EDIT:
For a Ravenloft fan the Bleeding Edge adventures look interesting, as does Fang & Fury: A Guidebook to Vampires and perhaps Medieval Player's Manual. Hamunaptra is said to be a very good egyptian setting. Skull & Bones is a highly acclaimed pirate book. The Thieves' Quarter and Temple Quarter Citybooks look interesting to me. Then of course there's also the Freeport and the Thieves' World stuff, the class handbooks and much more....
Last edited by The Giamarga on Fri Nov 30, 2007 3:13 am, edited 9 times in total.
But I don't know Green Ronin - anybody recommend something RLish he has read / heard good of?
EDIT: browsing through the list, I saw a RED STAR RPG game? hey, cool...
Joël
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
I haven't ever read anything by Green Ronin, but from browsing the through books in shops I usually have a good idea of their books, at least in presentation.
The Advanced Player's Manual. I don't really like it, except perhaps for the skills chapter, which gives modifiers to skills depending on the anatomy of the creature using them, and the psychic class, which is much more interesting than the WotC's psion class (Closer to the 2nd Ed. psionic). The race custom tailored traits, close to the Player's Option's stuff, are outdated, and the same happens with the Battlesystem-like mass combat rules (I prefer Heroes of Battle all the way). The other new classes are not interesting (Too close to the core, yet they use completely new systems you have to learn), and the new spells, feats, etc. seem to be there just to support the rest of the book.
OTOH, I like the Medieval Player's Manual, a lot. The rules on Astrology, Alchemy, Theurgy, Folk Charms and Charisms (Powers given by god to the pure of heart) pay the book, and all of them could be easily adapted to Ravenloft, giving it an interesting medieval/folkloric edge. The classes based on the catholic church can also be adapted to a highly hierarchic church with different internal philosophies, and with a small taint of corruption (Ezra, maybe?). There are other rules that I don't find as useful, as the rules for philosophy or art, but I'm sure there may be someone who can give them some use in their games.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"
William Blake
If you do, I suggest you add to your order Pathfinder Rise of the Runelords Chapter 2: "The Skinsaw Murders". This issue has a serial killer on the run, and a creepy haunted house (with fun mechanics to DM haunting, i.e. as traps). Highly recommended! Easy to adapt to RL.
Chapter 2: "The Skinsaw Murders"
by Richard Pett
A sudden string of brutal killings terrorizes Sandpoint, and the killer’s mark bears a disturbing similarity to the strange rune the goblins in the previous adventure had taken as their tribal totem. Investigation leads the heroes to confront a sinister murderer who has claimed a notorious haunted mansion as his lair. Yet this murderer is one of many, a member of a group of killers who call themselves the Skinsaw Men and have adopted an ancient magic involving the seven deadly sins. The PCs must travel to the bustling city of Magnimar to unravel the truth behind the rune, but in so doing may become prime suspects in the killings themselves!
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
paizo wrote:Will it ever stop? While picking up some product from Green Ronin for their hugely successful sale, Chris Pramas found a stash of out-of-print products that he promptly agreed to add to the sale. So hurry and check out the crazy low prices on Armies of the Abyss, The Book of Fiends, Hell in Freeport, The Psychic's Handbook, Martial Arts Mayhem, and Todd Gamble's Cartographica! At these prices, and with these low quantities, I don't expect them to be around for long!
We've also decided to clear out some of our Paizo T-shirts in preparation for new designs coming in early 2008! Both the Kill Doctor Lucky: Monkey Hand T-Shirt and the Stonehenge T-Shirt are 50% off, while supplies last!
We also have a great deal on a few copies of the Dungeons & Dragons: Player's Handbook Hardcover Special Edition. This leather-bound book presents the 3.5 edition of the rules in a format that will last forever and look amazing on your tabletop! And at almost 47% off the cover price, this isn't a price that will stick around for long.
thanks for the tip! Picked up a bunch of neat looking stuff. Unfortunately, I missed out on the egyptian and pirate books. But can't beat those prices!
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
Huh? Hamunaptra is still available, as is Skull & Bones. Or did you decide not to get them?
I also ordered quite a bunch, but stalled on some of the items that my FLGS said it has on backorder. (incl those two) The nearer we get to Dec. 12th the more nervous i get.
For those with tight wallets right now, the Legends & Lairs books are ALWAYS 5$ each (unless FFG plans to raise them after this). I don't know about the other books, can't remember...
I have Steam & Sorcery and Darkness & Dread (if I remember correctly, Joël did a review for D&D).
S&S has some interesting bits too!
They weren't great books, but at 5$ they were decent with lots of stuff to plunder from and expand.
Patrick
Mysteries of Darkon (AKA Miranda Cornelius' Journal)
On hiatus while visiting Ptolus, City by the Spire, new RL-inspired campaign: Madness Rising!
www.bullonir.wikidot.com
Green Ronin makes some high quality stuff, but besides the Psychic, and maybe the Witch (which will be 3.0), there's not much that could directly be Ravenloft-ish.
Medeival Player's Manual was mentioned, but really, they have a lot of specific settings, such as Rome, Testament, and stuff.
Meanwhile, for Fantasy Flight Games, Midnight is a game I run when I can't convince people to play Ravenloft. It's a dark setting, and usually is compared to Lord of the Rings, except Sauron won and it's 100 years later. Not a whole lot for swiping though, although it does have some horror elements (undead are created because souls can't leave to eternal rest. So everyone has to burn bodies to prevent people from rising. Undead also can retain their intelligence, and don't realize their dead, until the hunger comes upon them . . . )
I already have FFG's Darkness & Dread. I'd recommend it to any Ravenloft player or anyone who wants to start a horror-based home-brew world. The rules for libraries and research are worth the price of the book alone.
[url=http://www.classichorrorfilmboard.com/]Classic Horror Film Board[/url]
[url=http://www.halloweenartexhibit.com/]Annual Halloween Art Exhibit - Chicago[/url]
)
But can't beat those prices!
