A flowchart for combat makes it easier for GMs and Players to execute a game turn. Complete definitions for mapping battles and the conditions they create are given.

Fifth is Equipment. Statistics for firearms, melee weapons, explosives, clothes, magic items and weapon enhancements, and other things are here.

Sixth, the Appendices follow, starting with advice to GMs, a small bestiary, some sample characters, a background creation section, the spell and ability descriptions and supplements, and, believe it or not, finally, at the very end of the book are the credits!

I don't know what "possessed" me to buy this game, as I generally dislike Post-Apocalyptic settings. But, because it reeked of something that might have been caused by the finale of the End of Time, I decided to buy it. Once I found out that this one had no Zombies, it grabbed me and won't let go! I'm already deep into the process of creating a game to run with it! I'll be using some material from other games, such as "Delta Green" without the Cthulhu creatures. Players having Delta Green agents fighting the demons might be just the thing!

I'm going to be looking for the extra material that Cherry Picked (What an appropriate name!) has made for this game, including five PDFs you can download for free! They have a good home on my computer, and the only other physical thing I might need is the cards that go along with the PDFs.

Folks, if you like post-apocalyptic games, this one deserves a closer look! Highly Recommended!

Jing is the word!

"The Grande Temple of Jing" by Danny O'Neill

Printed and Distributed by Hammerdog Games

ISBN-10: 1-59180-047-1 -- 500 Pages

The Grande Temple of Jing is probably one of the better mega-dungeon books available!

It's sixty (yes, I said 60!) levels and hundreds of traps, tricks, side quests, and monsters, make it a tough dungeon, but, since it seems to be run by an avatar of Loki (he's called "Jing" in this universe) one would expect this.

The temple gets its name from the unusual method of doing certain things, such as opening a door.

Nothing short of a nuclear bomb will open that door -- except... There is a slot on the door frame, just big enough for a coin. If you put a copper piece in it, a small "jing" (such as you would hear from an old type cash register) is heard. Something happens - and not generally what you want. A silver coin will produce a much more satisfying "Jing" noise, and generally has the effect you want. But a gold piece in the slot makes a very happy sounding, very loud "Jing!" and whatever you were trying to do is accomplished. That's the good news. The bad news is that everything else in the Temple knows you are there, and nearby monsters may descend on you as a pack!

The really interesting thing is that the entire complex was designed and built by a God! While adventuring in this temple, it is almost impossible to die! Jing will almost always bring you back to life! Don't forget, however, since this is a form of the Resurrection spell, your experience goes back to one XP lower than the top of your last level!

I couldn't help but fall in love with this. Mega-Dungeons have always appealed to me, and this one goes out of its way to please even the most sinister plans of any GM. I've been known to perplex characters with traps, tricks, riddles, and other playthings. But this book goes =way= beyond anything I've ever conjured up! One of my highest recommendations!

The Shadows are on our side!

"Catalyst: Shadow Parliament" by Alexander Jerabek, Bennett Durlee, and Parker Thompson

Printed and Distributed by Cherry Picked Games

ISBN-13: 978-1-329-76811-6 -- 48 Pages

In the Catalyst Core Rulebook, we discovered that a vast unknown war was raging across our planet between the forces of Good (Angels, etc.) and the forces of Evil (Demons and Devils, etc.). This unusual take on post-apocalyptic games is a lot more interesting to me! I'm not sure if I ever want to look at another Zombie game again!

You should already have players that have created characters using the Catalyst Core Rulebook to use in this mini-campaign. If not, there are four characters at the back of the book they can use. This booklet is supposed to cover three to five players, and last about seven sessions. This booklet is meant for players that have characters who have already been contacted by The Shadows and what happens to them once they are made aware of the interdimensional war between the realms of Demons and Devils, and the realms of Angels on our world. No player should ever read this rulebook.

GMs should be familiar with the Catalyst Core Rulebook before reading or trying out this module. While the Shadow Parliament and Majestic-12 both work against Demonic powers, the group known as "The Illuminati" works with the other side.

There are 34 example characters at the back of the book. Four of those are ordinary people, but with the new magical powers within them awakened. There are also 17 Illuminati characters, and nine Demon types for the GM's use during play. The four shadows make the best to use for your players to become if they just want a pre-written character.

This booklet makes a good choice to use as an introductory adventure. If you bought the Catalyst Core Rulebook, this booklet would make a fine choice to get as your second Catalyst book. Highly recommended.

Exit Stage Right

"Neoexodus Campaign Setting (Color)" by Various Published and Distributed by Louis Porter Jr Design ISBN-13: 2-370-007-788-26-2 -- 268 (?) Pages

Let me begin this review with a very unusual statement. This appears to be a first edition first printing of this material. This also appears to be a color rendition of the same material. Bear that in mind when reading on.

I had to take the unusual precedent of actually physically counting the real numbers of the pages in this book. Several page numbers given are =not= correct. This is just the beginning of typos in this volume. There are banners in the upper outermost corners of the book that are supposed to contain the words "Neoexodus Campaign Setting" (which they all do), but, they are also supposed to contain the Chapter Title. No sooner than in the fourth page, this becomes "Section Title Goes Here".

Let's look at the other mistake first, page numbering. Up until page eight this seems correct. By this, I was led to believe that the full page art on the other half of the open book should be page nine. But, on the back of page nine, is page number twelve! Not only is this wrong, but it totally messes up the Table of Contents (which is also supposed to be an index) making finding any page in the book a challenge. This changes this seemingly professional looking book (great full color throughout!) into an amateur looking publication. Even a decent proofreader could have found and corrected these mistakes.

So, right off the bat, I subtracted one star for not having correct page numbers, and one star for not having correct page banners. But wait - there's more! I had always believed that "Janissaries" was a series title by Jerry Pournelle, but upon digging, found out that it had also been used during the Mongol Era, so, Ball One.

As many of my readers know, I am not a fan of Psionics in a Fantasy campaign. With this odd campaign mixture of some Fantasy and some Science Fiction, and some Psionics placed into a pot where even game balance might be hurt, made this text look like a bad "Star Wars" rip off. I have a feeling that this project was rushed through to allow the Kickstarter backers to get their product.

This is the first edition full color version. Other than being completely in color, it seems to be exactly like the black and white edition, and this edition carries the same mistakes. There is also a newer edition, called "Neoexodus: A World Divided". Even stranger, there appears to be an earlier edition from "Devils Workshop". I have not had the opportunity to look at these.

In summary, if you can get past the many page errors and other things, this might be of interest due to its totally unusual nature. I cannot recommend this edition, but will keep you posted on what I find from later editions. Your Mileage May Vary.

You might want to take an exit......

"Neoexodus Campaign Setting" by Various Published and Distributed by Louis Porter Jr Design ISBN-13: 2-370-007-788-26-2 -- 268 (?) Pages Let me begin this review with a very unusual statement. This appears to be a first edition first printing of this material. Bear that in mind when reading on. I had to take the unusual precedent of actually physically counting the real numbers of the pages in this book. Several page numbers given are =not= correct. This is just the beginning of typos in this volume. There are banners in the upper outermost corners of the book that are supposed to contain the words "Neoexodus Campaign Setting" (which they all do), but, they are also supposed to contain the Chapter Title. No sooner than in the fourth page, this becomes "Section Title Goes Here". Let's look at the other mistake first, page numbering. Up until page eight this seems correct. By this, I was led to believe that the full page art on the other half of the open book should be page nine. But, on the back of page nine, is page number twelve! Not only is this wrong, but it totally messes up the Table of Contents (which is also supposed to be an index) making finding any page in the book a challenge. This changes this seemingly professional looking book (great full color cover!) into an amateur looking publication. Even a decent proofreader could have found and corrected these mistakes. So, right off the bat, I subtracted one star for not having correct page numbers, and one star for not having correct page banners. But wait - there's more! I had always believed that "Janissaries" was a series title by Jerry Pournelle, but upon digging, found out that it had also been used during the Mongol Era, so, ball one. As many of my readers knows, I am not a fan of Psionics in a Fantasy campaign. With this odd campaign mixture of some Fantasy and some Science Fiction placed into a pot where even game balance might be hurt made this text look like a bad "Star Wars" rip off. I have a feeling that this project was rushed through to allow the Kickstarter backers to get their product. The good news, however, is that the art is very good, and would probably benefit greatly by using full color throughout the book. There is a full color version, and it will be interesting to see if it contains some of the proofreading mistakes. There is also a later edition, called "Neoexodus: A World Divided". I have not had the opportunity to look at either of these. In summary, if you can get past the many page errors and other things, this might be of interest due to its totally unusual nature. I cannot recommend this edition, but will keep you posted on what I find from later editions. Your Mileage May Vary.

There are no Sandworms here.....

"Monster Geographica - Plain and Desert" by Various Published and Distributed by Expeditious Retreat Press ISBN-10: 0-972-9376-5-X -- Digest Sized - 208 Pages This slim volume is a collection of creatures and monsters. 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 only a description of a creature anyway. These creatures are from a wide variety of sources, mostly Third Party - so your players won't know what to expect! The format of the book is digest-sized, making it easier to carry around for outside the home use. This particular book lists creatures that prefer Plains or Desert 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 Challenge 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 this book is a "Whistle Mite" CR rating 1/8! Although this seems pretty small (in fact, one of the smallest I have ever seen) it is provided for GMs to use for a dangerous unseen personal attack! The final entry in the book is for a "Mynfie Snake", 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. There are five of these "Monster Geographica" books: 1) Underground 2) Marsh and Aquatic 3) Forest 4) Hill and Mountain 5) Plain and Desert (this volume) This is the fourth of these that I have bought, and the fifth published, but I am certainly looking for the remaining one! Even though the statistics for creatures is for D&D 3.5, most GM's can convert these easily. My recommendation for GM's needing a few unusual monsters is high!

What's behind that Tree?

"Monster Geographica - Forest" by Various Published and Distributed by Expeditious Retreat Press ISBN-10: 0-972-9376-7-6 -- Digest Sized - 208 Pages This slim volume is simply a collection of creatures and monsters. 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 only a description of a creature anyway. These creatures are from a wide variety of sources, mostly Third Party - so your players won't know what to expect! The format of the book is digest-sized, making it easier to carry around for outside the home use. This particular book lists creatures that prefer Forest 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 this book is a "Stinging Woodfly" CR rating 1/8! Although this seems pretty small (in fact, the smallest I have ever seen) it is provided for GMs to use for a swarm of these! The final entry in the book is for a "Humbaba", CR 24! 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. There are five of these "Monster Geographica" books: 1) Underground 2) Marsh and Aquatic 3) Forest (this volume) 4) Hill and Mountain 5) Plain and Desert This is the third of these that I have bought, and the third published, but I am certainly looking for the remaining two! Even though the statistics for creatures is for D&D 3.5, most GM's can convert these easily. My recommendation for GM's needing a few unusual monsters is very high!

What? More Demons and Devils?

"The Encyclopedia of Demons and Devils 2" by Various Published and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment ISBN-10: 0-971-9598-5-4 -- 224 Pages Just as the title suggests, this is the second book containing Demons and Devils for your campaign! Fast Forward's fourth book, the Encyclopedia of Demons and Devils (Volume One) had sold well enough that Fast Forward decided to follow up with this volume, which also contains Demons and Devils from many cultures. As if there wasn't enough Demons and Devils in the first volume, FFE has 136 =more= Demons and Devils to think about! There is a one page preface and a three page introduction before diving right into the second collection of Demons and Devils. There is a different format for the pictures of the assorted demons - each is in a box that reminds me a bit of Magic the Gathering cards. The good news about this is that it standardizes the renditions of the Demons and Devils, but the bad news about this is that it limits the art to be contained into each square, making all the same basic size, regardless of the size of the creature. Each is in a rectangular frame accented by stars at all four corners, and places the name at the bottom of the box, but I believe that this allows for more text about the creature. Starting with "Aamon" and ending at "Zu", each has one or more pages of descriptions. Some are minor Demons or Devils, and only have one page of info. Some are Major Demons and Devils, and have two - or more - pages of info. Only one being has five pages of material, several have four pages, a few have three pages, many have two pages, and many have only one page. This creates a hierarchy of beings from low level one page "deities" to one of the higher level demons - who control many creatures. Also, in many of the descriptions are magic items, new spells, new Prestige Classes, and more. Each of these 136 characters has an agenda, or more than one agenda, which is found in the Introduction. The 13 (Lucky or Unlucky) agendas given allows a crafty GM to use that creature over and over again! Remember, these beings cannot truly be killed while in the Prime Material Plane! At best, they take enough damage to be forced to retreat to their home plane, causing the Demon or Devil to remain there for one year and one day, and then, they will probably return seeking vengeance! Although there are many books that contain Demons and Devil now, I still feel as though Fast Forward has really hit the mark! Although this is for D&D 3rd Edition, good GMs could still get a great idea of good info for their campaign here. Recommended!