RPG Print News – Troll Lord Games, Catalyst, and More

Dungeons & Dragons has Norse adventures and magic items. Castles & Crusades has a plane hopping outpost and lots of fantasy names. They also have an animal PC settings for kids and adults. Shadowrun has some city supplements for adventuring. Root - The Roleplaying Game gets maps that would also work with Harvesters. And there is a game of playing healers to monsters gone mad.

Note: RPG Print News covers new RPG releases and some classics, reprints, and sales available from retailers. It does not cover products that are only available directly to customers through kickstarter or as print on demand.

Bergman Outlandish | Book of Names by Troll Lord Games

• SYSTEM: Castles & Crusades
• PRODUCT TYPE: softcover supplements
• RETAIL PRICE: $9.99 each
• DESCRIPTION: Both of these books will be helpful to GMs in many different fantasy RPGs not just AD&D 3E, wait that is another universe, I meant Castles & Crusades. Bergman Outlandish describes an outpost in the wilderness of the planes. The town of Bergman moves through space and time at its leisure, as if it had a will of its own or a purpose of its own. It appears on any plane of existence, in any dimension, and at any time for a few moments or for years before moving on. Its general appearance and the butte upon which it sits do not change. It is a refuge for wayward souls lost in the planes or weary of the world. The flotsam and jetsam of the universe drift in from time to time, some taking up near-permanent residence, while others stay only for a tasty meal before moving on. Reminds me of The Lighthouse. Book of Names. Never easy and often quite challenging, developing unique and flavorful names is a vital part of any role-playing game experience and to creating verisimilitude in the game world. The naming conventions used combine personal and family names along with syllable elements and present the information in easy-to-use tables for dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, hobgoblins, humans, goblins, orcs, half orcs, and ungern. Ungern are Aihrdian monsters and the spawn of Unklar, the Horned God. Picture in the Codex of Erde.

Harvesters Boxed Set by Troll Lord Games

• SYSTEM: Castles & Crusades
• PRODUCT TYPE: box set for both kids and adults
• RETAIL PRICE: $49.99
• DESCRIPTION: This one looks like a winner. Includes: box, Harvesters rules and monster book, dice, character sheets, Wheat Hollow Gazetteer, maps of Wheat Hollow, and three adventures: Wheat Hollow, Lost Fang’s Gold, and Black Tim’s Prize. PCs play badgers, rabbits, squirrels, and otters in the roles of the greatest heroes: knights, druids, clerics, rogues, wizards, and fighters. Together they tackle the greatest of adventures, from rescuing those in need to finding a lost treasure. Wheat Hollow is a setting centered around the cool waters of Lake Lotor. Harvesters is a game for the inner child in all of us (the same one having Hellboy fight the Witch-king using D&D rules).

The Rune Thief | Norse Grimoire by Mana Project Studio

• SYSTEM: Dungeons & Dragons Journey To Ragnarok
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover supplements
• RETAIL PRICE: $29
• DESCRIPTION: The Rune Thief, inspired by Norse myths and legends, is for characters of level 1st to 7th level. PCs travel from Midgardr through the Nine Worlds in nine adventures. Something terrible is about to disrupt Midgardr. The PCs explore the heart of Midgardr and try to stop a threat mysterious. Norse Grimoire brings Galdrastafir (Icelandic magical staves) and the Elder Futhark (the alphabet of the Runes of Knowledge) to a fantasy campaign. These items are based on research of ancient sources: Poetic and Prose Edda, along with Runic Poems. The Icelandic symbols were inspired by authentic grimoires filled with cryptic runes and staves with Norse echoes and sometimes bounded to continental magic, Middle Age esoteric, or alchemical doctrine.

Emerald City | The Third Parallel by Catalyst Game Labs

• SYSTEM: Shadowrun - Sixth World (City Edition Seattle, 6th Edition)
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover supplements
• RETAIL PRICE: $49.99 each
• DESCRIPTION: Emerald City is the shadow capital and home to spies, smugglers, killers, thieves, rebels, anarchists, gangers, thugs, hoods, outlaws, hackers, con artists, hustlers, and more. PCs compete to try to climb to the summit of the shadowrunning world. Seattle is wanted by all the powerful forces, but they tear each other apart trying to take it and none can devour the sprawl whole. Maintaining that balance is the core desire of city leaders; undoing it has become the obsession of the city’s enemies. Whether shadowrunners decide to pick a side or just play all sides against each other, there is plenty of work to be done and danger to avoid. In The Third Parallel the threats are lined up in Denver, a city ruled by a dragon and home to one of the greatest outlaw tech archives in the world. Shadows are aligning and plots are fomenting, and shadowrunners have the chance to learn what’s happening in enough time to make some nuyen and save a few lives—including their own.

Clearing Map Pack by Magpie Games

• SYSTEM: Root - The Roleplaying Game
• PRODUCT TYPE: 8.5” X 11” maps
• RETAIL PRICE: $14.99
• DESCRIPTION: Laminated and ready for drawing upon with dry-erase markers for setting up a unique version of the Woodland. Includes forest maps for autumn, winter, swampland, and redwood.

Monster Care Squad - Legends of Ald-Amura by Sandy Pug Games

• SYSTEM: unique
• PRODUCT TYPE: hardcover corebook
• RETAIL PRICE: $60
• DESCRIPTION: Set in the tranquil world of Ald-Amura which has beautiful Monsters as guardians. A mysterious poison known as The False Gold finds its way into the veins of the world's Monsters, causing terrible, maddening Wounds, which drive these incredible beings into uncontrollable rages. The once unbreakable bond of harmony and respect between Humans and Monsters is on the brink of collapse, and it's up to the PCs to set things right. The PCs are Monster Care Specialists, elite vets equipped with the knowledge to heal any wound, given enough time and preparation. They travel from town to town finding Monsters infected with The False Gold, diagnosing their illnesses, crafting cures, and healing their minds and bodies of the strange, magical Wounds. There are three phases of play. First a Diagnosis phase, where the PCs arrive, assess the situation, asks questions, and solve minor problems in exchange for information and leads. Then begins the Synthesis phase: brewing cures and salves, preparing spells, and making plans. Finally, in the Symbiosis phase the PCs face the Wounded Monster and attempt to cure its wounds and restore its enraged mind. PCs may see the Monster grant them a portion of its power in the form of magical Monster Gifts as thanks.

 

[eyeheartawk]

Does anybody here play Shadowrun 6e? I just took a peek at the subreddit for the first time in a long time and apparently everyone there hates 6e and still plays 5e. Has it been a huge flop?

 

[schneeland]

It finally unified the Shadowrun fandom - though only, because everyone hates 6e

More seriously: I have seen a couple of play reports, but nowhere near what was there with 4e/SR20A and 5e. The collectors market also seems to indicate that 6e didn't really take off.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Does anybody here play Shadowrun 6e? I just took a peek at the subreddit for the first time in a long time and apparently everyone there hates 6e and still plays 5e. Has it been a huge flop?

I feel like every time I slam SR 6e someone eventually shows up to "well actually" me about its sales and such. But I have yet to meet anyone who's played it, much less likes it.

And this is as anecdotal as it gets, but I'm an example of someone who's been playing a weekly SR-based campaign for about two years. When I decided to do it, and being new to both 5e and 6e (I had played played 2e), I took one look at 6e and ran screaming to 5e. Even if the presentation wasn't a new low for the game--and it certainly is--6e is a rules nightmare.

 

[eyeheartawk]

And this is as anecdotal as it gets, but I'm an example of someone who's been playing a weekly SR-based campaign for about two years. When I decided to do it, and being new to both 5e and 6e (I had played played 2e), I took one look at 6e and ran screaming to 5e. Even if the presentation wasn't a new low for the game--and it certainly is--6e is a rules nightmare.

That's wild.

I played a bit of SR5 and I remember reading the core rulebook section on combat. It had like, four pages just on how explosions spread from room to room. At that point my eyes glazed over and I had a series of micro-strokes. When that is your basis (and I enjoyed SR5, despite its rules foibles) and the newer version has worse rules boggles the mind.

I kinda wanna just read the new edition to see how bad it really is.

 

[Cergorach]

Shadowrun kinda lost me after 3e and the FASA collapse... Everything 1e, 2e and 3e is still in my bookcase though! In some of the newer books I either detested the art direction and/or the lore/world building direction.

But Monday I bought some SR 6E pdfs via a Bundle of Holding deal to read what SR in 2022 is all about, yesterday they added another bundle, bought that as well. ~$75 for 2100 pages of SR6 is not a bad deal imho:

Bundle of Holding - Jacked out

bundleofholding.com

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/SR6PowerPlays

Haven't played SR in probably decades, SR6 won't be changing that I suspect...

 

[schneeland]

I kinda wanna just read the new edition to see how bad it really is.

To be fair: I think they put out a revised version of the core rules (with a "City Edition: Seattle" suffix) that's supposedly less bad. I had no inclination to verify that claim, though.

 

[eyeheartawk]

To be fair: I think they put out a revised version of the core rules (with a "City Edition: Seattle" suffix) that's supposedly less bad. I had no inclination to verify that claim, though.

I've been doing reading and apparently the below image is from the main rulebook. If this "fixed" version doesn't include this absolute gem I don't think I want to read it.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

That's wild.

I played a bit of SR5 and I remember reading the core rulebook section on combat. It had like, four pages just on how explosions spread from room to room. At that point my eyes glazed over and I had a series of micro-strokes. When that is your basis (and I enjoyed SR5, despite its rules foibles) and the newer version has worse rules boggles the mind.

I kinda wanna just read the new edition to see how bad it really is.

SR5 is arguably crunchier than anything should be. I cannot defend it, despite playing it. I won't!

My complaints about SR6 aren't about more crunch--if anything it tries to scale back. But it does it in truly awkward ways.

Maybe just as bad, though, is the fact that it's not backwards compatible with SR5, and the pace and choice of books they've put out for this edition don't provide all the options you're now missing. And way too many crazy options are what Shadowrun is all about!

 

[Grendel_Khan]

I forgot to add one thing: System issues aside (and when has Shadowrun not had system issues, amirite?) I think they're making a huge mistake continuing to advance the timeline forward, as though everyone playing the game has been playing it for the past 30 years. There was a momentum and a specificity to the game's metaplot back in the 2e era, what with Dunkelzahn's assassination and Bug City. But a lot of that was predicated on the notion that the Horrors were coming back, and would be here any day now.

Fast forward to 2080 or whenever it's at now, and the Horrors still haven't shown up, but also everything is just increasingly nuts. The net is overseen by G.O.D. and there were expeditions sent to a metaplane called Dis, which triggered soldiers from the past to show up from this not-Hell-but-obviously-Hell plane in the present. There's an AI running Mars or something, and it's like watching an ongoing comic just gradually worldbuild itself into pure chaos. It's a setting where shadowrunners have existed for more than three decades, and somehow no one cracked down on them and the profession is the same, and all of the volatile, seconds-from-going-to-war nations are still just roiling away, but with way more political convolutions and more dragons running things but also some dragons are getting killed, and on and on.

It's just very unwieldy, and not distinctive, and I think everyone would be way more into if if they just reset back to 2050, whether to put a fresh coat on the more beloved aspects of the setting, or to take it some other direction from the same origin point.