#RPGaDAY2024 - Day 6

 "RPG that is easy to use."

I'm going to have to go with my friend Tim over at The Other Side blog and say Basic is probably one of the easiest rpgs to use. You can crack it open and run it quickly. Even if you've never been a GM, the accompanying adventure The Keep on the Borderlands gives some great tips. I know old school gamers have their preferences. Personally, I prefer Moldvay and Cook's B/X. 

I would have went with Old-School Essentials because its a cleaned up and reorganized B/X (and my current obsession). However, the way the books are released can be complicated. Honestly, when I decided to finally get into it I wasn't sure which books I needed. 

You Maniacs! You Blew It Up!

 This looks like a great place to set up shop.

Art by Erol Otus

Or maybe not....

Art by Ian MacLean.

The back cover of Broodmother Skyfortress for Lamentations of the Flame Princess lays waste to the iconic location, which is dope. I found it the other day while looking for resources for an OSE Keep game I want to do. Honestly I might have seen it before, but it looked new to me when I found saw it. I thought it was cool and I thought y'all might enjoy it too.

Character Creation Challenge - Day 18

Grab your tommy gun and illegal hootch. Today's character was created using Gangbusters B/X Edition.

Name: Dominic "Deuce" Richards

Class/Level: Street Smart 1 

XP: 0 (+5%  bonus)

Alignment: Neutrality

Type:  Troublemaker

Title: Hoodlum

Str 10  

Int 11- can read and write

Wis 10                

Con 11
Dex 15 - +1 to Initiative Adjustment and AC

Cha 13 - +1 Reaction Adjustment, 5 Max # of followers, 8 morale of followers

HD: 1d4

HP: 4 HP

Movement: 12

AC: 11 

Attacks 

Knife - 1d4 damage, can be thrown 10'

Save

Moxie 15

Quickness 16

Toughness 18

Driving 16

Observation 15

Other

When striking unnoticed he gets +4 to hit and inflicts X2 damage

Good At What He Does - Nimble Fingers, Move Silently, Hide, Word on the Streets (discovered on 1 or 2 on 1d6)

 

Equipment 

$10, hip flask, typical clothes, typical shoes, hat, backpack, lighter, knife

Background

Deuce has spent a life living on the streets. He's not a bad man, but tends to look out for number one. He's picked up a few tricks in his day and has been known to do jobs with private detectives and criminals when it suits him. 

Character Creation Challenge - Day 31

For my final character, I've decided to use Apes Victorious. If you aren't familiar, it's Labyrinth Lord meets Planet of the Apes. 

Name: Justinian

Class: Gorilla Soldier

Level: 1

XP: (+5% bonus)

Description: Rogue gorilla soldier that believes races can live in unity

Strength: 14

Attack/Damage Modifier: +1 Muscle Check:+1

Constitution: 12

Radiation/Poison Adjustment: 0 Resist Trauma: 85% HP Adjustment: 0

Dexterity: 11

Defense Modifier: 0 Missile Attack Modifier: 0 Initiative Modifier: 0

Intelligence: 9

Languages: English (Ape Dialect) Research and Tech Rolls: 0

Charisma: 10

Reaction Adjustment: 0 Subordinate/Hireling Morale: 7

Psionic Potential: 7

Recovery Rate: 1 per hour

Saving Throws

Energy Attacks: 15

Poison or Death: 12

Stun Attacks: 14

Radiation: 13

Hit Dice: 1d8+2

Hit Points: 12

To Hit Bonus: +1 melee/+0 range

Psi Points: 7

Attacks

Shotgun +0 to hit,  3d6 (short range)/1d6 (medium and long range)

Spear +1 to hit, 1d6+1 

Traits and Qualities
+2 saves vs fear

+2 Psi for purposes of defending against psi

-2 save vs illusionary effects

Money: 25 simian gp

Equipment: shotgun, spear, backpack, basic clothes, 8 torches

Character Creation Challenge - Day 9

 Grab your tommy gun and illegal hootch. Today's character is created using Gangbusters B/X Edition.

Name: Battling Bugsy Malone

Class/Level: Brutish 1 

XP: 0 (+5%  bonus)

Alignment: Law Abiding

Type:  City Slicker

Title: Stocky

Str 14 - +1 to hit damage, +1 Open Doors

Int 8 - can write basic words very slowly
Wis 12                

Con 12
Dex 11

Cha 14 - +1 Reaction Adjustment, 5 Max # of followers, 8 morale of followers

HD: 1d8

HP: 6 HP

Movement: 12

AC: 9 

Attacks 

Brass Knuckles - 1d6+1  damage

Save

Moxie 16

Quickness 17

Toughness 16

Driving 17

Observation 17

Other

Rough and Ready - when fighting adversaries of 1 HD or less, may make one attack for each of his HD. May make these attacks unarmed or with any weapons. 

Imposing - +1 to dice rolls to intimidate

Equipment 

$130.00

Background

Battling Bugsy Malone is a rough and tumble construction worker that got sick of seeing the common man stepped on. When he realized that the cops could only do so much, he decided to grab a pair of brass knuckles and fight crime himself.

Gangbusters B/X Edition

Gangbusters B/X is a roaring 20's tabletop game that uses the classic B/X D&D rules we love. This makes the game extremely accessible to OSR. The book is 64 pages and uses public domain art (which fits the setting). You can use it as written and play as reporters, criminals, private investigators, and coppers or you can use other B/X goodies and make the game more fantastic.

The classes are broad, but fit the genre well. You can be Brutish, Connected, Educated, or Street Smart. The alignments fit the system too: Law Abiding, Neutrality, and Dishonest. Since everyone in Gangbusters is human you don't pick races. Instead you pic a Type (such as Hoodlum or Immigrant) will will affect how others see you. The game has standard equipment charts and things. Like classic OSR weapons can do a flat damage rate or they can have varied damage based on type.

There are some great descriptions and rules on how to make the game feel authentic. There are discussions of the era, rules for crime, law enforcement, and starting your on gang. There are also details on investigation and the legal system (which characters will definitely be dealing with). I'm a pretty big fan of the court and bribing rules. A short discussion of designing settings is provided as well as rules for building adventures and rewarding players. I like that there are essentially magic items that are disguised as special equipment, such as "whiskey for medicinal purposes" that heals you 3 HP when you take a shot. There are simple, but effective vehicle rules.

I'm a really big fan of the adversary section. There are 26 allies and foes in this section, including Klansmen which have "slow-witted." I appreciate any excuse to kills racists in games, so my props to Mark for adding them. Combat is a bit more detailed than what you'll find in typical B/X with some cool optional rules, but really like what's here. My favorite additions are hurt bad which means your character doesn't immediately die at 0 HP. My favorite optional rule is "Shot in the Arm." Once per adventure characters can reduce the damage of an attack to take a wound to the arm that gives them some negative status until the rest and heal. This is a great way to emulate those awesome actions scenes in movies like Last Man Standing.

The books ends with a page discussing Mysterious Powers. This is perfect if you want to play something like the Shadow.

I really enjoyed reading the book and hope to get into some pulp action sooner, rather than later. You can get your copy here.

Witch I Might Be

This started out as a joke, but I'm so glad Tim decided to fully flesh it out and make it something more.

The Basic Witch: The Pumpkin Spice Tradition is the latest in a long (and amazing) line of OSR witch books by Tim over at The Other Side Blog. Like all of these books, there's some familiar elements and other content that's totally unique.

The pdf is 66 pages. The interior is black and white and the art is a mix of modern rpg and classic public domain. This really fits well with the theme of the book.

The book starts with a short introduction that discusses what exactly a witch is and how it compares to clerics and wizards in game terms. This section is very similar to other witch releases Tim has, but it only takes up a few pages, so no biggie if you've got the others.

The second part of the book details the witch class for Basic  versions of D&D. The overall class itself is the same as the version presented in The Witch: A Sourcebook for Basic Edition Fantasy Games. The major difference is this book includes the titular Pumpkin Spice tradition. Witches that follow the Pumpkin Spice tradition are more self aware and urban, that witches of other traditions. They are also a much newer tradition. While these aspects can cause some traditional witches to sneer and judge, Pumpkin Spice witches really don't give a damn.

A vast majority of the book is taken up by spells and rituals for the tradition (and other witches). These are very flavorful and while there is a bit of crossover with previous witch books, there's plenty of new content here. There are many that play on modern "basic bitch" stereotypes and Tim does an amazing job of turning these into usable content. Here are some of the more comical sounding spells:

Oh My God, Becky!
Witch Slap
You Can't Sit With Us
Live, Laugh, Love
Cougar's Kiss

The next section includes a plethora of new monsters associated with witches and Halloween.  Of note, one of my favorites is the Children of Twilight Vampire... which yes was inspired by Twilight. It's just such a perfect fit for this book and I'm glad Tim added it.

This section is followed by several new magic items associated with Pumpkin Spice witches. My favorite has to be ugly boots, an obvious reference to Uggs.

The book ends with three unique witches of the Pumpkin Spice tradition. They represent the Maiden, the Mother, and Crone. First you have young Becky, who likes to pretend she's not as smart as she actually is so others underestimate her. She is trying to find herself. Next you have the no-nonsense Karen. She's blunt, she tells you what she thinks, and if you don't take her seriously she will want to talk to whoever is in charge. Finally you have the cougar, Carol. Carol's husband ran off with a younger woman and now the witch is living her best life, growing in power, and taking younger lovers.

This books is a wonderful collection of modern witchy goodness. If you want something a little different from you witches (or just really love Fall and Halloween like me), you definitely need to check this out.

The Children of the Gods

I've not got a chance to check it out yet, but Tim has a new witch book, The Children of the Gods: The Classical Witch Tradition, and it sounds phenomenal (and will pair perfectly with his last release). 

Old Gods Rise! 

“Who knows not Circe, The daughter of the Sun, whose charmed cup Whoever tasted, lost his upright shape, And downward fell into a groveling swine?”  - John Milton

Sumer. Egypt. Greece. Rome.

These are the foundations of civilization. Where mythology, religion, and magic collide in a fertile land.

It is a time of Gods and Witches!

This book introduces the Classical Witch Tradition. Witches from the ancient time of myths and legends.

- The witch class and four new combination classes
- Guidelines for playing any species of witch
- Six witch covens of the Classical Tradition
- 120 Spells and Rituals for witch characters
- 24 Monsters to challenge or be allies
- 29 magic items and six artifacts
- Three Non-player character witches from pages of mythology

Fully compatible with BLUEHOLME and other Basic-Era games.

Fully compatible with other witch books from The OtherSide.

The Cult of Diana

Just wanted to direct y'all to The Cult of Dianna: The Amazon Witch. It is the latest witch release from my friend, Tim Brannan. The 28 page pdf contains the complete witch class and Amazon witch tradition. Like all of Tim's work, it's a great addition to any old school game. Oh yeah, did I mention it was free? What are you waiting for? Go snag it now and spread the witchy love!

Draugr & Draculas Review

This week I received some Kickstarter goodness!

Draugr & Draculas is a one shot zine written by my friend Josh of JHLB Polytechnic and Bernie The Flumph. Last week I reviewed the first issue of Josh's zine, Crepuscular, if you if you missed it, check it out.

There is 60+ pages of amazing content packed into this little zine. Josh did every piece of art except for one, which was done by industry icon, Bradley K, McDevitt. I love Josh's style. Here's what you're getting if you pick this up.

• Draugr - three pages of undead viking goodness. There are stats for Draugr, Greater Draugr, Druagr Lords, and the unique Draugr Queen they all serve. There's a phenomenal piece of art for her. 
• Draugr Karl ("Free Man") - This class allows you to play an undead viking. While they are free-willed they still serve their Queen. They have some really cool abilities and eat flesh. What more could you want in a class?
• Pagan's Well - Pagan's well is an adventure site. It has a cool map and 12 encounter locations. Adventure hooks are also provided.
• Satanic Pacts - You made a deal with the Devil, now what? This short article describes how you can make a magical bargain with Satan and gifts he can grant you. There are many cool ones and the names are often humorous or related to pop culture. I think Red Right Hand and Black Phillip were my favorite names. I really enjoy the art for this entry.
• Vampires - This is a discussion about what vampirism is and how it affects mortals. It divides vampires into two groups (weaker plebs and older patricians). There's a lot of lore and flavor about them, including how to combat the blood suckers. Note: There are powerful vampires that don't fall into these categories.
• Count Dracula - The Lord of the Night gets a few pages of content specific too him proper. We're presented with his background, a secret origin chart (which has some fantastic ideas), and his stats. As you'd imagine, he's a quite the challenge to face.
• Dracula's Minions - several pages are devoted to Drac's chief minions, which are a hunchback, wolfman, fish-woman, invisible wizard, his brides (three vampire plebs), and three disciples (vampire patricians).
• Dracula's Castle - This sections starts with a fantastic centerfold map that shows the 36 major locations for the Count's castle. There is a random encounter tables, a spooking happenings table, and the major rooms get brief snap shots. It also looks like a map from one of the Castlevania games. 

• Vampire Hunter - This class is phenomenal class uses a whip, fights as a fighter, saves as a cleric and can do whip tricks (which basically function like Mighty Deeds of Valor from Dungeon Crawl Classics). They are also strong willed, have true faith, know a bit of folk magic that helps them face the undead, and have a talisman tied to their quest to slay the vampire scourge.
• Elizabeth Bathory - Bathory is Dracula's pupil, but eventually betrayed the Count and became his great rival. She's quite powerful, serves Lamia, and uses the reanimated corpse of her former lover as a bodyguard (stats given). Elizabeth's art is the one piece not done by Josh. It's a great piece and Bradley outdid himself. I do admit it feels just a little out of place though because it's not the same style as the rest of the book. Not a critique of the piece though, it's awesome!
• Bathory's Blood Magic - A few pages are devoted to the blood magic of ancient Lamia. It can be unlocked by a unique spell that can only be cast by women.
• New Spells - Five new spells are presented, they very in level, though one is extremely powerful. My favorite is a tribute to Radu of Subspecies. 
• New Magic Items - The final section details four new magic items. One is a valuable tool for those that face evil, two are related to the Draugr, and one is the very sword wielded by Count Dracula!

If you can't tell, I absolutely love this zine! Josh really outdid himself with it and the book is worth more than the Kickstarter of post-Kickstarter price, in my opinion. The artwork is phenomenal and there isn't wasted space. The inside covers contain the location maps found within the tome.

I'll be honest this made me smile too:

The picture of my name in the Special Thanks To: section also leads me to one last thing I wanted to mention. This zine can easily be used in any old school game, but was designed with Lamentations of the Flame Princess in mind. Josh includes a note about what that means. 

If you've ever wanted to play a Castlevania campaign, this zine is for you. The pdf will be available at the JHLB Polytechnic publisher page on DriveThruRPG soon. 

The Daughters of Darkness: The Mara Witch for Basic Era Games Review

The Daughters of Darkness: Lilith and the Mara Witch Tradition is the latest witch tome from my friend Tim over at The Other Side Blog. If you have any of Tim's other witch books, this one will look familiar. That being said there is a lot of great new material that makes this a must have for witch lovers.

Physically the book comes in close to 80 pages. The interior is black and white and the art is a mix of modern rpg and classic public domain. This really fits well with the theme of the book.

The book starts with a short introduction that discusses what exactly a witch is and how it compares to clerics and wizards in game terms. This section is very similar to other witch releases Tim has, but it only takes up a few pages, so no biggie if you've got the others.

The second part of the book details the witch class for Basic  versions of D&D. The overall class itself is the same as the version presented in The Witch: A Sourcebook for Basic Edition Fantasy Games. The major difference is this book includes the titular Mara Witch tradition. The Mara are associated with both life and death, which gives them a dark reputation, even for "good" members of the tradition.

A vast majority of the book is taken up by spells and rituals for the tradition (and other witches). These are very flavorful and while there is a bit of crossover with previous witch books, there's plenty of new content here.

The next session is possibly my favorite. There are 39 monsters that can face your party or be allies. My favorite among them are the various Lilim (daughters of Lillith) and different types of vampires (also often considered to be Lilith's children). These monsters stats are followed by three very powerful evil witches. The first is Mary Worth aka Bloody Mary. Tim has done a great job of taking a classic legend and making it game-able. The second unique witch is Darlessa, the Queen of Vampires. If you want a nightmarish vampire witch, she's just what you've been waiting for. Finally stats are included for Lilith, herself.

If you have any interest in witches, Lilith, demons, or vampires and OSR gaming, then I think this is a must have. I own all of Tim's witch books and I think this might be my favorite.

Quick Reviews for Birch + Bat Studios

Birch + Bat Studios is the creation of Kiel Chenier and Arella Prest. You might know Kiel as the author of the fantastic and controversial (aren't they all) LotFP adventure, Blood in the Chocolate. They have some really cool mugs, shirts, stickers, and other things, but today I want to talk about their pdfs.

Their gaming pdfs are 50% off through the end of the month. I've purchased three of them and though I'd do a little quick review/recommendation.

Seance of Slumber is 11 page 5e supplement adds the element of dreams to your game. It includes a new merchant, who has some really cool dream related merchandise (including new magic items). There are some random tables to determine what the characters dream of. This is a fun little pdf and is currently less than a dollar.

Von Bottom's Hoard  is an interesting adventure for D&D (any version or variation) that has a humorous anime feel too it. The titular Baron Augustus von Bottom is a wealthy retired adventure who's swollen into a giant balloon man because of dragon sickness (caused from hoarding gold and eating dragon meat). The very open-end mansion crawl adventure is full of zany maids, cooks, and other servants. If you like humorous fantasy anime, pick this one up for sure. It's currently available for less than two dollars.

Burlesque House Siege! is an OSR adventure designed for tabletop gaymers and GenCon2016. The party find themselves having a waking up at the Maison Derriere, after a good night (which can randomly be determined by a roll). The players learn that there is a bandit army on its way to the burlesque house and must prepare, rally the employees, and defend the establishment. The pdf contains details and stats for several of the dancers, plus the bandits and their leader. Additionally there are discussions on running it as a convention game or making it a part of your home campaign. Finally, there are rules for running the Maison Derriere, should the pc's come into ownership of it, along with random burlesque dancer, performance, and show interruption tables. One thing I really loved about this adventure is despite the fact that every friendly character is LGBT, that has nothing to do with the plot and conflict. While I'm sure this one won't jive with some folks taste, I really like it and want to use it at some point. This pdf is also currently less than two dollars.

Chromatic Soup 01 Review

I've talked about two of Evlyn Moreau's books, The Kobolds' Art Exhibition and Spinetooth Oasis, before. Today I wanted to talk about a project that she spearheaded, Chromatic Soup 01. Physically the zine, I think I'm going to call it a zine, has odd dimensions (4.25"x6.88") and features Evlyn's unique black and white art.

The zine discusses two different (but connected) swamp areas, the Biting Marshes and the Mae Khwam Kruna rice lands. Another nearby area, the Flatstone Fortress is also mentioned and lightly detailed.

The Biting Marshes are the home to the Swamp Duke and his growing army. While he plays humble, he secretly eyes for more power. His army includes swamp marines, log-jaw pipers, and stew pot witches. Each of these groups gets a class variant. Log-jaw pipers command packs of gators. Stewpot witches are my favorite though, because of their animated pot familiars. This section also details a goblin tribe, bobcat men, a few locations, and include charts that help flesh out the flora and fauna of the swamp.

The rice lands details the unique magic of the land and it's shrines. It also includes a variant magic-user. New insectile fae are introduced as well. The Flatstone Fortress is home to an order of merchant knights (the receive class treatment). Various charts are given to flesh them out, give them squires, and a few example knights are presented. The book ends with several charts and articles about swamp encounters (that would work in either swamp).

If you like a bit of weirdness in your OSR, you need to pick this up. At 176 pages, it's only 5.04. Its a great supplement to Fever Swamp.

B/X Essentials: Demihumans of Dolmenwood

B/X Essentials: Demihumans of Dolmenwood is a free mini supplement for B/X Essentials (soon to be Old-School Essentials) and is playtest info for the in-development Dolmenwood Player's Handbook. If you aren't familiar with Dolmenwood, it's a fairy tail inspired forest setting created by Necrotic Gnome and featured in the Wormskin zine. The short supplement includes the following:

The Elf (Fairy) class- The elves of Dolmenwood are far more otherworldly than typical B/X elves. They are immortal, they are considered to have a CHA of at least 14 (for physical attractiveness), have access to special runes, can use magical glamours, and read magic. However, their ties to the fey realms main that they are vulnerable to silver and cold iron. Additionally, because the fey are outside of the realms of the gods, beneficial aid from divine magic won't necessarily affect them.

Woodgrue class - Woodgue are bat-faced demi-fey that know how to have a good time. They have musical abilities and can communicate via the wind and can use their abilities to cause those that hear it go into a mad revelry.  Like the Fairy Elf they are vulnerable to cold iron and silver. Additionally, they are compelled to take part in jubilation they witness must abide by ancient rites.

Favours for the Elf Lords - In addition to normal treasure, adventurers in Dolmenwood can gain special favours from the lords and ladies of the fey. The provide limited uses of spells or other unique abilities.

This was a cool little supplement and full of flavour. If you play B/X games, you should definitely download this one and take a look.

Music Monday - Vikings & Vampires

Joshua Burnett's Draugrs & Draculas Kickstarter project ends next week.  The project is an OSR zine that will contain the following:

• Stats and details on Dracula, his servants, and his rival, Elizabeth Bathory!
• Draugr information and a class
• Rules for making a deal with the Devil!
• Magic items of perilous power
• Pagan's Well - a small dungeon full of traps and treasures
• Anything else he can fit in.

Josh is a cool cat and you know this this one is right up my alley. I too love vikings and vampires (plus deals with the Devil).  If you're an OSR person, you should definitely check this one out.

I'm dedicating this Music Monday post to the zine by posting my favorite viking and vampire tracks.

"Hold the heathen hammer with a battle cry

For pagan I live and one day will die"

"I'm slipping through the cracks again

They'll never take me alive because I'm already dead"

Monsterarium Review

Monsterarium is a unique bestiary for old school D&D games released by Knight Owl Publishing. The monsters are pulled from Persian folklore and the artist's mind. It has a slight Lamentations of the Flame Princess design style, but can easily work for any version of D&D.

The book is divided into two sections: Monsters and Creatures of the Wood. This is a strange dichotomy because the author mentions, not all of the monsters want to hurt you and no all of the woodland creatures are friendly. There are ten monsters and eight creatures. They are:

• Al -demons that target newborns and their mothers
• Cord Leg - a bizarre creature adds to a character's physical load
• Ejdohogo - ancient peacock dragons
• Faux Siren - a plan that lures do-gooders to death with a pleasant visage
• Hair that had a Human - a parasite that appears to be a human face and long luxurious locks 
• Lich Queen - a very fashionable undead queen
• Loot Wyvern - small winged lizards that bury themselves in treature
• Night Hag - shapeshifting hags that steal sleep from humans
• Peri - bloodsucking sprites
• Tremulous Troll - lawful fungus covered troll that believes she is the last of her kind
• Faun - Lord of the peri's and wisps (featured on the cover) and ruler of the Wood
• Flying Gold Fish - mysterious healers and light sources for a glorious city on a hill
• Harpy Summoner - anti-patriarchal allies of the women of the Lejawardian Mountains
• Torchbearer - a demigod/legend/ghost story that will aid adventurers
• Keeja - the chief of the peris
• Spate Nymph - a wise and apathetic nymph
• Wisp Warriors and Wizards - crystal born denizens of the Wood

If you want to add a new level of strange to your game, this is a monster book for you. These denizens aren't random encounter chart fodder and each deserves its own adventure hook. Today I found out that you can order print copies from Knight Owl Publishing's website. You can grab one here. You can pick up the pdf here. 

Ohio Is For Zine Lovers

I never realized that Ohio gamers loved zines. As of right now, I see that there are four different projects for Zine Quest that are being created by Ohioans. They are:

Cade's Big Book 'o Booze - Yeah, this one is cheap for me to mention, because it's mine. I've talked about it at length, but it's a 5e alcohol-themed zine. I'm currently based out of Chillicothe.

Draugrs and Draculas - This vampire and undead viking themed OSR zine is come to us from Toledo. I've already blogged about it here. It's interesting to note that one of the stretch goals involves the addition of art from industry veteran and  Ohio-native Bradley K. McDevitt

Temple of the Blood Moth - This zine is a fantastic sounding OSR adventure that involves mutant moths and doomsday cults. It comes to us from Oberlin.

CTHONIC CORNBELT: An 80's RPG Zine - This rules lite zine has an interesting style and has a cool DP&D vibe to me. It comes to us from Wooster.


Also, if you don't get the reference to a song that I loved back in my college emo days...

Draugr & Draculas Kickstarter

Druagr & Draculas is a new Kickstarter by Joshua LH Burnett. It's a one-shot OSR zine about viking and vampires! If that doesn't excite you, we probably shouldn't be friends. Josh is doing all of the art and writing himself.  The physical copy will be 5.5" X 8.5" zine, staple-bound, and printed in black-and-white, just like the Zine Quest guidelines. This thing is going to have some great stuff.

• Stats and details on Dracula, his servants, and his rival, Elizabeth Bathory!
• Draugr information and a class
• Rules for making a deal with the Devil!
• Magic items of perilous power
• Pagan's Well - a small dungeon full of traps and treasures
• Anything else he can fit in.

I'm going to be honest, this book had me with Dracula. Josh has promised this version of the big bad will be something Lee and Langella would be proud of. Then the man decides he's going to pit Drac against my other favorite historical vampire, Bathory?! I've been joking that she was one of my lovers in a past life for years. Then you throw in undead vikings and deals with the Satan... Those are just icing on the delicious, evil, devilish cake for me. 

I seriously can't wait to hold this one in my hands and put it to use. I need this zine and you need to back it asap.

Spinetooth Oasis Review

Spinetooth Oasis is a short module/mini setting by Evlyn Moreau. It has maps, 20 keyed locations, and a few random maps. All of the artwork (except the back cover) have been created by Evlyn.

While this book is definitely OSR, it's written in a way that makes it easy to use in any version of D&D, including 5e. For example, instead of being given a numerical AC, stats say "Armor as cloth."

The locations provided are really interesting. They are populated by various quirky factions, such as owl-faced cultists seeking revenge and a warrior sisterhood that refuses to clean themselves. There are powerful natural entities at work as well, including two cacti deities, elementals, and cursed water.

A party could spend several memorable sessions in the Oasis.

Like The Kobolds' Art Exhibition this is a unique book that includes some one of a kind material to use in your game. It's only a few dollars on Lulu (not counting shipping) and you should snag it (and all of Evlyn's other books).

The Kobolds' Art Exhibition Review

The Kobolds' Art Exhibition is a quirky piece of indie gaming goodness that everyone should check out. Featuring writing and art by Evlyn Moreau, the 32 page black and white booklet details a traveling art exhibition ran by a tribe of kobolds. This really is one of a kind little expansion to any dungeon. 

The titular kobolds travel via a magic painting that depicts the room the art installation is in. This painting then repaints itself and becomes a portal to the next empty dungeon room the portal leads to. This means that over the course of a campaign, the party could encounter the group several times in several different locations. Once the group arrives, they set up their art. scout the dungeon, search for other art to procure, and become a unique (but temporary) dungeon oddity.  The tribe members are given stats and nice snapshots for DM's to work with. In addition, the business side of the group is discussed as is the art itself. There are several tables to keep things interesting. 

This book is entertaining, quirky as Hell, and definitely reusable. I love Evelyn's artistic style and plan on including this one of a kind kobold tribe in my game. 

According to the product page, this is written for Labyrinth Lord specifically, but obviously can easily be adapted to any iteration of D&D. You can get this unique piece of OSR goodness in print or pdf.