Neat idea, and I have happily bought several products from this source- but I have to rate this at three. Failure to proofread is just unforgivable, especially in a product with so few pages. GSP errors are one thing, but under Doppelganger, 'immune to sleep and.'

Come on.

Mark Hunt has found his niche in the gaming industry by making retro-clones of the the 1981 Basic Dungeons & Dragons to fit other genres, notably his take on TSR's old GangBusters, but also the western genre in his game - and the subject of this review - Tall Tales.

As a retro clone, it has the usual 6 Abilities (e.g. Strength and Wisdom), and not much has changed there. There are 6 initial classes to choose from, and these classes are a curious mix. They are all genre appropriate, but the inclusion of 2 classes over perhaps more the more genre appropriate staples is a little head-scratching and has me confused over what kind of game Mr. Hunt envisioned.

To be precise, there are 4 classes that are practically a given for an RPG of western flare: Gunslinger (filling the role of fighter), Desperado (filling the role of thief), Mountain Man (basically a Ranger from AD&D complete with animal side-kick), and Brave (which despite the name is closer to a B/X cleric than a warrior) which is nice nod to the American Indian. A lot of other games shy away from their inclusion in character choices. The other two classes are perplexing.

One is Singing Cowboy, fulfilling the function of a AD&D bard, but with the addition of horse side-kick which able to perform minor tricks. Campfire songs were a thing, but the inclusion of the wonder-horse draws obvious parallels to Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. This inclusion of the Singing Cowboy feels more like parody than a serious inclusion. The other class is Snake Oil Salesman (SOS), which again, is in-genre, but here's the thing....the SOS's elixirs actually work. In essence, the SOS is an alchemist making magic potions. There are no other examples or mentions of magic anywhere in the book. As I mentioned, I'm not sure what game Mr. Hunt wanted to make. A serious western genre, a parody, or a fantasy-western?

A supplement released 3 additional classes: Gambler, Preacher, and Lawman, but I have not reviewed it.

The rest of the book is pretty standard RPG fare. Combat, gear, town creation, loot tables (which show the D&D pedigree) and the like. The NPC opponents section has another curious inclusion. Not one stat for Indians (although they are in the encounter tables), but there are stats for berserkers. Huh? None of it is really worthy of mention.

The Nitty Gritty Total Page Count: 96 Pages Character Creation: 17 Pages Game Mechanics: 5 Pages Everything Else: 74 Pages

Judgement: Despite my confusion at the given character classes, if you love Basic D&D, then you really owe it to yourself to pick this up on .pdf (it's only a buck ninety-nine!). It's a fun read and it wears it parentage proudly.

Mark Hunt has updated Gangbusters RPG by taking it backwards. The game is now much easier for new and old players to pick up and understand. A great new spin on an old classic. Expert Rules are on the way. Check it out!!

Despite a number of errors that should have been caught during the editing process (misspelling Proofreaders as "Proof readers" on the first page is NEVER a good sign), this is a wonderful update to a terrific game and I look forward to playing/running it at some point! Will definitely be buying the Expert Rules once they're released as well. Thanks to Mark Hunt for bringing Gangbusters back from the "dead."

The latest game to take over the Old-School gaming scene like, well, gangbusters is the new B/X Gangbusters; an update to the old TSR Gangbusters.

Gangbusters is a new game from Mark Hunt based on both the original Gangbusters and Basic/Expert D&D. At first, I was a little wary of this. It seemed a little too close to trademarks and I have seen some shady stuff. But it turns out that Mark legally owns the Gangbusters trademark and this has been a dream of his for some time. Reading his posts about it online you get his enthusiasm and it is contagious. So does it live up to the hype? Let's check it out.

Gangbusters is an old school game built on the Basic version of D&D; or at least a suitable clone of it. So if you know that game you how this one works. Characters have a choice of class; Brutish, Connected, Educated, and Street Smart. And each class has six levels, complete with level titles no less!

Each class gets a good write-up and running them through my memory of Good Fellas, The Untouchables and the Godfather I think they cover just about everything. My tastes would run more towards Private Eyes so Connected and Street Smart would be great for me.

The alignment system here is Law vs. Neutrality vs. Dishonesty. It works. It works rather well, to be honest.

There are a lot of lists of equipment with 1920s costs. For historical games, I love this stuff. There are guides for playing characters and playing in the time period.

Part 3 is the newest material, Piece Of the Action, covers playing the Gangbusters game. A lot of great information here.

Part 4 covers Game Mastering or Judging. This covers running a city. Now, this is where I commit heresy, but there some great stuff here I might steal for other B/X style games. This also covers awarding experience points.

For Part 5 we get Investigations. Part 6 deals with Law Enforcement and Part 7 handles The Encounter. The big gem of Part 7 is the table of vehicles.

Part 8 is Wandering Adversaries and that is our "Monster" section. It is 100% or at least 99% compatible with every other OSR game. Though these are city adversaries of the 1920s. You get adversaries like Angry Mob, Cat Burglars, Gangsters, Klansmen, Moonshiners and more. I have to admit, I now want to send a coven of my witches after a group of klansmen.

Part 9 covers Combat. This is expected stuff, but the really cool thing are the Saving Throws. Gangbusters gives us, Moxie. Quickness. Toughness. Driving. and Observation. Really, how awesome is that?

There is an optional section here that grabbed my attention. Mysterious Powers allows you to play as Golden Age heroes. That is a very, very interesting development.

The game comes as a PDF and a Print on Demand book. Color covers and Black & White interior art. It comes in at 63 pages. The game is also released under the OGL.

How Does it Compare to Original Gangbusters? By using the "Basic" system there are a lot details in the original game that are not needed in the newer game. For example, skills are less of a game mechanic in the newer game. The original Gangbusters has more detail on various weapon effects but the newer game is far better organized. OG Gangbusters weighs in at 64 pages, as was common for TSR at the time and a smaller font. So it, in general, has more text, but that doesn't mean more game in this case.

All in all. Gangbusters is a great game. Part of that greatest comes from Mark Hunt's enthusiasm and his obvious love for this game. Personally, I would get it for that alone, but thankfully the game here is also great all on it's own.

If you enjoy the 1920s, Gangster films or even, like me, B/X D&D and related games, then this is a must buy.

A fantastic product that will bring many more players into Pulp gaming I'm sure. Straightforward yet thorough, anyone used to B/X or old school games can get going right out of the box. And players of newer games will find this easy to pick up.

I played only a couple of sessions of gangbusters decades ago, so I can't really compare this to that. This is a review based on reading, not yet having, focusing mainly on the mechanics. It's a solid B/X version of the material. 64 pages is a good length for the material in B/X form.

Random observations: 4 classes up to level 6. Characters are going to start at ~4 hp, max out at ~20 hp, and bullets do 1d6 to 1d10. You might want to use the optional rules so that 0 hp ^= instant death. Characters are never going to be nigh invulnerable.

Quality of clothing subs in for armor to determine AC.

A reasonable range of weapon types without sinking into gun porn, appropriate to B/X. Simple rules for rapid fire.

The call to action page has some lovely random tables that look like they yield a simple yet interesting starting plot.

Reasonable listing of gear and vehicles, plus special gear which yield minor bonuses (like extremely toned down magic items)

5 pages of NPC stats to give a range of opponents.

I like the saving throw categies: moxie, quickness, toughness, driving, observation. I wish they were listed in the chargen section.

a page on optional very low level super powers.

Sections on setting up a gang, businesses, police activity, bribery, and criminal proceedings, which I haven't read yet. Combat rules appear to be standard.

Overall, this could serve as a solid basis for any early modern game that you wanted to run B/X. It's not D&D level power in trench coasts. It's using the basic rules to give you heroic yet killable characters along the lines of things like The Spirit or early gangster movies. As it uses the B/X engine, it would easy to add supernatural elements by borrowing material from D&D.

"Have you ever wished to ride in the old west? To be part of the thrilling days of yesteryear? Well, this is your chance. Well, not you but a pretend you, a character you portray while you play the game. Just as an Actor would play a part in a Western Movie, you play a character set in the Old west. Your character is in a game world that is both a historical setting and a fantasy setting at the same time, with its legends and tall tales mixed with the finest traditional Spaghetti Westerns. As a Character in this world you can perform deeds of valor, riches, ruin and redemption. You as the player may find the game world is both familiar and foreign at the same time, raw, savage and waiting to be tamed." This game brings home the feel of the old West hard & dangerous the way the West should be. I bought this game last night because Tall Tails B/X Wild West was on sale for $1.99! Mark Hunt quietly develops games & supplements by himself without Kickstarter or much fanfare. But don't let that fool you Mark has been a veteran designer of the game industry for many years. This brings me to Tall Tails B/X Wild West this game clocks in at around ninety six pages. I've been friends with Mark Hunt for many years now but its time to hit the back paths of gunslingers, low-down desperadoes, singing cowboys or snake oil salesmen which are the actual PC classes of this low down twisted game of gun fights, exploration, & there's a feel of the Old West Pulps here. The rpg system is primed to B/X OSR Dungeons & Dragons purely. There's just enough material here to give the players & the DM enough to get started in their own version of the Old West. Lots of good use of public domain Old Western artwork & the layout is readable very nicely done for the eyes. The game is very much in the cut & dry B/X Dungeons & Dragons style.

Tall Tails B/X Wild West covers everything from designing a home base domain town or location to a wild west ranch spread very important aspect for adventurers, outlaws, & Northern green horns; "More than just a collection of ramshackle buildings where dusty cowboys blew off steam before getting back on the trail, or a backdrop to a show down, towns in the Old West played in important part in developing the frontier. Towns served as transport waypoints, financial hubs, communication centers, and helped provide goods, serves, and entertainment" Hunt understands the importance of having the PC's party stretch into their element. Case in point is the adversaries section here's one of the most dangerous foes a group of PC's can run across an NPC gun fighter; "Legendary Gunman This is one of the many deadly gunmen that roamed the old west. "Human Gunslinger: HD 6; AC 0; Atk 2 weapon (1d8); Move 120’; Save 13; AL N; XP 750; Special: +2 to hit in in a showdown. +6 initiative. " Everything here is easily understood & applable to both OSR & old school games. This is very important for DM's looking to add elements of the Old West to their games. But there's additional material to go with Tall Tales BX Wild West RPG New classes is a 'pay what you want' add on for Tall Tails B/X Wild West. Its seven essential pages of PC classes that adds in three new classes: the Gambler, the Preacher and the lawman. These are solid classes that any fan of the Western genre knows exactly what these classes can do & how to put them to use as a player or dungeon master. This is an OSR system like B/X Essentials by Gavin Norman & like Norman's systems BX Wild West RPG New classes is a core add on to have. This is a must pdf if you intend to run this system. Already I can hear the laughter but if we want to add in D&D elements its gonna be an issue? What if Frank Mentzer did all of the hard work for you and all of the heavy lifting?! Not only can you use B/X Essentials but you could with a bit of old school effort grab your trusty Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia there's all the monsters you'll ever need! Aaron Allston, & Frank Mentzer have done all of the heavy lifting for you & with the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia you've got years of Old West campaign play.

Now I've heard from different folks that many of these OSR retroclone system are not OGL well Tall Tails B/X Wild West isn't one of those; "All artwork, proper names, logos, and presentation are product identity. The names “Tall Tales” and “B/X Western Tall Tales” are product identity. All text not declared as Open Game Content is product identity. DESIGNATION OF OPEN GAME CONTENT All text and tables in the following sections are Open Game Content: ability scores, sequence of play, adventuring rules, basic combat procedure, other combat issues, standard combat charts, potions. OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a" Which means that already outfits like Surreal Estate Games have created basic Wild West adventures titles like Tumbleweed Tales Volume 1 by Robert Garitta fills that gap nicely. We'll be reviewing this set of adventures soon enough. But your ready to Country & Western your way across the B/X West! But this isn't the only Basic Dungeons & Dragons style OSR options which applies to Tall Tails B/X Wild West. There's also Dark Dungeons by Blacky the Blackball which can be used with Tall Tails B/X Wild West. These two used together allow the dungeon master to give a much more OSR feel to their Wild West adventures and includes the rules for Spelljammer style ships! Because of the way that Tall Tails B/X Wild West is set up its a solid OSR Wild West tool kit that provides the DM & his or her players with a solid Wild West game. The clean design & layout are a hall mark of OSR design Mark Hunt has a winner on his hands like his own version of the Gang Busters Rpg. Grab Tall Tails B/X Wild West while you can! Eric Fabiaschi Sword & Stitchery blog Want More original OSR content? Subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com

This is a Hack for The Black Hack, though it makes no mention of The Black Hack in any way. It is a super streamlined RPG set in World War Two. It is playable, and looks decent, but it would be nice if the publisher would mention that The Front is based on The Black Hack rules system, as that would have helped in my purchase decision.

At first glance, I really liked this game. I bought the PDF and liked it enough to order the print copy. I now wish I had waited until I finished reading through the game.

This is indeed Gangebusters, basicly the same as the TSR original (maybe cleaned up a little here and there) The artwork fits perfectly, the layout is clean and easy to use, and the addition of weird powers was a nice touch, though the implimentation seems a little weird to me.

My problem is this was sold as a stand alone game, and it isn't. If you don't have the original Gangebusters this game is unplayable.

I have a few other minor nitpicks, but nothing too serious.

Although they cover combat, they forgot to cover damage. On pg. 49 they mention that a .38 caliber bullet does 3d6 damage (which is incorrect), but nowhere else is there a list of weapon damage, or how to calculate damage (other than brawling)

Other than that, this game really looks promising. Fortunately I have my original TSR copy of Gangbusters, so this will ba a mostly useful addition to my collection. Once they fix this omission, this will be a 4 star review.

Full disclosure: I did not receive a comp copy, but used my own money to purchase the Lulu print, sight unseen, before buying the pdf here.

The Front Field Manual by Mark A. Hunt is a hack of The Black Hack. The system is a Roll-Under d20 based resolution method which greatly reduces the need for lengthy explanation and formulae. Everything about The Front is economical, getting the GM and Players directly into the action of adventures in a war environment, and in the specific case of World War Two. While Europe is assumed to be the centre of action, there are examples of the sorts of campaigns (and how appropriate that term is when dealing with a military RPG) one can run with The Front. Among this section are listed action in the Pacific Theatre, both from an Allied perspective, as well as indigenous peoples' fighting in resistence to Imperial Japanese ambitions. Other campaign suggestions include the Maquis across Europe, as well as more exotic fighters, on all sides of the conflict(s).

In the small framework of The Front, a great variety of information is conveyed in a very direct and approachable manner; Hunt's writing is informal, but not discursive, and each topic feels resolved when one has digested the encapsulated data. I am especially appreciative of his method of resolving short bursts and full-auto rules for SMGs and MGs. Once those two rules are understood, aircraft MGs naturally flow from that and a GM will know how to conduct air to ground fire. Expanded vehicle rules are in the works, but one section that struck me as both interesting and very useful is that during the time of the war, Jeeps are incredibly common. Further on in the text, there is an anecdote about the Officer operating the vehicle with the troops in the back, unlike Wehrmacht cars being driven by underlings. Between the sparing rules and the flavour text, The Front encourages play in the conflict depicted.

Hunt, however, expands things with both the possibility of using the rules set with modern warfare, as well as fantastical fodder, such as ghouls, werewolves, and vampires. With The Front, a GM willing to read a few articles on the Web and spring a unique setting or angle can cater to virtually any group of players. The Front is as mucha toolbox as it is a fully functional RPG.

I am rather taken with it, and its approach has made me think about other, future hacks of theis versitile game system. I highly recommend you give it a try.

Out of 48 pages, 46 are the content, including the introduction. A variety of different covers (colour) that look pretty good.

Errors: only one I've seen so far (P6: pre-war professions): it says roll d220 (I'd like to see that dice).

97% of the WWII pictures are American in source. I saw 1 French (resistance), 3 others that I believe were 1 African (desert war, possibly north Africa), 1 German, the other picture showed a group of Asian partisans. All are B&W and clear. Some pictures of the other nations might have been welcome (British, Japanese, and other nationalities perhaps), to give the players a better 'mind picture' of their players or opponents (but that, I'm guessing, would take more time and work). Players can use the internet for more pictures, etc to give them a better idea of the other nationalities involved (and there were many).

Ranks (P12) only shows American ranks, no other nationalities. Will need to Google those methinks, in case any players want ranks for British, German, etc. Weapons: Generic. No lists of the many different weapons used by the nations involved; but still good. Some weapons have a dice usage that decreases down 1 level if a 1-2 is rolled. Not bad. Page 45 give you the phonetic alphabet (good). This should certainly help the players in certain situations.

Page 3: Kilroy was here! Funny. 1 page devoted to the jeep (Willys). Other vehicles are handled generically.

Equipment (P14) is slightly covered, the list would be quite long. Twilight 2000 by GDW is one example. As for encumbrance, you could use the D&D 3.0 (p142), 3.5 (p162) or even Pathfinder (P171) if you wanted to go 'deeper' into what each soldier is carrying (rations, water, medi-packs, etc). Healing (P32), seems good. OofA I'm guessing is Out of Action?

Overall, it's quite good just as it is, or the GM and players can add more to it (equipment, etc); but that might slow the action down a bit. For £2.08/$3.00, it's definitely worth getting. Recommended.

I just bought and skimmed through this. The artwork is nice, and the PDF looks beautiful. I just started a call of cthulhu game this year, and my players all gravitated toward prohibition type careers. (They manufacture and sell booze. ) I bought this knowing the rules were not complete, but hoped i could get something useful to gansta up my CoC game. I think this will do nicely! I especially like the random tables for rolling up plot lines. I will certainly buy the full rules when they come available. I am interested in the criminal class as PCs. This game looks like a lot of fun. I am going to enjoy reading this 90 page intro to the game tonight! I am already thinking that it would make for good times to start with this gangbusters and work into some Lovecraftian horror later on.

If the full rules are still being written by someone who is reading this, please do not feel compelled to stick some lovecraft into the game based on my reason for purchase! I dont need anymore monsters or spells, just more of the flapper and gangster flavor!

If you are wondering if you should buy this, i suggest you do.

There is alot to play with here, and it is well done.

Trev

This is the first POD product I have purchased from DriveThru. I love it! I honestly didn't know what to expect in regards to the production value of them.

The cards have the pertinent data on it for the Gangbusters game, along with a picture of the NPC on it as well.

The card stock they are printed on is the equivalent of a regular deck of playing cards. Firm, but still flexible if you wanted to shuffle them for some reason. The NPC's presented represent a wide range of levels, careers, and ethnicity. There are 18 cards total in the set.

I can't wait to use these in game!

Another great offering here. The module revolves around dogs but in so many interesting ways. There is so much going on here, enough in fact, to fuel an entire campaign or to add new twists and flavor to an existing one. Also there are a whole bunch of NPC stats as well as visual aids that lend everything an air of authenticity. Well worth the price.