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Tomes of Cthulhu
Publisher: Azukail Games
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/29/2016 13:02:41

This is an extremely well-done bit of Keeper prep that saves the busy Keeper quite a bit of time and effort. It contains 20 different tomes that are described in loving detail and include system agnostic information that is easily translatable into your Cthulhu gaming system of choice. You are required to do a bit of work to translate the books into SAN losses and/or Cthulhu Mythos knowledge (to use the Call of Cthulhu system as an example), but they provide a useful guideline phrase that gives you a sense of where those numbers ought to be.

The detail in the entries is fairly deep -- with thorough descriptions of the physical characteristics of the book, a detailed discussion of how the book was found or created in the first place (and, btw, they aren't all "books" -- some are carven stones, etc.) and where it might be found "today" (whenever "today" is in your game). Each entry is chock-full of the kinds of details that make it easy for the player to visualize the book, and the kind of information that the Keeper can dribble out to them as they research the item. In several cases, there are differing editions of the work as well, meaning you actually get quite a few more options than you might think for providing the information to the players. I can see this as being particularly useful to a Bookhounds of London (Trail of Cthulhu) sort of campaign. In short, very well done. One note of warning though; as a general rule, the books in here are more written for gaming eras from the Gaslight era (1890's) on; though with a bit of work (quite a bit in some cases) you could probably convert them to the dark ages or Roman empire eras. Still, in my limited experience, those earlier eras aren't quite as dependent on scholarly research (as opposed to information gathering by talking to people or physically surveying a given site) as the later eras are, so your mileage may vary, and since the original sources of the books are usually described (the soapstone carvings that Darwin recorded, for instance), you can possibly have your earlier era characters stumble on the originals anyway.

Do you NEED this book? Not at all -- a good, imaginative Keeper or GM can easily develop books just as complex and rich as these; however if you're as busy as most of us are, you will definitely WANT this book; it will save you hours and hours of work that you can instead devote to other areas.

Physically, the quality of the PDF is excellent, with no scanning issues, good margins, and no coloring problems to make it hard to read or anything. I didn't notice a single misspellling or grammar error in the book either -- which, in today's world, is frankly rather amazing. All in all, well worth acquiring for your Cthulhu gaming needs. The price is good at $3.00 on sale, or $4.00 regularly, so all-in-all, I'd say this is well worth the purchase price.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Tomes of Cthulhu
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Titan Map
Publisher: Arion Games
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/28/2016 13:40:40

First, let me say, it's a good map, and it's well scanned and presented. However, it's the same exact map that's in the book "Titan." If you own Titan, you have this map. There's nothing new here per se; no additional information, no new names, no extra detail. Charging $3.00 for the same exact thing you already own seems...a bit steep, I guess.

Now, if you DON'T own Titan, I can see this might be a useful way to see the world, but frankly, I think you'd be MUCH better off buying Titan -- you get the map, AND you get the background information that allows you to effectively run AFF in the world it was set in in the game books; all in all, a much better deal and a much more efficient use of your money.

Anyway, that's why I gave it an overall "3" -- it's a "nice to have," I guess, but for $3.00, not so much. I'd strongly recommend you commit that $3.00 towards the purchase price of the AFF Book Titan instead; you won't regret it.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Titan Map
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Creator Reply:
It is pretty much the same map, although it is newly drawn. What i would also say is that this is a high-res image that could easily be printed as an A1 poster without any pixelation etc. Whether that is a benefit to you will vary by customer of course!
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Rocket Age - The Lost City of the Ancients
Publisher: Why Not Games
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/05/2015 12:44:30

Excellent beginning adventure, with all the "pulp" features you could want; lots of potential complications, a race for the maguffin, competing factions, aliens, Nazis...what else could you ask for? The adventure includes all the information you need to play, including details on the key NPCs and adventure spots, and it flows well while giving the players lots of choices to make along the way. Heck if you re-skinned it and set it in Africa or Central America in the 1930's you'd have a plot for the next Indiana Jones movie. Cubicle 7 has done it again! Plus, it's free.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Rocket Age - The Lost City of the Ancients
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Cthulhu Britannica London Boxed Set
Publisher: Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/17/2015 18:52:08

This product is a result of a major Kickstarter effort launched back in November (and concluding on 12 December) of 2012. It's been a long time coming, but is well worth the wait thus far. There are three basic "books" in the package; a Keepers' Guide, an Investigators' Guide, and a package of handouts for the included scenarios. Kickstarter Backers should note that the adventures do NOT include the forthcoming "Curse of Nineveh" package promised as part of the Kickstarter and are instead a series of stand-alone scenarios for use in London and it's immediate environs.

Like all Cthulhu Britannica products, this one does a superb job of helping players get into the setting being provided, but this one goes a good step further than any of the previous ones have; perhaps fitting considering that we are discussing "the Smoke," the largest city in the world at the time. There is generally excellent discussion of the city overall, most of the major districts, and many of the nuances that make each district unique within Greater London. In addition there is a ton of background information on the 1920s in England and London particularly (train stations and their various connections are amazingly important...and thoroughly discussed) in the book along with lots of tid-bits of local color and history which will inspire even the most casual leader to hit the internet to find out more. Speaking as an American player, one of the more jarring things for me (as it would have no doubt been had I been alive in the 1920s and ventured into London) is the lack of Prohibition, but that alone may provide an extra incentive for your wealthier (dare I say it -- more dilletantish) characters to go to London in the first place! There are many detailed maps of various locales within London, including parks, zoos, museums and so on, along with quite a few period photographs that will help the players visualize both the location and the era. The attention to detail on this one has been simply fantastic, and while it still can't come close to covering everything there is to know about London, this is far and away the best effort yet. Comparing this to the old "London Guidebook" is like comparing Shakespeare to Gershwin -- both are great in their particular areas, but in the big scheme of things, there is just no comparison. I suspect when we are holding the finally completed package together with all the extra goodies we helped fund through the Kickstarter, we will have the last word in 1920s London at our fingertips. Cubicle 7 has done another fantastic job thus far, and I can hardly wait to get the hard copy in my hot little hands!

Overall the quality of the reproduction on this one is unsurpassed -- not surprising when you consider it was probably a copy (more or less) of the files to be sent to the printer, as opposed to a scan of an already extant product. Purchasers of this item will definitely not regret picking it up!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Cthulhu Britannica London Boxed Set
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Investigator Weapons, volume 2
Publisher: Sixtystone Press
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/09/2015 16:56:33

Like volume 1, this volume provides detailed rules and discussions on a wide variety of firearms, this time running from roughly the period of World War II to the present day. The purpose of the book is to provide Keepers and Investigators alike with detailed role-playing rules and procedures for simulating combat with modern firearms. In addition, this volume includes a bonus section on how to convert the information for use with 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu rules. Given that the actual conversion process is not difficult, this isn't actually vital, but it is a very nice touch.

The discussion and pictures provided for each firearm, along with the tabular information make this book an outstanding addition to any role-player's library, even if they do not play Call of Cthulhu or use the BRP rules as the basis for their game. Enough information is provided to permit any intelligent GM to use the information in his/her Top Secret; Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes; or apocalyptic end-of-the-world game to make it useful almost anywhere.

The quality of the PDF is high, and it would easily be printed out if the Keeper so desires, without any fear of loss of content or any excessive use of ink to do so (other than, perhaps, for the cover). It is a worthy successor to Volume 1 and I was very glad to add it to my library even though my CoC campaigns are usually in the "classic" era instead of the modern one. I can strongly recommend this for anyone interested in an excellent interpretation of modern firearms for RPGs, especially if you are using BRP or Call of Cthulhu rules to run your game, but frankly it is so well done that even the non-RPGer with an interest in modern firearms could purchase and enjoy this book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Investigator Weapons, volume 2
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Die Glocke
Publisher: Pelgrane Press
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/30/2013 15:02:23

An outstanding summation of the publicly available information on the "glocke" project. Provides excellent ideas for use in your RPG, and even actually describes what the facility probably ACTUALLY was (definitely not what the conspiracy nuts think). Reproduction is excellent and looks very printer friendly. The price wasn't bad either. Kenneth Hite is a real gem in that he can pull together these widely disparate sources and tie them up so that it looks like a really neat conspiratorial package that can easily be used to generate a scenario or even an entire campaign. As a general rule, I recommend anything he writes as highly valuable reading material, and "Die Glocke" is no exception. Five stars.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Die Glocke
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Eldritch Flora
Publisher: DRAKAT Games
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/11/2013 03:21:08

Another nicely done little monograph revolving around the fictitious Dark Isle off the coast of England. In addition to providing you with some very useful little plants, this is a truly effective way for DRAKAT games to build up the background of their scenario setting. One of the nice things is that they provide you with an alternative to each of the deadly plants that makes them merely annoying, or even allows you to simply treat the whole thing as a ridiculous local legend, while still providing you with some excellent descriptions of out-of-the-ordinary plants with which you can spice up your normal scenario descriptions. I enjoyed this one as much as I have all the others. And the price is certainly right as well.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Eldritch Flora
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Mutable Deceptions, Vol 1: Jazz Age Newspapers
Publisher: Cthulhu Reborn
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/11/2013 03:17:15

An outstanding little game master's aid for early modern games, especially anything set in the world of gangsters, or Call of Cthulhu. The system is simple to use (though it would have been really amazing to have a number of different "backings" to substitute as well as being able to re-type the articles), and provides multiple types and lengths of articles for the astute Keeper to use in leading his Investigators down the garden path. In addition to providing realistic props for home-brewed scenarios, for those playing a long campaign, wherein the investigators have hired a "cutting bureau" to seek out articles of interest for them, it provides a wonderful opportunity for the Keeper, with minimal effort, to provide them with numerous scenario openings. It would work even better with a free-flow campaign structure like Masks of Nyarlothotep. All in all, I give this one a solid five for workmanship, flexibility, and ease of use.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Mutable Deceptions, Vol 1: Jazz Age Newspapers
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Mythos Tales
Publisher: At the Table Games
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/22/2013 13:31:42

Billed as a very shortened version of rules to allow some easy roleplaying in the Cthulhu Mythos, the rules are, alas, too short. They lack the necessary detail to permit all but the most experienced Keepers to use them in any meaningful way. There is no discussion of what the players or keeper are supposed to do with the values generated, and no guidance whatsoever on how to fit the values into an existing scenario or campaign. Even a brief example of play (a paragraph or two) would have enormously improved the value of this document. It seems as if the author assumed a great deal of knowledge on the reader's part -- an assumption that usually proves wrong with this kind of material. One more page of explanation or examples would have made this item worth having. As it is, I can only thank my lucky stars that I didn't actually pay anything for this, because even a dime would have been too much. Were the author to go back and flesh it out even a teeny bit, my rating would undoubtedly be much higher, but as it stands, I can't give it anything other than a "two." As always, the production values of the scan were outstanding. RPG Now continues to be the "go to" place for generally outstanding production values for PDFs.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Mythos Tales
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your review. The values generated during character creation are the difficulties used during the game and also work as a pacing mechanism for the game. The bottom paragraph of "Playing the Game" tells you how to remove the dice when the players hit one of the triggers above. The game is meant for one-shot play and so I never imagined discussing long-term play. I agree that the game could improve with some examples of play to be sure and I will see what I can do about that. Again, I am glad you to the time for your review and I'm sorry you felt less than fulfilled with the product.
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The Unspeakable Oath 19
Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2012 15:44:44

The Unspeakable Oath is an excellent magazine dedicated to all things Cthulhu which invariably has superb reviews, excellent information and widely usable supplemental material including items, books, spells, artifacts and so on. In addition there is normally a ready-to-play scenario that the Keeper can use with little or no adjustment to add a little something extra to his campaign, or to provide a handy one-night-stand kind of adventure to keep everyone busy. Nr. 19 carries on the tradition with several examples of every one of them (with the exception of artifacts, where "only" one is provided -- but a very intriguing one, at that), including two scenarios, one of which ("the Brick Kiln") is set in 1930's England, while the other ("Suited and Booted") is set in 1920's London. I won't tell you much about them in order to avoid spoilers, but, while I have yet to actually run them, they seem to be well constructed (indeed, the first has some detailed maps and information that could play a role in an on-going campaign for some time to come), and with no glaringly evident pitfalls which will derail the adventure for either the Keeper or the Investigators. Of particular note in this issue is one of the NPCs outlined in a separate article -- Bernice Cartfield -- billed as "A Delta Green Antagonist." She is very fully fleshed out with a lot of motivational and historical details provided which would make her a joy to run, and even has an interaction matrix which allows you to determine her most likely course of action depending on how the Investigators see her, and how she sees them. While she is billed as being for Delta Green, it would be remarkably easy to switch her to any other era where a woman can function at least marginally without a male "sponsor." Overall, this one easily earns a "five" from me, speaking as a long-time Keeper. From a Player's perspective, the magazine may not be as user-friendly since it seems to be more intended for the Keeper-centric audience (though the reviews alone make it worth the price to my mind), and frankly, as a Keeper, I used to severely restrict what my Players were allowed to read (which worked out okay because we each ran our own campaigns in some RPG system or another and always had plenty of our own stuff to read, even if we were restricted in each others' universes. But I digress. For Keepers, this is definitely worth the money, and for Players, it's still pretty darn good, though you'll find less general goodness for Players in this issue than in some others.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Unspeakable Oath 19
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Campaign 1: Secrets of the Ancients
Publisher: Mongoose
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/24/2012 12:08:22

I haven't played Traveller in years, but this is an intriguing thing that RPG Now and the folks who make Traveller did -- offer a campaign setting for free! SOTA is based on an old "classic" Traveller supplement (oddly enough, also called "Secrets of the Ancients" :-) ), though in that case it wasn't a full-blown campaign so much as a small area adventure (like some of the old AD&D modules). This one presents a full up campaign similar to the kinds of things offered for Call of Cthulhu. There are a series of adventures the characters work through, learning more about what's REALLY going on in known space each step of the way, until, at the climax, they get the big reveal. It looks pretty well paced, with enough information to keep them involved and lead them to the next adventure, and even a few red herrings thrown in for fun (which could be parleyed by a witty GM into side adventures of their own), however the adventure is pretty linear and tends to force the players down a specific path to resolution. Again, a witty GM could probably overcome that and provide more links and options between the sub-adventures to allow the players to navigate a bit more freely between them, but given the steadily escalating nature of the events and opponents (always a problem with games that have "levels" for their characters), that may not be really desirable. Still, for the price, it's a great set-up and provides everything the GM and players need to start adventuring in the galaxy of Traveller; I highly recommend it. The production values are high, and there's plenty of material here for the players and the GM to mull over and digest. Even though it's offered for free, the designers didn't skimp on it at all. Based on the price alone, I'd probably give it a "four" or "five," but given the high production and design values and the price, this one really earns a "six!"



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Campaign 1: Secrets of the Ancients
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Dragon Reaches Map
Publisher: Brittannia Game Designs Ltd
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/24/2012 11:52:19

It's a map. Production values are high, as always, but it's basically just a map. You can use it as the basis for your campaign, or you can mine it for ideas to include in your own campaign world maps. The price was good, though (free), so I chose to pull it down hunting for ideas for my own fantasy world. You can't really go wrong with free, though, so I encourage you to give it a whirl.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dragon Reaches Map
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Adventure Module BL1-2: The Ruined Hamlet/Terror in the Gloaming
Publisher: Barrataria Games
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/24/2012 11:49:20

This is actually a very nice little opening adventure area for groups of low rated Characters (really levels 1-3 for D&D). I picked it up for use with "The Fantasy Trip," and I think it will do very nicely for introducing some new characters (especially if the Players have never done "Fantasy Role Playing" before) to the concepts and ideas without overwhelming them. It lays out the basic ruined village and the surrounding areas for the players to adventure in, gives them a relatively tough monster to tackle at some point, and there are plenty of things for them to do which can earn them rewards. All in all, its a pretty classic introductory set-up, though it does lack a "home base" area a la "Village of Hommlet" for the players to work from. Still, this could easily be combined with "Village" or the "Caves" setting from classic D&D to provide a relatively complex area for the beginning characters to work through and having enough stuff in it so that the players won't be railroaded into any particular set of adventures -- always a plus when first working with a new group. In fact, there would be so much stuff in such an area that they might not even get to it all! Anyway, I enjoyed reading this one and can see how it would be easy to work into as a start for a much bigger campaign. I haven't tried it out on my players yet, but give me time; I think they'll love it. Production quality is pretty good (basically on a par with the classic AD&D Modules from yesteryear) and easy to read. RPGNow's production values are high as usual. The module includes some handouts and mostly blank map sheets for the players (par for the course with these modules), and is friendly to the GM. Overall, a good solid effort, only slightly marred by the lack of a working village or hamlet as a base area. I give it a "four."



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Adventure Module BL1-2: The Ruined Hamlet/Terror in the Gloaming
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Halls of Horror
Publisher: Tabletop Adventures, LLC
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/24/2012 11:38:11

This is a nicely illustrated (and fully furnished) little supplement of a haunted mansion (or evil cult headquarters, or what have you) based on the old House of Hell supplement from Games Workshop. Basically they deleted the original plot line (developed by Steve Jackson, of all people -- one of my favorite game designers) and "repurposed" the house to serve as a backdrop for anything you want to use it for. It is primarily useful for GM's who don't have a lot of time to draft something up for themselves, but still need a large mansion for their players to work through. This one is better illustrated than many (though I have seen better). There are additional items of furniture and scenery that can be photocopied and cut apart to create new areas and obstacles for your players, including underground elements such as a minecar railway (for those Indiana Jones moments) and tunnels. There's also a section suitable for creting lawns and gardens. Overall I give this one a "four" simply because of the artwork, which is quite evocative. Keep in mind though, you aren't getting any kind of plot line, just a background against which you can adventure. In addition to this as a source of ideas, you may also want to look at "This Old Haunted House," and "This Old Haunted House, Too," both by Chaosium for Call of Cthulhu.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Halls of Horror
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Creator Reply:
Jeffrey seems to have misplaced this review, which was apparently written for some type of map or scenery product. While "Halls of Horror" is a supplement of a haunted mansion (or what have you), and is intended to be useful for GMs who don't have a lot of time, it does not have furnishings or scenery to photocopy, or (sadly) a minecar railway. It does have read-aloud descriptions of spooky houses to share with players, to help them envision the setting in which their characters may find themselves. "Halls of Horror" does not have any type of plot line either, but it adds to adventures and is a source of ideas for GMs.
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Trail of Cthulhu: Bookhounds of London
Publisher: Pelgrane Press
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/24/2012 01:30:26

This is a pretty interesting variant on the usual "heroic Investigators versus the great unknown" theme of most CoC campaigns (or Tail of Cthulhu campaigns for that matter). While most of the stuff published for Trail thus far has been the dark and depressing kind (which, while it's true to the spirit of most of HPL's works is nonetheless...well...dark and depressing), and this one is too, this one at least provides a structure and REASON why the players are acting that way. Not because of their inherently nihilist state of mind, but rather because they need to make a quick buck (or pound, in this case) in order to put bread and milk in the icebox. The investigators can be one of several types of "bookhounds" which are specialty occupations (with their own advantages and disadvantages) in search of those rare tomes and volumes so desperately sought after by evil wizards and "Dudley Do-Rights" alike, with the added incentive of being able to discover nefarious plots and decide what to do about them. The characters are gritty, no better than they have to be, and just as likely to commit a crime in order to accomplish their goal as not. Sort of like Kolchak: the Night Stalker in that sense -- balancing on that thin gray area between the legal and the downright illegal, and frequently crossing from one side to the other as the adventures go on.

The book provides a campaign setting based in post-Great War London, though it would be relatively easy to transpose it to any major western city (such as New York or even LA for that noir effect) or time. The rules are complete (though you DO need Trail of Cthulhu to understand the mechanics of the game system), and provide plenty of ideas and concepts to allow you to run your players through this type of campaign. While as I noted above pretty much all of the stuff published for Trail to date have been darkly themed, and this one isn't that much different, it feels more pulpish than the others and, as noted, could easily be transformed into something a little less "futile" in terms of long-term outcome. Really the premise of the campaign setting is absolutely brilliant -- where else can you come up with a valid reason for allowing the players to get their hands on something truly awesome in terms of forbidden lore without having them actually confront Great Cthulhu in the process? Plus, given that the business they are in is SELLING BOOKS, you can just as easily take it away from them ("What, that old leather-covered Manuscript with the cramped lettering by Olaus somethingorother, and the worm damage?" the aged proprietor responded to my urgent question; "I sold that to a gentleman that came in last week. Got a tidy sum for it too. You really need to see if you can find another copy!")

All in all, Kenneth Hite continues to demonstrate why he is one of the best horror and fantasy authors writing today. This supplement is a must-own for any Keeper looking for a new hook to get his campaign off the ground. As always it is well written, succinct (which might just be another way of saying "well written"), with plenty of great ideas and plot seeds for the alert GM to follow. I strongly recommend this volume to everyone!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Trail of Cthulhu: Bookhounds of London
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