Tag: RPG Review

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Strigovia – A Slavic Darkfolk RPG

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Product– Strigovia – A Slavic Darkfolk RPG

System– Strigovia – A Slavic Darkfolk RPG

Producer– Dark Orb

Price–  Free preview here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dark-orb/strigovia-slavic-dark-fantasy-setting-and-adventure-for-5e/description

TL; DR– Dark European fantasy with a rules-light twist.  96%

Basics- The forest hungers!  Strigovia is a dark RPG where players attempt to survive in the horrors of the forest.  What will you pay to survive another day?

Basics- This is a D10-based RPG.  Players attempt challenges, and doing so reduces their dice pool.  A 7-10 is a success, but lower scores have implications.  A 1 to 2 causing repercussions that might be very bad to annoying.  A 3 means the forest notices you, and a 4 means civilization gains hold in you.  You can attempt anything, but the more you do, the more the game takes from you.

Combat- Combat is again simple.  The players roll initiative and count success, but the monsters have a set score.  Then you gain a number of actions based on your attributes.  Actions range from moving between combat areas or zones, doing damage, or anything else.  Different monsters need a different number of successes to put down.  Simple and fast.

Magic- Magic costs.  Magic is debt magic.  When you cast a spell, you make a deal with the forest.  This might be a bit of your own blood to having to sacrifice your or someone else’s firstborn.  You can get a lot, but it will cost more. This is not the magic missile magic, but something much more powerful and much more dangerous.

Mechanics or Crunch: This is a very rules-light system.  The game isn’t a crunch monster.  Its very rules light.  That’s not bad, but it is very narrative.  This means you and your GM have to have a lot of trust.  There is no rules lawyering in this one.  You and the GM are telling a story, and when you do stuff, it costs you as the dice pool keeps getting smaller.  That ties well to the theme.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  The writers knew absolutely what they wanted out of this game.  This is a dark Eastern European folklore-inspired RPG.  Witches stealing babies, the forest taking whole kingdoms, and men attempting to civilize places that do not want them in there.  This game is exactly what it wants to be.  5/5

Execution: The quickstart is a solid product.  It goes setting first, then rules.  It reads easily, has amazing art, and a complete adventure with pregens.  I’d like character sheets instead of the written-out style, but it’s ok.  They have a full adventure that you can play before you get the book.  It’s a good book that is worth checking out.   5/5

Summary: This is a good product.  It feels like the fate system, but darker.  It might not be my favorite as I want a bit more crunch.  However, I can see the awesome in this one.  It’s dark, gritty, and something I would love to play or run in late October or November around a bonfire in the woods.  This will chill you to the bones in the right way if thats the experience you are looking for.  97%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit 

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Product– Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit

System– Cyberpunk Red

Producer– R. Talsorian Games Inc.

Price–  $7.50 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/482282/cyberpunk-edgerunners-mission-kit?affiliate_id=658theb 

TL; DR– Now I can play Cyberpunk the way I wanted! 100%

Basics- Have you watched the Netflix show or the game?!  Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission kit is the 2077 update to the Cyberpunk Red RPG set in 2020.  This is a quickstart product with an adventure, token, and everything a GM and players need for a game.

Mechanics or Crunch: Cyberpunk is a fun system, but it was missing something.  That something was the video game’s wizard-like powers.  This box set brings those to the game. And I couldn’t be happier.  I LOVE that part of the video game and was disappointed when I couldn’t do that on the tabletop.  Now I can. It’s a smaller list, but It’s also a quickstart for new players.  There are also all the crunch you need for the show’s characters.  So, if you loved the anime and game, you now have the tools you need to play that version of Cyberpunk   5/5

Theme or Fluff–  Cyberpunk Edgerunners is Cyberpunk Red, but it’s got the anime stuff in the box.  If you LOVED the anime,  here is the fluff to Red you need to play.  That’s what I wanted, so this is solid.  And this has enough world-building to show you how the world works as well.  It won’t and can’t be a whole internet of history, but there is enough here to get you deep enough into the world it will be hard to come up for air.  5/5

Execution: This box is amazing.  Honestly, for the price, you get way more than you expect.  Tokens, multiple books.  Lots of inserts.  Maps.  This is the whole 9 yards.  I love what’s here.  The books themselves read easily, are organized into sections to guide and divide, and are hyperlinked because it is 2026.  An awesome product.   5/5

Summary: I love this product.  You get some solid stuff, amazingly executed, and the missing pieces to make the game and anime work on the tabletop.  No notes, solid product.   Just like the video game, a few years after it came out, this is honestly one of my favorite products in a long time.  100%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Shadowrun, Sixth World Core Rulebook: City Edition: Hong Kong 

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Product– Shadowrun, Sixth World Core Rulebook: City Edition: Hong Kong

System– Shadowrun 6th Edition

Producer– Catalyst Game Labs

Price–  $19.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/564634/shadowrun-sixth-world-core-rulebook-city-edition-hong-kong?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR-Big question-do you need a core rulebook or have one?  98%

Basics- Ready to return to the Shadows?  This is the newest version of the Shadowrun 6th Edition core book.  The biggest changes are the addition of information regarding Hong Kong and what’s happening in this storied island’s history and future.

Mechanics or Crunch: Like 6th Ed?  Then you will like this.  This doesn’t change much in the mechanics lately.  It’s not a massive change to the mechanics.  In fact, I don’t see much.  But if you need a core book for the rules, this will work well.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– Like the world of Shadowrun?  Then this is your book.  This book adds to Hong Kong, but doesn’t really change much else.  5/5

Execution: Oh Catalyst… This book fixes some errors, but introduces some small ones as well.  It’s nothing horrible, and the book works decently.  Just small things that even I noticed slipped through.  I think a few things need a bit of polish to better explain some of the finer points of the rules.  But it’s got the basic pieces with hyperlinks, I think, that are required for a book in 2026.   4.8/5

Summary: The big question to ask yourself today is, do you need a core rulebook?  If you play at a con or online and are hooked, then this is an excellent place to start.  If you own multiple core rulebooks for the 6th edition, then maybe this might not be for you.  It’s solid, with a few minor issues, but very good. It’s more of a need question.  Need a book?  Start here.  Have multiple?  Then only the completionists need this one.  98%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Dungeon Crawl Classics #109: Beneath the Isle of Serpents 

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Product– Dungeon Crawl Classics #109: Beneath the Isle of Serpents

System– DCC RPG

Producer– Goodman Games

Price–  $7.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/539156/dungeon-crawl-classics-109-beneath-the-isle-of-serpents?affiliate_id=658618  

TL; DR– A solid picture of an adventure but the framing is muddy.  93%

Basics- Time to stop a war!  Beneath the Isle of Serpents features a mysterious island off the coast where people disappear, and fights not only among the humans lead to horrors no one expected.  This is an adventure for 2nd-level characters.

Mechanics or Crunch: This has classic Goodman Game polish for the crunch.  It’s low crunch but fun with fights, social encounters, tables galore, and exploration across both dungeons and a mysterious island.  The math is solid and fun.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– When we are on the island, stuff works, but getting there is a bit harder.  The hooks of a war don’t really matter.  Also, there is a bit of stuff happening between the intelligent monsters.  Those things I feel are not as well developed.  But the other parts and random things in the dungeon are all fun.  The pieces on this island are fun, but the framing doesn’t quite line up.  4.5/5

Execution: This adventure has all the awesome parts of a classic Goodman Games adventure, but it also has the faults of one.  Goodman Games harkens back to the old school adventures of ol’.  But modern audiences might not like that layout and setup.  I do, and I want more.  But I respect the opinion that the layout is not user-friendly.   4.5/5

Summary: This is another solid Goodman Games adventure.  The crunch is solid with fun fights, good social, and tables of such random materials that it’s a crazy fun time.  The story in the crawl is fun, but getting there is a bit off.  Not horrible, but a bit hard to fit into a perfect story.  The execution is good, but it’s Goodman Games OGL style.  If you love that, you will love this.  I think this is a fun side crawl in The Caverns of Thracia campaign.  93%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Abaddon: The Angel in the Void

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Product– Abaddon: The Angel in the Void

System– Demon Lord Engine

Producer– Schwalb Entertainment

Price–  $4.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/545187/abaddon-the-angel-in-the-void?affiliate_id=658618  

TL; DR– I’m intrigued by this level of hell.  97%

Basics- Who are you among the saved?  Abaddon is a new setting for the Demon Lord Engine.  It’s a far-flung future post-apocalyptic setting.  Let’s break it down.

Base Mechanics- Like Demon Lord?  Then you know this.  The big difference is the d666 system.  What this means is roll 3d6 and use the numbers to pick from a random table.  Not bad, but you can’t have a Schwalb system without a little bit of satanism!

This is an intro book, so it’s helpful, but it’s just the intro to the world.

Mechanics or Crunch: The big question for mechanics is Do you want Future Demon Lord?  If you want guns in your fantasy, then you will enjoy this.  The mechanics don’t really change, but that’s not bad, as Demon Lord is a tight system that’s fast.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– This setting focuses on a city where angels keep humans safe, but they are unknown.  The angels look like H. R. Geiger decorated the Sistine Chapel, but I expected nothing less from Schwalb.  The town where the angels make food, but the food doesn’t have flavor.  Humans are allowed to do anything, but not mess with the angels’ business.  And, the angels are letting a select few humans exit the town to explore the wastes after the demon destroyed things a long time ago.  You get to play the explorers in this world.  That’s solid stuff right there.  5/5

Execution: This is a good intro, but it’s missing pieces.  Its got a good layout, but it needs more art.  There is one angel picture, and that’s enough to keep you up at night.  The world is described, but needs more.  There is a solid intro adventure that will kill a few players.  Then again, I also have my one major gripe- no pregens!  I know Demon Lord makes characters in about 3 minutes, but give me six to hand to my friends with no prep.  It’s small things, but it would help.   4.5/5
Summary: This intro has solid information, but misses a few things.  I like the world that is built.  The history is good, but vague enough to be filled in later.  The locations will be similar, but warped by time and hell itself. The system is one I like and one that will always be fun and fast to play.  The book is good, but here it misses a few pieces.  Give me pregens and a bit more art.  That said, if my issue is the pieces that are not here, you’ve done the job of intriguing me enough to get more.  97%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-07: Sewer Dragon Crisis

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Product– Pathfinder Society Scenario #5-07: Sewer Dragon Crisis 

System– Pathfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price–  $5.99 here  https://store.paizo.com/pfs-scenario-5-07-sewer-dragon-crisis/ 

TL; DR– A handshake or a slaughter, your choice.  100%

Basics- Ok, we screwed up.  What do we do to fix this?  The Sewer Dragons backed the Pathfinders, and they paid a HEAVY price.  Now, your job is to help the friends we left along the way.

Mechanics or Crunch:  This is a fun adventure, and it changes based on what the players do.  This adventure has one mandatory combat.  If you are a combat monkey, you can choose violence. If you are social, you can also get your way.  It also has a skills section, so the skills person gets a chance to shine as well.  It’s a good mix.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– This adventure will take two hours or five hours.  There is little in the middle.  The story is solid, but a combat team will struggle and end up killing lots of things.  That’s fun.  If you are a social butterfly, this is much shorter, as you convince enemies to back down and corrupt people to do their jobs.  It’s fun, but if you have a mixed team, some people will not get exactly what they want.  5/5

Execution:  Ah, classic Paizo layout.  I love the older style.  Pictures for the monsters.  Stat blocks and an easy-to-read adventure all make this a solid adventure.  5/5

Summary:  This can be a feel-good adventure or a slaughter.  Either can be fun if you want it.  I loved running this one, and my players had a blast too.  Choose your team well, and you will too.  100%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Disaster at Dreamlink Labs

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Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #1-03: Disaster at Dreamlink Labs 

System– Starfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price–  $5.99 here  store.paizo.com/starfinder-society-scenario-1-03-disaster-at-dreamlink-labs/ 

TL; DR– Space Horror Story! 95%

Basics- What was that?!  Dreamlink Labs found …something.  And someone else wants it. Where are the scientists?  Are they alive?

Mechanics or Crunch: This is a pretty simple one for crunch. It’s only a few fights.  There is some craziness in the second fight, but you can tell this was designed to fit in two hours.  The fights are fun, but short.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff– This is a short one, but a good one.  It’s space horror.  We have some Aliens mixed with Lovecraft, and some Predator thrown in.  I love all those, so it’s a solid fun experience.  5/5

Execution: I like this one a lot, but I have a few minor issues.  It’s got great layout, fun extra bits to add tension, and pictures of most of the parts.  I don’t like that the pictures are in the middle of the book, not in the end, but I can deal with that.  It’s short, but there’s enough to get at least two hours of stuff done! 4.75/5

Summary: I love cosmic horror and good space-station horror.  This is that.  It’s that, but short.  But, its still those things.  I would like it a bit longer, but I am ok with what’s here.  I can’t see where they go with the new god and the remains of a planet it broke out of.  95%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Dungeon Crawl Classics #110: The Sacrificial Pyre of Thracia

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Product– Dungeon Crawl Classics #110: The Sacrificial Pyre of Thracia 

System– DCC RPG

Producer– Goodman Games

Price–  $5.99 here  https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/539158/dungeon-crawl-classics-110-the-sacrificial-pyre-of-thracia?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Either add more or remove to help with this one. 93%

Basics- Where are they!?  Cultists are attacking your lands.  Find where they are, make friends along the way, and route them out from their caves!

Mechanics or Crunch: Standard fun for DCC in this one.  Lots of low-level enemies to fight and kill.  There is a bit of socializing, a bit of exploration, and lots of combat.  All as balanced as random can be!  5/5

Theme or Fluff– I love the pieces, but I either want more or less of them.  This adventure has a hex crawl.  This goes without saying-THERE IS NOT ENOUGH HEX CRAWLS IN THE WORLD!  But the hexes are kind of empty.  There are random encounters, but I’d like more storytelling with finding specific things along the way. Give me more staged stuff to do.  You wonder and find things, but you don’t get much of a story till you find a village.  Events and findings outside the village will help a bit.  This might also save on the other problem of the adventure-time.  Hex crawls with random encounters are either the most amazing thing ever, a snooze, or a slog.  It’s random, so you don’t get the sweet spot of the number of encounters the creators hoped for often.  I’d either add more to the hexes or just cut that and have a combat and a social outside the volcano to save time.  The volcano lair is fine.  Nothing beats a fight with bad guys in a dead volcano.  4.5/5

Execution:  This is DCC.  It’s got the best part of old school, but it’s got a few warts of old school with the layout.  If you know how to read these, then it’s completely fine.  If you are new, this might be a bit harder.  Not bad, but less clean than your WotC-produced adventures.  But I go to tons of less pretty places with amazing menus, so for a bit of atmosphere and disarray, you will be fine here.  4.5/5

Summary: This is a solid, fun adventure that randomness can completely mess up.  I love a good strange hex crawl, but those hex crawls can be a pain if the dice roll weird.  I’d like a bit more story in some hexes to really amp up the overall story, but what’s here is solid enough. Good fun for you and your friends as they enter Thracia! 93%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-16: A Star’s Journey

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Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon

System– Starfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price–  $5.99 here https://store.paizo.com/pathfinder-society-scenario-7-16/ 

TL; DR– Most of the map wasn’t used.  73%

Basics- Where’s Star?  An ally of the society has gone missing.  Can you find him?  What took them?

Mechanics or Crunch: The adventure is balanced, but there just isn’t much.  The players have a fight with some intro monsters, a small puzzle, and then a final skill challenge.  Those are all balanced, but it needs more.  Give the players and GM more to do. 4/5

Theme or Fluff– The story here is light.  The story shows something new, but even that is small. The characters meet something new, but then that’s about it.  Even the reason why Star is missing really isn’t explained, just solved.  That’s all due to the time constraints of the new adventures.  What’s here is good, but it needs more.  4/5

Execution: What’s here is good, but it needs more.  The standard Paizo polish is on display, but It needs more.  This adventure used the exact same map as the last published level 1-4 adventure.   That’s not great as almost ALL the level 1-4 use that, but then again, most of that map didn’t have stuff to do in it. No descriptions of anything.  Couple that with a small gripe about names, and this was five bucks for less than two hours of game.   3/5

Summary-Everything here is ok.  The encounters are ok. Social is ok. Puzzles are ok.  It just too short.  The goal is 2-3 hours.  This is maybe 1 hour if you don’t mess around.  I do online gaming and even with tech issues, a biobreak, folding sourdough, and wrapping up after, this was two hours.  The fact that most of the map lacked descriptions is also a major issue.  I can get past the map being reused again, but the fact that it’s not even covered makes this a problem.  Add more to these adventures.  Nothing is bad here, but it just needs more.73%

Ring Side Report: RPG Review of Starfinder Society Scenario #1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon

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Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon

System– Starfinder 2nd Ed

Producer– Paizo

Price–  $5.99 here https://store.paizo.com/starfinder-society-scenario-1-02-mystery-of-the-frozen-moon/ 

TL; DR– Good, but length hurts product and story.  83%

Basics- What’s on the moon?  A new moon has been discovered, and there are ruins there.  What else could be stirring on the frozen moon?

Mechanics or Crunch: This adventure has a decent mix of combat, skills, and some social.  There are multiple NPCs that you get to know.  They don’t do much, but they help set the scenes for future adventures.  The combats are simple. There really are only two.  There is one major skill challenge as well.  I don’t hate this, given the design philosophy of the Starfinder society now.  It’s short, but there are the key pieces I want.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– There is a lot of story in a small package.  The story is light, but the adventure sets the stage for the future.  You meet multiple characters.  Those characters are there to help you learn the next pieces in the next adventures.  That’s again, not bad, but aside from some social, two combats, and a skill challenge, the story is light.  It does end on something big, so it works well enough.  4.5/5

Execution: Paizo is losing the Paizo polish to the internet.  The adventure features new creatures, as in any good Star Trek adventure, as they explore a new planet.  But it’s missing pieces, like pictures of the major NPCs.  I can’t find pictures of somethings anywhere.  Also, this adventure is 6 bucks for about 2 hours of RPG.  That’s kind of a lot for missing pictures of one of the two things you fight.  4/5
Summary– This adventure is good, but the changes in Paizo’s organized play are hurting the product.  The short adventures are ok, but it means there is less here.  I also have fewer physical products to look at or show the players.  Those changes hurt the product.  I enjoy the story and adventure, but the constraints hurt the product.   83%