[DCC Day #7] DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack

As well as contributing to Free RPG Day every year Goodman Games also has its own ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day’. The day is notable not only for the events and the range of adventures being played for Goodman Games’ roleplaying games, but also for the scenarios it releases specifically to be played on the day. For ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day 2026’, which took place today on Saturday, July 18th, 2026, the publisher is releasing not one, not two, but three scenarios, plus a limited edition printing of Dungeon Crawl Classics #112: Mother of M0nsters. Two of the scenarios, ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ and ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’, appear in the duology, the DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack. ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is written for Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, the spiritual successor to Gamma World, ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is for use with Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, which combines Dungeons & Dragons and World Wrestling Entertainment, turns it into a blood sport, televises it, and throws in celebrity culture in an alternate dystopia shot through with a knowing black humour. Lastly, both Dungeon Crawl Classics #112: Mother of M0nsters and DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law are written for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics.

—oOo—

As in past years, the DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack contains two adventures. The first and longest of the two is ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ are written for use with Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, the spiritual successor to Gamma World. It is designed for a party of three to six Player Characters of First Level and begins with them in the jungle on the back of a fast-flowing river on the other wise of which is an island with some pre-disaster ruins on it.

The Player Characters—or Seekers—have been sent by their respective tribes to rescue a much-fabled artefact, called AESOP, from the ruins. AESOP is rumoured to be a learning device from before the disaster used to teach children. If it can be brought back, it will be a great asset to the confederation of local villages. Unfortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and a series of storms has led to widespread flooding and the rising waters threaten the buildings in which AESOP is located. Thus, the Seekers have to survive the environment and the weather, explore the buildings, find AESOP, and then haul it back! The dangers of the floods are represented by a ‘Deluge Effects’ table which is triggered when a natural roll of one or twenty is rolled. The waters can swell and surge, the winds rise, wildlife flee, and more, plus some effects also increase the die size by a step for subsequent rolls. Which means that as the scenario progresses, the effects of the storm get worse and worse. Then if a Seeker gets caught in the waters, then is a ‘Fighting the Flood Waters’ table to be rolled on, the greater the strength of the Seeker, the less likely he will be swept away.

The ruins on the island are those of Pennsville Learning Academy, so the Seekers are exploring the ruins of an ancient school. As you would expect, there are classrooms dedicated to different subjects, including history, science, and art, a cafeteria, and so on. Each location contains a mix of things to experience and lots of things to loot. For example, in the history classroom, the Experio5400 is a teaching device that beams a holographic, immersive experience straight into the eyes of nearby pupils. One experience is given, but the Judge can be inventive here too, adding her own historical scenes, whether from actual history or the history between now and the events of the disaster that led to Terra AD. However, it is loot where the author gets to be inventive. Items to be looted include a Cheat Lens that when worn provides answers to written questions; a chemical cabinet in the science classroom full of ingredients to be mixed for various effects; school lockers containing things such as a Jet Board, a Dysfunctional Robotic Playmate, Acks Body Spray (incites attacks from nearby feral creatures!), and more.

Finally, there is AESOP itself. It is a A.I. with a pleasing personality—though for entertainment value, the Judge could readily change it—that the Seekers can talks to and ask questions of. The Judge has a list of questions and answers to facilitate any interaction. AESOP is easy to find, but rather than challenging to deal with, it is challenging to move! The seekers must find a way of transporting it out of the ruins, across the island, and then over the river with its raging waters. ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is a good mix of exploration and combat, twisting a familiar location and making it a dangerous and rewarding in equal measure, before escalating the danger with the weather. The result is an excellent, entertaining scenario for the Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game.

The second scenario is ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’, which is designed for the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game and for party of four to six Player Characters of First Level. Their Agent informs them that they have been invited to participate in a new gig—an Xcrawl designed by a first-time Dungeon Judge. Not just any first-time Dungeon Judge, but Tiger Silva, the world’s most famous and accomplished pro-golfer, who wants to try his hand at a different sport. Apart from the fact that it being organised by one of the most famous sportsmen in the North American Empire, it is meant to be a low-key affair. It is a chance for the Player Characters to pick up some new sponsors, look good in a celebrity-driven event, and perhaps move into the orbit of the rich and famous by association.

As you would expect, this Xcrawl is entirely Golf-themed and that starts with the sponsorships on offer, which include the Ultra Whack Golf Clubs and Golfing Gear and Super Aid Sports Drinks. It continues with the individual locations in the Xcrawl, a giant miniature putt-putt golf course, which include woad-painted Goblin Picts which attack to the sound of bad bagpipes being played (and unfortunately the bagpipe-player is a non-combatant, so cannot be attacked and the Player Characters will need to find another way to stop the playing) reflecting Golf’s Scottish origins; a giant sand trap and a even bigger windmill with deadly spinning blades; and a battle with a giant gopher! All of which is confronted whilst attempting to whack a giant Golf ball through the dungeon and into the cup at the end of each room. Being a dungeon for the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game, the adventure is straightforward and linear, that feel exacerbated by the need to drive the giant Golf ball from one end of the dungeon to the other, room by room. However, it is ever so tongue-in-cheek and fits with the absurdity of the world of Xcrawl.

The absurdity of setting and the scenario are made all the more so by the satirical elements worked into it. These dig at the theme of Golf and at the contemporary politics surrounding Golf. These are likely to amuse or irritate in equal measure, but given the theme, it is no surprise they are included. ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is a silly, but fun adventure and there are notes too if the Judge wants to add it to her campaign.

Physically, the DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack is as well done as you would expect for a release from Goodman Games. The artwork is decent, but a little cartoonish in places—which actually suits the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game.

The DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack delivers two good scenarios for two different games, but of the two, ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is the most inventive and interesting, but ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is sillier and more immediately entertaining. Both are fun to play and both are easy to add to a campaign as they are to run as one-shots.

Friday Fantasy: DCC Day #6 DCC Day 2025 Adventure Pack

As well as contributing to Free RPG Day every year Goodman Games also has its own ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day’. The day is notable not only for the events and the range of adventures being played for Goodman Games’ roleplaying games, but also for the scenarios it releases specifically to be played on the day. For ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day 2025’, which took place today on Saturday, July 19th, 2025,* the publisher is releasing not one, not two, but three scenarios, plus a limited edition printing of Dungeon Crawl Classics #108: The Seventh Thrall of Sekrekan. Two of the scenarios, ‘The Fall of Al-Razi’ and ‘Balticrawl Blitz’, appear in the duology, the DCC Day 2025 Adventure Pack. The third is DCC Day #6: The Key to Castle Whiterock. Both DCC Day #6: The Key to Castle Whiterock and ‘The Fall of Al-Razi’ are written for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, whilst the other, ‘Balticrawl Blitz’ is for use with the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game, the ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics’ adaptation and upgrade of the earlier Xcrawl Core Rulebook for use with Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, which turns the concept of dungeoneering into an arena sport and monetises it!

* The late international delivery of titles for DCC Day #6 means that these reviews are also late. Apologies.

As in past years, the DCC Day 2025 Adventure Pack contains two adventures. The first and longest of the two is ‘The Fall of Al-Razi’ are written for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. It is designed for a party of four to six Player Characters of First Level and begins with them in an enchanted forest, come to a grove where a rose bush whose petals are known to have healing properties is known to grow. When they attempt to pick them, a ghost of a knight appears and begs for their aid. Introducing himself as Al-Razi, he was once a great knight, but in an accident, he fell from his horse, but then a fairy queen caught him and stole him from death. He asks that the Player Characters free him from his torment. The opportunity for this will come at fairy parade through the village of Taribat, which takes place only once every seven years. Al-Razi will ride at the head of the parade and if the Player Characters can catch him when he falls from horse, he will be freed. Unfortunately, in order to be able to see past the veil of the fairy, the Player Characters need water from an enchanted pool to wash their eyes in. Fortunately, Al-Razi knows there is such a pool—beyond the Twilight Cave.

The thrust of the scenario is for the Player Characters to enter the Twilight Cave and search for the pool. This is a race against time to the pool and back again to the village of Taribat. There are fun encounters here, such as the giant kittens playing with a giant mouse, a chance to make some purchases from a ‘Ye Olde magic Shoppe’ in what is actually a scenario befitting cliché, and some not entirely unhelpful witches. The second part of the scenario is the parade itself, which will lead from one stone outside the village to another on the opposite side. The whole of the village will turn out to watch and celebrate with costumes, drinks, and music, completely unaware as to the true nature of the parade. Only the Player Characters will have any idea as what the parade is and will only be able to see who really is in the parade by wiping their eyes with the enchanted water. This is a rolling combat as the parade will constantly be on the move and the members of the parade will take action if they realise what the Player Characters are trying to do. The Queen will respond with an array of deadly illusions, backed up with her paper handmaidens, and the Fey Riders encircle Al-Razi.

The scenario requires a bit of staging upon the part of the Judge in order for the Player Characters to get past the Fey Riders and be with Al-Razi at the right time to catch him as he falls. One thing to be avoided is fighting the fairy queen, as she is a very tough opponent for First Level Player Characters. It is also possible to fail—though the consequences are quite minor, as well as do very well. Otherwise, this is a raucous climax to an entertaining scenario.

The second scenario is ‘Balticrawl Blitz’, which is designed for the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game and again for party of four to six Player Characters of First Level. In the Player Characters are invited to participate in the annual Division III Balticrawl Blitz. As this title suggests, this event takes place in the rundown and corrupt city of Baltimore. The Player Characters get a taste of the latter when someone knocks on the door of their hotel room and are offered a bribe to throw the Xcrawl in a particular room! The event itself is very much themed around the city of Baltimore and its history. This starts with the DJ, or ‘Dungeon Judge’, ‘DJ Nevermore’, a thin sallow moustachioed man in Victorian dress with a raven on his shoulder, who has designed the event and will be running it. So, quite literally inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, this scenario has Gothic streak as wide as a white one running through a Goth’s hair. The other inspiration for the adventure is the city’s love of crabs, but this is mainly because the event’s main sponsor is the Elder Bay Spices Company, whose blend of spices is popular with seafood all along the east coast.

At just five locations, ‘Balticrawl Blitz’ is a small scenario. It is playable in a single session if paced right and some of the encounters are tough for Player Characters of First Level. A Player Character Messenger will be needed to provide healing. Another issue is that it is a very American scenario and not everyone is going to be fully aware of Baltimore’s history, and having to explain some of the references will break the immersion. Otherwise, a solid scenario for the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game that is easy to slip into a campaign.

Physically, DCC Day 2025 Adventure Pack is as well done as you would expect for a release from Goodman Games. The artwork is decent, but a little cartoonish in places—which actually suits the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game—and the cartography is definitely better for the Dungeon Crawl Classics scenario than the Xcrawl Classics scenario. Similarly, the cover is very cartoony, but it still works.

DCC Day 2025 Adventure Pack delivers two good scenarios for two different games, but of the two, ‘The Fall of Al-Razi’ is the more inventive and interesting. Both are easy to add to a campaign though and both could be run as Character Funnels, though ‘The Fall of Al-Razi’ is probably the better of the two for that as well.

Razzmatazz & Roleplay

In 1981, Emperor Ronald I was chosen by the Gods of Olympus to ascend to the throne of the North American Empire, the greatest nation in the world. As the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Leader of the Aristocracy, and the Master of Temple, a secular title rewarding him domain over all the Olympian Temples, and thus the religious life of all Americans, he had the fate of the nation in hands. In response to his fear of the foretold Usurper, the one who will come and destroy the American way of life, he gave the people of the NAE and the world his greatest gift—Xcrawl! Based on a popular strategy game called Dungeonbattle, which used miniatures and dice to simulate underground combat, and was inspired by the heroic tales from before the Cataclysm millennia ago, this is a televised death sport played in leagues and arenas across the world, but primarily in the NAE. In each event, brave adventurers face dungeons and challenges designed by Dungeon Judges, battling through monsters hired and summoned for each event, puzzling through tricks and traps, overcoming deadly obstacles, and performing before the crowds in the arenas and the audiences watching from around the world, whether at home or at dedicated Xcrawl bars via Arcane Video Screens in the arena. If they succeed, they will win fame and fortune, gain sponsorships, be promoted to higher and even deadlier divisions, and become celebrities in their own right as they gain the favour of the Gods of Olympus and maybe even Emperor Ronald I himself!

This is the set-up for the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, a roleplaying game which combines the fantasy and play styles of Dungeons & Dragons and World Wrestling Entertainment, turns it into a blood sport, televises it, and throws in celebrity culture in an alternate dystopia of the noughties shot through with a knowing black humour which realises just how ridiculous it all is. Published by Goodman Games, this though is not the first iteration for the Xcrawl setting. It originally appeared as Xcrawl: Adventures in the Xtreme Dungeon League in 2002 for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition, before being reimplemented as Maximum Xcrawl for Pathfinder, First Edition in 2014, and it is not even the first for Xcrawl for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. That would be with the Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil. This is history is not only acknowledged at the beginning of the book, but the differences between the versions highlighted so that prior fans can pick up on the new rules changes. The Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game combines the setting with the mechanics and rules of Dungeon Crawl Classics to make it an official Dungeon Crawl Classics setting, the most modern setting—even an alternate modern setting—for Dungeon Crawl Classics, and arguably the most gonzo of Dungeon Crawl Classics settings.

As a Dungeon Crawl Classics variant, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is a Class and Level roleplaying game, the Player Characters—or Xcrawlers—as they are known, climbing their way up the increasingly deadlier and more dangerous Divisions of Xcrawl as they also rise in Level. The main focus of play is in the arena, effectively a sport, and thus it comes with hard rules about what an Xcrawler can and cannot do in the arena, all laid down by the Xcrawl League. Yet an Xcrawler will have a life away from the arena. Much of it will have to do with dealing with his agent and his sponsors, doing publicity, and the kinds of activities that fame and celebrity from success in the arena can bring. Yet there are also real dungeons, not just in the feudal nation of the North American Empire, but also around the world, many of them in Zura’ah’zurah, the ‘land beneath the land’, home to a number of squabbling Alfar city states, one of which is under Montreal. (Most of the monsters and creatures used in the arena come from Zura’ah’zurah, purchased via brokers.) Of course, since there is no such thing as a professional dungeoneer, who better to explore them than a professional Xcrawler? This was effectively the story in ‘Tucson Death Storm!’, published as part of the DCC Day 2024 Adventure Pack.

As a Dungeon Crawl Classics variant, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game provides everything necessary to play. Thus, it includes all of the new Classes, core rules—old and new, including magic, a detailed setting that covers the Xcrawl Games and how they are run as well as the wider Xworld, a guide to the Olympic Pantheon and Gods and Non-Gods of America, how fame and fortune works in the Xworld, a bestiary, advice for the Judge, and not one, but two adventures, ready to play. One of these is a Character Funnel, a scenario specifically designed for Zero Level Player Characters in which initially, a player is expected to roll up three or four Level Zero characters and have them play through a generally nasty, deadly adventure, which surviving will prove a challenge. Those that do survive receive enough Experience Points to advance to First Level and gain all of the advantages of their Class. The Character Funnel is a signature feature of the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game and now the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, and whilst they are challenging to play, they are also both fun and wrought with emotion as players often become highly attached to the poor four unfortunates. The other adventure is for First Level Xcrawlers, ready to play after they survived the Character Funnel.

An Xcrawler is defined by his attributes, Race, Saves, Birth Augur, Occupation, and Alignment. There are six attributes—Strength, Agility, Stamina, Personality, Intelligence, and Luck—which range in value between three and eighteen. The Races are Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, and Halfling. Whereas Humans have access to a wide range of Classes, the Races have access to their Classes, as the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game does ‘Race as Class’. The Saves are Fortitude, Reflex, and Willpower, and the Birth Augur indicates when an Xcrawler was born and if his Luck is high enough, if he gains any benefit from it. There are numerous Occupations, representing what the Xcrawler did before training for the arena. During play, a player can draw upon them for types of skills he might have learned whilst working as his Xcrawler’s Occupation. There are three Alignments in the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, Lawful, Neutral, and Chaos, none of which are necessarily good or evil. Lastly, an Xcrawler will be trained with a single weapon like a sling or a spear.

Xcrawler creation involves rolling dice for the attributes and rolling for an Occupation. Beyond that, a player can choose his Xcrawler’s Alignment, weapon, and so on. All of this is to create a Zero Level Xcrawler. The book also advises choosing the actor who would play the Xcrawler if it were a film, essentially as a quick shorthand to describe who the Xcrawler is and what he is like.

Name: Milton Waddams
Race: Human
Occupation: Office Assistant
Birth Augur: Late March, Toasted by Bacchus (Stamina-based Skill Checks)
Alignment: Lawful
Level: 0
Armour Class: 9
Hit Points: 4

Strength 11 (+0) Agility 08 (-1) Stamina 11 (+0)
Personality 13 (+1) Intelligence 16 (+2) Luck 07 (-1)

SAVES
Fortitude +0 Reflex -1 Willpower +1

LANGUAGES
English, Latin

EQUIPMENT
Spear, Adventurer’s pack A, stapler (red)

In terms of Classes, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game provides eight to choose from. They include the Athlete, who is in peak physical condition and specialises in grappling and wrestling with monsters and creatures of all sizes. The Blaster is a natural spellcaster, trained in battlefield magic, but with limited access to spells—only up to Third Level—and who cannot inscribe scrolls, create magic items, or have familiars. The Brawler is a warrior who specialises in unarmed combat, able to use it alongside the use of weapons as well as fight unarmed. The Jammer is a performer, whether that is singer, musician, rapper, or comedian, who can lionise his fellow team members to grant them bonuses or disrespect an enemy to demoralise them and then hit them with a devastating attack. The Messenger is descended from and serves one of the gods in the arena, able to scourge his god’s unholy enemies, commit Holy Acts such as bringing an ally back from the dead, cleansing an area of the unclean, and unleash his god’s holy weapon, but can gain his god’s disapproval and so lose the gifts grant by his god.

The Specialist is the equivalent of Thief and in fact, the first Specialists in Xcrawl were actual criminals or trained by criminals. However, Xcrawler Specialists have taken that training and developed into a number of specialities. These include the Acrobat, the Commando, the Criminal, the Scout, and the Crypt Raider. Yet, this is not all. The various Races of the North American Empire and beyond have also developed their own versions of the Specialist. These include the Dwarf Mechanic, which focuses on traps and locks; the Elf Trickster who can cast limited magic; the Half-Orc Slayer is a backstabber extraordinaire; and the Halfling Rogue is good with ranged weapons, including backstabbing at a distance. What this means is that it opens up the options for non-Human Xcrawlers, if only a little.

As to the ‘Race as Class’ Classes of the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, the Dwarf is a warrior who specialises in a single weapon and shield use, but is looked down upon by his fellow Dwarves. The Gnome has limited magic, can taunt an opponent to attack him, a few Specialist skills, and tends to serve as the team mascot, gaining extra points of Mojo. The Half-Elf can cast arcane spells and has some of the skills of the Specialist. The Half-Orc comes from Zura’ah’zurah—either Orc City 1 or Orc City 2—and has an athletic visa to participate in Xcrawl, and may even earn North American Empire citizenship. They are warriors who can fight like a Brawler, but also make an extra wild attack. This leaves the Half-Orc open to a free attack, but the wild attack has a greater chance of inflicting a critical attack. There is no Halfling specific Class, which instead becomes a Halfling Rogue as per the Specialist.

Mechanically, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is a d20 System roleplaying game, the player rolling a twenty-sided and adding any bonuses, including dice bonuses for specific actions according to an Xcrawler’s Class, and aiming to roll equal to or higher than an opponent’s Armour Class or a Difficulty Class, which typically ranges between five and twenty. In general, then, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game plays very much like the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game, at least mechanically. There are differences though. This starts with Grandstanding, a Personality check used to impress the crowd to gain one or two Fame points. What Grandstanding also makes clear is the fact that Xcrawl is about performance as much as it is surviving a Dungeon Judge’s dungeon. Fame is a measure of an Xcrawler’s celebrity and status, and chance of being recognised. It can go up and down, and with ‘Fameburn’, an Xcrawler can spend Fame to make sure a story in the media has a positive spin or the police to look the other way for a minor infraction. As an Xcrawler’s career develops he can create a signature move and bring that into play to gain bonuses.

The biggest change is Mojo. Mojo is like Luck as grants bonuses to rolls, but although it can be earned for rolling a natural twenty, successfully completing an encounter, or from an Xcrawler’s Class Mojo feature, an Xcrawler cannot spend it on himself. Rather, it must be given to another Xcrawler, about to attempt a task and apart from the Jammer, who can give it after a roll, for everyone else, it must be done beforehand. If a one is rolled on any roll, everyone loses their Mojo! Mojo is designed to encourage team play and co-operation, as it also cannot be asked for, and even further, the Judge can even encourage wild stunts by offering Mojo to do it!

One of the features of Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game—and also of Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic with its mutations list—is a lengthy list of detailed spells. The same is of the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, which has over a quarter of its page count devoted to spells, primarily for the Blaster, but also the Gnome. There are some fun spells here, like Pixelization Evocation, which pixelates the caster or an ally to obscure them, Quicksand to immobilise an opponent, Villalobos’ Attack Outta Nowhere which strikes a target from any direction, 7 Agents of Fate which summons a character out of a blockbuster film to aid the Xcrawlers and was originally created to promote a blockbuster film, and The Arcane Collection, By Terry Paris©, which creates the perfect Terry Paris fashion for the caster who cannot take any other sponsor except Terry Paris!

In terms of setting, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game provides a good overview of Xcrawl and the Xworld outside it. This also includes the various gods whom a Messenger can worship and be descended from, all drawn from the Roman pantheon. Similarly, the Patrons for the Blasters are drawn from the Roman (and consequently, Greek) pantheon. They include Medea, whose followers become instruments of her vengeance against those in the world who have wronged her. The standout Xcrawl specific Patron is Barzodi, the immortal un-dead spirit of necromancer Antonio Barzodi, who served revolutionary General George Washington, who would later declare himself George Augustus I, first Emperor of the North American Empire. Later assassinated by the Emperor’s allies, his rage enabled him to come back as a Patron to American Necromancers everywhere. (Necromancers have to join the Necromancer’s Guild, show their Guild Card if they create any undead creatures, and complete the mandatory three-hour safety course in the proper creation, use, and destruction of undead creatures before they are allowed to cast any of Barzodi’s patron spells.) There is a new bestiary of creatures to populate the arena and advice on how to use them given that the Xcrawl League actually has professional monsters (one of which actually became a Dungeon Judge!), and lastly good advice for the Judge on running the game.

Penultimately, the Judge is supported with two adventures. ‘Xcrawl’s Got Talent!’ is a nicely done Character Funnel, entertainingly designed as a talent show, but Xcrawl-style. The set-up is really well done, all hustle and the staff getting the job done. It is followed by ‘Showdown In Grind City’, designed for First Level Xcrawlers, which serves as a decent continuation of the Xcrawlers’ career after the previous funnel. The Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game comes to a close with more advice for the Judge, an idea of how an Xcrawl event comes about, some suggested curses and poisons, some ideas for adventures outside of the arena, and a guide to writing Xcrawl events. Finally, there is a short bibliography.

Physically, the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is well done. It is an entertaining read and it really brings the world of Xcrawl to life. It is liberally illustrated to great effect.

The Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is a reinvention of a reinvention. It is a reinvention of a roleplaying game that reinvented how the first roleplaying game was played. Not only reinvented it, but radically updated it for the modern day, even if an alternative modern day. The Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is Dungeons & Dragons, but instead of delving deep underground, its heroes now delve in front of mass audiences and for fame and fortune. Theirs is no longer a slog down dark and dank tunnels, to confront intermittent threats whilst hidden from the world, but to face those intermittent threats without the slog in overengineered encounters and under the blazing bright lights of the cameras. And playing this is great fun, because each player is not just roleplaying a character who is dungeon delving, but also roleplaying a character who is giving a performance as well. And a character whose motivation is simple, but easy to understand—fame and fortune! Plus, the Judge gets his own character—at least for each Xcrawl event in the form of the Dungeon Judge, as well as the Xcrawlers’ agents, plus in search of that fame and fortune, the Player Characters can have interesting lives outside of the arena too. And whilst the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is not new, it feels right at home as a Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game.

The Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game is the biggest, boldest, and most modern version of Dungeons & Dragons-style play you could ever imagine, all played out like the biggest sport you could ever think of. It is bright, glitzy, and fun, so make your prayers at the Temple of Apollo, give thanks to Emperor Ronald I, thank the Xcrawl League, and hope your agent has got you the best deal he could, because the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game lets you perform like no other Dungeons & Dragons-style game has ever done.

Holiday Hullabaloo

Xcrawl is one of those originally clever fantasy settings that you wonder why nobody had ever though of it before. Originally a setting for the d20 System and published in 2002 as Xcrawl: Adventures in the Xtreme Dungeon League, what it did was take the concept of dungeoneering and turned it into not only a spectator sport, but an arena sport, in the process combining the razzmatazz of American sports with the bloodiness of Roman gladiatorial combat. Xcrawl is set in an alternate fantasy eighties where America is ruled by Emperor Ronald I and all of the fantasy races of Dungeons & Dragons have survived to the modern day, many living in the underworlds below each of the continents, whilst others sign up to work as ‘monsters’ and NPCs in the area. The Player Characters form teams and by successfully beating defeating Xcrawl runs, work their way up the different leagues, becoming famous and picking up sponsors on the way. The setting was adapted to Pathfinder, First Edition with the Maximum Xcrawl Core Rule Book, and it has been announced by Goodman Games that there will also be a version compatible with the publisher’s flagship Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game in the form of the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game. Until then, fans of the Xcrawl setting or fans of the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, can experience the setting with the scenario, Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil.

Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil is a short scenario for Second Level Player Characters which can be used in one of two ways. First, it can used as written, with the Player Characters are dedicated Xcrawlers looking to break into the next league up. Second, it can be run as some kind of weird dream for Player Characters who come from another fantasy setting and awake to find themselves fully aware of where they are and what they are about to do. Either way, the players will be using standard Dungeon Crawl Classics Player Characters rather than those creating the earlier versions of Xcrawl. Of course, with the forthcoming version of the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game—or its XCC beta rules—the Judge could run Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil using a version of those rules and thus the appropriate Classes of Athlete, Blaster, Jammer, Gnome, Half-Elf, and Half-Orc. (Alternatively, pre-generated Player Characters can be downloaded here.)

Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil is set in Toronto on New Year’s Eve and the Player Characters are members of a Division III team which has unexpectedly found itself entered into the Toronto New Year’s Eve Xcrawl. If successful, they are assured of sponsorship and opportunities for promotion. All it will take them is heroic play, dedicated teamwork, and the occasional grandstanding. However, the gods—or rather the one god—has decided to intervene and turn the event into a raucous, alcohol-sodden festival which can be enjoyed by everyone, including the Player Characters, the event staff, and the audience, and if that disrupts the event, that just adds to the fun. Drink is a recurring motif throughout the adventure and is supported with rules for various degrees of inebriation, from being tipsy to wrecked. Also included are a glossary of terms particular to the setting and several rules that the setting requires. These include the Mojo Pool, which each Player Character has and which provides points that can be spent as modifiers in play. They can be gained for rolling a natural twenty in game and for exciting game play, but all are lost whenever a player rolls a natural one. However, a player cannot use them on his own character, but instead must give them as bonuses to his fellow players’ characters. This encourages teamwork, of course.

A Player Character can also grandstand and work the crowd. This is a Personality check and earns a Player Character a point of Fame. Expressed as a percentage, this is measurement of the Player Character’s recognition. However, it does not actually have any mechanic effect in Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil. So unless the Judge has access to the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, the inclusion of the Fame rules have no effect as the scenario takes place entirely in the area.

The Toronto New Year’s Eve Xcrawl consists of twelve locations and is, like most other Xcrawl ‘Dungeons’ a linear affair. This makes sense, since an Xcrawl can be run again and again and a team’s progress can be measured against that of other teams, and infamous Xcrawls can be rerun at a later stage, in the case of the Player Characters, likely with a tweak or four to take into account the fact that they have gone up a Level or two or three. In the main, the Xcrawl itself consists of three big set pieces, although that was not originally the case, since the meddling god has also made a few changes to the Xcrawl and it no longer runs quite as smooth as the designer originally intended. There is jousting, a sailor cap-wearing devil with horrid biting pugs—one under each arm, paper monsters, riddles and puzzles to solve, and a finale in the cubicle from beyond the grave, complete with Office Zombies, Maintenance Skeleton, and Ghoul Bosses. There are a few side rooms along the way, but these do not represent any significant danger to the Player Characters after the meddling of the god. It should take a session, perhaps two, to play through the whole of the Xcrawl, after which the Player Characters should acquired some decent treasure, sponsorship gifts—some are also available at the beginning of the scenario depending on which sponsor the players selected, some fame, and perhaps a chance at promotion to the next league.

Physically, Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil is cleanly and tidily presented. The map is easy to read and the artwork throughout good.

The change from the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game to the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game requires a little adjustment and getting used to because of its very modern setting—at least by the standards of Dungeon Crawl Classics. However, its novelty value is worth it, because the setting is different and the emphasis in an Xcrawl is all on action with some puzzles to solve, and playing to the crowd by being heroic, and so on. Of course, the novelty factor will go when the Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game appears, but until then, Dungeon Crawl Classics 2017 Holiday Module: Xcrawl New Year’s Evil is a diverting, entertaining one-shot.