News & Reviews

d2g4.png

Dungeonslayers: Dungeon2Go #4 released

0
February 18, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , ,

Night of the Damned The Dungeonslayers community is still hard working to provide fans all around the world with new one-page adventures. Recently a team of five dedicated fans has translated Christian Kennig’s “Night of the Damned” into English. This adventure is suited for levels 9 to 12 and is available as a free PDF download.

Here’s the blurb from the official site:

Welcome to the newest not-so-dungeony fast food dungeon!
Instead, we want to take you on a leisurely stroll through the Night of the Damned. Idyllic forest lakes and gushing waterfalls await you – gaze with astonishment at friendly abominations and have a boating tour on the side.
Furthermore, we offer the usual bashing and thrashing, lots of loot, innocent evildoers, classical conjurations and depraved machinations. This for levels 9-12, to fend off any complaints.
As always, you’ll find the newest Dungeon-2-Go under Downloads – have a lot of fun!

Even if you don’t play DS, I can recommend you to have a look at these adventures. An experienced DM will have no trouble converting them to any other game system.

D6BlackAnkh002.jpg

Five Hundred!

7
February 16, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , ,

Wow! Who would have guessed that I hit the 500 posts milestone that fast. It was in November 2009 when Stargazer’s World reached it’s 400th post. I don’t think I ever had a more successful blog than Stargazer’s World and I have to thank all my readers for their comments and support! I couldn’t have done it without you, guys!

Following the tradition I started way back in January 2001, I will now look back on a few popular posts of the last few months:

  • Unusual dice
    D6 Black Ankh The post about Abraham Neddermann and his eBay shop “Unconventional Dice” not only was one of the most successful posts of the last few months, but it was also extremely fun to write. Abraham is truely devoted to his work and he enjoys creating cool new dice on a daily basis. And I have to admit his passion is contagious.  If you haven’t already, you definitely should check out his blog and follow him on Twitter. If you love fancy dice, like I do, you should check out, what he has to offer!

  • The popularity of that post has probably something to do with the extremely successful Dragon Age: Origins computer game but also with the fact that a lot of pen & paper roleplaying fans were interested in what this game had to offer. I recently got the boxed set and as soon as I have the time I will give it a proper review, but my résumé still stands: It’s a great game with a lot of features that especially old-school players will love!

  • Videogames that should be turned into pen & paper RPGs
    I love video and computer games almost as much as I love pen & paper roleplaying games. And I often used computer games as inspiration for my tabletop games. So I thought about what games should get a pen & paper treatment similar to the aforementioned Dragon Age game. It seems a lot of you liked that idea, too, and fellow blogger Aaron Broder picked up the meme and wrote about “Other Videogames That Should Be Turned Into Pen and Paper RPGs”.
  • Roleplaying in the Dune universe
    Frank Herbert’s Dune is one of my favorite SF books and I would always have loved to play in a game set into the Dune universe, but alas the only official Dune RPG Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium by Last Unicorn Games has never been properly released aside from a limited edition of 3000 copies sold at GenCon 2000. So I tried to find alternatives for that rare RPG.

Ok, I think that covers the most popular posts. Now let’s have a look at the statistics:

  • Total number of posts: 501 (including this one)
  • Total number of approved comments: 2,128
  • Number of total views: 118,537
  • Busiest day: 4,631 — Wednesday, April 8, 2009
  • Active WordPress plugins: 28
  • Technorati authority: 128
  • Google Page Rank: 3
  • Cups of coffee consumed by me during the writing of that post: 0
  • Word count of this post: 512

Ok, it’s now time to return to our regular program! ;)

62466.jpg

Review: CthulhuTech Damnation View

7
February 15, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , , ,

CthulhuTech: Damnation View Recently I was given the opportunity to review Damnation View (RPGNow Affiliate Link), the first storybook for CthulhuTech. Some of you may remember that I reviewed the CthulhuTech core rulebook in October 2008. Alas I haven’t had the opportunity to actually play the game, but I when I had the chance to read another CthulhuTech book I didn’t hesitate a second. The strange marriage of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and Japanese anime series is just too intriguing to ignore.

So, what is Damnation View? Damnation View is the first in a series of storybooks that provide game masters (or Storyguides) with information on what happens in the CthulhuTech metaplot during the eventful year 2086. But even if you don’t want to follow the metaplot, there’s more than enough stuff in the 148-paged book (please note that this review is based on the PDF version of the book). Since this book is mainly meant for the use of GMs I will try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.

As with the CthulhuTech core book the artwork in Damnation View is top-notch and the layout is pretty clean. Some of the fiction sections in the book are in white letters on a grayish background which can be a bit hard on the eyes. But that’s just a minor quibble. The overall production quality is great.

Gladuis The book contains five chapters containing minor and major plots that the GM may use in his campaigns, background information on the world of CthulhuTech (like what’s the latest fashion in 2086), ready-to-use NPCs, new types of monsters, and new technologies. Between the chapters short fiction pieces help the reader to better immerse into the world of CthulhuTech. Even if you don’t want to use the meta plot, there’s enough stuff in that book that would justify the purchase.

The plots in the book contain enough information that an experienced GM could run them as adventures or series of adventures with no or almost no preparation. Each plot is divided into three acts. For each act the book provides a list of goals (what the players have to achieve), a setting (where the action takes place) and a list of cast (which NPCs play a role in this act), important plot points, and detailed stats for friends and foes alike.

Although there’s a complete campaign hidden in that book it’s not as fully fleshed out as in other books of that nature. And that’s actually a good thing. The Storyguide (or GM) is free to use the plots, ignore them or use them as backdrop for his own adventures. And when he decides to follow the metaplot he still has the freedom to make the stories his own.

Perhaps I should mention that Damnation View also contains several Special Services character templates that allow players to create characters that are member of the NEG Special Services, or the “Freak Show”. The new templates are the Special Services Field Agent, the Investigator, and the Sorcerer.

Damnation View is definitely a book that makes me want to run a  CthulhuTech campaign. The plots and background information provided in the book make it much easier to run a campaign following the metaplot or creating your own adventures. And even if you don’t like metaplots there’s a lot of material any CthulhuTech GM can use. If you are a player, you probably should avoid buying Damnation View unless your GM doesn’t intend to use it in his campaign. It’s practically impossible not to be spoiled.
But I wholeheartedly recommend Damnation View for everyone interested in running CthulhuTech. You can currently get the PDF version at RPGNow for just $25.

Want to learn more about CthulhuTech? Read on…

chaoticshiny1.png

Preview: Kingdom Builder by Chaotic Shiny Productions

3
February 15, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , , ,

I love all kind of random generators, especially random name generators, since I usually have a hard time coming up with cool-sounding character names. When some time ago Hannah Lipsky of Chaotic Shiny Productions asked the members of the #rpmn channel to help her test and improve her latest generator tool, I was more than happy to give it a try. And I actually proposed a few features that made it into the final product. and I have to admit I am extremely happy with how the Kingdom Builder turned out in its final version. The version I received for review will be available for purchase in a few days from the official Chaotic Shiny Productions page and will set you back about $4. And this is more than a fair price for a program that offers that many features.

I tested the Kingdom Builder on my netbook using Windows XP Home and on my desktop PC under Windows 7 Professional 64bit. The Kingdom Builder consists of an executable file which is about 1.9 MByte in size. The program doesn’t need to be installed, so you can easily run it from your USB thumb drive.

But now let’s have a look at the Kingdom Builder itself. The program contains the following generators, which are organized into separate tabs:

  • Complete Kingdom Generator
    The Complete Kingdom Generator randomly generates a complete kingdom including everything from it’s ruler to a short description about the country. The generator’s results can be printed out or saved to a text file for later use. This can come in extremely handy if you need to come up with a small setting on short notice. Press a couple of times on the “Generate Kingdom” button and you have a good basis for an entire campaign setting.
    chaoticshiny1
  • Flag Generator
    The Flag Generator creates text descriptions of flags for use in your fantasy campaign.  You can determine how many flags you want to have randomly generated and as with the Kingdom Generator you can print or save the results. Alas the program only creates descriptions of what the actual flag looks like. Perhaps a later version of the Kingdom Builder will allow to generate actual flag images. Hmm, I should have thought of that while the program was still in Beta…
    chaoticshiny2
  • Currency Generator
    The currency generator randomly creates currencies for your campaign. As with the Flag generator you can choose how many different currencies should be generated and you get to choose the era (either medieval fantasy or futuristic).  As far as I know Hannah is currently working on a coin generator, that creates images of fantasy coinage. Perhaps a later version of the currency generator will not only generate names and exchange rates but also actual images. But even without images of the coins this generator can be very handy if you need to come up with some exotic coinage on the spot.
    chaoticshiny3
  • Motto Generator
    Every proper fantasy kingdom needs a motto like “For king and country” or “Peace and Happiness”. The Motto generator creates a couple of mottos for you. As with all the other generators the interface is very simple and intuitive.
    chaoticshiny4
  • Region Generator
    The Region generator randomly generates – you guessed it – Regions. I think the examples in the screenshot below speak for themselves.chaoticshiny5
  • Cities Generator
    The Cities generator creates a set number of random city descriptions. For some examples check out the screenshot below.
    chaoticshiny6
  • Map Generator
    The map generator is definitely my favorite generator. And it has by the far the most options. If you ask me the map generator alone is worth getting the Kingdom Builder. Let’s face it, most GMs either lack the artistic abilities or the time to create really cool looking campaign maps. And although the map generator doesn’t create maps like you would expect them from a WotC campaign setting book, you can create a complete campaign map (even with square or hex grid overlay) in no time. And you can even set certain parameters to get the map you want.
    chaoticshiny7

Overall the Kingdom Builder is a great tool for GMs, either for preparation or at the game table. As I’ve mentioned before the tool is pretty easy to use, the interface is clean and it even runs great on netbooks (which is definitely a plus). When I think about it, it could be possible to create a whole campaign setting just using this toolbox. That’s definitely something I have to try out in the near future. But even if you just need some inspiration, the Kingdom Builder is a great resource.

Thanks again to Hannah “Swordgleam” Lipsky for giving me the opportunity to review her fine product!

IMG_0260.jpg

Dragon Age unboxing

2
February 12, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , ,

This afternoon the postman brought me the Dragon Age boxed set I’ve been waiting for. I am still fighting a nasty cold, so it will probably take a few days before I can return to my regular posting schedule, but I wanted to share a few photos with you at least:

The box The opened box, the Player's Guide and the three dice The Game Master's Guide
Ferelden poster map

The box is full-sized (as expected) and looks pretty sturdy. The dice included are nothing special but should do the job. The two rule books are of a high print quality, but I have my doubts that the binding will survive the daily wear and tear. The included poster map is quite nice looking. And if you don’t want to use it at the game table you can always use it as wall decoration in your gaming room. As soon as I am feeling a bit better I will start writing a proper review of the game. So stay tuned!

ctqs.png

CthulhuTech Quickstart

0
February 10, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , ,

CthulhuTech QS Finally the guys from WildFire have released a quickstart PDF of their CthulhuTech game. I own the hardcover book for some time now, and I already wrote a review last year, but alas I haven’t played it yet. But I will surely print the quickstart rules a couple of times, bind them and give them to my roleplaying friends. CtulhuTech is an intriguing roleplaying game and the QS PDF is a great way to spread the word.

The 50-paged PDF is of very high quality, and contains the setting, the rules, four premade characters and an introductory adventure. If you haven’t checked CthulhuTech, yet, you at least should have a look at the QuickStart PDF. The combination of Anime-style Mecha action and H.P. Lovecrafts Cthulhu Mythos is probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed reading the CthulhuTech books very much.

gears_logo.png

Gears / AARG

11
February 10, 2010
by Stargazer in , , , ,

Gears logo I got a message via the contact form on the blog’s About page from someone who has been working on the AARG system for the better part of the last two years.

He read the post about Gears yesterday and got a bit concerned since he thought that it sounds an awful lot like his AARG system. He even gave me a link to the current AARG rules, so I could have a look.

Alas said person forgot to include his name or email address in his message to me, so I have to use this blog post to quell his fears.

Gears is in no way related to AARG. Of course there are a few similarities, but you’ll find similarities between a lot of RPGs on the market. Both system have been developed independently.

If the person working on AARG is reading this, could he please contact me again and provide me with an email address, so that I can contact him directly? Thanks!

Go to Top