Friday Fantasy: Haunting of Beggar’s Creek

Haunting of Beggar’s Creek is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. Haunting of Beggar’s Creek is designed for Expert Heroes and can be run as a scenario for slightly more experienced Player Characters for Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

Haunting of Beggar’s Creek opens with the Player Characters traveling along Towers Track, one of the roads leading to Four Towers, the guild-dominated city known for the dungeons that extend deep under the city and Delver Halls, its distinctive district home to the delver companies, the groups of professional treasure-hunters who live off what they can recover from the depths. The countryside either side of the road is lightly wooded and dotted with small farms, but what catches their attention is the body of young man on the road. There is blood encrusted around his nose and eyes as well as on his face, and his bluish-white skin, feels cold to the touch. There is no obvious cause of death and no obvious sign of a scuffle. The nearest settlement is Beggar’s Creek, just along the road, a town best known for Beggar’s Bridge which crosses the creek and the large inn, the Muggin’s Rest, which caters to the townsfolk, the farmers and farmhands, and the frequent travellers on their way to Four Towers.

The scenario is a murder mystery, almost a cliché in its backstory and its set-up. The Player Characters are not suspects themselves and once they have been directed to take the body to the nearby cemetery for burial, they are free to do what they want. They could walk away, continue their journey, and leave it at that—and that is the scenario’s biggest weakness. It really does rely upon the players’ curiosity and that of their characters. If they remain and investigate, the Player Characters will discover that their discovery was not the first and the bodies of several men have been found on the road in similar circumstances. Worse, their spirits have been seen prowling the area at night and the locals are worried, including the owners of the Muggin’s Rest. So, the question is, what is killing the men and causing their spirits to walk at night instead of passing on?

Haunting of Beggar’s Creek mixes a mini-sandbox with some decent interaction and investigation with a big dollop of horror thrown in. There is a surprisingly large cast of NPCs to talk to and question, a few locations to visit—none of them overly detailed, and a distinct difference in tone between day and night. By day, it is bucolic, tinged by the locals’ concern at the curse which seems to have beset the area. By night, ghosts and worse walk, perhaps leading to situation wherein the owners of the Muggin’s Rest, their family, guests and patrons, as well as the Player Characters, all find themselves under siege by the undead! This is only one possible climax to the scenario, but it is one that can be used to push the plot behind the scenario to a conclusion, especially if the Player Characters have not resolved it by then.

There are not a lot of moving parts to Haunting of Beggar’s Creek, but they are enough to keep the Sage busy and most of them will require more preparation than most other scenarios for Shadow of the Weird Wizard. This mostly consists of a lot of NPCs and ideally a map and a floorplan. The scenario would certainly benefit from a map of the area around the Muggin’s Rest and Beggar’s Creek, and whilst the Sage will need to draw one herself, she will probably find it easier to find a floorplan of an inn to represent the Muggin’s Rest. These are perhaps the only omissions from Haunting of Beggar’s Creek.

Physically, Haunting of Beggar’s Creek is decently presented and well written.

Haunting of Beggar’s Creek is a thoroughly likeable and engaging scenario, a classic set-up in terms of fantasy and horror roleplaying. It does need pulling apart a bit to make clear all of the clues and a fair amount of preparation, but once done, this player-driven scenario will provide a good session or two’s worth of solid play.

Friday Fantasy: Drink Deep from the River of my Hate

Drink Deep from the River of my Hate is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. Drink Deep from the River of my Hate is designed for Expert Heroes and can be run as a scenario for slightly more experienced Player Characters for Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

In Drink Deep from the River of my Hate religious fury and war comes to the Borderlands. Following his  exile from Paradise, the archon Invidian the Fallen has sworn to take his revenge upon the High One and his followers wherever they may be. This has drawn him to the Auxen Vale where there is both a Temple of the High One in Auxen Village and the Holy Brothers Monastery also dedicated to the High One. With him is a band of marauders known as the Unbelievers. Whilst some of them fight for him because of his reputation and his desire to kill all and any worshippers of the High One, others simply fight for him because they can indulge in their own murderous desires and take their share of the plunder. Ahead of their progress across the Borderlands rumours have spread of burned shrines, sacked temples, murdered priests, and slaughtered villagers, giving rise to fear in many and a loss of faith in some. Now those fears have materialised in in Auxen Vale and Father Montaine, the priest of the Temple of the High One in Auxen Village, has sought out the help of mercenaries and adventurers in the defence of the vale and village.

This then is a classic village-defence scenario, not quite The Magnificent Seven, more the malign quartet. The Player Characters need to survey the area, perhaps find some allies (there are some potential allies, but they are far from willing), and reconnoitre the enemy and its activities. To that end several locations are detailed across the vale, including the village of Auxen itself, the monastery, the nearby woods, and the ruined keep where Invidian the Fallen and the Unbelievers have made their camp. None of the NPCs or creatures who live in Auxen Vale are given stats, nor are there any stats included for Invidian the Fallen and most of his acolytes and followers. The Sage will have to provide those. However, stats are provided for his chief lieutenant, Agada the Seer, a fiend-worshipping diviner who takes pleasure in torturing and killing priests of the High One. She is quite vile!

Unfortunately, the NPCs are the cause of a big problem with Drink Deep from the River of my Hate. Or rather, the number of them. Including its leaders, there are over seventy members of the Unbelievers. This is a lot of stats to provide and a lot of NPCs for the Sage to control. Fortunately, most of them are raider wildlings, and except for the major assaults on the village, the Unbelivers will not be operating together, but rather in smaller warbands. Ideally, the Player Characters need to picking these separate warbands off, one-by-one, so as to reduce numbers they will be ultimately facing in the assault on the village.

The nature of the scenario means that it works better with some set-up time, so as to lead the Player Characters into its events. That set-up should ideally also involve the Sage creating some maps for the various locations, including at least the keep where the Unbelievers are based and the village. The Sage may also want to add a hook or two to involve the potential other allies for the villagers.

Physically, Drink Deep from the River of my Hate is decently presented. The map of the Auxum Vale is nice and clear and the scenario is well written.

Drink Deep from the River of my Hate is a classic set-up in terms of fantasy roleplaying and it is a well done, player driven scenario. However, it is underwritten in places and needs development—not too much, but a little more than it should—to make it easier to set up and run. 

Rotten Labour Relations

Downright Nasty is a scenario for the PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game, set in a terrible future dominated by vicious gangs, dangerous mutants, and predatory monsters spawned by the strange chemicals and radiation released in the days that followed the Time Before The Shit Hit. This is a post-apocalyptic setting with an adult tone, both grimy and grim, if not a little unhinged. Or a lot unhinged. As Mercs, the Player Characters take the jobs that most settlements want to avoid being associated with, whether that is because of bravery or pragmatism, and once out in the Wastelands, they face strange creatures, gangers and cannibals, plus an environment which just as likely turn on them or mutate them even more. PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is based on Shadow of the Demon Lord and like the other roleplaying games based on its mechanics, Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game are tailored to these three Paths. Downright Nasty is a mission for Novice Mercs and sends them into the Lower Septic to restore some order.

Downright Nasty is essentially about dispute in a wasteland settlement. Vaguely east of Scrapbridge and south of Liberty City is Septic Town, a settlement which has got rich fishing for and selling megatroutasses, the large trout-like fish studded with fleshy protuberances that look like bare arses, that tastes surprisingly good. Well, some of those that live in the town, those that live in Upper Septic Town, an old bridge, have made plenty of money selling the fish across the Wasteland and have attitudes to match. The rest live in Lower Septic Tank, in ramshackle buildings stacked on a series of floating platforms connected by rope and wood walkways on the foul and stinkingly green waters that they also fish. With minimal pay and some healthcare, the conditions are deplorable, but of late, they have got worse. People have gone missing, the megatroutasses are refusing to bite, and the numbers of leechcrabs has risen becoming an increasing threat. So, the Low Tankers have organised and are demanding both better pay and some protections, which is really annoying the Upper Tankers. In response, the Upper Tankers have hired the Mercs to descend into Lower Septic Tank and restore order before the mobs start demanding mob rule or something.

Of course, there is more to the story than militant mutants in the Lower Septic Tank. It turns out that the Lower Tankers are victims in the three ways. First by the oppression of the Upper Tankers; second at the hands a rogue medical doctor, Doctor Dare; and third, at the claws of a very scary monster called The Grim. The Mercs can begin play in Lower Septic Tank, or the Game Master can run a scene getting to Septic Town and negotiating terms for their employment. The scenario can be run after ‘Two Dead in Shit Town’ found in the PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game core rulebook, but it is not a direct sequel. The players and their Mercs are free to approach the scenario however they want, but whilst beating up the Lower Tankers will likely win the Upper tankers favour, it will not really solve the problem. Talking though will, gaining the Mercs some leads, and ultimately the location of the two threats currently preying on the Lower Tankers. The investigation is straightforward, mostly involving talking to an oddball cast of characters, before a couple of nasty showdowns with the villains of the piece.

Physically, Downright Nasty is several pages of text. There is an illustration of The Grim and a ‘Local Colour’ table to add some flavour, but otherwise, the scenario is dense. One thing that it does lack is a map and given that the scenario is a monster hunt, a map of Lower Septic Town and its surrounds would have been useful. (There is one here though.)

Downright Nasty can be played through in a single session or two and has a distinctly grubby, greasy feel to it from start to finish, and honestly, even if the Mercs are successful, sort out the problems besetting the Lower Tankers, and get paid, the sad news is that the lives of the Lower Tankers are not going to get better. After all, the Upper Tankers like it that way and whilst there is nothing to stop the Game Master from adapting its plot to the post-apocalyptic roleplaying game setting of her choice, it fits the grim and grimy nature of the world of PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game.

Friday Fantasy: Trip the Light Fantastic

Trip the Light Fantastic is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. Trip the Light Fantastic is designed for Expert Heroes and can be run as a scenario for slightly more experienced Player Characters for Shadow of the Weird Wizard. Like One Bad Apple before it, Trip the Light Fantastic confronts the players and their Heroes with one of the changes in Shadow of the Weird Wizard in comparison with traditional fantasy roleplaying games.

Trip the Light Fantastic starts out with a cliché and gets better. It starts with a village seemingly abandoned, apparently mid-activity, when the Player Characters come upon it. The village could be any number of the ones that have been settled in Borderlands and although the village can be one that the Player Characters have never been to before, the scenario works better and is likely to have more of an emotional impact if the village is one that the Player Characters have been to before and know some of the inhabitants. This might be because the Player Characters live there or because they have simply visited it before, but either way, it requires some degree of set-up upon the part of the Game Master. There are odd signs about like lots of small footprints dotted about and the milk being spoiled in addition to the missing people and livestock. The clues point towards a nearby grove of trees where the Player Characters are swarmed by Atomies, tiny faeries, that play pranks upon them and steal items from them, and if the Player Characters follow them, they find themselves elsewhere and in another realm. Then the scenario proper can begin!

The Player Characters find themselves in a faerie realm. It is heavily forested with faces in the bark of the tall trees and glowing motes drifting softly providing light under the canopy and seems like an otherworldly idyll. There appears to be no way back and so the Player Characters will need to search for one in addition to searching for the missing villagers. Fortunately, a stranger says that he will offer them a means of returning to the mortal realm in return for undertaking a number of tasks for him. These include things such as fetching the mirror from the bottom of Starry Pond or freeing Old Man Time from the witch. There are five of tasks, four of which are at set locations, whilst one can be encountered randomly at the Game Master’s choosing. There are another six locations within the realm not associated with the tasks that the Player Characters have been set, including a stair into the clouds that will fling the Player Characters randomly across the realm, a wishing well, and a sword in a stone. There is a sense of whimsy to the place as you would expect for a faery realm, but a darkness too. An old hag steeps in her bad luck and tormenting any she captures with her resentments, including an old knight whom she keeps chained up under the watchful eye of a carnivorous tree, a quartet of Poweries that wear blood red caps that like to refresh the colour of said caps with the blood of their dinner guests, and the discovery of the fate of the missing villagers. There is a definite streak of cruelty and darkness to many of these encounters , but some humour too, such as the bird that the Player Characters have been directed to rescue singing every time someone comes near waking up the Ogre holding him captive in the process like a bad version of Tweety and Sylvester (just give the Ogre a lisp to highlight the comparison)!

Physically, Trip the Light Fantastic is decently presented. The map of the faery realm is nice and clear and the scenario is well written.

The only thing Trip the Light Fantastic is perhaps missing is a random encounter table and again, the Game Master will need to provide the stats for all of the monsters as well as setting up the village so that the players and their characters have a connection to it. The scenario is will likely take longer to play than the previous scenarios, probably two to three sessions. Overall, Trip the Light Fantastic is an entertaining mini-sandcrawl through a dark amd whimsical mini-realm filled with mini-quests and mini-encounters.

Friday Fantasy: Eye of the Serpent

Eye of the Serpent is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. Eye of the Serpent is designed for Expert Heroes and can be run as a scenario for slightly more experienced Player Characters for Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

Eye of the Serpent shifts the action of the previous two scenarios—One Bad Apple and Friends in Need—from a rural location to an urban one. The Sage can set the scenario in the city of her choosing, but the city of Westport is suggested as being suitable. Of late, the members of minor and formerly benign cult, the Followers of the Silver Road, have been making a nuisance of themselves, including engaging in odd pleasures, buying up rare and expensive crystals, recruiting the young, wealthy, and influential, and daubing their mark all over the city. Whether because of the lure of treasure that the city’s temple must surely hold, to rescue a recent recruit at the behest of his family, or a local constable wants to know what is inside, but lacks the authority, the Player Characters are hired to break into the temple. The Player Characters are free to investigate the cult and ask questions about it round the city and even visit the temple during the day.

The action, then, will take place at night. The Player Characters will have to sneak in at some point and explore the grounds of the temple and its buildings. These are far from extensive and similarly, neither are the warrens beneath temple. The cultists are not a danger to the Player Characters, except in numbers, whereas the cult leaders are definitely a danger. As with other scenarios for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the Sage will need to supply the stats from the core books. Once the Player Characters have found the entrance to warrens and climbed down, it will quickly become obvious what type of threat they face. They do represent quite a challenge to the Player Characters as they are likely to encounter quite a few of them in the warrens and a stand up fight is likely. There are some magical traps too, but the Player Characters will be decently rewarded if successful.

With multiple possible motivations, the ending of Eye of the Serpent can play out in different ways. The Player Characters might find themselves being hunted as thieves for breaking into the temple and stealing valuables; praised for rescuing a child; or hunted by the cultists still alive. The scenario includes a few notes which cover these possibilities, though the Sage will need to develop some of these possible plot threads.

Physically, Eye of the Serpent is decently presented. The map of the temple in particular is done in vibrant colours and with the pagoda at its heart, it has a slightly exotic feel that shifts to unworldly once the Player Characters enter the warren below.

Eye of the Serpent is short and sharp and direct. It can be prepared with ease and run within a single session. Its handful of motivations give different ways of involving the Player Characters whilst the possible different consequences, which do need to be worked into a campaign, are a surprising consideration. Otherwise, solidly serviceable.

Friday Fantasy: Friends in Need

Friends in Need is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. Friends in Need is designed for Novice Heroes and can be run as a beginning scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard. It confronts the players and their Heroes with one of the big changes in Shadow of the Weird Wizard in comparison with traditional fantasy roleplaying games.

Friends in Need takes a classic set-up—or a cliché, depending upon your point of view—from high fantasy roleplaying and gives it just of enough of a twist to make that set-up interesting. That set-up is the meeting of the heroes of in a tavern, or the stopping off on a journey in a tavern and spending the night, and either being hired to go on an adventure or following up on some rumours and so going on an adventure. The tavern in the adventure is more than that, a walled compound called the Traveller’s Rest, which was once a stop on a coaching route through the Borderlands. The current owners have worked hard to retore it to a going concern and it also has a forge and a general store as well as somewhere to eat, drink, and stay, overall, offering a major source of employment in the area. Here the Player Characters have a chance to stop and rest on their journey and interact with the staff and patrons, perhaps while away the evening playing cards and dice, and along the way picking up a rumour or two. Amongst the latter is the fact that several people from the area and some travellers have gone missing, a lion in the nearby Green Hills have been preying on goat herds, and there is word that a new disease is spreading through the borderlands. Then, of course, the Player Characters are offered a proper job.

A scholar resident at the Traveller’s Rest recruits the Player Characters to escort him on an expedition in the Green Hills where he has discovered an old tomb. He believes that there is treasure to be found in the tomb, but also clues as to what happened to the peoples once indigenous to this part of the borderlands. However, the twist comes the following morning, when the Player Characters discover that the scholar has already left without them, and worse, has done so in the company of another band of adventurers which was the bar the previous evening. Essentially, what has happened is that this other band of adventurers has undercut the Player Characters!

This is an entertaining twist, but as much as the Player Characters’ newly-encountered adventuring rivals undercut them, the twist has the potential to undercut the scenario. Whether this happens depends on what the players and their characters decide to do next. They could simply do nothing or leave, and events will play out without the Player Characters’ involvement in which case they do not what discover what is actually going on and the region surrounding the Traveller’s Rest suffers the consequences. Effectively, this negates second half of the scenario. Alternatively, the Player Characters can follow the path of the scholar and his hired guards, and this is the plot thread that the scenario presents, but the Player Characters could also explore one of the other rumours that were floating about the tavern the previous evening. The events of these sidequests can be brought back connect to the main plot, but the Sage will need to develop these a little more to flesh them out.

Eventually, and ideally, the Player Characters will reach the tomb site which the scholar wanted them to guard whilst he excavated. Here the Player Characters discover another twist to the classic set-up—or a cliché, depending upon your point of view—from high fantasy roleplaying and what is actually in the tomb. The latter plays out in more traditional fashion.

Friends in Need is a slightly more complex scenario than, One Bad Apple, the previous one for Player Characters on the Novice Path. It will need more input from the Sage to keep the players and their characters on the main plot and thus into the second half of the scenario. That said, this is not too difficult, but it is in addition to the preparation required to ready stats for both the NPCs and the monsters for the scenario.

Physically, Friends in Need is cleanly and tidily laid out. It is well written, but there are no maps. The Sage may want to provide them, but they are not necessary to run or play the adventure.

Friends in Need is strong on interaction and roleplaying with the Player Characters given time to interact with the other patrons at the Traveller’s Rest, learn about the area, and perhaps gamble away some of their monies. The various NPCs are nicely detailed and there is even an example dice game which the players could play too. The scenario is short, but Friends in Need will probably take two sessions to play through if its plot is followed as written. If it is, the players and their characters will find that Friends in Need delivers a couple of nice little twists to its clichéd set-up as well as a good mix of interaction, combat, and exploration.

Friday Fantasy: One Bad Apple

One Bad Apple is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. One Bad Apple is designed for Novice Heroes and can be run as a beginning scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard. It confronts the players and their Heroes with one of the big changes in Shadow of the Weird Wizard in comparison with traditional fantasy roleplaying games.

One Bad Apple is set in the small village of Two Forks, located in the Borderlands between the twin forks of the Flenderish River and marked by the two stone bridges which cross the sluggish, muddy rivers, the temple, and the Two Forks Distillery and Public House, the most profitable building in the village. Were it not for the quality of its spirits, Two Forks would be utterly unremarkable, a place where nothing happens. That placid nature has been shattered with the sudden change in behaviour by the town’s blacksmith. Victor the Smith has always been a friendly, agreeable man, always ready to help others, but now, a sudden, unprovoked and extremely violent outburst has left his neighbour, Ruprecht Allson, bruised, battered, and bloody, and like the rest of the village unable to explain why he was attacked. Two Forks’ two guards managed to subdue Victor the Smith and lock him in a shed, where he continues to rage and scream and hammer at the door. What has affected Victor the Smith? What is the reason for his rage? How long will the shed hold him?

The Player Characters may be residents of Two Forks or they might be passing through, but they get caught up in the situation following a village meeting. When they investigate, none of the villagers have any explanation, but there are signs of other odd activity in the village. Footprints and warning graffiti suggest that Goblins have been skulking about in Two Forks and the nearest Goblins are known to live in a relatively nearby forest. When confronted, the Goblins and their leader, Bung, will defend their temple ruin hideout, but will ultimately reveal what they have done, and that is to place a curse on Two Forks, one that inflicts ‘Soul Sickness’ upon the villagers. This ‘Soul Sickness’ manifests as a magical disease that drives sufferers to ever greater rage and acts of unprovoked violence, before ultimately transforming them into Orcs. This is one of the radical changes in Shadow of the Weird Wizard that divorces the origin of the Orc from its traditional cultural difficulties, and as seen here in One Bad Apple, suggests new story possibilities and adds to the lore of Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

Bung though, is not the only threat to Two Forks. Salty Lemon, a vicious Bauchan, has his own issues with the village, but as it turns out, would rather not see everyone there turned into Orcs as that would be dangerous for both him and the surrounding area. He knows of a cure to the ‘Soul Sickness’, but of course, wants something in return. This is a jewel that was stolen from him and which can be found in the tombs below the temple where the Goblins had their base. The heroes may already have explored this and may even have found the jewel and so be ready to hand it over in return for the recipe, but either way, the last part of One Bad Apple is an exploration of tombs under the temple, essentially, a mini-dungeon foray. With luck, but mostly skill, the heroes should be able to find the jewel, get the recipe, and so help stop the spread of the ‘Soul Sickness’.

The scenario is straightforward and easy to run. The Sage will need to refer to Secrets of the Weird Wizard for details of the traps and treasures to be found in the tomb, as well as all of the monster stats. If Bung survives and runs away, he could easily return as a recurring villain in subsequent scenarios and the Sage might want to develop him further to that end.

Physically, One Bad Apple is cleanly and tidily laid out. It is well written, but the map of the tombs below the temple could have been easier to read.

One Bad Apple offers a good mix of investigation and interaction, combat, and exploration in its short few pages that all together should provide two or three sessions’ worth of play. It is a classic village-in-peril scenario, but one based upon a major twist that Shadow of the Weird Wizard brings to fantasy roleplay. In this way, as an introductory scenario, One Bad Apple shows both the Sage and her players that although based on classic fantasy roleplaying, Shadow of the Weird Wizard is different. It is a good start.

Weird Wizard Wondrousness II

Shadow of the Weird Wizard introduced us to the divided land of the Great Kingdom and other nations in the west and the lands once dominated by the Weird Wizard in the east. For centuries, he ruled from his capital, the Forbidden City, over a land in which he worked great changes—raising mountains to the stars, making rocks flow like waterfalls, islands set to float in the sky, growing forests of mushrooms, and setting clockworks to run his capital. Long is the reach of his shadow, its touch still felt despite his recent disappearance that has triggered civil war in the west and chaos as refugees fled east to escape the conflict and monsters from the east—cruel faeries, hybrid beasts, the undead, multilegged hulking collectors, and floating eyes that hang in the air trailing their nerve endings—have skulked west. Now there exists a borderland between the lands of the east and the west where people and refugees need protecting and from where monsters can be tracked back into the old lands of the Weird Wizard and expeditions can be launched into his lands. It is a time for heroes and a time for the brave to make a name for themselves. Written for use with the Demon Lord Engine, first seen in the publisher’s grim dark, horror fantasy roleplaying game, Shadow of the Demon Lord, the difference is that the fantasy of Shadow of the Weird Wizard is high fantasy and heroic fantasy, and thus much more positive in tone. However, although it introduces the setting, provides means to create Player Characters, and gives rules for acting and action, combat and magic, it is not complete. The Sage—as the Game Master is known and a self-confessed reference to Skip William’s long-running ‘Sage Advice’ column in the pages of The Dragon magazine—will still need its companion volume, Secrets of the Weird Wizard.

The reference to both Skip Williams and The Dragon magazine is only the first of the references to Dungeons & Dragons throughout the pages of Secrets of the Weird Wizard. These are very knowing nods, but Shadow of the Weird Wizard is not doing Dungeons & Dragons per se. Rather that it offers heroic fantasy roleplaying using a simpler, slicker rules system, a multiplicity of character options, and a standard campaign structure.

Secrets of the Weird Wizard is effectively, the book for the Shadow of the Weird Wizard Game Sage. With that in mind, Secrets of the Weird Wizard does something surprising. Something for the players. This is that it addresses the lack of non-Human ancestries to be found (or rather not found) in Shadow of the Weird Wizard. From Archon, Cambion, and Centaur to Sprite, Spriggan, and Woodwose, as well as the traditional to fantasy Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling, Secrets of the Weird Wizard gives the player access to twenty-four ancestries and thus a wider choice in terms of what characters he can play. That said, the Weird Ancestries supplement is a handier supplement to use for that purpose and it does include six more than is given in Secrets of the Weird Wizard.

Other than this, Secrets of the Weird Wizard is very much for the Sage and to that end, it is divided into three chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to advice for the Sage, the second provides a more detailed description of Erth, the setting for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, and the third is a bestiary for Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

The advice begins from the moment that the Game Master opens the book. The introduction opens with an explanation as the mood and tone of Secrets of the Weird Wizard, that its setting is one of a world in crisis, as old nations war and collapse and the new lands offer opportunity and danger in equal measure. That the new lands are ripe for adventure by heroes who seek to make it a better and safer place, to undo damage done by the machinations of the Weird Wizard, and looking to better future. This is in deep contrast to the blood, mud, and horror of Shadow of the Demon Lord. There is solid basic advice, like that of taking time to learn and play through the rules, to keep what the players and their characters simple, to keep the Player Characters foremost in the game, and so on. Much of the ‘Sage Advice’ is familiar, but it also suggests collective origins for the Player Characters, such as explorers, merchants, and outlaws, as well as adventurers. It breaks down the overarching structure of the Shadow of the Weird Wizard, categorising its quests into ‘Novice’, ‘Expert’, and ‘Master’ Quests which represent greater and greater challenges for the Player Characters. Together they will take the Player Characters’ progress from First to Tenth Level, at which point a campaign typically ends. There is guidance though for play beyond and for what the Player Characters might do in their downtime.

There are rules for travel and guidance on the many things typical to fantasy roleplaying. This includes terrain types, doors and gates, locks, walls and structures, and the like, before detailing a plethora of traps, including a hungry chest trap, flooding chamber, falling blocks, and much more. There is a guide to creating NPCs and roleplaying, combat and making it exciting, and rewards. In terms of treasure, there are oddities and items of power. The former are minor artefacts whose manufacture is lost, whilst the latter are devices of great history and power, often dangerous power. Several examples are included. Overall, the advice is excellent, giving a good idea of what the roleplaying game is about, how to handle the rules, and more.

The middle chapter, ‘Borderlands’ focuses on the lands between the Old Country and the New Lands. This covers social groups, societies and institutions, such as Bards, Druids, Free Companies, and more, so in its way looking at both classic fantasy roles and groups. Some of these are cults, like the Cult of the Last Door dedicated to Lord Death and Daughters of Hate detailed under the pantheon also detailed. The pantheon itself is conceptual in its depiction and naming of some of the gods—Want, Calamity, and Hates, for example—others less so. In the main, what the description of ‘Borderlands’ is trying to do is hit the high spots and in doing so, show off the weird and the traditional, all whilst still leaving room for the Sage to add her own content. For example, Asylum, City of Thieves, is the largest, wealthiest, and safest city-state because its government is the actual Thieves’ Guild and the most efficient organisation in the city; the Cinder Peak Isles grow in number with every new eruption; the Sylphs of the Cloud Islands are fiercely xenophobic and allow no-one to land or climb onto their islands in the sky, except the Cloud market, which they winch customers up to; the arrival of Augustus, wizard and sage in the pirate town of Eastport, echoes the ride of Emirikol; ruled by four guilds from four different towers, the primary industry of the city of Four Towers is catering the delving companies that explore the extensive and deep dungeons under each tower; and the Wyvern Forest has long overgrown a fairy realm where in its deepest parts, the Horned Lord and the Wild Woman gods are known to walk. There are notes too, on the lands beyond the New Lands, including the Weird Wizard’s Forbidden City, but these are not as extensive or as detailed. There is a good mix here of elements that the Sage or her players are not necessarily going to be surprised to find in the Borderlands, but there are plenty that they are. Plus, there is room for the Sage’s ideas as well as room for the author to expand too.

The third and final chapter is the longest. The ‘Bestiary’ takes up almost two thirds of Secrets of the Weird Wizard. The ‘Bestiary’ takes up almost two thirds of Secrets of the Weird Wizard. As well as the aforementioned entries for races or species that have options as Ancestries for the Player Characters and NPCs (handily listed all together in the PDF), there is again, a good mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. Often this is a case of making the former into the latter. As well as Slimes, Oozes, and Goos, there is a Blob, a leathery-skinned corrosive liquid-filled bladder that has eyes, mouths, and other organs dotting its skin, so is much more Lovecraftian; the Hydra are actually classed as Angels, having sprang from the blood spilled when Lord Death defeated Draconus, but are otherwise the multi-headed serpents who regrow lost heads; Kobolds are fairy folk, the diminutive miners of Germanic folklore; Ogres are the creation of Trolls, made from human stock and spawned from the Trolls’ flesh-forges; and Orcs are victims of a magical sickness that affects the soul, infecting anyone—Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, and others—who has lived too close to one of the imprisoned Ancient Ones and instantly transforming them into the hate-fuelled Orcs. The origin of the Orc here not only divorces it from its traditional cultural difficulties, but suggests new story possibilities and adds to the lore of Shadow of the Weird Wizard. The bestiary in Secrets of the Weird Wizard does this again and again, just shifting the familiar to make it that little bit different and that much more interesting. There are remnants too, of the Weird Wizard like the Observers, floating eyeballs that monitored his lands passively unless attacked and signs of the OM collective, the invaders from another dimension that the Weird Wizard fought so hard to hold off, but which are now making a resurgence with his disappearance. The OM Collective is not the only ‘alien’ incursion which threatens the new lands. All of the entries are in the bestiary are neatly organised and often multiple variants under each entry, giving the Sage more options in terms of tailoring threats and encounters to her Player Characters.

There are no real issues with Secrets of the Weird Wizard. From a useability standpoint, a bigger map of the Borderlands would have been a good idea, perhaps presented inside the front or back cover. The one given is too small to read with ease. The inclusion of a bibliography—perhaps the equivalent of the ‘Appendix N’ for Shadow of the Weird Wizard would have been a nice touch.

Physically, Secrets of the Weird Wizard is very presented. It is well written and engaging, especially the chapter describing the Borderlands, whilst the illustrations vary a little in quality. For the most part though, the illustrations in Secrets of the Weird Wizard are excellent.

Secrets of the Weird Wizard is not just the companion volume to Shadow of the Weird Wizard, but the second half of the full rules, providing as it does a bestiary of NPCs and monsters, advice for the Sage, and setting details for the roleplaying game. The advice is good, but the setting content is really good, providing details and information to make the Borderlands intriguing and playable whilst leaving room for more content, as the bestiary adds extra little details and populates the setting with the old and the new, the familiar and the unfamiliar. The Shadow of the Weird Wizard Sage is definitely going to want—even need—to have Secrets of the Weird Wizard and she will not be disappointed.

Weird Wizard Wondrousness

For a thousand years there has existed a divide in the land. In the west stands the Great Kingdom and many other nations that arose following the collapse of earlier civilisations and kingdoms, most notably the Old Empire. In the east, the land is dominated by one figure—the Weird Wizard. Whether a fallen god, cast down from the stars by Lord Death himself or a traveller from another world swallowed by darkness, the Weird Wizard established himself and brooked no challenge. None dared do so, for rumours came of the great changes he wrought over his lands, raising mountains to reach the stars, setting rocks to flow like a waterfall into a great chasm, islands floating in the sky, forests of mushrooms, or the clockworks he established to run his capital, the Forbidden City. His shadow, the ‘Shadow of the Weird Wizard’ reached beyond the divide, for surely all of the ills—great and small—that beset the peoples of the Great Kingdom could be blamed for whatever strangeness he was enacting in his lands. Then one day, he disappeared. No one knows why, but it remains a matter of much speculation, from lowly taverns to the great courts. Whether the gods decided to punish him by sealing him away with the Ancient Ones or a mighty ended his reign with a single blow of his sword, perhaps one day someone will discover what happened to him. With his disappearance too went the divide between the Great Kingdom and all the lands to the east. With it went stability and assurance as the Great Kingdom fell into civil war. No one knows if the two are connected. What they do know is that refugees have fled to the borderlands as monsters from the east—cruel faeries, hybrid beasts, the undead, multilegged hulking collectors, and floating eyes that hang in the air trailing their nerve endings—have skulked west into the borderlands. As explorers slip into the east in search of answers, the inhabitants and refugees in the borderlands need protecting. It is a time for brave adventurers to step forth and stop the monsters, to protect the people, and perhaps track them to their source, and so become heroes.

This is the set-up for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, a roleplaying game of high fantasy, high magic, and high adventure published by Schwalb Entertainment following a successful Kickstarter campaign. The publisher is best known for the grim dark, horror fantasy roleplaying game, Shadow of the Demon Lord, but whilst both Shadow of the Demon Lord and Shadow of the Weird Wizard use the same Demon Lord Engine for their mechanics, Shadow of the Weird Wizard is not as bleak and the Player Characters are intended to champion the innocent, brave grave dangers, and right terrible wrongs. In other words, they are meant to be heroes rather than just protagonists. Shadow of the Weird Wizard consists of two core books. One is Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the other is Secrets of the Weird Wizard, but Shadow of the Weird Wizard is the core book, providing an introduction to the setting, the core rules for combat and magic, the means to create Player Characters, and lots and lots of spells and career choices.

Although there is some history given for the setting of Shadow of the Weird Wizard, it really defines the nature of the world and what it is like rather than geographical and political specifics. These are that the world of Erth is much like that of Earth, including the Sun and the Moon, a day lasting twenty-four hours, and week seven days, and so on. This is where the differences end because Erth is home to multiple species— Dwarfs, Faeries, Clockworks, Dragonets, and more, as well as weird hybrid creatures, dragons, and monsters. Magic is real and studied, there is technological development (including muskets and bicycles), the gods exist and some even walk the Erth, the Ancient Ones were defeated by Lord Death and remain asleep, and so on. The combination gives the setting a sense of familiarity and difference. The companion volume, Secrets of the Weird Wizard, does go into more detail, as well as doing one more pertinent thing, and that is providing Ancestry details. Only the Human Ancestry is available in Shadow of the Weird Wizard, which is disappointing. However, Secrets of the Weird Wizard is intended as companion, so details of Archon (exiled angels), Cambion (Human and Fiend parentage), Centaur, Changeling, Clockwork, Daeva, Dhampir, Dragonet, Dwarf, Elf, Faun, Goblin, Halfling, Haren (leporine or rabbit-like), Harpy, Hobgoblin, Janni (masters of elemental magic), Naga, Pollywog, Revenant, Sphinx, Spriggan, Sprite, Triton, Warg, and Woodwose ancestries can all be found in its pages.

As with other Demon Lord Engine roleplaying games, Shadow of the Weird Wizard is a Class or Profession and Level roleplaying game. A Player Character starts at First Level and can rise as far as Tenth Level (although Secrets of the Weird Wizard does give options for continued play beyond this). As a Player Character gains Levels he will enter and follow different Paths, each Path providing an array of benefits. These include setting the Player Character’s natural defence and Health, and determining languages spoken, bonus damage, and talents. Some also grant access to Traditions, different schools of magic, mostly for the spellcasting character types, some martial and skill-based character options grant access to limited magic.

The most basic Paths are Fighter, Mage, Priest, and Rogue, which provides benefits at First, Second, and Fifth Level. At Third Level, a Player Character can enter an Expert Path, categorised as Paths of Battle, Paths of Faith, Paths of Power, and Paths of Skill, which provides benefits at Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Level, and at Seventh Level, he enters a Master Path. These are categorised as Paths of Arms, Paths of the Gods, Paths of Magic, and Paths of prowess, granting benefits at Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth Level. The choice of Paths widen as a Player Character gains Levels, so that whilst at the beginning one Rogue will very much be like another Rogue, by the time a Rogue has followed the Expert Path and entered the Master Path, he really is different in comparison to another Rogue. So, a Priest might begin as just that, but for his Master Path, he might become a Cleric and cast miracles or an Inquisitor, a Paladin, or a Theurge who summons angels to aid him, and then for the Master Path he could continue to cast miracles as a High Priest, or switch to become a Moon Celebrant in service to Sister Moon.

Besides Ancestry and Level, a Player Character is defined by four attributes—Strength, Agility, Intellect, and Will. These initially range in value between nine and twelve and provide a modifier, which is equal to the attribute minus ten. He will also have a basic profession; what he did before becoming an adventurer which will provide an item of equipment. The creation process starts by selecting an Ancestry (only Human in Shadow of the Weird Wizard, but another option from Secrets of the Weird Wizard), and then rolling for the Player Character’s Profession, and then Distinctive Feature, Affability, Dependability, Outlook, Receptiveness, Sociability, Piety, and Religions. The process is quick and easy.

Name: Tilia
Ancestry: Human
Profession: Hunter (Wilderness)
Level 1
Novice Path: Priest
Distinctive Feature: Different coloured eyes
Affability: You can fend for yourself in social situations, but you’re also fine when alone.
Dependability: You try to be conscientious, but sometimes fall short
Outlook: You strive to be a positive, upbeat person. You look for the good in all things and hope for the best.
Receptiveness: New ideas and activities make you uncomfortable.
Sociability: You believe people can be good or bad. You withhold judgment about someone until you get to know them.
Piety: You believe in the gods and offer prayers to them all.
Religions: Horned Lord
Divine Calling: Some tragedy or horrific experience saw you turn to the gods for meaning. You might have suffered an attack by undead, encountered a spirit, or had someone close to you fall into the clutches of a diabolical fiend.

Strength 11 (+1) Agility 10 (+0) Intellect 13 (+3) Will 11 (+1)
Natural Defence: 9 Health: 14

Languages: Common and one other language
Traditions: Primal, Animism
Talents: Prayer (Magical), Holy Symbol (Magical), Holy Smite, Holy Healing, Holy Denunciation, Armor of the Ancient Oak, Bestial Aspect
Spells: Plant the Seed, Stalk Prey

The basic mechanic in Shadow of the Weird Wizard is simple and straightforward, whether a player needs to make an attribute check, an attack roll, or a roll against an attack or spell for his character. The player rolls a twenty-sided die and adds any Attribute bonuses or penalties, and if the result is ten or more, or is equal to or greater than the target number, typically the target’s Defence value, his character succeeds. In addition, a Player Character can also have Boons or Banes—each a six-sided die—that he can add to, or subtract from, the roll. These can come from a Path, a Talent, or spell, and Banes and Boons cancel each other out prior to rolling, but when rolling multiples of either type, only the highest number rolled counts and is added to the total. A critical success occurs on a roll higher than the target or a natural twenty, whilst a critical failure occurs if the result is zero or less. This can occur due to the effect of a Bane reducing the final result. In comparison, a luck roll is made without any modifiers and the target number is always ten.

Combat uses the same core mechanic, with attack rolls being against the target’s Defence value, either natural or derived from armour worn. Damage is accrued up to the limit of the target’s Health. If the target suffers damage equal to, or greater than, half his Health, he is injured and may suffer extra effects from certain Talents and spells, and if he suffers total damage equal to his Health, he is his incapacitated. Damage beyond this actually reduces his Health and the amount of damage he can suffer. If his Health is reduced to zero, he is dead. In general, Player Characters have more Health than in other Demon Lord Engine roleplaying games.

The most radical element of combat is how initiative works in Shadow of the Weird Wizard. In a round, a combatant can move and use an action, whether an attack or casting a spell or something else, but the Player Characters do not automatically act first. The NPCs and any monsters controlled by the Sage—as the Game Master is known—move and act first, followed by the Player Characters, which can be in any order. However, some effects and actions enable the Player Characters to act out of turn, using Reactions. For example, a Free Attack occurs as a Reaction if an enemy moves out of reach without retreating, a Dodge is a Reaction, and so is ‘Taking the Initiative’. If the Player Characters are aware of their enemies at the beginning of a new round, then they can use a Reaction to ‘Take the Initiative’ and act before the enemy does. They can do this in any order they like. That said, effects such as wearing heavy armour prevents the ‘Take the Initiative’ Reaction. This seems more complex than it really is and really means that the Player Characters have more control than it first appears.

Magic and spellcasting is also kept simple. Shadow of the Weird Wizard a total of thirty-three Traditions from Aeromancy, Alchemy, and Alteration to Technomancy, Teleportation, and War. Each provides four Talents and eighteen spells spread across Novice, Expert, and Master Paths. Each spell description includes its effects as well as its target and number of castings. The latter is the number of times that a spellcaster can cast it between rests, which never changes unless a player decides to choose that spell again, doubling the amount. Spell effects, especially damage effects, do increase as the caster moves into the next Path. For the most part, casting a spell is also automatic, though a player may need to make an attribute check to gain a particular effect and improve its effects, or to strike a target. This is done on a spell by spell basis, so that any player with a Mage or Priest character will need to learn the specifics of every spell that their character knows. Lastly, Mage and Priest Player Characters can learn any Traditions that they want, though Priests are likely to pick those that relate to their faiths and their gods.

Besides Paths and spells, Shadow of the Weird Wizard includes rules for most adventuring situations, common information that every Player Character will know, how to handle social situations, companions and hirelings, and a lengthy guide to equipment that includes a few magical items, explosives, clockwork prosthetic and wheeled chairs, and more. Yet it is the Paths and Spells that dominate Shadow of the Weird Wizard. Beyond the four Novice Paths, Shadow of the Weird Wizard details forty-two Expert Paths and one-hundred-and-twenty-one Master Paths, and whilst a Player Character could specialise, combining Expert and Master Paths to be the best at a particular way of fighting, school of magic, or expertise, he is also free to switch Paths entirely because there are no prerequisites. It means that the possible combinations are more than might be explored over the course of multiple campaigns!

Physically, Shadow of the Weird Wizard is a densely presented book. The artwork is good and it is well written, but there is a lot of information in the book, obviously related to character creation as well as the core rules. Given that density, the core rules could have been made more obvious and perhaps a reference page included at the start or end of the book to make it easier to run.

Shadow of the Weird Wizard is the equivalent of the Player’s Handbook for Shadow of the Weird Wizard. It is not quite perfect, the inclusion of only one Ancestry limits player choice, but a roleplaying group is going to be using Secrets of the Weird Wizard anyway, so this is not as much of an issue as it could have been, whereas the density of the book making the rules less accessible than they could have been, is more of an issue. Not an insurmountable issue by any means, but rather one that could have eased. Nevertheless, as well as presenting a more streamlined version of the Demon Lord Engine mechanics for its rules, it presents the player with hundreds of options and then hundreds and hundreds of choices and combinations in terms of what his character is and can be. Want to become a Berserker who Juggernauts his way through walls? A Holy Avenger who employs Necromancy to wreak his vengeance? An Inheritor of a mighty magical weapon who as Diabolist deals in the Dark Arts? An Artificer who imbues technology with magic and pilots his own War Machine? All these—and a whole lot more—are possible in Shadow of the Weird Wizard. Overall, Shadow of the Weird Wizard is a comprehensive set-up and introduction to playing positive, high fantasy using the Demon Lord Engine.

Shadow of the Apocalypse

Nobody knows what brought about the Time Before The Shit Hit. Or they do, then they are not going to tell you or they do not give a fuck. What does it matter? The world is a Wasteland in between the zones poisoned by biological and chemical contamination, let alone radiation, and that is before even thinking about the dangerously deteriorated buildings, roving gangs, mutant abominations, murderous cannibals, and fanatic disciples with insane beliefs. There are small settlements, invariably fortified against the pricks that would gut them and their occupants, stealing their food, their water, and their wives plus whatever good gear and bullets they might have. Some are true havens with clean water and greenhouses growing fresh food, others are trade hubs ready to drive a hard bargain for goods you got to sell and the bullets you need to buy, and some are simply gang bases which gives the gang a base from which to prove that might is right and murder is righter. In between, Mercs take jobs that the inhabitants of the settlements need done, but are not brave or skilled enough to undertake. Out in the Wasteland they face the dangers of strange beasts the likes of which were never seen the Time Before The Shit Hit, gangers and cannibals, and the very environment which could mutate them.

What happened the Time Before The Shit Hit? The Rich fucked the bourgeois and the poor over—and then over again. In the wake of impending collapse, the ill-educated electorate voted for populism and strong national leaders. Riots broke out and ghastly acts of ethnic cleansing took place as the poor got poorer, the rich got richer, and the middle classes looked for a desperate way to maintain their comfortable lives, and when their lives did not get better, they revolted. In response, governments offered places in the Megalopoli that they planned to build as safe sanctuaries against the increasing environmental damage around the world. Except the places were not offered to everyone and those deemed unworthy or no longer useful were driven out or killed, and then… And then, the Megalopoli seals their doors and the bosses inside solved the problem of having a population outside desperate to get in with the application of nuclear bombs and biological agents. Some Megalopoli blew themselves up as old rivalries from the Time Before The Shit Hit actually hit the fan again, like Jerusalem being bombed by Luxor and Indian Megalopolis Na’i Kalakattä getting destroyed in a sneak attack from the Pakistani Poltohar Abad, which was in turned destroyed by the remnants of the nuclear arsenal in Na’i Kalakattä. Elsewhere United England is an island Megalopolis which uses the remains of Ireland as a dumping ground; New Alamo is split between the New Alamo of the oil barons and the Nuevo

Alamo of the narco-cartel families, with not-rich caught between; Liberty City, built on New York and ruled by drooling, drug-addled paranoids, turned on Maple Leaf City because the Canadians were too nice!; Roma Vaticana exists beneath the smouldering, irradiated ruins of the city above; and Neo-Ronin emerge from among the bored and jaded of Tökyö No Shita go in search of mutants and kaiju to kill in the name of the Empress. Now you have to survive in this Shithole of a future.

This is the set-up for PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game. It is published following a successful Kickstarter campaign by Schwalb Entertainment, best known for Shadow of the Demon Lord, the roleplaying game of dark fantasy and horror set in the last days of a dying world. It is a post-apocalyptic setting based upon the 30 mm miniature game published by Bad Roll Games. It uses the same structure and mechanics as Shadow of the Demon Lord, so has a number of notable features. First, character generation is fast, taking no more than five minutes. Second, a character starts out simple, but as he progresses, a player has plenty of choices in what he becomes. Third, a campaign starts with characters at Zero Level and ends with characters at Tenth Level, a group of characters going up in Level at the end of each mission so that a campaign can be played in just eleven sessions or scenarios. Fourth, the language in PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is strong and of an adult nature. Indeed, the writing makes clear that this is a roleplaying game designed for mature and experienced roleplayers rather than those new to it.

A Merc in is defined by his Attributes, a Background, a Defence value, Grit to heal damage with, an Education (possibly), and a Mutagen score, which represents exposure to the messed-up environment of the world around them. The eight Attributes are Muscles, Meat, Hands, Feet, Brains, Eyes, Mouth, and Guts, and they range in value from one to twenty. Muscles is physical strength and athleticism, Meat is health and durability, Hands is manual dexterity, Feet is speed and agility, Eyes is perception, Mouth is personality and charisma, and Gut is determination and willpower. The Background, which can be Brute, Drifter, Face, Fanatic, Ganger, Genius, Scavenger, or Survivor, provides a bonus to an Attribute, the number of languages a Merc can speak, a Talent, some starting gear and a randomly determined piece of junk—which can be anything from a plastic ashtray from The Dewdrop Inn, a very small spring, and a doctor’s note to a commemorative plate from the Franklin Mint, a moustache brush and stick of moustache wax, and a bag of dildos—and a Mission 4 Benefit. The latter is the benefit gained upon completion of the Merc’s fourth mission. A Merc also has character details, from age, looks, height and weight to motivation, obligation, morality, and name. These can be selected or rolled for on the provided tables.

Name: Grannie
Background: Genius
Genius Background: “You want to build a doomsday weapon and use it against one of the Megalopoli. You’ve been drawing up plans in the hopes of one day getting the revenge you so desperately crave.”
Languages: Spanish, Japanese, Russian
Missions: 0

CHARACTER DETAILS
Age: …an adult. You’re old enough to know better, but young enough to avoid the aches and pains and horror that comes from growing old.
Looks: …not much to look at. Something’s off with you that makes you unappealing.
Height: …of average height.
Weight: …slender

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
Appearance: Unusual …mismatched eyes

TIME FOR THERAPY
Interactions: You get along with other people about as well as anyone else does. You’re not particularly outgoing, but you’re not all quiet and reserved either.
Connections: You know people, have several friends, including a few close relationships.
Sanity: You’re so fucking stable, you’re probably insane. Nothing gets to you. Nothing affects you.
Goal: You want to be safe.

Motivation: You don’t want the world to burn.
Obligations: Question authority! You’re free and do what you want. Fuck the rules and anyone who thinks they can boss you around.
Morality: You do what you feel you must. A pragmatist, the end always justifies the means.

Muscles 10 Meat 9 (-1) Hands 9 (-1) Feet 10
Brains 14 (+4) Eyes 9 (-1) Mouth 11 (+1) Guts 11 (+1)
Defence: 9
Health: 9
Grit: 4
Speed: 5
Size: 1 Reach: 1
Mutagen: 1
Education: Architecture and Engineering, Mathematics/Mathemagics, Chemistry, Physics

Gear: nice set of clothes, a duffel bag, 1 food, 1 water, a slingshot with 10 stones, and a random piece of junk, a little packet of silica

This though is a character at Level Zero who is no more than a prior Background and some potential experience with Mission 4 Benefits. After completing a first Mission, a Merc enters a Novice Path and gains its benefits as well as extra benefits at Level Two, Level Five, and Level Eight. After completing his third Mission, a Merc an Expert Path and gains its benefits as well as extra benefits at Level Six and Level Nine. Lastly, upon completing the seventh Mission, a Merc enters a Master Path and gains its benefits as well as extra benefits at Level Ten. The choice of Paths available widens from Novice to Expert to Master, giving a player more and more options. The Novice Paths are Builder, which creates and develops technological items; the Freak embraces the transformative effects of the mutagens found almost everywhere; the Killer is the ultimate combatant; and the Scum who will do anything to survive. The Expert Paths include the Abomination, the Asskicker, the Boss, the Doctor, the Firebug, Grease Monkey, the Gunslinger, the Murderer, the Parasite, the Psychic, the Psycho, and the Wastelander. The Master Paths are Beast Whisperer, Bleeder, Bullshitter, Daredevil, Explorer, Fighter, Hedonist, Hulk, Jack-of-all-Trades, Martial Artist, Messiah, Mindbender, Monster, Ninja, Preacher, Road Hog, Road Warrior, Saboteur, Shyster, and Survivor. In this way, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game offers a wealth of options in terms of Player Characters.

The basic mechanic in PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is simple and straightforward, whether you are making the equivalent of a saving throw, a skill check, or an attack roll. Roll a twenty-sided die and add any Attribute bonuses or penalties, and if the result is ten or more, then you succeed. The target may not always be ten—it can go up or down, a target’s Defence typically being higher than ten. In addition, a Merc can also have Assets or Complications—each a six-sided die—that can be added to, or subtracted from, the roll. These may come from a Background, for example, the Brute grants two Assets when rolling a Muscles check; a Path such as the Doctor’s Triage benefit enabling him to perform first aid on someone who has been dead for six rounds with a Brains check with two Complications; and from gear, such as any improvised weapon which has the ‘Shitty’ Property, meaning that it is not designed to be used as a weapon and attacks made with it are with a Complication. Assets and Complications cancel each other out.

Combat in PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game uses the same rules, but with the addition of Fast Turns and Slow Turns. When a character uses a Fast Action, he can only choose to attack, take an action, or move. When he uses a Slow Action, he can move and attack or move and take an action. Of course, Fast Actions take place before Slow Actions and unless they have been surprised, player characters act before any NPCs. So, player characters take their Fast Actions, then the NPCs do, after which any other player characters take their Slow Actions followed by the NPCs. This is a surprisingly simple and unfussy way of handling both initiative, turn order, and actions in combat. The rules also cover using vehicles, including in combat. PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes rules for travel, chases, and more, which covers the screwed-up terrain of the future world.

Collectively, the Mercs also have access to a pool of Fortune tokens. A token can be used to grant an action two Assets, heal damage, or to maximise damage. However, the players do not know how many tokens they have in the pool. If it runs out, they will be literally out of luck!

At the start of play, there is the possibility that a Merc can start play with a Mutation, though only a minor one. Given the prevalence of mutagens in the PunkApocalyptic, there is a strong chance of a Merc gaining one or more. Every Merc has a Mutagen score, which starts at zero and can go up to six. When it increases, the player rolls a six-sided die and if the result is equal to, or under, a Merc’s Mutagen score, he gains a mutation which is rolled for from several types—Harmful, Minor, Physical, Mental, and more. Alternatively, the type of the Mutagen can indicate the type in a particular mission. So, a merc’s eyes might fall out of his head when he sneezes or have small faces on his knees; his body turns itself inside out, causing him to take double damage from all sources in addition to being a hot mess of nasty or his mouth seals shut, so he cannot talk and has to eat by snorting food up his and choking it down (unless he cuts a hole in his face); he gains frog’s legs or becomes phosphorescent; or can eject Ectoplasm like a money shot or in strands or create Hallucinations. Mental Mutations require the expenditure of Mojo, which everyone with Mental Mutations has, and in addition, Grit can be spent to regain spent Mojo. Whatever the type of Mutation, there are multiple tables to roll on and numerous results, so no Mutant is going to be the same. Similarly, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes tables of junk and lots of items—armour, weapons, gear, drugs, and vehicle accessories and upgrades—the latter enabling a Merc to build a vehicle the way that he wants.

In terms of setting background, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game draws it in broad detail, giving numerous types of landscapes and settlements, before describing Scrapbridge, a large example Wasteland community and its surrounding locations and points of interest. The walled setting is built under the rusting span of a suspension bridge—the remains of I-70—which can be seen from miles away. It can easily be used as the starting location for a campaign, whilst there are numerous locations, such as Samanthia, an ancient industrial park transformed into a maze of steam-powered machinery and bizarre kit-bashed contraptions that attracts nomads; the fighting pits of the dry lakebed of Nowater, where fights take place all day and night; the stinking city of ruins of Pigsty, which keeps many scavengers out, so the junk might be fresh; and Festung Germania, a clean, well-organised, and heavily regimented fortress whose leaders regard themselves to be the heirs of Nazi Germany! The Game Master will need to provide numbers and further detail, but this is a solid start.

PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes advice for both the player and the Game Master. For the player, this is learning the rules, making decisions, noting the outcomes, co-operating, staying alive, finding shit, and completing the mission. For the Game Master, once it settles down to give the reader some actual advice, the basic advice is not so much ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ or ‘KISS’, so much as ‘Keep It Simple Shithead’. This is more tone than avoiding the subject, and the advice given is very good. It covers pacing, handling the rules and outcomes more than a simple binary result, designing missions and campaigns, how to create and roleplay interesting NPCs, and a whole lot more. Notably, there are tables for activities between missions. These mostly consist of setbacks and windfalls, but if a player rolls very, very badly, his Merc can be killed—and killed without the player having much say in the matter. Equally, the player could also roll very, very well for a strange event. The latter is obviously better than the former, even whilst both are in keeping with the tone of the roleplaying game. This may well be one aspect of PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game that the Game Master should check with her players that they are okay with before beginning play.

Also for the Game Master is ‘Assholes, Shitheads, And Other Fuckers Generally In Need Of Some Killing’, a good bestiary of NPCs, mutants, creatures, and other adversaries. It is a good selection and more than enough to keep a campaign going, and to get that campaign going, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes ‘Two Dead In Shit Town’, a beginning scenario. This is a beginning Mission in which the Mercs come across the four intact ranch houses that make up Shit Town where a band of ten wretches has made their home. Recently, Pinkus Dinkus moved in and everyone thought he was a nice fellow, until yesterday when he killed Crawfish and Benny, the two wretches who led the community, after which ran off with several cans of baked beans. The surviving wretches want him found and served a dose of Wasteland justice, and hire the Mercs to do it. It is a solidly, scummy little affair, which gets across the squalid, fucked up nature of the Wasteland in a session or so.

Physically, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is a solid looking game. It is well written and easy to read, and the artwork is good too. That said, the language and tone is strong throughout and this is definitely a roleplaying more for the mature than the immature player. The only thing that it lacks is a bibliography. It would have been interesting to see the author’s inspirations. That said, the only thing it says on inspirations is ‘CASE, or Copy and Steal Everything’, that is, “Except for Zardoz. Don’t use anything from that fucking movie. It made no goddamn sense whatsoever, had Sean Connery dressed up in some kind of weird-ass red twisted up diaper-looking jumpsuit, and had way too much dialogue overly obsessed with penises. Now, I like penises as much as the next guy, but… ummm, wait… I mean… oh, never mind.”

PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game provides the Game Master, her players, and their Mercs with everything needed to play, not just rules, but paths of progression, gear, mutations, and a setting, all with a fuck you attitude that matches the fucked-up nature of the Wasteland. PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game feels like Mad Max, but even grimier and grimmer, screwed over by the Time Before The Shit Hit—and very much after. The result is an unhinged, rather than gonzo, but still over the top setting, ready for great game play if the players are ready for its ‘Screw you, you primitive shithead’ attitude.

Dark Tales

Published in 2015, Shadow of the Demon Lord is roleplaying game which feels like a combination of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and the Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft setting that is slipping towards Fantasy Flight Games’ Midnight setting by way of The Dying Earth and some steampunk elements and an unhealthy dose of Heavy Metal. Published by Schwalb Entertainment, it combines fast character generation—taking no less than five minutes—and offers a player  plenty of choices in what his character becomes; models short campaigns which take a Player Character from Zero Level to Tenth Level, a group of characters going up in Level at end of each adventure so that a campaign can be played in just eleven sessions or scenarios; and as the titular Demon Lord rattles at the last bars that keep him imprisoned in the Void, his influence continues to despoil land and mind alike, the ‘Shadow’ of the Demon Lord and its effect upon the world can be adjusted and set by the Game Master. This can be something hinted at in prophecies, a rumour threatening in the background, an imminent disaster, or a catastrophe such as a pandemic, famine, earthquakes, the dead living and walking, the Wild hunt abroad in the land, a sudden winter out of season, wild magic warping all and sundry… and more.

Tales of the Demon Lord is a campaign for Shadows of the Demon Lord. It consists of eleven adventures set in the lands of the Northern Reach, the far-flung province of a dying empire, whose capital is Crossings, a city perched on shores of the island-strewn and fae-inhabited lake known as Dark Waters. The city is best known as a fishing port and for its Academy of Engineers established by the Empire long ago and the six faerie spires which have stood since long before the city was built. Originally founded by exiles, refugees, and bandits from the Empire, but since subsumed into its borders before being ignored as a distant province, the council rather than governor-led Crossings acknowledges Sixton as the capital of the province, but otherwise ignores it and decides what is best for the citizens of Crossings. However, as the Shadow of the Demon Lord looms over the Empire, Crossings is not immune to the impending doom, an ancient cult with a branch in the city, the Brotherhood of Shadows, scrambles to find a way to bore a hole into the Void that is home to the Demon Lord, and so release both him and hordes of demons intent on destroying the world. As the Player Characters undertake one task or mission after another, they will cross paths with not only these cultists, but also rival cultists who want to take control of the Brotherhood of Shadows and so claim the glory of successfully summoning their master and doom the world…

Tales of the Demon Lord provides several reasons why the Player Characters might be in Crossings according to their Profession—Academic, Common, Criminal, Martial, Religious, or Wilderness—and quickly lays out the basics of the plot and details Crossings and various NPCs. Some of the city is described in detail, including its government, various districts, and important NPCs. The description is accompanied by a decent map and is enough for the Game Master to run the Tales of the Demon Lord campaign or any other scenarios set within its walls, whilst still leaving plenty of room for the Game Master to add her own content. Very quickly though, Tales of the Demon Lord gets into the first part of its campaign.

The first of the eleven adventures in Tales of the Demon Lord is ‘Harvester of Sorrows’. A priest from Crossings’ poorest district, Grievings, has gone missing following a series of disappearances he was investigating himself, and the Player Characters are asked to find him. A little investigation will reveal that the priest was enquiring about a nearby dilapidated house, once home to an infamous demonologist, and after a run-in with a local gang, there the Player Characters will discover that someone else also has an interest in the house and accidentally released a dread creature that is preying on the inhabitants of the surrounding the district. This is a common aspect of the scenarios which will follow in Tales of the Demon Lord. ‘Harvester of Sorrows’ gets the campaign off to a grim start just as you would expect for Shadow of the Demon Lord, but is not too challenging.

‘Born to Die’ is the first of two scenarios for Novice-level characters. The gang encountered in ‘Harvester of Sorrows’ has kidnapped the daughter of a local merchant and is holding her for ransom, and her father engages the Player Characters to see to her safe return. However, the Player Characters are not the only ones looking for the daughter and will need to deal with at least one other faction to get to her. Mostly set on an island in Dark Waters lake, the first of several scenarios which will take the Player Characters out of Crossings, this is a hostage rescue scenario, which of course, will go wrong. The second scenario for Novice-level characters, ‘The Curious Case of the Errant Swine’, takes the Player Characters truly out of the city to the farm of Farmer Ham, who recently had one of his fine hogs stolen. He wants the thieves caught and his hogs returned, if possible. Signs point towards the nearby Sentinel Wood and investigation there will locate both the culprits and the reasons behind the abductions, but has horrid secrets of his own he wants kept hidden. This scenario has a nice mix of interaction, investigation, and exploration, in particular into a partially-flooded Elvish underground shrine.

‘Temple of Shadows’ sees the Player Characters back in the city as a vile plague sweeps through Purse, Crossings’ wealthiest district, its victims descending into gibbering madness before dying and rising as demon-possessed animated corpses! In this first scenario for Expert-level characters, the fact that house of Pentachus Katandramus, a wealthy aristocrat, has been destroyed in a recent explosion surely cannot be a coincidence and Inquisitor Randolfus and his henchmen, but have not returned. When the Player Characters get past the cordon and descend into the house, they discover another factional feud, this time for control of the vile temple under the remains of the house and what might be hidden there. ‘Temple of Shadows’ is followed by ‘The Moon Spire’, which will take the Player Characters away from Crossings again, this time to the hamlet of Carbuncle, infamous for the physical oddities and infirmities of its inhabitants, and the strange Moon Spire, an elvish tower which appears at the full moon. This is a strange exploration of an even stranger building, the Player Characters needing to find portal after portal to work their way up the tower without being kicked out. Again, this is another search for a relic which needs to be denied to the enemy, but one which will require the Game Master to track carefully where the Player Characters are as there is a high chance of their being separated.

Another theme in Tales of the Demon Lord, that of others uncovering things best left covered, continues with ‘Mines of Madness’. The third scenario for Expert-level characters, this has the Player Characters sent into the Black Hills west of Crossings, where the Dwarf, Gundren the Ironmonger, operates a mine. Ore shipments have stopped coming and he wants to know why. Arriving at the mine, the Player Characters discover that the miners are missing and must descend into the mine to find out what has happened. This scenario is incidental to the campaign, as is the next, but ‘Mines of Madness’ is a decent enough dungeon-bash. The fourth, and last scenario in the campaign for Expert-level characters is ‘In the Name of Love’, which takes place in the rapidly declining town of Verge. This is a more sophisticated piece, one-part sandbox, one-part character study, in which rumours of missing villagers and strangers seen about the place should drive the Player Characters to investigate. A combination of good roleplaying and investigation will reveal that not all is well in Verge as anger has awoken a demon-tree, strangers predate on victims’ tears, and brigands pick at the bones of the settlement in this bloody tragedy.

If the Player Characters have been working to prevent the coming of the Demon Lord and thus the end of the world, if only inadvertently at this point in the campaign, then they find themselves with a rival in ‘Shadows in the Mist’ in this first scenario for Master-level characters. When they return to Crossings, they hear reports of new-borns having gone missing, a new island appearing in the lake, and then a monster haunted fog rolls in and shrouds the city. The island and its inhabitants prove unwelcoming to visitors and when the Player Characters get to close to the culprit, they become the hunted. The steampunk elements of Shadow of the Demon Lord are played up in ‘Off the Rails’, as the provincial governor recruits the Player Characters to investigate a recent train crash and recover several iron titans, prototype mechanical soldiers which might replace the Empire’s Orc soldiery and which were aboard the train. As the Player Characters are investigating the crash site, they are drawn to a nearby village by the sound of an explosion. If they race to investigate, they discover the village under attack by Orc rebels in command of the iron titans—but the villagers have their own means of defence! The likelihood is that a big battle will ensure, either against the Orcs or villagers, not both, and then there is the matter of the remaining rebels to deal with…

The penultimate scenario in Tales of the Demon Lord is ‘Prince of Darkness which brings the summoning of the Demon Lord one step closer, but for the Player Characters, help comes from an unexpected quarter—a reformed demonologist who has escaped Hell! A demon has taken possession of the demonologist’s former stronghold and is tearing open a rift to the Void. With the demonologist’s aid, the Player Characters must enter his stronghold and find a way to defeat the demon or prevent it from opening the Void. The last scenario and campaign finale is ‘The End is Near’ in which the Brotherhood of Shadows moves openly to summon its master as rivals try to take control of the cult’s efforts. The scenario begins with an investigation into the death of Crossings’ mayor, the first of several possible murders in the city, and culminates in the Player Characters confronting several factions in an attempt to bring about the end of the world!

Tales of the Demon Lord is rounded out with ‘Appendix: New Creatures’, which presents several types of an insectoid species encountered in the mines in ‘Mines of Madness’. Physically, Tales of the Demon Lord is well presented, with decent artwork and some nice cartography. In terms of a campaign, Tales of the Demon Lord lives up the grim and bruising tone of Shadow of the Demon Lord, the Player Characters being constantly assailed by demons, cultists, and other vile threats. It feels compact, there being roughly two or four pages per scenario, each of which should provide two or three secessions’ worth of gaming.

However, Tales of the Demon Lord does not quite work as a campaign as written. Some effort is required by the Game Master to provide monster statistics and magical relics when found, but further, the Game Master will need to set up and provide continuing links between the scenarios, as none are provided. A patron is required for the Player Characters at the very least, but once the campaign gets under way, this should be less of an issue. It does add to the set-up requirements for the Game Master though. Similarly, the Game Master will be on her own when comes to the outcome—successful or failed—of any scenario, plus the outcome, if successful, of the campaign. The effects of failure though, is easier to determine. The lack of connective tissue between the scenarios means that not every scenario is specifically connected to the campaign’s story line as well, and whilst in places this means that the campaign is showcasing the ongoing, dying nature of the world around the Player Characters, it also means that sometimes it feels as if they are being shunted off scene whilst other things occur. However, the lack of connective tissue between the scenarios has an advantage too, providing some flexibility in terms of the order in which they can be played—though this would have to be within the confines of the Path the Player Characters are on (Novice, Expert, or Master)—as well as making them easy to extract from the book and either replaced, added to another campaign, or run as a one-shot. With some effort, a Game Master could also adapt the campaign to the roleplaying game of her choice, whether grim and perilous, or not.

Tales of the Demon Lord is as dark and twisted and as grim and perilous a campaign as you would want for Shadow of the Demon Lord. It is a solid, intentionally short campaign, which serves up a good mix of horror and insanity, but which will require more development and set-up than another campaign might not.