OSR Review - The Centaur Race By James Mishler & Jodi Moran Mishler From James Mishler Games For Your Old School Campaigns

" This booklet contains all the information you need to create a centaur player character for Labyrinth Lord or Advanced Labyrinth Lord (and is easily adaptable to other OSR systems). Details include both a centaur race and a centaur racial class, as well as information on creating centaur bands and camps. 12 pages (6 pages of content)."



The Centaur Race By James Mishler & Jodi Moran Mishler is a racial PC class for Labyrinth Lord or Advanced Labyrinth Lord  has just about everything a DM is going to need to pull of a party of centaurs into their OSR games. Before we proceed let's look deeply into the Centaur race a bit; "Centaurs are a sylvan race of forest and meadow. They tend to be atavistic and live in primal harmony with nature, abiding with dryads, nymphs, satyrs, treants, and other woodland folk and creatures. They tend to eschew contact with non-sylvan, non-fairy races, preferring to live in woodland and meadows in the wilds. Generally, males are wandering warrior-hunters while females are gatherers and gardeners who tend to the young. Males are also known for being wild and violent, especially when confronted with anything from the outside world; they sometimes raid settlements, especially for wine, which they consume with much gusto and little tolerance, making them even more troublesome" Centaurs have all of the standard choices available from Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Magic user, & Ranger. The B/X Racial class for Centuars is solidly done & there's more then enough bones on here to flesh out these dangerous demi humans. The centaur in question lives two hundred years and is able to pick up a wide variety of skills from scholar to brawler the centaur is easily one of the most underrated demi human races in old school gaming. 
Why do I say dangerous?! Because in mythology there are two protraits of centaurs one is the wise scholar & teacher. The other are the lusty, violent bands of roving pillagers who tear across the Greek countryside. The Centaur Race By James Mishler & Jodi Moran Mishler does a good job of balancing these two portrayls of the mythological race. And there's the third pop culture style pull of the centaurs which is as the stoic guardians & members of the Fairy races in old school fantasy. All of these are encompassed by The Centaur Race By James Mishler & Jodi Moran Mishler  From James Mishler Games. Centaurs shouldn't be used lightly in old school campaigns they can be the source of adventure or as the foils for quests as well. Centaur settlements can if used correctly wreck & easily destroy an old school party of adventurers. The Centaur Race is a good solid addition to OSR games & for a dollar its a no brainer. 

The Centaur Race By James Mishler & Jodi Moran Mishler  From James Mishler Games Is Available Here 

OSR Commentary & Reviews Monstrous Miscellany #02 By James Mishler & Jodi Moran-Mishler Compatible with Labyrinth Lord

So  'Monstrous Miscellany #02' By James Mishler &  Jodi Moran-Mishler  Compatible with Labyrinth Lord was sent to me by the authors. This is a great little monster addition for your OSR or Old School games. The Mishlers bring the monsters with Monstrous Miscellany #02. 

Monstrous Miscellany #02 brings to the table the " Giant Centaur – A giant creature appropriate for Lost Worlds and Mysterious Islands.

Krum the Smasher – A monstrous godling who does nothing but smash the works of civilization leaving ruin and suffering in his wake.

Brain Moths – One eyed, one tentacled, flying purple brain eaters from another dimension

Ulfartrolls – Born of the union of lycanthropic witches and trolls, these berserker beasts surpass their ancestors in their wickedness and might!"
 So the Mishlers on a roll because these monsters are a fit for a  number of OSR Pulp & Old School game campaigns.  
Many of these monsters are straight out of mythology, literature, & legends. For example Giant Centuars are straight out of Dante's Inferno & while they are listed as neautral these monsters could easily be converted over to the Inferno version. Here's a bit of background on these horrors; 'Giant centaurs resemble normal centaurs in that they are the combination of a humanoid and quadruped, but they are not merely up-scaled centaurs. They have the body and legs of a baluchitherium with the torso and arms of a hill giant. They stand 10 feet tall at the point at which the hill giant torso emerges from the shoulders of the baluchitherium body, for a total height of about 16 feet. Their hill giant torso, arms, and head have grayishbrown skin, with grayish-black hair and mane that flows from their head, down their back, to merge with the grayish-black coat of the baluchitherium body. They resemble neanderthals more so than ogres, with prognathous jaws and large, heavy brows." According to Dante's Infeno; "The Centaurs--men from the waist up with lower bodies of horses--guard the first ring of circle 7, a river of blood in which the shades of murderers and bandits are immersed to varying depths. Armed with bows and arrows, thousands of Centaurs patrol the bank of the river, using their weapons to keep the souls at their allotted depth (Inf. 12.73-5)"

Gostov Dore's  Circle 7, cantos 12-17

Are we saying that 'giant centuars' were taken from Dante's Inferno?! Nope, I'm saying that James Mishler has created some really great monsters that can be easily adapted to your campaign, dungeon, or old school games. Ulfartrolls would not be out of place within a Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg session. Ulfartrolls as  monsters are absolutely brutal & dangerous. Brain Moths fit the bill for Carcosa or a  Science Fantasy adventure. All in all for a dollar this is a really nice piece of rpg value & ulitity.. 


Monstrous Miscellany #02 By James Mishler &  Jodi Moran-Mishler  Compatible with Labyrinth Lord Is Available Right Over Here.