Basics– Where are they going? The dead walk and towns disappear. Where did they go and can you save your town?
Mechanics or Crunch– God I love a good funnel. I also want to get a good quick intro to Thracia. This gives me the mechanical intro to DCC and whittles down the players. This is a solid, basic funnel. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– I don’t know much about Thracia, and this gives you the basics of the world. The world can’t be fully explained, but you get some monsters, some gods, and a fun intro to the world. It’s enough to hook you for more. 5/5
Execution– This is Goodman Games. They know how to write adventures and their audiences. I love everything here. 5/5
Summary– This is a good funnel by a good company. I also love fighting undead, so this is a match made in heaven. After this adventure, I can’t wait to hop into the larger Caverns of Thracia adventure! 100%
Basics– Let’s jump in! Forgotten dangers is a group of six random DCC adventures. They are not really connected to each other, but they are small, bite sized fun that you can drop into any DCC game.
Mechanics or Crunch– These adventures are set up well enough to be the right mix of deadly and fun. The crunch here works. There are crazy powerful items to play with as well as crazy powerful dangers. It’s solid DCC RPG fun. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– The individual adventures are fantastic, but I wish there was a connection between them. The individual adventures are all bat crap crazy, and that’s exactly what you play DCC for. The fault is the individuals are not connected. The adventures are good, but I wish they were a bit connected. 4.5/5
Execution– Solid layout, text, art, and flow make this an easy read. If you need an adventure for a session you did not prepare for, these adventures, while a bit simple, are enough that you have a solid four hours and can just hop right in as a GM. 5/5
Summary– I love DCC RPG. I love random one shots. This product is just those. It’s fun, but I wish this was a campaign or written where it could be. But without flow, this is still just solid fun to run with your friends. 97%
Basics– We who are about to die Salute BBQ Ziggurat! Want your big break? You can get it if you survive the Murder Mountain Smackdown! It’s a new Dungeon Jockeys outing, and you can get your own shot at the big leagues. All you have to do is not be killed or stolen away to another universe!
Mechanics or Crunch– Do you like DCC? If so, you will like these mechanics. It’s simplistic, but DCC is not a crunch system. It’s fast and fun AND VERY VERY CRAZY! From Desert Yetis to snow gnomes to crazy creatures stealing away people to different dimensions. I had a blast running it, and the players had a blast playing it. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– The story is good, but not perfect. XCrawl walks a weird line between DCC, American Gladiators, and American Idol. That said, it does most of that well. What I really didn’t like is how the cover monster is used. There is a crazy monster that just eats characters. It’s not really explained well, in my opinion, and you don’t really fight it. I’d like a fight with it or something crazy, but it’s more just fail a roll and die. Aside from that, it’s crazy fun. 4.5 /5
Execution– This is just a repeat of many of my other Goodman Game reviews. It’s classic RPG stuff with modern layout and design. This is how DnD in 1e should have been laid out to help me as a GM run it. 5/5Summary– Aside from one monster, I feel this is a solid intro to XCrawl. It’s a funnel where LOTS of PCs will die, but you end up with a rag tag team ready to roll in the big leagues. You get your American Idol shot at being a hero on TV. As a GM, there are fun monsters, crazy events, and all kinds of shenanigans you won’t see in the more straight fantasy offerings. If only the cover monster was a bit different, it would be perfect. 97%
TL; DR– Miss old school wrestling and RPGS? HERE YOU GO! 100%
Basics– FROM THE TURNBUCKLE! Xcrawl is the crazy spawn of DCC and American Gladiators. Players are crawlers in a world where magic happens, but Emperor Reagan used a DnD game to keep the masses in check. I am not making that up. You quest LIVE on TV for MONEY and PRIZES while dungeon judges or DJs put traps and monsters in your way. Think a much more light hearted version of The Running Man. Let’s look at this.
Core mechanics- Can you play DCC? Then you can play this. If not, can you play DnD 3.5? If not, we’ll teach you in about five minutes. It’s D20 + numbers vs another number as the main mechanic. Solid, fast and fun.
Character classes- Like any other major DCC set, this one features several new classes. We have the standard set of Fighter, rogue, wizard, cleric, but they are much more focused on combat and less outside stuff. The fighter has two spiritual successors with one being all grappling and one being just about bringing pain to monsters. The wizard gets a new class that is all about blasting stuff because Emperor Regean decreed it be (yes really!). This book’s classes are much more combat based, but still have that DCC feel.
Mojo and Fame– DCC has luck where you can spend points to gain stuff, and this game has mojo and luck. Mojo is the favor of the crowd. You do a signature move or do something cool, and you gain mojo. But, mojo isn’t for you-it’s for your friends! You spend mojo points to help a buddy with a roll. It’s all about team work! Fame is what you get as you become more famous. You spend it to be recognized or get stuff out in the real world. Fame is how cool you are.
Ok, now the review.
Mechanics or Crunch– Do you like DCC? That’s going to determine if you like this. Do you want simple 3.5 mechanics with just crazy stuff happening in the mechanics? If you don’t, then this won’t be for you. I love crazy and I love the DCC simplicity, so this is just more of a homerun for me. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– How much do you like 80s wrestling and the movie The Running Man? That’s the theme of the world. I am honestly a bit disappointed that the book isn’t more neon to drive the 80s aesthetic deeper into your mind. But it’s a world where DnD was so popular that the God-King had to have geeks help him maintain social control through Wrestlemanina mixed with GenCon. So, yeah, it’s nuts, but man is it fun. 5/5
Execution– Goodman games makes games that look like you would find them in the zine sections of a bookshop in 1985, but they are built and laid out like they were created in a major New York publishing house. It reads fast with tons of pictures. It’s searchable and hyperlinked, and the book comes with a reference book that I can give to players to help you make that level 1 character on the fly. This is exactly what I want in a game. 5/5
Summary– I love what this book is, but I can promise that no matter how well its done, some of you will hate it. If you need LotR levels of serious in your game night, keep moving. No offense taken or meant, but this is not for you. If you need Traveler or Shadowrun levels of crunch in your games, keep going. You build your character by rolling a bunch of dice and then throwing the characters into a thing called a funnel. Most will die, but your surviving person has a hell of a story! If you like DCC and want some Kentucky Fried Crazy added to the mix, then this is for you. Considering I’m writing this while watching the documentary on American Gladiators and have bored my wife with stories of 1980s wrestlers, this might have been made for me in particular. Give this one a look if the theme and mechanics are up your alley. 100%
TL; DR-Solid adventure with a bit of crazy ending. 97%
Basics– Who wants a drink? Drawn to a small town where a particularly special liquor is made, you find a massive idol barking orders. Can you find the liquor before the idol counts down to… something?
Mechanics or Crunch– Ah first level Goodman Game scenarios! These guys know their mechanics, so everything is solidly done with the right amount of random and fun monsters to fight. My players and I all had a blast killing monsters, searching, and finding the secrets of the idol. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– Overall this is fun, but I feel the ending gets a bit off. There are a ton of fun in this adventure and has some crazy turns that are just perfect for the Dying Earth. There is one problem with the adventure. I won’t spoil anything, but I feel like one enemy would not attack the players at the end. That said, if you run it how you want, it won’t be a problem!. 4.5/5
Execution– PDF? Yep. Hyperlinked? Yep. Solid Art? Yep. Good layout? Yep! This is what I expect from a Goodman Games adventure. Solid work Goodman games! 5/5
Summary– Ah crazy Dying Earth fun. This with all the other adventures makes me want to read more Vance. I love the crunch and the design, but I have a few issues with the ending. That said, you write your own story as the Judge, so fix it on the fly! This is a solid adventure that I loved, and I think you will too! 97%
Throat Punch Games 