Review of 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' (Eternal Champion Series) By Steve Perrin, Sandy Petersen, & Charlie Krank For The classic Stormbringer Rpg & The Hawkmoon Box Set

 

Sometimes we don't understand the sigificance of an adventure until much later on in life, such is the fate of 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' By Kerie Campbell-Robson, Steve Perrin, and Sandy Petersen published in '87 by Chaosium.

The first half of the book is new rules, fixes for the classic Hawkmoon box set, new masked orders of the Granbretanian empire & a sprawling campaign. This is not a lower tier campaign adventure for either Hawkmoon or Stormbringer, the stakes are high, the adventure elements go from gritty to full on cosmic & the adventure campaign could be lethal.

 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' is a crossover adventure between the classic Chaosium Stormbringer rpg & Hawkmoon box set. 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' is the classic wizard messing around with a high level technological/occult relic to break the barriers of the planes. This isn't your run of the mill wizard instead this is the mutant master whose responsible for the entirety of the bio weapon system program of the Tragic Millennium Europe take over. Zhenader is a wizard scientist of the Granbretanian empire who controls the entire country of  Eire is Irish for "Ireland", the name of the island and   the sovereign state.  Zhenader  has gone completely rogue after finding a Fairy mound, other worldly artifact, & broken the planar barrier into the Million Spheres.

He is not someone to trifle with at all because he's also found the armory of Eire & a host of pre Tragic Millennium weapons, artifacts, & more
The weapons are a weird mix of Eighties military technologies & Granbretanian empire weapon systems. This makes sense but its still gives a very strange impression. And its this impression of the weird where 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' excels. 

We mentioned the word sprawling &  'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'   has the PC's coming face to face with some of the more dangerous NPC's their going to be facing. We get warriors from across the 'Young Kingdoms' to the peoples of Corum these are all in the hands of  Zhenader. Things go from bad to worse for the PC's. But their is light at the end of the tunnel & its not a train. The party is going to have to do some very fancy foot work but its a good adventure. 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'  is just weird enough to be engaging but actually playable. This is a campaign that is going to take months to work through. The possibilities of dimensional travel are high & even beyond. We have used this campaign as a pick up adventure with Rogue Mistress in the past so this is a strong possibility as well. This is a campaign that can go from 3 months to about a year or better to mop up every aspect of the machinations of the top tier villain

With a bit of work on the dungeon master's part I actually think that this could be a really good module for an extended game of both classic Stormbringer & Hawkmoon. 

Review & Commentary On "Stealer of Souls: A Quest For Vengeance in Ilmiora " By Ken Rolston For Stormbringer rpg

 "  The scenarios depict a woman’s quest for revenge against a deadly conspiracy of merchants in Bakshaan. The four merchants (rivals of the woman’s father, a man named Haver Nikorni hired Elric to storm his keep and kill him. That battle is chronicled in the Moorcock story entitled “Stealer of Souls”."

"Freyda Nikorn, the dead merchant’s daughter gathers together a group of adventurers and friends to embark on her mission of vengeance. The adventures in this book tell the tale of Freyda’s vengeance against the four merchants, and her success or failure is determined by the players."
"Stealer of Souls: A Quest For Vengeance in Ilmiora " By Ken Rolston came out in '85 & clocks in at only forty four pages. But this adventure set in motion a set of circumstances that killed off a major part of our players back then. Its this adventure that had one rule for playing the Stormbringer rpg, 'Never go after Elric'.  The contents for 'Stealer of Souls' is solid unto itself; "The gamemaster is provided with extensive information on the government, culture, and environment of Bakshaan. A complete description of a Bakshaan-Karlaak trade caravan is also included. Extensive character descriptions aid the gamemaster in storytelling.

" Four pages of player pullouts provide the players with all the information they need to start playing the scenarios. The pullouts include player-character knowledge of Bakshaan, a map of the city, and statistics for Freyda Nikorn."" 
Sound very straight forward, a daughter's vengence against Elric & Moonglum along a trail of adventure. Well yes & no.. The party is caught in the fall out of the the Moorcock story entitled “Stealer of Souls”.

 Over all Stealer of Souls as an adventure is a mid to upper teir adventure. It takes the concepts laided out in the Young Kingdoms and brings new Sword & Sorcery chops into it. The PC's are challenged to deal with the fall out of vengence & how it colours not only the NPC's lives but their own. 

Phil Frances from White Dwarf gave 'Stealer of Souls' an over all positive rating; 

"Phil Frances reviewed Stealer of Souls for White Dwarf #77, giving it an overall rating of 8 out of 10, and stated that "Stealer Of Souls is the first Stormbringer supplement that I respect (even reading it is enjoyable). Its freshness will revive the palate of many a jaded GM, and it will pose a healthy challenge to an experienced group of characters.""

 Freyda’s quest overall is interesting & very dangerous for the lives of the PC's. The feel here is that the player's PC's are along for the  quest. The dangers here are real & path of adventure is a long & bloody one. I don't agree at at all with the review of 'Stealer of Souls' from Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 81 by Michael R. Jarrell, Jarrell commented that "The game just doesn't cut the mustard. If you are a SBophile you'll want it. if you are looking for quality versus cash outlay you may be seriously disappointed as I was."Freyda’s quest  isn't disappointing & this adventure is a strong outta of the gate effort. The player's PC's become involved with the machinations & consquences of the actions of Freyda. This is high level stuff & remember Elric is a force of nature within the Stormbringer rpg universe. He's never the good guy. 

Jack Gaughan artwork for The Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock ...

What we have in 'Stealer of Souls' is the equivelant of a woman's vengence against the bastards who choose to take that away from Freyda Nikor the most precious thing in her life. Her father's love is gone & her soul swims in the darkness of the aftermath. Will the PC's make any difference to this vengence!? They may have to take care of many loose ends in the her wake. And this is just for starters. There will be choices & side quests to take care of. 
Stealer of Souls is a rare beast, an animal that goes about sorta rail roading the PC's but does it with a style all of its own. Many of the adventure elements within 'Stealer of Souls are solildly done but this adventure takes the 'rail road' to new heights. Over all Stealer of Souls is a four outta of five. The reason is simple this is only the first adventure in an over all trilogy of Sword & Sorcery adventure. More to come! 

Review & Commentary On 'The Octagon of Chaos' by Tony Fiorito From Theatre of the Mind Enterpr For The Second Edition Stormbringer rpg box sets

 

"In the time of Sadric the LXXXVI, the Bright Expire was experiencing a time of peace belying the decadence and retrogression that has gripped the empire. Imperial garrisons in the far-flung Southern Kingdoms are brought home to Imrryr, the dreaming city, their need apparently past. Upon this vacuum the greedy theocrat of Pan Tang cast a crafty eye. He was not known to waste his time on trifles. In another place, a faceless Duke of Chaos contemplated the coming slaughter." 


In the middle of  Game News (Issue 11 - Jan 1986) was an advertiment for a new adventure for the Stormbringer rpg. 'The Octogon of Chaos' by Tony Fiorito hit the stands in '86 & was real change from the Stormbringer adventures that preceeded it. And that difference straight up is that the  'The Octogon of Chaos' is a human centric adventure. There are no Melibonians allowed! 

Now we own a few Theatre of the Mind Enterprises, Inc adventures but this one is more then a bit different. This adventure focus of 'The Octagon of Chaos' is within the Young Kingdoms itself but as a fodder for the adventure & its place as a legacy of the Meliboneans.  'The Octagon of Chaos' takes place twenty years before the events of Michael Moorcock's "Elric of Elniboné'' & so this module could be used as a prequel to that book's events within the campaign;""For ten thousand years Melnibone ruled the world.

Elric, the 428th Emperor, seemed destined to see that era come to an end. An albino, sustained by rare drugs, it fell to him to confront the rise of the Young Kingdoms, of the monsters and sorceries which were threatening to overwhelm him and his ancient crown.
The Elric novels have already become classics of heroic fantasy and future projection. DAW is proud to present them to an eager public in new editions, corrected and revised by Michael Moorcock. ELRIC OF MELNIBONE is the first."" 

 'The Octagon of Chaos' by Tony Fiorito isn't a light weight adventure & requires six players dealing with four to six players running eight to twelve PC's. Of those half of those should be warriors easily. Hell, I would add in here that the players may sprinkle in another one or two just to deal with some of the encounters of  'The Octagon of Chaos'. This is a solid & dangerous module for the Stormbringer rpg. And it deals with two things that the players will not expect  a faceless Duke of Chaos & the greedy theocrat of Pan Tang. And a dungeon master running  'The Octogon of Chaos' is going to need to take full advantage of White Wolf: Temples, Demons, & Ships of War. Both for some of its military rules & the ship rules. I certainly did to deal with some of the nastiness that the PC's encounter. We get a very detailed description of Bakshaan & its environs. 

 'The Octagon of Chaos' takes full advantage of the rpg resources of the Stormbringer 2nd edition box set dealing with the material in spades. This is both a module & a potential resource that the DM should take full advantage of. We get a full cast of NPC's, factions they belong to, full background, & full on adventure time line. Personally if as a DM I  was going to run 'The Octagon of Chaos' with fourth edition Stormbringer, I'd grab my copy of 'Sea Kings of the Purple Towns'. 
The reasoning is simple, there's fully fleshed out addional  rules & guidelines for sea travel. 

There's murder, intrigue, and plenty of chances for double & even triple crosses within 'The Octagon of Chaos'. The material within this adventure reminds the players that their PC's are on the 'date card' for a chaos lord. For an Eighty Six adventure There's murder, intrigue, and plenty of chances for double & even triple crosses. 'The Octagon of Chaos' is a very progressive adventure for Stormbringer in the fact that it teases, uses, & exploits the PC's. 
Even the encounters can be scaled as needed. 'The Octagon of Chaos' presents a few opportunities to really go to town with this concept. The DM is going to have his hands full but this doesn't mean that 'The Octagon of Chaos' is a bad adventure far from it. But it does take advantage of both the players & its target audience. 'The Octagon of Chaos' isn't simply any old module this is a mini campaign unto itself.

Review of 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' (Eternal Champion Series) By Steve Perrin, Sandy Petersen, & Charlie Krank For The classic Stormbringer Rpg & The Hawkmoon Box Set

 "The Shattered Isle is a supplement for the Eternal Champion series of Roleplaying games. This series, currently consisting of the games Stormbringer and Hawkmoon, is based on the fantasy novels written by noted author Michael Moorcock. This book contains two sections: Additions and Scenarios.

ADDITIONS: Contains new rules which are later used in the Scenarios. Included here are guidelines for vehicular and aerial combat and exotic and powerful weapons found in the New Fenian armory, more than 50 Beast Orders from the isle of Granbretan, and a glimpse into the daily routine of Oshol Nariva -- a typical member of the Order of the Boar.

SCENARIOS: Contains numerous adventures set on the Tragic Millennium Earth. An extensive section titled Getting Here presents to the gamemaster capsulized methods for getting the adventurers involved with the Shattered Isle scenarios, including a variety of options for both Young Kingdoms and Tragic Millenium Earth adventurers."

Sometimes we don't understand the sigificance of an adventure until much later on in life, such is the fate of 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'  By Kerie Campbell-Robson, Steve Perrin, and Sandy Petersen published in '87 by Chaosium. The first half of the book is new rules, fixes for the classic Hawkmoon box set, new  masked orders of the Granbretanian empire & a sprawling campaign. This is not a lower tier campaign adventure for either Hawkmoon or Stormbringer, the stakes are high, the adventure elements go from gritty to full on cosmic & the adventure campaign could be lethal. 
 

 'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'  is a crossover adventure between the classic Chaosium Stormbringer rpg & Hawkmoon box set.  'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master' is the classic wizard messing around with a high level technological/occult relic to break the barriers of the planes. This isn't your run of the mill wizard instead this is the mutant master whose responsible for the entirety of the bio weapon system program of the Tragic Millennium Europe take over. Zhenader is a wizard scientist of the  Granbretanian empire who controls the entire country of Éire. Éire is Irish for "Ireland", the name of the island and  the sovereign state. Zhenader has gone completely rogue after finding a Fairy mound, other worldly artifact, & broken the planar barrier into the Million Spheres. 
He is not someone to trifle with at all because he's also found the armory of Eire & a host of pre Tragic Millennium weapons, artifacts, & more. 
The weapons are a weird mix of Eighties military technologies & Granbretanian empire weapon systems. This makes sense but its still gives a very strange impression. And its this impression of the weird where  'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'   excels. 

We mentioned the word sprawling &  'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'   has the PC's coming face to face with some of the more dangerous NPC's their going to be facing. We get warriors from across the 'Young Kingdoms' to the peoples of Corum these are all in the hands of Zhenader. Things go from bad to worse for the PC's. But their is light at the end of the tunnel & its not a train. The party is going to have to do some very fancy foot work but its a good adventure.  'The Shattered Isle: Rebels Against the Mutant Master'   is just weird enough to be engaging but actually playable. This is a campaign that is going to take months to work through. The possibilies of dimensional travel are high & even beyond. We have used this campaign as a pick up adventure with Rogue Mistress in the past so this is a strong possibility as well. This is a campaign that can go from 3 months to about a year or better to mop up every aspect of the machinations of the top teir villain. 

With a bit of work on the dungeon master's part I actually think that this could be a really good module for an extended game of both classic Stormbringer & Hawkmoon. 

Review & Commentary on The Gargoyle 74 Rpg By Tamir Levi, & Omer Golan-Joel From Stellagama Publishing

 "Devotees of the ancient elder gods speak of treasures untold, hidden away, guarded by foul creatures… a group of miners once delved too deep and were transformed into kobolds… do not venture into the swamps, lest you be caught by the Lizard-Kin… and the undead cannot be defeated by violence alone; you’ll need to bring a cleric along."

All these stories and more await daring adventurers willing to brave the unknown and seize power and glory! 

"Gargoyle 74 is a classic fantasy rule set, inspired by the wondrous customizability of the 1974 White Box of the Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game, and by the riveting pulp tales of Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and Michael Moorcock, to name a few. These rules are designed to disappear during play. They provide the necessary framework for the game, but at the same time, encourage a fast, enjoyable, and lightweight tempo of play so that the Referee and players can focus on what’s important to them."
So Gargoyle 74 is a set of OSR Sword & Sorcery rpg rules that emulate Original Dungeons & Dragons  and they do it in about 114 pages. This is a solid set of rules and what's the difference from Originl Dungeons & Dragons verus Gargoyle 74? Well according to one of the authors on Facebook; "There’s magic in that white box. That attempt to throw rules at what at its core is a mixture of “make believe “ and war . The kind of magic art can produce. Not exclusively in the realm of games.

So…finally done with my (co-authored with Omer G. Joel) version of the 1974 white box …slot based inventory , the undead can’t die, the mage can build a lab rule set , bunch of the obligatory cool generate a dungeon/plot tables, some guide lines for 1vs1 and much more

(Mechanical dwarves)

It was and still is a fun project "

This isn't quite original Dungeons & Dragons because there are a lot of marked differences. Gargoyle74 is built to allow one to emulate Pulp Sword & Sorcery & it does it well. You've got clerics, fighters, mages, & rogues. The Pulp elements are stronger here with characters topping out at tenth level. And there's optional rules for old age, equipment, leveling, adventuring, etc. While it looks like standard OD&D stuff it's not quite the same. There's something a bit odd and that's not a bad thing. We'll get to why in a moment. For example mages at fifth level can create magic items! Neat. And clerics can create scrolls at fifth level and man is that handy! The spells are all spells that any old school or OSR play will recognize. And they really needed because there's some really wild variations on the original standards. Undead in Gargoyle74 are dangerous and deadly; "Undead: The undead cannot truly die. The only way to fully and finally slay an undead creature is to have a Cleric bless their bodies after their HP are reduced to zero. Alternatively, anyone can pour holy water on their remains. What happens when an undead creature reaches 0 or less HP but no Clerics or holy water are available? Well, what happens is a short break (1d3 rounds), and then it’s back to business! With full HP! The Party, of course, could use these 1d3 rounds to find creative ways to destroy the undead being. As usual, the Referee has final say as to the efficacy of any ersatz measures the party might use. A classic example: grinding a skeleton to dust by having the entire party smash it repeatedly for these 1d3 rounds. This baseline undead ability turns them into powerful opponents and emphasizes the Cleric’s importance. Certain undead creatures, like vampires, have their own special abilities, as listed in their entry, below. Use undead wisely and remember that even other monsters living in their vicinity are repulsed by undead." Monsters are familar yet slightly different take for example Green Slime; "

AC 9 HD 2 Attack Strike Special Turn to slime, immunities XP 300 Morale 12"

"Green slime coats walls and ceilings. When adventurers pass nearby, it drops and coats a victim. The slime then begins consuming its victim, converting its living tissue into more green slime. • Green slimes are immune to all attacks other than fire. • A creature hit by a green slime is infected, and will turn into green slime within 1d6 rounds, unless the slime is burned. Using a torch causes 1d6 damage per hit to the slime, but half of that (round down) to the victim the slime is attached to." Yes all of the familar dungeon denizens are here but the difference is that there's optional 'Race as class' PC classes as well. We've got the Antediluvians,The Lizard Kin, & even mechanical Dwarves!

Then we get treasures including unique ones that are actually useful for a game. Gargoyle 74 is an interesting hot take to the OSR. And its a worthy one in my book and it's needed.

The Gargoyle 74 Rpg  By Tamir Levi, Omer Golan-Joel From Stellagama Publishing Is Available Here 

Review & Commentary On The Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game Unofficial Canon Project’s Marvelous Locations series MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep By Andrew Goldstein For the Marvel Super Heroes Rpg

" The earth’s oceans: vast, foreboding...but mysterious no more! Now you can explore the depths of Marvel Earth in this HUGE volume! Highlights include:

• A complete guide to the sunken lands of Atlantis, Lemuria, Mu, and more
• Profiles of dozens of characters suitable as Player Characters, Villains, and NPCs
• A full-sized map of the Atlantean city of Tha-Korr
• New talents, magic items, and equipment to get you on your way!

This latest book in the Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game Unofficial Canon Project’s Marvelous Locations series, helping you to detail the many realms and environments of Earth-616. Check it out!"

MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep By Andrew Goldstein is a great addition to the Marvel Super Heroes Rpg. If the DM is looking for a solid underwater campaign MHL3 is a great option. Before we begin let me give you the location of MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep By Andrew Goldstein. The  Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game Unofficial Canon Project’s Marvelous Locations series MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep By Andrew Goldstein is under the MHL file on the Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game Unofficial Canon Project’s  G Drive files. MHL3 is a massive book clocking in at three hundred & thitrty eight page of Atlantis, Lemuria, MU, & lots of Marvel Super Heroes rpg goodness. 
This was a massive undertaking by Andrew Goldstein & has rules for a plethora of subjects from rules for drowning, swimming, & the how's or why's of Earth's oceans! This book contains every single thing there is about classic Marvel bronze & 90's age's Namor. Namor's kingdom, subjects, peoples, foes, etc. it's all here. 

This is a massive project  & must have taken countless hours to do. The scale of this PDF is huge & the range of ages it covers is huge. From the Age of the Eternals through modern day it's all here including Lumuria in all of it's mystery & weirdness. 
  MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep has all of armies of Atlantis, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Atlantis operations, the history of Atlantis during WWII, post WWII Namor's tragic history, his rediscovery by Johnny Storm, and much more. 

You've got oodles of equipment, magical artifacts, history, & more adventure hooks then you can shake a yard arm at. 
 Where the  MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep book shines is the sheer appreciation & respect for the material that the  The  Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game Unofficial Canon Project’s efforts bring to the table. 

If you want your heroes to go down to the kingdoms of Atlantis then this is it! MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep provides hours & hours of perfect information to bring an entire underwater campaign to life. And we also get plenty of info on other scions of Atlantis such as Namora! And their place within the under water kingdom  of Atlantis itself. 

MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep  does three things really well. One it brings a solid set of rules underwater adventuring, two it sets down the entire region of Marvel's under water regions & seas, & three it gives DM's the power to move thier Marvel Super Heroes rpg into a brand new corner of the classic era Marvel universe. MHL3: Imperious Rex! Realms of the Deep  is available when you join  the Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Heroes Rpg group on Facebook. 

Review & Commentary On the Free Tower of the Mammoth Adventure For The Hyperborea rpg

 "Enter the Tower of the Mammoth at your peril for only death awaits!"

I created this adventure base on Thulsa's Elephant Tower and Mongoose's Conan D20 game scenario of the same name; the Tower of the Elephant by Greg Lynch. I have combine maps and rooms and obviously added my own. I have stole, borrowed and changed other's text to suit (even TSR's Conan game had a brief mention of the ToE) and with over 200 locations, I have tired to fill with interest stuff, but left some rooms empty or lacking in occupants and treasure which referees can add to enhance their game; much as I have done to these scenarios.

There is places and rooms I would not expect any adventurer/thief/delver to enter. There is too much. Perhaps doing a 'Dungeon Crawl,' would actually accomplish this, but why, for fun (then good job and enjoy, for that is what the game is for). Still the game is an adventure and like any story, realism is part of life. So any thieves entering the Tower only want to hunt what they seek and flee, not waste time with empty rooms.

As mentioned in text in PDF; there is two ways to play this game as a major dungeon crawl or a quick in and out burglary and perhaps a little bit of both for a third option. The last option might balance things; a bit of fun and some serious delving.

So Bookmarked PDF, so looks good, but if folks see any error, please tell...

I have tried to edit text, but I only human (well part human, part fish, naw that a joke, part superhero, aye, okay... Caveman) and there maybe a few errors; probably more, but the basis of sce
Hmm, trying to think of anything else... Ah, this might be too powerful, I not play-tested it and that for you folks, so if it goes wrong, it not my fault, (I tell ya...). So, yes, hmm.

So what I mean by 4 to 8 levelled characters might be one 4th-level, two 8th-levels and one each of the other levels in between. Be cautious and stay hidden (is that going to work?)..." nario is comprehensive and you get the general idea, so nao problemo...
Caveman  Hyperborea rpg adventure forums 7/26/22 

There are times when one stumbles upon a work of genius and that's extactly what one of my players did coming across Caveman's Tower of the Mammoth adventure that you can download over here.  Caveman's Tower of the Mammoth was downloaded last night along with the maps and this is a seventy five page monster of an adventure. The adventure is for 4-8th level PC's and that's no joke. There are some vile tricks, traps, etc. all geared around the Hyerpborea rpg. Caveman does a fanastic job of combining Thulsa's Elephant Tower and Mongoose's Conan D20 game scenario into an animal all of it's own. And Tower of the Mammoth is it's own beastie. 
Level by level we get a dungeon unique & dangerous to it's Hyperborean origins. The tower isn't a place to fool around as it pays very close homage to it's Robert. E. Howard's Tower of the Elephant source material. You can almost feel the torches buring in some of the rooms; 
"Torches flared murkily on the revels in the Maul, where the thieves of the east held carnival by night. In the Maul they could carouse and roar as they liked, for honest people shunned the quarters, and watchmen, well paid with stained coins, did not interfere with their sport. Along the crooked, unpaved streets with their heaps of refuse and sloppy puddles, drunken roisterers staggered, roaring. Steel glinted in the shadows where wolf preyed on wolf, and from the darkness rose the shrill laughter of women, and the sounds of scufflings and strugglings. Torchlight licked luridly from broken windows and wide-thrown doors, and out of those doors, stale smells of wine and rank sweaty bodies, clamor of drinking-jacks and fists hammered on rough tables, snatches of obscene songs, rushed like a blow in the face." 
Robert E. Howard Tower of the Elephant 1933

Caveman set's up the tower and it's evirons with gusto giving the DM more then enough with his maps of the tower & the surroundings. The design work is tight, the descriptions evocative, and the material here is solidly appropriate for the Hyperborea rpg. A lot of work went into combining Tower of the Mammoth, editing it, and putting it out to fellow Hyperborea rpg fans, DM's and players. And it shows in this adventure. 

Tower of the Mammoth is a crown jewel of an adventure topping the campaign of a DM whose players have swept through other lesser dungeon & adventure locations. There's swirling feel of Sword & Sorcery mayhem scattered throughout the tower's many levels. And a sense that no way could the player's PC's plump the depths of the tower. 

Tower of the Mammoth's maps are well done and give insights into the tower's designs, environs, and purposes. The tribute work here is evident with details given a Hyperborea spin & the author knowing the game in & out with knowledge used to design the inner workings of the tower itself. 

The Tower of the Mammoth isn't for the faint of heart at all. This is a place of adventure, PC death, and danger around every turn or corner. I don't say this lightly at all. 
But is Tower of the Mammoth worth the download? Certainly it is as it fills a definitive need for adventure within the bounds of Hyperborea itself. 

You can download The Tower of the Mammonth Here along with the maps! 

OSR Review & Commentary on Modern War: Baltic War by Paul Elliot from Zozer Games For For the Modern War Rpg or Your Old School 2d6 rpg 's

 "War in the Baltic states.

As Belarus considers applying for NATO membership, and the West hesitates to commit … Russian forces seize the initiative, launching an invasion of the Baltic States and Belarus. Now a number of NATO units are trapped behind the lines and must wage a guerrilla war. In Belarus a tank war has begun, with Minsk, the capital, the prize. Welcome to modern war…

Baltic War is a campaign premise for Zozer Games’ Modern War RPG. It is a tool-kit that provides various situations, mission ideas and squad templates that allow players to fight the Russian invasion in one of several national armies, at one of several battlefronts, each different from the rest.

Baltic War includes new vehicles, new weapons, guidance on helicopter gunship attacks and a list of national armies and deployed units. NPCs for the guerrilla war are also included."

This blog post is going to pick right up from this one on the blog, OSR Review & Commentary On Modern War: China Sea campaign by Paul Elliot From Zozer Games For the Modern War Rpg or Your Old School 2d6 rpg 's

DM Steve introduced us to Modern War: Baltic War by Paul Elliot from Zozer Games & what a rather nasty campaign this is! We were thinking of playing it as one of several nation's armies. Paul Elliot is a historian & his writing reflects this dealing with the Nato vs Russia campaign. Damn is this packed with some hard core factions, missions, and some down right nasty areas as the Russia invasion begins. For thirty nine pages  Mondern War: Baltic War is packed with all kinds of Modern War nastiness & its a very well done squad & infanty level game. And Modern War: Baltic War takes full advantage of the Modern War rpg system on many levels as a tool box. 

Modern War: Baltic War  is an excellent tool kit with all of the trimmings including each of the sides factions, equipment, dangers, etc. all of these will be familiar to the Twilight 2000 rpg DM. Baltic War presents an interesting alternative too Twilight 2000 with a very different, 'What if' in spades. This is a near future that can not happen or the world will have another pillar of the Third World War waiting to happen. And that the kick in the balls, 'the Russians are assuming Nato will cut off their international nose while NATO assumes the same for the Russians'. This means that there are four theatres of war waiting to happen. The  Total War rpg thrives on squad & infantry level encounters and it does so without paying attention to the air or navel war fare points of military action  of the Baltic War campaign. Baltic War  is simply a land based ground & pound war. These are heady combinations that play with fans of  the Twilight 2000 rpg & makes the Modern War a viable alternative or an add on for the venerable military rpg. Modern War: The Baltic War takes Mordern War into other directions. 

Baltic War does three things very well, it expands & entertains the Modern War rpg, it presents four threatres of combat, it brings the Baltic Region into focus as a viable campaign setting, and it brings to the table many options for the dungeon master to play with. 

OSR Review & Commentary On Modern War: China Sea campaign by Paul Elliot From Zozer Games For the Modern War Rpg or Your Old School 2d6 rpg 's

 "War erupts across the South China Sea! Taiwan is being invaded by the People’s Liberation Army and Western navies struggle to contain the influence of a militaristic China in the South China Sea. Vietnam, a Western ally, is also invaded by China, and the Philippine Insurgency gets a boost from Chinese special force advisors. Face down modernized, well-trained PLA forces! 

China Sea War is a campaign premise for Zozer Games’ Modern War RPG. It is a tool-kit that provides various situations, mission ideas and squad templates that allow players to fight the Chinese invaders in one of several national armies, at one of several battlefronts, each different from the rest. China Sea War includes new vehicles, new weapons and a list of national armies and deployed units." 

Zozer Games’ Modern War RPG, isn't one of the real standout titles that jumps at you like its brother rpg game Hostile. But its a damn rock solid rpg and an important one. This is a game of modern conflict done by a historian and so when a title comes floating down the isle such as Modern War: China Sea campaign by Paul Elliot. We sit up and take notice because this is (so far ) a bleeding edge alternative history conflict. 

And as a campaign its a bloody & brutal one for the  Modern War rpg as Paul Elliot brings the regions, area, conflicts, & more to sharp focus. Taiwan is being invaded by the People’s Liberation Army and Western navies bring up the boiler point to a melt down for World War III if the DM & the player's PC's are not careful. This is a dense & nuianced campaign in fifty eight pages all bringing the pressure on in the South China Sea! And the PC's better tread carefully. Zozer Games brings the same level of detail that we find in Hostile into focus for China Sea War. 
And China Sea War does the Chinese invaders as a real threat & a modern army to be feared. PC's wading into this who haven't played old school Traveller or Twilight 2000 are not going to be preparred for the level of threat that awaits them.  Modern War: China Sea campaign by Paul Elliot uses all of the advantages & tricks that the Cepheus Engine rpg has to offer in the form of Modern War. 

 The Modern War: China Sea campaign by Paul Elliot outlines all of the military factions, equipment, military assets, and more boils it down to an infantry or squad level rpg adventure campaign. But this is done in such a way that it makes the campaign feel like something that as a civilian you would never want to be caught in the middle of. And its this boots on the ground feel that really makes Modern War: China Sea campaign stand out.  And the PC's could find themselves on any number of fronts facing down all kinds of modern weaponry, soldiers, and getting themselves in the thick of the violence & fire fights. And there will be fire fights. There is a good chance that one or more PC's are not going to walk away from this campaign. The Chinese  invaders are well written, the weaponry is there, the hardware is there, the military factions, & the assets are there. 

The Modern War: China Sea campaign by Paul Elliot is a campaign that could take months to play through. And the action here is as good as old school Twilight 2000. And it runs better as a system as the 2d6 Modern War rpg has been updated, revamped, and takes its 'P''s & 'Q''s from the Cepheus Engine rpg. The tweaks to Hostile came from the Modern War rpg system. And Paul Elliot nails down an edge of the seat and nail biter of a campaign in Modern War: China Sea campaign. This is a modern  alternative history rpg campaign setting at its best. 

Review & Commentary On The Free issue #009 of the Cepheus Journal For the Cepheus Engine Rpg & 2d6 Family of Rpg's

Here comes  the free  issue #009 of the Cepheus Journal For the Cepheus Engine Rpg family of games. The Cepheus Engine rpg community is incredibly energetic to say the least about producing rpg content & the latest issue of this venerable downloadable magazine isn't an exception to this fan legacy. 

Right off the bat we get a fantastic Ian Stead cover & then dive into Ewan Spence's 2 RAR for Modern War & it does a good job of going into the material; "2nd Battalion Royal Australia Regiment for Modern War The 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) is an amphibious light infantry battalion of the Australian Army and forms part of the 1st Division Amphibious Task Group based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland." The article is detailed & well thoughtout. For Modern War this is a solid little article that does down scope into the military details of the Task Group. Modern War by Zozer games thrives on this level of detail. Raider's Lament by  Jo Jaquinta is a part of an on going series of stories & it captures the early old school Traveler rpg vibe quite nicely. 

Monster Capybara  by  Jo Jaquinta is both monster entry & total encounter for Sword of Cepheus. And itrs done in such a way to be played in one night or as a part of an ongoing campaign as an inserted encounter. Very nicely done. 

Interview with Paul Elliot by Brett Kruger  goes into some of Zozer Games back story & what the author's thoughts are. and its a well done interview. 
A pretty solid review of the Cepheus Deluxe rpg by Brett Kruger rounds out this section & its a very detailed review & solidly done. 

'The Sins of Last Winter' by Paul Drye is a Sword of Cepheus Rpg mini adventure set in a Winter location with all of the trimmings. There's some solid twists & turns as the adventure takes the party through some rather straight forward but harsh turns. 

'The Chambersburg sector' by y P­O Bergstedt gives a full mini sector for old school 2d6 science fiction games or a complete Cepheus Engine rpg sector. There's some real details here & its a nicely done sector to add to your own home game. 

'The Krampus' alien race by y P­O Bergstedt is perfect for adding a bit of that demonic & dangerous Christmas magic to your home Cepheus Engine rpg campaign. 

All in all issue #009 of the Cepheus Journal  was well done, very nicely thought out, & really brings home the heat of the ever expanding family of Cepheue Engine 2d6 rpg family of games! 

The Free  issue #009 of the Cepheus Journal Is Available For Download Here