The gift giving season is upon us. This is great for those of us who like PDFs (or are curious). We can now get some really good PDFs on the cheap as publishers start releasing some of their older stuff at reduced prices or as part of bundles. In addition, if you are the sort of person who actually gets rpg stuff for other people, PDFs are a good option. Most PDF sites offer an option to send a PDF directly to someone else's email. A nice gift idea for your fellow gamers.
This week we have 14 good PDFs to check out. As usual we run the gamut of genres and game systems. There is sure to be something of interest for everyone.
Second City Boxed Set
Legend of the Five Rings has long been one of my favorite game systems and setting. AEG does a superb job of really bringing out the culture; L5R feels like an alien world that at the same time is common to us. This huge supplement was released as a boxed set and is now available in a digital format. It provides a sourcebook on the Second City, the people populating the region and a complete campaign. Included are maps sized for printing and some cultural notebooks. If this is anything like their previous work it will be outstanding.
The Lazy Dungeon Master
A buzz has already started about this book. It is designed for the DMs of D&D to make their game prep easier and faster (though I suspect much of the advice can be used for non-D&D games as well). I like these sorts of books because there is always something in them I can use. Of particular interest to me are the interviews with other DMs and designers; I always like to hear different viewpoints on DMing. The book was written by Michael Shea who is rapidly making a name for himself for providing solid advice when it comes to DMing.
Colonial Gothic: Rulebook Second Edition
One of the more popular trends in rpgs is mixing supernatural horror with another genre; horror+superhero, horror+modern-day, horror+1920s, horror+1880s, horror+noir, horror+fantasy, horror+medieval, horror+WW2, horror+wild west, horror+everything. This is another such mixing, horror+American Revolution. However, from all accounts this game does it very well. It mixes the historical accounts with a low-tech setting and adds in lots of ambience. This is the second edition and if you haven’t checked it out, now is a good time to do so.
Rise of the Drow
Yes, drow have been done to death…and yet, I still can’t get enough of them. This Pathfinder adventure spans levels 6-15 and 500 pages of material. This is a bundle pack made up of three adventures; Descent into the Underworld, Scourge of Embla and Usurper of Souls. Together, they provide a complete adventure. Not only do you get a campaign, but there is so much more included that can be moved over to your own underworld setting; a dwarven city, a drow city, several adventure locations, new traps, feats, items, spells, monsters, classes and maps to go along with all of them. If you’ve been avoiding drow for a few years, now might be the time to revisit them.
Leverage
I have been a huge fan of the TV show, Leverage, for some time (ok, the first couple of seasons were the best and then they dropped off in quality). I love the concept of conmen running the scam to hurt the bad guys and help good guys. So when I saw the talented Margaret Weis Productions game company release the rpg based on the TV series I snatched it up (haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but it is on the list). Now they provide us with a couple of short supplements for the game (about 20 pages each). Too Many Chefs shows how to deal with a party that has multiples of the same Role or are missing specific Roles. I like this because it means the players have more choices for party make-up. Leverage Noir explains how to play the game in a setting from the early 20th century; how to play a Hacker before computers or a Grifter when society was different. If you are looking to stretch the genre of Leverage this would be a nice way to do it. Either PDF looks good for Leverage fans.
Heroes Forever
I am a sucker for superhero games. This is a new one with its own rule system. If you are still looking for that perfect superhero system this may be it. Even if it isn’t, it still comes with over 100 skills and powers which could inspire you in your own game. Best of all it comes with a setting that looks like it is ripe for adventure - Nazi Germany still exists, Greek gods still rule Greece and Genghis Khan is immortal and leads the Mongol Hordes - plenty of action in that setting.
The Moonbugs
It would seem that rpgs for kids are all the rage these days. The spin on this one is that it is not a fantasy version, but rather, a sci-fi one. The players/kids play monsters on the Planet of the Moonbugs. With plenty of illustrations, easy rules and a ready-to-go adventure, this may be another effective approach to teaching kids the joys of role-playing games.
Contagion
It’s amazing how popular and versatile the d20 system still is. This bundle pack features Contagion, a d20 modern-day horror/supernatural rpg game and setting. It is the story of how the characters have to deal with the hidden things that the rest of the world is not ready to handle. To add some heft to this game, the bundle includes the Contagion core setting book, Bystanders (a character expansion), Hidden Races (4 new races), and three additional books that each offers up new races, classes and settings: Inferno (rules for demons), Purgatorio (rules for ghosts), Virulence (rules for mages). This looks like a setting with a lot of depth and options to it.
Gangland
Another d20 product, this modern-day setting book one deals with gangs and the adventures to be found therein. You can play the typical cops-and-robbers adventures, be part of a corporation out to take over the streets or even a gangster in your own right. One thing the designers are particularly proud of is their mass combat rules; now you can run large scale combats between armed forces in gang war clashes. If you are a fan of modern-day settings and the adventures to be had there, this publication may have a bunch of good ideas in it for you to use.
City Builder/Castle Builder Bundle
This nice bundle is excellent for those designing their own worlds and settings. It includes Strongholds (54 pages), Manor Houses (22 pages), Moathouses & Pillhouses (18 pages) and A Guide to Designing Communities (174 pages). The community the characters start at is often the hardest part to start with when it comes to designing a world and these books should make that easier. These sound like good resources for those with a lot of questions.
Orbital
Traveller has a long and rich history within the rpg community. It was the first sci-fi rpg and has managed to continue to today, most recently with Mongoose Publishing holding the license to produce material for the game. This PDF is a setting for those current Traveller rules as set in a near future within our own solar system. At 223 pages it is packed with all sorts of useful information. It includes complete write-ups of our planets, a futuristic timeline, 35 organizations, rules for establishing colonies and belt mining, alien ruins, NPCs and plot ideas. It looks as if this book could keep a Traveller campaign going for a long time.
Synergy Fantasy
Blue Planet was one of those games I couldn’t help but hear about when it came out, but somehow I never personally picked up. It was primarily a setting book with its own rule system to back it up. That rule system went into a revision as V2, also known as Synergy. Blue Planet was a sci-fi game, but now that rule system has been applied to a fantasy rule set and setting. This PDF, at 246 pages, outlines the rules and setting with new takes on races and magic. It also includes everything else a person needs to run this game such as equipment, monsters and a complete setting. If you liked the Blue Planet rule set, this is your chance to try it out in the fantasy genre.
Usherwood Adventures Expansion
One of the best things about the OSR is that anyone can add in their own rules and supplements. That is what this is, an expansion of the rules for OSRIC or 1E. It includes new race options, new class options, 28 new monsters, new magic items, and new options for psionics. It has 122 pages of new material for 1E. And following one of the guiding principles of the OSR, you can pick and choose what you want to include in your own game.
Adventures
The Ballad of Bass Rock – 1920s Call of Cthulhu.
Blind Threat – Sci-Fi Savage Worlds.
The Lost Village – Hero Kids.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
The GM’s Real-World Reference
I am really excited about this spotlight PDF. It has so much to offer a GM, both for world or adventure design. It is a 221 page book of 160 topics on real-world people and places. It can be used as a resource for a campaign set in the past. It can also be used in a modern-day campaign that explores the mysteries of the past. It can also be used in a purely modern-day campaign with its location topics that will help to flesh out exotic sites. And then it can be used for any other sort of campaign as source material whether it is for a fantasy, sci-fi or other genre campaign. Simply extrapolate a location or person into an analogy of the genre you are playing in and you have an instant NPC or adventure. For me, this PDF is a goldmine of useful information and sounds like it would be a fun read, even if I never used it for one of my games.
This week we have 14 good PDFs to check out. As usual we run the gamut of genres and game systems. There is sure to be something of interest for everyone.
Second City Boxed Set
Legend of the Five Rings has long been one of my favorite game systems and setting. AEG does a superb job of really bringing out the culture; L5R feels like an alien world that at the same time is common to us. This huge supplement was released as a boxed set and is now available in a digital format. It provides a sourcebook on the Second City, the people populating the region and a complete campaign. Included are maps sized for printing and some cultural notebooks. If this is anything like their previous work it will be outstanding.
The Lazy Dungeon Master
A buzz has already started about this book. It is designed for the DMs of D&D to make their game prep easier and faster (though I suspect much of the advice can be used for non-D&D games as well). I like these sorts of books because there is always something in them I can use. Of particular interest to me are the interviews with other DMs and designers; I always like to hear different viewpoints on DMing. The book was written by Michael Shea who is rapidly making a name for himself for providing solid advice when it comes to DMing.
Colonial Gothic: Rulebook Second Edition
One of the more popular trends in rpgs is mixing supernatural horror with another genre; horror+superhero, horror+modern-day, horror+1920s, horror+1880s, horror+noir, horror+fantasy, horror+medieval, horror+WW2, horror+wild west, horror+everything. This is another such mixing, horror+American Revolution. However, from all accounts this game does it very well. It mixes the historical accounts with a low-tech setting and adds in lots of ambience. This is the second edition and if you haven’t checked it out, now is a good time to do so.
Rise of the Drow
Yes, drow have been done to death…and yet, I still can’t get enough of them. This Pathfinder adventure spans levels 6-15 and 500 pages of material. This is a bundle pack made up of three adventures; Descent into the Underworld, Scourge of Embla and Usurper of Souls. Together, they provide a complete adventure. Not only do you get a campaign, but there is so much more included that can be moved over to your own underworld setting; a dwarven city, a drow city, several adventure locations, new traps, feats, items, spells, monsters, classes and maps to go along with all of them. If you’ve been avoiding drow for a few years, now might be the time to revisit them.
Leverage
I have been a huge fan of the TV show, Leverage, for some time (ok, the first couple of seasons were the best and then they dropped off in quality). I love the concept of conmen running the scam to hurt the bad guys and help good guys. So when I saw the talented Margaret Weis Productions game company release the rpg based on the TV series I snatched it up (haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but it is on the list). Now they provide us with a couple of short supplements for the game (about 20 pages each). Too Many Chefs shows how to deal with a party that has multiples of the same Role or are missing specific Roles. I like this because it means the players have more choices for party make-up. Leverage Noir explains how to play the game in a setting from the early 20th century; how to play a Hacker before computers or a Grifter when society was different. If you are looking to stretch the genre of Leverage this would be a nice way to do it. Either PDF looks good for Leverage fans.
Heroes Forever
I am a sucker for superhero games. This is a new one with its own rule system. If you are still looking for that perfect superhero system this may be it. Even if it isn’t, it still comes with over 100 skills and powers which could inspire you in your own game. Best of all it comes with a setting that looks like it is ripe for adventure - Nazi Germany still exists, Greek gods still rule Greece and Genghis Khan is immortal and leads the Mongol Hordes - plenty of action in that setting.
The Moonbugs
It would seem that rpgs for kids are all the rage these days. The spin on this one is that it is not a fantasy version, but rather, a sci-fi one. The players/kids play monsters on the Planet of the Moonbugs. With plenty of illustrations, easy rules and a ready-to-go adventure, this may be another effective approach to teaching kids the joys of role-playing games.
Contagion
It’s amazing how popular and versatile the d20 system still is. This bundle pack features Contagion, a d20 modern-day horror/supernatural rpg game and setting. It is the story of how the characters have to deal with the hidden things that the rest of the world is not ready to handle. To add some heft to this game, the bundle includes the Contagion core setting book, Bystanders (a character expansion), Hidden Races (4 new races), and three additional books that each offers up new races, classes and settings: Inferno (rules for demons), Purgatorio (rules for ghosts), Virulence (rules for mages). This looks like a setting with a lot of depth and options to it.
Gangland
Another d20 product, this modern-day setting book one deals with gangs and the adventures to be found therein. You can play the typical cops-and-robbers adventures, be part of a corporation out to take over the streets or even a gangster in your own right. One thing the designers are particularly proud of is their mass combat rules; now you can run large scale combats between armed forces in gang war clashes. If you are a fan of modern-day settings and the adventures to be had there, this publication may have a bunch of good ideas in it for you to use.
City Builder/Castle Builder Bundle
This nice bundle is excellent for those designing their own worlds and settings. It includes Strongholds (54 pages), Manor Houses (22 pages), Moathouses & Pillhouses (18 pages) and A Guide to Designing Communities (174 pages). The community the characters start at is often the hardest part to start with when it comes to designing a world and these books should make that easier. These sound like good resources for those with a lot of questions.
Orbital
Traveller has a long and rich history within the rpg community. It was the first sci-fi rpg and has managed to continue to today, most recently with Mongoose Publishing holding the license to produce material for the game. This PDF is a setting for those current Traveller rules as set in a near future within our own solar system. At 223 pages it is packed with all sorts of useful information. It includes complete write-ups of our planets, a futuristic timeline, 35 organizations, rules for establishing colonies and belt mining, alien ruins, NPCs and plot ideas. It looks as if this book could keep a Traveller campaign going for a long time.
Synergy Fantasy
Blue Planet was one of those games I couldn’t help but hear about when it came out, but somehow I never personally picked up. It was primarily a setting book with its own rule system to back it up. That rule system went into a revision as V2, also known as Synergy. Blue Planet was a sci-fi game, but now that rule system has been applied to a fantasy rule set and setting. This PDF, at 246 pages, outlines the rules and setting with new takes on races and magic. It also includes everything else a person needs to run this game such as equipment, monsters and a complete setting. If you liked the Blue Planet rule set, this is your chance to try it out in the fantasy genre.
Usherwood Adventures Expansion
One of the best things about the OSR is that anyone can add in their own rules and supplements. That is what this is, an expansion of the rules for OSRIC or 1E. It includes new race options, new class options, 28 new monsters, new magic items, and new options for psionics. It has 122 pages of new material for 1E. And following one of the guiding principles of the OSR, you can pick and choose what you want to include in your own game.
Adventures
The Ballad of Bass Rock – 1920s Call of Cthulhu.
Blind Threat – Sci-Fi Savage Worlds.
The Lost Village – Hero Kids.
Spotlight: Most Interesting PDF of the Week
The GM’s Real-World Reference
I am really excited about this spotlight PDF. It has so much to offer a GM, both for world or adventure design. It is a 221 page book of 160 topics on real-world people and places. It can be used as a resource for a campaign set in the past. It can also be used in a modern-day campaign that explores the mysteries of the past. It can also be used in a purely modern-day campaign with its location topics that will help to flesh out exotic sites. And then it can be used for any other sort of campaign as source material whether it is for a fantasy, sci-fi or other genre campaign. Simply extrapolate a location or person into an analogy of the genre you are playing in and you have an instant NPC or adventure. For me, this PDF is a goldmine of useful information and sounds like it would be a fun read, even if I never used it for one of my games.
The best stories, settings, and NPCs are often inspired by the real world. This book will take you from endless wastes to soaring palaces, through thrilling events and heart-stopping disasters, and introduce you to figures both treacherous and heroic.
Need a military commander? Have a look at some of history's most colorful generals, like Lamachus, Tomyris, or Götz von Berlichingen. Need a barren wasteland? Don't send your PCs out into the deserts of Generica again! Model their destination on the spiny thickets of Madagascar, the Pripet Marshes, or the Ténéré. Need something unusual happening on the borders of the kingdom? Rather than another rebellion or mysterious cult, why not have it be the exploits of the Captain of Köpenick, the rise of Lysenkoism, or explorers searching for Prester John?
