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by Steve

From the GURPS Birthdays manual:

on December 16th you will send birthday greetings to [user=ealdrich][/user]

Happy Birthday Eric!

by Patrick McElfresh

Once, I was a bold adventurer, diving headfirst into the deepest dungeons in search of bundles. My days were filled with peril and promise—until the day I fled from a gigantic gelatinous cube and felt my knee give way. That injury ended my adventuring career, but it didn’t end my love for the hunt. Now, I chase bundles from the safety of my desk, swapping battle scars for browser tabs, and sharing the spoils with you, my fellow seekers.


Bundle of Holding
:kF::ki::kr::ks::kt:<< these are the links Runs from 12/8/2025 to 12/23/2025

First up this week is a new Forged in the Dark bundle. I probably don't need to tell you much about Forged in the Dark at this point...let's get to the contents.

First up is the starter tier, priced at $10, which includes A Family of Blades, which, inspired by heist shows/films, places you in the role of a crew pulling one last job; Disaster/Wing, teens crossed with giant robots; and the original, Blades in the Dark.

The upper tier is $20 as I write this, and adds the unusual CHEW: The Roleplaying Game where you protect the world from...illicit chicken? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The bundle continues with Synthicide: Sharpers in the Dark, a dark cyberpunk game; more cyberpunk with Neon Black; and finally far future sci-fi Action Potential.

:kS::ke::kc::ko::kn::kd: Runs from 12/10/2025 to 12/31/2025

Next up we have Magical Kitties Save the Day! from Atlas Games, where your people have a Problem, and it's up to you, 'lil kitty. This bundle is sponsored by the upcoming Meowtropolis Kickstarter, so check that out, if you're inclined.

This single tier bundle costs $15, and includes Magical Kitties Save the Day! (2nd Ed.), GM Kit, Case of the Cursed Mirror adventure, and six "hometowns," Hometown: Alien Invasion, Hometown: Fantastica, Hometown: Kitty Noir, Hometown: Mars Colony, Power Up!, and Hometown: Wild Ones. These include maps, NPCs and adventures. Not to shabby!


Humble Bundle
:kF::ki::kr::ks::kt: Runs from 12/8/2025 to 12/29/2025

We have another Pathfinder Roleplaying Game (2nd Edition) bundle this week. The first tier is a fantastic value, with everything but a bestiary for $5. This is years of entertainment for $5. I mean, the rest of the tier is kinda meh, but the rest of that tier is amazing for the price. Given the value for the price, this (Tier 1) is my pick of the week.

Tier 1 - $5 - 10 Items
• Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box: Remastered Edition
• Pathfinder Player Core (PDF)
• Pathfinder GM Core (PDF)
• Pathfinder Core GM Screen (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: Year of Unfettered Exploration (PDF)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Forest (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Museum (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Forest Starter Set (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Forest Perils Expansion (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Haunted Woodlands Expansion (PDF/JPG)


Tier 2 - $15 - 27 Items
• Pathfinder Player Core 2 (PDF)
• Pathfinder Monster Core (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: The Island of the Vibrant Dead (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: Ukuja, The First Wall (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: Protecting the Firelight (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: The Crocodile's Smile (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: Mischief in the Maze (PDF)
• Pathfinder Society Scenario: The Rakshasa's Court (PDF)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Mythos Dungeon (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Town Square (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Watch Station (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Jungle Multi-Pack (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Noble Estate (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Thieves' Guild (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Bigger Flooded Dungeon (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Fortress Starter Set (PDF/JPG)
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Malevolence (PDF/JPG)


Tier 3 - $30 - 34 Items
• Pathfinder Rage of Elements (PDF)
• Pathfinder Lost Omens World Guide (PDF)
• Pathfinder Lost Omens Character Guide (PDF)
• Pathfinder Lost Omens Pathfinder Society Guide (PDF)
• Pathfinder Adventure Path: Pactbreaker (Wardens of Wildwood 1 of 3)(PDF)
• Pathfinder Adventure Path: Severed at the Root (Wardens of Wildwood 2 of 3)(PDF)
• Pathfinder Adventure Path: Shepherd of Decay (Wardens of Wildwood 3 of 3)(PDF)


Tier 4 - $40 + S&H - 35 Items
• Pathfinder Elemental Stones


Fanatical
:kF::ki::kr::ks::kt: Runs from :?block: to 2/4/2026

Well, this one is basically [family=309]DCC modules
[/family] #1-66. I didn't check, but boy, it feels like there's a DCC bundle every like...month? Tier 1 is, however, free, so if you want to give Fanatical a shot and see how it works with DriveThru, I guess this is our chance.

Tier 1 - FREE - 4 Total Products
• Dungeon Crawl Classics Holiday: Feast of the Gobbler Witch
• Dungeon Crawl Classics Holiday: The Doom That Came To Christmas Town
• Dungeon Crawl Classics Holiday: Home for the Holideath
• Dungeon Crawl Classics Holiday: Trials of the Toy Makers


Tier 2 - $5 - 15 Total Products
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #10: The Sunless Garden
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #9: Dungeon Geomorphs
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #8: Mysteries of the Drow
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #7: The Secret of Smuggler's Cove
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #6: Temple of the Dragon Cult
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #5: Aerie of the Crow God
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #4: Bloody Jack's Gold
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #3: The Mysterious Tower
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #2: The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #1: Idylls of the Rat King
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #0: Legends are Made, not Born


Tier 3 - $12 - 35 Total Products
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #28: Into the Wilds
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #27: Revenge of the Rat King
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #26: The Scaly God
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #25: The Dread Crypt of Srihoz
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #24: Legend of the Ripper
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #23: The Sunken Ziggurat
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #22: The Stormbringer Juggernaut
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #21: Assault on Stormbringer Castle
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #20: Shadows in Freeport
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #19: The Volcano Caves
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #18: Citadel of the Demon Prince
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #17.5: War of the Witch Queen
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #17: Legacy of the Savage Kings
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #16: Curse of the Emerald Cobra
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #15: Lost Tomb of the Sphinx Queen
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #14: Dungeon Interludes
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #13: Crypt of the Devil Lich
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #12.5: Iron Crypt of the Heretics
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #12: The Blackguard's Revenge
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #11: The Dragonfiend Pact


Tier 4 - $18 - 78 Total Products
• Colossal 70+ Dungeons RPG Collection - Goodman Games 20% Voucher
• Dungeon Crawl Classics: Saga of the Dragon Cult
• Dungeon Crawl Classics: Morrain Gazetteer
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #66: The Vampire's Vengeance
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #65: Caves of the Crawling Lord
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #64: Codex of the Damned
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #63: The Warbringer's Son
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #62: Shrine of the Fallen Lama
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #61: Citadel of the Corruptor
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #60: Thrones of Punjar
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #59: Mists of Madness
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #58: The Forgotten Portal
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #57: Wyvern Mountain
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #56: Scions of Punjar
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #55: Isle of the Sea Drake
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #54: Forges of the Mountain King
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #53: Sellswords of Punjar
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #52: Chronicle of the Fiend
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #51.5: Sinister Secret of Whiterock
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #51: Castle Whiterock
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #50: Vault of the Iron Overlord
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #49: Palace in the Wastes
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #48: The Adventure Continues
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #47: Tears of the Genie
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #46: The Book of Treasure Maps
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #45: Malice of the Medusa
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #44: Dreaming Caverns of the Duergar
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #43: Curse of the Barrens
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #42: Secret of the Stonearm
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #41: The Lost Arrows of Aristemis
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #40: Devil in the Mists
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #39: The Ruins of Castle Churo
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #38: Escape from the Forest of Lanterns
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #37: The Slithering Overlord
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #36: Talons of the Horned King
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #35: Gazetteer of the Known Realms
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #34: Cage of Delirium
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #33: Belly of the Great Beast
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #32: The Golden Palace of Zahadran
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #31: The Transmuter's Last Touch
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #30.5: Trek From The Vault
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #30: Vault of the Dragon Kings
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #29: The Adventure Begins

by Lowell Kempf

Shaman King took me a while to get around to finishing. Frankly, if I hadn’t gotten the entire series in a bundle, I wouldn’t have. When it was a slog, it was a real slog. However, when it was good, it was really good and knowing that there was good stuff kept me picking it back up.

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Shaman King is a manga from 1998 to 2004 that’s basically about a tournament of magic users to become the titular Shaman King, who is effectively omnipotent. What I recently learned some folks call a battle manga.

I apologize to fans of Shaman King but I found it to be a middle of the road, average Shonen manga. Which isn’t to say that it’s bad. In some respects, it’s quite good. However, it doesn’t sparkle.

The biggest problem, in my arrogant opinion, is the pacing. There are points where the story just drags. During the American road trip, I reached the point where I took a couple month break. And, while some of the flash backs felt both unnecessary and poorly timed. Horo Horo’s tragic backstory was revealed so close to the end of the story there was no room for character growth from it.

Honestly, a good edit would probably remove 20% of the entire series with significant improvement. Not that a weekly manga can get edited like that but hindsight is 20/20.

So what was good?

The actual character work is strong. More than that, the characters grow and change with well developed arcs.

In particular, I enjoyed Yoh as a character. Which was a good thing because he’s the main character. Initially depicted as a slacker who wants power so he can be lazy, he is revealed to be a convincing and striking all-loving hero.

Enemies becoming friends is a defining characteristic of the Shaman King. Yoh routinely invites people who just tried to kill him over for dinner. Near the end, Hai joins the heroes at some hot springs and Hai’s explicit goal as the big bad is to wipe out the human race.

While the lead up to the finale is a series of slog fights that I didn’t find nearly as compelling as the earlier tournament fights (and I got through knowing the end was near), the end being hugging it out with Hai worked well for me because the groundwork for that kind of ending had been well laid.

Ultimately, Shaman King’s positives do come out ahead of its issues for me but it just doesn’t have that je-ne-sais-quoi. (And it’s not the age. I find Hajime no Ippo, for instance, compelling (but socially dated as heck) and it’s ten years older)