Pendragon Starter Box

The Pendragon starter set has been an excellent way to introduce yourself to this interesting world of knights and chivalry. Produced by Chaosium it was originally created by Greg Stafford in 1985 he carried it through many editions. This is the sixth edition of rules. 

Over one solo session and six group sessions with two friends we completed the adventures in the book. The rule system is straightforward and is firmly set in the age of chivalry. Women can also be played in this setting. The passion and trait system mean that the more you act a certain way the more likely you will become extreme in that passion or trait over years of play. This could mean that your knight becomes known for being energetic and forgiving, but also selfish and cowardly. We all liked this game and want to continue with it. I have purchased the full core rulebook and the Grey Knight adventure book and will read them thoroughly over the coming months.

This game is also played as a generational one, meaning that each adventure happens during a year then after gaining experience you age and carry on. Over the years you can marry (with your lord's permission), gain an estate, have to run it, sire children, train them, then pass away and start roleplaying one of your children. Although previous editions have much more detailed rules for all sorts of things, but are available here, there has been no new printed ones yet.

Shab-Al-Hiri Roach RPG

 From the Bully Pulpit Games website: The Shab-al-Hiri Roach is a dark comedy of manners, lampooning academia and asking players to answer a difficult question – are you willing to swallow a soul-eating telepathic insect bent on destroying human civilization?

No?

Even if it will get you tenure?

A fast paced and hilarious game, The Shab-al-Hiri Roach requires no Game Master and can be played in a single evening. If you enjoy crazed one-upmanship, furious stake-setting, and chanting guttural commands in Sumerian, The Roach would like to have a word with you.

It is October of 1923 and each player is a professor (assistant or full) at Pemberton university. Once everyone makes their characters, which does not take long, six scenes are played out which take place over the course of a semester. During the game each player has to have a strong positive reaction with the player on their left and a negative one with the player on their right. 

There are three NPCs in each scene, that can be played by the players, and new NPCs can be introduced by the players as the scene progresses. Before each scene each player draws a card that has an opportunity (must use if not ridden by the roach) and a command (cannot use if not roach ridden) or it may be a roach-ridden card. Being roach-ridden enables the player to roll more dice and players can voluntarily declare they are becoming roach-ridden. Players also talk about the NPCs and how the scene is to be framed. 

Whomever the player in the spotlight is decides on which players and NPC characters are involved, and bets reputation points on the scene. Other players can bet one reputation and enter the scene with other NPCs. The scene is played out and, once concluded, sides are determined. Each participating player rolls dice according to the relevant skill for the scene, with roach ridden characters rolling more dice. The winning faction gets the stakes they put up and narrates the result of the role as a conclusion to the scene. The other scenes are played out similarly until the end of the final scene when each player gets to narrate their final outcome after the Gamma Gamma Gamma Christmas ball at Pemberton. The player with the most reputation, and without being roach-ridden, gets tenure and wins.

One might think the players should embrace being roach-ridden to have better rolls and win the game, but those who are roach-ridden cannot win. There are two ways to rid yourself of the roach, resisting and shedding, both of which have consequences. If everyone is roach-ridden at the end of the game the players secretly vote on who was the most craven of them and they win.

This game is a great refresh in between RPG campaigns since it can be played through in one evening. It is also a great game for conventions and short meetups since few supplies are needed.

This game is by Jason Morningstar whom is quite renown in independent roleplaying circles, in particular for his Fiasco RPG. As with many independent RPGs this game, and his others, focus on social interaction to enhance the player's experience. 

It is currently out of print, but available on Drive Thru RPG and itch.io. There are downloads available from Bully Pulpit's public downloads section for character sheets, handouts, and such. It also has two expansions, Overlord (WW2 D-Day landings), and Darker (set in Oxford).

A Look Back at 2023 and Ahead to 2024

 Well I have been busy this year but not with painting models and terrain. Recently retired, I hoped that I would have more time and opportunity for playing games of all sorts. Unfortunately there were many things that needed to be done and things that popped up that needed doing. Fun was still had as the following will show.

A total of 51 boardgames were played, just under one boardgame a week. Something I always want to play more of. In order from most to least played are: Heat (9), Death May Die (6), Marvel Champions 3player (5), Crib (3), Dominion (3), Axis and Allies (2), Beyond the Black Tower (2), Carcassonne (2), Cascadia (2), Command and Colors: Ancients (2), Masters of the Universe (2), Kingdomino (2), Wingspan (2), Carcassonne 20th Anniversary edition, Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers, Eastern Empires, Red Storm Rising, Settlers of Catan, Splendor, Terraforming Mars, Thunder Road Vengeance, and Twilight Struggle.

Not many solo boardgames were played, only five, another thing I wish to change based on the amount of them I have that can be played solo. Cascadia (2), Heat, Marvel Champions (2).

Of the computer games I have, nine were played and all of them were Terraforming Mars (2 multiplayer and 7 solo). I really like this game and it handles the math so you don't forget anything.

For miniature games, thirty-two were played including a new one; Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP). I will be posting more about that game in 2024, including painted miniatures. In order of most to least played are: Marvel Crisis Protocol; Avengers (7) and Cabal (3), Malifaux; Outcasts (9; Arik, Hannah Lovelace, Jack Daw (2), Parker Burroughs, Scion of the Void (2), Tara, Von Schill); Heroscape (7), Battletech: Alpha Strike (4); Dystopian Wars (4); Guildball: Morticians (3); Gaslands (2); Star Wats Legion (2); and Car Wars: Convoy Adventure.

For painting miniatures I did abysmally with 25-40mm scale (Guildball Gaffer and new and old Iron Man for MCP), but did well for other scales with 48 10mm scale (Planetfall Relthoza), 6mm scale (Battletech; 41 Federated Suns and 24 Patchwork Guild Mercenary company). Zero terrain painted was also unfortunate. Definitely want to paint more next year (Terrain, MCP, Battletech, Relthoza, Malifaux, Star Wars Legion). 

For physical games, three were played and they were all boules while my wife and I were camping.

Sadly, life happens and roleplaying games suffered. Sickness and requirements meant that many sessions had to be cancelled because of lack of players. Therefore only twelve sessions occurred. ten of them were for the Savage Worlds: Thrilling Tales setting and was great fun. Two sessions were with the Pendragon starter box and were run by myself. I also played through the solo adventure in the box to get more acquainted with the rules.

For gaming books read, there was the following read: The End: Dogs of War RPG supplement, Conspire RPG, Microscope RPG, Marvel Multiverse RPG, Pendragon RPG starter box, and Shab-al-Hiri roach RPG.

In summation I would like to play more games, and paint models, but with myself starting school for two semesters this year time will tell.

Microscope RPG

 The Microscope roleplaying game, as it says on the frount, is a fractal game of epic histories. Over several sessions, different characters of different times and places take part in a shared universe and setting, The group are the ones that create this history. Things can be created or destroyed and sessions can take place anywhere along the timeline as long as what was played out in the games before remain true. As sessions continue the whys and wherefores of what led to events already played and how they affect the overall history are revealed. 

It all starts with the big picture in a single sentence, like "Mankind leaves a sick Earth to travel to the stars". It should be something that can be told over many sessions at multiple points of history. It then needs a beginning period point and end period point for the big picture. Using the previous example they could be "Mankind makes new life among the stars" to "Humanity stagnates isolated and alone". Players then agree if these periods are light or dark but sometimes they are self explanatory like the example. Then each player adds one ingredient and bans one ingredients to the overall story palette. During the telling of the entire history you can use an added ingredient but never a banned ingredient. These ingredients, added or banned, give some focus to the story and sometimes never come up in play. Each player then adds a period anywhere in the timeline (light or dark) and an event under a previously made period. This is the setup for the history.

For each game session one player is picked to be the lens, and it should rotate amongst the group. They declare the focus of the session and creates a new period, new event, or scene. The next player does the same until it comes back to the lens who creates another new period, new event, or scene under an event. 

The player who created a scene starts with a specific question, like "Is the Alliance willing to sacrifice the colony on Sigma VII to beat the invaders even though the colonists will be slaughtered?", "Why does the teacher lie to their students about who founded the colony?", or "Why is the captain secretly planning to blow up their ship, with everyone onboard, in the middle of the Victory Day celebration of the very war they were decorated for fighting in?". The players then add characters, some of which are played by the players and some by anyone. With this the scene is roleplayed. Once done, the person to the side of the player who declared the scene gives a legacy that will be added to the event.

Although each session can have interpersonal conflict but everyone is there to make a story. The results of the decisions should provide a fascinating look at what the group commonly creates. It also gives powerful abilities for each player to change the direction of the history while encouraging the other players to also change it. Even if something happens that not everyone likes, it can be temporary when it is their turn to choose a time in the history to explore. There is even the option to drill down to certain shorter histories within the larger one. 

I really like the concept of this game and can make for fantastic opportunities for great stories that will be told well into the future. Although I have not played it yet I like it and recommend it.

Conspire RPG

 Conspire is a hidden role storytelling game about conspiracies. Players together create a setting for the scene, create a conflict, add roles that can be played (including their faction), shuffle the roles to the players, add three goals to those rolls, shuffle the roles again, and then randomly give them to the players. Sounds chaotic?  It is supposed to be in order to create great improvisational roleplaying. 

Players also get three influence tokens which can be spent to create a truth about the universe. This is done so they can achieve their goals. They can also publicly or privately debate or make deals about the conflict and how to resolve it. The interesting thing is...someone knows everything about your role and faction and another person knows your goals. Rarely is the person who creates the role and goals the same person who plays them. That means that the extra element of a conspiracy, someone knows something, is present and will use that information against you for their own goals.

Once the conflict is resolved, through narration and votes, people revel their roles and get one point for each goal achieved. Players then discuss the the next round and either creates a new unconnected conflict, revisits the conflict, or make a new scene based on the previous conflicts results.

Genre is varied as it can be historical, fantasy, sci-fi, or surreal conspiracies that are the focus of the conflict. Could the Moon landings happen or could people make some money faking them? A secret dinosaur war of 1812? Kids discovering a dead body and wondering what to do? The conflicts are limitless. It is also a great way to have a break between roleplaying campaigns.

An inventive system and one I would like to play at some point. It would make a great one-shot gaming convention game too.

Savage Worlds - Thrilling Tales

 Savage Worlds is a roleplaying game ruleset made by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. I played it once before in 2016 and also before that with its predecessor ruleset with the Deadlands setting. The Savage Worlds rules are generic and can be applied to many different settings. There is the aforementioned Deadlands (Evil reckoners have used magic to create monsters in different timelines in the 1800's and used for other time periods), Rippers (Victorian steampunk and magic), Space Opera, Fantasy, Superheroes, Pirates, Flash Gordon, Horror, Sci-Fi, Space 1889 (Victorian Colonists on Mars), and more. And that is just what Pinnacle produces for setting books

There are also many other genres designed to be used with the Savage Worlds ruleset by other publishers. But first the rules.

Players have various statistics at certain dice levels; low is a d4, then d6, d8, d10 and generally the highest is a d12. Skills are the same. When players make their characters they choose to increase what they want as well as take edges and hinderances. When something is happening that does not have a guaranteed chance of succeeding, the players roll a die of the same kind as a statistic or skill plus a d6, the wild card die, because all characters (and some villains') are wild cards. If either die comes up as the highest of that die (a 4 on a d4 or 6 on a d6, etc) they roll it again and add it to the first highest result. Many rerolls can occur and keep on adding to the total. A 1 is a bust and cannot be rerolled. Once the total is determined it is compared to the difficulty number (4 is average difficulty) or an opposing roll. A card deck is used for determining initiative with jokers giving bonuses as well as the ability to act first. All Wild Cards get bennies (poker chips or some kind of physical marker) which can give rerolls or to get rid of hinderances. More bennies can be earned through great role playing or crafty storytelling on the things they do. There is some more rules but that is about it.

The setting that was used by our game director was a setting called Thrilling Tales (made for both Savage Worlds, d20 Modern, and Fate rulesets). Think of the adventure pulp and cliffhanger serials of the 1930's and 40's. The heroes are more heroic, with quick healing and an extra benny, and the villains' more villainous. Players also get a bonus if they explain a statistically improbable but riveting action for a hero that they are doing. It is a great opportunity to be over the top with lots of emotion and the campaign was a great experience. I added to it with synopsis of the nights adventure for reminding folks of the next game session, which the game director would read out before each session to set the mood. Here is an example to give you an example of the setting and a session of our game:

As told in a 1930's radio announcer voice:

"When last we saw our heroes, they were in a diner across from the evil Eddie Boyd's office looking for a good way in when toughs of Eddie came in to teach the heroes a lesson. After telling them their ticket is officially punched, the gargantuan gorillas goons went outside and got out their steel bananas! Tommy guns! With the Blue Brain suddenly disappearing, it was up to Harry's "Electrostatic Carbon Ray Gun" TM and Arnie's "Twin Fists of Justice" TM to stop their assault. With the goons done, their guns were collected and Harry and Arnie left to regroup. Remember kids, only villains use guns irresponsibly.

They then met a contact through detective Lt Dave Ringo, who was none other than Felix March...Eddie's head accountant! He explained where the two account books were and was suddenly shot through an open window! Fortunately the accountant had brains and a bullet proof vest! The heroes then went to Eddie's Hellfire club to get one set of books and at night would pay Eddie Boyd's office a visit to get the other one in a potted plant.

The heroes quietly made their way up Boyd's fire escape and peeked inside an office window. They tried to quietly lift the window but too much noise was made! Harry activated his "Incredible Electrostatic Light Bender Belt" rendering him invisible. The brave Arnie then made a lot of noise to draw the toughs alerted to the noise up to the roof. Both Harry and Arnie took care of the toughs and retrieved the second book. The case could now come to trial with the evidence and Felix the accountant!

The heroes got some bad news from detective Lt Dave Ringo though...they were told to lay off Eddie Boyd! Digging further they learned of something heinous and vile...Johnny Malchek, a more talented goon for Eddie Boyd, had kidnapped the detective's doe-eyed daughter, Darla, from her Catholic school to stop the investigation by the good detective! How low can this evil go! The heroes persisted in their efforts to convince the detective they could help him get his daughter back so Johnny and Eddie can finally get the striped pajamas they deserve. Being successful, the detective told them the name of the location of his daughter's school.

Starting with staff of the school, they began to gather a better picture of events and of the kidnappers themselves as they traced their route to the Bronx in a Black phantom luxury car. The heroes old foe, Johnny Malcheck, was involved with three other toughs and one had a newsboy cap and certain scars. They also traced the car to an address. The heroes are now on their way to rescue the girl. When will the Blue Brain reappear? Why will Darla trust the heroes? Who will they meet once they get there? What villainous schemes will the Murder Club concoct next? Where will this mystery take you, the viewer, as you grip your seat in suspense? See Savage Worlds' Thrilling Tales Part 3 in a fine movie theater near you!"

This is a game system and setting I would play again. I also backed the recent Kickstarter for the new edition of the Savage Worlds rules. Although there will be only small tweaks I am already an edition behind.

The End d20 RPG

The End is a d20 roleplaying game setting unlike any other. It uses Christian apocalyptic theology as the background but places the players post revelations, as the meek that inherited the earth. In this case the meek are those who were neither good enough to be brought into heaven nor evil enough to be punished in hell. Although this may seem like run-of-the-mill post apocalyptic setting, there are also supernatural beings that were also intentionally or accidently left behind. It is also not a roleplaying game that promotes religion as revelations is only used for its setting. 

The game also has three things that make the game more unique: "The Blues and ennui. "The Blues" is a global effect that degrades man-made faster, but affects items less that have had and continue to have more interaction with people. That means a library would have to have people looking at each book and reading from it to prevent "The Blues". This makes resource acquisition very important before the items become unusable. In addition to "The Blues, "The Green" effect has nature reclaiming the earth. Finally, Ennui is an effect where if people do not have beneficial interaction and companionship with other people they can lose control of their emotions and mental faculties. The player's score in ennui can decrease with triggering events like seeing violence or death.

For the above reasons, this game is recommended for mature audiences. This game was originally published in 1995 and received an update in 2002, which is this edition that I read through. The editing needs to be tightened up a little as some parts are followed by a rewording of the previous sentence or paragraph but that is a minor criticism. I will keep this game and use parts of it for others in particular settings, as I can see this being used just as well in a fantasy setting. The company is no longer in business it seems but follow the link at the start of this post for the DriveThruRPG page to order electronic copies.

Pulp Cthulhu

Pulp Cthulhu is a rule setting for running investigators through 1930's adventures in a world where H.P. Lovecraft's fiction exists. Unlike the Call of Cthulhu setting, investigators have a better chance of surviving their encounters with the mythos, hence the over the top cover of the rulebook. You do need a current copy of the Keeper handbook to play as not all the rules for the game can fit in this publication.

I enjoyed the changes in this ruleset and think it would be perfect as short adventures as a break from more serious setting games.

There is lots of adversaries and adventures that can add a little pulp in regular Call of Cthulhu games as well, consider the below group of formidable foes. Gadzooks!

Looks like lots of fun, in a scary kind of way.

A Gaming look back on 2022 and looking forward to 2023

2022 was another year of not being able to get together for games as much as I would have liked. Hopefully retiring will be able to increase the number of games played of all genres: RPG, Board, Miniature.

For miniature and RPG games read, I got through 11: Battletech: Alpha Strike, Call of Cthulhu (Starter Box, Investigator's Book, Keepers Book, Keepers Screen & Adventures, Keepers advice; Pulp Cthulhu Book), One Ring (Starter Box, Main Rulebook, Screen/Rivendell), and Rangers of Shadowdeep.

Role Playing games played were only four: D&D 5E Eberron (3) and One Ring Starter (1).

Solo boardgames played were a whole lot. Epic Tiny Dungeons, This War of Mine, and over one hundred of Marvel Champions. Going to continue to play more Marvel Champions and some of my GMT games. 

Boardgames played in a group were 52. In order of most to least games played of them are: Crokinole (19), Marvel Champions: (2p: 3; 3p: 2), King Domino (4), Wingspan (3), Carcassonne (2), No Thanks! (2), Seven Wonders (2), Terraforming Mars (2), Unstable Unicorns (2), 1989, Dice Throne, Great Western Legends, One Small Step, Puzzle Competitive Game, Robinson Crusoe, Settlers of Catan, Space Hulk Death Angel, Splendor, This War of Mine, and Villainous.

For computer games, twelve were played solo of Terraforming Mars and eighteen in groups: Terraforming Mars (15), Carcassonne, Dominion, and Splendor.

Only twenty miniature games were played. They are listed in order of the number played: Star Trek Alliance (7), Malifaux: Hamelin (6), Battletech: Alpha Strike (3), Bot War (3), and Baines Nebula (independent playtesting space fleet combat). 

For miniatures painted there were 264 painted: eight for Batman Miniature Game, 53 for Battletech, 10 for Bot War, 105 for Enlightened Dystopian Wars, five for Malifaux, and 58 for Relthoza Planetfall. I want to paint more Battletech, Malifaux Outcast and Arcanists, and finish off the Relthoza Planetfall models.

Dice Scrollcase Holder

I found this item at the Halifax "Have Yourself a Gothic Little Christmas" craft fair at the Halifax Forum. It was their 11th annual fair and it had many interesting items. I have a few dice bags but not a dice container that protects the table itself! For $25 I procured this item. As you can see it is small enough to fit in most gaming bags.

Folder out, it just needs a little bending back to have a flat surface to roll on.

About 14 dice could fit into here and it zips shut. The zipper looked study enough for repeated gaming nights use.

Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Tips 40th Anniversary

A small little book with lots of great content, for horror and regular RPG storytellers, is the Call of Cthulhu Keeper's Tips. Some are in the Keeper's Handbook but many are from RPG industry people who know their stuff. The sections are on things like preperation, players, designing scenarios, gameplay, horror, NPCs, monsters, and props & handouts. It is contained in a small booklet for the 40th anniversary of the game but currently out of print. 

In the meanwhile, there is this gem of advice for people new to running games in the Call of Cthulhu or most RPGs on Reddit here. 

Call of Cthulhu - 7th Edition Core Books and Screen

Call of Cthulhu is one of the classic roleplaying games that has stood the test of time. Published in 1981 it has gone through six editions and is now on its seventh. The rules are pretty much the same except it has gone to a percentile system but their books include a conversion system for older material. These roleplaying books allow for a more robust roleplaying experience than the starter set, reviewed by myself here. They are also a RPG fan favorite and their system has been in the top ten of RPGGeek for a very long time.

The Investigator book is geared towards players of the game: Introduction, character creation (including skills and occupations), organizations the player can be a part of, the life of an investigator, the main setting of the game in the 1920's, player advice, and references. Everything a player needs.

The Keeper rulebook has a more basic player creation section but it is geared towards running a game set in the Cthulhu mythos setting: the game system, combat, chases, sanity, magic, playing, tomes, grimoires, artifacts and devices, monsters/beasts/alien gods, two scenarios, and appendices. Very comprehensive and lots of good advice to make the game engaging and thrilling.

The Keeper Screen Pack has maps, reference booklet, screen, and two scenarios with handouts as well as blank character sheets. Very handy for running a good game.

I very much love this roleplaying game and it has improved a lot since I first played it in the early 1980's and of a much better quality. It could even be used for generic horror roleplaying without the Cthulhu Mythos universe but you would be limiting your possibilities if you do. Highly recommended.

Twice the Dice Board game cafe

Twice the Dice is a really nice board game cafe in the heart of downtown Kelowna. 

Not only do they have lots of board games to play, classic family ones and new, but they also sell new and slightly used board and role playing games. They sell coffee and drinks as well as alcoholic drink for those of age. The furniture inside is comfortable and décor is relaxing. A cool establishment.

d20 Call of Cthulhu

Published in 2001, d20 Call of Cthulhu was made to bring the Cthulhu mythos using the D&D 3rd edition, as well as introduce a modern setting spin using 3rd edition ruleset. This book was made before d20 Modern was published, by a year, but content in it is perfectly usable for d20 Modern.

The modern, 1920's and current eras, uses an early version of d20 Modern. The main guts are the 3rd edition of the Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. Sections on sanity, magic, creatures, the Cthulhu mythos, gamemaster hints, and adventures can be used for modern and D&D settings. To make it easier there is a section in the appendix to run Lovecraftian D&D campaigns which could be quite a fun story.

I hadn't looked at this book since I bought it used but with the Call of Cthulhu RPG books I have been reading I thought I would have a look see. It holds up and is a great setting resource.

Delta Green - Pagan Press d20 Edition

Delta Green is a role playing game utilizing the Cthulhu mythos, as used in Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu line of games, but set in the 1990's to the present day. The original edition of this game, the one I talk about here, was made by Pagan Publishing and made from 1997 to 2010. A newer edition made by Arc Dream Publishing, although Pagan and Arc Dream collaborated on some products before Arc Dream took over, has been in existence since 2016 and continues to this day. This edition is the 2007 edition of the original rulebook with added stats for utilizing the book for the d20 system, but still has the stats for the original Call of Cthulhu edition made in 1997.

This role playing game deservedly won many awards. It takes the conspiracy laden setting of the 1990's with an overlay of creepy aliens with players fighting a secret conflict against beings from other worlds and a self-serving USA government agency. Think of X-Files and the Cthulhu mythos mixed together. The history is very well written and suitably creepy with many layers of possibilities for great storytelling and roleplaying. The multitude of possible antagonists, both beatable and not, are given multiple ways to use in a campaign.

One of the main antagonists is Majestic-12, a secret USA government agency that are self-regulating and in charge of dealing with the alien "greys" while making sure the public is unaware of their existence. They even go so far as to use any means to cover up "grey" or MJ-12 activities. In return the organization gains access to "greys" technology and knowledge, sometimes for personal use and profit. The "greys" are also a main antagonist with their own agendas.

One of the other minor antagonists are the Karotechia. They are mythos magic wielding remnants of the WW2 German Nazi regime and each of the three leaders have very different utilizations of that magic. They are a perfect use of an enemy of the players that is obviously evil and bad as a counterpoint to the initially ambiguousness of the two main antagonists.

The handouts are very well done for the adventures provided in the book. There is also advice on how to make your own including keyword usage to make them more authentic. The adventures themselves are impressive in how they reveal the under arching presence of the Cthuluhu mythos, as secret operatives of Delta Green.

There is a robust section on all of the government agencies of the USA that can help the game master use them in game sessions.

The original Call of Cthulhu game is set in the 1920's. The table of weapons is important for combat in the modern day, not that they would work against the big bads of the mythos.

Overall a great setting and lots of information can be used for any modern game day with a touch of the otherworldly and creepy.

Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

I played Call of Cthulhu for the first time in the early 80's. I was interested in the creatures and 1920's setting, but we were all teenagers and didn't know much about the setting or H.P. Lovecraft mythos. I read more of the mythos stories in my later teenage years and found they were ok but oddly written.

Fast forward to a few years ago and the game group I am in played a one-shot adventure around Halloween. Now that I was older, and have re-read many of the stories again, enjoyed it a lot more. Our roleplaying abilities have also increased since then so it was a better experience.

Almost two years back I saw the new seventh edition of the game in starter box format for $25 in my local game store and had it sit on my "to read" shelf until recently. After reading the rules and playing through the solo game included, "Alone Against The Flames", I am super happy with it. It has always been made by Chaosium.

Like most of the new starter boxes it has a lot in it and is a great way to see if you and your group like this RPG.

You do not read through the Introductory rulebook before you play the solo game. Moments in "Alone Against The Flames" will have you learn the basics and refer to the introductory rulebook. It is also a good way for a group to learn by passing around the book so everyone can try it out over a few weeks. The adventure itself is neither too easy nor too hard but does have players learn the do's and don't of playing in a world of the Cthulhu mythos.

The intro rules are enough to dive a little deeper into the mechanics of the game. I like the changes that were made from the last time I played so long ago but it will still be familiar to players of previous editions.

I only briefly looked through this booklet in case one of my gaming friends wanted to run any of them. There are three short adventures in here with maps and handouts.

Here is one of the handouts.

Overall I give this starter box two tentacles up!

5E Adventures in Middle-Earth

I picked these up a few years back; the Adventures in Middle-Earth 5E rulebooks from Cubicle 7. Published in 2011 it stopped production of material due to contractual disputes and shortly thereafter Free League got the license, which produced the new edition of the One Ring RPG. Of the products made, I only got the players and loremaster guides. For all of the Cubicle 7 5e Middle-Earth products go here.

The main book, like the first edition of One Ring, it takes place East of the main mountain range where Bree, Moria, and Shelob lie. 

Like the One Ring RPG, the player creation has a major influence on your role with enough variability as other RPGs.

Classes are similar enough to One Ring while bridging the gap with 5e classes.

The Journey's section is my favorite and a much better travel ruleset than any I have seen, which mimics the One Ring journey rules. It makes for a more authentic method of getting from place to place.

Otherwise it has the elements of a game set in Middle-Earth. It is not as thematic as One Ring but does a great job as a low magic and generational game setting.

Products in this line are sometimes incredibly expensive because of their low print run and high demand. So if you want more story and character driven roleplaying for your 5e setting you are in good hands with these products.

Marvel Multiverse RPG - Playtest Rules

I picked up the Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game playtest rulebook, as I like to keep an eye out for good superhero roleplaying games. This prelude has basic rules including d616 dice rolling system, actions, combat, making heroes, and a very short adventure. The full rulebook will be coming out in 2023.

The d616 is based on the fact that in the Marvel comics, Earth 616 is the regular Marvel comics universe. To make an ability check you roll three d6, one of which is a different colour than the other two (considered the Marvel die). The result of this die roll is the numbers on all three dice added to your total action modifier for the statistic you are using. A 1 on the Marvel die counts as a 6. If the result matches or beats the target number you succeed. 

However, if you succeeded and the Marvel rolls a 1 and the other two are not 1's, you have made a fantastic result which is a "yes" success and something else beneficial, like an edge. If all three are 1's then it is a botched roll, which is a "no" and something bad happens. If the Marvel die is a 1 and the other two are 6's, then it is an ultimate fantastic result is achieved, which ignores any trouble. An edge means that you can reroll a die. Trouble means that the Narrator choses a die for you to reroll.

Edges and troubles can be given before the dice are rolled depending on your advantages and disadvantages at the moment. The greater of one of them cancels the others until you have a net number of edges or troubles.

The character making system is straightforward and variable. You, other players, and narrator decide on a maximum rank for the game with 1 being a new rookie, 5 would be a hero of a neighborhood, 10 a hero of a city, 15 a hero of a country, 20 a hero of the world, and 25 a hero of the universe. They recommend starting 5 ranks below what the narrator is looking at for a longer campaign. 

Then you come up with a concept for you to build your hero. This will guide you when making decisions. 

You then determine your archetype: they are blaster, bruiser, genius, polymath, protector, and striker. The archetype you choose determines ability score caps, action modifiers, defenses, fight and ranged damage, health, and focus.

Then you allocate your points for statistics, which are Might, Agility, Resilience, Vigilance, Ego, and Logic which amazingly spells MARVEL. Your cap on statistics is -4 to 4, the highest human limit but that limit will change with your archetype, traits, and powers. I recommend doing this last.

Now it is time to choose a backstory which is made up of your origin, profession, and additional traits. Origin can be alien, god, high tech, magic, mutant, special training, or weird science and these give you traits.  Professions are what you do when not a hero and gives you extra traits. You then pick additional traits, depending on your rank. Traits are extra abilities or skills that can help or challenge you. If you pick a challenging trait, like Abrasive where you get trouble when making friendly Ego (persuasion) checks, if the player purposely puts themselves in situations where it comes up you get a karma point from the narrator. Karma gives you edges when you spend them but go away when you finish a game session.

Finally you choose your powers from power trees and/or utility powers. The higher your rank the more powers you choose and the greater number from power trees you can pick from. Most powers have prerequisites and some require a minimum rank level to get. The mixing and matching is fun.

Housekeeping is next where you determine your other final scores, like health (damage you can take), focus (mental fortitude), Karma (which gives you edges and is half your rank rounded up), Initiative, speed, fight damage, ranged damage, and size. These are determined by your statistics, traits, and powers.

I made a character using this system with a concept of a Captain Scarlet kind of hero. Captain Scarlet is a character altered by alien entities called the Mysterions to be invulnerable via a "retrometobolization" process and mind controlled to do its bidding on Earth to harm the human race in retaliation for being attacked on Mars. In the computer animated version, the main character was freed from the mind control after being zapped by a special energy source but retained his invulnerability. 

To Marvelize it, I decided he was changed by an entity Hydra obtained to be invulnerable and used as an agent until he was zapped by an SHIELD power source on a helicarrier when trying to sabotage it in flight. Rank level will be 5.

For archetype I choose polymath and choose resistance and vigilance cap to be increased to six. Origin is weird science, which gives me the weird trait (edge for ego checks for those that like me and trouble for those that do not, perhaps because of the process of retrometobolization).  Profession is solder which gives me the traits battle ready, connections: military, and situational awareness. I then decided that he was a low level SHIELD agent which is why he was captured by HYDRA and transformed to be their sleeper agent. For additional traits I choose Fearless, because it was reduced due to the transformation, and combat expert, which gives an edge when in combat with rank 5 or less enemies.

At rank 5 I get five powers from up to two trees. From the Cybernetics tree I choose armour 1 and reinforced skeleton, which gives him overall damage reduction and additional damage reduction vs bashing. For utility powers I choose environmental protection, healing factor, and sturdy. These all give the basics for being really tough in battle, in particular hand to hand. I can see him diving in frount of teammates and taking hits so they can do what they do best.

For stats I get 18 points, which I allocate as follows: Might:2 Agility:2 Resistance:6 Vigilence:4 Ego:2 Logic:2.

Once he goes up in ranks, he can pick up more armour, increase resilience with traits, martial artist powers, and pick up some firearms powers to take the fight to the enemy better.

I am looking forward to the full rulebook and maybe playing some games.

One Ring RPG

 Based on J.R.R. Tolkein's fantasy novels, the One Ring RPG is superb at embracing the environment and themes of the books. Here are the items I have purchased so far. On the top row is the first edition and Tales from the Wilderland supplement. On the bottom row is the second edition rulebook, starter box, and GM screen.

I played the first edition, from Cubicle 7 Games, a little less than ten years ago at a game convention. I was impressed by the skill resolution system, combat, and especially travel. It felt like everyone was contributing to a story and not number crunching the best of the best. 

The dice are what helps this come about. You roll a feat die (d12) along with a number of six sided dice equal to the number of dots in the skill or ability that you are using. The six sided dice are added together and if you get over the target number you succeed. For every six rolled, the die has a special symbol indicating an elvish symbol and those count as superior successes which can be used for additional effects. The feat die has a symbol of Sauron and a symbol of Gandalf. If the Gandalf symbol is rolled you automatically succeed in the check but if it is the Sauron symbol it counts as zero. Otherwise it has numbers from one to ten. 

The travel portion of the game has players take various rolls, hopefully the ones they are better at than others, and depending on the events that occur will determine which role has to conduct a check. 

There is also Hope points that enable you to do special actions but if you use too much as well as Shadow points and scars that are gained when you conduct or experience things that are foul and profane. Your character will not last long by being adventurers on a lark for treasure and power for that is the domain of Sauron and his minions.

Which brings me to the best part of the game in my opinion...time. Each adventure is a few game sessions of traveling around and diminishing the power of Sauron over the world of Middle-Earth. There is then a Fellowship phase of resting up, improving your character, and learning more about rumours and hints of the forces of Sauron's activities. That is a season or two. Every year there is a Yule phase during the winter months where the group splits up and goes home to rest, about every three fellowship phases. In this phase you have special Yule Fellowship options, including raising an heir! Since the game time starts 25 years after the Battle of the Five Armies (end of the Hobbit book) there is a period of 75 years until the events of the Fellowship of the Ring Trilogy. Since most races do not live that long their adventuring time is short, about 20-40 years except elves. There is also the accumulation of shadow and shadow scars that are difficult to remove. Eventually you will play your heir and likely their heir then their heir, before Sauron is defeated. 

The art is good in parts and alright in others. The bonus item was the players and GM maps.

The first edition, and second edition of that first edition from Cubicle 7, took place mainly in the area to the West of the Misty Mountains: Bree, Lonely Mountain, Lorien, Rohan, Mordor. They made 14 supplements detailing this area except for one on Rivendell and areas to the north of it.

I also have Tales of the Wilderland with seven adventures that can be played standalone or as a campaign.

The starter set for the new edition of the game is masterful as it is set in the Shire of the Hobbits. It is a perfect setting because there is danger but not too dangerous for players new to the game. It has dice, a small book of the basic rules, booklet on the shire, and adventures to start things off. It has very nice character sheets for the starter adventures, and a double sided map of the shire and Eriador (East of the Misty Mountains), travel/combat cards, and images on the inside of the of the box with mini GM screen info and GM map of the shire.

The GM screen has a booklet on Rivendell as well including rules to play High elves.

The Free League edition of the rules has cleaned up items from the original and was improved by some of the original group who made the original products. 

The inside cover has a player map of the realm of Eriador and the back of the book has the GM one (with hexes for the travel phase).

The art is consistent throughout; a little grim and serious. It also has quotes from the Tolkien books sprinkled throughout which adds to the mood and setting.

Character creation is still simple with lots of options.

Adversaries are streamlined with hints for the GM to describe their actions. 

I hope to play this someday and perhaps GM it. It would be very rewarding when done right.