Rokugan d20 Review

 

It seems that a lot of people from China are viewing my blog, based on my blog's statistics. Although, I'm no Communist -- and I'm not for dictatorships either -- it seems that I am at least ready to review the Rokugan Campaign Setting for the d20 system.  Produced by Alderac Entertainment Group in 2001, it was written by Rich Wulf, Shawn Carman, and Seth Mason.  This is a beautiful book, lavishly illustrated like the Oriental Adventures book for third edition.  I'm reviewing a PDF copy of this book, and I do own the hardcover.

 The first thing to remember is that Rokugan isn't Japan.  It's a high fantasy land based on the culture of Sengoku era Japan and Miyamoto Mushashi's Book of the Five Rings.  There are some Chinese elements in Rokugan, but it's not China either.  Like I said, it's a High Fantasy land that borrowed a lot from Japan and some from China.  I love this book, Rokugan -- next to Greyhawk -- is a place where I would set an ongoing game.  Also, I did another review of this book on RPG.net. 

So, lets go for it.

The Introduction

The introduction of Rokugan goes on to explain  to players of the d20 system all about Rokugan, the Five Rings, and explains to players that they take on the roles of noble Samurai, mysterious Shugenja, enlightened monks, shadowy ninja, and finally wily courtiers.  Whole games can revolve around one or more of these elements. 

Next, it explains how one can use this book with Oriental Adventures. Since this book, Rokugan, expands on the information explained in Oriental Adventures.  Finally, it does explain why Rokugan is based on Miyamoto's Book of the Five Rings.  The roleplaying opportunities are endless.

Character

 This section goes over the Great Clans of Rokugan, their families, and favored classes for each major family.  Like for instance, the Doji of the Crane Clan make good Courtiers.  While the Isawa family make good Shugenja.  And the Shoshuro family produce good ninja, or so they say. After this, they talk about the minor clans and their schools, along with the Naga (an Indian aspect), and the Nezumi (Rokugan's take on ratfolk).

After this part on creating your character, the various character classes from the 3rd Edition Player's Handbook are talked about.  Along with two classes from Oriental Adventures (3rd Edition).  The Samurai and the Shugenja.  After that, the monk, ninja, and courtier classes are discussed.  

After all this, the Feats are discussed.  And yes, there are a lot of Feats here that are talked about.  Each great clan gets their own feats.  From Kakita's Techique, to Way of the Crab, to Akodo's Technique, to Way of the Unicorn.  All are included.  Especially one of note is Void Use.  This feat, which you can take instead of a Ancestor Feat, grants you two points of void.  Which of course you can use to modify your die rolls.

 After the feats, you get a discussion on Rokugani equipment.  Including new weapons, and old weapons that are expanded upon, new armor types, and other considerations.  After that, Religion in the Emerald Empire is discussed.  After that, Honor is discussed, along with the alignments of the d20 system -- and how they work together.  Like for instance, if someone is Lawful Good, he's considered to have an honor rank of 5.

After that, some prestige classes are introduced.  Although none of these are needed, some are recorded.  As prestige classes are meant for NPCs originally, players would take them.

Magic

 Magic in D&D is supposed to be presented as mysterious. For Rokugan, this is no different.  There are more Samurai than Shugenja in Rokugan. Magic revolves around the Kami, the great kami as well as the lesser and minor kami.  A shugenja learns to importune the kami to produce magical effects.  This can be from a simple sleep spell to a magnificent void spell worked by the mysterious Ishiken of the Isawa family.

Each clan has their own special magical technique.  The Crane works on Tsanguri, or magic items -- for example.  The Unicorn shugenja work with meishodo.  Finally, the Isawa family of the Phoenix teach the Ishiken-do -- or magic of the void.  There are four other examples of magic of the great clans.  Other aspects of magic are also discussed.  After that, there are some new spells for Shugenja to select, learn, and cast. 

Life in Rokugan

This chapter goes over adventures in Rokugan.  It discusses what a Samurai might be and how to act.  Also, the chapter goes over Rokugan itself, and how a party of disparate Samurai and Shugenja (and possibly ninja) might operate.

The culture and layout of Rokugan are discussed.  Along with how campaigns operate in the Emerald Empire.  Also, magic and magic items, how they are viewed -- are discussed.  Also, social hierarchy is discussed.  A lot of Rokugani culture is discussed in this book. This is the most important chapter in the whole book.  If you want to role play your Samurai as authentically as you can, you must read this section.

Geography

The Geography of Rokugan is discussed in this chapter.  This is the geography of the Emerald Empire, as of the Four Winds saga. Important details of each Clan's holdings are discussed in some detail.  Along with writeups for certain NPCs as of the Four Winds saga.

Cosmology 

This chapter teaches the cosmology as seen by the Rokugani.  There are several realms, including the mortal one, that are discussed.  These realms are discussed more simply in the Fortunes and Winds supplement (to be reviewed later).  Also, the worship of the Fortunes and who they are is presented.  There are seven major Fortunes, and thousands of lesser ones. Then Rokugan's mythology is presented.  Including the creation of the world as the Rokugani understand it.

History

The history of Rokugan is presented.  Nearly complete and up to the Four Winds saga.  It's enough to fill a Rokugani DM with adventure seeds and beginnings of a good campaign.  After that, a few appendixes discuss magic items, magical creatures, and finally an index.

Hits

 The colorful aspect of the book is definitely a hit.  There are colorful illustrations throughout the book. Including pictures of Shugenja, Samurai, and even a Ninja.  The writing is concise and well edited.  DJ Trindle, the editor, did a good job of editing the book for press.  The writing is top notch, definitely different than what you get in a modern D&D book (modern D&D books are atrocious in writing, editing, and illustration).  There is more, the layout is in two columns, and uses a ten point font.

 Misses 

 There is little that's missed in this book. The metaplot of the Legend of the Five Rings card game at the time -- used as a backdrop for the campaign -- is definitely a miss.  This book is for players and DMs to get into the setting of Rokugan, and the Metaplot does restrict some aspects.  Is it something I'd change: probably.  I would have started the plot during the Pre-Scorpion Clan Coup saga, as that is the most popular era setting for L5R rpgs.  Including the fifth edition of the L5R RPG.

 The Future

Again, the future looks uncertain.  It seems that Asmodee might keep the L5R property. However, they aren't expecting that someone might come to them and buy Legend of the Five Rings from them.  Fantasy Flight bought L5R from Alderac Entertainment Group in 2017, then Asmodee bought them. However, Legend of the Five Rings is a good property, one I wanted to purchase from Wizards of the Coast when they put it up for sale.  Looks like I'll have to buy it from Asmodee.  Oh well, cheers!

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos Review

 

My first Basic Dungeons and Dragons product review.  The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is the first in a series of Gazetteers done for the Known World, the campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons (BECMI).  It's also called Mystara, but that came later. Anyhow, is the product worth it to buy?  Lets find out.  This product was written by Aaron Allston for TSR.  Cover artist was Clyde Caldwell.  I got a hard copy from Lightning Source and also a pdf copy as well.  Note, if you buy the hard copy, you will find that the cover has a lot of red (magenta) in it.  The hard copy is paperback instead of hard back.

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is a small book, and comes in three sections.  The Introduction: where Aaron talks about the book.  The Gazetteer Section and finally the Adventures section.  Which is for the Dungeon Master.

Introduction.

Here, Aaron says he is pleased with the book.  He mentions that fantasy worlds often grow in leaps and bounds.  The world started with a map and a few lines of text in D&D Expert.  But that has grown into the Known World through published adventures that TSR, inc. had put out.  A lot of these adventures are available on Drivethru.   He gives thanks and shout out for a few adventures that he referenced to put together the Grand Duchy. 

Part One: the Gazetteer Section

Here is where the most of the detail about the book was written.  You get into the Grand Duchy's history, some of which is for the players to read.  And you also get into region's customs, cultures (there are two human cultures: one is the Traladara culture and the other is the Thyatis culture), and also talk about the demi-humans of the Grand Duchy.  The history of the region is recounted.  How the Traladarans had a golden age, but that came to an end.  How Thyatis conquered the region, and how a duke traded favors for the land.  You also get into detail about the economy of the Grand Duchy.  A calendar was made, and a list of NPCs for the land.  A lot of information was packed into sixty-four pages.  Which was an astounding feat for writers for TSR.

The Adventures Section

 This is for the Dungeon Master or DM.  It lists some adventures you can run for your players.  They are all short form, allowing the DM to use his creativity to flesh out and present to his or her players.  At the end of the section are the maps detailing the Grand Duchy, castles, cities, and other items. 

Hits

TSR at this time, relied on a full color cover.  Inside, they use a fortified tower to add visual interest.  The book is laid out in three columns.  The type is ten points small, and the art is awesome, even though it's black and white art.

Misses 

The (new) hard copy's cover has a lot of red tones.  Which takes away from the original.  The maps are printed in 81/2" by 11" inches, and it can be a little confusing at first when you see these maps.  Otherwise, if you like Mystara content, I would start with this Gazetteer.

The Future

Again the future is uncertain.  Although I will tell you that I'm buying the trademarks and copyrights to ten (10) D&D worlds.  One of these worlds is Mystara.  So I can say with confidence that the first project we are working on is the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.  

Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos Review

 

The mission of Strixhaven University is to discover and preserve magical knowledge, to disseminate that knowledge from one generation to the next, to promote free and open study of magic in all its forms, and to enhance the lives of people through out the world through the use of magic.

-- Strixhaven mission statement

 Hello everyone, today I'm reviewing Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos for Dungeons and Dragons. I received the book from Amazon and have been reading it forwards and backwards. This book was produced and released in November of 2021, and it describes a magical University setting coming out of the Strixhaven set for Magic: the Gathering.  Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos is a Wizards of the Coast product.  The original designers for Strixhaven are Doug Beyer, Taylor Ingvarsson, Jess Lanzillo, Meris Mullaley, Fox Allison, Annie Sardelis, Emily Teng, Andrew Vallas, James Wyatt, and Art Zirulnik.

 Strixhaven University is a college setting that is set in the World of Arcavios.  It was originally a Magic: the Gathering product produced by Wizards of the Coast.  Apparently, the people at Hasbro felt that it was such a success that they told Wizards to cross it over in D&D.   And so they did. What we got is Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos.

First of all, I think this product is twenty years too late. With the Harry Potter craze in the early nineties as well as the early 2000s, this product could have cashed in on the Harry Potter mania that swept the world with the Harry Potter movies. However, we know that Wizards did approach J.K. Rowling about doing a Harry Potter roleplaying game based on then, the d20 System.  She didn't like the idea. However, great ideas take time.  I think, while not a direct translation of Hogwarts to D&D, you can't help but wonder if Strixhaven was actually inspired by Harry Potter.

 Strixhaven, itself is divided into seven chapters, although most of the relevant information is in the Introduction.  Unlike Hogwarts, which is designed to teach very young wizards and witches, Strixhaven is an University.  Designed to teach older, college age kids.  Strixhaven's university is laid out like Cambridge or Oxford.  There are colleges mixed in a town.  Currently, there are five colleges. The first college is Lorehold, which explores the past and preserves the history for future generations.  It was founded by the dragon Velomachus Lorehold.

Second is Prismari College, and students of Prismari use the elements to practice the arts.  It was founded by the dragon Galazeth Prismari. Quadrix college is third, and it focuses on the mathematical aspects of nature.  Quandrix was founded by the dragon Tanazir Quandrix.

The fourth college of Strixhaven is the Silverquill college.  Students of Silverquill study the magic of rhetoric, poetry, oration, and writing. It was founded by Shadrix Silverquill.  The last is the college of Witherbloom.  The college teaches the magics associated with life and death. The founder was the dragon Beladros Witherbloom. 

Although the University can be placed in any world, again the University takes place on the world of Arcavios.  The world itself was formed when two other worlds collided and coalesced into one.  At least according to Arcavian legends.

Chapter One of the book goes over life on Campus. It gives an overview of the entire University.  From the Central Campus to the various colleges.  And there are maps to the whole thing.  This part of the book isn't very detailed, allowing players and DMs to fill in the blanks with their own creativity.  although there are a few locations that are given detail, DMs and players can fill in the blanks and cracks.  This is a good thing about the book, in my opinion.

 Chapter two of Strixhaven provides Character Creation details for Dungeons and Dragons 5e (2014). It introduces a new race called the Owlin, and provides character options for different characters, although I feel that the whole world is geared towards mages.  But there are options for the other classes of D&D.   Included are new feats, new spells, and new magic items.

  The next four chapters of the book include a campaign designed to take Freshmen (level 1 characters) to all the way to the end of their senior year (level 10).  Naturally, this is the part I don't like.  The adventures, which will go down in history as being classics for adventures set in a school; are not what they could be.  That is, adventures that actually challenge the characters according to the classics.  While fun (I've seen the adventures run in action), and people could have fun with it, because of space they are lackluster and lack potential.

Chapter seven includes the monsters of Strixhaven.  From the dragon founders, right down to the students.  This chapter contains stat blocks for forty different new monsters.  From those who learn to those who are trying to undermine the college.  They are all there.  In the back of the book is a map you can tear out.

 

 Hits

The art in the book is beautiful.  Taken from the Magic: the Gathering cards, the art is expressive, full color, and bring Strixhaven to life.  Wizards hits it out of the bull park with the art.  The art is expressive, gorgeous, and takes you to a world where the University of Strixhaven could exist.  The art is Realistic.  Whether oil paintings, or digital, it's very expressive.

The  layout of the physical book is two columns, with no justifications.  The book is laid out so it's a fast read.  With a simple layout such as that, I suggest getting a copy of the physical book.  I must have read it ten times before doing this review.

Misses

 The book could have been bigger.  The art of storytelling is part of roleplaying.  The adventures seem rather luckluster.  More could have been a part of the adventures.  They could have actually got real storytellers to work on the adventures and make them better.  The villain in the story is well developed, but when you see the art for him, he's rather comical.  They should have focused on the Oriq, as they are real threats to the campus than a bullywug looking for revenge.

 The Future

 So, what holds to the future of Strixhaven?  Well, that remains to be seen.  There is a rumor that Magic the Gathering might return to Strixhaven for their 2026 line up.  If you play Magic the Gathering, this is good news to revisit the world of Arcavios.  However, I must tell you that I bought the book for business purposes.  I'm going up to Wizards of the Coast to buy the copyrights and trademarks to eight campaign settings, and Strixhaven is one of them.  I'm also buying the copyrights and trademarks to D&D 3e.  I'll own Strixhaven.  I'll be able to develop Strixhaven for Dungeons and Dragons 3.0.

Is this what the future holds?  Well, I'm old school D&D, and Old School is best.  There are things that can be done for Strixhaven to improve on it.  Especially in the adventure department.  But we will see what the future will hold.  Maybe Wizards will change their mind and not let me have Strixhaven.

Oriental Adventures (1e) Review

 Oriental Adventures, for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (1e) is one of the best books for AD&D.  I wanted this book since it came out, and I managed to lay my hands on a copy during the late nineties.  My copy shows it's age, but it's my favorite AD&D book.  For it talks about the Orient in a gaming context.  It was because of this book that I wanted to learn all I can about culture in Japan, and it's the main reason why I picked up the Sengoku RPG in the early 2000's.  Oriental Adventures is credited to Gary Gygax, but David "Zeb"Cook did the writing.  It was this book that helped inspire the game Legend of the Five Rings. Without this book coming in the market during 1985, I don't think Legend of the Five Rings would have been possible.  This book is available on Drivethru.

Overview

by Hokusai

The book, Oriental Adventures (OA) allows several players to create characters in an Oriental context.  You first generate your scores, then you choose your race, and then your class.  It introduces some new races including:

• Korobokuru: an oriental dwarf.
• Hengeyokai: shape changing animals who can take human form, of which there are several types.
  
• Spirit Folk: the oriental equivalent of elves, of which there are three kinds.
   

The book also introduces a few classes.  Including the Samurai, which is a type of the Cavalier; the Shukenja, an Oriental Cleric; Sohei, a type of monk; Kensai, a person devoted to perfection of their weapon.  Bushi, a fighter variant in oriental worlds; Barbarian, a foriegner taught in the ways of weapons; Wu Jen, a magic user based on Chinese mythology; Monk, a martial artist class; Ninja, a class for spies and assassins; and Yakuza, a class for organized crime.

Of the new classes, the Samurai and Ninja was what was shown on the cover.  Plus, the whole book is nuanced for Japanese culture except for the wu jen, which was from Chinese mythology.  The idea of the book was for AD&D players could explore the realms of the Orient in their worlds.  The book includes caste and family rules, along with rules for honor, and money and equipment.  Weapons are talked about, including proficiencies -- which are skills.

After that, the spells are discussed.  Starting with shukenja spells -- which are divine spells.  And then wu jen spells, which are arcane spells. After that, they discuss combat rules and martial arts.  Then they discuss a number of monsters that exist in the orient.  Then Kara-Tur, a setting for  Oriental Adventures, is introduced.

By Yoshitoshi

 

Hits

This book was a revolution for AD&D.  It expanded the realms of AD&D from the Occidental to the Oriental.  The mysteries of the East was revealed for fantasy roleplaying and players could visit the East.  Although the book was designed with Japanese culture in mind, especially the Warring States Period (Sengoku) of Japan, the book has a few Chinese influences.  A first for the Roleplaying games, eventually after this book is published, Steve Jackson Games would come out with GURPS China,  and GURPS Japan, both of which would have Sengoku by Gold Rush Games following in their footsteps.  As for Legend of the Five Rings, which is now owned by Fantasy Flight Games -- I think OA inspired the legends of Rokugan in the first place.  OA was a revolutionary book in that it would inspire books that came after it.

Misses

I wasn't too impressed with the Martial Arts rules in the book.  This is because I'm a martial artist myself and I felt that the book didn't capture the martial arts.  I felt more could have been done with the Martial Arts rules in the book.  Especially with designing your own martial arts (which was followed in The Complete Ninja Handbook).  Also, I felt that Chinese mythology could have been represented more in the book.  Although all the monsters came from several oriental sources, the book is certainly lacking in several aspects.

Conclusion

Several of the classes could have been worked on more.  The Ninja class, for instance, didn't work until you had a disguise (multi-classed).  The Samurai class was good, but they could have done more with it.  Of course, when Oriental Adventures came out for 3rd edition, we would see an update to the original OA in several respects.  Done for the 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons, we would see a better treatment for Oriental Adventures as well as a new setting: Rokugan.

Eberron: Secrets of Magic

 

EBERRON

THE SECRETS OF MAGIC CAMPAIGN

Some say that the ability to command great armies is power.  Of course, Queen Aurala of Aundair certainly commands armies to do her bidding.  Some say physical strength is power.  Just look at the physical might of any Warforged.  Or anyone that has practiced body building to great extent.  Certainly physical strength is power.  However, the wizards of the Arcane Congress has a better idea of power. Their saying: Scientia est Potentia . . . Knowledge is power.

Welcome to the Secrets of Magic campaign!  A campaign beginning in Aundair, but the travels of the party might take them outside of Aundair in search of power and magic. The heroes (the PCs) start off as magic using classes that have completed their apprenticeship, i.e. level one.  They are about to start their Journeyman stage of their mastery of magic.  Their masters of magic have taught them magic and they are ready to start their journeys.  On their journeys, the PCs must learn new magic and become masters in their own right in order to reach their goals.

Campaign Dynamics

 This is a Pathfinder 1e campaign.  To be frank, it's centered around a group of arcane magic users that have attained their apprenticeship and have graduated to Journeymen.  The player characters are expected to start out as magic users (wizards, sorcerers, summoners, etc.) but may discover other paths as they accomplish their goals.  As time goes on, as they journey, they will come across new magic. 

For this campaign, the following books will be used:

* PATHFINDER Roleplaying Game, Core Rulebook: The bulwark of the campaign.
* Advanced Player's Guide: Summoner class, other class options, and new spells.
* Advanced d20 Magic: Contains the magic system we will be using. It's a simple system of add and subtract.  It's not available on Drivethru, so you will have to download it.
* Unearthed Arcana Specifically, the Spell points optional rule. On page 156. After reading the rules in Advanced d20 Magic on drain, it should be easy to understand why we are using spell points.
* Ultimate Magic: Magus class and new spells.
* Advanced Class Guide: Arcanist class.
* Eberron Campaign Setting: This contains the basics of the world we are using for this campaign.
* Races of Eberron: Talks about the four new races introduced in the ECS.
* Five Nations, especially the chapter on Aundair.

 

Classes Allowed: Wizard, Sorcerer, Arcanist, Summoner, and Magus. Multi-classing into other classes is possible. Just not the Gunslinger. Gunpowder doesn't exist on Eberron. Just remember that the Arcanist, Summoner, and Magi has to be converted to Advanced d20 Magic. Should be easy, after looking at how the other spell using classes work. I'll be willing to work with you. NO CUSTOM CLASSES!

Races: Any race in the Eberron Campaign Setting book and Races of Eberron book works out fine. Kalashtar also work as a choice, just remember this game is centered on spellcasters. Just remember, some Warforged feats work best as Alternate traits.

Character Creation Dynamics

* Purchase method; 20 ability points.
* Two traits.
* Average starting gp.
* 1st Level
* Starting spells from Advanced D20 Magic and the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. You will discover more powerful magic on your journey. Try to choose starting spells with 1 slot to learn.
* You start off knowing each other as friends and/or colleagues. Your friendship between each other should grow as the campaign progresses.
* Alignments: Any of the alignments are possible -- but try to stay away from evil alignments, I'd like to play all the bad guys.
* Character backgrounds: You can use Ultimate Campaign to generate your background. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can get a copy of Central Casting: Heroes of Legend by Paul Jacquays and generate your background using that.

Okay, that should cover everything. You start on your journeys as Journeymen. You won't be acknowledged as a Master until you reach 10th or 15th level. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook Review

 Today, I'm reviewing the Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook by Catalyst Game Labs.  Alright, to me this is the best incarnation of Shadowrun since FASA first published Shadowrun in 1989.  In this game, you have a lot of options to make your character unique to others.  And strangely enough, 2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of this game, and so Catalyst Game Labs has since released Shadowrun: Sixth World.  Or sixth edition, to be fair.

 Shadowrun is a Roleplaying Game like Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, and Rolemaster.  Although its set in a dystopian world where magic has returned and there is high technology in the form of cybernetics, computers, and other things.  Shadowrun is a mixture of Dystopian Cyberpunk and Tolkien Fantasy.  The game is inspired by Bladerunner, Minority Report, Neuromancer, and the Tolkien novels.

Man Meets Magic and Machine

The premise of Shadowrun is simple.  You play a character called a Shadowrunner.  Someone who lives in the outskirts of society.  The world has changed in fifty years. Corporations weild the power of nations, the cities are sprawling metroplexes, and as I said before, magic has returned.  The USA lost it's western states to the native Americans in a great war of magic and machine called the Great Ghost Dance.  And humanity has changed since the awakening in 2011.

Elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls had thrown off their human disguises and joined the ranks of humanity.  And other things changed since the coming of Halley's Comet.  Humanity even further changed, introducing the Changelings into the mix (which have strange genetics, some even have reptilian appearances.)  As magic returned, so did the means of using magic.  Magicians -- from hermetic mages to shamans -- do magic in the streets.  And there is a world wide internet called the Matrix, which has become wireless.

As a Shadowrunner, you run the streets doing missions for the Corporations. These can include industrial espionage missions, bounty hunting, magical investigations, and other missions.  The GM should be inspired by James Bond, the adventures of Jack Ryan, and a host of other movies and television shows.  There is a cold war between corporations, and your character is in the thick of it.

Shadowrunners are originally thought of as terrorists, but they are operatives that are typically outside of the law.  They run the shadows, they are in the shadows, and they are equipped with magic, guns, computers, cyberware, and bioware.  Enhancements that allow them to do their job.

 

The System

Shadowrun uses simple six sided dice as it's core mechanic.  You roll six sided dice to resolve tests. The GM may set a target number, and usually you have to roll 5 or better to get a success.  The more successes you have, the better you are at that test.  Although sometimes lady luck can go against you, and if you roll more 1s than 5s or 6s, a glitch can happen.

Frequently asked questions: 

Are there classes?

No, there are no classes.  There are some sample characters which you can draw inspiration from.  From a Bounty Hunter to a covert ops specialist, to a combat mage, to a hacker, to a technomancer (someone who can interface the matrix without a Comlink), to a street samurai, and others.  They show what can be made with the system.  Unlike D&D, Shadowrun doesn't use classes.

Are there alignments?

No, and that's part of the game's charm.  D&D introduced the concept of aligmments, and games could be black and white.  In Shadowrun, there are only shades of gray.  Your character has no alignment, so you can play the character the way you want.  Want someone like James Bond? You can.  Only you aren't pigeon holed into playing a character in a way that Aligments can.  It's your character, you're free to play that character the way you want.  Of course, you have to deal with the consequences of your character's choices.

How does Magic Work?

Magic works differently in Shadowrun.  Every spell has a force rating that you can normally cast.  These ratings are typically from 1 to 6.  And sometimes can go beyond that. A magician can know many spells (typically about twice your Spellcasting skill at character creation).  And there are many spells to learn. Magic typically has a line of sight range.  You can cast an unlimited number of spells, but eventually that can take a toll on your character.

 

  How does the Matrix work?

The matrix works like a wireless network across the whole world.  Just like we have wireless phones, and wireless networks, so the Matrix is a vast wireless network.  It's been wireless since 2064 in Shadowrun.  Your character is a hacker or a technomancer.  The hacker still relies on a computer called a Commlink to access the matrix.  While the technomancer can do it instinctively without a Comlink or other computer.  The hacker uses programs to interact with the Matrix, while the Technomancer uses complex forms and sprites.  Programs (and their technomancer counterpart, complex forms) can have ratings up to 6.

 Conclusion 

Shadowrun is a good game, it has been for nearly 40 years.  It has been a cyberpunk RPG that has endured beyond other games like it.  Like Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red.  It's premise is simple, and you can create a whole number of characters using SR4A.  Thankfully it's on Drivethru, the game is cheep to get into.  The core rulebook only costs 15 dollars on Drivethru, and you can get the core sourcebooks for less than 60 dollars.  

Palladium Fantasy RPG Review

 

I received my copy of the Original Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game today, about 2:30 pm Mountain Daylight time.  I bought it from GameNerdz.com, and since my experience with them has been good -- I ordered a dead tree copy of the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying game from them.

First look, the cover sports the Palladium Books logo, the title, and a picture of a three headed dragon breathing fire on a paladin or knight on horseback.  It was written by Kevin Siembieda.  Opening the cover shows a powerful fight between a human fighter and a albino wolf-man (wolfen in the game, to be explained later).  This is in full color, and graces both the inside front cover and inside back cover.  Aside from the obligatory warning that graces this book, it's a work of fantasy, and not real life.

What is inside?

Inside the Palladium Fantasy RPG (PFRPG, not be confused with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or again -- PFRPG) is a section on creating your character -- dealing with character attributes, races to choose from, hit points, insanity, alignment, and experience points.  There is a section on skills, along with the Occupational Character Classes.  These include: Men of Arms -- Mercenary Fighter,  Soldier, Long Bowman, knight, paladin (or spelled Palladin), ranger, thief, assassin, and a few optional O.C.C.s that work for NPCs.  Then includes Men of Magic -- the Wizard (or mage), Warlock (elemental magic), Witch (diabolic magic), Diabolist (Mystic wards and symbols), Summoner (Circle magic), Mind Mage (psion or psionicist), and Alchemist (NPC class). After that comes the Clergy, which includes the Priest/Priestess (Cleric or specialty priest), druid (shapeshifter), shaman (oracle), and the Healer.  After that notes on creatures and monsters as well as the world of Palladium itself.  Then the Tombs of Gersidi adventure and the Arms of Nargash-Tor adventure.

Differences from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

The PFRPG is a complete Roleplaying Game.  It has information on how to play a roleplaying game and information on the world in which the game takes place.  It uses a variety of Polyhedral dice -- including all the dice from the D&D basic game.  Rolling attributes for your character is no different from D&D, and also percentile dice is also used.  The twenty-sided die (d20) is also used for combat related applications.  That should make the PFRPG similar to Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and other similar games.  So, what makes it different?

The differences include: the magic system, the alignments, the available races, the Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.), the skill system, and Monster statistics (which are gone more in depth in Monsters and Animals -- the monster book for the PalFRPG).  First are the O.C.C.s.

 An Occupational Character Class works like the Character Class in both D&D and AD&D.  But certain classes are split into different Occupational Character Classes.  In fact, the Fighter class from AD&D is split into the Mercenary Fighter, the Soldier, and the Long Bowman occupational character classes.  The mercenary fighter is your typical fighter.  The soldier is a career fighter, and the long bowman is trained in the use of the yew longbow. The paladin class and the cavalier class are the palladin and knight occupational character classes respectively.  The ranger and thief remain the same concepts from AD&D, and also from AD&D is the addition of the assassin occupational character class.

The Mage has been split into different occupational character classes as well.  You have the wizard (mage) which specializes in spell magic.  The witch is a class that worships demons or devils.  The warlock is a spell caster specializing in elemental magic.  The diabolist specializes in symbology, wards, and runes. The summoner works in magic circles of protection, summoning, and power.  The mind mage is your basic psionicist.  And the alchemist is an NPC class.

The clergy classes include: the priest or priestess (regular cleric class). The druid, who specializes in changing into animal shapes.  The shaman which is an oracle. And finally the healer who heals people.  And then there a number of optional O.C.C.s, which can be used for NPCs.

A key difference from AD&D and other FRPGs is the inclusion of many other different races.  Some of which can be quite alien -- including the wolfen, orc, and troglodyte. You can choose any number of races to play, although some (such as dragons and giants) are off limits.

Another difference, or innovation, from  D&D and AD&D is how the spell magic system is handled.  A Wizard may cast any spell from any level he knows, despite his current level. However, he's restricted by level of how many spells he can cast (same with the witch).  As he goes up in experience, a wizard would be able to cast more spells.  Although this is not universal.  The warlock's spell knowledge is limited by his spell level.

Besides this, the diabolist specializes in symbol, ward, and rune magic. Then the summoner specializes in circle magic.  And there are drawings of each circle, symbol, or rune included in the book.  Plus, the priest and shaman classes also use the Wizard spells for their magic.

Alignment is different and I touched on how it works in my Rifts RPG review.  The concept of Alignment works like how it works in Dungeons and Dragons.  It's a guide to help you roleplay your character to your likes.  You can select between two good alignments: Principled (Lawful Good), and Scrupulous (Neutral Good); between two selfish alignments: Unprincipled (Chaotic Good), and Anarchist (Chaotic Neutral); and between three evil alignments: Miscreant (Neutral Evil), Aberrant (Lawful Evil), and Diabolic (Chaotic Evil).  After that, your character is basically done.  There are no neutral alignments.

The skill system is another "innovation" of the PalFRPG.  It comes from the Runequest RPG.  Basically, each skill is governed by a percentile roll.  If you roll under the percentile chance, you perform the skill expertly.  The skills go up in percentile range as you gain experience levels.  This is different than AD&D, which can work without skills.

As for monster statistics, they are considerably shortened than those in the Monster Manual.  Something I'll get into more depth when I review Monsters and Animals.

 Conclusions

 The Palladium Fantasy RPG is a good game to start young players on.  Just remember to tell them the difference between fantasy and reality.  The game system is easy to learn and use, even though it's a bit dated compared to newer systems of D&D (3rd, 4th, and 5th editions). The game is a good system and I recommend it.  Just remember, it's a fantasy game and not real life.  The book itself is a marvel, though. I suggest you order yourself a copy.  Oh, and this is the 1st edition of the game, which is forty years old, now.

Getting a copy of Palladium Fantasy RPG tomorrow

 

I recently bought a copy of The Original Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game by Kevin Siembieda. This game takes me back to my teen years, where it was an alternative to AD&D. I also have a copy of Rifts, which I previously reviewed.

I have a pdf copy of two versions of the Palladium Fantasy RPG, the revised edition and the second edition. I was reading the revised edition, and I find that I am very tempted to start a game. I will review the Original Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game as soon as I read it.

Rifts® New West Review

 

Welcome to a world where there is no law amongst the West.  It's the Old West reborn, for your Rifts® campaign.  Rifts World Book 14: New West describes my favorite setting for Rifts.  The region of the old United States called the Old West.  Written by Christopher R. Kornmann and Kevin Seimbieda, the book doesn't disappoint bringing the Old West into the New.

What does the book have in it?

The first few pages introduces you to the New West.  After the coming of the Rifts, the region had returned to the ways of the Old West.  Mainly through pre-Rifts Western shows and books that romanced the time period.  The ways and style of the Old West return with a vengeance.  People riding horses, wearing the styles of the old west, and other trappings have made the Old West come back.  There is no law, but the Code.

The book starts out with an overview of the territory of the New West.  Beginning with a journal entry from William McKinnith -- a gunslinger.  The west is a vast wilderness beyond the Coalition States.  Considered to be a true wilderness, there are villages and towns beyond to the West.  Places like Ephraim, Tombstone, Arzno, Charity, and Boise.  These places were the towns of the New West.  The vast wilderness that in between places of settlement is a place of danger and excitement. 

By Sascha Burkard, available from Shutterstock.

 The culture of the New West is a romance of the Old West.  John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and other actors are viewed as heroes.  Western music dominates, and the fictional cowboys of Hollywood Westerns are viewed as cultural templates.  From this romanticism arose a culture of freedom and chaos.

Character Types

There are several character types that one could play, most based off the romance of the Old West.  From bandits and desperados, to bounty hunters and gunslingers (there are three types of gunslingers -- by the way), to mining borgs, to justice rangers and sherrifs.  Other character types include the cowboy, preacher, saloon bum, gambler, and barmaid.  Of course, there are new skills included in the book to support the various character types. Yep, there is everything you need for a campaign in the New West. Even the Code is remunerated.

By Sherwood, shutterstock

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Then comes a list of monsters for your campaigns.  Which include the dream snake, gwilacks, and others -- including a worm man. Others include various dinosaurs.  Including the hadrosaur, the triceratops, and tyrannosaurus rex.

After that, various items you can buy, even borg conversion packages are detailed. What was interesting, Bandito Arms have gotten access to the Area 51 site and found some SAMAS suits.  Pre-Rifts suits.  Bandito then copied the technology and made it available.  Then whats available from the Black Market and Wilks merchandise is made available.  Even robot horses, although it's possible to get an AI installed in the horses, so that cowboys could talk to their horses.  The book ends with Techno-wizard weapons and gear.  Including the iron horse -- a train powered and follows the ley lines.

Conclusion

This is one of Rifts better world books. I suggest it wholeheartedly.  Of course, you can do research and watch Westerns for your adventures.  You can base your adventures on actual Western movies -- like True Grit and the Searchers.  Even Clint Eastwood movies can be a source of inspiration.  Also, reading books can give you inspiration for your adventures.  The book provides a starting point for your adventures in the New West.

So, what's bad about it?  Well, the OCCs aren't balanced with other World books.  Other than that, it's a good book and I recommend it for your campaigns.