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Raiders of the Serpent Sea Campaign Guide (PDF Version)
by Kristin [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/11/2024 12:31:50

The story, lore, setting, and character creation options are amazing, and my party is already having so much fun with this. My only issue is with how the material is organized. There's the 500-page campaign book, the 70-page player's guide, and a 50-page GM's reference guide, and not a lot of info is duplicated between them.

The setting is beautifully complex, but the campaign guide spreads out a lot of the information, so you really need to read the whole thing to get the context you need to run it properly. For example, it took me forever to get all the information that led to the very first plot hooks in the prologue. There are callouts that will tell you that a detail will be important later, but they don't always tell you where, or how critical the information is (like when the party members are asked what their favorite fish is in Chapter 3 because of how one part of a dungeon crawl is flavored in Chapter 11).

Also, as cool as all of the new options are for background, species, and sub-class, there's not much guidance for DMs on running the game with those options in mind. For example, what relationship could an Ironwood Warlock have with the Ironwood trees? How will it impact the story if a PC is discovered to be a Tuss? What happens if a player picks the Vigilant One epic background, but their species is Wicker? Every option comes with a lot of story implications, but it's not always clear what those implications are.

The combat was also extremely difficult to get organized, partially because a large number of the encounters didn't have battle maps (despite the incredibly detailed descriptions of the combat scene and the emphasis on a tactical approach), and also because it wasn't always clear how many enemies were actually in each area on the map. It was like, "There's a wooden fort with 7 buildings and 100 feet of open area. The druid will retreat with any remaining raiders to the 40-foot shrine and cast Spike Growth so that it covers 10 feet outside the shrine with the rest of it inside the shrine." That's a bit high-level for theater of the mind, so I had some difficulty illustrating this for my players.

Despite my complaints, this book is worth the money and effort. The setting and lore are rich with fun Viking flavor, and the scope and scale of it just helps the players feel like even more epic heroes. It's gritty, it's adventurous, it's scary, it's heartfelt, it's fun, and it's everything you could hope for in a Viking-themed D&D adventure.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Raiders of the Serpent Sea Campaign Guide (PDF Version)
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Faces of Evil
by Olivier [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/03/2024 10:03:58

This product is surprizingly good for a free Rpg adventure : in a desert town, the players are confronted to mysterious disappearances and have to find out what happened to the missing people or even to save them. I think this adventure can be adapted to any medieval fantasy Rpg but be aware it requires an expert gamemasters and clever players. Congrats to the writers and let them continue !



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Faces of Evil
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Fallout: The Roleplaying Game - Map Pack 1: Vault (PDF)
by Kaylin [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/03/2024 08:27:35

Good product but awful price.

TLDR: The cliff-notes - WAIT FOR A SALE!

Content: Good maps in PDF and VTT / 14 pages of Adventures with very short encounters adjusted for different party levels that are very basic so meh something most dms could think of just simple with a handful of generic npc stats and some small loot tables. / The last 4 pages are cover art, contents, description of what is in it. and a page for credits to creators on it.

Full review: This book has the first 4 pages (counting the cover) has the credits to those that work on the book, the cover, the contents (really small but whole page with a vault logo, and the WHATS INCLUDED IN THIS MAP PACK. No idea why it needed a full page for this but its there. Then you get full pages of 8 maps through the pdf and you do get VTT images outside of it which is nice. This would be worth 10 or 15 tops with the little adventure that is very basic being 14 pages with some decent art. So for me this should be a 15 dollar max book cause of the maps. Modiphous really is penny pinching this series but at least the 2 current core books are decent price as a pdf. This book I feel should be 10 USD or 15 cause the adventure is lackluster while the other adventure books are perfectly priced for what you get around 7 dollars 50 or so for the current time.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game - Map Pack 1: Vault (PDF)
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Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Vive La Resistance (PDF)
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/25/2024 23:52:39

Resist the Mythos - a Mephisto review

Vive La Resistance

The resistance movements in World War 2 are the subject of the sourcebook Vive la Résistance!, which opens up new character options, opponents, allies, and game scenarios for Achtung! Cthulhu. The book begins with a brief introduction to the world of Achtung! Cthulhu, which is redundant to the basic rule book. It then introduces the thematic background of the resistance movements. In doing so, the book presents resistance fighters as potentially heroic characters who are heavily outmatched by their opponents, but also points out that this background includes sensitive issues of real war topics. Therefore, the usual security mechanisms at the gaming table, such as lines and veils, are also briefly introduced here. 

The first chapter provides a concise outline of the resistance movements during the World War 2. While the focus here is on France, Poland, Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, but also Germany and Italy are referenced. In its condensed form, this chapter provides a quick overview of the respective resistance movements and their development, but mainly touches on names, a few dates, and some basic information. 

The following chapter on character creation is more detailed: With AssassinResistance LeaderSaboteur, and more, there are five new archetypes that can be combined with additional backgrounds and characteristics. In addition, there are further talents, so that the character options (including regular character creation) are generally expanded. Accordingly, the following chapter introduces new enemies and allies — both in the form of selected individual characters and archetype templates. 

Demons, which may only be manifestations of the mythos or possibly something else entirely, are given a special place here. These entities are also taken up in the magic chapter, which introduces the new magic school of Demonology with various spells. These can be used to summon demons or unleash demonic powers. 

There is also a chapter on equipment, which contains both everyday items and unusual, experimental equipment. To provide the game master with material, there are tables that can be used to roll dice and add details to missions. There are also five specific locations that can serve as a backdrop for missions, consisting of a hook, maps, and options for secondary objectives or complications. From a gala in a museum to an attack on a train station, these missions cover a broad spectrum. 

Vive la Résistance! primarily expands the character backgrounds with additional options and a slightly different style of play. In addition, Demonology adds an unusual branch of magic. Enemies, allies, and missions also provide the game master with a toolbox. Vive la Résistance! can also be a good addition to the game if you do not want to shift the focus to resistance movements but use the additional material for regular agents. In fact, the Resistance setting feels more removed from the Mythos and focuses more on the war theme, as the main focus here seems to be against the invaders and only secondarily against the Mythos. 

Opinions will also disagree on Demonology. On the one hand, this type of magic opens up more possibilities for the player characters, but on the other hand, classic demons do not fit in well with the cosmic horror of the Mythos. My impression here is that the intention was to give the resistance fighters a magical weapon without having to use the same corrupt Mythos powers as their opponents. I find this approach a bit black and white, also because the demons are portrayed purely as magical tools and not as corrupting evil. 

The characters are also portrayed in a somewhat clichéd way and, for example, like to make use of the image of the attractive young French woman (either heavily armed or as a femme fatale in an evening dress). 

Anyone who likes the new pulp approach of Achtung! Cthulhu will probably find these elements coherent, and also overlook the fact that the real oppression of the civilian population by fascist regimes during World War 2 is the subject of the game, which is certainly not for everyone's taste.

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Vive La Resistance (PDF)
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Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Operation Talisman (PDF)
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/25/2024 13:39:41

Mythos and war in the Pacific - a Mephisto review

Operation Talisman

Operation Talisman leaves the theater of war in Europe behind and leads agents of Majestic into the war into the Pacific in 1942. In the Philippines, the Americans are retreating from the Japanese invasion. However, rumors of unnatural attacks and supernatural shockwaves make it necessary to infiltrate enemy territory with a small team during the ongoing retreat in order to gather information and — if possible — recover artifacts. The agents for this mission are available as ready-made player characters who are well integrated into the setting and have to get behind enemy lines and gather information on their own. In addition to the dangers posed by the jungle and enemy patrols, it soon becomes clear that sinister forces are indeed at work…

Operation Talisman shifts the setting of Achtung! Cthulhu to the Pacific and places Majestic agents in the foreground, so that the ready-made characters can be helpful here. The characters face a tough expedition that confronts them with the dangers and horrors of war until they uncover the cthulhoid conspiracy. The challenge for the players is to decide when it is better to just gather information and when they should intervene, as the enemy forces outnumber them.

Operation Talisman offers an action-packed adventure that also addresses critical issues such as war crimes against the civilian population, bringing real war atrocities to the gaming table. Players also have to decide when to observe and when to intervene, which can change the adventure considerably. Apart from that, Operation Talisman revolves around a classic, tough operation against the forces of the Mythos in World War 2.

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Operation Talisman (PDF)
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Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Eat for Victory! - Recipe Book FREE PDF
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/25/2024 13:33:01

Cooking Cthulhu - a Mephisto review

Eat for victory!

For Achtung! Cthulhu, another free little sourcebook, has been published, which, as the title suggests, turns out to be a cookbook. Eat for Victory! contains four recipes, which are basically normal cooking recipes, but some ingredients have been adapted to the Cthulhu setting. Harissa squid, for example, is described here as Harissa Cthulhu, although it is stated that Cthulhu tentacles can also be replaced by normal squid. There is also a Moroccan almond cake, a cocktail and, as a fourth recipe, locusts prepared in mirin.

Even if the idea of a cookbook is interesting (other role-playing games have already gone down a similar path), the recipes here present somewhat difficult choices, as the grasshoppers are unlikely to be a suitable recipe for most readers, and many will not even dare to try squid.

In itself, the idea of the cookbook is nice, but simply using existing recipes from the Internet and only adapting the name and the description of an ingredient to the Cthulhu setting offers little added value for the game, so this book is only suitable for collectors who really want to have read everything about Achtung! Cthulhu - on the other hand, it's for free...

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Eat for Victory! - Recipe Book FREE PDF
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Mythic Commander Core Rulebook (PDF)
by devon Date Added: 01/22/2024 00:03:05

Just a few issues on roughly 1/3 of the pages included: all damage and status tokens entirely lack words and numbers, some knight units entirely lack a rider, some lines of text are "double stamped" randomly throughout the rulebook



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
Mythic Commander Core Rulebook (PDF)
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Kult: Divinity Lost - 4th Edition of Kult, Core Rules
by Stefan [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/11/2024 03:43:58

Wow, what a tome! I was super impressed by the extensive lore, the art, and the simplicity of the gameplay. Read a longer review here: https://stygian-muse.com/book-of-the-week-kult-divinity-lost-kickstarter-collectors-edition/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Kult: Divinity Lost - 4th Edition of Kult, Core Rules
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Guadalcanal Series Mission 1: Jungle Rot
by Joseph [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 12/09/2023 12:50:09

This is a fun pulp action adventure! Jungle Rot moves really fast and has a nice combination of roleplaying, exploration, and scenes where careful planning is needed to win the day. Also, nice use of historical details to make it feel authentic to the period. While the author warns that it takes two sessions to finish it, I was able to finish it in one session, making it a great one-shot candidate.

If you're going to GM this one and are interested in some tips and tricks, check out my full video review: https://youtu.be/LgfCWARhO6Q?si=tl5Om_GnvHkXCz9A



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Guadalcanal Series Mission 1: Jungle Rot
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Star Trek Adventures Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook PDF
by Damien [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/24/2023 19:19:14

Beautiful artwork, in-depth examinations of tons of Federation ships, and covers ships from ENT to STO. The only vessels left out are Lower Decks and Picard. A very useful reference with added bonuses compared to the ships added in Command Division.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Star Trek Adventures Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook PDF
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Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook PDF
by Damien [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/24/2023 08:59:26

To be honest, I'm immensely pleased with Modiphius as a publisher, they take a deep dive into the source material and bring a faithful recreation with a reasonably simple system and ruleset. Very happy to add this series to my collection.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook PDF
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Fallout: The Roleplaying Game: Winter of Atom PDF
by David [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/19/2023 20:51:11

Winter of Atom has a good story, optional survival mechanics, the beginnings of a settlement/reputation system, and a few pages that make combat encounters clearer, but I bought this book primarily for the new Gen 3 Synth player character background, given their importance in the world of Fallout 4. There are a total of 3 new backgrounds in Winter of Atom -- Gen 3 Synth, Protectron, and Child of Atom.

When the new Settler's Guide Book was released a few days ago, I quickly purchased it for the same reason -- the new character backgrounds, weapons, and craftable items to add to the core game -- only to find that it, too, contained the Gen 3 Synth and Protectron backgrounds, settlements/reputation covered in greater depth, and even the Salvaged Assaultron Head weapon stats (one of the big selling points of the Rust Devils content).

If, like me, you are mainly interested in system additions (characters, weapons, perks, etc) then my recommendation would be to skip this title and get the new Settler's Guide Book instead. I wish Modiphius provided more detail on their roadmap so we could get an idea of overlap within the published and upcoming Fallout 2d20 books -- it's frustrating to pay for the same content twice. Changing the statement "Create characters with new origin options: Generation 3 Synths, Protectrons, and Children of Atom" in the product description to "Winter of Atom contains previews of the Gen 3 Synth and Protectron backgrounds from the upcoming The Settler's Guide Book" would have let me know that I could wait for the next book.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game: Winter of Atom PDF
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Cohors Cthulhu RPG Quickstart (PDF)
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/14/2023 13:43:11
Fighting ancient evils in the ancient Roman Empire - a Mephisto review

Cohors Cthulhu

Even though the 1920s is the typical time period for stories set against the backdrop of the Cthulhu mythos, the Great Old Ones and other horrors of the mythos are far older than humanity. Therefore, it is not surprising that Cthulhu role-playing games repeatedly open up into other eras, such as the present time, World War 2, or the Middle Ages. Cohors Cthulhu presents the battle with the Cthulhu mythos against the backdrop of the Roman Empire.

The Cohors Cthulhu RPG Quickstart Guide gives a first look at the new setting and the underlying rules.

In Cohors Cthulhu, player characters once again face the horrors of the Mythos – be they sinister cults, monstrous creatures, or corrupted survivors of Atlantis. The Roman Empire has conquered large parts of the known world, but other powers operate in the background. Nyarlahotep corrupts the cults of other gods with his many masks; Sarthorthus tempts the survivors of Atlantis; and powerful beings slumber beneath the sea. The Deep Ones exact tribute from coastal cities, and the Mi-Go experiment on humans and plunder earthly resources.

Even though these horrors are everywhere, they operate secretly in the background. The player characters in Cohors Cthulhu are humans who come into conflict with forces of the Mythos and confront them – regardless of what corner of the Roman Empire or beyond its borders they come from. Not all of them fight on their own, as the Temperari, for instance, are supported by a Hyperborean warrior named Maeren in their fight against the Mythos, while the Fingers of Dawn recruit descendants of Atlantis for their struggle. On the opposite side are various cults, of which the Cult of Mormo is particularly influential and corrupts the north of Germania, while the legacies of Atlantis promise longevity and powerful artifacts.

Rules-wise, Cohors Cthulhu unsurprisingly relies on the 2d20 system, using a rules base developed further by Achtung! Cthulhu. Of course, the game statistics as well as the skills have been adapted, and some rules have been modified. As before, you have to roll several d20s compared to a threshold that is the sum of the corresponding attribute and skill, while the difficulty determines the number of successes needed.

Again, there are the rules for Momentum, which is gained from particularly successful tests and can be used to improve other tests. In addition, players can give Threat to the game master to make current tests easier, but the game master can use it to increase the difficulty later. Using Fortune, players have another option to make life easier for themselves and to repeat rolls, avoid defeat, etc.

Also adopted is the concept of Truths, which, analogous to the aspects of Fate, are short descriptions that can modify samples.

The combat system is based on stress, which is initially caused by attacks but simply dissipates between fights. Only when characters are hit particularly hard or often do they suffer injuries that can incapacitate them and affect them more in the long term. The combat system, which is more melee-based fitting to the setting, features two new concepts with Guard and Reach. Reach is the weapon's range, while Guard represents a character's readiness for defense. For example, if a character is thrown to the ground, they lose the Guard state and become easier to hit. Furthermore, weapons with a longer range have advantages.

Magic rules are also presented in short form, as in Achtung! Cthulhu, distinguishing between battlefield magic and ritual magic. Casting spells causes mental damage to the user, and spells must be prepared in advance.

While the rules section briefly outlines the background of the game and then presents the main rules (though without character creation), the bulk of the Quickstart is made up of the Rude Awakening adventure.

This story gets off to a fast start: The pre-made player characters are traveling with a caravan that is under attack. The action starts in the middle of the action, and once the attack is repelled, the player characters are supposed to get help in the next village. There they then stumble into a sinister plot because, in the village, they find traces of a cult that must be stopped before its influence becomes too great.

Without revealing more about the plot, the adventure mixes the classic “player characters must stop a dangerous ritual” approach with interesting enemies, making it an excellent introduction to Cthulhu threats in the Roman Empire.

The first impression Cohors Cthulhu gives is a solid, adapted rule base, with which Achtung! Cthulhu worked well, mixed with a background that offers many exciting possibilities. The adventure is good for a first impression, and the Quickstart is clearly and compactly put together, with illustrations worth seeing. The background is only touched upon, but it shows much potential.

The only thing that bothered me were some historical errors in the adventure. Even though potatoes in the cellar or weapons that are not contemporary are only details that can easily be corrected by the game master, I hope that the rule books will be more consistent in this regard. Nevertheless, Cohors Cthulhu offers a (free) Quickstart that Cthulhu fans should not miss getting a first look into this variant of the fight against the Great Old Ones and their followers.

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Cohors Cthulhu RPG Quickstart (PDF)
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Guadalcanal Series Mission 1: Jungle Rot
by James [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/11/2023 20:41:44

This is a very nice module that is well written. The scenario captures the Pacific atmosphere with its descriptions. I really like the text areas that are meant to be read to the players throughout the game. Also, the game is divided into Acts and scenes. So as a GM, one can plan when to take a pause or break in the game. I will be using this game to introduce my players to the Pacific Theater, which there is a lot of potential to play in. For a few bucks, this scenario is well worth it!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Guadalcanal Series Mission 1: Jungle Rot
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Sentience 2d20 Revised Core Rulebook
by Michael [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 11/08/2023 08:48:54

An intriguing concept that I don't think went far enough. I think that this needs more material to expand on Robot creation and background concepts., But, it uses 2D20 and it's very well done as far as it goes.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Sentience 2d20 Revised Core Rulebook
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