I was sent a free copy of Star Trek: Star Realmsto review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions of the game. This will be my honest review. Make sure you check out my review for Star Realms: Frontiers.
I am happy to announce my newest sponsor, Game Nerdz. If you’re looking to buy any card games, board games, miniatures, and more, get it over at Game Nerdz using my affiliate links. Game Nerdz offers some fantastic pricing on anything you need, and it really helps me out.
What is Star Trek: Star Realms?
Star Trek: Star Realms is the officially licenses reskin of the popular Wise Wizard Games. This is a 2-4 player deck building game where players build a powerful space fleet and reduce their opponents authority to zero. Players take turns buying ships, collecting resources, and attacking their opponents.
Whats in the box?
You get everything you need to play in a very neat and compact package. The game includes:
130 game cards
Point counters
Playmat
Rulebook
How to play Star Realms
The included rulebook does a good job of teaching players the flow of the game, but here is a great tutorial by The Board Meeples for you visual learners.
Review
Star Trek: Star Realmsis a high-quality board game with sturdy and well-printed cards. The packaging is fantastic. The box art is cool and iconic. The game pieces are packed neatly inside a cardboard insert with the schematics of the iconic Galaxy class ship. The box can fit all 130-sleeved cards and its contents without having to toss out the insert.
The playmat is nice glossy paper, but it won’t survive as long as the rest of the game. This isn’t a huge deal because it isn’t really needed once players learn the rules. It is a fantastic extra to have when learning the game, but it becomes less valuable the more you play. The damage counters are cool and well-made, but I would rather use an ap.
The card quality is fantastic. The card stock has a good thickness and weight, and the cards feel sturdy. I still advise sleeving since you will be shuffling a lot, but the cards can take a good enough beating before having to buy a new set. Unfortunately, the art is a bit disappointing. Fans of the series might appreciate the style, but the illustrations are too dark. Most of the time, I didn’t know what ship I was looking at. The art in the mainline games is a lot better.
That said, the mechanics and flavor are fantastic. Each faction feels unique, the game is easy to learn, and it is a lot of fun to play. Once I got a few games in, I didn’t mind the art because the flavor of faction made up for it. I am speaking as a casual Star Trek fan, and while I can recognize a few of the names, I can’t tell you how accurate of an adaptation this game is.
If you’re looking to start your journey into Star Realms, the Star Trek version is a fantastic place to start. The rulebook is clear, the game is easy to pick up and teach, and the game is a lot of fun. I do wish the game had solo options like Frontiers did, but nothing is stoping you from playing yourself. If you’re looking for a fun deck familiar deck builder to play with your friends, check out Star Trek: Star Realms.
You can pick up Star Trek Star Realms on Game Nerdz ($18.97 + shipping) or Amazon ($24.99) using my affiliate links.
I was sent a free copy of Star Realms: Frontierto review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
If you want to pick up Star Realmsor any other board games at fantastic prices, get them over at Game Nerdz through my affiliate link.
What is Star Realms: Frontier?
Star Realms: Frontiers is a 1-4 player deck-building card game. Gather your resources and build the best fleet in the galaxy. Loyalty to certain factions may help a player cement their place in the galaxy, but only those with the fastest, ships and abundant resources can rule it. Do you have what it takes?
What’s in the box?
Star Realms: Frontiers comes with 152 cards, including an 80-card trade deck and 8 oversized challenge cards for solo and cooperative play.
Quality
The quality is fantastic. This is a beautifully printed game with high-quality pieces. I am very happy with the weight and thickness of the cards, and they feel durable enough to survive a few years of consistent use. I sleeved them like a crazy person, but the sleeved deck fits snugly in the compact box for easy storage. I like to sleeve card games where I have to shuffle a lot to keep the cards in good condition and because it makes shuffling the decks easier.
Gameplay
Players will take turns spending and generating resources, and attacking their enemies. Each player and NPC starts with a set amount of Authority and the same basic deck. Authority is lost through combat. A player or NPC loses the game when Authority drops to zero. During a turn, players can cast cards that generate resources to buy ships, stations, or bases. Players can also summon units to attack.
As the game progresses, players will upgrade their decks. Building towards a certain faction can give players access to more power, but they are always at the mercy of RNG, especially in bigger games. While going in with a strategy is important, being flexible and adapting to the changes in the trade deck is what wins games.
For those who want to play alone or the group that needs a challenge, Star Realms: Frontiers comes with 8 challenge cards that successfully adjust the difficulty. Players have the freedom to adjust the game to their skill level, but also have access to the added flavor of each imaginative scenario.
How to Play
The instructions were a bit confusing, so I recommend looking up a guide. Whose Turn? does a decent job explaining the rules. I’ll leave his video bellow:
Review
I love deck builders and Star Realms: Frontiersdoes not disappoint. The art and flavor did a lot to attract me at first, but the gameplay kept me playing. I love that no two games were ever alike, nor did I ever use the same strategy twice. What I found impressive was that the game never felt solvable. I am sure this opinion will change with more play-throughs, but the game feels fairly balanced.
I don’t always have people to play with, so I appreciate the inclusion of a solo mode. Solo mode has players solve different scenarios. Players are given NPCs and rules on how to run them. If the encounter is too easy, the game provides additional challenges to help adjust the difficulty. Each scenario feels unique, and the challenges add enough depth to keep the game fun and interesting. You can run scenarios with your friends, but I don’t have to friend group to test this properly.
If you enjoy deck-building games, this is a fantastic and compact one to keep on your shelves. Setup is easy and the games go fast, but the onboarding can be a little tricky. Even for the experienced gamer, there is going to be some initial confusion. The game isn’t impossible to learn, but it does require a bit of extra effort. Once players can overcome this hurdle, Star Realms: Frontiers is a very good time. I recommend it to everyone.
You can pick up your copy of Star Realms: Frontiers on Game Nerdz (17.47) or Amazon ($29.99) through my affiliate links.
I was sent a free copy of Sherlock Solitaireto review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.
What’s Sherlock Solitaire?
Sherlock Solitaireis a 1-2-player card game where the player solves crimes as the famous literary detective. Can you navigate the clues and danger to solve the mystery at large?
What’s in the box?
2 Reference Cards
2 Detective Cards (Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson)
2 Case Cards (“The Valley of Fear,” “The Final Problem”)
1 Wound Card (minor wound on front, severe wound on back)
32 Investigation cards (8 of each number 1-4)
16 Threat Cards (4 of each letter A-D)
How to Play
1. Take a Reference card.
2. Take either Detective card. Place it text-side up.
3. Choose a Case card or select at random. Place the card text-side up. For new players, we recommend “The Valley of Fear.”
4. Shuffle all 32 Investigation cards (numbers 1-4) and all 16 Threat cards (letters A-D) together to create the deck. Place it face-down.
5. Leave room for the discard pile. Cards will be placed on the discard pile face-up and may be reviewed at any time.
6. Place the Wound card sideways, with the minor wound face-up.
7. Leave plenty of room for the play areas, which include the Crime Scene on the left and the Office on the right.
The publisher also has a fantastic tutorial worth checking out.
Review
Sherlock Solitaireis a quick and easy game to pull out when you don’t want a huge commitment. The game is easy to learn but hard to master. The game comes in a neat compact package for easy storage unless you sleeve all your card games. While I do love the art and design of the box, I had to toss it because it didn’t fit the sleeve deck.
The cards themselves are of fantastic quality. The pictures are beautiful and printed on nice sturdy card stock. While I am sure it will survive a few hundred shuffles, I opted to sleeve mine because I am a crazy person who sleeves everything.
Games of Sherlock Solitaire are pretty quick, and a welcomed twist on the classic card game. You can pull this game out whenever you need a quick game away from a device, and it is engaging enough to keep you entertained through more than one play-through. I like that there are options for added difficulty for those who feel like they have mastered the game early on. I never did, but it was nice to have options.
This isn’t your normal game of solitaire. I think there are enough changes to this version to make it a fresh new and exciting experience for those who don’t like the classic game. The game also features fantastic flavor with some truly beautiful illustrations. Even if you’ve never read the books, you can appreciate the game’s look and gameplay. I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and simple solo game, and there are rules to add a second player if needed.
You can pick up Sherlock Solitairefor only $9.95 on Amazon using my affiliate link. There is also an app version for Android and IOS.
I was sent a free copy of Vaesen: The Lost Mountain Saga to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest opinions of the campaign book.
What is Vaesen: The Lost Mountain Saga
The Lost Mountain Sagais a stand-alone mystery that you can run in any Vaesencampaign. Note that you will need access to the core rulebook if you want to run this adventure.
The northern Swedish city of Abisko used to be a prosperous mining town till the mines went dry. A recent gold rush has reopened the town for business, but not without events. There is something strange happening to the town, and it’s unclear what. Kids go missing in the night, livestock is slaughtered for no reason, and some people hear mysterious disembodied laughter. Fear is taking its hold, creating tension between its citizens. There is a witch hunt brewing, and The Society seems to be the only organization to help restore the peace to this sleepy mountain peace. Can your party find the truth before it is too late?
The Book
This book is printed in impeccable quality. It looks and feels like an old fairytale book. It has a textured hard cover and is printed on thick high-quality paper. Most importantly, the illustrations in this book are beautiful. The colors are vibrant and the art style is unique and thematic. You can always get the PDF version of this adventure, but the book is going to pop on any table.
Impressions
The Lost Mountain Sagais a valuable resource for the GM who needs a place to start or just wants to run a prewritten adventure. This book isn’t mandatory, but it is nice to have. This is a high-quality book with a solid adventure that will run great at any table. The book features a solid mystery with all the resources a GM needs to run it properly, provided they have a table for enthusiastic players to help bring the story to life.
The story is a little dark, as is expected from Vaesen, some trigger warnings may be required. The story is fine for my table, but the millage always varies. Make sure you always talk to your players.
The Lost Mountain Saga is a great resource for those who need it. If your looking for a new mystery to run for your next campaign, this is a good place to start.
You can pick up the book for $34.46 on Amazon, and the pdf for $19.99 on DriveThru RPG.
I was sent a free copy of the Pathfinder Monster Core Bookto review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions of the game. This will be my honest review.
What is the Monster Core Book?
The Monster Core Bookis a valuable resource for GMs searching for ways to spice up their next campaign. It features over 300 pages of monsters, creatures, and rules for those tired of the monsters that come with the Game Master’s Core. There is also a handy glossary of skills and abilities for those who want to homebrew their monsters. It’s going to be impossible to own this book and not use it.
Review
Like most TTRPG resource books of this nature, the Monster Core Bookis optional. While it is hard to dispute its usefulness, all you need to run a successful Pathfinder campaign is dice, the rules, and an imagination. Some will argue that a real Game Master can create the perfect encounter from thin air at will, but I argue that it is always nice to have access to a concrete set of rules. I like that I can flip through the book, pick a few interesting monsters, and be ready for a session at a moment’s notice.
While having access to a ton of useful stat blocks, the book is full of lore and tips to use in your campaign. Struggling to fill your world? Look through the different races and build off the blurbs so generously provided. I loved flipping through the book and reading about all the creatures that could potentially fill my world, and I even got a few ideas on how to use them. You can always flavor the monsters to fit your campaign, but their lore is always there for when you need it.
What I love most about Pathfinder is how thorough it gets. You can always pick and choose how technical a campaign you want to run is, but the books are pretty thorough in explaining its many mechanics. I don’t use everything that is in these books, but I will be using the rules for making elite monsters.
My absolute favorite part of this book is the art. This is such a pretty book with a fantastic art style. If you like fantasy, Pathfinder is an interesting TTRPG with a lot of fantastic flavor. If you’re already playing Pathfinder, the Monster Core is a great addition to your collection.
For newer GMs, I would start with just the GM Core until you get your grove. While the Monster Manuel is useful, it isn’t necessary for those first couple of sessions. Eventually, you’re going to want to get yourself a copy of the Monster Core because of its undeniable utility. However you want to spend your money, you can’t go wrong with getting yourself a copy of the Monster core.
You can pick up the hardcover version of the Monster Core on Amazon for $59.99 (Currently $46.67) with my affiliate link, or the PDF on the official Paizo website if you don’t care about physical media.
I was sent a free copy of the Veasencore rulebook to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
What is Vaesen?
Long ago, Vaesen and man lived side by side in harmony. Vaesen are powerful creatures with the power to control the world around it. Man would make offerings to the Vaesen in exchange for their powers. The Vaesen would make it rain, fill the forests with game, and anything else supernatural. As the industrial age dawned on Sweden, people began their migration to the big cities. Soon, there was no need for the Vaesen’s power and they slowly faded into fairy tales. Most lost their ability to see Vaesen.
Man may have lost their ability to see Vaesen, but the creatures live on in their separate world alongside man. The Vaesen keep to themselves for the most part. Occasionally, however, man’s impact on the planet goes too far and sends the Vaesen into a terrorizing rage. Stories circulate of castles haunted by terrifying ghosts, of witches that snatch up children in the middle of the night, or of trolls terrorizing villages. The people have learned to cope with the unexplainable, and most have forgotten about the Vaesen.
But not all is lost. The society was formed to keep man safe from rampaging Vaesen. The society is a secret organization made up of the few people left in this world with the ability to see Vaesen. People gain this ability by experiencing some kind of supernatural trauma. While these folks may not be the most stable, they are humanity’s only hope.
Gather your friends as you investigate the supernatural in this dark and edgy tabletop roleplaying game. Can you bring peace to the Vaesen before it is too late?
The book
The Veasen core rulebook is the prettiest RPG book you’re ever going to own. The cover and pages are textured to feel like an old book. The formatting is easy to read and search through. The illustrations in this book are breathtaking. The art style is amazing and the use of color is astounding. I’ve read this book as a PDF, but nothing beats flipping through its pages. This is a very high-quality book and one that elevates the look and feel of any bookcase and table.
Gameplay
Vaesen is a D6 system that is easy to learn. Players will spend their sessions investigating mysteries and trying to bring peace to a raging Vaesen. This doesn’t have to mean combat. Vaesen seems to be a more roleplay-heavy system due to how investigations work, but you can always adjust the rules to fit the needs of your table. If you would like to learn how to play Vaesen before picking up the game, AlchemyRPGhas a solid tutorial series. They also have a very good official module for their VTT. If you’re planning to run Vaesen online and don’t mind doing it through theater of the mind, AlchemyRPGmight be the solution you’re looking for. I am not affiliated with the company, I just like the module.
Impressions
Veasenis a terrific RPG that deserves some attention. The system is unique and easy to learn, and the book is full of fantastic lore and flavor. The rulebook contains everything Gamemaster’s need to run a successful mystery, and there is even a prewritten module for those who need it. I felt like the system is better when players can get into character, struggle with their flaws, and roleplay through the investigation. While I am sure you can make the adjustments to focus on the needs of your table, the game is meant to be a monster of the week mystery-type game. I do like that there is a combat and skill system because things are better with RNG. Besides, it doesn’t matter what type of game you want to run, you’re players are always going to want to hit things.
The game has a tremendous amount of flavor. Even if you don’t end up playing a game of Vaesen, it’s going to be hard not to, you’re going to enjoy reading through the monster profiles. The lore is so good, and it reads like a fairy tale. The classes are all unique, but I like that they aren’t restricting. Classes feel like they are suggestions for roleplay because players have the freedom to play the character how they want. I like that the book gives a good amount of ideas for all sorts of creation for those who need it. The book ends with a well-written first mystery, making the core rulebook an invaluable resource for both players and gamemasters looking into running the game.
If you enjoy murder mystery roleplay, dig the 20’s aesthetic, or want something new to run at your table, check out Veasen. It is a beautiful book with some amazing lore that belongs on a lot more tables.
You can pick up the Vaesen rulebook in Hardcover on Amazon for $49.99 (Currently $40.79) through my affiliate link. If you don’t care about physical media, you can grab the PDF over on DriveThruRPG for $24.99.
The Eldritch Automata campaign has officially launched on Backerkit. The project was fully funded within the first 30 minutes of going live and continues to gain momentum. Most of the stretch goals have been unlocked which means excited fans will receive a generous amount of goodies. The campaign ends on July 25, leaving plenty of time to decide if you want to embark on this bleak adventure of survival featuring mechs. While Gehenna Gaming does have a solid record with their delivery, always be mindful of what you back on these types of crowdsourcing campaigns.
What is Eldritch Automata?
Eldritch Automatais a post-apocalyptic TTRPG powered by the award-winning Year Zero Engine.
Society crumbles under the weight of Eldritch invaders. Monsters and horrifying angels spread their rain and despair across the world. Humanity is pushed to the brink of extinction, but hope is not lost. Giant Mechs known as the Automata come to humanity’s salvation, but piloting them comes at a cost. Those brave and competent enough to pilot these mighty machines must risk their entire mind, body, and soul. Some will rise and become the shining pillars of hope and salvation, while others will lose themselves under the strain of piloting an Automata. How far can you push yourself to save humanity?
How to Play
Impressions
Pilots in Eldritch Automatamust survive the strain of an unforgiving world. Infighting between factions, the stress of survival, the strain of piloting the Automata, and facing the endless waves of Eldritch horrors wear down their spirit. Eldritch Automata is a game where even the bravest and brightest can lose themselves in the madness.
The game does a decent job of creating systems that emulate the strain of surviving in its world. The game is set up where players are constantly having to push their limits while risking their sanity. Piloting an Automata is cool, but it can make you go crazy or leave you with a permanent, life-altering injury. Having a player lose control of their character due to a dice roll is bound to lead to some interesting roleplay.
Gameplay seems solid and easy to learn. I’ve ran a few Year Zero games, and my table is always content with how they run. It makes for a nice break from D&D without being too big of a shift.
Ultimately, you’re playing Eldritch Automata for its flavor. I love the dark hopelessness that will inevitably seep into every session, and I am sure my players will enjoy fighting in giant mechs. The combat system seems to involve enough strategy to make it engaging without being overly complicated while establishing its unique flare in the space. As a GM, I like the amount of tables and charts available for a healthy amount of chaos. I can’t wait to see how my players react when they have to roll to keep their sanity. It is going to get tense.
If you’re looking to run a bleak survival adventure full of monsters, chaos, and mechs, you’re going to want to go back Eldritch Automata on Backerkit. The art is cool, the flavor is fantastic, and what I’ve seen of the system is impressive. There is a free quickstart available from the publisher if you would like to see if the Eldritch Automata is right for your table. The Quickstart comes with a streamlined version of the rules and a small haunted house-style adventure for you to run. I’ll leave the files below, but you can get the quickstart and the pre-generated characters on the DrivethruRPG.
I was sent a free copy of the Pathfinder Adventure Path: Wardens of Wildwood 1: Pactbreakerby Andrew White to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. I haven’t had a chance to run the game, but these are my honest first impressions.
What is Wardens of Wildwood?
Wardens of Wildwood is a three-book adventure module for your next Pathfinder campaign. Pactbreakeris the first of the books.
The Greenwood Gala is held in honor of the yearly signing of the treaty between the empire of Taldor and the citizens of the Verduran Forest. The treaty allows for peaceful and regulated trade between the two groups. This Gala is a large festival held leading up to the signing of this treaty, and it attracts people from all over to join in this magical week of revelry.
This year’s Gala is going to be big, and the organizers need additional volunteers. You and your party have been recruited to help keep the peace, but not without enjoying the festivities. The festivities end abruptly when several of the Verduran Forest’s leaders are murdered. It is now up to your party to find out the culprits and return peace to the forest without spilling too muchblood shed. Do you have what it takes?
The Book
The adventure comes in a nicely printed softcover book. The illustrations are beautiful, and the quality is sturdy. You will get a crease in the cover from use, but it isn’t a deal breaker. While hardcovers are always nice, I do appreciate the small form factor. The whole adventure is the size of a magazine, which makes transportation and storage incredibly easy. The included maps feel a little small, but you can cut them out or make copies if you would like to use them. Overall, Pactbreaker is a fine and quality product from our friends over at Piazo.
Impressions
Pactbreaker is the first part of the Wardens of Wildwood adventure path. All three parts are now available for purchase, but I only have access to Pactbreaker at the moment. I’ll be working on getting the other two installments. Stay tuned for that.
Pactbreaker is designed to take adventurers from levels 5 – 8. The idea is to give players access to a character that can make an impact in the world but still has room to grow. I enjoy running level 5 campaigns because players have enough tools to make things fun without being overpowered.
One important thing to note is that you will need access to the 2nd Edition rulebook. While most of the adventure is self contained within the book’s pages, it does not contain the rules. There is a list of supplemental reading materials for additional background and context for the campaign setting, but it isn’t needed. You can run this campaign with just the adventure book and a copy of the rulebook.
I like the flavor of the campaign. If you like woodland fantasy with cool druids, living plants, and ancient turtles, Pactbreaker is a great place to start. The adventure has cool lore, an interesting cast of NPCs, and some neat monsters that can carry into your other campaigns.
The adventure starts with a couple of encounters, but the focus of the first chapter is the downtime activities. I did find the initial encounters flavorful and open to creative solutions. I am sure your players will find a way to break them.
A big part of the first chapter will be spent on gaining influence with the various important NPCs and playing festival games. If you have ever wanted to run a festival in your campaign, the book has a good amount of rules for how to run all sorts of games. While the adventure will eventually have dungeon crawls and combat, your table should be comfortable enough with each other to participate in the festival. I can see this section being the most fun if your players are into the roleplay.
Pactbreaker is a great way to start your adventure in Verduran Forest if you don’t mind running a festival. I don’t think the festival is bad, I’ll be using some of the games in future adventures, but it isn’t going to be a fit for everyone. Once you get past the Gala, the adventure has a solid pace and a decent mystery. It definitely made me excited for part two.
You can pick up Wards of Wildwood: Pactbreaker on Amazon (using my affiliate link) or the official Paizo website for $29.99 ($19.99 for the pdf). If you run games online, you can pick up the official Foundry Module on the official Paizo website for $14.99. If you don’t know what Foundry is, check out my full review.
This week, I finished my campaign for The One Ring RPG. I ran it using a mixture of the starter set and a few events I made up along the way. Please note that Free League Publishing sent me free copies of the PDFs to review for my blog. While I am very grateful, this will be my honest review. If you enjoy these reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!
The One Ring Roleplaying Gameis a ttrpg based in Tolkien’s iconic fantasy universe. Even though GMs can run their own stories within the world, events are meant to exist between those in The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. This is a game that is heavily driven by narrative and roleplay. The books are lore-rich and flavorful. While an extensive knowledge of the source material isn’t necessary to enjoy this system, fans of the series will have a deeper appreciation for its level of detail.
Gameplay
While The One Ring has an interesting skill and combat system, the game is roleplay and narrative-driven. Rolls can sway the narrative and lead to some funny moments, but the focus will always be on the story and creating an epic yarn within the universe.
The most unique aspect of The One Ring is the Council. The Fellowship phase is where players talk to a council and ask for permission, jobs, favors, etc. There are also bonuses associated with building a relationship with the fellowship and patrons. This is a neat feature for players and GMs who enjoy roleplaying diplomacy with the added spontaneity of dice rolls.
The system alsofeatures a very unique combat system. There is no initiative. Players always go first, unless ambushed, and they can pick typically pick the order they go in. Mechanics like combat stances, gear, and stances allow for strategy, but it isn’t meant to be min-maxed. While I’m sure some people could break this game, combat is designed to tell a story based on how the dice roll.
My favorite aspect of The One Ring is how it handles travel. To start travel, players will come together to map out their route. The GM version of this map may include obstacles the party may encounter but are kept secret till they become relevant. The party chooses then chooses from one of the four roles: Guide, Hunter, Scout, and Lookout. Players then roll their perspective skills, and a story is made based on those rolls. There are tables in the scorebook that help create this narrative, we typically just make up our own.
What I enjoyed most about travel is the fatigue mechanic. Based on the results, the party gains fatigue through the course of the adventure. Fatigue limits the amount of gear they can carry, and can make them go down quicker in combat. The only way to reduce fatigue is in town, and typically after a quest. This mechanic made travel feel more impactful, and players would be cautious of how they mapped their adventure to avoid unnecessary fatigue.
The Starter Set
The Starter set includes everything you need to run your first One Ring campaign. The box includes:
A 24-page rulebook
Lorebook for The Shire
An adventure book with 6 prewritten adventures
8 Double-sided pre-generated character sheets
Two Large maps for The Shire and Eriador
30 Item Cards
6 Double Sided Journey Role and Combat Stance Cards
2 D12 Feat Dice
6 D6 Success Dice
While having the physical product with the special dice, maps, and cards is nice, it isn’t necessary. You can get by with the PDF, theater of the mind, and normal dice. You can pick up the PDF version of the starter set on DriveThru RPG.
The adventure in the starter set is a great way to onboard new players to RPGs. The adventure does a lot of hand-holding. Players and GMs are slowly introduced to the different mechanics of the system, GMs get terrific examples of encounters and descriptions, and there is a detailed lorebook to help fill the world. While experienced GMs and players will find the adventure a little slow, it is an invaluable asset for players who have never played an RPG. My biggest piece of advice for GMs running through the adventure is to not be afraid of going off-book. What you and your party make up will always be better.
I ran through some of the adventures, but we quickly went off-book because the pacing was too slow, and our interest shifted elsewhere. The adventures are fine, but they left a bit to be desired. Fans of The Hobbit might enjoy the adventure more. I don’t think the starter set is necessary unless you need a place to start or want the items in the box for your main campaign. I can’t speak for the quality of the items in the box, but I would start with just the core book if you already know how to run an RPG.
Review
We enjoyed The One Ring, and I am happy I got to run it. It was a very different change of pace, but we had a blast making up the store. We stripped away some of the mechanics that didn’t make sense for our table, like the council, and I recommend you do the same.
This system isn’t going to be for everyone. The game is heavily dependent on roleplay and storytelling. I would avoid this game if you’re group isn’t comfortable with either of these aspects. I was surprised at how quickly my group took to the new style because I have players who don’t do either, but we’ve been friends long enough to feed off each other’s jokes. Ultimately, the most fun we had in this game was when we went off script and created the dumbest, most insane story within The Lord of the Rings universe.
I wouldn’t be afraid that this is a Lord of the Rings game. My table went into this game with a vague understanding of the lore and had fun. The books are well-written and have all the lore you’ll need if that’s the kind of game you want to run. I feel like my players enjoyed reading the lore about monsters and races more than they did playing the game. While I am sure fans of the series will appreciate the details, it isn’t going to be a problem if you go into it as a casual. The books also have some beautiful illustrations so at worst, you have a cool-looking fantasy book to sit on your shelf.
I liked that we played the system, but it isn’t something that we would ever rush to play. The system is unique, the gameplay is fun, and I loved the stories we came up with, but I enjoyed other systems better. The game isn’t bad, it’s just personal preference. This game is made for a specific type of gamer who likes to roleplay high fantasy and enjoys The Lord of the Rings lore. If you’re looking for a new fantasy TTRPG to get into, make sure you are comfortable with roleplaying and storytelling. This is the type of game that you can run successfully with only 5 minutes of prep time if you’re good at improving, and your players are comfortable participating. If you and you’re group aren’t there yet, I would look elsewhere.
You can pick up a copy of the core book ($49.99) or starter set ($39) on Amazon through my affiliate links.
The Replicant Rebellionexpansion is officially live on Kickstarter! If you’ve been enjoying the Blade Runner Roleplaying game, or are looking for something to spice up your next campaign, you’re going to want to back this project.
Replicant Rebellion is already fully funded, and if history is anything to go by, this is going to be a spectacular book. I am already a huge fan of the revealed art. Let’s dive into the expansion and get excited!
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!
InReplicant Rebellion, players run their crews in secret operations in the name of the cause. They can help fugitive Replicants hide, sabotage the Replicant trade, fight against enemy crews, and much much more. This 200+ page book is sure to have something for your table. Players must be careful to keep their intentions concealed from the Blade Runners and their records clean. How much are you willing to give up for the cause?
Art
I was sent a few of the Blade Runner books to review for my blog, and they are so pretty. The art in these books is just too good to overlook, especially if you’re a fan of the source material. What I’ve seen so far from Replicant Rebellion is no exception:
Thoughts
If you are thinking of picking up this book, please keep in mind that you will need the core rulebook to run it. The Blade Runner RPG has a solid system that is easy to learn and pick up, and the book is so pretty.
As for the expansion, I think the concept is great. Flipping the roles so that a player can experience both sides of society is such a cool way to refresh a campaign. I’ve been running TTRPGs for a few years now and understand the pain that comes with burnout. Sometimes you need to take a break to recharge. Other times you need to switch systems and experience something different. Having to play the same system from a different angle is fantastic because no one has to learn new rules, and you don’t need to stop playing.
Sure you can make up your own world with and homebrew your lore and rules to keep things fresh, but some of us don’t have the time. It’s also nice to have a reference ready in case it is ever needed.
The book looks great, the concept is fantastic, and as a fan of the base material, I am all in. I will probably be getting my copy for review, so make sure you stay tuned for that. Until then, make sure you back that Kickstarter!
