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BattleTech: Technical Readout: 2750
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
by Nicholas L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/30/2022 01:56:28

This book has nostalgia values to me. Once upon a time I owned a second-hand well-thumbed and used dead-tree copy of it. Over the years, it was lost and now that I'm given a chance, bought the PDF version of it.

Content-wise, this book is jam-packed with Mech details. An absolute must for any Battletech tabletop or RPG fans. However, the scan (as mentioned by another reviewer) is horrible! There's a faded shadow underlay of each characters in the book that make reading difficult (especially for these pair of eyes belonging to a 50+ years old man).

Please produce an updated version with crispier scan, let this avid fan download it again and feast upon the content and reminiscene his childhood dreams in clear details instead of a blurry mess.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
BattleTech: Technical Readout: 2750
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The Ruins of Myth Drannor (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/15/2017 04:42:34

I love AD&D - I have fond memories of Ruins of Myth Drannor, something that I've DMed many decades again. Interestingly, I even have the original box set but I thought - since they are releasing it brand new (albeit a scanned copy and not the box set), I thought I'll get it and have a good read while keeping my original in its storage state (preventing mildew and mould).

However, I'm disappointed, utterly disappointed. Firstly, let me get the good out of the way. The print is of somewhat good quality, excellent binding and as far as I've (managed to) read, complete. Now for the bad.

The print is smudgy - there's no crispiness to the words. I guess it is down to the fact that it is a scanned copy. That's still fine if the words are large enough to decipher but when the words get too small, it is almost a torture to read them! I'm 46 years old - eyes that ain't what it was before. Nearly 30% of the book adopts a font that's just too small to read and coupled with the smudginess - it's almost illegible!! Please!!

Next complain - the maps!! Oh c'mon!! Scanning the maps into its parts and having them as pages?! Ok, nevermind - I'll cut them out and tape them together. Printed on both sides?! Of different scales?! What are the publishers thinking of?! Or did they even gave it a thought?!!

I will not recommend anyone to buy the hardcopy (as I did). For the price and a little effort, get it printed on your own and have it properly binded. Use a graphic software tool and print out the pages for the map (single sided and of the correct scale/dimension) and tape them together to form your own map. Save yourself the money. Ok to just buy the PDF. As for the print, seriously, not worth it.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
The Ruins of Myth Drannor (2e)
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L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (1e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by SG-0401-5333 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/19/2016 23:08:01

This is a great adventure but letdown by poor scan.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (1e)
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Guild Adventurer #1
Publisher: Iron Crown Enterprises
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/15/2014 03:55:43

I was astounded, jaw hanging. I heard about rolemaster and HARP (but never played it) but never the guild adventurer magazine.

So, one fateful day, I was scouring around in DTRPG for a new game system to sink my "eyes" into and I chanced upon rolemaster. So I asked myself, why not?

I wanted to have a feel of the writing style, gaming perspective, theme and mechanics so what better place to start this exploration than through their own in-house magazine?

A few clicks later (and lightening of my wallet), I bought this magazine.

Cover art is well...meh - mundane and to be honestly, quite amateur work but a fine reminiscence of old school RPG (e.g. D&D BECMI, 1e/2e) so it is ok with me.

Length of the magazine is fine - not the cheapest in terms of ratio for pages per dollar spent but its ok. Articles - there are six. There are two supplementary articles fleshing out a tavern and a coach inn and four adventures (varying from RMC to HARP to Spacemaster).

What can I say to these articles? Wow! The detailing on the tavern and coach-inn are simply fantastics. Everything in it are fully usable whether on the intended campaign or to be used elsewhere (and the articles even advise how it can be done).

As for the adventures, at a read through only (without actually using it in play), there are simply terrific. Old-school, fine writing styles, thematic and flavorful.

This magazine (unlike some other magazines I bought and reviewed) gives me worth in every page and articles.

This magazine has convinced me. I'm going to embark on RMC - made an order for all the basic core books and definitely going to purchase the rest (and future) of the guild adventurer magazines.

Kudos to the everyone who worked on this. I have never been WOWed for a long time

PS: PF was mundane but still enjoyable and D&D 4e was yucks. So this gives you a gauge of what I meant by my appraisal of their (guild companion publication) work.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Guild Adventurer #1
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Gygax magazine issue #3
Publisher: Solarian
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/02/2014 13:32:30

So much better...like the flavoring of a soup, mixed with all sorts of ingredients...ah...almost there.

What are good?

  • Art is good. A retro feel and look
  • Dwarven rune priest and Air-lancer. A wonderful write-up of a possible playable class
  • They all Died at the International Space Station & Marmomeal Tomb of Garn Pat-uul. Good adventures. Usable and full of expansion possibilities.
  • Order of the Knight Incorporeal. Good fluff to be incorporated not only to 13th Age but any other RPG campaign.
  • Hobby Shop Dungeon. Good story and materials thereafter to use.
  • Comics.

The rest can be dunked.

Keep it up. Getting there...hmm...just a touch of salt...a dash of clover...



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Gygax magazine issue #3
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Storyteller's Thesaurus
Publisher: Troll Lord Games
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/11/2013 00:38:21

This is good resource and supplement for anyone who wishes to write a story or an adventure. It contains very good descriptive words for various objects, people, events, terrains, etc.

The idea is good (and I am going to borrow it to increase my repository of words) but the content is thread-thin. Index starts from page 150 to 551.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Storyteller's Thesaurus
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F1 The Tomb of Rakoss the Undying
Publisher: Fire Born Games
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/01/2013 05:01:31

This is a short adventure (didn't affect my scoring though) and basic dungeon crawl. I paid $x to obtain it and support the designer although it is lauded to be free.

More to the point, is the adventure module good?

Yes - old school basic adventure in a dungeon crawl scenario. Editing is good (only saw one or two mistakes) and formatting is ok (there's one text that was split). Monsters and treasures can be easily converted into any rule system (not sure about 4e since I don't play it anymore).

No - Plot is too thin and doesn't tie in to the adventure at all. Strange things like ant that sting? Call it something else like BeeAnt but not "Giant Ant Soldier". Why is the manticore in area 15? Why are mummies in the wizard lab? Nothing mentioned ties it in. Why is the storage room the safe haven? Sorry. This adventure falls flat.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
F1 The Tomb of Rakoss the Undying
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Gygax magazine issue #2
Publisher: Solarian
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/02/2013 14:34:52

I was thoroughly disappointed with issue 1 yet when I saw issue 2, I took the plunge. You see, I love anything that is old-school. Besides the wonderful almost mysterious stuff of old-school, it is also re-living my youth once again. Ok, back to the review of this magazine issue 2. It's definitely old-school yet some of the articles seem out of place. Samurai Battles and Mage Wars are not RPG. They are board gaming. I'm ok if there is a writeup on the game and introduce us RPGers to them but to cover strategies, playing guides and tips, is disrupting the genre of this magazine. Keep it focus.

I'm not going into the details of the magazine (since it has been already covered in other reviews) but generally, there are good fluffs in it.

Leomund's Secure Shelter, A Forgotten Grimoire and its Curse, Heroes, Kings and Champions, Weird Vibrations, The Inkubus, The Hare and the Hill Giant (A game set in The One Ring) are good stuff. Super Science in Fantasy games and Lost Wonders of Caelmarath are also good. The comics are also excellent.

I missed out on a few articles? Yes. You can simply ignore them.

I will give it a 3.5/5 as there are enough stuff to warrant a purchase but definitely much room for improvement.

Keep it coming. It's a step up from a abyssal issue 1.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Gygax magazine issue #2
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Adventure Quarterly #1 (PFRPG)
Publisher: Rite Publishing
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/09/2013 12:12:54

Pay $9.99 for 3 games? I took the bait and honestly, I'm pleased with this sweet deal.

This issue (and possible other issues) contains 3 games. A spread of 1st, 5th and 12th levels. Good rounded materials.

Formatting is well conceived and thus far, I'm hard-pressed to find editorial mistakes. Another thumbs up.

Buying the PDF and hoping to print it? Sure. It should be quite light on ink consumption.

Down to the crux of matter - the adventures.

"Too many cooks" - Very interesting story hook and easy to adapt to any city in your campaign or stick with the one suggested in the adventure, Somnal. Brief stats of the city is given but it will require some effort to flesh it out. Adventure as mentioned can be carried out cohesively or taken apart and interjected as a entire city run sandbox campaign. No spoiler here but "Hell Kitchen" spoof. 5 thumbs up.

"Book of promises" - Story background is strong and unlike what another reviewer mentioned, there is reason for what happened. Yet the story doesn't evolve that well - more like a "string the story along" genre. Again this adventure centers around a city whereby the stats are given but requires fleshing (or have it adapted to an existing city in your campaign world) otherwise players will run into too many cardboard streets and places. 4 thumbs up.

(PS: Although I will say that I'm pleasantly surprised with the added information regarding the forked legion. Nice touch)

"Soul Siphon" - High level adventure that requires add-on material - psionic. Running this adventure as a standalone requires exactly what the author asked for - pre-generated characters to tie-in the story based on their preset background. Otherwise, the story will fall flat and be totally unusable. Yet if it needs to be incorporated, then a lot of work is required by the DM to link pieces together. The story as a whole is good, eventful and can be considered high adventure. Yet the showstopper is the psionic abilities linkage with your characters. 4 thumbs up.

Overall, I will consider it as a good purchase and a pleasant read. I'll definitely run the first adventure, "Too many cooks" and possibly the second adventure, "Book of promises" and tie it in to a bigger scheme of things (sort of like a part 2). I will definitely buy the other 3 existing books.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Adventure Quarterly #1 (PFRPG)
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Odyssey: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management
Publisher: Encoded Designs
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/11/2013 11:54:38

As what the author said at the beginning, it's more like how to manage a campaign than how to design a campaign. Guess I didn't read the title carefully. Nevertheless, I read as much of it as I simply can (since I am a PM by profession too) and I can say it is really a management guide. It's good for a one time read through but if you intend to use it as a reference guide, then you'll be disappointed.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Odyssey: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/01/2013 05:13:34

Magazine content is very focused on OGL materials. It has really good articles, both informative and excellent add-ons to any campaign or world (e.g. Briarborn as new character class or NPC and Drake's Hollow as locale). It's fully colored, nice type-casting and formatting. I've yet to detect any bad editing. It also contains sufficient information on new materials and an adventure. What can I say? This is top-notch! A reason for me to continue buying (I actually went ahead to buy all current issues both PDF and print). This is definitely more nostalgia of the Dragon/Dungeon magazine (combined) than some other magazine hoping to emulate it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Open Gaming Monthly #1
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Gygax magazine issue #1
Publisher: Solarian
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/09/2013 10:33:15

I have been rating other RPG magazines like hackmaster, kobold, signs & portents etc with 4 out of 5 rating. This first issue of Gygax is much to be applaud for old-school feel (like Dragon) but the current set of articles are dry and thin on materials. Possibly it is just a stage setter for better stuff in future issues but unlike other reviewers, I rate it as it is - Gygax magazine issue one. Only average. Quite disappointing.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Gygax magazine issue #1
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War of the Lance (3.5)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Nicholas L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/24/2007 03:45:23

The content of this book is well written for a campaign during the Age of Despair to be used in stories pertaining to the war of the lance.

It includes specific entries like races, classes, regions and storyline. It also highlights and details specific unique locations and items during that age.

However, there's two qualms that I wish to highlight that mars the otherwise good rating:

(1) Price (2) Map images

The price of $29.99 isn't discounted sufficiently as compared to the retail hardcopy. Amazon is selling the hardcopy for $29.69 (new). Adding delivery charges will not top the price at $35.

The second point is regarding the images in the book. Accompanying maps are simply too noisy to view correctly. Enlarging it also renders it as messy squares. This draws the point if it was the original, the image quality should be better.

Otherwise, if any DM or players wishes to reenact or alter the story of the heroes of the lance, this is a good supplement if not essential book. However, if getting the original copy is not an issue, I will suggest buying the hardcopy of it.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
War of the Lance (3.5)
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The Sunless Citadel (3e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Nicholas L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/04/2007 11:51:31

A good starting site based adventure that can easy be dropped into any campaign. Requirement includes a town and a chasm/fissure. Gameplay flows easily and for such low level adventure, interaction to resolve certain conflicts instead of merely brute strength sets a good precedence to future gameplay mindset. The game is also easily scaled (replace the warring parties from kobold to gnolls and goblins to hobgoblins etc.

Only qualm is a non printable page on the downloaded doc.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
The Sunless Citadel (3e)
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