Oubliette #8 Available -- for Free!

As he usually does, editor Peter Regan has made the PDF of the latest issue of the excellent Labyrinth Lord fanzine, Oubliette, available for free for a limited time. A print version, along with a print compilation of issues 5 through 8 will be available later this month.

For those interested in its contents, issue #8 includes:

• Tales from Hell Cartoon
• Editorial
• The Maslow Dungeon 
• Monster Club #14: The Death Gate
• The Lands of Ara - Special Feature
• Newland Campaign Setting Part III: Factions in the Forest
• Monster Club #15: Newland Bestiary Part II
• Forest Mini-Adventure: The Kobold & Goblin Resistance
• Forest Location: Moot Point
• Forest Mini-adventure: The Bloodbeard Bugbears
• Forest Mini-adventure: The Burnt Tree Clan
• Monster Club #16: Dungeon Random Encounter Tables: Levels 7-8 
• Goblin Quest Cartoon
• Fanzine Frenzy
• Found Familiar: The Cat 
• What's in the Oubliette? Reviews
• Mouse Watch Cartoon
• The Song of Sithakk Part 8 

I'm very fond of Oubliette, which reminds me of the best stuff White Dwarf did back in the day. The artwork by The Marg in every issue is especially delightful and gives Oubliette a style all its own. Check it out if you haven't already done so.

Oubliette #7 Released

Issue #7 of the ever-awesome Oubliette has just been released and it's free for a limited time. Oubliette is written for Labyrinth Lord, but also ideal for use with any Basic/Expert/Advanced original or clone, with little or no adjustment required.

Here's the Full Contents:

• Editorial
• Tales from Hell Cartoon
• Monster Club #11: The Naughty Step
• Miniatures Special: An Interview with Richard Scott of Otherworld Miniatures
• Monster Club #12: Dungeon Random Encounter Tables: Levels 4-6
• Newland Campaign Setting Part II: Raiders
• Monster Club #13: Newland Bestiary Part I
• Tomb of the Snake King: A Labyrinth Lord Adventure for 3rd to 5th Level Characters
• The 10-Foot Pole
• Found Familiar: The Toad
• Goblin Quest Cartoon
• What's in the Oubliette? Reviews
• Mouse Watch Cartoon
• The Song of Sithakk Part 7: A Dream of Blossoms

Oubliette Issue #6 Available for Free

Issue #6 of the terrific old school fanzine, Oubliette, is available free in PDF form at RPGNow until the end of August 2011. This issue is 47 pages in length and includes the following:


• Tales from Hell - Kobold Skool
• Monster Club #9 - Animate Dead Special: Skeleton Lord
• Petty Gods Preview - A Sneak Peek at this Exciting OSR Community Publication
• Newland - A Fantasy Campaign Setting
• Shame of the Shaman - A Labyrinth Lord Adventure for 3rd to 4th Level Characters
• Whips in Labyrinth Lord
• Monster Club #10 - Dungeon Random Encounter Tables: Levels 1-3
• Goblin Quest
• Found Familiar - The Raven
• What's in the Oubliette? - Reviews of Alestorm, Quickshade, Game of Thrones and Ironwood Gorge
• Mouse Watch - The Raven Ryder
• The Song of Sithakk - Part 6 of our Serialized Story
• Plus Bonus Material: Business Card-sized Labyrinth Lord Character Sheets and Customizable Dungeon Encounter Tables

Though written using the Labyrinth Lord rules, its contents are all easily convertible to any version of old school D&D. I've reviewed the first four issues on this blog and they're all excellent and, above all, useful, filled with great adventures, imaginative rules variants, and other articles of interest to players and referees alike. And I adore the art. If you've never had a chance to read an issue, take this opportunity to download the latest issue for free and see what you've been missing.

REVIEW: Oubliette #4

It's the Fall and time for another issue of Oubliette, this time issue #4 of the PDF fanzine for Labyrinth Lord and other old school fantasy games. Like its three predecessors, the current issue is a quirky collection of musings, adventures, house rules, and other resources of interest to anyone playing a class-and-level RPG. Editor Peter Regan once again pulls double duty as a writer, producing a significant portion of issue #4's massive 80 pages (of which 34 pages are the 'zine proper and the rest "goodies" that I'll discuss presently), with additional contributions by Roland Depper and Lam McGra. Artwork throughout is by The Marg and remains as delightfully "raw" as it has since the premier issue last Spring.

The new issue begins with an editorial that rather aptly likens the old school renaissance to a well-done "reboot" of a beloved movie franchise: a lot of the same as before, yes, but hopefully taking full advantage of hindsight to avoid the pitfalls of the past. I rather like this analogy. An amusing cartoon presents four "Buckets of Legend," magical pails that actually could be used as treasure if one doesn't take one's game too seriously. "Monster Club #6" gives us a collection of humanoid, monster, and animal zombies, complete with stats, to complement issue #3's discussion of skeletons. "Weapons Test" is a simple adventure intended as a test bed (pun intended) for using the firearms rules from previous issues, although it could easily be reworked as a straightforward scenario about humanoid raiders if one does not wish to include firearms in one's campaign. "Monster Club #7" provides very useful rules for scaling monsters, which is to say, creating larger or smaller versions of existing creatures. It's very well done and easy to use and, in my experience, something that's much needed.

A new installment of "Present Arms!" provides rules for monster-based firearms, a topic that so rarely gets covered in fantasy games that include such weapons. "A-Hunting We Will Go" is an encounter with wood goblins that can be dropped into any wilderness adventure. "PC for PCs" is a humorous article re-imagining The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief as if it were written to be sensitive to the feelings of "stature-enhanced beings," complete with a hilarious illustration. "Purist to Puerile" ranks the various interpretations of orcs on a scale that rates Hârn's gargun as the most "pure," while Citadel's comedic orks as the most "puerile." Sadly, my beloved pig-faced orcs rank only slightly below Citadel's -- a travesty, I say! "Seven Magical Mirrors" provides just that, some of the quite interesting and sure to be added into Dwimmermount when I find a place to do so. A handful of reviews and another installment of the fiction serial "The Song of Sithakk" rounds out the 'zine proper.

After that, we're treated to 45 pages of supplemental material, starting with 13 pages of magic-user spell cards. These cards, which come nine to a page, include all the rules for every MU spell from levels 1-9 in space approximately the size of a business card. It's such a simple little play aid and yet I know well how useful such things can be. The remaining pages of supplemental material include pregenerated PCs for "Weapons Test," along with stand-up figures to represent them. These figures can be used alongside the large print-out battle map also included in this section. Oubliette has, since its inception, been very fond of providing aids for using battle maps in play, something that I think sets it apart from many other products of the old school renaissance, which, as a whole, tends to downplay or even eschew the use of miniatures to adjudicate combat.

Oubliette #4 is a strong issue and well worth the purchase, especially at its paltry cover price of $2. The spell cards alone are probably worth that much and, even if one is only inspired by the other articles rather than using them as-is, it's a worthwhile acquisition in my opinion. According to an ad in issue #4, the next issue will be released at Christmastime and will feature a "new look." I look forward to seeing it, although I do hope that the revamped Oubliette will continue to possess the same kind of raw, rough energy that its first four issues have in abundance.

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

Buy This If: You're looking for more ideas and resources for use in your old school fantasy campaign.
Don't Buy This If: You'd prefer to come up with your own ideas rather than using those of others.

REVIEW: Oubliette #3

Based on editor Peter Regan's editorial, producing a fanzine sounds a lot like writing a blog in that there's an expectation that every article in every issue has to be brilliant, as opposed to the much lower standard of merely "thought provoking." That's why I'm reluctant to judge the June/July 2010 issue of Oubliette too harshly, despite the fact that it's my least favorite of the three issues currently available. That's not meant as a serious knock against it, as issue 3 is packed with thought provoking and inspirational material, written and presented in the wonderfully quirky style that makes Oubliette one of the most remarkable products of the old school renaissance in many a moon.

But I can't deny that I was hoping, given the ramp up in excellence between issues 1 and 2, that issue 3 would continue the trend, at least by my idiosyncratic standards. At 47 pages, issue 3 is definitely beefy, nearly as long as issue 2 and significantly longer than issue 1. Included is a new installment of "Monster Club," one of my favorite features, this time dealing with skeletons. More significant is the optional Barbarian class for use with Labyrinth Lord, either in its standard or Advanced Edition Companion version. Oubliette's version of the class is excellent, being a tough, lightly armored warriors with a suspicion of all kinds of magic. Also included are a plethora of additional minor abilities, such as berserker rage, wilderness survival, and surprise-related bonuses, that the referee might allow for his own interpretation of the class or to distinguish between different barbarian tribes/clans. It's really an excellent approach, reminding me of a less complex version of the class from Unearthed Arcana (and without any concerns about being overpowered).

There's also a 9-page adventure called "The Sacred Heart," which, as you might expect, is dedicated to the memory of Ronnie James Dio. It's written for a party consisting entirely of barbarians (either the 9 pregenerated characters included with this issue or entirely new ones). "Present Arms!" is a further installment in rules for firearms in Labyrinth Lord, this time with a focus on morale, misfires, and grenades. There are also reviews and comics, in addition to Part III of "The Song of Sithakk" fictional serial. Issue 3 is rounded out with a sheet of stand-up barbarian characters, background sheets for use with "The Sacred Heart," and character sheets for the aforementioned pregenerated characters.

As you can see, issue 3 contains much of interest. The barbarian class and adventure alone would have made it more than worth the $2 cover price. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that this issue was missing something, although, honestly, I'm hard pressed to say what. The writing and artwork were as good as ever and while those features that interest me least -- the comics and fiction -- took up more pages than they have in the past, it's not as if issue 3 was lacking in quality material. It might simply be that first two issues have spoiled me and set my expectations higher than could reasonably be met. Even so, issue 3 is a good one and another example of the spirit of inventiveness that the old school renaissance hopes to encourage. I look forward to the August issue with great anticipation.

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

Buy This If: You're looking for more ideas and resources for use in your old school fantasy campaign.
Don't Buy This If: You'd prefer to come up with your own ideas rather than using those of others.

REVIEW: Oubliette #1

I find myself in the unusual circumstance of having read and reviewed issue 2 of the old school fanzine Oubliette before having read issue 1. Unlike a novel or movie series, reading a periodical out of order won't spoil any surprises or make it harder to enjoy earlier issues, but it does give one a slightly different perspective. In this case, what's most evident is how much Oubliette has improved in the span of a single issue. Make no mistake: issue 1 is very good indeed, well worth the $2 cost for this PDF. Nevertheless, I did feel a certain sense "regression" as I read the first issue, as if I were going back in time to see a tall building before it had gotten very far off the ground.

Issue 1 is shorter than its successor (only 35 pages instead of 50) and its content "rougher," feeling a bit more like a first draft than the content of issue 2. Even so, there's a palpable energy to the content; it's clear that everyone involved in Oubliette is enjoying himself and wants to share that enjoyment with others. A good example of this is the 9-page "Halfling Proof Fence," which, while described as a "tournament-style adventure" is more like a competitive miniatures game using the Labyrinth Lord rules to simulate goblins pursuing escaped halfling slaves, with the player whose goblin achieves the most points in this endeavor being proclaimed champion of the tribe by the goblin chieftain. The adventure cleverly employs wandering monster tables and other random elements, along with geomorphic maps, to represent the varied challenges of chasing down escaped halflings through a subterranean environment. There are also two pages of counters for use with "Halfling Proof Fence."

Like issue 2, there are installments of "Monster Club," providing inventive ways to use standard monsters, in this case trolls and (as you might expect) goblins. A 3-page overview of the "Inheritance" campaign setting is provided and, while it's probably not to everyone's taste, it's well done and contains some interesting ideas. Also included is a partial map of the campaign area on which I was delighted to see Michael Curtis's Stonehell as a location. There's also a short article providing common sense advice on "Designing House Rules for Labyrinth Lord," along with some examples of its principles in action. In a similar vein there's a treatment "Alternative Subdual Rules for Labyrinth Lord," which I quite liked. "Improvised Traps" offers an elegant system for characters who wish to create traps on the fly. The "Good Shop/Bad Shop" feature details "The Rentalist," a business where one can rent specialized magical items for a fee. Rounding out the issue are reviews and the first installment of "The Song of Sithakk" fiction serial.

Issue 1 is, as I said, a bit more rough around the edges than issue 2, but it nevertheless possesses most of its successor's best qualities, such as the aforementioned infectious energy and delightfully quirky illustration style. At $2, one can't really complain about its price, even if, after the excellence of issue 2, issue 1 pales looks a little less impressive by comparison. Taken in its own right, though, issue 1 of Oubliette is a good value, with lots of inspiring material. It's definitely a first effort, with all that that entails. Still, I'm happy to recommend it to anyone looking for new ideas to add to their Labyrinth Lord campaigns, or indeed any old school fantasy game.

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

Buy This If: You're looking for more ideas and resources for use in your old school fantasy campaign.
Don't Buy This If: You'd prefer to come up with your own ideas rather than using those of others.

REVIEW: Oubliette #2

One of the great -- and sometimes frustrating -- parts of the old school scene these days is how, even if you're someone like me who spends a lot of time paying attention to it, there's always something you've missed. Despite a long list of established blogs, forums, and purveyors of old school gaming, new ones are regularly popping up, often under my radar. A good case in point is Peter Regan's Oubliette, "a magazine for old school fantasy roleplayers," whose second PDF issue was put on sale (for $2.00) earlier this month.

Oubliette is good evidence, I think, that while the old school movement will likely never ignite a second Golden Age, it is having an impact on the hobby. On the magazine's blog, there's a post entitled "Rationale for the magazine" that explains how the editor and his old friends had not been involved in roleplaying for 15 years but returned after discovering Labyrinth Lord. They had so much fun doing so that they're running not one but two campaigns and, inspired by the White Dwarf of old, are producing Oubliette as another outlet for their rediscovered passion for gaming.

Even if Oubliette weren't a great little gaming magazine, that'd be a success story for the old school movement in my opinion, but, as it turns out, Oubliette is a great little gaming magazine and more than worth the price of admission. Issue 2 is a 50-page PDF whose articles, while ostensibly written for Labyrinth Lord, are easily adaptable to any old school class-and-level RPG. Oubliette has a strong -- and admirable -- "fanzine" quality to it, which is to say, you can almost literally feel the enthusiasm of its creators while reading it. This is no slick but soulless periodical; it's the handiwork of people who love old school gaming and want to share the fruits of that love with others.

That's not to say that Oubliette isn't well written, edited, and illustrated, but it definitely reminds me more of the mimeographed or photocopied 'zines I saw in the late 70s and early 80s than the glossy, full-color pages of Dragon before its demise. Its layout is very basic -- "functional," as they say -- and its many illustrations (and comics) remind me of what gaming art looked like in the days before everyone decided that Larry Elmore and his cohort of "fantastic realists" were the acme of illustration. Consequently, Oubliette will almost certainly disappoint many gamers on an esthetic level, but I urge such gamers to look beyond the magazine's appearance and take in its content, which is overall excellent.

Issue 2's articles include two installments of a recurring feature called "Monster Club," which details "fun stuff with monsters." One installment presents stats for humanoid, animal, and monster skeletons, while another presents an unusual take on animated statues. There is also an adventure, entitled "Hornet Hill." It's designed for 3rd to 5th-level characters and is, in my opinion, very well done. The town of Swapton is beset by a plague of giant wasps and hires the adventurers to deal with the problem. Part town-based and part wilderness-based (with a small lair thrown in), it'd be great for an evening's entertainment and is a nice change of pace from the more typical "evil humanoids attack an isolated village" scenario. The issue includes two pages of stand-up figures for use with the scenario, as well as 12 pregenerated characters, complete with record sheets.

Issue 2 also includes a discussion of how various character classes fit into a campaign setting called "Inheritance." Presumably, this is part of an ongoing series begun in the first issue (which I have yet to see). There's some interesting material here, although I'm not sure how widely applicable it is to other campaign settings. There are also rules for black powder weapons, a magical miniatures shop, reviews of books, music, and TV shows, and the second part of a fictional tale of Sithakk the dwarf. All in all, it's a nice mix of material and all of it, even the fiction which didn't much appeal to me, is suffused with a slightly different sensibility to my own, which I found intriguing. Perhaps it's because the authors are based in the UK, whose take on fantasy has always been a little different, I don't know.

Regardless, I like gaming material that feels different, if only because it helps me to break out of my own gaming ruts. I look forward to reading future issues of Oubliette. It's a welcome addition to the old school renaissance and I'm glad I was made aware of it.

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

Buy This If: You're looking for more ideas and resources for use in your old school fantasy campaign.
Don't Buy This If: You'd prefer to come up with your own ideas rather than using those of others.