Fancy fighting menacing mobsters? How about gruesome ghosts? And why not throw in some dastardly demons while you’re at it!

I’m proud to present a rollicking rollercoaster of an adventure for the Thrilling Tales 3e TTRPG published by Adamant Entertainment and written by yours truly now available on DTRPG here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/578311/thrilling-tales-3e-the-gangland-grimoire

So dive on in for plenty of two-fisted, pulp-pounding action!

I binge-watched The Walking Dead and felt like one after experiencing all the emotional highs and lows and fretting over which of my favourite characters would die (most of them it seems). So I was delighted when Free League published the official The Walking Dead Universe TTRPG. As only a few products have been released, I shall be reviewing the entire line from Free League Publishing who kindly provided my review copies.

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I love horror whether it’s books, comics, TV, movies or TTRPGs. There have been many of the latter released over the years with Call of Cthulhu the grand daddy (or should that be Great Old One?). If would be presumptuous to assume one could usurp its crown but why bother when you can release your own unique twist on the horror genre? And this is exactly what Free League Publishing has done with their Nordic Horror TTRPG Vaesen, who kindly provided my review copy, and available from their website in hardcover for $54.11 and in digital format over on DTRPG for $17.49 in their current sale. So be quick!

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Tolkien’s masterpiece has quite the pedigree when it comes to fantasy TTRPGs stretching way back to Iron Crown Enterprises release of their Middle Earth Roleplaying game (MERP) in 1984. I have fond memories playing this myself with its brutal combat and nasty critical hit tables. However I never felt the system quite fit the setting were magic was rare and mysterious. ICE brought out the Lord of the Rings Adventure game with a simplified system in 1991 and a second edition of MERP in 1993 with improved game mechanics and was generally well received with numerous supplements including additional world lore and adventures. ICE even released a series of Choose Your Own Adventure Books from 1985-88.

To tie in with the phenomenally successfully movie series, Decipher released The Lords of the Rings Roleplaying Game in 2002 utilising their CODA system. It was supported by some truly fantastic sourcebooks which tied directly into the films, however, again, I felt the rules didn’t gel with the setting. Still a great effort and worth adding to your TTRPG library if you ever spy a 2^nd hand copy floating around on eBay.

Are there any more you say? Of course!

In 2011 Cubicle 7 Entertainment released: The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild as a gorgeous box set (which was later incorporated into a single hardcover book), and for the first time I felt here was a game system which was a perfect match for Middle-Earth. Each supplement was lovingly crafted and exquisitely written. Even the official dice were beautiful and overall a gaming masterpiece. How could perfection be improved upon? With the release of The One Ring 2^nd Edition in 2021, this time by Free League Publishing who were kind enough to provide my review copy along with all the current supplements which I shall be reviewing in the future.

The One Ring 2^nd Edition is available from Free League’s Website in a hardcover format for £53.96 and in digital format on DTRPG for £17.49. What can I say? this book is gorgeous, with outstanding production quality, good thick paper stock, an excellent binding and a bookmark ribbon which I have come to appreciate from many of Free League Publishing’s releases. It may not seem that big a deal but it adds a distinct air of quality to a hardcover book. The interior artwork is dark, brooding, and moody with each chapter sporting a 2-page piece. The book is 248-pages long broken down into nine chapters and an appendix, all exceptionally organised with clear writing.

Chapter One is a prologue telling us of the Third Age in its twilight years and the coming of the shadow. In this era Sauron is quietly gathering his forces presently a sinister and sombre backdrop for your adventures. We have a brief 20-year chronology of recent events before telling us what roles players and the Loremaster (GM) adopt. The games structure is discussed being somewhat unusual as it consists of an adventuring phase and a fellowship phase and something I shall come back too when they are discussed in detail later. A good start to the book.

Chapter Two is the game system. The One Rings uses d6’s and d12’s for action resolution, a “beat the target number” with a few unique twists and is used for skill checks, combat, and perhaps most importantly, to fight off Sauron’s malign influence with Shadow tests. You roll a d12 (Feat Die) and a number of d6s (Success Dice) equal to your attribute and skill level versus a target number (TN) which you must equal or exceed to score a success. However the Feat Die has two faces replacing the 1 and 12 and this is where the game system presents it twist. Roll a 1 which represent the Gandalf rune and you achieve a remarkable success, roll a 12 or the Eye of Sauron and expect the exact opposite. The Success dice have a Elvish symbol replacing the 6 representing a special success. The official dice are marked with these runes however standard d12’s and d6’s will work fine. Additionally there are rules covering favoured rolls, bonus and penalty dice. A simple and concise system which you and your players should have down pat after a couple of sessions.

Chapter Three is character creation. You have three attributes: Strength, Heart, and Wits, which are used to determine your three derived stats of: Endurance (HP), Hope, and Parry rating used in personal combat. Skills and combat proficiency are rated from 0 (unskilled) to 5 (Heroic) and are the number of task dice in your pool. All these factors are determined by your choose of race with Bardings, Dwarves of Durin’s Folk, Elves of Lindon, Hobbits of the Shire (yay!), Men of Bree, and Rangers of the North with a short description of each.

Next decide on a calling (think character class). There’s the Captain, Champion, Messenger, Scholar, Treasure Hunter, and Warden which all provide additional skills along with a Shadow Path essentially your achilleas heel and an inexorable fall to the shadow, think Boromir’s desire for the One Ring as a prime example. You may also be surpised by a lack of spell-casters. This is intentional as in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth magic is a rare and powerful commodity wielded by exceptional individuals. The One Ring aiming for a more grounded experience with PCs the main protagonists caught up in a struggle against the shadow and real consequences to the mind, body, and spirit eventually take their toll. I for one believe this is the correct approach as other games such as D&D and Pathfinder offer the classic high-fantasy gaming experience.

Before your character sets out on their path to adventure some final considerations involve spending previous XP on skills and choosing your starting gear including weapons and armour, all nicely illustrated. One aspect prevalent throughout the books and films is the principle of the traveling company. The group dynamic is all important to the survival of the individual and The One Ring uses a company mechanic is facilitate this. Your adventuring group chooses a powerful patron, be it Balin, son of Fundin, Bilbo Baggins, or even Gandalf the Grey himself! Each one gives the company Fellowship points to be used in the fellowship phase which I’ll cover later, an advantage, and an agenda. We finish with how XP can be spent to improve your character then it’s onto…

Chapter Four covers all 18 skills in detail and what ordinary and superior success means in game terms. All the essential bases are covered here from melee and ranged combat, leadership, lore and survival. There’s even a skill for solving riddles, useful when confronted by a vainglorious dragon! Endurance amounts to Hit Points with the added danger of becoming weary and fatigued in prolonged combat encounters. Hope measure your spirit and resistance to the influence of the shadow. Do bad things and expect your fall from grace to be swift and spectacular.

Chapter Five considers player character awards for bravery and good deeds in the form of Wisdom and Valour. As these scores increase you can expect your character to be rewarded with both special abilities and better gear. There are also personal virtues to supplement your PC’s skills and abilities which differ according to your culture. You pick one at the start of your career acquiring more through adventuring. It might be speaking Barak Khazad!, the secret Dwarven tongue, or being an exemplary Elven archer.

Chapter Six is the adventuring phase where all the action takes place, as the Loremaster presents the PCs with challenges the form combat, riddles or social interaction. The adventuring phase is broken down in three simple steps: Introduction, Scenes, and the End of the Session. Combat is a main stay of most fantasy TTRPGs and this chapter discusses its intricacies in depth. It definitely has a more tactical approach than simply rolling initiative and swapping blows toe-to-toe until someone drops down dead. Here you have a opening volley of missile fire before close quarter fighting ensues. PCs choose one of four stances, three close quarter related and the fourth for ranged attacks. Go for a foreward stance to seek a tactical advantage over your opponent whilst simultaneously exposing yourself to their counter attack. Chose rearward and you’ll bring your bow to bear as you try to stay out of harms way. It’s a thoughtful and fun system which makes initiating combat a perilous pursuit if things go wrong. Attacks hurt your endurance with piercing damage and wounds an added layer of lethality. No magic healing here so be careful!

Social encounters are extensively covered in the council sequence, where your company’s influence over events is very much dependent on your behaviour and how resistant allies are to your requests for help. It’s a fun break from combat and allows those roleplayers amongst your company their moment in the spotlight without excluding the rest of the group. Be polite now!

Travelling long distances was always a big deal in LoTR, The One Ring has a journey system tying into the two-page map on the inside back cover

(tip: download and use it during VTT play to make your Loremaster job a lot easier.) Travel has your company covering a certain distance (measured in hexes on the map) as your plan your journey the possibility for encounters both benign and malign with some areas more perilous than others. The map covers a large are from Lindon in the west to Rivendell in the east and everything in-between. More than enough space to run several campaign.

Chapter Seven is the Fellowship phase for your company’s downtime allowing you to rest and recuperate, lose those pesky shadow points and recover from wounds. You can conduct undertakings like gathering rumours for future adventures, meeting your patron, raising an heir to follow in your footsteps, and strengthen your fellowship. And why not write a song while you’re at it?

Chapter Eight is for the Loremasters eyes only. We have advice for running the game, handling scenes, and how to bring the world of Middle-Earth to life. There’s a toolbox for handling the consequences of failure, skill endeavours, and sources of injury. We then come to the main antagonist in the game, the shadow, as presented by the all-powerful Sauron. Here risks are to then mind rather than the body, with PCs accumulating shadow points through selfishness, avarice, and bloodshed. Your Hope attribute can forestall your fall from grace for a while but continue to act in an evil fashion and fall you will, and be warned, there may be no coming back…

The chapter finishes out with a selection of fell foes from wolves and orcs to ogres and wights. Some are truly fearsome and could easily decimate your company if engaged recklessly. We have rules for treasure and riches and the all pervading eye of Mordor which eventually takes notice of your company’s actions and sends its dark forces to deal with you.

Chapter Nine is a gazetteer of the region of Eriador as shown in the travel map. There are smaller maps here on areas on interest such as the Shire, Bree-land, the Barrow-downs, and Weather Top. Mixed in are important and colourful NPCs, memorable locations like the Prancing Pony and a multitude of random encounters to spice up your company’s Journies.

The appendix provides more details on patrons, and a short introductory adventure based on a landmark known as the Star of the Mist which has your company exploring an ancient tower built during the time of the North Kingdom of Arnor. Expect environmental challenges, frantic combat, and spooky social interactions lasting a session or two and by the end you’ll have a good feel for the game.

The One Ring 2^nd Edition is the best Lord of the Rings TTRPG period. If you love roleplaying and want to do so in Middle-Earth then run out and but a copy, you won’t be disappointed. My precious!

Love D&D but don’t fancy the prospect of reading through 1152 pages of rules, advice, monsters, and magic? Off to a friend’s house or a convention and don’t want to lug around lots of heavy books? Then Nimble may be the answer…

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RipCrypt fashions itself as a Dungeon Sprint RPG, a first for me and an intriguing one. So having received my review copy courtesy of Grit Silk Games lets start sprinting! RipCrypt is available from Modiphius Entertainment in a physical version for £36 and digital for £20.

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Wazza: “First you throw my reviews to the wolves and now you want me to go back out there? Forget it.”

The RPG Community: ”Look it may just be another edition. But if it's not, I want you there...as a reviewer. That’s a second edition, kiddo, get back on the laptop…”

Wazza: “The answer is no.”

The RPG Community: “What if I could get you a review copy?

Wazza: “If I read it?”

The RPG Community: “If you read it.”

Wazza: “OK i’m in.”

ALIENS is my favourite movie, full of dramatic, visceral action, witty dialogue, a great protagonist with wonderful supporting characters, dark brooding sets, and terrifying xenomorphs. It’s the perfect blend of sci-fi adventure and horror and therefore fertile ground for a sci-fi Horror TTRPG. 

I loved the original ALIEN TTRPG when it was released in 2019, perfectly capturing the tone and atmosphere of the franchise and now the evolved edition has scuttled forth from its egg ready to prey on eager new gamers. So how does it compare to the original I hear you cry? Just remember in space  no one can hear you make a panic check…

First off the layout is an big improvement, gone is the white text on black pages, replaced with the traditional easier black on white making it far easier for the Game Mother to natigate during play. And easier on your printer ink too should you decide to print out pages from the PDF copy.

“Who's Snow White?”

“She's supposed to be some kinda special consultant. Apparently she saw an alien once.”

“Whoa, i’m impressed!”

Character creation in ALIEN has you choose from one of the following careers: Colonial Marshal, Colonial Marine, Company Agent, Kid, Medic, Officer, Pilot, Roughneck, and Scientist, a career perk similar to D&D’s feats, then assign points to your four statistics:  Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy, gear up and you’re on the ready line!

“Hey, I feel like kind of a fifth wheel around here. Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t know, is there anything you can do?”

There are only 12 skills in ALIEN, three related to each attribute. Want to repair that bulkhead? Then use Heavy Machinery linked to Strength. Simply add both together and that is your pool of d6s. Roll them and each 6 is a success. Normally one 6 is enough to guarantee successes, roll more and you get to perform stunts and deal additional damage in combat, it’s a fast and fluid system based on the Year Zero Engine. One great innovation is stress, if you fail a skill check then you can try again at the cost of accumulating stress points which invariably leads to panic and that’s when the shit really hits the fan! A nice touch which perfectly captures the rising tension prevalent in the ALIEN movies.

“These Colonial Marines are very tough hombres, they're packing state-of-the-art firepower there’s nothing they can't handle…right Lieutenant?”

“That’s correct we’re trained to deal with these kinds of situations.”

Combat in ALIEN is fast, brutal and liable to bring your character to a swift demise. You can only take at most a couple of hits before your health is gone and you’re looking at critical hits. Best to avoid combat all together by employing the stealth mechanics. Initiative uses a 10-card draw system with low numbers going first. There are rules for auto-fire, aiming, explosives, fire, suffocation and a myriad other fun ways your chart can expire! Oh, and don’t get me started on the critical hits table, ouch!

“I wanna introduce you to a personal friend of mine. This is an M41A Pulse Rifle – ten millimeter, with an over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launcher. Feel the weight.” 

ALIEN loves its hardware which always seemed believable. No flashy starships here only grungy, lived-in habitats designed for a specific purpose with comfort an afterthought. After all the Company needs to watch their profit margins…

We have guns, lots of guns, M41A Pulse Rifles (lethal), M56 Smartguns (absolutely lethal) and Sentry Guns (basically you’re dead). We have grenades, bolt guns, stunners, and a selection of melee weapons. Even a wrench can be formidable in the right hands. There’s environmental suits, motion trackers (it’s reading right man look!), vehicles, shuttles and starships including civilian and military varieties. There are pharmaceutical supplies anc medical equipment. So plenty to go round. Most are nicely illustrated too.

“They ain’t paying enough for this man.”

“Not enough to wake up to your face.”

Space travel is hard, and space itself without mercy. The reality of living in space is discussed in depth along with making a living from it. Try his includes the basics of starship design and upkeep along with building you own vessel. There’s even a space combat system but, much like personal combat, it’s unforgiving with the first to strike usually coming out on top.

“What’s the story Mother?”

Being the GM of any system is a daunting task. ALIEN calls them the Game Mother (clever hun?). There’s plenty of good advice here on making ALIEN a unique experience unlike other so it stands out from other sci-fi TTRPGs. The ALIEN universe is a fertile ground for all sorts of adventures be it exploration of unknown worlds, pushing scientific boundaries, or blasting xenomorphs (my favourite). ALIEN can be played cinematically, in short controlled bursts of adrenaline fuelled tension or as a more traditional campaign and advice is there to facilitate both.

“That damn company! What about our lives you son of a bitch?!”

One can argue that the real bad guys in ALIEN are the morally bankrupt corporations and governments out to exploit humans and Xenomorphs alike. All the major players are discussed from the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation to Seegson and their creepy androids (I prefer the term artificial person myself). As you’d expect known space is awash with corporate and governmental espionage and even open warfare. Plenty of antagonists to puts your PCs up against, or more likely work for.

What would a sci-fi game be without worlds and systems to explore? The ALIEN universe is huge and a beautiful map depicted known frontier stretching from rough and tumble outer rim to the rigidly enforced and staggering lucrative core system. Plenty of individual worlds are described including LV-426 and LV-410 from ALIEN Romulus. 

“You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.”

“You admire it.”

“I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”

What would an ALIEN TTRPG be without ALIENS? Well here we get into the nitty gritty of these critters and boy do they deliver! All stages of the Xenomorph are discussed and given game statistics from the ivamorph, facehugger, chest bursters, on to scouts, warriors and her majesty herself in all their secreted resin glory. Xenomorphs behave differently to PCs in that they have 2 or more initiative cards draws, only two skills: perception and stealth and random attack tables which are either - you’re immobilised and wish you were dead or are actually dead. I cannot over emphasise how absolutely  lethal they are. If there attacks don’t get you then their acid will and I’m glad for it. Xenomorphs should be an almost insurmountable opponent to be outwitted rather than outfought as demonstrated in the movies where brute force proved ineffective. My favourite chapter of course and a joy to read. 

“This little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training.”

“Why don’t you put her in charge?!”

A comprehensive campaign toolkit provides all the elements for creating your own unique universe with maps, and station blueprints including a map of Jackson’s Star from ALIEN Romulus. Then it finishes with solo rules and a nice character sheet. 

Do you need the expanded edition? It’s not mandatory and the 1st edition stills rocks, however years of play testing have brought numerous improvements to the game system. But we all know if you’re an ALIEN fan this is a must buy. A fantastic game, my favourite sci-fi game and a lovingly crafted masterpiece to the ALIEN franchise. 

Let’s rock!

Q1: How would you promote Cairn 2nd Edition, and what unique qualities does it possess?  

Well, we had a huge Kickstarter ($250K) and I appeared on a bunch of podcasts (links on my blog). Also I maintain a large Discord server and have a decent presence on social media. Oh, and I have a podcast where I also promote the game. And a newsletter, of course.

Q2: Is this your first published game?

No, I published One Shot World and Cairn 1e, respectively.

Q3: How did you know what to build and focus on when designing Cairn 2nd Edition?

I knew that people wanted a setting, and I always liked the Failed Careers in Electric Bastionland. I also wanted to build tools for folks to make their own adventures. These seemed like attainable goals at the time!

Q4: How did you come up with the game system?

Cairn is based on Knave and Into The Odd. Second Edition had a few tweaks of my own.

Q5: Do you have any advice for new GMs and Players who want to try Cairn 2nd Edition?

Read the Warden’s Guide. It’s all right there.

Q6: Where can you pick up Cairn 2nd Edition and what do you get for your money?

Cairn 2e is entirely free to download and available in print at cost. You can get it on DTRPG, Lulu, RPG-Trader, and of course the Cairn Store. The Box Set (which includes three player’s guides, a warden’s guide, a character sheet pad, a Warden Screen, a first-party adventure, and an anthology of adventures is available for $60 as well.

Q7: Can you tell us about any future releases?

Cairn Press is publishing fifteen products for Cairn as we speak. Our first “double feature” completed its campaign on Kickstarter only last week, and we expect fulfillment in August (next month!).

Q8: Will there be VTT support for Cairn 2nd Edition?

There is already, both for Foundry VTT and Kettlewright, an open source VTT party management tool developed by our team.

Q9: Do you have a Discord Channel?

We have a Discord. You can find it on https://cairnrpg.com.

Q10: What would you consider are the special moments for Cairn Press?

After announcing the project, I was overwhelmed by the response from creators. Everyone wanted to work with us!

Q11: What’s your favourite aspect of role-playing, and what category of gamer do you associate with?

I personally enjoy problem solving, emergent narrative, discovery, and storytelling. I like to run “serious” games but as a player I’m much more loose.

Q12: How long was the play-testing period for Cairn 2nd Edition and how much was based on the first edition?

About two years. The rules are 99% the same as 1e, just clarified and expanded with character backgrounds and Warden’s advice/tools.

Q13: What’s your favourite die and why?

d6. It’s everywhere and can do a lot! 

Q14: What’s your first ever RPG session and did you catch the gaming bug straightaway?

1996. Palladium Fantasy. Solo.
And no, not really!

Q15: Whom do you admire the most in the RPG community and why?

That’s a tough question. I really like what Necrotic Gnome is doing. I also like the Basic Fantasy Project a lot. My personal hero is probably Sean McCoy though, he does great work with Mothership and its many high-class adventures.

Q16: What do you like when you're reading TTRPG content?

I like well-written, punchy, open-ended ideas. A table of crazy circumstances told in short sentences will always appeal to me more than raw prose.

Q17: What are your thoughts on A.I.?

What is AI? Everything and nothing. My audio software has AI - or does it? What I think people often confuse is generative AI (LLMs) and algorithms. LLM is largely a bad thing, in my view; it is anti-art, it is the end of art. But I’m not ahistorical; I know that there were plenty of folks who reacted this way to previous technologies. This feels a bit different to me, in that it removes the process from the creative process, which freaks me out a bit. I’d be fine using it as a research tool, but gosh is it often wrong!

Q18: Would you like to create a TTRPG based on a franchise, and if so, which one would you choose?

No, I’m largely anti-canon.

Thank you for your time!

This box set is compact, beautiful, exquisite, and packed to the brim with everything you’ll need to run engaging adventures in a unique fantasy setting. Cairn 2nd edition is an OSR TTRPG which is easy to pick up and learn making it the perfect fantasy game for beginners and experienced players and GMs alike. The box set is available from Cairn Press for £46 who kindly provided my review copy. When I opened the box I thought there had been a mistake is packing, why were there three players books? And then I released that it was intentional, wow name any other game where you get multiple players books? Most welcome as you can hand them round your group without having to share. We also have a Wardens (GM) manual, a pad of character sheets, a GM screen and two adventures one oif which is an anthology, so you really do have everything you need in the box. 

Cairn 2nd edition jumps straight into character creation with choosing (or rollling) a background. They are a colourful bunch with titles such as Aurifex, Hexenbane, Kettlewright, and Scrivner with each one suggesting suitable names, starting gear, and some roleplaying tips and background hooks. There are 20 to choose from so no- two PC’s should be alike. Character have three attributes: Strength, Dexterity, and Willpower which you roll 3d6 for and Hit Protection (HP) which is only a measly 1d6 making combat not for the faint-hearted. You start with 10 inventory slots for gear and a backpack with items taking up one of more slots. Finally roll some character traits like physique, skin tone, voice and so on… You will have a fully-fledged PC in a matter of minutes.

The game mechanics revolve are saves based on your attributes. Roll equal to or under on a d20 or succeed at the task in hand. Want to life that heavy portcullis? Then roll STR, want to dodge that swinging pendulum trap? Try DEX and convince the town guard you’re not a neer-do-well with WIL, a quick and intuitive system which anyone can pick up during their first session. Combat involved saves too, monsters always hit unless you dodge or parry their blows with armour absorbing damage. Rounds last 10 seconds in which you can move 40 feet, and take an action whether it’s an attack or casting a spell. Drop to 0 HP and the remainder comes off your STR, then make a STR save or bad things will happen up to and including death. If you drop to 0 HP exactly then you will be given a permenant scar to mark the occasion.

Anyone can cast spells which reside in dusty tomes and comntain only a single incantation as well as taking up a valuable inventory slot so choose your spells wisely! Scrolls are one-shot spells, use them and they’re gone forever, relics are more powerful and don’t run out. Wow, core rules done. There’s a market place listing items for adventurer’s to spend their hard-earned cash on then a short section on Vald, an implied game setting including details on the realm, a magical woods, and the Roots where mystery and horror reside…

Next up is the Warden’s Guide which is really a comprehensive toolkit for creating your own unique setting. We’re presented with copious guidance on the setting, factions, topography, dungeon and fortest adventure seeds. Part 2 gives us a nice bestiary and rules for growing your own nasties. Spellbook and relics are mentioned too. Part 3 is essential GM advice on exploring the dungein and wilderness, bonds and omens, more on saves, varying the games difficulty and combat. The final section describes more on the world of Vald, NPC tables, and a bibliography for inspiration. The great thing about both books is their presentation, readability and how quickly you can get though them and start playing. And you can dip into the Warden’s Guide to create an encounter, location or NPC without a moments notice. Inspired. 

There’s a nice thick pad of character sheets to write on, a compact and durable GM screen with all the tables you’re likely to need on the fly and then the adventures. No spoilers here slthough needless to say there’s more than enough material to begin and run your players through an entire campaign. It’s amazing really to think how much has been packed into the box. All you’ll really need are dice. 

In conclusion I’ll loved this game, beautiful production quality tailored with clear, concise rules and nice quirky elements thrown in for good measure. If you want to know more then why not pop over here and read the game for yourself, what more could you ask for? https://cairnrpg.com/second-edition/wardens-guide/

Highly recommended. 

From the outset it’s obvious that a great deal of work, detail, professionalism, and above all love for the project has gone into this game. This has been expertly written by people who really know their subject matter and don't seek to glorify combat, quite the opposite in fact. This is a considered, intelligent and thoughtful approach to warfare where players will experience the pressures and consequences across multiple theaters of operation. This is a review of the digital pre-release copy of the core rulebook which Kazmo Studios were kind enough to provide, therefore please be aware that things may be changed for the final product. To supplement this review you can read my fascinating interview with Derek Roberson from Kazmo Studios here: https://open.substack.com/pub/warrenda/p/kazmo-studios-interview?r=3pan0m&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

So this Corebook weighs in at a hefty 339-pages and is locked and loaded with content. Once past the visually striking cover the book breaks down into 13 chapters with an appendix and rules for solo play which is always a nice addition if you’re unable to arrange a game with friends. The forward presents us with the game's tone which I alluded to earlier. This is a game which seeks to simulate the uncertainty of combat, where you don;t know all the facts and have to rely on instinct, training and common sense with the wrong choice leading to serious consequences. Players will not only become involved in conflict but tense negotiations with locals as they try to navigate perilous political situations. This is not a gun ho game of overpowered heroes blazing their way through every encounter, rather human beings working within a tight knit unit working under incredible pressure. This is about the harsh realities of military conflict and the effect it has on those brave enough to make it their career. A thoughtful, considered, and sensitive approach to a traumatic subject.

Chapter One covers Character Creation and there’s even a handy app to facilitate this which you can download for free. The process follows a series of guided steps to generate your characteristics (age, height, weight, nationality etc…) and their motivations such as duty, service, survival, and self-preservation as well as career ambition and humanitarianism. Each character has four key attributes: Strength, Agility, Combat Wisdom, and Combat Knowledge, which along with your skills determine your effectiveness in a task. Next you go through the recruitment process where your service is selected from the Army, Navy or Marines and whether you wish to play an officer or enlisted personnel.

Your character starts play with experience through deployments granting benefits in the form of promotions, medals, and essential combat experience. There is even a section to create internal character strife within your unit which is certain to provide numerous roleplaying opportunities

.Characters have additional abilities determined by their key attributes for proficiencies in prowess, tactics, instincts, and shooting skills. Within their serice players can choose speciality and become a sniper, radio operator, heavy weapons specialist, intelligence operative, medic or even civil affairs amongst many others. Overall character creation is comprehensive ensuring each PC is a living, breathing individual rather than a series of numbers.

Chapter Two Blue Forces details NATO and coalition force organisation, cataloging equipment, vehicles, and logistics. There are several NPC profiles covering Marines, soldiers, and infantry all with clear and comprehensive game stats, equipment and deployment structure. The research that went into this is amazing allowing for a high level of verisimilitude in your game. There is a huge amount of hardware as you’d expect, covering international weapons, vehicles and equipment.

Well that’s the players covered, chapter three is for the GMs eyes only.

It starts off with some good advice on what a GMs responsibilities are by creating a living, breathing world for your players to exist in. and how to handle missions, solo play, and campaigns. We also come to the game mechanics themselves where PCs interact with their environment. Task resolution involves rolling 2d10 with a result equal to or under the relevant ability value qualifying as a success.

Modifiers to this roll come from task difficulty and circumstance. If the initial roll fails players can “push” the roll allowing a retry but resulting in stress. Good leadership is vital to the continued smooth operation of a unit and the group leader can issue orders to that effect. There are a lot of options here covering pre-combat inspections, fatigue, handling explosives, deciphering messages, spotting, and stealth. We even have rules for K-9s!

Chapter four is all about combat which uses a familiar turn structure of action declaration, initiative, resolution, and damage. There are rules for fire combat, explosives and hand-to-hand. Interestingly given the expected lethality a critically wounded PC isn’t killed rather they are “out-of-action” until such time as they can be treated and are encouraged to narrate the physical and psychological effects of their injuries emphasizing the personal costs of conflict.

Chapter five encounters, is a toolbox for creating the unknown elements in the form of random encounters. Tables cover insurgents and civilians, compounds, NPC motivations, patrol encounters and intel with many other considered factors. And you could easily run a successful campaign with these elements alone.

Chapter six is running a session from mission start to resolution and everything in between such as players handouts, briefings, mission objectives, and finishes out with a useful session example from the players perspective.

Chapter seven the Sandbox War offers a campaign framework through a sandbox setting with the crucial elements of trust, insurgent activity, and command confidence designed to take your game to a whole new level as it elevates it out of simple linear missions. There are two regional maps and a fort map to help things along.

Chapter eight Red Forces is all out insurgent groups modus operandi, how they operate and function in the field. Essentially a comprehensive look at your groupd antagonists be they military or civilian threats.

Chapter nine is your character’s life between missions when they have the brief opportunity to wind down and recover. Random tables allow for peaceful encounters and base camp operations with stats for the personnel stationed.there.

Chapter ten includes rules for when your regular group can’t get together and you want to play the game by yourself. Solo games are becoming increasingly popular especially with the ever-increasing demands put on people’s lives. So the chance to unwind and play the game whenever you want is a welcome addition.

Chapter eleven tactics manual covers the structure and layout of affirmed forces from top to bottom with their command structure, deployment, and tactics.

Chapter twelve Operating Environment details the various conflict zones of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Middle-East.

Then we have an introductory mission with Chapter thirteen. This will have you up and running in no time providing 1-2 sessions of play.

What we have here is an outstanding game of modern conflict mixed in with human costs and consequences. At once thought provoking and entertaining a difficult combination to pull off but one that Outside The Wire accomplishes admirably and I can’t wait to see the final release. Highly Recommended.

Derek Roberson of Kazmo Studios was kind enough to answer my questions concerning their upcoming Tactical TTRPG: Outside The Wire, as well as his thoughts on roleplaying in general.

Q1: How would you promote Outside The Wire, and what unique qualities does it possess?

Outside the Wire is a modern war sandbox RPG about dismantling hostile networks in a volatile region while also building legitimacy. The game strives to link sessions in an ecosystem that reshapes the human terrain based on player decisions or actions.

The game allows players to build characters from 13 nations, across a dozen specialties. We leaned heavily into building a game where each specialty can be played successfully in each scenario. Non-kinetic, non-violent actions can have a greater positive impact than violence. The combat is deadly; enter at your own peril.

Q2: Is this your first published game?

Yes. While I have played for forty years, this endeavor was born from many sessions.

Q3: How did you know what to build and focus on when designing Outside The Wire?

I simply added components that I enjoyed over the years and wanted to play. This creative adventure started very much as an RPG based on my 80s love of TW2000 (core book at ~85 pages), very much a tactical TTRPG.

Then I started to pull in pieces that allowed Campaign/ Sandbox play, and to this day still mentally (theater of mind) play from MERC, Recon, and Traveler (core book now about 150 pages). I still have a Recon campaign going in “Sangria”, a fictitious region. We added the ability to build fictional sandboxes or give structure to historical conflicts.

Then I plugged in a Solo play option (Core book ~200 pages) as that is what most of my play has been. Next, I started building a few scenarios to test the system. These led to the idea of linking the sessions to build an ecosystem that responds to the players’ actions. I found a few playtesters during this process, who provided great discussions, stimulated ideas, and helped me focus.

Throughout the creation process, this close-knit group shared experiences and gaming nuances that added uncanny human realism. While very much a wargame, we recognized that there are both kinetic (raids, ambushes) and non-kinetic “adventures” that happen downrange - way outside of a combat patrol - that would make a great scenario and be group RPG-able. In many ways, the ability to go from a “Tattooine” bar-like scene negotiating a merc contract to combat is part of what made my experiences with TW2000 and Traveller, to name a few, fun. In this space, we hope players will also find Outside the Wire.

Q4: How did you come up with the game system?

The system changed drastically throughout the building process, driven entirely by playtesting. Initially, I had many of the standard characteristics of a skirmish game, where the GM/Players have multiple dice modifiers to determine what happens. As we added player skill levels and leveling up, the system failed, so we tried different dice types (3d6, 2d10, 2d10 + 1d6). We fell on 2d10, heavily on theater of mind, and solo play rules. The system is designed to reflect incremental gains in skill and knowledge through combat deployments, giving players a better chance of success and reducing randomness as they advance in rank.

A moment on solo play design. After adapting a basic oracle (yes, no, but), we added enemy automata (charts to determine actions) and a sunlight dial. The sunlight dial is a means to drive the play forward: the dial advances after each player action, and if it reaches 10, the players fail the mission. Do I talk with a neighbor or the children playing in the courtyard? Do we have time to recon the target? The idea is that the players can not do everything, but must make cost-benefit decisions. The GM-led groups have also enjoyed this.

The Sandbox Ecosystem was another interesting development, both in terms of gaming and tactics. How do we measure changes in the environment as the characters advance? The first tools included Intelligence, criminal activity, insurgent activity, local civilian trust, Government trust, and command support. This was too much to track at a gaming table. We fell on Command confidence (are you doing what they want, how they want), Local Trusts (how much the populace support you/ trust you), and Insurgent Activity. This is very much a Clausewitzian trinity - where one action doesn’t support all three areas.

Finally, the campaign design has been one of my favorite areas. Essentially bolted onto the sandbox ecosystem, we designed a “deployment” system where players deploy to a region for a set period to stabilize the area. The system has a weekly battle rhythm that includes intelligence collection, factional politics, tactical operations, logistics, the creation of local forces, bribes, and even civil affairs projects. If command confidence falls to 0, the players are relieved (fired). A win is creating a local force to replace you and continue stabilizing the region. Of course, if local trust is low, you can’t recruit locals. High Insurgent Activity negates local force gains. Back to the Clausewitzian trinity.

Q5: Do you have any advice for new GMs and Players who want to try Outside The Wire?

While the character generation system allows multiple “enlistments” to gain experience, I recommend only one enlistment: get the promotion to Sergeant, then start play by leading a squad of “NPCs”. For group play, also bring the squad - while this might seem like overkill in firepower (a squad tagging along), focus on keeping them all alive and accomplishing the mission.

Q6: When will Outside The Wire be released?

We plan to launch our Kickstarter on 1 Sept 2026. The first 48 hours will be discounted tiers. The initial release will include the core game book, a starter box (Ambush at Dawn scenario), and a deluxe box (Core book, Iron Crossing Campaign, and Tactical Immersion kit).

Q7: Can you tell us about future releases?

Oh, absolutely. Through playtesting, we have developed several scenarios tied to the initial Iron Crossing Campaign and a separate Africa Campaign (in which players serve in the French Foreign Legion on a mission to take down child kidnappers). Some of the scenarios will likely be stretch goals for the KS campaign. My vision has four regional sourcebooks with campaigns (Americas, Africa, the Philippines, and the Middle East).

Q8: Will there be VTT support for Outside The Wire?

I am currently working on a Foundry VTT solution - this effort came about from talking with veteran-focused gaming groups, such as Steve Bomford at Company of Makers, who helped me realize that most veterans TTRPG online. There is also a group working on a TTS (Steam) VTT - this is a grassroots effort that I fully endorse.

Q9: Do you have a Discord Channel?

No. Admittedly, a good idea. But Kazmo Studios is really one person, and I am a bit tapped at the moment. We currently have a Reddit, Instagram, and Facebook.

Q10: What would you consider the special moments in your creative career?

Definitely speaking to so many fellow gamers and creators as they join me on this side quest to bring this game to life. Heck, almost everyone that I have worked with - all the developers, game company managers, graphic designers, marketers (Crowdfunding Nerds), Nigel at Games Quest, Katie at QML, the list goes on- are immediately curious, not judgmental, quick to help, offer support, and genuinely enjoy hearing about new creations. These moments, while brief, certainly have inspired me.

Q11: What’s your favourite aspect of role-playing, and what category of gamer do you associate with?

Gosh, really enjoy creating characters and fictional worlds, and often building challenges around them that evolve with the characters.

Q12: How long was the play-testing period for Outside The Wire?

Testing started in earnest last July (2025), and has been ongoing since. I recently brought in three more groups to play and get a fresh perspective. Testing has really helped us see the best parts (what people enjoy) and the parts that need work.

While I initially paid for the playtesting, it has recently become all-volunteer as the game has attracted more attention. The overall group has brought in a range of experience, humor, and thinking. The key play testers (some play solo and others GM) include a family-man baker in Minnesota, a Kiwi Psychologist, a Brazilian professor, a Norwegian College student, a writer (82d AFG vet), a French businessman, two current Army soldiers, a newspaper editor (and Marine), and a Ukrainian Freedom Fighter. I would love to get them all in the same room.

Q13: What’s your favourite die and why?

I know I dislike 1d4… and like 1D20 the most because of its total randomness.

Q14: What’s your first ever RPG session and did you catch the gaming bug straightaway?

It was a Traveller session, where I made my first character “Kazmo”, a scientist, and yes, I absolutely caught the bug.

Q15: Whom do you admire the most in the RPG community and why?

Since the 80s, I have followed and bought anything GDW, with my most admired being Mark Miller. He gave me the bug, the creative imagination for RPGs.

Q16: What do you like when you’re reading TTRPG content?

The sparks of creativity. It can be a cool NPC, a fascinating location, a dilemma that must be solved, a world of fiction that sucks you in.

Q17: What are your thoughts on A.I.?

To be fair, AI is very new to me. I have felt the lure to use it, but luckily I have been wisely counseled to avoid it.

Q18: Would you like to create a TTRPG based on a franchise, and if so, which one would you choose?

Part of me says Red Rising, while another focuses on a Lioness / Sicario setting. So many options.

Thank you for your time!

There is a definite resurgence in Ravenloft at the moment and with WOTC’s recent release of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, there’s never been a better time to invest in a good scary adventure. Arcana Prime have a proven track record of producing quality material and you can read my review of two of their previous D&D adventures here: https://warrenda.substack.com/p/the-scavengers-ball-a-review-by-wazzahttps://warrenda.substack.com/p/spelljammer-quartermans-wharf-click

So, as you might expect, I was expecting something pretty special and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed. Before we go any further please be aware that this review contains spoilers, so if you are a player you should really stop reading now!

Ravenloft Tales from the Mists: Field of Nightmares is available from the DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/571462/ravenloft-tales-from-the-mists-field-of-nightmares as a 13-page full-colour PDF for $2.95 and Arcana Prime were kind enough to provide my review copy. First off we have a gloriously macabre cover featuring a sinister, sickle-wielding scarecrow which perfectly captures the scene for what your players can expect from this adventure. Also the use of tabs is an inspired choice making navigation of this document a breeze.

Set in the domain of Tepest which is detailed in Ravenloft: The Horrors Within book this adventure takes place in its one remaining settlement - Viktal and is designed for 4-6 players of 1st or 2nd level.

The background to this adventure presents a grim Faustian bargain between a farmer and a hermit to help harvest his land. Unfortunately the fertiliser is made from the farmhands blood sent to the hermit in exchange for his help! After witnessing bumper crops the farmer comes to realise the truth and confronts the hermit only to be attacked by his sinister scarecrow servants which cut down his family. Vowing revenge he takes up a magical heirloom, a prized sickle, to destroy the scarecrows but comes a cropper when a massive desecrated scarecrow kills him, takes the sickle and wears him as a skinsuit into the bargain! Great, grotesque, and gory stuff!

So now we know the backstory, it’s time for the PCs to make their entrance. They begin in a Ravenloft domain called the Burning Caravan, a useful and well detailed hub from which to base their adventures with plentiful descriptions of locations, goods, services, and NPCs some of whom will inevitably provide quests, with one in particular introducing this adventure. I especially admire the fact that there is more usable material here than just this adventure making this a mini-campaign if you want to flesh things out.

Next the adventure itself begins with a quest to retrieve an enchanted sickle from the grasp of a desecrated scarecrow hunting in a haunted cornfield. The NPC has firsthand experience of the horrors lurking there as she was monster hunting but underestimated the powerful sickle-wielding monstrosity and fled back to town. Now it’s the PCs turn.

Reaching the domain of Tepest isn’t easy, requiring a talisman to traverse Ravenloft’s ever-encompassing mists. With one in hand they enter the mists to emerge from a cave and meet a travelling family and have the opportunity to learn vital information on Viktal and the haunted field.

Once they reach the field they can explore the surrounding area and maybe have a random encounter or two. From there the stakes are raised as the desecrated scarecrow makes an unwelcome appearance, bloody sickle in hand. If defeated they make a triumphant return to their benefactor for a nice reward. There is plenty of scope to enhance this adventure with random encounters and helpful advice of scaling encounters for higher level PCs. A domain and cornfield map will help facilitate tactical encounters especially if you're running this on a VTT. A neat little package, so if you have any interest in running a scary adventure, whether set in Ravenloft or not, pick this up or maybe save it for Halloween as a ghastly one-off trick or treat. Recommended.

Why settle for one adventure when you can have two? The Megaliths of London begins in ancient Britain in BCE 66. The PCs are soldiers from the mysterious "Legion X" garrisoned in Londinium. And what begins as a simple escort mission soon unravels into a desperate bid for survival. Part two has the PCs working for MI6 investigating ancient Megaliths from Stonehenge at the culmination of a 2000-year old plan which will reshape the entire world.

Available here! The Megaliths of London

Why settle for one adventure when you can have two? The Megaliths of London begins in ancient Britain in BCE 66. The PCs are soldiers from the mysterious "Legion X" garrisoned in Londinium. And what begins as a simple escort mission soon unravels into a desperate bid for survival. Part two has the PCs working for MI6 investigating ancient Megaliths from Stonehenge at the culmination of a 2000-year old plan which will reshape the entire world.

COMING SOON on DTRPG!

This is the second in a series of reviews for the Fear Itself Shattered Veil Edition TTRPG, my first for the exceptional core rule book which you can read here: https://warrenda.substack.com/p/fear-itself-shattered-veil-edition?r=3pan0m.

A great horror game needs terrifying monsters right?, then welcome to

The Book of Unremitting Horror. Due for release the same time as the core book, this 268-page full colour PDF was kindly provided to me by Pelgrane Press. I must say I was surprised to find the page count significantly higher than the core book, until I peeked inside. This book is packed with enough horrific content to fill several memorable campaigns. You see this isn’t a monster manual full of stat blocks, rather it’s a Book of Horrors, of the intimate and nightmarish kind only our human vice can conjure into our unsuspecting world, and by the end of it you’ll be clutching your bed covers ever more tightly before you go to bed…

This book describes a total of 31 unique horrors, but that’s not all. We also have new abilities and rules for the GUMSHOE system , 15 artifacts, 10 scenario outlines and two full mysteries. Like i said Packed.

Fear Itself is a narrative experience so pages of stat blocks are unnecessary. The essence of combatting evil is in researching their behaviour, history and place in mythology rather than chipping away at their hit points. Besides as you play ordinary people in Fear Itself directly assaulting some of these beings is tantamount to committing suicide. Research and gathering clues is the key to ultimately defeating them.

After a short introduction we are presented with two new abilities, one for PCs and the other for horrors. Aberrance allows a horror to pierce the membrane between our world and the Outer Veil to create supernatural effects, while Pathology lets the PCs perform medical examinations. The new GUMSHOE system rules cover how creatures refresh their ability pools, alcohol and drugs affect on stability, new creature attack modes, drowning, grappling, and several combat modifiers. You don’t necessarily need them however they’re included to enrich your game if so desired, so why not try them out?

This is it. So now we come to what you’ve all been waiting for, the monsters! Presented in a facsimile folder each with a full page illustration followed by a wonderfully descriptive narrative often in the form of a first hand encounter. This is followed by their physiognomy and GUMSHOE system game statistics. I’ll cover each one briefly in order of appearance:

Bleeder.

This undead monster appears as a lacerated mummy covered in bandages. These things behave as demented doctors slashing at their victims to relieve them of their suffering and often mistaken by police as slasher crimes. As they are surrounded by a calming aura, direct assaults on them are usually mitigated making them especially dangerous. Incorporeal by nature only by exhuming and destroying their mortal remains can they be killed.

Blood Corpse

A scabrous monstrosity with two foot claws they drain their victims leaving only husks. Terrifying melee combatants, they can smell blood, are devastatingly swift and cunning. Think of a zombie on steroids and you have the general idea.

Blossomer

A bisected cadaver, this creature’s only purpose is to sire demonic offspring through the impregnation of human cultists in an obscene ritual. Their children appear normal at first mature will supernatural speed into monstrous hybrids so endure you disrupt the ceremony at all costs.

Clootie

Also known as the Clickety Man, urban legends speak of spirits of long dead sailors wandering the islands off Scotland’s west coast, lashing out with viscous hooks to rake bowels and rend armour. Incorporeal they ignore attacks while chilling thor victims souls with a terrible gaze. Their attacks are not limited to the merely physical; they can also savagely assault the spirit leaving behind a soulless corpse.

Death Tapper

Resembling a grotesque flea, these agile and elusive demons traffic in death, jumping, clinging and biting their victims who then contract the Churning Rot, a hideous supernatural disease causing organs to dissolve and a painful death as they excrete their own innards.

Dementia Larva

When a mind is subjected to monstrous visions or soul-rending vistas it collapses in on itself leaving only a physical shell which can transform into an inhuman and misshapen dementia larva. Possessing an intense hatred for humanity it hides itself away until it can strike, crushing its prey and decapitating them with razor sharp teeth. Like a worm it can regenerate making them exceptionally hard to kill.

Dream Tearer

Nightmares given form who enter a sleepers dream and kill them while they slumber, dream tearers are instinctive creatures who only seek to feed off the creative energies of dreams. They exist in the Dreaming Realm, an insubstantial plane connecting the world of dreamers and only through lucid dreaming can they be fought.

The Drowner

A public information film of the mid-70’s The Spirit of Dark Water alerted children to the dangers of playing in standing water. Little did the film makers know the real truth that actual water spirits existed which transfixed their victims before dragging them down into the murky depths to drown. Known by many names they are ancient and deadly.

The Empty One

This doesn’t even exist, well not yet anyway. An engineered God for serial killers active only in their febrile minds. However through an incestual ritual they can be born into our world as an Empty One becoming one of the most powerful entities in the unremitting Horror setting.

Feral Drowner

A pooka or feral drowner is a brutal man/goat hybrid who assault, violate and drown their victims who fall foul quite literally to the indescribable musk which surrounds them causing nausea and vomiting.

Kooks

Born out of the summer of love in the late 1960s these small, spiteful entities resemble horrifically disfigured children. However in the eyes of innocent children they are beautiful friends who indulge their every playful whim throughout the summer before the fall arrives and they are taken, never to be seen again.

Man in the Bar

Every city of lonely, distressed souls. Some seek solace at the bottom of a bottle in some sleazy bar and this is where you will find the Man in a bar. An empathic entity who adopts an everyman appearance as it listens to the sob stories of the dispossessed while feeding on their souls leaving behind an eyeless dishevelled corpse lying facedown in a pool of beer.

Motherlode

Mindless vermin with an insatiable desire to eat and reproduce through their obscene progeny. They exist in man’s metropolises praying on the homeless, abandoned pets and trash. These background players serve to highlight the corruption in our world on whose putrid corpse the ravenously feed.

Mystery Man

An all powerful entity which serves as a painful reminder to complacent PCs that there are forces in this universe both insurmountable and inscrutable. A shapeshifter which adopts a friendly persona in order to achieve its ends. Always terrifying, an immortal mystery wrapped in an enigma.

The Organ Grinder

A ten foot tall rotting cyborg replete with steam powered weaponry hailing from the Outer Dark. A terrifying and relentless killing machine which lubricated its parts with the blood of its victims.

The Outsiders

Often called the Men in Black these enigmatic entities epitomise the nature of what is alien. They are drawn to calamity like moths to a flame only to dispassionately observe and record the reactions of those around them.

Ovvashi

These demons feed on society’s outcasts just as parasites in one’s gut. They corrupt and manipulate until they are ripe for exploitation. Appearing as their victims they encourage the homeless to divulge their innermost secrets on which they feed.

The Practice/Mortician/Nurse/Surgeon

Once healers now horrors the Practice comprises diabolical doctors, nightmarish nurses, and suturing their scars with disfigurements held together by stitches. They practice their demented surgery on the near dead, silently stalking hospitals late at night and out of sight.

Residue Demon

A demon made from the dried blood and rage of acts from unspeakable violence they tower over 12 feet tall bristling with muscles and sinew, their only purpose to inflict more violence leading to the burial of their victims.

The Scourger

A servitor demon perfected to spy, infiltrate and gather information. Their relentless surveillance targets organizations determining inherent weaknesses which can be exploited by their dark masters.

Shatterer

Foolish is the demon summoner secure in their magic as the Shatterer can break through such enchantments with ease, and release bound demons back on their would-be masters. Worse still the taste of blood turns them into killing machines.

Sisterite

Spiders sitting at the centre of their websites these demons use dating sites to prey on the lonely hearts and lustful. Beware an email ending in @sisterite.com

Skitch

A truly revolting parasite which transforms through stages into a ghastly gastropod intent on gorging on its victims bones to leave behind only an egg-laden skin sack.

Sleep Hag

Sleep paralysis must be a living nightmare for those who suffer from it. Therefore the Sleep Hag only adds to their narcoleptic nightmare as they drain all life from their slumbering prey with grey hairs the only evidence of their nocturnal visits.

Snuff Golem

Snuff movies are the thing of urban myth however they must exist as Snuff Golems couldn’t exist without them. Obscene constructs made from an amalgamation of the disturbing materials and media used to make these terrifying tabloids in the first place and distributed to some of the worst places on earth for sick voyeuristic viewing pleasure.

Soliloquy

A heinous homunculus which latches onto and duplicates its victim turning into a serial killer. Why? So it can revel in the pain and persecution this brings its other half as they are invariably accused of its demonic doppelgangers crimes.

Strap Throat

A ghost which punishes those who dare walk in her woods, those deserving death, and those foolish enough to actually summon her. The later being adolescents on a dare ignorant of the consequences until it’s too late.

Torture Dog

Slipping through gaps in the Outer Dark these trained packs of hunter killers stalk only those people of power and significance in society. First drugging them, then torturing before peeling back their skin and drilling into their bone marrow.

Phew I’ve made my way through and it was quite unsettling I can tell you. Now onto Chapter II Artifacts. I won’t list them all suffice to say there is a broad selection with my favorites being Demon Fetus in a jar (what’s not to love?), Gummy Rubber Ball (guaranteed to bounce right back), and the Voynich Tapes (where you’ll hear your new master’s voice.)

Chapter III gives the GM guidance to incorporate The Book of Unremitting Horror into the world of the Esoterrorists TTRPG (and one I hope to review in the future), suffice to say if you have it already then this is essential reading as it provides solid advice and ten scenario outlines to launch your Esoterrortists campaign.

The book ends on a high with two full length scenarios: Crook’s End and

The Final Case. The first deals with a summer vacation at a haunted rural country house and the later set in London with mad magicians and sinister sorcerers aplenty. Both look fun and should take several sessions to complete.

So is your skin crawling? It should be! These are far some of the most noisome and nasty critters I have ever witnessed for a horror RPG, and definitely not for the faint-hearted, however if you want to creep your players outthen I can’t think of a better way to do so than to dip your blood-soaked hand into this collection. I can only end by saying “Arrrgh!”

Magpie Games were gracious enough to answer my questions concerning their games their company, and the RPG scene. Enjoy!

1. How did it all begin with Magpie Games, and what was your first published product?

Magpie Games kicked off in 2011 when Marissa Kelly and I decided we wanted to work on a joint project. She’s an artist, and I’m a writer, so we figured a comic book would be a good project for us! Unfortunately, comics are very, very hard… and we both realized we would rather jump into making roleplaying games (which are just as hard, but we love them so much)!

Our first project was actually on Kickstarter—The Play’s the Thing, a Shakespearean roleplaying game that I originally designed for Game Chef in 2011. We fleshed out the game, playtested it, and brought to Kickstarter that fall… and the rest is history!

2. How many in the Magpie Games team, and what are your expansion plans?

We currently have nine employees, but that’s down a bit from our height (15 or so) when we were in the middle of fulfilling Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. We don’t currently have any plans to expand our team, but we’re always keeping a close eye on what resources we need to make great games and get them into peoples’ hands.

3. What would you consider are the special moments for Magpie Games?

We have too many to count, but I think it was pretty amazing to see our games in Barnes & Noble (Wizard Kittens) and Target (Avatar Legends Starter Set); I was also shocked to realize we shipped over 100,000 copies of the Avatar Legends RPG. To have that kind of reach and impact on the industry is still surreal to us, and we’re so honored that fans have made it possible for us to work at that scale.

4. How do you know what games to build and focus on?

In the initial years, we really followed our hearts—we tried hard to push at the boundaries of our own skills and what was possible in roleplaying games. As indie games have moved fully into the mainstream, we’ve tended to start thinking more about what the audience for a game looks like—are there enough people excited about this idea to make it a viable title. We are very lucky that so many Magpie Games fans are supportive of what we do; I think we are still following our hearts most days, even as we keep an eye on what’s feasible.

5. Any advice for new GMs and Players who want to try out your games?

Jump in wherever the water looks friendly! Magpie Games products are built for new and old GMs alike, so whatever themes and genre appeal to you can guide you to the right game. We spend a lot of time making sure that our games are mechanically robust and easy to use, so wherever you find something exciting is a good place to start!

6. What sells more, adventures or gaming supplements?

Hard to say! We tend to publish books that contain lots of different elements, like the supplements for Masks: A New Generation or Bluebeard’s Bride, so I don’t think we have a hard line between those two types of products. That said, we really like making games in which the players at the table have a lot of agency, so we don’t really have a lot of “adventures” in a traditional sense; we have a lot more interest in putting out supplements with new playbooks, new mechanics, and new tools for GMs!

7. Any less successful games?

It’s hard to say if a game is “less successful.” Cartel has sold only a fraction of the copies of something like Urban Shadows, but I think both are really important to me as a designer in my own grown and development. That said, we have a few books (like the Chaos World books) that never really connected with a larger audience, and we are surprised to find that our Fate books—the Fate Codex or Wicked Fate—aren’t as popular as they once were! Times are always changing.

8. What was your first ever RPG session and did you catch the gaming bug straightaway?

I’m not sure I remember my first RPG session—I was probably nine or ten?—but I did seem to catch the bug pretty early. I’ve had times when I roleplayed less, mostly because I was too busy being in a band in college or dealing with some family stuff, but I always come back to it eventually.

9. What’s your favourite aspect of role-playing and what category of gamer do you best associate with?

I love watching players and GMs engage in the collaborative process, something that I think is unique to our art form. Sometimes that looks like dialogue in a scene with an NPC; sometimes it’s just riffing on what happens in the story as authors of the narrative. Either way, I think I look for emergence—the moment in which something unique comes out of the interactions between the players, the GM, and the system.

10. How do you successfully blend realism with playability?

I don’t worry much about “realism” as a designer; I do spend a lot of time thinking about “authenticity.” I want our games to feel meaningful and deep to the people playing them, and I think that starts by making them feel emotionally resonant and in line with the world. My ideal session is one in which my players lose themselves in the conflicts and drama of the game at hand, so we work hard to make our mechanics grab folks and create spaces where choices matter.

11. I started with the Warlock of Firetop Mountain. How do you feel about CYOA books, are they a gateway into TTRGs?

Absolutely!! One of my earliest roleplaying game memories was the Lone Wolf series. I had a blast reading those books on long road trips, and I still get a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings whenever I see something from that line of products. I still want a sun sword, even though I kinda know now that it’s just a lightsaber. Books like that can be a wonderful way for people to find the hobby, and I think games like Baldur’s Gate 3 are going to do the same thing for a generation of video game players.

12. What’s your favourite die?

The d12! I love how it looks, and how it rolls! We’ve often talked about creating some special d12s that have the numerals for a d6 repeated twice—that way you can use them for all our PBtA games that take 2d6.

13. Whom do you admire the most in the RPG community?

Despite working in the industry for 15+ years, I still look up to an enormous number of designers and publishers who came before me, including Vincent and Meg Baker, Luke Crane, Emily Are Boss, Greg Stafford, Mike Pondsmith, and more. The list is literally too long to even start; our work is always standing on the shoulders of giants.

But we also really love our colleagues that many people would think of as our competitors—we try to make time at ever convention we’re at to have lunch with the Free League team, for example, because we love their games! Honestly, there are so many amazing people in our industry that it’s one of the best parts of working in tabletop games.

14. What’s more popular fantasy or sci-fi?

Fantasy, by a wide margin. Science fiction has a lot going for it—Traveler was one of the earliest roleplaying games—but it seems to us that fantasy really connects with players because it gives them a chance to explore unfamiliar spaces and feel genuinely like the center of the story. It’s sometimes hard to believe your characters could matter in a galaxy of ten trillion people!

15. What TTRPG material do you enjoy reading?

I don’t have any particular kind of TTRPG material I like more, but I do get excited about whatever I’m reading that I’m interested in running. I’ve recently started a new campaign of Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game, and it’s been incredibly fun to read through the material that Free League has already released and figure out what kind of mystery I want to build for my players.

16. What can you tell us about Avatar Legends?

Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game is the officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game for Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. In it, you play heroes like Aang, Sokka, Korra, Mako, and more—all young people who want to make the world a better place through their adventures across the Four Nations.

Working on the Avatar Legends license has been one of the most amazing experiences of my career—I’ve gotten to write dialogue for Uncle Iroh, help Dante Bosco make a new Firebender character, and met so many fans who love Avatar as much as we do.

17. What can you tell us about Urban Shadows?

Urban Shadows is the first Powered by the Apocalypse game that Magpie Games ever published, a love letter to all of the 90s era urban fantasy RPGs that roots the conflicts and dramas of the genre in the urban politics of shows like The Wire or Sons of Anarchy. We released the first edition way back in 2015, but we launched a new edition in 2025 with new playbooks, new faction turn mechanics, and all new layout and art.

18. What can you tell us about Masks?

Masks: A New Generation is our most popular (non-licensed) game, a superhero roleplaying game that puts the focus on how your character feels about their identity and relationships. Drawing on comics and shows like Teen Titans and Young Avengers, the game helps players make new superheroes who have to grow up in a world that has lots of superheroes already, struggling to find their place as the “new generation.”

The first edition of Masks released in 2016, but we’re celebrating ten years of awesome superhero adventure with a second edition. Keep your eyes open for previews on Kicksarter later this year!

19. What can you tell us about Root?

Root: The Roleplaying Game is the officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game for Root: A Woodland Game of Might and Right, the award-winning board game from Leder Games. In it, you play vagabonds who have a chance to tilt the balance of power amidst a Woodland War, rogues in a classic sense who have no masters but their own will.

We’ve loved making Root into an RPG, not only because we love the original game, but also because it’s fun to work with the team at Leder Games—they are gamers, just like us!

20. What can you tell us about Defiant?

Defiant is an urban fantasy roleplaying game published by our Polish friends at Game Machinery, one that has a unique take on the genre. Instead of supernatural creatures living in the shadows, Defiant imagines a world in which the apocalypse has already happened… and the “defiant” angels, demons, and wizards are the ones that keep some bastions of safety alive, mostly in cities filled with humans who don’t know what’s going on in the “real” world. We were so thrilled to get a chance to help bring the game to more people!

21. Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?

We are really, really excited for the new Ædana system! The first Ædana game—Fallen London: The Roleplaying Game—is going to ship later this year to backers, and we just funded our second Ædana game—Temeraire: The Roleplaying Game—this past February. We have been working on the idea that became Ædana for most of the last five years, and I’m so excited for people to get a chance to really dig in and play it!

22. Will Magpie Games be adding VTT content?

We do some VTT work through Foundry for Root and Demiplane (not a VTT, but closer!) for Avatar Legends, but most of our games don’t benefit much from a dedicated VTT specifically. We’re going to continue to focus on making material available through DTRPG, and we’re excited to see what our new Ædana games look like through that system.

23. What are your thoughts on A.I. content?

This is probably best explained in our official statement:

https://magpiegames.com/pages/ai-content-policy

24. What’s the best way to become involved in the Magpie Games online Community and what are the benefits?

The best way to get involved is to join our Discord (https://discord.gg/RUFWCbC)! We host community play days, game design discussions, and much, much more there for our fans. It’s the perfect place to try out a new game, talk about game theory, or even just meet people who love TTRPGs.

Thank you for your time!

Karl Miller of Eight Legged Entertainment was kind enough to answer some questions on his companies newest release: The Widow’s Web: Trials of the Drow, (which I will be reviewing soon), and the RPG scene in general. Here are his answers:

Q1: What can you tell us about The Widow’s Web: Trials of the Drow and where can I pick up a copy?

The Widow’s Web: Trials of the Drow is a competitive 5E adventure where up to eight drow champions enter a deadly series of trials, and only one can survive. It’s a trilogy of one shot adventures, with tricks, traps, monsters, and shifting alliances built directly into the scenario design. You can find it at drivethrurpg.com.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/553261/the-widow-s-web-trials-of-the-drow

Q2: What was the design philosophy behind The Widow’s Web: Trials of the Drow?

The core idea was to make being evil fun at the table. Most RPG adventures assume the party is working together, but this one asks what happens when everyone has the same goal but only one person can claim it. The design philosophy was to create clear, fair mechanics where betrayal, sacrifice, and rivalry are expected parts of play rather than awkward table problems.

Q3: Is the PvP element crucial to the adventure, and was it difficult to implement?

Yes, the PvP element is central to the identity of the adventure, but it is not constant combat between players. A character’s death may be caused by another champion, but more often it comes from finishing last in a challenge or being the least successful in a specific trial. The tension comes from players deciding when to cooperate, when to hold back, and when to turn on each other. The difficult part was making that competition feel structured and fair, so it feels like part of the game.

Q4: Are there new rules to facilitate the PvP aspect?

The adventure mostly uses straight Fifth Edition rules, but the tournament has a set of mandates laid down by Malarachne, the Mother Spider. Those mandates remove or limit a few things that would slow down or undermine this kind of competitive game. For example, summoning is not allowed because it throws off the power balance in many ways. There are also no death saves, no short or long rests and no raising the dead. When a champion hits 0 hit points, they are out of the game.

Q5: How many are there in your company and what do they do?

There are four of us, and everyone has their own important roles. I’m mainly the writer, so I handle a lot of the adventure writing and creative direction, though everyone contributes ideas and helps fill out the book. The rest of the team covers the business side, layout, and editing. We all overlap a little when the project needs it, but each person brings something essential to the table, and the book is much stronger because of that.

Q6: Do you remember your very first RPG session?

I remember it very well. It was 1979, and I was in sixth grade. My buddy and I went over to his friend Robert’s house, and Robert ran us through a short Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure. It was honestly life changing. I had never played anything where the story could branch in so many directions based on what we chose to do. I was hooked immediately and I’ve been playing ever since.

Q7: What’s your favorite aspect of roleplaying, and what category of gamer do you best associate with?

My favorite part is when the rules, the story, and the players’ choices all collide and create something no one could have fully planned. I love role playing which is probably why I DM so much. That way I get to play 20 characters in an evening instead of just one.

Q8: What roleplaying game content do you enjoy reading?

At the moment, I’m really drawn to OSR-style adventures and systems. Mörk Borg, Black Sword Hack, and Vagabond are a few that have grabbed my attention recently. I also have a whole shelf of games I still want to run, like Mythic Bastionland, Forbidden Lands, and Dragonbane. Unfortunately, the list keeps growing faster than I can get them to the table.

Q9: Who do you admire the most in the roleplaying game community?

I admire creators who can make adventures easy to run while still giving them a strong identity. Creators like Ben Milton (Questing Beast), Hankerin Ferinale (Runehammer), Professor Dungeon Master (Dungeon Craft), Kelsey Dionne (Shadowdark), Sean McCoy (Mothership), Patrick Stuart (Veins of the Earth), and many more.

Q10: What’s your favorite die?

My favorite die is an old d100 I got for my birthday decades ago. It’s almost perfectly round, so when I roll it, it just keeps going. My players always groan when I take it out because they know it’s going to roll across the table, hit the floor, take five minutes to stop, and then we’ll spend another minute trying to figure out which number is actually facing up.

Q11: Would you consider doing a Pathfinder-compatible version?

I’m assuming you’re talking about 2.0. I’d consider it if there was enough interest, but it would need to be a real conversion, not just a quick terminology pass. The concept of The Widow’s Web could absolutely work in Pathfinder, but the encounters, DCs, hazards, treasure, and character-facing assumptions would need to be rebuilt around Pathfinder’s math. I’d want to do it properly rather than release something that only looks compatible on the surface.

On a related note, I’ve been playing around with a Shadowdark conversion in my spare time on weekends. I wanted to see whether this kind of competitive, deadly tournament adventure could work in an OSR-style system, and it turns out it can, though it does require some heavy modification.

Q12: Any advice to new GMs and players who want to try The Widow’s Web: Trials of the Drow?

First off, make sure everyone understands that this is a competitive, deadly adventure about ambitious drow champions trying to survive a brutal trial, and that only one champion is going to make it out alive. For the DM, the best advice is to study the adventure ahead of time, make sure you understand how each trial works, and keep the pace moving once play begins.

Q13: What future releases do you have planned?

We just finished getting this one to the printer, so the first order of business is to take a quick break. After that, we’d definitely like to do another one-shot adventure. As I mentioned earlier, we’re also experimenting with conversions to Shadowdark and possibly other systems. Beyond that, there are a few other ideas we’ve been discussing that I can’t really go into yet, but let’s just say we will not run out of things to work on

Q14: Can The Widow’s Web: Trials of the Drow be played on VTTs, and if so which ones?

Yes. We are just finishing up everything for both Roll 20 and Foundry.

Q15: When is the physical release due out?

We just got everything to the printer. It will take a while to get everything printed and then we have to get it on a boat and ship it over here… all I can say for certain is that the boxed set and the books will be out before the end of the year.

Q16: What are your thoughts on A.I.?

I use AI sometimes at work for practical things, like cleaning up an email or taking a pile of information and organizing it into a spreadsheet. But I don’t use it to write game material. For me, the whole reason I write and play these games is because I enjoy creating encounters, NPCs, weird situations, and all the little details that make an adventure feel alive. Having a computer do that part would take away the part I actually enjoy most.

Thank you for your time!

Hey, so you wanna be a superhero? I know I do, flying around and fighting bad guys, lifting trucks and using heat rays to burn through stuff. Sounds cool huh? Superhero games have always been a niche genre, probably because their popularity comes and goes with the latest trends unlike fantasy and sci-fi which are perennial. Also prolonged campaigns can be difficult to run when the PCs are, for the want of the better word, invincible. However they’re unrivaled when you want to let off some steam and just hit some bad guys, rescue innocent civilians from natural disasters and save the world. All in a day’s work really.

I’ve played a few in my time: Marvel Superheroes (Various editions),

DC Heroes, Champions, Mutants & Masterminds (the newest edition of which i’ll be reviewing soon), Super World (remember that one?) and Golden Heroes (check out my retro wayback review here: ) They were all fun with wildly differing game mechanics, much like the superpowers they sought to emulate, however they all recreated in some fashion that sense of wonder when you read comics as a kid and wondered what it would be like to fly…

So now Free League Publishing have entered the arena with their release of Invincible - Superhero Roleplaying Core Rulebook based on the unbelievably successful and long running comic book series, arguably one of the best ever written, accompanied by phenomenal artwork and populated with believable, sympathetic characters that you really cared about. Through its 144-issue run it followed the life of the eponymous superhero Invincible and his relationship with his father, friends and loved ones along with the startling revelation of his heritage. But no spoilers here, just read them for yourself to see how great they are, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Core book is 280-pages and Free League was kind enough to provide my digital review copy. This baby is packed with art from the comics on nearly every page. It’s almost like reading a comic book itself! I’ll admit to being dubious as to whether the Year Zero Engine could handle the grandiose endeavours superheroes partake in on a regular basis. I’ve run several Free League Games which use this system: ALIEN, Tales from the Loop, The Electric State, and The Walking Dead Universe, and they all favour low-powered characters. However, having read through the rules you can be rest assured that Free League have done a brilliant job of adapting the game mechanics for a superhero setting, being simple, slick and suitably superheroic. Perfect for one-shots and campaigns.

The book is broken (or is that smashed?) down into 8 chapters and an appendix. So find the nearest telephone booth (yes i’m that old), squeeze into your spandex outfit, adjust your cape and don’t forget your mask before you dive, fly, phase and teleport (pick one) on in!

The Invincible - Superhero Roleplaying Corebook is available from Free League publishing on their website: https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/invincible-superhero-roleplaying/ where you’ll pay $27 for the PDF and $57 for the physical copy. There’s a starter set too which provides summarised rules, dice, maps, tokens and easy reference cards, perfect for those who want to start playing fast.

OK, so our secret identity is safe and we’ve messaged the office to say we’re sick today, time to get to work! As in other Year Zero Engine games you roll pools of d6’s with the 6’s successes, and the more the merrier. You’ll need around 10-15 and the starter set has some lovely themed ones although any old d6s will suffice. You’ll also need some playing cards marked 1-10 to handle initiative, again the starter set comes with these.

If you want to jump right in then the starter set provides an ample selection of pre-generated superheroes to choose from or, if you have the time, you can create your own. The first thing to consider is your hero rank. Do you want to play street level vigilantes or cosmic crusaders who often save the galaxy before breakfast? This choice determines your attribute point total, superpowers, and reputation.

Each hero has six attributes: Fighting, Agility, Strength, Reason, Intuition, and Presence rated on both a numerical and descriptive scale.

Starting at 1 (poor), all the way up to 12 (Invincible). This reminded me of the old Marvel Super Heroes RPG from the 1980s by TSR where attributes had similar adjectives adding a nice layer of comic book verisimilitude. “I’m invincible and can lift a 1000 tons!” is way more fun than saying “I have a strength of 12.”

Your hero rank determines the points you spend on attributes, for example teen upstarts have 20 while cosmic crusaders have 38. The number assigned is your dice pool when using the attribute with health and resolve worked out by a mix of several others. You also have minor abilities called tricks and vulnerabilities known as drawbacks. Decide on your everyday occupation when not saving the world and then personal relationships. There’s a nice section for creating your superhero team’s identity, HQ, and their relationships with each other. A currency known as Karma allows your hero to grow however it’s not all good as bad karma can come your way if you act selfishly or fail to help innocent bystanders or get that cat down from the tree…

Archetypes are a quick way to decide on all these elements with 16 to choose from: The Beacon, The Bruiser, The Gadgeteer, The Icon, The Mastermind, The Metamorph, The Monster, The Nova, The Powersuit, The Psychic, The Shaper, the Sharpshooter, The Speedster, The Vigilante, The Warrior, and the Wisecracker. And rather than limit your options they help to categorize superheroes into familiar types.

Then we’re onto the powers section where you get to do all the funky stuff you read about in the comics with your chosen archetype suggesting an appropriate set. Powers have levels, limits and can be boosted. They each have a suggested power source to help with roleplaying their usage. Most Powers start with a basic power level although some can progress through Major, Massive, and Monstrous levels. They are categorized into attack, control, defense, modification, movement, and sensory for a total of 69. Every power from the comics is here as far as I can tell.

So how do they work? Let’s take a common power: Blast. This one lets you strike your opponent with a ranged energy attack whether it’s in the form of fire, ice, cosmic energy or something of your own creation. The power level determines the damage you inflict (Basic 3, Major 4, Massive 5, and Monstrous 6) and can be boosted to perform quick and area attacks as well as limited by being exhausting to use or having a reduced range. This allows for a huge combination of powers.

Talents provide smaller benefits such as Leader which lets you rouse the troops on the battlefield, while sharp-tongued helps with presence attacks to name two out of 50. Drawbacks are the opposite, limiting your hero as is common in comics. Hard Times means you’re always strapped for cash while Phobic means avoiding your friendly neighbourhood arachnid at all costs...

Every conceivable comic book situation is handled with aplomb allowing you to run fast and exciting combats. You can be hurt real quick so strategy and tactics are crucial if you want your team to triumph. Vehicle combat gets a look in as does a selection of weapons and gadgets. What we have here is an excellent and comprehensive set of rules for any superhero setting. But what makes for the icing on the cake is the chapter on the Invincible universe,and again rather than spoiling it I'd remind you to read the comics. Suffice to say, the chapter is a great intro.

The superhero setting can be challenging and the chapter on running the game provides lots of helpful advice. How to bring the setting to life, key themes, game structure, scenes, NPCs and monsters. And a chapter on campaign play offers up plenty of tips for adventures designed for the various hero ranks, numerous story arcs, random threats and incidents to keep your heroes on their toes.

Want to play a character from the comic series? OK a whole chapter details the game stats for 64 Dramatis Personae across all hero levels.

The book ends in a section for solo play and we’re done! So Free League publishing has done it again with a stupendous super heroic effort. Highly recommended.

If you take the famous saying above literally then you’d be dead wrong about Fear Itself Shattered Veil Edition as it contains very real and unimaginable horror. This game will shock, scare and kill your PCs with impunity.

Fear Itself has been around for a while now with the first edition released back in 2007, powered by the pioneering GUMSHOE system where investigation and careful deduction took precedence over combat and action. That’s not to say this system can’t deliver those qualities, just that the the focus is on the creeping dread of horror as the unwitting the PCs peel back the layers like some obscene onion. Needless to say it was a runaway success, not surprising really as it was written by the seminal Robin D. Laws, and led to a 2nd edition published in 2016, this time with Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan onboard who’d go on to pen such classics as the newest Traveller TTRPG. So the question is how does this newest edition compare and is it better? You betcha!

Fear Itself Shattered Veil Edition by Pelgrane Press, who kindly provided my review copy, will be released in August this year and there’s a free PDF preview available over on DTRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/516351/Fear-Itself-Shattered-Veil-Edition-Preview?term=fear+itself

This is a 218-page full colour release packed with unremitting horror, all-new content, and eye-catching artwork written by Robin D. Laws and Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan. Everything is easy to read with a comprehensive contents section and index enabling quick reference at your gaming table or VTT. The book is broken down into 14 chapters and appendices with a character sheet and scenario worksheet.

Horror works best when ordinary lives are affected by the extraordinary events occurring around them and Fear Itself accomplishes this magnificently by taking the PCs, who could easily be you and me, and plunging them into a maelstrom of madness and violence. The game works perfectly for one-shots as well as longer campaigns, but rest assured insanity and death await in both…

The game adopts a contemporary setting with humanity threatened by a dimension of horror and suffering known as the Outer Dark itself tenuously separated from our world by a thin membrane through which monsters and psychic phenomena occasionally seep. However if you want to use your own setting then that’s fine too,

What really impressed me here was the advice to GMs on running one-shots and campaigns such as which chapters to read and what adventures to run. Useful, concise and a great time-saver. You want to run a one-shot? Then read chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 and run The Circle scenario. Simple!

So you’re playing an ordinary person, how do you interact with the world? Through the three key sections of Investigative Abilities, General Abilities, and Risk Factors. The GUMSHOE system revolves around gathering information and clues through your Investigative ability without having to roll dice, so if your PC is skilled in the task at hand you succeed pure and simple. If not then you can spend points from your ability pool to learn what you need to. This ensures you learn what they need to without a failed skill check leading to a dead end and yet more skill checks.

General Ability lets you use the information you gained from your Investigation Ability and put it to practical use. Roll a D6 with a 4+ a success and each point spent from your General Ability pool adding a +1 modifier. Two other General Abilities are Health and Stability which measure your physical and psychological well being. They serve as a constant reminder on how fragile the human mind and body can be when subjected to the terrors of the Outer Dark. Don’t stress too much though as you can be patched up with medicine and therapy.

Character creation involves a discussion between the GM and players to decide on a premise, are you all high-schoolers, cruise ship passengers or soldiers from the same unit? Once decided each player defines their PC through a concept, something quick and punchy such as condescending office manager, arrogant salesperson, or fast-talking dog trainer. Once that’s settled you determine their Risk Factors, and it’s advised to alternate them based on whether you’re playing a one-shot or a campaign. These prevent PCs becoming too jaded and act as emotional wringers to put the PCs through as they learn more about the Outer Dark and its denizens.

PCs receive a variable amount of points to spend on Investigative Abilities based on the number of players in the group and 60 points for General Abilities. Some abilities are capped, limiting their value and whether you can have them at all. Investigative Abilities are grouped into: Academic, Interpersonal, and Technical with subdivisions in each, for example Academic has History, humanities, Language, Law and so on. While Technical includes: Computer Use, Investigative Procedure, Notice amongst others. To balance out Risk Factors you have Sources of Stability which help keep you sane. and by the end this process the end you’ll have a living, breathing PC replete with human abilities and full of frailties.

Then it’s time to provide information on how to play them, which is covered in-depth in the chapter on tips for players. Here we are given plenty of creative advice on how to gather clues, interact with NPCs, stay focused and above all not give into despair. Some gun-hoy players may baulk at the idea of the merits of running away but in this game it’s a given!

We now arrive at the rules chapter which, as you can gather by now, empathise narrative interactions over tactical situations. Like most horror scenarios something bad happened and your PCs are sent to investigate willingly or otherwise. Here though clues are presented to there PCs by the GM who decides the General Abilites necessary to acquire them. The PCs are encouraged to role play this exchange rather than say “I’m an expert, give me all the clues!” One important point to mention is some clues are core to the scenario and are always found with less important ones, ound by spending points from your PCs ability pool. So if you want to recall a demon’s true name then a point spend from Occult Studies. While Science will help you concoct a poison antidote. There’s lots of other factors weighed in such as combat, contests, chases, cooperation, damage and or course running away.

Fear Itself is straight-up and unforgiving to careless PCs and this system shows that with brutal physical trauma such as exhaustion, injury and death around the next corner. And if that wasn’t bad enough your PC will certainly be subjected to terrifying mental trauma with frequent panic and instability.

We’re now in GM territory with copious advice for designing and running mysteries through the use of plot hooks, sources of inspiration, handling scenes, and the core clues. Then a comprehensive toolkit covers everything you need to run a smooth and frightening game. Expert advice from experts, what more could you ask for?

A fundamental troupe in the horror genre are psychic powers and Fear Itself has plenty to offer although its recommended to only allow one power per PC. An abundance of options are presented from the relatively low-powered Aura Reading, Medium, Premonitions, and Remote Viewing to the more dynamic and familiar standbys of Telekinesis, Mind Control, and Telepathy. Again this is a narrative approach and caution should be advised to prevent the PCs becoming overpowered.

Ah monsters! Here’s all the good stuff GMs turn to first in a horror game. What manner of fiends can you hoist on your poor unsuspecting players? This chapter showcases a selection of physically gruesome and psychologically upsetting specimens. While each one is presented with stats they are, most importantly, given a background, unsettling desires and unique abilities.

We have: The Mystery Man, Ovvashi, Torture Dog, Fat Golem, Bystander, Wasterlander, Skinner, and Cickoo Mother. Each one guaranteed to provide plenty of scenario ideas and your players nightmares. And if you’re in the market for more monsters then I shall be reviewing the Book of Unremitting Horror soon.

**SPOILERS**

Finally we come to several full-length mysteries to confound your players so please stop reading now if you are one.

The Circle is set in your hometown with the PCs participants in a trial of the drug Thaumazine. The twist? Some have taken the real thing and some placebos but they don’t know which. This has profound consequences later on when they visit an isolated farmhouse to encounter the sinister Teller. A missing trialist is the plot hook with clues pointing to the Holmgarth Museum of Natural History. Consequently they interact with Police, attend a funeral, and face possible possession! There’s plenty of snooping around and hacking to be done revealing Thaumazine’s pharmaceutical secrets, and the sinister the Men-in-Black who guard them This all culminates with the PCs running a ghastly gauntlet at an isolated farm.

In Glass Beach Summer a mysterious storm bestows the PCs with psychic powers which they use to discover their town is full of disguised monsters. A cult knows about the phenomena and plans to use it to their advantage. The twist being the PCs are doomed to become monsters themselves.

The Dispatchers is a campaign with PCs regularly tuning-in to a late night radio station. This is presented as a monster-of-the-week format with them investigating and vanquishing supernatural foes. There are plenty of locations to investigate and adventure seeds from the radio show. A great idea.

So we come to the appendices which has a useful character sheet, a scenario worksheet and a comprehensive index. This is a lengthy review but is warranted as this game is a masterclass in horror and giving Call of Cthulhu a run for its money. Don’t be put off by the narrative approach as it only helps to strengthen the horror elements through storytelling which most of us will have participated in on camping trips late at night around the embers of a dwindling fire.

My highest recommendation.

What’s better than zombies? Why more zombies of course! We seem to have a never ending appetite for this genre. Is it something about our friends and loved ones turning into blood thirty brain-munching undead monsters, or perhaps it’s the survival horror aspect where well known locations are no longer safe and death is everywhere, the creeping inevitability that no matter how far you run or how hard you fight you will eventually join their ranks? Evil Genius Games seem to think so and have released the Return of the Living Dead Cinematic Sourcebook for their Everyday Heroes TTRPG.

This is an update to the kickstarter product I enthusiastically reviewed here: https://open.substack.com/pub/warrenda/p/return-of-the-living-dead?r=3pan0m&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Along with my equally enthusiastic Everyday Heroes TTRPG review here:

So let’s get munching!

The Return of the Living Dead Cinematic Sourcebook is a 162-page full-colour release available in PDF and coming soon in softcover. You can download the digital version for $29.99 from Evil Genius Games website: https://evilgeniusgames.com/shop/return-of-the-living-dead-cinematic-sourcebook/ for which I thank them for my review copy.

The Return of the Living Dead Cinematic Sourcebook adds to an ever growing and impressive line of supplements for the Everyday Heroes TTRPG and if you have read any of them you’ll be instantly at home here as the format makes for an fun and enjoyable read with a great contents page crucial for easy referencing in-game. First off the bat I have to say while the artwork in the Kickstarter was fantastic this final release really knocks it out of the park. There are some phenomenal pieces in here so do yourself a favour and print out some undead eye candy to visually complement your game.

This is a combined source book and adventure collection covering hero options and new rules with the real meat and bones, the four included adventures for you and your players to chomp your way through. You can easily turn this into a campaign or, if you prefer, one-shots.

Part I is a short introduction into the world of zombie movies starting with the

The Return of the Living Dead in 1985, Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), Return of the Living Dead Part III (1993), Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, and Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave released back-to-back in 2005. Night of the Living Dead is also given an honorable mention. This sets you up nicely for what’s to come with the world of the living dead and the deadly chemical Trioxin responsible for all the zombies shenanigans in the first place.

We are presented with a fascinating timeline of events starting in 1968 with the first outbreak and culminating in the sale of Trioxin on the black market and the inevitable fallout in 2005.

Part II is all about hero options starting with origins. Want to try something fun? Then why not be one of the Living Dead! But hey it’s more fun to play as different types of zombies right? So we’re given the Fresh Meat and Work Food varieties. Those still living can choose the Military Brat, Punk Rocker, and Veteran of ‘69.

Next we have several new professions appropriate to the setting: Darrow Chemical Exec, DJ, Drug Dealer, Grave Robber, Medical Supply Worker, Mortuary Service, Paramedic, and Sleep Agent. And we’re not done yet as there are two new Classes.

The Final Girl prepares for all eventualities whether it’s exams or survival, the Postmortem Technician has the fun task of cleaning up the Trioxin mess, while the Rageful Dead (the name says it all really.) has alarming anger issues. All these look fun to play and highlight the tongue-in-cheek approach of the game and the movies themselves. There’s some new gear to toy around before leading into…

Part III: new rules where the Trioxin legacy is covered in gruesome detail, from the chemical itself (in a word avoid) to its undead offspring in the form of faster, smarter and tougher zombies who will certainly give your PCs a run for their money. There’s rules for when you’re bitten and how long before you join the ranks of the undead only to suffer overexposure and bodily trauma from bleached bones to broken bones and severed limbs. And rules for called shots, non-lethal takedowns, and zombie traps.

**SPOILERS AHEAD!**

The rest of the book covers the adventures, starting with Typical Army Fuck Up. Intended for a group of three to five 2nd-level heroes and set in 1969, it chronicles how the first zombie outbreak may have occurred. We start appropriately enough in a hospital in the dead of night with the PCs working the graveyard shift. An experiment goes awry in the morgue releasing Trixoin gas and reanimating the corpses inside triggering a lockdown. We then have the classic formula of surviving a zombie attack trapped in a building you can’t easily escape from.

Two gorgeous maps illustrate the hospital’s basement and first floor and will definitely enhance your VTT or around the table experience.

The situation rapidly gets out of hand and expands into the city streets where the PCs interact with colourful NPCs and become involved in a thrilling car chase. Will the PCs escape or will they perish? The adventure provides NPC and zombie stats and four pre-generated characters to facilitate a quick start.

Children of the Living Dead is intended for a group of three to five 3rd-level heroes, set in 1992 it showcases a road trip into hell beginning with a gas station encounter where appearances can be deceptive. The PCs help a young woman who is undergoing zombification thanks to a sinister cult calling itself the Church of Restoration. The PCs unwittingly bring her to the town of Dead Creeks Farm where the real fun begins. Suffice to say the cult turns up for hero horderves leading to a climatic fight in a church. Again we have some lovely maps, this time of the town and church. NPC stats and five pre-generated characters round this one out.

Send More Paramedics! is intended for a group of three to five 3rd level heroes to be completed in a single session. Set during 4th July 1984 and happening alongside the events in The Return of the Living Dead movie the PCs play both paramedics and law enforcement officers called out to the Resurrection Funeral Home. This one is fast paced, centred on a 3-hour window in the early morning.

This one kicks off immediately with the PCs under assault by a zombie horde and their attempts to escape the beleaguered Louisville. The fast-moving plot is punctuated by a concise timeline of events which is guaranteed to leave the PCs breathless at its conclusion. And beautiful maps once again! This time of the funeral home, a city street, and a chemical plant.

The final adventure, The Last Ride, is intended for a group of three to five 3rd-level heroes and set in 2025. This time the PCs play geriatric zombie wannabes planning to escape their retirement home, and with equipment limited to a wheelchair they really have their work cut out for them! Definitely tongue-in-cheek, this one is my favourite as it's quirky while still maintaining that zombie horror movie vibe. We have two maps of the retirement home and five pregenerated characters well into their 80s to confound your players. This will make for a compelling one-shot.

Oh wait there’s more!

Part IV lists numerous novel zombie templates to add some spice. There’s the Trioxin, floater, fresh cadaver, bleached and burnt boners, tarman, and megamouth. Then there’s the final zombie monster manual with over 30 new zombies and even some ghouls to throw into the mix.

So there you have it, a mightily meaty marvel which will provide hours of gruesome gaming before it's stripped down to the bone.

Highly recommended.