Tag: Fantasy

02/20/15

Classic Reviews: B10 Night’s Dark Terror for D&D

Brant Guillory, 20 February 2015

Outstanding “transition” from dungeon-crawl to explorer and a great campaign starter, if you can find it ~ it’s out of print

click images to enlarge

How many of us have ever embarked on a great fantasy epic and the characters were dead in 20 minutes because we were building our new characters and bit off more than we could chew? How often has the DM/GM been forced to tie together a bunch of trite dungeon crawls together just to have enough of a campaign for the 2nd level characters to wander through? Ever wish you could get those low-level characters out of the “cheese maze” and into the world without getting them quashed in the second encounter?

Have I got a deal for you…

You’ll have to search the out-of-print bins, but this one is well worth the quest.

B10 – Night’s Dark Terror, was written for the original D&D line as the “transition” module from the basic rules (levels 1-3) to the expert rules (levels 4-9). You only need the basic rules to play, but most gamers had ’em all anyway.

B10

Continue reading →

02/13/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #64

It’s always GARPA, GARPA, GARPA!

Holdfast Korea 1950-1951 (Worthington Publishing)
$9500 of $2500, ends 3 March 2015

On the heels of their successful Holdfast Russia game, the boys at Worthington are back with a Korean War game that lets replay the first year of the war with the same basic rules system.  Guard the Pusan perimeter, and outflank your opponent with an amphibious landing, conquer your opponent, and have the news break into a radio drama to tell the world about it.  But first, get your pledge into Kickstarter, and if you and a friend team up, you can save a few bucks by pledging two copies.

g64-holdfast

 

Continue reading →

01/30/15

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #63

Gimme a G!  Gimme an A!  Gimme an ARRRRRR!  Gimme a P!  Gimme an A!

 Click images to enlarge

Theomachy (Petersen Games)
$46k of $20k, ends 2 March 2015

Sandy Petersen, the brains behind Cthulhu Wars, is back with another supernatural smack-down.  Theomachy pits the multiverse of gods against each other (and the Cthulhuians, too!)  Ever wonder what would happen if the Egyptian and Norse deities clashed?  Well, you can dig out your vintage-1981 Deities & Demigods book, or you can hop on the Theomachy train and battle it out in this interesting card game with equal parts strategy, poker-style bluffing, and drop-dead-gorgeous artwork.  Power struggle?  Well yeah!  That’s pretty much the point, isn’t it?

g63-theo

Continue reading →

01/23/15

GrogHeads Reviews Dragon Age: Inquisition

Kimberly Poet, 23 January 2015

Many dragons were harmed in the making of this review.

click images to enlarge (Images from Doug Miller)

Trilogies are tricky beasts. Much of their success depends not only on the original story, but also on its sequels. Dragon Age has had its share of ups and downs –  the promising epic RPG followed by a sequel which drew vitriol for its departure in tone and cobbled-together presentation.

DAI13

Dragon Age: Inquisition, however, not only exceeds its preceding games, it sets a new standard for Bioware entirely. The relatively open-world regions give you a chance to immerse yourself in Thedas and are both lush and diverse, from the moonlight deserts of the Hissing Wastes to the verdant tangle of the Emerald Graves. Crafting also makes its first appearance and allows you to tailor your character even further. The combat system is more fluid than Dragon Age: Origins and more strategic than Dragon Age 2. Its scope is broader, the relationships between the Inquisitor and their companions more intricately written, and the customization and graphics – sweet baby Andraste, if someone tells you they spent less than thirty minutes creating their character, they’re a filthy liar.

DAI06
 Continue reading →