For Your Consideration

I'm sure, by this point, a lot of you are tired of hearing about more crowdfunding campaigns, but, after the success I enjoyed in my own, I feel I have an obligation to do so, especially when I think they're particularly worthy projects. Today, I present you with three, all three of which involve people I consider friends and all-around good guys.

The first is for the second edition of Goblinoid Games's Starships & Spacemen, an old school take on science fiction roleplaying on the Final Frontier (*wink, wink*). The second edition is not only revised and expanded but compatible with Labyrinth Lord, which increases its utility greatly, particularly for referees who like to throw phasers into their dragon's hoards.

The second is for Brave Halfling's Appendix N Adventure Toolkit series of modules in support of Goodman Games's Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. This looks to be a fun collection of adventures for DCC RPG. Plus, John is one of the nicest guys in the hobby and it's always a pleasure to see what he has in store.

The final one is for an unusual project called The Shadow Out of Providence: A Lovecraftian Metatext, which is a fancy way of saying it's a book comprised of two short stories and a play that it focuses on "Lovecraft the writer, the thinker, and the cultural phenomenon, rather than the sliver of his work on which most writers fixate." Old schoolers may find it of interest both because one of the contributors is Tim Hutchings of PlaGMaDA. In addition, the legendary Erol Otus is contributing artwork, two of which I reproduce below.

REVIEW: Blackmarsh

I'm usually down on gaming products that explicitly imitate -- or "ape" in my preferred phrase -- the graphic design of the older products they're meant to recall. That's why, for example, I have little love for the covers of all the adventure modules being produced today that are reminiscent of those produced by TSR in the Golden Age. I've come to accept that my opinion on this score is probably in the minority, but I nevertheless wish that more contemporary old school products broke free of the esthetic choices made by TSR circa 1978-1982 and blazed their own trails. While I don't think "nostalgia" is a dirty word, I do think the old school renaissance would be well served by stepping out of the long shadow cast by TSR, many of whose decisions, even those that bore good fruit, were rooted in a combination of inexperience and expedience far more often than in some coherent "vision." While I think it's great to look at the past for inspiration, the last thing we need is to be forever plowing the same creative fields as our illustrious predecessors.

So, by all rights, I really ought to dislike the cover of Rob Conley's Blackmarsh campaign setting, which obviously reminds one of the cover to the original The World of Greyhawk folio -- but I don't. If anything, the cover makes me even more fond of Blackmarsh than I otherwise would have been (and I already liked it a great deal). That's because Blackmarsh is probably closer in spirit to 1980 The World of Greyhawk gazetteer than any campaign setting product released in the last few years. Yes, there are plenty of differences in content, tone, and presentation, but, like that folio of old, Blackmarsh does a lot with a little, making a surprisingly tasty meal out of nothing but bare bones and leaving one with the impression that many more equally tasty meals could be had with its ingredients.

In that respect, Blackmarsh might more rightly be said to be the child of the original The World of Greyhawk folio and Judges Guild's various Wilderlands products, with some DNA from Blackmoor as well. In the span of 16 pages, Blackmarsh presents an area of 95 by 135 miles in area, called (naturally) Blackmarsh, after the strange swamps that dot the landscape of this region. Those 16 pages provide a basic overview of the setting and its particulars, in addition to maps, rumors, and brief descriptions of noteworthy 5-mile hexes. Those descriptions make up the bulk of Blackmarsh and clearly point to the Judges Guild "hexcrawl" heritage of this product, though there are enough settlements and dungeon locales scattered about the region to support other traditional elements of campaign play.

The region of Blackmarsh is characterized by two things. First is "The Mountain That Fell," an asteroid that struck the area long ago, shattering the landscape and scattering a substance called "viz" that is valuable as a reagent in many magical effects, including spellcasting. The second is its isolation from the centers of civilization, as the region's former rulers, the Bright Empire, retreated to the south several centuries ago, leaving Blackmarsh to fend for itself. If you recognize the name "the Bright Empire," that's because it's from one of Conley's earlier efforts, Points of Light, though there's no necessity that you own that product to use Blackmarsh. Taken together, these two characteristics of the region create a wide-open sandbox environment lacking in a centralized authority and rife with adventuring opportunities -- the perfect place to start a new campaign.

Blackmarsh is largely devoid of game statistics beyond very basic ones (level, class, hit dice, etc.), making it readily usable with almost any fantasy game system, even though it's specifically noted as being compatible with Brave Halfling's soon-to-be-released Delving Deeper. Indeed, a copy of Blackmarsh is included in the boxed set of Delving Deeper as an example of what a campaign setting might look like. I think this is a sound idea and is in many ways worth a great deal more than pages of advice to the referee on how to design a campaign setting, especially in a game geared to beginners. This is doubly true when the advice one is attempting to impart runs counter to so much of what is seen elsewhere in the hobby. A straightforward, unpretentious sandbox setting like Blackmarsh can concretely demonstrate the old school way of campaigning far better than several chapters on the subject.

This isn't to say that Blackmarsh is or should be the last word on the subject. There's still plenty of room for other takes on the old school campaign setting and I sincerely hope we'll see them. Furthermore, Blackmarsh isn't flawless. There are some editorial snafus here and there, like mistaken hex references, that weaken its presentation. Likewise, there seems to be a tension in its hex descriptions between those that present purely factual information -- "The leeward side of this island is choked with groves of thorny bushes and hedges." -- and those that present action in media res -- "A mother black dragon (old, HD 8) and her child (young, HD 7) have slaughtered a herd of deer and are in a meadow consuming the carcasses." I personally prefer the former and find the latter a clumsy way to present an adventure hook.

That said, Blackmarsh is presented as wholly Open Game Content. Anyone who wishes to uses its maps, locations, or background is free to do so for any purpose. In fact, the book includes the following commendable note:

It is the author's intention that the Blackmarsh setting is open content and free to use for commercial and non-commercial projects.

That's frankly the kind of attitude I can't help but applaud. If we see others take up and run with some of what Rob Conley has put on offer here, Blackmarsh will have proven its value above and beyond what you can read in its 16 pages.

Presentation: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 7 out of 10
Utility: 9 out of 10

Buy This If: You're looking for a bare bones sandbox setting to use or to loot for ideas for your fantasy roleplaying game campaign.
Don't Buy This If: You have no interest whatsoever in using a setting of someone else's creation.

Delving Deeper

By now, many of you have probably heard the news that Brave Halfling Publishing is discontinuing its publication of Swords & Wizardry: White Box in order to focus on their own retro-clone, Delving Deeper. Though surprising news on one level, it also makes a great deal of sense. White Box is Brave Halfling's flagship product and is produced under license. And while, from all that I have gathered, the terms and conditions of that license are very generous, the fact remains that unforeseen future events could alter them in ways detrimental to BHP's business. So, rather than risk that possibility, however unlikely, producing and selling an in-house clone seems a logical choice.

I'm sure the usual suspects are already registering their displeasure over the appearance of yet another retro-clone, but the complainers are forgetting a couple of things. First, all the retro-clones of D&D to date are broadly cross-compatible, so it's not as if BHP's publication of Delving Deeper will suddenly make, say, the adventures John Adams will also publish uncompatible with Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, or even Lamentations of the Flame Princess. There's really no harm to anyone who isn't interested in another clone. Second, there are plenty of old school fans who are interested in additional clones, since the best of them all bring something to the table that others don't, whether it's S&W's unified saving throw or LotFP WFRP's encumbrance rules. And since the texts of all these clones are available for free, anyone who just wants to cherry-pick their best ideas without buying them is able to do so with ease. Finally, BHP's White Box was the only boxed, introductory old school RPG out there. Retailing at under $30, it was affordably priced and suitable for a wide audience, from children to adults. That gave it a unique place in the old school market, a place that ought to continue to be filled.

It's worth noting, too, that Delving Deeper looks like it'll cover a couple of related bases. It'll both allow people to play something reminiscent of LBB-only OD&D, as well as, with a few tweaks, something in line with the Holmes Blue Book. I think that's rather unique as well and will help to distinguish DD from both White Box and the other existing clones. So, from my admittedly biased perspective, I don't really see a downside to this announcement, especially since Matt Finch has stated elsewhere that he intends to continue to make WB readily available in some form, for those who prefer that version to Swords & Wizardry. What's not to like?

White Box Christmas Special

S&W White Box Contents

The third printing of the highly-regarded Swords & Wizardry: White Box is available for order -- and just in time for Christmas! Though I don't play Swords & Wizardry myself, White Box is by far my favorite iteration of the rules and Brave Halfling's edition is one of the best intro products for anyone curious about old school gaming.

This boxed set sells for just $25 (plus shipping) and literally contains everything you need to play:

• 6″ x 9″ Game Box (This is an actual game box manufactured for just this purpose)
• Four Rule Booklets (Characters, Spells, Monsters, & Treasures)
• A digest-sized copy of Matt Finch’s “Quick Primer for Old-School Gaming”
• Ten digest-sized Character Sheets
• Set of Polyhedral Dice
• Pencil

The first 50 orders will also receive two complimentary modules – The Vile Worm of the Eldritch Oak & The Ruins of Ramat.

S&W White Box: An Appreciation

In the midst of my work on the Dwimmermount book I'm trying to finish up for publication early next year, I often find myself idly flipping through the books and games I have close at hand. Recently, I've found myself spending a lot of time re-reading the Brave Halfling edition of Swords & Wizardry: White Box. Over the last few weeks, I've come to think that it's probably the most under-appreciated product of the old school renaissance, which is why it's a pity that it wasn't released more widely.

Marv Breig's redaction of Matt Finch's original rules was well done to begin with, but Jesse Rothacher's layout for the BHP edition makes it shine in a way that the initial Lulu.com version did not. Likewise, the artwork, from Mark Allen's covers to the interior pieces by Matt Finch, Edward M. Kann, Jeff Preston, and Chad Thorson, add to what's already a terrific (and reasonably priced) introduction to old school gaming -- probably the best one there is.

I'm often critical of the ways that Swords & Wizardry deviates from OD&D and I won't deny that they still bug me a lot, particularly given the way the game is advertised as "0e," but the fact remains that White Box is an amazing piece of work nonetheless. It's a wonderful, unpretentious, and accessible little game and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone who's never roleplayed before. So, my hat's off to everyone involved in its creation. Here's hoping Brave Halfling is successful enough to get it back into print again soon. It'd make a great Christmas gift for friends and family interested in finding out more about this crazy hobby we all love.

REVIEW: A Trick on the Tain

I'm not, as most of you probably know, a player of Troll Lord Games's Castles & Crusades, but I retain a fondness for it, as it was the vehicle through which I began my return to old school gaming back in 2007. My issues with C&C, though, haven't blinded me to the fact that there have been a number of excellent adventures and support products published for it, most of which are easily translatable to other old school rules systems.

A good case in point is Keith Hackwood's adventure, A Trick on the Tain, released by Brave Halfling Publishing. Retailing for $9.95 in print, this module is 22 pages in length and includes art by Andy Taylor. It's a wilderness-based adventure written for 4-6 characters of levels 1-3 (a Challenge Level of 1-5 for those familiar with C&C's jargon), which I think makes it unusual. Most wilderness adventures are geared toward much higher-level characters, including Jim Raggi's Weird New World (which I'll review shortly). The practice of treating adventures of this sort as primarily the domain of higher-level PCs goes back to at least the days of the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh edition of D&D, but I don't think it was ever intended to have been treated as firm a "rule" as it has been over the years.

I was naturally well disposed to like A Trick on the Tain before I'd even had a chance to read it, as I don't think low-level characters should be dissuaded from undertaking wilderness adventures, even if they do tend to be potentially more risky than dungeon adventures. This module takes place in a northern tundra known as the Tain, a sparsely settled region that's home to two human kingdoms, slowly declining Rigerland and brutal Doggerland. Also present in the Tain are the nomadic, tribal Shum people. I can't say that I am too fond of the naming conventions adopted in this module. They're certainly not the worst I've ever seen, but they seemed both uninspired and likely to elicit chuckles at the gaming table. That's not a substantive criticism by any means, but I do think it might hamper some gamers from taking the module seriously and that'd be a shame, because it's a good one.

Though there is an overarching frame for the entire module, A Trick on the Tain is, in most respects, a location-based adventure that provides the referee with a map of the Tain region, random encounters, keyed locales, new monsters and magic items, as well as rules for cold weather effects. Taken together, it's a solid collection of ideas, some of them quite clever (such as the magical chaos arrow whose effects are random). There's nothing revolutionary about A Trick on the Tain; no one is going to be blown away by anything within its pages. It is, however, well written and engaging and, as I noted earlier, unusual in being a wilderness adventure aimed at low-level parties, thus making it helpful to referees interested in that sort of adventure for their campaigns.

It's also a good example of the old school design philosophy, leaving many aspects of the adventure open to referee interpretation rather than providing a definitive answer to every question that's likely to arise. I appreciate that and think it only adds to the module's utility, although some will no doubt disagree, expecting a published module to be completely self-explanatory. Consequently, I don't think A Trick on the Tain will have wide appeal, even to those who play Castles & Crusades. That shouldn't be seen a a knock against the module; if anything, it means that its author had a clear idea how he wanted to present this adventure and he followed it through. That's exactly what I'd like to see more of from old school products.

Presentation: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 7 out of 10
Utility: 5 out of 10

Buy This If: You're looking for a low-level location-based wilderness adventure and don't mind doing a little work to flesh out the details.
Don't Buy This If: You don't like wilderness adventures or would rather that adventure modules come completely ready-to-play.

S&W WhiteBox Sale

From now through August 15, the hardcover and perfect-bound versions of Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox are on sale at Lulu.com for 30% off! (John Adams of Brave Halfling lowered the price 15% and Lulu is offering a special code for these items for an additional 15%).

Remember, too, that Lulu is offering free shipping on purchases totaling $19.95 or more, so this is a good time to order other old school gaming products sold through Lulu. (I should note that this offer unfortunately does not apply to addresses outside the US).

Add these coupons codes when checking out: BEACHREAD305 (WhiteBox) & FREESHIP (free shipping) to take full advantage of this great sale of a terrific old school product.

I Love Packages

Look at what I just got in the mail today:



This is in addition to the latest installments in Paizo's Planet Stories line, which arrived on Monday. Looks like I have some reading ahead of me!

White Box Boxed Set Sold Out *Again*

Yesterday, John Adams of Brave Halfling announced that additional copies of the upcoming boxed set of Swords & Wizardry: White Box would be available for sale. He'd no sooner made that announcement than all 50 additional copies were sold. If that's not a testament to the demand for simple, boxed, tabletop RPGs, I don't know what is. I certainly hope that other publishers will consider producing similar products in the future. I think the lack of complete, boxed roleplaying games is a contributing factor to the hobby's decades-long decline. It's not the only factor, nor even the most significant one, but not being able to walk into a toy or games store and buy a non-crippleware version of Dungeons & Dragons in a format that, to the uninitiated, looks like a game rather than a book certainly can't help the cause.

For those hoping to snag a copy of the boxed edition of S&W: White Box before it's reprinted next Fall, there's one last chance. On January 20, a final lot of 25 copies will go on sale. Once they're gone, that's it for many months. Again, I think it's unfortunate that this product will not get into distribution, but I fully understand why Brave Halfling isn't in a position to sell and unlimited print run of this product. Here's hoping that will change in the future. BHP is a company I'd dearly love to see succeed and acquire the ability to produce its excellent products in larger quantities.

Whte Box Sold Out!

Just a little over a week after opening pre-orders for a boxed edition of Swords & Wizardry: White Box, John Adams of Brave Halfling Publishing has announced that the product is sold out for the foreseeable future. This is both terrific and disappointing news -- terrific because it means that BHP has obviously created something for which there was much demand and disappointing because many gamers, myself included, won't get their hands on copies of this game anytime soon.

John has said there will be a second run of boxed sets "later in 2010," though no specific date has been given. He has also indicated that a single-volume version of the White Box rules will be released "as soon as possible." The latter is good news for those who don't already own copies of White Box, but, speaking only for myself, it was the boxed, small booklet format that really appealed to me and made me consider buying a copy not only for myself but for my friends as well. Without the box, the appeal of the new release is minimal.

I certainly look forward to seeing what BHP produces to support the White Box rules. I do hope, though, that the company finds some way to keep a boxed version of the game in regular print rather than its being an occasional grab-it-before-it's-gone product. I think a boxed set of simple fantasy roleplaying rules could do extremely well, particularly if they were readily available through game stores. That White Box won't be such a game, at least not in the near future, is a disappointment, although it does leave an opening for Jim Raggi's own offering, which he plans to release as a boxed set, though I have no idea if his game will be put into distribution or not.

Still, congratulations to Brave Halfling for producing an instant winner. I guess I'll just wait until the next print run before I snag my copies.

White Box News

John Adams of Brave Halfling Publishing announced that he is now taking pre-orders for the boxed edition of White Box Swords & Wizardry. The official release/shipping date for the set is February 1, but BHP will ship all pre-orders as soon as the dice and boxes arrive.

The boxed set includes:

* 6" x 9" Game Box (This is an actual game box manufactured for just this purpose)
* Four Rule Booklets (Characters, Spells, Monsters, & Treasures)
* A digest-sized copy of Matt Finch's, "Quick Primer for Old-School Gaming"
* Ten of Marv Breig's 3" x 5" Index Card Character Sheets
* Set of Polyhedral Dice
* Pad of digest-sized Graph Paper
* Pencil

Pre-orders are discounted by $4, so they sell for $25.95, plus shipping, which is frankly a great deal. I'm sorely tempted to order multiple copies of the thing and give them as gifts, since that's a good price for a complete RPG in this day and age and White Box is increasingly my preferred version of S&W (and BHP is a company well worth supporting).

Brave Halfling White Box *In a Box*

John Adams of Brave Halfling Publishing announced that the company has become the publisher of the White Box version of Swords & Wizardry, under license from Matt Finch's Mythmere Games. Better yet, BHP will be producing a new edition of the game, available in four digest-sized booklets in a box. The new edition will include additional material not in the original release, such as, I believe, wilderness adventuring rules. BHP also plans to support the game fully with a line of supplements and adventures.

I think this is great news. White Box is a great ruleset and my own preferred version of Swords & Wizardry, as it's closer to the LBBs than the Core Rules. I find its clean and simple presentation very easy to build upon and I've adopted parts of the game for my Dwimmermount campaign. I'm really looking forward to what Brave Halfling has in store, especially given that the press release notes that White Box will retain its "unique and distinct feel" rather than following the lead of the S&W Core Rules. I think that's a good approach; I definitely plan on paying close attention to this line of products.

BHP Supports LL Once More

John Adams has announced that Brave Halfling Publishing will once again be supporting Labyrinth Lord. I think this is terrific news. BHP's Labyrinth Lord products are among some of my favorite recent old school releases. I am hopeful we'll see many more excellent products for LL coming our way in the future.

More Old News

I'd meant to make note of this several days ago, but it slipped my mind -- a hazard of old age, I guess. A week ago, John Adams announced that Brave Halfling Publishing would be scaling back its operations and focusing solely on creating products for Castles & Crusades and Eldritch RPG. I'm sorry to hear this, because BHP produced some of the best products to come out of the old school renaissance. Its support products for Labyrinth Lord were particularly good and were among the few I consistently looked forward to seeing released. I think I probably own their entire catalog of products and, with only a couple of exceptions, I bought every one of them myself rather being given them as review copies -- a high compliment indeed, given my penuriousness when it comes to buying gaming products these days.

In the end, though, I can't be upset if John Adams is happy with his decision and will better enjoy his business. In the short time BHP supported the old school movement, it did amazingly good work, far more than I've done in the same span. John deserves a huge debt of thanks for all that he did and I sincerely hope some joy will come back into running his business. Goodness knows he's earned it.

REVIEW: Obregon's Dishonor

Obregon's Dishonor is the first -- and, so far, only -- support product for Geoffrey McKinney's Supplement V: Carcosa, published last fall amidst a great deal of controversy in the old school community. I am, however, happy to report that this 36-page digest-sized adventure module is not similarly controversial, containing little that should offend the sensibilities of anyone who appreciates the tropes of swords-and-sorcery literature. Indeed, author Cameron DuBeers has done such a thoroughly good job of presenting the Carcosa setting as a quirky, if dark, pulp fantasy setting that I once again can't help but think the original product would have been benefited from a similar approach. Be that as it may, I can say without hesitation that Obregon's Dishonor is a largely unobjectionable scenario whose strengths highlight the possibilities inherent in the Carcosa concept and whose weaknesses have nothing whatsoever to do with any moral questions it raises.

Of the module's 36 pages, approximately 20 contain adventure text, not including a two-page, removable map. The remaining pages are given over to an index, an author's introduction, pregenerated PCs, a new NPC class (the witch), new monsters, and other similar content. The text is presented in a straightforward fashion, using a single column. Unlike Carcosa itself, there wasn't much of an attempt to imitate the style of OD&D supplements, which leaves the book feeling "flat" in my estimation, as its layout is neither interesting in its own right nor as a recreation of the 1970s. The book contains three pieces of art by Andy Taylor, one of which is the cover illustration. I have to admit I wasn't especially fond of the cover, which, like the layout, felt flat, whereas the two interior pieces are quite nice and do a good job of evoking the alien character of Carcosa -- something I think the setting desperately needs. The cartography is functional but not especially inspiring, reminding me a bit of the kinds of maps I remember seeing in old Judges Guild products, so take that as you will.

Obregon's Dishonor begins in a Green Man mining town, where the characters make the acquaintance of a Purple cyborg named Bothess, who wishes to employ the characters for a mission of utmost importance to her. She's the last surviving member of a mercenary company led by a Lawful Red Man sorcerer named Obregon. Obregon was a rare individual whose strength of will enabled him to use sorcery not for self-aggrandizement but to do battle against the Great Old Ones. Though honorable, Obregon was also naive, training an Orange Man named Darsiaas in sorcery without recognizing that his apprentice lacked his strength of will. Once he realized his error, Obregon sought to destroy Darsiaas so as to right his past misdeed. In trying to do so, Obregon succeeded in stopping the summoning of a foul being -- the Shambler of the Endless Night -- but at the cost of his own life and soul. Bothess wishes to free Obregon's soul from its eternal torment by enacting a ritual and asks the PCs to join her in doing so.

What follows is a quest to find the item necessary to enact the ritual and free Obregon's soul, with the bulk of the initial action taking place in an ancient Jale Man stronghold/monastery, inhabited by a variety of creatures and hazards, as well as much treasure. Once the PCs have the item, they can then help Bothess to perform the ritual and free Obregon's soul. It's here that the adventure takes a twist, as things the PCs had been led to believe to be true turn out not to be, precipitating a difficult choice on their parts. The players will be forced to choose between several unpalatable options, none of which is "right" and any one of which will result in consequences they may not find acceptable. In this respect, I think Obregon's Dishonor does a good job in presenting the harshness of Carcosa without reveling in nihilism. One of my complaints about the original product was its bleakness. This adventure is not bleak, but it does show that heroism in a world ruled by the Great Old Ones and their mortal minions demands sacrifices from all concerned. There are no unblemished happy endings.

Obregon's Dishonor is definitely not for everyone. Even without the specific content of the unexpurgated Carcosa that offended so many people, it's not a family-friendly product. I said earlier that it contains little that would offend those who appreciate swords-and-sorcery literature and that's true. It does, however, contain a fair bit of sexual imagery, some of it in my opinion prurient (and puerile), even by the standards of the genre. I was often reminded of Heavy Metal comics from the 1970s, which, again, may or may not be a good thing, but it's worth bearing in mind.

As an adventure, Obregon's Dishonor does an excellent job of demonstrating the possibilities of the dark science fantasy setting of Carcosa. Whereas the original supplement suffered, I think, for providing little direction as to how one might use its material, this adventure has no such problem. It's a terrific model for referees and players alike, showing one possible way to interpret Carcosa and make it the locale for exciting adventures.

That's not to say there are no problems, because there are, chiefly the prominent role played by Bothess. Aside from her highly sexualized portrayal (which, I grant, is a deliberate choice by the author rather than a flaw per se), she's a bit too vital to the adventure's action. She provides lots of exposition and backstory to the player characters and, while provisions are made in the text for her possible demise, it seemed clear to me that her death would likely present problems in using the module as written. In truth, I think Obregon's Dishonor would have benefited greatly from the removal of Bothess and the rewriting of the module to give the PCs a less overt segue into its events.

Despite it all, there's a lot to like here. Cameron DuBeers does a good job of presenting a playable version of Carcosa, one that feels both less bleak and more in line with "traditional" swords-and-sorcery than did the original product. The module's a bit rough around the edges in places, but the strength of its ideas shine through. I'd love to see the further development of this interpretation of Carcosa. With a bit more spit and polish, I think we have the makings of something remarkable here -- but we're not there quite yet.

Presentation: 6 out of 10
Creativity: 7 out of 10
Utility: 5 out of 10

Buy This If: You'd like to see an interpretation of how to use Carcosa as a swords-and-sorcery setting
Don't Buy This If: You have no interest in Carcosa or are easily offended by sexual imagery

BHP Site is Live

The Brave Halfling Publishing website is now live. The new site is your one-stop shop for purchasing BHP products, posting on their forums, and contacting the people behind the company. Check it out.

REVIEW: The People of the Pit

The People of the Pit is, quite simply, one of the more interesting adventure modules to come out of the old school renaissance. Written by Alphonso Warden and published by Brave Halfling, this 42-page product retails for $10.00. Though written for OSRIC characters of levels 5-7, it's easily adaptable to characters of higher or lower levels, as well as to other fantasy RPGs.

In terms of its production values, The People of the Pit is probably the most attractive Brave Halfling product I've seen so far. Though it retains the two-column layout of earlier products, the dense text is broken up by a dozen pieces of superb black and white art by John Bingham, all of which have a terrific old school feel to them, from the hideousness of the eponymous People of the Pit to the adventurers and their pack mules preparing to face them. I also appreciated the fact that the cover does not ape the appearance of old AD&D modules, instead opting for a unique look. Also included are four removable maps, all of which have a slightly pixelated appearance. They're serviceable but not particularly attractive. The text itself is well-written and clear. I noticed no obvious editorial glitches beyond the fact that the module can't seem to decide whether its title includes the definite article or not, with the outside and inside covers disagreeing with another on this matter.

As one might expect from its title, The People of the Pit draws on the 1918 Abraham Merritt short story of the same name for inspiration. Indeed, the module's text uses quotes from Merritt's work to good effect throughout. As one might expect, I was quite pleased to see this, since Merritt is both an under-appreciated fantasist generally but also an under-appreciated influence on D&D. Gygax specifically places him alongside Howard, Leiber, and Vance, as one of the "most immediate influences on AD&D" in Appendix N of the Dungeon Masters Guide. Fortunately, some people are making an effort to bring Merritt out of the shadows and expose a new generation to his fervent imagination and luxurious language.

The module itself is an open-ended one, providing multiple means by which the characters can become involved in it, as well by which they can proceed once involved. All of these events point them toward the City of the Pit, a subterranean city inhabited not only by the loathsome, slug-like People of the Pit, but also their human and demihuman slaves, as well as abominable hybrid beings that serve as the priesthood of the God of the Pit. The People's regular communion with the God of the Pit is what enables these other-planar beings to remain on the Prime Material Plane. Cutting them off from that communion would thus cast them out of the world and eliminate the threat they pose to it.

Long-time D&D fans may experience moments of déjà vu while playing this module, since the City of the Pit bears many similarities to the drow metropolis of Erelhei-Cinlu from The Vault of the Drow -- except, of course, that it's likely Erelhei-Cinlu is in fact an echo of Merritt's work, given how highly Gary regarded the writer. That said, the City of the Pit is far less of a mini-sandbox than was the drow city; it's more like a small subterranean wilderness area, complete with its own wandering monster table. That's not a criticism so much as an acknowledgment that The People of the Pit feels more like a single-use module rather than as a touchstone for further adventures. That's probably just a failure of imagination on my part, though, since there are enough loose ends and "rough edges" for clever referees to pick up and use as the basis for follow-up adventures.

If I have any complaints about The People of the Pit, they're minor ones. First, I wasn't especially fond of the unsubtle references to Abraham Merritt (the Kingdom of Merritt under the leadership of a chieftain called Abraham, for example). In my own Dwimmermount campaign, there's a decadent, subterranean race of men called the Tirrem, a name I feel is a bit less obvious while nevertheless honoring their origins. Second, the adventure includes two "timed events," which are basically encounters that occur independent of character action but according to the passage of time instead. Both these events foreshadow things the PCs may encounter later in the module. For some reason, their presentation irked me. Perhaps it's because I think they might have worked better as entries on a random encounter table rather than as examples of auctorial fiat. That said, these are both minor issues in what is otherwise an excellent, atmospheric module that draws heavily on the game's pulp fantasy roots. Would that more old school adventures were as remarkable as this one.

Presentation: 8 out of 10
Creativity: 9 out of 10
Utility: 7 out of 10

Buy This If: You're looking for a mid-level adventure that draws heavily on D&D's pulp fantasy roots
Don't Buy This If: You're not interested in the pulp fantasy roots of the game or in modules set in a subterranean realm devoid of dark elves

REVIEW: Breaking & Entering

In some ways, I'm probably the worst person in the world to review a product like Breaking & Entering: A Toolbox for Thieves. Not only am I generally skeptical of the class even in concept, but I also think its presentation in Supplement I opened a game mechanical Pandora's Box, the consequences of which still plague Dungeons & Dragons over 30 years later. Despite that, I'm actually quite fascinated by the thief class, as well as the attachment so gamers have to it. For all my complaints -- and there are many -- I've come round to accepting the fact that, original though it may not be, there certainly is a place for it in D&D, probably even moreso than the cleric, which feels far more like an interloper class than does the thief.

So, I purchased Breaking & Entering (written by Vincent Frugé and published by Brave Halfling) in the hope it would give me further insight into the appeal of the thief and the ways gamers use the class. Retailing for $6.00 (though currently on sale for half that), what you get is a 28-page PDF for OSRIC that gives the referee new material to inspire "his or her own unique interpretation of the thief class." The product is thus interesting for a couple of reasons, the first of which being that it's aimed specifically at OSRIC, a departure from Brave Halfling's usual association with Labyrinth Lord, although B&E could easily be used with any old school fantasy RPG. Second, the product seems aimed more at referees than at players, being a toolbox of ideas from which one can pick and choose rather than a unified expansion of the traditional thief class. I have to say that I very much approve of this approach.

The product begins by offering up a brief revision and expansion of the thief's climb walls ability, as well as a new sub-system devoted to spying. The spying sub-system is simple and looks easy to use, though I expect it's probably of most use for NPC thieves. Following this, we get several new thief abilities, most of which are clearly inspired by the thief-acrobat specialization from Unearthed Arcana. B&E then moves on to provide two new sub-classes of the thief, beginning with the deep scout, which is basically a good-aligned spy used to infiltrate evil nations and organizations. There's also a new version of the bard, which bears some resemblance to the version presented in another Brave Halfling product but tweaked for use with OSRIC (illusionist and druid spells instead of magic-user ones, for example). Also included is a detailed thieves' guild, complete with map, thief-oriented gods, new equipment, and magic items.

The end result is, I must admit, much less of a toolbox and more of a grab bag. That is, Breaking & Entering has no organizing principle beyond being a collection of rules and ideas pertaining to thieves. There's minimal discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each option presented, instead leaving it to each referee to decide for himself. I don't think that's a bad thing in itself and it's certainly an approach in tune with OSRIC's sensibilities, but it's not one that every referee will like. In addition, some of B&E's content seems a bit lackluster to me, such as the deep scout and the deity write-ups. Given the sale price, I have no cause for complaint, but I do wish the product had felt tighter and less scattershot than it does. A shorter, more focused product might have been more satisfying. There are a number of excellent ideas in B&E but their excellence is obscured somewhat by the presence of what feels like filler text designed to pad out the page count.

Presentation: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 6 out of 10
Utility: 4 out of 10

Buy This If: You really like thieves and are looking to give them new options
Don't Buy This If: If you're not a fan of thieves or are happy with the standard presentation of the class

REVIEW: The Ruins of Ramat

The Ruins of Ramat is a fantasy adventure module, written by John Adams and Andy Taylor and published by Brave Halfling. It's available in two versions, one bearing the Labyrinth Lord logo and another bearing the Original Edition Adventures logo, meaning that it's intended for use with both Labyrinth Lord's Original Edition Characters
(which I reviewed here) and Swords & Wizardry (or any old school rules set really). This review concerns the latter version only, which I presume is identical to the straight LL version, although, not owning it, I cannot say for certain.

Written for characters level 1-2, module is a simple, straightforward adventure that involves the exploration of a 17-room ruined stronghold hidden beneath Witch Hill. As it turns out, these ruins were once held by a militant clerical sect dedicated to the god of light and righteousness, Ramat. They're also the final resting place for the Spear of Ramat, a minor artifact of the sect that a treacherous priest attempted to destroy by means of a magical portal that summoned undead, demons, and worse into the world. Though the Spear was saved, the faithful servants of Ramat were not so lucky.

Like most Brave Halfling products, The Ruins of Ramat is an unpretentious, "meat and potatoes" offering. In PDF form, it is 10 pages long, but in its printed form, those pages are folded into two in order to create a small booklet roughly the same size as the little brown OD&D books. The PDF sells for $3.50, while the printed version, which includes shipping, can be purchased for $5.00 (or $6.00 if you live outside North America). This gets you a fun little side adventure that's easily dropped into any campaign, as well as a map and stats for two new monsters (one being the huecuva first seen in the Fiend Folio).

One of the nice things about the adventure is that how easily it could serve as a child's introduction to fantasy roleplaying. As presented, the characters are asked by a little girl who's lost her dog to find him, after a clawed creature came up out of the ground of Witch Hill and snatched the canine. Melodramatic though it may be, it's precisely the kind of hook that would grab my nine year-old daughter and I can't imagine she's alone in that regard. In addition, the backstory about the clerics of Ramat, while useful in establishing a greater context to the ruins, isn't integral to running the adventure -- another plus if you just want to offer up a simple dungeon crawl to young players. That's not to say The Ruins of Ramat offers nothing for more experienced players, but I think the module shines brightest when viewed as an introductory one.

Presentation: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 6 out of 10
Utility: 6 out of 10

Buy This If: You're looking for a simple, straightforward introductory module
Don't Buy This If: You're looking for something more complex or already have more intro modules than you know what to do with

REVIEW: Delving Deeper: Skill Systems

The utility and admissibility of skill systems are at the center of a great debate in the old school community, with many grognards being firmly of the opinion that they run counter to the logic behind character classes. What else is a character class but a particular archetype, including that archetype's unique talents and abilities. Make skills independent of classes and you run the risk of blurring the distinctions between classes. Beyond that, skill systems bring with them additional risks. The presence of a standard mechanic for adjudicating non-combat actions makes it an attractive alternative for players who don't wish to describe their characters' actions and would rather trust in the dice than in the good judgment of the referee. Furthermore, taken to an extreme, skills can be interpreted in such a way that they imply that characters without a given skill cannot attempt such actions, an interpretation that elevates skills into a cornerstone of gameplay rather than as an aid to it.

While I'm personally in the camp that sees little point in having a skill system in a game like Dungeons & Dragons, I've nevetheless come round to believe that, in the right hands, they can prove useful. That a game mechanic can be abused is insufficient basis for condemning it, which is why I've softened my stance on thieves, for example. They're not something I'd probably allow in my own campaign, but, fortunately, my own tastes aren't normative -- thank goodness!

It's with this in mind that I picked up Brave Halfling's 5-page PDF entitled Delving Deeper: Skill Systems. Retailing for only 75 cents, I find it hard to imagine that even the most diehard skill hater would't find it useful as food for thought. That's because author Luke Fleeman openly acknowledges the problems inherent in attaching a skill system to a class-based game. He then stresses that, despite that, skills can work with the class system rather than against it, provided one takes care to avoid some common mistakes. Speaking as a skill skeptic, I found Fleeman's approach refreshing, because it encourages both advocates and naysayers alike to re-examine their stances in a constructive way.

Delving Deeper: Skill Systems first provides a list of 11 skills, ranging from Open, used for forcing open doors and gates, to Persuade, used when trying to convince NPCs of something. Each of these skills is associated with an ability, a feature that becomes important later. The list of skills is a bit odd, since it specifically avoids anything that might overlap with the thief class, as well as "mundane skills like crafting and smithing." I can certainly see the justification for the elimination of craft skills, since I'm not certain the game needs mechanical sub-systems to deal with forging a sword or weaving a basket (though I am open to being convinced otherwise). The thief question, though, is less clear. One of the main objections to the thief is that it promotes exceptionalism, which is to say, the aforementioned "if you don't explicitly have the skill, you can't do it" mentality. If moving silently or hiding can't be treated as skills lest the role of the thief class be undermined, then is not a skill like Arcana, which simulates the occult knowledge a magic-user might rightly possess, similarly out of bounds? If not, why is the thief's skill so privileged? It's here, I think, where Skills Systems falters a bit, even if I fully understand the dilemma the author found himself in.

The product offers three different options for how to handle skills, two of which draw on existing mechanics in the game and universalize them, while the third uses a very common house rule to do the same. Option 1 uses a simple D6 roll to determine success or failure, mimicking searches for secret doors. Option 3 uses percentage-based skills similar to a thief's abilities. Option 2 is an ability check that relies on the ability scores associated with a given skill and a D20 roll. All three options provide rules for the initial selection of skills, as well as improvment as the characters gain new levels. Each option also includes a brief discussion of its advantages and disadvantages, a feature I appreciated.

Delving Deeper: Skill Systems is not a ground-breaking product nor will it, I think, put an end to the philosophical debates on forums and blogs between old schoolers about the merits of skill systems. It's a modest little product that provides food for thought, along with plenty of options, some of which can be easily retooled for other purposes, such as building new class-based abilities. With its low price, I felt I more than got my money's worth, but it's definitely a niche product that won't appeal to everyone.

Presentation: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 5 out of 10
Utility: 5 out of 10

Buy This If: You're looking for some alternate approaches to skills in old school games
Don't Buy This If: You have no interest in skill systems or already have a skill system you're happy with.