Review & Commentary On Expanded Races: Thanians - A Shadowdark Supplement By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From James Mishler Games For The Shadowdark Rpg

 Expanded Races: Thanians - A Shadowdark Supplement By James Mishler,  &  Jodi Moran-Mishler is a huge fifteen page racial expansion for the Shadowdark rpg. And when I mean huge I mean it. This expansion has a entire plethora of racial animal humanoid options for the game. In the Shadowdark rpg these racial options are called Thanians. Thanians is a PC term that covers a wide range of animal humanoid options.  And for a 1.99 you get a lot of OSR options with no filler! 

The Thanian races options cover about thirteen pages of OSR content including the following PC animal options; "Thanians, also known as Beastfolk, are anthropomorphic animals, including insect, amphibian, reptile, avian, and mammals, and including the following races:

Antfolk
Apefolk
Badgerfolk
Batfolk
Bearfolk
Beefolk
Birdfolk
Boarfolk
Butterflyfolk
Catfolk
Cattlefolk
Corvidfolk
Crabfolk
Cricketfolk
Deerfolk
Dogfolk
Duckfolk
Fishfolk
Foxfolk
Frogfolk
Gatorfolk
Goatfolk
Horsefolk
Lionfolk
Lizardfolk
Locustfolk
Mantisfolk
Monkeyfolk
Mousefolk
Otterfolk
Pigfolk
Rabbitfolk
Raccoonfolk
Raptorfolk
Ratfolk
Roachfolk
Serpentfolk
Sheepfolk
Skunkfolk
Tigerfolk
Wolffolk

Each has a brief description of common physical characteristics and typical societal systems, along with one or more special abilities.

16 pages (13 pages of content)." 

What does this mean for the Shadowdark rpg itself?! Quite a lot actually! Shadowdark is a retroclone with a difference; "Shadowdark is a fantasy roleplaying game where you delve into subterranean dungeons, caverns, and tombs in search of gold and glory."

"The Shadowdark is a vast network of buried and forgotten ruins brooding beneath the surface world. It clutches ancient
secrets and dusty treasures in its rotting claws, daring fortune seekers to tempt their fates.

With your adventuring companions at your side, you confront the Shadowdark's sinister traps, ancient magics, and ruthless monsters.

If you survive, you'll return to the surface with marvelous
riches plucked from the depths. And before long, you'll hear the Shadowdark's call once again!" 

For the Expanded Races: Thanians - A Shadowdark Supplement By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler this gives the players far more variety, power of play, and PC's options at the table top level. With so many Thanian options the players can pick & choose what animals & regions of the campaign suit thier style of play. Is Expanded Races: Thanians - A Shadowdark Supplement any good?! Com'n folks this is James Mishler,  &  Jodi Moran-Mishler From James  Mishler Games. Of course it's good! We get all substance and very little filler! The Mishlers bring their unique blend of solid layout, good writing, and design. And no manture for your Shadowdark campaigns. 

The Shadowdark rpg game is available through the Arcane library here.  The Expanded Races: Thanians - A Shadowdark Supplement By James Mishler,  &  Jodi Moran-Mishler is available right over on Drivethrurpg here. 

OSR Review & Commentary On Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games

 James Mishler Games produces some excellent supplements Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games is no exception. This product runs the gammit from fairies of sorta good strip to Fey born straight from the nightmares of peasants. 

Fact is that Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games has a solid inclusion of monsters scattered among the Fey;
"The fairies included herein are not necessarily based on myths and legends, taking merely inspiration from the name and possibly inspiration from myths and legends. Some are created from whole cloth, much as many of the names of fairies in the Denham Tracts most likely were.

Rest assured, they will challenge your players with new and interesting encounters!

This first volume includes seven new types of fairies:

The Alholde Fairy – A household fairy who only the rich and powerful can afford.

The Fairy Apparition – A creature literally born of fairy nightmares!

The Banshee Fairy – Wicked fairies all too… keen… on avenging themselves on all other life!

The Barguest Fairy – A greedy beast of a fairy who toys with his enemies like a cat does a mouse…

The Black Dog Fairy – Guardians at the crossroads between the Fairy and Mortal worlds.

The Black Bug Fairy – Mortals should be careful when they wish upon a star, as they never know who might be listening…

The Bloody Bones Fairy – These traitorous fairies have lost their heads… but a little setback like that would never stop them. Just don’t lose your head when you encounter them…

Seven new fairies – Mostly wicked and foul, in this run."

Each of these seven Fey has both a benefit & bane attached to them in  Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01. These Fey have this dual side to them which makes them more then simple monsters & pushes them into the realm of NPC's. This makes them very useful for both old school & OSR games, take for example Lamentations of the Flame Princess where  'Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01' could be used for something completely different as an adventure pivot point. 
And for a game such as Adventurer, Conqueror, King rpg  Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 could add in some very different elements when a Fey such as these is in control of a certain domains & areas. Some of these such as Fairy Apparition could become a real problem for a ruler or even a thieves guild as they make an area completely off limits to a gang of outlaws. Other Fey such as the banshee fairy could become a force of vengence against an entire royal line or even a wizard's family. 
For Castles & Crusades  Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 are perfect for the sort of adventure fodder that players would not be expecting. This is especially true of the Black Bug Fairy which could if used correctly could make a party of adventurer's lives a bit of a Hell with a small 'h'. This thing has all of the hallmarks of a min teir Fey encounter that is both horror and humorous applications. The Bloody Bones Fairy is another Fey that could become the focal point for an entire series of adventures encounters. These Fey have some very dangerous abilities that they can bring to play. 
Another Fey with numerous applications is the Barguest Fairy which could become the center point of a family curse adventure or other supernatural serial murder style adventures. A very dangerous Fey if used right. For the price  Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 brings great value to the table as fodder for both your OSR or old school campaigns. 

 Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games Is Available Here 

OSR Review & Commentary On The Vampire Class By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games For Castles & Crusades, Labyrinth Lord, or Your Old School Campaigns

 "Vampire Class

By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler

This new class booklet presents a 20-level Vampire class for use with Labyrinth Lord, easily adaptable to any other classic style OSR Role-Playing Game.

The Vampire Class booklet includes details and rules on:

Becoming a vampire.
Vampire hit points and ability scores.
Special defenses, resistances, and immunities.
Vampire special abilities.
Vampire combat, bringing back the blood drain!
Vampire weaknesses."

"With this class, a player’s character who has been transformed into a vampire no longer need become a non-player character! One can also run an entire campaign with vampire player characters! And of course, it is an excellent source for creating unique vampire enemies.

16-page booklet, 11 pages of content. $2 – CHEAP!"

The Vampire Class By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games couldn't come at a better time. The Vampire Class clocks in at sixteen blood sucking pages of OSR goodness. You'll have your player's PC begging for a transfusion of blood when you as the DM aim The Vampire Class at the players. The Mishler bring a balance of terror to the vampire; "Vampires are not natural creatures. They are a form of undead, creature that are neither alive nor dead. They are usually created when a vampire drains all the live energy levels from a victim through their bite or touch attack. Some vampires might arise by other methods, such as a curse, accepting vampirism from Chaotic entities, or drinking vampire blood. In any case, however they die, they rise again the night after being buried. The new vampire retains their old class level and abilities but loses their old hit points and must start out as a 1st level vampire with 1d8 hit points. Once the vampire attains a level as a vampire equal to the class level they possessed in life, they divide their experience points between the two classes (they still gain no hit points from the other class)" 
The Vampire class clocks in at sixteen pages with all killer OSR goodness to create NPC nasties up to and including 20th level vampire gods. 
The Vampire class has everything from level progression, to up ended special abilities allowing you to create that special blood sucker for any OSR or old school adventure. The Mishlers add more then a touch of class with the special abilities granting everything from mist form to full on hold monster abilities at higher levels. The Vampire class takes advantage of it's old school roots by paying homage to the old school rules while bringing the vampire into the modern age easily. They even brought in the modern weaknesses as well as the old classics like daywalker abilities. The Mishlers here do a good job paring back the material to a very reasonable sixteen pages of vampire and fang goodness. Vampires created with these rules could be anything from a solid one night stand vampire to a fully realized lord of the undead. For 2.00 you get a full array of vampire OSR goodness. 
The Vampire Class is flexible, easy to use, and could easily be used in Castles & Crusades as a vampire variation species. There's also Adventurer, Conqeuror, King where a lord of the Undead could be quite the challenge for the ruler of a fledging kingdom. In Lamentations of the Flame Princess the Vampire class could be used to create some very strange variations of the vampire quite easily. For BECMI D&D The Vampire Class is tailor made to create the perfect vile villain easily. All in all The Vampire Class is quick, solidly done, and a perfectly nasty addition to the old school or OSR DM's tool kit. 

The  Vampire Class By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games For Castles & Crusades,  Labyrinth Lord, or Your Old School Campaigns Is Available Here 

OSR Commentary & Prep Work On White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game & A Simple Dark Europe Campaign

 One of the things over the last couple of years that we've started doing is being highly independant from everyone else in the hobby. And this includes returning to the   White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game. There's just something that works for me as a DM with  White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game on a primal level. Man vs mythology & monster in equal measure at the table top level. As the world unravels a bit it's safe to say that falling back onto an IP that doesn't disapoint is a good thing. Blood is blood & treasure is treasure we don't end up having to worry about an IP that will disapoint in a couple of months. 

And so we go back down to the Smoldering Wizard blog ( an old favorite haunt) for the White Box FMAG Reference Sheets here.  These reference sheets are exactly what will be needed in a month's time. And while there's a new version of the Smoldering Wizard blog here.  The older reference sheets are fine for my purposes. This material ties in with James & Jody Moran Mishler's Fairies Fair and Foul Vol. 01 From  James Mishler Games

The reason why we've been looking in this direction is the idea of a campaign of a dark mythic Europe where the times are dark, twisted, and full of the chaos of a younger world. And coming up I'd love to run a variation of the Smoldering Wizard's Adventures in Text Lair of the White Worm for 1st level PC's  Available under adventures in text section. 
This all came about rereading Three Hearts & Three Lions By Poul Anderson recently over a week ago. With the turmoil that has been going on in real life there hasn't been time enough to really write about the deep abiding love that as a dungeon master that I have for this book. 

One of my all time favorite covers of Three Hearts & Three Lions in French with the cover art having a very Michael Moorcock Elric feel about it. The whole artpiece has the feel of a Stormbringer or AD&D rpg supplement title page. 

OSR Review & Commentary On The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games For Your Old School Campaign

 "The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel

By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler

The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is the first adventure specifically set in the Isle of Eldisor Hexcrawl Campaign Setting. Designed for use with Labyrinth Lord, it is easily adapted to any OSR-Style Role-Playing Game."

"The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is an ancient, much-storied flying citadel in the shape of a demon’s head. Since the death of its creator during the Wars of Succession following the Fall of Eldisor, it has passed through the hands of countless villains, who have used the flying tower to raid, pillage, and enslave the peoples of the Ivory Plains and beyond. Terrible tales of wizards, demons, and dragons follow in its wake.

And now it has drifted into a tree-lined ridge near Wulf’s Ferry… right in your own backyard!

What are the inhabitants up to? Are they here to raid or to trade?

What of the rumors of centuries of treasure hidden within?

Are you brave or foolish enough to find out?"

The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is designed for use with Labyrinth Lord and other OSR-Style Role-Playing Games. Designed for use for a party of 4 to 6 adventurers of 5th to 7th level, its dangers can easily be increased or decreased for more powerful or less experienced parties."

 The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games as it stands is one very nasty & dangerous adventure. And I mean this in the best possible way. Because your going to need at least four experienced players for this adventure. The Mishlers are not pulling any punches here & that's a good thing because what the The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel does is set's the stage for a classic dungeon crawl on all levels. 
The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel has a rumor table right out the gate, & there's the classic little old school adventure touches within this adventure. And it's the attention to detail that makes The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel work on many levels. Here's let's look at the background for a moment; "The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is a much-storied edifice in the lore of the Isle of Eldisor. Valdig Fel was a mighty wizard in the service of Eldisor. High in his councils, Fel commanded a small legion of magic-users, sorcerers, warlocks, and other spellcasters of terrible eldritch sort. When Eldisor fell, Fel was at home in his Demon Tower in the Mystery Mountains, then found atop a promontory of Haxafjell, aka Witch Mountain (Hex 3927). The instant the news of Eldisor’s fall spread to the region, chaos ensued." The whole affair of The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel because it places itself right within Mishler Games previous adventures & campaigns. And that's fine because this is a mid level adventure and it works quite nicely on its own merits as both old school & OSR adventure. And what works well within  The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is going to continue to work at your table top! 
The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is only three dollar but this Mishler games so its going to be a solid quality product. Would The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel work as a Castles & Crusades rpg adventure?! In a word oh yes! As a mid level adventure for C&C The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel is going put a party throught it's paces easily.  The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel play on its own strengths & these would translate quite nicely over into C&C.  But I can also see The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel working very well as an Adventurer, Conqueror, King rpg adventure with the legions of  Valdig Fel bringing chaos & misery unto a neighboring ACK's kingdom with abandoned! 
All in all I think that the The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel  works nicely through its own adventure  agenda & as a deadly little change of pace for experienced old school & OSR players! 

The Demon Tower of Valdig Fel By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games Is Available Here 

Deadly Legacy - James Mishler Games Short Cuts to Adventure The Lost Gnome Mine Using Fantastic Heroes & Witchery With Dark Albion Session Report #1

 So there's been a ton of personal issues to deal with this weekend from scheduling mishaps to angry x girl friends. And I loath social media on top of all of this. Let's sweep this aside for a moment. Readers of this blog know that for the pass two or three years on and off there been Fantastic Heroes & Witchery rpg campaign on going on my watch. 

And yes this spilt over into Pundit's Dark Albion rpg campaign supplement & this later on became our Dark Europe campaign setting. We've had Cymric nobles, lost kingdoms, Arthurian influences, etc. you name it. And this brings up a fairy legacy that's been hanging out there in limbo! And so today I had my ears pinned back to run our campagin that uses Fantastic Heroes & Witchery's path through Dark Albion! 

And that brings up James Mishler Games Short Cuts to Adventure The Lost Gnome Mine. Right on the edge of one of noble's holdings that fades into the land of Fairy is the lost gnome; "Here long ago a clan of gnomes discovered a huge and beautiful black diamond. So magnificent was it, they began to worship it. Then, strange and terrible things happened, and the gnomes disappeared. But it is said that the huge black diamond, worth a king’s ransom, remains to be found…"  And this became the lost legacy for our current ruined noble on the edge of his property. So the rest of the party has gotten roped into helping their fellow party member. 
 Games Short Cuts to Adventure The Lost Gnome Mine is only eight pages long & can seamlessly be inserted into an ongoing campaign. There's a great little map & the black diamond is a nasty little servant of  Chaos & evil with its influene growing sending its tendrils into the real world slowly but surely within Wales. 

At only eight pages, we've (DM Steve & myself) have had to pad out the encounters around the old gnome mine in Fairy with the locals coming to their laird for help. And then there's the fleeing goblins! The fleeing goblins the party encountered as they made their way to the old gnome mine. And then the party encountered the hobb lord & his witch doctor advisor. There was a parley between the laird & the goblin lord who explained that they wanted to flee from the nasty influence of the mine. The party wisely returned to the noble's home to arm up & take on the evil of the mine. 
The players are not happy one little bit about the gnome mine really want to recon it before taking it on. Mission achieved on my part today. Is James Mishler Games Short Cuts to Adventure The Lost Gnome Mine worth the price of a dollar for a download?! In a word yes! There's enough adventure inducing meat here to flesh out what encounters and whatnot that you need to add the James Mishler Games Short Cuts to Adventure The Lost Gnome Mine to your own campaign. 

James Mishler Games Short Cuts to Adventure The Lost Gnome Mine Is Available Right Here

OSR Review & Commentary Shortcuts to Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games

 So Shortcuts to Adventure #1: Shrine of the Slime God came across my email tonight from Mishler Games. And it's just in time for this weekend's Castles & Crusades game that I'm supposed to be running. And its 

"The first Shortcut to Adventure is the Shrine of the Slime-God. Here horrible Chaotic and Evil priests and cultists come to worship the Demon-Prince of Slime. Here they store their treasures when they return home and hide in obscurity among their Lawful, Goodly neighbors… but they do not leave these treasures unguarded!"

"Designed for a party of 4th to 6th level adventurers, this adventure can easily be adjusted to higher or lower levels by altering the mix and number of monsters present."

Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler is a perfect  small dungeon with a big adventure hook  for levels four to sixth level adventurers. And this is really significant for the fact that despite the small page count. Shrine of the Slime God  is a majorly deadly dungeon perfect for a weekend set up and play. 
Shrine of the Slime God a perfectly suited mini dungeon to drag & drop into your favorite urban campaign landscape. And this brings up the fact that because shrine is a mini dungeon that its perfect to drop into this weekend's Greyhawk Castles & Crusades game. Why?! Because the demon prince of slime is throw back to the Greyhawk city or Greyhawk ruins setting. There's just enough material within Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler to throw into an ongoing game and keep the players on their toes. 

Shortcuts to Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler comes in at eight pages. And as an adventure it works quite perfectly for a Friday or Saturday evening OSR or old school games.The layout within this module is well done. The cartography of the Shortcuts to Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler is simple direct & does exactly what it says on the tin. For C&C this is an excellent little mini dungeon to introduce the slime prince of demons to your players. And here's where C&C's Tome of The Unclean comes in handy to really bring home a few more details about the demon prince of slime. 

Shortcuts to Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler is reasonably priced. Easily to add into existing campaigns & works very well to bring home the goodness of the demon prince of slime! 

 Shortcuts to Adventure #01: Shrine of the Slime God By James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games Is Available Here. 

OSR Review & Commentary On The Gnome Racial Class By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games

 This 8-page booklet (3 pages of content) contains a gnome racial class designed for use with Labyrinth Lord. The class combines the illusionist and thief classes in a traditional gnomish manner. Not much new, as such, but fills a lacuna in the game's classes.

Designed for use with Labyrinth Lord and Advanced Labyrinth Lord, this class is easily adaptable to any classic fantasy role-playing game"

"Gnomes are said to be cousins to dwarves, elves, and halflings, and share many of their idiosyncrasies while still having their own unique cultural ways."



" Gnomes generally dwell in hills or on mountainsides, dividing their time equally above and below ground. Gnome heroes, such as depicted in this volume, combine the abilities of illusionists and thieves."
 So James Mishler Games sent over a copy of the Gnomes Racial Class which is Labyrinth Lord and Advanced Labyrinth Lord compatible. And  compatible with your favorite version of retroclone D&D systems as well. The Mishlers have crafted up an eight page gnome stew here in the Gnome Racial class, you've got a racial class that combines the best abililites of the theif & illusionist in one classic class. And for a dollar you get the whole crafted racial class ready to go. This class can be used for annoying NPC's or full blown PC's as your game needs. 
The  Gnome Racial Class By James Mishler, &  Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games is solidly designed with little fuss or muss. The whole affair does the job of introducing the gnome racial class to the PC's at table top level. Simple, easy to work with that's what I personally want in a gnome class. 

The Gnome Racial Class By James Mishler, &  Jodi Moran-Mishler From Mishler Games Available Here 

OSR Review & Commentary On The Incompleat Olden Lands & Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00 Olden Lands Continent By James & Jody Moran Mishler From James Mishler Games

 "Nine years late and more than a few details short, here finally is the Incompleat Olden Lands, the gazetteer of my first new world.

"Boy howdy, did I learn a few things NOT to do with building worlds with this one. Lessons that were still not learned for a time; took a while for the lesson to take, so to speak. Biggest lesson – start small, not big! Too much, too many details, too many things to juggle in the design and development eventually bogs you down and burns you out.

I got a good bit along with this one. Maybe three-fifths of the way, perhaps somewhat more, from a glance. Some sections are mostly done; other sections are skeletal, and some are in-between."

"THIS PRODUCT IS INCOMPLETE AND DOES NOT DETAIL THE ENTIRETY OF THE OLDEN LANDS!

The Incompleat Olden Lands includes the following sections, some more complete than others:

Humans of the Olden Lands (Complete)
Demi-Humans of the Olden Lands (Complete)
Humanoids of the Olden Lands (Complete)
Languages of the Olden Lands (Complete)
Political Divisions of the Olden Lands (Various levels of completion)
Geography of the Olden Lands (Various levels of completion)
Complete Monster List by Area (Complete)
Complete Resource List by Type (Complete)
Coinage by Realm (Complete)
Titles and Order of Precedence (Very Incomplete)
Gods of the Olden Lands (Incomplete List Only) " 


Let me start off by saying that I don't look at the Incompleat Olden Lands by James & Jody Moran Mishler as an incomplete product. Let me explain & dive into the nature of the the Incompleat Olden Lands. This is an almost complete supplement which means that its an almost complete campaign setting. And its a well done campaign setting when coupled with the Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00 Olden Lands Continent.
Why?! Because the Incompleat Olden Lands gives the DM just enough to get started and lots of room to expand into a fully fleshed out campaign with the rest of Mishler Games products.   The Incompleat Olden Lands & Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00 Olden Lands Continent is an excellent side campaign setting for the  Castles & Crusades rpg. Why because almost everything is there to drag & drop a group of players into the Olden Lands. 

The maps are good and Mishler's Olden Lands setting feels like a great OSR campaign setting waiting for the DM to fill in the corners of the map. Everything is almost there & that's fine for me as a DM because the Olden Lands feels like a call back to campaign sets of yore like TSR Greyhawk's box set. Where just enough of the history, setting, and  the middle of the campagin  is filled in & you take on the rest. But the glorious maps that Mishler games includes fills in settlement details, plague areas, etc. And its all really solidly useful. The Olden Lands is perfect for a location based campaign something I'm looking into doing in the next coming months. 
Do I think that The Incompleat Olden Lands & Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00 Olden Lands Continent are worth getting?! Well for 7.50 you get an almost complete campaign ready to go! So in a word yes! The  Mishlers doesn't do Kickstarters they do games! Games that are meant to be played. And The Incompleat Olden Lands & Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00 Olden Lands Continent is an excellent example of this. 

The Incompleat Olden Lands by James & Jody Moran Mishler is available Here.
  And The Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00
 Olden Lands Continent By James & Jody Moran Mishler is Available Here

OSR Review Of 'The psychic PC class' by James & Jody Moran- Mishler from Mishler Games For Your OSR or Old School Game Campaigns

" This booklet presents a new 15-level Psychic class that utilizes psychic powers, completely compatible with the existing magic system!"

 
"The class possesses the following:
 
Psychic Powers!
Psychic Combat!
Attune Restricted Magic Items!
Psychokinetic Powers!
Psychic Combat Expertise & Mastery!
 
The new Psychic class can be used alongside traditional magic-users and clerics or can take the place of one or both in a more science-fantasy campaign.
 
Designed for use with Labyrinth Lord, the Psychic Class can be easily adapted to any old-school fantasy role-playing game!"

The psychic PC class by James & Jody Moran- Mishler from Mishler Games is a solid take on the OSR psychic. And its pretty much a reimagining of the psychic from the ground up. Very similar but not quite the same as the 2nd edition Dungeons & Dragons Dark Sun psychic. 
Instead the Mishler Games version is a bit more martial & in some ways geared toward the Science Fantasy end of the OSR. And we can see this according to the write up for the PC class right out of the gate;"PSYCHIC POWERS: At 1st level a psychic possess four 1st level psychic powers, plus a number of additional 1st to 4th level psychic powers based on her Intelligence score as detailed on Wisdom Table II. For example, a psychic with an Intelligence of 17 would start at 1st level with six 1st, two 2nd, and one 3rd level psychic power. Those are the number of psychic powers possessed. At 1st level the psychic may choose the psychic powers she possess. Starting at 2nd and subsequent levels, new psychic powers gained might be random. Whenever a new psychic power is gained, the psychic may choose to spend one week in training with another psychic who possesses a desired psychic power, or two weeks in meditation, each per level of the psychic power to be gained, in order to choose her new psychic power. She must then make a Spell Learning Probability Check based on her Intelligence score (Intelligence Table II). If successful, she gains the desired psychic power; if the check fails, she instead manifests a random psychic power (re-roll any psychic power already possessed). Once a psychic power is possessed, it cannot normally be changed (though it can be lost through unusual circumstances)." 

Dealing with psychic PC classes in OSR games are tricky because on the one hand many D&D players love Dark Sun and want a psychic in their party. And on the other hand there are the Grognards who absolutely loath psychics. Me, being the old school heratic that I'm well I love psychics. They are absolutely a blast when you've got a good solid version of the PC class. And 'The psychic PC class' by Mishler Games is a blast! 
Between fifteen levels of psychic weirdness and danger there's a well thoughout class. And it's well done with all of the appropriate abilities that goes along with the class. At first level all of the old favorites are here: "1. Allure (M1) 2. Animal Companion (D1) 3. Auditory Illusion (I1) 4. Charm Person (M1) 5. Command (C1) 6. Comprehend Languages (M1) 7. Detect Evil (C1) 8. Detect Illusion (I1) 9. Divine Weather (D1) 10. Doppelganger (I1) 11. Hypnotism (I1) 12. Jarring Hand (M1) 13. Locate Creature (D1) 14. Message (M1) 15. Phantasmal Force (I1) 16. Remove Fear* (C1) 17. Sanctuary (C1) 18. Sleep (M1) 19. Speak with Animals (D1) 20. Ventriloquism (M1)" 

So its not going to a surprise to the usual old school gamer but its how it's arranged & played with that set's  'The psychic PC class' apart. The whole class does read like the old school but plays as well as the standard OSR reimaging of the class itself. And it's this balance that the class walks well! Is   'The psychic PC class' for everyone?! Hell no! But  'The psychic PC class' works very well for those Science Fantasy rpg campaigns that need the psychic abilities to even out some of the magick and herasies that we see cropping up in the OSR. What the Hell are you talking about Eric?! Well, 'the psychic PC class' adds in the attune ability at higher levels and it works very well; "ATTUNE RESTRICTED MAGIC ITEMS: Psychic powers are merely a different way of manipulating the natural, ambient magic of the world through use of personal, innate magic. Beginning at 2nd level a psychic is able to manipulate the magic of magic items of restricted sort (fighter only, magic-user only, cleric only, etc.) so that she can attune herself to it and use its power, whether it is a ring, scroll, rod, staff, wand, or miscellaneous magic item. To attune to an item the psychic must hold and psychically scan the item in question for 10 minutes. She may then make a saving throw versus Spells, with a penalty equal to the relative spell level of the power she is trying to attune; if she succeeds, she may use that power of the item. For example, if trying to attune a wand of fireballs the penalty to the save is -3. If she fails, she may try again, but if she rolls a Natural 1, she may not attempt it again until they have gained a new level' 

That right there is vicious if used in an OSR horror game, Science Fantasy setting with a Lovecraftian flavor, or a Steampunk campaign venue to name a few. Once again a solid class from Mishler Games. 
Now where would I use the psychic class?! Adventurer, Conqueror, King springs readily to mind! The Science Fantasy elements are already within the late Roman Empire setting. And Castles & Crusades would be easy to slip this class in the backdoor and yes there are psychic abilities in C&C. But this is a well defined class! 

'The psychic PC class' by James & Jody Moran- Mishler from Mishler Games Is Available Here! 

OSR Review Of The Wicked Encounters #1: Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From James Mishler Games For The Labyrinth Lord Rpg & Your Old School Campaigns

"This 16-page booklet has a ready-made wicked encounter ready for the judge to use in the underworld or wilderness. It includes a party of eight villains of 5th to 9th level:"

"Provided herein is a vicious encounter for use in the labyrinth or wilderness. This group of eight villains can be used in place of any high-level (6th to 8th level) NPC Party randomly encountered in the labyrinth or in the wilderness" "Slakt the Slayer, a mighty human warrior-mage – and his “uncles,” the Seven Dread Dwarves:

Ond the Evil, Pretender-in-Exile
Lur the Cunning; “Lur of the Lightning”
Stygg the Ugly
Skrekk the Hideous
Friendly Frykk
Foul Frekk
Skurk the Villainous

The eight are out to overthrow an ancient kingdom for their own wicked purposes. And your party might just be in their way…

Plus, two new magic-user spells and a new magic ring!"

What we have in 'The Wicked Encounters #1: Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves' By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From James Mishler Games is a really bad nightmare for any group of OSR PC's! These NPC's are literally the worst bastards that a party of adventurers can encounter. And this sixteen page supplement goes deep into 'Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves' history, skills, magic,tactics,& more. But just who is Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves? Well,according to their write up;'Slakt is a human fighter who was raised by the Seven Dread Dwarves. Slakt is the son of a princess of the realm who ran away from her family to be with the man she loved – who turned out to be a complete and utter bastard, a villainous warrior who only wanted to use her to take over her father’s kingdom. She in turn ran away from him and bore their son in a hidden dwarf delve, where she had accidentally fallen in with seven dwarves who seemed kindly and helpful. After bearing her son she left, for she could not remain with him, as her son reminded her of her turncoat lover. She later went on to fall in with a coven of hags and conquered her own kingdom… but that is another story…"
Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves is a different kind of a supplement that goes into a twisted dust up between the PC'& Slakt as well as his family. Its doubtful the party would survive a dust up.

Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves  are well written & well rounded as rival NPC's or as even possible patrons for the party. Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves fits the bill quite nicely!
A bit of a warning  Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves should only be used with experienced players because they can & will kill others quite easily. The writing by the Mishlers is tight & well done! 
Where would I personally use Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves?! There are two OSR games that quickly come to mind are Adventurers, Conqueror, King as a gang of criminals & rivals to the PC's. The second game that comes to mind is Castles & Crusades where Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves are perfectly suited as gang of marauders & raiders as well as PC's rivals! Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves are everything that I loved about NPC enemies. Their vile, evil, and deadly. 

The Wicked Encounters #1: Slakt the Slayer and the Seven Dread Dwarves By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From James Mishler Games Are Available Here!