Freeport: City of Adventure Review (Pen & Paper RPGs Scan)
Freeport: City of Adventure
Freeport has been Green Ronin's
signature setting of pirate adventure and Cthulhoid madness since the
early days of the d20 System boom. The setting launched with the
ENnie
award-winning adventure “Death in Freeport”, and has seen
several other adventure modules as well as multiple setting
expansions centered around the flagship title “Freeport: City of
Adventure”. In
2006 the setting went “system agnostic” with the publication
of the “Pirate's Guide to Freeport” which contained no system
stat blocks at all. This book was followed (slowly) by a series of
“Freeport Companions” for different systems, all containing
similar information tailored to different game systems. At this
point, the line includes companion books for True 20, 3rd
Era (d20 System), Savage Worlds, Pathfinder, and Fate.
In 2013, Green
Ronin funded the production through Kickstarter of a single
massive tome combining the Pirate's Guide and the Companion material
as well as a metric ton of new stuff produced just for the book. New
monsters, new characters, and new adventures all drove the page count
of this new volume to a whopping 544 pages, all of it written
specifically for the Pathfinder system. The printed copy costs $74.99
if you can lift it. There are two PDF versions; the first is the
whole book at $29.99 and the second is the player's guide, lifting
just the classes, gear, and spellcraft from the main book for 133
pages priced at $9.99. The big question is, “Is it worth it?”
If the premise of the setting appeals
to you at all, the material is well-written with excellent graphic
design. The book looks great. It includes rules for insanity and
corruption that allow characters to sell a piece of their soul for
increased power. All of the signature classes are revised to keep up
with changes in the Pathfinder system, and the monsters are very
evocative of the twin themes of pirate adventure and cultic horror.
The adventure module is easy to follow and serves as an excellent
introduction to the game. The stat blocks are easy to read, the
classes are easy to understand, and the rules are all clear and
concise. The technical writing on the book is exemplary in its
expression of the setting and theme.
My one complaint is the setting
material, which is presented in the same kind of dry, history
textbook format that has dominated RPG design since the 80s. The city
is divided into districts with details about the businesses and
personalities dribbled in gazeteer style. The characters are all
segregated into a single block of pages disconnected from the
geographic locations they influence. It is mildly interesting reading
if you're researching in preparation for a game, but it doesn't form
any kind of coherent narrative at all. Even the historical summary at
the beginning of the book is written as if it were an academic paper.
At every point that the rules served to reinforce the themes of the
book for me, the setting information did nothing to maintain it. As a
GM resource, this is all-encompassing and complete. As player
material, it's really pretty dry.
So what do you do if you already have
the previous books? (Not that I, um, know anyone like that...) Are
the new monsters, characters, and adventures worth the hefty price
tag? If you judge the book just on the new material, counting rules
revisions as new material, maybe only 25% of the book cannot be found
elsewhere. And of the revised material, much of it can be had from
the player's guide excerpt. This book replaces both the Pirate's
Guide and the Companion for Pathfinder, and includes quite a lot of
material about the cults as well, without actually being a reprint of
“Cults of Freeport”. The Pathfinder, True 20, or 3rd
Era player will find much of interest in this volume. Unfortunately
there is little to appeal to fans of Savage Worlds or Fate that
cannot be had from other sources for a much lower price. For the
completist, this volume is absolutely essential. For the casual fan,
it's more likely to be a PDF or player's guide purchase.
Welcome to Freeport! Come for the
pirates, stay for the cosmic horror!
Trials of the Magi
These tests compose the core fiction of Trials of the Magi, following the players as they guide mental projections of themselves through the strange and treacherous landscapes of the trials. The psychological and imagined nature of these landscapes allows the Game Master to create interesting and creative locations that can bend the laws of reality.
Where Trials of the Magi tries to shake the RPG formula is that in the game's fiction the "real" players are the ones actually being tested by the arcane scout. As such the mental projections that navigate the trials are literal representations of the players. Meaning they look, act and talk just as the players would. Not surprisingly, it is really easy to role-play yourself, making Trials of the Magi a great game for first time players of the hobby. It allows them to get familiar with navigating a shared fiction before trying their hand at more role-play intensive storytelling. This idea of the player being the character is expanded upon in the game’s mechanics, where a character’s strengths and abilities come from a player's real life experiences. These memories are written on custom dry erase cards [or blank Index cards] and a hand of these cards act as a player’s character sheet. No complex calculations or overabundance of stats. Just simple tactile mechanics that allow players to get into the game easily and quickly.
Dark Druids (Chaotic Henchman Productions)
Evil grows in Fang Forest! The Dark
Druids commit foul atrocities, holding no respect for human, plant,
or animal life. They abhor civilization, and have begun assassinating
key political figures and destroying settlements. As their horrible
influence expands, they have begun changing nature, distorting it to
their evil ways. In doing these things, the Dark Druids threaten the
very fabric of existence. Their terror must stop! Dark Druids
includes complete descriptions and maps for an outdoor area and a
three-level adventure site, and is easily adaptable to most campaign
settings. It also includes:
- Outline for continuing into the Claws in the Dark (2 pages)
- Robert J. Kuntz’s historical context and commentary on this module’s relationship to his campaigns of the 1970’s (2+ pages)
- New magic items and monsters (5 pages)
- Dark Druid variant class & Sect descriptions (4 pages), plus spell descriptions (6 pages) Features:
- System: For use with 1st Edition AD&D, and largely compatible with 2nd edition, the Basic game, the Original game, as well as the various clones and simulacra.
- Format: 56 pages, saddle stitched. Retro-style detached cover with maps on the cover interior.
TimeZero Tales (GRAmel Publishing)
Time Emergency! Operations teams Alpha,
Beta and Gamma to the briefing room! Prepare to intervene on the
timeline! GRAmel's line of time travel adventures takes you through
the mists of time to stop chronoterrorists, prevent time anomalies
and save the continuum from obliteration! The Tomorrow Bomb: Kaboom!
Second World War. With a single atomic explosion London is wiped out
by the Luftwaffe, during the Battle of Britain. But, wait a minute,
the Nazis aren't supposed to have an atomic bomb! The Operatives are
engaged in a race against time (no pun intended) to save the whole of
modern history! Nazis, heartless killers, a trickster from the past,
and the shadow of atomic annihilation await the players in this
scenario. The Mirrors of Carthage: A mysterious temporal anomaly is
detected by TimeGuard in Syracuse, Italy, 212 BC, just a few days
before the famous battle in which Archimedes, the mathematical
genius, was killed. Is it just a natural phenomenon, or something
darker happening in the far past? Sieges, battles, forbidden cults,
and the subtleties of Roman politics await the Operatives in the age
of the Punic Wars! Sunday Files Expansion - Inventors of the
Timeline: In this expansion you'll find useful information about the
Patent Office, a special branch of Timezero which must watch over the
greatest minds of the timeline. In this appendix are detailed several
known and unknown inventors of human history, men and women who with
their discoveries greatly furthered the advance of mankind. These
same people, if not monitored and controlled, could wreak havoc
throughout the entire continuum! In addition there are special rules
tweaks to help you play an inventor-type Operative!
Interface Zero 2.0 (Gun Metal Games)
In a not-so-distant future, the world
has been ravaged by global warming, subjected to the horrors of
nuclear war and natural disaster, witnessed the collapse of the
mightiest nation in the history of the world, and the rise of other
nations to take its place. In East Asia, the Bear and the Dragon
battle for control of the resource-rich continent, and an emergent
A.I. known only as Charon has destabilized the whole of Europe,
sparking revolution and chaos not seen since the Second World War. On
the North American continent, the prospect of conflict once again
rears its ugly head as terrorist bombings in Atlantica bring the
nation to the brink of war with the North American Coalition. Is this
the work of Charon, as well, or are other forces moving behind the
scenes? Only time will tell. Science has hacked the genome, unlocking
the secrets of DNA to facilitate the creation of new breeds of human;
genetic hybrids, human 2.0, and even simulacrum — a slave race
grown in amniotic vats and sold on the open market. Cybernetic
technology has reached the point where those with the money and the
will to do so, can become living machines. Computer science has grown
by leaps and bounds as well. Dubbed Interface Zero by those who
created it, the Tendril Access Processor — or TAP — downloads the
Global DataNet and Hyper Reality directly into the minds of billions
of users across the solar system, bringing the world an unparalleled
level of interconnectivity - and danger. Malware plagues the Deep,
and hackers manipulate the Tendril Access Processor to upload
malicious virii, steal secrets, and even the identities of the
unwary. A cyberpunk game powered by the Savage Worlds system,
Interface Zero 2.0 allows players to portray bioroids, full-metal
cyborgs, vat-grown simulacra, genetic hybrids, Human 2.0, and even
androids! Hack the world around you with revised hacking rules, take
control of a drone and lay down some fire-support for your team, or
get cybered with new cybernetics using these Fast, Furious, and Fun
rules!
World Wide Wrestling (NDP Design)
The World Wide Wrestling Roleplaying
Game enables you to create your own professional wrestling franchise
through play, showcasing satisfying and surprising storylines. It’s
about feuds, championships, betrayal, and righteous victory. It’s
about the clash of good and evil on the grandest stage. It’s about
whether you’ve got what it takes. And, in the end, it’s about
what the audience thinks of your efforts. Features:
- Supports in-ring action, backstage drama and the development of pro wrestling storylines that tie them together.
- Rules that create classic pro wrestling storylines while also allowing you room to subvert and invent your own.
- Provides all the tools for players unfamiliar with the genre to participate, while supporting fans in playing out their favorite wrestling tropes.
- Episodic play that accommodates irregular attendance and fluctuating group sizes.
- Powered by the Apocalypse
More Trails (Politically Incorrect Games / Precis Intermedia)
Keep the horses moving... This
supplement is designed to enhance and extend the Coyote Trail Wild
West Roleplaying Game with the following... Straddle County
Straddling both the Dominion of Canada and United States of America,
this county remains in legal limbo as both nations claim ownership.
The towns of Bucktooth and Maple Ridge work together to forge a
living, but the peace could be shattered at any time as a claim of
ownership is made. Includes an assortment of residents and locations
from which stories can be based, plus an introductory adventure.
Mysteries of the Mountain Does a fabled temple in the wilderness
really exist? And is it truly filled with those who possess powers
beyond comprehension and the treasures of dreams? Explore the
existence of martial arts in the Old West, but only with the patience
and endurance to prove one's worth. Includes a series of short,
connected scenarios. Other Trails Introduce the United States
Cavalry, Texas Rangers, Pony Express, and Pinkerton National
Detective Agency to your games with a series of articles designed to
do so in a simple and quick manner. Optional Rules Add epic sharps
and rings, epic gunfighters and gangs, clockwork appendages, and
advanced combat actions--pick and choose optional rules to enhance
the game in a particular way.
XP Award
Winston Crutchfield is the publisher
and small business service provider at Critical
Press Media. His current RPG project is Opposing
Forces: A Tactical Manual and Gallery of Opponents for the Fate
System. If you have requests or suggestions for reviews or new
information for the scan, you can find him on the Christian Geek
Central forum as "MindSpike". May your crits flow like
water!
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