MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set By The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project For the Marvel Super Heroes Rpg & The Ascendant Rpg

 MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set  found it's way into my hands tonight because I want to run this supplement through the Ascendant Rpg. Because of the recent  news of the  upcoming release of Solomon Kane into comic form. Marvel's version of Conan within the box set is straight out of Seventies & Eighties Savage Sword of Conan. You can read my review of this box set right over here. 

Many of the themes of the Ascendent Rpg hint that there is an ancient Ascendant connection. That is to say that in  past ages there were Ascendant supers running around in ancient eras. I'm probably going to end up bringing in the Hyborian Sorcerer Supreme  Kulan Gath to our current  game. 

Kulan Gath has in the past with the backing of a Marvel Elder God transformed the whole of New York City into a Hyboria setting with little issue. In the past he's terrorized Red Sonja. For our own party of Marvel Super Heroes Rpg PC's we were stalked, harrassed, & murdered after aquirring a couple of Hyborian artifact & magic items. We treated the Hyborian Age as another dimension to visit for the Ascendant Rpg. 

Many of the NPC's & characters from the Ascendant Rogues Gallery could be from another age. These NPC's could dovetail into the  MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set . 

 

 

       The Ascendant Rpg has the edge with the weird factor to allow our own party to journey into the Hyboria Age. The box set of Conan has enough material and adventure locations to keep a campaign going for many years to come! 

   

OSR Commentary & Review on MHAC -18 Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project Rpg Weapon X by Necromancer For The Marvel Super Heroes or FASERIP rpg

 
MHAC -18 Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project  Rpg Weapon X by Necromancer hit the FASERIP fandom back in 2018. It clocks in at thirty three pages of Marvel Weapon X NPC goodness. What MHAC-18 does is bring the Weapon X project NPC's into your regular FASERIP rpg campaign. 

 So what does the MHAC -18 Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project  Rpg Weapon X actually bring to the table top?! We get the low down on Weapon X from history, procedures, PC generation tables and lots of notable NPC's. Weapon X has been behind lots & lots of top secret dirty deeds & deals in the Marvel 616 universe. And we're not just talking Wolverine and Sabertooth here. 
Since World War II Weapon X has been playing around with everything from Gamma Radiation to the various weapons that have graced the stage of Weapon X. We get a full on tour behind the curtain within the Weapon X project. The writing, design, fonts, and layout are up to the standards of Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project standards. The information within MHAC-18 is very much outta of current Marvel canon. 
MHAC-18 is solidly done and gives the DM everything they need to drag and drop Weapon X as a complete organization, entity, etc. within thier own Marvel Super Heroes rpg or FASERIP game. And it's only thirty three pages of Marvel Super Heroes goodness. 

Marvel Super Heroes rpg pictures taken from Wayne's Books 

 MHAC -18 Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project  Rpg Weapon X can easily bring the Weapon X weirdness and paranoia into your FASERIP games. It does this in two ways. Because it allows the DM to drop in thier latest 'weapon' project into your own campaigns to run amok. All this can be done in the name of testing. Weapon X is excellent for using any shadow games, spy vs spy, etc. adventures. Not to mention the Sabertooth, Wolverine, or other heroes  connections to Weapon X projects. This brings in the manufacturing aspect of the weapons that can come into your own campaigns. Our own PC's have two very strong connections to the Weapon X organization. Because the Weapon X book has such strong NPC's they tend to shadow the Marvel Super Hereos Rpg campaign that thier in. 
Is the MHAC -18 Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project  Rpg  worth the download? In a word yes! Because it allows one to take the Weapon X organization, npc's and more into thier games. I've just been informed that the latest version of MHAC -18 Marvel Super Heroes Unofficial Cannon Project  Rpg Weapon X has been updated with a superior layout, updated material, etc.. So be sure to grab the latest version of MHAC-18. 

Review & Commentary On MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set By The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project For the Marvel Super Heroes Rpg

 My own history with Marvel's Conan The Barbarian comic book & The Savage Sword of Conan black & white Seventies & Eighties magazine is well known to readers of this blog. And this brings me to a curiousity that I down loaded under the Others Google drive of Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project. This of course is MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set & it's paramount interest to a time traveling horror campaign such as mine. You can get MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set by joining the Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project group on Facebook 

MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set consists of the The Conan The Barbian Watcher's Chronicle, the Grand Master's Log, & the Conan The Barbarian Adventure book by Necromancer. Let's tackle 'The Conan The Barbian Watcher's Chronicle' first. 'The Watcher's Chronicle' covers all of the lands of the Marvel comics Hyboria world. And unlike the original Robert E. Howard Conan story. The Watcher's Chronicle goes over all of the lands of Hyboria with some spactacular artwork taken from the original Marvel & other comic book sources. For a fan publication The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project does an excellent job of handling layout,fonts, and the whole package. 

We get history, we get massive info dumps on all of the major & minor heroes,villains, and more throughout the Watcher's chronicle. 
The staff of The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project does a bang up job on this box set giving both the DM & the fans what they want & what they came for Conan's world & his characters in spades. Something that mainstream game companies should keep in mind. 

MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set is a big sprawling fan affair that encompasses the totally of the barbarian's deep rooted connections to the Marvel comic books & magazines. This is even more evident within the The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project Conan The Barbarian Grand Master's Log. Here we get the broader picture of the NPC's, gods, monsters, and madmen that plagued the barbarian hero throughout his career. 

The Grandmaster's Log is a lavish affair clocking in at over forty nine pages. And it tips the scales with dense profiles of both fan favorites & even minor horrors. We profiles on Elric of Melnibone, Red Sonja, Conan, & many more. For the dungeon master whose looking to run a time traveling campaign the fact that the Projet has included an index is a God sent. 
With so many NPC's it's easy to forget that running a campaign may mean flipping back & forth with physical copies. And the index makes this even easier. The Grandmaster's log is one of the essential cornerstones of this box set. And this fact alone makes it essential for a MSH's campaign. 
Even more lesser known magical items to modern Marvel fans such as the Cobra Crown get their due. 
And this is one of the places in which  The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project excels. Even if the fan group's organizational skills need a lot to be desired. We are getting all of these wonderful supplements for free. 

 On the right is one of my most hated Conan foes Kulan Gath. Even though he has appeared in numerous other supplemets of The Unofficial Canon Project. This smug sorcerer supreme of the Hyborian age killed not one but three of my heroes during the Eighties. My uncle was particularly fond of using this rather nasty piece of work. Each & everytime we seemed to defeat him he'd pop up again like an Eighties horror icon. 
The fact that he's so prominantly listed speaks volumes to the fact that MHR6 is well done. Kulan Gath is a major villain on par with Thoth Amon for his nastiness. He's gone toe to toe with the Avengers, the Xmen, and even several alternative Earth variant versions of Iron Man. And as recent as two years ago murdered off most of the 616 Marvel Super Heroes line up. Kulan Gath's connection to Red Sonja is deep & could easily be exploited by a DM looking to milk the Marvel/Dynamite comic book adventure arcs for a campaign. 

Finally we get deeply into the Conan The Barbarian Adventure book by Necromancer. And its a glorious little adventure that really highlights all of the Conan The Barbarian friends & foes. The Adventure book is like a Savage Sword of Conan magazine come to life with the strengths of the FASRIP system on display!

Necromancer does an excellent job with layout & bringing all of the singular Sword & Sorcery  details to life. Here all of the Conan NPC's get their due first. The stats are easy to digest & brings home the sheer scope of  Marvel Conan's world. The Eyes of the Serpent finds Conan & his allies partying & painting the town red. This is soon interrupted by Sword & Sorcery mayhem & violence. 
The PC's find themselves up too their eyeballs in the worst that Marvel Hyboria has to offer. And things go from bad to worst as the major players of Conan's world get involved within the plot. Players are going to have their hands full with  the Conan The Barbarian Adventure book. And the fact is the Conan The Barbarian Adventure book is actually a mini campaign unto itself. 

 The Conan The Barbarian Adventure book is well laid out, easy, on the eyes, and the adventure itself is epic.  And the MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set is really set off by the Conan The Barbarian Adventure book. 

The Conan The Barbarian Adventure book is slightly different in it's pacing & feel as it plugs into the Sword & Sorcery asthetic the Marvel way. The Marvel way from back in the Bronze age with modern The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project FASRIP fan rpg system senibilities.
  MHR6 Conan The Barbarian Box Set By The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project is in my mind one of the best things I've seen from this fan group. Make sure that you down load the MHR6 box set. 

OSR Review & Commentary On - MA 10 The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Reed Richard's Guide To The Universe For The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg

 "Welcome Faithful Followers!

"What you have in front of you is a lost article that refused to die. This was canned by TSR back in the ‘80s-‘90s, and had been hiding for the last 10-20 years, reduced to a dot matrix printout. Fortunately for us, it successfully fought off dust, rodents, and other things that would make your skin crawl!"

Once again rediscovered, it has been brought to you through the work of people from all over the globe. It has been polished and buffed, so that you will gain the most enjoyment from it."

"Are you a player, looking to play a specific alien race you saw in the comics? Are you a Judge, seeking out that nefarious race of extra-terrestrials to pit against your players? You will find within these covers details of alien races in the MARVEL UNIVERSE."

"This game accessory is designed to be used with the MARVEL SUPER HEROES
Role-Playing Game."
MA 10 The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Reed Richard's Guide To The Universe came into my purview discussing our weekly pre World War II Marvel Super Heroes rpg game campaign. MA 10 The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Reed Richard's Guide To The Universe clocks in at about a hundred & forty pages of pure alien MSH action. This supplement is done by the The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Facebook group & it's under the MA series of guides in their G Drive files. MA 10 The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Reed Richard's Guide To The Universe is available when you join the Unofficial Marvel Canon Project Facebook group here. 

What is the MA 10 The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Reed Richard's Guide To The Universe?! Basically its a guide to almost all of the alien races & playing them from the various Marvel comic book lines over the years. If you've grown up with the Marvel Handbook of The Universe as many of us comic book fans have then your probably familiar with one or three of these alien races. 
The reason for my own grabbing a copy of MA10 is simple. I wanted more weird aliens for my PC to encounter. 
And there's a whole plethora section of Marvel Science Fiction elements within the MA7 Golden Age of Heroes book. 

So is  MA 10 The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos Reed Richard's Guide To The Universe worth the download? In a word oh yes! MA10 is well worth the price of admission & contains a solid chunk of the alien life that Marvel comics over the years has had to offer. From The Brood to the Dire Wraith's client species, the Kree, the Skrull Empire, and everyone inbetween are within the pages of MA10 itself. They give habitat, planets of origin, technological level, weird details, and actually useful gaming states.  The Unofficial Canon Project Marvel Super Hereos does an excellent job when it comes to breathing life into their latest creations. Is MA10 actually useful?! In a way it's quite excellent for any interstellar or space faring adventures or simply the 'alien has crashed in the backyard' mini campaign. Or MA10 is perfect for a cosmic level campaign with a plethora of aliens for the player's PC's to encounter. 

OSR Commentary On 'The New Marvel - Phile Issue #9 From The Pages of The Defenders' By the Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Projec For The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg

 

Come with us now back down a rabbit hole of the Bronze age of comicbooks  into Marvel Phile issue #9 which is available when you join the Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project here  under the New Marvel Philes issues.  Issue #9 of the New Marvel Philes covers one of my all time favorite Defender's members Eric Payne aka The Devil Slayer. The wiki entry on The Devil Slayer goes into the publication history of the character;"Devil-Slayer was created by David Anthony Kraft and Rich Buckler. According to Kraft, Devil-Slayer was a tweaked version of a character he and Buckler had created in Demon Hunter (1975) for Atlas/Seaboard Comics.^[2] On his first day back in the Marvel Comics offices after the collapse of Atlas/Seaboard, Kraft bumped into Buckler in the hall and the two discussed bringing back Demon Hunter. Kraft recounted: "I changed his costume colors, Rich changed his costume design a little bit, we changed his name, of course - but if you look at his backstory it's a direct continuation from the Atlas issue".^[3] The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #33 (April 1977). Plans for Devil-Slayer to star in additional issues of Marvel Spotlight were halted by the series's cancellation, with Devil-Slayer's debut being the final ^[3] Shortly after he was added to the lineup of the Defenders." 

Back in 1975 there was the Atlas/Seaboard  comicbook line which had 'The Demon Hunter' character; "The Demon Hunter, created by David Anthony Kraft and Rich Buckler,^[1] is a fictional character, a superhero first featured in The Demon Hunter #1 (September 1975) from Atlas/Seaboard Comics. The series lasted only one issue due to Atlas Comics going out of business" 

The Devil Hunter is a variant of the Demon Hunter character whose origins are incredibly similar to Eric Payne's; "The story begins with the sight of a sniper, who has a man named Damian Severs in his sights. The Demon Hunter (Gideon Cross) while masking his presence, sneaks up on the sniper. Gideon recognizes the sniper and recalls serving with him in the armed forces. Before he fires a shot, Gideon materializes and gives the sniper a choice to either face him or throw himself from the cliff. Frightful of his choice, the sniper jumps from the cliff to his death. The reader is then shown that Gideon Cross is a member of the Harvester of Night Cult in a flashback." If the cult of the Harvester of Night & the cult of the  Harvester of Eyes sounds familiar you might be  a fan of the band Blue Oyster Cult because  they were taken from the lyrics the band by David Anthony Kraft & Rich Buckler. Other characters taken from BOC lyrics are Vera Gemini, the agents of Fortune, and more in the Defenders run. 
 In point of fact Fizzpop1 did a really deep dive  video on the two characters. If you get the chance give the gentleman a subscribe because he does excellent videos on public domain comic book characters, Bronze Age comics, &  really obscure comic book characters. 

The New Marvel Phile Issue #9 goes into the major NPC players of Eric Payne run of Defenders including  The Defenders #59–60. Marvel Comics,  The Defenders #97. Marvel Comics, & The Defenders #98. Marvel Comics. These NPC's include Chrous, Devil Slayer, Null The Living Darkness, & Vera Gemini. 

The cult of the Harvester of Eyes could theorectically appear in any era until the early 80's when it was shut down. The dimensional cloaks used by the cult's operatives were used extensively by the Wild Cat & other Marvel super heroes over the years. They can be a source of much pain for any hero or villian facing down an operative of the cult. Or in contrast the heroes could meet up with the Devil Slayer or his Atlas/Seaboard Earth's equivalant. 
Rich Buckler would later on go on to use the character again for "Bloodwing" for his own magazine Galaxia in 1980. On a personal note Rich Buckler was a Facebook friend & his talent is missed. 

OSR Review & Commentary On The Free 'The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg The Sourebook of Crystar Crystal Warrior' From The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project

 The Saga of Crystar goes wayback into the 1983 & The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project Facebook group has allowed me to indulge in many childhood Sword & Sorcery Marvel comicbook memories. According to the Crystar wiki entry here; "The toys were first sold in late 1982; the Marvel Comics series was first published in the spring of 1983.^[1] Since the toys were released first, many assumed the comic had been a licensed adaptation of the toyline, but Crystar and all of the characters in the toy line and comic book were created and owned by Marvel Comics, which had created the concept with the express intent of selling the license to a toy company" 

With writer & designer artwork restoration by John Caliber 'The Sourcebook of Crystar' sports some fantastic exterior & interior artwork taken directly from the comics. The Crystar storyline draws heavily from the original eleven isssue comicbook series plot here boiled down from the wiki entry; "Years ago, The Demon Lord sent his demon armies to conquer the world of Crystalium. The King of Crystalium led the fight against the Demon Lord in the Chaos War, but he was killed during the war. The forces of Order then sent the wizard Ogeode and the Prisma-Crystal to drive away The Demon Lord's minions and the forces of Chaos. In his defeat, the Demon Lord made the "Prophecy of Chaos", that he would one day send another of his servants to divide the planet against itself and bring ruin to all."

"After the end of the Chaos War, the wizards Ogeode and Zardeth visited two princes, the brothers Crystar and Moltar, who had to decide whether their people would ally with Chaos or Order. Crystar chose Order and its champion Ogeode. As Moltar considered Chaos, their uncle Feldspar tried to convince him that Chaos was evil. Moltar, feeling that his uncle had always favored Crystar, became enraged and fought Crystar, injuring Feldspar in the process. Leaving them for dead, Moltar led his followers to the Fountain of Fire to find the wizard Zardeth and ally with Chaos."

Ogeode saves Crystar's life by merging him with the great Prisma-Crystal, rendering the prince's body into crystalline form. Similarly, at the Fountain of Fire, Zardeth magically transforms Moltar and his followers with the power of lava. Moltar and his Magma Men then attempt to conquer the city of Galax. Crystar and his warriors, feeling that flesh and blood would prove ineffective against the transformed armies of Moltar, selected an elite group to be transformed into crystal form like Crystar: Koth, Stalax, and Kalibar."
The Crystar Sourcebook bolts down a rabbit hole of world details, factions, NPC characrters, monsters, horrors, magicks, and much more. The main NPC's are given their due within the Crystar Sourcebook. 

The Crystar Sourcebook goes into detail about the appearance of Warbow & Crystar within the Battleworld storyline appearance in the Secret Wars; "During the Secret Wars storyline, some characters from The Saga of Crystar appear in the miniseries Weirdworld as inhabitants of the Battleworld floating island domain of the same name where it is composed of fragments of many alternate reality magical realms including Crystalium. Moltar and his Magma Men are in allegiance with Witch Queen le Fay as they pursue Arkon (who is searching for his kingdom of Polemachus)." 

We finally get a really solid background on Crystalium itself as a possible adventure or campaign setting. The world of Crystalium is one torn apart by the forces of Chaos & Order yet warped by them as it's inhabitants,animals,etc. are shaped by their magicks. PC's dealing with these forces are going to be in for a trip as they are extremely dangerous to life & limb. Magick users are going to be in for an awakening. Crystalium is a world of elemental might & magick! 

Our own Marvel superheroes back in the late 80's encountered Motar & his  Lavamen! We were playing Cosmos Cubed Marvel Heroes rpg adventure using our own cosmic level superheroes at the time. So we had a narrow escape eventually forming a truce at the time. My adopted uncle did his own stats for Motar & Co. but these are far more interesting. 

The layout is top notch, the entries, font, etc. are all based on the classic era TSR Marvel Super Heroes Rpg products.  The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg The Sourebook of Crystar Crystal Warrior feels like a professional production & not a fan based resource. But is it worth the download?! In a word, yes! For me as a child or preteen of the Eighties ' The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg The Sourebook of Crystar Crystal Warrior ' hits all of the right Marvel comic book high lights. 

Where will I be using ' The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg The Sourebook of Crystar Crystal Warrior '?! I'm not entirely sure but we'll see as I'm keeping Crystalium in my back pocket for use as a pocket dimension coming up. This is just the same way that my uncle used his copy of Crystar all of those years ago. 

 You can join the  Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project here & download it for free yourselves & begin exploring the world of Crystalium & Crystar here. 

OSR Review & Commentary On The New Marvel Phile - Deathlok From Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project For The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg

 Deathlok is the character comes in with weird timelines, time travel, alternative variants, & other strangeness in the 616 Marvel universe  for the Bronze Age. The new  Marvel Phile  Deathlok From Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project For The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg. Originally according to the comic vine Deathlok entry" The original Deathlok, Luther Manning, was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench in 1974 and first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 (1974)." 

We get a huge overview of the Deathlok characters & the Deathlok military cybernetic system itself. And  The New Marvel Phile - Deathlok goes into detail on Luther Manning the original Deathlok & her again we get into the origin on Luther Manning & his missions. According to the same same Comics Vine entry; "Luther Manning was the first Deathlok. He came from a different reality in a future timeline. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 (1974). This Deathlock eventually was sent to present day earth 616, where he clashed with a few superheroes such as the Thing and Devilslayer. Years later, a fellow employee of Luther Manning named Mike Travers became another Deathlok. Some time later Deathlok was recruited by X-51 (Machine Man) of Earth-9997 into his group of Heralds. At the end of their mission, this X-51 used a device to create a new body for Manning from his DNA and offered him a chance to regain his human life." We get all of the details of this Deathlok.  The New Marvel Phile is comprehensive & well laid out. Even though this is a fan based product &  it's very well done. The layout, artwork, etc. is very much on a professional level  the New  Marvel Phile - Deathlok supplement. 

The US military, Raxxon Oil,  & Shield are highly involved in the origins of Deathlok project. And we see this again & again with the various incarnations of the Deathlok character. This includes Deathlok Collins, the Michael Collins Nineties Deathlok version of the character whose origins are twisted & interconnected with many other Nineties Marvel characters. 

The New  Marvel Phile - Deathlok From Marvel Super Heroes RPG is very comprehisive with the various Deathloks giving us origins, powers, & a solid overview of the characters. All this  so that the DM can uses these NPC's to their fullest extent as both adventure point, mission fodder, or as an enemy or friend  NPC  for the super heroes. 

Make no mistake Deathlok is a military weapons system. A fact that the original Deathlok comicbook series used again & again. The Bronze age Deathlok series could be seen as a both a reaction to the  Vietanam War & the Cold War of the Eighties & Nineties. Deathlok is an anti hero in every sense of the word. And his origins are tragic  a fact that later incarnations of the character would use again & again. 

Time travel, Science Fiction elements, & more went into these characters depending upon mission, assignment, incarnation, & even current Marvel Bullpen line up. The Deathlok character these days is highly underutilized in my humble opinion. The Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project  material goes a long way towards retifying that fact. 
But is  "The New  Marvel Phile - Deathlok From Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project For The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg " worth you time as a download. If your going to use the Deathlok character for your Mavel Super Heroes or Supehero rpg's?! Then the word is yes! The time & care that went into this supplement shows in spades.

 You can join the  Marvel Super Heroes RPG: The Unofficial Canon Project here & download it for free yourselves & begin exploring the journey of Deathlok for yourselves today