A new episode has been added to the database: 190: How to Make a Sandbox Campaign, Part 2

A new episode has been added to the database: The Art of Insurrection 4 [Traveller]

A new episode has been added to the database: 479 - MERGER with John Rogers

A new episode has been added to the database: Episode 388: What is Agile?

A new episode has been added to the database: 685 DnD Can't Imagine There's Not Enough Devils in Hell

by sdonohue

The Book of Dungeon Encounters is a 2020 release from Philip Reed Games. The book was funded by kickstarter, and was written by a team of prolific and creative designers, including Philip Reed, Ron Lundeen, Alexander Augunas, James Case, and Lars White. There are illustrations by Eric Lofgren and Dean Spencer. The maps are by Ed Bourelle.

Presentation
This item is available in PDF and two print versions. I own the standard version and that's what I'll review here. There's also a premium POD version which adds three pages. Since my copy has the last page printed on the inside back cover, I'm guessing that's part of the extra content. The book has thick glossy covers and the interior pages are color on glossy paper.

Content
The book starts with a brief introduction, information about the authors, and some suggestions about how to use the book. This and the copyright notice take up about three pages. It then gets straight to the heart of the matter, providing information on 100 different encounters. Each encounter has a number, a checkbox, a name, a text explanation of the encounter, and the author for this particular encounter. Some of the encounters include color maps and the book has a fair number of illustrations. Scattered throughout are some sidebars which are related to the encounters (like a sidebar about why adventurers might be in the dungeon alone next to the Lone Adventurer entry).

The book is very creative in the encounters; even encounters that seem pretty formulaic have a twist that makes them different than one might expect. Even short encounters feel interesting, like a group of goblin guards who drink strength potions when the players arrive or an animated statue encounter with 4 different possible outcomes.

Evaluation
The book is system neutral, so unless the GM is a master of improv, there will be a need to make some notes before using the encounters. The text for each encounter is pretty evocative and typically provides enough information to handle unusual player activities. The fact that there are five different authors also eliminates some of the "sameness" that can infest books like this.

The checkbox is a neat idea; the suggestion is that once you use one of these, you check the box so you don't use it again. Overall this is a well-edited book with a clear and readable layout and more than 100 interesting encounters to have in your favorite fantasy dungeon.

A new episode has been added to the database: Mothership: Krebslieder 01

A new episode has been added to the database: S14E03 - Walking in My Shoes

by sdonohue

The Magical Kitties Game Master's Kit is a 2023 accessory from Atlas Games designed to facilitate playing Magical Kitties Save the Day!. There is no designer credit as the content is reformatted from the rule books. The artist is Ekaterina Kazartseva.

Presentation
This product is available in both PDF and print versions. Both versions include game master screen, a Hometown Workbook (the same as found in the Series Workbooks release, and a 12 x 18" double-sided poster. The screen is a trifold with each panel printed double-sided with art on one side and useful charts and tables on the other. It is made of sturdy cardboard.

Content
The Hometown Workbook combines elements of campaign planning and adventure records. It is mostly blank with spaces and templates provided for details on the hometown itself, various locations, problems, and then a spot to record details on the characters and the supporting cast. It is color and very well-done.

The poster is 18" x 24" and is double-sided. On one side there are pictures of 40 different cats in a variety of poses. Each cat has a number and the other side shows the names of each breed. It then lists some information on typical cat appearances, from fur length and color to patterns, markings, and eye colors.

The final element is the screen itself. The art side features art from existing products, recast for this use. The inside is a number of charts, tables, and instructions for running the game. The left panel provides details on making checks. It includes advice on setting difficulties, the difficulty chart, the success chart, and a brief summary of the steps involved in making a check for both the player and the gm. The middle section focuses on results of checks with information on the sorts of complications and exceptional successes that kitties should experience when they make skill checks. This section also provides information on owies and healing and to round if off it explains when GMs should consider awarding a treat and what can be done if the treats are used. The final section includes a short section on creating and solving problems, some tips on being a magical kitty, and some questions the GM should ask himself and the players at the end of each session.

Evaluation
This is a fun project and a good aid for game masters. The poster is useful at character creation (I admit, I couldn't name 40 cat breeds) and when making supporting kitties. The workbook helps the gm organize their thoughts on the game and keep track of the characters. The screen is nice and the art is beautiful, but it might work better if most of the information on the third panel was also visible to players as about half of it is player focused. Likewise the uses of kitty treats could be player facing. To be fair, the use of kitty treats is on the front of the official character sheet as is most of the information on skill checks.

Overall, this is a very successful and useful tool for game masters and one I'm glad to own.

by gatekeeper86

How about some more map making goodness? I've got you covered!

About this book
Flik Silverpen's Guide to Making Maps More Fantastical is a follow up to Flik Silverpen's Guide to: Making Maps More Fantastical, which I just gave a glowing review earlier this week. Like its predecessor, it is a 12 page zine that explains how to doodle simple but cool looking map icons for your fantasy RPG needs.

It basically follows the same formula, by giving you short step by step instructions (usually 2-3 steps, sometimes more) to draw different map icons. This time, there's no text apart from a short introductory vignette. Page 2 to 12 are filled with drawing instructions. The icons you get here provide variants of terrain already covered in the original booklet (more forests, mountains, towns, towers) as well as more exotic locales and decorations like shrines, crystals, giant thorns, spider webs etc. that help shake things up a little bit.

It is not really intended as a standalone booklet, but more as an expansion - even though the map of the first page is made only with new icons from the book.

My opinion
If you read my review for Flik Silverpen's Guide to Making Maps, you won't be surprised that I like this booklet and recommend it if you are a level 0 commoner when it comes to creating maps. I still love the concept, and the content is very good and absolutely reproducable by everyone. Missing the remarks on how to build a map means that there is more place for new icons, but it also makes the booklet feel like an add-on and not a thing of its own, which makes me lower the rating slightly compared to the original.

I'd recommend getting both Making Maps booklets together right away. If you're buying only one though, Flik Silverpen's Guide to: Making Maps is the one to get.

The bottom line
If you liked Flik Silverpen's Guide to Making Maps, you get more of the same to make your maps unique and interesting. Good content, but part of me would love it if this was just part of a bigger book. How about a Making Maps Omnibus in Hardcover with additional content at some point?

Flik Silverpen's Guide to Making Maps More Fantastical by J. P. Coovert, self-published by the author in 2024. The PDF can be bought on the author's website, https://jpcoovert.com/, for 6$. The printed zine + PDF goes for 12$.

A new episode has been added to the database: Infinite Collision - Ep. 05: Let's Table It

A new episode has been added to the database: Ep 268 - Should Villains Be Sympathetic