Book: Brimstone and Treason
Author: Caroline Dunford
Publisher: Manatee Books
ISBN: 1-900048-07-8

Reviewer: Wyrdmaster

Caroline Dunford has provided fiction for the SLA Industries roleplaying game and for Wizards of the Coast. The back of Brimstone and Treason describes that relationship as “their ideas, her words” and so I suppose this novella is a chance to pick up some of her ideas and her words. The book’s a novella, shorter than a novel but longer than a short story. I think it’s a fun length; it’s the size of book that you’d read one sunny weekend or use to counter the boredom of a long trip. This works well for Brimstone and Treason because it’s a fun book, fantasy and humour together.

Fantasy and humour have been going strong for a while now. Prachett might immediately spring to mind and to be fair there are Prachett-esq moments in Brimstone and Treason. Enchanted coals really want to burn the carpet they’ve just been spilled on to – but know better to chance their luck with powerful mages around. There’s an almost secret third ingredient that seems to have been added to the mix and it’s this which gives Brimstone and Treason its particular flavour. If you want, if you look, it’s possible to read sly touches of feminism in the book. After all, the heroine Anja only has 14 days to solve the Demon’s Quest if she wants to undo the transmogrification spell on archmage Damian. This isn’t a case of the brave wizard saving the girl; it’s the other way around. The demon’s involved might appear to be twenty foot tall and have impressively huge equipment but they’re actually just little squirts. It’s the other way around for a busty and apparently rather vain courtier, she turns out to be made of sterner stuff that we might first suspect.

Brimstone and Treason is good at fooling first suspicions. There’s less than a hundred pages in the novella but there are plenty of surprises. In fact, it’s the surprises which drive the plot along. The unexpected strikes and just when that jolt begins to fade there is another unexpected revelation. I don’t want to use the phrase “plot twist” here. It’s not right. The plot in Brimstone and Treason doesn’t twist. There’s the transmogrification to sort out and then the culprits to deal with. The novella doesn’t twist out of this at all. It just doesn’t go from start to finish with the characters playing the parts you expect.

The constant (and not unpleasant) chain of surprises manages to slightly obscure the climax of the book. You can look to the “Brimstone” or the “Treason” for the finale. There is a cinematic battle scene towards the end of the book but blink and you’ll miss it. That’ll be the brimstone. There’s plenty of treason but it works best if it involves characters you care about betraying characters you care about. You certainly do come to root for a few of characters and a sure sign of an engaging book.

The meat of the plot centres around four characters. We have Anja the apprentice mage and heroine of the story. There’s Damian the greatest wizard of all the Empire and creator of the perfect hair spell (infamous in certain circles), Lady Sarina of the impressive bodice and Maurice the second greatest mage in the Empire. It’s the chemistry between these four, the squabbling and the occasional harmony that brings out the best in the book. At times the term ‘anti-hero’ seems more appropriate than ‘hero’ for any or all of them but, again, this is all part of the attraction. If you demand flawless fantasy characters for your escapism then the realism here might not be to your taste.

I did mention twenty foot tall demons with impressively large tackle. You noticed? Unicorns waggle their horns lewdly. Blondes in tight fitting leather suits find themselves tied to their male companions. Brimstone and Treason is a little at saucy at times, but I’ve already highlighted the best, it’s saucy in the good way. This is a book you can lend to friends.

Brimstone and Treason is a welcome diversion. It’s substantial enough to be much more than a throw away offering but it’s not the meal of a full novel – this is the way of the novella. It’s written to suit, characters are built up succulently through quick but focused scenes and the plot is delivered in bite sized sections. You’ll enjoy the first half more than the last but you won’t be disappointed by the final chunk of conclusion.

• Purchase Brimstone and Treason online.

Forged is a great introduction to Oathbound. If you’re already familiar with Bastion Press’s high fantasy campaign setting then Forged will add to its unique flavour and quite possibly let you admire the setting from a new angle.

Lyrien’s world is one without magic and monsters and so it comes as twice the shock when Israfel, one of the seven feathered foul, and queen of Penance, pulls him into her domain. Penance is a cyclopean city in the realm of Penance on the world of the Forge. There’s no need to stress over the details. In the roleplaying game someone, the GM at least, will have had to get to grips with the complexities of the campaign. In this brand new fantasy novel the reader gets to sit back and enjoy the setting without the fuss. As Lyrien discovers the Forge’s quirks and idiosyncrasies and learns to adapt to then so does the reader. There’s no danger of game mechanics clogging the drama or some munchkin player rushing off to evolve his character into a prestige race. The story is the boss here and there’s nothing to stop plot twists twisting at the most dramatic moment.

The Forge is an excellent location for a fantasy novel. Everything in the world is more real. The author, Thomas M Reid, has more than an excuse to write lavishly about the mundane things, he has the mandate to do so. How often do fantasy writers linger on the delights of slave gruel? Not very often, that’s for certain. Let’s offer a caveat here. Forged is far from a cliche busting, genre trailblazer. No. Usual fantasy series rules apply here. Our hero, Lyrien (aka Tempest after a fight in the arena), is a honourable man who is trying to do his best in difficult circumstances. There’s a bit of background here, a bossy father, a lost lover, you know, just enough to angst about in the pre-determined angst paragraphs before big scenes. Despite the angst of a lost lover he’s not quite able to avoid sleeping with sexy half-elf chicks. This then plays into more angst. This leads us nicely to sexy half-elf chicks and my least favourite character. Ezeria is almost the perfect dream; a less than reluctant concubine, smart, brave, full of magical tricks and she’ll sob quietly to herself if the hero doesn’t sleep with her often enough. Urg. I prefer my fantasy without an adolescent prefix. I want my half-elf sex slaves to be more real than that. On the other hand I built up something of a rapport with the good natured and long-suffering dover Gade.

Dover’s are one of the fantasy races introduced by the setting, they’re man sized, bipedal canines. Don’t call them dogs. The plethora of fantasy races is both a strength and a weakness of the world. There are so many different races that I find it can be quite a struggle to keep up with them and always be able to put names to descriptions. This novel will help. As different races come into focus – the dover for example – then they’re built up and fleshed out more. On the other hand it can be quite chaotic at times. Lyrien has to fight a gaggle of guards and it seems that no two guards are of the same race. In many fantasy novels you don’t need to worry about the guards, just read as the hero defeats them all, but this time round I found myself trying to keep track of the one with the bird head. When you’re fighting so weird and wonderful guards then the humpbacked undead horror protecting a treasure aren’t quite the thrill they could be.

The plot is quite simple and effective at setting up the next book. Yes, I’m already waiting for the next book (which must be a good sign). Lyrien is dumped in Penance. This is Israfel’s standard treatment for people she’s interested in. It’s up to Gade to explain, as best he can, that the Queen of the City likes to seed her realm with people she finds all over the universe. The fact that she spoke to Lyrien is unusual, it suggests she has a special interest in him. This doesn’t mean Lyrien enjoys a powerful protector. Israfel drops seeds into her city to see whether they sink or swim. It looks very much as if Lyrien will sink. He’s only just able to escape the maze in time to be captured by slavers. Without spoiling too much I’ll say that he manages to move from frying pan to fire and become embroiled (or should be en-burnt?) in the affairs of a Bloodlord. Bloodlords are powerful individuals able to impose themselves to some extent on whole regions of the city. Interest from a Bloodlord is likely to mean blood and politics in equal measure. This is good for the reader, bad for our heroes. The next book is set to go with a specific goal. There’s something to do. This isn’t the case in Forged. Unless you’re willing to count Lyrien’s desire to get home, the plot is very much in the here and now interested in how the characters survive the day with little attention on what needs to be done tomorrow. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s just a style of storytelling that’ll fit somewhere in your ranks of preferred styles.

This live by today and worry about tomorrow later attitude circles back around to Forged’s success as showcase of Outbound. The book is a tour de force of the Forge. Whether the initial roaming of the book, the tour, succumbs to the momentum of building drama builds quickly enough for you or not, it can’t be said that the momentum stalls or hangs together awkwardly. The plot grows with a natural ease even when there’s the suspicion of scripted angst. The characters’ actions tend to make sense. The scenes chain together gracefully enough and there’s no sign of the dread deus ex machina. This isn’t a dungeon crawl either; the structure of the plot is more complicated than that. Just. Lyrien hasn’t come to the Forge to fight in a world where his sense of balance and pain are stronger. He’s come to fight, to love, to make friends, to be betrayed, to find enemies, to make mistakes and to learn by them.

In short, there’s enough in the book to appeal to most fantasy fans. The promise is of a great fantasy series. The fact that there’s the roleplaying world behind all of this is a bonus.

• Visit Bastion Press  for more details.

Game: Fantasy Sagas: Player’s Guidebook
Publisher: Ironwood Omnimedia Company LLC
Series: fantasy saga system
Reviewer: area_51_games
Review Dated: 2nd, May 2007
Reviewer’s Rating: 8/10   [ Really good ]
Total Score: 17
Average Score: 8.50

Review article for the FANTASY SAGAS PRODUCT LINE!
By Christopher L House
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
First Book: Fantasy Sagas: Player’s Guidebook part one Character creation
Page count: 175
Price print: $ 10.53
Price download $5.00
url: http://ironwoodnexus.com/Products/

The Fantasy SAGAS players Guidebook is a review copy PDF.
I asked for a copy so I could review the game and see if I wanted to write a review on yet another Universal game system. I am always happy to encourage small independent game companies , especially if they are innovative and promising.

The way most reviews I write are laid out with first world then mechanics, but this is a universal game, thus no world is offered in the initial Guide.

Initial impression
From index < a true index > to introduction I find the Game Book material well laid out and straight to the point – the definitions are first with explanations for some of the games mechanics , as a technical Writer this is standard even for the Pen and Paper RPG market but the even if you a veteran I advice you to give it a once over.
I well state from the start I like the game or I would not take time to write this article.

The book is pure mechanics and a straight mechanical read.
This is not to discourage you, but this is for the Player/game master, who want a true universal system and just need mechanics to support their own concepts.
This is not as Dry as reading a UNIX Manual by no means, but this is a straight to the point book with 175 page of pure mechanics.

PART ONE table of contents
Intro with leading definitions called Terms and concepts
Example of Page 11 section Terms and concepts
“Terms and Concepts
Most of the terms appear in this book quite
regularly. Many of the terms are commonly
used in role-playing games while some are
unique to Sagas. Read through the terms as
many are used differently than in other games.
Action Level: The number of combat rounds
that is required to accomplish an action.
Action Level Modifier: The numerical representation
of how cumbersome a weapon is.
This number is added to the action level to at-”

A demo of the game is http://ironwoodnexus.com/community/viewforum.php?f=30
One of the unique concepts of the SAGAS SYSTEM is the following excerpt from Page # 16
Dice Rules
While rolling a die will determine the success or failure of a test, there are a couple rules regarding die rolls.
The Rule of One
This rule means that if a die is rolled and it lands on the number one, or all ones are rolled
on numerous dice, then the result is an automatic failure. This rule means that modifiers
are not applied to the die roll. This rule represents the fact that no matter how skilled and
prepared you are things can still go wrong.
The High Roll Rule
If a die roll lands on the highest number of the die (a 6 on a d6, or a 12 on a d12) the player can re-roll the die and add these numbers together.
If a player is supposed to roll more than one die for a single test then both of those
dice must land on the highest number to get a re-roll. For instance, if a player who rolls a d4 and a d10, due to having a high attribute, that player can only re-roll the two dice if a 4 is rolled on the d4 and a 10 is rolled on a d10. The player cannot re-roll one die and not the other.
The Rule of Three
A player may only take three High Roll Rule re-rolls. No matter what the final die roll is.

So YOU CAN see the style of writing is some of the excerpts and the concept of the game is typical roll high add modifiers meet or beat a target number.

The next chapter is character creation the game use basic Attributes with a score value 3-18, with average scores considered 8-10 each attribute has a value with a score and a levels as well as a dice. There are eight primary attributes and four secondary derived attributes, Primary & Secondary attributes.
Primary; Speed, Dexterity, Strength, Stamina,
Perception, Intelligence, Beauty, Personality
Secondary; Reaction, Toughness, Wisdom, Charisma
Two primary Attributes are used to get the derived secondary attributes

The following steps are used in character creation taken from the pdf.
Character Creation Steps
The five basic steps to character creation are:
1. Determine Attributes
2. Choose Race
3. Purchase Skills, spells, and abilities.
4. Purchase Knowledge Skills
5. Purchase starting equipment.

One thing it fails to mention in the creation steps is the choose of picking a character Origins, These are characters beginnings here the character could be a Farm hand or an apprentices, or Noble Blooded. The Guide DON’T give any races only a suggestion of race, there are none to choose from, Races depending on the World the Game master wishes to play in, or a world of the game masters design.
Page 24 excerpt
“While no races are provided with this book,
your Game Master may allow a player to create
a character of any exotic race they feel appropriate
for their world. Many races will modify the character’s base attribute values.Before continuing with character creation a
race should be chosen (if allowed) and all appropriate
modifiers to attributes applied.”

There are no Classes and no levels so character creation is open to play any combination the player wishes. The character is skill based with three methods of learning a skill. Apprenticeship for complex skill, autodidact; learn from doing and training.

In own words he describes the game system in a interview with rpg blog.
“RPGB: Can you give us a brief example of how the system works?”

“Ruel Knudson: Your character is developed using a point or random attribute system. These points actually determine every part of your character at the beginning of the game. Your starting skill points, money, etc are all determined here first. The attributes determine which die are rolled to perform a task related to that attribute. In addition, characters learn skills which assist in making a task easier. Each skill level adds to the total rolled by your die. You can further develop your skills into proficiencies which allow you to further advance your ability to succeed.
As your characters succeed at task they are awarded experience points which are used to advance skill and proficiency levels. In this way characters evolve as the player needs to.
Characters approach each task by rolling their die representing the attribute. The higher the roll, the better the they attempted the task. If the total exceeds the target level by a certain number then success levels are generated that give bonuses to results or follow up skills. For instance, extra success levels on an attack roll will give bonuses to damage, while a high success on a lock pick reduces time to pick a lock.
That is the game on a basic level. Players develop their character’s, and their own interests in the game by learning the nuances to different play elements. Learning the nuances to character interaction can help a character who likes to role-play through these scenarios. The same goes with all other facets, from combat, exploration and survival, magic, crafting items, etc.”

There are two methods of generating attribute scores one is random and the other is point cost both are valid and cater to the two factions of character generation.
Skills are purchased with starting skill points and there is not complex table to reference the skill level witch directly corresponds with a attribute level is one for one and a player can also buy proficiencies ” specializations ” of specific actions or counter skills. Such as explained in the game text as tracking with a counter skill avoid tracking, this don’t get bonus from proficiencies but a counter skill can be proficiency.
Money and starting equipment is determined by the characters secondary Attribute Charisma and the player can go to town and do some shopping, all money for universal standard is listed in silver pieces but those with there own custom world setting can alter or change the prices to reflect the Game masters world.

The skill system is fresh but also standard each skill has a associated attribute dice which is added to the skill level and if a specific situation calls for it a proficiency level to the total to beat a target number. In this system of SAGAS the attribute score OR VALUE , LEVEL and DICE, are all used in interesting combinations to make for in my opinion a easy flowing game. Some skills do not have a attribute that directly associates with a skill those skills have special rules listed in the skill Description.

Skill Descriptions are very informative and list not only the attribute ( basic info) but if necessary the hours that skill need to complete or provide a fair or poor product.

Here is an example of an artistry skill
Performing (Acting, Dancing, Singing)
Charisma
By Style
Performing skills incorporate any skill that can be used to instill some emotion or reaction from an audience. Performance can be used to try to influence a particular emotion such as sadness, pity, longing, hatred, friendship, love,
humor, etc. Characters make a performing skill test using their charisma level, adding their skill level to the result. The result is compared to the average wisdom level of the audience member(s). If the test succeeds, then the audience understands the piece and the emotion portrayed. Each higher level of success means a performance that the audience better relates to until the audience feels the emotion portrayed
(success level three or higher). Characters can earn money at their performances.
To find the amount of coin a character can earn at a performance multiply the number of audience members by the character’s success level. As a character’s reputation
as a performer increases the character can expect more money from their performances. If a character is asked to perform they can usually expect a number of coins equal to their skill level multiplied by their reputation level.
As you can see a informative skill description Character Creation is also quick and easy once player understand where they can go with their character and a world is laid out before them, this is so fare the only weakness of the game is it has no campaign world as of yet, there is products coming that well address this but so fare if you I you have world that need a system this game might be what your looking for like this system so far and well be going into its Magic psychic and combat system in up coming articles.
When I READ THIS system I already was stopping and wondering if I CAN FIND ALL MY NOTES on some of my old campaign world I quit using when I STARTED PLAYING BOXED SYSTEMS THAT HAD THEIR OWN WORLDS.
The best thing I can say it this is one game that is worth its price tag in print or PDF.
I would encourage any one to check out the demo.

Game: Dice & Glory
Publisher: Ranger Games
Series: Dice and Glory
Reviewer: ranjr
Review Dated: 10th, March 2007
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10   [ Breathtaking ]
Total Score: 10
Average Score: 10.00

Dice & Glory is for those who have tired of the traditional rpg’s lack of allowing ultimate creativity with their own characters or GM’s that find they have to bend the rules to create that NPC just right.

This new core rule system features fully customizable ‘skeletal’ character classes which include: the Brick, Fighter, Adventurer, Rogue, Mage, Psychic and Clergy base classes. Players evolve their characters over time using the unique experience point system to ‘purchase’ feats, combat & class levels and even individual skill and attribute points apart from the those included in normal class progression.

The skill system is fairly straight forward and highly flexible for any situation but skills can also alter certain base attributes of characters such as the more physical based skills or even a spiritually based skill.

This new system also features a fully detailed skill-based magic system and a psionic system, also skill based, which distinguishes itself from the magic system and in fact other games’ ‘poor man’s magic system’ type psionics. Even the magic system is fully malleable for players and the GM alike.

Don’t get this system wrong it is based on the tried and true tabletop format, dice, writing utensils and character sheets but the direction it takes is a fresh angle on the more traditional and more restrictive old games.

The combat system is turn based and allows for multiple solutions to combat rather than only striking to either kill or knockout but allowing for various uses of grappling, kicking, stomping or overbearing opponents and even strategic advantages and special tactical decisions. The combat system even features its own class-like leveling system so a 20th level fighter may not also mean a 20th bare-handed fist fighter or solely a 20th level swordsman. Players will not always be able to ‘nail down’ exactly who or what is facing them down until they can see what they are capable of. This system also features the capability to create specialized martial arts.
Now if all of this sounds overwhelming, don’t be discouraged the rules are straight forward and designed to be as easy as possible to run and in fact are that easy. The Core Rulebook features a great deal of B&W art work, as do all books for this system, and a full color cover-art.

Game: Character Law
Publisher: ICE
Series: RMFRP
Reviewer: Elton12
Review Dated: 31st, October 2006
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10   [ Breathtaking ]
Total Score: 70
Average Score: 7.78

Here’s a story you might not see in an Average D&D game.

A party enters an inn. The party is composed of five adventurers: a paladin, a thief, a mage, a cleric, and a fighter. The paladin, seeing a beautiful female, walks up to her and in the most noblest way possible he says, “Ah, fair damsel, what lovely lips you have.”

The damsel knocks him in the mouth and calls our favorite Paladin a lecher. All the fighter talks about is how he will be a king some day, the mage is constantly “somewhere else”, and the cleric is brandishing a big sword and prays to his god, the God of War, a thanksgiving for his blessing. And the thief, a cad by any other way, can’t seem to hold on to things. He’s constantly dropping them.

What’s wrong with the above party? Well, they’re human! The Paladin is a lecher, he has a lecherous flaw that seems to be getting him into trouble. The fighter is a Megalomaniac, since all he can think about is becoming the King of the land. The mage is absent minded, he can’t concentrate on his surroundings. The cleric has recieved a blessing from his god, the God of War. And the thief is a complete klutz.

These personality quirks aren’t found in an average party, but they are found in a good party of players who are striving to play their characters with human flaws and characteristics.

These flaws, and talent, are found in ICE’s book, Character Law. Rather the first part expands on the RMFRP game in great detail, adding races and professions to the game, the last part: the one containing the talents and flaws, are of use to any game.

From the ever popular “Blessed by War God” talent to the not often taken “Disbeliever in Magic”; from Megalomania to the Dark Temptation; these talents and flaws can add to any game that is not GURPS.

A reprint of the popular Talent Law from Rolemaster the Standard System, Character Law follows in GURPS footsteps and expands the talents and flaws sections of Rolemaster. With a little modification, a talented and clever GM can expand the way players make their Characters in such games as Call of Cthulu, Beyond the Supernatural, Feng Shui, Dungeons and Dragons, Pendragon, and Legend of the Five Rings.

Imagine playing an Arcanist who has made an arcane discovery. A Parapsychologist with an empathy for animals, a Fighter who is a pyromaniac, a Samurai who is overconfident, or a knight who is lecherous.

The possibilities with Character Law, and a little GM discretion, can make unique characters not just for the Fantasy Genre, but for all Genres. ICE has lived up to their reputation in reprinting Talent Law and creating a good product for everyone who roleplays, not just Rolemaster players.

I reccommend that you go and pick up a copy of Character Law and start adding depth to new characters created by your players. The part containing the Talents, Flaws, and Special wealth and status makes this book a good investment.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Game: Cthulhu Nation
Publisher: Twisted Empire
Reviewer: CaptainMarsh
Review Dated: 30th, October 2006
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10   [ Breathtaking ]
Total Score: 10
Average Score: 10.00

This is the first browser-based game I’ve ever played, however I found it almost immediately addictive and exciting to play. I have also seen screen shots from other, similiar, games, but most of them appear very basic and primitive compared to Cthulhu Nation.

The basis for the game is a Lovecraftian fight against sanity-draining monsters and other more generic creatures. Unlike Lovecraft’s original stories, the players in Cthulhu Nation at least have a fighting chance. The trade off for this game is that, while the lesser creatures are easy to kill, many of the larger – More Lovecraftian ones – are almost impossible to kill. And everything will slowly raise your level of Insanity, which can get quickly dangerous at a higher level.

Some of the downsides of it include a relatively slow-paced beginning that doesn’t pick up until you find the quest that allows you to pick one of five professions (Scholar, Scientist, Private Investigator, Archaeologist, or Journalist). Also, because of bandwidth constraints, the game has a Stamina stat that regenerates at a suitable pace, but keeps the player from non-stop usage. Although I understand some similiar games have overnight regeneration, which this does not. Finally, for those die hard Lovecraftian fans, the current set of quests isn’t as Lovecraftesque as it could be, though that may change in the future.

The upsides are that it is quite immersive once you get into it, and the player-base and game play are very enjoyable. Finding new quests and exploring the weapons and magic available will keep most people entertained for a long time. The game is also being constantly expanded and worked on, consistently giving the players new content and items on a regular basis. Biweekly (roughly) quests give the players a chance to gather together to complete fixed goals for the mysterious entity known as The Group.

All in all an interesting and engulfing game that can be either played for free, or for a fair monthly price, subscribed to, to add lots of other content.

Game: The CrossRoads of Eternity RPG – Core Rule Book
Publisher: Arcadiam Games
Series: The CrossRoads of Eternity RPG
Reviewer: nick.dice
Review Dated: 27th, October 2006
Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10   [ Something special ]
Total Score: 16
Average Score: 8.00

-The following email was sent to the designer of The Crossroads of Eternity mere hours after publishing the core rule book-

Dear Travis Brown,

Just to keep this quick: thank you for this wonderful RPG. Too long has my gaming group swam through seas of RPG material (usually 25+ books) in order to get a full scope of the game. But in a single book, you have outlined a combat system with a healthy dose of cinematics and realism, a wonderful array of races and professions, and a magic system that reflects a (in my opinion) realistic learning curve for magic users. You have lain the groundwork for great stories and adventure, without detailing every corner and shadow of the world so that my players can exploit the info more than I can find ways to use it. (When outnumbered 5+ to 1, the battle is very much uphill.) You have not bogged down the system with so many side rules and player/GM options that I feel confused just by being familiar with the system.
I’ve just recently lost my interest in large press products, and your book is the first small press that I picked up at my local gaming shop, and I am very pleased with my choice.

Thank you very much,

Nicholas Dice

-I am the author of this email, and I gladly post this review for other interested gamers to read. I do not suggest taking my word at face value: go to your local gaming store, pick up this book, and skim through it. The races are exciting to read about, each with diverse backgrounds like ancient races of magic and slave races created for specific uses by their masters. (The use of a minotaur as a PC race was wonderous!) The “classes” (called “trades”) were also well thought out and diverse! Anything from a merchant or a noble to a vampire hunter. The races all have Legacy abilities that give them unique edges over other races in certain circumstances, and each trade gets a special ability that reflects their expertise in their trade.
The most praise that I have is for the magic system. It reflects the dangerous nature of magic (as well as it’s unpredictability) and the steps needed to advance along your arcane studies. The power of spellcasters is minor in the beginning, but just by looking at the math of any mid/high level spells you can tell that they will one day be capable of easily destroying hordes of enemies. In short, magic is taxing, dangerous, and a life long learning process, but well worth the effort in the end.
The combat system is fast, realistic, but with just enough cinema to make legendary fighters seem like more than “one hit wonders.” The system of parry/block/counterattack makes for interesting (if not a little unrealistic) combat sequences, but does reflect the fast-action brutality of weapon masters without slowing combat to a crawl. Ranged attackers must make a few more rolls than their melee counterparts, but have the convience of not being hacked to pieces every other round. The potential for massive damage by criticals it almost obscene, but accurately reflects the skill of veteran warriors by allowing them much more damage via skills and abilities bought with XPs over the course of their careers.
The world has an amazing and epic history, ready to be brought to a head by the prophecy. The supplements available at the website give you enough overview of the world to make sense, and still leave plenty of room for the GM’s adventures. Anything from PCs being minor local heroes to becoming great champions of the land, the GM has the freedom to act out whatever scenarios he wishes.
The core rulebook includes a bestiary with multiple possible antagonists. The basic abilities (attributes, attacks and damage, armor and HP) are present, with most special abilities (flight, breath weapons etc) left up to the GM to decide. (This should make your players worried. No longer is the power of a creature based on a chart in a rule book, but has the ability just because the GM saw fit to add it to the creature; whether as a challenge to the PCs or as a little spice to a story.) And the Nosferatu clans make for good villians too, with most of them drinking the blood of humanoids and acting to bring about the reign of Lucifer’s son… Yeah, it’s that bad in there.
But that’s okay, you have a Noble that can talk his way out of any crisis, an Elementalist Wizard that can create vast waves of flame, a Minotaur with a trained ‘attack bear’, and a ninja that can become a whirlwind of death.
I hope you will have as much fun with this game as I have.

-Nicholas Dice

Game: Cyradon
Publisher: ICE
Series: HARP
Reviewer: allenrmaher
Review Dated: 11th, September 2006
Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10   [ Something special ]
Total Score: 120
Average Score: 8.57

Auspicious Beginnings

When I first received my copy of HARP in the mail, I was ecstatic, well mostly. It rekindled all the love of simple but comprehensive rules that I had with Basic D&D. I first began by adapting my own home grown world to it and in the process changed the home grown world for the better. I really wanted to see what the designers of the system would do for a default setting. A default setting is very much an expression of what the system is, much like the known world was for Basic D&D.

When Cyradon was released I rushed to get the early PDF release and pre-ordered the physical copy as well. My lack of patience was rewarded. I began delving into a strange world, with stranger names and found a very unique and richly woven setting. I have been running a campaign in this world for much of this year off and on. I have had time both to absorb, and play test much of the material, my initial enthusiasm all these months later has not diminished.

Appearance
The physical book, I have the hardcover version, is 184 pages, with full color cover and black and white content. The layout and artwork is very typical of HARP publications, well laid out with typical HARP page borders and symbols. The artwork for the setting is a cut above the normal however. Most of it gives a good consistent feel for the setting. A very few are sub par for the work but most are excellent.

It comes with two huge fold out maps measuring about a cubit by a cubit and a half. They hang on the walls of my gaming room and are truly a nice addition. I was impressed by the quality of the maps, fortunately there is a sneak peak of the Belynar and Cyradon maps available on the ICE web site.

Overview
The book begins with an overview that gives you scads of new names and stories, painting a broad picture of the word Mythra of which Cyradon is a continent. The names can be a bit baffling at first, the elves, dwarves and gnomes have very unique names and cultures, there are even different kinds of elves, Arali and Sithi who have developed in historically and culturally different ways. There is also a lot of back story in the overview that comes in handy later.

The many splendid races come from progenitor races of the first and second age, the Dragons, the Saena, and the Mythrans. The main races for the player characters come from all three linages, the Nagazi are from the dragons, and make a fine civilized reptilian race, the sort of good apples of their kind. The Saena were mighty animal like creatures, powerful enough to rival the dragons, their offspring, the Gryphons, and mixed offspring like the Gryx and Aoifar are unusual and challenging. The Gryphon’s are both quadrupeds, and winged, with feline and avian natures which makes for interesting choices for role playing.

The other standard races are also present with the notable exceptions of halflings, goblins, orcs, trolls and the like. What no orcs you say? Not a mention of any of these… and it was nice to see. There are holes left in the setting to incorporate any race you want, but these races don’t figure into the thick of things.

The World of Mythra
A fairly standard world with four main continents two of which will never be explored by ICE giving the GM room to expand or integrate existing campaigns should they choose. The areas it does describe are Anias, a large continent where the story line has many ties, the Shatterings, an archipelago with fairly mysterious origins, and Cyradon, the focus of the product.

The next 53 pages describe the world as it is, Anias briefly, and Cyradon in great detail. The shatterings are left to your imagination. Here you run into the History of the planet, and it is a doozy, covering 27000 years in the third age alone. This is a very textured history and a well imagined world, with numerous little plot hooks and historical quandaries. It needs rereading to catch much of the nuance, even months later I am finding small but important hooks within these pages. It also has a fairly logical explanation of how you get a world with many sentient races existing at the same time, and shows how poorly they have gotten on over time. A refreshing change.

Character Creation
This section is 30 pages of gold. It walks new players through the cultures, languages, and training options as well as non standard equipment of the setting. The training packages, are skill sets that characters purchase at a discount that represents the organized method of training. Here they are applied the way they were intended to represent careers or specializations within the setting. This gives you a quick and ready boost to building a character concept that works right from the get go.
I have yet to come across a setting character creation guide as well done as this one. Full marks on this part.

Cosmology
A good blend of animistic, polytheistic and monotheistic religions that show how cultures interact and cross pollinate one another. This has some real merit, it is also a lot to digest. It has a very organic feel to it, giving you a sense of what a resplendant natural religious tapestry might develop in such a varied world. The racial and cultural outlooks on the world are again part of that chewy goodness. But the gods are also very hands off, with many of the clergy being distinctly non magical or simply philosophically inspired practitioners of magic.

The religious orders presented at the end of the cosmology chapter show what kind of character customization HARP was made for. No cookie cutter clerics here, very distinct and considerably varied both in what they do game wise and what they have as functions in their respective societies. There is not however a full slate of religious orders here and I was left wanting a few more. Hopefully in some future supplement.

Magic
Like the clerics, no mage escapes entirely the magical roots from which he comes. The idea of custom mages for a setting is very well done here. Each culture approaches magic with a different outlook and thus a different style, selection of spells and methods of casting.

These are codified as spheres and casting traditions. Spheres are principally bound to professions, with custom versions for the varied cultures, they reflect the available spells. Casting traditions reflect the look and feel of things, whether magic is flashy or subtle, whether the focus is on powerful spells or other intrinsic harmonies.

For example the Gherek Scouts who are from a greater culture that fears and loathes magic so there magic is subtle, slow and almost imperceptible so as not to be noticed. Where as Mablung Trallen (Dwarves) are practical and not in the least concerned for subtlety with wide gestures and pronouncements that focus on results and powerful pragmatic casting.

There is lots to like in this section… a word of note here everything in this setting can be played with just the HARP Revised Edition rule book, here the magic section borrows spells and cantrips from the College of Magics expansion and reprints those that it mentions. This is a boon for the budget conscious.

Belynar
The start of the campaign, Belynar a city built on a volcano by an ancient and powerful race has a 7000 year recorded history. It is also where refugees from Anias end up when they flee through a magic portal called a Royal Road. It is a city in the middle of a wasteland. Strange aberrant creatures abound and the few surviving creatures are warped and twisted.

A very inhospitable beginning improves with the aid of the Rhona (Gnomes), and Gryphons with further help from the Nagazi. The elves of Cyradon (Arali) give a frosty reception and do a remarkable bit of politicking, No sweet and nice people of song are they.

There is just enough information to whet your whistle here and it leaves you wanting more. It is a place with enormous potential. You could run an entire campaign without leaving the place… and that is a good thing.

Bestiary
This is a non typical fantasy bestiary. It is not a kobolds and goblins and orcs oh my sort of thing. The creatures are distinctly different and frightening. They are also tough opponents for low leveled characters, so as a GM you find your self looking for ways to tone them down and use fewer of them at the beginning. There are templates for creating all manner of monstrosity, aberration, elemental, and demonic. Now this gets interesting because it opens up the flood gates as to what can exist… The one regret I have here is that it did not go into more detail about how to incorporate more of the core rulebook monsters, or those from Monsters: A Field Guide into the setting.

Adventuring
The book concludes with adventure seeds and advice on starting a campaign. Lo these many months later I am just coming to the end of these ideas for play. This section even has a sample bit of an adventure in Sefnar, a town near Belynar. The old adage advises to leave them wanting more, and well, this does that.

In Use…
A bit of insight from many months of adventures, this setting is absolutely full of possibilities. And the setting hangs together well. We have yet to leave the area around Belynar. I am still surprised by some of the threads of subplots I come across, so the basic setting has much to offer.

What it really needs are some official adventures and further supplements there are a few freely available fan written adventures, but these are no substitute for official cannon.

My players have appreciated the undercurrent of back story, they have also found the setting a challenge, I admit that I like to instill a healthy dose of fear into my players so the fault for this is mine. My fear inducing encounters have yet to see them run though, which fills me with sadness and grudging admiration.

I have found no shortage of inspiration, quite the opposite, I have too many things I want to do with the setting. I look for more official cannon to free me from the compulsion to create more of my own. But really that does in the long run speak well of the setting.

Final Analysis
This is a great beginning to a world with tremendous detail, the world is well presented, and the book is a very good smaller press product. For inspiration and a non standard fantasy setting this is top notch. My time with the product has been good. This setting will be in my rotation for years to come.

Game: Rolemaster 2
Publisher: ICE
Series: RM2
Reviewer: Sorloc
Review Dated: 2nd, September 2006
Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10   [ Something special ]
Total Score: 119
Average Score: 9.15

I have been playing tabletop pen & paper RPGs since 1986.

Rolemaster is one of the best I have ever played or GMed.
Originally created as an expansion to other FRPGs of the time, Arms Law and Spell Law were followed by Character Law, which made the expansions into their own game. 16 Companion Volumes were released, Companions 1-7, Arms, Alchemy, Elemental, Spell Users’ and Oriental Companions, Arms and Sea Law, and Creature & Treasures 1-3.

Note: 3rd Ed.: (The game was then revised and released as RPFRP / RMSS (Rolemaster Fantasy Role Playing / Rolemaster Standard System), with 9 Companion volumes, Essence, Channeling, Mentalism, Arcane, Martial Arts, Treasure, and Elemental Companions, Creatures & Monsters, and Talent Law.)

The game is playable with three books, Character Law, Arms Law, and Spell Law.
This, the basic game, gives you access to 11 races, 19 professions, 58 skills, 3 realms (types) of magic, and about 2,500 spells.

PROS:
• Consistent rules and action resolution – d100 for all rolls, including skill resolution, spell resolution, attack rolls, and resistance rolls.
• Variety – There are no class or alignment restrictions, a character can combine even arms and magic.
• Expandability – the Companions vastly increase the options available, and nearly all the rules are ‘optional’, making this a very customizable game. Use the rules that work for your world and style of play.
• Detail – Characters are intricately detailed, as is spellcasting and combat. Attacks are detailes with description, stun, bleeding, and injury modifiers.

CONS:
• Level based
• Class / Profession based

Game: Psionics Ascendant
Publisher: Daemoneye Publishing
Series: PsiChaotics
Reviewer: Antdevamp
Review Dated: 30th, August 2006
Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10   [ Something special ]
Total Score: 10
Average Score: 5.00

From the publisher…

“A complete rule book for playing with psionics in your 3.0 or 3.5 edition games. This product is made with the Prometheus Gaming License, for gamers by gamers.

Inside this 200+ page file you will find:
* A fully developed version of the psionics system previewed in Academe Mentus.
* Notes on all the races you are liable to play, and their views on psionics (even the monstrous races).
* A guide on integrating and running psionics in your games.
* Three pre-made mini-settings.
* Over 20 monsters, many of them NEVER BEFORE SEEN.

And so much more…

As time wears on the artwork in the file will be added to and improved upon. I will also be using feedback from you to help me find any flaws that made it through the rounds of playtesting and editing, then releasing fixed versions of the file FOR FREE to those who previously purchased it.

Now Available in Print! That is right…it can be mail-ordered…finally. To make a the hardcopy version more attractive, it includes more artwork and material. On top of this if you order the hardcopy version, you get a FREE copy of the pdf, to read while you wait for delivery.”

Psionics Ascendant is written with it’s own unique Psionics system that keeps the flavor of original D&D’s psionics in a different way than the current system, which has turned psychic warfare into a series of spelllike powers. I am a fan of both systems, and I have found a great deal of material in Psionics Ascendant that is valuable to my psionics games. I regularly use most of the available Psionics material on the market, but my favorite by far is Psionics Ascendant.

If you are -not- a fan of 3.5 Psionics as I am, you may find Psionics Ascendant to be a superior treatment on the subject. More importantly, Psionics Ascendant contains the full version of the Daemoneye Publishing campaign setting ‘Lands of Molokai’, which includes more psionic races, prestige classes, feats and tons of optional rules and systems. Seriously folks, I find Psionics Ascendant to be an adequate replacement for about six different system books if you want to spice up your D&D 3.5 game with psionics in addition to the usual swords and sorcery. The campaign background and lands described are rich and well detailed, with monsters and threats appropriate for each setting, both psionic and non psionic.

A particular gem is the new Psionics Treasure section…this is a *classic*, and if you use Psionics, an absolute necessity. You could spend 180$ dollars buying Psionic compliance for Eberron with a bunch of campaign guides, or you could buy a PDF or Book of Molokai for a tenth of that.

I am proud to own a copy of this book.