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Cinderheim: The Land Under the Demon Sun
Publisher: Dolorous Exhumation Press
by Patrick [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/28/2024 16:24:10

I love system-neutral setting books that cover the basics of an interesting region or culture. I’m a big fan of another setting book by this author, Krevborna: A Gothic Blood Opera, so I thought Cinderheim might make a good setting for a sword and sorcery campaign. I love the basic premise: a desert formed in ancient times by a magical weapon of war, populated by seven savage factions in seven demon haunted oases. That’s great stuff, but 44 pages isn’t enough to do it justice. I appreciate that the author wanted a book that could be read in one sitting, but in that case, it might have been better to include only three or four factions. What Cinderheim does include is the race/species of every major NPC, and it’s the usual Star Wars cantina menagerie one sees in most D&D 5e books. Firearms are also present. These things can be waved away, or altered if they offend your sense of sword & sorcery. I would like to have seen more on the plans and motivations of the demons and their corresponding faction leaders. While I would not use Cinderheim as written, I can certainly take ideas from it. The pdf is worth the price if you are looking for ideas for a grim-dark desert adventure setting with an emphasis on factional intrigue. The layout is clear and the text is easy to read.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Cinderheim: The Land Under the Demon Sun
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Falkrest Abbey
Publisher: Axian Spice
by Patrick [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/02/2023 11:15:06

We enjoyed this adventure using Swords & Wizardry. I started the players at the abbey and we completed it in two sessions. It might take three if you include the town and journey up the mountain. Great stuff. This would be easy to drop into any generic fantasy setting but it also fit nicely within my 17th century gothic horror campaign.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Falkrest Abbey
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Changing Season - Fantasy Age
Publisher: Green Ronin Publishing
by Patrick Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/10/2022 08:36:29

You get roughly nine locations (rooms) with four fights and a couple traps. There are some cool ideas here for creepy critters. The frequently awkward writing and typos suggest a lack of editing.

The author also describes an interesting setting of settlements strung along an ancient road through a hostile wilderness. Perhaps the impending release of the new core rulebook will generate enough interest in FAGE that we will get more adventures for the Emperox's Road. There are so few adventures published for FAGE that every addition is valuable.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Changing Season - Fantasy Age
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Crypts and Things Remastered
Publisher: D101 Games
by Patrick Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/20/2022 10:03:13

I just concluded a six-month campaign, taking a party up through level five. Everyone had a blast and would have been happy to continue. My experiences track with the previous reviews. Crypts & Things is an excellent OSR game that captures everything I like about the Sword & Sorcery genre, without including tropes that more properly belong to high fantasy settings.

I like to tinker with rules and had no difficulty doing so with C&T given the overall simplicity of the mechanics. The background system used during character creation is so good that I will transplant it into all my future OSR games. There were a few inconsistencies in the rules, but nothing I couldn’t resolve with a quick ruling.

The included setting has lots of flavor, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. The cosmology is weird cosmic horror, but you can decide how often, if ever, the characters interact with that. If you wanted to use a different setting, like Xoth or Hyborea, you could do so, but would need to modify the background tables used in character creation.

Crypts & Things is now my go-to game for sword & sorcery adventure.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Crypts and Things Remastered
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Fantastic Heroes & Witchery
Publisher: DOM Publishing
by Patrick Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/07/2021 13:40:18

If you are looking for a full-bodied version of old-school D&D, then this massive, well-indexed tome of a pdf is an absolute steal at the price. This game is packed with classes and spells. I love the alternate cleric and wise-man classes that actually make sense for a fantastical version of medieval Europe. Spells are subdivided in several ways, including by school (if you want specialty wizards) and black/grey/white (if you want alignment-influenced magic). There are demi-human classes that are so close to actual folk-lore, that I can happily use them in an otherwise humanocentirc setting. Of the 30+ classes, you can probably pick a dozen or so that would fit any particular setting you want. If for no other reason, buy this game to see what good, thematic classes look like.

True, there is no bestiary or list of magic items. That should pose no problem at all for a DM that has ANY other old-school version of D&D. There are many separate OSR bestiaries out there as well. Why is the book so long if it doesn't have critters? (1) Unlike rules-light versions of D&D, this one has (mostly optional) rules to cover every situation. I wouldn't use most of this stuff, but some people like having "rules for everything". (2) The author is somewhat verbose. His explanations of common objects and concepts goes beyond what I really need. (3) Did I mention the 30+ classes and 666 spells?

AC is ascending. The suggested skill system is d20 roll-over-DC (like 5e), but skills are not actually listed or strongly emphasized. You could easily substitute something else if you like or ignore them altogether.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fantastic Heroes & Witchery
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Krevborna: A Gothic Blood Opera
Publisher: Dolorous Exhumation Press
by Patrick Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/07/2021 12:20:23

I wish there were more setting books like this on the market. Krevborna picks a theme (Gothic horror) and maintains that focus throughout. The broad outlines of cities and regions are here as well as seeds from which GM's can create all the details they want. While some people use it for 5e, Krevborna could just as easily serve as an imaginary region of a slightly-fantastical 18th-century Eastern Europe. It would work extremely well with Lamentations of the Flame Princess or For Coin & Blood. Any period from medieval to Victorian is possible because of what the author is careful not to emphasize. Of course, the other side of that coin is that GM's will need to do some work to fill-in the blanks. For my part, I'm delighted to have found a setting with big blanks exactly where I want them.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Krevborna: A Gothic Blood Opera
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Esoteric Enterprises - Complete
Publisher: Dying Stylishly Games
by Patrick Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/06/2020 12:27:52

My group has recently started a campaign of Esoteric Enterprises. In my opinion, this game is one of the best things to come out of the OSR movement. EE takes modern urban fantasy into the realm of episodic dungeon crawling with a strong emphasis on occult horror. The setting assumes that characters will be criminals and outcasts, searching out ancient treasures, and delivering them into the wrong hands for cash. You could alter that premise if you wanted, but I decided to embrace it fully for this campaign.

The rules are based on old-school D&D but include some changes I appreciate, including ascending armor class and two hit-point pools: grit (recovers quickly) and flesh (recovers slowly). There is a simple but functional skill system that includes both skill level and attribute bonus in the check. I wish this was a roll-high d20 check, but instead we get roll-under d6. That is old-school, and it works, but I think it a missed opportunity for improvement.

Every class may wear armor and use any weapon, as is appropriate for a modern setting. Magic users can bestow scrolls and blessings on their comrades so that everyone can, if they dare, throw some spells. Despite these features, the classes feel completely distinct and wonderfully in-tune with the setting. This is accomplished with special abilities and having most skill points tied directly to class.

Magic is dark and perilous. Occultists can use it somewhat safely so long as they don’t push their abilities to the limit. Options to do so are dangled before the player’s eyes as a constant temptation. Vancian memorization is a thing, but Occultists can also cast any spell in their book with a ten-minute ritual. Mystics must roll to appease their dark patrons in order to cast a spell. They may do so all day without limits, in theory. Failed rolls bring consequence, however, and a smart Mystic will attempt to solve his problems with charm or a shotgun before resorting to spells.

There is no setting or introductory adventure provided. The rules do include a strong, coherent theme and an extensive system for randomly creating your own undercity. The randomization system is innovative and fun, but did not provide a workable result when I tried it. After seeing what dropping dice produced, however, I was able to construct my undercity by selecting sensible options from the copious tables provided.

One of the reasons I have shied away from other urban fantasy games was the overt presence of fae creatures. EE has them too, but they are compartmentalized and easy to leave out if you want. Artwork in the game depicts characters as humans or monsters, rather than elves or dwarves. This works for our campaign, which is set in Baltimore, Maryland. Native American mythos and ghosts from the city’s actual history (and Edgar Allen Poe) are a better fit than the fae.

The pdf rulebook has some typos on the first page of character creation. They are easily fixed, but don’t give a good first impression. The text layout omits indentation or separation between paragraphs. It looks like a wall-of-text. I found it difficult to read at first, but eventually got used to it. The type is large and clear, with the exception of some magic tables in the full-color version. The black-and-white printable version, which you will also receive, keeps everything as clear as can be. This is important to me as many other games cause me eye-strain. Artwork is always a subjective matter but I really like the color photos used by the author. For a modern setting, it works better than black and white line drawings.

Esoteric Enterprises is a wonderful game and my group is having a blast with it. This is all the more impressive in that EE is the work of a single designer, Emmy Allen. She is an amazing talent. EE is bursting with creativity and written in a voice that betrays her love of the genre, dry wit, and appreciation of what makes OSR games worth playing.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Esoteric Enterprises - Complete
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Sorrowblight Fields- A Swords & Wizardry Mini-Dungeon
Publisher: Creation's Edge Games
by Patrick Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/05/2020 10:25:36

I just took a full group of lvl 1 characters through Sorrowblight Fields. Everyone enjoyed the adventure. We spent about 6-7 hours with it. Even with some hired spears, it was a tough nut to crack for 1st level. The party had one fatality and had to withdraw twice to rest and recharge. Be ready to consider what the denizens will do if the party withdraws for a night. The writer treated the goblins with a bit of humorous whimsy, but you can skip over those bits easily if you want to maintain a more serious tone. The general format for the module made prep very easy. I was able to use the map with online players as nothing secret is revealed on the map.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Sorrowblight Fields- A Swords & Wizardry Mini-Dungeon
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