1 comments about Apocrypha Now (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay/WFRP) (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay).

1. This book is mostly a collection of previously published material either from Games Workshop's out of print supplements or White Dwarf magazine. If you have both the Restless Dead and Warhammer Companion supplements, you will probably find that most of material here is lifted from the two books. For the new converts to the game, the contents are interesting and the varied mix of articles (from new rules to short adventures) would make it useful to any player or GM.

3 comments about GURPS Mage: The Ascension.

1. No offence to Robert M. Schroeck, but just buy the original game. The GURPS version is good, but seriously the game was designed under a COMPLETELY different dice mechanic. The original Mage the Acension is VERY good, with a huge amount of support, most of it quite good. So if you want to play a Mage game, buy the original. But if you want REALLY powerful Magick Users in your GURPS campaign get this book.



2. This GURPS supplement is derived from White Wolf's Mage game, from when that game was in its first edition. It adapts White Wolf's much more free-form magic system into GURPS mechanics. It's not really compatible with the (then) pre-existing magic system for GURPS, as this version is far more powerful, and if your GURPS game mixes genres, old-style wizards and magic-user types are liable to feel ripped off, as they will have paid more character points for less power.
   
   I feel that this adaptation captures much of the feel of the original White Wolf game, while adding the ubiquitous game-mechanics of GURPS in an appropriate manner. Much of what makes the White Wolf version hard to play is the absence of hard-and-fast system rules. The GURPS version attempts makes up for that without eliminating the open-ended feel of the original magic. In the end, a compromise is reached. This version strikes a balance between total game mechanics-oriented and free-form story-oriented magic.
   
   



3. Mage The Ascension was a fairly groundbreaking game, to me. Just like the GURPS version of Vampire the Masquerade, Steve Jackson's shot at transporting a White Wolf game to their system just did not seem to measure up, which was a shame, as integrating that into other areas of GURPS would have been pretty cool. An example of an attempt that failed.

1 comments about Feats.

1. My D&D group bought the Feats book a long time ago when we were just starting and we have been fighting over it ever since. It has been one of the most useful books in our collection and recently I ordered it on here just so I'd have my own copy.
   
   Well worth the buy. Inexpensive and infinitely useful.

1 comments about Ultimate Equipment Guide, Vol. 2 (D20).

1. The first item I saw when flicking through this book was one that one of my players will be DYING to have - a double-bladed scythe. This book has "something for everyone," all right. It contains hundreds and hundreds of weapons, clothes, potions, foodstuffs, machines, contraptions, vehicles, and other equipment for PCs to obtain.
   
   It is a d20 book, so is best for those playing D&D, but the ideas from it can be used in any game. Some of the items have quite interesting backgrounds that could give you a few ideas. The other feature of the book is that it is divided up into different "stores." This is so a DM can open the book and roleplay an encounter with a shopkeeper. It's a good idea, but a little impractical. I haven't tried it yet.
   
   The only other problem is that there are no lists of items by type, only an index. However, this book is well worth it, and will give your players something to dream of finding.

2 comments about Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Slayers Handbook (Buffy RPG).

1. At the beginning of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Core Rulebook," writer and designer C. J. Carella acknowledges that the reader of this volume could just as easily be a Buffy fanatic as a veteran of role playing games. Indeed, Carella considers it a safe assumption that anyone who gets to page 194 of this volume is a fan of the show (but he sees advantages for those who are not). Of course, I am the former, although I do remember an evening with college friends trying unsuccessfully to get me hooked on Dungeon & Dragons and my daughter and I have attempted the Buffy the Vampire CCG game a few times (I am happy just to collect the cards). Certainly, Carella has put together a gorgeous volume. On top of that, the role playing game, part of the Unisystem, might actually prove to be fun as well.

   The "BtVS RPG" covers a lot of ground (by its own admission), from rules to stats to descriptions to backgrounds. There are eight chapters and an appendix: (1) "It's the Slayer's World, We Just Play Here" contains introductory sections, notes about role playing, a list of conventions, and a brief recap of Seasons One through Five of the television series (note, breakdown is by season rather than episode specific); (2) "Some Assembly Required" covers character creation and provides the game stats for the main characters as well as a gallery of Archetypes (e.g., New Slayer, Demon Hunter, and Former Vampire Groupie); (3) "Rules, Borders, and an End Zone" provides the rules of the game, teaching you how to play the game, when to use dice, detailing character development, and explaining the importance of Drama Points; (4) "Playing With Primal Forces" explains the upside and the downside of magic in the Buffyverse; (5) "Sunnydale After Dark" goes over both the favorite hotspots in and around the home of the Hell Mouth and the major Guest Stars of the show such as Joyce, Amy, Jonathan, etc.; (6) "Children of the Night" covers all of the vamps, demons, and other Big Bads from the show's first five seasons, providing such great details as character motivation (e.g., Glorificus wants to go home but Drusilla is just a "Whimsical nutjob"); (7) "Episodes, Seasons and Drama" is for the Director of the game and provides guidelines on how to create storylines and run games; and (8) "Sweeps Week" provides an actual adventure for the "BtVS RG" game, to be played with the Archetypes. Finally, the "Appendix" helps you hone your Buffyspeak and also provides useful charts and tables, a glossary, an index and conversion notes from other Unisystem games.

   Christopher Golden, who has written some of the best "BtVS" novels along with the comic book and "The Watcher's Guides," writes the Foreword to this volume, which is basically a teaser for a role playing game. My son, who has considerably more experience with role playing games than I do, assures me this is fairly basic stuff and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a natural for this sort of fun. It is well established that "BtVS" is my favorite television show and I am fascinated by the details for the role playing game Carella has developed (e.g., the idea that guidelines are providing for "Breaking Things" tickles me). I also like the idea that playing the game can be developed in terms of Episodes and Seasons as well, providing a grand narrative structure to the fighting and biting. For those who love both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and role playing games, this Core Rulebook as to be a treat.




2. "The Slayer's Handbook" is a supplement for the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" role playing game. The inspiration, of course, comes from the episode "What's My Line?: Part Two," where Buffy was astounded to find out that Kendra has been reading the Slayer's handbook and demanded to know why Giles had not provided her with a copy. This version has not been passed down by the Watcher's Council but is the product of game designer C. J. Carella, writers Timothy S. Brannan and David F. Chapman, assisted by some able quotemeisters.

   Included in the "Slayer's Handbook" includes background on being a Slayer, tales of the Slayers, and advice for Directors on using Slayers in their games. You will also find new character creation ideas, qualities and drawbacks, equipment, and more character analysis, as well as guidelines for alternative settings in a Slayer-oriented game, including different places, times, and histories. There are also three ready-to-play mini-settings for Slayers of all shapes and sizes as well as a complete Episode continuing the plotline begun in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Corebook." While the information is geared towards the role playing game, there is also a concerted effort to make sense out of the Buffyverse as revealed in the television series over the first six seasons. This is actually a good starting point, because the seventh season in general and the final episode in particular totally rewrites the rules for Slayers.

   Be aware that these books go beyond the Buffy canon, but explicitly so. So while you get character information for the Chinese Slayer and the New York Slayer along with Kendra and Faith, but new creations such as the Reluctant Slayer, Dark Slayer, Slayer Heiress, etc. This volume also provides character type heroes (e.g., Rebel Without a Clue, Slayer Gunslinger), white hats (e.g., Wannabe Shaman), and sundry Hellworld critters (e.g., Behemoth, Flesh Rider). The back of the book contains character creation basics and updated tables for qualities and drawbacks, armor, combat maneuvers, and base damage.

   Be aware that there are a couple of more supplemental volumes out there, "Monster Smackdown," that covers vampires, demons, and major villains from the show, and "The Magic Box," which explores the history of magic and supernatural in the Buffyverse. There is also a Corebook out for "Angel" as well.

2 comments about GURPS Religion: Gods, Priestly Powers and Cosmic Truths.

1. GURPS Religion provides a thorough (almost too thorough!) framework for roleplayers to create religions for their campaigns. Although it is very complete, it needs to have more direction for the novice campaign creator. I felt lost trying to determine the best place to start. I still recommend it for game masters creating campaigns.



2. This book is the one that convinced me that SJGames had things really, thoroughly on the ball. Like most of their other sourcebooks, this book is the product of thorougly researching a subject and distilling out the information which is needed to write immersive scenarios and stories in that context.

   The GURPS Religion book takes this task seriously enough that it is usable not just as a role-playing supplement but more generally as a handbook of comparative religion for storytellers. It has everything from roles of clergy to creation myths to the meaning of religious symbols, told from the perspective of how religions perceive themselves.

   The one caveat is that this book will not walk you through the process of designing a religion for a campaign. While the chapters are essentially a checklist for any religion's design, each chapter contains a large reservoir of ideas rather than a step-by-step instruction list. For the experienced GM who wants a steady fount of inspiration, or for anyone who wants a good introduction to the varieties of religious symbolism, this book is a valuable tool.

   Definitely one of the most useful items on my GM's workbench.

1 comments about *OP Warcraft Shadows & Light (Sword Sorcery).

1. This book is essential but may be updated by S&SS soon! The Twisting Nether, the Outland, the Emerald Dream, and all the Epic level NPC's you can shakes a stick at, in addition to rules allowing players to play them too.

1 comments about Cults Of Freeport: A Freeport Sourcebook.

1. I'm afraid that this is the first product in the Freeport line that was underwhelming to me. Promising a look at the dark underside of the city through it's strange cults the book instead offers eight cults that follow the most basic stereotypes of any fantasy campaign. There's a berserker cult, a cannibal cult, an S/M fetish cult and so forth. The best cults are those that tie to the setting directly (the Serpent People cult of Yig, the horrors of the Unspeakable One, the God of Evil Pirates) but they are not enough to lift up this product's rating.
   
   I hope future releases push the Freeport setting more interestingly than this book.

No comments about *OP Players Guide to the Garou (Werewolf the Apocalypse).

No comments about Under The Shadow Of The Dragon.