This is a beautiful game book! The artwork is in color throughout the book and the layout is superb with all the rules well-organized and easy to find. The rules are elegantly simple, using a d20 to resolve actions however, rolling low is good so, a 1 is a crit and a 20 is a fail. Being used to d20 roll high mechanics, I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting to this paradigm but, the system is well thought out and flows smoothly. The magic system is based on folklore, so spells are more of the curse, scrying, conjuration, healing variety with few direct damage spells. The feel of magic is closer to what is seen in the movies Excalibur or Dragonslayer than the typical flashy magic in most fantasy games.

I have only one complaint. While the book gives a lot of detail about the countries of the Perilous Land, there is no map! It would be nice if one could be produced for download on the Osprey Games website or made available here on DriveThruRPG.

Into the Unknown takes the mechanics of the 5E system, strips it down to the essentials, and melds it with old-school playing style, creating a lean but complete system for low level (1st through 10th) adventures. The game is fun, well-organized, and should appeal to gamers who like the 5E system but may want a bit more simplicity. I highly recommend this game.

Adventures in the East Mark is an old-school, 144 page, level-based, d20 rpg inspired by the Mentzer BECM D&D box sets. The game takes the familiar rules and weds them to the East Mark campaign world, creating a unique setting for adventuring. Character classes in the game are Clerics, Explorers (rangers), Mages, Paladins, Thieves, Warriors, and the race-as-class Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings. True to the BECM source material, the demi-humans have level limits. The artwork is very nice, evoking a dark, gritty world. I was very pleased with the section on weapons, armor, and equipment which is more extensive than those usually found in old-school games. The magic section contains a selection of popular spells, some of them renamed. The chapters on adventuring and running a campaign covers the basics that one needs without bogging down in too much detail, and the bestiary contains a nice selection of over 60 creatures and monsters. The book concludes with a gazetteer of the East Mark, an introductory adventure, and a character sheet. I highly recommend this game to fans of BECM D&D or anyone interested in old-school rpgs.

Lean and intuitive, BareBones Fantasy is an excellent rules-lite system. I can't say that I've seen an rpg that packs so much goodness in so modestly priced a package. DWD is aggressively supporting the game with three modules and a campaign setting available now with more goodies in the pipeline.

Starting from the "what-if" premise that the creators of the original fantasy rpg had instead written a sci-fi rpg, X-plorers delivers a lean, rules-lite system perfect for a fast-paced space opera style game. The system is level-based with four character classes each with four class skills that improve each level. Included is a sample setting, rules for creating alien critters, space combat rules, psionics, and the obligatory list of equipment for the player characters. I can see running a "Forbidden Planet" style campaign with this system or even a "Firefly" type game.

Like its sibling products in the QUERP line, QUERP MODERN: WILD WEST crams a lot of goodness in a small book. Except for referencing the Q: MODERN main book for a few skills, this volume is largely a stand-alone book. The first thirty or so pages of WILD WEST covers a brief history of the time-period and presents several famous persons of the era statted for the game. The next section covers the character archetypes, skills, and equipment while the last section presents game master information, advice, and a nice starting adventure. I highly recommend this game for anyone wanting a rules-lite, fast-playing Old West rpg!

What a fun addition to the QUERP rules system! While maintaining the rules simplicity that makes QUERP my rpg of choice, HEROES delivers a solid rules set for playing costumed heroes. The mechanics (2d6 + modifiers vs. target difficulty) will be familiar to anyone who has played either QUERP Modern or QUERP Fantasy but they have been tweeked a bit to handle the power levels of a four-color comics game. The system is flexible enough to handle just about any style of super hero gaming from gritty dark knights to god-like paragons. Complements, also, on the choice of art which looks like it came from classic comics and make HEROES one of the nicest looking QUERP books to date.

Chock full of practical advice and tools for the beginning game master, the QUERP Gamemaster's Companion delivers excellent value to anyone starting a campaign. Written in a conversational style, the book dispenses all manner of useful tips on designing and maintaining a campaign, handling players, and awarding experience. It also expands the spell lists, adds new potions for alchemists, and reorganizes the game's magic items tables, including new items. QUERP gamemasters will certainly want this book, and even gamemasters of other systems will find it useful for the common sense advice on running a campaign.

I'm a big fan of the QUERP fantasy system so I was very happy when QUERP Modern was released. Those familiar with the QUERP mechanics will find that the rules are still very much Quick & Easy; only a few modifications have been made to accomodate modern weaponry and equipment. We have five new character classes for the modern setting, including a pychic with an interesting, but subtle range of powers. The Magic characteristic has been replaced by Psyche and Mana replaced by Chi. Ten new NPC types are also included to serve as opponents and contacts for the Modern PC, and an adventure set in Afghanistan rounds out the book. In all, a very seamless transition between the fantasy and modern systems.

While the back cover says we won't find orcs and goblins here, the crossover potential for modern horror or modern fantasy games certainly exists when one considers the wealth of easily converted information available in the QUERP Bestiary and the fantasy QUERP Player's Companion. I highly recommend QUERP Modern to anyone who enjoys fast-paced, rules-lite systems!

The QUERP game system gets better with each new release. QUERP is designed to provide a quick and easy alternative to rules-heavy fantasy rpgs. The Player's Companion expands the number of character options presented in the main rule book from six to twenty and adds many new spells to the game. Each character option is listed with complete stats, special abilities, spells, and starting equipment so one only needs to copy the information to a character sheet and begin playing. For the game master, these characters can also serve as quick npcs.

The Companion also addresses my one disappointment with the main rule book by providing rules for non-human characters. Stats for Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Centaurs, Dragon Men, and more are given along with their special abilities.

As great as these options are, the real meat of the Player's Companion is the Advanced Characters rules. The author points out that these rules take the "quick" out of quick and easy however, one gains the freedom to custom design exactly the character one wants from thirty-eight different special skills. Under these rules, the player assigns 21 points among the six characteristics, applies any racial modifiers and special rules, then selects four starting special skills. Lastly, spend the character's starting money for equipment and the character is ready for play. This section of the book has descriptions of the special skills and the spells listed alphabetically followed by a table listing the spells by Difficulty number. The last section of the book consists of revised armor, weapon, and equipment tables.

The QUERP system is elegantly simple, intuitive, and fun. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a rules-light fantasy rpg.

QUERP BESTIARY is an essential expansion for the QUERP game system. Within its covers are about 100 monsters including a few from the QUERP main rules that have been redone to better fit in with the newer creatures. The creatures selected for this volume are staples of frpgs; classical creatures from mythology, goblins, orcs, trolls, and dragons. In many cases, the authors have given new interpetations to familiar monsters that may surprise complacent player characters. Sprinkled through the volume are many new spells to expand the magic system from the main rule book and a much improved set of treasure tables.

As with the QUERP main rules, everything is written in a straight-forward, clear style that never lapses into gamer jargon. Each entry consists of a description of the creature, its Fighting, Defense, and Health scores, and any special rules or magical abilities the creature may possess.

Anyone considering the purchase of the QUERP main rules should also pick up the Bestiary. As of this writing, it is bundled with the main book and the Prisoners of Zontar module for a mere $10 which, in my opinion, is a bargain for a complete role-playing game system.

Having grown weary of the D20 system and not liking 4E D&D's grid and miniatures combat, I wanted to return to the simple frpg style of play that I enjoyed in the '80s and '90s but did not want to use the somewhat dated game mechanics of that era. QUERP fills the bill nicely as a rules lite frpg.

Designed around a simple, intuitive, mechanic (2d6 + modifiers vs. Difficulty), QUERP delivers fast play and easy resolution of combat and non-combat encounters. The game works well as an introductory set of rules for a young person, a tool to teach the elements of role playing to someone unfamiliar with rpgs, a set of rules for a quick game, or as the core rules for an experienced game master who looking for a system that can be easily house-ruled to his tastes.

The 70 page book contains six character classes (Warrior, Priest, Magician, Thief, Barbarian, and Sage), rules for playing the game, a short bestiary, treasure tables, a solo adventure, and a group adventure. It is written in a clear, user-friendly style that conveys the rules without getting bogged down in game jargon.

Currently, I'm using QUERP to run a game set in Columbia Games' HARN campaign setting using elements from my old 1E AD&D modules. The system is a breeze to run and my players are actually thinking of their characters' motivations rather than worried if they have min-maxed their stats, skills, and feats.

I highly recommend this game!