Ring Side Report- RPG review of The Hidden Library

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- The Hidden Library System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed or DnD 5e Producer- Beyond the Horizon Price- $2 or free! here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_info.php?products_id=472184%7B1%7D1&discounts_id=99fec55d94&info_message=Discount%20redeemed.%20The%20Hidden%20Library%20%28PF2%29%20has%20been%20added%20to%20your%20cart%20at%20a%20discounted%20price&checkout_after_login=1&?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR-Good library fun for free! 95%

Basics- Moonlight library madness! Our heroes are hired to infiltrate a library that only appears at night. Can the heroes get in, get the goods, and get out while nature fights them at every turn?

Mechanics or Crunch- This adventure is well balanced and has several different pieces for the players to play with. There’s combat, social, and a big skill test to find the hidden book. Many of the combats use standard creatures, but there are custom encounters and haunts as part of this adventure. Overall, it’s a well done crunch. 5/5

Theme or Fluff- Beyond the Horizon is building a world adventure by adventure. This adventure builds off other published adventures and characters they introduced, and the continuation is appreciated. And as in the crunch, there are social and skill tests to let different players get into the action. It might need a bit more box text to build into the story, but overall it’s well done. 4.75/5

Execution- I like what’s here, but this needs a bit more to be amazing. I like the text and pictures. I have one minor issue with the layout as I think the background color is a bit strong and partially distracts from the text. I like the fact that the adventure has a separate bestiary with all the different monsters in it. I HATE when a book tell me to go somewhere else when I paid for this book! The one issue that might hurt this book is the lack of maps. Other adventures from Beyond the Horizon have had maps, so that might have helped here. But it's hyperlinked and reads fast, so my only issue is I want more. 4.5/5

Summary-The Hidden Library is a solid adventure where my real only issue is that I would like more content. The crunch is good, and the company is building a world piece by piece leading to something bigger. I’m enjoying what is coming out. I would like a bit more story and maps, but if you have some generic maps you will be fine. And for the price of FREE get this one ASAP! 95 %

Cloudsea is a setting which puts a new spin on the fantasy D&D setting. More of a steampunk-styled setting over a toxic-cloud-covered wasteland, Cloudsea mixes 20's styling, social and political commentary, and ambiguity of character to leave a lot of options open for DM preparation. All this while providing ample hooks, in-universe perspectives, and everything else a GM could need to run a Cloudsea game.

Outside of minor syntax issues (which were acknowledged and promptly corrected), the contents of the book are balanced next to base 5E material and meant to make your players part of the world, and make Cloudsea come to life.

If you would kindly give it a try, I promise you would not be disappointed.

An absolutely excellent setting delivered in a delightful manner. This book is a setting guide, and it does a great job of giving the reader a sense of what it would be like to live in the world. Many setting guides are written from the perspective of the omniscient encyclopedist, and fail to convey what the average member of a world would know and believe about the setting, however this book spends much of its time conveying the perspective of the typical adventurer or citizen to the world around them, a decision which helps characterization and helps the world feel alive, rather than a collection of facts. The book does pull back the curtain as well, all the crucial details are revealed to the reader, not just left ambiguous as ‘rumors’ or ‘legends.’ Instead, the book will talk about both the common conceptions and the true reality of the world, ensuring that players know what their characters have been exposed to and believe, and GMs will have ample opportunity to reveal the lies they have been fed. Beyond the narrative content this book is filled with all the stat blocks, rules, characters, and hooks a GM might need to run the game, as well as player options for portraying the inhabitants. I haven’t played with all the content yet, so can’t comment on the nitty-gritty, but from a first pass the content is exciting and relatively streamlined. Definitely one of the best setting guides I’ve read, and an excellent source whether you want to run as written, or mine for ideas or content.

Government conspiracies, radiation clouds, and atmosphere so thick you can practically hear the grizzled detective's voice over, Cloudsea is a fantastic take on a roaroing '20s ascetic and a great twist on the traditional D&D setting.

The technology included in the campaign is fun but not overpowered. Desperate battles in the air between sky pirates and PC's are really given an extra kick when you're fighting over a massive cloud of radiation. Yeah, your PC has a feather token, but do you really want to slowly fall into a deadly cloud? Not to mention what waits for you on the surface.

The only thing I really want is more monsters. Rad zombies are, well, rad, but theres alot of room to explore more mutants and hideous creatures that await you on the murky surface.

I've enjoyed several of Beyond the Horizons books so far and all of them are solid supplements.

Highly recommend this if you like archetypes, especially for the oracle. New flavors are always appreciated.

Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Black Powder Rebellion - Firearms and Historical Campaigns (PF2)

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- Black Powder Rebellion - Firearms and Historical Campaigns (PF2) System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed Producer- Beyond the Horizon Price- $6.95 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/350371/Black-Powder-Rebellion--Firearms-and-Historical-Campaigns-PF2?term=black+powder+rebellion?affiliate_id=658618 TL; DR- I need guns… LOTS OF GUNS. 98%

Basics- OVER THE WALL! Black Powder Rebellion - Firearms and Historical Campaigns is a third party book focusing on using historical settings and guns in Pathfinder 2nd Ed games. The book introduces guns from all across the history of firearms, history and settings information for players and GMs, and even character options to take any character and make it a gun toting hero.

Mechanics or Crunch- The goal of this book is to add guns and world history settings to Pathfinder, do so without magic being the major focus, and then give the players options to build characters in that world. And in that, it succeeds completely. There are LOTS of guns in this book with only one fake gun that I know of. That's some dedication to realism across multiple time points in history. Character options are also solid crunch as archetypes are put to good use in this book allowing any class to pick up a gun and go to war. Solid crunch for any group that wants to add guns to their sessions as both a GM and a player. 5/5

Theme or Fluff- How much history do you know? I might not have majored in history in college, but I love to learn it. I also grew up teaching hunter safety in the US. There are gun things I learned from this book from across history that I have not heard yet! That is some solid dedication to the gun and world history. From old school single shot guns, to samurai with guns on horseback, to trench warfare, if you want some historical guns in your PF2 game and the story behind them, this is the accessory for you and your friends. 5/5

Execution- PDF? YEP! Hyperlinked? YES! This is a solid book that is well written, well laid out, and reads easily. It wasn’t a slog even though this is a history book. Heck, this book even hyperlinks out to other media to help you LEARN more. That's good use of the medium! My complaints are, as always, pictures. A few more would make this read a bit easier to read in the text chunkier areas. Also, this book digs DEEP on some firearm types. I would like a few more pictures, so i know what the gun looks like. That said, for the price of less than seven bucks, this is a solid book and a good effort by the team. 4.75/5

Summary-Want some guns in PF2? Want to play historical games in PF2? This is the book you need. Solid options, solid themes, and solid equipment all make a solid book. I always want more pictures, but that is the ONLY complaint I have for this one. Another great book at a good price for this team. 98%

Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Pocket Lint, Light Loot & Tiny Treasures

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- Pocket Lint, Light Loot & Tiny Treasures System-NONE! Producer- Beyond the Horizon Price- $1.95 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/321954/Pocket-Lint-Light-Loot--Tiny-Treasurest?affiliate_id=658618 TL; DR-Solid, random stuff! 95%

Basics- What has it got in its pocketses? Need some random stuff an NPC is carrying and not sure what they have? This is the book for you. Roll a d20, then a d6, and finally a d20 again. Random pocket stuff on the fly!

Mechanics or Crunch- Roll three dice, get an item. That’s the basic idea, and it works pretty well! The book is here to help you find some good, random stuff, and the number of dice make it pretty random. The one thing I would like is a random die to know how many items each creature should have. The book gives a bit of advice: aim between 1 to 2 and no more than six, but throw another die in there to get me a number. Aside from that, it's an easy, quick way to find some stuff that can make a monster’s random possessions stand out. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff-This is where the book shines. You need some random crap on a monster? DONE! And it’s lively! Each thing feels like it will build a world a little bit. Solid random stuff in these tables. 5/5

Execution- PDF? YEP! Hyperlinked? No… This book is solidly layed out and has good tables and readability. It’s 14 pages including an intro and cover page, but otherwise its tables. But I can read them quickly and easily. THAT’S WHAT A LOT OF BOOKS NEED TO LEARN! Would like some linking so I can use this as a quick reference more, but that’s the only negative here. 4.75/5

Summary-If you need some random on the fly, then this is your book. You will be surprised how easily some of these things could become whole adventure seeds. Some, on the other hand, are just fun. I have my minor issues, but for less than two bucks, you get a whole lot of bang for those two bucks if you need some quick ideas to spice up the random possessions you find on a fallen foe. 95%