OSR Commentary On (MLBA1) Mutating Mutants Module By Bruce Nesmith Advanced Marvel Super Heroes Rpg

" A mutant role playing game from Marvel Comics. "Being a mutant is tough. Being a New Mutant is even tougher. I think I'll pay those kids a friendly visit. Y'Know. I may be Wolverine, but I don't have many friends who aren't out to use me. These kids haven't gotten hard-bitten and cynical like this old warrior. Yep, time for a drop-in..." "Somebody is after these kids. Trying to hurt them and hurt 'em bad. Somebody just made a big mistake and I intend to see that they find out just how big. Somebody's gonna pay for what they've done to the kids..." Wolverine watches as the New Mutants slither, crawl, and hop toward their goal. He knows they'll never be the same again. What's worse he also knows He'll never be the same again"

 Bruce Nesmith's (MLBA1) Mutating Mutants Module is a solid 1990 module that hits the high mark for the Marvel Super Heroes Advanced Rpg. This book delves right into the deep end of the Marvel's 'mutant menace' issue. We dived into this module in about 1991  & I've resurrected it after our recent brush with Nightmares of Future Past. 
We recently had to go after someone who was targetting Wolverine who was targetting the New Mutants! One thingthat this module brings to the table top is a plethora of Xmen & mutant themes centered around 'The New Mutant'. 

  (MLBA1) Mutating Mutants Module By  Bruce Nesmith fits right into the Marvel Super Heroes Advanced Rpg according  to the September 3, 2007; "A really quite good module for the mutant types, with Sebastian Shaw and his plotting at the heart of it."

"It is well detailed, and thought out, with some definitely useful instruction at various points for the Judge, even some karma award guides." Because Sabastian Shaw is at the heart of this module we combined this module with Days of Future Past's Sentinels. This means there's a mutant enemies link up with the Days of Future Past modules allowing Mutating Mutants to be an alternative timeline. 

(MLBA1) Mutating Mutants Module By  Bruce Nesmith is a solid module and tightly written. It's a great module to run for three reasons. The module is great to run, and it works very well as an adventure to get the player's PC involved in the deep end of the mutant issue. There are some strong encounters in (MLBA1) Mutating Mutants Module & it still works at the table top level. 

Amazing Adventures Old School Multi Genre Campaign Set Up - First Impressions

 One of the games that I recently ordered was Troll Lord Games Amazing Adventures & I think that I've got almost every edition of this game by Jason Vey. The game has evolved from Pulpy fantasy into a multigenre role playing game with the Siege engine at it's heart and soul. 

I'm still trying to get a game together with my friends to get an Amazing Adventures campaign going. There are a number of OSR  resources that I'm considering for an Amazing campaign at the moment. Among these is Skirmisher Publishing's Wisdom of the Wastelands for a post apocalpytic twist on a mini campaign setting that the PC's can visit. 

Now we've already got many of the tools for an AA post apocalpytic campaign alreaady baked into the Amazing Adventures rulebook & DM's Guide. But it's nice to get a bigger scope of the post apocalpytic genre. 

Amazing Adventures takes what was in the original AA game and distills it into a more comprehensive set of rules and rpg systems overview. On the whole the revised AA takes full advantage of the Seige Engine rules. This allows the inclusion of other OSR resources and yes, I'm looking at TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide. 

Because of the DM's Guide & Jeff Gubb's Manual of the Planes which is one of the best takes on the planes that we've seen. This allows me to incorporate some AD&D first edition elements that the players are familiar with. 

Review & Commentary on The Dark Lonesome: The Ariel Sector Sourcebook By John Watts, & Michael Johnson For The Earth & Clement Sector Rpg

"Ariel Sector, located to coreward of Clement Sector, is generally regarded to be an empty wilderness by those in Clement Sector.   However, Ariel Sector has a variety of small settlements scattered throughout the sector which vary from mining colonies to pirate b By ases, from trading posts to scientific research stations.  "

"Meet the waldläufers, independent explorers who feel the call of the wild or, as they say, "The Dark Lonesome" where they go to commune with the untamed nature of the worlds of Ariel Sector and escape the constant connection to other people.  Encounter those on "The Liar's Trail" who are wanted for crimes in Clement Sector who have gone to Ariel Sector to hide from the authorities or start a new life.  Discover the settlers that have left Clement Sector to find fortune in the mineral wealth of Ariel Sector and the scientists who have found evidence of previous alien life in the sector.  Engage with the gunslingers who roam from settlement to settlement showing off how fast they are with a laser pistol."

The Dark Lonesome: The Ariel Sector Sourcebook By John Watts, & Michael Johnson is about the frontier of the Clement sector. This is a book about the Ariel sector one of those outlying areas of the Clement sector. This book covers those areas of the map that aren't filled in per say. We've got evidence of alien life investigations and more. 
The Dark Lonesome ramps up 'the Space Western' vibe in spades and keeps the PC's into the loop of the Ariel sector. The Ariel Sector is magnet for those who want to start a new life & career along the Liar's Trail. Key to this is the huge minerial wealth of the Ariel sector. The waldläufers and gunslingers are another part of the pillar of the Ariel sector 'The Dark Lonesome' and here's where the PC's alternative career path lies. The Ariel sector is the edge of the frontier and the waldlaufers are the leading explorers;"waldläufers are independent and are exploring for their own reasons. For some, this is an economic reason as they will go out and exploit resources found on the various worlds of Ariel Sector and then trade these at settled locations. For others, there is a simply a “wanderlust” that takes them out into the unknown."  These guys are the ultimate in survivalists and they make 'the Dark Lonesome' thier home sector. They're always pushing the boundries of space exploration and survival.  They're always pushing the boundries of the map;" Ariel Sector is an area of space 40 parsecs long by 24 parsecs wide. It is often represented on maps provided by various institutions such as The Captain’s Guild as either a three-dimensional hologram for use in a holotank or interface or by the common two-dimensional hex maps which are provided to members of the Guild."

The Dark Lonesome is the leading edge of the Clement sector and the worlds of the Ariel sector should not be quickly dismissed. These worlds form the backbone of the Ariel sector and are a magnet for the explorers, mavericks, and madmen of the Clement sector. 

There's some great writing, design, world entries, etc. all in a solidly laided out package put out by Independence Games. 

    The Dark Lonesome: The Ariel Sector is a solid sourcebook for the Earth & Clement Sector rpg. There's plenty of material here for the Clement Sector rpg DM to use for thier own game campaigns. 

Using plenty of material from this supplement are perfect for the DM looking to do a massive exploritory campaign. This book will keep your 2d6 campaign going for many years to come! 

OSR Commentary On Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure For The Castles & Crusades rpg

 "Beasts of legend and myth, monsters great and small, these are the minstrel’s fare: dragons, giants, orcs, foul-minded fey, the dreaded hydra, the riddling sphynx, the naga, wyverns, griffons and so very much more."

"Monsters & Treasure contains over 400 monsters for your Castles & Crusades game. Each entry consists of an in-depth description of the monster, along with its nature, habits, the territories they occupy, their predilections, and all other relevant material. Each entry contains all the statistical information required to run the monster at any game table."

"Including mountains of treasure, both magical and mundane, as well as how to roleplay monsters, handling combat with monsters, creating monsters and defining and awarding treasures"

Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure was on my desk last night. It's been while since I've cracked open this C&C tome. One thing I've noticed is that even though all of the classic monsters are here. The organization of the Monsters & Treasure is done in such a way as to make it advantageous for adventure construction. The thing I started noticing is that Monsters & Treasure is laid out like a tool kit. You have a certain way that the monsters are placed with the right amount of likely treasure & the advantages the monsters have over the PC's. Is Castles & Cruasades Monsters and Treasure classic OSR?! Yes and no, Yes this book certainly fits the asthetic of modern rpg system but uses the trappings of old school gaming. So much so that Gary Gygax endorsed Castles & Crusades when he was alive. 
Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure fits the asthetic of the old school by providing the full gamit of horrors and monsters for your C&C adventurers to run into in the dungeon. 

There's enough generic bent to the monsters that they can fit into an any OSR or old school rpg campaign that is using the Castles & Crusades rpg system. For example we ran a Greyhawk C&C campaign. The Monsters & Treasure book was essential to running Greyhawk especially since it was such an unstable time in Greyhawk's history. 
Now we're talking about when there were a ton of raiders and barbarians during this time in Greyhawk's history. Therefore the Monsters and Treasure were essential to this core of this campaign. Why because of the number of treasures that had been looted from the countryside. Every small kingdom & village had a small treasure or artifact that seemed to wind up in the hands of every petty tyrant, king, dictator, and warlord in the region. 

This was a time in Greyhawk's history when monsters were outta of control and they were a part of the dark forces of Greyhawk. Our adventurers  came in as survivors of the purges and raiding from various villages or outlying regions. This again is where Monsters & Treasures came in handy as both reference and guide for our Castles & Crusades campaign back about two years ago. To me Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure is one of the C&C essential books and very well done in my humble opinion. 

Welcome to The Party Pal - Session Report- Forever War By Paul Elliot For The Hostile Rpg

 Picking up right here from this past week's Forever War game adventure. We got a secure resource of water and set up power generation. Our sniper teams sent a few spies off too the great beyond and everything seems to be going well. 

Our team is near the unclaimed mountain territory and we're expanded out our patrols all ready. We've encountered swamp, mud, and Jellies. These things are horrid little alien parasites that seem to get into everything including gear, equipment, etc. We've got our scientists working on it back home. 

We had no major incursions.. yet but we're starting to send out drones & sniper teams into the field. The planet of course hates us & as per usual conditions are Hell. The weather really plays up on Leviticus & has happered efforts to find and identify other mercenary positions. 

With a storm raging for two days we've told our guys to stay put. There's an uneasy feeling about Leviticus as a whole among the players and that's a good thing. My DM really played up the weirdness & paranoia of the planet. Random stuff like coms cutting out, all of the electronics and batteries going down, and electronics totally screwing up when they've been checked with successful rolls. 

Hawkmoon Comes Calling - The Ruins of Pitzburke For Gamma World Second Edition Session Report

 Two weeks ago I was DMing a friend's second edition Gamma World game & we were playing in the ruins of Pitzburke! My preferred poison for this rpg is the vaulted second edition of Gamma World with the Larry Elmore artwork. There's something very primorial about the savagery and super science of Gamma World second edition. We went over the ruins of Pitzburke back here on the blog.

A random encounter came up in our game and that's when the PC's came across a recovery team from the  foul Granbretan empire! That's right the party ran across a group of animal masked warriors from  Hawkmoon’s Tragic Millennium Europe. There were a group of Mantis masked scientist priests & a group of boar warriors guarding them.  

The party was a mix of mutants and AD&D first edition characters about seven players total. They decided that the digression is the better part of valour after getting a look at the boar warriors sporting some sort of long spear like weapons topped with odd looking crystals on them. The boar warriors were engaged with slaves who were lifting some sort of odd relic out of a hole in the street that appeared to lead into a tunnel.

The boars had the remains of an automaton that they were hauling out of the hole with a winch and pulley system. Each of the boar masked warriors was a 3rd level fighter and there were six of them total while there were three Mantis warriors. Two were 4th level cleric leader and the third is a scientist armed with a Gamma World style laser pistol. There are three boar warriors armed with laser lances guarding the site. 

The party is hiding and seeing what's happening. I simply pulled Hawkmoon elements from an old dragon  magazine  add for the 198o's Stormbringer rpg Hawkmoon boxset. I also came across a fantastic article on the Hawkmoon  set on Wayne's Books site here. 

OSR Review & Commentary On Mutant Bestiary One: 173 New Creatures for The Mutant Epoch RPG By William McAusland

 "What a freak show! Keep your post-apocalyptic game players on the edge of their seats with 173 all new creatures from Abhorra to Ziagota. Your players are gonna ask “Now what the hell is that!?” Welcome to the much anticipated Mutant Bestiary One! Have your Mutant Epoch players seen it all? Looking for more than the 104 monsters found in the hub rules book? Well this richly illustrated tome is the answer. Dive in and get ready to throw some surprises their way! This is the seventh book in the Mutant Epoch role-playing game line, using the Outland System game mechanic. Of course, any GM can easily convert the stat blocks of these critters to another system. This collection of nasty freaks, from the blood mole to the earth shaking mobilamortus tree, will to challenge and intrigue excavators of low to high ranks."

  Mutant Bestiary One: 173 New Creatures for The Mutant Epoch RPG is a complete pack of a bestiary. Mutant Bestiary One has creatures to challenge every type of excavator and adventurer within it's pages. And it happens to be one of my favorite mutant manuals to use for the Mutant Epoch rpg. Why because of the sheer volume and variety of mutant peoples, monsters and creatures within it's pages. 

According to an Amazon reviewer from December 2014; "William McAusland is genius*, and one man writing/drawing army when it comes to RPGs. Most games have a handful of creatures that are out of the ordinary that you didn't see coming. The Mutant Bestiary One is chock full of them, and also includes a lot of generic classics. The author isn't afraid to just stat the more generic creatures and give them a short description, while lavishing the more unique beings/beasts with full write ups. (While carnivorous squirrels definitely need stats they don't need a long write up.)" These creatures are for mature readers/players because of the fact that slavery, and sexual exploitation are a part of this supplement. Because these species see mankind as an exploitable resource. Ninety percent of the entries on these mutant monsters have random tables to randomize the mutations on these monsters. This makes the mutant monsters of Mutant Bestiary One that much more of a threat. 

 Mutant Bestiary One fits right into the groove of the Mutant Epoch rpg seemlessly. There's plenty of rpg tools that allow the mutant monsters of Mutant Bestiary One to be inserted into your TME adventures easily. 

What this means is the range of TME mutant monsters are greatly expanded from the regular TME rule book. Adventures can easily be constructed around the mutant monsters within Mutant Bestiary One. Some of these monsters will challenge even the most jaded and experienced TME players. 

There's a certain' seen it all' mindset that comes to the post apocalyptic rpg genre that Mutant Bestiary One can cure. Be aware that many of the Mutant Bestiary One mutant monsters are 'party enders'. 

Mutant Bestiary One is a well written & well designed supplement. The number of times I've used this book is numerous including for other OSR post apocalpytic rpg's. That's the utility of the Mutant Bestiary One supplement for post apocalpytic rpg gaming. 

Reviews & Commentary On The Gothic Rpg By The Red Room Crew

 "In gas-lit streets, behind the elegant façades of Victorian manors, and deep within the misty forests of the countryside, darkness lurks. In this game, science and superstition collide, the ghosts of the past refuse to rest, and madness is always a risk. Gothic draws its inspiration from 19th-century literature and the enduring legacy of gothic horror in literature, cinema and the small screen"

The Gothic Rpg By The Red Room Crew is a solid  Gothic & Edwardian horror rpg for running OSR adventures set within those time period. Gothic uses the Red Rpg system which gets rid of the levels, and other OSR elements. This game uses fear points & these collect as the terror mounts. Combat is extremely deadly within the game and that's appropriate because the PC's are facing down icons of horror and the supernatural. The Gothic rpg hits the high points points for horror rpg systems & the dark forces because the entire game revolves around the classic Edwardian horror period.

Because Gothic is powered by the Red Rpg system  it uses the virtues & vices PC rpg system that plugs into the Victoriana horror era. Gothic has the usual Red Room quality & solid design work. There's lots of rpg elements that plug into the back end of the literature horror tropes of the era. Below the surface of the Victorian era there's the corruption, decidence, & dark forces that make Gothic rpg such a great game. 

The Gothic rpg has a decent skill system similar to many other OSR games according to the Red Site for Gothic;". Characters also possess a range of skills, from the scholarly (Knowledge, Linguistics) to the practical (Stealth, Combat). Skill levels range from +1 to +5, representing increasing degrees of mastery. Specializations allow for further refinement, granting +1 bonuses in specific applications of a skill."

Gothic takes full advantage of the Red Rpg systems & harkens back to early BX rpg games even without the PC levels. 

The Gothic Rpg plugs right into the classic &  OSR rpg systems of the world's most popular fantasy rpg. This means that many classic rpg modules could be plugged into Gothic rpg as Victorian horror adventures.  

The Gothic Rpg is a well designed, written, & truly servicable Edwardian horror rpg. Gothic rpg adventures are designed to challenge, horrorify, & even kill PC's. The rpg systems of the Gothic rpg are designed to do exactly this. The Gothic Rpg is a completely all in one rpg tool kit for running Victorian horror & supernatural rpg adventures.

Review & Commentary on The Player Aid for HOSTILE Solo By gamesbyfelix.com For The Zozer Games Hostile Solo Rpg

 

"This player aid helps you on your adventures in Zozer Games' amazing "HOSTILE Solo" sci-fi horror RPG. Please let me know your feedback! I'd be happy to keep working on this player aid :-)"

Paul Elliot of Zozer Games fame turned me onto The Player Aid for Hostile Solo Rpg this early this morning by gamesbyfelix.com. and here after will be referred to as The Player Aid.  The Player Aid is a twenty six page booklet of charts and rules summeries that has everything the solo player needs to create a Hostile Solo PC & it's still very much a work in progress. The Player's Aid has everything from the ground up to keep you going as a Hostile Solo player. 

There are The Player Aid for Hostile Solo Rpg a series of breakdowns of the charts and rules from Hostile Solo that hit's the edges of everything you need to enjoy the Hostile Solo rpg. 

 The thing I appreciate is the fact that the Player Aid has a reference for the Hostile Solo rpg book. This is solo player's tool in many ways because it hits differently from the regular Hostile rpg rules. The Player Aid & Hostile Solo rpg has the feeling of complete isolation  & being alone against the darkness of space. This is especially true of Hostile Solo rpg.
This means that the level of the Hostile Solo Rpg comes comes across as having a feeling of survival and skills for being alive fall on the player's shoulders. The Players Aid helps the player cope with the Hostile Solo system. The  Player Aid

Hostile Solo supplement is perfect for those who want to up thier Hostile Solo rpg. 

OSR Review & Commentary On Star Port Two By Joseph Mohr For The Cepheus Engine Rpg & Old School 2d6 Science Fiction rpg's

 "The star port at Anapcequdo is one of the busiest star ports in the Sonora sector. This world is the capital system of the Pembian Empire and is known for it’s weapons manufacturing facilities. More passengers and cargo move through this star port daily than just about any other star port in the sector."

"But not everything is as rosy as it seems. The star port has a few issues that are causing the star port manager, Santino Hall, a few problems."

Star Port Two By Joseph Mohr is a solid adventure & location for the 2d6 Cepheus Engine rpg powered game systems. Star Port Two has an adventure baked in around the star port; "nearby Frontier Scout Base ships departing from this star port with valuable cargos are getting intercepted by nearby pirates. " The pirates are the least of your PC's problems in this star port. The star port needs a group of adventurers and troubleshooters to help sort through the issues surrounding the adventure location. Star Port Two has great NPC's, lots of encounters, and some great map.

There's also an interstellar war that is in the space around the star port. Star Port Two is an adventure/supplement all in one. This adventure has all of the moving parts and pieces that one needs to start a campaign. Star Port Two is great for the Clement Sector as a jump off point for campaign.

Star Port Two By Joseph Mohr has some solid encounters & an underlying adventure plot that has sabotage, perhaps murder,& an interstellar war. This star port is a magnet for all kinds of trouble. This star port is that adventure location add to this space pirate

OSR Commentary On Pitford: Gateway To The Ruins For The Mutant Epoch Rpg By William McAusland

 "Pitford is like a great immobile tank, stuck on the battle scarred, hostile plains in the shadow of the Great Ruins. This scrap metal enclosure is more than a home base for excavators; it is a dynamic adventure site, where opportunity, riches, espionage, crime, and debauchery await. Herein, game sessions are as challenging and deadly as anything found outside of its junk and concrete shell."

" The fortress-town stands as a frontier bastion for a hard pressed humanity, providing a retreat from the harsh sand storms and flesh eating mutated beasts of the wilds. With one road leading in at the south and another at the north, it is stopping place for travelers, outlaws, savages, scavs, runaways and most of all, excavators. For over eighty years this fort has served as a base camp for dig teams who loot the boundless ruinscape beyond, where the lucky make it back alive with artifacts of enormous wealth and power."

 Pitford: Gateway To The Ruins By  William McAusland is a huge sprawling post apocalyptic trading post city complete with tons of NPC's, lots of random tables, factions, and many more pieces of Mutant Epoch rpg  material.  Pitford is such an iconic adventure location & I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've run PC's through this place. Pitford is excellent to get the player's PC's involved in what's happening  in the wasteland around the fortified trade town. This supplement book is fantastic as a place to start forth to adventure into the wasteland. Pitiford is another supplement that dovetails right into the Crossroads Region campaign setting. 

Pitford has multiple opportunities for player's PC's to get everything from equipment to gladiatorial combat encounters. This makes Pitford a prime adventure location for a post apocalpytic rpg's and there's plenty of  shops,businesses, and more for the PC's to stumble upon. According to Thomas Riccardi's 2013 Amazon review;" There are also some unique businesses offering services such as robotics (and a table to generate unique robots), a parcel service (and a glimpse of the world beyond Pitford's walls) and even a guide service (where characters can hire a guide to go on expeditions into the wastes). Each of these shops is depicted in great detail as to what the character is selling, their personality and what they might have in value stashed behind the counter. There is even a fighting pit in Pitford that allows the characters to try their hand at being a gladiator and there are a few combatants they will be engaging. From just normal folks to mutants and beasts there is no shortage of opponents for the arena." 

These businesses tie directly into the history, location, and more as a part of Pitford.This means that there's lots of detail for wasteland & post apocalpytic adventuring. 

Review & Commentary On MT3 Marvel Super Heroes Advanced The Revenge of Kang By Ray Winniger

 "What if the Fantastic Four were never born? How many other heroes would be affected - who would die? Who would not decide to become a hero? Who would switch sides and become a villain? This is what Kang wants to happen. He and his alternate reality duplicates have targeted the early 1960's as the time-space to begin their (his?) domination of the planet Earth. The plan is to eliminate the heroes of the 20th Century to make life easier for Kang. Lots easier. Can your super-group foil this nefarious plot? Can you make it through the myriad of time-streams, finding the right Kang at the right time? Have you ever operated a time machine in any of your lives? Well you will now..."

We pick right up from our commentary on  MT2 The Weird, Weird West By Ray Winninger (Author)

MT3 Marvel Super Heroes Advanced The Revenge of Kang By Ray Winniger was published in 1989 and by 1990 we were deep into the 'Time Quake" campaign. This is a classic Avengers focused adventure. Kang the Conquerer is out for blood and to erase heroes! This adventure brings your heroes back to 1963 and it's a great adventure to bring in both classic and modern heroes into the fray. This is a time travel related adventure that plays a central pivot point to this adventure. "Revenge of Kang"  adventure points up the fact that the players really have to use thier 

brains. 

 According to the Wiki entry on "The Revenge of Kang" the review from Games International magazine hits some high points;"Games International magazine reviewed The Revenge of Kang and stated that "The Revenge of Kang sports the most absurd plot rationale in the history of module design. More time travel silliness provides the excuse for a succession of set pieces in which player characters either make skill rolls, fight villains or (exceptionally) use their noddles. Required for those who have played the first two, if only to rid your game of all this tosh, but not worth a look in otherwise.""
The time quake series of adventures  led our heroes into some very interesting places especially the Silver Age. The Revenge of Kang is a perfect adventure to introduce the MA6 The Silver Age Sourcebook by Keith A. Kilburn. The time traveling elements allow the DM to really play with the PC's. As we got stranded in 1959 by Kang in a recent romp  by our DM through Revenge of Kang. And that's the time period  where we currently are. 

Is the Revenge of Kang any good?! Yes, but it must be tied into the rest of the 'TimeQuake' series of modules. There's a ton of good material here from encounters to puzzles, but again the players are going to have to use thier heads and deal with the time travel issues.